When I first got in there, I was the only Hispanic guy in the unit. They ask permission to use the bathroom or to eat. My life was so bad. ", During a search on the school grounds where inmates attend class, Eric said he was ordered to strip naked. New York City plans to replace Rikers Island with four new jails by 2027. People don’t understand that being in a cell for that amount of time does things to you mentally. By. In response to questions from Reuters, a spokesman for Rikers Island Department of Correction (DOC) said: “Since Commissioner (Joseph) Ponte’s appointment last year, he has significantly reformed the care and custody of adolescent inmates, resulting in substantial decline in violence in the adolescent facility.”, The spokesman added that safety for staff and inmates is Commissioner Ponte’s “top priority” and that “DOC has a zero-tolerance policy with regards to abuse.”. On the days I got to see my family, that was the worst. I didn’t. A member of the Blast Beat Network. In one incident, Harmon said he was taken to a room without cameras. From your time there, would you agree with that sentiment? I remember this kid we called ‘Red’ who was getting extorted and molested by another older inmate. You gonna report it to another CO which he’s cool with – he probably eats lunch with everyday. I was used to seeing them and my son every day. The guard ended up lumping his face up pretty bad to the point where he had to go to the nurse. I still have all my state-issued paperwork. You’re surrounded my wolves, and if you look like a sheep, it’s gonna happen. Rikers Island, the New York City jail complex that houses about 9,800 inmates, is one of the largest in the United States. Is it broken? There’s no contact with anyone. The gang I was in came under a federal investigation for a number of things. Storm On Rikers Island is the first book in an ongoing series containing stand-alone stories with continuing continuity. If you walked into a dorm and you were the only Hispanic guy, you’re going to have a hard time. You were facing fifteen years initially for Attempted Murder. Were you ever exposed to a situation or witnessed a moment where this kind of thing happened and was swept under the rug? T o understand the hell we call Rikers Island, there’s no one better to ask than Mary Buser. What was Rikers’ reputation to someone who was born and raised in the city? Prison is where you’ll serve the rest of your sentence. Rodrigo: When you go to prison, it’s not just you that goes in. Was there an established pecking order between those that would use the threat of violence to get what they want? They don’t try to put their hands on them or none of that. It is also one of the most troubled. But I couldn’t say anything. When you talk to someone that hasn’t been to jail or prison, there’s always that notion that sexual abuse is a common practice among inmates. Eric Harmon, now 20, said he was incarcerated on Rikers Island from 2010 to 2011, when he was 16, on a drug charge. “Rikers Island is a city of its own, it is the hell hole jail. Over the year that you were there, what was the climate like between the inmates? My phone had broken, so I had no clue that she knew what had happened. I can’t vote until I’m off probation. And it still happens. They don’t do the things they do with adolescents. After several inmate deaths, decades of lawsuits alleging inmate abuse and a two-and-a-half-year investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, the city in June agreed to let a federal monitor oversee reforms at the jail, which sits on a 413-acre bean-shaped island in the East River between the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx. In prison, most people are just trying to do their time, go home or have ‘retired.’ Upstate, it’s known that that Officers are racist as fuck. Actually, pretty much everyone I knew had been there. But prison has changed, though. When I went to the party, it was pure luck that he showed up. And while you’d have to be a fool not to be afraid, how to did you cope with that initial feeling of fear when walking into the cell or pod? We’re just setting them up to fail. And it’s apparent that these attorneys don’t care. What were the events that led up to you being arrested for the shooting? The only access into Rikers is the Francis Buono Bridge, which connects the island to the borough of Queens. The type of discussions that never got too serious and were, to a degree, small chit-chat. It was just the cleaning crews and guards going through the hallways. They had a guy watching out for any officers or my friends to coming in. When my lawyer told me that, I initially freaked out. Prison is your permanent home for however long you’ll be there. We both really tried to not make it a racial thing. It makes the guard’s job that much easier. For the dorm that I was in, I worked in the kitchen. Her stunning, award-winning debut book, Lockdown on Rikers: Shocking Stories of Abuse and Injustice at New York’s Notorious Jail, published in 2015, opened many eyes and strengthened the growing #CloseRikers movement. After it happened, the ambulance showed up right away and from what I was told, that’s the only reason he survived. Where would you have ended up? Was there a moment or a conversation you had where you realized that you needed to turn things around, not just for yourself, but for your son and family? But then it turns into something else. Rodrigo: Because I was there for Attempted Murder, I was considered a high security threat. Any kind of connection. Drugs. Now comes the first night. That I was going to be there for a while. Rodrigo: Dead. It’s just a matter of time, really. If I went to trial, it was a gamble. I've never seen a film like this before—it is the raw truth of what it is like to be on Rikers Island. He took it from fighting to a whole new level. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. My family basically said it was them or the gang. Rodrigo: Right. I mean, you make bonds with people in there. If it happens, hopefully no one that I love will be around. So making that decision wasn’t that hard or tough. Did you feel acclimated to the system that was placed around you? Peartree said the inmates were beaten by "wooden sticks, four inches thick. When asked if he reported the incident, he said, “’Cause who you report it to? The prison staff tends to pay more attention to the gangs and what’s going on with them in the prison. Rodrigo: Then? I was so used to being in prison. His face was just messed up. I dream about it. So I was placed in a single man cell. Rodrigo: All of that is true. As far as the bus ride goes, I was handcuffed and placed in a single man cage. Was there anything in particular that really shocked you? If you do, you’ll be marked by everyone as someone that’s easy to press. You’re fighting every day. All kinds of stuff. Over the course of hanging out, I came to find out that he had recently served a sentence in Rikers Island and two other prisons in upstate New York. You’re looking for that connection with somebody else. Broken Path – One Man’s Story of Life Inside Rikers Island. And he’s gonna tell him and now they gonna whoop your ass even more.”. A couple other COs (correctional officers) jumped in. What was your situation like? I guess he was in the hospital for two weeks. If they take an Alpha Male and put him in charge of a unit, everybody is going to listen. In a way, time stops for you and everyone else. A place we’d rather not think about. Watch TV, get on the phone, write your family letters. In an incident where inmates did not respond to a lock-in, Peartree said officers came in and sprayed inmates with multiple types of pepper spray. Brooklyn, NY. He was in another gang. Inside New York's notorious Rikers Island jails, 'the epicenter of the epicenter' of the coronavirus pandemic . For me, that was him crossing the line. A quick, reactionary decision that ultimately costs them not just their freedom, but their friends and loved ones as well. We’re in a better place now. The way I looked at it, I could plea out, do the three and half years and have my life back. Their voices can’t be heard. Rodrigo: Greene was called “Gladiator School.” Just the name alone, man. That’s how jail and prison works. He’s from The Bronx, so I haven’t run into him since coming home from prison. I don’t want that for him. Sometimes people make mistakes. The prison system is a business. But I realize that I’m better then that. I mean, I got shot in front of my apartment once. He was there for less than a day. I usually woke up around five in the morning. Being observant and just didn’t want to become a victim, which I did. The first fight I ever got in there was over the phones, if I’m not mistaken. Rodrigo: Rapists and child-molesters are definitely on the bottom. Typically, I’d get about an hour or two break between that and having to make dinner. Photographer Elizabeth Shafiroff sought out seven of these former inmates to hear their stories, which follow. The thing about Rikers is that most people who come here haven’t spoken to their friends or family for a few days. The guards don’t care. Murders. Rodrigo: Oh, it’s broken. I think that’s another way of keeping minorities down. The entry way and the bridge to Rikers Island, in Queens, New York on June 25, 2014. You walk into there and you know it’s a jail. Karamoko said he attempted to fight back and was beaten by a group of officers who then shot him with pepper spray. If you give every minority you catch a felony, that’s a lot of people who can’t vote. That’s when it becomes a bigger problem. Rodrigo: I was nervous and scared, for sure. He didn’t really know me, which was hard. I half expected him to turn the notion down, but to my surprise, he was incredibly open to the idea. Joseph Collins. You arrived at the infamous Rikers Island jail on January 3rd, 2011. But a lot of states won’t allow you to, ever. And they were very open about the fact that if I didn’t help out, my time would be a lot harder. The Village Voice has released gruesome images of violence coming from notorious Rikers Island. I had payed him twenty thousand dollars to fight this charge. As I briefly mentioned earlier, Rikers has a reputation for being a den of corruption and violence. That I was there for a serious charge. You can actually get packages in prison. They don’t have the time, the money, nor the resources to help people. I think many people have this idea of the first night of jail being almost like that scene in the ‘Shawshank Redemption,’ with inmates harassing and chanting “Fresh Fish” at the new additions. Rikers’ population has swelled significantly since a drop in the summer, with 4,821 inmates on the island as of Dec. 4, according to data from the … To us, the law-abiding citizens of America, this is a place for people who deserve to be there. I try to get involved with the community and other projects. Published. The way it works is that if you don’t get into fights and stay out of trouble, you’re security ranking will go down and you’ll eventually be able to join a dorm, which is a huge open room with about fifty other inmates. This guy was one of the Alpha Males in the unit. I know in some other jails and prisons, the Correction Officers or Veteran Inmates will discuss daily life and what’s to be expected. That’s it. At Rikers, none of that happens. Rodrigo: I took a plea bargain. They get passed off to Public Defenders and these lawyers already have a shitload of cases. Getting extorted and molested all the time, really people especially don ’ want! 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