Remembering Jamel Floyd: Celebration honors his life and calls for MDC reform

“Brick by brick, wall by wall, tear it down and free them all!”

The chants filled the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC Brooklyn) parking lot in Sunset Park on Sept. 15 as family members and supporters gathered to celebrate Jamel Floyd’s birthday and call for reforms inside the facility.

Floyd died in June 2020 after officers pepper sprayed him in his solitary confinement cell at MDC Brooklyn. His father, James Floyd, 71, spoke about remembering him with love and unity.

“He would give you anything, even the shirt off his back,” James Floyd said. “Jamel was a beautiful soul.”

His mother, Donna Mays, 65, said her son had asthma and diabetes, and that staff at MDC Brooklyn were aware of his conditions. She argues pepper spray should not have been used on someone with asthma.

Despite her anger, the celebration brought her comfort. “I miss him so much. Being here makes me go home with peace,” Mays said. “I’m able to talk to other mothers, as well, that have lost their children. Don’t give up.”

Floyd was convicted in a Nassau County burglary case and transferred to MDC Brooklyn in 2019. The New York City medical examiner ruled his death accidental, citing cardiac arrhythmia due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with recent synthetic cannabinoid use noted as a contributing factor. An inspector general report later noted gaps in Floyd’s mental health treatment, underscoring persistent problems with mental health care at MDC Brooklyn.

Jamel Floyd is one of many Black Americans whose deaths in 2020 drew public attention. He died one week after George Floyd was killed on May 25 of that year. The killings of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery sparked national outrage and calls for justice.

MDC Solidarity, who helped organize the event and advocates for more humane conditions inside MDC Brooklyn, said the push to reform MDC Brooklyn aligns with the broader fight to end police violence.

“Protests like these are a must,” said MDC Solidarity member Jess. “We want to amplify the voices of the incarcerated.”

Jenn, another member, cited the importance of groups like Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization working for prison abolition — the idea of dismantling the prison industrial complex and instead building community-based responses to harm.

For one attendee who asked not to be identified, protests like these are an important opportunity to demand accountability from a system she believes routinely fails communities of color.

“I’ve been struck by stories of police violence and systemic racism for a while,” she said. “We need to put more pressure on the system so injustices become impossible.”

While MDC Brooklyn has often been in the news for housing high-profile inmates, like alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione and disgraced rapper Sean Combs, MDC Brooklyn’s history of safety problems has also drawn headlines.

Earlier this year, federal prosecutors charged a former MDC Brooklyn officer, along with inmates, for violent assaults and contraband smuggling inside MDC Brooklyn. Federal reviews have highlighted ongoing infrastructure and oversight problems, and a 2019 power outage left people inside reporting frigid conditions for days.

Even as protesters spoke about abolition and reform, the heart of the day remained with Jamel Floyd. His younger brother Ramel, 37, recalled him as selfless and deeply caring.

“Jamel was a kind-hearted individual. He would protect you,” Ramel Floyd said. “My brother was a leader, a fighter, and, most of all, loved his family.”

Later in the demonstration, family and attendees joined Jamel’s daughter, London, 10, in singing “Happy Birthday” to commemorate his life. The moment, described by organizers as one of love and remembrance, was also framed as a reminder that action must be taken to prevent more deaths at MDC Brooklyn.