1.) How are you connected to this movement?  

I went to a meeting that was held by Freedom Agenda and some other coalitions at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, and I heard Darren Mack speak. I put my name down, and then I got a call regarding the proposals for voting, and we just ended up talking. And I've been with Freedom Agenda ever since. And what really drew me to it, or made me go to that initial meeting, was I was interested in what Freedom Agenda had to say, because my son was at Rikers at the time. 

2.) Why should Rikers close?  

I said it before, and I'll say it again: It's a dump. It's horrific, it's a stain on our city, and the more I learn about the history/foundation of Rikers, having experienced having a loved one being there and having to visit them - it has to close. We can do better as a city, as a society. We can do better than Rikers Island. 

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

It's not only about just closing Rikers. It's about taking the money, and putting it back into the communities most affected by Rikers Island, such as where I live at Southeast Queens. When you look at the statistics, there's certain areas of people that they tend to focus on, and they end up in Rikers, and from Rikers to upstate New York. 

So I want to see that money come back to the communities, to prevent people from ever even having to deal with the system. That's what I would like to see, and those that unfortunately get caught up in the system, give them alternative programs. 

For the most part, anybody who ends up at Rikers Island, they have some issues that they're dealing with, such as mental health, homelessness, et cetera. And Rikers Island is not the answer. Incarceration in general is usually not the answer. Deal with the problem, and maybe if we deal with the problem, we'll have a better place.