Nine years to go? Panelists clash over closing Rikers

Is closing Rikers Island a dream, unattainable (or undesirable)? Or is it a political reality, where concrete steps need to be taken by stakeholders to get New York City’s island of jails closed by 2027? Players on all sides of the nuanced debate gave their thoughts at a forum sponsored by City & State and the New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association on Thursday morning in Lower Manhattan. I live-tweeted the discussion, covering the comments and documenting the sometimes explosive disagreements.

Participants included New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Director Liz Glazer; Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams; New York City Council members Keith Powers, Jumaane Williams, Bob Holden and Joe Borelli; COBA President Elias Husamudeen; and Queens County Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney James Quinn.

>@CityAndStateNY EIC @JonathanLentz kicks off the forum on closing Rikers - going to hear from @NYCMayorsOffice, unions, City Council members, BP’s and DA’s. pic.twitter.com/97hp3lSKRs

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

In intro video, @COBAPresident @EHusamudeen says “virtually none” City Council members support jails in their district, but 11 Queens members supported a jail, plus Ayala, Chin, Levin, Koslowitz are supportive of new or expanded facilities in their districts.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Husamudeen accuses mayor, governor, legislators of not being honest about why they want to close Rikers. “You want to reuse Rikers island.” 420 acres of land in NYC.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

“Just be honest. You want the island... but don’t demonize or villainous correction officers as the reason why you get it,” Husamudeen says.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

“How is there a discussion on building new jails if there isn’t a discussion on how to create safer jails?” Husamudeen asks. Haven’t seen major shift yet, but “safer” was focus of @NYCMayor’s 2017 jails plan: https://t.co/MmuvO7UKL7

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Husamudeen claims NYC wants to put jails in black and Latino communities. Proposed South Bronx jail certainly is, but Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens jail locations wouldn’t seem to fit that description.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Husamudeen gives props to @BronxDAClark (for Rikers violence crackdown highlighted in NYT). But “It takes more than just a re-arrest... to stop the violence that goes on in jails.”https://t.co/njvMVXmKmf

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

De Blasio has accused Bloomberg of ignoring Rikers during his time in office, but Bloomberg didn’t want to close it, and @NYCMayor didn’t want to either until March 2017 cc: @ngrybauskas

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Now the BIG panel on closing Rikers. Queens ADA Quinn, Husamudeen, @JoeBorelliNYC, @BobHoldenNYC, @JumaaneWilliams, @KeithPowersNYC, @BPEricAdams and NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Director Liz Glazer. pic.twitter.com/r6fuAtOxpp

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Adams (a former NYPD officer) comes out fiercely supportive of correction officers' union. He still supports closing Rikers, but praises Husamudeen for not defending violent officers "who disgrace the shield."

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Silent protest in front row of this forum on closing Rikers. @JumaaneWilliams just pointed them out, asking “where are the voices of the formerly incarcerated?” pic.twitter.com/wwVqje5WjX

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Williams says union would be treated differently, given more of a seat at the table, if members weren't majority black and Latino. "Violence is violence" both against officers and against inmates, and he wants to stop it all.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

A week before this panel, Powers, Holden and other members visited Rikers for the first time. Husamudeen joined. Holden now says we need to consider rebuilding, renovating Rikers rather than closing it. pic.twitter.com/XlQrO4Ni0O

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

"It's delusional to even be planning that this facility would be closed by 2027," says Borelli. Willing to bet his whole life savings that Rikers won't be vacated by then.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Quinn brings visual aides. “There’s a myth that people are being held for nonviolent felonies because they can’t make bail.” pic.twitter.com/EZl857vQdT

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Another chart from Quinn, making the case that it would be *very* difficult to reduce citywide jail population to 5,000. “The idea that you could do that safely? It’s ludicrous.” pic.twitter.com/8Gbb9gWfs4

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

"That's a scare tactic" to say that we'll be reducing the jail population by releasing criminals, Glazer says. Instead, de Blasio admin will reduce amount of people going in and will speed up trials. "For every day that we can cut off case delay, we can save 100 beds."

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Husamudeen says focus in on the wrong players. “Who’s talking about the district attorneys. Who's talking about the judges and the court system? All anyone’s talking about is the correction officers, as if we were putting these people in our custody!”

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Another sign from silent protest. “Let’s discuss how many rape complaints are actually investigated.” Some background from Injustice Today:https://t.co/X7JDPPiM4D pic.twitter.com/twdZ6ZGPGV

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Queens ADA Quinn says he talks to women of color whose families are victims of crime. “Don’t tell me that my system, my office or me are insensitive to putting people in jail.”@JumaaneWilliams fights back: “You use their pain to lock up other black or brown people.”

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

“Shouldn’t you revamp the courts first?” before announcing you’ll close Rikers, Holden asks. “If we have to do everything sequentially, we’ll never get there,” Glazer responds.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

“I’m not sure job preservation is a paramount.” Says @JumaaneWilliams on the effect of closing Rikers on @NYCCOBA1 jobs. Says safety and security is more important.

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018

Adams also says that we shouldn’t look to Albany for criminal justice reform. With Republican and IDC leadership, if we can’t get it done in NYC, it’s not going to get done. Though Sen. Dems may try: https://t.co/yfpzvNLyAF

— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) March 8, 2018