Scores of new victims came forward Wednesday to charge that were sexually abused as children while residing in juvenile detention centers — and that they were taking the city to court.
A staggering 168 new lawsuits have been filed that allege children staying at Crossroads Juvenile Center, Horizon Juvenile Center, Rikers Island and Spofford Juvenile Detention Center were assaulted, according to the law firm Levy Konigsberg. This raised the number of people who say they were systematically preyed upon while behind bars to 425 victims.
“Today we are standing on the steps of City Hall with plaintiff-survivors of sexual abuse at juvenile detention centers to be heard, believed and most importantly to hold accountable institutions who let this egregious sexual abuse occur,” Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block said.
The victims say they suffered egregious abuse such as being forced to perform oral sex on and being raped by staff members, some of whom are said to be still working at these juvenile facilities to this day.
The whistleblowers, including Rashawn Jones, say they fear that more children will become victims and are sharing their stories to shed light on the horrific allegations.
“I was 16 years old when I was sent to Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx where I was abused by Natalie Medford. Those experiences marked me forever. Since then, I have struggled with mental health issues, but I am here today stronger than ever to demand justice, for myself and for the hundreds if not thousands of survivors who were preyed on as kids,” Jones said. “This should have never happened to me or to any child, regardless of the infraction that led them there.”
Medford, a supervisor, is a name that pops up time and time again from survivors who say she abused at least 13 victims across her time working at the facility before ultimately being let go. Tony “Tyson” Simmons, a registered sex offender who was imprisoned for sexually assaulting several young girls at New York City’s juvenile detention centers, has been named by seven additional survivors.
“Our youth deserve better,” Jones added. “The city must root out the evil in these facilities and end this sordid culture of abuse. It is time to do the right thing and stop these pedophiles from abusing our most vulnerable.”
Those alleging the atrocities say the abuse stems back decades, but the city has done very little to heed the cries of those suffering and must pay the price for its inaction.
“From my understanding, many of the people accused are still working there and could quite possibly be harming people as we speak,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.
“Although we cannot comment on pending litigation, DOC is not responsible for the care and custody of individuals held in juvenile facilities,” a DOC spokesperson said in response.
