In the hours leading up to Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address Tuesday, hundreds of activists rallied on the concourse. They spoke to various issues including assisted suicide, the climate, tensions in the middle east and prison reform.

A large group took their demonstration to the streets of the Albany as they marched peacefully around the Empire State Plaza chanting, “What’s his name? Robert Brooks!”

Brooks was a former inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County. The 43-year-old died last month after an apparent beating by multiple correctional officers there.

Body cam footage released by the state’s Office of the Attorney General shows Brooks was restrained during the incident. According to the AG’s office, Brooks suffered bruising on his face, a fractured nasal bone and other injuries to his neck and extremities.

Brooks had been serving a 12-year sentence for stabbing his girlfriend in 2016.

Governor Hochul ordered the firing of 18 individuals linked to the incident, all of which had already been suspended without pay or resigned their position.

Activists with VOCAL New York wanted legislators and their staffers to hear Brooks’ name as they made their way into the Capitol Tuesday. Many of them have experience with being incarcerated themselves, some for decades. They say Brooks’ death is not the only example of malpractice in the state prison system and believe systemic changes are needed.

“Many individuals have gone into prison with their wholeness, come out broken or don’t come out at all. Their families and communities deserve better,” said John Draper. “These elected officials deserve to serve their constituents in a much more comprehensive way, a much fairer way. When a person goes to prison, they don’t lose their human rights; they only lose their liberty.”

VOCAL New York supports several proposals like ensuring older prisoners have adequate access to the parole board and improving resources for those who may be wrongfully convicted. It’s also interested in restoring a convicted felon or incarcerated individual’s right to vote.