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The [Thursday] Papers"I was sad to learn of Jon Burge's passing today," Brandon Clark of Logan Square writes in a letter to the editor of the Sun-Times. (Are these letters really to the editor? They're really to readers, aren't they? Why not label them as such - or just call them "Letters?" Or "Responses?" Or, stay with me here, "Comments.") Anyway . . . "Not because I think he was a good man, although John Conroy, the man perhaps most responsible for Burge's public disgrace, once admitted that despite knowing what Burge had done, he found him to be 'likable.' "Rather, I am sad because I don't believe Burge was ever truly held accountable for the harm he caused this world, and now he never will be. Sure, he lost his job and was eventually convicted of perjury and sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison for it. But that occurred more than 15 years after it was plain to anyone who cared to know that he had presided over the systematic torture of dozens of detainees at Area 2 police headquarters - and even after serving his time, he kept his pension!" Indeed. This city has nothing to be proud of in its ultimate punishment of Burge, as it was far too little far too late. Burge also represents a dark mark against Chicago media for its utter refusal to come to grips with the stellar, Pulitzer-worthy reporting of Conroy that occurred under its nose and went ignored for far too long. * On that score, let's detour to a year ago August: "The Chicago Public Schools on Monday unveiled its new curriculum to teach all 8th graders and high school sophomores about the decades-old torture and brutality by disgraced former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge and detectives who worked under him," the Tribune reported. "The coursework was mandated as part of the 2015 deal in which the City Council approved a $5.5 million reparations fund for dozens of victims with credible claims of torture by Burge and his so-called 'midnight crew' of rogue detectives." Teaching Burge in CPS is a big and underappreciated move, I'd say. I'm not sure I've ever heard of such a thing. That's an unusual commitment by the city to ensure Burge's legacy is not forgotten. The curriculum was developed by social science specialists who worked for months with African-American community leaders, civil rights advocates, law enforcement, academic researchers and the Chicago Teachers Union. My question about the curriculum is if it includes the media's performance as part of its examination of what allowed such abuses to flourish. * The FOP last August in that Trib article: "The Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file Chicago police officers, issued a statement saying it did not believe 'the Burge mythology' should be part of the public school curriculum, citing 'the strong possibility that some wrongful conviction claims are false and some may even be fraudulent.'" * Back to Brandon Clark's letter: "Think about it: Burge masterminded the full-blown torture of U.S. citizens, within the City of Chicago, and for years we all just shrugged our collective shoulders. When he died, a former FOP president reportedly stated that Burge didn't get 'a fair shake,' and current FOP leadership suggested that the full story of Jon Burge is not yet known. Maybe so, although I doubt it." Indeed. The truth is Burge got lucky; he served a relatively brief time in prison for perjuring himself about crimes he was never charged with. My question for the FOP right now is this: Has any cop ever done anything wrong? And if so, name them. Because if the FOP isn't going to believe the evidence against Burge, they aren't going to believe the evidence against anyone who ever wore the uniform. As long as the FOP backs its officers to the hilt regardless of facts, it will never have the credibility necessary to establish trusting relationships with the city and its citizens. * Finally, I can't help but recall Conroy's reaction to local media's response to the Guardian breaking a Homan Square story that to this day local media doesn't believe. From this space in March 2015: Someone finally asked John Conroy what he thought of the Guardian's reporting on Homan Square. It was WBEZ on Wednesday, and what he said was devastating: Look, Chicago's media still hasn't acknowledged its woeful performance in covering (or not) Burge. I recall only seeing a stray sentence once, an aside, in a Sun-Times editorial that came close. They've whitewashed themselves out of a story they whitewashed themselves out of in the first place. That's why it's so important that they be included in any curriculum teaching about institutional failures that allowed Jon Burge to happen. *
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- ChicagoReddit Has anyone else noticed that busses have been way off their estimated arrival times lately? from r/chicago - ChicagoGram - ChicagoTube The Art Institute of Chicago courtyard fountain. - TweetWood Every day I unsubscribe. Every morning it still comes. I've e-mailed, tweeted, begged and pleaded. All to no avail. The Politico Illinois Playbook always prevails.
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* As well he should be. Pleased to see justice for incompetence in an industry that usually rewards it.
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- The Beachwood Tronc Line: Second that emotion. Posted on September 20, 2018 |
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