![\"Members](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-09-at-8.34.07-PM.jpeg\")
<\/a>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<\/p>\n\u201cRobert Brooks did not die of natural causes \u2014 he died because the system failed him at every level,\u201d Liakas said. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speakers reflected on the devastating loss suffered by the Brooks family and the broader implications for incarcerated New Yorkers. Brooks\u2019 death has become, for many, a painful symbol of the persistent failures within the state\u2019s correctional system, including inadequate medical care, lack of transparency, excessive force and weak oversight when harm occurs behind prison walls.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight is about remembrance, but it\u2019s also about accountability,\u201d one speaker told the crowd. \u201cWe owe it to Robert, to his family and to everyone still behind those walls to change a system that continues to fail them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks Jr. spoke emotionally about his father\u2019s legacy and the family\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
As candles flickered across the Crown Heights gathering, the message was unmistakable: one year after Brooks\u2019 death, the demand for justice has only grown stronger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDecember 16 | \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15 | \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tState commission examines lack of diversity on jury panels<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReuven Blau, THE CITY\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tColumbian Lawyers\u2019 Judiciary Night showcases collegiality and transition<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRobert Abruzzese, Esq.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n