CAMPAIGN LEADERS
JOHNATHAN McLEAN
The city must eradicate the culture of dehumanization that made Rikers what it is. If you put people in environments where they must scratch and claw like animals to survive then they can never reach their full potential as human beings.
Jonathan McLean is the Chief Executive Officer at CASES and a formerly incarcerated citizen. He has extensive experience delivering, managing, and leading direct service programs, including clinical and youth programs.
MEDIA APPEARANCES
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Opinion: We can’t give up on closing Rikers
By Jonathan McLean
City & State NY, Apr. 4, 2022
Q+A
1.) How are you connected to this movement?
I was invited to speak at a recent Close Rikers rally as an executive leader from CASES. I am a huge supporter of the campaign given my experience on Rikers as a teenager.
2.) Why should Rikers close?
Rikers should close because it is an extension of the worst aspects of a structurally racist system that marginalizes and dehumanizes Black and Brown people in this city.
3.) What is your vision for a more just and equitable post-Rikers New York City?
My vision for a more just and equitable post-Rikers NY is one where the city reduces the jail population and continues to divert people, particularly those living with mental illness, to community-based services. Additionally, I do not think it is enough to just Close Rikers, the city must eradicate the culture of dehumanization that made Rikers what it is. If you put people in environments where they must scratch and claw like animals to survive then they can never reach their full potential as human beings.
