1.) How are you connected to this movement?  

I am connected to the Close Rikers Movement primarily because I spent over 427 days on the Island fighting a case. I witnessed firsthand the depraved manner in which the detainees/persons in custody were treated by the Corrections Department and those affiliated with the DOC. Abuse that the abusers were rarely held accountable for, including physical and psychological abuse, medical neglect and the withholding of basic human rights. 

2.) Why should Rikers close?  

Rikers Island is a Human Rights Disaster that was built on land that was expanded four times its natural size with garbage, aka a Landfill. Its distance and isolation from the rest of New York City created and maintained a culture of violence, abuse, neglect and terror. This isolation and distance is also what has helped cultivate and maintain a culture of violence and corruption, mainly by the said officers. As a result this distance has also aided in maintaining corruption and the absence of accountability on behalf of Officers and Staff. 

3.) What is your vision for a more just and equitable post-Rikers New York City?  

Post Rikers I would like to see a City that no longer criminalizes mental health and survivors of domestic violence. A City that instead of caging individuals for alleged wrongs and infractions abides by the 8th Amendment of the Constitution where all accused are truly considered innocent until proven guilty. A City that is saturated with educational, mental health, and housing services as well as alternatives to incarceration, libraries and schools.