Following the news that Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has been using Rikers Island inmates to do his dirty work for years, the Brooklyn Paper reports that his chain gang may be going the way of the Canada goose.
If his shows in Asser Levy Park are even allowed to go on next summer (neighbors have been complaining about the noise level), Rikers won't be deploying any inmates to be his cleaning crew again—a spokeswoman for the Department of Correction said they have "no plans to do so."
While locals never seemed too concerned for their safety regarding the minimum risk inmates working the shows, they did think the jobs should be going to those not in jail. Even Markowitz admitted, "on the other hand, there are a lot of people out of work that would like to get paid—even if just for a couple of days.”
Turns out there's a program that was established by Mayor Bloomberg and the Department of Youth and Community that Markowitz "overlooked." It would bring teenagers in to do the job for minimum wage ($7.25 per hour). Oh well, guess this means no secret Lil Wayne show.
