Darren Mack

Darren Mack was born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn where he and his family resided in the Borinquen Projects. Darren went to Rikers Island in 1992 at age 17, during a time when over 20,000 people were incarcerated there. Darren’s older brothers were also incarcerated at Rikers. When speaking about the correctional officers there he says they, “...were definitely like predators…They were the biggest gang on Rikers Island. They ran it with an iron fist through brutality, physical force and violence.” Darren was released 19 months later and sent to Coxsackie Correctional Facility, a maximum security state prison which he described as “less oppressive” than Rikers. Today, Darren is still healing from the trauma he endured while incarcerated at Rikers and says “my advocacy around the campaign to close Rikers Island helps in that because it's cathartic, fighting the system to close this penal colony.” (Summary written by: Anne Lacy)