Who Decides If New York City Will Build New Jails?

Home , Bronx Community Board 1, Brooklyn Borough Hall, Diana Ayala, Gale Brewer, Karen Koslowitz, New York City Council

No New Jails NYC Who Decides If New York City Will Build New Jails? HOW THE CALL TO CLOSE RIKERS BECAME THE LAND-USE PROCESS FOR FOUR NEW JAILS: A PLAN TO BUILD FOUR MORE JAILS WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? WHAT CAN WE DO?

For decades, there have been calls to close the Rikers Island jail Without your input, the City developed a $10.6 billion scheme complex. Those demands came foremost from the people who to build four new jails without any binding commitment to close endured what is the world’s largest penal colony. Kalief Browder’s Rikers. No New Jails NYC formed to ensure that Rikers closes horrific death in 2015, after his incarceration as a teenager on Rik- immediately without the construction of new jails. We believe ers for 33 months, led to national outrage against the jail complex. that the people of New York City, especially those targeted for Locally, grassroots activists increasingly mobilized to shut down incarceration, are against any plan to build new jails, where all the Rikers. horrors of Rikers will be re-enacted, simply at new addresses with fresh coats of paint. City Council got involved: In February 2016, then-Speaker of the City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito created an independent Unsurprisingly, the City does not want to hear directly from the commission to study the City’s criminal justice system. people of New York City, who demanded Rikers close. Instead, the City orchestrated that a series of NYC agencies, including A group of “experts” weighed in: The Commission was led by New York City Council, will decide if NYC will build four monu- former New York State Chief Judge, Jonathan Lippman, and was mental jails to cage New Yorkers for generations to come. That paid for and staffed by his law firm Latham & Watkins. Dubbed decision will be made in a seven-month ULURP process (Uniform the Lippman Commission, its other members included execu- Land Use Review Procedure), beginning in March 2019. Via the tives of large nonprofits and foundations, private attorneys, and ULURP, the only decision is whether the new jails are an appro- academics. priate use of public land. This fact sheet walks you through the ULURP process, who has influence and power within it, and its The Mayor took control: Two days before the Lippman Com- points for public intervention. mission released its report, Mayor Bill de Blasio publicly announced that New York City would close Rikers Island in 10 years. Together with you, No New Jails NYC will participate and inter- The Lippman Commission’s report, released in April 2017, made vene in the ULURP process to make sure the plan to build new the same recommendation to close Rikers in 10 years. The Com- jails is rejected. In addition, No New Jails NYC will hold commu- mission further recommended the City reduce its jail population nity events, actions, speak outs, and more to center community and recommit to caging New Yorkers in newly constructed jails in members - especially those most impacted by criminalization & all five boroughs. incarceration - in the decision whether New York City needs four massive jails after closing Rikers. Hint: it does not! The Mayor and City Council united to build new jails: In Feb- ruary 2018, Mayor de Blasio and City Council jointly announced to build four new “Borough-based” jails, in the name of closing Rikers. City Council also agreed to fast-track approval by allowing PROPOSED JAILS: one land-use process for all four new jails. BRONX: South Bronx, Mott A land-use process begins: Launched in August 2018 the land- 1 use process could give the City approval in 2019 to break ground Haven, 320 Concord Avenue on the four new (or expanded) jails. Meanwhile, the City doesn’t plan to close Rikers Island until 2027 — and is not legally bound 2 MANHATTAN: CHINATOWN, CIVIC to close Rikers at all. CENTER, 125 WHITE STREET

QUEENS: Kew Gardens, 3 126-02 82nd Avenue This fact sheet was published in early December 2018. All dates are subject to change. For up-to-date information on the political BROOKLYN: Downtown process to expand incarceration in New York City by building four 4 Brooklyn, 275 Atlantic new jails, contact No New Jails NYC at [email protected]. Avenue Timeline for the Land-Use Approval Process (ULURP) for the Mayor’s $10.6 Billion Plan to Build Four New Jails

MARCH 2019 APRIL-MAY 2019 JUNE 2019

DEPARTMENT OF BRONX, MANHATTAN, BRONX, MANHATTAN, CITY PLANNING QUEENS, and BROOKLYN QUEENS, and BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARDS BOROUGH PRESIDENTS Certiﬁes the application to start the ULURP process for 60 days to make advisory 30 days to make advisory new or expanded jails at recommendations on the recommendations on the these four locations: proposal to build new jails in proposal to build new jails in their their borough. borough. Bronx, 320 Concord Avenue Manhattan, 125 White Street Bronx Community Board 1 Bronx Ruben Diaz, Jr. Queens, 126-02 82nd Avenue Manhattan Community Board 1 Manhattan Gale Brewer Brooklyn, 275 Atlantic Avenue Queens Community Board 9 Queens Melinda Katz Brooklyn Community Board 2 Brooklyn Eric Adams

PUBLIC HEARINGS

JULY-AUGUST 2019 SEPT-OCT 2019 NOVEMBER 2019

CITY PLANNING CITY COUNCIL MAYOR COMMISSION 50 days to vote on the proposal 5 days to approve or reject 60 days to vote on the proposal to expand incarceration in City Council’s vote on the to expand incarceration in NYC. NYC. proposal to expand incarceration in NYC. The Commission’s binding vote to City Council’s Land Use approve or reject the four new jails Committee votes on the proposal, If the Mayor vetoes City plan will move the proposal to City then introduces it for the vote of Council’s vote, City Council has Council. all 51 City Council members. If the 10 days to override the Mayor’s City Planning Commission rejects veto with a 2/3 majority vote. PUBLIC the four new jails plan, City HEARINGS Council can reject the plan, too, by a simple majority, but to override the Commission’s vote, City Council will need a 2/3 majority vote.

PUBLIC HEARINGS NO NEW JAILS NYC FACT SHEET - 2 Who’s Who in the Land-Use Approval Process for THE Mayor’s Plan to build Four New Jails APRIL-MAY 2019 FOLLOWING PUBLIC HEARINGS, COMMUNITY BOARDS MAKE ADVISORY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOROUGH PRESIDENTS After the Department of City Planning starts the ULURP process in March 2019, each community board will hold public hearings and make non-binding recommendations to their Borough President on the question of whether new or expanded jails should be built in their borough. They will make one of four recommendations: approve the proposal for a new jail in their borough; approve the proposal, but with changes;, reject the proposal, unless it is modified; or reject the proposal. Community board members are appointed by the respective Borough President, with half nominated by the NYC Council member in their district.

Bronx Community Board 1 QUEENS Community Board 9 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: www1.nyc.gov/site/bronxcb1 Website: www1.nyc.gov/site/queenscb9 Office: 3024 Third Avenue, Bronx 10455 Office: Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Telephone: 718.585.7117 Boulevard, Room 310-A, Kew Gardens 11424 Telephone: 718.286.2686

MANHATTAN BROOKLYN Community Board 1 Community Board 2 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: www1.nyc.gov/site/manhattancb1 Website: www1.nyc.gov/site/brooklyncb2 Office:1 Centre Street, Room 2202 Office: 350 Jay Street, 8th Floor, Brooklyn 11201 North, New York 10007 Telephone: 718.596.5410 Telephone: 212.669.7970

This fact sheet was published in early December 2018. All dates are subject to change. For up-to-date information on the political process to expand incarceration in New York City by building four new jails, contact No New Jails NYC at [email protected]. NO NEW JAILS NYC FACT SHEET - 3 JUNE 2019 WITHOUT A PUBLIC HEARING, BOROUGH PRESIDENTS MAKE ADVISORY RECOM- MENDATIONS ON THE PROPOSAL TO BUILD A NEW JAIL IN THEIR BOROUGH The Borough Presidents are supposed to listen to their Community Board members when making their advisory recommendations, but they don’t have to hold public hearings, so they need to to hear from us directly. Borough Presidents are elected by the people who live in their borough. Bronx Borough President Queens Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. Melinda Katz Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov Website: www.queensbp.org Office:851 Grand Concourse, 3rd Office: 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Floor, Bronx 10451 Gardens 11424 Telephone: 718.590.3557 Telephone: 718.286.2876

Manhattan Borough President Brooklyn Borough President Gale Brewer Eric Adams Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: manhattanbp.nyc.gov Website: http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/ Office: 1 Centre Street, 19th Floor, New Office: Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 York 10007 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn 11201 Telephone: 212.669.8300 Telephone: 718.802.3700 JULY-AUGUST 2019 FOLLOWING A PUBLIC HEARING, CITY PLANNING COMMISSION VOTES TO APPROVE OR REJECT THE BOROUGH-BASED JAILS PLAN The City Planning Commission is the first body that officially votes on whether or not to expand incarceration in NYC. They will hold a public hearing, where community members can voice their opposition. Then the Commission will vote to approve or disapprove the jails plan. The Commission’s decision stands, unless the City Council overrides it. City Planning Commissioners are appointed, not elected: 7 are appointed by the Mayor, 5 appointed by the Borough Presidents, and 1 appointed by the Public Advocate.

Marisa Lago Mayor-appointed Bronx Director of the Department of City Kenneth Knuckles Orlando Marin Planning (Vice Chair) Brooklyn Chairperson, NYC Planning Commis- Allen Cappelli Joseph Douek sion Cheryl Effron Manhattan Richard Eaddy Anna Levin Email: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/plan- Hope Knight ning/about/email-the-director.page Larisa Ortiz Queens Office:120 Broadway, 31st Floor, New Raj Rampershad York 10271 Staten Island Telephone: 212.720.3300 Alfred Cerullo Planning Website: www1.nyc.gov/site/ Public Advocate planning appointed Commission Website: www1.nyc.gov/ Michelle de la Uz site/planning/about/commission.page NO NEW JAILS NYC FACT SHEET - 4 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 FOLLOWING ONE OR MORE PUBLIC HEARINGS, CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO APPROVE OR REJECT THE BOROUGH-BASED JAILS PLAN

All 51 elected New York City Council members will vote on the proposal to build four new jails, even if the City Planning Commission rejects the plan. Before then, City Council subcommittees will hold public hearings, where community members can voice their opposition. City Council’s Land Use Committee will pass a resolution on whether new jails to lock up 6,000 New Yorkers, largely pretrial, are a good use of NYC land and zoning laws. That resolution will next go to the full City Council for its vote. When voting, NYC Council members generally defer to the decision of the Council members in whose districts the proposed construction will take place. With a 2/3 majority vote, City Council can override the City Planning Commission’s rejection of the plan and can override Mayor Bill de Blasio’s veto of the City Council vote. Otherwise, City Council can either approve or reject the plan by a simple majority vote.

NYC Council Member NYC Council Member Diana Ayala: BRONX JAIL SITE Karen Koslowitz: QUEENS JAIL SITE District 8 (El Barrio/East Harlem and District 29 (Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew most of the South Bronx) Gardens, Richmond Hill) Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: council.nyc.gov/district-8/ Website: council.nyc.gov/district-29/ Legislative Office: 212-788-6960 Legislative Office:212-788-6981 District Office: 347-297-4922 District Office: 718-544-8800

NYC Council Member NYC Council Member Margaret Chin: Stephen Levin: MANHATTAN JAIL SITE BROOKLYN JAIL SITE District 1 (Lower Manhattan) District 33 (Downtown Brooklyn and Email: [email protected] surrounding neighborhoods) Website: council.nyc.gov/district-1/ Email: [email protected] Legislative Office:212-788-7259 Website: council.nyc.gov/district-33/ District Office: 212-587-3159 Legislative Office: 212-788-7348 District Office: 718-875-5200

LEADS CITY COUNCIL LEADS CITY COUNCIL VOTING COMMITTEE VOTING NYC Council Speaker NYC Council Member Corey Johnson Rafael Salamanca Jr. District 3 (Westside Manhattan from Chair, Committee on Land Use West SoHo to Columbus Circle) District 17 (Parts of the Southeast Email: [email protected]. Bronx) gov Email: [email protected] Website: council.nyc.gov/district-3/ Website: council.nyc.gov/district-17/ Legislative Office:212.788.7210 Legislative Office:212.788.7384 District Office:212.564.7757 District Office:718.402.6130

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Email: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page Website: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor Office: City Hall, New York 10007 Telephone: none provided

Get Involved with No New Jails NYC To Stop the Mayor’s Jail Expansion Plan These jails have not yet been built. They haven’t even been formally approved. While Mayor de Blasio considers his incarceration plan a “done deal” that only needs formal land-use approval, we can still stop the City from building four new jails AND compel the City to actually close all the jails on Rikers Island much sooner than 2027. To do this, we need to stand together with our communities and demand a different future for New York City.

We hope you will join the struggle for a #JailFreeNYC. Contact No New Jails NYC by email at [email protected] and on Twitter @nonewjails_nyc.

No New Jails NYC is a multiracial, intergenerational network of residents, community members, and activists fighting against Mayor de Blasio’s oppressive and violent jail expansion plan. We are calling for the immediate shut down of Rikers without building new jails in any borough in NYC.

Published and designed by No New Jails NYC in December 2018. This fact sheet is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.

NO NEW JAILS NYC FACT SHEET - 6