My Time

01/09/24 • 25 min

Produced by Dilpreet Raju | Criminal records can sometimes create seemingly insurmountable hurdles to employment, a key factor toward reducing recidivism rates. Defy Ventures teaches the incarcerated, and returning citizens how to build their own business. Their program is a game-changer, not just for the system impacted, but for business leaders who are given a chance to shed biases, and discover an invaluable stream of worker talent.

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Say Her Name: Women Survivors of Chicago Police Torture

Michelle Clopton was in her twenties when Chicago police attempted to force her to confess to a crime she didn’t commit. For 72 hours, she was brutally questioned, deprived of food, and tortured. Today, she is one of the few women to publicly share her experience of abuse. But she’s not alone.

Under the leadership of CPD Commander Jon Burge, more than 100 Black people were tortured by Chicago police in the ’70s and ’80s to elicit false confessions.

A group of survivors have created the Chicago Torture Justice Center to begin rebuilding lives, healing, and finding joy. Michelle’s story reveals the unique impact of police abuse on women — and what it takes to survive and thrive.

Produced by Jewél Jackson @JewlJackson1 for Reparations Media | Editorial support from Juneteenth Productions @juneteenthprod2 | Collaboration with Chicago Torture Justice Center @chitorture | Sound design by Will Jarvis @willyfrederick | Music: Sara Abdelaal, Blue Dot Sessions
Follow us: changeagentsthepodcast.com | Donate: donate.stripe.com/4gw2980yG7Ez9bO3cf

Key words: Chicago, police, Chicago Police Department, CPD, John Burge, torture, corruption, brutality, survivor, false confession, prison, incarceration, jail, trauma, mental health, healing, solutions, Say Her Name, plea, accountability rule

Change Agents The Podcast - My Time

Transcript

Carl Williams: [00:00:00] Being a young kid and to hear a judge tell you that you have natural life plus 60 years, um, there's no feeling that could describe that. For one, it's an impossible time to do, but to think that the rest of your natural born life that this would be the place that they are sentencing you to die, um, it affects everything when it comes to your thinking.

Dilpreet Raju: That's Carl Williams, who was sentenced to life without parole