Summer Issue Front Cover

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Public i

UIUC JOINS NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT FOR PALESTINIANS

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Popular University for Gaza at UIUC

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Clara Belitz and Sana Saboowala and Izzy Grosof

The encampment for Palestine in front of Foellinger Auditorium on the UIUC quad. Photo by Paul Mueth

From Friday, April 26 through Friday, May 10, we established a branch of the Popular University for Gaza at UIUC, joining the national student movement for Palestine. This encampment was just one small piece in the long movement for Palestinian liberation, one part of the fight for liberation for all. This was not the first encampment against apartheid established at UIUC, nor will it be the last. Students across the nation, including here in Urbana-Champaign, have used their voices to stand up in support of human rights. Members of the community joined with students and faculty to demand that our institutions stop funding genocide.

The encampment began on Friday at the Alma Mater statue by the Illini Union. It brought together UIUC students, faculty, and staff, and Urbana-Champaign community members, to show solidarity for Gaza, demand freedom for all Palestine, and learn about the history of this movement and of anti-colonial struggles in general. Tents were erected as a symbol of our solidarity with refugees in Gaza, and to prepare for a long-term protest. The demands of the protest were:

  1. Divest: UIUC must divest from any organizations or corporations that profit from or support the occupation of Palestine.
  2. Disclose: UIUC must publicly disclose all financial assets, including investments, endowments, and other holdings, to ensure full transparency and accountability.
  3. Cease Collaborations: UIUC must cease collaborations with Israeli institutions as well as all corporations involved in the ongoing oppression of Palestinians, such as Caterpillar.
  4. Student Amnesty: UIUC must offer complete amnesty to all student protesters and halt any and all forms of repression against those advocating for justice.

Continue reading →

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Is the Strike Back?

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Jim Barrett

This article has been adapted by the author from his talk at the Strike School event at the IMC on May 5.

For almost two centuries the strike has been the characteristic and most important form of protest for working-class people. Most often, these conflicts are thought about as economic conflicts, struggles for another dollar a day. And often they have been. But strikes can also be a form of defense against obvious oppression and assertion of workers’ humanity. Strikes can even have political ends. The incidence of strikes has varied enormously over US history, having all but disappeared by the end of the twentieth century.

The American labor movement is usually thought about as conservative, and for most of its history, the label seems to fit in political terms. Despite the strength of socialist movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, American workers have largely eschewed the sort of social democratic politics characteristic of most European and other societies Continue reading →

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The Poor People’s Campaign Continues

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Paul Mueth

The Poor People’s Campaign rallies in Washington, DC in July, 2023. Screenshot from Poor People’s Campaign video

The Poor People’s Campaign is a grassroots movement that began in the 1960s and continues to this day, aiming to address issues of poverty, inequality, and social justice in the United States. The campaign was initially launched by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in 1968, just before King’s assassination. Of course, when MLK started his Poor People’s Campaign it was also with the backdrop of war and militarism, which became a divisive issue, as it is today.

The Campaign has gained momentum in recent years, with thousands of people participating in marches, rallies, and other actions across the country. As a matter of course, media reporting on this new poor people’s campaign is sporadic, and one of the only places to find Campaign leader Rev. William Barber II’s interviews is Democracy Now! Even locally, the Campaign’s actions in Springfield have not been given the coverage that was warranted by local television and other media. Illinois is one of 15 states with a high number of low-income voters who are eligible to vote but not participating in elections. Even more locally, Urbana has a high poverty rate and complementary high rate of child poverty. The commonplace that this is predominantly due to student population is pretty easily debunked, but the fact that a small number of students are availing themselves of food banks, and other temporary and charity sources of aid, does add to the complexity of the problem. Continue reading →

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Critical Need for Long-Term Care for Older Adults in Champaign County

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Cathy Emanuel

The detritus indicating the sad demise of the former Champaign County Nursing Home last year. Photo by Farrah Anderson for CU-CitizenAccess, used by permission

When my eighty-nine-year-old friend survived her bout with fungal pneumonia after spending nearly a month in the hospital, we were ecstatic. Her outcome had not always seemed certain, and we were delighted that she was on the path to recovery. But the length and severity of her acute episode had taken its toll. She had lost 40 pounds and much of her strength, and she needed to be on oxygen constantly if she was going to leave the hospital.

As staff prepared her for discharge, they told her she would need to undergo rehabilitation and should go to a skilled nursing facility for this care. They also told her there was nothing available for her in Champaign-Urbana and she would need to go to Gifford or elsewhere. For my friend, whose likewise eighty-nine-year-old husband of more than sixty years could no longer drive, this meant she would not see him frequently if at all while she stayed 30 miles from home for an indefinite period. Not only would this affect her mental and physical health, it would also likely affect his. And it meant she would have no family member at the facility to help her in making health-care decisions. Continue reading →

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Advocating for End-of-Life Options in Illinois

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Meg Miner

Characteristics of historically underserved populations. Graphic from Compassion & Choices

The Illinois End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (SB3499), which would authorize medical aid in dying in Illinois, was introduced in the Illinois Senate on February 9, 2024 by Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). None of the bill’s co-sponsors are from central Illinois. This article contains information about the bill and other end-of-life resources, drawn from the Compassion & Choices website. Readers are encouraged to contact their legislators and affinity groups about supporting this effort.

In brief, this medical-aid-in-dying legislation would allow a mentally capable, terminally ill adult with a prognosis of six months or less to live the option to obtain a prescription medication they may take so they can die peacefully and end their suffering.

The national organization that has been working on this issue is Compassion & Choices Action Network. Medical aid in dying (MAID) is only offered to terminally ill patients when two medical doctors agree that a patient has less than six months to live and determine that a mental health issue is not motivating the person to seek MAID medication. MAID is differentiated from euthanasia because the terminally ill adult takes the medication themselves. There are other safeguards to block coercive misuse. Physician involvement includes discussing options with the patient, evaluating their competency and whether they meet criteria to access this option, reminding them they can always change their mind, and writing the prescription. Continue reading →

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Reform Champaign County Animal Control Policies to Treat Pets and Other Animals Humanely

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Grant Chassy

Like so many others in Champaign-Urbana, I’m a proud dog parent. We adopted our first dog in early 2023. He’s a former stray, and based on his timid behavior at the time we adopted him, veterinarians suspect he was abused before his time on the street. When my partner and I decided we wanted a dog, there was no doubt that we’d take in a shelter dog in need of a forever home. Since then, we’ve adopted another former stray, and we love our two pups dearly.

Our dog adoption story is notable because it’s the story of countless other dogs in our community. People understand that pets are family; animals deserving of sincere care, attention, and a loving home.

That’s why in late 2020, this community was justly outraged when the county euthanized a dog whose owner was in the process of retrieving their loving pet from a county facility. Lost on December 18 of that year, the dog was put down by animal control on Christmas Eve, despite assurances the county made to the owner that they would keep her pet safe until after the holiday, the soonest both parties could arrange for the pickup of the dog. The county government needlessly euthanized a family pet, and that tragic loss of a beloved dog illustrates the need for changing how we manage animal control to treat all living beings humanely. Continue reading →

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Remembering Irfan Ahmad

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Roveiza Irfan

Ahmad, outside the Pentagon, during a rally against the genocide in Bosnia in 1995

Longtime Urbana resident Irfan Ahmad passed away on May 2 due to complications from a chronic lung condition. He was 66. Ahmad immigrated from Pakistan in 1989 to pursue his graduate education in agricultural engineering at the University of Illinois. He later joined the College of Engineering and College of Medicine as research faculty.

As a scientist, Ahmad began his career looking for solutions to hunger and working to improve food security. He developed machine vision systems to detect stresses and diseases in crops like corn and soy. However, his efforts to help people extended far beyond the laboratory as he worked to bring different groups together—students, faculty, businesses, local residents—to lessen suffering and foster justice. One of his favorite quotes was Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Continue reading →

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The Making of a Social Justice Priest

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Tom Royer

The author with friend at a protest against the School of the Americas, ca. 1990, recalling US training of the soldiers implicated in the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador. Photo from the author’s collection

Compiled by Janice Jayes from interviews she recorded between 2018 and 2023, in which Father Tom reflected on the many experiences that expanded his vision of moral responsibilities in the decades after his 1960 ordination.

Daniel Berrigan and the Challenges of Vatican II

In 1966 I became assistant pastor at St. Mary’s near Danville, where both my real-world education and my troubles with hierarchy began. The Vatican II documents were just coming out and I joined some local Protestant pastors to study the statements on peace and justice. It was a great lesson in ecumenicalism but also a bit disappointing. Many Catholics focused more on liturgical changes than the admonition to actively engage in building a just world.

Except for the nuns, that is. My observation was, in general, if you had a group of nuns in the parish they most likely knew more about Vatican II than the priests did. In the summer the nuns went off to workshops at places like Notre Dame, where they completed degrees or just visited with friends from the mother house. Notre Dame was just a hotbed of progressive discussion then, with exciting lectures and unusual sermons. I liked visiting friends studying there, and in 1966 I heard that the Jesuit priest Daniel Berrigan would be speaking on campus. Back in Danville I mentioned it to the nuns and the next thing I knew they all wanted to go. The priests I was with were not interested, but the nuns drove up with me for the talk. Continue reading →

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The Erosion of US Asylum Protections

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Janice Jayes

Physically, Ellen Moodie might be at her desk in Champaign, but mentally and legally she may be in a distant immigration court hearing. Photo care of Ellen Moodie

It’s been a bad year for international “rule of law.” The escalating war in Ukraine and the wretched failure of the United Nations (UN) to respond to the horror in Gaza deserve the attention they have received, but other international principles are dying as well. One of these is the right to asylum for those fleeing persecution. President Biden’s June 4 executive order limiting asylum processing at the border puts the US in the company of other countries quietly walking away from the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. When Donald Trump initiated similar practices in 2020 he hid behind a veneer of public health declarations, but Biden’s announcement reflects the new normal built upon racist fearmongering and the scapegoating of immigrants. Biden’s order implies that the US has an obligation to the rights of the persecuted only when it is convenient. The public perception that asylum seekers are abusing the system is part of the anti-immigrant rhetoric this election year. It’s a falsehood that thrives on the lack of understanding of the asylum process.

The Asylum System in the US

As a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention the US recognizes that those with a credible fear of persecution have a right to asylum. Applicants have one year to submit an I-589 application alleging fear of persecution. After an initial screening they are placed in the queue for a court hearing, during which the judge will examine the evidence for their claim. Contrary to public perception, 99 percent of applicants appear at their immigration asylum hearings. Continue reading →

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Summer Issue Back Cover

Posted on 07/29/2024 by Public i

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May/June Issue Front Cover

Posted on 05/03/2024 by Public i

The Suffering in Gaza is Our Community’s Concern!

Urbana residents crowded into the City Council chambers on March 18 to give public input supporting a ceasefire resolution for Gaza

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City Business is Whatever the Community Cares About

Posted on 05/03/2024 by Dua Aldasouqi

Americans have been in the streets since October 8 demanding an end to the US-backed Israeli attack on Gaza. They’re at sporting events and camping out in front of top politicians’ homes. They were at tree-lighting and caroling events over the holidays. They are at every public event President Joe Biden speaks at. They were at the Oscars. They are shutting down bridges and arms factories. They have been doing so for 180 days. Their message has been clear: no business as usual as a genocide occurs.

They have been unrelenting with three simple demands:

  • Permanent ceasefire now.
  • Allow sufficient aid into Gaza.
  • No more military funding for Israel.

Continue reading →

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The Legacy of Local Environmentalist Bruce Hannon

Posted on 05/03/2024 by Robert Hirschfeld

“The rivers are the place where nature still exists.” – Bruce Hannon, 2017 interview for Prairie Rivers Network’s 50th Anniversary.

Bruce Hannon, the founder of Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), passed away on Sunday, February 18, 2024. Bruce’s accomplishments are too numerous to recount in full, but among other things he was a distinguished professor emeritus of geography; an environmental visionary; a community leader; an expert clocksmith; a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather; and a deeply kind and generous man who never stopped working to make this place better for all who live here. Continue reading →

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IMC Holds a Second Public Safety Forum

Posted on 05/03/2024 by Jane McClintock

UCIMC’s second public safety forum on March 24. Photo by Prasad Packirisamy, used with permission

On March 24, the UCIMC hosted a second public safety forum focused on alternative responses to traditional law enforcement. The forum was organized in accordance with calls from Urbana residents and elected officials for a study of alternatives to traditional policing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in the summer of 2020 and a violent skirmish between a young, unarmed Black woman and police in Urbana in 2021. Continue reading →

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After Fatal Shootings, Rantoul Police Recommended More Training: They Sent One Officer to a Gun Range—Print Version

Posted on 05/03/2024 by Farrah Anderson of Invisible Institute

A version of this article originally appeared on IPM Newsroom on February 5, 2024. It has been edited for space and style. See the full version on the Public i’s website. This story is part of a partnership between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute and IPM Newsroom, and was supported with funding from the Data-Driven Reporting Project.

After Rantoul’s first-ever fatal police shootings in 2023, the Rantoul Police Department (RPD) conducted internal reviews of both incidents.

In those internal reviews, the Use of Force Review Board—made up of different members in each incident—recommended further training for both the department and individual officers after absolving all but one officer of wrongdoing in both cases: the February, 2023 shooting of Azaan Lee, and the June shooting of Jordan Richardson.

The RPD’s Use of Force Review Board recommended department-level trainings, including reality-based training under stress; “force-on-force” training; using control tactics from multiple positions; and a “refresher” on RPD’s use-of-force policy. However, the department has not implemented any of these trainings. Continue reading →

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After Fatal Shootings, Rantoul Police Recommended More Training: They Sent One Officer to a Gun Range—Original (Long) Version

Posted on 05/02/2024 by Farrah Anderson of Invisible Institute

The Rantoul Police Department failed to follow through on recommendations to further train officers on how to use force after the city’s first two fatal shootings

This is the full version of the article that originally appeared on IPM Newsroom on February 5, 2024. It has been edited for style. A shorter version appeared in the Public I’s May/June print edition.. This story is part of a partnership between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute and IPM Newsroom, and was supported with funding from the Data-Driven Reporting Project.

After Rantoul’s first-ever fatal police shootings in 2023, the Rantoul Police Department (RPD) conducted internal reviews of both incidents.

In those internal reviews, the Use of Force Review Board—made up of different members in each incident—recommended further training for both the department and individual officers after absolving all but one officer of wrongdoing in both cases: the February, 2023 shooting of Azaan Lee, and the June, 2023 shooting of Jordan Richardson. Continue reading →

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The Private Market Destroyed Our Nursing Home

Posted on 05/02/2024 by Grant Chassy

Broken furniture and fixtures outside the former Champaign County Nursing Home which William “Avi” Rothner purchased in 2018. Photo by Farrah Anderson for CU-CitizenAccess, used by permission

In 2018, the Champaign County Board sold the Champaign County Nursing Home. In 2023, that facility was shut down by the private market entity that bought it. In five short years, our once-publicly run elder care facility was commodified, gutted, and closed.

This outcome, devastating for our community, was a predictable one. Residents warned the county government years ago that offloading this public service to the profit-driven market was doomed to fail. Despite the prescience of our community, the majority of Champaign County Board members voted to sell the nursing home. Continue reading →

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Beyond Abortion: Reproductive Justice Envisions More

Posted on 05/02/2024 by Julie Laut

The human right to choose to have children or not to have children is a foundational principle in the vision of Reproductive Justice (RJ). Thus the increase in legal attacks on abortion rights and trans rights is understandably central to the current struggle for bodily autonomy by activists. When the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturned Roe v. Wade in June, 2022, the issue of abortion once again exploded onto the national spotlight. The loss of federal protections for abortion was devastating, but in reality the anti-abortion movement had already successfully limited access for millions. As a result of TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws, by 2022 six U.S. states were down to only one abortion clinic. As of today, 24 states have limited abortion, 14 of which have implemented near-total bans.

Mobilization after the fall of Dobbs was initially phenomenal. So-called “rage” donations infused abortion funds with millions of dollars (though there has been a subsequent drop-off). New abortion clinics opened in pro-abortion states, often near state borders. Urbana-Champaign’s Planned Parenthood resumed providing procedural abortions, and Equity Clinic, an independent abortion clinic, opened in Champaign. Carbondale now has three abortion clinics, up from a single clinic pre-Dobbs. And new organizations like Elevated Access stepped up as well, helping people travel to access health care now illegal in their home states. Continue reading →

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Healing Culture in Wartime

Posted on 05/02/2024 by Evelyne Accad

ABAAD – Resource Center for Gender Equality, which the author’s project cooperates with, produced this toolkit for integrating feminist perspectives into development work

Forty-one years ago when we organized the Common Differences conference on the UI campus, I was a young professor, already quite engaged in women’s issues, which had led to my research, writing, travels, and overall commitment.

When I retired from the University of Illinois, I felt it was not enough to be writing, researching, and teaching on the subject. I needed to get involved concretely in the field, and in 2009 I joined my sister Jacqueline Hajjar in Beirut to open a center for abused women. We both put our savings into purchasing an apartment in the city center, and it has been functioning since then, welcoming about 12 women, sometimes with their children: sheltering and feeding them; providing physical, psychological, and spiritual healing; and helping them rebuild their lives and gain independence through education and instruction in trades. We have received more than 500 women over the years, some of them with spectacular healing stories, some of whose testimonies I have gathered in one of my latest books (which the women themselves asked me to write). Continue reading →

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