**MEDIA ADVISORY**
July 2, 2024
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: 347-201-2768 yonah@katalcenter.org
Follow online: @katalcenter | #ShutRikers | shutrikers.org
Tuesday, July 9: With Excessive Levels of Violence and Dysfunction in City Jails, Federal Court Hearing in Manhattan Could Lead to Stripping Mayor Adams of Control Over Rikers Island Jail Complex
Community Groups, Elected Officials, and People Impacted by Rikers to Gather at 1 p.m. Next Tuesday in Foley Square in Support of Federal Receivership
New York, NY – This Tuesday, July 9, the U.S. District Court in Manhattan will hold a hearing about Rikers, where Judge Swain will respond to various motions filed about a federal receiver, with the Legal Aid Society and the U.S. Attorney General’s office in favor and the Adams Administration opposed. The judge may order the control of the Rikers Island jail complex to be taken from Mayor Eric Adams and assigned to an independent receiver who would be tasked with reducing violence and addressing its long-standing problems and mismanagement.
Ahead of the hearing, at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, people directly impacted by Rikers, community groups, and elected officials will gather at Foley Square to make it clear that until Rikers is shut down, the federal courts must appoint a receiver to improve conditions and save lives
WHAT: Shut Rikers Rally
WHEN and WHERE: Tuesday, July 9 at 1 p.m. at Foley Square (at Lafayette Street, Worth Street, and Centre Street in Lower Manhattan) for a rally. The federal hearing starts at 2 p.m.
WHO: Community organizations, people directly affected by Rikers, elected officials, advocates, and more. We will demand that until Rikers is shut down, the federal courts should appoint an independent receiver to take over and save lives.
WATCH LIVE ON INSTAGRAM: @katalcenter
More than 75 community groups and current and former officials support the call for a federal receiver to take over at Rikers – and the list is growing. In his most recent report issued on June 27, 2024, the federal monitor highlights how “the jails remain dangerous and unsafe, characterized by a pervasive, imminent risk of harm to both people in custody and staff.”
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