NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Lil Durk performs on the runway for PrettyLittleThing: Teyana Taylor Collection II New York Fashion Week on September 09, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Thomas Concordia/Getty Images for PrettyLittleThing )
Lil Durk is back at it again. To combat issues happening throughout Illinois prisons without access to clean water, his foundation Neighborhood Heroes partnered with the non-profit Chicago Votes. They supplied 29,000 16oz bottles of hand sanitizer to the Illinois Department of Correction (IDOC) inmates and correctional facility workers. This was a part of an effort to help with the lack of access to clean water to wash hands as COVID-19 rates resurge.
The non-profit’s shared details on its Instagram, writing, “The pandemic has amplified issues that impact our incarcerated community members, and access to a healthy environment is undoubtedly one of them. Having access to hand sanitizer is crucial because access to clean water in IDOC is very limited. Thank you to IDOC and @chicagovotes for working with us on this.”
Durkio shared an exclusive statement with TSR about his foundation’s involvement stating,
“It’s obvious, those locked up or working at a correctional facility are going to be at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. At the end of the day, this disease ain’t to be played with, and everyone should have the basic hygiene necessities to help prevent catching this virus. It only made sense for my foundation (Neighborhood Heroes) to collaborate with Chicago Votes and IDOC.”
According to a December 2021 report from Injustice Watch, this issue has been ongoing for a while. Previously, activists protested for what they said was an acute water crisis inside one of Illinois’ largest prisons. At Stateville Correctional Center, activists filled a bus with over 62,000 bottles of water delivered to the inmates who complained for years that the water was discolored and smelled like sewage.
To make matters worse, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a joint press release on March 11th, saying Legionella bacteria had been detected in water at Stateville Correctional Center and Joliet Treatment Center. Hopefully, this helps bring more attention to the injustice in prisons. Keep up the great work, Durk!
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