NYC Mayor Adams pledges to close Rikers Island but wavers again over 2027 deadline
By: Elizabeth Kim and Jessy Edwards via Gothamist.com Mayor Eric Adams is pledging to shutter the long-troubled Rikers Island jail complex but recently outlined a number of challenges that could hamper the city from meeting the legally mandated closure deadline of 2027. “Idealism can’t collide with realism,” Adams said during an interview on NY1 on Friday. “We want Rikers […]
NYC Activists Rally as Rikers Receivership Decision Delayed
By: Alexander Lekhtman via Filter Magzine On December 14, a federal judge held the New York City Department of Correction in contempt of court, as Gothamist reported, for failing to inform a federal monitor that it had placed detainees accused of arson in a specialized unit with no sprinklers in cells. “The blatant failure to communicate here […]
Testimony for Committee on Finance Oversight Hearing
Monday, December 11, 2023 Thank you, Chair Justin Brannan, for holding this hearing and inviting our testimony. My name is Yonah Zeitz, I’m the director of advocacy at the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. We’re based in Brooklyn, and our members come from across the city and state. Our members include people who […]
Katal New York Update- November 30, 2023
In this issue:
-ICYMI: Shut Rikers Panel Discussion at Nowadays
-Katal on Black Agenda Radio
-Katal Testifying at New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice Oversight Hearing
-Next Weeks December New York Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call
-Save The Date: Rally to Shut Rikers Thursday, Dec. 14th at 1:00pm
-Quotes of the Week
New York City Mayor Promotes Austerity and the Carceral State
By: Margaret Kimberley via Black Agenda Report Over the weekend, our lead organizer Melanie Dominguez joined Black Agenda radio to discuss Mayor Eric Adams’s proposed 5% budget cuts to city agencies and the negative impact they will have on Black, Brown, and low-income communities across the city. She also spoke about our campaign to shut […]
RELEASE: Family Members of Katherine Colon Gather with Community Groups for March and Press Conference to Demand Information and Transparency Related to Katherine’s Tragic Death
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, October 25th, 2023 Contact: Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org | (347) 201-2768 Follow online: #JusticeforKatherine | www.katalcenter.org Family Members of Katherine Colon Gather with Community Groups for March and Press Conference to Demand Information and Transparency Related to Katherine’s Tragic Death Colon was Killed Last Month by a New Britain Police Officer and […]
New York City Has Days to Agree On Plan to Combat Rikers Abuses
By: Alexander Lekhtman via Filter Magazine federal judge is demanding that New York City take rapid action over conditions in its Rikers Island jail complex. The jail is supposed to be shut down by 2027, but remains rife with severe violence, abuse, and other human rights concerns. All eyes are now on New York Mayor […]
Federal Monitor Chides City Jails Brass for Increased Violence, Lies
By: Reuven Blau via The City As pressure mounts for the city to turn things around at Rikers Island, Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina and his staff tried to hide multiple assaults as jail conditions “have only worsened,” according to the latest report by a judge-appointed watchdog. “The jails remain dangerous and unsafe, characterized […]
Rikers must be shut down. Until then, a federal receiver may help save lives.
By: gabriel sayegh via Medium.com www.shutrikers.org Henry Robinson knows what a disaster Rikers Island is. The Brooklyn native was incarcerated at New York City’s infamous jail complex in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The horrors that you see within the walls of Rikers are unimaginable,” Henry said. “If you did not have a […]
Katal New York Update- September 28, 2023
In this issue:
-Actions to Demand Justice for #KawaskiTrawick, Support Asylum, Ending the Wrongful Conviction Crisis in New York
-New Rikers Op-ed by gabriel sayegh
-NY Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call Recap
-Quotes of the Week
