# Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Groundbreaking 7.8.26

- Date: July 8, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 44:49
- Topic: Openings and groundbreakings
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXSaAsXpIaU)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 5,671 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/IXSaAsXpIaU.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Groundbreaking.

## Transcript

[0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=0) Before we begin, I want to acknowledge the land we are on today. It's the traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe, or the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi nations, as well as many other nations. We honor these indigenous communities. Let this acknowledgement be a reminder of the history of settler colonialism and that we have a responsibility to learn from and support indigenous voices and sovereignty.

[0:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=43) My name is Joey Mogul. I am an attorney and organizer, and I've had the honor and privilege of representing scores of Chicago police torture survivors at the People's Law Office. I drafted. I also had the privilege of drafting the original reparations ordinance for Chicago police torture survivors, and I'm the board chair of the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation.

[1:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=74) And we are so proud to be working with the city today for this groundbreaking ceremony. So it's my sacred honor to welcome you to this joyous and sacred occasion. This morning, we officially break ground on the start of building this long-awaited memorial promised to the Chicago police torture survivors. This memorial tells a story of what happened.

[1:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=107) From 1972 to 1991, former Chicago police commander John Burge and white detectives under his command tortured over 125 black men, women, and children on Chicago's south side at Area 2 and 3 police headquarters. When we use the word torture, we don't do so lightly, flippantly, and we are not exaggerating. Burge and his detectives electrically shocked men on their wrists, ankles, and genitalia.

[2:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=140) Black people were suffocated with plastic bags. Individuals were beaten with rubber blackjacks and other items that inflicted severe pain without leaving any marks. Others were subjected to mock executions and threats with guns. In addition to excruciating physical pain, they were also tormented with racist epithets and slurs and terrorism to dehumanize them, break their will, and force them to confess.

[2:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=174) Those confessions were then used in their criminal cases against them to secure their convictions, lengthy prison sentences, and in the case of Eleven, the death penalty. The torture survivors reported the torture they endured to the Chicago Police Department, to city officials, to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, and to the courts. And time and time again, they were disbelieved, dismissed, and disregarded.

[3:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=205) This, too, caused survivors and their family members tremendous trauma and harm. Despite the massive resistance from the powers that be, the survivors and their family members spoke out, and they worked day in and day out for decades with organizers, artists, and attorneys, including Flint Taylor and myself and others at the People's Law Office, to demand justice, accountability, and redress for the last five decades.

[3:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=239) And that is what has led us here today. After decades of organizing, litigation, and independent journalism, and a spirited, multiracial, intergenerational, grassroots campaign, we made history getting Chicago's city council to pass historic, holistic reparations legislation for those tortured by Burge and his men in 2015. We just want to acknowledge our all-nomatic sponsors who filed that reparations legislation, Joe Moreno, and Howard Brookings. And now we are here, 11 years later.

[4:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=280) We have waited too long for this day to come. But we are thrilled it is finally here. And we know this day would not be a reality without Mayor Johnson and his administration. This permanent public memorial ensures that this chapter of racially motivated state violence is not erased from public memory by inscribing it onto the landscape of Chicago.

[5:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=315) It memorializes the courage, resilience, and resolve of the survivors, their family members, and all organizers and justice seekers. It's a testament to how people can collectively work together to create positive, transformative social change. And we hope it's a source of inspiration for all those who are fighting ongoing law enforcement violence here in the city of Chicago today. It's now my great pleasure to introduce two of the torture survivors to you, Greg Banks and Anthony Holmes.

[5:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=352) Greg Banks, in addition to being a survivor, is a reparations recipient, a member of Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Foundation, and the safety coordinator at the Chicago Torture Justice Center. Gregory was beaten with a flashlight, suffocated, subjected to racial epithets by Burge's infamous Midnight Crew, and forced to confess to a crime in 1983. Both Greg and Anthony have fought for others, suffering through re-traumatizing cross-examinations

[6:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=384) to testify against Burge in his federal prosecution and in support of other torture survivors in their criminal cases. We would not be here without the efforts of Greg and Anthony. Good morning, everyone. It's great to be here. My name is Gregory Banks, and I am honored to be here with you today. This is a historical day.

[6:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=415) It reminds me of the day City Council passed reparations for Chicago police torture survivors. That was a day many people thought would never come, but it did. because survivors refused to give up and our supporters refused to let our story be forgotten. We have waited a long time for this moment. For decades, we have carried this pain of what happened to us while fighting for truth, justice, and recognition.

[7:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=446) Today is another important step on that journey. The memorial we are creating will make sure that no one forget what happened here in Chicago. It will stand as a permanent reminder of the suffering survivors endured, the resilience we showed, and responsibilities we all share to ensure these injustices never happen again. For years, people refused to believe us. They questioned our stories, denied our experience. That disbelief caused another kind of pain.

[8:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=480) But today, our truth is being recognized. Our voices are finally being heard, and that recognition is healing, not only for survivors, but for our families and our communities. This memorial is about more than remembering the past. It's about educating future generations, honoring those who survive, and inspiring people to stand up against injustice wherever they see it. I want to thank everyone who stood beside us throughout this journey.

[8:32](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=512) Thank you to the People's Law Office, the Chicago Readers, the organizers, the community advocates, the Chicago Tortures Justice Memorial Foundation, and Mayor Johnson for his support. None of this would have been possible without your dedication and belief in justice. To my fellow survivors, this memorial belongs to us. it's honor your courage your perseverance and your refusal to let your truth be erased

[9:03](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=543) as we move forward let this memorial remind every person who visits that justice may take years even decades but when people come together with courage determination and hope change is possible our stories matter our lives matter the truth matters may this memorial stand for generations as a promise that we will remember that we will continue to seek justice and that whatever happens here must never happen again.

[9:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=575) Thank you. Thank you, Gregory, for that. Truth. Now I want to introduce to you Anthony Holmes, my beloved family member, my loved one, my former client. Anthony's vice president of the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation, and he's one of the first known Burge torture survivors. He was electrically shocked and suffocated by Burge himself in May of 1973.

[10:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=607) And he was forced to confess to a crime he didn't commit, leading to decades of incarceration. He's also a reparations recipient, and he was a spokesperson in the reparations campaign. He has shown up for survivors time and time again, and he's given so much without ambition or ego. He truly is the moral compass of this movement. Without him, we would have no memorial. Welcome, Anthony Holmes.

[10:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=642) As you know, my name is Anthony Holmes, and I am a Burrs' Charge of Surviving. We have waited for many moments for a long, long time, but we are still here. And last, we are feeling this memorial. The memorial means everything to me because it is about the truth. It is about the torture Burge and his men committed.

[11:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=678) And everything that we, the survivors, suffered. Building this memorial means that Chicago has finally heard what we had to say. When no one would believe us for a long time, the memorial is the city's way of admitting what happened to us.

[11:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=715) I'm good, y'all. It's just that when you go through so much, and this is the result of it, finally we get somebody to believe us. I'm going to skip a little sip because I ain't got that much more to say, but I want to thank the mayor because he gave me his word that he was going to help us, and he did. Thank you.

[12:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=747) And Alderman, she invited us to this area, when they sent us to get on run-arounds at different places, trying to find a spot, and she opened the door for us, and that's why we got here. But most of all, it seemed like we didn't get no help until they came. but the sad part is

[12:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=778) now we got the help and we winning we winning and we ain't got nothing to be sad about or sorry about and the hurt that we've suffered and been through it's all being rectified and with that I close thank you thank you let's give it up for both Gregory and Anthony

[13:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=809) And given all that the torture survivors and their family members have gone through, we'd like to honor all of you today. If you could, we're going to please, I'm going to name you off, and if you could stand, please do so. Deborah Hammons, wife of Ollie Hammons. Enrique Valdez. James Marshall. Latanya Jennifer Sublett. LaVert Jones. Elsie Riley. LaTanya and Carmen Orange, the daughters of Leroy Orange, Marcus Wiggins, Mark Clements, Marvin Reeves, Mary L. Johnson, mother of Michael Johnson,

[14:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=852) Miron Rick Diggins Michelle Clopton and her brothers who are with us today Nantambu Nicholas Reginald Henderson Ronald Kitchen and his wife Tina Stanley Howard Victor Sappholt Walter Johnson Carl Williams and Talia Carter Thank you, thank you for all James Gibson and David Lincoln

[14:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=883) in. Thank you for all that you have persevered, for all your resilience, and for continuing to fight on to see this day to fruition. Now, I'm thrilled to introduce to you the one and only Jen Ashe. Jen was a volunteer during the campaign for reparations and a historian of black history and women's history. She's a tremendous leader who navigated this gigantic effort to build this memorial, organizing us with love and rigor, painstakingly addressing all the details,

[15:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=919) and sacrificing sweat and tears to get us to this truly momentous occasion today. She's thoughtful, loving, and caring steward of the Chicago Torture Memorial community, which is far more than a foundation. Without Jen, this memorial would not be possible. I'm so pleased to introduce to you our phenomenal executive director, Jen Ashe. Thank you.

[15:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=949) If I've learned anything since joining this movement in 2014, it's this. Justice doesn't end when legislation passes. We continue to fight for justice until promises made become reality. Today, the final unfulfilled promise made in the 2015 legislation is becoming real. This memorial cannot undo the harms of the past, but it creates something powerful. a place for healing, for education, and for truth.

[16:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=982) It ensures that the impact of the reparations that were won over 11 years ago continue to ripple through Chicago and far beyond, reaching thousands of people each year. This memorial will be built from concrete, but more importantly, it is built from courage. It's built on truth, and it's built by people who refuse to let history disappear. Because before there was a design, there were stories. Before there was funding, there were survivors waiting to be heard.

[16:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1015) Before there were architects and engineers, there were families carrying decades of pain. And before there was momentum, there were organizers who simply refused to quit. History doesn't preserve itself. People do. Every person who contributed to this project became a caretaker of that history. ensuring that survivors and their families could tell their own stories through this memorial. In addition to us naming survivors and their family members present today, we would also like to thank others who have been a part of this long journey

[17:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1047) as active members of CTJM, staff at the Chicago Torture Justice Center, and members of our design and construction team. If I've left you out, please charge it to my head and not my heart. From CTJM, Victoria Agunit. Victoria is our lone-paid staff person other than me, and Victoria does an amazing, amazing job. Monica Paulson, Lee Dewey, Sarah Ross, Carla Mayer, Patricia Nguyen, John Lee, Mary Patton, Yvonne Arenas, Alice Kim, Elizabeth Todd Breland, Lisa Lee, Tim Johnson, October Kamara, and Dorothy Burge.

[18:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1095) We also want to thank our staff at the Chicago Torture Justice Center. The center was created out of the reparations legislation, and it's the first of its kind in the nation to provide trauma-informed counseling and case management services to all impacted by police violence. Aislinn Pulley. Curtis Ferdinand. Gina Tarullo. Jamila Lawrence. Najee Ublis. Nate Gillum, Shalom Parker, Yanitza Carmona-Carrera, Latanya Jennifer Sublett, Gregory Banks, Sarah Wilde, and Mark Clements.

[19:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1141) From our design and construction team, we would like to thank Teresa Prim of Prim Lawrence Group, John Gay and Simba Mapandi, and the entire team from Jack Corp. Anthony Akadele from NIA Architects, Todd Goose and Joe Target from Burling Builders, Jeff Leslie and his team of law students at the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, Studio Blue Design Team, Green Print Partners, Engage Civil Engineering, Stern Joglacher Team, and IMEG.

[19:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1175) The design of this memorial and the grounds that surround it have required years of thoughtful planning and input from survivors, family members, and community of supporters. The memorial, originally conceived by Patricia Nguyen and John Lee, includes a monument with a timeline that tells the story of the racially motivated pattern and practice of torture and the decades-long organizing, litigation, and journalism that exposed the truth and fought for accountability and redress, culminating in the passage of historic reparations legislation for Chicago police torture survivors.

[20:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1209) Its spiral and sight lines are inspired by the resistance symbol of the Zapatista carcoles and the inversion of the panopticon, the infamous prison design that allows those incarcerated to be observed at all times without knowing if they're actually being observed or not. Survivors were forced into confessions. As a form of reparative justice, survivors and their family members have written their own words that will be etched in the surrounding pathways. The monument will be surrounded by native pollinator gardens and meditative seating

[20:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1240) allowing for rest, reflection, healing, as well as outdoor educational programs and events. The site as a whole is reflected of survivor Stanley Howard's description of his experience of torture as being sucked into a vortex and spit back out, with architect John Gaze designing pathways that shoot out from the memorial structure across the landscape. The memorial design also includes a community gathering space where CPS students learning the Reparations I curriculum taught in 8th and 10th grade classes

[21:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1271) can gather for field trip lessons and talk with those directly impacted by police violence and torture, as well as programming that uses public art and history as a means for inspiring community organizing and social change. Every single element has been meticulously planned with the surrounding community in mind as well. In closing, our responsibility has never been simply to build a monument. It has been to honor lives, preserve truth, and create a place where future generations

[21:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1303) can learn, reflect, heal, and ask difficult questions. Projects like this don't happen overnight, especially in a city like Chicago. They are built through thousands of conversations, hundreds of meetings, difficult decisions, changing administrations, funding challenges, and an unwavering commitment to collaboration of her ego. The memorial is the visible result. The movement is what built it. And every survivor deserves to know that their story matters enough

[22:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1334) for future generations to remember. So I thank you for choosing to be with us today to celebrate this milestone, and I sincerely hope that you'll be back here on the sacred ground to celebrate even more with us at the grand opening. Thank you. All right, let's give it up for Jen Ash. All right. I know you're hot. We're going to keep it moving. It's my pleasure to introduce the Commissioner of Department of Planning and Development. We are so grateful for Commissioner Sierra Boatwright's leadership and her staff,

[22:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1368) London Walther, Meg Gustafan, and Patrick Brutus. They have worked with us through several years of both the design review process and securing this property, the sacred ground we are on today. Thank you for all that you've done to build this memorial and for working closely with our team to ensure the integrity and safety of this site. I give you Commissioner Boatwright. Thank you, Joey, Jen.

[23:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1400) Much of the work that DPD performs as the city's lead planning agency is about the future and what we can do today to support Chicagoans of tomorrow. But as forward-thinking as we aspire to be, we're always working in the wake of our predecessors. and the systemic forces that shape where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. Given Chicago's uneven history, that means different things depending on your neighborhood, your race and education, your mobility and health, and other variables that both underscore and undermine the positive outcomes that the city endeavors to foster citywide under Mayor Johnson.

[23:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1438) So as a city's planning commissioner and a lifelong Southsider, I'm inclined to think about all the buildings, the families, and businesses that occupy this area when the torture started in the 1970s. Because by 1984, this site and hundreds of nearby locations were reduced to vacant lots that would persist for decades. Today, the lots are evidence of the deep, widespread systemic forces that disenfranchised the community from homes, stores, and jobs, and enabled many vulnerable residents to be wrongfully victimized by law enforcement and criminal justice system.

[24:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1475) Though trauma can be devastating, it's the response that defines who we are and what we can become, which is why DPD is so pleased to support the Torture and Justice Memorial as a public gathering space next to beautiful Washington Park. We appreciate the healing it will represent for victims, their families, and the generations of Chicagoans that will inspire to move on and beyond the difficult forces that impede the city's progress. We love the $4.9 million investment on a corner that's been vacant for more than 40 years, more than half of that time under city ownership, and we're proud to contribute $280,000 toward its construction from the Open Space Impact Fee Program, which is designed for meaningful projects just like this.

[25:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1525) The memorial is going to be a profound symbol of repair and reparations for all Chicagoans touched by violent and systemic inequities, past, present, and future. I want to thank the foundation, the advocates, the residents, the full development team and partners, my staff for their commitment to this work, Alderman Taylor for her dedication to the community, and our fearless champion, Mayor Johnson, for enabling this creation right here on Martin Luther King Drive.

[25:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1555) Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Commissioner Boatwright. It's now my pleasure to introduce to you the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Kenya Merritt. We are so grateful for Commissioner Merritt's leadership and for the work of her staff, including Lydia Ross and Sonia Eldridge, who've worked with us day in and day out to secure the necessary funds to build this memorial and who have supported us during each phase of this work along the way.

[26:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1589) I welcome Commissioner Merritt. Good morning, everyone. I want to thank Mayor Johnson for his vision and his commitment to this project. From the very beginning, it was one of the first announcements he made at the start of his administration. Can I give it up for the mayor again? Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, also for her commitment. and the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Foundation, their survivors, your families, the artists,

[27:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1624) as well as all of the community partners who brought us to this moment here today. And just another acknowledgement to Lydia Ross of our team at DK's for her leadership, to our partners at the Mellon Foundation for believing in the power of public memory and to every single person who understood that this story deserves a permanent place in Chicago. When we shape the public places of our city, we shape its memory.

[27:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1658) And when we shape its memory, we shape our future. That is why today matters so much. It's about making a permanent commitment to the truth. It's about saying that some stories are too important to fade, too consequential to overlook, and too powerful to be erased. At DK's, we often say that art is civic infrastructure. It shapes how we see one another.

[28:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1688) It shapes how we understand our past, and it shapes the values we choose to carry into our future. The most meaningful public art doesn't simply decorate our city, it acts something of us. It challenges us, and it refuses to let us look away. It ultimately creates a space for truth, for dialogue, for accountability, and for healing. That is exactly what this memorial will do.

[28:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1720) The Chicago Torture Justice Memorial will ensure that this history is not confined to books or archives. It will live where Chicagoans live, in our public space, in our neighborhood, in the everyday life of our city. It will stand as a reminder that justice requires memory and that remembrance itself is an act of hope.

[29:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1750) This is also why the Chicago Monuments Project is also important. It is our commitment to ensuring that the stories reflected in our public spaces are rich as they are complex, as they are diverse, as the people of Chicago are. Because every resident deserves to see themselves and our shared history. represented honestly in the places where we gather.

[29:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1781) What gives me the greatest hope is not only what will be built here, but how it was imagined. This memorial was shaped alongside survivors and community members for decades. Their lived experience became a part of the design itself. That is why cultural leadership looks like this is an example of it. We do not create for communities. We create with them. Today's groundbreaking is possible because of that extraordinary partnership.

[30:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1816) Thank you all so much for being here. Thank you, Commissioner Merritt. Okay, folks, I am so excited to introduce to you our next speaker, and it's a true honor. We met with Mayor Johnson years ago when he was a Cook County Commissioner, and it was clear then that he truly believed in the value of this memorial, and he pledged his support for it.

[30:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1847) And he has been consistent ever since. When he ran for mayor, he committed his support to build the memorial if elected. And while he's been in office, he has been our biggest champion. He has fully supported long-overdue reparations for black people at a time when the Trump administration is doing everything in its power to erase the racist history of the United States and provide immunity to law enforcement and white supremacist violence.

[31:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1882) Prior mayoral administrations failed to fulfill the promise of this memorial promised to us in the reparations legislation passed in 2015. But Mayor Johnson has provided the leadership, the political will, and the capital to ensure this memorial gets built. Mayor Johnson, on behalf of myself, the Chicago Police Torture Survivors, and the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Foundation. We are so grateful to you for your courage, your support, and your righteousness.

[31:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1918) I am so proud to introduce to you my mayor, the people's mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you so much. Thank you for that introduction, and good morning, everyone. I am truly honored to gather with all of you as we break ground on the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial. This is a historic step towards fulfilling the promise that the city of Chicago made to survivors.

[32:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1955) A promise that I made. The survivors of the torment and torture of John Birch, the city of Chicago, So we are grateful for your survival, but we deeply, deeply apologize for the torment and the torture that you and your family experienced. You know, I'm honored to be on the stage with, you know, two amazing brothers, you know, Gregory and Anthony, for their leadership and commitment.

[33:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=1994) I know Mark is running around here somewhere, you know, representing the West Side with that teal. What color is that, brother? That's that lime green two-piece. I mean, he west side through and through. Y'all give it up for my brother, west side. Because it's not just about the two-piece lime green. You've got to have the shoes to fully coordinate. Yes, sir. But these survivors compelled the city to confront one of the most painful chapters in our history.

[33:50](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2030) I do want to give a special acknowledgement to the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Foundation's board and staff who fought for the reparations of Burge Torture Victims' Ordinance. And that's why we are here today, because of that fight. Thank you for your courage, your resilience, and working with the city to see this through. So many lives were forever changed by the torture carried out by John Burge and those who were under his command. black Chicagoans, many from public housing communities

[34:21](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2061) had years of their lives stolen from them much like our ancestors were stolen from the continent of Africa make no mistake about it, the torture that was carried out by John Birch It's the same torture that was administered against those of us who are descendants of the formerly enslaved. And that harm has rippled through families, leaving entire generations to carry the weight of trauma and injustice. And this wrongdoing also deepened a legacy of distrust between communities and law enforcement that Chicago continues to confront today.

[34:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2099) Accountability is an essential step towards healing. With this memorial, the city of Chicago upholds its responsibility to tell the truth about John Burge and what he did and the lasting harm of those abuses that were inflicted on the entire city. When this memorial is completed, it will provide a space for education, community building, remembrance, but it will also provide a place for hope and healing. And I want to thank the president of the Chicago Teachers Union, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Stacey Davis Gates, for being here because they pushed to make sure that this was a part of the curriculum in our Chicago public schools.

[35:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2141) So we're committed to seeing this memorial through and keeping the promise made to survivors and the families. In 2023, I announced a $6.8 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the Chicago Monuments Project, a citywide initiative to build memorials, monuments, and artwork that reflects our city's history and the true stories from our communities. And furthermore, I committed $1 million from my administration to support the full realization of this memorial alongside Mellon's funding.

[36:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2172) In December 2025, the City Council approved a measure to transfer city-owned lots for this memorial. This lot was transferred over for $1 to help with the construction costs. The memorial cannot completely undo the harm, but it certainly can ensure that the harm doesn't perpetuate. It will stand as a lasting testament to our city's commitment to building communities centered around justice and equity, treating every Chicagoan with dignity and respect.

[36:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2203) And there's still more work for us to do. We have to confront Chicago's long legacy of racist policies and the harm that it inflicted on black communities and brown communities. My administration is committed to doing that work by investing in people and communities that were too often neglected. We're going to expand access to affordable housing. We're going to build quality neighborhood schools. We're going to ensure that public health and mental health is fully supported, economic opportunities that enable every resident and family to thrive.

[37:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2237) We are going to build the safest, most affordable big city in America, and we're going to do it through the lens of black liberation. So our commitment to restoring trust between the police and the community by recognizing past harm and instilling constitutional, accountable policing that serves every Chicago. And finally, I'm honored to break ground on this memorial with you all today, and I look forward to seeing this place of remembrance and healing realized.

[37:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2271) Thank you again to the survivors and the Chicago Tortured Justice Memorial Foundation and the members and all of you who displayed an incredible amount of courage to push us till today. I'm grateful to work with you all, and let's continue to build an economy that works for all. Reparations and reparations now Thank you all, God bless you God bless the greatest city in the world, Chicago

[38:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2302) Alright, folks I wanted to say I've been doing this for a long time That's where this gray hair comes from And I've been here Through several mayoral administrations And I can tell you That no mayor Has embraced this cause And championed it more No one truly showed up for the torture survivors and family members and the movement but for mayor johnson can we please give it up to mayor johnson now it's my honor to introduce to you our final speaker of

[39:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2351) the day alderwoman jeanette taylor of the 20th ward she is a community organizer at heart through and through and she's demonstrated her commitment to the people she is also a principled politician and accountable to her constituents in the 20th Ward. She's ensured that there was a fair, democratic process that allowed the Washington Park residents

[39:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2385) and the surrounding blocks of this land to vote on whether they wanted this memorial to be built here or not. And they all voted overwhelmingly in support of this memorial. I can attest to the fact that without Alderman Taylor's support, we would not be able to build this memorial. In conceiving of this memorial, we talked to dozens of survivors and family members. and we asked them where they wanted it to be built.

[40:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2415) And they all said they wanted it on the south side of Chicago, where they lived and where they were tortured. And we, as a foundation, went around and we asked so many aldermen here on the south side, will you give us land? Will you let us fill the memorial? And not a single one of them would do so but for Alderman Taylor. She, like Mayor Johnson, has championed this memorial and been a full-throated supporter of Chicago Police Torture Survivors and survivors of violence.

[40:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2453) On behalf of myself, Chicago Police Torture Survivors, and the Foundation, we are so grateful to you for your support of this memorial and the survivors. Please, I am so thrilled to introduce to you Alderman Taylor. Good morning. How y'all doing? Welcome to beautiful Washington Park in the 20th Ward. Now, I got all dressed up, so if you see me wobbling, it's because of these shoes.

[41:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2485) These ain't really my forte. The Chicago Torture Justice Memorial represents more than a monument to many victims and survivors of police violence. It's the acknowledgment of what happened to them was real, it was wrong, and that their suffering deserves to be remembered. For the victims of police crimes, the memorial can mean recognition. It validates the experience of those who were tortured, abused, and wrongfully convicted after years of being ignored and disbelieved.

[41:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2515) Truth. It confronts a painful history, particularly the torture carried out under former John Burge and others issuing those abuses and not forgotten. Justice. While the memorial cannot undo the harm, it symbolizes society's commitment to acknowledge wrongdoing and the continuing the pursuit of accountability and reform. Healing. It's other survivors, their families, and communities a place to grieve, reflect, find solidarity with others who share similar experiences.

[42:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2549) Educates. It teaches future generations the consequence of unchecked power, radical injustices, and the importance of protecting civil rights. Hope. It serves as a reminder that the community can organize, demand accountability, and create lasting change even after decades of injustice. Unfortunately, the torture justice memorial survivors, we believe, we remember the history, your story matters, and it won't be erased. It's also a challenge. It challenges the broader public to ensure

[43:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2584) that such abuses are never repeated. For many Chicagoans, the memorial stands not only as a remembrance of the past harms, but also as a call to continue work, working toward dignity, accountability, and justice for all. Can we give it up to Alderman Taylor? Okay, following up on Mayor Johnson's call for reparations, I want us to do a chant. When I say reparations, you say now.

[43:37](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2617) Reparations! Reparations! Reparations! This memorial is part of the reparations package, a package of legislation that all of you helped get passed in 2015. We are so grateful that we are finally seeing this to completion. I'd like, before we close out, to give a round of applause to all the survivors, the family members, and the speakers we have here today. Thank you all for suffering through this heat and sun to come to this historic

[44:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU?t=2657) groundbreaking. Your support today and throughout the years, and in some cases decades, has made this memorial once a dream, a reality. We look forward to seeing you again when we will be back here for the ribbon-cutting ceremony when we open this historic memorial to the public. Now we're going to have the ceremonial breaking of the ground and I ask that all the speakers come and join and grab a shovel for us to do so.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/IXSaAsXpIaU · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt