With his colleagues at the People's Law Office (PLO), Taylor has argued landmark civil rights cases that have exposed corruption and cover-up within the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and throughout the city's political machine, from aldermen to the mayor's office. [TAYLOR's BOOK] takes the reader from the 1969 murders of Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton and Panther Mark Clark-and the historic, thirteen-year trial that followed-through the dogged pursuit of chief detective Jon Burge, the leader of a torture ring within the CPD that used barbaric methods, including electric shock, to elicit false confessions from suspects. Taylor and the PLO gathered evidence from multiple cases to bring suit against the CPD, breaking the department's "code of silence" that had enabled decades of cover-up. The legal precedents they set have since been adopted in human rights legislation around the world.
"If it was not for Flint Taylor I would still be languishing in prison. He brought hope to a hopeless place.... All the struggles that we lived through are captured in perfect detail here. Thank you, Flint for writing this book."
Darrell Cannon, Torture survivor
"If you want to understand what actually happened to those Jon Burge tortured read this book. Torture Machine is the truth for all to read. Flint Taylor and this book are a godsend."
Anthony Holmes, Torture survivor
"It is impossible to fully understand the continuing challenges created by unjustifiable police violence against black and brown people without appreciating the historical backdrop that sustains this national crisis. Flint Taylor's powerful new book, informed by his decades as one of the most effective advocates addressing these issues, is a must read."
Bryan Stevenson, best-selling author of Just Mercy
