[Peace] minutes of weekly AWARE meeting 2008-04-27

[Randall Cotton]

Minutes of 4/27/08 AWARE meeting are below, but first, the Upcoming
Events Calendar:

April 28 (Monday) 1-7 pm, Orpheum Children's Science Museum  (346 N. Neil
St, Champaign)
Last day of Artists Against Aids art exhibition and sale, fundraiser for
Gay Community Aids Project. See http://www.gcapnow.com .

April 28 (Monday) 1PM, inside Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine
St.
Recording for this week's "AWARE on the Air" at UPTV

*** TURNOUT NEEDED ***
April 28 (Monday) 7PM Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine St.
(also televised live on UPTV (cable channel 6))
Urbana City Council Committee of the Whole meeting.
Continuing discussion on new UPTV guidelines and procedures for submitting
materials and videos for UPTV. Once again, many will press to limit
speech, but others are needed to illustrate how the best response to
offensive speech is not censorship, but rather more speech countering it.
NOTE: SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN SWAYED IN FAVOR OR ELIMINATING
ALL NON-LOCAL PROGRAMMING IN REACTION TO OFFENSIVE PROGRAMMING FROM A
SINGLE URBANA RESIDENT. This would include Democracy Now!, Mosaic, Gay USA
and many other valued programs. Support is needed now more than ever to
oppose programming restrictions and the narrowing of free speech on UPTV.

April 28 (Monday), 7:30PM, Alice Campbell Alumni Center Ballroom (601 S.
Lincoln, Urbana)
"After 60 Years of Human Rights: Is There Cause for Celebration?" w/Dr.
Julian Burger, Coordinator of the Indigenous and Minorities Unit at the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva.
For more information, see http://www.socialwork.uiuc.edu/

April 28 (Monday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6) (might be pre-empted by
Urbana City Council meeting).
"AWARE on the Air" broadcast

April 29 (Tuesday) 5:30-6:30PM, Barkstall Elementary School (2201
Hallbeck, Drive, Champaign)
Parkland College Champaign Town Meeting (one of two). See
http://www.parkland.edu/townhallmeeting/

April 30 (Wednesday) 5:30-6:30PM, Champaign Public Library (505 S.
Randolph, Champaign)
Parkland College Champaign Town Meeting (two of two). See
http://www.parkland.edu/townhallmeeting/

May 3 (Saturday) 7:30PM, the TIMES Center (70 E. Washington, Champaign)
"Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop", a one-man show featuring many characters
addressing a variety of social issues including racial profiling, cultural
misappropriation, disproportionate sentencing as a result of racism,
racist stereotypes in the media, discrimination/intolerance. Influenced
and grounded in Hip-Hop culture. Open discussion also planned.

May 4 (Sunday) 2-4PM Fundraising picnic for Public I at Brian Dolinar's
(303 W. Locust, Urbana)

*** NEED FOR TURNOUT ANTICIPATED ***
May 5 (Monday) 7PM Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine St.
(also televised live on UPTV (cable channel 6))
Urbana City Council Committee regular meeting.
ANTICIPATED VOTE on new UPTV guidelines and procedures for submitting
materials and videos for UPTV. NOTE: SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN
SWAYED IN FAVOR OR ELIMINATING ALL NON-LOCAL PROGRAMMING IN REACTION TO
OFFENSIVE PROGRAMMING FROM A SINGLE URBANA RESIDENT. This would include
Democracy Now!, Mosaic, Gay USA and many other valued programs. Heavy
mobilization may be necessary to oppose programming restrictions and the
narrowing of free speech on UPTV.

May 7 (Wednesday) noon-1PM, Champaign County Courthouse (101 E. Main,
Urbana).
Demonstration! Drawing attention to upcoming sentencing for Brian Chesley
(May 9, see below) and 3rd trial of Patrick Thompson (May 12, see below).

May 8 (Thursday) 7PM, Urbana Free Library Auditorium (210 W. Green St.)
"Enhancing Democracy in Champaign County: Where Do We Go from Here?",
sponsored by the Libertarian Party. A wide-spectrum community gathering to
address various timely issues of Democracy (more details below in
minutes).

*** TURNOUT NEEDED ***
May 9 (Friday) 9AM, Courtroom E, Champaign County Courthouse (101 E. Main,
Urbana).
Brian Chesley court date - anticipated filing for new trial and, more
importantly, SENTENCING.

*** TURNOUT NEEDED ***
**** VOLUNTEER NOTETAKERS NEEDED WEEK OF MAY 12 ****
May 12 (Monday) 1:30PM, Courtroom A, Champaign County Courthouse (101 E.
Main, Urbana)
First session of Patrick Thompson's third trial.

****
Minutes of 4/27/08 AWARE meeting:

About 20 in attendance

News of the week was heard, courtesy of Carl Estabrook

Finance Report:
$2128
IMC renting policy may change (currently $110 every 3 months for AWARE
storage space)

Main Event monthly street demonstration:
A variety of proposals were suggested for flyer(s) to hand out to
motorists this coming Saturday at May's Main Event, including:

1. The IVAW flyer from last Main Event
2. Material from American Friends Service Committee "Cost of War" campaign
3. Cindy Sheehan's piece "Nancy Pelosi's Day Job"
4. Material focusing on the siege of Gaza
5. Clearwater/Blackwater material
6. Material highlighting the rising drumbeat for war in Iran
7. Material focusing on local justice issues

There was no clear direction on preferred handout(s), though Barbara
planned to obtain sufficient pre-printed "Cost of War" pamphlets from
AFSC. Though the general feeling was that we would like to do more, as of
yet no one has come forward to spearhead any of the above flyer
suggestions (other than Barbara), though there are confirmed volunteers
available to hand out at least 300 copies to motorists. Volunteer(s) urged
to come forward to assemble/prepare a handout for next Saturday, please
post to the peace-discuss list. Reimbursement for duplication costs is
possible through AWARE.

Working group reports:
*****************
Library Resources
=============
Working group meeting is set immediately after AWARE meeting

Anti-Racism:
=========
Small claims case against Harvey Welch for return of legal fees due to
ineffective representation of Patrick Thompson during his 2nd trial -
ruling expected this week (see time/date/place details above in upcoming
events calendar).

Brian Chesley case: next scheduled court date is May 9 at 9:00 a.m. in
Courtroom E (motion for new trial expected) and sentencing probably as
well. Turnout requested..

Patrick Thompson's third trial is approaching. First court date of the
trial is May 12, 1:30 PM, Courtroom A. Turnout requested. In addition,
there is a call out for folks to volunteer to take notes for a half or
full day so that daily reports of the trial can be sent to keep the
community apprised. Email recotton at earthlink.net to volunteer.

Courthouse demonstration to draw attention to Chesley and Thompson cases
set for noon May 7 (details above in upcoming events calendar).

Counter-recruitment
===============
Local IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War) was recently invited to provide
counter-recruitment at a rural high school and were given equal time with
recruiters. Positive experience reported and IVAW stands ready to do this
in the future wherever invited.

Blackwater:
========
In a surreal twist, Blackwater is getting into alternative energy. A wind
farm was approved for them in NC. See
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/2796712/ .

Meeting in Springfield on the 29th (Tuesday) is still on with Clearwater,
Illinois State Police and other stakeholders regarding possible
anti-Blackwater legislation at the state level (Barbara, Roger and Dave
are attending).

June is anti-torture month (some questioned whether it was supposed to be
OK the rest of the year ;-) Quakers plan a demonstration banner at their
meeting house on East Main in Urbana.

AWARE on the Air:
==============
Need folks tomorrow, Monday, 1PM for taping - schedule change for
broadcast from 10PM Monday to 10PM Tuesday still in the works.

Farmer's market
===========
All preparations are set - more folks signed up as the volunteer grid was
passed around again. Starting date May 10th.

Old Business:
***********
"Cost of War" billboard
================
Project proceeding, money is being raised. May 9th WILL-AM Public Square
radio spot anticipated on this from Jennifer Hixson.

Winter Soldier footage  showing on UPTV
=============================
Footage obtained is a little raw, possible enhancements will be
researched.

Township legislation
==============
Contact still to be made with Mike Frerichs regarding changes in state law
regarding township advisory referenda.

New Ideas:
*********
4th of July information received - this year's theme is "Honoring our
Military Heroes" (no joke). Immediately, suggestions abounded to honor
military war resistors, peace activists: e.g. Bob Wahlfeldt, recent Winter
Soldiers, Smedley Butler, Camilo Mejía.

Events of the past week
*******************
Winona LaDuke gave an excellent talk "Environmental Justice from a Native
American Perspective" on April 22nd.

During the April 23rd UofI sponsored debate about hate speech and how to
"balance" free speech and equal protection, the debate results were 4 to 1
against administrative oversight of so-called "hate speech".

The April 24th Champaign County Board meeting was very well attended by
folks in support of the Nursing Home, which is under fire and facing
building threats of being privatized due to deficit operation requiring
financial support from the county. Stark projections of county income
complicated the issue. A new advisory "Board of Directors" was formed to
help identify a plan to bring the Nursing home back in the black.

The April 24th Channing-Murray talk "Awakening from our Trance: Reversing
Global Climate Change" w/Carolyn
Treadway (co-sponsored by AWARE) was described as an excellent
presentation with good discussion and hope was expressed the presenter
would be brought back again in the future.

The April 24 Spurlock Museum talk "Mayhem in Mesopotamia - the Protection
of Iraq's Cultural Heritage" by
Dr. Donny George Yukhanna, former director of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad
was described as well-attended and informative and included a slide
presentation about effect of the occupation and looting of museums. 15,000
items stolen., only 3000 recovered so far. Currently, museum rooms in Iraq
are physically sealed off, cemented shut, indicative of the poor state of
security.

Upcoming events
*************
Diana Visek was on hand to present details on the upcoming community event
"Enhancing Democracy in Champaign County: Where Do We Go from Here?",
facilitated by the Libertarian Party on May 8 (Thursday) 7PM, Urbana Free
Library Auditorium (210 W. Green St.). Issues up for discussion might
include:

1. Annual Township Meeting issues
2. Instant Runoff Voting
3. transparency in local government
4. Champaign County Board size reduction
5. increasingly exclusive control of Champaign County Board agendas

Full spectrum representation of all political stripes explicitly urged and
requested. Plans call for 15 minutes of introductory presentation,
followed by open brainstorming where ideas are put to paper, followed by
efforts to discover natural groupings of highest interest (perhaps through
voting) with the aim of forming working groups. Libertarians are
sponsoring only this first meeting - resulting working groups would be
self-contained independent entities with no Libertarian stamp or
affiliation.

Artists Against Aids was this weekend but continues through Monday
w/exhibition hours 1 - 7 pm at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum , 346
N. Neil St, Champaign

Parkland College conducting non-specific "town meetings" on the 29th and
30th. Details above in upcoming events calendar. An Urbana town meeting is
also scheduled for May 13th.