[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] minutes of weekly AWARE meeting 2008-03-30

Mon Mar 31 10:25:40 CDT 2008

Thanks for your excellent minutes, Randall.  --mkb

On Mar 31, 2008, at 1:30 AM, Randall Cotton wrote:

> Minutes of 3/30/08 AWARE meeting are below, but first, Upcoming  
> Events:
>
> Upcoming Events Calendar
> ==================
> March 31 (Monday) AWARE on the Air, 10PM (delayed one week)
>
> April 3 (Thursday) Allen Hall Main Lounge, 7-10PM
> Cafe Intifada - poetry, hip/hop, mock separation wall
> This event is co-sponsored by AWARE
>
> April 4-6 (Friday-Sunday): Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice
> conference in Chicago. Barbara Kessel will attend. Others
> encouraged.
>
> April 5 (Saturday) 2-4PM, Main & Neil St., Champaign
> Monthly AWARE "Main Event" anti-occupation street demonstration
>
>  April 8 (Tuesday) 6:00PM Urbana City Council Chambers (400 S. Vine  
> St.)
> **** URBANA RESIDENT TURNOUT NEEDED ****
> Cunningham Township Annual Meeting. Urbana residents will *VOTE* on
> advisory referenda to be placed on the November election ballot.
> Suggestion: arrive 15 minutes early (5:45PM) to allow for  
> validation of
> your status as a voting "elector". See minutes below for referenda
> details.
>
> April 8 (Tuesday) 6:55PM Champaign City Council Chambers (102 N.  
> Neil St)
> **** CHAMPAIGN RESIDENT TURNOUT NEEDED ****
> Champaign Township Annual Meeting. Suggestion: arrive 15 minutes early
> (6:40PM) to allow for validation of your status as a voting  
> "elector". See
> minutes below for referenda details.
>
> April 9 (Wednesday) noon-1PM, Champaign County Courthouse (101 E. Main
> St., Urbana)
> Street demonstration against Brian Chesley convictions called by
> Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice
>
> April 9 (Wednesday) 7:30PM Channing-Murray (1209 W. Oregon, Urbana)
> "Indigenous Communities and Development Work Perspectives from  
> Guatemala"
> w/Peter Rohloff and Magda Sotz Mux. This event is co-sponsored by  
> AWARE.
>
> April 14-18 (Monday-Friday) Palestine Awareness Week at UIUC
> Events to be finalized and announced. This event is co-sponsored by  
> AWARE.
>
> April 24 (Thursday) 7:30PM Channing-Murray (1209 W. Oregon, Urbana)
> "Awakening from our Trance: Reversing Global Climate Change" w/Carolyn
> Treadway. This event is co-sponsored by AWARE.
>
> ****
> minutes:
>
> about 25 in attendance
>
> News of the week was heard, courtesy of Carl Estabrook
>
> Advisory Referenda information:
> =====================
> Diana Visek in attendance representing a group seeking support for
> referendum on local government transparency. Proposed wording is  
> (for both
> Champaign & Urbana):
>
> "Shall Cunningham/Champaign Township and the City of Urbana/ 
> Champaign post
> all contracts and itemized expenses on their websites so that  
> taxpayers
> can see how their money is being spent?"
>
> Diana says this is already in place in other communities - we're  
> actually
> a little late in the game. There is a hope that this kind of  
> transparency,
> once enacted locally, will migrate to the state level. An easy way to
> document expenses is just a PDF of the check register. There is no
> suspicion or suggestion that there's currently any impropriety in  
> either
> Urbana or Champaign.
>
> There is a legal limit of 3 advisory referenda on the November  
> ballot, but
> the Blackwater-related referendum effort is being postponed for the  
> time
> being. Thus, the lineup of all known proposed referenda is as follows:
>
> Urbana:
> Instant Run-off Voting
> Municipalization of water study
> Government transparency
>
> Champaign:
> Municipalization of water study
> Government transparency
> Anti-torture
>
> Side note: The next referendum on Champaign General Assistance funding
> through the Township has formally been added as a binding  
> referendum by
> Champaign Township and doesn't count toward the limit of 3 advisory
> referenda.
>
> The township meeting where citizens must attend and vote is next  
> Tuesday,
> April 8th (6PM at Urbana City Council Chambers and 6:55PM at Champaign
> City Council Chambers) - see more details above in the Upcoming Events
> Calendar.
>
> Palestine Awareness Week
> ==================
> The UIUC Arab Student Association President and Vice President were
> on-hand to request AWARE co-sponsorship of this year's Palestine  
> Awareness
> Week, April 14-18. ASA is the primary organizer. Other
> organizations/co-sponsors involved include Students for Justice in
> Palestine, Muslim Students Association, Council on American Islamic
> Relations, possibly La Casa Cultura Latina.
>
> Theme is the 60th anniversary of the occupation. Probable events  
> include:
>
> * Documentary showing (perhaps "Al Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe
> 1948" or "Jerusalem 1948: Yoom Ilak, Yoom Aleik")
>
> * Panel of UIUC folks who have visited Palestine
>
> * Cultural event: traditional folk dance - Dabke performance/lesson  
> from
> former member of prominent Palestinian dance troupe.
>
> * Presentation from ISU professor [didn't catch the name] on where  
> things
> stand after 60 years and what the future may hold
>
> Flyers and more information pending
>
> Co-sponsorship in name proposed and approved without objection
>
> Financial .co-sponsorship at $100 proposed without objection (and  
> will be
> checked for ratification at next week's meeting according to AWARE  
> rules).
>
> Cafe Intifada
> =========
> Financial co-sponsorship at $100 proposed last week for Cafe Intifada
> ratified without objection
>
> Cafe Intifada is an Allen Hall event this Thursday (see Upcoming Event
> Calendar above)
>
> Main Event
> ========
> Next "Main Event" is this Saturday, April 5. Proposed handout is  
> Winter
> Soldier-related.
>
> Anti-Racism
> =========
> Brian Chesley case:
> Bob Illyes reports w/assistance from Barbara Kessel:
> Brian Chesley was found guilty on 2 counts, obstruction of justice and
> resisting arrest despite not having committed nor being accused of
> committing any crime justifying the initial police contact. Brian was
> arbitrarily targeted by police as he was leaving Douglass Gymnasium.
> Although Brian used sharp language and walked away when police  
> attempted
> to stop him and 2 younger children with him, the police response was
> pepper spray and physical violence leading to a hospital visit. The
> impropriety of targeting Brian arbitrarily was kept concealed from the
> jury by order of the judge (Kennedy). State's Attorney waited until
> Brian's 18th birthday to bring the first charge (which precludes  
> treatment
> as a juvenile case and makes his convictions permanent record). 2nd  
> charge
> was brought in a surprise move the day of the 1st pre-trial  
> hearing. Jury
> was all-white. An appeal is possible.
>
> Two important articles from the News-Gazette are available online at:
>
> http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts_crime_fire/2008/03/28/ 
> teen_defendant_testifies_in_park_arrest
>
> and
>
> http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts_crime_fire/2008/03/29/ 
> racial_bias_alleged_in_outcome_of_trial
>
> (hardcopies were handed out at the meeting)
>
> They will only be free online for about a week, after that, it will  
> cost
> you to get to it.
>
> Proposal: AWARE formal thank-you letter to Kirchner/Wyman, who so  
> far has
> taken on the case pro bono.
>
> AWARE on the Air
> ==============
> Urbana city council pre-empted last Monday's edition, so it will be
> broadcast tomorrow. We may move our time slot to avoid these pre- 
> emptions.
>
> Events of the Past Week
> ================
> Channing-Murray Cambodia Genocide Trial event noted and praised, w/ 
> special
> mention of an "8 stages of genocide" handout.
>
> Release of "Body of War" film lauded w/references to Democracy Now and
> Bill Moyers spotlights on the film.
>
> New Ideas
> ========
> Stuart Levy proposed refined wording for MTD bus signs with Naomi
> Shihab Nye's poetry. Project was greenlighted without objection.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Peace mailing list
> Peace at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace