Incarcerated No New Jails NYC member Hakim Trent, who organized in solidarity with New York activists from Virginia, explains his opposition to the city’s $11 billion investment in jails.

Incarcerated No New Jails NYC member E. Paris Whitfield, who was held pretrial on Rikers Island for three years, explains his opposition to $11 billion investment in new jails.

On October 16, all eyes are on the New York City Council as it votes on a proposal to build four new skyscraper jails and up to eight jailing satellites that would burn an $11 billion hole through the city’s wallet. The greatest cost of this plan, however, is that it would undoubtedly ensure that our future generations will inherit our system of mass incarceration.