Category Archives: Human Rights

Women Singing Not to Forget in Post-war Ivory Coast

Posted on 03/13/2013 by Carol Spindel

Defeated at the polls in November 2010, former president of Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down and held onto power by force for over four months. About three thousand people died in the post-electoral violence. Gbagbo was arrested … Continue reading →

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Her Name Was Hadiya, And She Was Killed By A Gun

Posted on 02/08/2013 by Amira Davis

More than 500 young children have died from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” (from an anti-gang violence PSA by Hadiya Pendleton and crew) “none among us should feel unsafe moving about/through the world, on the earth, … Continue reading →

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Political Memory at Work in Latin America

Posted on 10/07/2012 by Richard Esbenshade

My recent trip to El Salvador and Argentina focused heavily on ‘sites of memory,’ locations where events of massive political violence had occurred and where attempts to learn from them are underway. These two countries have experienced extreme social conflict—military … Continue reading →

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Flex-n-Gate Disaster, Just the Latest Chapter in a Toxic Story

Posted on 09/08/2012 by Ricky Baldwin

By Ricky Baldwin When news broke this summer that a toxic cloud of sulfuric acid at a local plant had sent eleven local workers to the hospital, horrific as the story was, many in the area were not all that … Continue reading →

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Champaign Housing Authority Considers Demolishing Third Black Neighborhood

Posted on 09/08/2012 by Brian Dolinar

A protest was held before the board meeting of the Housing Authority of Champaign County (HACC) on Thursday, August 23, 2012 by those questioning plans to demolish Bristol Place, a largely African American neighborhood on the North End in Champaign. … Continue reading →

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Close Tamms Supermax Prison

Posted on 06/28/2012 by Belden Fields

  Belden Fields “A considerable number of the prisoners fell, after even a short confinement, into a semi-fatuous condition, from which it was next to impossible to arouse them, and others became violently insane; others still, committed suicide; while those … Continue reading →

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Chris Drew Dies Day Before Eavesdropping Law Ruled Unconstitutional

Posted on 05/10/2012 by Belden Fields

(From Chicago Independent Media Center) – Chris Drew, Chicago artist, activist, and free speech advocate, passed away on May 7. Drew was noted among the community of Chicago political activists for being a consistent presence at political activist rallies and … Continue reading →

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BOT Speech

Posted on 04/24/2012 by Jimmi Jay

First of all, I would like to thank the Board for granting me the opportunity to address them. I am here to discuss an issue at the local Flex-N-Gate auto-parts plant that is actively harming our entire community and threatening … Continue reading →

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Dismantling Democracy

Posted on 04/05/2012 by Marya Burke

By Marya Burke The very first amendment of our constitution states: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech… or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” … Continue reading →

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FLEX N GATE WORKERS FIGHT FOR HEALTH, LIVING WAGES AND JUSTICE IN URBANA ILLINOIS

Posted on 04/05/2012 by David Johnson

CENTRAL ILLINOIS JOBS WITH JUSTICE FLEX N GATE WORKERS FIGHT FOR HEALTH, LIVING WAGES AND JUSTICE IN URBANA ILLINOIS WHY A BILLIONAIRE CANT AFFORD SAFETY EQUIPMENT OR LIVING WAGES ? Billionaire Shahid Kahn, owner of Flex N Gate Incorporated, manafactures bumpers for the … Continue reading →

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International Capitalism Writ Large in Our Community

Posted on 03/05/2012 by Jimmi Jay

By Jimmi Jay Flex-N-Gate is a multi-national corporation that manufactures auto parts ranging from bumpers and hinges to pedal systems and instrument panels for major automakers including BMW, Ford, Nissan, and Toyota. In 2011, Flex-N-Gate reported $2.5 billion in annual … Continue reading →

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Winning the Bread

Posted on 03/04/2012 by admin

By Nancy Dietrich Dietrich works for the University of Illinois and lives in Urbana. This piece (which has been slightly modified) was originally published as a Guest Commentary in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. Awhile back, a male friend disclosed to me … Continue reading →

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Learning the Lessons of Depleted Uranium

Posted on 02/15/2012 by Belden Fields

By Conrad Wetzel   One of the most significant wastes obtained from producing fuel for nuclear reactors and atomic bombs is depleted uranium. An isotope which can be fissioned is uranium U-235, the material used in civil and nuclear military … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Heather Ault: Visualizing 4000 Years of Choice

Posted on 11/28/2011 by Marya Burke

Adapted from Sunday 20 November 2011 Interview By Eleanor J. Bader published online in  On The Issues Magazine | Op-Ed Heather Ault holds a Master of Fine Arts and her current position is as a graphic designer at the Office of Online … Continue reading →

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Errata to City Court Article

Posted on 11/01/2011 by Belden Fields

I would like to correct two errors of fact that I made in an article on Champaign’s City Court in the November 2010 issue of the Public i  First, I stated that the “court/expense fee,” the fee that a guilty … Continue reading →

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Photos from Troy Davis Rally

Posted on 11/01/2011 by Public i

These photos were taken at a rally for Troy Davis in front of the alma mater on September 21, 2011 the day he was executed in Georgia.  Credit: Mary Gen Davies.  

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