CU Indivisible and RJTF Recommendations

Many local programs and organizations are looking at the New Year to begin work on the Racial Justice Task Force recommendations from their final report (available here with a summary of the recommendations on pages 5-9). CU Indivisible, a local indivisible group (what is this?) is no exception. They have a general meeting coming up this weekend, Saturday January 27th at 3pm at the Champaign Public Library (facebook event page here) where this and other issues will be discussed. Here's an announcement that highlights their current focus/priorities on those RJTF recommendations:

Were you able to attend the Racial Justice Task Force meeting last fall? If not, we have some information about the important points covered in the meeting. [Full report here]

There were two areas that are ripe for possible change: pretrial justice and legalized housing discrimination.

According to the Racial Justice Task Force Report, "64% of the people confined in the jail were African American" (p. 31). Many of the people in jail do not know whether a charge will be filed, dismissed, or resolved. They are often unable to leave because they need to pay a "D-bond" set at about 10% of the bail amount. Others were jailed for failure to appear in court. The Task Force recommends better notice of court appearances, better risk-assessment for release, and improved pretial services. Specific recommendations are described in the full Task Force Report.

A second major issue is legalized housing discrimination. Section 17.4-5 of Champaign municipal code allows landlords in the city to lawfully deny anyone convicted of a forcible felony or a felony drug charge housing until he or she has lived outside of jail or prison for at least five consecutive years without another conviction related to drugs or force. This is exclusive to renters, and it makes it harder for those reentering to secure housing.

This provision was struck from the record in the 1970s and then put back on the books with no explanation in 1994. There was not data or justification provided to support this action. In October 2016, both the Champaign County Reentry Council and the City of Champaign’s Human Relations Commission have advised the City Council to strike this exception from the city code.

This is a Civil Rights violation, specifically the Fair Housing Act. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released an advisory against this practice in 2016, read that report here. The report argues that since higher than average incarceration rates exist among Hispanics and African Americans in the U.S., the use of criminal records to deny housing can cause a “disparate impact” on these races. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2015 population estimates for Champaign County, 41.5% of African Americans have incomes below the poverty level compared to 17.2% of white people.

The CUI and the CUI County Board group will be working with other local groups and activists on this issue. If you would like get involved, contact Grace Hebert (contact info here)

Getting started on these issues can feel like a daunting task. Fortunately there are many amazing people who have spent years and sometimes their whole lives fighting for justice and reforms and there are many organizations and programs already in the fight every day working to make our community a better place. The first step is to grab a notepad (paper or digital) and find out what's already happening. A good start for you may be your local indivisible group, but there are many other starting points as well.

Here are just a few starting points. If any of them sound like they may interest you, all you have to do is show up with an open mind and a willingness to learn:

Build Programs Not Jails has been fighting for years to encourage alternatives to the criminal justice system and care for citizens in need here in Champaign County. They have regular meetings you can attend and find out what they're up to.

Champaign Human Relations Commission and the Human Relations Commission of Urbana: The respective city HRCs serve their communities by offering programs against discrimination, dealing with cases of discrimination, and working to improve community relations for all citizens with their government and policing agencies. They have regular meetings you can attend as well.

Champaign County Community Coalition is a local group that works with "local government; law enforcement; juvenile justice; behavioral health; education; child welfare; and community based service providers. This network is designed to identify critical community issues that impact the lives of youth and their families." They have a meeting coming up February 14 at 3:30pm at the Champaign Public Library if you want to learn more.

Taking the first step may seem overwhelming at first, but everyone who got involved had to start somewhere. Usually at a meeting with strangers trying to figure out what they're talking about, taking notes so you can find answers to all the new questions you may have.

These are by far not the only starting points... a more comprehensive chart for this site is in the works of various local government and community organizations and programs surrounding our criminal justice system. These range from prevention, services, diversion and assistance programs, to programs all the way through the criminal justice system and back again. This includes re-entry assistance, regaining/protecting your rights, and building a livelihood after. I'm shooting to have it linked up and looking spiffy by this weekend... so the weekend after next is probably a safer bet. I'm still learning too.