On the third anniversary of the vote to close Rikers Island and in collaboration with the Campaign to Close Rikers, ICNY and diverse faith leaders will gather for an Interfaith Vigil to mourn the lives lost in the City’s jails and call on Mayor Adams to:
- Acknowledge the humanitarian crisis at Rikers Island, the humanity of people held there, and the city’s responsibility for their well-being
- Work with DOC Commissioner Louis A. Molina to use his powers to release people serving City sentences
- Work urgently with judges and district attorneys to release people from the city’s deadly jails, and stop sending people into conditions where their lives are at great risk
- By substantially reducing the jail population, create the possibility to ensure that people remaining in the jails have access to medical care, programs, out-of-cell group engagement, and other critical services
- Move with all possible urgency to close Rikers Island, including advancing the existing closure plans and expediting the closure of the women’s jail
If you have any questions about the event please reach out to The Rev. Dominique Atchison by email at Dominique@interfaithcenter.org.