September 2022 Newsletter — Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression

Welcome to the first ever Chicago Alliance newsletter! Going forward, we'll be sending you a monthly update on all of the work we have going out in the field with our campaigns, starting with a message from our field organizer, Frank Chapman.

A Message from Frank Chapman

Sometimes the powers that be give us a teaspoon of reform only to take it back with a shovel. Well, the Empowering Communities for Public Safety Ordinance is not a teaspoon of reform -- it's much more than a teaspoon -- and it was not given to us, but it was won by the power of a mass movement of people. Yet, they are still trying to take it back with a shovel:

Mayor Lightfoot took ten months to appoint an Interim Commission. That makes the Interim Commission a lame duck going into the February 2023 elections. For ten months we have protested and demanded that the Interim Commission be appointed, and although it was finally appointed, we know its effectiveness was deliberately undermined by the mayor. Taking so long to get the Interim Commission up and running makes it very difficult for us to have input into the upcoming discussions on the $2 billion super-bloated police budget and the Anjanette Young Ordinance. What’s the point of having a do-nothing commission? Because of this situation, we are asking that all district council candidates petitioning to get on the ballot join us in calling out this lame duck commission that as of yet doesn’t even have staff to start addressing policy issues.

The ECPS Ordinance says we can petition the Commission to get our issues addressed, and it only takes 2000 signatures, so let’s start using this process NOW! The key to enforcing ECPS is in democratic action and the power of the people. This shows again why the district council elections are so important. We need progressive candidates running in every police district. We need Black, Latinx, Indigenous and progressive white people on every side of Chicago participating in these elections. Our ECPS Coalition is educating people as to the provisions of the ordinance and how to become a candidate in your police district. Also, out of our weekly training we will not only recruit grassroots candidates but volunteers for door-to-door canvassing, phone-banking, and tabling.

Join us at bit.ly/ECPScandidate.

The Campaign to Free the Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST)

In October of 2021, CFIST called on State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to, among other things, vacate convictions for all those framed, tortured, and wrongfully convicted, especially in cases involving detectives with a pattern and practice of torture; to review and vacate any conviction involving Jon Burge’s Midnight Crew, including Boudreau, Halloran, and O’Brien; and to publicly state that they will cease calling detectives with established records of torture as witnesses. In the months of July and August, CFIST saw major victories reflecting those demands.

Clayborn Smith, Marcellous Pittman, Juan Hernandez, Rosendo Hernandez, Arthur Almendarez, John Galvan, Eruby Abrego, Jeremiah Cain, David Gecht, and David Colon all had historic judgments in their cases in July. The judge in Clayborn Smith’s case said the evidence had demonstrated Detectives Boudreau, Halloran, and O’Brien had a history of torturing suspects. Similarly, the judge who ruled Marcellous Pitman’s torture confession was inadmissable cited Detectives Halloran and O’Brien’s lack of credibility as one of his reasons for throwing out the confession.

On August 9th, CFIST celebrated the largest exoneration of victims of police torture and wrongful conviction in history. State’s Attorney Kim Foxx exonerated David Colon, Johnny Flores, Nelson Gonzalez, Marilyn Mulero, Jaime Riosand Carlos Andino, Alfredo Gonzalez, and Louis Robinson, all survivors of notorious torture cop Detective Reynaldo Guevara. As a result of this historic victory, CFIST asked all supporters of the fight to free the wrongfully convicted to call the State's Attorney's office to tell them, “Thank you for this historic step towards justice, and we are not done demanding justice for all survivors of torture and wrongful conviction!” These victories are a sign that the powers that be are responding to the demands of the survivors, families, and activists who continue the fight for justice. Moving into September, we are excited to help with the petitioning efforts for the forthcoming district council elections and are focused on continuing our pressure campaign against Governor Pritzker and State’s Attorney Foxx as well as continuing to support survivors by organizing court support actions.

To get involved with CFIST, please use the contact form at this link. Our next meeting is Thursday September 15 from 6pm - 7:30pm on Zoom.

Marcellous Pittman with supporters outside Cook County Court on June 17 2022, following the vacation of his wrongful conviction.

Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS)

Chicago saw two developments this past week in the struggle for democratic control of the police by the Black and Latino communities in Chicago. First, after a long delay, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed the interim Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA). This was created out of the passage of historic legislation in 2021, Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS), the most democratic legislation for police accountability in the country.

Second, election season began on August 30th, when candidates for municipal office can begin circulating petitions to get on the ballot in February 2023. These will include first-in-the-country police district council elections in February. These police accountability councils are also created by the ECPS legislation.In preparation for the first day of petitioning, the CAARPR office on Chicago’s South Side prepared the petitions for more than 70 candidates for the 22 police districts in the city. Since last Saturday, the office has been a hive of activity. More than 50 candidates have already come to the office to receive their petitions. About 30 of the candidates so far are Black, as the Black community has always borne the brunt of police terror. Each passing day, more candidates make the decision to run.

District Councilors will work directly with people in their police districts to address issues with specific police officers and explore alternatives to policing for addressing harm. The council members also get to choose the pool of people who will become the permanent members of the CCPSA. The commission has much greater powers, including the power to rewrite the police rule book, and the power to select and fire the head of the Chicago Office of Police Accountability, which investigates civilian complaints against cops.

Chicago saw two developments this past week in the struggle for democratic control of the police by the Black and Latino communities in Chicago. First, after a long delay, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed the interim Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA). This was created out of the passage of historic legislation in 2021, Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS), the most democratic legislation for police accountability in the country.

The first public meeting of the Interim Commission is on September 29 at 6:30 PM at Malcolm X College on 1900 W Jackson in Chicago.

We're hosting trainings to run for your District Council!

The District Council trainings are now on Sundays as well as Saturdays. Every eligible fighter in the movement for police accountability is encouraged to step up and run! Join us for a breakdown of what the ECPS ordinance is, how you can build a winning campaign, and what support the ECPS Coalition can provide. Petitioning to get on the ballot has already started and runs until November 30th, so we invite everyone who is interested in running to come to the District Council trainings and contact us about the petitioning process.

Our first Sunday training is Sunday September 4th at 4pm. Register here: bit.ly/ecpsworkshop

Training Schedule:

Saturday 8/27 9AM (Session 1)

Saturday 9/3 9AM (Session 2)

Sunday 9/4 4PM (Session 1)

Saturday 9/10 9AM (Session 3)

Sunday 9/11 4PM (Session 2 & 3)

Saturday 9/17 9AM (Session 4)

Sunday 9/18 4PM (Session 3 & 4)

Saturday 9/24 9AM (Session 5)

Sunday 9/25 4PM (Session 5)

*Note: After these round of trainings conclude, we will start another round for those who missed it*

Learn more about ECPS and the fight for community control of the police here.

Anthony Gay

Last month, Anthony had to spend his birthday enduring the inhumane conditions he has dedicated his life to fighting. To let Anthony know we have his back, we called on members of the community to send letters and words of encouragement to Anthony. We invite you to continue sending messages of support to Anthony. Find his address in the graphic to the right.

We also received word from Anthony that he has received inadequate medical care and is being subjected to psychological torture from isolated confinement. We ask the community to take action by calling out these inhumane conditions by emailing the federal prison complex and demand Anthony be given efficient medical care and oversight by a doctor. You can still make those demands. Access the email script and contact info to the left.

Mothers for Justice

Last month, we rallied on State Street to demand an immediate end to torture at Menard Prison, and since the rally, we have been able to secure Isaiah Brady's transfer from Menard. Our struggle continues as we fight to get Lester Owens, Chaz Thrailkill, Rico Clark, Michael Minnifield, Caleb Charleston, and Marcellus French transferred as part of a larger effort to shut down Menard Prison.

Justice for Hadi!

CAARPR stands in solidarity with The Arab American Action Network (AAAN) in the fight for justice for teenager, Hadi Abuatelah, who was brutally beaten by Oak Lawn Police. We joined the Arab and Muslim community in protest at the Oak Lawn Police Department, and voiced our demands to the Oak Lawn Police Commission for the offending officers to be immediately fired and charged for their crimes. We continue to uplift the demands for justice for Hadi, and AAAN's Campaign to End Racial Profiling.

September 2022