VIDEO: Advocates Mark One Year Until Rikers Island Legal Closure Deadline
NEW YORK — Advocates gathered Monday to mark one year until New York City’s legal deadline to close the Rikers Island jail complex, sharing firsthand accounts of conditions they experienced while incarcerated.
The city is required by law to close the jail complex by Aug. 31, 2027. Advocates at the rally said they believe New York City can still make significant progress toward that goal, but action is needed.
Darren Mack, co-founder of Freedom Agenda, said he does not expect Rikers to be completely closed by the deadline but urged Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration to reduce the number of people incarcerated there and close at least half of the jails on the island.
“Rikers will not be completely closed by Aug. 31, 2027,” Mack said. “But Mayor Mamdani can make sure that a year from today, there are substantially fewer people incarcerated, at least half of the jails on Rikers are closed, and we are firmly back on track to erase this stain from our city.”
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Formerly incarcerated New Yorkers also described the conditions they experienced while in custody.
Marco Barrios said the conditions affected both incarcerated people and corrections officers and other staff.
“The conditions are inhumane,” Barrios said. “And this is not just for the people who have to be detained, but also for corrections officers and other staff. It’s a terrible environment, and I don’t think anyone should be living in there. So we need to really tear it down.”
Angel Tueros described sleeping on a bed while rain entered the facility. He said he used a bucket on his bed and encountered rodents and roaches. He also described the heat as unbearable.
“I remember a time being on a bed where it was raining, and I had to sleep for a few days with a bucket on my bed,” Tueros said. “It was very uncomfortable. Rodents would go in through these cracks on the wall. Roaches, a lot of roaches. The heat was unbearable.”
Tueros also spoke about his Catholic faith and the importance of forgiveness and love.
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“As a Catholic, I believe in the Gospels. And we are called to love our enemies,” Tueros said. “That’s central. Fundamental. I think the two fundamental ideas of our faith are forgiveness and love. It is hard, but that’s what we are called to. I don’t think that treating people badly will improve their lives.”
Catholic leaders have also described the closure of Rikers Island as a moral imperative, citing the jail complex’s history of violence and neglect and Catholic teachings on human dignity.
The Aug. 31, 2027, deadline is now one year away, as advocates continue to press city officials to take steps toward closing the jail complex.