Sign Up for Lobby Day - Wed. Feb 29th

This year, the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) members have voted to focus their efforts on getting drivers certificates for undocumented immigrants. 

We cannot win this fight without the support of groups across the state. 

La Colectiva is dedicated to these efforts but we cannot win this effort in Central Illinois without your help. 

If we win Drivers Certificates, it will eliminate much of the work we do around Secure Communities to keep our communities out of jail. 

ICIRR will be having their first statewide Springfield Lobby Day on Wednesday, February 29th. We need to make sure that our communities come out to show our local representatives that we mean business. 

The more buses we have from communities around the state, the more we can make our voices heard. La Colectiva and C-U Immigration Forum are organizing a bus (maybe two?) to Springfield. 

Sign up, help us lobby and win driving certificates for our communities! (The bus will be leaving at 8:15AM and will be back in Champaign by 6:00PM)

SIGN UP HERE

Citizens Advisory Committee on County Jail Now Accepting Nominations

News-Gazette Article: 

URBANA — Applications will be accepted through March 2 for appointment to a nine-member citizens' advisory committee on county jail and social services issues.

The appointments will be made by Michael Richards, a Champaign Democrat who is deputy chair of the county board's Justice & Social Services Committee.

Richards will serve as chair of the Champaign County Community Justice Task Force that is being formed to advise the county board on issues related to the adequacy of existing court services and whether to remodel the downtown jail or close it and build an addition to the satellite jail in east Urbana.

"There is no sunset date on this. It's possible we'll be working on this for quite a while," he said. "I see this as a pretty long process with at least monthly meetings and perhaps some forums out in the community."

The full board — which voted to create the panel at its committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday — is unable to devote adequate time to the issue, Richards said, and the citizens' committee will advise it.

According to a county announcement, the panel will gather information on existing programs and costs to prevent incarceration, reduce recidivism and promote rehabilitation for prisoners; will look at additional programs (and their costs) that the county does not use and may bolster existing programs; and provide a report to the county board in October that includes information and suggestions.

"We think there is some level of expertise out in the community with people who would want to serve," Richards said. "The county board certainly recognizes that needs have changed quiet a bit since the downtown jail was built in 1980, that there are other issues. We need to see who's interested."

He suggested members could include those with expertise in mental health and criminal justice issues, and perhaps a current correctional officer, along with a defense attorney, an ex-offender or an advocate for the incarcerated.

"We want to have geographical diversity, racial diversity, a good cross-section of the county," he said.

Applications are available at the Champaign County Board office at 1776 E. Washington St., U, or are online at: http://www.co.champaign.il.us/COUNTYBD/appointments/apptrq2.pdf

Appointments will be made at the March 13 county board meeting.

Good News for Congolese Families

I am very happy to report that Royse & Brinkmeyer Chief Operating Officer Colin Carlier spent Valentines Day evening hand-delivering letters to the Congolese households on Mattis Street offering them the opportunity to renew their leases. We have spoken with 8 of the 11 families, and we're pretty confident the other three also received similar offers. The company's decision to reverse its unfair decision came just about five hours after you first began to send email and make phone calls.

This is a real testament to the power of collective action to make a real difference for working families. Of course, for these families, this is just the beginning of their struggle to build a better life for themselves in the United States. Many of them still face serious health and safety issues on the job, and must stretch to make ends meet every month. We remain committed to helping the workers at Flex-N-Gate to form their union. We're in the process of planning a series of public actions in late February and early March. It's great to know that we can count on an active, committed, and effective group of activists in Champaign and Urbana to help us.

On behalf of the families and workers, our sincerest thanks for your efforts.

Urgent: Congolese Flex-N-Gate Workers Need C-U Community's Voice

Urgent Situation: 

Workers at Flex-N-Gate’s Guardian West Plant in Urbana have been working together to form a union for many months now. They are paid wages that keep them hovering at the poverty line, and often work in dangerous conditions.

A group of workers at the plant who have stood up for change at their workplace are facing another crisis. 

Last weekend, Congolese families living at the Continental Plaza and Stoneleigh Court apartment complexes simultaneously received letters from their landlord Royse & Brinkmeyer Apartments stating the company will not renew their leases.

The letter went onto say that the landlord has had less than satisfactory experiences with these tenants. To our knowledge, every single Congolese resident in these buildings will lose their lease.

No one else in the complex appears to have received a similar letter. Altogether, 11 households will be affected when their leases expire in the coming months. Seven of these apartments are occupied by workers at Flex-N-Gate, including several who have spoken out publicly about the dangerous conditions in the plant, which uses toxic chromium to manufacture truck bumpers.

We are asking members of the Champaign-Urbana community to take action to

support these families.

The residents who received these letters were not behind on their rent. They hadn’t received warnings for noise, for not maintaining their apartments properly, or for anything else. They work hard, and go to school to improve their English and advance their education.

Royse & Brinkmeyer’s actions will make it harder for these members of our community to find affordable housing. Their actions amount to discrimination against a group of people who are trying their best to build a brighter future for themselves and their families.

Residents are in the process of filing fair housing complaints with the appropriate agencies, but they need your help, too. Please take a minuteto send an e-mail to Royse & Brinkmeyer demanding that they do the right thing, and copy members of the Champaign Human Relations Commission.

It’s quick and easy:

Just go to the Justice at Flex N Gate Website  [http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/5892/c/1363/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3695]

Please forward to others you think may want to get involved.

Non-Biased Police Training - Feb. 16-18, 2012

On February 16th, 17th, and 18th, the City of Urbana will be hosting a series of workshops facilitated by Ondra Berry.  Mr. Berry is a nationally-recognized facilitator who has spent years helping communities improve police-community relations.  The workshops are intended to reinforce the Urbana Police Department’s ongoing commitment to enforcing the law in a fair and unbiased manner.  The itinerary is as follows:

Non-Biased Police Training (4 Sessions) - Registration Required

Thursday, February 16th

1st Session - 8am to noon

2nd Session - 1pm to 5pm

Friday, February 17th

1st Session - 8am to noon

2nd Session -1pm to 5pm

* Registration is required.  These sessions are intended to provide Urbana police officers with a review of non-biased policing principles.   The Department has provided (5) five spaces per session for interested community members.  Any community member interested in attending one of these sessions should contact Tony Weck, Administrative Assistant at the Human Relations Office (217) 384-2455 or acweck@urbanaillinois.us with your name, contact information and preferred session by 5pm on Friday, February 10, 2012.  Due to space limitations, spaces will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Police/Community Relations Workshop (1 Session) - Registration NOT required.

Saturday, February 18th - 8am to noon (Light snacks will be served)

Registration is not required.  The community session on Saturday is open to everyone.  This session will focus on tools to facilitate better communication and understanding between the community and police department.         

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact:

Todd E. Rent 

Human Relations Officer 

City of Urbana 

400 South Vine Street 

Urbana, IL 61801 

217-384-2466 

terent@urbanaillinois.us