Justice

Champaign man refutes police account of son’s alleged beating

Submitted by Dan Petrella on Fri, 2011-10-28 10:24

By Sean Powers/Illinois Public Media -- Critics of the Champaign Police Department are expressing outrage, and a differing account of the arrest of an African-American teen last weekend, that they say involved excessive use of force.

Police say Calvin Miller ran a red light and swerved into traffic to avoid police on Monday at around 1:30 am, and then at one point, jumped from a moving van, which hit the front of the house. Police say Miller then reached for the officer’s duty belt, and the officer struck him with his hand.

Sean Powers/Illinois Public Media -- Martel Miller, left, talks with Champaign Mayor Don Gerard during Tuesday's City Council meeting. Miller said his son Calvin, 18, was beaten by Champaign police.

Champaign police-community relations scrutinized

Submitted by Dan Petrella on Wed, 2011-10-26 16:33

By Sean Powers/Illinois Public Media -- The topic of police abuse brought out a large crowd to Tuesday night’s Champaign City Council study session. It wasn’t an item on the agenda, but it grew out of the alleged police beating of a teenager who was stopped by Champaign police over the weekend for a traffic violation.

At least a hundred people showed up in support of 18-year-old Calvin Miller. They wore yellow “I stand with Calvin Miller” signs.

Multiple news reports say Miller was pulled over by police at around 1:30 Monday morning, and he fled the scene after his car damaged the front porch of a home.

Migrant workers win lawsuit against seed company

Submitted by The News-Gazette on Thu, 2011-07-28 14:13

Dave Hinton/Rantoul Press editor/An Indiana seed company has agreed to pay more than $200,000 to 91 migrant farm workers, including several workers who formerly resided in the Rantoul area.

Remington Hybrid Seed Co. of Remington, Ind., reached a settlement to make the payment. A 2008 federal lawsuit was filed against the company in Texas for violations of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and for breach of contract.

Courtesy photo/Miguel Keberlein, left, of the Illinois Migrant Legal Assistance Project, speaks with a migrant farm worker in a farm field. The organization seeks to guard the rights of migrant farm workers.

Athlete-turned-addict finds faith, help

Submitted by CU Citizen Access on Thu, 2011-03-17 10:57

By Jenn Kloc/For CU-CitizenAccess — Everyone expected Charles “Tyke” Peacock to bring home a gold medal from the 1984 Olympics. No one suspected that he faked an injury to avoid the Olympic qualifiers and hide his drug addiction.

Fast forward 27 years: On Monday, a judge will decide whether Urbana-native Peacock, 50, must surrender to a six-year prison sentence for burglary or if he can finish recovering from his addiction at the Men’s Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) House, a 12-month rehabilitation program through the Canaan Baptist Church in Urbana.

Jenn Kloc/Charles "Tyke" Peacock, 50, stands outside the Men's Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) House, operated through the Canaan Baptist Church, in Urbana. Peacock will find out Monday if he is to serve a six-year prison sentence for burglary or continue treatment at the SAFE House. At one-time, Peacock was ranked the top high jumper in the world.

Student project offers in-depth look at crime on campus

Submitted by CU Citizen Access on Mon, 2010-12-20 14:27

Thanks to the efforts of a journalism class at the University of Illinois, you now know the true measure of crime on campus.

CU-CitizenAccess/Screen shot from campuscrime.net, an interactive journalism collaboration that examines crime on campus

Local police departments continue to deny open records requests

Submitted by CU Citizen Access on Mon, 2010-06-07 16:03

By Dan Petrella— Complaints filed by white residents with the Champaign Police Department were three times more likely to be upheld than those filed by black residents, an analysis of police records from 2006 to 2008 shows.

Dan Petrella/A police cruiser sits outside the Champaign Police Department on the corner of University Avenue and First Street in Champaign. An analysis of police records dated from 2006 to 2008 show that compliants filed by white residents were three times likely to be upheld than those filed by black residents

Local public defender's office juggles more work with less resources

Submitted by CU Citizen Access on Tue, 2010-03-16 10:58

By Dusty Rhodes/Anyone who has ever watched Dragnet, Hill Street Blues or Law & Order can recite the Miranda warning – "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you."

It's the classic line signaling that the alleged bad guy is in custody, the crime has been solved, and the credits are about to roll. For public defenders, however, that line is where the work begins: They are the attorneys appointed to represent the poor crook in cuffs.

Dusty Rhodes/ Randall Rosenbaum, Champaign County chief public defender, puts in extra hours on the weekend.

Public defender finds passion, connections

Submitted by CU Citizen Access on Fri, 2010-03-12 11:16

When Katrina Roberts calls herself “just a mom,” it’s about like Spiderman calling himself “just an arachnid.” Roberts, a former hairdresser, and her husband Guy, a truck driver, have seven children – four of whom were adopted through the foster care system, some of whom have physical, emotional or developmental problems, none of which scared Roberts.

Dusty Rhodes/ Pam Burnside, who has worked in the Champaign Public Defender's Office her entire career, hopes her office decorations help clients identify with her enough to trust her.

County focuses on increasing number of minority jurors

Submitted by CU Citizen Access on Tue, 2009-12-08 01:19

URBANA— Changes to a jury questionnaire have been made to prompt more participation from minorities in the community thanks to the efforts of a county advisory committee.

The Citizens Advisory Committee for Jury Selection , which launched earlier this year, was created by the Champaign County Board to get more minority participation in Champaign County juries.

Since then, the committee was able to remove some questions from the jury form that may pose obstacles to potential jurors among minority populations, said Chairman Aaron Ammons.