Thursday, February 26, 2015

Explosive Guardian Report: Under Emanuel's Watch: Chicago Police's "Gestapo-like" "Black Site" Facility

(This sort of secret facility is precisely what Bertram Gross warned of in his prescient book, "Friendly Fascism.")
The Manchester Guardian reported of CIA- or Gestapo-like tactics at a "black site" operated by the Chicago Police Department at Homan Square.
*Activists report being 'strapped' in the Homan Square facility
*Activist of the experience: "You're a hostage. It's kidnapping."
*Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin: "We are calling for a Department of Justice investigation into these allegations"
*The Guardian's first investigation broke the story on Tuesday, Spencer Ackerman reporting, "The disappeared: Chicago police detain Americans at abuse-laden 'black site'", and it reported a shackling for 17 hours
*Activist arrested in a police raid during the city's hosting the 2012 NATO summit: "Nobody knows what happened to you"
--a summit which drew thousands of protesters
*Many detainees were held for 12 to 24 hours, denied federal right of speaking with an attorney; one such detainee was 15 years of age
*Two ex-senior U.S. Justice Department officials called the allegations of police power abuse "very disturbing" and raise constitutionality questions --Guardian story, February 25, 2015
*Official records were not kept; this prevented protesters' relatives and friends' knowing of their whereabouts or safety
*Rahm Emanuel's police department denied the charges on Wednesday
*Beyond the denial, the police department has denied requests for responses from other outlets, as reported by Ring of Fire Radio; this is parallel with Emanuel's refusal to cooperate with multiple requests for any official response re the black site detention center.
*Ironically, in January 2012 the City Council passed the nation's first city resolution banning torture

*As one Guardian commenting reader said, "I didn't know that Chicago was in North Korea"

Read the Guardian's latest report from today, "'Gestapo' tactics at US police 'black site' ring alarm from Chicago to Washington" and Tuesday's initial report: "The disappeared: Chicago police detain Americans at abuse-laden 'black site'"

Let's hope that rising star and Chicago Teachers Union-backed challenger for April's mayoral election, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia raises the issue of this site in the debate. Emanuel's response will be very interesting. He is a take-charge fellow; but if that is the case how could he put a "I didn't know about this face" on the issue of this Guantanamo on West Fillmore Street?

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