After
SDNY Judge
Torres Denies
Application
for MDC Brooklyn
Special Master
Inner City
Press Asks UN
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Periscope
video, II
III
NEW YORK CITY,
February 6 – When Judge
Analisa Torres returned at
7:30 pm from the Brooklyn MDC
to her courtroom in the U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York,
those assembled - six
journalists including Inner
City Press, Federal Defenders,
two named plaintiffs in tan
prison guards - seemed to
agree that something would
happen, perhaps a ruling for a
special master to oversee the
MDC. In fact, there was no
action (see below). On
February 5 while covering two
separate police brutality
cases in the SDNY, Inner City
Press in writing has asked the
United Nations: "what is
the UN's
knowledge of,
comment and
action on the
conditions at
the MDC
Brooklyn jail,
including 50
degree
temperatures,
cut off
meetings with
lawyers,
limited
medical care,
water dripping
on inmates'
beds, as shown
in the SDNY?"
Perhaps it's Special
Rapporteur
Alston who
should answer -
and act? Watch this
site.
Judge
Torres asked both Federal
Defenders' Dierdre
Dionysia von
Dornum and the
FBI's John Ross to
describe that
they'd
seen on the
visit to the
MDC with her,
which Latitia
James also
accompanied
(though no
journalists,
despite
requests in
written and orally in
the court). Ms
von Dornum
said the
lights were on and
it was
warmer, but still
no medical
treatment and
few lawyers'
visits. The
expectation of
a ruling for a
special master grew.
But when Judge
Torres issued
her ruling,
it concerned
the failure of
the two
inmates to
take the
standard and
provide even
"a shred of
evidence"
of their
claims, that one would face
retaliation
and the other
needed a
transfer on
medical
groups. When it was
offered that
the
testify now, past 8
pm, Judge Torres
denied it,
saying it was
too late. An
affidavit
will be
provided later
but the moment
was lost. The
request for
a special
master, Judge Torres
said, had been
raised, and
more
appropriately,
in the civil
litigation
in the Eastern
District of
New York -
where, Inner
City Press learned from
a case
participant
who said "off
the record" a
meeting of all
judges and the
US Attorney
took place,
trying to
solve "the whole
situation."
There was
criticism of
Nicole McFarland,
of the
continuing
denial of medical
treatment and
timely
lawyers' visits.
But none of
these were
addressed much
less solved on
Tuesday
night. Inner
City Press
retrieved
its
electronics,
did a
Periscope
broadcast (here) and this story,
from the stone
chess
(actually
backgammon)
table across
Worth Street
from the SDNY
courthouse.
We'll be here
more.
Upcoming in the
SDNY is a just-filed complaint
by the Bangladesh Central Bank
for the $81 million hacking of
its funds, which were then
wired through the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York, a case
that Inner City Press will
cover. Times change. Watch
this site.
***
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