CHICAGO (TND) — Members of the Central Park Five criticized former President Donald Trump for his role in stoking anger in New York during their trial, when the group was wrongfully convicted of rape and assault. Trump had called for the death penalty in New York in full-page ads in New York newspapers.

Four members of the Central Park Five – Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson – appeared on stage alongside civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton to rebuke Trump.

“45 wanted us dead. He wanted us killed. Today we are vindicated,” said Salaam, who is now a member of the New York City Council. “He has never changed and he never will. This man believes hate is the driving force in America. That is not the case.”

Trump took out full-page ads in New York in 1989 calling on the state to introduce the death penalty for murderers after the attack. He also made it clear in the ads that he was expressing this opinion because of the attack on a woman jogging in Central Park.

“He called us animals. He spent $85,000 on a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for our execution,” Wise said. “We were innocent children, but we spent a total of 41 years in prison.”

The Central Park Five, all boys between the ages of 14 and 16, were convicted of rape and assault on the woman in a case that attracted national attention. Their convictions were later overturned after a convicted murderer confessed to the crime, which was also backed up by DNA evidence.

Trump refused to apologize to the group for running the ads.

“There are people on both sides,” he said at the White House in 2019. “They have admitted their guilt.”

The men stated that the police forced them to make false confessions to the crime.