![]() ![]() ![]() They complain about weapons drugs and blame it on visitors, but for over a year there haven't been visitors. They call themselves the Department of Corrections, but they're not correcting anything. The overall attitude is really like, “You get what you deserve.” They just remove responsibility from themselves. If we are less than human, they rationalize that what is happening to us is okay. They are just saying things to break you.” The corrections officers are being trained that the people they are dealing with are not regular human beings. This is all being done to boost their own self-esteem. Every time they would say, “You are not a real person,” I would go into a zone and tell myself, “They are not telling you the truth. Even though it was hard, I would pray and meditate. It was just to dehumanize people as much as possible and break down your psyche. They would destroy things that people’s kids had drawn for them. When they would search everything, they would take your photos, and they would throw milk on them. From not being able to use the bathroom without people observing you, to the frisks and searches that are done. You are less than human.” It is not just what they verbalize to you, it is every little practice. The corrections officers said this to us on a daily basis, “You are not real anymore. In there, you are no longer a human being. Vera asked three leaders from VOCAL-NY to share what it’s like to be incarcerated or to have a loved one incarcerated on Rikers Island. This requires permanent investments in housing, health care, and meaningful alternatives to policing and incarceration that truly address the root causes of harm in our communities." “We demand the same energy and urgency that went into the unconstitutional caging of our people and destabilization of our communities be poured into making them whole again. "Rikers Island must close,” said Keli Young, VOCAL-NY’s civil rights campaign coordinator. VOCAL-NY, a grassroots organization that seeks to end mass incarceration, is among the many groups fighting to end the suffering. On the outside, family members are desperate for information, as backlogged courts leave their loved ones indefinitely trapped in inhumane conditions. On the inside, crumbling infrastructure, staffing deficits, and the pandemic have made life even more dangerous and degrading. More than 80 percent of the people confined there have not been convicted of a crime and endure horrific conditions as they wait for trial. The notorious jail complex Rikers Island is the site of an ongoing human rights crisis. ![]()
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