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Mayor Brandon Johnson Joins Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Foundation to Break Ground on Chicago Police Torture Justice Memorial

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CHICAGO — Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation (CTJMF), Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), police torture survivors, community members, and City leaders from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to break ground on the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial. The nation's first permanent memorial honoring survivors of police torture, the project recognizes survivors of torture committed by former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and detectives under his command, commemorate the decades-long movement that secured Chicago's landmark reparations ordinance, and create a lasting public space for remembrance, education, healing, and civic engagement.

"Today, we honor the survivors whose courage forced our city to confront one of the darkest chapters in its history while fulfilling the promise we made to the survivors of Jon Burge and their families," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "Black Chicagoans had years of their lives, opportunities, and dignity stolen from them, leaving generations to carry the trauma of injustice. These abuses also fractured trust between communities and law enforcement in ways our city is still working to repair. This memorial cannot undo that harm, but it will stand as a permanent reminder of the truth, a tribute to those who endured it, and a promise that Chicago must never look away from injustice again."

"This memorial means everything to me because it is about the truth. It is about the torture Burge and his men committed, and everything that we, the survivors, suffered," said Mr. Anthony Holmes, Vice President of CTJMF and a reparations recipient. "Building this memorial means that Chicago has finally heard what we had to say, when for decades no one listened to us." Mr. Holmes is one of the first known torture survivors to be electrically shocked and suffocated by Burge in May 1973.

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A facet of Mayor Johnson's Reparations agenda, the Johnson administration provided critical support, enabling construction with the transfer of City-owned land at 5520-38 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.

The long-awaited memorial fulfills the promise the City made to victims of torture in 2015 and will become an essential component of the "Reparations Won" history curriculum taught in Chicago Public Schools.

The memorial will be added to the Washington Park neighborhood after the community voted in support of it during a 20th Ward community development process.

"We are breaking ground for the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial today, but this work began decades ago with survivors who refused to let the truth be ignored," said Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th). "Nothing can undo the harm inflicted on the 120 or more victims and their families at the hands of former police Commander Jon Burge. However, this monument will help to ensure survivors are seen, supported, and honored. By confronting this painful chapter in our history and preserving its lessons for future generations, we are building the type of Chicago that centers police accountability and never allows these injustices to happen again."

An essential component of the healing process, the memorial includes a monument with a timeline that tells the story of racially motivated torture in Chicago and the decades long organizing, litigation, and journalism that exposed the truth and fought for accountability. Quotes from survivors and family members will be etched into the surrounding pathways and the monument will be surrounded by lush gardens and meditative seating allowing for rest, reflection, healing, as well as outdoor educational programs and events.

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"This will be the first public memorial in the U.S. dedicated to the honest remembrance of state violence at the hands of police," said Jen Ash, Executive Director of CTJMF. "For decades, survivors were disbelieved. This memorial creates a civic and cultural infrastructure—a place where truth is acknowledged, harm is named, and healing is possible."

The $4.7 million project was designed by JAQ Corp Int, P.C. with the active input of police torture survivors, family members, and other CTJMF members.

"Our design process, after thoughtful listening sessions, allowed us to be pulled into the 'Strange Fruit' of the survivors' experiences of torture and coerced confessions," said John Gay, principal architect at AQ Corp Int, P.C. "We developed a concrete edifice with juxtaposed, swirling, and undulating landscape patterns to deliver a symbolic rhythmic 'Vortex.' The unapologetic expression mirrors the survivors' experience."

Launched in 2020, the Chicago Monuments Project is a citywide initiative to address inequities in Chicago's commemorative landscape and support new monuments, memorials, and artworks that reflect the city's diverse histories and communities.

"This is an important step toward ensuring that survivors of police torture, and the generations of organizing that followed, are permanently recognized in Chicago's public landscape," said DCASE Commissioner Kenya Merritt. "The Chicago Torture Justice Memorial will be a place of remembrance, healing and continued learning, honoring the truth and preserving memory while helping future generations understand the ongoing importance of accountability and repair."

Today's groundbreaking is one of several major summer 2026 milestones for the Chicago Monuments Project, as public art and memorial initiatives move from planning into public realization. Together, these efforts demonstrate how Chicago is using art, memorials, and community-centered storytelling to confront difficult histories, expand public memory, and create new spaces for civic dialogue.

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