Twitter

    follow me on Twitter

    Monday, July 18, 2011

    Sit in PROTEST - Burge torture victims still in prison

    Jon Burge is a former police officer, now in jail, who tortured his victims into false confession sending many to death row and long prison sentences. Retired Cook County States Attorney Richard Divine and former Mayor Richard Daley were Cook County States Attorneys who were involved with obtaining these confession after Burge finished with his victims. Present Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez was Devines hand-picked successor who was in charge of the  office in the States Attorney's Office that was responsibile for investigating and prosecuting public corruption. She made sure to do NOTHING! There are reasons why no one in power wants more investigations or public hearings about these issues! Freed from death row Clements and others are still fighting to have other victims freed from prison. Authorities are doing NOTHING! Stand up, Speak Out, Fight Back! 

    Be willing to engage in civil disobedience and get arrested - United We Stand, Divided We Fall!

    PRESS RELEASE/MONDAY, July 18, 2011
    NEWS CONFERENCE DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE COURT HOUSE
    Chicago Police Tortures Continue
    Requested meeting with Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez
    Sit in (inside Cook County State's Attorney Office)
    2650 South California Ave.
    Chicago, IL
    2:00PM

    On Monday, July 18, 2011, at 2:00PM, the Campaign to End Torture,
    the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Stanley Howard Committee, Jail
    Jon Burge Coalition, and the Chicago Alliance against Racist and
    Political Repression have called a rally, press conference and sit in
    inside Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez office.

    Much as 22 Jon Burge Torture victims sit behind prison walls
    denied hearings on their claim of torture despite having overwhelming
    evidence that they were beat and tortured, while their is much as 150
    new cases of Chicago Police torture that have surface since the
    dismissal of Burge from the Chicago Police Department. While it is
    true that in 2003 Cook County Circuit Court chief judge Paul Biebel
    assign most Burge related cases to either Illinois Attorney General
    Lisa Madigan or Stuart A. Nudelman a retired judge to serve as Cook
    County Special Prosecutor it is clear that their requested hearings on
    their claim of torture has either been legally blocked by prosecutors
    or delayed. It is the position of the prosecutors assign to these
    cases that coerced tortured confessions be treated as "harmless error"
    if additional evidence other then a confession exist in the cases. We
    did agree strongly on the grounds that in most of these cases police
    falsified evidence, coerced witnesses, made deals with criminals to
    have them lie on suspects, and in some cases prosecutors enhance
    evidence to make someone appear guilty.

    Cook County prosecutors have left us without no other option other
    then to mobilize a call of action. Cook County prosecutors under Anita
    Alvarez have made it appear that they are willing to work with the
    activists fighting to secure the hearings and release of these men,
    but they have neglect to do anything to move forward with any agenda
    to ensure that the men receive justice. We are frustrated and driven
    to this point in which some are willing to be arrested to draw
    attention to the injustice of their love one or friend.

    Our demands are as follows:

    1). A meeting with Cook County State's Attorney Anita or a ranking
    member within her administration.

    2). Acknowledgment from Alvarez that tortures did occur under
    Burge and her position to ensure that this misconduct cease.

    3). Hearings for all Chicago Police Torture Victims on their
    claims of torture.

    4). A meeting with Chicago Mayor Rahn Emanuel.

    5). Compensation by the City of Chicago to all Chicago Police
    Torture victims and psychological treatment for all torture victims.

    6). Automatic termination of all Burge detectives and any and all
    detectives that are under investigation for alleged torture of
    criminal suspects from 1972 until 2001, be removed from the Cook
    County State's Attorney office.

    7). Stop Burge pension immediately until after the adjudication of
    a law suit that has been filed against him to terminate payments.

    For over ten years the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, as well
    as many other organizations in the Chicago area have sought to have
    former Mayor Richard Daley and former Cook County States Attorney
    Richard Devine to take responsibility for there oversight of these
    cases and to grant these men hearings on their claim of torture. They
    ignored the outcry of the public wasting over 7 million dollars on a
    special prosecutors report in 2006 in which no indictments could be
    sought because the Statute of limitations expired on the act of
    torture, and at least another 21.4 million dollars from 2009 until
    2011 on cases in which they knew or should have known as lawyers that
    the men were in fact innocent and should have never been prosecuted.

    The Chicago Tribune release on Thursday that Federal officials are
    looking into Burge detectives and some Assistant Cook County State's
    Attorneys for their misconduct and the cover up of torture that
    occurred inside some Chicago Police stations. Tax payers should not be
    held responsible to pay for the intentional misconduct of city
    officials nor should tax payers within the State of Illinois be held
    accountable to pay for wrongful convictions, it is only right to hold
    police and city officials responsible for their misdeeds that they
    commit intentionally.

    Sincerely:
    Mark A. Clements,
    Administrator
    Jail Jon Burge Coalition
    Campaign to End Torture
    Campaign to End the Death Penalty


    Wrongful Conviction Coordinator
    Mark A. Clements, Suite #105
    1325 S. Wabash Ave.
    Chicago, IL 60605
    312-939-2750-Office
    847-276-1382-Cell
    (mark@nodeathpenalty.org)

    1 comment:

    Anonymous said...

    They dont want to release those guys because they will have to pay multimillions of dollars to those release people, They already paid $43 million it will be another $100 million if you let everybody out.