“The mayor's words must be followed by actions, otherwise the death toll will continue to rise just as it did under the previous administration," said @melaniedominguez.bsky.social in Queens Daily Eagle piece about Rikers deaths by @jacob-kaye.bsky.social. #ShutRikers
queenseagle.com/all/2026/3/3...
The conditions at Rikers are deplorable & decrepit. New report finds the DOC is failing to address fire safety on Riker and is struggling with general sanitation, heating, ventilation, and lighting.
To save lives, @mayor.nyc.gov must #ShutRikers.
queenseagle.com/all/2026/3/3...
Our organizing director @melaniedominguez.bsky.social
discusses the recent deaths on Rikers & the need for @mayor.nyc.gov to pass a budget that invests in alternatives to incarceration, supportive housing, & other proven solutions to reduce the jail population. #ShutRikers
pix11.com/video/nyc-ad...
If @mayor.nyc.gov is truly committed to this statement: “Rikers must close, and we will pursue every avenue to do so as quickly as possible,” he must pass a city budget that reduces the jail population and advances the closure of Rikers Island. #ShutRikers
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/n...
RELEASE: This afternoon, news broke that John Price, 49-years-old, died while in DOC custody. This is the 2nd death in DOC in less than a week.
@mayor.nyc.gov must pass a budget that decreases the jail population & advances the closure of Rikers Island. #ShutRikers
katalcenter.org/2026/03/2nd-...
RELEASE: 2nd Death in DOC Custody This Week
As the Death Count Rises, Mayor Mamdani’s Proposes Budget That Increases DOC Funding While Underfunding Programs to Decrease the Jail Population and Advance Closure of Rikers #ShutRikers
“The family of a man who died in custody Wed. after jail officials said he had a medical episode on Rikers says he had no urgent health issues when he arrived at the troubled jail complex.”
Rikers is deadly. @mayor.nyc.gov must pass a budget to advance #ShutRikers.
gothamist.com/news/family-...
Yesterday, Barry Cozart, 39, died while incarcerated at Rikers. This is the first death at Rikers under @mayor.nyc.gov & comes after he’s proposing to increase the DOC by 5% while the closure plan remains in limbo. #ShutRikers
@gothamist.com @giuliaheyward.bsky.social
gothamist.com/news/man-die...
Yesterday, Barry Cozart, 39, died while incarcerated at Rikers. This is the first death at Rikers under @mayor.nyc.gov & comes after he’s proposing to increase the DOC by 5% while the closure plan remains in limbo. #ShutRikers
@gothamist.com @giuliaheyward.bsky.social
gothamist.com/news/man-die...
RELEASE: Yesterday, Barry Cozart, 39-years-old, died while incarcerated at the George R. Vierno Center at Rikers Island. This is the first death at Rikers since Mayor Mamdani took office.
The city must pass a budget that advances closure. #ShutRikers
See release: katalcenter.org/2026/03/rele...
Our organizing director Melanie Dominguez testifying at City Hall
Today, we testified at the FY2027 @council.nyc.gov Committee on Criminal Justice Preliminary Budget Hearing.
This budget proposal is a continuation of the status quo that persisted under Adams & leaves the Rikers closure plan in limbo. #ShutRikers
See our testimony: katalcenter.org/wp-content/u...
The appointment of Nicholas Deml highlights the violence and longstanding mismanagement of Rikers.
While Deml works with the DOC to address the violence, the City must reduce the jail pop. & reaffirm its commitment to close Rikers in this years budget. #ShutRikers
www.thecity.nyc/2026/03/24/r...
While it is great to see the new mayor visiting Rikers and speaking with incarcerated people, we know lots more needs to be done to get the closure process back on track. This year's city budget must reduce the jail population to #ShutRikers once and for all.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S0o...
The remediation manager must work with the DOC Commissioner to swiftly address the dangerous levels of violence and utter mismanagement plaguing NYC jails.
Nicholas Deml must also use his wide-ranging power to advance the closure of Rikers. #ShutRikers
queenseagle.com/all/2026/3/1...
Artist Josh MacPhee discusses the zine - #ShutRikers: A Brief History of Political Graphics in 15 Stickers. The zine traces the arc of reproducible political graphics over the past 100 years via a collection of 15 images that had been re-imagined as graphics mobilized to shut Rikers Island.
"Jail clinicians sometimes send people in crisis to city hospitals — only for them to be returned to Rikers Island within hours."
Why the revolving door between Rikers & city hospitals? This is inhumane, costly, and it disrupts efforts to close Rikers. @mayor.nyc.gov must stop this. #ShutRikers
Rodney Reid’s story highlights the horrors, trauma, & dehumanization of solitary confinement at Rikers.
While NYC must end this torturous practice & implement Local Law 42, we know the only real solution is for @mayor.nyc.gov to shut down Rikers. #ShutRikers
solitarywatch.org/2026/03/03/i...
Today, our members and staff attended the February monthly meeting of the State Commission of Correction, NY’s independent jail & prison watchdog, The public portion of the meeting lasted three minutes long and they failed to address the crisis at Rikers and facilities across New York. #ShutRikers
Yesterday, Mayor Mamdani put forth an action plan to end five years of emergency orders that suspended basic jail rules & blocked the implementation of #HALTsolitary. Along with ending solitary confinement, the mayor must now get the city back on track to #ShutRikers.
www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/19/m...
Yesterday, A federal judge upheld the claims of the NY state denial of due process for incarcerated people at Rikers. #ShutRikers
The Office of Mental Health refused to accept incarcerated people for treatment, leaving in limbo up to 100 people on any given day.
www.amny.com/law/lawsuit-...
A social worker at Rikers in 2024 came forward accusing CO's for isolating severely mentally ill men in their cells for weeks to even months in a process known as “deadlocking.” #ShutRikers
450 days later and the investigation remains open with no end in sight.
www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/05/r...
"More than two years after city jail officials cut off nonprofit-led social services at Rikers Island, several organizations are set to return this month to provide new programming inside the troubled jail complex". #ShutRikers
queenseagle.com/all/2026/1/3...
Our statement on @mayor.nyc.gov appointing Stanley Richards as Commissioner of the NYC Dept. of Correction.
#ShutRikers
#CutShutInvestNY
katalcenter.org/2026/02/mayo...
RELEASE: Today, Judge Swain appointed Nicholas Deml as a remediation manager to take control of Rikers to address violence & dysfunction. He must immediately address the crisis in city jails & advance the closure of Rikers. #ShutRikers
See our statement: katalcenter.org/2026/01/fede...
"Jail watchdogs found that correctional officers and medical staff on Rikers Island abandoned their posts and failed to check in on suicidal incarcerated people in the lead up to a number of deaths in the dangerous jail complex last year." #ShutRikers
queenseagle.com/all/2026/1/2...
Mayor Mamdani reactivate the "Just Home Project" which includes 58 units of supportive housing for New Yorkers leaving Rikers with complex medical conditions.
NYC needs more of these types of services & resources for returning citizens. #ShutRIkers #CutShutInvestNY
gothamist.com/news/mamdani...
Instead of working with ICE to further criminalize immigrants, DOC should be working to Shut Down Rikers.
A man was set to be released from Rikers but, the DOC handed him directly to ICE agents without legal due process.
No ICE on Rikers and #ShutRikers
www.amny.com/news/city-tr...
The recording from our "Webinar on Rikers Island and Mental Health" report is now live on the webpage - along with the Microsoft PowerPoint and a link to the report. #ShutRikers
We had up to 250 people watching live at one point!
datacollaborativeforjustice.org/event/rikers...
