Chicago Torture Justice Memorials (CTJM), 2010–2015
CTJM began in 2010 when a group of attorneys, artists, educators, and social justice activists put out an independent call for speculative memorials to recall and honor the two-decades long struggle for justice waged by torture survivors and their families, attorneys, community organizers, and others in Chicago concerning the torture conducted under police Commander Jon Burge. The effort by CTJM culminated in a major exhibition of 75 memorial proposals, ("Opening the Black Box: The Charge is Torture" Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, 2012) and a series of associated teach-ins, roundtables, and other public events, 2011-2013.
One of the proposals, created by attorney Joey Mogul, was a draft for a Reparations Ordinance to provide redress to approximately 120 African American men and women subjected to racially-motivated torture by Burge and his subordinates from 1972 through 1991.
CTJM led the effort to introduce the ordinance into Chicago’s City Council. The Reparations Now campaign gained momentum in Chicago communities, and CTJM joined with local and national organizations to garner city-wide support for the reparations ordinance. Finally on May 6, 2015, after decades of grassroots struggle, the Chicago City Council passed the reparations package for the Burge torture survivors and their family members.
For detailed information on the Reparations campaign, the ongoing work to create a permanent memorial, and other information on the CTJM project, visit CTJM's website: https://chicagotorture.org/
The Chicago Torture Justice Center (CTJC) is a community center for survivors of police violence that was established as a result of the historic Reparations Ordinance.
For information on the Chicago Torture Justice Center, please visit: www.chicagotorturejustice.org