What is Rikers Island and why should we close it? 📺 A new video from the Independent Rikers Commission breaks it down: https://vimeo.com/1213962166

What is Rikers & Why it Must Close

This is "What is Rikers & Why it Must Close.mov" by More Just NYC on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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New York City took a real step forward this spring by creating an Office of Community Safety to coordinate crisis response, violence prevention, and survivor support. Here's how NYC can build on that momentum—and what a full department could mean for the city.

Newark's violent crime fell 19% in 2025—with homicides at a historic low. Mayor @rasjbaraka says the reason wasn't more policing. It was investment: "quality schools, opportunity, housing, cleanliness, and recreation for young folks."

NYC has a clear, achievable plan to close Rikers Island and create a public safety system that delivers safety, justice, and accountability for everyone. The Independent Rikers Commission is launching a new video series to show how to make it happen.

Rikers commission aims to seize momentum with video campaign

The commission assembled to keep New York City on track to close Rikers Island is releasing a series of videos aimed at spurring progress forward.

cityandstateny.com

With the killings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastián Guerrero, ICE has placed the dangers of non-safety-related traffic stops back in full view. Still, Trump has doubled down on using traffic stops to fuel his mass deportation agenda.

Traffic Stops Were Already Harmful. ICE Is Making Them Worse.

A decade ago , the killings of Sandra Bland and Philando Castile forced people in the United States to reckon with the harms of traffic stops—especially…

vera.org

Every day within the Trump administration’s hostile deportation machine, many immigrants must navigate complex court proceedings alone.

Unaccompanied kids are losing their lawyers today. Federal funding for their legal representation just lapsed, leaving $65M in unpaid legal work and countless children with no one in their corner as they navigate immigration court alone.

NY Lawyers Fear Trump Blitz Will Speed Up Child Deportations

The Trump administration is accelerating asylum proceedings as legal aid funding expires, leaving immigrant children less time to prepare.

nysfocus.com

“Ha sido difícil...Es difícil mirar a tu hijo, que agarre la foto y que llore y que diga ‘extraño mi papa.” It’s been hard...It’s hard to look at your child, watch him grab the photo, cry, and say, “I miss my dad.” www.wusf.org/politics-iss...

Immigrant families struggle with the cost of detention and deportation

Spouses are left with debt and the responsibility of being the sole breadwinner after their partners are detained or deported.

wusf.org

If you only listen to the political debate, you might believe that voters want their leaders to be "tough on crime." But it’s not true. Voters know that more incarceration and more policing don’t make us safer. Investments that strengthen communities and improve lives, do.

"The message should be clear: If America wants accountability from federal law enforcement, it is time to demand real accountability for police as well."—Vera's Insha Rahman

Madison police killing shows accountability can't stop at ICE

Corey Ruiz's death in Wisconsin shows that local police need scrutiny too

salon.com

Long lines and little to no notice of hearings: New York City immigration courts are ground-zero for mega master hearings, a deportation tool that erodes due process rights. gothamist.com/news/nyc-imm...

NYC immigration courts are ground-zero for a new deportation tool: Mass hearings

Deportation orders issued in absentia are spiking, fueled by mass immigration hearings.

gothamist.com

Last month, Vera board member and @newyorkgiants.bsky.social legend Justin Tuck and the New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock visited the site of Vera’s first Restoring Promise young adult housing unit at Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut.

Formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to be unhoused—a disparity even wider for communities of color. Housing instability drives rearrest rates, while stable housing creates pathways to jobs, family support, and safety.

"Incarceration separates families, but it doesn’t erase motherhood" —Krystal Lowe, an editorial intern at Vera who is currently incarcerated Families belong together, and it is essential that systems provide opportunities for connection and growth.

Just Because I’m Incarcerated Doesn’t Mean I’m a Bad Mother

Thirty-two days. That’s the amount of time I went without hearing my son's voice when he entered the Kansas foster care system and I entered the Kansas…

vera.org

"I am seeing so much fear.”— @neighborslink.bsky.social's Constanza Bentancor Far too many people face the hostile and supercharged Trump deportation machine alone.

Across the #UnitedStates, cities and counties are rethinking their approach to behavioral health crises and public safety.

Federal agents have killed 4 people this month. These shootings aren't isolated tragedies—they are the predictable consequence of a public safety strategy that prioritizes arrests and political spectacle over actual safety, accountability, and human life.

Out-of-Control Federal Law Enforcement Is Undermining Public Safety

This month, agents of the federal government, including the National Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Immigration and Customs…

vera.org

“I was my child’s mother before prison. I am his mother during prison. And I will be his mother long after my sentence ends.” Krystal Lowe, an editorial intern at Vera, shares her experience of raising her son while incarcerated:

Just Because I’m Incarcerated Doesn’t Mean I’m a Bad Mother

Thirty-two days. That’s the amount of time I went without hearing my son's voice when he entered the Kansas foster care system and I entered the Kansas…

vera.org

A series of fatal shootings by federal agents shows how an aggressive federal law enforcement agenda undermines the very public safety it claims to protect.

Another attack on vital public safety work is underway from this administration. The Office of Management and Budget wants to give political appointees sweeping new power to cancel federal grants at will.

A New Federal Grantmaking Rule Could Put Community Safety Programs at…

Vera works closely with government and civic leaders to urgently build and improve justice systems that ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen…

vera.org

More than 20,000 unaccompanied children are at imminent risk of losing access to legal representation in their immigration proceedings.

Vera President and Director Insha Rahman joined @legalafmtn.bsky.social to discuss CORCA, a bill that claims to address retail theft but actually grants more surveillance tools and power to DHS and ICE at a moment where more people have died at the agency’s hands.

Trump's ICE EXPOSED as They DOUBLE DOWN!!!

YouTube video by Legal AF

youtube.com

Tyrin Johnson. Alfonso Ivy. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. Federal agents have shot and killed four people in less than two weeks. They should still be alive. https://www.vera.org/news/out-of-control-federal-law-enforcement-is-undermining-public-safety

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 30-year U.S. resident, was wrongly shot and killed in Houston last week by ICE agents. Still, Senate leaders are preparing to expand DHS power by passing CORCA, a trojan horse surveillance bill. You can do something about it. ⬇️

We’ve watched ICE terrorize our neighborhoods, pressure cities for personal data, and leave communities traumatized by deadly violence. Now Congress wants to reward ICE with even more power? Tell your senator to vote NO on CORCA. ⬇️

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo should still be alive. Join a nationwide response to honor Lorenzo's life, support his family, and demand immediate accountability. 🗓️ Wednesday, July 15 ⏰ 8:00 PM EST 🔗 workers.fyi/justiceforlorenzo

Here's the harsh reality: more than 425,000 children in the U.S. are facing deportation without a lawyer. A Vera analysis shows that more than half of all children facing pending immigration cases are doing so without legal representation. 🧵

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was on his way to work Tuesday morning when ICE agents in unmarked vehicles pulled him over. That day, Lorenzo lost his life.

It’s summer ☀️ and we're seeing headlines about "violent teen takeover chaos," leading to calls for punishment and "tough" measures. But a closer look points to solutions that help youth thrive and address safety without feeding fear.

How to Talk about So-Called Teen Takeovers

“Violent ‘teen takeover’ chaos” reads a July 6 NBC News headline. The news segment features footage of fights and arrests in North Charleston, South…

vera.org

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo spent 35 years building a life in Houston. He worked in construction, raised three children with his wife, and was in the process of getting a work permit. He had no criminal record.