Here at City Hall for the #CloseRikers event. One year from today is the legal deadline for Rikers to close. Check out this amazing piece from my friends @freedomagendany.bsky.social
@freedomagendany.bsky.social
We spent Monday night in community getting ready for our Countdown to #CloseRikers Day of Action, and assembling an art piece that will represent the thousands of neighbors currently suffering on Rikers.
“You might not close all of Rikers Island by [August 31, 2027], but what we can do is meet our decarceration goals and closing more jails on Rikers Island.” - Freedom Agenda Co-Director Darren Mack #CloseRikers amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/08...
Legal deadline to close Rikers Island reaching one-year countdown
Monday marks one year from the August 31, 2027 deadline to close Rikers Island and repurpose the land toward future environmental use.
amsterdamnews.com
We spent Monday night in community getting ready for our Countdown to #CloseRikers Day of Action, and assembling an art piece that will represent the thousands of neighbors currently suffering on Rikers.
STATEMENT from Freedom Agenda Co-Director @iamdarrenmack.bsky.social, following news that another person has tragically died in DOC custody. #CloseRikers
STATEMENT from Freedom Agenda Co-Director Darren Mack after today's death in DOC custody, the 6th this year #CloseRikers
The communities most impacted by broken windows policing are the same ones most in need of resources. With low-level summonses and arrests up, we joined advocates for Black August court watch. Hear from the Public Advocate on how this administration can work toward real safety.
Mark your calendar to join us August 31, 2026 to mark one year from the legal deadline to Close Rikers! August 31, 2026 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM Outside City Hall, Broadway Gate [across from 250 Broadway] RSVP --> bit.ly/831closerikers #CloseRikers
For the first time in five years, land on Rikers Island has been transferred out of the control of the DOC. NYC-EJA's Mike Higgins and @freedomagendany.bsky.social's Darren Mack break down what happened, why this matters, and what's to come. Link here: bit.ly/3RxH2Vn #CloseRikers #RenewableRikers
Our Co-Director Darren Mack joined @news12bx.bsky.social Power & Politics, alongside Michael Higgins of @nycejalliance.bsky.social, to discuss recent jail closures at Rikers Island, and key next steps to #CloseRikers and implement the #RenewableRikers vision. longisland.news12.com/2026/07/26/p...
Power & Politics: NYC Department of Corrections transfers land on Rikers Island; Mayor Mamdani announces new president of EDC
Leader of the Renewable Rikers Coalition Michael Higgins, Darren Mack, of the Freedom Agenda, and Tom Grech, of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, join the show this week.
longisland.news12.com
Statement from Freedom Agenda Co-Director @iamdarrenmack.bsky.social , after the announcement of another tragic death in DOC custody, Julian Pagan, who was the fifth person to die this year. #CloseRikers
@bsky.appWe’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close #Rikers, and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Helen "Skip" Skipper at NYC Justice Peer Initiative share how she would... #CloseRikers #CareNotCriminalization #NYCBudget
We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close #Rikers, and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Freedom Agenda member Dr. Justyna Rzewinski share how she would... #CloseRikers #CareNotCriminalization #NYCBudget
The federal remediator's plans to improve conditions for detainees, our Co-Director Darren Mack said, must go "hand in hand" with reducing the jail population, finishing the transition to borough-based jails and closing Rikers #CloseRikers gothamist.com/news/what-ri...
What Rikers' new remediator thinks is broken, and his plan to fix it
A plan filed this week includes Deml’s initial assessment of the city’s jails and his top priorities over the next year.
gothamist.com
Important article on the efforts to improve conditions on Rikers as the City transitions to the borough based jail plan. TY @gothamist.com for this reporting on the remidator’s report and for quoting @iamdarrenmack.bsky.social from @freedomagendany.bsky.social and the #CloseRikers campaign.
Gothamist@gothamist.com · 2mo agoWhat Rikers' new remediator thinks is broken, and his plan to fix it gothamist.com/news/what-ri...
We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close #Rikers, and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Jordyn Rosenthal at Community Access share how she would... #CloseRikers #CareNotCriminalization #NYCBudget
We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close #Rikers, and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Freedom Agenda member Eduardo Rodriguez share how he would… #CloseRikers #CareNotCriminalization #NYCBudget
Hear @freedomagendany.bsky.social member Manny Figueroa and @nycejalliance.bsky.social's Michael Higgins discuss how Renewable Rikers can transform the island into clean energy infrastructure while advancing racial justice. 👂 Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/11sL...
We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close #Rikers, and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari @zansari8.bsky.social share how she would... #CloseRikers #CareNotCriminalization #NYCBudget
Today's reminder that #CopsLie, and yet thousands of people are currently held at Rikers based almost entirely on judges' willingness to believe whatever they say. #CloseRikers
The City Reporter@thecityreporter.nyc · 2mo agoA new lawsuit alleges detectives manipulated witnesses, concealed evidence and built a 1988 murder case against Brian Kendall despite eyewitnesses identifying a different gunman.
📣STATEMENT from the Campaign to #CloseRikers on the handshake agreement on #FY2027Budget www.campaigntocloserikers.org/statements-releases/7-1-26
Closing Rikers is not just about decarceration. It’s about repairing harm, restoring communities, and reimagining our city’s future resilience. Read this op-ed, co-authored by NYC-EJA Executive Director Eddie Bautista and Council Member Sandy Nurse here: citylimits.org/opinion-clos...
Opinion: Closing Rikers is Environmental Justice in Action - City Limits
"Rikers is not only a criminal justice crisis. It is also an environmental failure that demands urgency. Closing it is not just about decarceration, it’s about repairing harm, restoring communities, a...
citylimits.org
After years of fighting for budget justice, our grassroots People’s Budget coalition is pleased to see the fruits of our labor. While there’s more work to do, this budget is a clean break from the austerity politics of the past. Full statement here: peoplesplan.nyc/news/press-releases/191737/
FY2027 budget includes ✅Increased funding for community-based mental health care ❌No new cops Grateful to @nycprogressives.bsky.social for their ongoing partnership in advocating for the Crisis to Care platform & investing in what works! #CloseRikers #CareNotCops council.nyc.gov/press/2026/0...
THANK YOU to @mayor.nyc.gov for moving New York forward to end the monstrosity that is Rikers by transferring NIC and parts of AMKC and GMDC by the mandated deadline. Today, NIC, AMKC, and GMDC. Next up, the rest of Rikers Island! #CloseRikers #RenewableRikers
We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close #Rikers, and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Takeasha Newton at the Legal Aid Society share how she would... #CloseRikers #CareNotCriminalization #NYCBudget
New York City runs the most richly funded and staffed jail system in the country, while consistently delivering the worst results. Our next City budget must invest in community resources that will actually improve safety and reduce incarceration, and #CloseRikers. #NYCBudget #2026Budget
"People with serious mental illness continue to suffer in jails repeatedly criticized for violence, neglect, isolation, staffing shortages, and inadequate mental health care." - @justynaspeaksup.bsky.social www.nydailynews.com/2026/06/16/u...
‘Unsubstantiated’ report does not clear Rikers
When I chose to speak publicly to the Daily News about conditions in the mental health units on Rikers Island, I expected criticism and scrutiny. What I did not expect was learning, as I walked into m...
nydailynews.com
New York City runs the most richly funded and staffed jail system in the country, while consistently delivering the worst results. Mayor Mamdani’s Executive Budget does not yet live up to the commitments he made during his campaign. #CloseRikers #NYCBudget #2026Budget
We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close #Rikers, and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Anthony Posada at the Legal Aid Society share how he would... #CloseRikers #CareNotCriminalization #NYCBudget