Author Archives: Brian Dolinar

About Brian Dolinar

Brian Dolinar has been a community journalist since 2004.

No Such Thing As a “Safe” Jail: 31-Year-Old Woman Dies at Champaign County Jail

Posted on February 2023 by Brian Dolinar

On October 13, 2022, Tillie Deitz, a mother of three young children, died in the Champaign County jail. As I found in my own review of publicly available documents, Deitz admitted to being a drug user upon entering the jail … Continue reading →

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“It’s a Money Grab”: Billions in COVID Relief Going to Fund Police and Prisons

Posted on May 2022 by Brian Dolinar

If you’re from inner-city Birmingham, Alabama, there’s a “99-percent chance” you have a family member or friend who has been incarcerated, according to Veronica Johnson, deputy director for the Alabama Justice Initiative, which has been fighting against a proposal to … Continue reading →

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Taking the Band-Aid Off of Mass Incarceration

Posted on February 2022 by Brian Dolinar

On a bad day, those of us seeking justice can find little to be hopeful about. The recent acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse again reminds us that the law is designed to protect white lives. Even after widespread protests and demonstrations … Continue reading →

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COVID-19: Coming to a Jail Near You

Posted on February 2021 by Brian Dolinar

This article was first published in The Progressive on January 4, 2021. Reprinted with permission. Wayne Colson, Sr. recalls he felt “helpless” with his son sitting in jail as news of the COVID-19 pandemic was breaking. A loyal father, Colson … Continue reading →

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The Trump Administration Just Opened a New Immigrant Prison in Rural Michigan

Posted on March 2020 by Brian Dolinar

From his office at the Cristo Rey Church in Lansing, Michigan, Oscar Castañeda runs a campaign against a new federal immigrant prison, part of President Donald Trump’s escalation of immigration enforcement. In May, 2019, the Trump administration awarded a ten-year, … Continue reading →

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Illinois Prison Phone Rates Are Lowest Following Grassroots Activism

Posted on April 2019 by Brian Dolinar

“There were a lot of times my sons tried calling me,” recalled Annette Taylor, who regularly receives calls from her two sons in prison, “but there was no money on the account.” Those were some of the “hardest calls,” she … Continue reading →

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Local Sheriff Cooperating with ICE

Posted on December 2018 by Brian Dolinar

On the day Manuel went to have his electronic monitor cut off, he was feeling “uneasy” about being picked up by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It only took minutes for the sheriff’s deputy at the county jail … Continue reading →

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After Four Months in Detention, 8 Year-Old Girl Reunited With Family in C-U

Posted on November 2018 by Brian Dolinar

This eight-year-old girl (on the right in the photo) traveled 4,000 miles and spent four months in detention to get a hug from her mother. They were reunited last week at Willard Airport in Champaign. The news reports about children … Continue reading →

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Open Scene Open Mic w/ DJ Silkee

Posted on November 2018 by Brian Dolinar

Open Scene Open Mic w/ Host DJ Silkee Wednesday, Nov. 14, 6-8pm at IMC Join the Urbana Public Arts Program and Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center for the next installment of Open Scene Open Mic, a downtown showcase of poetry, spoken … Continue reading →

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Call For Artist to Design IMC’s New Outdoor Sign!

Posted on May 2018 by Brian Dolinar

The IMC is now seeking proposals from artists to design and paint a new outdoor sign. We seek a diversity of applications by a variety of artists. The chosen design will serve as a main identifier for the public to … Continue reading →

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ICE on Main Street: Undocumented Immigrants Arrested in Urbana

Posted on May 2018 by Brian Dolinar

  When Juan showed up for work one morning at Siam Terrace on Main Street in downtown Urbana, two men were waiting for him in the parking lot. They were dressed in plainclothes, but wearing guns on their hips. They … Continue reading →

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New Bill Takes Effect Cutting Cost of Calls from Illinois Prisons

Posted on January 2018 by Brian Dolinar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2018 FOR MORE INFORMATION: Brian Dolinar, Program Director, Independent Media Center, (217) 621-5827, briandolinar@ucimc.org The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) is proud to announce that as of January 1, 2018, a new state law took … Continue reading →

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Soros Fellowship Awarded to UCIMC’s James Kilgore for Electronic Monitoring Campaign

Posted on July 2017 by Brian Dolinar

July 25, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE We are proud to announce that James Kilgore has been awarded the prestigious Open Society Foundation Soros Justice Fellowship for 2017-18. Building on work supported by Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) for the last … Continue reading →

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No Accident: White Cop Shoots Another Black Man in Champaign

Posted on June 2017 by Brian Dolinar

The shooting of unarmed Black men by white police in the United States is a story that keeps repeating over and over. The recent case of a local 22-year-old African American man shot in the shoulder by Champaign police officer … Continue reading →

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The Cops Killed Richie

Posted on May 2017 by Brian Dolinar

No matter how much training or technology they get, the cops just can’t stop killing Black people. On a Wednesday morning, November 16, 2016, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Champaign police received a call about a “disorderly” subject, Richard “Richie” Turner, … Continue reading →

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IMC Announcements

Posted on April 2017 by Brian Dolinar

Final Open Scene Workshop with Hill L. Waters April 14 (6-8pm) and April 16 (2-4pm) Independent Media Center, 202 S. Broadway There is a last Open Scene workshop with Hill L. Waters (April 14-16), a Black feminist love praxis project … Continue reading →

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Orange Crush: The Rise of Tactical Teams in Prison

Posted on February 2017 by Brian Dolinar

Since Ferguson, there has been a public outcry over militarized police who shoot down African Americans on the streets of our cities, but less is known beyond prison walls about guards who regularly brutalize those incarcerated. In Illinois, there is … Continue reading →

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Congrats to Urbana for Being a Sanctuary City!

Posted on January 2017 by Brian Dolinar

Congrats to Urbana for re-affirming our status as a Sanctuary City! An original resolution was passed in 1986 designating the city a refuge for Central American refugees. One of those who took part in the earlier campaign, Francis Boyle, University … Continue reading →

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Regulation of Prison Phone Calls Sweeps the Nation

Posted on November 2016 by Brian Dolinar

The Justice Department’s recent recommendation to end the use of private facilities for US citizens in federal prisons has been hailed as a victory by reformers, but the widespread privatization of everyday services in prison, like hygiene products, food, laundry … Continue reading →

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Black Lives Matter Courthouse Rally

Posted on October 2016 by Brian Dolinar

On Friday, Sept. 23, Black Lives Matter: Champaign-Urbana held a “No More Stolen Lives” rally at the Champaign County Courthouse. Photo credit: Paul Mueth

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