Called "Jail for Justice" or the "28 Day Prison and Death Fast," Ta'Bon hopes his demonstration can change the neighborhood.
He wants to send troubled kids the message that "jail is for suckers."
"We got babies out here suffering," Ta'Bon said. "They can't even go to school in peace."
The cell is made mostly of plywood, drywall and tarp, with bars of PVC piping. A generator provides heat and electricity.
Ta'Bon and his wife purchased the materials to remodel their home but decided the "Jail for Justice" mission was more important.
As if to punctuate his message, the cell sits in front of a mural Ta'Bon helped to create, bearing the names of the city's homicide victims from 2006. It is called simply "The Wall."
"We are in a state of emergency," Ta'Bon said. "Whether the city wants to admit it or not, we are. If we don't admit to the problem, we can't fix it."
Ta'Bon spent the last three weeks sharing prison stories with visitors and trying to send local kids down the straight-and- narrow.
"When kids come to me, I tell them I may be their last chance," he said.
City police, schools and parents have brought hundreds of children to see Ta'Bon, he said.
He gives some kids a stern talking-to and passes out hot drinks and food to those having a tougher time.
"Sometimes kids come and they're so hungry because their parents can't afford to feed them," Ta'Bon said sadly. "I've given babies food from my cell."
In addition to neighborhood kids, Ta'Bon receives frequent visits from locals who share his devotion to stopping the violence - like the Rev. Dicie Gilmore, of Logan, who lost her son to violence in 2006.
Her son's name is one of 406 painted on The Wall.
"These children are hurting," Gilmore said. "There are kids sitting in class with fathers or mothers in prison or here on The Wall."
Ta'Bon is not just making a statement, friends said. He provides what he's dubbed "sidewalk therapy" - listening to kids' problems and suggesting positive alternatives to crime and drugs.
"I've seen kids come strong and mad at the world, and when they leave here they're crying," said Brandon Jones, 25, a friend of Ta'Bon's from prison who has also turned his life around. "They come back the next day with 10 other kids for us to talk to."
While Ta'Bon is happy with the results of the demonstration, he said there is still more to be done in the neighborhood.
"When I get out of here, we want to start teaching kids how to play again - teaching them to be kids again," he said.
Ta'Bon is the father of a 2-year-old girl.
Although he hasn't been able to see her because of his record, he said he hopes to make the world a better place for her to grow up.
"You don't need money; you just need hope," Ta'Bon said. "It takes someone hugging someone to stop murder before it happens."
