#JusticeforRobertBrooks at the State of the State Address in Albany
Katal’s team joins Justice for Robert Brooks Protest in Albany, 1.14.25
On December 9th, correction officers brutally and violently beat Robert Brooks, 43, at Marcy Correctional Facility, and he died of his injuries on December 10th. The killing of Mr. Brooks by correctional officers may have gotten swept under the rug by authorities, but for the fact that New York State Attorney General Letitia James released video footage of the beating.
On Tuesday, Katal members, staff, and interns were up in Albany with Families and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted and other community-based groups ahead of Gov. Hochul’s State of the State address demanding Justice for Robert Brooks.
We know this grotesque killing and the violence Mr. Brooks faced from prison guards is not an outlier, as incarcerated people are beaten, abused, and tortured daily in jails and prisons across the state. The Governor and New York legislature must take swift action to stem the violence and abuse, or more New Yorkers will die behind bars.
See more photos and videos from Tuesday’s action here.
If you any questions or want to get in involved in the fight, please reach out to Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org
Katal’s team joins Justice for Robert Brooks Protest in Albany, 1.14.25
The State Commission of Correction is Failing
As the 2025 legislative session kicks off, conditions in jails and prisons from Buffalo to New York City and Greene County to Suffolk County are deadly and dangerous for incarcerated people and those who work there.
The gruesome killing of Robert Brooks by correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility is a stark and gut-wrenching example of the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) failing to fulfill its constitutional mandate: to ensure that state prisons and local jails are “safe, stable, and humane.”
We’re working on legislation to fix the SCOC by bringing greater accountability to ensure that it meets its mandate with regards to correctional facilities across the state. S.856 – Salazar/ A.2315 – Gallagher, will expand and diversify the State Commission on Correction to ensure it meets its oversight mandate.
Check out this press release we issued at the state of session demanding that Albany do more to address the various crises unfolding in jails and prisons across the state, from Buffalo and the Southern Tier to New York City, by immediately passing this legislation.
To support efforts to expand and strengthen the SCOC, please reach out to Yonah at yonah@katalcenter.org.
#ShutRikers Protest at the Mayor’s State of the City Address
Katal team protests Mayor Adams’s State of the City address, 1.9.25
Last Thursday, we joined dozens of community groups to protest Mayor Eric Adams at his fourth Mayoral State of the City address at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Mayor Adams’s “jail-first” approach to public safety continues to lavishly fund the NYPD and DOC while cutting funding for essential services like our public schools, homeless and housing services, libraries, mental health services, services for the aging, and other critical programs that harm marginalized communities.
At the rally, we demanded that Mayor Adams cut the city’s jail population and the budgets used for caging people, shut down Rikers Island, and invest in real public safety: housing, healthcare, education, and jobs.
Here’s a quote in response to the mayor’s address from our member Samuel Sainplice:
“The conditions at Rikers Island are deplorable. Mayor Adams has been hellbent since day one to put more Black, brown, and low-income people behind bars. He’s been doing this to take the city further away from shutting down Rikers. We refuse to allow this Mayor to get away with putting New Yorkers in harm’s way. He must shut down Rikers immediately to make amends for all the injustices it has brought upon so many people and their families. At a time when so many of us are struggling to find housing, the Mayor must stop funding the NYPD Department of Corrections and invest in affordable housing!”
See our full press release here.
If you any questions or want to get in involved in the fight, please reach out to Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org
Katal Quotes of the Week
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” –Maya Angelou
“If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale.” – Refaat Alareer
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