By Amnesty International
On December 16th, Chicago Torture Justice Memorials (CTJM), We Charge Genocide, Project NIA and Amnesty International will hold a five-mile march, deliver a petition, reveal a list of “nice & naughty” alderpeople and hold a memorial at City Hall to demand passage of the Reparations Ordinance for Chicago Police Torture Survivors.
On October 16, 2013, a Reparations Ordinance for Chicago Police Torture Survivors was introduced in Chicago’s City Council. It has already garnered the support of 26 alderpeople, with only one additional vote needed to pass the ordinance. Passage of the ordinance is also supported by the United Nations Committee Against Torture.
Amnesty International USA’s board of directors recently sent a letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel calling for passage of the ordinance. “As Amnesty International USA Board Members, we were happy to see your recent acknowledgement of the City of Chicago’s enduring obligations to Chicago police torture survivors, their families and their communities. We ask you to continue to show your support by helping to pave the way for a prompt public hearing where the compelling reasons for passage of the ordinance can be fully aired.”
Schedule:
12 PM / Police Headquarters: Chicagoans will march about five miles from Chicago Police Headquarters, at 3510 S. Michigan Ave, to City Hall, at 121 N. LaSalle.
2 PM / City Hall, 5th Floor: Marchers will deliver a petition with over 45,000 signatures in support of the Reparations for Chicago Police Torture Survivors ordinance. They will create a public memorial outside the Mayor’s office and call for Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago City Council to pass the ordinance before the municipal elections this February.
5 PM: Post Action Gathering at Grace Place Church, 637 S. Dearborn.
Remote Action: Organizers are encouraging those who can’t attend the action to participate via social media by using the #RahmRepNow hashtag to demand that Mayor Emanuel support the reparations ordinance, and by calling the Mayor’s office at 312-744-3300 to advocate for the ordinance.
Visuals: Participants are asked to bring a photo, manifesto, momento, candle, sign, poem, or flower to City Hall.
About the Reparations for Chicago Police Torture Survivors ordinance:
Among other demands, the ordinance would require the city to administer financial reparations to all Burge torture survivors who are unable to sue for monetary damages because the statute of limitations for their claims has expired. The proposed ordinance would also provide all torture survivors and their families with tuition-free education at City Colleges; create a center on the South Side of Chicago that would provide psychological counseling, health care services and vocational training to those affected by law enforcement torture and abuse; and require Chicago Public Schools to teach about these cases and sponsor the construction of public torture memorials. It also asks the city’s leaders to issue a formal apology to those who were tortured and their communities.
For the full text of the Reparations Ordinance, see: http://chicagotorture.org/#reparations
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Comments welcome.
Posted on December 16, 2014