BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) – A mother who lost a son at Southern Regional Jail is taking her fight for justice to the nation’s capitol.

One local organization is taking their message on the road to Washington DC to let their voices be heard.

The West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign is going to Washington DC to speak out about the alleged mistreatment of prisoners at Southern Regional Jail.

People from all over the state are traveling to talk to Senators Shelly Moore Capito and Joe Manchin to see what can be done about conditions at SRJ.

On the morning of Sunday, June 18, 2023, a group of people from across southern West Virginia met at the McDonalds in Uptown Beckley to leave for D.C.

Among the group traveling to our nation’s capitol, is Quantez Burks’ mother Kimberly Burks, who says she wants to tell any politician who will listen about what she thinks happened to her son while he was at SRJ.

“It’s something that should have been done a long time ago by other families everyone letting it go has escalated it to the point where it is now,” Burks told 59News.

“We want them to know this is our home, this is our families, this is our grandkids. We can’t go away, this is where we live. Either you represent us and the message we’re taking to Washington D.C. is ‘do your job,'” added West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign Tri-Chair Pam Garrison.

The group says they’re hoping some type of investigation into Southern Regional Jail will result from this trip to Washington.