Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Chicago police detaining people at off the book black sites

This whole thing bodes poorly for the city. After all the national debate about what is proper for a nation during and in places of war, a city does on its own during peacetime. Depending on how you define war and how you define peacetime.
The facility, a nondescript warehouse on Chicago’s west side known as Homan Square, has long been the scene of secretive work by special police units. 
Secretive work, special units operating a place where people basic human rights are suspended, never mind Constitutional rights, by keeping arrestees off the books, by beatings so severe that head wounds resulted, denial of attorney access due to the place being "secure," holding people for half a day up to a full day, holding children young as 15 years, holding a man in interview room either abused or neglected allowing him to die there.

Well yeah, but was anyone waterboarded? 


The Guardian piece goes into horrifying detail with individual stories. 

“They just disappear,” said Anthony Hill, a criminal defense attorney, “until they show up at a district for charging or are just released back out on the street.”
Guardian.com/us-news

What the h-e-double Billy clubs, Chicago? 

12 comments:

Rabel said...

Maybe, maybe not. The Guardian and Spencer Ackerman are questionable sources and the writing is deliberately sensational and misleading, for example, throwing in the "scary" but unrelated information about stored military vehicles.

The one "detainee" quoted was one of these guys:

"Chicago police, along with the FBI and the Secret Service, raided the Chicago apartment the three men used as a safe house and recovered pipe bomb instructions, an improvised mortar made from PVC piping, a crossbow, knives, throwing stars, a map of Chicago and four fire bombs, according to prosecutors."

He was convicted and sentenced to four years.

The other damning quotes come from defense and civil rights attorneys.

I'll put it another way. If Ackerman had a strong case for his headline accusations he would have had stronger evidence.

So, maybe there's something here and maybe not.

Methadras said...

I don't believe either side of this story. As far as I'm concerned none of it appears to be real. Also, I'm beginning to not believe evidential holdings unless a video is in place showing the actual evidence at the time of the raid in place where it was found. Otherwise, pictures can no longer suffice due to a potential for planting evidence.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

This is not your fathers Hill Street Blues.

Aridog said...

Now here's an idea. Use the facility as a holding center for any and all religious fanatic terrorists and wannabe's....captured here or abroad. It'd make Gitmo look like Club Med. Hire the Hells Angels, or if you'd like Detroiters, the Highwaymen or the Outlaws. Taco Bowman could be released from prison and be CEO of the outfit. Let them set the rules and deal with the idiots.

Psst: If you can't tell I'm spouting tongue in cheek (partially :-)...then I can't help you.

PS: The Outlaws were regulars in the days I tended and helped manage an inner city bar...the guys I met were good guys....just not ones you'd want to pick a fight with, just saying. After that, while in the private sector for a while, I hired a Highwayman as a welder and he was very talented...none of his friends bothered me much either when we knocked back some beers.

Trooper York said...

I have already seen this place on "Chicago PD." It's where Sargent Voight ruffs up his suspects.

Check it out tonight on NBC.

Trooper York said...

You know what is a scary dark deep place where many young black men have been abused?

Kim Kardashians Vagina.

ricpic said...

Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men?

The ballet dancer knows.







Amartel said...

A lot of stories come to us from the Guardian - which seems to be their version of the NY Post - that should be coming from our own home-grown media but don't because they are the progressive town criers.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

does anybody get the sense we are living in a lawless period of time?

Third Coast said...

“Chuy” Garcia better watch his back.

edutcher said...

The thugocracy Michael Barone told us was coming.

Hell, even the Cuomos don't do this stuff.

And they're Italian.

But a mulatto and a Jew...

Amartel said...

A lot of stories come to us from the Guardian - which seems to be their version of the NY Post - that should be coming from our own home-grown media but don't because they are the progressive town criers.

Actually more like the Daily Dirt. It's the old Manchester Guardian, a very Red rag.

The Daily Mail is more like the Post.

Aridog said...

Trooper York at 6:15 PM yesterday wins the thread! Ewwww....