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Category Archives: Section
Hope Village: The North End Community Speaks Out
The north-end community acknowledges that Champaign-Urbana is facing a growing population of homeless individuals. We fully understand the need, and benefits, of the Hope Village development. We realize it is vital that empathy be shown for the homeless and a … Continue reading
370 total views, 1 views today
Posted in African American, African Americans, Community, homeless, Local Resources, Section, Urbana, Voices, Voices of Color
Tagged African American community, development, homelessness, local planning, neighborhood activism, Urbana City Council
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Monetization of Reading Endangers Books-to-Prisoners Programs Across the Country
There are about thirty Books-to-Prisoners programs across the US that provide free books to the incarcerated, but changes in regulations and technology practices are threatening their future. While these changes are not specifically book bans, they will directly affect the … Continue reading
608 total views
Posted in incarceration, Nonprofit, UC-IMC
Tagged access to information, Books to Prisoners, for-profit prison services, incarcerated people, local nonprofit
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The Promise of IndyMedia
This article was originally published in Columbia Journalism Review on November 22, 2024. It has been shortened to fit and lightly edited for style. At the end of November, 1999, when the World Trade Organization met at the Washington State … Continue reading
266 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Corporate media, IMC, Nonprofit, Section, UC-IMC, UCIMC
Tagged grassroots journalism, Indymedia, nonprofit, protest movement, UCIMC
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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
589 total views
Posted in Immigrants, Immigration, Refugees, Sanctuary movement, Section, Trump
Tagged deportation, Immigrants, local immigrant support, refugees, Sanctuary movement, second Trump admiistration
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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
1,557 total views
Posted in Economy, Elections, Gaza, Inequality, Politics, Politics, Section, Supreme Court, Trump
Tagged Democratic Pary, economy, politics, second Trump admiistration, working-class issues
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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
364 total views
Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Police, Politics, Section, Trump
Tagged ceasefire resolution, Gaza, local activism, policing, public safety, second Trump admiistration
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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
264 total views, 2 views today
Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Peace movement, Politics, Section
Tagged ceasefire resolution, Champaign City Council, Gaza, local activism
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
469 total views
Posted in IL, incarceration, Justice, Politics, Section
Tagged bail reform, Illinois justice reform, incarceration, Pretrial Fairness Act
Comments Off on The Pretrial Fairness Act at One Year: Success but Lots More to Do
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
315 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Police, police accountability, Policing, Section, Urbana
Tagged local policing, police accountability, public safety, Urbana
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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
690 total views, 1 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 African American history, local culture, museum, racism, Slavery
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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
741 total views
Posted in Climate crisis, Environment, Environment, Section
Tagged carbon capture, climate crisis, environment, EPA, global warming
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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
621 total views
Posted in Champaign County, county goverment, Economics, Police, police accountability, Policing, Tax policy
Tagged Champaign County, police accountability, policing, public safety, tax policy
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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
Posted in Police, police accountability, Police brutality, Policing, Section, Urbana
Tagged citizen police review board, local policing, police brutality, Urbana
Comments Off on Urbana Activists Want More Police Oversight, but Local Laws Hold the Civilian Review Board Hostage
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
635 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Police, Policing, Section, States'Attorney, University of Illinois
Tagged campus activism, pro-Palestinian activism, repression, student activism
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
309 total views, 1 views today
Posted in International, International, press freedom, Section, subversion
Tagged Assange, australia, CIA, national security state, NSA, press freedom
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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
501 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Democracy, Elections, France, International, International, Section
Tagged Elections, far-right parties, France, leftist movements
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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
1,845 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Bangladesh, Democracy, International, International, Section
Tagged Bangladesh, democratic movement, International, revolution, South Asia, student protest
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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
557 total views
Posted in Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Section, Students, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Voices
Tagged campus activism, divestment, Israel/Palestine, student protest, University of Illinois
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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
434 total views
Posted in Economy, Inequality, labor, Labor militancy, Labor/Economics, Section, union soldarity
Tagged economy, inequality, labor militancy, labor organizing, strikes, union solidarity
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
460 total views