CHAMPAIGN – Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Champaign Sunday to march and rally for all Black lives, especially those in the LGBTQ community. The group Champaign All Black Lives Matter, along with the UP Center, organized the event, which started and finished at West Side Park. Organizer Enddy Almonord says Sunday’s event emphasized the…
The Urbana City Council spent more than three hours Thursday night looking over police issues with members of the community. But council members have put off a discussion of next steps until July. The meeting, called by three city council members, Jared Miller, Maryalice Wu and Dennis Roberts, featured comments by both community members and…
The new chairman of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board says he’s committed to fundamental reforms in the panel’s performance. Criticism of police conduct at recent Urbana City Council meetings has included the city’s Civilian Police Review board. At a meeting of the Urbana CPRB Wednesday night, Chairman Mikhail Lyubansky noted a list of criticisms…
URBANA — A set of shared goals and standards for police and communities of color was approved by the Urbana City Council Monday night. Council members also heard a new proposal for shifting response to mental health emergencies away from the police, and on Tuesday, made last-minute reductions to police spending in the new city…
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign-Urbana residents celebrated Juneteenth on Friday afternoon with a peaceful march and a small festival in Beardsley Park. Juneteenth is celebrated every year on June 19th, and commemorates the day in 1865 when some of the last enslaved people in the Confederacy were emancipated. HV Neighborhood Transformation (HVNT) organized the inaugural Juneteenth event,…
URBANA – Bryant Seraphin’s appointment as Urbana police chief has been renewed for another year by the Urbana City Council. Approval came Wednesday night, on a 5-1 vote, with one abstention. Alderman William Colbrook (R-Ward 6) abstained, citing his position as Parkland College police chief. The “no” vote came from Alderman Jared Miller. The Ward…
MONTICELLO – Peaceful protests against racism and police brutality not only took place Saturday in cities like Chicago and Champaign, but also in small Illinois towns like Monticello. The Piatt County Journal-Republican reports 500 people gathered in downtown Monticello on Saturday. The community of 5,500 sits along I-72 in Piatt County. Demonstrators held signs like “Black…
CHAMPAIGN – Thousands gathered in the streets of downtown Champaign on Saturday afternoon for a peaceful march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The march, which was organized by local nonprofit Paign To Peace, drew people from across the county. Protesters gathered in Hessel Park around noon to meet and make signs, and…
Editor’s Note: the person holding up the LGBTQ sign was misgendered as a woman in the original post. The person identifies as non-binary. We have amended the picture and we regret the error.
CHAMPAIGN – The Champaign County Bailout Coalition paid more than $46,000 to bail 16 people out of the county jail. The 16 were among 27 arrested following looting and property damage reported in and near the Marketplace Mall last Sunday. Peaceful protests and some incidents of civil unrest have erupted across the country in response…
At their Monday night Committee of the Whole meeting, Urbana City Council members condemned the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Earlier Monday, several city officials had participated in a demonstration on the streets of downtown Urbana in George Floyd’s memory. But afterwards, the city council members heard criticism of some of their…
CHAMPAIGN – The head of a county-wide effort to improve police-community relations says he’s hopeful recent protests in response to the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis will lead to lasting change. “I’m optimistic that here’s another opportunity for us to make substantive change around this issue of policing… in black and brown…
URBANA – Hundreds of protesters took over the streets of downtown Urbana Monday to denounce police brutality against people of color — including the recent killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. A diverse crowd — nearly all wearing masks — gathered outside the Champaign County Courthouse. The peaceful demonstration took place a day…
CHAMPAIGN – Citywide curfews were imposed in the central Illinois cities of Champaign, Urbana and Savoy after reports of looting and property damage at the Marketplace Mall in Champaign on Sunday. In Champaign, the curfew started Sunday at 8:30 p.m. The Urbana curfew started at 9:00 p.m. Both expire Monday at 6:00 a.m. Protests and…