Category Archives: Policing

Champaign: the City Above the Law

Posted on 02/15/2012 by Belden Fields

Take one: an individual asserts his rights under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act In 2009, dentist G. Mark Gekas lodged a complaint with the Sangamon County sheriff’s office that he had been brutally mistreated by deputy sheriff John Gillette … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Policing | Comments Off on Champaign: the City Above the Law

A Residency Requirement Might Help Police Situation

Posted on 01/18/2012 by Dannel McCollum

A Residency Requirement Might Help Police Situation   Dannel McCollum, a former Champaign mayor and a Democratic candidate for the state Senate in 2002, is a historian and a freelance writer.   This piece originally appeared in the News-Gazette on … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Policing | Comments Off on A Residency Requirement Might Help Police Situation

Cartoon on June 5th Incident

Posted on 12/19/2011 by Public i
Posted in Policing | Comments Off on Cartoon on June 5th Incident

Police Violence in Champaign: City Manager Holds a Not Very Newsy Press Conference

Posted on 12/19/2011 by Belden Fields

    Belden Fields   After the Sunday November 20 issue of the News-Gazette published a front page article on excessive violence against a black youth by the Champaign police near campus on June 5, Champaign City Manager Steve Carter … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Policing | Comments Off on Police Violence in Champaign: City Manager Holds a Not Very Newsy Press Conference

Community Members, City Leaders Search for Answers in June 5 Arrest

Posted on 12/19/2011 by Belden Fields

Jerehme Bamberger   A squad car video of a confrontation between a Champaign city police officer and a local African American youth has raised serious concerns about the relationship between the CPD and high-ranking city officials in the last week.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Policing | Comments Off on Community Members, City Leaders Search for Answers in June 5 Arrest

Black Youth Beaten by Champaign Police

Posted on 11/01/2011 by Brian Dolinar

It has been two years since Kiwane Carrington was killed by a Champaign police officer, but 18-year-old black youth, Calvin Miller, is still afraid of the police. So when a Champaign cop attempted to pull him over for no apparent … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Policing | Comments Off on Black Youth Beaten by Champaign Police

Emails Leaked at IMC Web Site Detailing the Internal Struggles of the Champaign Police Department

Posted on 10/02/2011 by Brian Dolinar

Operating for more than a decade, the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center website has become known as a local source for exposing police misconduct. For perhaps the first time at any IMC site, somebody from behind the “blue line” leaked information … Continue reading →

Posted in Policing | Comments Off on Emails Leaked at IMC Web Site Detailing the Internal Struggles of the Champaign Police Department

Urbana Adopts a Soliciting Ordinance

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Belden Fields

Urbana Adopts a Soliciting Ordinance Belden Fields   After several meetings with active public participation, on August 1, the Urbana City Council adopted an ordinance banning “ aggressive solicitation of money or other thing of value, including a request to … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Policing, Politics | Comments Off on Urbana Adopts a Soliciting Ordinance

Public i addendum (to article on $50,000 award for FBI and St. Paul police actions)

Posted on 06/23/2011 by Belden Fields

(291 words) The Public i’s addendum to article on $50,000 settlement from FBI and St. Paul Police In the November 2008 issue of the Public i, we published an article on the “preemptive” raids made by the FBI and local … Continue reading →

Posted in National, Policing, UC-IMC | Comments Off on Public i addendum (to article on $50,000 award for FBI and St. Paul police actions)

The Border Thickens: In-Securing Communities in C-U and Beyond

Posted on 05/21/2011 by Gilberto Rosas

The despotic policing apparatus found at the U.S.-Mexico border now reaches into Champaign County and across much of the United States. Under federal initiatives “Secure Communities” and related police-ICE collaborations, local law enforcement agencies in communities across the United States … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Immigration, Policing | Comments Off on The Border Thickens: In-Securing Communities in C-U and Beyond