Thread by @ScottHech

🚨BREAKING: The Chief Medical Officer of Rikers sounds alarm.: "We've witnessed a collapse in basic jail operations. I don t believe the City is capable of safely managing the custody of those it is charged w/ incarcerating nor maintaining safety of those who work there." Thread:

"As a physician who has devoted a decade of my career to Rikers Island, & as the Chief Medical Officer for the NYC jail system, I am asking for your urgent assistance with an emergency situation that I do not believe the City of New York is able to remedy on its own."

!!! "Specifically, I ask that you *urge the city to ask for outside help* to immediately stabilize a situation that has resulted in death and threatens the health and well-being of everyone who works and resides in city jails."

"While some might ascribe recent deaths and the "disorder and chaos” reported by the federal monitor to longstanding dysfunction of Rikers Island, *it represents a new and worsening emergency* that has developed over the course of the last year."

"Overcrowding leads to people kept for prolonged periods in temporary spaces such as showers, at times standing in feces; to fights over necessities including food."

"Unavailability of staff has resulted in delays in transferring patients to clinics for care, to mental health units or to the hospital, *even when 911 has been activated and EMS has arrived to transport them.*"

"More recently we have seen breakdowns in basic functions such as failing to provide correctional staff to supervise some housing areas or observe incarcerated people placed on suicide watch."

"As critical jail functions break down, self-injury, medical emergencies, use of force and serious injuries all rise."

"Without the ability to attend to basic jail operations, we are poorly positioned to control COVID 19 transmission within the jails and we have already seen a rise in cases. For the first time this year, COVID-19 rates in the jails seem to be outpacing the spread in the city."

Rikers is a public health emergency crisis. "In many instances we are not able to transfer newly diagnosed [COVID] patients to isolation settings for more than 24 hours and sometimes several days after diagnosis."

Rikers Chief Medical Officer calls out the Mayor & City Council for failing to take action. Calls decarceration "a proven public health response."

"Decarceration efforts, *which are a proven public health response to COVID-19,* have not been meaningfully pursued since 2020."

"Failure of the City to ask for outside assistance thus far in the face of clear documentation of the severity of the situation represents gross mismanagement, which threatens the health and safety of those incarcerated in the jails and all who work there."

"I write as a physician with a duty to my patients and staff and with no ill will to those involved, and I simply ask that you urge the city to ask for help to abate this emergency. It is well past time.

Respectfully, Ross MacDonald, MD Chief Medical Officer."

I will end with this thread with Rikers Chief Medical Officer Ross McDonalds urgent message last year at the beginning of pandemic that went unheeded: "You must not leave those you detain in harm’s way."

Will @NYCMayor & City Council listen this time?

https://twitter.com/RossMacDonaldMD/status/1240455796946800641?s=20

Link to the letter itself and more is in this story: ny1.com/nyc/all-boroug…

Meanwhile, NYC Corrections thinks that "searching for & then bragging on Twitter about finding small bags of marijuana" shows that "keeping our facilities safe is a top priority.” From 2 days ago:

https://twitter.com/CorrectionNYC/status/1435607640122482689?s=20

Also don't forget that last year, democratic lawmakers refused to defend bail reform & caved to police, prosecutors & white supremacists to repeal it *during the pandemic.* Now 1000s more caged on Rikers. 92% Black/brown. They're in large part responsible.

https://twitter.com/nwmalinowski/status/1436044475344764930?s=20

Victor Pate. Survivor of Rikers & leading expert, on the letter from Rikers Chief Medical Officer. "The mayor, DAs, Judges, & City Council, must immediately release everyone in NYC's jails & prevent more from being subjected to this human rights crisis."

https://twitter.com/NYCAIC/status/1436667338527551495?s=20

Meanwhile NYC is considering releasing tiny fraction serving less than a year on Rikers. So NY Post assigned 4 “reporters” to refer to these few who would receive services & support instead of cages a “Horde of ex-cons.”“Jailbirds.” “Worst kind of criminals.” They're responsible.