For Immediate Release
September 26, 2016

Contact: Gabriel Sayegh, 646-335-2264
Valrie Fowler, 347-622-3694                                                                                        

Nearly 1,000 People March and Rally in Queens

in Action to Close Rikers Island Jail Complex 

Nearly 100 Advocacy Groups, City Officials and Celebrities

Demand Mayor de Blasio Close Rikers, Build Communities 

New York, Sept. 24, 2016 – Nearly 1,000 New Yorkers -- including NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Russell Simmons, NYC Council Members Brad Lander, Danny Dromm, and Antonio Reynoso, State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Rev. Vivian Nixon, and more -- gathered in Queens on Saturday in a historic march and rally to call on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to close Rikers Island Jail Complex. 

GothamGazette

For years, New Yorkers have been barraged by stories of violence and corruption on Rikers Island. On Saturday, September 24, hundreds of New Yorkers -- including people who have spent time on Rikers Island and their families; criminal justice reform activists; faith leaders; and elected officials -- will march together and demand that Mayor de Blasio #CLOSErikers

NewYorkNonprofit Media

Closing Rikers Island has been both a professional and personal goal for many years. My first experience with New York City’s human grist mill happened when I was only 16 years old and was detained at Rikers on a shoplifting accusation. On one of my first days I was attacked by a group of residents while the correction officers looked on and laughed. I emerged with four stab wounds inflicted by writing pens melted and fashioned into shanks. I survived and earned respect, but I also learned that the correction officers didn’t care if I lived or died. Unfortunately, my story is not unique, and conditions have not changed. Brutality and neglect are embedded in Rikers Island’s DNA.