When They See Us on Netflix portrays the harrowing case of the Central Park Five who were wrongly convicted of the attack and rape of a 28-year-old woman. At the time, police officers said that some of the boys interviewed had admitted to being in Central Park ‘wilding’. The term went on to be a prominent phrase used in media coverage of the case. But what does it actually mean?
What does Wilding mean?
Ava DuVernay’s mini-series When They See Us examined the case of the Central Park Jogger in 1989 and 1990.
The case focused on the rape and beating of a 28-year-old woman in Central Park on the night of April 19, 1989.
On the night the attack occurred, there were also reports of other attacks committed in the park by around 30 teenagers.
This is what first led police officers to gather teenagers of colour as suspects, these included Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise, who were brought in for interrogations.
The young men were later wrongly convicted of the rape of the 28-year-old woman and were not exonerated until 2002 when convicted rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the crime.
During the media coverage surrounding the case at the time, the term ‘wilding’ was frequently used to describe the attacks in Central Park.
WHERE ARE THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE NOW?
This started because, during the interrogations, some of the accused boys described their actions in the park as ‘wilin’ out.’
The police were thought to have heard this to be ‘wilding’ and reported this is what they had said in a press conference.
Viewers of the Netflix mini-series could see this at the beginning of episode two when audio from media broadcasters is overlaid in the drama.
At the beginning of the episode, a voiceover says: “Some of the young men arrested in the attack, so young as to be children, told police they were just out wilding.”
“Wilding, New York City Police say that’s new teenage slang for rampaging in wolf packs.”
WHO IS IN THE CAST OF WHEN THEY SEE US?
Creator and director of the mini-series DuVernay said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that one of the things that shocked her about the case at the time was the misinterpretation of slang.
She said: “Sometimes ‘wilin’ out’ just means you’re hanging out,” DuVernay says. “Sometimes it means you’re out just having fun. It certainly doesn’t mean you’re raping people.
“The fact that wilin’ became wilding, became wolf pack, became these boys are animals. … I remember for the first time realising that the news might not be true, that the news is something that you have to really think about and question.”
The term went on to take on a life of its own in the press with contemporary newspapers putting it on their front pages.
The New York Daily News on April 22, 1989, wrote: “Park marauders call it ‘wilding’ and it’s street slang for going berserk.”
IS WHEN THEY SEE US BASED ON A TRUE STORY?
In the years since the case, there has been a lot of discussion about the misuse of the phrase.
For example, Robyn Pennacchia wrote about the case in 2013 for Business Insider.
They said: “There was no such real trend as ‘wilding.’ It was all made up-but easily accepted by a society conditioned to see young black men as criminals rather than people.”
When They See Us examines the circumstances that saw the five young men convicted of the crime, including issues of racism and treatment of people of colour in the justice system.
It aired on Netflix on May 31 and has since received wide critical and viewer acclaim.
When They See Us is available to watch now on Netflix.
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