Mayor De Blasio announced a 10 year plan to close the notoriously violent New York prison facility Rikers Island on Friday afternoon. The decision comes after a year of aggressive crusading to shut down the prison from the #CLOSErikers campaign, which was founded by activist and former Rikers prisoner Glenn E. Martin. In a statement sent to The Huffington Post, Martin said that he’s “grateful” the mayor has realized that the only solution to the prison’s problematic nature is to close it. Martin, who was imprisoned at Rikers twice and currently has a brother in the prison, said the mayor’s announcement was “especially meaningful” to him. “Mayor de Blasio has finally heard the demands of the #CLOSErikers campaign, and we thank him for recognizing that the problem with Rikers is Rikers,” he continued.

Source: Huffington Post March 31, 2017 20:15 UTC