CBH Talk | Renewing Rikers: From Punishment to Possibility скачать в хорошем качестве

CBH Talk | Renewing Rikers: From Punishment to Possibility

The future of Rikers Island is one of New York City’s most urgent and complex political challenges. Once home to a Civil War-era military training ground, the island was purchased by the city in 1884 for $180,000 to serve as a garbage dump. In 1932, construction began on what would become one of the most notorious jail complexes in the United States. Nearly a century later, a vision for Rikers’ transformation is taking shape. In 2021, the City Council passed a landmark package of legislation known as the Renewable Rikers Laws, which mandates that the land be repurposed for broad public benefit—focusing on renewable energy infrastructure, environmental justice, and long-term sustainability. Yet, as the city moves slowly toward its 2027 deadline to close the jails and build four borough-based facilities, progress remains halting and contested. Recent legislation, introduced by Councilmembers Sandy Nurse and Lincoln Restler, aims to hold the city accountable and accelerate planning for a sustainable, post-carceral future on the island. The Renewable Rikers coalition—including the NRDC, Freedom Agenda, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, Riverkeeper, and dozens of other advocacy groups—unites environmental and criminal justice movements around this shared goal. Join us for an urgent and forward-looking conversation on the long, layered history of Rikers Island and the fight to transform it from a symbol of harm into a model for environmental resilience and justice. The evening begins with excerpts from the documentary Closing the Last Penal Colony, introduced by filmmaker and activist Edwin Santana, and continues with a panel discussion featuring Councilmember Lincoln Restler, co-sponsor of the Renewable Rikers legislation; Michael Higgins of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, and Dr. Shana Russell, Chief Historian, Rikers Memory Project. Graham Rayman, co-author of Rikers: An Oral History, moderates.