NY Rikers Island Officers Seek Protection From Inmates, Whose Lawsuit Says Guards Poisoned Them

[From article]
Some 50 members of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association — including its president Norman Seabrook — blasted the city’s jails commissioner for not doing enough to protect rank-and-file workers.
Correction officers in full uniform stood behind the coffin to show what could happen if Correction Commissioner Joe Ponte doesn’t address safety concerns in city jails.

http://nypost.com/2015/03/09/correction-officers-someone-is-going-to-die-at-rikers/

Correction officers: ‘Someone is going to die’ at Rikers
By Michael Gartland
New York Post
March 9, 2015 | 4:19am

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[From article]
A group of Rikers Island inmates say seething guards purposefully spiked their meatloaf with rat poison , possibly to avenge the attempted rape of a female jail guard last wee k .
The 19 prisoners allege in a new Brooklyn federal lawsuit that they fell violently ill after being served meals in their housing unit on March 3 during a three-day lockdown stemming from the attempted sex assault, court papers state.
[. . .]
“Some of the inmates kept the food as evidence,” she told the Post Monday. “I personally saw what looked like blue pellets – especially in the meatloaf – that are consistent with rat poison.”
Squillace said that a prisoner is usually assigned to assist Rikers staff in preparing and distributing meals. But that inmate – Ellis Wilson – claims he was suspiciously barred from taking part in the process on the day of the incident.

http://nypost.com/2015/03/09/rikers-guards-poisoned-inmates-meatloaf-out-of-revenge-suit/

Rikers guards poisoned inmates’ meatloaf ‘out of revenge': suit
By Selim Algar
New York Post
March 9, 2015 | 5:12pm