Families of incarcerated New Yorkers and those who previously served time themselves rallied in Midtown and Albany on Thursday to demand a deep cultural reset in the prisons and jails of the Empire State.
The call came in the wake of the horrific beating death of inmate Robert Brooks in December 2024, and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement on Feb. 20 that staff members involved in the caught-on-video attack had been arrested.
Brooks’ name was on the lips and minds of those assembling on 56th Street and 3rd Avenue Thursday, even as their own past and present continue to haunt them.
Lifting signs in the shape of gravestones inscribed with the names of individuals who have perished while in prison, the advocates further demanded that Governor Hochul fire guards across upstate facilities who are attempting to go on strike while also urging a cultural shift and reset.
“We’re out here in this cold, cold weather to call on our legislatures and the governor to fire every last rogue officer. They don’t deserve to work in our system,” said Anisah Sabur of the Halt Solitary Campaign. “This is the time right now to fire them. Bring on compassionate people who really want to see change in our systems. We need culture change, we need system change, and it starts now.”
Just over an hour after the rally, Hochul announced that the guards who relentlessly beat Brooks are not only being immediately relieved of duty, they are also being arrested and charged.
“Robert Brooks should be alive today. The brutal attack on Mr. Brooks was sickening, and I immediately moved to terminate the employment of those involved. Now, the perpetrators have been rightfully charged with murder and State Police are making arrests,” Hochul said in a statement. “This incident is a sobering reminder of the challenges facing our correctional system. I’ve worked with Commissioner Martuscello on safety reforms, including installing new security cameras, strengthening the Office of Special Investigations and increasing compensation for our hard-working correction officers.”
Former inmates who have spent years living in the system exemplified the need for change by sharing horror stories of their time on the inside.
Jose Hamza Saldana, a former inmate at Sullivan Correctional Facility, said he witnessed the worst of mankind.
“A guy had to be 85 years old,maybe older. He’s coming walking through and the whole side of his face is puffy red. A sergeant asked ‘what happened to your face?’ And he didn’t answer. He said: ‘I asked you a question. What happened to your face?’ He looked at the CO ans he said, ‘he hit me.’ ‘Why did he hit you?’ Because I was walking too slow,’ Saldana said. “We’re here to really uplift this history of murder and brutality in the system.”
