Chicago breaks ground on monument to survivors of torture
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Rendering: Courtesy of Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Foundation
Survivors and advocates call the future Chicago Torture Justice Memorial the final "unfulfilled promise" in their fight for justice.
Driving the news: Torture survivors Gregory Banks and Anthony Holmes, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Ald. Jeanette Taylor and advocates broke ground Wednesday in Washington Park on the future memorial dedicated to victims and survivors of police torture.
Why it matters: The memorial represents a long-awaited step in the decades-long fight to recognize the victims of one of the city's darkest chapters, Chicago police's systematic torture of primarily African American men.
History: From 1972 to 1991, Commander Jon Burge and officers under his command, known as the "Midnight Crew," tortured men and women into confessions using cattle prods, electrical shocks, suffocation and other inhumane measures.
- Those false confessions helped convict many people for crimes they did not commit.
- For more than two decades, Burge victims and their families have fought to clear their names, with at least 20 being successfully exonerated.
- CPD fired Burge in 1993, and he was convicted of perjury in 2010 and sentenced to 54 months in prison.
Flashback: Chicago's City Council voted in 2015 to recognize the torture with a reparations declaration that included a formal apology from the city, a $5.5 million fund for victims, free tuition to City Colleges and the creation of a Chicago Public Schools curriculum to teach about Burge and police torture.
- It was the first time in U.S. history that Black Americans who suffered police violence won reparations.
What they're saying: "This wrongdoing also deepened a legacy of distrust between communities and law enforcement that Chicago continues to confront today," Johnson said. "With this memorial, the city of Chicago upholds its responsibility to tell the truth about Jon Burge and what he did, and the lasting harm of those abuses that were inflicted on the entire city. "
- "This memorial is about more than remembering the past; it's about educating future generations, honoring those who survive and inspiring people to stand up against injustice wherever they see it," Banks said.
Zoom in: The monument will include a timeline of the torture, with survivors' and their families' words engraved in the pathways.
- It will be surrounded by native pollinator gardens and meditative seating and include a community gathering space where students can learn about the reparations.
By the numbers: Johnson pledged $1 million, alongside funding from the Mellon Foundation, for the construction of the monument, he said Wednesday.
- The city also sold the vacant lot where it will be built to the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Foundation for $1.
What's next: The monument is expected to be unveiled next year at 5520 S. King Drive.