Death of 7th Rikers Island detainee Curtis Davis renews calls for federal takeover
By Tim McNicholas
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NEW YORK (WCBS) — A rally is being held Tuesday at City Hall, calling for major changes to New York City’s jails after another Rikers Island detainee died over the weekend.
The Department of Correction said Curtis Davis was found unresponsive in his cell around 5 a.m. Sunday and pronounced dead 30 minutes later.
Davis is the seventh detainee to die at Rikers since January. The 44-year-old Brooklyn man had been in custody since June 1 for allegedly stabbing a man in the eye during an argument.
CBS New York learned Tuesday an assistant deputy warden and two correction officers have been suspended for violations stemming from his death. Correction sources say they are accused of not properly touring the jail Sunday morning
Earlier this month, the department suspended four others in relation to another Rikers death.
People who gathered Tuesday said the city should be stripped of its control over the jails.
“It was very dangerous. I remember, 16 years old, I got jumped like two times by 20 people, people try to cut me, stab me,” said Nathaniel Evans, of the Freedom Agenda.”
But Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina told CBS New York’s Investigative Reporter Tim McNicholas last week that’s not the answer.
“I understand for many that their patience is wearing thin. But I think I would say there has to be an appreciation for the level of stabilization we were able to do in the last 19 months,” he said.
A federal judge will ultimately decide whether an outside authority, known as a receiver, should take over Rikers.
Last week, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams released a statement in support of a receivership. He said he doesn’t want to wait any longer for substantial progress.
The folks at Tuesday’s rally said the same thing. Commissioner Molina, on the other hand, says violence is down in the jails and the staff is showing up to work more often.
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