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* From the Guardian…

The Chicago police department operates an off-the-books interrogation compound, rendering Americans unable to be found by family or attorneys while locked inside what lawyers say is the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site.

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. Interviews with local attorneys and one protester who spent the better part of a day shackled in Homan Square describe operations that deny access to basic constitutional rights.

Alleged police practices at Homan Square, according to those familiar with the facility who spoke out to the Guardian after its investigation into Chicago police abuse, include:

* Keeping arrestees out of official booking databases.
* Beating by police, resulting in head wounds.
* Shackling for prolonged periods.
* Denying attorneys access to the “secure” facility.
* Holding people without legal counsel for between 12 and 24 hours, including people as young as 15.

At least one man was found unresponsive in a Homan Square “interview room” and later pronounced dead. […]

Unlike a precinct, no one taken to Homan Square is said to be booked. Witnesses, suspects or other Chicagoans who end up inside do not appear to have a public, searchable record entered into a database indicating where they are, as happens when someone is booked at a precinct. Lawyers and relatives insist there is no way of finding their whereabouts. Those lawyers who have attempted to gain access to Homan Square are most often turned away, even as their clients remain in custody inside.

“It’s sort of an open secret among attorneys that regularly make police station visits, this place – if you can’t find a client in the system, odds are they’re there,” said Chicago lawyer Julia Bartmes.

Go read the whole thing.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 10:55 am

Comments

What television show is this from?

Comment by Avery's Binky Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 10:58 am
The Red Squad lives!

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 10:59 am
Wholly unsurprising to anyone who has had interaction with the CPD. Even less surprising is that no Chicago (or indeed US) media outlet considered this “open secret” worth reporting upon.

Comment by Eli Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:04 am
Why is the Guardian breaking this story as opposed to the Trib, S-T, Reader or investigative units of our local TV stations? If this is an open secret among lawyers I cannot believe this is news to folks in our local newsrooms.

Comment by wndycty Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:05 am
“Heck” is not the right word, but I know how hard you work to keep this site profanity free so…..

Someday the CPD will get real leadership. It may take a federal overseer, but it will happen.

Comment by IrishPirate Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:07 am
Did they decide that Chicago needed a quasi-official version of the Shield or what?

Comment by Mason born Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:09 am
Avery, this is no laughing matter anyone who watches even 1 second (and hopefully no more than 1 second) of nbc’s smash hit ‘Chicago PD’ knows that Chicago is being torn apart by violent and vicious gangs of Irish kids!

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:10 am
Chicago media scooped in its own backyard by a London paper. That’s gotta sting.

Maybe big-time journalist John Kass can take a break from recasting his one column out and wander off the Mag Mile for a while to check it out.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:10 am
Wow… Second wndycty on this. Did local media not know, not care or decided it wasn’t worth upsetting the CPD?

Seriously, that’s messed up

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:10 am
Disturbing.

Comment by Jorge Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:11 am
Bartmes has been a practicing defense attorney for 2 years. That’s a source? Wonder why they didnt ask teyy ekl. Because he would say this is nonsense.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:12 am
The new series will be called “Chitmo” and Rahm will make frequent cameo appearances

Comment by Tequila Mockingbird Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:13 am
Really? Is this part of some nightmare sequence from Stephen King? What part of the federal version of this did people not pay attention too? If this is legitimate, some reporter should be able to get promoted to Managing Editor for their scoop on this. Letting Rahm, Daley and the rest of the City council ‘leaders’ get away with this unchecked power is anathema to our form of Justice within our borders.
McCarthy….You’d be wise to fess up and express your disgust, or your denial (?), lest your head rolls when the rest of the media catches up to this.

Comment by northernwatersports Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:13 am
Local press depend on cooperation from police to get the news they think they can market. Dissing the cops is a potential career-ending injury to a member of the local press. Ergo, they ain’t going there.

Comment by Concerned Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:14 am
This isn’t like the Burge situation because this seems to be coordinated and condoned much higher up the chain of command. This could cost the city big $$$

Comment by Carhartt Representative Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:14 am
Think if this story came out two weeks before the election instead of on election day.

Comment by Montrose Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:16 am
My dream in life is to finally be allowed to rap at next years oscars: Chicago pd
You lookin at me?!
I am an irish kid
And I gotta be free!

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:17 am
This would be the end of the Rainbow for Attorneys.

Comment by I B Strapped Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:20 am
Anonymous, well at least one other attorney mentioned appears to have at least 13 years of experience…

Couple of others have several years experience including it would appear work with the public defenders office…

Also ask your self this question, if you went up to someone in Chicago and told them about this story, would they really be shocked that the CPD might be doing this?

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:22 am
Accidentally or otherwise, this is actually a part of NBC’s “Chicago PD” ongoing script. The “intelligence unit” maintains a cage where they tune up suspects to extract information.

Comment by Anonymiss Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:23 am
Are you saying Sophia Bush is really tying people up and beating them in this secret location?

Comment by A modest proposal Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:26 am
Concerning, yes. May play into a run off if there is one but I’m not sure your average voter will be too bothered when the city is portrayed to be so riddled with violence.

The Guardian erred in leading with this unsympathetic genius as the face of the article. Ordinary people will be likely to react with a “cry me a river” like attitude to a NATO3 rube.

Comment by Laughlin and Jackson Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:27 am
“Bartmes has been a practicing defense attorney for 2 years. That’s a source?”

Argumentum ad hominem - responding to arguments by attacking a person’s character or status, rather than to the content of their arguments.

“Wonder why they didn’t ask [Terry Ekl]. Because he would say this is nonsense.”

Circulus in probandon - a logical fallacy in which the reasoner begins with what they are trying to end with.

But other than that, Anonymous makes a fine argument.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:29 am
Its an open secret no one knows about.
Shhhhh!

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:30 am
So those rumors about Migs Field are true? The “Guantanamo of the Midwest”….

Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:33 am
Crazy. Where was local media? Busy searching for Rauner’s missing ==g’s== instead of missing suspects?

@wndycty, @wordslinger, @oneman all say it well.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:36 am
According to Google, this is the Chicago Police Department’s Evidence Vault, 3340 W Fillmore St, Chicago, IL 60624. Likely houses all their crime evidence, drugs, sex assault kits, murder weapons, seized firearms, etc.

Comment by Foil Hat Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:36 am
The Guardian ran two features last week about Chicago PD torture, as well–front page of both the US and UK online editions.

Comment by Jabes Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:37 am
Prostitution Court is nearby too… and… this doesn’t sound like much of a secret CIA style facility… Danny Davis office was near by too..

From http://www.homansquare.org/history

The City of Chicago renovated another building in the complex to house 1,200 police officers and staff. Their presence in the new Homan Square Police Facility has increased safety, and offers a boost to local merchants. These developments have also given local political leaders and community development organizations something to point to when courting additional investment in the neighborhood.

Comment by Bill Baar Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:38 am
Gitmo and Chicago kinda rhyme..

Comment by Mouthy Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:39 am
“Why is the Guardian breaking this story as opposed to the Trib, S-T, Reader or investigative units of our local TV stations?”

bc they are the current publisher of attAckerman’s writing. Spence isn’t going to write for one of our locals.

Comment by Chris Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:39 am
==Are you saying Sophia Bush is really tying people up and beating them in this secret location?==

If so, when’s the next NATO protest?

Asking for a friend.

Comment by Todd Gak Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:42 am
==“It’s not really a secret location, but it’s kind of a cloistered location,” said Richard Brzeczek, a former Chicago police superintendent==

==the latticework through which he spoke to his client was smaller than a typical backyard fence. Inside the cage was nothing: “Just a floor and a cage.”==But a look at what surrounds the warehouse gives clearer indications of Homan Square’s police business. The yellow barrier for cars at the street checkpoint.==Published reports describe a surveillance “wire room” inside.==

Gives new meaning to the name Chiraq. Sounds like they even have their own Abu Ghraib.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:47 am
Kass isn’t the only one dropping the ball. Where are Zorn and Brown? Pssst, Sneed could finally have a story not fed to her by the Burkes, Ryans, or Daleys. Spielman could report something not leaked to her by the Fifth Floor or a mayoral confidant. Giant collective fail by the Chicago media.

Comment by Independent Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:52 am
Mouthy, it’s not about the rhyme it’s about the attatude!
Chicago!
Gitmo!
That’s all that I know!
Chicago pd ain’t the solution,
They just causing red light pollution!
Street crime is always the same,
NBC say the irish to blame!
Them irish homies always on the run,
cause they killin with a foid card gun!
But I say the irish are a peaceful creature
Those smilin eyes are a permanent feature!

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:56 am
If this is true, it’s sick.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:59 am
This city, as much as I have grown to love it, continues to get more disgusting as well.

Comment by vise77 Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:06 pm
This secret facility has police signage a big police parking lot and they hold news conferences there. I have no idea about the allegations but playing this up as a secret off the books facility is dishonest. Every crime reporter in the city has been there when huge drug sweeps happen and they show off all the drugs, weapons & cash.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:06 pm
“Every crime reporter in the city has been there when huge drug sweeps happen and they show off all the drugs, weapons & cash. ”

Sure, but that story we are talking about would seem to raise at least a few red flags that have nothing to do with your point.

Comment by vise77 Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:13 pm
prety incredible that it took the Guardian to break this - it was a well known location to most criminal defense attorneys and civil rights attorneys for at least the last 15 years or so. If anyone has had a client there or even just driven past it, the anti-terrorism vibe was pretty obvious with a those military vehicles out front

Comment by Sam Weinberg Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:13 pm
Not for nothing, but the Guardian is not exactly the most reliable source at times, I’m just saying……….

Comment by Someone you should know Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:30 pm
It’s not really all that secret, but the holding pens probably are somewhat secret. Although arrestees cannot be held without formal charges for an unreasonable amount of time, the Constitution does not spell out what this time is. In Illinois, courts use a “totality of the circumstances” test to decide if a person has been held too long. This means that courts will look at many different factors, including:
the length of time a person has been held
how many times their Miranda rights have been read to them, and the conditions in which they are being held. In the situation where the suspect is denied the ability to talk to a lawyer as the Guardian article depicts it increases the possibility the case will get tossed out once and if charges are filed.

Comment by Rod Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:31 pm
===but the Guardian is not exactly the most reliable source===

Um, really? They’ve broken some pretty big stories, unlike many of their English counterparts, which tend to routinely make stuff up.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:31 pm
“Not for nothing, but the Guardian is not exactly the most reliable source at times, I’m just saying………. ”

My experience puts me at odds with your thesis here. I consider it among the most reliable English papers–and pretty reliable by US standards, too.

Comment by vise77 Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:33 pm
The Guardian has been paying a lot of attention to Chicago police brutality the last few months. Last week, they “outed” Richard Zuley, a north side detective who was assigned to GITMO in 2003 and subsequently took over the interrogation of Mohamedou Ould Slahi. Slahi’s best-selling memoir was serialized last month by the Guardian.

Comment by globalguy Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:38 pm
Ok it’s not a Black site it’s public. Has signage has marked police vehicles. This is where evidence is stored and retrieved by defendants& victims after the case Is adjudicated. Every police area & detention facility has these allegations. For the to allege it is off the books or secret is blatantly false and dishonest. I’ve heard rumors of a federal government facility downtown with many of the same allegations those in the know call it MCC. Shh. NSA maybe monitoring.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:41 pm
a Question.

Shouldn’t this be a prime candidate for a DOJ investigation into Civil Rights abuses?

Comment by Mason born Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:43 pm
“This secret facility has police signage …”

If we are talking about 3379 W Fillmore St, Chicago, Illinois, they must have put up the “singage” after Google Street View went by.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:50 pm
“For the to allege it is off the books or secret is blatantly false and dishonest.”

That’s something, as a long time resident of Chicago, I can’t simply take on faith, as the article alleges more than you point out. I say that as a longtime student of the history of not only this city but the CPD.

Comment by vise77 Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:50 pm
===This secret facility has police signage===

Nobody said it didn’t. It’s not the outside, it’s what’s going on somewhere within that’s the alleged problem here.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:56 pm
==- Carhartt Representative - Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 11:14 am:==

Burge was an area commander. Only bureau chiefs (i.e. chief of detectives) and the superintendent’s office is higher.

Let’s also not ignore that a CPD detective with a history of brutality complaints exported his torture tactics to Gitmo.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-guardian-guantanamo-chicago-detective-met-20150220-story.html

CPD has never been interested in reform or the rights of citizens.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:57 pm
It is where every day residents of the city go to pick up their stolen property. Not much of a ” black site” if it has posted hours for the public to get their property and yes their is signage and parking signs.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:58 pm
12:50 pm was me.

I did find there is a checkerboard doorway at 1011 S Homan for Evidence and Recovered Property.

Comment by Bigtwich Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:59 pm
Chicago - Fisher, enhanced by VanillaMan

Chicago! Chicago!
That throttlin’ town!
That throttlin’ town!
Chicago!
Like Gitmo!
They’ll track ya down
Then beat ya!

Our London rag has got a scoop
On Chicago’s
Own Gitmo
An open secret no one’s heard til now
Like the Masons

In Homan Square
They’ll all swear
Nothing exists
No one resists
Yet we know, that they know, what you do not know - how could you?

You’ll serve your time
The time of your life
Homan’s a place where evil is rife
In Chicago
Chicago my home town!

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:59 pm
Rich for you to say no one says it didn’t is insane. It’s alleged in the article it is an off the books black site. It a police facility with public hours of operation.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:01 pm
“it was a well known location to most criminal defense attorneys and civil rights attorneys for at least the last 15 years or so. If anyone has had a client there or even just driven past it, the anti-terrorism vibe was pretty obvious with a those military vehicles out front”

Co-signed.

As to why it takes the Guardian to “break” the story, it takes a non-Chicagoan to see this for what it is.

In Chicagoese, what has been happening here is that sensitive investigations of dangerous people have been happening in a heightened security environment. Look at what the mother was told when she wanted to write down what was happening to her while she was denied access to her 15-year-old.

It takes someone who hasn’t drunk the Kool-Aid — an out-of-towner — to understand what a black site IS.

Even here, we have people denying that it’s secret because they’ve seen it/been there. Just like everyone knew that GTMO was a military base and Abu Ghraib was a prison, so nothing secret ever happened either of those places?

The Chicago River Denial runs deep.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:02 pm
===It a police facility with public hours of operation. ===

Yeah, and notice the pic accompanying the article…

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/24/chicago-police-detain-americans-black-site#img-2

You can conceivably have an off the books site within a building that is used for other things.

Lots of needless nitpicking here.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:06 pm
I can’t help notice the almost complete lacking of any expressions of surprise. When I was a kid, the neighborhood cop was everyone’s friend and usually a community organizer and leader. Now they are more of a military occupation force.

Comment by Skirmisher Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:13 pm
Yes and no, skirmisher. Have police in general and including CPD been militarized and specifically war-on-terrorized? Certainly.

Have cops in Chicago been engaging in extralegal activities specifically to exert power, strip civil rights, enforce and reinforce racial inequality? Not new. Never “everyone’s” friend.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:19 pm
Yeah, I have to say, the BS detector went off pretty hard upon reading this article. Too much over-the-top verbage (’Black-site’, ‘They disappeared us’, etc.). And if it’s an ‘open secret’ among defense attorneys, where they know rampant abuse takes place, why have they not raised the issue, either publicly or with the feds?

That being said, there’s certainly enough there to hopefully warrant a deeper investigation. Lord knows, Chicago PD has a spotty history of operating within the legal rulebook.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:21 pm
Anonymous,

Detective Commander Jon Burge’s Area Two torture chamber was also “a police facility with public hours of operation.”

So what?

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:26 pm
==You can conceivably have an off the books site within a building that is used for other things==

Bingo. That is a large facility. They would not place the cages lacking beds or seats in the front lobby.

Posting public hours also has nothing to with failing to book arrestees, beatings, prolonged shackling, denying attorney access, holding kids or dying while in custody.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:27 pm
Well I guess all these lawyers are guilty of malpractice for not filing multie federal lawsuits and demanding a federal investigation. I’m sure the local news reporters are covering this up. This article is beyond over the top. I guess time will tell when nothing is done it will just be part of the conspiracy. An interesting side note no coverage of the big lawsuit against Northwestern for all the lies they told and evidence they faked to try and get offenders out of jail and to coerce a confession of an innocent man.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:34 pm
==Precinct Captain==

From the sound of things, this is going to be a bit harder to claim ignorance like Daley did with Burge.

Comment by Carhartt Representative Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:37 pm
Is anyone surprised that a confirmed Obama bully would permit something like this?

Comment by A realistic citizen Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:47 pm
== And if it’s an ‘open secret’ among defense attorneys, where they know rampant abuse takes place, why have they not raised the issue, either publicly or with the feds?==

==Well I guess all these lawyers are guilty of malpractice for not filing multie federal lawsuits and demanding a federal investigation.==

It’s kind of like you don’t understand how police brutality and criminal defense work.

Each defendant and their lawyer is a frog in a well. Only the system touches each. Only the system has a network.

(except the public defender, but that’s another problem, not a solution)

I mean, have you even heard of the Burge cases?

In many of the most egregious cases, no torture was ever mentioned in any court record.

Why do you think that is?

And why do you think it’s easier,
“now that we’ve fixed that,”
and now that CPD can use magic incantations from the security state to explain its actions in court
to prove that a client’s mistreatment
a) occurred,
b) is against the rules,
c) is a pattern involving other clients in other cases?

And: what makes you think defense lawyers haven’t raised the issue?
Or that this isn’t that?

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:49 pm
I mean, the amount of secrecy we allow CPD is expanding and it’s pretty incredible. It’s part of why they want to wrap themselves in terror plots and talk about any gang average member like they’re a potential mob boss mastermind.

I have personally seen CPD use a Stingray. Now, why do you think it took a single Florida case for this device and its use to come to national attention, when police are probably arresting people illegally right in our own backyard? Because it’s a tinfoil hat story until you find that one judge in a sea of complete ninnies who a) understands the law, b) doesn’t mind making the police mad, c) doesn’t get scared off and back away from security lingo and threats of federales, d) gets offended on their own behalf and on behalf of civil liberties.

You’re not likely to find that judge on the Cook bench. CPD knows this. The SA’s office knows it.

Our official policing policy is: DADT.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/secrecy-around-police-surveillance-equipment-proves-a-cases-undoing/2015/02/22/ce72308a-b7ac-11e4-aa05-1ce812b3fdd2_story.html

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:57 pm
Gotta agreed with Anonymous about the BS detector. If no lawsuits have been filed by Loevy and Loevy - who sue CPD at the drop of a hat - over something going on at Homan Square, then maybe nothing is going on on “Black Site” level the Guardian claims. Something as bad as they claim would not be an “Open Secret” among the Chicago criminal defense bar, not a shy group about raising police misconduct claims. By the way, CPD has districts, not precincts.

Comment by West Side the Best Side Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 2:12 pm
Anonymous @ 1:34pm:

===no coverage of the big lawsuit against Northwestern===

Oh, you don’t mean this, which was plastered on the front page of the Trib website?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-alstory-simon-lawsuit-northwestern-20150217-story.html#page=1

Comment by Tim Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 3:13 pm
I feel for the victims… Including the Cops on the street that this garbage will hurt by higher up’s being fools.

Comment by Walter Mitty Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 3:29 pm
I heard about stuff like this going on down there in 1980 (we used to call it 11th Street). I guess I should have told someone.

Comment by Cheswick Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 3:58 pm
Tim. Know where is the Cap fax post. You know the one that didn’t happen. Liberal blog doesn’t want to comment on liberal professor commiting these acts. But you know cheap allegations by convicted felons and anonymous sources that’s good stuff.

Comment by Lincolns tears. Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 3:59 pm
Well
Lincoln’s tears (when I am calling you out on the grammar and punctuation you know it is something)

A) It’s a political blog dude. Not sure how the Northwestern thing is a political issue.

B) Feel free to ask some Quinn supporters how nice Rich was to him…

When you complain about the liberal/conservative/bias within the place that references another sources news story vs. the story you have lost the argument.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:11 pm
Tracy Siska from the Chicago Justice Project is quoted in the Atlantic:

“Siska: There was knowledge in the police-accountability community. We knew exactly where it was, but we couldn’t get the press in Chicago to cover the story. We think it started during [former Chicago Police Department Superintendent] Phil Cline’s time around 2006 or 2007 until about 2011 when the city had roving special units [that worked out of Homan Square.]

Basu: Why wasn’t the press covering it?

Siska: I think that many crime reporters in Chicago have political views that are right in line with the police. They tend to agree about the tactics needed by the police. They tend to have by one extent or the other the same racist views of the police—a lot of urban police (not all of them by any stretch, but a lot of them) embody racism.”

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/02/behind-the-disappeared-of-chicagos-homan-square/385964/

Comment by anon Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:26 pm
More from that Atlantic story…

Basu: What is the area around Homan Square like?

Siska: If you’re able to find the location, there are CPD cars there. The evidence-retrieval unit is there. It’s a multi-use facility. People in the department know it exists, but outside people don’t. Maybe not beat officers, but many supervisors know it exists, since they have to work their way through their special units all the time.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:29 pm
I hope WJK gets to rap at next years oscars! I would actually watch that! Lol

Comment by Annon Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 5:29 pm
Geez, the Atlantic follows up the Guardian story before any Chicago media?

Circle the wagons time? Try to knock down the story that you didn’t pursue when you had the tip?

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 5:38 pm
I’m not sure if the CPD gets any state money, but if they do, I think we just found some place Rauner can zero the budget for little complaint.

Comment by GraduatedCollegeStudent Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 6:36 pm
This seems almost unbelievable. Something for the Attorney Genera to investigate.

Comment by Just Me Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 7:01 pm
Mr. MJM. I get it. You and Rich don’t like the police. Have you been there? I have. It’s the evidence and recovered property section. Hence the secrecy. It’s literally filled with guns and drugs. And yes, a two year defense attorney is a lousy, lousy source. She’s defending secret detainees? Doubtful. The source of this story is the young man who was acquitted of terrorism but was on tape lauding “police on fire.” So believe this drivel if you must. It’s totally false and sourced from questionable souls. You and 47th and Rich, and Word can feel content bashing CPD again. I hope you three are part of the solution, lots of answers coming from you three.

Comment by Lobo Y Olla Wednesday, Feb 25, 15 @ 7:02 am
– you and 47th and Rich and Word can feel content bashing CPD again –

Help me out Inspector Clouseau, where do you see evidence of that? Is it in storage at Homan Square, because it’s certainly not here.

Heck, 47 didn’t even write a comment.

Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 25, 15 @ 7:19 am
The touchiness about criticizing CPD always makes me feel so safe. Like the darlings are going to break into pieces if we look at them too hard.

Glad to hear, Lobo y Olla, that you think it’s not only false, but completely wrong and unacceptable, for people to be interrogated on the quiet.

Wait, you didn’t say that last part. Interesting.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Wednesday, Feb 25, 15 @ 9:06 am
Interrogated on the quiet is wrong. Said it I did.

Comment by Lobo y Olla Wednesday, Feb 25, 15 @ 11:42 pm
Happy Hour is another great thing to get in on as anything can happen when it’s
Happy Hour. To that end Broome and Tioga Counties are part of the 22nd Congressional District - which is so strongly Republican, Democrats
didn’t even run an opposition candidate in 2014.
To see what’s coming up next at Vinyl Lake Tahoe (click here).

Comment by texas hold em säännöt Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:49 am