As the 9th Person Dies in DOC Custody this Year, Gov. Hochul Must Sign Law to Overhaul the SCOC
On Tuesday, Edwin Quispe, 33 years old, was found unresponsive in a bathroom at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island and passed away shortly after. This is the ninth person to die in DOC custody this year; at least 42 people have died since Eric Adams became mayor in 2022.
As the death toll continues to rise at Rikers and other local jails and state prisons across the state remain in crisis, New York needs an effective watchdog for correctional facilities. This is truly a tragedy that could have been prevented. In June, the New York Legislature passed an omnibus corrections oversight bill, S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan), that includes overhauling the government watchdog—the State Commission of Correction—with authority over local jails and state prisons, including Rikers Island. Gov. Kathy Hochul must sign this bill into law.
Take Action Here to Email Gov. Hochul and Demand that She Immediately Sign this Bill into Law!
In response to the death of Mr. Quispe at Rikers on Tuesday, we put out this statement from our Member, Glory Gibson:
“The conditions at the Rikers Island jail complex are deplorable. Learning that yet another person has died at Rikers—marking the ninth death this year under the Adams administration—is truly horrific. It only makes me worry more about the safety of my brother, who is currently incarcerated there. I send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. No family should have to receive such devastating news or constantly live in fear about whether their loved one has made it through the night while detained at Rikers.
Now more than ever, Governor Hochul must urgently sign into law the omnibus bill S.8415 (Salazar) / A.8871 (Dilan), which includes ten correctional oversight and accountability measures. Section H of the omnibus bill features legislation S.856 (Salazar) / A.2315 (Gallagher), which would overhaul the State Commission of Correction (SCOC)—the watchdog agency with investigative and oversight authority over every jail and prison in the state. The SCOC has the power to shut down facilities like Rikers Island that fail to maintain ‘safe, stable, and humane’ conditions for incarcerated people. Governor Hochul must sign this bill now.”
If you’re interested in joining the fight to shut down Rikers, please contact Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org.
Next Wednesday 7/30: Bronx Wellness Fair
Join us next Wednesday, July 30th, at the Bronx Women’s Wellness Fair! At the beginning of the event, there will be women-only workshops from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. This will be followed by a community resource fair from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, featuring a variety of tabling organizations. We’ll be tabling about our community organizing and Shut Rikers campaign. Food, childcare, and translation will be available to those who register.
RSVP here to attend the Bronx Wellness Fair
If you’re interested in joining us at this event, please contact Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org.
Weekly Pro-Democracy Phone Zaps
Join us on Wednesday, July 30th, for our weekly Pro-Democracy Phone Zaps! Every Wednesday from 12-12:45pm (EST), we’re gathering on Zoom to call our elected officials.
Last week, the Trump Administration has requested that Medicaid officials share the personal information of millions of people with ICE. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency drafted a plan to repeal its ability to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions and fight climate change. These policies are detrimental to our communities as they will separate families, endanger people’s lives, and exacerbate the climate crisis. This is unacceptable.
On Wednesday, we’ll continue this fight by calling our congressional representatives in D.C. to demand they take action to protect our communities. If you’ve been looking for a starting point to take action, this is a great place to jump in!
Register here for our next Pro-Democracy Phone Zap on Wednesday, July 30th!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org. We hope to see you there!
5th Annual Galaxy Leadership Fellowship Gatherings
Our NY Directors with Soffiyah Elijah, the Executive Director of Alliance of Families for Justice, who was given an award at the gathering for her decades of movement work.
Our organizing and advocacy directors, Melanie and Yonah, are a part of the 2025 Galaxy Leader Fellowship. This program holistically supports directly impacted grassroots organizers, executive directors, lawyers, advocates, artists, and others who have dedicated their lives to ending our nation’s punitive criminal justice system.
This week, they are in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the 5th Annual Galaxy Leader Fellowship Gathering. This is an opportunity for the fellowship community to come together, sharpen our tools, ground ourselves in purpose, and ready each other for the work ahead.
Inspiring Resistance This Week
–In Austin, Texas, a network of online activists launched StopICE.net, which invites people to report sightings of suspected federal officers and notifies users who sign up for alerts. The network now boasts more than 470,000 subscribers nationwide. It is one of dozens of sites that have launched in recent months as people across the country are alarmed at Trump’s deportation agenda.. See details here.
-In Florida, a biker group blocked the entrance to Alligator Alcatraz, where they prayed a rosary for the people detained there. See details here.
-In Huntington Beach, ICE attempted to enter the home of a woman with her children. The entire community, including the police department city council, intervened and forced them to leave. See a video here
For more examples of resistance, check out Choose Democracy’s Resist List!
Katal Quotes of the Week
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
“If there is to be any proving of our humanity it must be through revolutionary means.” – Walter Rodney, The Groundings with My Brothers“
We have a deportation machine that has grown incredibly big. But we still fight. We still resist. ― Maru Mora-Villalpando
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