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| photo by Kevin Kaempf |
If you have never heard of Chicago police commander Jon Burge before, or have no idea about the systematic torture that took place in Chicago police stations for over 20 years, then please check out this recent article and info graphic compiled by In These Times.
In response to the police torture of over 100 African American men on the South side of Chicago, and the continued failure of the criminal justice system to repair that damage, The Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Project "put out a call for speculative memorials to recall and honor the two-decades long struggle for justice waged by torture survivors and their families, attorneys, community organizers, and people from every neighborhood and walk of life in Chicago." My collaborators and I at Lucky Pierre responded to this call by creating Actions for Chicago Torture Justice, an accumulating archive of actions created by both Lucky Pierre and the public in response to the Chicago police torture cases.
Iterating this work has been a multi-faceted endeavor. There is the original list of the first 100 actions that were written by Lucky Pierre, and published in a booklet by Half Letter Press (a project of Temporary Services). We cast five of these actions in bronze so that they can be installed as—yes, commemorative bronze plaques. To continue to build this archive, and to encourage visitors to participate in a process of reflection and action, we invited them to add to our list, by writing their own actions into a ledger that we installed vis a vis the five bronze plaques. We have also added a feature to our website that enables anyone in the world to send us their action and have it added to the list.
Additionally, we have designed curriculum in response to the piece and have been holding writing and performance workshops that question the nature of power, its abuse, and what we can do to respond to abuses of power. The next workshop is on October 18th, as part of 96 Acres' "P is for Power" series. 96 Acres is "a series of community-engaged, site-responsive art projects that address the impact of the Cook County Jail on Chicago’s West Side... [which aims] to generate alternative narratives reflecting on power, and to present creative projects that reflect the community’s vision of transformation." You can stay informed about upcoming workshops being presented by 96 Acres, by liking their Facebook page.
Yes, there have been abuses of power. Yes, the abuses continue. Yes, you can take action in response to it. SO MANY ACTIONS. Read some examples here, and by all means, add your own. Heck, don't stop there! Perform one of these actions, or even several of them, and document what happens! We'd love to hear from you.
