Chima Williams, 43, died on Rikers Island on Jan. 4, confirmed the NYC Division of Correction (DOC) final week. The Black New Yorker entered custody on the finish of 2023 and collapsed whereas taking part in basketball round 9:45 a.m. He was pronounced lifeless shortly after. He was held on the Eric M. Taylor Heart.
An Workplace of the Medical Examiner spokesperson advised the Amsterdam Information the reason for dying stays underneath investigation at press time.
“On behalf of the New York Metropolis Division of Correction, we prolong our deepest condolences to Mr. Williams’s family members,” mentioned DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie in her e-mail assertion. “We’re conducting a full investigation into this tragic occasion.”
Protesters staged a rally outdoors Foley Sq. previous to the NYC Board of Correction (BOC) month-to-month assembly final Wednesday, Jan. 10.
“Oftentimes, you’ll solely hear the worst of the worst of the tales of who’re these concerned with the legal authorized system, by no means the tales of despair, by no means the tales of these whose lives [are] utterly misplaced and the way it led to be that means,” mentioned Dr. Victoria Phillips of the Jails Motion Coalition. “We at all times hear the names and the numbers, however by no means the true barbaric conditions that create every dying, every absence of a heartbeat, that DOC was [in] care, custody and management over.
“As we begin out right here, in the present day is the primary Board of Correction assembly for 2024. And but, we have now misplaced one other life final week in DOC custody, Mr. Williams.”
Phillips, who led the motion, advised the Amsterdam Information she is involved with Williams household however an try for her to attach them to the paper was unsuccessful at press time.
Assemblymember Harvey Epstein questioned why the town’s carceral system wasn’t defending probably the most weak New Yorkers. Moreover, he pointed to the numerous inhabitants of detainees who weren’t convicted of a criminal offense and held on pretrial detention.
“We’ve got a chance right here to do the precise factor for fellow New Yorkers who’re struggling,” he mentioned. “So the query we proceed to must ask is why we’re not doing it now. Why are we not treating our brothers and sisters who’re behind the wall, like we deal with the remainder of our household? They’re human beings, and so they deserve care and respect.”
Final 12 months, 9 folks died in DOC custody. All however one was held on Rikers Island. The BOC introduced a report on the 4 most up-to-date deaths in 2023 earlier than subsequent month’s assembly.Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public security for the Amsterdam Information. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps hold him writing tales like this one; please take into account making a tax-deductible reward of any quantity in the present day by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
