By Mary Mitchell
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — The conviction of Jon Burge on perjury and obstruction of justice will not right the wrongs that were committed.
But in a community where complaints of police brutality are often scoffed at by members of the larger community, the guilty verdict will be celebrated as a rare victory.
“I thank God for touching jurors’ hearts and for coming down with the verdict of guilty for Jon Burge,” Wallace “Gator” Bradley said after the verdict was announced.
Bradley received an undisclosed settlement for his work as a so-called urban translator on former Death Row inmate Aaron Patterson’s court cases.
Patterson’s gun case and wrongful conviction lawsuit led to a $5 million settlement with the city.
“I hope elected officials and the community demand an investigation into the cover-up of the torture and that other officers be brought to trial,” he said.
We’ve come a long way.
Two decades ago, Burge was able to quietly leave town after being fired amid allegations that he and his crew tortured scores of suspects when he commanded the Chicago Police Department’s violent crimes unit.
Burge received his pension and was able to relocate to sunny Florida.
During his trial, jurors got an earful from convicted criminals who accused Burge of torturing them.
But the allegations against Burge had also been festering among police ranks.
For instance in 2007, William A. Parker Sr., a former Chicago police detective who once worked in Area 2, told Chicago aldermen who were looking into a report about the abuse, that he was once “shocked to see a man sitting on the floor with his pants and shorts pulled down to his knees -- handcuffed to a steaming radiator.”
Parker’s knowledge of Burge’s behavior was not a career booster. At the time of his retirement, Parker was assigned to the police academy’s education and training division.
Unfortunately, Parker was unable to see justice work itself out. He died on May 4.
It is obvious that Burge could not have gotten away with torturing suspects (and thus corrupting the criminal justice system) had he not had help.
Other detectives, rank-and-file police officers and even desk clerks assigned to Area 2 when Burge was the commander had to have known what was going on.
These persons must have turned a blind eye when suspects who came into the station in one condition, left in another.
The Burge torture allegations also cast two powerful public officials in an unfavorable light.
Mayor Daley was the Cook County state’s attorney during the 1980s when the abuse took place, and Richard Devine was Daley’s first assistant before he went on to become Cook County state’s attorney.
These men were unscathed by this scandal, mainly because few people are willing to advocate on behalf of accused murderers and rapists.
But now that Burge has been convicted, Daley and Devine owe citizens a further explanation about how Burge was able to get away with torturing suspects on their watch.
Hopefully, the Burge conviction will not only be a wake-up call for the police officers who tend to be heavy-handed, but also for citizens who are concerned about policing in their neighborhoods.
For a long time, there was no real public outcry against Burge.
That’s because in some high-crime communities -- the very communities where many of the alleged torture victims come from -- there was little energy left over to defend suspects who claimed they were forced into making a false confession.
But when there is no public outcry, nothing changes for the better.
During the silence, Chicagoans paid a hefty price for police brutality.
Aldermen have approved multimillion-dollar settlements to victims who claimed they were tortured, and that has led to a flood of lawsuits -- some legitimate, some not -- and a tarnished image.
You can’t even put a price tag on the most damaging aspect of the Burge case. That is, the widespread distrust of police that is apparent in some communities.
Because of the torture allegations, in communities that need policing the most, it is almost impossible for detectives to get cooperation.
Obviously, not all police officers condoned the practice of torture.
Hopefully, the Burge conviction will make it easier for people in these troubled communities to show good police officers the respect they deserve.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.