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| Former death row inmate campaigns for Illinois House |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/22/2004 |
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There is no question Aaron Patterson hasn't lived in the district he wants to represent in the Illinois House for the required two years. He was only released from death row 14 months ago. The 39-year-old Patterson may be the most unusual candidate on the primary ballot. A former gang member, he is using other gang members to spread the word about his campaign. "We're trying to do something to change the whole dynamics of politics," said Patterson, who was convicted of killing an elderly Chicago couple in 1986 and served 17 years before being pardoned by former Gov. George Ryan. Patterson is trying to unseat state Rep. Patricia Bailey, a Chicago Democrat. "I'm trying to be the voice of the voiceless," he said. On the campaign trail, he prefers to be called a "revolutionary" rather than a politician. Then there was the time he went out into the community to urge people to vote and got arrested on misdemeanor charges that included impersonating a government official. Patterson has been voicing his concerns about injustice for years, first as an inmate. He maintained his innocence throughout his prison sentence, alleging police tortured him into confessing to the crime. Now one of his top priorities is curbing police and prosecutorial misconduct and reforming the state's criminal-justice system. Patterson is a long-shot candidate. He's raised less than $3,000, and Bailey counts among her supporters such powerful mainstream politicians as House Speaker Michael Madigan, also a Chicago Democrat. But Patterson likes his chances, he says, because of involvement by "oppressed people" who are "not part of the American dream. This election right here is going to give them the opportunity to be heard." |
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