Advocate calls St. Louis jail uprising "an act of courage"

Advocates say inmates who set fires and broke windows at a St. Louis jail over the weekend did so to protest inhumane conditions, including a lack of personal protective equipment to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The leader of the group Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing St. Louis said during a virtual rally Sunday that the uprising was ``an act of courage`` necessitated by inmates' basic needs not being met.

More than 100 inmates broke out of their cells at the downtown facility on Saturday and smashed windows and set fires.