MCHR Weekly Report on the Jon Burge Trial

June 4, 2010

The third day of the Jon Burge trial occurred on Tuesday, June 1st of this week. Burge is accused of lying about his involvement in the torture of hundreds of suspects while he was a Chicago Police Commander in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Under current U.S. law, Burge cannot be tried for his torture crimes as the statute of limitations on the crimes has expired.

Tuesday morning saw the testimony of Attorney Cassandra Watson who represented Melvin Jones after he was arrested and subsequently tortured by Burge and Area 2 detectives in the 1980’s. Watson gave compelling testimony on her conversations with Jon Burge regarding his use of the “black box”, an electric shock device, to torture suspects. Watson said that when she would asked Burge “Are you bringing out the black box today” Burge replied in the following ways on separate occasions: “There is no box, Watson,” “What are you talking about, Watson?,” “There is no box today,” and one occasion “The black box leaves no marks.”

In reference to Andrew Wilson, Burge torture survivor, Joey Mogul said “In most cases torture leaves no marks, but in this case it did.” Wilson was brutally tortured by Burge in the 1980's and the physical evidence was documented later that day by Wilson’s attorney, Dale Coventry. In an interview with the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights, Mogul described that Wilson was handcuffed across a radiator, alligator clips were attached to various parts of his body including his genitals, and that he was repeatedly shocked and burned against the radiator. When Coventry asked Wilson about the source of the cuts, burns, and marks on his body, Wilson replied that "police" had inflicted them upon him. Wilson’s testimony will be read in as the Burge trial continues next week. 

Also on Tuesday, June 1st, The Illinois Coalition against Torture (ICAT) held a press conference in the Dirksen Federal Building calling for state and federal legislation to criminalize acts of torture committed in Illinois and the U.S and to remove the statute of limitations for charging someone with torture. At the press conference, Alderman Ed Smith, Cook County Commissioner Earlean Collins, Chicago police torture survivor Darrell Cannon, and Joey Mogul, an attorney who has represented many of the Chicago Police torture victims, all spoke in support of ICAT’s call for anti-torture legislation, new hearings for wrongfully convicted torture victims, and reparations for torture victims from the city of Chicago. The press conference was attended by local human rights activists and members of ICAT.

For more information on the Chicago Police Torture Cases see Midwest Coalition for Human Rights resources.

This week's news on the Jon Burge trial:

Chicago Tribune: Attorneys testify of marks on clients - June 1, 2010

Chicago Sun Times: Police commander used 'black box' to shock suspects, witness says - June 1, 2010

Progress Illinois: "Injustice Has No Color": Coalition Seeks Anti-Torture Law (VIDEO) - June 1, 2010

Chicago Defender: Organization seeks to make police torture a crime - June 2, 2010