Chicago Newsroom 05/16/19

Published on May 16, 2019

Flint Taylor discusses his new book The Torture Machine, which details fifty years of police abuse of power, on this week’s show. He discusses his early involvement with the murder of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark on December 4, 1969, and how he and other young Northwestern law students, having recently founded the People’s Law Office, visited the murder site and gathered evidence that would ultimately lead to revelations that that police and law enforcement organizations had conspired to murder the Black Panther leaders. He also discusses in detail his thirty-year involvement with the discovery of systematic torture sessions in the basement of CPD’s “Area 2,” and the role played by a parade of mayors, police superintendents, states’ attorneys and other officials in covering up the torture.

We’re also joined by “Live From the Heartland” host Thom Clark. Thom was co-founder in the 1970s of the Community Media Workshop, whose purpose was to open up access to Chicago media for community organizers and others whose voices were rarely heard. Thom appears on this show as a co-host to help lead the discussion. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television.