The Rikers Island correction officer slashed in the face in a vicious, unprovoked attack by two teenage inmates last week gave a heated, emotional speech at a rally protesting new departmental standards on the treatment of adolescent inmates.
Raymond Calderon was joined by about 200 correction officers at City Hall Monday in what became a raucous and angry rally on the new restrictions at Rikers.
Describing the attack, the 31-year-old Calderon said, "I was choked from behind and slashed numerous times. I almost passed out. If I was passed out, this would be a funeral."
Calderon said he was "lucky" that he only got 22 stitches on his face, considering the nature of the assault. Other officers at the rally held graphic photos of other staff injuries.
The officers say they're angy at new restrictions on punitive segregation for adolescent inmates on Rikers and the new use of force guidelines set to take place later this month. Officers will be prevented from striking inmates in the groin, neck, kidneys or spinal column, and prohibited from using high-impact force, including blows to the head and face. The only exception is if a staff member feels he or she is in imminent danger.
COBA President Norman Seabrook called for the ouster of Mayor de Blasio and Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte, who have spearheaded the changes.
"Vote him out of office in 2017," Seabrook said of de Blasio.
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As for Ponte, "Every time we get the oportunity to have a conversation with the commissioner, he acts as though he's doing us a favor. You're not doing us a favor. Your job is to keep us safe the same way we keep the inmates safe," Seabrook said.
But earlier in the day, de Blasio offered his full support to Ponte and the ongoing plan to reduce violence on Rikers.
"I believe we're on the right track to reduce the use of force properly, and to get away from things like punitive segregation," he said.
One correction officer at the rally said the administration doesn't understand what the officers are dealing with.
"So I'm getting hurt, why should I have guidelines on where I'm gonna hit a person?" she questioned. "These inmates are jumping. They don't care who it is. You could be the deputy warden coming in, and they have no respect for staff."
The inmates charged in last week's attack, William Whitfield, 18, and Darnell Green, 19, did not enter pleas at their arraignment Friday in Bronx Criminal Court. They were ordered held on $500,000 bail on assault and other charges stemming from the attack.
An attorney for Whitfield, who was being held at Rikers on an attempted murder charge, said his client was presumed innocent and planned to contest the charges. A lawyer for Green, who is being detained at Rikers in a murder case, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Ponte said last week he was "outraged by this horrific assault." He said he visited the injured officer in the hospital and pledged to support him and his family.
"Attacks against the hardworking men and women who serve in our department are unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Ponte said in a statement.
Exactly what type of sharp object was used in the attack wasn't immediately clear, and officials said investigators are examining how the inmates obtained it. City officials have moved to restrict visitors to Rikers, arguing those visits are an entry point for weapons. But a report earlier this year found that nearly 80 percent of the 2,100 weapons recovered in city jails in 2014 were shivs and shanks made out of materials found inside the jails.
Ponte said DOC has already tightened entrance procedures to keep weapons and contraband out of jails, bolstered security camera coverage and redesigned emergency response teams to get to officers faster when they are in dangerous situations. The DOCs facilities are on lockdown as the agency conducts searches to root out contraband, authorities said.
Ponte said the DOC will also issue a new use-of-force policy that will give officers more guidance when placed in "situations where force may be necessary for the safety and security of staff and inmates."
Seabrook said the DOC shouldn't issue new guidelines without consulting the union.
"We demand action and a seat at the table from the leadership of the department," Seabrook said.
