Our children deserve care, not cages!

On Monday, June 23, 2025, at 1:00 PM, the Knox County Commission will hold a meeting to consider transferring control of the Richard L. Bean Children’s Service Center to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

This decision threatens to shift the center even further from healing and growth, and toward punishment, surveillance, and institutionalization.

We are calling on Mayor Glenn Jacobs and the Knox County Commission to reject this transfer of control.

Why does this matter?

For too long, our community has witnessed the criminalization of children, especially those living in poverty, coping with trauma, or coming from marginalized backgrounds. Shifting responsibility for children’s detention from trained youth development professionals to a law enforcement agency will only deepen these harms.

This decision is being fast-tracked. Public speakers were required to pre-register by phone no later than Friday, June 20, at 4:00 PM, a process that excluded many who care deeply about the future of our children.

We believe:

Children deserve compassion.

Transformation and healing, not punishment, must guide how we respond to young people in crisis.

Law enforcement should not control facilities meant to support children.

Centers that house children should prioritize healing, education, and development.

Public input and transparency are essential to decisions that shape our children's lives.

Add your voice!

For our children,

For our future,

For our freedom.

We, the undersigned, urge Mayor Jacobs and the Knox County Commission to:

Vote NO on transferring control of the Richard L. Bean Center to the Sheriff’s Office.

Commit to evidence-based, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches that prioritize the well-being of children.

Create meaningful opportunities for public engagement before making irreversible decisions.

Sign and share this petition to stand with our children, while they are still children. They deserve to be protected.