From Lucy Parsons Lab via Rachael Perrotta
Lucy Parsons Labs sued the FBI on Monday for its records on late Chicago police commander Jon Burge.
The FBI maintains investigative, arrest and prosecution records about Burge, who went to jail for perjury about torture directed under his watch. LPL filed suit after long delays in the processing of their requests despite the clear public interest in the release of records.
Lucy Parsons Labs, a non-profit focused on government transparency, believes the files could shine light on allegations that Burge tortured at least 118 individuals in police custody. Lucy Parsons Labs is represented by Matt Topic and Josh Burday of the Chicago law firm Loevy and Loevy.
“The chief law enforcement agency in the country has a truly abysmal track record on complying with federal open records laws” said Parsons executive director Freddy Martinez. “It’s shocking they continue to stonewall on records about the Chicago Police Department’s historical use of torture decades after investigating these abuses. Instead of transparency around one of the Chicago Police Department’s darkest moments, the public is instead misled, delayed and denied the true accounting of CPD’s history.”
In the suit, LPL says “The FBI has indicated that it will not produce the requested records until December 2020.”
The lawsuit.
The original FOIA request and ensuing correspondence.
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About Lucy Parsons Labs
Lucy Parsons Labs is a charitable Chicago-based collaboration between data scientists, transparency activists, artists, & technologists that sheds light on the intersection of digital rights and on-the-streets issues.
Lucy Parsons Labs has previously collaborated with the Chicago Reader to expose how Chicago law enforcement agencies use civil asset forfeiture to collect nearly $72 million in cash and assets. Lucy Parsons Labs also used a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to uncover the use of invasive Stingray surveillance technology by the Chicago Police Department, and sued the FBI “Over Files on Dead Hacker Who Turned In Chelsea Manning.”
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Comments welcome.
Posted on June 18, 2019