Plan To Close Rikers Island Moves Forward With Input From Community Activists | Essence

It’s been two years since New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he would shutter Rikers Island, one of the country’s most notorious jails. And though the decision has been praised by most, questions still remain as to whether or not the proposed action will actually be taken.

On Wednesday, leaders of the #CLOSErikers campaign, a grassroots initiative pushing for the closure of the jail complex by 2024, made their voice known at the City Planning Commission hearing on the matter. Keep reading.