For many years, Jon Burge, may his name be cursed, and other Chicago detectives under his command, tortured suspects to obtain false confessions. Some of their victims went to death row. One that I know of was only 16. One was forced to falsely confess that he had set a fire that killed his own wife and son.
After ruining the lives of hundreds of innocent people, destroying families, creating a pervasive fear of police in Chicago's black community, staining the reputation of a beautiful and remarkably livable city, Burge retired to Florida to enjoy his pension and his booze. Apparently one of the few things this psychopathic scumbag really cared about was his alcohol. Finally, after decades of dodges and delays, he came to trial, in a federal court.
Why did it take so long, and why wasn't he prosecuted under Illinois law, which he was sworn to uphold but trampled? Richard M. Daley, whom I would like to respect because he's done some good things for Chicago as mayor, was States Attorney (roughly equivalent to district attorney) when Burge was in power, and he chose to look the other way. Judges gave little credence to the regular reports of torture because, well, everybody knows you can't trust poor black people, right? And criminals will say anything when they're in trouble. And cops can do no wrong, so if they arrest someone he must be guilty and it's OK to do whatever it takes to make him admit it. Not very different from the thinking you'd expect under Saddam Hussein, or Hitler, or Stalin, right there, in my favorite city in all the world.
With their damnable "code of silence," no Chicago cop ever reported Burge's crimes. It pains me to say this because I encourage former offenders to respect police officers, but in this way far too many of them operate on the same principle as criminal gangs, especially in Chicago. Above all, don't snitch.
Gangsters demand "respect" but don't know what it means. What they really want is to be feared. Police officers should know the difference between fear and respect. Where the police are feared, they are not respected, and the law is not respected. I've known some Chicago police officers whom I respected, trusted, and liked. But as a whole, the police are more feared than respected in Chicago, and the law isn't respected nearly as much as it should be in a civilized society.
Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police protected Burge. That's the same organization that acknowledged that it was, in effect, putting out a contract on a young black man who had filed formal complaints for a merciless beating he suffered at the hands of Chicago cops, merely for being in the wrong neighborhood. It's also the same organization that hinted to officers that they should ignore shoplifter calls from stores whose personnel had reported officers for beating shoplifters their own security had detained. It's mostly, though not entirely, because of the policies of that Infernal Order of Police that I no longer donate money to any police association.
In this kind of atmosphere, with this pervasive police-state mentality, it’s unsettling but understandable that Burge and his band of thugs got away with their crimes for so long. Yes, there are good, dedicated police officers on Chicago’s force, but far too many wear that uniform only for the power it gives them. Instead of being the model citizens we have a right to expect, they play by their own rules and don’t give a damn who knows it. Prosecute a police captain? Like marching into cage of hyenas to spank one of the cubs.
So Burge was like the head of a very big, ugly boil, finally standing before a federal judge, convicted - not of his crimes against humanity, but of lying about them. Refusing to admit his guilt, ignoring all the suffering he had caused, whining about his age, his prostate cancer, his alcoholism. It would have been appropriate to throw the book at him, to send a message to all other officers in Chicago that a gun and a badge don't put them above the law. That the trust of a city, respect for humanity, and simple decency, are far more important than commendations and political considerations.
The judge gave him a stern lecture, but let him sit because of his poor health. That brought a groan from the gallery. Many of them probably remembered being handcuffed in twisted positions to a scalding hot radiator, for hours. Then she agreed that alcoholism treatment would be given with the three years of conditional release that will follow his time in prison. She also agreed to let him remain free in his Florida home before beginning his sentence. And promised to recommend that he be sent to a federal prison near his home. So kind. So considerate. So outrageous!
But not as outrageous as the four-and-a-half-year prison sentence! The "automatic good time" that goes with a federal prison sentence means he'll actually be behind bars a maximum of about three years and eleven months. As some in the gallery pointed out, that's less than many of the less fortunate in Chicago would get for a fistfight.
I don't really believe there's a place like "hell" in an afterlife, but if there were Burge would deserve his own section. Meanwhile, I don't want any of his fellow inmates to commit any acts of violence against him. But with his ego, they won't have to break any rules to make his stay at the Crossbars Resort his Hell on Earth. All they have to do is remind him frequently what he really is.
I'm sure Burge would be proud to say that he's not like a common criminal. And he's right. He's not worth the dirt under a common criminal's toenails. Please feel free to quote me on that.
THIS JUST IN: When I thought it couldn’t be more outrageous it turns out that Burge will continue to receive his $3,000 a month police pension while in prison. The police pension board is made up of four civilian appointees and four Chicago police officers, and it takes a majority to rescind a pension. The four cops on the board all voted that his lying under oath about the violations of human rights that took place under his command isn’t related to his 23 years on the force. I don’t think that’s a considered opinion; I think it just qualifies as sadistic thugs sticking together.
And now I REALLY hope this reaches some of his fellow prisoners. To repeat myself, no violence. They just don’t have to be very friendly. Ever. Assuming he’s even man enough to show up to serve his time.