Downstate IL News

29/07/2023

Party for Socialism and Liberation - Champaign-Urbana held a rally today calling for justice for Jordan and Azaan.

03/01/2022

Demand your members of congress sponsor the Maintaining Access to Essential Services Act (H.R.4979/S.1783) so we can:

✅ Stops utility shutoffs
✅ Cancels utility debt
✅ Restores utility service



Citations for copyright free tracks used in order they are heard
Track: if found - Dead of Night [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: https://youtu.be/wjCzYyzVdXA
Free Download / Stream: http://ncs.io/DeadofNight

Track: SVRRIC & RUINDKID - Fall To My Grave ft. Silent Child [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: https://youtu.be/11R9Hmzxg-k
Free Download / Stream: http://ncs.io/FallToMyGrave

Track: Rival - Be Gone (ft. Caravn) [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: https://youtu.be/p4M3Gle4NQ4
Free Download / Stream: http://ncs.io/BeGone

02/01/2022

Add your signature to the 687 other signatures calling on the sheriff to use his unilateral power to not enforce evictions in Champaign county!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ADv3Cr6gJJX_JyWGp-cTKR6P_BS2YC11unAfpS1ZVOk/edit

Today, the PSL gave Champaign County Sheriff a letter asking him to stop the enforcement of evictions in our community and work with courts to enact a local moratorium. According to Precision for COVID, an estimated 4,931 rental households across the County are at risk of eviction. So far, we have collected 687 signatures in support of a moratorium, and we plan to continue our efforts to make sure members in our community are housed and well Champaign County Sheriff's Office

22/10/2021

Sign this Google Form to demand that Democratic Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heurman suspends the enforcement of evictions.

We, the undersigned residents of Champaign County call on all our elected officials and our Sheriff, Dustin Heuerman to take decisive action to prevent the impending eviction crisis. We demand the Sheriff refuse to prosecute all eviction cases until such a time as all back rents and mortgage payment...

05/08/2021

⚡️Environmental Alert ⚡️ The Hunter Lake project is a plan to create a 3,000+ sq ft man-made lake by flooding forests, wetlands, creeks, endangered species habitats with proof of indigenous and pioneer archeological sites.

11/06/2021

UPDATE: The unionization vote has passed!

Workers involved in the organizing effort are asking people to like their union's page. We would also like to encourage that residents go to Sunnyside and mention their support for the unionization drive during their purchase at Sunnyside.

BREAKING NEWS: A third Illinois Cresco location, the Sunnyside Champaign dispensary joins Local 881 UFCW the with a 21-3 vote!

30/05/2021

https://www.facebook.com/events/3328778843892533/?sfnsn=mo

15/05/2021

Activists in Springfield have a rally today in their downtown.

23/04/2021

Actions in Champaign-Urbana tonight and Sunday. See HITNHOMEBOY's post below.

06/04/2021

The Illinois Commerce Commission approved a plan to allow the resumption of utility shutoffs, without discussion. It's time to demand until we have herd immunity in Illinois.

Today the Illinois Commerce Commission decided to allow utility shutoffs to resume in april. Today, they chose greed over grace, profits over people. I cannot stress enough the impact this will have on the lives of working class people in illinois. Call the ICC and remind them to be people FIRST!

19/02/2021

People's City Council: Closing Gaps in Domestic Violence Survivor Support

17/02/2021

Decaturites deserve a debate!

05/02/2021

Join the Champaign-Urbana People’s City Council for the second part in a series of issue-based forums centered on progressive platforms. For this second forum, candidates running for local offices in Champaign-Urbana have pledged to share the platform on Defunding the Police

Join our conversation live on February 4th @ 7:00 PM Central by commenting on the Facebook livestream of the event on the Central Illinois News page. This livestream will become a saved video that can be viewed later as well.

22/01/2021

Event included a powerful intro:
"Welcome all, and thank you for attending our first event in this series “Electing a People’s Council.” My name is Justin Michael Hendrix, the People’s Mayor of Champaign-Urbana. All of the candidates in attendance tonight are for people-first policies like ending chronic homelessness, defunding the police, and closing gaps in domestic violence survivor support.

When candidates like us run for office on any one of these issues, a question we get is “how will you convince the other representatives to vote for that?” Through this event, we are demonstrating to our communities that the political will exists to realize all 3 of our people-first policies. Please post your questions in the Zoom chat or comments and your questions will be fielded to the candidates present during the Q&A section.

So many of us would not be here in this event tonight if it weren’t for the Bernie Sanders campaign. We’d like to start off the meeting with some words from the man himself, Senator Bernie Sanders. Let’s roll the video!"

17/01/2021

This Thursday at 7pm!
https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/372218/

Join Our Illinois Revolution Downstate and Champaign-Urbana People’s City Council for the first part of a series focused on issue-based forums as we take this platform throughout our communities in Downstate Illinois to build the Progressive agenda. For the first forum, Candidates running for loca...

21/12/2020

This open letter is being circulated to ask that evictions, for any reason, be suspended again in Champaign County, just as they had done so back in March and April.
People can sign the letter even if they don't live in Champaign County.
https://forms.gle/tehzeT1884ApXBMf9

We, the undersigned, consist of community members and officials in Champaign County, or in solidarity with Champaign County, urging for the continued suspension of evictions. Eviction cases are being carried out in the courts in Champaign County today. Yet, Champaign County stood up as a community b...

10/12/2020

Ale’yah Lewis is a local Champaign-Urbana resident and a survivor of police brutality. … Meghan McDonald needs your support for Ale'yah Lewis' Mutual Aid Fund

05/12/2020

Today marks the murder of Fred Hampton on December 4th 1969.

Save the Hampton House, Inc., is a 501(c)3 organization that formed to preserve and protect the childhood home of Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton. They are seeking landmark status for the home and plan to establish it as a museum that can be used to serve the community at large.

You can help by donating to their GoFundMe here: https://gf.me/u/y4sb5v

Save The Hampton House, Inc. Mission Statement To Purchase, Restore and Ma… SaveThe Hampton House Committee needs your support for Save The Hampton House

21/11/2020

The Wet'suwet'en are asking for people to spread awareness about their ongoing struggle. Solidarity actions can include, but are not limited to, proposing resolutions for city council, posting solidarity photos, sending press releases, and/or writing a letter to the editor.

Have questions or additional ideas on how to act in solidarity? Post in the comments.

12/11/2020

The Illinois eviction moratorium expires in just two days. Illinois hasn't faced the full brunt of the "Eviction Cliff" that other states have been facing only because of our eviction moratorium. JB absolutely MUST reinstate it and CONTINUE to reinstate it throughout the entire damn pandemic, ESPECIALLY with rates of COVID now climbing.

We SHOULD be sheltering in place right now on lockdown. That can't happen if people DO NOT HAVE HOMES TO SHELTER IN. Contact JB right NOW at https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/contactus/Pages/AssistanceRequest.aspx and DEMAND that he continue to extend the eviction moratorium, make the utility shutoff moratorium MANDATORY effective immediately, and that both last through the entire pandemic.

ETA: For a sample message to send to the governor, this is what I've written to him:

"Dear Governor Pritzker,

It is essential that you immediately renew the Eviction Moratorium for another 30 days and continue that moratorium for the entirety of the pandemic. We cannot shelter in place without shelter. More than three-quarters of a million Illinois residents are expected to be evicted, many of whom will become homeless, once the moratorium expires.

In addition, you absolutely must enact an immediate mandatory utility shutoff moratorium to prevent utility companies Iike ComEd and Ameren from keeping any Illinoisan from essential utility services in a time where depriving people of those services will lead to a quicker death and greater spread of the virus.

You have offered clear guidance on when and how small businesses will be reopened for the pandemic. You can and should offer similar guidance for housing. Until a vaccine is properly distributed, unemployment has returned to pre-COVID levels, and some form of public assistance is made available, either rent and mortgage cancellation or a rental assistance package that ensures zero tenant debt, then the moratoria are essential to the public health and well-being of your constitutents.

I implore you to act with due haste.

David Zoltan
Chicago, IL"

11/11/2020

Link to the article on Governor JB Pritzker's Pandemic Utility Shutoffs & Conflicts of Interest is at the bottom of this post.
If you are an Illinois resident here is what you can do:
1) Talk to your municipal representatives about adopting Champaign municipal code 12-39(26) and enacting a Mayoral order to stop utility shutoffs.
2) Talk to your county’s public health department about getting immediately notified about utility shutoffs so you can mobilize your community to stop utility shutoffs by signing residents up for LIHEAP.
3) Talk to your state representative and state senator for passing a utility shutoffs moratorium until there’s been an economic recovery as well as sufficient federal and state funds appropriated to bail out Illinoisans.
4) If you are in an organization, join . Message anyone using the hashtag on Twitter to get started.
Read more at:
https://ourunitedleft.medium.com/pritzkers-pandemic-utility-shutoffs-conflicts-of-interest-50354a70e985



Track: Max Brhon - Pain [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: youtu.be/wf3XPionPXE
Free Download / Stream: ncs.io/MBPain

13/09/2020

Are you fighting or struggling with utilities? Fill out this form so we can fight together!

Are you a member of an organization looking to join No Ameren Shutoffs? Also fill out this Form.

All of the information you provide is optional. If we can connect you to resources, we will do so. The information that you provide will help us fight back together against the Ameren Corporation as well as the other utility corporations. We have stopped them repeatedly on a $0.00 budget with our al...

12/09/2020

"What a disgrace! ON 9/11 NO LESS! Because Governor JB Pritzker refused to act, Ameren is now sending out NEW disconnect notices - yes, on 9/11! They are IGNORING the voluntary request letter from the ICC to extend the moratorium to 3/31/21! This is greed endangering Illinois families in the middle of a pandemic.
--PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR AT 312-814-2121 AND DEMAND HE ENACT A MORATORIUM AGAINST UTILITY SHUT OFFS THROUGH 3/31/2021!
"
-Progressive Voices of Central IL

What a disgrace! ON 9/11 NO LESS! Because Governor JB Pritzker refused to act, Ameren is now sending out NEW disconnect notices - yes, on 9/11! They are IGNORING the voluntary request letter from the ICC to extend the moratorium to 3/31/21! This is greed endangering Illinois families in the middle of a pandemic.
--PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR AT 312-814-2121 AND DEMAND HE ENACT A MORATORIUM AGAINST UTILITY SHUT OFFS THROUGH 3/31/2021!

09/08/2020

On the morning of May 7th, 2020 a black resident of Decatur was tazed before a member of the Decatur Police Department knelt on his neck. Submit the linked municipal form to speak up at the Decatur City Council Study session August 10th at 5:30pm.

08/08/2020

The next Decatur City Council meeting is on August 17th, 2020 at 5:30pm.
https://www.decaturil.gov/mayor-and-council/advance-request-to-speak-at-council-meeting/

To speak at a Decatur City Council meeting, you must fill out this form:
https://www.decaturil.gov/mayor-and-council/advance-request-to-speak-at-council-meeting/

If you speak up at the next city council meeting, link our video in the request to let them know who sent you!

See when the Decatur City Council meetings are, as well as other municipal meetings, using their public meetings calendar.
https://www.decaturil.gov/mayor-and-council/public-meetings-calendar/

31/07/2020

Racist shop owner misogynistically berates a resident and then states that he intends to throw out food meant for homeless community members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlGfSmDrwAo

Michael Long, owner of Rogue Barber Co., showing who he is.

22/07/2020

Community members have spotted unmarked vehicles grabbing a Decatur resident, yesterday. Please message us if you have more information.

19/07/2020

From June 2nd, 2020, partially referencing mass-arrested community members:
Steve we're actually so you know I've been telling the committee $100, $100, which is at this point I think it's probably a little high; a hundred dollars a day to house them out of County. The average I've been getting has been about $50 a day from our surrounding counties, but the problem with that is some of those costs include medical costs and some of them don't.

Then also, you know, that doesn't factor in the transportation costs and stuff for correctional officers and I know Dana has has prepared some stuff on that kind of cost-wise. Also if I had to so I've got I believe I'm housing seven inmates in Piatt County right now that's not because of overarching. We don't normally house that many there but we had several arrests over the weekend and nowhere to put them and so we we've had to house out of County at that point.

I would expect that that rates going to be about fifty dollars a day per inmate so the problem is finding enough counties that are willing to take, you know, of course you know, six months from now maybe they may be in a better spot than they are now nobody wants to take somebody who could potentially be sick. And, in fact, their whole staff, that's just it, nobody wants to take inmates who are problem inmates.

In fact the Coles County Sheriff who I know personally and I knew before I was Sheriff he kind of laughed and said yeah we don't take any problem inmates and if you do I'd double my rate and I can't blame him I really can't because I see how much trouble that we put up with with with some of the inmates in our custody and so that's what we're gonna find, I think, it's not necessarily how do we pay for this, even though that's probably a big chunk of it, but also where are we going to be able to find room for all of the inmates we need to find room for and still be fiscally responsible and not paying exorbitant amounts and things like that so well I'll leave that there.

18/07/2020

Have you endured racism in Rantoul City Schools? Speak up at the Rantoul Village Board meetings, you won't be alone. Their schedule is at the link below:
http://www.village.rantoul.il.us/697/Board-Room

17/07/2020

This public comment was given on April 20th at the Urbana City Council Meeting by video call.