“It was always evident that Mayor Adams would try to find a way to defy Local Law 42 – he said so before it passed – and his declaration of a self-imposed state of emergency was never anything more than that. I am relieved that Judge Pearlman agrees that the mayor is not above the laws the Council passes – in this case, passed twice, after years of deliberation. This was an abuse of the concept of a 'state of emergency.' It should be obvious that the longstanding crisis on Rikers was not caused by a law which has not even been in effect.
“The harm of prolonged isolation is clear, documented, and dangerous for people on both sides of the bars. It is a threat to public safety and human dignity. I implore this mayor, after spending a year violating the law banning the practice, to finally follow it. We cannot address any issues on Rikers by doing the same things that have failed for many years – it’s long past time to implement real change.”
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