Central Park Five Prosecutor Resigns From Columbia Law Job

A prosecutor involved in the Central Park Five case has resigned from her position at Columbia Law School following the protests of black students in response to her role in the infamous case.

Following the release of Netflix’s When They See Us, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lederer announced she would no longer serve as a part-time professor at the institution, due to members of the Black Law Students Association calling on her resignation.

“The mini-series has reignited a painful—and vital—national conversation about race, identity, and criminal justice,” Dean Gillian Lester told Bloomberg News. “I am deeply committed to fostering a learning environment that furthers this important and ongoing dialogue, one that draws upon the lived experiences of all members of our community and actively confronts the most difficult issues of our time.”

Per the New York Daily News, the BLSA called Ms. Lederer’s actions “racist,” and wrote a letter urging Columbia Law School to update its curriculum to reflect the issues pertaining to “institutionalized racism in the legal system.”

New statement released from the @ColumbiaLaw Black Law Students Association

Students call for #CentralPark5 prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer to be fired from her Lecturer in Law position

Also call on the law school to center anti-racism in its curriculum and pedagogy pic.twitter.com/U8By81KWBB

— Barred and Boujee (@AudreLawdAMercy) June 11, 2019

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t7XBnmWcp51ku6bD0micp6yVp8Gitc2mnKesX5iyr8DRmqNmqJGnuG6yyK%2BcZqiipMCmr9StpqtloprAqrPNrGScp5yquqO1wGajmq9da4J0gZBqZg%3D%3D