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Group Asks Emanuel, Alvarez To Look Into Torture Allegations

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Jon Burge

Former Chicago Police Lt. Jon Burge (Credit: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)

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UPDATED 05/16/11 7:27 a.m.

CHICAGO (WBBM/CBS) – Men tortured under disgraced former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge gathered in front of the Criminal Courts Building on Sunday, calling on mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel to take action.

Released from prison last year, Victor Safforld stood among men and women who share an awful story.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Michele Fiore reports


They’re calling themselves The Jail Jon Burge Organization.

Safforld said that, despite Burge’s conviction of lying about torture under his command, new cases of alleged Chicago police torture continue to pop up.

Martin Reeves is another man who spent time being wrongfully incarcerated because he was tortured into making a confession.

He and others want Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to look into the more than 100 new allegations of torture, since the Burge case. They also called on Gov. Pat Quinn to let any of Burge’s remaining victims out of prison, like Stanley Howard.

Howard’s mother, Jeanette Johnson, was at Sunday’s news conference, pleading for her son’s release.

Howard, 49, was pardoned by Gov. George Ryan in 2003 for the murder of Oliver Ridgell, but he remains behind bars on an armed robbery conviction.

“He’s 49, and he’s been locked up all his young life!” Jeanette Johnson said.

As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Michele Fiore reports, attorney Mark Clemmons says police brutality continues.

“We want to show the State’s Attorney’s office that we’re very serious by coming back to this office for a sit-in, right here in the courthouse – the scene of the crime,” he said.

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  • john

    Some murdering, rapist gets slapped by a hard working street copper and the left wing Democrats want every convict released from prison. Nuts!

    • Gregg

      Amen, I couldn’t have said it any better.

      • Mark Clements

        John and Gregg, grow up. Life is to short for games. I am a torture victim and it is amazing how lost people like you are. I bet you both are white and that you would not feel this way if I was a cop and chain your children to a ring and beat them to confess to a crime they did not commit. Wake up!!! get a life.

  • Mike

    Let my son out he was pardon by a convicted felon (George Ryan) for murder. But still in jail for armed robbery. Sure torture not culture.

  • Betty

    What does this mean “sure torture not culture”?

  • watcher

    something tells me that there`s money at the root of this !!!!!!

    • Jermain

      Of course it is, look at who is doing the complaining, It’s obvious this is a buildup to a law suit.

  • ChicagoCitizen

    These people need to just get over it. It’s ancient history. There will be no cash payout for any of you.

    • Tom

      Agreed, old news. These people get enough free stuff from government. No jackpot justice for any of you !

    • Mark Clements

      Chicago Citizen you need to be ashame of yourself. I bet you would not feel this way if it was you that was tortured and spent decades behind prison walls for a crime that you did not commit. Get a life and learn to treat people the way you want to be treated and especially the way you want people to treat your children.

  • equal justice

    forget about getting help from alvarez.she won’t even go after daley’s nephew,that ended killing someone.please let the u.s department of justice involve.alvarez is a croonies of then mayor daley.

  • Gee-reg

    How about asking the Justice Department to look into all those black on white crimes and consider them hate crimes. Lets send all those blacks to jail for violating the civil rights of white people !!!!

  • Mark A. Clements

    What Jon Burge did to society as a whole should outrage the people!, but I see that some of you like torture.

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