The following statement can be attributed to ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen K. Connell:
We are saddened to hear of the passing of our former Board member and long-time champion of social justice causes, Dr. Quentin Young. More than three decades ago, Quentin joined our litigation (as a named plaintiff) challenging the Chicago Police Department’s notorious “Red Squad,” a group organized to conduct surveillance on those opposed to City Hall policies. He also fought for free speech rights in the City, working with the ACLU to win the right to protest for dissenters at the 1996 Democratic National Convention and (in 2005) in a case seeking access to protest at McCormick Place. In recent years, he joined our challenge to warrantless wiretapping of citizens.
Quentin was much more than a client; he was a friend. He lived the Bill of Rights and inspired a generation of activists and ACLU lawyers with his vigorous assertion that freedom for all must include the most vulnerable and even the most unpopular in our society. We will miss his intelligence, his fierce energy and his love of pursuing justice. His life serves as a guiding light to us all.
Learn more about the case challenging warrantless wiretapping, Terkel v. AT&T.
