Chapter Stands with United as One Partners to Call for Jail Reforms

NYCLU Central New York Chapter director Barrie Gewanter speaking at the United as One Partners to Call for Jail Reforms rally
Chapter director Barrie Gewanter speaking at the rally.
The Central New York Chapter joined its partners in the United as One Coalition on Aug. 6 at a demonstration in front of the Onondaga County Justice Center in Syracuse to memorialize Raul Pinet, Jr. and Cheunice Patterson, who died while in custody at the jail. The demonstrators called on county officials to fulfill their constitutional obligation to ensure that people held at the jail are treated humanely. Pinet died on Aug. 6 2010 after being carried into the jail, forcibly restrained and left lying face down in a rubber-lined cell. Patterson died at the jail in November 2009 after suffering a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Jail staff refused to provide her medical attention as she cried desperately for help. United as One formed after Pinet's death to advocate for much-needed reform in the local criminal justice system. It calls for transparency and accountability for law enforcement agencies in the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County. The coalition seeks true change law enforcement policies and practices in the jail and on our streets. It stands in solidarity with those who have been harmed by law enforcement misconduct, brutality, and neglect.