Groundbreaking held for Chicago Torture Justice Memorial, commemorating police torture survivors

An emotional groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday for Chicago's Torture Justice Memorial.

The site in Washington Park honors survivors who were tortured in the custody of Chicago police — in particular by disgraced former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge and detectives under his command.

"Building this memorial means that Chicago has finally heard what we had to say," said Anthony Holmes, a police torture survivor.

The $4.7 million memorial will tell the story of racially motivated police torture in Chicago, featuring gardens for reflecting and seating for educational programs.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) were among those who took part in the groundbreaking.

Burge's name has become synonymous with police brutality and the torture of innocent suspects for decades in Chicago. More than 100 suspects — almost all of them Black men — claimed Burge and his officers tortured them into falsely confessing to crimes ranging from armed robbery to murder.