The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

The first person to die in custody in New York City in 2024 was announced on Jan. 4. Latima Johnson, press officer with NYC Department of Correction (DOC) identified the person as Chima Williams, age 43. Johnson said Williams’ next of kin had been notified.

 

DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, who recently replaced former DOC Commissioner Louis Molina, amid some controversy over public spending, said of Williams’ death, “On behalf of the New York City Department of Correction, we extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Williams’ loved ones. We are conducting a full investigation into this tragic event.”

 

Prior to the identification of Williams, Annais Morales, DOC press secretary, had released the following statement earlier on Jan. 4, saying in part, “Earlier this morning, a person in custody died at the Eric M. Taylor Center [located on Rikers’ Island jail]. The department will make notification to the federal monitor, the State Attorney General, DOI, the Board of Correction, the State Commission of Correction, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.”

 

The statement continued, “At approximately 9:45 this morning, a group of people in custody were playing basketball at the EMTC for approximately one hour. One individual collapsed and received immediate medical care from staff and medical professionals. Sadly, the individual was pronounced dead. As with any death of a person in custody, the department will conduct a full investigation and will cooperate with all outside investigative entities.”

 

Rikers Island has long been plagued with a reputation of violence breaking out both between incarcerated individuals, as well as between DOC officers and people in custody. Some elected officials who visited the jail described the conditions as “unsafe” and “inhumane.”

 

Williams’ death has reignited calls for the transfer of management of the jail from City to federal authorities. This follows prior reported attempts to potentially delay its closure beyond 2027. The topic was discussed during the last election campaign for the role of Bronx district attorney, as reported, while local Bronx Councilman Kevin Riley (C.D. 12) has also led calls to advance the closure

 

On Dec. 20, 2023, New York City Council voted to pass legislation that would ban solitary confinement in City jails. The law means all people in City custody would have at least 14 hours of out-of-cell time in shared spaces and the new disciplinary process established by the bill would allow separation from the general population only in instances where a person engages in a violent incident while in custody. What was classified as solitary confinement by some in the past has been disputed by others.

 

Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda, gave his reaction to Williams’ death, saying, “Today, yet another family is grieving the loss of their loved one in the custody of the City of New York. This shameful tragedy makes the stakes even more clear – we need to stop sending people to Rikers to die right now. We need the mayor to make real, substantial investments in housing, mental health treatment, and other services to support people in our communities, and we have to close that death camp down with the urgency it deserves.”

Survivors of incarceration, family members, allied community members, and elected officials held an emergency rally on Wednesday, Jan. 11, following the death of Williams. Ahead of the NYC Board of Correction jail oversight body’s meeting, participants demanded the mayor, governor, judges, district attorneys, the Board, and state and local lawmakers act immediately “to release people, stop sending people to these deadly jails, and protect the human rights of all New Yorkers.”

 

Chaplain Dr. Victoria Phillips, Jails Action Coalition, said, “Rikers is a death sentence. Rikers must close. We have lost another life, another heartbeat, in DOC custody, Chima Williams. Every life lost in DOC is connected to a family. I spoke to the Williams family this week. There is now yet another family overwhelmed by their loved one being gone.”

 

She continued, “Every person is worthy of human rights. Over half the population in NYC jails has a mental health concern. We have a mental health crisis in NYC jails. This is a community issue. How are we treating our most vulnerable? How are we assisting people who need treatment, rather than jail? We have to hold our electeds accountable.  We are demanding that all human rights be protected immediately.It is our job, it is our duty, it is our demand on each other that we keep each other alive, that we preserve each others’ souls.”

 

Justin Marvin Pines, whose uncle Marvin Pines died in NYC jails, said, “It is going on the one year anniversary of my uncle’s death. It is heartbreaking that someone else has died on Rikers. Rikers is a death camp. It is telling how we treat Black and brown men in this country, in detainment. If Mayor Eric Adams had someone die on Rikers, he would be here and he would care.”

 

He added, “It shouldn’t have to be the family members being here to tell you about these issues. It is easy to be apathetic until it happens to you. We have a responsibility to be fighting for those who are incarcerated and detained. It is beyond disgusting what they will do to any of us. What they will do to the least of us they will do to all of us. We have a responsibility to do more.”

 

Conrad Blackburn of Bronx Defenders, said, “People on Rikers are human beings. They deserve a level of respect and care that they are not getting on Rikers. How was Chima Williams allowed to pass out and die on Rikers Island? It is because DOC doesn’t care. I hear from clients on Rikers about the horrible treatment they face.”

 

He added, “The buck stops with the Mayor and new commissioner of DOC. These individuals have heard about the inhumane conditions at Rikers over and over. They don’t care. They still allow these things to happen. Shame on them. They are elected representatives. They represent everyone in New York. They need to give a damn about the people on Rikers. Justice looks like closing Rikers Island. Justice looks like decarcerating and decriminalizing. Let’s bring real justice to New Yorkers.”