In February and March of 1989, lawyers at the
People’s Law Office began to receive letters and phone messages from an
anonymous police source. At the time, the People’s Law Office was engaged in
defending Andrew Wilson in a widely publicized trial. The anonymous source
stated that he worked with Burge, revealed the existence of other victims of
torture, including Melvin Jones, and named Burge’s torture co-conspirators. The
anonymous source claimed that the 1982 torture of Wilson, Melvin Jones and
Donald White had taken place in front of, or was otherwise known to, the Chief
of Detectives, the Superintendent of Police, and the State’s Attorney..
·
2/2/89-2289anonymousletter.pdf
·
3/6/89-3689AnonymousLetter.pdf
·
3/15/89-31589AnonymousLetter.pdf
·
3/15/89
phone message-31589phoneMessageTy.pdf
·
6/16/89-
61689AnonymousLetter.pdf
·
Doris
M. Byrd Statement-DorisMByrdstatement.pdf
·
Barry
Mastin Summary-BarryMastinSummary12505.pdf
·
Affidavit
of Melvin Duncan-Duncanaffidavit.pdf
·
Pryweller
Video Statement-PrewellerVideoStmt32604.pdf
·
Sammy
Lacey, Jr. Statement-SammyWLacey.pdf
·
Walter
Young Statement-WalterYoungStatement.pdf
·
William
Parker, Sr. Statement-WilliamAParkerSRStatement.pdf
·
Melvin
Jones-JonesMelvin8582.pdf
Andrew Wilson’s testimony in People vs. Andrew
Wilson and Jackie Wilson, November 12, 1982. Wilson was arrested on February
14, 1982, just nine days after Melvin Jones. Mr. Wilson was brought into Area 2
where he was repeatedly tortured with electric-shock to the genitals,
suffocation, and burning on a hot radiator by Burge and policemen under his
supervision. Please see the January 22, 1992 Memorandum in Opposition filed by
the Chicago Police Board for more evidence of torture in this case.- Andrew
·
Wilson-WilsonAndrew111282.pdf
In 1989, four years after dismissing Andrew
Wilson’s compliant that he had been tortured, The Office of Professional
Standards (OPS) responded to pressure from Citizen’s Alert and other community
organizations to re-open the investigation. In 1990, investigators Goldston and
Sanders documented over 50 victims of electroshock and other forms of torture
at Area 2, and found all of Andrew Wilson’s complaints to be sustained. In
1991, OPS recommended that Burge, Yucaitis, and O’Hara be fired, and they were
suspended without pay until the Police Board Hearings began in 1992. Three days
before the hearings, Judge Shader, in another civil rights case, ordered that
OPS make the Goldston report public. As a result of the Police Board Hearings,
Burge was fired in 1993. However, because he was never criminally convicted, he
continues to receive a pension from the Chicago Police Department. Yucaitis was
suspended for 15 months without pay, and O’Hara was reinstated with no penalty.
Torture Investigators Goldston and Sanders report
2/6/91: Letter from Superintendent LeRoy Martin to
OPS Chief Administrator Gayle Shines-
·
021691LetterMartintoShines.pdf
4/30/91: Shines to Martin w/ Appendices
·
43091ShinestoMartinGoldstonAppendix.pdf
9/23/91: Investigator Francine Sanders to Shines w/
Evidence Attachments-
10/11/91: Recommendation that Burge et. al be fired
10/17/91: Letter from Police Foundation to Martin
·
101791PFoundationtoMartin.pdf
10/18/91: Letter From Martin to Shines re: Police
Foundation and Goldston Report-
7/30/92: Analysis of Goldston Report's Methods by
the Police Foundation
Summary of Evidence of Monell Policy and Practice
of Torture and Cover-up, and of Defendants’ (Martin’s, Shines’, Needham’s and
Hillard’s Involvement
A number of concerned groups have filed amicus
briefs requesting full investigation of the allegations of torture by the
Chicago Police Department"
·
The
Midwest Coalition for Human Rights-burgeamicusCIDHfinal-1.pdf
Brief by concerned law enforcement personnel
·
Finallawenforcementamicus.pdf
The document called CAT.C.USA.CO.2 is The United Nations Committee Against Torture
Consideration of the allegations of torture by the CPD.
The U.N. Committee Against Torture has considered
the allegations of torture by the Chicago Police Department and has stated:
"The Committee is concerned with allegations
of impunity of some of the State party’s law enforcement personnel in respect
of acts of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The
Committee notes the limited investigation and lack of prosecution in respect of
the allegations of torture perpetrated in areas 2 and 3 of the Chicago Police
Department. (article 12)
The State party should promptly, thoroughly and
impartially investigate all allegations of acts of torture or cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment by law enforcement personnel and bring
perpetrators to justice, in order to fulfill its obligations under article 12
of the Convention. The State party should also provide the Committee with
information on the ongoing investigations and prosecution relating to the above
mentioned case.
The website for the People’s Law Office is www.peopleslawoffice.com
and for the Midwest Human Rights www.midwesthumanrights.org