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Category Archives: Justice
The Pretrial Fairness Act at One Year: Success but Lots More to Do
In September of 2023 a mysterious journalistic force bombarded our county with hysterical pseudo-newspapers under the banner Chambana News. Though they took the form of an advertising sheet from Walmart or Menard’s, they were actually a classic example of disinformation, … Continue reading
285 total views, 3 views today
Posted in IL, incarceration, Justice, Politics, Section
Tagged bail reform, Illinois justice reform, incarceration, Pretrial Fairness Act
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May/June Issue Front Cover
The Suffering in Gaza is Our Community’s Concern! 1,052 total views
1,052 total views
Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Justice, Middle East, Palestinians, War
Tagged Gaza, Israel/Palestine, local politics, Middle East, Urbana City Council, war
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City Business is Whatever the Community Cares About
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 … Continue reading
1,553 total views, 14 views today
Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Justice, Middle East, Palestinians, Politics, Section, Voices, War
Tagged Gaza, Israel/Palestine, local government, Middle East, Palestinian rights, Urbana City Council, war
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IMC Holds a Second Public Safety Forum
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 … Continue reading
1,606 total views
Posted in Community, Crime, Justice, Police, police accountability, Policing, Section, Uncategorized, Violence, Youth Services
Tagged community action, police accountability, policing, public safety, public services, youth services
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A Road Map for Repairing the Harm: The History of Racially Restrictive Covenants
Can you imagine, as a resident of Champaign County, being told you aren’t allowed to live in a neighborhood because you’re Black? By today’s standards, such blatant racism would be met with disgust and rejection—at least by the majority of … Continue reading
1,479 total views, 1 views today
Posted in African American history, African Americans, Champaign County, Housing, Justice, racial segregation in Champaign/Urbana, Racism
Tagged Champaign County, housing discrimination, racial segregation, racism
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What is the Radical Black Church?
How Do We Define the “Black” Church? In some sense, the Black Church can be readily defined by its music, style of preaching and sounds. Yet these are only surface definitions—it is so much more. The Black Church was born … Continue reading
527 total views
Posted in Africa, African American history, African Americans, African Americans, civil rights, Justice, Religious radicalism, Section, Voices, Voices of Color
Tagged African American history, Black church, liberation theology, religious radicalism, resistance, Slavery
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As Police Budget Swells, Safety Forum Articulates a Different Vision
Crime is going down in Urbana, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at Urbana’s police budget. After a $2.25 million increase in the police budget in the last two years—largely for salary increases and bonuses—Urbana leadership is pushing to … Continue reading
1,446 total views
Posted in Community, Crime, Justice, Police, police accountability, Policing, Section, Violence, Youth Services
Tagged community action, police accountability, policing, pubic safety, public services, youth servicesccountability
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The $1,686,170 Slap: The Shamar Betts Case Continues
It is hard to understand the magnitude of the restitution fine imposed on Urbana resident Shamar Betts as anything other than the persecution of one young black man. Despite a recent stay on collection of the debt pending a response … Continue reading
1,343 total views
Posted in African American, BLM, incarceration, Justice
Tagged African Americans, BLM, George Floyd protests, unequal justice
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A “Pattern of Problematic Conduct”: Urbana Officer Tests Police Accountability (Shortened Print Version)
This article originally appeared at WILL/Illinois Public Media on July 5, 2023. Reprinted with permission. It has been edited for space and style. See the full version here. “I had a big goose egg on my forehead,” Tianna Morrow recalled, … Continue reading
883 total views
Posted in African American Women in Champaign-Urbana, African Americans, BLM, Justice, Police, police accountability, Police Brutality, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section, Violence
Tagged police accountability, police brutality, police review boards, racism, Urbana police
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A “Pattern of Problematic Conduct”: Urbana Officer Tests Police Accountability (Full Version)
This story is part of a partnership, focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County, between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and Illinois Public Media. This investigation was supported … Continue reading
738 total views
Posted in African American Women in CU, African Americans, BLM, Justice, Police, police accountability, Police Brutality, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section, Violence
Tagged police accountability, police brutality, police review boards, racism, Urbana police
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Code Blue: Suffering through DWB in Rantoul
This essay, submitted to the Rantoul Press in 2009, was never published. The author shares it now to give context to community concerns with policing in Rantoul in the wake of recent police shootings of young Black men. “You were … Continue reading
1,506 total views, 1 views today
Posted in African Americans, African Americans, Champaign County, Justice, Police, police accountability, Police Brutality, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section, Voices
Tagged African Americans, Driving While Black, local community, police harassment, policing
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Diesel Therapy
The odyssey of Urbana resident Shamar Betts continues. Betts was arrested for authoring a Facebook post at age 19 in the wake of the George Floyd murder in 2020. He was sentenced to four years in federal prison and charged … Continue reading
1,011 total views, 2 views today
Posted in African American, African Americans, BLM, incarceration, Justice, Prisoners, Section, Voices, Voices of Color
Tagged African Americans, Black Lives Matter, incarceration, US Marshals
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The Assault on the Pretrial Fairness Act
Last month, News-Gazette columnist Jim Dey headlined “hysteria” over the provisions of the 2021 Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA), which will go into effect in January, including the end to cash bail. Predictably, but illogically, Dey located the hysteria on the side … Continue reading
1,161 total views, 2 views today
Posted in IL, incarceration, Justice, Politics
Tagged bail reform, Illinois justice, incarceration
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Donald Trump v. Shamar Betts
I, Shamar Betts, incited a riot through a Facebook post encouraging my people to join alongside the rest of the world in an attempt to express our feelings on the tragic death of George Floyd in May of 2020. Although … Continue reading
935 total views
Posted in African American, African Americans, BLM, Court System, incarceration, January 6 insurrection, Justice, Prisoners, Racism, Trump, Voices of Color, Youth
Tagged African American, BLM, incarceration, Justice, Trump
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Shamar Betts Case Moves to Federal Appeals Court
On April 8, the case of Urbana resident Shamar Betts moved to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Betts was arrested in June, 2020 in the midst of a national crackdown on protests against the murder … Continue reading
1,441 total views, 1 views today
Posted in African Americans, BLM, incarceration, Justice, Racism
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“It’s a Money Grab”: Billions in COVID Relief Going to Fund Police and Prisons
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
754 total views
Posted in African Americans, COVID-19, incarceration, Justice, Police, police accountability, Policing
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Fines, Fees, and Escalating Bail Bonds: Champaign County Urgently Needs to Implement the Pretrial Fairness Act
The Champaign County Bailout Coalition (CCBC) is a grassroots organization that uses community donations to pay low bail amounts for incarcerated individuals who don’t have access to financial resources in their moment of crisis. Founded in 2018, CCBC now pays … Continue reading
1,328 total views
Posted in Champaign County, Court System, incarceration, Justice, Poverty
Tagged bail bond reform, Champaign County justice system, incareration
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Local Community Protests Former Champaign Police Chief’s Teaching Appointment at Parkland College
Former Champaign Police Chief Robert T. Finney was hired in August, 2020 to teach Community Policing as well as Introduction to Criminal Justice at Parkland College. “Unbelievable” is what one African American community member thought on hearing the news; “Shocking,” … Continue reading
1,389 total views, 1 views today
Posted in African Americans, Education, Justice, police accountability, Police brutality, Policing, Section
Tagged education, Parkland College, police brutality
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Taking the Band-Aid Off of Mass Incarceration
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
1,234 total views, 2 views today
Posted in African American, BLM, Champaign County, incarceration, Justice, Police brutality, Policing, Section, State Government
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Urbana’s Long Search for Traffic-Stop Equity
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
896 total views, 1 views today
Posted in African Americans, Champaign County, Justice, Police, Policing, Racism
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