The union head who represents Rikers Island corrections officers slammed plans to close the jail complex as nothing more than a “political con game” and a “land grab” that would enrich well-connected real estate developers.
Elias Husamudeen, president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, said Sunday the closure plan has nothing to do with helping blacks and Latinos as some have argued, but “everything to do with business.”
The union big honed in on a report overseen by former New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman that called for the closing of Rikers within ten years — noting its claim that the city and state stand to gain $17 billion if the island is repurposed for use by LaGuardia Airport.
“It has everything to do with business,” Husamudeen said Sunday during an interview on John Catsimatidis’ 970 AM radio show. “There’s so much wrong with this. This is such a political con game.”\
Husamudeen pointed to the make-up of the Lippman commission, charging that only two people on it have experience with jails.
“The majority of the people on your committee are real estate developers,” he said, referring to Lippman’s commission. “This is really a sham, it really is. It’s a land grab.”
Husmudeen argued that politicians should be more focused on the safety of corrections officers, citing more than 2,000 assaults against union members since de Blasio became mayor.
“My thing is: take your island, take your jail, take the island. We don’t care. Make the jails safe,” he said.
16 comments:
OF COURSE THIS WAS ALWAYS A SHAME. I mean do you think this city or administration was closing Rikers because of criminal justice or to help black & Latino communities. OF COURSE NOT. Rikers is PRIME REAL ESTATE.
This city and especially this administration had NEVER done anything to help the regular people or to help their communities. I mean if they did, they would not be warehousing homeless people into shelters without kitchens or any kind of social services and then dump them into neighborhoods (both fucked up communities already and fucking up decent communities).
I have said it many times before. deBlasio is the flip side of Trump, just dressed up as a Democrat and FAKE liberal progressive, which he glaringly is not, which is what was do depressing and disturbing to see Bernie Sanders by Big Bird's side the beginning of the year.
True progressive liberals don't run the city the way this major has. AND how can this city be so progressive or liberal:
1. Marijuana is not legal here and Big Bird stated he will not make it legal "till more information has been given to him on other cities that have legalized it."
2. The homeless situation certainly is not liberal or progressive.
3. The city is far far far from being GREEN.
4. The disposal of garbage/waste here is not progressive, especially when three communities of color carry the brunt of it (North Brooklyn, South Bronx, Jamaica).
I could go on and on, but you all know the deal.
@Joe
Flip side of Trump? DeBozo and Cuomo are Democ-rats, corrupt to the bone.
Now all of a sudden they became conservative?
Read about the communist dictatorships, they were all left leaning corrupt dictators that ran their respective countries into the ground.
well said. patronage, power plays, and politics as usual.
when the rikers thing broke the first thing I muttered, only half jokingly I thought, was that BDB wanted another Roosevelt island style revival.
No shit Mr.Union Head tell us something we already didn't see coming.
Next we'll be talking about a new development in North Brother Island.
Say it ain't so...
Anonymous Anonymous said...
@Joe
Flip side of Trump? DeBozo and Cuomo are Democ-rats, corrupt to the bone.
Now all of a sudden they became conservative?
Read about the communist dictatorships, they were all left leaning corrupt dictators that ran their respective countries into the ground.
------------------------
Yes, Flip side of the same coin as in asshole Republican and asshole Democrat, both whom bamboozle the people that elected them and created their own agenda that does not help the majority of people.
" which is what was do depressing and disturbing to see Bernie Sanders by Big Bird's side the beginning of the year."
Bernie has three homes, his latest a $600,000 dacha on the lake. Not bad for a guy who has been nothing but a public servant his whole life. Love you Joe, but turn off MSNBC once in a while.
Oh and Big Bird won't legalize MJ, because he probably has to protect his dealers interest. Guy is probably a bid donor to Wilhelm
Rikers is not only land for real estate on the island itself, it's also a land grab for wherever the jail is moved to. The city will divide up the current jail and place its pieces in communities like College Point.
Then the College Point community will endure a panic sell, and eventually, more condos there too.
I feel the same way about the homeless being placed in small quantities over vast areas of Queens. Its to encourage a panic sell, displace the longstanding residents who oppose upzoning and overdevelpment, and then move in with the lego construction more easily.
It's modern day blockbusting.
And I love how every issue must be infused with a racism component. That is: "If you oppose this jail closure, or oppose this homeless shelter, you must be racist".
They are left leaning when it comes to economics but conservative when it comes socially. Like Joe said, marijuana is still illegal because this dumbass needs "more research". There is a countless amount of research about how the prohibition of weed and psychedelics have been a major feel good fuck up and how your psychedelics and weed are a lot safer than the bullshit that people create in response to draconian drug laws such as K2 spice.
This is how our Mayor is helping Black's and Latino's taking them from a big jail to a small jail. Get the hell out of here...
About time someone of stature and influence said something about this retarded city plan. Give it a few months when this burgeoning scandal of the NYPD malfeasance of reclassifying crimes or flat out refusing to. The nexus between this scandal and the interest behind the Rikers shutdown will be obvious even to the most ardent supporters of the shutdown.
Oh puLEEEZE. DeBlasio is as progressive as they come, a social justice warrior who traded his Germanic surname for his step-father's more authentically ethnic Italian name to marrying an African American lesbian. His hypocrisy and corruption are brazen without fear of consequence. Just watch: after Riker's development rights are sold to the highest luxury real estate mobsters, DeBlasio will pull a Jeremy Corbyn and demand that vacant luxury condos be requisitioned for the poor and homeless. The man's a piece of shit.
Why do you think Crowley complained it wasn't happening quickly enough? She wants her money now!
Very sad how one fascist bastard can destroy a whole city in 4 years and make so many people miserable in the process. DeBlasio's mission is to destroy and erase the city our forefathers & grandparents built and restore the very same taxation without representation & fascism our grandparents fought to escape.
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This bastard and his "Crush any resistance or get them to move away" should be ashamed of himself. I guess he is too mentally ill and doped up to feel anything which makes me wonder if he's also a sociopath.
(sociopaths are incapable off feeling the misery they cause by their actions)
The sociopath Governor is and even more dangerous prospect for fascism then Obama, Clinton and DeBlasio put together. Stupid voters are gonna pay the price. I guess its time to talk to a retirement estate planning attorney and get a head start on protecting my assets.
Well let's be honest with ourselves here. Rikers Island is a piece of shit that doesn't help anyone.
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