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Rally calls for end to solitary confinement

Family members and advocates are calling for the end of solitary confinement to mark the two-year anniversary of Layleen Polanco's death at Rikers Island.

News 12 Staff

Jun 7, 2021, 9:33 PM

Updated 1,281 days ago

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Family members and advocates are calling for the end of solitary confinement to mark the two-year anniversary of Layleen Polanco's death at Rikers Island.
They call the practice of solitary confinement cruel and inhumane.
They marched down Broadway in lower Manhattan Monday, making their way to City Hall Park where a makeshift coffin bearing the names of Kalief Browder and Polanco was placed in front of the gates. It was meant to symbolize a death sentence for those confined to solitary.
Melania Brown is the sister of Polanco, a 27-year-old transgender woman who died from complications from an epileptic condition while in solitary confinement.
"They placed her in solitary confinement not because she was misbehaving, simply because they did not know where to house her. That why she's dead. They were not doing their job and checking in on her every 15 minutes," said Brown.
Activist Akeem Browder claims Mayor Bill de Blasio has not kept his word to end the practice, a promise Browder says the mayor made in 2017.
His bother Kalief Browder's brutalization and torment on Rikers was highlighted in a documentary. The 22-year-old died by suicide after charges against him were dropped and he was released from Rikers Island.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called out the group of candidates who want to lead the city.
"What I want to see is the mayoral candidates who have the courage to talk about what safety means in our city. You can separate people who need services but not torture them," said Williams.
The rally ended with protesters laying red roses on the pavement and tossing the makeshift coffin over the gates of City Hall.
News 12 reached out to the mayor's office but has not heard back.