Brooklyn Prison regains its energy after inmates spend days without lights or heat in the middle of a polar vortex



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After days of growing protests and outrage, the current was reinstated in the detention center of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The prison confirmed this news in a statement released Sunday night with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. tweeting that a federal official had also shared the news with him.

"A federal official has confirmed that power is restored to the MDC. Make no mistake: it took people's power. Thank you to the families, activists, and officials who fought for the dignity of the people inside, "wrote Blasio.

While the prison statement stated that" the staff are safe. strives to restore the normal conditions of the center, "New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked the Justice Department to investigate the prison and the circumstances that led to the power outage.

" worryingly surfaced, according to which the federal government would have left more than a thousand prisoners without heating, hot water or electricity at subzero temperatures at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, "Cuomo said in a statement. The prisoners in New York are human beings. Let's treat them that way. "

The trouble began on January 27 when an electrical panel caught fire in the jail, cutting off power to some of the facilities.According to the employees of the facilities, the jail then switched to a power source

According to the union leaders, the heating problems were not related to the power failure, but occurred when the boilers that draw heat into the building froze in the middle of the polar vortex that hung in the north of the United States and plunged New York in temperatures below 10 degrees reported New York Times .

A spokesman for the guardian of MDC, identified as V. Logan, was denied Allegations that prisoners would not have access to hot water, sufficient heat, and hot meals.

All accommodations are dot s d & # 39; functional lighting. The heat and hot water were not affected. Similarly, prisoners' meals are not affected. receiving regular hot meals every day, "Logan said in an e-mail to Times .

On Saturday night, de Blasio asked New York City Emergency Management to provide blankets, hand warmers and generators. they like it or not, "reported Washington Post .

More than 1,600 inmates are housed in the MDC's premises.Number of them spent the days without He was able to hit the bars that were covering the windows to convey a message to the protesters gathered outside.Some protesters stayed all night, trembling with cold in solidarity with the detainees. day, waving signs of support or shouting messages in the hope that a loved one or friend inside can hear them.

Power has been restored, but local representatives who visited the prison Saturday continued to criticize the Republican Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) tweeted: "We were able to penetrate the cells to feel the temperature of the air and water and talk to Detainees say they need to wear a fleece jacket to stay warm Continue to push for action. "

On Sunday, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) again went to jail and tweeted that the conditions had improved.

" The conditions are much better. It's a lot warmer, "Nadler said. "And the electricity will be back tomorrow morning. We will remain vigilant to ensure that the health and safety of inmates and correctional officers are properly managed. "

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