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July 9, 2009

2 Black Prisoners Jailed Under Torture-Linked Chicago Police Commander Freed
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In Chicago, two prisoners jailed under the watch of the disgraced former
Police Commander Jon Burge have been exonerated and set free after more
than twenty years. Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves, both
African-Americans, were convicted for the 1988 murders of five people.
But prosecutors now say there’s insufficient evidence linking them to
the crimes. The initial case relied on a prisoner who wrongly claimed to
have spoken to Kitchen and was also granted an early release for his
testimony. Kitchen was also badly beaten while jailed in a prison known
for the systematic torture of dozens of African American males by
Chicago police officers. Burge is meanwhile awaiting trial for
allegations he lied in a civil suit brought by victims of the torture
committed under his command.



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