NEW YORK — From JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA) President and CEO DeAnna Hoskins: “On Monday, June 20, as the nation was observing the new Juneteenth federal holiday, 40-year-old Anibal Carrasquillo was pronounced dead at the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island. We mourn with his family for this tragic and unnecessary loss.
“We know that Anibal entered DOC custody on September 27, 2019, on a 1st degree robbery charge. He should not have been sentenced to death, and yet now he’s gone. Anibal was the seventh person to die at Rikers so far this year, following the death of 20-year-old Emanuel Sullivan less than one month ago. Every death is one too many. This is just another stark reminder of why advocates and JustLeadershipUSA leaders have for so long called for and demanded that Rikers be closed down. No more deaths! Close Rikers!”