Rikers Public Memory Project Oral History Program

Gianina Cruz was first incarcerated at Rikers Island when she was 18 years old. After serving three terms "upstate" in state prisons, she found herself back at Rikers when COVID-19 first swept through the facility in early 2020. All 36 women in her dorm, including her, contracted the virus. She and 28 of her dormmates were hospitalized. Cruz describes Rikers Island as a place that broker her "mentally, physically, and emotionally." She got into some physical altercations there, though she tried to stay out of trouble by reading in her cell. She shares her struggles with early childhood trauma, and talks about dealing with post-incarceration depression and detoxing. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Gianina Cruz

Paul Johnson was born in Brooklyn and raised in Harlem and the Bronx. He served several stints at Rikers, some lasting days and some lasting months. He was incarcerated at Rikers from the fall of 2018 to the spring of 2020, when he was released amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson, who lives with PTSD and depression, was housed in the mental observation (MO) unit at Rikers. While in jail, he got paid to do suicide watch, going cell to cell and intervening if he observed individuals engaged in self-harm. He survived a severe leg infection and a violent encounter with a group of Latin King gang members during his incarceration. When asked what Rikers smells like, he replied: "Death. Feet. Vomit. Bowels. Weed. Cigarettes. K2." (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Paul Johnson

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)

Paul Johnson

Humanities Action Lab

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