Freedom Agenda

Freedom Agenda Freedom Agenda is a member-led project of the Urban Justice Center.

On this Memorial Monday we remember Kevin Reid, who was 55 years old at the time of his death on May 11, 2010.Rikers is ...
08/04/2026

On this Memorial Monday we remember Kevin Reid, who was 55 years old at the time of his death on May 11, 2010.

Rikers is still a humanitarian crisis, one which took 15 lives last year and has taken five more so far this year. To sign your organization on to stand with the many organizations demanding the closure of Rikers Island, visit our linktree and click on “Sign onto our Campaign to Close Rikers.”

📢 Data for this Memorial Monday was obtained from a Freedom of Information request filed by

If you have a loved one who’s been damaged by the horror of Rikers, message us and join this fight so that future families don’t go through this pain of losing a loved one in DOC custody.

Mark your calendar to join us to mark one year from the legal deadline to Close Rikers!August 31, 2026 marks one year fr...
08/03/2026

Mark your calendar to join us to mark one year from the legal deadline to Close Rikers!

August 31, 2026 marks one year from the legal deadline to Close Rikers. In the years since survivors of Rikers and impacted families pushed then-Mayor de Blasio to commit to closing Rikers, we've made historic progress, even against the opposition of former Mayor Eric Adams.

Since Mayor Mamdani assumed office, he's taken important steps toward closing Rikers, and he must do more to prevent and reduce incarceration. With focused action, New York City can reduce the number of people in jail substantially by August 31, 2027, and strengthen community health and safety in the process.

Tentative schedule of events:

4PM: Art Installation

5PM: Press Conference

6PM: Speakout & performances

7:30PM: Vigil

*Also from 5-8PM, visit our video booth and action table to share your ideas for how you want to see the money saved from closing Rikers reinvested in your community

When

August 31, 2026 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Location
Outside City Hall, Broadway Gate
[across from 250 Broadway]
https://maps.app.goo.gl/49Shs6C7E6zB3gmZ8
New York, NY 10007

Our Monthly Member Meeting is next week! Our members' input is valuable as we share updates and discuss next steps in ou...
08/03/2026

Our Monthly Member Meeting is next week! Our members' input is valuable as we share updates and discuss next steps in our work to decarcerate, defend the human rights of incarcerated people, divest from DOC and redistribute those resources into our communities to close the pipelines of incarceration.

This month we will be in person at the Urban Justice Center!

On this Memorial Monday we remember Santos Vega, who was 34 years old at the time of his death on May 15, 2010.Rikers is...
07/27/2026

On this Memorial Monday we remember Santos Vega, who was 34 years old at the time of his death on May 15, 2010.

Rikers is still a humanitarian crisis, one which took 15 lives last year and has taken four more so far this year. To sign your organization on to stand with the many organizations demanding the closure of Rikers Island, visit our linktree and click on “Sign onto our Campaign to Close Rikers.”

📢 Data for this Memorial Monday was obtained from a Freedom of Information request filed by

If you have a loved one who’s been damaged by the horror of Rikers, message us and join this fight so that future families don’t go through this pain of losing a loved one in DOC custody.

This Freedom Fighter Friday, we remember community organizer, liberation activist, and scholar Denise Oliver-Velez (1947...
07/25/2026

This Freedom Fighter Friday, we remember community organizer, liberation activist, and scholar Denise Oliver-Velez (1947-2025), who passed last week at the age of 78. A member of the NAACP and then the Young Lords early in her life, she continually challenged sexism and toxic masculinity as part of her antiracist work. As an academic, she conducted ethnographic studies as an HIV/AIDS researcher, working in public media and broadcasting and becoming a faculty member at SUNY-New Paltz.

07/24/2026

We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close , and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Helen “Skip” Skipper at NYC Justice Peer Initiative share how she would reallocate the billions of dollars currently wasted on Rikers to achieve true community safety.

07/22/2026

We’re glad to have a mayor who recognizes the need to close , and we look forward to a budget that reflects that. Listen to Freedom Agenda member Dr. Justyna Rzewinski share how she would reallocate the billions of dollars currently wasted on Rikers to achieve true community safety.

📢 Data for this Memorial Monday was obtained from a Freedom of Information request filed by If you have a loved one who...
07/21/2026

📢 Data for this Memorial Monday was obtained from a Freedom of Information request filed by

If you have a loved one who’s been damaged by the horror of Rikers, message us and join this fight so that future families don’t go through this pain of losing a loved one in DOC custody.

We had a powerful time last Friday evening in Brooklyn, bringing together community and partners to reflect on the colle...
07/20/2026

We had a powerful time last Friday evening in Brooklyn, bringing together community and partners to reflect on the collective harm caused by incarceration and to explore community-based alternatives rooted in accountability, healing, and dignity. The circle was facilitated by fellows from and hosted by

For decades, DOC's budget has kept growing while the number of people in jail shrank. After years of resistance from Eri...
07/17/2026

For decades, DOC's budget has kept growing while the number of people in jail shrank. After years of resistance from Eric Adams, Mayor Mamdani and City Council are finally starting to make long-term investments in proven solutions for community health and safety, while beginning to cut waste from DOC's as New York City prepares to .

We commend these first steps, but these investments are just a start. We will continue organizing to reduce the people held in the horrors of Rikers and to get it closed for good!

TAKE ACTION and sign our petition to demand urgent action to get Rikers closed --> bit.ly/closerikers-now

Address

40 Rector Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY
10006

Telephone

+16466025600

Website

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