Black voices.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

Awt Tw News exclusive.

A letter from Chicago's police misconduct agency notes troubling traffic stops on the west side months before Dexter reads Fatal shooting.

Meanwhile, the United Nations says Chicago needs to do more to remedy what it calls racialized police violence.

Exploring the lasting impact, Dr King's assassination had on Chicago's West Side.

>> And the grand opening of a south suburban Brew pub that serves as a tribute to the founders late >> And now to some of today's top stories.

Advocates had their say at a city council meeting or committee hearing about missing and murdered black and brown women in Chicago.

>> The reality of gender-based violence is deeply intertwined with the issue of missing women and girls.

Many of the young women who have become missing guard high Ris due to exposure from various forms of violence.

Including intimate partner, violence.

Relationship abuse and other forms of gender-based violence.

We cannot effectively address this issue without recognizing and acting on those root causes.

>> The council's committee on Public Safety heard from advocates, journalists and family members of missing or murdered black women in the city.

The hearing was intended to identify obstacles to resolving cases and explore new strategies to prevent more women and girls from going missing in the city.

The Chicago teachers Union is detailing its ideas to fully fund public schools, including its contract, which is still under negotiation.

Ctu Today released its five-year plan, which it says outlines ways to create over a billion dollars in revenue through TIF expirations loan refinancing closing corporate tax loopholes and more.

>> Because of our contract is the cost.

The riding public schools in the city of Chicago.

That's the cost of our contract.

The cost of our contract is the cost having schools that are funded that are resource that have sports in the fall season.

The winter season, the spring season.

>> That provides students with resources recess and help the mill.

>> The union says its report aligns closely with the district's recently released plan 5 year plan.

Together, we rise.

But despite that alignment, CTU says its contract is still incomplete and it's filed for mediation and fact finding as part of the bargaining process.

Chicago soccer fans will have to get used to a new name for the women's team.

The Chicago Red Stars are now the Chicago Stars Football Club.

The team rolled out the new name and new look today.

The team's crest includes a soccer ball in the Chicago 6 pointed star which it says is intended to represent the team's civic pride and also the stars athletes on the field.

Up next, a troubling pattern of CPD traffic stopped months before Dexter Reed's death.

Heather Sharon with this W T Tw News exclusive right after this.

>> Chicago tonight, voices is made possible in part by the support of these.

Don't use.

>> The agency responsible for investigating misconduct by Chicago police officers identified a troubling pattern of undocumented and aggressive traffic stops on the Westside at least a year before officers killed decks to read.

That's according to a letter obtained exclusively by our own Heather Sharon who joins us now with details.

Heather, first, remind us what happened to Dexter read on March.

21st for officers fired 96 shots in 41 seconds.

Shortly after stopping Dexter read in a traffic stop, officers told investigators was prompted on suspicion.

>> He wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

Now those 4 officers remain on administrative leave and have not returned to active duty but have not been stripped of their police powers as the civilian office of Police Accountability recommended as they continue to investigate this shooting.

>> Okay.

So what is the letter that you obtained been tell us about his death?

That letter from the director of investigations for Copa shows that COVID had documented a troubling pattern of traffic stops.

>> And pedestrian stops in the same police district where Reid was killed.

Those stops were not documented, according to this letter in accordance with Departmental policy, nor were they recorded by officers body-worn cameras that made it impossible for Copa director of investigations said to determine whether the stops had probable cause and raises the possibility that this pattern existed for many months before Dexter Reid was killed.

But nobody in the city took any action to say, hey, we've got a problem.

So to that point, why didn't the city's misconduct agency alert?

A police superintendent Larry Snelling in its staff about this pattern Sooner.

>> Copa Chief Administrator Andrea Kirsten said they were working diligently behind the scenes to document this pattern and Marshall enough evidence to present it to the police superintendent, but simply haven't completed that work.

By the time Dexter Reid was killed, prompting them to send the letter 6 days later after his death realizing that this has become an issue of critical importance to the city as Mayor Brandon Johnson called for So how has or has CPD, you know, change the way they stop people on the West side?

Well, please, spokespeople declined to answer my questions in detail about the stops or Dexter reads Killing, which remains under investigation.

However, they did say that after rains killing officers were reminded about departmental policy and that they had to not only filed the proper reports, but record those interactions on their body worn cameras, weather that has made any difference on the West Side and Garfield Park in Humble Park.

We just don't know.

Right exclusive reporting from head to Sharon.

Thank you, Heather.

Thanks.

Brandis.

>> And you can read full story on our website.

It's all at W T Tw Dot com Slash news.

in 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior came to Chicago's West side to protest against discriminatory housing practices.

The neighborhood went into an uproar following his assassination, resulting in numerous riots and looting the new Chicago stories documentary called when the West Side burned outlines the destruction.

>> April 1968.

Congo's Westside burst into flames after the news of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior's assassination has been shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee.

>> The one man who brought hope for a better life was dead.

>> do frustration that I do remember one guy stand burned, baby >> Here to talk more about that time are 2 former Westside residents featured in the film, Lee, founder and CEO of National Alliance for the Empowerment of the formerly incarcerated and John Preston, community representative for the West Side Justice Center.

Thank you both for joining us.

We appreciate it.

want to ask you both first.

You know, this happened some time ago, but why do you think it is important to remember this history, Ben?

Ali, let's start with you.

Please.

>> Well, one, you get what the true, what happened before Iowa causes?

You know, we've got some needs is a date is doing a lot good work for in our communities.

Will this happen again if something happened to them, we should learn from that.

What happened back had to have an impact on our community and not result of those measures.

If something like that happen again.

>> Joe question, what do you think?

It's important to remember but I means there's there's there's certain things that we should never forget as the people in America as a whole so as not to repeat the same mistakes over again.

And we do know I need to step out.

>> For for good things that the that their lives are in danger.

>> So and we and so we have to remember And we had a number that we have as a community have to.

Somewhere circle the wagons, know, to protect their leaders from from >> Dr King chose to live in North Lawndale when he moved to Chicago wide that neighborhood.

What was significant about his reasons for coming But when he came that he came here with his poor people's campaign.

>> And at that time, do like birth of the black power movement.

He was part of the civil rights movement.

Just young radicals moving from the black power movement and on the Westside at that time where he stated 62 Hammond, you had the Vice and they had a program called Tenants Rights Action Group.

Why they would challenge as Lord.

That was illegally victim.

People out there houses.

They was shut down construction throughout the city because they would have black contractors.

I don't know his reasons moving that.

What was happening in that area where he So that ended up being sort of a natural of relationship because the vice lords and Dr King into communicating what was relationship like?

>> Well, again, they might want to cause you gotta keep him.

And black ministers would I looked again, even speak at churches during that time because they didn't want hear.

So it was not only just of Iceland, but who had LSD.

Vice Lewis D-San disciples.

They became a city coalition said now construction site throughout the city.

the key benefit from them guys might reduce Israel with him when he went out south to market part, it was a black stone razor decide wasn't much.

What about that?

So that was his following right.

That happened to do what he did to do >> John, at the time of his assassination, you are completing your paper out.

How do you remember the community's response when the news first broke the community's was was?

Well, it was a it was a a combination of shock.

And grief.

>> A bit of will to men as well.

You know that one of the biggest lead is we have known as it is a race of was gone.

So so we you know, so that was it was a big blow, you know, so to speak.

how did you feel how you remember feeling when you were young person when riots broke out?

>> The neighborhood begins to burn.

Well, felt Suns are up surround fitted up, built the great loss that we lost a very, very great leader.

And what direction we go as a people and what what we do so I feel lost because there were a lot of things that Doctor King stood for.

So and so I was I was, you know, said no on one hand and On the other hand and what you know, which one should we You know you continued your paper out the next day.

What stood out to you in the paper the next day?

Well, with With-with stood out, there is just up.

We're in the community.

The you know, the looting, the burning.

And, you know, people just going and just expressing their anger and by way of looting in the community of and course, they a lot of areas that which cordoned off you know, confined just to the black community.

So that's where a lot of the looting and writing was contained.

>> you were a teenager at the time.

What do you remember feeling?

>> At that time even before happened, we would enter without a racial attack on us as young, you graduate at a rate had to go through all white community all high school to just to get there.

So when the looting devices which we young by was put the desert outlet in the community, though, do not right.

So being advised that we was falling, words about leaders, right.

But on the other hand, we taken with these folks assassinated mother of the key.

These white Stolz deserve that.

This is that we have to tell Md a bit at the time that a young nays.

>> How do you think these riots are different or the same from what we saw the summer of 2020?

>> the difference now is You have a lot of foreigners and for a good example of that divide.

The spill dome in Little village.

young black not write in them.

The lead kings over whole awaited.

Yeah, I'll take that.

Someone else can see these with their fathers and grandfathers businesses the black community these what fathers and grandfathers been, these for businesses.

So that was a conflict in with man in the back doing >> John, we've got, you know, just a limited amount of time left.

But what would you say has been the long-lasting impact of the riots on the West side?

>> In a negative way or positive way.

a is basically 2 sides to it.

So.

>> I'm in in negative way.

the Saints haven't fully recovered from those rights prior to that and we had on prior to Dr Paint us as a nation.

There were other rights.

2 in Chicago, 16 street.

Parts Roosevelt Road.

You know, but that impact there to know You know, all of those type of things still exist and the positive thing is that we are still trying to rebuild.

We still we still run into a lot of obstacles and that we building process that we're doing the work remains a lot of folks and rushed to talk about on some of those businesses having never fully recovered.

>> We'll have to leave it there.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us.

Lee and John Preston, thank you.

Thank you.

>> And you can watch Chicago stories when the West side burned here on Wtta W Friday night at 8 and be sure to check out our website for more on the new Chicago stories season.

We're back with more right after this.

The United Nations is calling out Chicago's history of, quote, racialized police violence and says it needs to do more to remedy past wrongs.

United Nations investigators say, quote, these heinous alleged human rights violations appear to significant extent to be rooted in systemic racism and have disproportionately affected people of African and let Latin American descent.

They went on to decry reports of arrest without cause and the use of torture to coerce confessions.

Joining us now to tell us more are Mark Clements from the Chicago Torture Justice Center.

Clements is a survivor police torture and spent 28 years behind bars before his conviction was overturned.

And April Ward, mother of McCay Award who was convicted of killing 15 year-old Hadiya Pendleton.

His conviction was overturned by the Illinois appellate court and remanded back to the lower court last year.

The appellate court said his confession, which his lawyers and family say was coerced should not have been considered at trial.

We also invited the Chicago Police Department, the governor's office and the Cook County State's attorney to join us.

We did not hear back from CPD or the governor's office, but the state's attorney's office sent us a statement saying the office had made, quote, ground bake breaking strides in addressing the systemic racism found in our criminal justice system, including overturning nearly 250 wrongful convictions tied to police misconduct.

Mark Clement's April Ward, thank you both for joining us here.

Thank you.

Mark Clement's, let's start with you, please.

Because we know the history of Chicago police misconduct.

It goes back a very long way, as you know, all too well.

How did United Nations investigators come to be looking at this issue and then how did you get involved?

>> Well, on working with Chicago towards invest the center.

I that.

A call themselves the mom was putting together documents about.

Particular people cases.

So I submitted several of those complaints.

One being pair Michelle Call.

as well as dual Thomas.

Just praying and hoping the system would take a look at their wrongful convictions and police torture.

And when tell you, yes, they However, as you have read this long list of officials that do not want to get involved, that has been the problem.

And you mentioned the group mama's that both of you work with someone, you know, our audience to know.

Of course that stands for what is on your T-shirt.

>> Mama's activating movements for abolition and Solidarity.

Mark, what is it that the United Nations says needs to happen?

Well, I believe that these cases that are referred to the United Nations must be a start and these officials they must deeper into these cases.

Michelle Call did being 26 years of age taken to a police station, having her hair grabbed and squeeze and being spit upon and being playing with a murder and raise the claim torture from the outset, the Illinois Torture Inquiry Relief Commission finding that well, guess what, there is some calls to suggest that she is wrongfully convicted.

We're going to report over to Kim Foxx office too.

Her conviction, integrity unit.

And till this day, no one from that office has contacted Michelle Call less.

Michelle Call has contacted Airport Ward, your son May Grail was as we mentioned in 2018, he was convicted of the murder of Hadiya Pendleton.

But last year, the Illinois appellate court overturned it, saying that his alleged confession should not have been considered at trial.

>> What has he told you and your family attorneys about how detectives obtained that confession?

>> He told me the profession.

They held him for like 18 hours, but they kept waking him up.

even when he was on the stairs, they told him you better give us in confession in a with hitting him, upset defeat.

Also when he first get arrested.

They they use the AK 15 AR 15 and hit hey it right, outside his hand.

There are reports that he also repeatedly told officers that he didn't want to say anything.

fact, did.

He ask for an attorney.

>> He acts for he say I don't want to talk.

I have nothing to say and he did it on the stairs.

He D X for an attorney.

They just went past the ending, just cap on talking to him.

So we know that he remains in custody while this case works its way through the court process.

Again.

>> What do you hope this United impact does?

What do you hope that it does?

Chief, are your son by shining a light on this to get the ball rolled?

To understand that.

>> if the United Nation has.

>> Say it that there.

They think it's a problem.

Then you need to look into it.

You know, he's in the Illinois Supreme Court right now.

He had opinion her up.

They did the argument for Pena deal from because 7 months it's been 7 And they still haven't made a decision.

They still have it this it.

>> How long does it supposed to take?

And if issue?

Well, so, Mark, you know, it's the United Nations.

They don't have a lot of real enforcement power but it sounds like, you know, you haven't heard much from any state or local officials in response to this what are you hoping?

What are you hoping happens?

What happens?

Well, this is their this report from the UN came out in June of this summer.

Yes.

>> The entire system is corrupt.

It needs to be held accountable.

It needs to look at the back.

Michelle Call and I believe 54 years old.

Now today deserves at least regardless if she is guilty or innocent of that crime she deserves where that they look into her claim of torture.

Michael McDermott, a Chicago police officer who has a long history of police torture.

I believe that active Michael McDermott an unnamed and in other cases of includes your journal Fares case.

And, you know, this is a tragic.

>> Here it is dual Thomas taken to a police station over here on the West side and kicked in his head by police detectives inside of the interrogation room.

No, that is a crime.

These police officers need to be held accountable.

But before we can hold them accountable, let these men and women out of prison.

Okay.

That is where we'll have to leave it.

Obviously a lot of work for officials, the justice system to work their way through.

Hopefully we would like to hear from them on this issue as well.

We'll have to leave it there.

My thanks to Mark Clement's in April Ward.

Yes, thank Back with more in just a moment.

But first, a look at the weather.

>> Something new is brewing in the south suburbs, Homewood Brewing Company had its grand opening last week after 3 years in the making.

It's been a healing journey for founder Carmella Wallace whose son Jared Higgins.

The rapper also known as Juice world died of a drug overdose in 2019 Juice world was known for his candid and introspective lyrics about his struggle with addiction and depression.

His mother says the brewpub his way to give back to the community while paying tribute to her son's memory.

>> I just wanted to find a way to give back to a community that was special to Jared and So the idea I just get the idea to just threw it at this.

beautiful project turned into something really special nationally in building this.

It was a way for us to heal.

project has been going on so long.

So the thought of a serving building, something impact for the community was just refreshing.

We love.

would we?

We looking for a high school.

We chose to move the because he wanted to go the whole last high school.

>> was very connected.

And once he became famous, it still came back home to Benefit beer and wish to proceed of net proceeds goes to my foundation.

Wish we pour out to help other people.

We recently just gave a donation of $100,000 to various organizations for mental Health Awareness Day to support programs that support mental health substance dependency programs.

Jaren touched so many people through his music and his message was for people that suffer in silence to be alone.

So I felt like I needed to continue his message to help those who are struggling.

It just find a way for them to get the help that they >> Homewood Brewing Company is located on Dixie Highway near 100 83rd Street Wallace's organization live Free 9.99 Supports programs addressing mental health and addiction.

And you can find more information on our website.

And that's our show for this Wednesday night.

Early voting is underway for November's elections will be sure to check out our W T Tw News Voter Guide before you head to the polls.

That's a W t tw dot com slash voter guide and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10 now for all of us here at Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe.

Have a good night.

>> Closed caption is made possible by Robert a and personal injury committed to