FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
As Mayor Adams Sells Out New Yorkers to Trump, Another Person Dies at Rikers – 34th Since Eric Adams Took Office
Community Organizations and Directly Impacted People Rally Today to Demand Governor Hochul Remove Adams from Office.
New York, NY: This morning, news broke that yet another person died while in custody of the New York City Department of Correction (DOC). This is at least the 34th person to have died since Mayor Eric Adams took office in 2022. Over the last week, instead of working to address the crisis at Rikers and follow city law to close it, Adams is working to obfuscate another city law by bringing ICE officers back to Rikers.
Today at 11 am on the steps of the Tweed Courthouse, as part of the Peoples Budget launch, community groups and elected officials call for Mayor Adams to be removed from office for selling out New Yorkers.
Statements from Katal Center
Robin Lawrence, a Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “When a person is confined to a jail or prison, they’re being punished enough– this country has a cruel history of confining people in inhumane Correctional Facilities. They horribly mistreat human beings at Rikers. My knowledge of incarceration runs very deep, and I know first-hand how inhumane it is to be incarcerated in a facility that has inadequate housing and lack of medical care. This is an unlawful act that is being imposed on our families and loved ones who are incarcerated. They say they are correcting, but are they really correcting anything? They’re killing our brothers, our sisters, our uncles, our fathers, and we won’t stand for this. I send my deepest condolences to the families that have lost a loved one. We need change. Rikers Island must be shut down now, and Mayor Adams must step aside.”
Lah Franklin, Member of the Katal Center, said: “I send my deepest condolences to the family of this recent loss at Rikers Island. It is so sad and outrageous the alarming death toll that is ravaging at Rikers Island under Adam’s Administration. As far as we know, 34 people have died in New York City jails. This is unacceptable. The death of a person detained should strongly move Mayor Adam’s conscience to SHUT DOWN RIKERS!”
Melanie Dominguez, organizing director for the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “It is heartbreaking – yet expected under the corrupt and self-centered administration of Mayor Eric Adams – that another human being has died at Rikers. We send our deepest condolences to the person’s family and loved ones.
The shameless moves by Mayor Adams over the last week illuminate what we’ve known for years– he does not give a crap about Black, brown, immigrant, and low-income New Yorkers. Instead of working to save lives and close Rikers, Adams has abandoned the plan to shut Rikers and wants to let ICE target and further criminalize immigrants. Gov. Hochul must remove Adams from office now. We’ll rally today at 11 am to demand Adams’s removal from office.
The City Council must act firmly to oppose the mayor and hold him accountable for shutting down Rikers. The Lippman Commission must clearly and forcefully speak out against this administration as it advances a dangerous criminalization agenda that is resulting in more deaths and moves us further from shutting Rikers. Any further alignment with the mayor at this time is not just wrong; it is immoral and frankly deadly for New Yorkers. Rikers must be shut down.
###
