and 7 days.

That's how long James Gibson spent in prison for a crime.

He did not commit the confession that led to Gibson's convention conviction was tortured out of him by Chicago police detectives under the direct supervision of John Berge.

The disgraced former Chicago police commander who left a legacy of torture, confessions and wrongful convictions.

As we mentioned earlier today, the Chicago City Council approved a 14.7 5 million Dollar settlement for Gibson's wrongful incarceration.

And joining us to tell more of his own story is Exoneree James Gibson.

Thank you for joining Thank you for having So you were exonerated in 2019, you received a certificate of innocence in 2020.

What is the settlement today?

What does it mean to you?

What does it represent?

>> Not pretty on camera.

for that question.

What it does represent pop on justice.

So to speak Com.

>> A continuation justice.

also has to continue a lot of people making comments trying to guess and just got 15.5 million dollars on assignment.

If you look at all of the settlements, this for the last 23 at the last 30 days, 60 days, 90 days verdicts.

And Latino, the Mexicans, the whites again, 2025 30 million dollars Santa.

So somebody contacted said 15 made dollars a lot of money, 15 million dollars.

A lot of mine.

Somebody that would be risky fall.

So there's no justice, no peace in these cases notes and atrocities across Chicago's lead nation told the city Chicago 2019 when I was released on a little rather excellent Christ.

My mother's birthday, April 15th, the must-see path away, able second that on these cases come about and why not cities Kabul got expose it.

2.5 billion dollars.

And so when you say 15 E dollars, I'm happy.

Not not happy about that.

do you feel like there's there's no dollar amount.

>> That makes up for what you've lost.

That means east.

Now I know dollar national dollar amount that can make of what I love last.

My mom, I lost everything.

And I never got a chance to be married.

I went off to the army my country Adams and I never did that.

the set up for me to do graduate the high school going to cause.

did anything up play by the rules, sent out a get one ideas for want to 7 days.

I can get that back.

As we mentioned, John Berge, the detectives that worked for him, they became known for torturing confessions out of dozens of men.

>> for a long time, no one believed these men when they told people what was happening to them.

When did you realize that what had happened to you was part of a much bigger systemwide problem.

>> I will laugh and it was a much bigger problem when I hadn't gotten to from ideal.

See the deal.

C. I stopped litigating found most of them back in 1990, it on the record.

When I got to tell your And so I became a jailhouse lawyer assigned present when I became a jailhouse lawyer, so to speak.

And I was in Pontiac statement not.

I thought live and dead on.

I thought meeting people from the South side most at the West sent a sass to Kabul and they all had the same story and we never met each other before in lives.

2 on that imprisoned started.

Learning each other stories.

I was it within that they would learn each other's stories.

I with the the voice and the voice send out the jailhouse lawyers.

I had the best job in the prison out of the gallery work on Porter, our work.

They got detailed fire, had access to all of the prisoners were on.

The president have access to.

And so but would be having this movement free movement throughout the whole system.

I was able to communicate find out many from out West, not south, if not a system out west, might know of the not by looking at the brothers that was coming not in the wood.

57 not be is like 16 off my block.

Hello, my nephew, Robert Robinson who was just released not too long month between ad is from 28 years and 10 months, no cents off by saying wow, is something going on in.

But the same time nobody was able to put the pieces together because they would never able to move around to be able to communicate.

And so I was the ears and the voice of the land.

stock understanding what was going on, like man, this is bigger Disney.

This is a pattern and practice.

Somebody's got to be notice about this atrocity.

They've is still in a buzz and could is that all comes in.

>> Grandfathers.

And so that's I relaxed.

It was something big in need.

>> So you just heard the reporting from head Sharon while not for But earlier in the show about the settlements that were reached, that the city council's had to make over over the years, hundreds of millions of dollars.

What does that tell you?

does that sit with you?

>> What I got to hit nothing from what the city that told me behind been the one putting these cases out since 1990, from the South side, West's at the North's and he says the cause I've was sending these BDD Stones, Vice Louis hail because LGBT than all the rest of these bugs, the net, he know then the Mexican.

So you're saying gang members who are gang members were conflicted or Ross leak sent prison.

You know, if what time I want to I just went crazy.

Just battle with turning cases just to be overturned.

>> But then I started realizing that said that it was a missed just this one me to in justice like this.

stout, overturning case that was only innocence.

And then I realized was honza that he knows it was Han African-American.

From the South side, North side and he Cada had the same officers.

How did you put all of those skills to work for yourself?

Well, I put all those skills work for myself in the county jail.

This time the county jail will not not.

I came from, quote, wind and I seen a Perry Mason show.

>> In an I noticed that in the county jail, all the inmates or offenders, whatever you want to name a baby doll looking up in air.

Because the TV was in the air and I came off off off a call not act to do it about another justice, a photograph that they had took my injuries and he told me action million in other person objection and the flak to do is what they did any told action noise.

So they put me out.

The court moved.

And it's going back to the sale.

How I think gathering was watching on TV and Perry Mason was on any said objects.

>> So that the rest is history.

sounds like, we have.

So we know that very close with your mother.

sadly she was she lost.

She passed while you're incarcerated.

What do you think she would say about the settlement?

>> To Tim, you say thing to see told me when first was in Fafa presidency told me Babe.

You have to do about 20 years.

She why folks play family too to say.

But to come home to say.

But have to get a few things.

I to go hot and for a look at do they need to do for you and say right?

Nicely.

Sit on the right.

His side, a God.

Lord state.

I got to believe it is a God have that.

That is over now.

Baby.

>> You've been involved in social justice activism since your release.

What is next for you would have to miss that.

That's understatement.

When you say I've been involved with social justice I've been I've been involved with social justice.

It packs.

it 90?

I've been involved with social impact before they had a social impact.

So I imagine that something that >> well, I have going I have become too, and I am goal of 40 from number catena move for the problem.

And I've I was released on the eve what a rather back to the cries 2019, given all my advice is to fit in a did Formo foundation.

The first of the candidates had declarer in a day and getting found basis.

It was captured all of the book and I've been doing the last 30, 60 and all of these cases I've been overturned call from the cities of Kabul, 759 million dollars.

And I know that I know that you're a musician as well.

We'll have to have you back to talk about that next