Campaigners to close Rikers Island shared their reaction to news of the latest announced death at the jail on Sunday. NYC Department of Correction officials said Curtis Davis, age 44, a detainee at Rikers Island jail, was found unresponsive in his cell in the George R. Vierno Center (GRVC) at approximately 5 a.m. on Sunday, July 23, as reported by the NY Daily News.

 

They said Davis received immediate medical care and was later pronounced dead at approximately 5:37 a.m. the same day. “The cause of death is unknown,” DOC officials said. “Davis had been in DOC custody since June 1, 2023.”

 

Officials said notifications had been sent to Davis’ next of kin, the federal monitor, the State Attorney General, NYC Department of Investigations (DOI), the Board of Correction (BOC), the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), and the Office of the Chief Medical Examine (OCME). “The medical examiner will determine the cause of death,” they added.

 

Following the news, Victor Pate, co-director of the HALT Solitary Campaign, issued a statement calling on political leaders, once again, to shut down the Rikers Island jail which has been plagued by controversy for several years due to the number of people who have died while in custody, awaiting trial and due to the number of violent incidents involving both detainees and NYC Department of Corrections (DOC) officers.

 

“God damn. How can New York City and State political leaders let these terrible tragedies continue?” Pate said. “Is NYCDOC going to be given another opportunity to do nothing again and continue to kill? New York City’s jails have killed four people in the last three weeks alone, 26 people since Mayor Adams took office and 42 people since 2021.”

 

He continued, “These state imposed deaths are policy choices, and this horrific crisis must stop now. Electeds and officials must act immediately to release people, stop sending people to these deadly jails, end solitary confinement and other abuses, and shut down Rikers and this entire jailing system now.”

 

As previously reported, there have also been numerous, disturbing reports of “extreme”, “dangerous” and unsafe conditions both for detainees and workers, and of corruption and drug smuggling at the jail.

 

Norwood News previously reported on calls to end solitary confinement at Rikers. The jail has an average, reported daily detainee population of about 10,000, though it can hold a maximum of 15,000. As reported, both Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and candidate for Bronx district attorney Tess Cohen who lost the latest Democratic primary in June, had each weighed in on the subject during election season.

 

Meanwhile, District 12 City Councilman Kevin Riley, who represents the north Bronx neighborhoods of Wakefield, Olinville, Edenwald, Eastchester, Williamsbridge, Baychester, Co-op City, is among those elected officials who have long called for the jail to be shut down. As reported, Riley called a press conference last April to highlight the issue once again, following reports that on April 13, nine Rikers Island inmates and alleged Bloods gang members were charged with the assault of six other inmates at the jail which took place in August 2022.

“Closing Rikers is a foundational part in addressing the injustices of systemic racism in our criminal justice system — the mass incarceration of Black and Brown communities, the maltreatment of detainees and deplorable conditions of the facilities,” Riley said at the time. “Staying on track to close Rikers Island by 2027 involves a holistic approach to not only depopulate the complex, but also to reinvest and reinforce supportive resources and services to vulnerable New Yorkers. I urge our City to adopt this comprehensive plan that seeks to make headway on the journey to end the long-lasting culture of abuse and to heal the wounds of our community.”

 

As reported, the jail was due to close in 2026. However, according to reporting by Gothamist, delays suggest it will likely be 2027 before it is finally shuttered and replaced with new city-based jails. The new Bronx borough-based jail is slated to open at the former Lincoln Hospital and NYPD compound at 745 E 141st Street, and not at the Bronx County Courthouse, like in other boroughs.

 

Meanwhile, Freedom Agenda co-director, Darren Mack, a survivor of Rikers, also released a statement saying Davis, 44, was the third person to die in the New York City jail system this month, the 26th person since New York City Mayor Eric Adams took office, and the 42nd in the past two years.

 

“This has to stop!” he said. “Four deaths in DOC custody [in] one month is not only horrific but also exposes the lies that the mayor and [DOC] Commissioner [Louis] Molina keep trying to pedal about Rikers.”

 

Mack said, “The mayor knows that Curtis Davis, like thousands of other people at Rikers, was at great risk harm and death every day he was there, and Adams is telling New Yorkers he’s fine with that, but we’re not. Twenty-six New Yorkers have lost their lives in NYC jails as a direct result of the mayor’s decisions to slash and starve essential services, while giving law enforcement a blank check.”

 

He concluded, “It’s time for district attorneys and judges to stop following the mayor’s encouragement to condemn more and more people to this death camp. We need decarceration now.”

 

Norwood News asked DOC for comment on the numbers cited by Pate and on Pate’s and Mack’s statements, and will update this story upon receipt of a response.