Kelly Garcia
@kellygarcia.bsky.social
investigative reporter @injusticewatch | signal: kgarci25.49
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
ICYMI in the runup to this news:
@kellygarcia.bsky.social
-reported evidence Dixon may not be living in Cook co
-reported on trial and acquittal of a guard by a judge with a long history of reversals and law enforcement background
-published video that shows what the guard did to a child at JTDC
@kellygarcia.bsky.social
-reported evidence Dixon may not be living in Cook co
-reported on trial and acquittal of a guard by a judge with a long history of reversals and law enforcement background
-published video that shows what the guard did to a child at JTDC
NEW: Head of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is stepping down Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy.
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Leonard Dixon stepping down as head of Cook County juvenile detention center
The superintendent of one of the country’s largest juvenile jails is resigning Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:10 AM
ICYMI in the runup to this news:
@kellygarcia.bsky.social
-reported evidence Dixon may not be living in Cook co
-reported on trial and acquittal of a guard by a judge with a long history of reversals and law enforcement background
-published video that shows what the guard did to a child at JTDC
@kellygarcia.bsky.social
-reported evidence Dixon may not be living in Cook co
-reported on trial and acquittal of a guard by a judge with a long history of reversals and law enforcement background
-published video that shows what the guard did to a child at JTDC
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
Kelly has been ON this story.
NEW: Head of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is stepping down Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy.
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Leonard Dixon stepping down as head of Cook County juvenile detention center
The superintendent of one of the country’s largest juvenile jails is resigning Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Kelly has been ON this story.
NEW: Head of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is stepping down Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy.
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Leonard Dixon stepping down as head of Cook County juvenile detention center
The superintendent of one of the country’s largest juvenile jails is resigning Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:27 PM
NEW: Head of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is stepping down Dec. 1 after a decade-long tenure marked by controversy.
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
(nothing like a good old friday news dump)
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
A juvie guard was found not guilty of battery and official misconduct last week. “The defendant puts his hand on [the child] and maybe pushes him at best,” the judge in the case said. “There is no picking up and throwing down.”
Watch the video. Tell me if you agree and if you also agree that 2+2=5.
Watch the video. Tell me if you agree and if you also agree that 2+2=5.
Here's a closer look at the surveillance video at the center of the Kevin Walker trial. Read the full story: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
November 13, 2025 at 1:06 PM
A juvie guard was found not guilty of battery and official misconduct last week. “The defendant puts his hand on [the child] and maybe pushes him at best,” the judge in the case said. “There is no picking up and throwing down.”
Watch the video. Tell me if you agree and if you also agree that 2+2=5.
Watch the video. Tell me if you agree and if you also agree that 2+2=5.
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
Here's a closer look at the surveillance video at the center of the Kevin Walker trial. Read the full story: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
November 12, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Here's a closer look at the surveillance video at the center of the Kevin Walker trial. Read the full story: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
NEW: Newly released video of a December 2023 incident inside the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has raised questions about a judge’s decision to acquit one of the officers involved, experts and advocates told Injustice Watch. buff.ly/uM9m0zx
‘Horrific’ video of incident at Chicago’s juvenile jail raises questions about recent trial, experts say
Former Juvenile Temporary Detention Center employee Kevin Walker was acquitted last month of charges related to the incident, which left a 15-year-old boy bruised and unconscious.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 12, 2025 at 6:09 PM
NEW: Newly released video of a December 2023 incident inside the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has raised questions about a judge’s decision to acquit one of the officers involved, experts and advocates told Injustice Watch. buff.ly/uM9m0zx
NEW: Footage from 2023 shows former guard at the Cook County juvenile detention center flinging a 15-year-old boy to the floor, leaving him unconscious and bruised.
Experts say the video raises questions about a judge's decision last month to acquit the employee involved.
youtu.be/9Z0wfUAiRVY?...
Experts say the video raises questions about a judge's decision last month to acquit the employee involved.
youtu.be/9Z0wfUAiRVY?...
Video of incident at Chicago’s juvenile jail that led to rare criminal charges
YouTube video by Injustice Watch
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 6:04 PM
NEW: Footage from 2023 shows former guard at the Cook County juvenile detention center flinging a 15-year-old boy to the floor, leaving him unconscious and bruised.
Experts say the video raises questions about a judge's decision last month to acquit the employee involved.
youtu.be/9Z0wfUAiRVY?...
Experts say the video raises questions about a judge's decision last month to acquit the employee involved.
youtu.be/9Z0wfUAiRVY?...
“I don’t even think it’s close,” said Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Wadas during the 2.5 hour long criminal trial of a former youth jail employee accused of throwing a 15-year-old handcuffed boy to the ground, leaving him unconscious.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Rare trial of Chicago juvenile jail guard ends in acquittal
A Cook County judge found Kevin Walker not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct in a 2023 incident involving a 15-year-old at the juvenile jail.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 4, 2025 at 3:54 PM
“I don’t even think it’s close,” said Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Wadas during the 2.5 hour long criminal trial of a former youth jail employee accused of throwing a 15-year-old handcuffed boy to the ground, leaving him unconscious.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
NEW: On Friday, a judge found a former Cook County youth jail employee not guilty on charges related to an incident that left a boy unconscious. The verdict highlights the challenges of holding detention center staff accountable for alleged abuse, advocates say. buff.ly/Isrf22P
Rare trial of Chicago juvenile jail guard ends in acquittal
A Cook County judge found Kevin Walker not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct in a 2023 incident involving a 15-year-old at the juvenile jail.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:11 PM
NEW: On Friday, a judge found a former Cook County youth jail employee not guilty on charges related to an incident that left a boy unconscious. The verdict highlights the challenges of holding detention center staff accountable for alleged abuse, advocates say. buff.ly/Isrf22P
Kevin Walker was acquitted on charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct today. In handing down the verdict, Judge Kenneth Wadas said the state didn’t meet its burden.
Story tk.
Story tk.
NEW: For decades, allegations of abuse and misconduct have swirled around Chicago’s juvenile detention center. On Thursday, a Cook County judge will begin proceedings in a rare trial of a former employee accused of physically harming a child at the facility.
Rare criminal trial of former Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center employee expected to start Thursday
Key takeaways from this investigation A former rapid response team specialist at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is facing felony
buff.ly
October 31, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Kevin Walker was acquitted on charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct today. In handing down the verdict, Judge Kenneth Wadas said the state didn’t meet its burden.
Story tk.
Story tk.
Update: Due to a scheduling issue, trial was postponed to tomorrow at 10 am. Keep checking back for updates. @injusticewatch.org
In Illinois, juvenile detention centers are exempt from FOIA meaning the public can't access employee disciplinary records, confinement data, and policy manuals.
As my editor @jonahshai.bsky.social once put it, it's much harder to get information about the youth jail than it is about the adult jail
As my editor @jonahshai.bsky.social once put it, it's much harder to get information about the youth jail than it is about the adult jail
October 30, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Update: Due to a scheduling issue, trial was postponed to tomorrow at 10 am. Keep checking back for updates. @injusticewatch.org
In Illinois, juvenile detention centers are exempt from FOIA meaning the public can't access employee disciplinary records, confinement data, and policy manuals.
As my editor @jonahshai.bsky.social once put it, it's much harder to get information about the youth jail than it is about the adult jail
As my editor @jonahshai.bsky.social once put it, it's much harder to get information about the youth jail than it is about the adult jail
October 29, 2025 at 4:15 PM
In Illinois, juvenile detention centers are exempt from FOIA meaning the public can't access employee disciplinary records, confinement data, and policy manuals.
As my editor @jonahshai.bsky.social once put it, it's much harder to get information about the youth jail than it is about the adult jail
As my editor @jonahshai.bsky.social once put it, it's much harder to get information about the youth jail than it is about the adult jail
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
NEW: For decades, allegations of abuse and misconduct have swirled around Chicago’s juvenile detention center. On Thursday, a Cook County judge will begin proceedings in a rare trial of a former employee accused of physically harming a child at the facility.
Rare criminal trial of former Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center employee expected to start Thursday
Key takeaways from this investigation A former rapid response team specialist at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is facing felony
buff.ly
October 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM
NEW: For decades, allegations of abuse and misconduct have swirled around Chicago’s juvenile detention center. On Thursday, a Cook County judge will begin proceedings in a rare trial of a former employee accused of physically harming a child at the facility.
A former employee of the Cook County juvenile detention center is facing charges after allegedly throwing a handcuffed 15-year-old boy to the ground, causing the youth to lose consciousness and suffer “visible bruising.”
His criminal trial starts tomorrow.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
His criminal trial starts tomorrow.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Rare criminal trial of former Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center employee expected to start Thursday
Key takeaways from this investigation A former rapid response team specialist at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is facing felony
www.injusticewatch.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:39 PM
A former employee of the Cook County juvenile detention center is facing charges after allegedly throwing a handcuffed 15-year-old boy to the ground, causing the youth to lose consciousness and suffer “visible bruising.”
His criminal trial starts tomorrow.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
His criminal trial starts tomorrow.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
This is from a video on X, showing inside the Broadview ICE facility when Noem was in town on Fri.
For context, she's in the central room with 15 workstations setup to process detained individuals, whether they were arrested by immigration enforcement or at protests.
See the orange triangles?
For context, she's in the central room with 15 workstations setup to process detained individuals, whether they were arrested by immigration enforcement or at protests.
See the orange triangles?
October 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
This is from a video on X, showing inside the Broadview ICE facility when Noem was in town on Fri.
For context, she's in the central room with 15 workstations setup to process detained individuals, whether they were arrested by immigration enforcement or at protests.
See the orange triangles?
For context, she's in the central room with 15 workstations setup to process detained individuals, whether they were arrested by immigration enforcement or at protests.
See the orange triangles?
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
Those 34 years would have been 26 years if the Cook County Conviction Integrity Unit had cleared Francisco Benitez instead of denying him in 2015. He's one of at least 21 people the group rejected who were later exonerated. You can read about it in my @injusticewatch.org series Denying Innocence.
October 7, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Those 34 years would have been 26 years if the Cook County Conviction Integrity Unit had cleared Francisco Benitez instead of denying him in 2015. He's one of at least 21 people the group rejected who were later exonerated. You can read about it in my @injusticewatch.org series Denying Innocence.
The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board meeting (so many words...) is underway at 69 W. Washington. On the agenda: updates on plans to "reimagine" the facility.
I'll be live-tweeting so make sure to follow along 👇 @injusticewatch.org
I'll be live-tweeting so make sure to follow along 👇 @injusticewatch.org
October 7, 2025 at 5:03 PM
The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board meeting (so many words...) is underway at 69 W. Washington. On the agenda: updates on plans to "reimagine" the facility.
I'll be live-tweeting so make sure to follow along 👇 @injusticewatch.org
I'll be live-tweeting so make sure to follow along 👇 @injusticewatch.org
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
Bumping again--I'm back full time starting today. Am especially interested in hearing from unhoused people and advocates in Chicago who have been impacted by ICE and the now-looming National Guard deployment in our city. Signal is katie.507.
After taking some time away to have a dang baby, I'm back to work at the Chicago Reader. Have a question or tip about the state of harm reduction, homelessness, and/or drugs in Chicago? Send me a line at kprout@chicagoreader.com. I also cover: cultural lore, ghosts of all kinds, & city characters.
October 6, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Bumping again--I'm back full time starting today. Am especially interested in hearing from unhoused people and advocates in Chicago who have been impacted by ICE and the now-looming National Guard deployment in our city. Signal is katie.507.
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. #BorderPatrol, claims a @wbez.org/@chicago.suntimes.com report about his comments Sunday in downtown #Chicago was "grossly inaccurate" and taken out of context. So we've posted the interview's unedited AUDIO and TRANSCRIPT:
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
Transcript: Gregory Bovino says arrestees in downtown Chicago chosen partly based on ‘how they look’
WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell spoke with U.S. Border Patrol commander about a deportation blitz downtown and in the upscale River North neighborhood. Here is the transcript and unedited audio interview.
www.wbez.org
October 1, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. #BorderPatrol, claims a @wbez.org/@chicago.suntimes.com report about his comments Sunday in downtown #Chicago was "grossly inaccurate" and taken out of context. So we've posted the interview's unedited AUDIO and TRANSCRIPT:
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
Today I spoke with Greg Bovino, a top U.S. Border Patrol chief, as he led dozens of feds in military gear through downtown Chicago.
He said they were arresting folks based on “how they look.”
“How do they look compared to, say, you?” he said, referring to me.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
He said they were arresting folks based on “how they look.”
“How do they look compared to, say, you?” he said, referring to me.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Feds march into downtown Chicago; top border agent says people are arrested based on ‘how they look’
Immigration agents wearing tactical gear and carrying long guns made arrests in downtown Chicago and the River North neighborhood Sunday. “This is not making anybody safer — it’s a show of intimidatio...
chicago.suntimes.com
September 29, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Today I spoke with Greg Bovino, a top U.S. Border Patrol chief, as he led dozens of feds in military gear through downtown Chicago.
He said they were arresting folks based on “how they look.”
“How do they look compared to, say, you?” he said, referring to me.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
He said they were arresting folks based on “how they look.”
“How do they look compared to, say, you?” he said, referring to me.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
🎧 Reporter Kelly Garcia is a guest on the latest episode of City Cast Chicago, discussing her investigation of the head of Cook County’s juvenile detention center and the results of Cook County’s chief judge election. buff.ly/Rixw9wX
Operation Midway Blitz, Cook County's New Chief Judge, and Mexican Independence Day by City Cast Chicago
megaphone.link
September 12, 2025 at 5:22 PM
🎧 Reporter Kelly Garcia is a guest on the latest episode of City Cast Chicago, discussing her investigation of the head of Cook County’s juvenile detention center and the results of Cook County’s chief judge election. buff.ly/Rixw9wX
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
After her hearing at 26 Federal Plaza, a woman was detained and escorted toward the stairwell. Her husband, confused and in shock, was guided toward the exit. Minutes later, he broke down in the elevator. They entered together, but he left alone. This happens here daily. #ICE
September 11, 2025 at 9:25 PM
After her hearing at 26 Federal Plaza, a woman was detained and escorted toward the stairwell. Her husband, confused and in shock, was guided toward the exit. Minutes later, he broke down in the elevator. They entered together, but he left alone. This happens here daily. #ICE
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
I know there's a lot of news today, but in my neck of the woods, this is BIG news. Cook County hasn't had a new chief judge since Sept. 11, 2001 (yes, really). The chief judge might be the most consequential local public official you've probably never heard of. @mdoukmas.bsky.social with the story.
Charles Beach, 55, was elected Cook County chief judge this evening, defeating 24-year incumbent Timothy Evans. He’ll take over control over a vast court bureaucracy as well as judicial assignments when his term starts Dec. 1. Story by @mdoukmas.bsky.social. www.injusticewatch.org/judges/court...
Charles Beach elected Cook County chief judge
Beach will be Cook County’s first new chief judge in 24 years, after defeating eight-term incumbent Timothy Evans.
www.injusticewatch.org
September 11, 2025 at 1:08 AM
I know there's a lot of news today, but in my neck of the woods, this is BIG news. Cook County hasn't had a new chief judge since Sept. 11, 2001 (yes, really). The chief judge might be the most consequential local public official you've probably never heard of. @mdoukmas.bsky.social with the story.
This will have strong political implications for the Cook County juvenile detention center, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Chief Judge. The current superintendent was appointed by Evans in 2015 and, to the bewilderment of many, kept around despite persistent concerns about his leadership.
BEAKING NEWS: COOK COUNTY HAS A NEW CHIEF JUDGE - Charles Beach
September 11, 2025 at 12:34 AM
This will have strong political implications for the Cook County juvenile detention center, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Chief Judge. The current superintendent was appointed by Evans in 2015 and, to the bewilderment of many, kept around despite persistent concerns about his leadership.
Reposted by Kelly Garcia
BEAKING NEWS: COOK COUNTY HAS A NEW CHIEF JUDGE - Charles Beach
September 10, 2025 at 10:57 PM
BEAKING NEWS: COOK COUNTY HAS A NEW CHIEF JUDGE - Charles Beach