Activists Monitor BK Jail Again After More Heat Outage Reports

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Advocates have not taken their eyes off of a Brooklyn federal prison that sparked national outrage when it went without heat and power for a week earlier this year.

A local advocacy group, No New Jails NYC, has set up a shift system to monitor the Metropolitan Detention Center after attorneys said last week parts of it still lacked heat, the Brooklyn Eagle first reported.

Heat had reportedly been restored to the federal prison Feb. 4 after an electrical fire a week before had caused the power to be cut, leaving inmates inside without heat, light and in some cases access to medications or contact with their attorneys, a lawsuit about the situation claims.

But, Federal Defenders of New York attorney Diedre von Dornum told the Daily News Friday that she had “firsthand knowledge” that at least three units inside the jail were still without heat, sparking a new wave of activism outside the jail.

“MDC is back without heat! We are back occupying the space! Please sign up for shifts today!,” activist Brittany Williams tweeted.

The four-hour shifts started over the weekend and will run until March 15. Volunteers are asked to either support family members waiting to see their loved ones inside or track emergency vehicles going in and out of the facility, according to a volunteer form.

The group said other protesters or rallies are likely, but that No New Jails NYC volunteers are there to help ensure the rights of detainees, "not about politics."

"We will not agitate. We will not instigate. We will not jeopardize the safety of our community members," the volunteer guidelines said. "We know the actions we hold on the outside, impact those who are held on the inside."

The Federal Bureau of Prisons maintained to the Eagle that the jail is "fully operational" despite the attorney's reports.

The prison is also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice because of the power outage and is the subject of a lawsuit, which New York Attorney General Letitia James signed on to a few weeks ago.

The lawsuit calls for the appointment of a "special master" to inspect the MDC and assess current conditions at the facility. It claims that lawyers heard from their clients — including some attorneys who were able to tour the facility during the power outage — that the fire had caused little or no heating, hot water, electricity or access to certain medical services, telephones, computers, televisions or commissary.

But prison officials, the lawsuit claims, continued to send out "false and/or misleading" statements about how heat, hot water and medical services were still being provided despite the electricity problems.