"There’s no doubt in my mind that it's time to shut down Rikers Island, and for me, it’s not only due to the critical state of the facilities there, but also because of the deep stigma that surrounds Rikers that resonates with many.
‘But as we address the important issue on how to it shut down, we also need to use the opportunity to address another stigma - one that resonates in lower-income communities, mostly of color, who for far too long have taken on more than their fair share of the types of facilities more affluent neighborhoods have refused to accept.
‘The South Bronx is a perfect example of a community that has historically taken on more than its fair share. Not only do we have a growing juvenile detention center in the middle of one of our busiest commercial hubs, but we also have the Vernon C. Bain Center, a relic from the crack epidemic of the 1980’s and 1990’s.
‘While the Vernon C. Bain Center, or ‘The Boat’, was supposed to be temporary, it has instead been anchored on the waterfront of Hunts Point for more than twenty-five years. And in that time, it has only added to a stigma that I believe surrounds the South Bronx. For residents, it’s a symbol of embarrassment. For outsiders, it symbolizes that the South Bronx is dangerous, disparate and not worthy of investment. I can’t stand for that.
‘While I understand that four of the five boroughs are finally being asked to take on their fair share, I think that the Bronx has to be given particular attention due to the historical, emotional and psychological encumbrances before us. That attention, to me, includes a real conversation about not only shutting down Rikers, but also on shuttering ‘The Boat’ once and for all.
‘As we move forward, I hope the fact that the South Bronx has been historically disenfranchised is taken into real consideration. As we work to build a more just New York, I for one will not let that fact be forgotten.”
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