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By DeAnna Hoskins, President/CEO of JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA)
Last month New York City committed to further reducing the number of people that could be incarcerated in the proposed borough-based facilities to 4,000, a greater reduction than their initial estimate which was set at 5,750.
While we are still far from closing Rikers, we continue to make significant progress because of the tireless work of directly impacted #CLOSErikers campaign leaders and members. Campaign leaders have been calling on the City to meet their demands for a reduced capacity of 3,000 people or less and this news is another positive step towards our goal!
Through the work of JustLeadershipUSA, our #CLOSErikers partners, and people harmed by Rikers -- we’ve been able to push the Mayor and the City to do more, and we will continue to do so. The pretrial reforms passed due to our efforts statewide with the #FREEnewyork coalition and the parole reform #LessIsMoreNY legislation led by the Katal Center for Health, Equity and Justice are major tools for decarceration - but New York City must do all it can to prevent incarceration and divert as many people as possible away from the system to begin with.
JustLeadershipUSA is committed to centering the voices of directly impacted New Yorkers in all of our justice campaigns. Last week the #CLOSErikers campaign held a day of action with partners highlighting the experiences of local formerly incarcerated leaders and discussing next steps toward closure with Borough Presidents’ offices. To culminate the Day of Action, leaders held a vigil and speakout to commemorate the people who have died on Rikers at the foot of the bridge leading to torture island. We’ll continue to come together over the spring and summer for member meetings and community forums.
New facilities will address the human rights crisis, but the decarceration trend could be accelerated by the kinds of investments we’re calling for in our #buildCOMMUNITIES platform for justice reinvestment. #buildCOMMUNTIES has always had a vision of divesting funds from Rikers into directly impacted communities. The #buildCOMMUNITIES platform is a roadmap for New York City to make a bold shift from decades long of racial injustice and mass incarceration that’s directly impacted Black and Brown communities. Together, we are one step closer to closing Rikers Island and reaching true equity in New York City.
ONWARD!
While we are still far from closing Rikers, we continue to make significant progress because of the tireless work of directly impacted #CLOSErikers campaign leaders and members. Campaign leaders have been calling on the City to meet their demands for a reduced capacity of 3,000 people or less and this news is another positive step towards our goal!
Through the work of JustLeadershipUSA, our #CLOSErikers partners, and people harmed by Rikers -- we’ve been able to push the Mayor and the City to do more, and we will continue to do so. The pretrial reforms passed due to our efforts statewide with the #FREEnewyork coalition and the parole reform #LessIsMoreNY legislation led by the Katal Center for Health, Equity and Justice are major tools for decarceration - but New York City must do all it can to prevent incarceration and divert as many people as possible away from the system to begin with.
JustLeadershipUSA is committed to centering the voices of directly impacted New Yorkers in all of our justice campaigns. Last week the #CLOSErikers campaign held a day of action with partners highlighting the experiences of local formerly incarcerated leaders and discussing next steps toward closure with Borough Presidents’ offices. To culminate the Day of Action, leaders held a vigil and speakout to commemorate the people who have died on Rikers at the foot of the bridge leading to torture island. We’ll continue to come together over the spring and summer for member meetings and community forums.
New facilities will address the human rights crisis, but the decarceration trend could be accelerated by the kinds of investments we’re calling for in our #buildCOMMUNITIES platform for justice reinvestment. #buildCOMMUNTIES has always had a vision of divesting funds from Rikers into directly impacted communities. The #buildCOMMUNITIES platform is a roadmap for New York City to make a bold shift from decades long of racial injustice and mass incarceration that’s directly impacted Black and Brown communities. Together, we are one step closer to closing Rikers Island and reaching true equity in New York City.
ONWARD!
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