[CPRB] press conference

Tue Jul 24 14:51:02 CDT 2007

I appreciate Esther's wisdom.
If we don't do a full fledged press conference,
can we designate two or three people to be at the meeting early
to give sound bites to the media.

Maybe Ricky, Tracy Parsons, and Carol Ammons.

BD

On 7/24/07, Esther Patt <epatt at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>
> Ricky raises some good points, particularly about underscoring the
> importance of citizen action to make change.  If there is going to be a
> press conference, I like the idea of asking representatives from NAACP, etc.
> to attend and inviting the mayor to attend as well.
>
> I don't think we should bring up the issue of felons being excluded from
> membership on CPRB.  For those who know me, you know I have fought long and
> hard to preserve the Human Rights Ordinance provision for convicted felons'
> rights to fair housing and equal employment, including testifying in
> Springfield against a bill introduced by Rep. Chapin Rose to override
> Urbana's ordinance and I fought hard (though unsuccessfully) against the
> 1994 change to Champaign's Human Rights Ordinance that now allows landlords
> to discriminate against applicants based on criminal record for certain
> convictions.  I certainly do care about the civil rights of people with
> conviction records.
>
> But, in the big picture of citizen review of police, whether a felony
> conviction prevents a person from being one of the 7 members on the board is
> not a major point.  If there's going to be a press conference, please let us
> not keep harping on that point. Some folks know little else about the review
> board than a fight over whether or not convicted felons should be the people
> who judge police.
>
> We should have one clear message along the lines of Ricky's comments about
> the Ordinance being the product of government responding to citizen action
> and about our commitment to educate Urbana residents about their rights.
>
> Esther Patt
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:57:58 -0700 (PDT)
> >From: Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
> >Subject: Re: [CPRB] press conference
> >To: coalition policereview <cprb at lists.chambana.net>
> >
> >Maybe a press conference wouldn't be best, I don't
> >know.  I appreciate your thoughts on it, Esther.  We
> >ought to think about what we want to achieve by it, or
> >by some other means.
> >
> >One thing is actually that the occasion is an
> >opportunity to start informing people of their new
> >rights.  That's a considerable value.
> >
> >Another is that the cprb was originally a citizen
> >initiative and citizens should take credit for it as
> >an example of what people can do when they get
> >together.  That's a valuable lesson, and this is an
> >opportunity to  illustrate the point.
> >
> >If someone really thinks this is an IMC thing - I
> >wouldn't personally have a problem with that, if it
> >were true - then one value of a press conference is an
> >opportunity to list the member organizations involved,
> >and perhaps one line (literally) about how it got
> >started.  Justa thought.
> >
> >I think we should appreciate the Mayor's work and
> >leadership on this, and that of council members - and
> >we should say so in any press conference.  I think the
> >openness of (most) of this process has been very
> >gratifying: the frank discussions, the task force -
> >including the composition of it, on which the Mayor
> >was willing to take our input - right down to the
> >latest revisions, which are substantially what we
> >asked for.
> >
> >All that is an incredible example of how government
> >ought to operate, something we rarely see these days,
> >and I've never been more pleased with any group of
> >elected officials, or any mayor specifically.  And I
> >actually think that the biggest credit to them, and to
> >her, is this willingness to listen and work together -
> >much moreso than if it had been one person's
> >individual project.
> >
> >The mayor was of course involved from the start,
> >before I was, but long before she was mayor.  But also
> >meaning to offend no one, it was members of the
> >Coalition who circulated petitions, spoke to the
> >previous mayor and council about this, sent out
> >candidate questionnaires and held a public forum
> >during the elections, then met with the new mayor and
> >council members about how to do this.
> >
> >Again, the Mayor has made all the difference and has
> >made this possible.  We should ay so.  But we do a
> >great disservice to her and to the public if we let
> >this moment pass with the impression that all you have
> >to do is go out and vote for the right candidate with
> >the right ideas and don't acknowledge, as I said, what
> >people can do if they get together, and what a
> >difference it makes to have elected officials who
> >listen.
> >
> >I don't know if a press conference is the best way to
> >achieve this.  But if we have it, I think we ought to
> >have representatives from some of the Coalition member
> >organizations speaking - Urban Leage, NAACP, ACLU -
> >and we could invite the Mayor and, I'd say, Danielle,
> >to speak.  I'm willing to call around to see if that's
> >possible.  It may not be.
> >
> >I also happen to think there might be value in
> >reminding people that this board will not fix
> >everything that's wrong with police-community
> >relations, but that it is an incredible change.  It's
> >people taking charge of their government, a little at
> >a time, and taking a measure of responsibility, rather
> >than just complaining.
> >
> >No?
> >
> >Ricky
> >
> >
> >
> >--- Esther Patt <epatt at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> >
> >> The review board was an initiative of the mayor's
> >> that the council put on its list of council goals 2
> >> years ago. The mayor and council should be the focus
> >> of press attention on this issue, not us.
> >>
> >> Also, meaning to offend no one, I'd also like to
> >> point out that people who try to portray everything
> >> they don't like as left-wing radicalism are trying
> >> to portray the review board as a creation of the
> >> lefties at the IMC who have pressured the council to
> >> do their bidding. Hence, we would not be helping our
> >> supporters on the council by holding a press
> >> conference taking the attention away from them, nor
> >> would we be helping our supporters on the council by
> >> holding a press conference to point out the
> >> shortcomings of the ordinance.  So, while I'm not
> >> opposed to a press conference, I don't see it as a
> >> valuable strategy.  Our energies would be better
> >> spent, once the Ordinance is passed, getting the
> >> word out to the community about people's new rights
> >> regarding complaints about the police.
> >> Esther Patt
> >>
> >> ---- Original message ----
> >> >Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:54:34 -0700 (PDT)
> >> >From: Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
> >> >Subject: Re: [CPRB] press conference
> >> >To: Brian Dolinar <briandolinar at gmail.com>,
> >> coalition policereview <cprb at lists.chambana.net>
> >> >
> >> >Porque no?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >--- Brian Dolinar <briandolinar at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Any interest in doing a press conference on
> >> August
> >> >> 6, just before the city
> >> >> council mtg?
> >> >>
> >> >> BD
> >> >> --
> >> >> Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
> >> >> 303 W. Locust St.
> >> >> Urbana, IL 61801
> >> >> briandolinar at gmail.com
> >> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> >> CPRB mailing list
> >> >> CPRB at lists.chambana.net
> >> >> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/cprb
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
>
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> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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