PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chicago Torture Justice Center 641 W. 63rd St. Chicago, IL 60621 www.chicagotorturejustice.org CONTACT: Cindy Eigler or Aislinn Pulley, 773-962-0395
Chicago Torture Justice Center Releases Questions For Mayoral Candidates About Reparations Ordinance And Police Violence CHICAGO -- Police torture and all forms of police violence are an affront to human rights and yet still a pervasive issue in Chicago. In 2015, the City of Chicago acknowledged police torture under Jon Burge in a monumental Reparations Ordinance. At Chicago Torture Justice Center, our work with survivors of police torture has shown us that the city has far to go in truly making reparations to those who suffered at the hands of Burge. We also see that the city must invest in wider services and funding for reparations, more long-term funding to our Center, and survivor-led changes to policing in order to meet the needs of survivors of police violence and torture. At Chicago Torture Justice Center, we work with survivors of police torture and violence and their families to address the ongoing effects of policing. We are engaging political candidates in Chicago in 2019 to ask them to commit to initiatives to both heal and end police torture and violence. We have identified key issues that must be addressed in order for the vision of the Reparations Ordinance to be realized in Chicago.
The Chicago Torture Justice Center in Englewood began providing healing services to all in need in 2017. However, the City has not committed to providing further financial support for CTJC even though the CPD continues to engage in rampant excessive force, injuring, killing and traumatizing too many Black and brown people in the City, as found the by the DOJ’s investigation into CPD in 2017. Survivors need and are entitled to healing services and support to cope with this racially motivated state violence. There is no City funding for the Center after the year 2019. o
Will you ensure the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) continues to fund the Chicago Torture Justice Center?
Support for all survivors of police violence. The language of the Reparations Ordinance strictly defines police torture to Jon Burge’s actions from 1972-1991 as if Burge’s reign of torture was an isolated occurrence. Still many more have experienced brutal violence at the hands of CPD and these families and individuals deserve redress. o
Will you commit to supporting an initiative to expand support for survivors of police violence?
Chicago Torture Justice Center * 641 W. 63 rd Street * Chicago, IL 60621 773.962.0395 * chicagotorturejustice.org
Reparations must provide more holistic support for survivors. The Burge torture survivors we work with still live without jobs, healthcare, or stable housing due to systemic racism and disinvestment in the City. Reparations must mean guaranteed healthcare, education, employment, and housing. o
Many survivors of police torture who have been acknowledged as such by the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission still languish in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. We must free all incarcerated torture survivors. o
How will you work to ensure the end to all wrongful incarceration of police survivors?
The city must secure policies to protect the rights of survivors and families of those lost to police violence. This means honoring the humanity of survivors of police sexual violence, respect for the deceased, and a permanent fund for families of those lost to police violence. We look to the work of our colleagues at Black Lives Matter Chicago who have designed The People of Chicago’s Community Consent Decree proposal for policy recommendations in this matter. o
Will you commit to holistic reparations for survivors of police torture?
Will you endorse the People of Chicago’s Community Consent Decree which outlines new policing and reparations policies which center survivors’ experiences?
The creation of a public memorial to the Burge torture survivors was an integral component of the Reparations Ordinance ensuring that this chapter in CHicago’s history is not forgotten. The City has refused to provide any funding towards a public memorial. o
Will you support the City of Chicago providing $400,000 to support the creation of a memorial for the Burge torture survivors?
“The center is there to open the door and bring other survivors in, to learn from our fight and learn how to win.” Anthony Holmes
Chicago Torture Justice Center * 641 W. 63 rd Street * Chicago, IL 60621 773.962.0395 * chicagotorturejustice.org