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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Damon Gilbert, Equal Justice Works Fellow at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), on Rikers Island and DOC Budget
5:46:36
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Damon Gilbert from NYLPI testified about the environmental injustices and human rights crisis at Rikers Island, criticizing the DOC's proposed budget and lack of action to close the facility by 2027. He emphasized the need to reallocate funds from incarceration to community services.
- Highlighted Rikers' poor air quality and dangerous conditions, citing recent deaths
- Criticized the $2.87 billion proposed budget for jail operations in 2026
- Supported recommendations by the Freedom Agenda to reduce DOC funding and invest in housing, mental health, and education
Damon Gilbert
5:46:36
Good afternoon.
5:46:38
Thank you very much for letting me testify.
5:46:41
My name is Damon Gilbert.
5:46:42
I'm an equal justice fellow at New York Lawyers for the Public Interests.
5:46:45
We are a civil rights nonprofit organization which been advancing environmental health and disability justice through community lawyering and partnering.
Diana Ayala
5:46:52
Can you put the mic a little bit closer to you?
James Conroy
5:46:55
Oh yeah,
Diana Ayala
5:46:55
of Because you're a little bit softer spoken, yes.
5:46:57
How's that?
5:46:58
There you go.
Damon Gilbert
5:46:58
Sorry about that.
5:47:00
Okay, I'll just start here.
5:47:03
So NOPE is a civil rights nonprofit organization.
5:47:06
We advocate for environmental health and disability justice through community lawyering, we've been partnering with the private bar for over fifty years.
5:47:14
I'm also here to talk about Rikers.
5:47:16
It's been an environmental injustice for as long as it existed.
5:47:20
The penal colony is notorious for its poor air quality.
5:47:23
It's literally built on a landfill as well as being situated by multiple major polluters.
5:47:29
It's incredibly unhealthy to both the population, those who work there and the surrounding Bronx community.
5:47:35
On top of that it's infamous for being the most dangerous jail to be inside of in the nation most likely.
5:47:41
Despite that and despite the fact that it's being required to close by 2027, this administration seems unconcerned with taking the necessary actions to enforce the law to shut down records.
5:47:53
And we see that through the DOC's actions and the proposed budget of $2,870,000,000 for jail operations for 2026 that the prioritization of mass incarceration over other vital services for New Yorkers is still in place.
5:48:10
Far from actualizing the vision to close Rikers, the DOC seems intent to keep perpetuating these environmental injustices as well as the human rights crisis that is currently ongoing there.
5:48:21
In the past year alone, New Yorkers Chima Williams, Manuel Luna, Roy Savage, Charisma Jones, Anthony Jordan, and Rommel Powell have all lost their lives due to the horrific conditions there.
5:48:34
Despite serious threat to human life and dignity, Rikers costs over half a million dollars per person to hold their age here, making it the most expensive and least effective tool that we have to protect our community's safety.
5:48:49
In conclusion, we just want to support our peers at the Freedom Agenda who are fighting to close Rikers, who have come up with concrete, serious recommendations to fix the budget and reduce the amount of funds allocated towards the DOC and totally reallocate them towards desperately needed services like housing, mental health treatment, education and other investments that are critical to the safety of all New York residents.
5:49:13
Thank you very much.