Aug 2

Aug 2 Demanding Prison Reform

Crime, Demonstrations, Protest, Public Declarations, Street

The Rally to End the Torture at Menard Prison was scheduled to begin today at 6:00 PM, which means it would coincide with the local evening newscasts. Not surprisingly, the organizers chose 190 North State Street as the location, rather than Federal or Daley Plaza. This location is directly outside ABC7’s street-level television studio, where passersby can sometimes be seen watching the newscast through the fishbowl windows looking into the studio when the station turns its cameras outwards as it goes to a commercial break. Unfortunately for the demonstration organizers, the station’s blue blinds remained closed during tonight’s telecast. ABC7 did send a cameraman outside to record the event, but no reporter was visible.

Alternatively, the organizers might have chosen to protest here because of the proximity to major CTA elevated, subway, and bus lines. Whatever drove the choice of location, the demonstration drew somewhere between 50 to 75 people—hard to assign a more precise number given heavy pedestrian traffic, with people momentarily stopping to see what all the commotion was about.

If I had been an organizer, i would have been disappointed by the turnout. For the last two weeks, a rather elegant notice had been posted on the ProtestChicago.com calendar, so those who regularly turn out for left-leaning demonstrations had plenty of advance notice. Somewhat to my surprise, I did not see many of the familiar faces that are the mainstays of social justice rallies—the folks who hand out anti-capitalist and social-justice literature before they pick up banners carrying the word “socialist” in yellow or orange letters against a black background; there were a few, but not many.

The crowd was predominantly African-American. The dozen or so speakers were either related to people incarcerated at the Menard Prison (located in downstate Illinois, south of St. Louis) or advocates for prison reform and prisoners whom they believe have been wrongfully convicted or subjected to inhumane conditions.

When I was in Washington, D.C. for the Highland Park gun-control rally on Capitol Hill two weeks ago, the most impactful speakers were the ones who were on the street when alleged gunman Robert “Bobby” Crimo III opened fire, as well as several parents from Uvalde, Texas who had lost children when that city experienced its own mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School.

Today’s first-hand accounts were equally impactful. We heard testimony, sometimes through tears, from the relatives of men incarcerated at Menard, and in one case from a former prisoner. A lawyer who represents prisoners spoke, as did a representative from Jesse Jackson’s Operation Rainbow Push, but they were nowhere near as compelling as the relatives.

The speakers were highly critical of Rob Jeffreys, the Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, as well as Governor Pritzker. At least one person claimed that Pritzker could fix many of the problems through an executive order.

Those speaking sought the transfer of prisoners from Menard to other facilities, presumably closer to Chicago; more accountability for prison guards; passage of Illinois House Bill 3564, which would limit the use of solitary confinement; an external investigation into Menard; and Menard’s closure. While I do not know whether the claims of torture are true, such claims would not be particularly surprising in light of Menard’s demographics. According to a 2021 report by the John Howard Association, Menard houses about 2,200 inmates, 60% of whom are African-American. The prison employs just under 1,000 guards and other staff, 93% of whom are White. One would hope that race does not play into how inmates are treated, but experience teaches otherwise. The disparity between the two groups very likely makes for a toxic environment.

Those demonstrating today claimed that solitary confinement is overused; that the staff has an incentive to keep the prison population high because Menard is a major employer in the community (the 2020 Census puts the population of Chester, Illinois, host to the prison, at 6,460); that food and water are inadequate; that temperatures in the summer reach dangerous levels because of poor ventilation; and that mental health programs are inadequate. I don’t recall whether anyone raised the issue, but Menard is located over five hours downstate, making it difficult for Chicago families to visit.

Overall, the demonstrators’ message came through loud and clear. Unfortunately, they were largely speaking to themselves. Aside from the television cameraman, I saw no other news crew or reporters from the major local media outlets. As far as I could tell, neither the Chicago Tribune nor the Sun-Times covered the event. When I reviewed the ABC7 website, I found no video footage. Several people at the rally wielded cameras, but they did not appear to be professionals. Most were likely either related to the speakers or associated with the sponsoring organizations, which included the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Mothers for Justice

The organizers and the relatives are faced with a difficult task. With the significant increase during the last year in crime in Chicago’s downtown and north side, the public is looking for a tougher criminal justice system rather than a more forgiving one. The elimination of cash bail (starting in 2023) has plenty of residents nervous, as do the many resignations from the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, possibly for her preference for social equity over public safety. With that in mind, the organizers might want to address violent crime in the presentations at future demonstrations.

Going forward, I would offer the following additional suggestions to the organizers:

Find a location where the speaker can stand on an elevated platform.
Get rid of the long, fur-covered mic because it obscures the faces of the speakers.
Get a sound system that works. The demonstration was plagued by sound cutouts.
Keep the area in back of the speaker free of passersby.
Keep organizers from hovering around the speaker, obscuring the visual line-of-sight between the audience and the speaker.
Hand out a list of the speakers.

Yes, those are suggestions coming from a photographer, but demonstrations are inherently visual events.

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