Robert Ricks was proud of what his 43-year-old son, Robert Brooks, accomplished while serving time in prison: He got a GED, was learning sign language and took horticulture classes.
He couldn’t wait to celebrate Brooks’ accomplishments when he finished his 12-year sentence.
But he didn’t get the chance.
“I don't know what to say,” Ricks said Wednesday while surrounded by reporters at the state Capitol. “I witnessed my son being murdered on video.”
Brooks died a day after a prolonged beating by officers in December at Marcy Correctional Facility. He was handcuffed during the assault, which was documented on footage from officers' body-worn cameras.
Examiners ruled the violent death as a homicide earlier this month.
Brooks' death has sparked outrage and calls for prison reform. While Ricks said it was imperative for lawmakers to address “the level of evilness, that level of unaccountability that takes place inside the prison system,” he was hesitant to call for the removal of the state’s prison commissioner, Daniel Martuscello.
Ricks also called for the closing of Marcy Correctional Facility, but warned that systemic change would have to happen following the closure.
State Sen. Julia Salazar, D-Brooklyn, who is one of several state lawmakers proposing bills that would increase transparency at prisons and keep officers more accountable for misconduct, stood by Ricks in support.
“What we're talking about, really, is independent oversight and accountability in our facilities to try to prevent this from continuing,” she said. “We know that no singular bill, or even set of bills, can change the culture of violence and impunity in in jails and prisons in New York, but it can play a role.”
Officials have yet to make arrests in Brooks’ death. Salazar said that delay is unacceptable.
“I'm dismayed by how long this process has taken,” she said.
Salazar is also pushing her fellow lawmakers to create an independent office that would conduct investigations. She also wants to remove barriers to firing officers found guilty of misconduct.
Ricks will testify at the state’s hearing on public protection on Thursday. He’s being advised by former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned in disgrace in 2018 after being accused by several women of physical and verbal abuse.
