Activists Call On The Feds To Take Over Rikers Jail In NYC

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 17: (SPEECH) Melanie Dominguez, Senior Community Organizer with the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, speaks calls for a federal receiver to take over the jail system as Criminal justice reform advocates rally at Foley Square in downtown Manhattan demanding a federal takeover of Rikers Island jail complex on November 17, 2022 in New York City. Protesters marched from Foley Square to the federal courthouse, where a judge's ruling will decide whether the Rikers Island jail is taken over by the feds or if it remains under NYC Mayor Eric Adams control. Eighteen people have died at Rikers under Department of Correction (DOC) custody. Advocates have complained of inhumane conditions at Rikers Island for decades and argue that under mayoral control deaths will continue to mount unless people are de-incarcerated and/or the prison is permanently closed. The call for a federal receiver to take over the jail system grows as the deaths increase. (Footage by Tomas Abad/Getty Images)