On Aug. 5, Aaron Patterson was arrested by the Chicago Police Department and Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents. Patterson was charged, along with Isaiah Kitchen and Mark Mannie, with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and firearms. Patterson is not charged with possession of drugs or guns, rather the prosecutors are alleging that he intended to become involved in illegal activities. According to the federal government, it is involved in this case because it is able to seek sentences that are much greater than those administered at a local level. Aaron Patterson, if convicted, could face life in prison and millions of dollars in fines.

The source of the government’s evidence against Patterson is derived from an informant who is known by the street name of Fox. Fox was arrested in November 2003 for possession of over $100,000 in drugs and was facing a possible 30-year prison sentence. Yet Fox never went to prison, because he told authorities he could deliver Aaron Patterson to them. In March, under guidance from the Justice Department, Fox initiated contact with Patterson and taped a series of conversations with him, for which Fox was paid $6000 by the government.

According to Patterson, he knew all along that he was being targeted and taped by the government through Fox. At the same time that Fox was taping Patterson, Patterson was taping Fox. He was trying to trap the government agents who were trying to entrap him. As he told the Chicago Tribune, “I got videotapes, I got license plate numbers of undercover cars. Serial numbers for all the money. Everything.” Whether Patterson’s evidence of his entrapment will be helpful to his defense is unclear, since federal agents removed loads of evidence from his mother’s home the day of his arrest.

From his jail cell, where he sits after his bail was denied, Patterson was asked what his goal was when trying to document the police corruption surrounding his arrest. “It was to expose. Let’s do something real and get it on tape. The stunt was not to get locked up. The stunt was that I wanted to do something that would put them on the spot.”

Aaron Patterson’s arrest took place just 24 hours after a federal judge in Chicago ordered former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge back to Chicago to testify. Jon Burge is alleged to have tortured or to have supervised the torture of 108 Black and Latino suspects while he was a detective in Chicago Police Area 2 and commander of Area 3. Burge and the detectives working under him are accused of using electric shock and suffocation with typewriter covers to extract confessions. One of those tortured suspects was Aaron Patterson, who has a pending civil suit against Burge.

Aaron Patterson has survived police torture and years spent on death row for a crime he didn’t commit and he came out swinging against a corrupt and racist criminal justice system. By targeting him, the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Justice Department are trying to tell victims of police and prosecutorial misconduct to suffer in silence. Anti-police corruption activists will not stay silent. Instead we will raise our voices to denounce this latest frame-up and to demand the immediate release of Aaron Patterson. Patterson’s next court date is Oct. 8. For more information, please email CEJchicago ( at ) worldnet.att.net.

#ChicagoIL #PoliceBrutality #AaronPatterson #ComiteExigimosJusticia #DeathRow

Chicago, IL – 200 activistas contra la brutalidad policial llevaron su mensaje a la vecindad de Dick Devine el Sábado 2 de Junio del 2001. El Sr. Devine es el Abogado del Estado del condado de Cook. Este es el funcionario responsable de procesar a oficiales de la policía corruptos o involucrados en brutalidad policial. Los protestantes marcharon a través de la vecindad de Devine, empujando más allá la policía en los caballos que intentaron evitar que la marcha pasara por la calle donde este vive. “Devine ha rechazado constantemente satisfacernos con respecto de abrir a una investigación en la área 5 de la policía,” dijo Blanca González del Comité Exigimos Justicia (CEJ).“Ahora nos tiene que escuchar, ya que estamos en frente de su puerta!”

La Marcha fue llamado por el Comité Exigimos Justicia, La Campaña Para Terminar la Pena de la Muerte y La Cadena Anti-Agresión Contra los Homosexuales e incluyó una lista de 35 otros endorsantes. El césped del hogar de Devine en la vecindad de Roger's Park fue elegido como el lugar de la marcha. “Es un cáncer en el sistema policial de Chicago.” Rose Sifuentes de CEJ dijo a la muchedumbre. “Mi hijo es victima de una convicción injusta. Intentaron conseguir que él aceptara culpa con la promesa de menos tiempo, pero él prefirió un jucio y eventualmente una condena que admitir culpabilidad por un crime que él no cometió!” Devine raramente ha procesado a oficiales de la policía brutales, aunque la ciudad de Chicago ha admitido culpa con pagar millones de dolares a las familias de las victimas después de ser demandados civilmente. Los muy pocos procesamientos de policías brutales han venido solamente después de protestas masivas.

Los protesters encordaron “ESCENA DE CRIMEN – NO CRUCEN” a través del patio de Devine para acentuar quién es el verdadero criminal. “¡La policía de Chicago asesinó a mi hijo hace casi dos años!” declaró Vera Love, madre de Robert Russ. Robert Russ, un Afro-Americano jugador de Fútbol americano de la universidad Northwestern, estaba desarmado cuando la policía lo mató el 5 de Junio del 1999 durante una parada de tráfico. “Dick Devine, cuándo va a obtener justicia la policía que mató a mi hijo?” Los activistas entonces producieron una orden para que Devine aparezca antes la gente contestar por sus crímenes.

Los activistas de Chicago planean continuar su lucha este verano con más protestas en las mensuales juntas de policias. “Esto es un nuevo movimiento de los derechos civiles!” clamó Lydia Taylor de la Coalición de la Justicia de Gran Chicago. “Tenemos que exijir la responsabilidad de la policía por la criminalización de nuestra juventud de color.”

#ChicagoIL #News #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #ComiteExigimosJusticia #DickDevine #LaCampañaParaTerminarLaPenaDeLaMuerte

Chicago, IL – Over 200 anti-police brutality activists took their message to the neighborhood of Cook County State's Attorney, Dick Devine, June 2. Devine's responsibilities include prosecuting brutal police officers and investigating police frame-ups. Protesters marched through Devine's neighborhood, pushing past police on horses that tried to prevent them from walking down Devine's street.

“Devine has consistently refused to meet with us regarding opening an investigation into Police Area 5.” said Blanca Gonzalez of Comite Exijimos Justicia (CEJ). “Now he'll have to listen, we're right outside his front door!”

The march was called by Comite Exijimos Justicia, the Campaign to End the Death Penalty and the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network, and included a list of over 35 other endorsers. Devine's home turf in the Roger's Park neighborhood of Chicago was the site of the march.

“There is a cancer in the police system in Chicago.” Rose Sifuentes of Comite Exijimos Justicia told the crowd. “My son was wrongfully convicted. They tried to get him to accept a plea, but he would rather do time than to admit to something he didn't do.” Devine has rarely prosecuted brutal police officers, even though the city of Chicago has admitted blame by paying out millions of dollars to victims' families in lawsuit settlements. The few prosecutions of brutal cops have only come after massive protests.

Protesters strung “Crime Scene – Do Not Cross” tape across Devine's lawn to emphasize who the real criminal is. “My son was murdered by the Chicago police nearly two years ago!” declared Vera Love, mother of Robert Russ. Robert Russ, an African-American Northwestern University football player, was unarmed when police killed him on June 5, 1999 during a traffic stop. “Dick Devine, when will the police who killed my son be brought to justice?” Activists then produced a summons for Devine to appear before the people to answer for his crimes.

Chicago activists plan to continue their fight back this summer with more protests at the Police Board hearings. “We are part of a new civil rights movement!” exclaimed Lydia Taylor of the Justice Coalition of Greater Chicago. “We must demand police accountability to stop the criminalization of our youth of color.”

#ChicagoIL #News #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #ComiteExigimosJusticia #DickDevine #CampaignToEndTheDeathPenalty

Chicago, IL – Activists in Chicago, led by Comite Exigimos Justicia (CEJ, or the We Demand Justice Committee), marched on Area 5 Police Headquarters on Aug. 16 to demand a meeting with Deputy Chief Dayna Sparks. CEJ has documented frame-ups by Area 5 detectives resulting in the wrongful convictions of dozens of Latino men. Speakers at the protest included recently pardoned death row inmate Aaron Patterson and community activist Fred Hampton, Jr. (photo above) Deputy Chief Sparks was not present and later refused to acknowledge receiving letter addressed to her, even though 50 copies were distributed to her representatives. “We’ll keep coming back until they listen,” Angel Rodriguez from CEJ told the crowd. “Together, we can stop police corruption and make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else!”

#ChicagoIL #News #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Area5 #ComiteExigimosJusticia

Chicago, IL – In 1997 Angel Rodriguez was framed for murder by Chicago Area 5 Detectives Jon Woodall and Ernest Halvorsen. He was convicted and sentenced to over 60 years in prison. After almost four years in prison for a crime that he did not commit, Rodriguez’s conviction was reversed on appeal in March of 2000 because of lack of reliable evidence.

Rodriguez was released from prison due to the fact that the eyewitness who had originally identified Angel as the murderer recanted his story. The witness gave a sworn affidavit stating that Area 5 Detectives Woodall and Halverson had pressured him into identifying Angel. The eyewitness stated that Woodall and Halverson threatened to implicate him in the murder unless he pointed the finger at Angel.

Detective Jon Woodall is now in prison on a ten-year sentence after being convicted over a year ago of framing a different individual. Woodall was convicted of stealing cocaine, planting it on an innocent man and then falsely arresting him.

Even though Angel Rodriguez now is a free man, no one has ever been held accountable for the damage this frame-up inflicted upon him and his family. Detectives Woodall and Halverson have never been punished for framing Angel Rodriguez. Rodriguez filed a lawsuit against Detectives Woodall and Halverson and the City of Chicago for compensation for the years he has lost and the damage to his life. U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly has denied Woodall and Halvorsen’s motions to dismiss the case and has ordered the trial start Apr. 11.

At a press conference announcing Rodriguez’s trial, activists from Comite Exigimos Justicia (CEJ, the We Demand Justice Committee) and supporters spoke out about the injustice that Angel and the countless other wrongfully convicted Latino and Black men face. Activists highlighted an unacceptable flaw in the Illinois criminal justice system – the fact that although Rodriguez was exonerated of the murder conviction in 2000, the conviction still remains on his record, making it hard for him to find a job. In order to clear his record, Rodriguez filed a petition for clemency 18 months ago. Illinois Governor Blagojevich has yet to grant the pardon to clear Rodriguez’s name. Activists point to other instances where wrongfully convicted men wait for pardons by Governor Blagojevich. Two examples are the separate cases of Walter Godinez and Juan Johnson, wrongfully convicted of murder by Chicago Area 5 detectives, and later exonerated in court and released from prison. Yet both men also still have murder convictions on their records.

Omar Saunders, one of the wrongfully convicted, and the exonerated Rosetti Four, spoke at the press conference in support of Angel, “Angel Rodriguez should have been pardoned the minute he was exonerated.” This sentiment was echoed by Angel’s sister, Ruth Peña, co-founder of CEJ, “It’s ridiculous that people cleared of their crimes still have to deal with the stigma of a murder conviction. Once you are cleared the legal system should be set up to automatically expunge your record. Woodall and Halvorsen are still framing my brother!” CEJ activists point out that, to date, Governor Blagojevich has only pardoned individuals in cases where DNA evidence has been used to clear them. The governor has yet to rule on the clemency petitions filed by countless individuals who were sent to prison based on no physical evidence who have since been exonerated in court. Angel’s lawyer, Scott Kamin, stated the problem quite clearly: “There is a bias against the Latino community in terms of pardons from the governor.” CEJ member Rose Sifuentes explained, “Even proof of innocence does not reintegrate the wrongfully convicted into society.” She added, in regards to Angel’s upcoming trial, “and the innocent deserve to be compensated for the loss of the life they once had.”

CEJ has documented over 50 cases of frame-ups by Chicago police officers working out of Area 5. All of the cases resulted in convictions of Latino men based on eyewitness testimony alone. No physical evidence was ever presented to link these men to the crimes. The vast majority of these cases involve the same Area 5 Detectives: Woodall, Paulnitsky, Halvorsen, Wojik and, the most often named, Detective Reynaldo Guevara. Area 5 is also the home of Detective Joseph Miedzianowski, Chicago’s ‘most corrupt cop,’ who was found guilty of drug conspiracy and racketeering in spring of 2001.

The Comite Exigimos Justicia is asking for any supporters available the week of April 11-15 to attend Angel Rodriguez’s trial at the Dirksen Federal Building, 219 S Dearborn, Room 2103. Please email Comite Exigimos Justicia at CEJchicago@att.net for more information.

#ChicagoIL #News #ChicanoLatino #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Area5 #JonWoodall #ComiteExigimosJusticia