Category Archives: Section

Preparing for the Knock on the Door: Community Responses to the Threat of Mass Deportation

Across Champaign-Urbana immigrant assistance organizations, schools, and local governments are worried but actively planning for the next administration. Eight years ago they underestimated Donald Trump, dismissing his vitriol as mere campaign posturing. This time they know that the incoming president … Continue reading

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The Democrats’ Debacle: The Path Forward for the Left

  Buckle up—it’s happening again. Donald Trump will be president of the United States on January 20, 2025. The next four years will be a constant struggle, as we fight to retain the meager rights and supports we currently possess … Continue reading

 275 total views,  10 views today

Posted in Economy, Elections, Gaza, Inequality, Politics, Politics, Section, Supreme Court, Trump | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Democrats’ Debacle: The Path Forward for the Left

Local Organizers Share Winning Strategies with Weary Residents

As the Champaign-Urbana community considers how we’ll navigate a second Trump presidency, we can learn from the organizing that led to local ballot victories this past November. The massive effort that made these ballot wins possible holds part of the … Continue reading

 87 total views

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Safer For Who?

For many community members, Tuesday night means Champaign City Council (CCC) night. The council chambers are the spot to be! Dozens of diverse community members show up to ask our elected officials to endorse a resolution that includes 1) a … Continue reading

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Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Peace movement, Politics, Section | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Safer For Who?

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

 144 total views,  4 views today

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Hide and Seek with Public Safety

On the Illinois Public Media’s Dialogue radio program from September 12, 2024, Urbana Police Chief Larry D. Boone said, “My philosophy is you hide nothing from the public. The days of that type of policing are gone by the way of the dodo … Continue reading

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The Negro/Black Cultural, History, and Art Museum of Urbana

I would like to see this museum established here in our town of Urbana for the purpose of educating our people, especially our Black children: to teach them about our history and what Black people have contributed to this country, … Continue reading

 169 total views,  15 views today

Posted in African American history, African American women, African American Women in Champaign-Urbana, African Americans, African Americans, Arts, Local Arts, Racism, Remembering, Section, Voices, Women | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Negro/Black Cultural, History, and Art Museum of Urbana

ADM’s Carbon Sequestration Leaks Demonstrate Why We Need to Protect the Mahomet Aquifer

How the Story Broke  On September 13, 2024, E&E News by Politico broke a shocking story about an underground carbon dioxide (CO2) leak six months earlier at Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM)’s much-lauded carbon capture and storage facility in Decatur, IL. After only … Continue reading

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Invest in Humanity, Not Handguns: Reject the Public Safety Sales Tax

 Champaign County government placed a question on this November’s general election ballot requesting a tax increase. The so-called public safety sales tax, a proposal that would double the current 0.25-percent sales tax levied on purchases in the county, would generate … Continue reading

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Posted in Champaign County, county goverment, Economics, Police, police accountability, Policing, Tax policy | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Invest in Humanity, Not Handguns: Reject the Public Safety Sales Tax

Urbana Activists Want More Police Oversight, but Local Laws Hold the Civilian Review Board Hostage

This story was originally published by Invisible Institute and IPM Newsroom on July 8. A full version of this article can be found on ipmnewsroom.org and publici.ucimc.org. Ricardo Diaz joined the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) in 2011, hoping … Continue reading

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Mob Action Charges Against Activists for Pro-Palestinian Encampment at UIUC

As students are returning to university campuses, we are seeing signs of continued support for Palestinians who are enduring an onslaught by Israeli military forces. Here at the University of Illinois, the first week of classes students chalked “DIVEST” on … Continue reading

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Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Police, Policing, Section, States'Attorney, University of Illinois | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Mob Action Charges Against Activists for Pro-Palestinian Encampment at UIUC

Assange, Press Freedom, and the Story from Down Under

The Julian Assange case is incredibly multifaceted, extending over many years.The root of course is the need for transparency regarding the actions of the powerful. The World War I–era Espionage Act is a major impediment to an open and just … Continue reading

 160 total views,  3 views today

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A Surprise from the French Left in the 2024 Legislative Elections

Many French people were very anxious prior to the second round of their July, 2024 legislative elections. Unlike the American two-party system, in the French multiparty system a candidate needs 50 percent or more of the vote to be seated … Continue reading

 241 total views,  2 views today

Posted in Democracy, Elections, France, International, International, Section | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A Surprise from the French Left in the 2024 Legislative Elections

Reflections on Bangladesh’s Recent Revolution: International Students’ Perspective

What began as a student-led protest demanding quota reform in the allocation of Bangladesh’s government jobs rapidly transformed into a revolutionary movement that dismantled an autocratic regime in just two months. As Bangladeshi citizens studying in the United States, we … Continue reading

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Popular University for Gaza at UIUC

From Friday, April 26 through Friday, May 10, we established a branch of the Popular University for Gaza at UIUC, joining the national student movement for Palestine. This encampment was just one small piece in the long movement for Palestinian … Continue reading

 331 total views

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Section, Students, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Voices | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Popular University for Gaza at UIUC

Is the Strike Back?

This article has been adapted by the author from his talk at the Strike School event at the IMC on May 5. For almost two centuries the strike has been the characteristic and most important form of protest for working-class … Continue reading

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Posted in Economy, Inequality, labor, Labor militancy, Labor/Economics, Section, union soldarity | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Is the Strike Back?

The Poor People’s Campaign Continues

The Poor People’s Campaign is a grassroots movement that began in the 1960s and continues to this day, aiming to address issues of poverty, inequality, and social justice in the United States. The campaign was initially launched by Rev. Dr. … Continue reading

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Critical Need for Long-Term Care for Older Adults in Champaign County

When my eighty-nine-year-old friend survived her bout with fungal pneumonia after spending nearly a month in the hospital, we were ecstatic. Her outcome had not always seemed certain, and we were delighted that she was on the path to recovery. … Continue reading

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Posted in county goverment, health care, Healthcare, Nursing Home, Section, seniors, the elderly | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Critical Need for Long-Term Care for Older Adults in Champaign County

Advocating for End-of-Life Options in Illinois

The Illinois End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (SB3499), which would authorize medical aid in dying in Illinois, was introduced in the Illinois Senate on February 9, 2024 by Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). None of the bill’s … Continue reading

 295 total views

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The Erosion of US Asylum Protections

It’s been a bad year for international “rule of law.” The escalating war in Ukraine and the wretched failure of the United Nations (UN) to respond to the horror in Gaza deserve the attention they have received, but other international … Continue reading

 371 total views

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