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Tomorrow evening 6/25, at 7pm, the Champaign City Council will hold
a study session, looking at a discriminatory ordinance it had passed
in the 1990s. If you can, especially if you live in Champaign,
please come out and at least let the Council know the public cares
about this.<br>
<br>
The Champaign law, "section 17-4.5", specifically allows landlords
to discriminate against people incarcerated within the last five
years. It doesn't matter that their sentence is complete, it
doesn't matter what their current situation is. They may be fully
capable of paying the rent and being a good neighbor to their fellow
tenants - the landlord can reject them based solely on that history.<br>
<br>
The landlords in town generally want to keep this law. They
control some 55% of all the housing in Champaign - a lot of power
over the fate of formerly incarcerated people.<br>
<br>
Some 700+ signatures have been gathered, by the Fair Housing
Coalition and others, asking for section 17-4.5 to be repealed.<br>
<br>
<br>
Urbana does not have this carve-out to their anti-discrimination
ordinance. This doesn't mean that Urbana landlords don't
discriminate based on past incarceration - certainly some do, and
it's even written into the rental agreements for some rental
properties. But at least Urbana has a law which could be used to
challenge those policies. Champaign doesn't even have that.<br>
<br>
[1] Back in the '70s, both Urbana and Champaign passed
anti-discrimination laws. In 1994, Champaign amended its
discrimination law to allow this specific kind of discrimination.<br>
<br>
[2]Since this is a study session, they're not offering a chance for
the public to speak before the Council's discussion. However there
is a chance to speak afterward.<br>
<br>
[3]Here's the agenda for Tuesday at 7:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://documents.ci.champaign.il.us/v/1W7f-2oLv7euIlajhsKseyUVQXAgmRdWN">http://documents.ci.champaign.il.us/v/1W7f-2oLv7euIlajhsKseyUVQXAgmRdWN</a><br>
with details here:<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://documents.ci.champaign.il.us/v/1PwZzZsOzlpbHNyqL-efVLXPIlSGtuIWT">http://documents.ci.champaign.il.us/v/1PwZzZsOzlpbHNyqL-efVLXPIlSGtuIWT</a><br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://documents.ci.champaign.il.us/v/1PwZzZsOzlpbHNyqL-efVLXPIlSGtuIWT"></a>
"The Administration requests that the City Council provide direction
to staff on whether to draft modifications to Section 17-4.5 of the
Human Rights Ordinance for consideration by Council at a future
Regular Meeting."<br>
<br>
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