Mural highlights struggles of formerly incarcerated
BY BEN VERDE
A new mural in Bedford-
Stuyvesant aims to bring attention
to the challenges faced
by formerly incarcerated people
in America.
The mural, painted by artist
Damien Mitchell on Atlantic
Avenue and Perry Place,
is part of the End Perpetual
Punishment campaign spearheaded
by entrepreneur Michael
“Zaki” Smith, a Bedford
Stuyvesant native who
said the mural’s location in
the neighborhood was special
to him.
“It’s my home,” said Smith.
“It’s very important to me that
this piece exists in Brooklyn.”
The mural is the fi rst of a
series that will be installed in
communities with high rates
of incarceration.
The mural — which portrays
a Black man drinking
from a water fountain marked
“Criminal Record” across
from an unused whites-only
water fountain — illustrates
the “Jim Crow-like restrictions”
WILDLIFE
COURIER L 22 IFE, AUGUST 21-27, 2020
Smith says formerly
incarcerated Americans are
forced to navigate.
Every year, federal and
state prisons release 620,000
people from prison, according
to Department of Justice statistics.
Once they’re released,
they are subject to 44,000 individual
laws and regulations
that limit their access to employment,
housing, voting,
education and other rights,
which often leads to recidivism,
criminal justice experts
believe.
Smith, who is formerly incarcerated,
said he hopes the
mural educates the community
on the challenges faced
by those with a criminal record,
and encourages those
who have criminal records to
question why they are caught
in a cycle of punishment.
“The goal is for them to
PAINFUL REMINDER: Michael “Zaki” Smith speaks in front of the mural
during its unveiling on Aug 16. Jonnea Herman/The Century Foundation
reconsider, and question ‘why
am I being continuously punished
forever even though I
have served my time?’” he
said.
Smith, who launched the
End Perpetual Punishment
campaign after being let go
from a job at a high school in
New Jersey due to his criminal
record, sees the mural as
an entrance point for formerly
incarcerated New Yorkers to
be not only welcomed back
into their communities but included
in policy discussions
they have historically been
left out of.
“The people most affected
by policies are almost never
involved in the shaping of policies
that would be of benefi t
to them,” Smith said. “This is
a way of educating the community
and also bringing
them into the conversation
around the power that they
have.”
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Coney Island’s New York
Aquarium will reopen for the
public on Aug. 27, welcoming
guests back to the Surf Avenue
marine life emporium after
fi ve months of closure due
to the pandemic.
“We are thrilled to once
again welcome guests back
to the aquarium,” said New
York Aquarium director Jon
Forrest Dohlin in a statement
Tuesday.
The aquarium, which closed
in March 16 due to the COVID-19
outbreak, is back with a new
exhibit called “Spineless” focusing
on the weird creatures
of the sea without backbones,
such as octopus, squids, and
jellyfi sh, according to Dohlin.
Visitors will also get to meet
the adorable new seal and sea
lion pups that were born at the
southern Brooklyn tank during
the closure!
The marine haven’s relaunch
comes after Gov. Andrew
Cuomo on Aug. 14 announced
museums and other
cultural institutions could
reopen starting Aug. 24. The
aquarium will open its doors
exclusively to members from
Aug. 24-26, according to the
Wildlife Conservation Society,
which operates the water park
along with the Prospect Park
Zoo, which will also reopen its
indoor exhibits that week.
As with many reopenings,
visitors will have to adhere to
strict health and safety guidelines,
including wearing a
mask or face covering for anybody
age three or older and socially
distancing throughout
the park.
The organization will only
sell tickets for a specifi c date
and time — no walk-up admission
— to limit the amount of
guests at one time. The traditional
free admittance on
Wednesday afternoons will
continue from Sept. 2 onward,
but those timed tickets will
also need to be ordered online
in advance.
Staff will increase cleaning
protocols, especially in hightouch
areas, and the organization
has moved all day camps
and education programs online,
according to aquarium
offi cials.
Director Dohlin praised his
staff for maintaining the park
at the People’s Playground
during the long closure, saying
they were to thank for
bringing it back.
“As we reopen, I want to offer
special thanks to our essential
staff who have been
working every day since the
closure in March to provide
world-class care for our animals
while keeping park operations
running smoothly,” he
said. “They are a credit to our
organization and are looking
forward to once again receiving
visitors at the aquarium.”
Perpetual lockdown
New York Aquarium to reopen with
COVID restrictions on Aug. 27
BROOKLYN
Back in the swim
New York Aquarium 602
Surf Ave., at W. Fifth Street in
Coney Island, www.nyaquarium.
com, (718)265—3474.
Aug. 27–Sept. 7, 10 am-5 pm
daily. Sept. 8-Oct. 31 10 am-4
pm weekdays, 10 am–4:30 pm
weekends and holidays. Children
(ages 3-12) $22.95, adult
(13 and over) $26.95, and seniors
(65 and older) $24.95.
SEAL OF NEW YORK CITY: An adorable new baby seal is among the wet
wonders at the New York Aquarium. Julie Larsen Maher/WCS
/www.nyaquar-ium.com
/www.nyaquar-ium.com
/www.nyaquar-ium.com
