“The truth is that the dehumanization of people held at Rikers starts...in our communities, where we are denied the resources we deserve and then punished in our struggle to survive, and it continues in a court system that comfortably treats us as guilty because it presumes that our lives are of no importance anyways.” - “Darren Mack, co-director, Freedom Agenda

Norwood News

"Also reacting to the news was Freedom Agenda, an advocacy group for incarcerated people. A spokesperson said Kelly and Maldanado became the sixth and seventh people to die “in DOC custody” this year. They said forty people have now died in custody since NYC Mayor Eric Adams took office."

AM NY

"In a statement Saturday, Freedom Agenda Co-Director Darren Mack blasted Rikers Island as a “death camp,” and expressed concern that more deaths may come due to the anticipated heat wave in Rikers facilities that are “already crammed to capacity."

Bronx Times

“Like Rikers, the Boat has facilitated mass incarceration and dehumanization. Today’s announcement is a victory for all of our members who have suffered its harms, and raised their voices to call for its closure,” said Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda, said in a statement.”

Amsterdam News

“Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda, needs more assurance about Rikers’ closure. The borough-based jail advocate pointed to the 38 people who died in or immediately after DOC custody over the past three years, almost all of whom were held on Rikers Island.”

Mott Haven Herald

“That grief, anger, and an impulse to shield other families from the pain she knows are why she wants to see Rikers Island closed. Carter says she joined the jail reform group, the Freedom Agenda, to pursue this goal. “With Rikers, it’s a huge task; it’s a whole day of a visit,” she said."

NY Daily News

“The Department of Investigation has issued multiple reports outlining what our members know — the primary source of drugs on Rikers is not mail or visitors, but the one source DOC refuses to address — their own staff,” said Sarita Daftary, co-director of the Freedom Agenda."

ABC 7

"Unfortunately, under this mayor, closing Rikers hasn't been a priority," said Darren Mack of Freedom Agenda.

Legal Action Center

“Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda said "New Yorkers deserve to live in a city that doesn’t short-change the most important resources for community safety, like housing and mental healthcare, just to fund the bloated Department of Correction."

Amsterdam News

“'We’re gonna continue to do the advocacy and organizing around those issues that we’ve been pushing the city to implement the law, and that’s around decarceration,” said Freedom Agenda co-founder Darren Mack."