Latest news with #ChicagoTortureJusticeCenter
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Five years after killing of George Floyd, protest in Chicago decries Trump directive to empower police
On the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, an event that prompted a national reckoning over race and police brutality, a gathering in Chicago joined coordinated protests across the country on Sunday against President Donald Trump's rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion — particularly his signing of an executive order aimed at strengthening state and local law enforcement. 'Dexter Reed. Rekia Boyd. Laquan McDonald. Adam Toledo. Reginald Clay Jr.' — as the rally began, the crowd recited the names of people fatally shot by police in Chicago. Activist and Chicago Teachers Union member Kobi Guillory, leading the chants, said Trump was 'the main stumbling block to getting justice.' On the sunny afternoon, the rally amassed a group of more than 100 people in Federal Plaza at 230 S. Dearborn St., attracting curious tourists and passersby. Speakers represented various Chicago organizations, including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, GoodKids MadCity, Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation and the Arab American Action Network. On the other side of the street, over a dozen police officers observed the gathering, which eventually marched up State Street to gather across the Chicago River from Trump Tower. Organizers said the executive order will allow policing to go unchecked by funneling federal and military resources to police departments, forgoing equity policies and eliminating federal consent decrees, or court-ordered settlements that mandate changes to address misconduct. The Illinois attorney general has said that Chicago's consent decree — in place since 2019 — will remain in effect. 'We have to keep fighting. In fact, Chicago is the focal point of the fight for police accountability,' said Faayani Aboma Mijana with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, or CAARPR, at a news conference before the rally. 'In our view, it's people power that's going to push it forward.' Chicago has the most progressive police accountability ordinance in the country, according to Aboma Mijana. Passed in July 2021 after years of back-and-forth with community activists and shaped by Floyd's murder in 2020, it included mechanisms of civilian oversight such as three council members who, under the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, would serve in each of the city's 22 police districts. 'I came here to say something loud and clear: We will not go back,' said Marquinn McDonald during the rally; he is the newest member of the 2nd Chicago Police District Council and a longtime community safety advocate. 'Not now, not ever, not after the bloodshed that has been spilled, not after the tears that have soaked our soil, not after we've watched Black lives stolen in real time with the world watching, and still had to beg for justice.' While activists say there are many sticking points to address in policing, they expressed hope from recent wins. The commission has worked alongside the Chicago Police Department to unveil the department's policy regulating traffic stops, the first draft of which was unveiled late April. 'Let me say this to the president of the United States and to anyone who dares turn their back on justice: We see you, we hear you and we will meet you. Not with hate, but with truth; not with fear, but with fire — the fire of a people who have had enough,' McDonald said. 'We demand accountability, we demand protection, and we demand respect for every life across this nation.' Reynia Jackson, a youth organizer with Englewood nonprofit GoodKids MadCity, prepared a different kind of speech than she often gives at rallies and protests. In an emotional poem, she recalled growing up with news of people of color being killed in the city — beginning when she was 6 years old, when Boyd was shot in 2012. 'I don't have any more tears. I'm not numb to the pain. I just don't want another brother being shot over nine times like Dexter Reed,' she said. 'I don't want reform or body cameras to be worn. I want armed strangers with immunity, patrolling my community, to be gone.' Toward the end of the initial rally, as protesters prepared to march across Chicago's downtown, emcee and CAARPR co-chair Jasmine Smith expressed hopes that attendees were heartened by the words of encouragement and calls to action from speakers. 'This fight, this war, does not end today,' Smith said. 'Every time we show up, we show them that we can, we show them that we matter.' ____
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 years after killing of George Floyd, protest in Chicago decries Trump directive to empower police
On the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, an event that prompted a national reckoning over race and police brutality, a gathering in Chicago joined coordinated protests across the country on Sunday against President Donald Trump's rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion — particularly his signing of an executive order aimed at strengthening state and local law enforcement. 'Dexter Reed. Rekia Boyd. Laquan McDonald. Adam Toledo. Reginald Clay Jr.' — as the rally began, the crowd recited the names of people fatally shot by police in Chicago. Activist and Chicago Teachers Union member Kobi Guillory, leading the chants, said Trump was 'the main stumbling block to getting justice.' On the sunny afternoon, the rally amassed a group of more than 100 people in Federal Plaza at 230 S. Dearborn St., attracting curious tourists and passersby. Speakers represented various Chicago organizations, including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, GoodKids MadCity, Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation and the Arab American Action Network. On the other side of the street, over a dozen police officers observed the gathering, which eventually marched up State Street to gather across the Chicago River from Trump Tower. Organizers said the executive order will allow policing to go unchecked by funneling federal and military resources to police departments, forgoing equity policies and eliminating federal consent decrees, or court-ordered settlements that mandate changes to address misconduct. The Illinois attorney general has said that Chicago's consent decree — in place since 2019 — will remain in effect. 'We have to keep fighting. In fact, Chicago is the focal point of the fight for police accountability,' said Faayani Aboma Mijana with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, or CAARPR, at a news conference before the rally. 'In our view, it's people power that's going to push it forward.' Chicago has the most progressive police accountability ordinance in the country, according to Aboma Mijana. Passed in July 2021 after years of back-and-forth with community activists and shaped by Floyd's murder in 2020, it included mechanisms of civilian oversight such as three council members who, under the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, would serve in each of the city's 22 police districts. 'I came here to say something loud and clear: We will not go back,' said Marquinn McDonald during the rally; he is the newest member of the 2nd Chicago Police District Council and a longtime community safety advocate. 'Not now, not ever, not after the bloodshed that has been spilled, not after the tears that have soaked our soil, not after we've watched Black lives stolen in real time with the world watching, and still had to beg for justice.' Hands Across Chicagoland protest draws thousands Sunday along Ogden Avenue Thousands rally, march through Loop for national 'Hands Off!' protest City touts mission to target employee ties to hate groups; community demands police be the priority While activists say there are many sticking points to address in policing, they expressed hope from recent wins. The commission has worked alongside the Chicago Police Department to unveil the department's policy regulating traffic stops, the first draft of which was unveiled late April. 'Let me say this to the president of the United States and to anyone who dares turn their back on justice: We see you, we hear you and we will meet you. Not with hate, but with truth; not with fear, but with fire — the fire of a people who have had enough,' McDonald said. 'We demand accountability, we demand protection, and we demand respect for every life across this nation.' Reynia Jackson, a youth organizer with Englewood nonprofit GoodKids MadCity, prepared a different kind of speech than she often gives at rallies and protests. In an emotional poem, she recalled growing up with news of people of color being killed in the city — beginning when she was 6 years old, when Boyd was shot in 2012. 'I don't have any more tears. I'm not numb to the pain. I just don't want another brother being shot over nine times like Dexter Reed,' she said. 'I don't want reform or body cameras to be worn. I want armed strangers with immunity, patrolling my community, to be gone.' Toward the end of the initial rally, as protesters prepared to march across Chicago's downtown, emcee and CAARPR co-chair Jasmine Smith expressed hopes that attendees were heartened by the words of encouragement and calls to action from speakers. 'This fight, this war, does not end today,' Smith said. 'Every time we show up, we show them that we can, we show them that we matter.'
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Five years after killing of George Floyd, protest in Chicago decries Trump directive to empower police
On the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, an event that prompted a national reckoning over race and police brutality, a gathering in Chicago joined coordinated protests across the country on Sunday against President Donald Trump's rollbacks on diversity, equity and inclusion — particularly his signing of an executive order aimed at strengthening state and local law enforcement. 'Dexter Reed. Rekia Boyd. Laquan McDonald. Adam Toledo. Reginald Clay Jr.' — as the rally began, the crowd recited the names of people fatally shot by police in Chicago. Activist and Chicago Teachers Union member Kobi Guillory, leading the chants, said Trump was 'the main stumbling block to getting justice.' On the sunny afternoon, the rally amassed a group of more than 100 people in Federal Plaza at 230 S. Dearborn St., attracting curious tourists and passersby. Speakers represented various Chicago organizations, including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, GoodKids MadCity, Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation and the Arab American Action Network. On the other side of the street, over a dozen police officers observed the gathering, which eventually marched up State Street to gather across the Chicago River from Trump Tower. Organizers said the executive order will allow policing to go unchecked by funneling federal and military resources to police departments, foregoing equity policies and eliminating federal consent decrees, or court-ordered settlements that mandate changes to address misconduct. The Illinois Attorney General has said that Chicago's consent decree — in place since 2019 — will remain in effect. 'We have to keep fighting. In fact, Chicago is the focal point of the fight for police accountability,' said Faayani Aboma Mijana with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, or CAARPR, at a news conference before the rally. 'In our view, it's people power that's going to push it forward.' Chicago has the most progressive police accountability ordinance in the country, according to Aboma Mijana. Passed in July 2021 after years of back-and-forth with community activists and shaped by Floyd's murder in 2020, it included mechanisms of civilian oversight such as three council members who, under the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, would serve in each of the city's 22 police districts. 'I came here to say something loud and clear: We will not go back,' said Marquinn McDonald during the rally; he is the newest member of the 2nd Chicago Police District Council and a longtime community safety advocate. 'Not now, not ever, not after the bloodshed that has been spilled, not after the tears that have soaked our soil, not after we've watched Black lives stolen in real time with the world watching, and still had to beg for justice.' While activists say there are many sticking points to address in policing, they expressed hope from recent wins. The commission has worked alongside CPD to unveil the department's policy regulating traffic stops, the first draft of which was unveiled late April. 'Let me say this to the President of the United States and to anyone who dares turn their back on justice: We see you, we hear you and we will meet you. Not with hate, but with truth; not with fear, but with fire — the fire of a people who have had enough,' McDonald said. 'We demand accountability, we demand protection and we demand respect for every life across this nation.' Reynia Jackson, a youth organizer with Englewood nonprofit GoodKids MadCity, prepared a different kind of speech than she often gives at rallies and protests. In an emotional poem, she recalled growing up with news of people of color being killed in the city — beginning when she was 6 years old, when Boyd was shot in 2012. 'I don't have any more tears. I'm not numb to the pain. I just don't want another brother being shot over nine times like Dexter Reed,' she said. 'I don't want reform or body cameras to be worn. I want armed strangers with immunity, patrolling my community, to be gone.' Toward the end of the initial rally, as protesters prepared to march across Chicago's downtown, emcee and CAARPR co-chair Jasmine Smith expressed hopes that attendees were heartened by the words of encouragement and calls to action from speakers. 'This fight, this war, does not end today,' Smith said. 'Every time we show up, we show them that we can, we show them that we matter.'
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jussie Smollett settles suit over alleged hate-crime hoax with $50,000 donation
Jussie Smollett, the actor who claimed to be a victim of a 2019 hate crime but was later charged with having staged the attack, has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against him by the city of Chicago with a donation to charity. The actor said on a post on Instagram that he made a $50,000 donation to the Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a Chicago-based non-profit that works with art and city youth. He will additionally make a $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, which helps victims of abuse by Chicago police. 'Every dollar we receive goes towards repairing decades of racialized state violence by providing no-cost therapy, a community space, an organizing home, and other services to survivors of police torture and violence,' the Chicago Torture Justice Center said in an Instagram post confirming Smollett's donation. 'This generous donation from Mr. Smollett is so meaningful and deeply impactful.' This settlement brings to an end a six-year-long legal battle between Chicago and Smollett, in which the city sought to recuperate funds used to investigate Smollett's claims. Smollett, a Black and gay actor well-known for his performance in the television show Empire, said in 2019 that two masked men in Chicago jumped him, poured bleach on him, placed a rope around his neck and called him homophobic and racist slurs. But two extras from his show told police the actor had paid them to stage the attack. Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct for falsely saying he was the victim of a hate crime. All charges were dropped after his legal team cut a deal with prosecutors – Smollett paid the city $10,000 and agreed to perform community service. The city of Chicago, in turn, sued Smollett for the cost of the investigation, saying it totaled $130,000. Smollett counter-sued the city, denying he staged the attack. Smollett was indicted in 2020 after the case was revived by a special prosecutor and was convicted of falsely reporting an attack. But in November, the supreme court of Illinois overturned the conviction , ruling the actor had been unjustly prosecuted after prosecutors had agreed to drop the charges in 2019 in exchange for Smollett agreeing to forfeit a $10,000 bond and perform 15 hours of community service. Smollett continues to deny that he staged the attack. 'Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set [up] an assault against myself,' Smollett wrote on Instagram on Friday. 'This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear.' Smollett also claimed that he had been 'exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court', but the judges wrote that they decided to overturn the case based on the procedural issue of a due process violation, and made no finding on the underlying facts in the case.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jussie Smollett speaks out after reaching civil settlement with city of Chicago
Actor Jussie Smollett is speaking out after reaching a settlement with the city of Chicago in a civil case related to the city's efforts to recover costs from its investigation into a 2019 incident that authorities claim was a staged hate crime. Smollett has always maintained he is innocent. Smollett addressed the resolution in a public statement shared Friday on Instagram. Jussie Smollett heartbroken over criticism after attack: 'You don't even want to see the truth' "Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear," he wrote. He added, "These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear… They have received neither." Smollett said his decision to settle "was not the most difficult one to make," explaining, "I was presented with an opportunity to make a charitable donation in exchange for the case being dismissed." Calling Chicago his former home, he noted, "Making a donation to benefit Chicago communities that are too often neglected by those in power will always be something I support." Smollett also announced a separate $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, writing, "To anyone who has had to prove they have in fact been violated, you know how difficult this can be to navigate. I stand with and for you." In March 2019, Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond to the city and agreed to perform 16 hours of community service as part of a separate agreement to drop all criminal charges related to the alleged false report, according to then-Cook County first assistant state attorney Joe Magats. The city filed a lawsuit in 2019 over $130,000, which the Chicago Police Department said it had spent investigating the actor's claims that he had been attacked in a racially and politically motivated incident. In November 2019, Smollett filed a counter lawsuit against the city of Chicago, claiming that authorities "maliciously" prosecuted him "in bad faith" and filed criminal charges against him "without probable cause." The counter lawsuit was filed in response to a lawsuit the city filed against Smollett in April, requesting $130,000 in civil penalties, damages and attorney's fees and costs arising from Smollett's alleged "false statements." Two brothers -- Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo -- later claimed that Smollett paid them $3,500 to help him orchestrate and stage the crime after Smollett allegedly became upset that a letter threatening him, sent to the Fox studio where the television series "Empire" was filmed, did not get enough attention, according to police. Police later accused Smollett of writing the letter. The brothers were not charged. As part of the new settlement agreement, Smollett will donate $50,000 to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit serving underprivileged youth in Chicago through arts and education programming. The donation was made in exchange for the dismissal of the city's lawsuit against Smollett, according to a statement released Thursday by the city's Department of Law. In an official statement, the department said, "The City believes this settlement provides a fair, constructive, and conclusive resolution, allowing all the parties to close this six-year-old chapter and move forward." Jussie Smollett speaks out after reaching civil settlement with city of Chicago originally appeared on
