NYCLU on Reports that Mayor Adams Mulls Abandoning Plan to Close Rikers  

NEW YORK CITY – New York City Mayor Adams is reportedly considering a move to abandon the current plan to close Rikers Island and instead turn several of the borough-based sites intended to replace the jail complex into housing. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union released the following statement attributable to Co-Director of Policy Naila Awan: 

“Rikers Island is dangerous, inhumane, and an unconstitutional nightmare. Yet, under the banner of creating more housing, the mayor is reportedly planning to evade local law in a blatant effort to keep Rikers open. This is disingenuous, would fly in the face of city law and would put more incarcerated New Yorkers – especially Black and Brown – at risk. 

“New Yorkers deserve a mayor who works to create more affordable housing, strengthen mental health supports, and close the human rights disaster that is Rikers, without sacrificing one for the other.” 

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