Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
22 Rikers Inmates Sue, Claiming Guards In Riot Gear Beat Them In Freezing Gym
By
Nathan Tempey
Published Jul 13, 2015
Modified Jul 13, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nathan Tempey
Published Jul 13, 2015
Modified Jul 13, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Nearly two dozen prisoners at Rikers Island are suing the city, claiming they were beaten by guards in riot gear after being forced into an unheated gym for hours in mid-February, the Daily News reports. The inmates say they were among a group of 50 who jailers moved into the gym around dinnertime because doors in the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, one of the facilities on the island, wouldn't lock. The inmates said the locks broke four days earlier and the guards forced them to stay in their unlocked cells for three and a half of those. Then, on the day of the alleged brutality, guards ordered 50 of them to the freezing gym wearing only T-shirts, just as dinner was arriving in the dorm, according to the lawsuit.
They received no instructions, but were told food would be delivered soon. After several hours with no word and no grub, the group sought answers from the guards at the door. A phalanx of corrections officers in riot gear responded.
"They were throwing inmates off the bleachers," plaintiff Isiah Foster told the News. "It was unbelievably terrifying—bodies everywhere crying out in pain and agony like a bomb had gone off."
The city's Law Department told the tabloid it would look into the claims. This is far from the first time that Rikers guards have been accused of assaulting inmates—in fact, use of force by guards is at its highest in more than a decade, though island's inmate population is way down. But maybe this is to be expected when the Correction Department hires people with criminal records, mental health problems, and friends and relatives on the inside to work as Rikers guards?
Tagged
brutality
department of corrections
lawsuit
prisoners rights
Rikers Island
riot gear
Nathan Tempey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 17, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. ET
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .