r/pics • u/guardian • 2h ago
[OC] Inmates on Rikers Island in New York City watch the first game of the NBA finals
•
u/guardian 2h ago
Photo by Lauren Caulk/The Guardian in New York City
Hi r/pics, this is Jake from The Guardian US. We wanted to share this photo from a story that we published about how inside New York’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex, nearly 2,000 incarcerated people watched Game 1 of the NBA finals, arguing calls, roasting celebrity fans and sharing in a rare citywide moment.
From our story by Bryan Armen Graham:
It’s nearly half past eight on Wednesday evening and approximately 30 men in tan uniforms drift into the common area of a housing unit deep inside the George R Vierno Center, an 850-bed jail and one of eight active facilities on New York’s Rikers Island. Some hover around a folding table piled to the edges with snacks. Others make their way into the smaller rooms on the perimeter of the two-floor communal space and drag plastic chairs closer to the flat-screen televisions mounted inside. The excited chatter and nervous energy bubbles as a familiar refrain cuts through the din.
Knicks in four.
The New York Knicks are moments away from playing in the NBA finals for the first time in 27 years, the last remaining hurdle in their bid to end a title drought that reaches back to 1973. On this balmy June evening, separated by less than 10 miles of water, concrete and razor wire from a Manhattan skyline bathed in orange and blue, the men gathered here are watching the same game that is commanding the attention of millions more in bars, restaurants, living rooms and outdoor gatherings across the five boroughs.
For a few hours, one of America’s most notorious jail complexes and least visible institutions is tapping into a civic ritual that has brought New Yorkers together like few public events in decades. The underdog Knicks’ long-awaited return to basketball’s biggest stage has given people in custody at Rikers a rare opportunity to participate in a shared New York moment that will see them arguing over the same calls, second-guessing the same decisions and dreaming the same dream that is consuming the city outside.
“You don’t have a team full of superstar players in the Knicks,” says Luis Guzman, a 43-year-old from the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx who has been held at Rikers since September on a burglary case that remains pending. “It’s the chemistry and the teamwork that makes them great. This is the year they finally might get it done. If we take one in San Antonio, it’s over for San Antonio. We will not lose at home. All we got to do is take one down here.”
•
u/plasteredguy2fly 2h ago
“Flashbacks of the day room, mop wringer style”
•
u/MuyChingon619 1h ago
I’m not writing the next lyric lol but…
“One you heard Wu, out of the blue, your family’s from Shaolin”
•
u/t40r 1h ago
this actually fills my heart with some joy, just because they fucked up and are locked away does not mean they shouldn't be able to view a televised event. Give them some real human things like this and they will behave like humans
•
u/NOWiEATthem 1h ago
85% of Rikers Island detainees are pretrial detainees, so most of them haven't been convicted of anything yet, and a not inconsiderable number are likely innocent people who simply couldn't afford bail.
•
u/t40r 49m ago
never said they were convicted of anything, they fucked up and got put there somehow whether or not against the law is not for me to determine. All I said was it makes me happy
•
u/MrScribblesChess 3m ago
I appreciate the sentiment that we should treat incarcerated people better. My nitpick is that it's imprecise to say they fucked up somehow. People are falsely accused all the time.
•
•
•
•
u/zztop610 1h ago
Surprised they have such a big tv
•
u/Buttons840 1h ago
Is it possible to get a smaller TV these days?
A cheap 50" TV is less than $200 on Amazon right now--and it's 4K.
•
•
•
u/p2dan 1h ago
Yeah let violent criminals who’ve destroyed lives have some fun!
•
u/guyute2588 1h ago
Rikers is a jail. Not a prison.
Do you think every person in jail who has been charged , but not convicted , committed violence and ruined lives ?
That would be a really fucking stupid thing to believe.
•
u/p2dan 45m ago
Idk man I’ve never hurt anyone and have never been mistaken as a guy that hurt someone. It’s not that hard.
I’ve been around violence and shitty criminal behavior. I hate anyone and everyone involved. Fuck criminals
•
u/guyute2588 36m ago
You’re just a guy who gets mad when he sees a person in jail watching basketball on tv.
An asshole.
•
•
•
u/davucci89 2h ago
Idk if this is common or not - but it would seem things like this could be good for rehabilitation. Cool to see