LVN Community Conversation 3

Holly Carter, Gregory Pierce, and Ruth McDaniels discuss conditions at Rikers, correctional officers, and the dehumanization of staff and incarcerated people alike. The conversation is facilitated by Tamika Graham, who has also contributed to the Rikers Public Memory Project Oral History Program.

Holly Carter is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. After touring Rikers with some colleagues, she worked on a documentary film for public television intended to spark dialogue about the need for systemic change at Rikers and beyond. She was so upset and nauseated by what she saw at Rikers that she vomited in one of the corridors during one of her initial visits. She believes education plays a crucial role in creating more just systems that foster fairness and dignity. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Gregory Pierce grew up in Newark, New Jersey. He served time at Rikers in 1984 and again in 2016. "Rikers is like being in hell," Pierce remembers. He found most guards to be careless and disrespectful, including one who sent two members of the Bloods gang to beat him up. Having served 21 years in prison, he shares hopes for his post-incarceration life, including finishing a book of poetry and becoming a recovery coach. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)

Ruth McDaniels runs a re-entry program called Breaking the Chains of Your Mind that serves people coming out of Rikers and other correctional facilities. As a retired law enforcement officer and as the parent of a son who was locked up at Rikers, she sees the dehumanization of staff and incarcerated people alike. Drawing on her 25 years of experience as an officer, she observes the need for better staff training so that COs can learn to respect themselves and incarcerated people. When asked what impact Rikers has had on her community, she responds: "Trauma, trauma, trauma." She says that "Rikers needs to go" and the whole justice system needs to be reformed. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)