spoke digital films

Before January gets too far along, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on the year past, especially as it relates to the making of my film, Shielded Brutality. In short, last year was hugely successful, and ended on the great note of two and half years of hard work coming together successfully. But before I get to that, let me quickly recap what was accomplished. Here are some of the people I was fortunate enough to film interviews with over the past year discussing the Burge history and criminal justice reform in general.

Dr. Calvin Morris of the Community Renewal Society provided a deep and rich perspective born of his many years as a civil rights advocate, historian, and pastor. His thoughtfulness, passion, and depth of knowledge made for a tremendous interview.

Professor Andrea Lyon of DePaul University offered insights regarding her time as a public defender, not to mention her time representing Burge torture victim Madison Hobley. Professor Lyon has spent much of her academic career advocating for the legal protections of the impoverished and has defended countless capital cases.

I also had the good fortune of interviewing (on multiple occassions) Flint Taylor and Joey Mogul of the People’s Law Office. The People’s Law Office has been the primary hub of legal activity around the Burge scandal for over two decades. Their openness and generosity of time has been an invaluable gift to this project. It wouldn’t have been possible without their participation.

Standish Willis, who represented victim Aaron Patterson in earlier trials, also submitted a powerful interview for the project. He discussed his years as an activist and organizer. Willis currently heads the Chicago Council of Black Lawyers.

I was also blessed to interview Patricia Hill, who must be one of the most courageous people on the planet. Hill was a Chicago Police Officer for twenty years and was a constant force for change and accountability within the department, no matter the personal risk to her career or well-being. She recently retired and serves as the Executive Director of the African American Police League, writes for the venerable Chicago Defender, and recently published a book about her time on the force.

I was shocked and pleased to have attorney Tommy Brewer submit an interview about his time working with Special Prosecutor Edward Egan during the special investigation of the Burge history. Brewer left the investigation early due to conflicts he had with the much criticized approach Egan was taking.

Lastly, journalist John Conroy took the time to discuss his almost sixteen-year history covering the Burge torture history for the Chicago Reader. Conroy’s stellar work and his dogged pursuit over so many years is nothing short of inspiring. He might be the only reason this history is even discussed today. On a sad note to all Chicagoans and others who value true investigative journalism, Conroy was let go from the Reader in December. The once-independent Reader was sold to the Creative Loafing company, a chain of so-called “alternative” weeklies, who fired some the paper’s best reporters as a cost-cutting measure. Conroy’s excellent articles can be accessed at the Reader’s website (at least for now) at this link.

So, that’s an overview of the many participants who graciously gave their time and energy to this project last year. Thanks to all of them. In my next post, I’ll discuss other happenings over the year, some key developments, and my plan to actually finish the film.

-Dustin Ogdin (Director/Producer)