On Friday, a coalition of youth justice advocates will host its annual “Loud and Lit Up” rally and noise demonstration on the West Side, outside the Illinois Youth Center and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, to demand that young people detained and incarcerated at the facilities be released immediately.
The coalition of youth justice advocates includes the Final 5 Campaign, Liberation Library, American Friends Service Committee-Chicago and Circles and Ciphers.
The goal of Friday’s demonstration is to shine a light on “the harmful practices within the facilities and the loss of opportunities for youth who are denied diversion programs in favor of incarceration,” according to a joint press release.
In October, a former correctional officer at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center was found not guilty on criminal charges related to a 2023 incident involving a child at the facility. Kevin Walker was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct. Walker was accused of slamming a handcuffed 15-year-old boy to the floor while attempting to escort him to a holding cell. The incident left the boy unconscious with bruising on his face.
“Youth who are detained in county and state-run facilities are vulnerable to this type of violence every day, along with extreme isolation due to the improper use of solitary confinement and lack of opportunity as already limited programming is cut further,” the joint press statement reads.
In addition, youth justice advocates argue that all young people deserve to be home for the holiday season.
“We are rallying to demand the release of young people from all five youth prisons in Illinois and the Cook County JTDC,” the coalition said in a joint written statement. “The state spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to incarcerate one youth, while their communities remain underfunded. These resources would be better spent on community-based services and support.”
The rally will kick off at 5:30 p.m., outside the Illinois Youth Center at 136 N. Western Ave., and then transition to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, which is located at 1100 S. Hamilton Ave., at 6:30 p.m.
More information about Friday’s demonstration can be found here.
