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Mayor Emanuel announces support for reparations for Burge torture victims

By Ashahed M. Muhammad -Assistant Editor- | Last updated: Apr 21, 2015 - 10:02:06 AM

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CHICAGO - (FinalCall.com) The city of Chicago has a long and well-known history of police violence and torture.

The wheels of justice have turned slowly over the decades, however, an ordinance, which includes $5.5 million for financial compensation for torture victims, has the public and powerful support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, many City Council members, and community activists who believe it could be an important step in healing the wounds of the past.

“Jon Burge’s actions are a disgrace—to Chicago, to the hard-working men and women of the police department, and most importantly to those he was sworn to protect,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Today, we stand together as a city to try and right those wrongs, and to bring this dark chapter of Chicago’s history to a close.”

The Torture Reparations Ordinance was drafted as a move to obtain justice for the approximately 120 Black men and women subjected to torture, which included electric shock to the genitals, mock executions, suffocation, and brutal beatings sanctioned by former Police Commander Jon Burge and his subordinate henchmen from 1972 through 1991.  

According to the mayor’s office, the agreement includes a formal apology from the City Council, the establishment of a permanent memorial as a tribute recognizing victims of torture, and information about the torture by Mr. Burge and his henchmen integrated into curricula for Chicago Public School history classes for those in eighth and 10th grades. City College tuition and job training will be provided free to Mr. Burge’s torture victims, their immediate families and grandchildren. 

“This is a stain on the history of the city and its reparation and I thought it was essential to finally move forward,” said Mayor Emanuel told reporters April 15 just minutes prior to his first City Council meeting after being elected to a second term.

Many torture victims have publicly described their continued physical suffering and nightmares resulting from what they experienced in the past. Many still live in constant fear of retaliation from members of the Chicago Police Department. Others have battled substance abuse and homelessness. Tragically, while spending time behind bars wrongfully imprisoned, many lost family members.  The city of Chicago has agreed to fund psychological, family, substance abuse and other counseling services to the victims and immediate family members as part of the reparations ordinance.

Mr. Burge was convicted and sentenced to four and a half years in prison on federal charges for perjury and obstruction of justice in 2010. He was recently released, and still receives a taxpayer-funded pension of over $3,000 per month. To make matters worse, he was recently quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times as being highly critical of Mayor Emanuel’s decision to support the reparations for the victims.  

Amnesty International’s 2014 conference focused on human rights abuses in the United States and in their report “Chicago & Illinois: A 10-Point Human Rights Agenda” reparations for those tortured was a main component and they recommended immediate action by city, state and federal officials. Many organizations such as Black People Against Police Torture, BYP100, Chicago Light Brigade, Project NIA, and We Charge Genocide held  demonstrations, rallies, teach-ins and encouraged letter writing campaigns in support of the ordinance.

People’s Law Office partners Joey Mogul and Flint Taylor, are also members of the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials, and have represented many Chicago police torture survivors consistently and effectively over the decades. Atty. Mogul and Atty. Taylor, who, along with well-known torture survivors Darrell Cannon and Anthony Holmes, appeared at an April 14 hearing before the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee and afterwards released the following joint statement:

“We are gratified, that after so many years of denial and cover-up by the Daley administration, Mayor Emanuel and his Corporation Counsel have recognized the needs of the torture survivors and their families and negotiated this historic reparations agreement with the survivors’ representatives. It is the first of its kind in this country, and its passage and implementation will go a long way to remove the longstanding stain of police torture from the conscience of the city.”

Wallace “Gator” Bradley believes the reparations ordinance and resolution is a good start, however, he believes it should be amended.

“The only thing that I feel is wrong with that resolution is it doesn’t include individuals that were tortured and died,” said Mr. Bradley. He believes financial reparations should be given those who were tortured, received no compensation, but died, like his friend Melvin Jones, who passed in January of 2014. Testimony delivered by Mr. Jones was used as evidence by the People’s Law Office and the City of Chicago contributing to bringing Mr. Burge to justice, he said. “Even though he died, his estate should be able to get it,” Mr. Bradley added.