On November 18, 1983, James Cody was brutally beaten and tortured by Chicago police. But the historic cycle of abuse at the hands of this police force was so cruel, it’s hard to believe.
Police beat Cody, electrically shocked his genitals, and threatened him with castration. And for nearly thirty years, Police Commander Jon Burge orchestrated and participated in the torture of over 100 Black people just like him. Burge ran a KKK-esque “Midnight Crew,” often to coerce confessions. But something huge happened a year before Cody’s beating.
In 1982, Andrew Wilson shared explicit details of the torture the Midnight Crew subjected him to. But despite numerous complaints and lawsuits against the department, the State’s Attorney office CONTINUED to use falsified confessions obtained by Burge’s team to incarcerate Black men over the next decade.
Finally, a formal investigation was launched in 1991. It took two years for Burge to be fired and another fifteen years before he was convicted for lying under oath, all his abuse resulting in only four years in jail. Some torture victims received reparations in 2015, but many are still falsely imprisoned today.
Unfortunately, this story is not unique to Chicago police. It’s indicative of a flawed system overall – one that never intended to treat us justly. White supremacy like this cannot be reformed, but must instead be abolished!