Organizing to Overhaul the State Tuesday 8/26: Receivership at Rikers Info-session
Receivership at Rikers Info-session on Tuesday, August 26th: RSVP Here!
Rikers has long been a hellhole, and many New Yorkers are familiar with the regular cycle of news stories about the horrors perpetrated there. Every year, tens of thousands of people, mostly Black, brown, and low-income New Yorkers, cycle through the decrepit jail complex, facing harrowing conditions. Last month, the ninth person died in New York City jails this year, and at least 42 people have died in NYC jails since Eric Adams became mayor in 2022. This is unacceptable.
Since 2011, the federal Nunez case has put a unique spotlight on the horrific conditions at Rikers. The case has led to multiple court rulings, including the appointment of a federal monitor
In May, Judge Laura Taylor Swain took the most dramatic step available to the court: With the worsening conditions at Rikers – and faced with a mayoral administration refusing to follow court orders – she ruled to appoint a remediation manager to act on stalled reforms at the jail complex. In legal circles, the remediation manager – who will report directly to the judge – is known by a more familiar term: a court-ordered receiver. (Check out this article by the Brennan Center for Justice for more information on what a receiver is and does.)
In her decision, Judge Swain wrote, “As the record in this case demonstrates, the current rates of use of force, stabbings and slashings, fights, assaults on staff, and in-custody deaths remain extraordinarily high, and there has been no substantial reduction in the risk of harm currently facing those who live and work in the Rikers Island jails.”
The Legal Aid Society, the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs in Nunez, said of the ruling, “The receiver will have the authority to implement long-overdue reforms, cut through the Department of Correction’s entrenched mismanagement, and finally bring relief to those who continue to endure daily, inhumane treatment.”
For nearly three years, we have been building a coalition calling for receivership at Rikers, to improve conditions and save lives until the jail complex is shut down. When news dropped regarding the judges ruling, a wide range of community groups, advocacy organizations, elected officials, and more hailed this decision.
Judge Swain is expected to appoint a remediation manager in September. Who are the candidates? Will the judge address the questions that have been raised about the authority of the remediation manager before the appointment? And what does this process mean for the fight to shut Rikers, especially with a mayoral election taking place in November?
At our Receivership at Rikers Info-Session on Tuesday, August 26th, we’ll be tackling some of these questions and more. Please register and join us – we hope to see you there!
Register here for our Receivership at Rikers Info-Session at 12pm on Tuesday, August 26th!
If you’re interested in joining the fight to shut down Rikers, please contact Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org.
This Saturday 8/9: Brownsville African Heritage Festival
Join us this Saturday, August 9th, at the Brownsville African Heritage Festival to celebrate African heritage, culture, and community at #SankofaKuumba in Brownsville! We’ll be tabling, sharing information and materials about our community organizing and Shut Rikers campaign. Join us Saturday, from 12 – 5pm at 392 Blake Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11212
Check out more on this event here!
If you’re interested in joining us at this event, please contact Lakenya at Lakenya@katalcenter.org.
Pro-Democracy Phone Zap With NASW-NY Chapter
Join us on Wednesday, August 13th, for our nextPro-Democracy Phone Zap – co-hosted with The National Association of Social Workers NY chapter! We will be gathering together on Zoom to call our elected officials and hold them accountable to fight on behalf of their constituents!
The Trump administration is targeting immigrant communities with tactics from the authoritarian playbook. They have also gutted essential services like Medicaid and SNAP, while increasing the budget and capacity of ICE. On Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced in a statement that 22 projects, totaling $500 million, to develop vaccines using mRNA technology will be halted. This is a threat to public health. On Wednesday, we’ll continue to fight back by calling our congressional representatives in D.C. to demand they stand up to Trump. 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, August 13th!
For those interested in meeting with your congressional representatives, you can join our planning meeting on Wednesday, August 20th, at 6 pm. We will provide support for these constituent meetings and answer any questions you may have. RSVP Here.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org. We hope to see you there!
Thursday, 8/21: Freedom Sounds at Nowadays
On Thursday, August 21st we’re hosting a fundraiser at Nowadays in Ridgewood, Queens. We’ll have a panel discussion on the crisis unfolding in New York’s jails and prisons and ways folks can take action.
Participants will have the rare opportunity to listen to records created inside New York state prisons. Artist Josh MacPhee will play vinyl records produced in prisons and discuss the history of each of them. Josh has written two incredible books about political records: Strike While the Needle Is Hot and An Encyclopedia of Political Record Labels.
Starting at 10pm, RAGGA NYC, which is a growing collective of Queer Caribbean artists and allies, will take over the rest of the evening for a club night featuring four fantastic artists.
Register here to get a ticket! All the proceeds from the night will go toward Katal’s organizing campaigns.
Inspiring Resistance This Week
–The Trump administration has been unlawfully targeting immigrants, suppressing speech, and taking away funding from the US public health services. These six online tools are tracking the rapidly changing US landscape.
-TODAY in NYC: Community members have sent an open letter to 26 Federal Plaza informing them of their plan to show up on Friday August 8th to demand justice, inspection, and the release of individuals being held on the 10th floor, which is a holding area for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They are also calling for the passage of the MELT and NY4ALL Act. Friday August 8th at 9 AM at City Hall Park for a Civil Disobedience. Please make sure to bring your ID. Support and trainers will be on site. See details here.
-This month, Stand Up for Science is launching daily bite-sized actions to defend federal R&D & stop Trump’s rescissions. Small actions, taken together, add up to BIG impact! Check out their link here.
For more examples of resistance, check out Choose Democracy’s Resist List!
Quotes of the Week
“You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.” – Marsha P. Johnson
“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated” ― Maya Angelou
For printing and distribution, download the Katal Weekly Update PDF version.
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Email: info@katalcenter.org
Phone: 646.875.8822.