Join us in calling for #NoNewJailsNYC 1. We support the immediate closure of Rikers Due to systematic, pervasive violence and abuse, the 10 jails on Rikers must be closed immediately. 88% of people incarcerated at Rikers are Black and Latinx. Mass incarceration is an attack on people of color and poor people. The people incarcerated at Rikers are our loved ones, community members, family, and friends. 3. Close jails by investing in alternatives to policing and jailing We can’t close Rikers without transforming policing in NYC. The NYPD harasses and abuses Black and Latinx communities, and will continue to do so as long as the city throws money at police and jails. We need to end broken windows policing, break the school-toprison pipeline, and invest in transformative justice approaches that actually help communities heal from violence and harm. 2. We oppose new jail construction NYC can close Rikers immediately without building new detention complexes. There is no such thing as a humane cage and new coats of paint can’t make jails safe. Every day, over 8,000 people are jailed in NYC. Nearly 80% of those people are detained pretrial, meaning they are incarcerated without having been convicted of anything. Ending pretrial detention would allow the city to close Rikers without opening new jails. Decriminalizing poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and substance use would drastically reduce the number of New Yorkers targeted daily by broken windows policing. 4. The City must invest in community resources Rikers costs over $2.4 billion annually to run—that’s over $250,000 for each person incarcerated there. The communities targeted by policing and imprisonment are disproportionately impacted by lack of investment, gentrification, and displacement. Instead of new jails, we want affordable housing, education, healthcare, public spaces, and stable incomes. Divesting from mass incarceration would allow the city to reinvest in communities. Imagine what we could build together! We are a multiracial, intergenerational coalition of residents, community members, and activists fighting against the Mayor’s racist jail construction plan in NYC. Twitter: @nonewjails_nyc Email: nonewjails.ny@gmail.com