STATEMENT BY MAYOR RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI, REGARDING ARREST OF RIKERS ISLAND ASSISTANT TEACHER FERNANDO HERNANDEZ FOR THE PROMOTION OF PRISON CONTRABAND
"Today Fernando Hernandez, a paraprofessional at the Adolescent Reception Detention Center on Rikers Island, was arrested for the promotion of prison contraband -- Mr. Hernandez was caught attempting to smuggle 5 straight-edge razor blades into a City jail housing juveniles.
Yesterday I announced our Administration's new City-wide strategy to combat the problem of violent criminal street gangs and made it clear that this sort of behavior would not be tolerated by our Administration.
Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew and the Board of Education will implement a 'no tolerance' policy for street gang activity. They will work with the NYPD to expand the existing Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program from 20 to 40 schools and develop additional anti-gang after school programs. Their efforts to rid our schools of gangs will include:
- Banning the wearing of "gang colors";
- Banning tagging of gang related graffiti;
- Working with the NYPD to establish "gang-free school zones;
- Reporting all street gang activity to the NYPD, and precluding the mediation of street gang-related incidents by teachers, principals and school safety officers;
- Drug testing all school safety officers; and
- Prohibiting the hiring of street gang member in any capacity.
Mr. Hernandez, who was responsible for the testing and the orientation of pre-trial adolescent detainees on Rikers Island, took advantage of his position to spread violence and malice among these teenagers. His actions will not be tolerated and he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
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