VICTORY: Justice in Cook County

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez

Staff Reports

A Cook County judge vacated the convictions of a group of innocent men, known as the Englewood 5, who were falsely arrested and harshly prosecuted for crimes they did not commit.1 This decision and the November 3rd exoneration of the Dixmoor 5 in a related case show that evidence, hope, and tireless legal and community advocacy can overcome long-standing injustices.

Nearly 65,000 members of ColorOfChange.org had signed petitions
demanding that the convictions be vacated. Executive director Rashad
Robinson said, “We are relieved by Cook County State’s Attorney Anita
Alvarez’s decision to vacate these convictions.” Referring as well to
“The Englewood 5,” another group of five youth apparently exonerated,
Robinson continued, “DNA evidence has proven the innocence of all 10
black men who were only children when they were forced by Illinois
police to confess to murders they didn’t commit. This is an opportunity
for Alvarez to make it clear that forced confessions and wrongful
convictions have no place in law enforcement.”

This huge victory wouldn’t have happened without the activism of 65,000
ColorOfChange.org members (including thousands of calls made to State’s
Attorney Anita Alvarez) and the tireless legal work at the Center on
Wrongful Convictions of Youth and the Innocence Project. The combined
efforts of these organizations helped to secure freedom for the Black
men known as the Cook County 10—bringing justice for some who’ve waited
nearly 20 years.

Now, instead of locking up innocent Black youth, city leaders will be
encouraged to allocate police resources toward real crime prevention and
sustained public safety efforts. Today’s victory closes a painful
chapter in Chicago’s criminal justice system. However, forced
confessions and wrongful convictions remain, particularly for youth of
color.

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