**MEDIA ADVISORY**
August 3, 2023
Contact: gabriel sayegh 646-335-2264 | gabriel@katalcenter.org
Follow online: @katalcenter |#ShutRikers #CloseRikers #CutShutInvestNY
Thursday 8/10: Major Court Hearing in Manhattan Could Decide if Mayor Adams Maintains Control Over Rikers in Midst of Growing Crisis
Community Groups and People Impacted By Rikers to Gather at City Hall at 12:30 pm, March to Foley Square for 1:00 pm Rally Ahead of Federal Court Hearing
At Least 26 Incarcerated People Have Died in City Jails Since Adams Took Office; Four Dead in July Alone
New York, NY – Next Thursday, August 10, the U.S. District Court in Manhattan will hold a hearing about Rikers, where Judge Swain may order the control of the jail complex to be taken away from Mayor Adams and assigned to an independent “receiver” who would be tasked with reducing violence and addressing the longstanding issues plaguing the jail system. Ahead of the hearing, at 12:30 PM people directly impacted by Rikers, along with community groups and elected officials, will gather at City Hall to demand that Mayor Adams takes immediate action to shut down Rikers. The group will then march together to Foley Square for a 1 PM rally to make it clear that until Rikers is shut down, the federal courts must appoint a receiver to improve conditions and save lives.
WHAT: March and Rally to Close Rikers
WHEN and WHERE: Thursday, August 10th. 12:30 pm at City Hall (Brooklyn Bridge side), then March to nearby Foley Square (Lafayette Street Worth Street, Centre St) for a 1 pm rally. The federal hearing starts at 2 pm.
WHO: Community Organizations, People Directly Impacted by Rikers, Elected Officials, Faith Leaders, Advocates, and More
WATCH LIVE ON INSTAGRAM: @katalcenter
In July, the federal monitor issued a scathing report highlighting how the violence and disorder at Rikers is only getting worse. For the first time, the federal monitor recommended Judge Swain hold the Adams administration in contempt for failing to improve conditions at Rikers and implement promised reforms. Additionally, Judge Swain has, for the first time, ordered NYC Dept of Correction Commissioner Molina to attend the court hearing.
Over the last few weeks, calls for the federal court to appoint an independent receiver have grown. Last month, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York called for a court-appointed receiver to take charge of Rikers. Williams joins a growing list of community groups and current and former officials who support the call for a federal receiver to take over at Rikers, including: NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, more than a dozen City Council members; state elected officials, former NYC Corporation Counsel and former US Attorney for New York’s Eastern District, Zachary Carter; former director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and former federal prosecutor, Elizabeth Glazer; two former commissioners of the NYC Department of Correction – Vincent Schiraldi and Michael Jacobson; and more.
Speakers at Thursday’s action will include people directly impacted by Rikers, elected officials, and more. Groups will demand that Rikers be shut down, and further call on the federal courts to appoint a receiver to take over Rikers until the facility is shuttered once and for all.
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