A community meeting was held Saturday, December 8, 2007, at the Douglass Branch library about Ameren’s toxic site at 5th and Hill Streets in Champaign. The 3.5 acre site is located in the heart of the north end and it is black working class people who have been impacted the most. A former coal-to-gas plant on the site is now gone, but a massive “blob” of coal tar 40 feet underground remains and may be the explanation behind numerous reports of cancer in the neighborhood, including two rare cases of multiple myeloma.

After reports that Carle Clinic was sending out rejection letters to expecting mothers who were on Medicaid, Champaign County Health Care Consumers organized a protest and attempted to deliver a Thanksgiving Day card to Carle executives. The event took place November 20, 2007. It attracted approximately 50 people who stood outside Carle along University Avenue, holding signs and chanting slogans like, “Carle Clinic: rich and rude! We don’t like your attitude!”

Some 50 people gathered at Illinois Disciples Foundation Monday evening, November 12 as Jed Riffe, producer and director, presented his award winning documentary film on medical cannabis,

Friday, November 2

Panel Discussion: Empowerment vs. Incarceration
Paul Wright--Prison Legal News
Buzz Alexander--Prison Creative Arts Project
Carol Ammons--CU Citizens for Peace and Justice

3:00-4:30 PM, Great Hall, University YMCA

Saturday, November 3

Across the country tens of thousands of people gathered together on

Once again, University of Illinois football players have been caught getting into trouble and, once again, we see the double standard of justice at work. Early Thursday morning on October 18, 2007 at 2 a.m., five U of I football players were involved in a bar brawl at CO Daniel’s, on Daniel St. A student beaten by one of the football players had to check into the hospital and has filed a complaint.

Home Invasion: Racial Disparities in SWAT Raids

On Sunday, June 10, a square block surrounding the Champaign County Courthouse was evacuated and closed off to conduct what Sheriff Dan Walsh called “police training.” Walsh stood at the corner of Main and Elm Street talking to news reporters, telling them to make sure and point cameras at the front doors of the courthouse to get the best view of the SWAT operation they were about to conduct. Throughout the afternoon, police ran between buildings with guns drawn, snipers took position from a nearby parking garage, and “tanks” rolled down the streets. The Sheriff’s SWAT team had taken over downtown Urbana.  

The following is a talk given by Terry Davis, investigator with the legal defense team for Mychal Bell, one of the members of the Jena 6 on trial in Louisiana. Davis was in Jena for three weeks and was present for the historic march there on Sept. 20. She gave a talk in Champaign-Urbana on October 12, 2007 at the Urban League.  

Urbana Kick Off: Front of the courthouse.

Champaign Kick Off: Westside Park

Meet up at University & Wright St, then marching to Douglass Park.

Appreciation Dinner honoring Catherine Hogue & Robert Wahlfeldt to follow at 3:30pm (until 6)