One year ago our community lost Layleen Polanco, a 27-year-old Afro-Latinx trans woman, who was pronounced dead in a solitary confinement cell at Rikers. We mourn the loss of Layleen, a sister, daughter, mother, friend, and community advocate. We are angry and stand with her family as they seek justice for her death.
AVP demands #JusticeForLayleen. We demand that:
- The State Legislature pass HALT Solitary Confinement Act and end solitary confinement in New York City jails.
- The State repeal #WalkingWhileTrans ban
- The State stop implementation of 2020 bail reform rollbacks
- The Bronx DA issue a public apology for dead-naming Layleen Polanco in a press release announcing the decision not to pursue criminal charges of officers in connection with Layleen’s death
- Fire correction officers involved in Layleen Polanco’s death in solitary confinement at Rikers Island
Take action to demand #Justice4Layleen:
- Contact, call or tweet at your state senator (@NYSenDems) and assembly member (@NYSA_Majority) to 1) pass #HALTSolitary Act to restrict solitary confinement’s use in New York State, and 2) stop implementation of 2020 bail reform rollbacks.
- The #WalkingWhileTrans repeal has the votes needed to end Stop and Frisk of trans and gender non-conforming people. Contact, call or tweet at your state senator (@NYSenDems) and assembly member (@NYSA_Majority) to pass the bill to make it law in New York State.
- Contact or tweet at Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor), contact your New York City Council Member, and/or contact or call the Board of Corrections (212-669-7900) to demand that they end solitary confinement in City jails immediately.
- Tweet (@BronxDAClark) or call (718-590-2000) the Bronx DA Darcel Clark to demand she issue an apology for dead-naming LayleenPolanco in a press release announcing her decision not to pursue criminal charges of officers in connection with Layleen’s death
- Contact or tweet at Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) and or contact, call (718-546-1500), tweet at Department of Corrections (@CorrectionNYC) to release publicly the names of and immediately fire correction officers involved in Layleen Polanco’s death in solitary confinement at Rikers Island.One Year of #Justice4Layleen