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)

Reform corrupt family courts - stand up and protest August 12, 2011

Stop abuse of our children by family courts, child protection services (DCFS in IL), guardian ad litums, child representatives appointed by the court, and judges. Title IV money is being used to destroy families and not in the best interest of the children!

http://cookcountyjudges.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/judge-david-e-haracz-rips-off-parents-enriches-child-representative-david-wessel-in-domestic-relations/

Chicago Fees Extort Money from Small Business

The job losses and poor economy should be an incentive for municipalities to make their cities and towns more friendly and less costly to small businesses that often financially struggle to stay in existence. Chicago believes the opposite. Our wonderful mayor and city council have made sure to nickle and dime small businesses with unnecessary costs, fees, and regulations.

The number of empty storefronts is sure to grow until the city council is replaced with responsible aldermen who realize that 80 % of jobs in this country come from small businesses. They should do EVERYTHING possible to eliminate paperwork, unnecessary regulations, excessive fees, and hassles for small businesses in Chicago.

Mayor and Aldermen - ANY COMMENT?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0717workjul17,0,1783432.story

Will Blagojevic Sing?

IF Blago sings Democrats and Republicans will fall. How do you think his father-in-law Alderman Mell keeps getting re-elected after his district has turned so Republican? Why do you think Blago appointed the King of all corruption, Jim Thompson, as Chief of his transition team when he took office?

When there's corruption the difference between Republicans and Democrats disappears. They are a cabal of corruption that crosses party lines. Vrdolyak and Burke are the Kingpins of the older generation and Orlando Jones was the Kingpin of the younger generation. When they sing everything will be exposed. Vrdolyak will not sing as he knows how the mob deals with that. After indictment a bullet walked into Jone's head. I don't believe he killed himself. Sooo he won't sing.

Blago is small potatoes, just a pawn in the chess game, taught by the older generation and doing things the way that EVERY politician in Springfield, Cook County, and Chicago have been doing for decades.

Corruption will ONLY be vastly reduced when it sees the light of day. When Illinois has a "truth commission" where amnesty is given to those who fully confess, it will be exposed, the fear of retaliation for confessing will disappear, people from all over from the secretaries at IL Secr. of State office and the Cook County Sheriff will confess that they were forced to sell tickets to fund raisers on public time,the Cook County Sheriff's staff will confess to campaigning by polling places on public time, almost every vendor in Illinois will confess to paying a 10% kickback into political funds to keep the machine going including the guy who sells baloney to the prisons, etc.

Until the fear is reduced which is pervasive in Illinois we can indict thousands of people and they will be replaced by thousands more and corruption will continue. Back room deals, nepotism, kickbacks, patronage, etc will continue until corruption sees the light of day. "Truth Commissions" worked in South Africa and they can work in Illinois. It will be a LOT LESS COSTLY to have a truth commission and move on than to endlessly indict and prosecute literally hundreds of people, which is a drop in the bucket considering the tentacles and spider web of corruption in Illinois.

I don't believe Blagojevic is a kingpin, but I believe he knows a lot and can take down many if he sings. The risks for singing however are great. Ask Orlando Jones, John Stroger Sr's godson, who carried out the orders for patronage hiring, fraud, and corruption.