Rikers Island 2023 death count doubles to six in deadly July

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

The recent deaths of two Black New Yorkers held on Rikers Island push the notorious jail complex’s death count this year to six, double since July started.

Curtis Davis, 44, was pronounced dead shortly after he was found unresponsive in his cell during the early morning this past Sunday, July 23. He entered NYC Department of Correc- tions (DOC) custody on June 1 and was held at the George R. Vierno Center (GRVC) jail.

“It’s still an investigation—we know that,” said Mayor Eric Adams on Monday. “And we don’t know the cause of death. The [medical examiner] will make that determination. And every death should be taken seriously and every death is a tragedy.”

William Johnstone was similarly found unresponsive in his GRVC cell on July 15, the weekend before. The 47-year-old man was transported to

Mount Sinai Queens, where he was pronounced dead two hours later. The DOC could not locate Johnstone’s next of kin at the time of the incident report.

July is the deadliest month so far in New York City jails this year, with four people dying in custody. Three were held on Rikers. The complex’s other three deaths took place over the first six months of 2023: 40-year-old Felix Taveras died on Rikers during the Fourth of July holiday from a medical condition,and several jail employees

See RIKERS on page 27

Fajr Atiya Williams, the 6-year-old daughter of Najmah Nash and Wali Williams, died after being strangled on a school bus on July 17th. She was the victim of negligence after her bus monitor, Amanda Davila, failed to attend to the child after she strapped her into a seat with a safety harness during a ride to school.

Williams was attending an extended school program at Claremont Elementary School. The child had special needs and was non-verbal; cameras in the bus captured the child fighting for her life in the back of the bus while Davila was seated in the front, earbuds in while she perused apps on her cell phone.

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office stated in a July 20th press release that: “During the transport, a series of bumps in the road caused the 6-year-old to slump in her wheelchair seat making the 4-point harness which secured her to the chair to become tight around her neck, ultimately blocking her airway. During the ride, the school bus monitor, Amanda Davila was seated towards the front of the bus and was utilizing a cellular telephone while wearing ear bud headphone devices in both ears. The investigation revealed that this was in violation of policies and procedures.”

The 27-year-old Davila, from New Brunswick, has been an employee of the Montauk Transit LLC bus company for seven years. She is charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

During a bail hearing on July 25th, prosecutors argued that Davila should be kept behind bars at the Somerset County Jail, but her lawyer successfully countered that she is the mother of a two-year old who also has special needs and as a native of New Brunswick, New Jersey, she should be trusted with remaining in the state and available for prosecution. Najmah Nash and Wali Williams have set up a GoFundMe account to pay for Fajr Atiya’s funeral expenses. “I am asking anyone that is able to donate whatever they can to help our family with funeral (janaza) arrangements as well as any outstanding medical expenses that have accrued for my Fajr,” the child’s mother wrote . “My family and I are truly devastated by this and would appreciate anyone that can help.”

NJ schools rank No. 3 in nation

A new WalletHub analysis found that New Jersey has the United States’ third best school system. In a survey that looked at “performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials,” the personal finance website found that New Jersey has the fourth lowest dropout rate, its students post the second highest reading scores, and the state has the fifth best pupil-to-teacher ratio.

Tyrone C. Howard, the director of UCLA’s School of Education & Information Studies, told WalletHub that “per-pupil spending is a factor, but not the biggest factor in defining school quality.

“I think taking a closer look at how funding is being spent matters. It is also important to look at larger contextual factors within a given community to determine school quality,” continued Howard.