Locked Up and Left Behind: Hurricane Irene and the Prisoners on New York`s Rikers Island

Locked Up and Left Behind: Hurricane Irene and the Prisoners on New York`s Rikers Island

solitarywatch.com

“We are not evacuating Rikers Island,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a news conference this afternoon. Bloomberg annouced a host of extreme measures being taken by New York City in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, including a shutdown of the public transit system and the unprecedented mandatory evacuation of some 250,000 people from low-lying areas. But in response to a reporter’s question, the mayor stated in no uncertain terms (and with more than a hint of annoyance) that one

(visit the link for the full news article)

more from the source-

New York City is surrounded by small islands and barrier beaches, and a glance at the city’s evacuation map reveals all of them to be in Zone A (already under a mandatory evacuation order) or Zone B–all, that is, save one. Rikers Island, which lies in the waters between Queens and the Bronx, is not highlighted at all, meaning it is not to be evacuated under any circumstances.

According to the New York City Department of Corrections’ own website, more than three-quarters of Rikers Island’s 400 acres are built on landfill–which is generally thought to be more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its ten jails have a capacity of close to 17,000 inmates, and normally house at least 12,000, including juveniles and large numbers of prisoners with mental illness–not to mention pre-trial detainees who have yet to be convicted of any crime. There are also hundreds of corrections officers at work on the island.

Disgusting

Before you post a "they're criminals, so what they deserve it" comment...they are Human Beings.

This is conditioning, right before our very eyes.

IMO, TPTB are getting ready for a total police state, this is just more evidence.

Regardless of the outcome of this hurricane, all of these lives have been deemed worthless...why not just execute them all now

Katrina showed us what FEMA and those in control are really all about.

solitarywatch.com
(visit the link for the full article)

You really want to spend that much of the taxpayer money so these guys don't endure a little rain and wind?

Your joking right?

If I may, I'd like to offer a different perspective and reason for this and his testy response. I'm just trying to make sense of it like everyone else, btw, no inside information or the like. However, I don't believe this storm is anything remotely close to the level that man (Bloomberg) has been hyping to the heavens. I believe HE knows it as well. It's political, and I'm going to say this proves it in a tangible way.

They are human beings, of course and the courts would agree, to say the VERY least. IF this was as real a threat as Mayor Chicken Little has claimed it to be, he'd have done something about this in either evacuation or the largest work crew in history by inmates sandbagging their own way to safety. One of the two. No need for all that concern though when you KNOW your babbling B.S. about the threat level. (Him....Not the OP )

Either way, the aftermath would probably see him doing the rest of his life in the very correctional system he wrote off....IF...he actually had written them off. We'll know in a few hours, either way.

Where would they evacuate
12,000 prisoners to?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I understand where you are coming from but he already had ordered mass evacuations (250,000 people)...so this doesn't pass the sniff test IMO...

reply to post by Signals


They are somebody's brother, son, grandson, nephew...yes, they are important. Absolutely, they are. If it was my brother, than yes I'd be standing up for him.

Originally posted by crazydaisy
Where would they evacuate
12,000 prisoners to?

How about anywhere out of a hurricane's path?

We have more prisons per capita in the U.S. than any other country, surely we could make room..

reply to post by Signals

Disgusting

Before you post a "they're criminals, so what they deserve it" comment...they are Human Beings.

Would you be so disgusted if one of those "human beings" there was incarcerated because they had raped, beaten and then killed your 10 year old daughter? No, my guess is you would say, f$#@ck 'em, let them drown. Just a guess though. You don't get to Rikers Island from getting a jay walking ticket or getting caught with a blunt.

Originally posted by kro32
You really want to spend that much of the taxpayer money so these guys don't endure a little rain and wind?

Your joking right?

How much tax payer dollars is being spent on preparations and mandatory evacs of non-prisoners?

No, I'm not joking...

reply to post by billy197300


Then we should probably just line them up in front of firing squads and get it over with, right?

On a side note, how did you know how old my daughter is?

Creepy....

Let's focus on the fact that the evacuations are ridiculous to begin with. Of course they are human beings and we shouldn't let them drown, but it's just a tropical storm now, this is a non issue.

reply to post by Signals



According to this article from the NY Magazine no section of the correctional facilities are in Zone A and not a coastal area or low-lying area.

NYMag

Update: In an e-mail, Samantha Levine, the mayor's deputy press secretary, wrote: We carefully reviewed Rikers Island, as we have done with the entire city, and no section [original emphasis] of Rikers Island facilities are in Zone A. Rikers Island facilies are not in low-lying areas, it's not a coastal location and, like nearby small islands Roosevelt Island and City Island, it does not need to be evacuated. We focused on the areas where real dangers exist. A full Corrections Department staff will remain on Rikers Island and the facility is a fully self-sustaining entity, prepared to operate and care for inmates in extended emergency conditions."

you would need a small army to guard 12,000 prisoners.
how many national guard troops does new york have.
should they be pulled off from helping law abiding citizens.
i guess you could move them to other already over crowed prisons and let riots get started and have to pull even more troops and state troopers to stop the riots.

Did anybody care to read this part -

normally house at least 12,000, including juveniles and large numbers of prisoners with mental illness–not to mention pre-trial detainees who have yet to be convicted of any crime. There are also hundreds of corrections officers at work on the island.

Originally posted by queenofsheba
reply to post by Signals

 

They are somebody's brother, son, grandson, nephew

and they murdered/raped/robbed/assaulted etc someone's brother/father/nephew/sister etc

Originally posted by Perplexedandconfused
reply to post by Signals

 

According to this article from the NY Magazine no section of the correctional facilities are in Zone A and not a coastal area or low-lying area.

NYMag

Update: In an e-mail, Samantha Levine, the mayor's deputy press secretary, wrote: We carefully reviewed Rikers Island, as we have done with the entire city, and no section [original emphasis] of Rikers Island facilities are in Zone A. Rikers Island facilies are not in low-lying areas, it's not a coastal location and, like nearby small islands Roosevelt Island and City Island, it does not need to be evacuated. We focused on the areas where real dangers exist. A full Corrections Department staff will remain on Rikers Island and the facility is a fully self-sustaining entity, prepared to operate and care for inmates in extended emergency conditions."

Good point but my source says different:

According to the New York City Department of Corrections’ own website, more than three-quarters of Rikers Island’s 400 acres are built on landfill–which is generally thought to be more vulnerable to natural disasters.

Which one is right?

...did they lock the inmates in their cells and abandon them like they did in lousyanna during katrina?... if so, then, thats wrong... if not, then i dont have a problem with it...

...besides, irene was just a cat1 and transporting all those inmates inland would have cost the taxpayers a lot of money... also, theres a big risk of escape involved when transporting that many... if irene had a been a cat3 or bigger, you'd have a point but thats not the case...

reply to post by Signals


im sure the structure has steel rods that penetrate deep into the ground regardless of how much of the above water portion is landfill.

You are being very dramatic.... They are inside a giant stone and steel fortification.... it is not made of straw.