Harvey Murphy 10.17.18 Brooklyn Public Library.MP3

Micaeili Rourke 10.17.18 Brooklyn Public Library

youth incarceration, physical impact of incarceration, violence in prison, Rikers in the 80s, prison facilities, detainees exploitation, correction officers, personal history of incarceration, Rikers history, generation changes, poor living conditions, solitary confinement, officers' abuse, detainees neglect, social interactions in prison, officers' accountability, gangs, re-incarceration, working in Rikers while incercarated, visitation process, close Rikers, defense mechanisms, Rikers Island, Incarceration, Prison abolition, New York City, Oral history, Rikers Public Memory Project, RPMP

Elizabeth Harrison.MP3

Robert Williams grew up in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. He was first sent to Rikers Island in 1994 after he was arrested for selling a controlled substance. After being court mandated to attend a drug rehabilitation program, he absconded and went on the run for a year. He returned to Rikers in 1996 after turning himself in. He was later released to the same drug rehabilitation program. He didn't partake in popular activities at Rikers such as chess, checkers, cards, and visiting the law library. He wasn't used to being locked up, and he describes a typical day at Rikers as "boring." (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Robert William 11.15.19 The Doe Fund.MP3

Joseph Griffin 01.10.20 Prison Re - Enty Institute.MP3

Moses Tejada Combined 01.10.20 Prison Re - Entry Institute

Tracey Bowe grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. She was incarcerated at Rikers about 30 years ago, after which she served time in state prison. She describes feeling vulnerable, dehumanized, and on heightened alert while at Rikers. Bowe worked in the sewing room at Rikers, an experience she loved because her mom and great-aunt were seamstresses. She smuggled fabric scraps out of the sewing workshop and made patches for her pants. She turned this into a "side hustle," sewing fabric patches for others, which made them feel unique "in a place where everybody was the same." Bowe now works in re-entry at Exodus Transitional Community in New York City. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Tracey Bowe.MP3

Kandra Clark grew up in a small town in Illinois. She became an addict by the time she was 12, and she started getting arrested at the age of 15. She arrived in New York City in 2008 and lived in East Harlem. Two years later, she was indicted with 18 co-defendants on 652 counts of identity theft and fraud. She spent several months on Rikers Island in 2010 before being sent to state prison. In this interview, she describes her attempts to build community with other incarcerated women amidst Rikers' culture of dehumanization and violence. She was sexually harassed every day at Rikers by male officers, and she estimates that 90% of the women she met while locked up experienced physical or sexual abuse as children. Following her release from prison in 2011, Clark began working in a variety of re-entry positions with The Fortune Society and JustLeadershipUSA. Clark is now the Vice President of Policy and Strategy at Exodus Transitional Community, a re-entry organization in New York City. She is actively involved in the campaign to close Rikers Island. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

RPMP Kandra Clark 20200114 FULL INTERVIEW

Phillip White grew up in the Washington, DC area and moved to New York in 1976. He first arrived at Rikers Island in the mid-1980s as a teenager. He was selling cocaine at the time. Rikers Island, for many of White's friends, was a rite of passage that helped establish their street cred. White befriended some corrections officers at Rikers, who brought him weapons, drugs, and alcohol. He got into several altercations while incarcerated, using razors, box cutters, and bleach to fight. A regular visitor of the Rikers' law library, White also participated in various educational programs. He describes how his five years at Rikers, with its chaos and violence, was more traumatic than his 19 years in state prison. His experience at Rikers left him diminished and desensitized: "I felt like I was reduced to absolutely nothing." (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Phillip White.MP3

Carole Eady - Porcher.MP3

Diane Rettino.MP3

Darren Mack.MP3

RPMP Victoria Bell 20200730

Pilar De Jesus 08.11.20

Rikers Public Memory Project and Local Voices Network virtual community conversation focusing on the harmful impact of Rikers Islands on New Yorkers. Conversation open to those impacted by Rikers.
On this episode we hear from Piper Anderson, Tamika Graham, Dylan Brown and Nicole.

05.08.20 RPMP LVN Convo 1

Rikers Public Memory Project and Local Voices Network virtual community conversation focusing on the harmful impact of Rikers Islands on New Yorkers. Conversation open to those impacted by Rikers. On this episode we hear from :Anna Pastoressa, Akyla Tomlinson, Tai McField and Marion

05.13.20 RPMP LVN Convo 2

Rikers Public Memory Project and Local Voices Network virtual community conversation focusing on the harmful impact of Rikers Islands on New Yorkers. Conversation open to those impacted by Rikers.
On this episode we hear from: Holly Carter, Gregory Pierce, and Ruth McDaniels.

05.22.20 RPMP LVN Convo 3

Rikers Public Memory Project and Local Voices Network virtual community conversation focusing on the harmful impact of Rikers Islands on New Yorkers. Conversation open to those impacted by Rikers. On this episode we hear from: Jenny Goldberg, Gennady Yusim, James Young lll, and Yonette Grogan.

05.27.20 RPMP LVN Convo 4

RPMP Community Conversation as part of a partnership with Local Voices Network and the Department of Health Mental Health for Take Care New York. The story-focused conversations engaged those impacted by Rikers in discussions where they:
- Shared visions, dreams, and plans for a city where every New Yorker can be healthy no matter their race, age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, immigration status, or neighborhood;
- Identified actors that are not necessarily seen as public health champions, but play a role in the health of our communities;
- Discussed the root causes of health inequities and carefully think about how to address them.
- Ensured Rikers Island is a part of the public health conversation.
 ON this episode we hear from: Brandon Holmes, Elena Weissman, and Trent Taylor

LVN DOHMH Community Convo 1 06242020

RPMP Community Conversation as part of a partnership with Local Voices Network and the Department of Health Mental Health for Take Care New York. The story-focused conversations engaged those impacted by Rikers in discussions where they:
- Shared visions, dreams, and plans for a city where every New Yorker can be healthy no matter their race, age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, immigration status, or neighborhood;
- Identified actors that are not necessarily seen as public health champions, but play a role in the health of our communities;
- Discussed the root causes of health inequities and carefully think about how to address them.
- Ensured Rikers Island is a part of the public health conversation.
On this episode we hear from : Kandra Clark, Anna Pastoressa, and Virginie Ladisch

LVN DOHMH Community Convo 2 06302020

This person spent a year at Rikers as a teenager. On his first day, he took note of how dirty and smelly the jail facility was. He remembers the mice, rats, and cockroaches. He survived a stabbing there, and also witnessed slashings and violence. "Nobody’s your friend on that whole Island," he recalls. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Anonymous A street interview 07.29.19

Kelly Briem

Helen "Skip" Skipper

Felix Guzman was raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He served time on Rikers Island twice in 2005, and both times requested to be placed in the mental health observation unit to work towards sobriety. Discussing the prevalence of gang violence in the dorms, he recalls being so anxious that he experienced a "pins and needles" sensation throughout his whole body. Guzman credits poetry with saving his life, and advocates for reinvesting into communities to break the cycles of incarceration, with an emphasis on arts programming. When asked about how Rikers should be remembered, he says, "(...) [with] infamy (....), to not be spoken of unless it's to provide a healthy conduit for change of action (...) And the conversation should always be about abolition, community safety, and inclusivity." He is currently working on two initiatives: Poetry Saved My Life, which showcases poetry as a tool for therapeutic intervention, and The Neurodiversity Project, which will provide grants to those who were formerly incarcerated to pay for autism and ADHD testing. He is a member of the New York City Council Commission on Community Reinvestment and the Closure of Rikers Island. (Summary written by Carson Stachura)

Felix Guzman

Caption: Mount McGregor offered prisoners educational opportunities that helped many of them survive in prison and return back to society. Here, Marcella Anderson shares her thoughts about how such programs helped her husband, Derrick.


Marcella Anderson Prison Programs

Deb Case, a practicing nurse who completed her clinical hours at Central State Hospital, discusses the medical viewpoints on mental health in the 1970s as compared to today. This interview touches on the treatments and stigmas surrounding mental health patients and how these public opinions have changed over time. 

Humanities Action Lab

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