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

[Joy George]

Hello Mr. Cotton,
   
       I have just arrived from Houston Texas and The North Houston Peace Group and am looking for a like minded group here in town.  I was wondering if you could tell me when your next meeting is, please.
   
  In peace,
  Joy George
  jgeo61 at sbcglobal.net
  281-546-9050  This number is good for another day or two until I obtain a local number

Randall Cotton <recotton at earthlink.net> 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.

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