FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
The 6th Incarcerated Person to Die in DOC Custody Under the Mamdani Administration
Katal Center Calls on Mayor Mamdani, the City Council, the Remediation Manager and the State Commission of Correction to Intervene to Save Lives & Shut Rikers Down
New York, NY – This afternoon, news broke that yet another person has died in the custody of the NYC Department of Correction (DOC) this morning. As reported in the Queens Daily Eagle, Christopher Rodriguez, 36, died in custody at the Bellevue Jail Unit, which opened in April. Mr. Rodriguez is at least the sixth person to die in DOC custody since Zohran Mamdani became mayor in January 2026.
Statements from the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice
Ziyadah Amatulmatin, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, said: “We send our deepest condolences to those who knew and loved Christopher Rodriguez. There are no words that can console those who have lost a loved one this way. I know this because I’ve lost a brother due to neglect and violence that he experienced while incarcerated. No life should be undervalued, and this includes the lives of those who are currently detained at Rikers Island.
Mayor Mamdani must act with urgency and address this ever-growing crisis at Rikers. Even after implementing reforms to improve people’s access to medical care, as was the case with the opening of the Bellevue unit, people are still dying. This is unacceptable. In order to address the crisis Mayor Mamdani must cut the number of people detained at the hellhole known as Rikers, and shut it down once for all.”
Melanie Dominguez, organizing director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, said: “We send our deepest condolences to the family of Christopher Rodriguez — no family should have to go through this. There’s a new administration yet, the death toll continues to rise, and families are left suffering.
We’re deeply concerned about the dangerous conditions within the NYC Department of Correction. The recent death underscores the severity of the problem at Rikers. It also underscores the abject failure of the city government and the State Commission of Correction, NY’s jail and prison oversight, to address the crisis and save lives. Katal members, many of whom have served time at Rikers or had loved ones detained there, are clear: the city government, state government, and the federal court must take immediate, robust action to meet the legal mandate to shut down Rikers, and until it shuts down, to improve conditions and save lives. Anything less is unacceptable and a continuation of the status quo.”
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#ShutRikers is a campaign of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. Katal members, supporters, and our allies are working to cut the correctional population and the budgets used for caging people; shut down Rikers Island; and invest in real community safety: housing, health care, including mental health, education, and jobs.
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