Attached is a memo sent to Police Dept employees.  They just don't get it at the City Building.  We need someone to come over and speak with all the officers with full assurances that what they say will be confidential.  Let them find out the truth.  NOTHING will change in until Deputy Chief Murphy is asked to leave..........nothing!!!!

The city has announced that Champaign Police Chief R.T. Finney will be retiring from the department as of Jan. 20, 2012.

Finney's credibility has been significantly undermined  since being one of two officers present on Oct. 9, 2009 when Kiwane Carrington, a black 15 year-old, was shot and killed by a police bullet.

However City Manager Steve Carter may spin this news, it must be acknowledged that Finney's retiring comes after sustained community pressure over the past two years. This resulted in the election of a new Mayor and has now led to Finney's not-so-graceful exit.

BD

SPEAK CAFE'...RACE, ROOTS, AND RESISTANCE: REVISITING THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT! (OPEN MIC POETRY/SPOKEN WORD SET)
 
Thursday Sept 1, 2011
 
Doors open at 6:30pm, set from 7-9pm
 
Krannert ART Museum located at 500 E. Peabody on campus. take 4th St. south to Peabody, hang a left and half way down the block on the left hand side is the Art Museum
 
Theme: "SEIZE THE TIME" (The title of a book by Black Panther Bobby Seale)

Coming soon at the UC-IMC ...

The 3rd annual Indy Media & Arts Lab

August 1 - 12, 2011

The Indy Media & Arts lab is a low-cost media & arts-focused summer camp aimed at empowering youths to utilize their talents to explore various outlets of self-expression in a safe, nurturing environment. Classes will include African painting, community gardening, music production, comic strip making, robotics, and more!

Registration is currently closed, but sign up here to get on our waiting list!

UC-IMC Fiscal Manager

General Description:
The UC-IMC Fiscal Manager is responsible for keeping accurate and current records of all the fiscal and financial needs, activities and programs of the IMC.

To apply:
Send a resume to jandurl@comcast.net or call the IMC at 217-344-8820.

Qualifications:

• an understanding of and commitment to the IMC and social justice work
• mature judgment, strong organization and communication skills
• proficiency with office software and technology, Quickbooks experience/ knowledge required
• ability to multi-task and work with a variety of people in a diverse environment
• familiar with state and federal payroll and sales tax codes governing non profit organizations
• grant experience helpful

Duties and Responsibilities:

Stop in to the Makerspace this July for a series of summer DIY workshops!

Every Saturday in July, Makerspace Urbana will be running two workshops. Find something you're fascinated by and come ready to hack!

July 2: Intro to Linux 10am - 12pm

           Basic Electronics (throwy++ workshop) 2 - 4pm

July 9: Intro to HTML 10 -12

           eagleCAD Workshop 2 - 4

July 16: Intro to Linux 2 10 - 12

             Pewter Casting (please email to register, $15 materials fee) 2 - 4

July 23: Home Router Hacks 10 - 12

             Micro-controller 2 - 4

July 30: MAKE-ATION PARTY 4 - 6

Applications now being accepted until Thursday, July 14, 2011 for three full time, and two part-time; one year AmeriCorps positions at the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center and partner organizations.

The UC-IMC AmeriCorps program works to support social and economic justice in Champaign County by placing members to serve the programs of the UC-IMC and its partners.  

National Anti-Vivisection Alliance
press@antivivisection.info

Monday 13th June 2011

For Immediate Release

British pressure group, the National Anti-Vivisection Alliance (NAVA), have condemned the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for testing on animals in a report released today, “It's A Dog's Life”.

Experiments on dogs are exposed from a number of establishments across the USA, including three from UoI, for what NAVA describe as “A pointless waste of animal's lives and scientific resources”.

The experiments conducted were to research pet foods and fruit sugars, with all dogs involved being killed at the termination date.

NAVA Spokesperson, Luke Steele, commented: “The University of Illinois have conducted these barbaric experiments, involving the killing of many dogs, without any scientific gain.”

“UoI [University of Illinois] should come clean about what they are doing and rehome all dogs involved in experiments immediately”

Pam Dempsey (of CU Citizen Access) and I have been spending time with K-12 kids in an afterschool program at Joann Dorsey Homes every week doing digital story-telling classes since February and talking to residents about what's ahead. Dorsey Homes in Champaign, along with Dunbar Court in Urbana, is slated for demolition this year. Most of the residents are single mothers without steady incomes. All the residents there will get Section 8 vouchers to go find homes outside of government housing. The Housing Authority assumes that the vouchers will be a step to self-sufficiency and independence for the residents, most of whom are unemployed. You can hear my interview with seven residents on my show called "To Have a Home" on the Big Boom blog. The women I interviewed can't wait to move. Their homes now - which were built in 1952 - have no modern showers or central air. While the women live in communities that provide social networks of support, they're also living in a "project," where they get hassled by the police, and frustrated by the lack of opportunities available to their kids.

Trial is scheduled to begin for former Champaign police detective Lisa Staples on Tuesday, May 17 at 9 a.m. in courtroom K. Staples received her second DUI after she rear-ended a car while driving an estimated 80-90 miles per hour. Her attorney Tony Novak says his client is innocent of the charges.

On May 2, 2011, a hearing took place before judge Jeffrey Ford. A continuance requested by Novak was dismissed by the judge. Judge Ford said he had worked for six years in traffic court and had never seen a case take more than four months to reach a resolution. With the initial accident taking place December 19, 2010, it will be six months when the trial commences. Judge Ford is certainly making sure this case follows standard procedure as the courts received much public criticism after Staples was given a sweetheart deal for her first DUI.

Another case where Staples has been charged with four additional counts for lying on an application for a new driver’s license and Illinois state ID card is being dealt with separately.