144: The Campaign to Close Rikers Island w/Richard Willstatter and Stan German

Today, Hunter spoke with two New York Criminal Defense Attorneys, Richard Willstatter and Stan Germán, to discuss the crisis at Rikers Island. For more than a decade, there has been a class action lawsuit against the city because of the inhumane conditions in the jails. Sadly, the calls for closure, reform, or receivership have continuously fallen on deaf ears. As a result, the death toll in Riker’s is reaching record highs. While there may be good news coming in the near term as people with power finally decide to act, it cannot be forgotten that with every passing day, the lives of every person in the jail are at risk.   Guests: Richard Willstatter, Partner, Law Offices of Green and Willstatter Stan Germán, Executive Director, New York County Defender Services     Resources: NY Times Death Tracker at Rikers https://www.nytimes.com/article/rikers-deaths-jail.html Federal Prosecutor Urges Takeover of Rikers Island https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/nyregion/rikers-island-federal-takeover.html NYCDS https://nycds.org/ Timeline of Events at Rikers https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2023/07/timeline-closure-rikers-island/376662/     Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN