Category Archives: Justice

Black Lives Matter C-U Summer Activities

Posted on May 2016 by Public i

Social justice collective, Black Lives Matter, the Champaign-Urbana chapter, has been gaining further traction within their outreach. From demonstrations and panel meetings, to youth involvement and local radio shows, Black Lives Matter’s efforts continue to make striving progress throughout the … Continue reading →

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Incarceration figures

Posted on May 2016 by Public i

Some figures compiled in the Coalition for Prisoners’ Rights Newsletter (April 2016). Reprinted with Permission. I. Number Incarcerated in U.S., 2014 1.5 million people at an annual per person cost of $80 billion–approximately $51,250 each. (A “free world” minimum wage of $15/hr … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Justice, Latino/a, Prisoners, Women, Youth | Comments Off

Barbara Kessel Accepts Humanitarian Award

Posted on March 2016 by Barbara Kessel

Barbara Kessel’s acceptance statement of the 2016 James R. burgess, Jr.-Susan Freiberg Humanitarian Award given by the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Countywide Celebration Committee: “I am happy for this opportunity to remind the audience that as we sit here … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Human Rights, Justice | Comments Off

Courtwatch Victory

Posted on March 2016 by Courtwatchers

By Courtwatchers Courtwatchers is a group of citizens who volunteer to attend criminal proceedings by request of the defendant,a family member or a concerned party. We are there as witnesses to criminal justice in Champaign County, to figure out how … Continue reading →

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This Black Life Matters

Posted on September 2015 by Teresa Barnes

Michael Brown was killed a year ago. They used to say, “It’s been a long, hot summer” but it’s been another long, hot, horror-filled year in the US; every single day another Michael Brown. This is someone I know. In … Continue reading →

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Man Sentenced to Prison by Fired Former Judge Has Sentence Reduced

Posted on September 2015 by Belden Fields

On August 13, Bidemi Ajobiewe, a Nigerian national who had been given six years in prison for an fatal accident on I-74 had his sentence reduced from six years in prison to 24 months of parole and time already served. … Continue reading →

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Police Lying

Posted on September 2015 by Belden Fields

Do Police Lie? The answer is that some police officers do indeed lie. The major conditions under which police lie are three: to frame a suspect, to protect themselves or fellow officers from detection or punishment of misdeed, and to … Continue reading →

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First Class Justice vs. “the Cattle Call”

Posted on September 2015 by Public i

By a Courtwatcher Courtwatch is a group of citizens who volunteer to attend criminal proceedings by request of the defendant or a family member of a jailed defendant. We are there as witnesses to criminal justice in Champaign County, to … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Community Forum, Justice, Policing | Comments Off

New Book by James Kilgore, Understanding Mass Incarceration

Posted on September 2015 by James Kilgore

Frequent Public i contributor James Kilgore’s book Understanding Mass Incarceration: A People’s Guide to the Key Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time was released September 1. Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow has called James “one of my … Continue reading →