[Peace-discuss] [Discuss] Non-interaction with Champaign police
E. Wayne Johnson
ewj at pigs.ag
Sun Jul 18 13:18:10 CDT 2010
Were you and the other gentleman so far away from the young man in the
car that you could not have hailed him and given him some advice?
I personally consider the Champaign Police to be heavy on authority but
very low on credibility and would not pay much attention to what they
say, and would consider that they are only generally interested in
punishing ordinary citizens for their minor peccadillos in driving,
often entrapping them by watching stop signs in remote areas at low
traffic times, or setting up "speed traps" where cars are going down
steep slopes.
On the other hand, the words of a citizen might possibly have some
impact if they were not cowering behind the cops.
On 7/18/2010 11:48 PM, David Green wrote:
> I understand what you're saying, of course, about general differential
> policing. But people in Cherry Hills would certainly expect a quick
> response from such a report, even if it was a resident who was the
> offending party, and would be up in arms if they were treated
> dismissively, especially with license plate information. It's just not
> analogous to a kid in CH being caught with some weed.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Marti Wilkinson <martiwilki at gmail.com>
> *To:* David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com>
> *Cc:* Peace Discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>; Discuss
> Courtwatch <discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org>
> *Sent:* Sat, July 17, 2010 9:02:38 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Discuss] Non-interaction with Champaign police
>
> I'm saying that "better" neighborhoods are not as policed as
> aggressively. I grew up in Holiday Park (same neighborhood as the
> mayor) and now live in Garden Hills, and there is a real difference
> between how the areas are policed. You brought up the situation with
> Kiwane Carrington - if this had been a couple of white kids in Cherry
> Hills - I doubt that the cops would have run in with their guns out.
> Look at the difference in how a Cherry Hills doctor, who stabbed her
> two sons killing one, and a black janitor in Garden Hills was handled.
> In the latter case the guy was suicidal and the city sent the SWAT
> team after him.
>
> If a white kid attending the University of Illinois is caught with a
> bag of weed, he will probably face a misdemeanor charge. If a black
> kid north of University Avenue gets caught with the same amount, it
> may well turn into a felony. Hence, if you want to be a 'lunatic
> driver" you are more likely to get away with it around Hessel Park
> than Douglass Park. An officer is more likely going to be a witness in
> areas north of University Ave to lunatic drivers, which increases the
> likelihood of being apprehended.
>
> As both Laurie and John pointed out there may be some procedural
> aspects to this as well. What I suggest is contacting the members of
> the city council and sharing your story and concerns with them. Then
> see what they have to say about this.
>
> Marti
>
> On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 8:56 AM, David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com
> <mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
> Are you saying that people in "better" neighborhoods don't want to
> be protected from lunatic drivers?
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Marti Wilkinson <martiwilki at gmail.com
> <mailto:martiwilki at gmail.com>>
> *To:* David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com
> <mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>>
> *Cc:* Discuss Courtwatch <discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org
> <mailto:discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org>>; Peace Discuss
> <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> <mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>>
> *Sent:* Fri, July 16, 2010 10:40:28 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Discuss] Non-interaction with Champaign police
>
> "What accounts for this disinterest?"
>
> In the language of real estate - "Location, Location, Location".
> If this had been north of University Ave the local cops would have
> been on this in a heartbeat.
>
> I suggest you contact the Champaign City Council and ask them that
> question. Since they refused to have a civilian review board, and
> have appointed themselves as overseers on the community, they
> would be the perfect people to ask. Or write a letter to the
> News-Gazette and share your concerns over what happened.
>
> This reminds me that I once received an anonymous email from
> someone a couple of years ago. This person lived in Cherry Hills
> and wanted to file a noise complaint against a loud party, tried
> to call the cops and no one responded. It's no secret that both
> Julia Rietz and her hubby live in that area. Chief Finney lives in
> another McMansion subdivision close by.
>
> Marti
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 6:56 PM, David Green
> <davegreen84 at yahoo.com <mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
> This past Sunday, sometime between 6:00 and 6:30 in the
> evening, I was walking around the paved track at Hessel Park.
> As I approached the entrance to the park (north side, Elm
> St.), I witnessed a white Mustang convertible with a young,
> white, male driver (along), speeding along Grandview, the
> street the semi-circles the park from Kirby to Elm to Kirby.
> He was travelling east towards Elm at at least 60 mph. Again,
> this was on a nice evening with much activity at the park. His
> car spun out of control and he careened off of Grandview into
> a front yard, coming to a halt. He drove back out over the
> short embankment (there are no sidewalks on Grandview), out
> back onto Grandview, and turned left, going North up Elm St.
> towards Hessel Ave. He continued surpassing the speed limit.
> He did stop at the stop sign at the corner of Hessel and Elm.
> I caught his license plate, easier because it was
> personalized: STANGO 1. As I continued walking around the
> park, I noticed a gentlemen on his cell phone. I assumed he
> was calling the police, which was correct. I told him the
> license plate. Shortly after, there was another man calling
> police, and I also told him the license plate.
> Later in the evening, I called the CPD--the public number, not
> 911. I informed the male answering the phone about my
> experience, assuming he had already heard from the others. I
> offered myself as a witness. He wasn't particularly
> interested. He told me that there had been no officers in the
> area at the time of the incident, and gave me the impression
> that the case was closed, unless other officers came across
> this driver during the evening.
> I am no making moralistic judgments about this young man
> driving the car. I have no idea what circumstances may have
> prompted this behavior. Nevertheless, a car travelling at that
> speed and going out of control is clearly life-threatening. If
> there had been someone in that front yard, they could have
> been killed.
> I am quite sure that STANGO 1 is a greater threat to public
> safety than Kiwane, the young man at Douglas Park, and any
> number of others.
> I assume that the CPD can access information on the basis of
> the license plate, at least the residence of the owner of the car.
> What accounts for this disinterest?
> David Green
>
>
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