Very important! This is the ONLY time the word REPARATIONS has been used by a US city against a police force!

Have you heard of police Commander Jon Burge and his ‘Midnight Crew’? Many have but not enough people know of this disgraceful story in 1980s Chicago.

This crew tortured black and latino men, forced false confessions from them and many still sit in prison.

In May 2015 Huffington Post reported that “Chicago City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a landmark ordinance that sets aside $5.5 million in reparations for victims of police torture”

So, victims with a “credible claim” of police torture under the disgraced Burge were made eligible for up to $100,000 in reparations. This would also give possibilities for college tuition, job training, counselling and mental health care for the victim and their families.

57 men were paid reparations in the case.

The arrangement also came with an official public acknowledgement of the torture, a formal apology by the City and a permanent memorial to the victims.

Also, very importantly, the Burge case has been added to the 8th-10th grade curriculum in Chicago’s public school.

The story of this torture and the fall out is disgusting but in light of the current situation not at all surprising.

The claims and clean up is ongoing and of course for many it’s not enough but it does show some forward movement can be made and no one should stay quiet on these issues.

However the current acts of the Police Department show that despite these reparations NOTHING HAS BEEN LEARNED.

You have to learn more about this, it’s obviously way more complicated than I explained above.

Read this Huffington Post article and you have to listen to this highly emotional Podcast from NPR on the torture, the case, the victims and more.

Read more here peopleslawoffice.com.