[Peace-discuss] [Discuss] Non-interaction with Champaign police
E.Wayne Johnson
ewj at pigs.ag
Wed Jul 21 13:18:16 CDT 2010
well, I really can't say that it's exactly a grudge after 45 years but I can clearly recall the image of Bunny and Donna kiting off at high speed for the office after seeing some boys flinging sawdust at each other on the 10 acre playground we had at the country school at Flannigan in the clay hills of southern IL. There arent enough kids to have a game of solitaire there now. The old school is still standing but converted into a home before being totally abandoned last account I had of it. I really wasnt intending to be misogynistic or gender stereotyping but do recall the glee with which the chance to successfully get us in trouble was approached. The principal rounded us boys up and we were given a treatment of several licks with a razor strap for our incontinence and lack of fellowship.
I did call the sheriff myself a few years ago when one of the local nutcases threatened my dad with a ball-peen hammer. One of the neighbors had packed a pistol strapped to his leg for awhile after a run-in with the same guy and I could see the matter escalating out of control. My mother was worried that the guy would put down his hammer and come back with a gun. It wasnt a situation where reason and soft words were part of the equation, and the deputy came out and told the guy to go home and mind his own business, which he did. My father was running a bulldozer and constructing an anti-erosion waterway for another neighbor, which thing the other objected to and suggested that raising knots on the old man's head would assuage his anger somehow. Nobody was charged with anything and peace prevailed.
----- Original Message -----
From: Vanessa Moll
To: E. Wayne Johnson
Cc: John W. ; Peace Discuss ; Community Courtwatch
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 3:22 AM
Subject: Re: [Discuss] [Peace-discuss] Non-interaction with Champaign police
Hi –
There are some themes I would like to focus in on:
a.. People don’t trust police
b.. People don’t see police as valuable assets to the community, or even as part of the community
c.. People losing faith in the police
d.. People thinking that running to the police is a feminine thing to do or some kind of skirmish thing.
Here is why all of the above bother me. I grew up in Champaign, actually just south of Hessel, all the way through high school. Was I in some way ingrained with the above? Because in the last year, after being inflicted with very serious violence, I didn’t go to the police. It was just the last thing I would have done in any circumstance – why would I ever go to the police?
This decision not to go to the police has caused a huge range of issues for me and others.
People who go to the police are brave combined with a sense that the police are part of their community and they can trust the police to pursue justice.
So what does this have to do with a reckless driver? Well, everything. Some people encounter violence nearly every day, but (I hope that) some people only encounter violence once in their lifetime. And those people need to be prepared for that encounter. What prepares them is society’s attitude towards pursuing justice. Do we let things go? Do we dole it out on the community level? Do we believe in “the system”? Do we believe in the system enough to use it and change it for the better?
I hope the very latter, because letting things go is only good for perpetuating the status quo. Doling things out on the community level does not create justice but rather can often silence targets in an oppressive system. I don’t believe that the system is perfect, and I believe that racism and other isms within the system has everything to blame for causing disbelief in the system – but that’s precisely why I think we need to work with it.
Finally, I would appreciate it if people would avoid using “little girls” terminology for disempowering youth, women, and men who are seeking justice. The usage of systems of justice has bigger implications than our gender insecurities. Or our grudge against the “little girl” that got us in trouble back on the playground.
-Vanessa
On Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 1:27 AM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:
There would not be much reason to go with a gun.
Actually it is the lack of a participative social model that precipitated the Kiwane C. thing.
Simply asking the kids what they were up to could have taken care of the whole matter.
I think that city-fied folk like the rush of power they get by calling the cops on someone.
Sort of like the little girls who used to run for the office to tattle every time there was a skirmish on the playground.
Saying that they are afraid to intervene directly seems pretty flimsy to me.
On 7/19/2010 1:11 PM, John W. wrote:
On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 11:41 PM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag <mailto: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>
<mailto: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>
<mailto:martiwilki at gmail.com <mailto:martiwilki at gmail.com>>>
*To:* David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com
<mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>
<mailto: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>
<mailto: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>
<mailto: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>
<mailto: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>
<mailto:martiwilki at gmail.com <mailto:martiwilki at gmail.com>>>
*To:* David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com
<mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>
<mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com <mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>>>
*Cc:* Discuss Courtwatch
<discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org
<mailto:discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org>
<mailto: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>
<mailto: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>
<mailto: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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--
With respect,
Vanessa
"Tomorrow...if there is to be one, it will be made with the women, and above all, by them..."
From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast
Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos
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