[Peace-discuss] [Discuss] Non-interaction with Champaign police

[John W.]

On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 11:41 PM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:



> The whole Society-by-Proxy thing rubs me the wrong way.
>
> Doesn't it occur to anyone that it's pretty damn strange that the police
> power
> is invoked rather than the people in the society communicating with each
> other?
>
> That there is this knee-jerk response to call the cops rather than manage
> the problem
> directly and locally is incredibly strange to me.
>
> But then again...uh...



Right you are, Wayne.  If we think our neighbor's house is being broken
into, we should all just run over there with our Glocks and start blastin'
away!




> On 7/19/2010 12:29 PM, Marti Wilkinson wrote:
>
>> Al Johnston (hubby of Julia Rietz)  lost a fully loaded gun driving out of
>> Cherry Hills, and they still haven't found it yet. The News-Gazette sat on
>> the story until after Julia got re-elected. I wouldn't be surprised if that
>> gun is found at the scene of a crime.
>>
>> Champaign cops often run on a 'see no evil; hear no evil' type of
>> protocol. So I wouldn't be surprised if a bad driver got away with mischief
>> in Cherry Hills. However, if this became a daily practice and enough people
>> got pissed off then the police would act. If what happened in Hessel Park
>> was an isolated one-time occurrence I wouldn't expect much to be done.
>>
>> On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 10:48 AM, David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com<mailto:
>> davegreen84 at yahoo.com>> 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
>>    <mailto:martiwilki at gmail.com>>
>>
>>    *To:* David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com
>>    <mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>>
>>
>>    *Cc:* Peace Discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>>    <mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>>; Discuss Courtwatch
>>    <discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org
>>    <mailto: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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