Hundreds of lawsuits filed by survivors of sexual abuse at Brooklyn and Bronx juvenile facilities
MORE THAN 250 LAWSUITS have been filed since April on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by employees at juvenile detention facilities in Brooklyn and the Bronx, said law firm Levy Konigsberg, which on Tuesday filed more than 100 civil claims made possible under a “lookback” provision passed by the City Council. Attorneys were set to join survivors, Brooklyn BP Antonio Reynoso and other officials at Brooklyn Borough Hall Thursday to reveal abuse by staff at juvenile lockups in Brooklyn and the Bronx, the firm said in a release. These include Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Spofford and Horizon juvenile centers in the Bronx, and Rikers Island.
“When I arrived at Crossroads Juvenile Detention Center, I went from an innocent kid with straight A’s who loved to play with his brothers and walk on stilts in Park Slope to a traumatized and ashamed teenager because of the nightmare I had to live nightly,” survivor Nijere Stewart said in a statement. Stewart was cleared of charges, but the damage was done after being incarcerated for five months, according to CBS.
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