ALERT: Recent Death at Rikers
Another person died over the weekend after being incarcerated on Rikers Island. Charizma Jones, 23 years old, was the fourth person this year to die in custody of the Department of Correction or shortly after being released. She was at least the 32nd person to have died since Mayor Eric Adams took office. While in custody, Ms. Jones was repeatedly denied medical attention by Rikers staff following a medical emergency. We send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.
Since taking office, Mayor Adams’s “jail-first” approach to public safety has exacerbated the problems at Rikers and he has done everything in his power to keep the jail complex open. By slashing the budgets of alternatives to incarceration programs and failing to use discretionary release mechanisms, he has failed incarcerated people like Ms. Jones. The situation is untenable and more people will suffer harm and die with urgent action.
Yesterday we released a statement from our advocacy director Yonah Zeitz that said in part:
“Rikers must be shut down. Until that happens, we demand immediate action to save lives. We urge the New York City Council to swiftly pass Resolution 183, which calls for a federal receiver to improve conditions until Rikers is closed. The council can take this concrete step to help protect incarcerated people and staff at Rikers and hold Mayor Adams accountable for the crisis in city jails under his watch.”
See the full statement here.
Recap: Shut Rikers Rally and March
Community members rallied to shut Rikers at Foley Square before a federal court hearing, 7.9.24
Last Tuesday, July 9, a federal court in Manhattan held a hearing about the ongoing crisis at the Rikers Island jail complex. Prior to the hearing, we held a Shut Rikers rally at Foley Square, near the federal courthouse, to demand that the federal court intervene and appoint an independent receiver to take over and improve conditions until Rikers is closed. As the hearing started, we marched from Foley Square to the steps of the federal courthouse to demand immediate action to save lives at Rikers. At the hearing, Judge Laura Taylor Swain said that “the current risk of harm in the jails is as alarming as it is unacceptable,” but she delayed the decision to appoint an independent receiver until after a hearing on September 25th.
We will keep organizing for immediate action to save lives and shut down Rikers. Check out more details about the action here:
- Read the press release.
- Check out some photos and videos from last Tuesday. Please share them and tag us @KatalCenter when you do!
- Watch our organizing director, Melanie Dominguez, talking with Errol Louis on Spectrum News NY1’s Inside City Hall. See more coverage of our rally by PIX11 and Politico.
If you have any questions, please contact our organizing director, Melanie, at 516-588-0127 or email her at melanie@katalcenter.org.
Shut Rikers Info Session at King Towers Senior Center in Harlem
Katal staff led a Shut Rikers info session at King Towers Senior Center in Harlem, 7.12.24
Last Friday, we held a Shut Rikers info session at the King Towers Senior Center. We spoke with community members about the ongoing crisis at Rikers, how things have gotten worse since Mayor Adams took office, and asked where they’d like to see investments in their community. The seniors were eager to get involved in the fight to CUT the number of people incarcerated in city jails, SHUT down Rikers, and INVEST in true public safety: housing, health care, education, and jobs.
Throughout the summer we will hold info sessions and be tabling at community centers, senior centers, and libraries across the city. These institutions play vital roles in our neighborhoods, and Mayor Adams has cut their budgets while continuing to incarcerate people excessively at Rikers at a price tag of over $556,539 per person per year. It’s unacceptable!
This Friday, we’re tabling from 1–5 p.m. at the Walt Whitman branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (at 93 Saint Edwards St. in Fort Greene). If you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by and chat with us!
If you would like us to table at a library in your neighborhood, please contact Lakenya, our apprentice community organizer, at lakenya@katalcenter.org.
Next Wednesday, July 24: Shut Rikers Phone Zap
Join us next Wednesday, July 24, from noon to 1 p.m. for our Shut Rikers Phone Zap via Zoom! Click here to RSVP. We will be calling New York City Council Members to demand that they take immediate action to end the suffering and violence at Rikers. The city council must swiftly pass Resolution 183, which calls on the federal courts to immediately appoint an independent receiver to take over Rikers and improve conditions until it is shut down.
Join us this Wednesday, July 24, from noon to 1 p.m. for our Shut Rikers Phone Zap!
No prior experience is needed. If you know any friends, colleagues, neighbors, or family members who would like to join us, please share this registration link with them.
Got questions? Reach out to Ricky at ricky@katalcenter.org.
Katal Quotes of the Week
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
“There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.” — Malcolm X
“If you dare to struggle, you dare to win. If you dare not struggle, then damn it, you don’t deserve to win.” — Fred Hampton
“I was here before I came and when I die, I am not leaving. . . .” – Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, composer and founding member of Freedom Singers, organized by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. She passed away on Tuesday.
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download the Katal Weekly Update PDF version.
Katal works to strengthen the people, policies, institutions, and movements that advance equity, health, and justice. Join us: web, Twitter, Facebook! Email: info@katalcenter.org Phone: 646.875.8822
