SURVIVORS OF RIKERS AND IMPACTED FAMILIES HOLD VIGIL HONORING 45 LIVES LOST THERE DURING MAYOR ADAMS’ TENURE
As New York City general elections approach and candidates articulate their plans in regard to Rikers Island, impacted people and their families, some of whose loved ones have died in New York City DOC custody, gathered downtown this evening to demonstrate the human cost of Eric Adams’ failure to move forward on closing Rikers. Organizers displayed 45 banners bearing the names of people who died in DOC custody, or immediately after their release, during Mayor Adams’ tenure, to underscore the urgency for the next Mayor to take immediate action toward closing Rikers.
Rikers Island is legally mandated to close by 2027, but Mayor Adams has slow-walked its closure while 45 people have lost their lives in DOC custody since his inauguration. Conditions have also worsened as the Adams administration has increased arrests and urged expanded use of pre-trial detention.
Council Member Sandy Nurse, Criminal Justice Committee Chair said, "Forty-five people have died during Mayor Adam's tenure, and each of those deaths is an indictment of a system that this administration has chosen to maintain, a system with blood on its hands. Rikers is a humanitarian crisis, not a talking point. The city’s failure to close Rikers has cost lives, and every delay deepens the harm. New Yorkers deserve a mayor who will meet the legal mandate to close Rikers with urgency and courage, not excuses. We stand with impacted families demanding real accountability, real change, and real investment in the services that actually keep our communities safe."
Tamara Carter, member of Freedom Agenda and mother of Brandon Rodriguez, who died on Rikers, said “Unfortunately Adam’s term in office was nothing but a huge disaster, he did absolutely nothing for the city unless you call going to the Met gala and partying with the rapper Fat Joe doing something. He ignored Rikers at every turn, death after death, he even just stopped talking about it as if doing so the problems will go away. There were many more deaths in his term than under de Blasio - that’s saying something.”
Justin Pines, member of Freedom Agenda and nephew of Marvin Pines, who died on Rikers, said “In recent times there have been a lot of videos that have gone viral showing Eric Adams for the fool he is but part of me worries that there won't be enough focus on all the harm that he has done. Not just to my family or the 44 other families whose loved ones died in Rikers during this coward's administration but to all the people in New York he failed as mayor. As rent and the cost of damn near everything else rises, more people will be pushed to do what they have to do to survive and will be sent to Rikers to die. Meanwhile Eric Adams won't face any repercussions for his crimes and corruption. I think we're in a time where people need each other more than ever and if there's anything good that came from my uncle's death it's that I found a family in Freedom Agenda of people that had been through similar circumstances. Now is a time for people to come together and fight for each other. To close Rikers and begin the process of closing all jails. Love and solidarity to everyone incarcerated. You are loved. We are the only ones who can free us.”
Kathrine Maldonado, wife of James Maldonado, who died in DOC custody, said “James Maldonado: a caring father, grandfather, and a loving husband is no longer here with us due to being a victim of neglect by a failed system that includes the NYPD and DOC. We will never be able to get over this tragedy that could have been avoided. He will always be missed and forever in our hearts. We love you, our Angel.”
Khadira Savage, member of Freedom Agenda and sister of Roy Savage, who died in DOC custody, “Rikers Island and their staff have normalized the horrific experiences that individuals who are incarcerated and their families face while engaging with law enforcement. They lack humanity or compassion and strip people of their dignity in some cases during their last moments of life. No one deserves to lose their life or be permanently destroyed behind those walls of hell. Close Rikers.”
Lezandre Khadu, member of Freedom Agenda and mother of Stephan Khadu, who died in DOC custody, “Having a child on Rikers Island or in the care of DOC is the most distressing feeling ever. Not being able to help your child or do anything while they are suffering is the worst feeling, I always felt so helpless when it came to advocating for him. Finally, after years of torture and pain for so many including my son, Stephan Khadu, The Boat will finally be a curse removed from our City, and the next mayor should do everything in his power to finish the job by closing the hell that is Rikers Island. There is no plan b for New York and the thousands of mothers who have a child on the island now. The only solution is closure.”
Amariliz Tavira, whose brother Erick Tavira died at Rikers, said, “Rikers must close to end the horrific streak of our loved ones dying under its watch. My brother, Erick, took his own life on October 22, 2025, while under the so-called ‘care’ of the Rikers jail system. He was isolated and left unsupervised in a mental health unit without proper treatment. Erick was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teen. He had no prior convictions. His only ‘crime’ was seeking help. After an altercation with hospital police while trying to get treatment, he was arrested and later released under supervision, still without care. Just a week later, another incident led a judge to decide that the best place for someone in need of mental health support was Rikers Island, a place known for cruelty, not care.
“The last administration painted people on Rikers as ‘bad,’ as if they somehow deserved the abuse and neglect they faced. That mindset cost lives, including my brother’s. People like Erick weren’t dangerous; they were sick and needed compassion, treatment, and stability. To our new mayor: please don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. We don’t need another leader who delays, deflects, or tries to ‘reassess’ closing Rikers. We need courage and a clear commitment to real safety by investing in people, not punishment. The evidence is there. The suffering is there. The urgency is now. Be the mayor who finally ends Rikers! Not the one who finds new excuses to keep it open.”
Freedom Agenda Co-Director Darren Mack said, “These are the human costs of Mayor Adams' cruel crusade to obstruct the closure of Rikers – 45 lives lost, and thousands of people suffering on Torture Island, while our communities stay waiting for the resources we need to thrive. He and his Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch have consistently advocated for changes to state law that will strip away due process rights, pressured judges and DAs to send more people to suffer and die at Rikers through the use of excessive bail, and slashed funding for prevention and diversion programs. A Mayor who is serious about following the legal and moral mandate to close Rikers will fund the things that actually keep communities safe, like supportive housing, community-based mental health treatment, and services for people coming home. It’s time for his successor to use these tools to finally get Rikers closed.”
"I was jailed at Rikers as a teenager—confined, dehumanized, and left to survive a system that treats our lives as disposable. Since Mayor Adams took office, 45 people have died in custody. That’s not just a failure—it’s a moral travesty that should shake this city to its core. Rikers is legally mandated to close by 2027, yet this administration has stalled progress while ramping up arrests and expanding pretrial detention. We need leadership that chooses care over cruelty, and community over cages. The next mayor must treat the closure of Rikers not as a slogan, but as a mandate—and finally deliver the safety, dignity, and justice our communities deserve," said Jason Rodriguez, Policy Research Associate at the Legal Action Center.
Reverend Wendy Calderón-Payne, Executive Director, Urban Youth Alliance (BronxConnect), said, “As the deadline for closure approaches, we must remember the mounting costs of keeping Rikers open. In the past few years alone, 45 people have lost their lives due to neglect and poor oversight on the Island. As delays in the transition to the mandated borough-based jail plan delay justice, human beings and their families pay the price. Statistics prove that community-based alternatives are more effective at reducing recidivism. Rikers needs to close and wasted resources must be reallocated to community-driven approaches that work.”
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