PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Melissa Vergara, Mother of Formerly Incarcerated Individual
3:29:06
·
137 sec
Melissa Vergara, whose son was incarcerated at Rikers Island for two and a half years, testifies in support of Intro 412, which would require notification of emergency contacts when someone attempts suicide or is seriously injured in custody. She shares her personal experience of not being informed about her son's injuries while he was incarcerated.
- Vergara's son suffered multiple severe injuries at Rikers, including losing part of his fingers due to a faulty door
- She emphasizes the lack of transparency and difficulty in obtaining information about incarcerated loved ones' well-being
- Vergara also mentions her previous work at Elmhurst Hospital, where staff were instructed not to disclose information about patients from Rikers to family members
Melissa Vergara
3:29:06
Hello.
3:29:06
My name is Melissa Figueroa, and my son was incarcerated at Rikers Island for 2 for two and a half years.
3:29:15
During that time, he suffered multiple severe injuries including one incident where he lost part of his fingers due to a faulty door at the facility.
3:29:23
Having a loved one in the custody of the Department of Corrections is terrifying ordeal for families.
3:29:30
Not only are they sent to an isolated penal colony and am mistreated, but we also struggled to get accurate information about their well-being.
3:29:39
Throughout those the more than two and a half hell of shares I recognize, and my son sustained serious injuries, and I was never informed.
3:29:47
There were many days when I didn't hear from him at all, and I hear the worst.
3:29:53
The bill this this bill is is a crucial step towards creating transparency that the mayor that mayor Adam seems to determined to eliminate.
3:30:04
We know that transparency and accountability are not priorities for this administration, but it is imperative that we not need to shocked it or allowed the unlawful marriage to delay closing Rikers Island.
3:30:17
With family members being notified and kept the form, we can advocate for timely and appropriate care for our loved ones, especially given the lack of oversight of Rikers.
3:30:27
Which has already led to over 30 preventable deaths since mayor, Iowa has taken office.
3:30:33
I thank council I thank council member, Rustler, for introducing this bill, and I strongly urge that the council passed bill 412 without delay.
3:30:41
I also would like to add that I used to work at Elmhurst Hospital in New York as a patient advocate.
3:30:48
And we were notified whenever we had a a patient that came from Bikers Island not to disclose any information to the family and refer them to the 11th floor, which was run by DOC.
3:31:03
So we're getting a lot of information that's inaccurate, and I know firsthand that the hospital staff does not relay any information to family members when there is a person that comes from Department of Corrections.
3:31:18
I thank you for allowing me to share my testimony, and I hope that this bill gets passed.
