"Last week, our city learned that ten deaths in only seven months is not enough loss, enough grief, enough pain for our jails to finally change. After the loss of Elijah Muhammad, we joined together in mourning and to demand more and demand better, and to hope that ten deaths would bring about the bold reforms New York City jails need, that this moment commands.
"Today, an eleventh person died while Rikers remains in crisis, a moral blight on our city and an immediate danger to everyone on the island. Another family is grieving, another community is in crisis, trauma endlessly compounding trauma. This is the fourth death in city custody since the courts approved the mayor’s action plan.
"It’s being reported that the eleventh death, like the tenth last week, was an overdose. There is no reason someone should die of an overdose while in city custody. It’s a failure on so many levels: a failure to keep opiates from entering the facility, a failure to properly supervise detainees, and a failure to swiftly provide lifesaving medical care to those who need it. To stop the endless loss, New York city jails must immediately expedite decarceration efforts, resolve significant staffing shortages and finally end solitary confinement. We must protect our neighbors’ lives and safety as we work toward ultimately closing Rikers permanently.
"Today, I pray eleven deaths is enough for urgent and radical reform."
