More than 500 women and teenagers will
be bailed out from Rikers Island as part of a national campaign to
dismantle a bail system that activists say discriminates against
minorities and the poor.
The effort is being spearheaded by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
group, which plans to raise at least $5 million to fund the releases.
While there have been other so-called mass bailouts around the country,
organizers said they believe this effort at Rikers has the potential to
be one of the largest ever.
“The crux
of the issue is that in New York City, we criminalize poverty,” Kerry
Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, said in an
interview on Wednesday. “There are no wealthy people on Rikers Island
because if you are wealthy, you go free because you make bail.
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Source: The New York Times (via Empire Report New York)
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