NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2021
Survivors of police torture are still in prison. Here’s how to help them get out.
By Gerald Reed, as told to Troi Valles - Published in The TRiiBE - August 3, 2021 My name is Elijah Gerald Reed. I’m the son of Armanda Shackelford, and I was just released from prison after serving 31 years for a crime that I didn’t commit. In 1990, I was told the Chicago police were looking for me for a crime committed a year earlier. I knew I had nothing to do with it so I went willingly to the police station to straighten things out. When I went, I was arrested at the station and then taken to Area 3 Homicide. I was held overnight. All through the night, detectives asked me the same questions over and over again. I refused to answer. I wanted my phone call and I wanted a lawyer. Whenever I did answer, telling them I had no knowledge of what I was being accused of, they were unhappy. Photo: Chicago Sun-Times That was when the intimidation went from being verbal to physical. I was in their hands — this was their place. I was in they house. Anything they wanted to do to me they could. And they did. I was beaten on by the detectives. I was beaten so badly, that a metal rod that was in my thigh, surgically placed there following a gunshot wound from years before, was snapped, with the screws shaking out of place. I got beat on a lot coming up, but I could handle that. What made me break was when they talked about my momma. “You’re gonna send your mom to an early grave,” they told me. “She’s gonna die, and it’ll be your fault.” I would do anything for my momma. Her death was not something I could live with. So, under extreme physical and psychological duress, I signed a false confession. They used that document and their own testimony to convict me of a double murder that I had no part in whatsoever. I was sentenced to natural life. I didn’t know if I would ever breathe free air again. I was 26 years old. As it turns out, I was not the only one subjected to this treatment. There are many survivors of police torture in the state of Illinois. Jon Burge was a detective and a police commander from 1972 to 1991. In that time, he taught officers how to use torture to extract confessions from innocent people so the Chicago Police Department (CPD) could tell the public they were solving murders. But the torture is much broader than Jon Burge and his Midnight Crew. Police regularly used intimidation—whether physical, mental or emotional—to get people to falsely confess or to accuse others of things that they know did not happen. P.O. BOX 647 EVANSTON, IL 60204 CHICAGOTORTUREJUSTICE.ORG
"I am home after doing 31 years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit. I achieved my freedom. But am I free? No. I’m not free because of the people I left behind. That’s why I’m using my time to fight for the TIRC amendments."
The city of Chicago publicly apologized for Jon Burge’s use of torture when they passed the reparations ordinance in 2015. However, there was still no pathway for survivors’ prompt release from prison. An ongoing research project by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture estimates hundreds of survivors, many of whom are still in prison — more than 30 years after many of them endured torture. The Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission (TIRC) was established in 2009 to “gather evidence about a claim of torture occurring in Cook County, and then determine whether there is sufficient credible evidence of torture to merit judicial review.” Its purpose is right there in the name: relief. The commission is supposed to provide relief to the tortured, innocent men and women behind prison walls. In 2018, Judge Thomas Gainer used the “credible claim” of torture in his decision to overturn my conviction. It’s not just the courts. TIRC claims give legitimacy to someone’s claim of torture. It can help with their clemency or even help them have their sentence pardoned or commuted by the governor — which is how I was eventually able to finally get out of prison. My sentence was commuted, and I’m still in court fighting to prove my innocence. But because of the limitations of the TIRC Act, there are many men and women who will never be able to get credible claims on technicalities alone. The TIRC’s definition of torture is much more narrow than the definition of torture given by the United Nations — a definition which the United States has signed on to. For example, if someone is tortured into accusing you of a crime you didn’t commit, by the UN definition, you have been tortured. The more narrow TIRC definition is more likely to leave those with credible claims in prison. It’s time to update the TIRC definition so that the falsely accused and tortured don’t fall through the cracks. TIRC, unfortunately, has limited resources. It took six years for them to process my claim. Others have been waiting up to a decade. A person could easily be innocent and sit in prison for years. Having to wait all that time just to finally get your case “dismissed” on some technicalities could tear a person apart. Most people in prison don’t have a momma like mine — Armanda Shackelford — outside of prison always advocating for them. This is their one chance to see some justice. The main aspect that set me apart from many still in prison was that my momma was in my corner for years making the case for me and making sure that my case and I weren’t forgotten. Justice shouldn’t depend on my good fortune that my momma was a fighter willing to go up against a corrupt system. I am home after doing 31 years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit. I achieved my freedom. But am I free? No. I’m not free because of the people I left behind. That’s why I’m using my time to fight for the TIRC amendments. I urge the people of our city to support the TIRC amendments to avoid more miscarriages of justice carried out in the name of the people of Chicago. Originally published at thetriibe.com P.O. BOX 647 EVANSTON, IL 60204 CHICAGOTORTUREJUSTICE.ORG
Black August 2021
Commemorating struggle, amplifying resilience. We are so grateful for the response to our request for your input as we honor Black August, a time for commemoration that originated in California prisons during the 1970s. This month, we honor the lives and struggle of Black political prisoners and freedom fighters with political education and connection with one another. We want to share the incredible poem below, titled "Black Friday," which was sent to us by our community member Dennis. We were so moved by Dennis's words, and we hope they inspire you too: Logo: Movement for Black Lives, m4bl.org "BLACK FRIDAY" by Dennis M. GUN TOWERS! CAN'T MAINTAIN OR CONTROL GOD'S POWER, IGNITED BY A SPARK THAT TURNED INTO A RAGING FLAME, SAY HER NAME! AND EVERY NAME THAT WE LOST TO THIS DIRTY GAME, CHAIRMAN FRED! I SEEN JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, YOU AIN'T DEAD! EXISTING IN ANOTHER FORM, BUT YOUR SPIRIT LIVES ON, CLOSE THE DOOR OF EVERY STORE THAT WILL ACCEPT OUR DOLLARS, BUT NOT US, IT'S OVERDUE! THAT WE BELIEVE IN YOU AND ME AND ALL THAT WE COULD BE, LET'S GROW BIGGER THAN THE BIGGEST TREE, DEEPLY-ROOTED IN A DIVINE COMMITMENT TO A GREATER EXISTENCE,
CAPITALISM DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE CAPITALISM IS NEVER ABOUT UNITY, AMERICA WAS BUILT LITERALLY, FOR FREE ON THE BACKS OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE, BUT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, SAYS ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND EXCEPT YOURS AND MINE, IS THIS JUST A COINCIDENCE OR BY DESIGN, SALE AFTER SALE AFTER SALE, AND IT NEVER STOPS, DO YOU REMEMBER THE AUCTION BLOCK, AS WELL AS THE PRODUCT OWNERS KEPT IN STOCK, IT COULD OF BEEN CALLED ANY COLOR OR NAMED ANY DAY, BUT WHAT'S BETTER THAN A DEAL ON BLACK FRIDAY!?
P.O. BOX 647 EVANSTON, IL 60204 CHICAGOTORTUREJUSTICE.ORG
Dennis also shared this reflection on Black August: "I'm inspired by people like Aislinn Pulley, because they fight for humanity. Maya Angelou's work and words move me to action as well as make me think. I've read 'Black Liberation' by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, that has stayed with me. George Jackson is truly an inspiration in every sense of the word. Freedom and revolution are the exact same word, only pronounced differently you see? (LOL) These two words are 'blood-relatives!'" As we read Dennis's words, we find ourselves revisiting the work of Maya Angelou and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor:
“Justice is not a natural part of the lifecycle of the United States, nor is it a product of evolution; it is always the outcome of struggle.” ............ “The essence of economic inequality is borne out in a simple fact: there are 400 billionaires in the United States and 45 million people living in poverty. These are not parallel facts; they are intersecting facts. There are 400 American billionaires because there are 45 million people living in poverty. Profit comes at the expense of the living wage. Corporate executives, university presidents, and capitalists in general are living the good life--because so many others are living a life of hardship.” ― Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation “When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we're capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness. I'm trying for that. But I'm also trying for the language. I'm trying to see how it can really sound. I really love language. I love it for what it does for us, how it allows us to explain the pain and the glory, the nuances and delicacies of our existence. And then it allows us to laugh, allows us to show wit. Real wit is shown in language. We need language.” ― Maya Angelou, from an interview with George Plimpton, 1990 Our very own case manager at CTJC, Naji Ublies, also shared a reflection with us on work that has spoken to him: "Na'im Akbar was a psychologist who wrote a book called Visions for Black Men. In the preface he says―and I’m paraphrasing―once you declare yourself a man, you will stand as an open enemy. This book gives you clear distinctions between a male, boy, and a man. He states that there are a lot of boys masquerading as men. This book gave me the courage to be the man I am today." Thank you, Dennis and Naji, for sharing your thoughts and for inspiring us this Black August. If you have more thoughts you would like to share, we welcome them any time! Write us at our PO Box below. As always, we're sending love and thanks from all of us at CTJC until next month. P.O. BOX 647 EVANSTON, IL 60204 CHICAGOTORTUREJUSTICE.ORG