Rest in Peace Kalief Browder: Detained at 16, Spent 3 Years on Rikers Island Waiting Trial That Never Came (1501 hits)
Kalief Browder was sent to prison at 16 for a crime he did not commit. He told his story to Rosie O. along with his attorney Paul Prestia on the November 7th, 2014 episode of The View. Sadly the New Yorker reports Kalief Browder passed away this weekend. For more details click here.
Before the November 2014 interview Rosie introduced a detailed account of the peril this young man faced. Watch the videos below:
- A young man imprisoned for three years at Rikers Island jail in New York without charge has committed suicide. Kalief Browder was a 16-year-old high school sophomore when he was detained on suspicion of stealing a backpack. Browder never pleaded guilty and was never convicted. He maintained his innocence and requested a trial, but was only offered plea deals while the trial was repeatedly delayed. After enduring nearly 800 days in solitary confinement and abuses from guards, Browder was only released when the case was dismissed. Browder died Saturday at his home in the Bronx. He was 22 years old. We are joined by Jennifer Gonnerman, a staff reporter for The New Yorker who was the first to report Kalief’s suicide. She originally recounted Kalief Browder’s story last year in her article, "Before the Law: A boy was accused of taking a backpack. The courts took the next three years of his life," and later published exclusive surveillance footage of him being beaten by guards and fellow prisoners.
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,300+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9am ET: http://democracynow.org
Accord Near on Sweeping Reforms at Rikers Jail, Including U.S. Monitor
Thursday, June 18, 2015 7:27 PM EDT
New York City officials have tentatively agreed to sweeping reforms that would remake Rikers Island, including the appointment of a federal monitor to oversee the jail complex, explicit prohibitions against guards’ striking prisoners in the head and even the introduction of body cameras worn by guards. Read more » http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/nyregion...
