BRONX: Community in Unity Coalition “We will not allow city officials to conference behind closed doors and build a jail in our community without consulting our community.” Attending a City Council meeting for an unrelated reason, members of what would become Community in Unity (CIU) were surprised to hear the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction announce plans for a $375 million jail expansion in their Hunts Point, Bronx community. In addition to the proposed Bronx jail, the Department of Correction has plans for new jails across the city in Brooklyn and at Rikers Island even amidst the City’s declining crime rates. Crime rates in the Bronx have been steadily declining over the past decade to almost half what they were in 1995. Responding quickly to the surprise announcement, twenty organizations from the Bronx and around the City organized the Community in Unity Coalition to fight the proposed expansion and call for greater community participation in envisioning development. Participating organizations in the coalition range from membership based organizations and home owners associations to public defenders offices and Alternative to Incarceration programs. The Community in Unity Coalition advocates bail reform, eliminating inefficiencies in the criminal justice system, and increased use of Alternative to Incarceration programs as faster, cheaper, and more effective ways to decrease jail overcrowding. The Coalition also demands a transparent and inclusive decision-making process that respects the voices of those most impacted by proposed project. Community in Unity is meeting with elected officials around the City, spreading information around the South Bronx through outreach, and exploring possible legal challenges to stop the new jail. A CIU town hall meeting on August 3, 2006 brought together members of the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, formerly incarcerated community members, elected officials, those with experience fighting jail expansion, and the press to discuss problems with, and ways to stop, the proposed jail. The coalition also combines the areas of expertise of its many different member organizations to find unique perspectives to opposing the jail. After some research by Environmental Justice organizations in the Coalition, they learned that the proposed location for the new Jail is polluted and designated a Brownfield site. The group quickly called attention to the city’s willingness to compel people in jail to live on polluted ground even while forbidding the area to be zoned for residences. In another example, the specialized expertise of the Coalition’s Alternative to Incarceration programs allows them the unique opportunity to speak from experience about the City’s need for more ATI programs and mental illness treatment in lieu of jailing.
A Bronx resident signs a pledge to "Publicly commit to join the community fight to stop the siting of a jail and power plant in Hunts Point."
Community in Unity Coalition members and Bronx residents listen as members of Critical Resistance NYC and CIU discuss their frustrations with the City's jailing system at the August 3rd Town Hall meeting. Cell Block: City suddenly whips out plans for a new Bronx jail. Not in our wasteland, say opponents. August, 2006 Village Voice Article
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