Elected officials paid an unannounced visit to Rikers Island to check on the wellbeing of incarcerated individuals as well as staff members and doctors at the facility following worrying reports of in-custody deaths and injuries.
Assemblymember Kenny Burgos, Assembly Correction Committee Chair, David Weprin, Senate, Crime Victims, Crime & Correction Committee Chair Julia Salazar, Councilmember Tiffany Cabán and Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse were on hand Sept. 12 to speak to inmates and staff to keep officials accountable for concerns regarding safety and hygiene.
“Obviously, we see 13 people dying on the island and we just cannot continue on this trend of people dying in a facility where over 80% of them have not been convicted,” said Assemblymember Burgos. “Speaking to officers and speaking to incarcerated individuals, there have been major improvements in terms of safety, cleanliness and medical attention but that is not the entire story. The problem here is that the story is one thing for one person and one for another.
“At one point we made our way into GRVC [a location where some of the classified most dangerous individuals reside],” said Assemblymember Burgos. “Initially just walking down one path, we were heading down the hallway and on our right hand side was maybe 20 or 30 men pressed up on the gate screaming at us to come and visit their facility.
“Having equipment, medical equipment is necessary,” said Councilmember Narcisse. “You have folks that have mental health problems that we need to address. I had one gentleman who told me that he’d been here and gave his list of medications and yet he has not gotten any.”
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