Chicago To Pay $5.5 Million In Reparations To Police Torture Victims

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday announced a $5.5 million reparations fund for victims who were tortured under the decades long leadership of police commander Jon Burge.

The package, which was negotiated with numerous stakeholders, also includes a public recognition of the torture committed by Burge and counseling services for victims and their families.

Burge was fired in 1993 after a police review board determined that officers under his command had tortured more than 100 suspects, many of them black men, since 1972. Among the methods used: mock executions, electrical shock, and burning, investigators found.

“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,” Emanuel said in a statement.


The reparations package, which is expected to be approved by the city council on Wednesday, comes after years of officials dealing with lawsuits stemming from the Burge era.

Joey Mogul of Chicago Torture Justice Memorials and Flint Taylor of the People’s Law Office — both of whom have represented torture victims and were at the negotiating table — issued a joint statement commending the mayor for helping to bring the package to fruition.

“We are gratified, that after so many years of denial by many, that Mayor Emanuel has acknowledged the harm inflicted by the torture and recognized the needs of the Burge torture survivors and their families by negotiating this historic reparations agreement,” the said. “This legislation 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.”

Since the statute of limitations had long run out, Burge was never prosecuted for the abuse, but in 2010 he was convicted of perjury for lying about it in court. In October, Burge was transferred to a halfway house after serving less than four years in prison. He has since been released.

Under the agreement announced Tuesday, the city of Chicago will create a permanent memorial recognizing the victims of torture.

Course work about the Burge case and its legacy will also be taught to all eighth- and 10th-graders, according to the mayor’s office.

The city will also offer college tuition and job training for free to Burge victims, their immediate family members, and their grandchildren. Psychological, family, substance abuse, and other counseling services will also be available.

The $5.5-million fund will provide financial reparations to individuals with a “credible claim of Burge-related torture,” the mayor’s office said, though it was not immediately clear what formula would be used to determine how each claim gets funded.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonwells/chicago-to-pay-55-million-in-reparations-to-police-torture-v?utm_term=.puWNj59JM6#.pwxz16qaP

Good grief!