spoke digital films

Given that this blog will center heavily around the documentary I’m currently making, it seems important to offer a quick introduction to the film. You can also check us out on youtube or my myspace.

I should also note that I hope this blog could be of interest to those who aren’t necessarily interested in the subject matter of my doc (police abuse/criminal justice reform). I’m hoping that later posts will offer some information about the process of documentary filmmaking (from a green first-timer) that can be of value for its own sake. But here’s a quick summary of my project:

Shielded Brutality examines the history of human rights abuses by members of the Chicago Police Department from the early 1970’s through the 1990’s. During this time, scores of African-American men were systematically tortured by brutal and racist means in order to coerce criminal confessions. The accounts are disturbingly similar to the images and accounts from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. Torture methods included suffocation, mock executions, Russian roulette, all manner of beatings, and sustained electro-shocks with cattle prods and improvised electrical devices.

The scandal revolves around disgraced former Police Commander, Jon Burge, and a band of detectives who worked beneath him. However, officials at the highest levels of Chicago’s government are also directly implicated in covering up the abuse for decades, including present Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley. To this day, it is uncertain how many remain incarcerated due to this sadistic abuse. Countless judges and prosecutors have formally acknowledged in courts of law that these atrocities did, in fact, occur. However, no one has ever been convicted of any crime.

This film will place particular emphasis on exploring how and why the Chicago and Illinois criminal justice systems have failed to bring anyone to justice for these known abuses. It will also focus on the role citizens and activists play in holding their governments accountable to the rule of law and in protecting the rights of individuals.