Stop The Mega Jail: Chinatown Needs Your Help
In 2017, Mayor Deblasio approved a $8.3 billion borough based jail program that includes building the world’s tallest jail in Chinatown.
The plan would demolish the current two Manhattan Detention Complexes to create a new 40 story jail. Construction will last until at least 2027.
Using public funds to further mass incarceration is not the answer. We are calling on Mayor Adams to stop the proposed plan and reconsider alternatives for the $8.3 billion plan that invest in education, health care, mental health, and more. Invest in people, not jails.
The impact to Chinatown will be devastating. The proposed jail will use both Centre Street and Baxter Streets for construction, an already densely populated area with senior housing, green space, and small businesses. Chinatown still has not fully recovered from September 11th, the closure of Park Row, ongoing construction of Brooklyn Bridge, and COVID-19.
Chinatown cannot become a construction site and home of the world’s largest jail.
How you can help:
Contact Mayor Adams by phone and submit a webform message urging Mayor Adams to stop the construction. We have less than two weeks until the demolition starts.
Phone: Call 311 or 212-NEW-YORK if you’re outside NYC
Email: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page
Suggested template (We highly encourage you to personalize your letter):
Message Topic: General Views
Message:
Mayor Adams,
The potential $8.3 billion borough based jail program will be detrimental to New Yorkers, current and future. It will cause irreversible harm and using public funds to further mass incarceration is not the answer. We ask that you halt the construction of the borough based jail, especially Chinatown’s mega jail and consider alternative options. Constructing the tallest jail in the world will change the fabric of the community, diminish quality of life for residents, and cause harm for an already marginalized community. I urge you to stop the demolition of Manhattan Detention Center and construction of the mega jail in Chinatown.
Email: Members of the Adams’ administration using the suggested template above, personalized to the sender. We highly encourage you to tweak the letter in minor ways to avoid it being caught in a spam filter)
Eric Ulrich, Senior Advisor (eulrich@cityhall.nyc.gov)
Fred Kreizman, Community Affairs Unit (fkreizman@cityhall.nyc.gov)
Dawn Miller, First Deputy Chief of Staff (dmiller@cityhall.nyc.gov)
Tiffany Raspberry, Senior Advisor for External Affairs (traspberry@cityhall.nyc.gov)
Stefan Ringel, Senior Advisor (sringel@cityhall.nyc.gov)
Ryan Lynch, Deputy Chief of Staff at City Hall (rlynch@cityhall.nyc.gov)
Madeline Labadie, Deputy Chief of Staff (mlabadie@cityhall.nyc.gov)
