Stanley "Jamel" Bellamy

[Content warning: mentions of sexual assault and slashings; witnessing suicide] Stanley "Jamel" Bellamy grew up in Corona, Queens. He spent his first stint at Rikers in the adolescents unit after being shot in the arm, where he received no medical treatment whatsoever, masking his injury to stave off threats and abuse. Bellamy emphasizes the lack of programs, and how what did exist during the 80s and 90s was underscored by intimidation from both corrections officers and fellow incarcerated men. He mentions that by 1985, dynamics in Rikers had changed with a noticeable uptick in violence from gang violence. Reincarcerated at Rikers in later years, he worked several jobs, including lawns and groundskeeping. Of his experiences on Rikers, he recalls the constant fear and observing how everyone there was attempting to hide it. Bellamy believes that Rikers should be remembered as "a blight on the city, an incubator of pain," and that city funding should be divested from incarceration. (Summary written by: Carson Stachura)