[CPRB] RE: [Peace-discuss] CPRB
Esther Patt
epatt at uiuc.edu
Thu Jul 19 11:08:26 CDT 2007
Robert,
The local proposal for a Police Review board was initially made in 2001 by the local chapter of the NAACP and the local Green Party (which I thought you were involved with at the time). Laurel Prussing, before she was mayor, was one of the major players in that. People who you might know and respect -- Ricky Baldwin and Elaine Gehrmann among them -- were involved in drafting the first version of the ordinance for Urbana. The ACLU supports it.
If you hate the U-CIMC then don't go there or give them your money. But you should really consider the wisdom of opposing any community initiative just because IMC has members who support it. Here's a little story to illustrate that point:
In 2004, when Sascha Meinrath proposed to Urbana City Council that we get involved in bringing wireless internet access to downtown, Mayor Satterthwaite opposed the idea and after the council passed a budget change for it anyway, only gave the proposal lukewarm support -- all because he had previously had a very negative interaction with Sascha about the IMC. Within a year, wireless internet, which was already taking off all over the country, became one of the biggest innovations in our community. The point is Tod should have looked past his conflict with Sascha and evaluated the wireless internet proposal based on its own merits. Instead, he let his opposition to the messenger cloud his judgment of the message. I think about that every time I walk into a business or University building and see a sign boasting wireless access is available.
I read one of your comments on a blog (someone forwarded it to me) and it sounds like you've changed from an extreme leftist to an extreme anti-leftist and just oppose anything that is progressive. If that is true, I am wasting my time writing to you. But, if you are genuinely interested in evaluating the proposal for police review, you might want to read Iowa City's ordinance, or San Jose's or New York City's or any of the dozens passed by other cities over the last decade. Then read the Urbana proposal and see if you actually think there is no merit (or actual harm) in the ordinance.
Esther Patt
---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:26:09 +0000
>From: "Robert Dunn" <prorobert8 at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: [CPRB] RE: [Peace-discuss] CPRB
>To: jbw292002 at gmail.com, peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net, cprb at lists.chambana.net, caevans2 at hotmail.com
>
> This is my hometown john. I was born in Carle
> Hospital on May 19, 1982, i forgot what floor it
> was! I went to Wiley Elementary School on the corner
> of Anderson and Pennsylvania Ave. I remember when
> Lincoln Square and the Sunnycrest area were thriving
> with businesses and shops. I remember the old Elite
> Diner and Dunkin Donuts where some old timers were
> sitting there every day sipping coffee and
> chainsmoking! Of course, now that is illegal in
> Urbana to chainsmoke inside, thanks to the lefties
> on the Council! I went to the hellhole called Urbana
> Middle School and survived that. Finally i went to
> Urbana High School and graduated in 2000. It was
> then that i met you guys. I remember walking to
> Lincoln Square and playing video games in the arcade
> there. That is now gone. You see, i have roots here.
> Most people on the city council do not have roots or
> history here. It seems that those who were born and
> bred here have more commonsense than the outsiders
> who come to this area. That includes Champaign as
> well.
>
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> From: "John W." <jbw292002 at gmail.com>
> To: "Robert Dunn"
> <prorobert8 at hotmail.com>,peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net,
> cprb at lists.chambana.net,caevans2 at hotmail.com
> Subject: Re: [CPRB] RE: [Peace-discuss] CPRB
> Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:51:11 -0500
>
> At 11:35 AM 7/18/2007, Robert Dunn wrote:
>
> i just received word from the Chief of Police of
> Iowa City.
>
> I was wrong about my predictions. However, i am
> still against this because where the source of
> this idea came from. By the way, Richmond and
> Berzerkeley do have high crime rates, but their
> CPRB has nothing to do with it. Other lefty
> initiatives such as making the areas so
> anti-business plus declaring being homeless a
> Constitutional right, contributes to a very
> unpleasant environment. So, i admit i was wrong,
> however, i am still on record as opposing this,
> because i and you know that the CPRB is not the
> end, but the beginning of the trend to make this
> city so unbearable that middle class residents
> will leave, thus entrenching the Left
> permanantly in power! Or do we stay and fight. I
> think why Mr. Smyth was so testy was because i
> reminded him that his seat should not be taken
> for granted!
>
> Urbana must be returned to its residents, and
> not some group of extremists out of the UCIMC!
> As someone born and bred here, outsiders have
> come in and plundered our inheritance, its time
> to take it back before nothing is left!
>
> Robert Dunn
>
> Founder of Take Back Urbana!
>
> I'm curious why you came back to such a hellhole
> in the first place, Rob. You must be on a Mission
> from God.
>
> From: Esther Patt <epatt at uiuc.edu>
> To: "John W." <jbw292002 at gmail.com>,
> Robert Dunn <prorobert8 at hotmail.com>,
> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net,
> cprb at lists.chambana.net
> Subject: Re: [CPRB] RE: [Peace-discuss]
> CPRB
> Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:08:44 -0500
> (CDT)
>
> >It's always amusing, when Urbana
> proposes adopting something that already
> exists in dozens of communities around
> the country, that opponents step forward
> to assert that the sky will surely fall
> if Urbana takes the unprecedented step
> of doing anything new. Whether it was
> creating a city-wide recycling program,
> adopting an Historic Preservation
> Ordinance, adopting an anti-war
> resolution, implementing rental
> registration for apartments -- our city
> was a late-comer to a national trend but
> opponents threatened horrible
> consequences. Robert Dunn's claim that
> the crime rate will sky-rocket if the
> city creates a Police Review Board is
> just plain silly. The real experiences
> of dozens of communities through the
> nation refute Robert's claim.
> >
> >By the way:
> >
> >The Fraternal Order of Police
> fundraises the money for Shop with a
> Cop. I think it's a good program and
> donate to it, but wanted Robert and
> others to know that the program is not
> about police officers spending their own
> money to buy things for low-income
> children (although I don't doubt there
> are officers who donate to the fund).
> But the money is raised by the FOP --
> primarily by their calling people like
> all of us and asking for donations.
> Then the officers go shopping with the
> children for "holiday" presents, using
> the money raised in the community.
> Community members are needed to
> accompany the officers and kids on the
> shopping trip and to help the children
> wrap the presents they buy.
> >
> >Esther Patt
>
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> See what you’re getting into…before you go there
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