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January 2010V10, #1

1/21—Women of the Southern Wind,AEMS 2010 AsiaLENS Screenings:7:00pm, Krannert Center's StudioTheatre, Free

1/23—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Commemoration Celebration Commu-nity Event, Lobby, Krannert Center,10:00am—1:00pm

1/24UFL Reads Memoirs—Three Cups ofTea, 2–3pm, The MacFarlane-HoodReading Room (First Floor)

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1/25—WRFU / Public i FUNdraiser,Clark Bar, 6-9pm, $2 at door,donations accepted

1/26CAS Initiative—Interpreting Techno-science: Explorations in Identity,Culture and Democracy—Designingfor Democracy in the AmericanCounterculture, Spurlock Museum,Knight Auditorium, 4pm

Dealing with Embarrassing Ancestors:Modern Ibadi Muslim Writings onKharijism, Center for South Asian andMiddle Eastern Studies, Lucy EllisLounge (room 1080), Foreign Lan-guage Building, 12:00 pm—1:00 pm

1/27“The Politics of Road Mapping inSouth Africa,” 101 InternationalStudies Bldg, 910 S. Fifth St,Champaign, 12:00pm–1:00pm

Champaign-Urbana Potters Club, Firstmeeting of the winter/springsession, Champaign Library, Room215, 7:00p.m.

CAS/MillerComm Lecture: Why isEurope, not China or India, theSecond Superpower of the 21stCentury?, University of Illinois,Knight Auditorium, SpurlockMuseum, 4pm

1/28Japan Workshop, Twisting Terms: AnEtymological Approach to Women’sGender and Sexual Expressions in1970s-1980s Japan, Freeman FellowsBuilding, 912 S. Fifth St., 4:00 pm

European Movie Night: The LastHomecoming, 1080 Foreign Lan-guages Building (FLB), Lucy EllisLounge, 5:15 pm

Lecture Series: Climate Change andDeforestation in the Amazonia,Center for Latin American andCarribean Studies, 101 InternationalStudies Building, 12:00 pm

Outreach to Latina/o Communities,Ricardo Díaz, University Extension,La Casa 12-1pm

Voices Rise for theDREAM Act

Celeste LarkinPage 1

Organizing theUnemployed

Ricky BaldwinPage 2

Reitz’s Finding in theKiwane ShootingKerry Pimblott

Page 3

UI Changes toTrustee Selection

Stephen KaufmanPage 5

Community Calendar

The shell that killed Kiwane

January 2010V10, #1

This December, Ira McDougall (a real person with a differentname) triumphantly graduated from the University of Illinoiswith a Bachelor of the Arts in Political Science. The seeminglynormal feat is even more significant because Ira is an undocu-mented student and theobstacles to completing adegree are but further tests tothe high character that ayoung person must display.Yet foreign students are stilldenied a path to citizenship.The laws must change.

Immigration reform is notmerely a political issue to Ira.It is a daily battle for socialacceptance and the gainingof nine, highly sought aftersocial security digits. Evenwith a university degree, Iracannot yet plan on getting adriver’s license, registering tovote, or finding employment; these are privileges that he, atpresent, cannot enjoy. Nationwide, child immigrants of anylegal status are required to attend school up to the legal agein the state of their residence; in Illinois, the student maycontinue through college albeit with systemic handicapsbecause these near native residents do not have a socialsecurity number. Like other undocumented immigrants ofany age or origin, they are not eligible for financial aid, per-mitted to drive, or even to get on a plane. Gaining a collegedegree is thus fraught with numerous obstacles.

Constant fear not only changes Ira’s long-term goals ofemployment, voting, or applying to graduate schools, butalso deeply affects his everyday reality. Even a simple drive tothe grocery store is anxiety-ridden, and Ira is, “extra cautiousso that I do not get pulled over, even arrested, for the reasonthat I do not have a driver’s license.” But Ira is not alone.

Every year, 65,000 hardworking, law-abiding, yet undoc-umented students graduate from high school only to confrontthe trials of life without the rights of citizenship essential tonormalcy and opportunity. Having grown up in the USA butwithout legal status, the desire of these young people to con-tribute to their own society is nullified. There are many that

believe this situation must bechanged, legally.

On Wednesday, December9th, 2009, members of the Uni-versity of Illinois’ I DreamCoalition, (includingM.E.Ch.A, UNFAS and LaColectiva), hosted a compre-hensive immigration reformrally in the U of I’s FoellingerAuditorium. The rally calledtogether hundreds of theUrbana-Champaign communi-ty, students, faculty and staff aswell as fellow student organiz-ers from other Illinois universi-ties such as ISU. The groups

focused on support for the D.R.E.A.M. Act, a bi-partisan pieceof legislation that would provide undocumented students aviable pathway to legal residency through higher education. Itwould permit undocumented people to get a high schooldegree in the US, keep a clean record, attend a minimum oftwo years of college, and then get in line for citizenship. Thebill needs two more U.S. senators for passage.

The frigid weather and the fierce winds fanned theenthusiasm of individuals of our Illinois community asthey came together to learn about and demand immigra-

tion reform. Indeed, Ira’s voice was especially loud and hisDREAM ever closer. When asked about his own motiva-tion, Ira said, “my parents came to this country for myfuture. The reality is that I do not have any other options.Education is the only way that I can even remotelyimprove my chances of adjusting my status.”

El pasado diciembre, Ira McDougall se graduó de la Uni-versidad de Illinois con el triunfo de una licenciatura en laciencia política. Es un triunfo porque Ira es un estudianteindocumentado.

La reforma inmigratoria no es simplemente un temapolítico para Ira; es una batalla diaria po una aceptaciónsistemática y social por medio de nueve, muy exigidosnúmeros de seguro social. Ira no ve las posibilidades detener una licencia de conducir, registrarse para votar, oencontrar trabajo sin darse cuenta de que estos son privile-gios que él, en este momento, no puede disfrutar.

La constante ansiedad no solamente cambia las metasde su vida, sino también su realidad cotidiana. Aún una

salida a la tienda está llena de preocupación para Ira, quiendice que tiene "mucho cuidado para no ser parado, aúndetenido, por no tener licencia de conducir."

El miércoles, 9 de diciembre, 2009, en el FoellingerAuditorium de la Universidad de Illinois, los miembros dela Coalición IDream, incluyendo los de M.E.Ch.A., UNFASy La Colectiva, se juntaron con la comunidad para exigiruna reforma integral del sistema de inmigración. La con-gregación incluyó estudiantes, facultad, y empleados de laU of I, miembros de la comunidad de Urbana-Champaign,y estudiantes compañeros de otras universidades de Illi-nois, como es ISU.

A pesar de que el tiempo afuera hacía mucho frío conviento feroz, nos juntamos para aprender y exigir la refor-mación necesaria del roto sistema de inmigración. Efecti-vamente, Ira, un líder en el grupo estudiantil La Colectiva,alzó su voz con el resto de los congregados. Específica-mente, el evento se enfocó en apoyar la propuestaD.R.E.A.M. Act, legislación bipartisana que proveería a losestudiantes indocumentados un camino hacia la ciu-dadanía al cumplir una educación universitaria.

Cada año, 65,000 estudiantes trabajadores se gradúandel colegio, (high school) topándose con el dilema deintentar vivir normalmente sin los nueve números esen-ciales, números que les reconocerían como miembros de lasociedad que son. Sin este estatus legal, estos estudiantespierden su oportunidad de contribuir a sus comunidades ysentirse parte de su propio país.

La noche del miércoles 9 de diciembre, nuestra comu-nidad alzó su voz, exigiendo merecidos derechos de nue-stros compañeros, vecinos y amigos. Estudiantes como Irainspiraron los gritos de manifestación. Cuando le pregunta-mos de su propia motivación, Ira dijo, "mis padres vinierona este país para mi futuro. La realidad es que no tengo otraopción. La educación es la única manera para cambiar misituación aún remotamente, para ajustar mi estatus."

A pesar del tiempo frígido, nuestras voces juntas, calen-taron el debate sobre la necesaria reforma de nuestro sis-tema roto de inmigración. En este momento histórico ydecisivo, nuestra comunidad mostró que no solamentesoñamos, sino también actuamos. ¡Sí se puede!

Still a DreamBy Celeste Larkin and Ricardo Diaz

Todavía un SueñoPor Celeste Larkin, y Ricardo Diaz

DREAM Act (S. 1545, H.R. 1751)

The DREAM Act has four basic requirements which are:

• You entered the country before the age of 16;• You graduate high school or obtain a GED; • You have good moral character (no criminal

record); and• You have at least five years of continuous pres-

ence in the US.

If you meet the above criteria, once the DREAM Actpasses, you will then have six years within which toobtain a two-year college degree or complete two-years of military service. Upon doing all of this youwill gain the chance to adjust your conditional per-manent residency to U.S. citizenship.

Find contact info for any Representative or Senatorat the following site: www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/index.htm

The New York Times has reported on 4 top studentswalking from South Florida to Washington D.C. (1,500miles) in order to raise support for the DREAM Act,the legislation that would include a path to citizen-ship for eligible illegal immigrants. Learn more at:trailofdreams.net.

Celeste Larkin is a junior at Universityof Illinois pursuing a degree in Spanish.She is a member of the student group LaColectiva which works for immigrationreform and awareness at U of I andnationwide.

Ricardo Diaz is an independent researchconsultant for Latino communities inthe U.S. He hosts a show on immigra-tion issues Thursdays from 3 to 4 PM onWRFU 104.5.

Members of La Colectiva at the Foellingeer Hall rally

2 • the Public i January 2010www.ucimc.org / www.publici.ucimc.org

Juvenile Justice in Champaign County—A Racial DisparityBy Durl Kruse

The nature of the daily interactionbetween local police and minority youthhas become a topic of great discussion inour community. The recent police shoot-ing of Kiwane Carrington and the charg-ing of the other 15 year-old involved havehighlighted the tensions and distrust thatmany in the black community have oflocal policing practices. The handling ofthe incident by the State’s Attorney’s officehas also raised the related question ofwhether the criminal justice system itselfcan be fair and impartial to minorityyouth. In short, people are asking, “isthere a racial disparity in policing prac-tices and the dispensing of juvenile justicein Champaign County?”

To partially address that question,Champaign Citizens for Peace and Justice(CUCPJ) requested through the Freedom ofInformation Act documents from the State’sAttorney’s Office detailing all juvenile casesfiled in Champaign County since January2008. Before examining this information, acouple of demographic facts must be estab-lished. According to 2008 U.S. Census fig-ures, Champaign County’s juvenile popula-tion (persons under 18) was 38,533.Approximately 30,000 or 78% were white,4400 or 11.5% were black, and 4000 or10% were Asian and other. This back-ground serves as a critical lens when review-ing the number of charges and types ofjuvenile cases filed in Champaign County.

There were a total of 525 juvenile casesfiled between January 2008 and October2009, a 22 month period of time. That’sone case for every 73 young people inChampaign County. But when brokendown by race, 384 or 73% involvedblacks, 106 or 20% involved whites, and35 or 7% involved “others.” When viewedin relationship to each race’s proportionof the population, the disparity is glaring.During this period 3.5 of every 1000white youth faced a criminal charge inChampaign County while 86.7 of every1000 black youth did. Black youth are24.8 times more likely to be involvedwith the police and charged with a crimi-nal act than white youth.

Is the behavior of black youth 24.8 timesmore criminal than white youth? Whileeveryone recognizes the serious education-al, social and economic problems faced byblack youth, do these alone explain thishuge discrepancy? Or, could black youth beexperiencing a different type of interactionwith police, a situation where police may beprofiling black youth or exercising moreaggressive policing practices than towardwhite youth? Is there an unwritten zero-tol-erance directive by the police department ineffect in the black community?

An example of this practice might beseen when looking at “resisting arrestand/or obstructing justice” charges filed bythe State’s Attorney. There were 24 cases in

all, 22 or 92% of them involved blackyouth and no white youth were identifiedwith any case. Does it seem reasonable thatonly black youth resist arrest or obstructjustice? How is this discrepancy to beexplained, other than by acknowledgingthat race is an unspoken factor in policeinteractions?

Once young people enter the juvenilejustice system, how are their cases general-ly disposed? Reviewing conviction ratesprovides a helpful insight.

Again, during these twenty-two months(1/08–10/09), of 525 juvenile cases filed 344had been “disposed,” i.e., a decision ren-dered. There were 95 misdemeanor and 60felony convictions. The remaining 189 caseswere either plea bargained or simply dis-missed. Broken down further by race, 48.8%or 120 of the disposed black cases ended in afelony or misdemeanor conviction, while36.6% or 26 of the disposed white casesended with such a conviction. In otherwords, the conviction rate was 12.2 percent-age points higher for black youth than whiteyouth. One would assume in a fair andimpartial justice system these convictionrates would be very similar. But they are not!So, what accounts for black youth receiving asignificantly higher percentage of convictionsthan white youth? If not race, what?

Even this cursory review of recent juve-nile statistics highlights serious and hugedisparities between black and white youth inChampaign County. Clearly, more compre-hensive and detailed information is neededon this subject. However, these limited sta-tistics do provide a glimpse of a major localproblem, a situation where black and whiteyouth have qualitatively different interac-tions and experiences with the police andjuvenile criminal justice system. Until thecommunity admits and addresses these dif-ferences, these inequities in juvenile justicefor minority youth will persist.

Organizing the UnemployedBy Ricky Baldwin

A disheveled man stands in a local postoffice asking for spare change. Anotherman hands him a dollar and strikes up aconversation, fishers-of-men style. Thesecond man describes a local effortamong unemployed and underemployedworkers to get together and work for

their own agenda on their own terms: jobs and job cre-ation programs, equitable hiring priorities for economicdevelopment and ‘stimulus’ projects, extended unemploy-ment benefits, dignity and self-determination.

The Unemployed and Anxiously Employed WorkersAlliance, (UAEWA), a project of the Central Illinois Jobswith Justice and the AFL-CIO’s Working America program,also has a hotline (469-6111) where Sandra, a retired pub-lic aid worker, helps callers connect to local services of var-ious sorts, offers help filling out claim forms, refers callersto knowledgeable advocates within a network of contacts,and—perhaps most importantly—helps identify potentialactivists and organizers to build the local movement of theunemployed and underemployed.

A local union laborer who has seen 90 percent of hisusual work evaporate, a former school bus driver, a mem-ber of the Safe Haven homeless community, and others arepitching in to build this movement in Champaign County.

This project follows a pattern that is emerging in citiesaround the country, from Maine to the Carolinas, to Texasand California. In Indiana, Tom Lewandowski, a laid-offunion electrician, has been organizing unemployed and‘precariously employed’ workers for a year this January.The grassroots group pickets unemployment offices,protests at the state capitol, and holds meetings of unem-ployed workers to make their own decisions.

The UAEWA describes itself as a kind of broad-basedunion, negotiating with local development boards for job cre-

ation programs, picketing for extended benefits, and pressur-ing public officials to change spending priorities. In April theUAEWA won a showdown with Indiana Republicans over anunemployment benefits bill, defeating draconian cuts.

SANTA CLAUS VERSUS U-6“A record 20 million-plus people collected unemploymentbenefits at some point in 2009,” according to a New Year’sEve story from AP/ABC News. Half the states have alreadyrun through the trust funds out of which they pay unem-ployment benefits and are projected to borrow $90 billionfrom the feds by 2012. There are now approximately sixworkers looking for each available job in the US.

Yet so many categories of people have been excludedfrom these official estimates under successive WhiteHouse Administrations, each erasing a new chunk of job-less Americans from the official picture, that many econo-mists say the ‘real’ unemployment rate is at least twice theofficial rate—and it reached a 68-year high in 2009,according to Dollars & Sense magazine.

Higher rates are more in line with the observant citi-zen’s estimations. When Detroit’s official unemploymentrate hit 27% in October, Mayor David Bing scoffed thatthe number was as believable as Santa Claus. Rightly so, asit turns out: the Detroit News reported Dec. 16 that a Uni-versity of Michigan economist finds that as many as half ofDetroit workforce may now be jobless.

The lower “U-3 rate of unemployment usually cited inthe media does not count workers who have given uplooking for work, or who have been unable for reasons ofhealth, family, transportation, or other factors, to activelylook for a job in the last four weeks; who have been forcedto accept reduced hours; who have gone back to school inan effort to replace lost jobs; "independent contractors" or

Continued on page 5

Who Is ‘Unemployed?’For most people, it’s not that hard to define ‘unem-ployed.’ Most dictionaries do a pretty decent job, forexample: adj. 1. Not employed; without work. Butpoliticians and economists with an agenda work a bitharder at it. Successive White House Administrationsfrom Kennedy through Bush II have each in turn fig-ured out ways to artificially lower the official unem-ployment rate by deciding not to count more workersthan their predecessors. The US Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics currently maintains fully six measures of‘unemployment’—but the media only report one.

U-1: percentage of labor force officially unemployedfor 15 weeks or longer;

U-2: percentage of labor force who were fired or invol-untarily laid off, or completed temporary work;

U-3: official unemployment rate, the percentage whoare unemployed and actively seeking work;

U-4: includes U-3 plus officially "discouraged" work-ers, who have given up and don’t believe theycan find work;

U-5: includes U-4 plus workers who have given up forvarious reasons: health, transportation, etc.;

U-6: includes U-5 plus workers involuntarily workingpart-time.

Some economists believe even the U-6 rate serious-ly undercounts the jobless rate, as it leaves out, forexample, "independent contractors" (often employeeswho are caught in a kind of shell game by employerswho are trying to avoid paying the Social Securitytax) who are unable to find work.

January 2010 the Public i • 3www.ucimc.org / www.publici.ucimc.org

State’s Attorney Files No Charges Against CPDBy Kerry Pimblott

On December 8th, 2009, Champaign County State’s Attor-ney Julia Reitz released her report on the death of KiwaneCarrington, a 15 year-old African-American, at the handsof Champaign police officers. Almost two months after theshooting, Reitz determined that while tragic, Kiwane’sdeath was accidental and that none of the evidence recov-ered by the Illinois State Police’s investigation supportedthe filing of criminal charges. However, for some thereport leaves more questions than it answers.

Central to the State’s Attorney’s case is her contentionthat officers acted within the law in approaching reports ofa forcible felony in progress with their weapons drawn,and that when Officer Daniel Norbits did shoot it was acci-dental and without intent. In order to bring the charge ofFirst Degree Murder against Officer Norbits, Illinois crimi-nal law requires that the prosecution prove that Norbitsfired his gun with the intent to do great bodily harm or tocause death (720 ILCS 5/9-1). Since all of the available evi-dence indicates that Officer Norbits fired his weapon acci-dentally, the State’s Attorney concludes that the charge ofFirst Degree Murder is “unsupportable.”

The State’s Attorney also assessed whether the lessercharge of Involuntary Manslaughter should be filed. To bringthe charge of Involuntary Manslaughter, Illinois criminal lawrequires that the prosecution prove that Officer Norbits per-formed the acts that caused Kiwane’s death recklessly (720ILCS 5/9-3), where recklessness is defined as the consciousdisregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that is a grossdeviation from the standard of care which a reasonable per-son would exercise in the situation (720 ILCS 5/4-6).

After looking at the available evidence, the State’sAttorney concluded that the charge of InvoluntaryManslaughter could not be supported for two reasons.Firstly, she contends that the officers did not act reckless-ly in their approach to the scene or by engaging in a phys-ical struggle with their weapons drawn. According toRietz, several factors justified this type of approachincluding the fact that officers were approaching reportsof a forcible felony in progress, their fears of an unknownthird party at the scene, their lack of knowledge aboutwhether the subjects were armed, and the subjects’ lack ofcooperation. In this context, Rietz finds the officers’actions to be reasonable, not reckless. Secondly, the State’sAttorney hones in on the legal definition of recklessnesscontending that there is no evidence that Officer Norbitsmade a conscious decision to disregard a substantial andunjustifiable risk in this case. Since there is no evidence tosupport the claim that Officer Norbits consciously pulledthe trigger, Rietz contends there is no support for thecharge that he consciously disregarded a substantial andunjustifiable risk and that any reasonable person wouldhave acted in a similar fashion.

After months of vocal protest, the quiet after the reportdropped is telling. That quiet has less to do with the per-suasiveness of the State’s Attorney’s findings than with thesense of futility that inevitably overwhelms those that seekjustice in police-related homicides, especially those perpe-trated in black communities across this country. While theodds seem enormous, it is vital that concerned communi-ty members read the report again and lend a critical eye toits findings. Such an examination reveals several problemsthat require further investigation.

Most critically, the State’s Attorney’s findings are basedentirely on evidence procured by a Multi-JurisdictionalInvestigative Team that was incapable of performing an inde-pendent investigation into Kiwane’s death. The investigativeteam was composed of Rantoul, Champaign County, Univer-sity of Illinois, City of Urbana, and State Police officers whowork very closely with the Champaign Police Department.These officers often graduated from the same school, workedon the same criminal cases, served on the same SWAT teams,attended the same training seminars, responded to the samedispatch calls for back-up, and have opportunities to social-ize after hours. These well-established connections hinderedthe ability of the Multi-Jurisdictional Investigative Team toperform an independent investigation and raise importantquestions about the credibility of the evidence upon whichthe State’s Attorney based her findings.

The credibility of the evidence is further challenged bythe fact that high-ranking officers from the State Police andChampaign Police Department agreed to permit the leadpolice witness in the case, Officer Norbits, a four-dayextension before giving his statement to investigators onOctober 13th. According to Deputy Chief Troy Daniels, hegranted the extension after hearing of Officer Norbits’“memory issues.” Sergeant Mike Atkinson of the StatePolice agreed with Deputy Chief Daniels’ argument thatsleep would be beneficial and permitted the extension.Whether or not this delay impacted Officer Norbits’ testi-mony, the fact that police granted the extension brings anair of contamination to the findings of the investigation.

Even if we accept the evidence procured by the investiga-tion, the State’s Attorney’s logic on the InvoluntaryManslaughter charge in particular, remains dubious. Whilethe investigation produced no evidence that Officer Norbitsconsciously pulled the trigger, this does not mean that hisactions fail to satisfy the legal definition of recklessness as theconscious disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk thatis a gross deviation from the standard of care which a reason-able person would exercise in the same situation (720 ILCS5/4-6). In fact, several factors support the charge of reckless-ness or at least muddy the waters enough to warrant the casebeing put to a jury trial.

Most obviously, guns do not just discharge withouthuman intervention. It is well understood in the law-enforcement community that the Glock 45 which OfficerNorbits uses is particularlyprone to accidental dis-charge. The weapon has noexternal safety and requiresonly 5.5 pounds of triggerpressure to discharge asopposed to 9-14 pounds forequivalent pistols. In addi-tion, the trigger mechanismsalso have a shorter distanceto travel than equivalent pis-tols. These specifications ledthe FBI to predict that theGlock would “inevitably…lead to an unintentionalshot at the worst moment,”and by 1999 the pistol hadproduced over 120 acciden-tal discharges by the Wash-ington D.C. Police Depart-ment alone.

For these reasons, officersare given special training on handling firearms. Officer Nor-bits had received extensive firearms training prior to theshooting of Kiwane and would have been well versed onappropriate methods of holding and holstering the weapon in

a variety of circumstances. In his interview with investigators,Officer Norbits admits that “we’re trained to keep our fingersindexed,” meaning to keep the index finger along the barrelof the gun and not on the trigger itself. Yet, despite this train-ing, Officer Norbits proceeded to take the unjustifiable risk of

engaging in a physical strugglewith his gun not only un-hol-stered but with his fingerinside the trigger guard dan-gerously close to the trigger.This kind of behavior not onlyrecklessly endangered the lifeof Kiwane Carrington, but alsothat of Kiwane’s best friend andChief Finney who were withinjust a few feet of Officer Nor-bits during the struggle.

A lot more could be saidabout the report and its manyfailings, particularly the State’sAttorney’s interest in discredit-ing Kiwane, his best-friend,and several of the civilian wit-nesses. What matters mostisn’t the personal histories ofthe individuals involved butwhat really happened on

October 9th and whether the death of an unarmed African-American teenager was a product of deliberate or recklessbehavior. On that most important of questions, we don’t evenhave the luxury of saying that the jury is still out.

Officer Daniel Norbits, the officer who shot Carrington

Chief R.T. Finney in a Chief Illinewek shirt, Oct. 9

LYNCHING THEN, LYNCHING NOW

Champaign-Urbana stop on the Campaign to End theDeath Penalty's national speaking tour

Wed. Feb. 24, 7 PMUniversity of IllinoisGregory Hall R. 307810 S. Wright St. (on southwest corner of quad)

Champaign-Urbana has found itself at the centerof a fight to tackle racism in the criminal justice sys-tem in the wake of the murder of Kiwane Carrington,an unarmed 15-year-old African-American youth, atthe hands of Champaign police. Join a panel of exon-erated prisoners and activists as we discuss the linksbetween the historical practice of lynching, racism,and the criminal justice today.

Speakers include:• Mark Clements, sentenced to life without parole

at age 16 based on a confession tortured out ofhim by Chicago police, released last year

• Marvin Reeves, exonerated Illinois prisoner• Marlene Martin, National Director of the Cam-

paign to End the Death Penalty• Brian Dolinar, Champaign-Urbana Citizens for

Peace and Justice

Presenting the CEDP's National Speaking Tour for2009—2010. Join this teach-in tour in cities aroundthe country this fall and spring. Learn about theexperiences of those who have been freed from deathrow, activists and scholars on the role of racism in ourcriminal justice system, and why the death penaltyand unjust sentencing need to be abolished.

The local tour stop is sponsored by the Interna-tional Socialist Organization and Champaign-UrbanaCitizens for Peace and Justice

For more information contactiso.champaign@gmail.com or call 415-713-6260

Kerry Pimblott is a graduate student inAfrican-American History at the Uni-versity of Illinois and a member of theGraduate Employees' Organization,Local 6300 (AFT/IFT-AFL-CIO).

4 • the Public i January 2010www.ucimc.org / www.publici.ucimc.org

Edgar Heap of Birds Speaks at Closing of “Beyondthe Chief” ExhibitBy Brian Dolinar

On December 4, 2009, Cheyenne-Ara-paho artist Edgar Heap of Birds gave atalk at the YMCA on the University ofIllinois campus for the closing of his“Beyond the Chief” art exhibit. Hespoke publicly for the first time aboutthe State’s Attorney’s failure to fully

prosecute a former student who was caught stealing twoof his art works.

The “Beyond the Chief” exhibit opened in early 2009and consisted of twelve panels that were installed alongNevada Street on campus. Several of the metal sign panelswere bent in separate incidents. In April, two of them werestolen. Of the dozen panels, a total of seven were vandal-ized. These incidents were clearly part of a reaction to theUniversity’s retirement of its racist mascot in February 2007.

Heap of Birds showed a video about a recent exhibit ofhis at the Denver Art Museum, an outdoor sculpture of ten50-foot red tree forms placed in a circle that was inspiredby the Big Horn medicine wheel. He also shared pho-tographs and spoke about his visits to the Palenque tombsin Chiapas, Mexico.

Finally, Heap of Birds talked about his “Beyond theChief” exhibit. He said he had spelled the words “TheFighting Illini” backwards, “to turn the University around,to turn the students around, to turn Illinois around.” Thepanels read “Today Your Host is…” and list the names ofthe tribes from Illinois such as the Ho Chunk, Odawa,Peoria, and Kickapoo. Heap of Birds’ panels are a reminderthat this land was never truly ‘granted’ to this land grantuniversity, but was taken from the native peoples.

Speaking of the controversy surrounding the exhibit,Heap of Birds said this was the first time his art has beenvandalized. He mentioned his surprise at seeing his art onCrime Stoppers. A previous student in Fine and AppliedArts, Mark Nepermann, was found to be the thief whostole the art works. Appraisals of $10,000 per panel weresent to State’s Attorney Julia Rietz, but she valued them atless than $300 and Nepermann was only charged with amisdemeanor. This was a ‘ridiculous price,’ said Heap ofBirds, “as if you could take a Rembrandt and value it bythe cost of the brushes.” The State’s Attorney, he said, “didnot honor the appraisal.’

As punishment, Nepermann was made to do 100hours of public service. Additionally, he wrote a letter of

apology that was published in the News-Gazette. Asked ifhe had ever received a personal apology, Heap of Birdssaid he had never been contacted by Nepermann, “butshould have been.”

Heap of Birds saw the attacks on his art works as areaction to the University’s retirement of its racist mas-cot. The panels along Nevada Street had become a “focalpoint of anger,” he said. Yet he also viewed his art as achallenge to the foundations of this country, “Somethingis ‘threatening’ in America when Native American peopledefine themselves.”

It was also announced that the University of Illinois iscurrently in negotiations with Heap of Birds to purchasethe “Beyond the Chief” exhibit.

www.denverartmuseum.org/collections/objectDetails/objectId--107955

“As a revolutionary I will be today, tomorrow, and for-ever in the first ranks of my people, all the while know-ing that I may lose my life.”

—Walter Trochez

Those who are not willing to stay silent in the face ofoppression are painfully aware of the dangers they face.Harvey Milk knew this when he was murdered in 1978 andWalter Trochez knew this at the time of his assassination onthe evening of December 13, 2009. In both cases, thesemen were killed for holding their society accountable in amost basic and democratic way—by speaking out.

While individuals have been fighting and dying forequal rights in Honduras for years, the months since thecoup on June 28, 2009 have seen a frightening spike inbloodshed. Walter Trochez, a 25 year old LGBTI (LesbianGay Bisexual Transgender Intersex) activist who hadjoined forces with other groups to speak out against thecoup, became one of its many victims. In his writing,Trochez worked to highlight the sources of support for thecoup and the impact of its success on stifling the rights ofall Hondurans. In one of his final articles, Trochez blasteda series of powerful individuals and institutions for theirsupport or involvement in the coup:

LGBTI organizations, networks and movements inresistance, “condemn the political-military coup againstthe Honduran State financed by the Latin American andU.S. ultra-right wing business sector, promoted by thenational mainstream media, covered up by the mercantilistOmbudsman of the Honduras Commission of HumanRights (CONADEH) Ramón Custodio, and with the bless-ing of the Catholic and Evangelical churches through theirtop representatives… [and] the current President of theNational Anti-Corruption Council.”

Trochez’s work was not limited to critique. He was alsoengaged directly in helping get people to take to the streetswhen that served the needs of the resistance. Interestingly,

sometimes they worked to keep people at home too, aswas the case when Trochez and other members of theNational Resistance Front Against the Coup organized aboycott of the recent elections. They argued that the elec-tion was illegitimate at the outset because it was forced bythe coup regime. This same regime refused to put in placemeasures to assure transparency. Furthermore, they chosenot to count the votes of the million and a half Honduranswho cast absentee ballots from the United States. Follow-ing the elections, Trochez wrote a triumphant article inwhich he lauded the success of the boycott, reporting anabsenteeism rate of 70 percent. He called upon the popu-lace to build on that success and, “kick those frauds out ofthe electoral masquerade they imposed this past SundayNovember 29 in order to whitewash the coup d’état.”

Though the rewards for the efforts of Trochez and allthose like him are manifest in the continued support forresistance and human rights, he is no longer here to reapthem. This is an all too common story. Before being assas-sinated himself, Trochez reported on at least 16 others.Only a week after his death, another activist was mur-dered, and the killings continue. Human rights advocateshave reported that, “up to 18 gay and transgender menhave been killed nationwide—as many as the five prioryears—in the nearly six months since a political crisisrocked the nation” (From Joseph Shansky on counter-punch.org). It seems clear that these murders were moti-vated by the hatred these individuals faced for daring tolive their lives with the integrity of being truthful to theirsexual identities. However, they were also persecutedbecause of their resistance to the current regime. This is areality not lost on the LGBTI communities in Honduras.As activist Gabriel Mass noted, “the overwhelming majori-ty of the Honduran queer community is opposed to theregime installed by the coup… because ‘it is understoodthat we have lost all our protections, including the mostbasic right—the right to life.’”

All of these murders are tragic examples of attempts tostifle freedom and repress resistance, whether that resis-tance is in response to political regimes or social inequali-ties. This is a fight, not just for LGBTI, not just for Hon-durans, but for all people committed to the ideals andpractice of human rights and democracy in the real world.It is unfortunate that the response from the United States,a country that prides itself on these very issues, has doneso little to address the ongoing injustices. In fact, as Shan-sky points out in his article about the murder, Now thatthe world heard from mainstream news outlets such as theNew York Times of a “clean and fair” election," and “withthe international community given the green light by theUS that democratic order has returned via elections, it’sopen season for violent forces in Honduras working to tearapart the political unity of the Resistance Front against thecoup.”

Honduras: The Fight ContinuesBy Marya Burke

Edgar Heap of Birds addressing the audience

Walter Trochez

SPEAK CAFE (OPENMIC/POETRY SET)

Feb. 11, 2009, 7-9 p.mKrannert Art Museum, 500 E. Peabody, Champaign

January 2010 the Public i • 5www.ucimc.org / www.publici.ucimc.org

Representative Naomi Jakobsson has introduced a bill(HB4688) in the 96tth General Assembly that would fun-damentally change the way trustees are selected at theUniversity of Illinois.

This legislation has two main elements:The first is the establishment of a Trustees Selection

Task Force (TRUST Force) to review nominations andmake recommendations to the governor. Membership onthe TRUST Force would include the chairs of the threecampus senates, three acknowledged leaders in educationfrom outside the University of Illinois and four additionalpersons with impeccable integrity. The credentials of allmembers of the TRUST Force would be made public.

The second is the inclusion of three faculty memberson the U of I Board of Trustees, one from each campus.

The proposal for these changes originated with theCampus Faculty Association at the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign and was first published as a Commen-tary in The News-Gazette, July 26, 2009. It has sincegained the support of the Urbana-Champaign Senate andthe Champaign County AFL-CIO. Some considerationsunderlying the proposal are included below.

Over the past sixteen years, we have seen two modelsfor the appointment of trustees in Illinois: an elected Boardand a Board appointed by the governor. Neither of thesemodels is without flaw and neither seems optimal for pro-moting the best interests of the university.

The majority of public university boards were designedat a time when states provided most of their operating rev-enues and support from other sources was minor. Overtime, state funding has decreased to the point where thedesignation "public university" is at risk. In Illinois, thestate currently provides approximately 18% of the univer-sity’s operating budget, tuition accounts for 15% and fac-ulty grants provide 26%. Future governance of the univer-

sity, as embodied in its trustees, should reflect this changein the institution’s economics and the breadth of oversightneeded.

While the governors of 47 states appoint all or a por-tion of trustees at their respective institutions, many statesnow include a screening committee to provide vetting andadvice to the governors. Illinois lacks such a body. Theproposed Trustees Selection Task Force (TRUST Force)would fill that void. In receiving and making independentrecommendations, the TRUST Force would identify indi-viduals with proven leadership skills, commitment to theinstitution, knowledge of the complex problems of highereducation, unquestionable integrity, a sincere desire toserve the university and people of Illinois, and the time todo so.

A Special Report in the Chronicle of Higher Education(“Chronicle Survey: What Trustees Think,” vol. 53, no. 36,May 11, 2007) clearly shows that many public universityboard members are unprepared for the position and lackknowledge of the complexities of higher education neces-sary for effective service. Inclusion of faculty representa-tives from each campus will help to address this problem.Higher education is faced with complex problems andwonderful opportunities, and faculty are arguably the con-stituency most familiar with both. As the U of I goes for-ward, it would be a shame, if not foolish, to neglect toinclude that expertise in the governance of the institution.

Faculty representation on the board could also help toavoid repetition of the types of problems faced in yearspast. For example:

1. Long term failure of former Boards to request andobtain appropriate resources from the State, even intimes of economic prosperity

2. Failure of former Boards to educate legislatorsand citizens on the merits and activities of the Uof I so that they would champion resources forthe university

3. Interference with staff appointments and ‘question-able’ awarding of contracts

4. The 'Clouted Admissions' scandal5. Politicization of the Board including “Pay to Play”.

Past trustees contributed more than $585,000 toformer Governor Rod Blagojevich

6. Transfer of university property to the U of I Founda-tion and subsequent sale to donors at below marketvalue

7. Contracts that violate U of I policies and principles.For example, contracts with Triple Canopy, Black-water, and the Academy on Capitalism and LimitedGovernment

8. Silencing dissent and promoting an atmosphere offear and intimidation

9. Golden parachutes to 'team players'10. Increases in tuition while approving appropriation

of tens of millions of dollars to the Research Park11. Imposition of ‘Economic Development’ as a fourth

mission of the university at the expense of the uni-versity fulfilling its traditional three missions—teaching, research and service

The rationale for change embodied in HB4688 is per-haps best stated in University of Illinois President StanleyIkenberry’s thoughtful essay entitled, “Uncertain andUnplanned: The Future of Public Higher Education,” Poli-cy Forum, vol. 17, 2005. Ikenberry wrote,

Public college and university governing boards need toreflect the diversification in ‘publics’ to which they mustnow be accountable and responsible. A fresh vision ofpublic university governing structures, consistent withpublic interest, consistent with the emergence of newstakeholders, and reflective of a clarified ‘state-public uni-versity partnership’ or ‘social contract’ needs to be crafted.

The changes embedded in HB4688 represent a majorconstructive step toward effective governance of the uni-versity in the 21st century.

The text of this legislation can be found at: www. i lga .gov/ leg i s la t ion/b i l l s ta tus .asp?Doc-

Num=4688&GAID=10&GA=96&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=48928&SessionID=76

Please contact Representative Naomi Jakobsson(Naomi@naomijakobsson.com or 217-373-5000) to lether know you support this legislation and volunteer tohelp her bring it to a successful vote in Springfield.

Changing the Way U of I Trustees are Selected By Stephen Kaufman

Stephen Kaufman is an Emeritus Profes-sor and a member of the UIUC CampusFaculty Association

Organizing the UnemployedContinued from page 2

‘self-employed’ who may have seen former employee sta-tus convert to 1099 contracts; and so on.

A much more comprehensive but less publicized gov-ernment statistic is the ‘U-6’ rate, which some economistssay still undercounts the jobless. In October, the nationalU-6 rate officially hit 17.5% but it is much higher for somegroups, such as teenagers (over 32%), US-born Latinoswith a high school diploma but no college (over 35%), andblack youth (over 40%). Yet these same groups may alsobe particularly underserved by federal aid programs,including recent economic ‘stimulus’ programs.

RESCUING OURSELVESPublic economic assistance ought to focus mostly tothose with the most need. This has been a centraldemand of grassroots efforts around the country, includ-ing rallies here in Central Illinois. However the reverseseems to be happening. Government money has dispro-portionately gone to Wall Street and big banks, and even‘Main Street’ bailout funds have not made it to those whoneed it most.

As a CBS/AP story reported this July 8, a House over-sight committee found that many of the neediest areas ofthe country were not receiving Recovery Act funds.According to a recent Hart Research Group study, less thana third of Latino Americans have seen any benefit.

Chicago Public Radio found recently that less than 10%of stimulus funds spent by the state Department of Trans-portation went to minority-owned businesses. And locallythe News-Gazette reported August 16 that the counties inCentral Illinois with the highest unemployment were get-ting less recovery money, and the three counties with thelowest unemployment got the most stimulus money.

“Cash for clunkers” and the various federal tax breaksmeant to facilitate car, home, appliance, and other pur-chases are out of reach for the poorest Americans. Thenow-famous ‘shovel ready’ projects created work primarilyfor those who already had jobs—who were certainly indanger of reduced income—but those with the greatestneed benefitted little or none.

Close on the heels of the dramatic failures of the dereg-ulated marketplace, many workers—currently employedor not—are now learning that relying on the goodwill offederal, state and local governments may be every bit thelosing proposition that marketplace faith proved. This wasthe principal theme of a “People’s Thanksgiving” gatheringof local activists, advocates and aid recipients in November2008, a potluck meal and discussion format that hasbecome a monthly event here. As union leader Gene Van-derport put it, “We as a community have to come togetherand rescue ourselves.”

In May, local organizers held a “Central Illinois Social

Forum” to develop these ideas: community gardening,anti-eviction activism, urban justice, and a jobs creationprogram for the twenty-first century—with workers them-selves at the center.

Now, with a grant from the Illinois Disciples Founda-tion to cover expenses, organizers are fanning out to leafletfood pantries, unemployment and aid centers, churches,and union halls. The ‘coming together’ has been tricky.Job-needy workers actually have very little free time formeetings. Living arrangements may be fluid, and access tophones, computers, and other means of contact may beunreliable. And hope is in short supply these days. Yet“rescuing ourselves” would appear to be the only option.

And there may just be, as Francis Fox Piven the authorof Poor People’s Movements told the American Prospectmagazine this summer, “something like a nascent move-ment… developing.” The economic crisis may not havereached the depths of the Great Depression yet, whenUnemployment Councils organized neighborhood self-help in the nation’s cities. But the need has not beengreater in most of our lifetimes for the unemployed—and‘anxiously employed’—to organize.

Call Sandra at 469-6111 to pitch in.

6 • the Public i January 2010www.ucimc.org / www.publici.ucimc.org

An unusual group for Urbana-Champaign hasbegun meeting at the IMC recently. They planto forge a new model for creating and democ-ratizing technology within the community.

Urbana-Champaign has been fortunate tohave community groups and workshopscapable of teaching people how to create anddistribute many kinds of media. The localIMC is composed of groups that communitymembers can work with to produce andbroadcast their own radio show, record andproduce their own movies, publish their ownnewspaper articles and even build their ownbicycles. Outside the IMC, groups like WEFTprovide even more public radio access.Together, these groups provide Urbana-Champaign with needed access to traditionalforms of media. However, as technology satu-rates almost every facet of daily life for resi-dents of Urbana-Champaign, no entity has

been able to provide the needed comparableaccess to create new, electronic media.

Makerspace Urbana intends to fill thisgap in Urbana-Champaign’s public mediacreation capabilities. Urbana and Cham-paign lack any kind of public access to theequipment and instruction necessary forlearning how to create and manipulate elec-tronic media. Even community memberswho are electronics experts do not normallyhave access to expensive and powerful test-ing and fabrication tools. Communities theworld over have begun addressing thisdeficit in public access to technology byestablishing organizations commonlyknown as “hackerspaces.” These groups pro-vide their members with access to raw elec-tronic materials, tools, testing equipmentand sometimes even the machinery neces-sary for creating small computers. Maker-

space Urbana (or Greek letter Mu, for short)was established to bring these capabilities tothe Urbana-Champaign community, and it’soff to a great start. Says group memberChuck Geigner, “The Makerspace is the bestthing to happen to Urbana since HAL.”

So far the group has secured a physicalspace located in the IMC and has begunprocuring equipment, forging relationshipswith other local groups and, most important-ly, attracting new members. MakerspaceUrbana is currently made up of 12, bright,friendly individuals who have among themdecades of experience in electronic hardware,computer software, building cool stuff andcreating beautiful works of electronic art.

The group is still working towards hold-ing their first public workshop to directpeople in learning the basics of electronics.In the meantime they plan to spread the

word and establish working relationshipswith the community. Soon they’ll help setup community technology centers, and theyalready help staff the IMC Computer HelpDesk every Thursday night at 7:00pm. TheMakerspace also hopes to serve as an incu-bator for radical product design and aspringboard for entrepreneurs who wish totake their projects outside the group.

Everyone is welcome to attend MakerspaceUrbana meetings, especially as the group for-mulates its structure. Drop by the IMC onWednesdays at 6:00PM. Find the group in theFamily Room in the basement of the IMC andintroduce yourself. You’re invited to take anactive role in distributing tech knowledge, thecapacity to create and the maker's spiritthroughout Urbana-Champaign.

Makerspace Urbana Brings Tech Knowledge to UC-IMCBy Brian Duggan

The Urbana-Champaign community has had a deficit ofrealistic personal computer support options sincePrairienet faded away.

The existing options for computer support in Urbana-Champaign are limited to Best Buy’s Geek Squad, two orthree local businesses and UIUC’s CITES. These organiza-tions discriminate through cost and association betweenthose they will serve and those they won’t. CITES onlyserves students, faculty and staffof the UI. Geek Squad’sservices start at exhorbitant prices or require subscription-sto service plans. Local business support services may beless expensive, but they still charge astronomical rates forwhat can bequite simple procedures.

Worse, for-profit support services such as Geek Squadhave an interest in misleading users about their comput-ers. Geek Squad offers ill-defined and suspicious servicessuch as “Computer Tune-up.” These services are oftennothing more than a collection of easy system mainte-nance procedures such as performing updates or unin-stalling unused software. But the real crime of companieslike Geek Squad is their lack of interest in teaching usershow to maintain the machines they use everyday. To thecontrary, Geek Squad’s interests are served when usersremain uncertain, doubtful and fearful when it comes toissues concerning their computers. Informing and educat-ing their customer base is actually at odds with their busi-ness model.

In order for communities to survive and thrive in aworld full of technology, they need to rely on a new modelof tech support. This model should focus on democratiz-ing technology—on disseminating, copying and distribut-ing tech knowledge among everyday computer users.

This model may start with a central location to help userswith their computers, but cannot end with that single sourceof knowledge. Communities must develop a ‘critical mass’ oftech-knowledge among community members in order tocontrol their own lives in a technology-dependent world.

In the past few decades, corporate interests haveworked diligently to create a culture of helplessness and

complete dependence on product and service vendorsamong users of technology. If you’ve bought a late-model

car, there’s a high likelihood that many repair shops will-not be able to fix many things that can go wrong with it.Car manufacturers began using computers in cars decadesago to improve performance. But in the early 2000s, man-ufacturers began using secret codes to lock out techniciansthat had not partnered with car dealers from the car’s com-puter. This increased the cost to repair many problemsbecause owners had to go to more expensive dealer repair-shops. But the deeper harm to car owners is that they canno longer understand every piece of the car. When ownersare prevented from understanding the components thatmake technology work, their rights to repair their proper-ty are infringed. Car manufacturers have made concertedefforts to make the computer systems that make cars run-completely unknowable without an unreasonable cost.

The proprietary nature of car computers is similar to thestate of personal computer support today. While car manu-facturers have accomplished their goal of locking ownersand technicians out with secret codes, cartels like the Geek

Squad accomplish this almost entirely by preying on userfear and by propagating ignorance and misinformationamong users.

The most effective method of combating predatory sup-port and repair services is through propagating knowledgeand reducing fear of technology among users. The IMCComputer Help Desk is up to this challenge.

When a user calls, emails or walks-in to the IMC Com-puter Help Desk they will not be talked down to or mis-led. Further, the IMC Computer Help Desk will not per-form any repair or maintenance for anyone. Instead, thesupport technicians at the Help Desk will help users solvetheir own problems. The Help Desk can help fix almostany problem, hardware or software, regardless of plat-form—as long as the user of the system is willing to learnhow to maintain their own computer.

Since the mission of the Help Desk is to distribute per-sonal computer knowledge among the community, wedon’t just fix broken computers. Any user that has anyquestion about how to complete a task with their comput-er can discuss their problem in the friendly, open environ-ment at the Help Desk. We encourage users of all skill lev-els to take advantage of the human knowledge base in thestaff of the Help Desk.

Expert users are invited to come to Help Desk supporthours to help other users, or simply to discuss ideas and pro-jects with people interested in learning about technology.

The ultimate goal of tech knowledge distribution is toresist the harmful culture of fear, uncertainty and doubtthat certain technology companies promote among users.To do this, knowledge distribution organizations mustreplace this with a culture that promotes cooperation, col-laboration and knowledge sharing among users. Onlywhen tech knowledge distribution centers like the IMCComputer Help Desk begin driving this transition will peo-ple in the Urbana-Champaign community control theirtech media.

The IMC Computer Help Desk holds open hours everyThursday from 7:00PM to 9:00PM at the Urbana-Cham-

Announcing the IMC Computer Help DeskBy Brian Duggan

PEOPLE’S COMMUNITY POTLUCK Sunday, February 7, 6–8 PM, Independent Media Center, 202 South Broadway, Urbana

The Peoples’s Community Potluck is a food-sharing communal gathering to discuss the economic and social problems in our community. The intention is to harness the tal-ents and resources of local organizations and individuals to improve the conditions of working people, unemployed people, poverty-stricken people, and those who are phys-ically or mentally unable to care for themselves. Given the sorry state of the economy over the past 8 years, and government economic policy that has been most concernedwith the well-being of the very wealthy, organizations and individuals at the grass-roots level are going to have to use social conscience and talents to find ways of sup-porting the most vulnerable people in our communities. We cannot just rely on the new administration to turn things around. We envision a new stimulus for coordinatedaction and communication for a democratic, egalitarian political-economy.

JAN. 22ND—IMC SHOWS PRESENTS: BEATKITCHEN

@ UC-IMC, Saturday, Jan. 22nd, Start Time: 9:00PM

Adm. $5

Beat Kitchen is Champaign-Urbana's premierefunk/soul/reggae band, known for it's intriguing repertoireof classics that, in the words of front man Brandon T.Washington, "you may have heard before, but you'venever heard it quite like this." Formed in 2001 by MichaelMcLoughlin and Brad Decker, the BK has evolved into anine-piece professionally-minded band, dedicated to pre-serving and promoting the true sound of funk, soul, reg-gae, rock, and hip-hop of yesterday and today. Their ener-gizing shows include music from the Meters, Toots and theMaytals, Grant Green, The Dap-Kings, Radiohead, TheRoots, the arrangements of Mark Ronson, and more.

Check out Beat Kitchen's Music at: www.myspace.com/beatkitchenfunk

JAN. 29TH—INSURGENT THEATRE: ULYSSES'CREWMEN

@ UC-IMC, January 29th, Start Time: 7:30PM

Admission: $5 Donation

A militant dissenter abuses her hostage from the US delega-tion while faintly aware of the audience surrounding her. Thisclaustrophobic scene creates a space for radical introspection,defiant theatre and tactical conversations. With only a fewprops, two actors, one of who is bound and gagged, and aserious commitment to DIY politics, Insurgent Theatre refutesancient dogmas found in Homer's Odyssey and examines thepsychosexual underpinnings of empire and rebellion.

Written by Ben TurkStarring Kate Pleuss and Ben TurkMusic by Mark Enslin will combine a shredded avant

flamenco guitar piece, Church Committee testimony withtoys & percussion, and a wall of idiosyncratic keyboard…

ON TOUR SINCE SEPT 09 Insurgent Theatre hasstaged over 30 performances of Ulysses’ Crewmen in vari-ous theatres, bars, infoshops, and other non-traditionalspaces accross the US, including a performance in Pitts-burgh during the G20 summit protests on Oct 24th.

For more information please check out: http://insur-genttheatre.org/

JAN. 30TH—IMC SHOWS PRESENTS: BRUISERAND THE VIRTUES DANCE EVENT

@ UC-IMC, Saturday, January 30, 20107pm—Swing Dance Lesson,8pm—Bruiser and the VirtuesAdm: $5

A chance to cut a rug, and learn some swing dance moves.There will be an hour long swing dance lesson, and thenBruiser and the Virtues will get you movin to the beat.

Tunes range fromthe rockin’ jump-blues of T-BoneWalker, to Booker Tand the MGs, toBruiser originals.One of the truegems of the regionalmusic scene.

"Bruiser and The Virtues: The jazzier side of Bruce"Bruiser" Rummenie… wonderfully concocted songs inthe way of classic dance band tunes; a hot saxophone,piano, upright bass, drums, and Bruiser on a big fat elec-tric archtop guitar. This band is precious and awesome."—OpeningBands.com 2005

Bruiser and the Virtues dare you to join their rhythmtrain before it pulls out of the station for the trip uptown.The musicality of the band is unquestionable and impres-sive. Bruiser’s vocals pour over the tracks like smoothwhisky over ice. Kudos to the rhythm section for bopextraordinaire, while the horns burn, keyboardist NealRobinson comps, swings, and makes the ol’ 88s beg formercy. "A gas."—Cody Sokolowski, The Octopus, 2001

In 2004, The Virtues won the Illinois Central BluesSociety Challenge and went on to compete in the Interna-tional Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, performing at B. BKing’s Nightclub on Beale St. in February, 2005.

Check out Bruiser and the Virtues here:http://www.myspace.com/bruiserrummenie

CU FOLK AND ROOTS FESTIVAL COMES IN FEBRUARYThe UC-IMC along with Heartland Galleries of Urbanaannounce a spring concert series. The series will feature twoformer Prairie Home Companion performers and an up andcoming band. All concerts will be at the IMC 202 SouthBroadway in Urbana.

On Saturday February 27th Claudia Schmidt will beperforming and doing a vocal workshop. The vocal work-shop taking place from 2-4 pm will teach people how toharmonize and enjoy singing, the performance will beginat 8 pm. One critic has described a Claudia Schmidt con-cert as "....a lot like falling in love. You never know what'sgoing to happen next, but chances are it's going to be won-derful, every moment is burned into your memory, andyou know you'll never be the same again." She is well-known to public radio listeners during her regular stintson "A Prairie Home Companion" in its early incarnation.Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. The workshopwill be $20 and a combination workshop and concert tick-et is $25. Advance tickets will be available at HeartlandGalleries, the IMC, and by calling 493-4654. www.claudi-aschmidt.com

On Saturday March 13th Bill Staines will be perform-ing. The show starts at 8 pm. Singing mostly his ownsongs, Bill has become one of the most popular singers onthe folk music circuit today and averages around 200 con-cert dates a year. Mr. Staines weaves a magical blend of witand gentle humor into his performances, and as onereviewer wrote, "he has a sense of timing to match the beststand-up comic." His music is a slice of Americana, reflect-ing with the same ease, his feelings about the prairie peo-ple of the Midwest or the adventurers of the Yukon. Billhas performed on Prairie Home Companion and MountainStage, both on NPR. Tickets are $10 advance and $15 atthe door. Advance tickets available at Heartland Galleries,the IMC, and by calling 493-4654.www.acousticmusic.com/staines/index.htm

On Wednesday May 19th one of the real up and com-ing Bluegrass/Americana Bands in the country will visit theIMC. Red Molly recently featured in Dirty Linen Magazineand scheduled to perform at Merle Fest this year, willgrace the stage at the IMC. Red Molly consistently bringsconcert-goers to their feet with stunning three-part har-monies, crisp musicianship and a warm, engaging stagepresence. They have earned a devoted and ever-wideningfan base, and have begun to tour nationally. Laurie MacAl-lister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello have a lot offun on stage, and it's contagious. The Boston Globe says:"Everything Red Molly sings is delivered with tick-tightarrangements, crystalline vocals, and caramel harmonies.But what is most striking is the ardor they bring to every-thing they do, whether snuggling into the sweet parochial-ism of an old spiritual, or the gritty pathos of a GillianWelch tune. They come on less like stars strutting for theirminions than pals sharing their favorite songs. In thefriendly world of the coffeehouse, that remains a star-mak-ing quality." Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at thedoor. Advance tickets will be available at Heartland Gal-leries, the IMC, and by calling 493-4654.www.redmolly.com/

January 2010 the Public i • 7www.ucimc.org / www.publici.ucimc.org

Upcoming Cultural Events At UC-IMC

Get Involved with the Public i

You don’t need a degree in journalism to be a citizenjournalist. We are all experts in something, and wehave the ability to share our information and knowl-edge with others. The Public i is always looking forwriters and story ideas. We invite you to submit ideasor proposals during our weekly meetings (Thursdays at5:30pm at the UCIMC), or to contact one of the editors.

Celebrate 2010With the people who bring

YOU Independent MediaThe Public i and WRFU-LP 104.5FM—potluckand fundraiser

January 25th, 6PM–9PM, @ The Clark Bar207 W. Clark St. in Champaign

$2 Suggested donation at the doorbring a dish to sharewww.ucimc.org or www.publici.ucimc.org