Seek Reform Of Hart Is. Operations
City Council Member Elizabeth S. Crowley, chair of the Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee, held a hearing last Thursday, Sept. 27, on two bills that will increase transparency over New York City’s operation of the potter’s field on Hart Island.
Since 1869, the city has used Hart Island as a burial ground for the deceased who were unclaimed or unidentified, or whose relatives could not afford a private burial. More than 850,000 people have been buried at Hart Island, and there are approximately 1,000 new burials each year. Currently, the Department of Correction (DOC) operates and maintains the cemetery.
During an oversight hearing last October about practices at Hart Island, it was discovered that it was extremely difficult for relatives to visit the island or even determine if a relative was interred at the cemetery. Advocates for reform testified that a wall of bureaucracy forced relatives to fight legal battles and obtain certified death certificates before receiving any information from the DOC.
Following the hearing, Council Members Crowley and James Vacca, whose district includes Hart Island, as well Council Member James Oddo, who had helped a constituent receive answers from the DOC and saw firsthand how difficult it was, introduced a package of legislation to reform the city’s policies regarding the island and provide public access to Hart Island.
The proposed legislation, discussed at last Thursday’s hearing, includes the following:
– Intro. No. 803 would require the Department of Correction to compile and publicly list an electronic database of people buried at Hart Island since 1977.
– Intro. No. 804 mandates the Department of Correction to clearly state its visitation policy in writing and make it available online and to anyone who requests it.
– Intro. No. 805 would establish a regular ferry service, open to the pub- lic, between City Island and Hart Island.
– Intro. No. 848 would transfer control over Hart Island from the Department of Correction to the Parks Department.
“The city has a solemn responsibility to provide accurate and easily accessible information about the people buried at Hart Island,” said Crowley. “For too long, relatives have had to jump through hoops to get answers from the DOC, and Intro. Nos. 803 and 804 will ensure records and visitation policies are clear and understandable. Ultimately, Hart Island should be fully open to the public.”
