Rikers

Continued from page 4 were reportedly suspended over “procedural violations” after the incident; Ricky Howell, 60, died in DOC custody but outside of Rikers. He was held in Manhattan’s Bellevue Prison Ward Hospital, diagnosed with terminal cancer before he was detained.

Between the six Rikers deaths and that of Howell, seven people have died this year in or immediately after DOC custody. But there’s an asterisk next to the count from the NYC Comptroller’s Office, due to the department’s recent transparency rollbacks. City jail deaths are no longer proactively reported to the media. All this follows a deadly 2022, when 19 people died in or immediately after DOC custody.

After Davis’s death, Adams pointed to from the darkness to the light,” said Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr. of the Argo Temple Church of God in Christ in Summit, Ill., who spoke at the ceremony. Parker was 16 years old when Till, his cousin, was killed. He is the last surviving witness to Till’s abduction. Another cousin, Simeon Wright, who was also with Till , died in 2017.

Not all are satisfied with the delay in approving the marker. Attorney Jaribu Hill, who on many occasions has represented Till’s family members, said she was not at the White House ceremony, noting that “For 68 years, the last known living culprit was able to escape accountability for the central role she played in the kidnapping that led to the lynching of 14-year-old Till. How dare Biden announce this sham measure, when his DOJ closed the case on December 22, providing yet another safe haven. For Carolyn Bryant [who died earlier this year]. This was the ultimate hypocrisy! The only real monument must be resistance and continued objections to this opportunistic posturing.” mental health issues as a key factor for Rikers’ problems. But decarceration advocates squarely blame his administration and policies.

“The mayor knows that Curtis Davis, like thousands of other people at Rikers, was at great risk, harm, and death every day he was there, and Adams is telling New Yorkers he’s fine with that—but we’e not,” said Freedom Agenda co-director Darren Mack. “Twenty-six New Yorkers have lost their lives in NYC jails as a direct result of the mayor’s decisions to slash and starve essential services, while giving law enforcement a blank check.”

“These state-imposed deaths are policy choices, and this horrific crisis must stop now,” said #HALTsolitary Campaign co-director Victor Pate. “Electeds and officials must act immediately to release people, stop sending people to these deadly jails, end solitary confinement and other abuses, and shut down Rikers and this entire jailing system now.”

Recommendations for federal receivership—which would take Rikers Island jails out of city hands—were renewed after U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams backed the measure last week. The federal prosecutor’s decision stems from a dissent decree in 2015’s Nunez litigation that required the DOC to address unsafe conditions through recommended reforms, which he found unsatisfactory.

“Rikers Island has been in crisis for years,” said Williams. “This is a collective failure with deep roots, spanning multiple mayoral administrations and DOC commissioners. But after eight years of trying every tool in the toolkit, we cannot wait any longer for substantial progress to materialize. That is why my office will seek a court-appointed receiver to address the conditions on Rikers Island.”

To be clear, a federal receiver doesn’t mean the federal government will run Rikers, according to activist DeRay Mckes- son, who advocated for one to the Amsterdam News last year. Instead, a neutral third-party fiduciary appointed by a judge would take over and oversee the jails. A monitor was similarly assigned from the 2015 case and currently audits Rikers Island, but lacks the authority to make executive decisions like a receiver.

Rikers Island is legally mandated to close by 2027, with four borough-based jails stepping in to house its remaining detainee population. But there are speed bumps, because the quartet of facilities can only house 3,300 people combined—and 6,081 people were held in city jails at the start of the month.

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/ amnews1.

STATEWIDE ORGANIZER (Downstate New York)

CSEA, one of New York’s largest public employee unions, is seeking resumes for a Statewide Organizer. The Statewide Organizer’s assignments span New York State, with a focus on leads in the downstate New York area and requires travel and a flexible work schedule.

Responsibilities include all aspects of organizing campaigns and building the union including all phases of organizing activities such as targeting, research, developing leads, progress assessment, recruitment, issue development, strategizing, escalating tactics, voter assessment, GOTV strategies ‐ with the objective of making union membership accessible to workers. A successful candidate will develop and apply a working knowledge of labor and employment laws, recruit and educate volunteers, make assignments, ensure accountability, gathers, analyze, manage and use data to support organizing. The Statewide Organizer builds internal and external (i.e. community) relationships that support union and worker campaigns.

Starting salary is $66,760 (higher for candidates with two years professional union organizing experience) with excellent benefits including health vision and dental coverage; generous paid time off and defined pension.

QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s Degree in labor relations or a related field OR three (3) years of responsible work experience in union organizing, union building, political or community organizing that demonstrates a planned approach to campaign development. OR a satisfactory combination of education, training and experience. Candidates must possess a valid New York State driver’s license and car for business use in order to be appointed. Significant travel required.

Scan QR Code to Email cseajobs@ cseainc.org