REMARKS
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse Speaks Out Against Solitary Confinement
0:11:06
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140 sec
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse critiques the inhumanity of solitary confinement.
Narcisse's remarks include her observations from Rikers Island, showcasing the psychological impact on individuals in solitary confinement and calling for a reassessment of how punitive measures are applied within the carceral system.
Speaker 1
0:11:06
I recognize council member, Hersis.
Speaker 4
0:11:10
As a nurse, I have seen how detrimental solitary confinement can be.
0:11:18
I used to do the entry program.
0:11:20
And the description that my clients used to give me, I could not even imagine That's what we do as human being.
0:11:29
Right now, I would tell you my own story, putting one of the dog that I had.
0:11:35
Right?
0:11:35
I put the dog in a cage.
0:11:38
My son came back.
0:11:39
My son said, why are you putting the dog in a cage?
0:11:42
Because mommy, What are you doing?
0:11:44
You're teaching?
0:11:45
You're training that dog not to see us as friend as family.
0:11:49
If you wanted to be a best behavior, we have to do training the dog and give the dog love in the house.
0:11:55
And that's that's what I did.
0:11:57
So I cannot imagine a human being in the cage.
0:12:01
But what I had seen went to Rikers Island, seeing the faces, the eyes of those folks standing there, staring at us.
0:12:08
We are irresponsible.
0:12:10
And as a nation, we have to do better.
0:12:13
We don't have to reinvent the wheel because there is places around the world right now as we speak right now, training folks, talking to them, giving the training, the support system that they need.
0:12:25
Path of dog, what you do, what you expected the person, the behavior to be.
0:12:30
That's what it would be.
0:12:31
But If you train that if you talk to that person, you give them the training, the support system that they need to cope with whatever the problem.
0:12:41
Mentally illness is real.
0:12:43
So I want you to think about it.
0:12:46
How would you like to be treated for somebody to put you in a cage?
0:12:50
Will not receive that well.
0:12:53
And the correctional officer, I have passion for them because I talk to them too.
0:12:58
And when I asked them how you feel like dealing with this, dealing with your brothers and sisters and their cage, they said that it's not acceptable, but we don't know how to do it.
0:13:08
We don't know how to make sure that the respond better, but because we're not spending time to do it.
0:13:14
If we just spend the time we will get folks on their feet.
0:13:17
And when they come out, we don't have to suffer especially in a black and brown community where they come in back.
0:13:23
So thank you.
Speaker 1
0:13:25
Thank you, council member, Nazis.