Advocates pressure Adams administration to close Rikers Island by City Council’s 2027 deadline

By John Dias

On March 8, 2024

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams is moving too slow. 

That’s what many claim is happening with the closure of Rikers Island.

Dozens rallied in front of City Hall Friday demanding Adams shift money around in his budget to help make the 2027 deadline. 

“It was just a madhouse,” Larry Goodson said. 

Goodson spent a total of almost 20 years incarcerated, many of them on Rikers Island. He had one thing always on his mind. 

“My safety. Always been my safety,” Goodson said.

Friday, he joined in with the growing voices calling to shut down the city’s largest jail. Almost 200 city groups make up the “Campaign to Close Rikers.” Many of them rallied at City Hall, demanding the mayor move money in his budget next year from the Department of Correction to community needs, like supportive housing and treatment centers, saying it will support the jail’s closure. 

“Closing Rikers Island cannot be delayed and the city needs to take steps to deliver on this legal and moral obligation now,” Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda, said at the rally. 

They believe Adams will not meet the legal 2027 deadline to shut Rikers Island, which the City Council passed five years ago. 

Brad Lander was part of that movement. He’s now city comptroller. 

“The question is, are we on path to close it at all,” Lander said. 

“It just appears that there is no real want or belief that we should close Rikers Island by 2027 and I think we have to at least get on the same page and have a plan for how to do it. Omitting it altogether is not a good move and it wouldn’t be the first time that the administration just skips over a law that the Council has passed,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said at the hearing. 

In a statement, a City Hall spokesperson said the COVID-19 pandemic slowed things down, and “it is clear the plan approved under the last administration created serious challenges for our ability to keep New Yorkers safe.” 

Local leaders fear the borough-based jails also won’t be ready. 

At Friday’s criminal justice preliminary budget hearing. Local leaders questioned the commissioner of city’s Department of Correction and her board were questioned about it. 

“Do we know how the administration is leveraging every tool available to ensure the borough based jails, capital based, are delivered on time?” New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said. 

“We have established an internal team, transitional team to ensure a seamless transition into our new facilities,” Alexandria Maldonado, director of strategic initiatives at Borough-Based Jails, said. 

The City Council will approve the next budget in June. 

A city spokesperson went on to say work is underway for all four borough jail sites.

This piece was republished from CBS News.