TESTIMONY
Prom Freedman on Addressing Systemic Injustices through Closing Rikers and Reparations
5:46:54
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3 min
Prom Freedman, an organizer, reparationist, and American Freedman citizen, emphasizes the importance of closing Rikers Island and offering reparations and support for oppressed communities.
- Freedman voices the perspective of descendants of those emancipated by the 13th Amendment, advocating for justice reform and reparations.
- Highlights the negative impact of a $1,000,000,000 budget intended to incarcerate and oppress communities in Bronx and Harlem, areas Freedman is personally connected to.
- Calls for the closure of Rikers Island and the implementation of reparations for American Freedman, alongside prioritizing youth and family opportunities.
- Criticizes the city council's handling of questions and the discrimination against formerly incarcerated individuals, urging action on legal and moral grounds.
UNKNOWN
5:46:54
Oh, sorry.
5:46:55
Thank you.
5:46:57
Peace peace peace.
5:46:58
My name is prom Freedman.
5:47:00
I'm an organizer, a reparationist, and I'm an American Freedman citizen.
5:47:07
So my perspective will be from the American Freeman perspective, which means I am a descendant of persons who were nationally emancipated by way of the 13th Amendment because my ancestors built this country.
5:47:23
New York City included along with other millions of people.
5:47:28
I work alongside organizations like the US Freedman Project and the United Sons And Daughter's of Freedman.
5:47:34
I'm also in here in support of I'll say the abolitionists for organizations like freedom agenda and other ones as well, community not cages and and and things like that.
5:47:46
So I was listening the entire time I've been here since the beginning, and unfortunately, I was hearing a $1,000,000,000 budget.
5:47:55
To incarcerate, to enslave, and to kill the people who live in neighborhoods like the Bronx, Harlem, Brownsville, Etcetera.
5:48:06
Now that was very, very personal to me because those are the areas that I'm from Harlem and the Bronx.
5:48:11
I'll call it HBO.
5:48:12
Hall and Bronx only.
5:48:14
So that's why I'm here.
5:48:15
I am most definitely negatively impacted both directly and indirectly.
5:48:23
I noticed how when the city council, they asked specific questions and those questions they they weren't they weren't able to answer them.
5:48:35
So that's that's very unfortunate.
5:48:37
So I'll just get to the solutions because I see my thumb is limited.
5:48:42
Close rikers.
5:48:44
Close rikers.
5:48:46
Close rikers, shutdown rikers, and I'll say, abolish Right.
5:48:50
Because now that is just mandated by law.
5:48:53
I would also include reparations for the American Freedman State acts of atonement.
5:48:58
We have a state assembly woman by the name of Nikki Lucas who has proposed a bill, a 07828b.
5:49:06
And also prioritizing the youth.
5:49:08
A lot of times, I have people say we have to elevate the youth, but many of the times they're not listen to, they're ignored.
5:49:16
We have to grant access and opportunities for the youth and the families.
5:49:20
I heard a lot of budgets and numbers talking about the 1,000,000 and 1,000,000 of dollars that were saved, but there were no 1,000,000 and 1,000,000 or quantifications of the metrics of the 1,000,000 of families that would be saved or the millions of mothers and fathers and the children that should be saved.
5:49:37
So I think that we need to do some metrics on that.
5:49:40
Stop discriminating against the people who were incarcerated because now they carry the state property badge.
5:49:48
Or the badge of being a felon.
5:49:51
Yeah.
5:49:52
So get the job done.
5:49:55
We are at city hall.
5:49:57
The moral argument is clear as well as the legal argument.
5:50:01
So thank you.