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Posted: 2023-04-02T13:43:50Z | Updated: 2023-04-02T13:43:50Z

Yusef Salaam , who is one of the exonerated Central Park Five , questioned what reality Republicans are living in following a Manhattan grand jurys indictment of former President Donald Trump on Thursday.

Salaam spent nearly seven years in prison after he and four other Black and brown teens were wrongfully convicted in a 1989 rape case involving a white woman in Central Park.

Before the teens trial, Trump paid for full-page newspaper ads that called to bring back the death penalty for criminals of every age in response to the case.

Trumps call was the fire starter toward a shift in public opinion prior to the teens wrongful convictions, Salaam previously said . Salaam and the other four were exonerated in 2002.

MSNBC s Ayman Mohyeldin asked Salaam about Republicans refrains in the wake of the indictment: that if Trump can be indicted , anyone can be indicted.

When you hear things like that, it almost makes you believe that were living in the same reality and the truth of the matter is that we are not living in the same reality, said Salaam. For someone to say that if they could do it to Trump, they could do it to anyone they do it to Black and brown people all the time.

Salaam, who previously referred to Trumps indictment as karma, added that there are Black and brown people in prison for crimes they havent committed, much like he was.

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Its a travesty of justice and the truth of the matter is that we need the legal system to work and Im excited to see what will happen on Tuesday, Salaam said, referring to Trumps arraignment.

Yusef Salaam: For someone to say that if they could do to it to Trump, they could do it to anyone.. they do it to black and brown people all the time. pic.twitter.com/JqIw8EHf43

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Yusef Salaam: For someone to say that if they could do to it to Trump, they could do it to anyone.. they do it to black and brown people all the time. pic.twitter.com/JqIw8EHf43

Acyn (@Acyn) April 2, 2023

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