Kalief Browder, a young man from New York City who had gained national renown in recent years as a symbol of America's broken criminal justice system, took his own life this weekend, according to a report from The New Yorker. He was 22.
Browder was just 16 years old in 2010 when he was sent to New York's notorious Rikers Island jail on a robbery charge that would ultimately be dismissed. He ended up spending three years at the facility, despite not having been convicted of a crime. When he wasn’t in solitary confinement -- where he spent an accumulated two years -- he faced unspeakable violence at the hands of guards and fellow inmates. . .
This story is disturbing and extremely heartbreaking. My heart literally hurt while reading his story and watching his interview. What's even more disturbing is that there are so many other cases where people are held for months and even years in jail without convictions or even trial dates. This, however, is an extreme and completely avoidable case that shows just how f*cked up our system is and unfortunately resulted in the untimely death of an innocent young man. My condolences to his family and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
To read the entire story and interview click the link below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/08/kalief-browder-death_n_7535420.html
Browder was just 16 years old in 2010 when he was sent to New York's notorious Rikers Island jail on a robbery charge that would ultimately be dismissed. He ended up spending three years at the facility, despite not having been convicted of a crime. When he wasn’t in solitary confinement -- where he spent an accumulated two years -- he faced unspeakable violence at the hands of guards and fellow inmates. . .
This story is disturbing and extremely heartbreaking. My heart literally hurt while reading his story and watching his interview. What's even more disturbing is that there are so many other cases where people are held for months and even years in jail without convictions or even trial dates. This, however, is an extreme and completely avoidable case that shows just how f*cked up our system is and unfortunately resulted in the untimely death of an innocent young man. My condolences to his family and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
To read the entire story and interview click the link below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/08/kalief-browder-death_n_7535420.html
