Chicago Torture Justice Center canvassing script - AP
As I finish the second unit of my Humanities course entitles the Art of Rhetoric I had the opportunity to show my learning about IPOs, organization, and rhetorical tools by creating a script that an organization might use while canvassing. As preparation for this project, my class was able to visit different political organizations in Chicago and even talk to a candidate for alderperson. Through these field experiences, I learned about how to create unionization in a community, different forms of campaigning, housing issues in different neighborhoods, and the way that different organizations work. All of these experiences were a great way to learn more and helped me with this final project.
For my AP I chose to create a canvassing script for an organization called the Chicago Torture Justice center which works to help the survivors of the Burge Police tortures that took place in the 80s and 90s.
Hello, I hope you are having a good day. Could I take a few moments of your time to talk about a prominent issue in Chicago?
(if they say no just offer a pamphlet and leave)
Before I start speaking to you, I just want to let you know that some of what I want to discuss is very heavy and can be hard to listen to. If you at any point would like me to leave or stop talking, tell me. I would like to respect your boundaries as best as possible. Communication is very welcome.
I am a volunteer for the Chicago Torture Justice Center, which helps provide a community of healing for those who were tortured by the Chicago Police and their communities. As someone in this community, how do you feel (on a scale of 1-10) about the police in your community?
LOW (1-5) - I understand how you may feel that way, especially in a city like Chicago where there has been a history of police brutality, racial violence, and corruption. Our organization focuses on those who have been affected by the police in a negative way, specifically by Jon Burge and the horrible actions he caused.
HIGH (6-10) - A lot of people in this city have been negatively affected by the police and have been victims of police brutality, harassment, and in certain extreme cases, torture.
Are you familiar with Chicago police tortures that took place in the 80s & 90s?
(if yes, skip the next paragraph)
In the 1980s a police officer by the name of Jon Burge was promoted to the supervisor of Area 2 in Chicago. In the years following this promotion, many black people were brought into Area 2 police stations and tortured into giving false confessions, confessions that would be used as incriminating evidence in court. The officers often shocked, burned, suffocated, and beat the innocent individuals in addition to racially harassing them. It wasn't until the 90s that the abuse was noticed by officials and Burge was fired. Officers tortured over 100 innocent people under Burge's command. 10 people were sentenced to death row because of him and so far only 4 have been released. There are still victims of police torture that are incarcerated and the Chicago Torture Justice Center works to help the survivors and also free those who were wrongly accused so many years ago.
After hearing about these events does it make you change how you feel about the police and government in Chicago? Do you find that this has affected you or your community? Has the city healed from this?
(record answer)
(record answer)
YES: Great! You can help support this cause by donating money, signing petitions, contacting your alder, and
more. Please take a moment to look at these websites and take a step towards the building of this memorial.
(link to the letter to the city, needs signatures) (link to the memorials website with more information)
NO:
The cause could really use support from as many people as possible. You can help in so many different ways and even doing something as simple and easy as signing a petition which would be incredibly helpful.
(don't pester people, sometimes they are unpersuadable)
Part of this project is using our knowledge of rhetorical appeals and tools and using them in our writing. In this script, I was able to appeal to Pathos, Ethos, and Logos. One way I appealed to Pathos was by appealing to the audience's emotions. This was completed by sharing the stories of the torture survivors which invokes the emotion of sympathy in the Audience. To appeal to Ethos I mentioned the organization that the canvasser is partnered with. In this script, the organization used is the Chicago Torture Justice Center whose name is mentioned in the script and their logo can be seen on the canvasser button. As an appeal to Logos, I used information found from the CTJC and other reliable sources which are cited below. To demonstrate my knowledge of rhetorical tools, I used multiple metaphors in the script including a metaphor of a wounded city and how the action that would be taken by my imagined audience would help heal those who have been harmed by the police and the city of Chicago.
Chicago police torture victims (2020) Say Their Names - Spotlight at Stanford. Available at: https://exhibits.stanford.edu/saytheirnames/feature/chicago-police-torture-victims (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
Chicago torture justice center (no date) Chicago Torture Justice Center. Available at: https://www.chicagotorturejustice.org/ (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
Evans, M. (2021) Chicago promised police torture survivors a memorial. Nearly 6 years later, they're still waiting for funding, Block Club Chicago. Block Club Chicago. Available at: https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/02/26/chicago-promised-police-torture-survivors-a-memorial-nearly-6-years-later-theyre-still-waiting-for-funding/ (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
Legal history (no date) Chicago Police Torture Archive. Available at: https://chicagopolicetorturearchive.com/legal-history (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
Support the fight for reparations (no date) SUPPORT THE FIGHT FOR REPARATIONS. Available at: https://memorializechireparations.carrd.co/ (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
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