Protesters demand better living conditions inside Cook County Jail
CHICAGO (CBS) -- No access to soap, restriction on exercise, and first amendment rights being violated are the claims being made by one group about the situation inside the Cook County Jail. They are now sounding the alarm on what they call worsening conditions.
A coalition of former inmates, relatives of current inmates and advocates gathered outside the jail to share their stories in an effort to bring much needed change to Cook County Jail.
Amid the rallying cries for better conditions, there is heartache for Cassandra Greer-Lee. The South Shore woman blames the Cook County Jail for the death of her husband Nickolas Lee, an inmate who died from complications of COVID in April 2020. At the time, CDC had not yet called for distributing masks.
"When my husband died they had not passed out any masks or anything, and he was a third person. So it took them three people to pass away for them to hand out masks," Greer-Lee said.
She maintains his death was 100% preventable.
"When he came here, he was a healthy 42-year-old man, but he left in a body bag," she said.
Greer-Lee was among the many who gathered outside Cook County Jail Saturday, calling for much-needed reform.
The group is shedding light on what they say are brutal restrictions placed on inmates, which include inadequate access to hygiene products like soap and little to no access to basic medical services. There is even a restriction on exercise inside the jail.
The group also says that inmates' first amendment rights are being violated daily as they aren't allowed to worship the way they choose.
Ronald Danie is a former inmate who says the problems are rampant.
"Security issues, being locked up most of the time, and not being able to get exercise and get out and not being able to attend programs that they have," Danie said.
Advocates are mobilizing on the heels of two disturbing beatings inside the jail that were recently brought to light. In one case a correctional officer is seen brutally punching an inmate with his handcuffs over his knuckles. In another case an officer captured on surveillance is seen repeatedly punching a handcuffed inmate.
Both officers were charged in the those incidents. The sheriff's office said it initiated the investigations that led to the arrests.
In a statement to CBS 2, the Cook County Sheriff's Office called the claims that are being made by this group "baseless."
They say their facility is considered a model across the country for safety and that inmates are provided many critical services including mental health services and the essentials of soap and balanced nutritious meals.
