Monthly Archives: February 2022

Countering Violence in Champaign-Urbana

Posted on 02/10/2022 by James Kilgore

The uptick in murders in 2021 represents a national crisis. In 2020, the FBI counted 21,750 homicides in the US, a 30 percent increase over 2019 and the largest percentage increase since 9/11. The total number of murders rose slightly … Continue reading →

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Posted in African Americans, Champaign County, Gun violence, racial segregation in Champaign/Urbana, Youth Services | Comments Off on Countering Violence in Champaign-Urbana

Ending Gun Violence Requires Long-Term Investments in People and Communities

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Helen A. Neville and Nickholas Grant

Quansay L. Markham (17 years old), Jonathon McPherson (17), Jadeen Moore (19), Acarrie Ingram-Triner (19), and Jordan Atwater-Lewis (17) are among the people who were shot and killed in Champaign-Urbana in 2021. Are there things we could have done as … Continue reading →

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Posted in African Americans, African Americans, Champaign County, Gun violence, Voices, Youth Services | Comments Off on Ending Gun Violence Requires Long-Term Investments in People and Communities

Taking the Band-Aid Off of Mass Incarceration

Posted on 02/10/2022 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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Posted in African American, BLM, Champaign County, incarceration, Justice, Police brutality, Policing, Section, State Government | Comments Off on Taking the Band-Aid Off of Mass Incarceration

Urbana’s Long Search for Traffic-Stop Equity

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Durl Kruse

In 2004 the State of Illinois required all law enforcement agencies to report their annual traffic stop data to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The Urbana Police Department’s (UPD) data shows they have enforced traffic laws inequitably every year … Continue reading →

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Posted in African Americans, Champaign County, Justice, Police, Policing, Racism | Comments Off on Urbana’s Long Search for Traffic-Stop Equity

What’s Understood Need Not Be Explained

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Crushion Stubbs

I’m curious to know, as a reading eye and listening ear, what are you expecting to hear from me? That the feds were somehow wrong, and Shamar was right? Or that he was justified in putting out some call to … Continue reading →

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Posted in African American, African Americans, Arts, BLM, Justice, Local Arts, Police brutality, Racism, Section, Voices | Comments Off on What’s Understood Need Not Be Explained

The Unacknowledged and Ongoing Genocide: Violence against African Americans

Posted on 02/09/2022 by Gordon Brown

I began writing this reflection on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2021, a national holiday created by President Lincoln in the hopes of healing the wounds following the Civil War. Yet for many the wounds still run deep. One of the … Continue reading →

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Posted in African Americans, Racism, Violence | Comments Off on The Unacknowledged and Ongoing Genocide: Violence against African Americans

The Congolese Community of Champaign County

Posted on 02/09/2022 by John Matanda Tshipama

We are the Congolese Community of Champaign County. The estimated number of Congolese living in Champaign County is more than 6,000 persons. Our mission is to support each other and help our children learn about the country, as well as … Continue reading →

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Filmmaker Raoul Peck: “Do We Wish for a Common History?”

Posted on 02/09/2022 by Audrey Wells

Pristine wilderness. Sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it? A place untouched. But does the phrase “pristine wilderness,” connoting unsullied land, serve as a cultural myth that ironically reeks of genocide? Raoul Peck makes this case and many others in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Arts, film, Imperialism | Comments Off on Filmmaker Raoul Peck: “Do We Wish for a Common History?”

Shelter Resources for the Homeless

Posted on 02/09/2022 by Public i

The cold months are upon us, a dire reality for the homeless in our community. Here the Public i offers a short list of emergency shelters in the community. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all … Continue reading →

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Posted in Champaign County, Homelessness | Comments Off on Shelter Resources for the Homeless