Politicians Rally Against House of D Plans
“A diverse cast of politicians” gathered yesterday to talk smack about the Department of Corrections’ plans to reopen and expand the House of Detention on Atlantic and Smith, says the Observer, including Councilman David Yassky, Comptroller Bill Thompson, State Senators Marty Connor and Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and Randy Mastro, a deputy mayor under…
“A diverse cast of politicians” gathered yesterday to talk smack about the Department of Corrections’ plans to reopen and expand the House of Detention on Atlantic and Smith, says the Observer, including Councilman David Yassky, Comptroller Bill Thompson, State Senators Marty Connor and Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and Randy Mastro, a deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani. We’re not going to let you just move forward, ignore the wishes of the community and act as if you can unilaterally reopen and expand this prison. It’s not going to happen. Department of Corrections: back off. It’s a very bad idea, said Thompson. According to the Post, Yassky is opposing the plans, in part, because it would be much more expensive than moving the expansion to Rikers: $297,500 a bed in taxpayers’ dollars in Boerum Hill, or $440 million, versus $177,000 a bed at Rikers. The Sun says the event drew “dozens” of protesters “waving ‘Stop the Jail’ signs. Where do you stand?
Officials at Brooklyn Jail Protest: ‘People Live Here Now’ [Observer]
Brooklyn Jail a Wa$te: Pol [NY Post]
Brooklyn Jail Opponents Speak Out [NY Sun]
Photo by JayeClaire.
“I bet if I started a movement called “Open the Jail” I could rally the unions, judges, business people from the area, inmate family members and the sensible residents of this neighborhood, several of these politicians would be singing a different tune.”
True. It would be so easy to show the support for reopening the jail far outweighs the protests.
Why do a few homeowners believe they have the right to decide something like this based on their own narrow selfish personal interests? They’re the Landed Gentry of privileged white male homeowners in Brooklyn.
Questions:
Where was all of this outrage from ‘Stop the Jail’ when the city wasted money renovating this place? Better yet, where was the outrage when the city contemplated building in Hunts Point? Why was ‘Stop the Jail’, who now considers themselves experts on prisoners rights, not concerned about the federal prisoners being abused in the Federal jail in Sunset Park?
One Answer:
Wasn’t in their neighborhood. NIMBY dumbasses should not have bought property in the jails backyard if they didn’t want to live near a jail. These politicians are full of it. They are pandering for votes. If their constituents were in the neighborhoods where the many of the family members of inmates lived, they’d be for the jail. I bet if I started a movement called “Open the Jail” I could rally the unions, judges, business people from the area, inmate family members and the sensible residents of this neighborhood, several of these politicians would be singing a different tune.
DOC houses inmates in trailer dormitories which are attached to all of the ten older jails on Rikers Island. The trailers were supposed to be a temporary fix for a burgeoning jail population back in 1991. New jail construction was planned in 1995-1998 but due to budget cuts, the plans were sacked. The dorms are now falling apart and not very secure.
Post-Katrina, the federal governmwent and various oversight and prisoner rights groups demanded that the city come up with a viable evacuation plan for Rikers Island which is below sea level in the East River. During high tide, staff members who park too close to the parking lots edge, often find their cars submerged in water. In the event of a major hurricane, 90% of the island, most of which is landfill, would be submerged. Evacuation would be almost impossible because there is only one two lane bridge on and off of the island, there are not enough buses to get everybody off and the bridge access would be flooded first because it is below sea level.
DOC’s center of operations must be spread out. This makes good tactical sense. It is harder for gangs and organized crime to communicate when they don’t have proximity to each other. Inmates in one jail can currently pass information by leaving notes called kites, in the recreation yards and signaling each other out of their cell windows.
Laguardia airport is literally just feet away from the Island. One plane crashed onto the island in the 1950’s and another into the river almost severing the bridge in 1988. In 1950’s there were no injuries to anyone on the island because there was only one jail on the island at that time. There are now 10 and the entire bus fleet is stationed on Rikers.
The Brooklyn House opened in 1957 on Atlantic to replace the Raymond Street jail which had been in operation on Raymond street since the 1800’s. Raymond Street is now Ashland Place. There has ALWAYS been a jail downtown, near the courts.
The Brooklyn Correctional Facility called BCF or the Brigg which was on Flushing Avenue by the Navy yard was closed and sold for development.
The residents of East Elmhurst carry more than their share of the burden by housing the city’s inmates most of whom come from Brooklyn, the most populus borough.
All of the above are excellent reasons why the jail should reopen right where it is and the DOC should build another in the Bronx. BTW, Brooklyn House had to house inmates, especially those on-trial, with Staten Island cases. So, DOC should be looking for another site to build a jail in Staten Island. This is NIMBY and nothing more. If a jail were in Brownsville and the DOC was considering putting it into use once again, you wouldn’t here a word from Boerum Hill or Brooklyn Heights residents about the issue no matter how much money the city spent.
Bussing prisoners from Rikers to the courts in Brooklyn and back every day? How can you people even suggest that without feeling complete embarrassment.
SUCH a classic NIMBY phoney limousine liberal move. Try using some consistent values for once. Bussing back and forth every day would be horrible for the environment. And for the already bad congestion. Buses spew out tons of pollutants, gobble up tons of fuel. So so so so irresponsible.
Well not that any of this matters or this jail will be stopped. Protestors numbered in the “Dozens” = 20 people maybe in newspaper speak. It’s a non-story.
No- I think you have tho’
4:20
Have you ever thought that maybe you have lived in Brooklyn too long?
9:13 here- 11:27- seeing as I lived there for well over 20 years and saw it go from a nice quiet, reasonable to rent in neighborhood to a gentrified, hi end area I”d say i know quite a bit more about it than you. When did you move there? 3 weeks ago? Now I could understnd if the jail had been a real problem, but it NEVER was. It was built there because it was convenient to the courts and families. And guess what? The courts till haven’t moved so why should the jail-which was never completely closed. Get your facts straight – this is NYC. You don’t like looking at a jail in your precious neighborhood, put on blinders. Which you’re probably already wearing.
And after I run over a some folks, I am going straight to the bar, with my kids, for an afternoon beer. Ahhh beer.
I just want to run over somebody with my double-wide stroller, carrying twins. Don’t care who. Escaped inmate, visitor, blind guy, wormy neighbor that hates kids. Doesn’t matter. I just want to batter people because I am entitled damnit all.