Community leaders gather to honor Robert Brooks

Former AG Eric Schneiderman, Assemblymember Latrice Walker, Attorney Nicholas Liakas, Derrick Hamilton, John Ramsey, Attorney Cassandra Rhome, Attorney Adam Strychaluk and Attorney Craig Phemister. Photo courtesy of Nicholas Liakas

CROWN HEIGHTS — Community members, elected officials, legal advocates and family members gathered in Crown Heights for a solemn and powerful vigil marking one year since the death of Robert Brooks while in New York State custody. The event honored Brooks’ life, mourned his tragic passing and renewed urgent calls for systemic reform in New York’s prison system.

The vigil was emceed by longtime justice advocate Derrick Hamilton, whose experience with wrongful conviction and decades of advocacy for incarcerated people set the tone for an evening grounded in both grief and determination. Hamilton guided the program with steady resolve, emphasizing both remembrance and action.

Among those in attendance were former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Assemblymember Latrice Walker, Robert Brooks Jr. and guest speaker Nicholas Liakas, a trial lawyer who represents multiple incarcerated individuals who have faced similar patterns of systemic abuse, neglect and violence within New York’s correctional system.

Liakas spoke not only as an advocate for the Brooks family but also on behalf of other families who continue to seek accountability for loved ones harmed or killed while in state custody.

Members of Friends and Families of Wrongfully Convicted, members of End Prison Violence, family of Robert Brooks, former AG Eric Schneiderman, Attorney Nicholas Liakas, Donna Hylton, Assemblymember Latrice Walker and Derrick Hamilton. Photo courtesy of Nicholas Liakas

“Robert Brooks did not die of natural causes — he died because the system failed him at every level,” Liakas said. “And what makes this even more painful is that his story is not unique. I represent other incarcerated men and families who have suffered through the same abuse, the same silence, the same lack of accountability. This is exactly why Gov. Hochul must sign the Omnibus Prison Reform Bill. Lives depend on it.”

Speakers reflected on the devastating loss suffered by the Brooks family and the broader implications for incarcerated New Yorkers. Brooks’ death has become, for many, a painful symbol of the persistent failures within the state’s correctional system, including inadequate medical care, lack of transparency, excessive force and weak oversight when harm occurs behind prison walls.

Throughout the evening, attendees repeatedly urged Hochul to immediately sign the Omnibus Prison Reform Bill, sweeping legislation designed to improve conditions, expand independent oversight, strengthen transparency and increase protections for incarcerated people. Advocates made clear that the tools for reform already exist; what is needed now is decisive executive action.

“Tonight is about remembrance, but it’s also about accountability,” one speaker told the crowd. “We owe it to Robert, to his family and to everyone still behind those walls to change a system that continues to fail them.”

Brooks Jr. spoke emotionally about his father’s legacy and the family’s ongoing pursuit of justice. He thanked the community for standing with them over the past year and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that no other family is forced to endure the same loss.

Walker echoed those calls, emphasizing that the legislature has already acted and that further delay puts lives at risk. Schneiderman reinforced the importance of independent oversight and legal accountability when civil rights violations occur in prisons and correctional facilities across New York State.

As candles flickered across the Crown Heights gathering, the message was unmistakable: one year after Brooks’ death, the demand for justice has only grown stronger.

Under the steady guidance of Hamilton and the unified voices of elected officials, lawyers, advocates and family members, the community vowed to continue pressing Hochul to sign the Omnibus Prison Reform Bill and to fight for real, enforceable protections for every person incarcerated in New York State.