kalief browder

The incredible story of how a 16-year-old high school sophomore from the Bronx ended up spending nearly three years locked up at the Rikers jail in New York City after he says he was falsely accused of stealing a backpack.

interview by democracy now:

http://www.mintpressnews.com/watch-accused-of-stealing-a-backpack-high-school-student-jailed-for-nearly-three-years-without-trial/197261/

85% of people at rikers – not convicted

95% of cases are plea bargains

a ki – 16 yrs – after 2.5 yrs – 2 yrs in solitary – gets a plea offer – and he declines – he could not have been greater pressure to plead.. he says, “i’m all right.. i’m not guilty.” 

over and over – prosecutors: “people not ready.. request more time”

worksheets slipped under door – not often picked up

kalief attempted suicide several times..

solitary was almost addictive

Browder had already had a few run-ins with the police, ..Browder was charged with grand larceny. He told me that his friends drove the truck and that he had only watched, but he figured that he had no defense, and so he pleaded guilty. The judge gave him probation and “youthful offender” status, which insured that he wouldn’t have a criminal record.

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There are not nearly enough judges and court staff to handle the workload; in 2010, Browder’s case was one of five thousand six hundred and ninety-five felonies that the Bronx District Attorney’s office prosecuted. The problem is compounded by defense attorneys who drag out cases to improve their odds of winning, judges who permit endless adjournments, prosecutors who are perpetually unprepared. Although the Sixth Amendment guarantees “the right to a speedy and public trial,” in the Bronx the concept of speedy justice barely exists.

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e was the youngest of seven siblings; except for the oldest two, all the children were adopted, and the mother fostered other children as well.

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if the inmates went to the clinic and told the medical staff what had happened, they would write up charges against them, and get them sent to solitary confinement.

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Many states have so-called speedy-trial laws, which require trials to start within a certain time frame. New York State’s version is slightly different, and is known as the “ready rule.” This rule stipulates that all felony cases (except homicides) must be ready for trial within six months of arraignment, or else the charges can be dismissed. In practice, however, this time limit is subject to technicalities. The clock stops for many reasons—….. In 2011, seventy-four per cent of felony cases in the Bronx were older than six months……… People not ready….People not ready….People not ready

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When Browder first went to Rikers, his brother had advised him to get himself sent to solitary whenever he felt at risk from other inmates. “I told him, ‘When you get into a house and you don’t feel safe, do whatever you have to to get out,’ ” the brother said. “ ….Even in solitary, however, violence was a threat. Verbal spats with officers could escalate. At one point, Browder said, “I had words with a correction officer, and he told me he wanted to fight.

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At the start of 2013, there were nine hundred and fifty-two felony cases in the Bronx, including Browder’s, that were more than two years old. In the next twelve months, DiMango disposed of a thousand cases, some as old as five years.

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Without the Complainant, we are unable to meet our burden of proof at trial,” the prosecutor wrote

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When he saw old friends, he was reminded of their accomplishments and what he had not achieved: no high-school diploma, no job, no money, no apartment of his own.

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Ever since Browder left Rikers, he has tried to stay busy. He sat through G.E.D. prep classes, signed up for a computer course, searched for a job, and attended weekly counselling sessions. This past March, he learned that he had passed the G.E.D. on the first try. “I gained some of my pride back,” he told me.

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He told me that he liked Wall Street—being surrounded by people with briefcases and suits, everyone walking with a sense of purpose. “When I see professional people, I see myself,” he said. “I say, ‘I want to be like them.’ ”

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This month, Browder started classes at Bronx Community College. But, even now, he thinks about Rikers every day. He says that his flashbacks to that time are becoming more frequent. Almost anything can trigger them.

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“I’m trying to break out of my shell, but I guess there is no shell. I guess this is just how I am—I’m just quiet and distant,” he says. “I don’t like being this way, but it’s just natural to me now.”

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“Before I went to jail, I didn’t know about a lot of stuff, and, now that I’m aware, I’m paranoid,” he says. “I feel like I was robbed of my happiness.”

https://twitter.com/jengonnerman

Kalief’s attorney: Paul Prestia

https://twitter.com/pprestiaesq

incarceration was direct cause of Kalief ‘s death – Paul Prestia

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full interview w/Paul & Kalief on huffpo live:

[image above from this video]

4:20 – talks about plea

10 min – attempted suicide 5-6 times.. beaten and put back in cell – except last time

16 min – bail was 10,000 – for stealing backpack

21 min – this happens every day – i have to tell the story

24 min – whoa – the best we can do for Kalief is: he’s pursuing his ged.. ?

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april 2015 – videos via democracy now of Kalief in rikers:

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/4/24/watch_explosive_footage_from_inside_rikers

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incarceration

solitary

school to prison

n prison

prison ed

bryan stevenson

cure violence

cevin soling

peter m – (cure)(city)

dis\order

matt taibbi

suicide

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june 2015 – rip

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/kalief-browder-1993-2015

He wanted the public to know what he had gone through, so that nobody else would have to endure the same ordeals.

voices. from all over. in our heads/hearts. begging us all to wake up.

let’s wake up. no?

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Oscar Wilde‘s aphorism on punishment speaks to #KaliefBrowder tragic predicament @BiellaColeman