PeoriaStory

Concealed carry will cause an arms race, speaker says

PEORIA -- When African Americans contemplate Illinois becoming a 'concealed carry'  state they worry they will become the victims of civil rights and civil liberties violations, the president of the Peoria NAACP told the Peoria ACLU.

Don Jackson spoke to the annual meeting of the American Civil Liberties Union on May 3. Jackson is former president of the Illinois NAACP and an attorney in private practice. A recording of his talk can be accessed here.

Jackson

The title of his talk, on civil rights and concealed carry, was: "With the Trayvon Martin killing justified by a 'Stand Your Ground' law and the rise in hate groups -- do we really need concealed carry laws?"

Jackson began by discussing the various types of concealed carry legislation.  Some states allow it with little or no regulation, some mandate it but with some regulation, and some allow it at the discretion of officials such as police and sheriffs. That situation could lead to discrimination against blacks who will be denied permits, he said.

Illinois is the last state that does not have a concealed carry of firearms law, and some lawmakers are pushing to change that.

Peoria's mayor Jim Ardis supports concealed carry, as do Peoria's Democratic members of the Illinois General Assembly, he said, stands they took without consulting the black community.

Ninety-nine percent of supporters at Illinois concealed carry rallies are white men, he said.

He discussed police and other shootings of innocent black men, including the notorious Trayvon Martin case and the recent police shootings in New York City and elsewhere where innocent, unarmed blacks have been killed. 

Police supposedly have psychological screening and training, yet they still kill the innocent at times, he said.  What happens when anyone can carry guns, asked.

Statistics are neutral on whether concealed carry reduces crime.  "It's not proven either way." 

But African American men are targeted now, and are more likely to become the victims of guns if concealed carry is enacted, he said, as civilians decide to play "John Wayne."

"Walking while black is still a crime in some people's minds" in Peoria and in Illinois he said. He spoke of a case he handled in East Peoria where some black Bradley University students on bicycles were stopped for no reason.

Some 60-70 African Amerian males have died in 'stand your ground' states, he said, often with no publicity.  In addition, gang shootouts take place, and police cannot convict the killers.

In Florida, with 19 million people, 939,000 have concealed carry permits, 4.9 percent of the population he said.

In Minnesota where places such as churches, businesses and taverns can ban handguns, not so many people have permits, he said.

Blacks fear the danger they will face if concealed carry passes in Illinois, he said, but also will fear to be unarmed, and so will get the gun permits.

There are civil rights concerns, he said.  "From an equal treatment standpoint the rules would be different for African Americans when you leave discretion to local officials."

"I'm opposed" to concealed carry," he said. "We fear police. If we can get shot by them on suspicion, guess what will happen when untrained individuals can pick up guns. It will be a shoot out on the streets. This is a bad move for Illinois."

Here's the Peoria Journal Star story on Jackson's talk.

Jackson announced a May 17 talk by Otis McDonald, a plaintiff in a Chicago gun case, to take place at 7 p.m. at 101 McArthur Highway, Peoria, but the talk may be moved to another location if needed.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Criminalizing dissent

Update 3/7/12:  If you want to sign an online petition, click here.

Update 3/9/12:  The bill has been tabled, the Chicago Tribune reports.

 

PEORIA -- Here's a post from Karen Hudson, an anti-CAFO activist:

The Illinois legislature is considering an“Ag Whistleblower” bill proposed by Representative Jim Sacia that would make criminals out of people who document illegal practices and pollution at industrial livestock operations. 

House Bill 5143, if passed, would make it a crime to record videos, photograph, or even for the media to possess images of these facilities. 

It would make felons out of those who document pollution events and reeducate the public about where their food comes from.

Documentation assists Illinois agencies such as IEPA to do their job. This bill is representative of efforts across the country by corporate agribusinesses to shield their unsavory production practices from public scrutiny. 

Over a century ago, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle exposed deplorable practices and conditions at U.S. meatpacking plants.  His work led to significant public pressure and ultimately better regulation at processing facilities.

Illinois citizens should be asking themselves why the corporate Ag lobby would go to such measures today to criminalize this type of documentation. 

Legislators should be called on to vote against HB 5143 and to demand even greater transparency of routine production practices at industrial animal feeding operations.

In addition, Illinois citizens need to be aware of  the new AGRO-Security Group that is comprised of the FBI, the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois State police, and animal industry groups such as the Illinois Pork Producers and others.

This “working group” was created to “improve security” around agricultural enterprises in Illinois. While on the surface this MAY LOOK inconspicuous, the group also focuses on prohibiting photos of animal factory operations as they pollute our resources and/or abuse animals.  

FBI Agent David Ford said in a recent Associated Press article in the  Chicago Tribune that “creating the working group is an attempt to get in front of security issues before something terrible happens.”  

The group’s brochure advises farmers to watch for mysterious livestock deaths, unauthorized people taking pictures, and attempts to borrow farm equipment "for no logical reason”, according to the AP article.

The brochure advises agriculture producers to copy license plates of “mysterious people” that will immediately be entered into a national database.

In other words, if you are caught taking photos of a factory farm in violation, you will be entered into an FBI file among other things.  This story tells itself.  It is another PR stunt to stop the enormous opposition to animal abuses and polluting and factory farms in Illinois. 

In 2002 the Chicago Tribune featured editorial titled “Oink if You Smell Bad Legislation.” This was in response to an industry sponsored bill that would ban photos or videotaping at "animal facilities" with intent to "damage the enterprise." If implemented it  would have made it a Class 3 Felony to take a photo of an animal feeding operation in Illinois.  The Illinois House was duped into passing this due to the fact that it was inconspicuously  attached  at the very end a seemingly good ”antiterrorism” bill.  

Again, Illinoisians smell something rotten with the recent introduction of   HB 5143 Illinois Representative Sacia.  This bill is industry sponsored attempt to stifle perfectly legal actions that document illegal actions at factory farms. 

Some verbage within the bill states that … A person commits animal facility interference when he or she, without the consent of the owner, knowingly:  possesses or distributes a record which reproduces by a photographic, audio or similar medium an image or  sound of a visual or audio experience occurring at the  animal facility.

Any person who commits animal facility interference is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense.  Factory farm supporters claim they have a clean slate but  know that their egregious growing practices and pollution events can be consistently revealed in photographs that lead to investigations and/or fines.  If they have nothing to be ashamed of, why all the coverup?

If you use on facebook you can keep up with ICCAW news at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Illinois-Citizens-for-Clean-Air-and-Water/220119024675170

To SAY NO TO AG GAG BILL  HB 5143

The members of the Illinois House Judiciary Committee are listed below.  The top five names (in bold) are the individuals most important to contact. Please encourage as many people as possible to call their Springfield offices and email them, stating their opposition to the Ag-Gag bill. 

 Please circulate these names and numbers and flood these offices with calls. Every call makes a big difference!

Elaine Nekritz - 57th District: (217) 558-1004, enekritz@repnekritz.org  lurnikis@hds.ilga.gov

 Lou Lang - 16th District: (217) 782-1252, langli@ilga.gov

Sidney H. Mathias - 53rd District: (217) 782-1664, repmathias@hotmail.com

Ann Williams - 11th District: (217) 782-2458, ann@repannwilliams.com

 Michael J. Zalewski - 21st District: (217) 782-5280, michaelz@ilga.gov

 John E. Bradley - 117th District

 Jil Tracy - 93rd District

 Michael G. Connelly - 48th District

 Dwight Kay - 112th District

 Andre Thapedi - 32nd District

 Arthur Turner - 9th District

 Contact information for the other members on this list can be found at:

 http://www.ilga.gov/house/committees/members.asp?CommitteeID=895&GA=97

 Here are some of the issues:

 1. Documentation is routinely utilized by citizens to record illegal and pollution events.

2. Documentation "tells the story" of AG. The real side producers do not want to reveal. This information will help promote socially responsible agriculture.

3. Illinois EPA cannot be everywhere at once. Citizens in our state shoulder the burden of policing intensive animal feeding operations on a daily basis.

4. Documentations of alleged violations on intensive animal feeding operations and on manure application sites are forwarded to many Illinois agencies and assist tin the enforcement of warnings and penalties.

5. Documentations help to create increased public health awareness of intensive animal feeding operations and the safety and the quality of the food that they produce. This results in consumer protection and food safety initiatives.

6. The routine use of antibiotics to promote growth of diseased or healthy animals promotes antibiotic resistance in the human population. Documentation continues to educate the public about conditions behind closed doors that affect public health.

 
This is a national movement. Link to other states regarding AG GAG BILLS:

It's a map of states where similar bills like Sacia's in IL are being proposed
http://animalvisuals.org/

 

From a newspaper article: Ag Gag or CAFO protection passes in Iowa, will be heard in Illinois.

 Last week we reported on an Iowa bill aimed at preventing undercover investigations at concentrated animal feeding operations that was on Gov. Terry Brandstad's desk.

 At the time Brandstad's office said it was still considering but late Friday he quietly signed it to the dismay of activists who'd hoped to stop it.

 "Governor Branstad has failed Iowa, and the American people," said Nathan Runkle the executive director of Chicago-based Mercy for Animals. "By siding with those who seek to keep Iowa’s corrupt factory farming practices hidden from public view and signing this bill into law, he has created a safe haven for animal abuse and other criminal activity in the state. Mercy For Animals, along with a broad coalition of national groups representing a wide spectrum of public interests, including animal welfare, civil liberties, public health, food safety, environmental protection, food justice, workers' rights, and First Amendment interests, is exploring all legal avenues to overturn this dangerous and un-American law."

The bill in Iowa focuses on criminalizing the use of false pretense to gain access to the CAFO and the Governor commented on that aspect of the bill during his weekly press conference today.

"My feeling is if somebody comes onto somebody else's property through fraud or deception or lying, that is a very serious violation of people's rights," Branstad said at his weekly news conference according to the Associated Press. "People should be held accountable for that...this is a reasonable public policy for the state of Iowa. I think a number of states will probably follow us."

Many Illinois sustainability and environmental groups--including the Illinois Coalition for Clean Air and Water, Mercy for Animals and the Humane Society of the U.S.--hope this will not be the case and have pledged to make their voices heard as Illinois holds hearing on its own similarly-aimed Animal Facilities Bill HB5143 on Wednesday. Illinois recently launched an online program where supporters and opponents can file "witness slips" for hearings even if they can't be there and they can be filled out for that bill here.

"This bill will criminalize neighbors of CAFOs from taking photos of environmental violations in their community," said Karen Hudson an Illinois farmer and spokesperson for ICCAW. "We are the EPA's local eyes and ears. The EPA needs photographs to document alleged environmental violations. This ignores public health in our community."

“At the behest of the multibillion-dollar meat, dairy and egg industries, similar Ag-Gag bills are being proposed in states all across the country, including Illinois, New York, Utah, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska," Runkle noted. "Unfortunately, Iowa’s flawed and misdirected new law could set a dangerous precedent nationwide by throwing shut the doors to industrial factory farms and allowing animal abuse, environmental violations, and food contamination to flourish undetected, unchallenged, and unaddressed."

 Runkle noted that undercover investigations have resulted in landmark corporate and public policy changes as well as massive food recalls in the past.

"Without undercover investigations," he said, "there are oftentimes no effective watchdogs protecting animals from egregious cruelty in these facilities or the public from serious health violations."
 
 
Karen L. Hudson
Socially Responsible Agricultural Project consultant www.sraproject.org
Illinois Citizens for Clean Air and Water www.iccaw.org
Families Against Rural Messes FARM
farmer
Elmwood, Illinois
309-742-8895
I


 

Illini Bluff teachers invite all to show support

UPDATE 9/1/11:  Voluntary random drug testing except for new hires, when it's mandatory.  This sucks!  See PJS Story.

UPDATE 9/3/11:  Here's an excellent editorial from the PJS.

 

PEORIA -- The Illini Bluff teachers, striking over a demand from the school board that they submit to random drug tests, have invited the public to support them before another negotiating session on Sunday, Aug. 28.

People should try to arrive by 2 p.m. at the school, 9611 S. Hanna City-Glasford Road.

According to MapQuest, from Glasford turn north on E. Main, then west on Hanna City-Glasford Road. 

From Peoria, Glasford is west of Illinois Rt. 24, the road to Kingston Mines and Canton. 

Here are links to stories and an editorial in the Peoria Journal Star. 

Teachers, board to meet.

A principle worthy of a picket line.

Also see other story, below.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

Illini Bluffs teachers stand up for their civil liberties

GLASFORD, Il. -  Has Wisconsin finally spread to Illinois?

About 300 people gathered on Aug. 23 in an outdoor field at the American Legion Hall in Glasford, south of Peoria, to support striking teachers at the Illini Bluffs School District. 

The strike issue:  the school board's insistence during contact negotiations to subject teachers to random drug testing. 

That's right: random, a search of the body without probable cause, something that violates the US Constitution which forbids unreasonable searches.

The rally attracted teachers, supporters from other unions,  Illinois Federation of Teachers officials, parents and students.

And a smart politician, state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, who is running for Congress in the 17th District. Koehler, who once headed the Peoria Area Labor-Management Council, told the audience that he's backing the teachers. "I'm with you all the way."

The way to have a drug free workplace is to set up a joint teacher-board committee to work on drug issues, he said.

"Random drug testing does not give you an accurate view of what is going on in your building.  If it's a power play to force you to do what you don't want to do, shame on them," he said of the school board.

Tyler Hesh, the president of the teacher union at Illini Bluffs, said, "if you have to stand up for what is right, that's what you have to do."

Marcia Campbell, secretary-treasurer of the IFT, with 103,000 members in Illinois, said "I'm so proud of what you are doing. It's harder to stand up for what you believe in than to give in."

IFT president Dan Montgomery said, "you're cause is just, you will prevail."  No other Illinois school district subjects its teachers to random drug testing, he said. 

A flier was distributed stating that the real issue is the animosity of school board president Dennis Brown against teachers who have complained about his "inappropriate personal relationship" with another district employee.

The relationship has resulted in "financial gain" to the employee, "retaliatory teacher demotions" and "rewarding of (Brown's) supporters with nepotism based jobs."

Random drug testing is retaliation against the teachers, it says. The flier calls on Brown to resign from the board.

"Illini Bluffs parents demand that the 'Peyton Place' environment that has been created by Brown and fostered by his enablers be resolved," it states.

Petitions are being circulated, and one speaker also called for board members who do not agree with Brown to speak up now.

Parents and teachers were ejected from a recent board meeting by police, after the board refused to answer questions from taxpayers, she said.

This is a civil liberties issue, and the teachers are to be commended for standing up for their rights, and the rights of all.

Here's a link to an excellent Peoria Journal Star editorial on the issue.

The American Civil Liberties Union has a long history of opposing random drug testing.  See this link on the national ACLU website for a list of cases and lawsuits elsewhere.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

 

 

Civil Unions Act in Illinois begins June 1

PEORIA -- An audience of more than 50 people heard and discussed the new Civil Unions Act which becomes law in Illinois on June 1.  The May 26 event at the new Peoria Public Library North Branch meeting room, was sponsored by the Peoria ACLU chapter.

The speakers included staff counsel Karen Sheley of ACLU of Illinois, who distributed a helpful FAQ on the new law; Joseph Meister, a Chicago attorney who founded The Civil Rights Agenda, and Peoria County Clerk Steve Sonnemaker.

Sonnemaker said his office will begin issuing civil unions licenses on June 1 just as it issues traditionial marriage licenses now.  They can be used by same-sex couples or any couples not wishing to accept all the implications of a legal marriage.

The license is valid on the following day, and costs $37.00.  It's valid only in Peoria County. Applicants must be 18 years old.  They must follow up with a ceremony from someone licensed to perform marriage ceremonies in the state, and the certificate must be sent back to the clerk's office.

They must both be present and present identification, though special arrangements can be made for someone who cannot leave a hospital or otherwise enter the office.

Asked about a name change, Sonnemaker replied "we understand it's the same" as marriage, as a tradition, not a law.  But "talk to an attorney," he added.

Sonnemaker said he expects people to line up early to be among the first to obtain licenses.His office will stay open late for people in line at closing time.

Sheley said the ACLU spent 40 years advocating for civil unions and helped draft the Illinois law. A dozen states now recognize civil unions, she said.  The law confers property rights, hospital rights, some benefit and pension rights, at least for state employees, and other rights accorded to traditional married couples.

"Now we need full marriage" for these couples, because some states don't recognize civil unions, even though they recognize drivers licenses and marriages from other states.

The federal government will not recognize civil unions, so couples must file individual federal tax returns, but may be able to file a type of joint return for state taxes, she said.

Meister said the Civil Unions Act provides inheritance rights, and will prevent a family member from challenging a will, as they can do now as 'next of kin.' 

It also allows for dissolutions, and will provide legal standing for couples who may have lived together for years, have children, own property, businesses, even pets together.  Now they have no way to legally separate, he said.

"They will be treated like a business partner," under the Civil Unions Act, he said.

Adoption and foster care are other issues.  The Roman Catholic Church objects to civil unions, and some dioceses may be withdrawing from providing state paid adoption and foster care services rather than place children with gay couples, he said. Under the Civil Unions Act they cannot discriminate against those with civil unions.

Couples in civil unions will not be eligible for their spouse's social security benefits, but will be eligible for health insurance, pension benefits and the like if employed by the state government.  Private Illinois employers who obtain their health insurance from agencies licensed in Illinois will have to provide health insurance to civil union partners as they do to married couples.

Large multistate companies providing insurance regulated by ERISA, the federal law, may not have to provide the insurance, he said.

Questions from the audience ranged from whether to check the 'married' box on forms (answer: yes) to whether the other person is called 'spouse,' or 'partner' or 'husband/wife' (answer: take your pick.)

The bottom line:  under the Civil Unions Act, partners should be treated the same way in Illinois as if they are traditionally married. But that's not true of federal issues because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which is discriminatory and should be repealed, and likely will be sooner or later.

Here's a recording of the forum.

ACLU 5-26-11

-- Elaine Hopkins

 

Keep fighting: ACLU of Illinois executive diector

PEORIA -- The Peoria chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union celebrated its 50th anniversary with a May 12 banquet highlighted by a lively talk from ACLU of Illinois executive director Colleen K. Connell.

The first female attorney to lead the organization, she has directed its litigation efforts involving the constitutional rights to privacy, reproductive rights and conditions in state facilities for institutionalized persons.

Connell told the group that the ACLU is really the premier conservative organization in the nation, as it seeks to support and enforce the US Constitution and its Bill of Rights, promoting free speech, freedom of religion, voting rights and other civil liberties and rights.

These rights were not enforced until the ACLU and other advocacy groups began demanding enforcement in the 1920s, she said.

In 1920, Margaret Sanger was arrested for passing out information on birth control, not condoms or other devices, she said.  In East Saint Louis, IL., African Americans were lynched for political and labor organizing and attempting to vote, she said.

The ACLU was organized 90 years ago, and they and other advocacy groups demanded change, she said.  It's been a long, slow slog, with backlashes from the right wing, who even today, under the guise of the Tea Party, are attacking women's right to abortion, civil rights, voting rights and gay rights.  The right to privacy and freedom from wiretaps and other government scrutiny is also under seige, she said.

The Peoria chapter displayed documents from its archives, including some from an FBI file on the group from the late 1960s. "We all have FBI files," Connell said, adding the Illinois group has boxes of documents from the FBI, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Connell said that in previous years, the ACLU could count on the courts to protect the civil rights and liberties in the Constitution.  But not now. The courts have been packed with right wing judges, she said.

That means advocacy groups must engage in grass roots efforts to sway legislators, she said.

In Illinois the death penalty has been abolished and the Civil Unions Act enacted, but efforts are under way to repeal both, she said, along with attacks on reproductive freedom.

She mentioned anti-choice legislation sent this spring to the House Agriculture Committee for review, on the theory they knew little about it.  The ACLU fought back, created tshirts saying "women are not livestock," embarassing legislators.  The bill was dropped, she said.

She urged the audience to work with the ACLU to shape favorable legislation so that the promise of the US Constitution is fulfilled.

An audio recording of her speech isposted here. It's worth listening to.

ACLU 5-12-11

 -- Elaine Hopkins (Full disclosure: I am secretary of the Peoria ACLU chapter.)

Schools should teach civics, justice says

PEORIA -- Illinois Supreme Court justice Thomas Kilbride called for schools to do more to educate students in civics, during a speech on April 29.

Kilbride was the guest speaker at the 49th annual meeting of the  Peoria chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.  His talk was entitled "Civic Education and the Preservation of Liberty."

 "I don't intend to criticize teachers and school administrators. I have a new found respect for teachers," he said, citing recent visits to high schools. But the facts show civics has fallen out of the curriculum, he said.

In the 1960s, most high schools included three semesters of civics.  Today students are lucky to get one semester, he said.

Illinois students must pass a test on the Illinois Constitution, but the passing grade is 40 percent, and "there is no grading criteria," he said he has learned.

The tests all students must take in Illinois to graduate from high school don't contain any questions on civics, he said. The state has reportedly spent $6.5 billion on the federal mandate No Child Left Behind, which contains no civics requirement.

As a result surveys show that students and adults know little or nothing about the workings of the government.  Only 27 percent in one survey could name a right guaranteed under the lst Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and 70 percent didn't understand the difference between the judiciary and the legislative branches. "It's being lost on a generation."

This lack of knowledge affects how people view the government and appreciate their rights and liberties, he said.

Meanwhile judges are under attack from partisans, even though most judges rule on a non-partisan basis, he said. "Our system is based on fairness and impartiality," and decisions based on "the law and the facts."

"We need to refocus our priorities on civic education," he said. Studies show that children with a good background in civics tend to be more tolerant, more cooperative and ready to work for a the common good, and become more involved in their communities.

He urged the audience of about 85 people to speak to their legislators about this situation.

Kilbride, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2000 and is running in November for retention.

Also at the meeting two Peoria women received awards for their advocacy of civil liberties and civil rights, Peoria attorney Patricia Benassi and Peoria Park Board member Jackie Petty.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

ACLU Award winner: Pam Adams

Here's the complete news release:

ACLU Dinner Celebrates Bill of Rights, Recognizes Awardees Contributions to Basic Fairness

 

For Immediate Release

October 22, 2009

CHICAGO – At a dinner celebrating and highlighting the contributions of seven outstanding honorees, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois members and supporters will gather this week in Chicago to look forward to restoring basic constitutional rights in a new presidential administration.  The organization’s annual Bill of Rights Celebration takes place on Saturday evening, October 24^th, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Crystal Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Chicago.   The event is expected to draw hundreds of ACLU of Illinois members and supporters from across the state.   

 

 “This annual event reminds ACLU of Illinois members of our deep commitment to protecting liberty and the rule of law,” said Colleen Connell, Executive Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.  “The ACLU of Illinois is working each day to fix broken governmental systems that deny basic freedoms and to redress instances where government denies basic liberty.   This event is a chance for our members and supporters to gather together in common cause and celebrate this work.” 

The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of seven awards, approved earlier this year by the ACLU of Illinois Board of Directors.  Among those to be recognized:

 

·                                           Philanthropists Ronna Stamm and Paul Lehman will receive the first of two Roger Baldwin Lifetime Achievement Award for their vision and long-time efforts to support the ACLU’s efforts to ensure access to a full range of health care for women, extend equality under law to gay and lesbian couples and confront abuses of basic civil liberties caused by the so-called war on terror.  

·                                           The second Roger Baldwin Award will be presented to Nikki Will Stein, executive director of the Polk Brothers Foundation for her leadership among foundations to move beyond support of direct social services and focus instead on holding governmental systems accountable for their inability to meet basic constitutional standards.  

·                                           Chicago lawyer Heidi Dalenberg will receive the Edwin Rothschild Civil Liberties Award for her more than two decades of service as a cooperating counsel in the ACLU of Illinois’ efforts to repair and reform the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  

·                                           The James P. McGuire Award for excellence in journalism is presented to Peoria Journal Star columnist and reporter Pam Adams.   Adams is being honored for her writing about a number of critical issues, including racial profiling, inadequate and discriminatory education practices and other critical issues. 

·                                           State Representative Greg Harris is the recipient of the John R. Hammell Award for contributions to Illinois’ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.  As a member of the Illinois General Assembly, Representative Harris has led the fight for assuring equal recognition under law for gay and lesbian couples, and,

·                                           Colby Kingsbury, a former partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis, will receive the Annetta Dieckmann volunteer award.  Kingsbury acted as a cooperating counsel in the ACLU’s challenge of conditions at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.  

 

“We are looking forward to a successful Bill of Rights Celebration,” adds the ACLU’s Connell.  “The quality of the awardees, the strength and vitality of our membership and the importance of civil liberties issues in the public consciousness at this time makes this event very special.” 

    

NORMAL -- Civil Libertarians may be happy that President Barack Obama is now in office. But they're not taking him for granted.

"We cannot count on President Obama to restore the tattered fabric of our Constitution without our advocacy," the director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington DC Legislative office, Caroline Fredrickson, told an ACLU audience on March 28.

She spoke at the Illinois ACLU's annual Member Action Summit held this year at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center. "There is so much that needs to be fixed and improved," she said.

The ACLU has meet more than 100 times with the Obama transition team, she said, to review every federal agency and its policies. "Now we're getting our phone calls returned. We've had meetings. We went to a signing ceremony."

But "access is not enough," Fredrickson said. She offered a list: "Close Guantanamo." Ban torture and secret overseas prisons, lift the global gag rule, restore the Freedom of Information Act's presumption for disclosure, as examples of what the ACLU has asked Obama's administration to do.

There have been setbacks," she said. Obama has continued to pursue the 'state secrets doctrine' of the Bush administration, to prevent trials for detainees. "We will work to prevent detention without charges."

The Obama administration is also dragging its heels on investigating what may be illegal acts during the Bush administration, she said. The US House and Senate are interested in investigating. The ACLU wants a select committee with subpoena power or a special prosecutor to look into who ordered torture, illegal surveillence, and other such activities. "Understanding what has gone wrong is the only way to assure it will end," to assure "nobody is above the law," she said.

"We can not depend on the kindness of presidents" in the future, she said. "We need binding legislation."

The Patriot Act is up for revision this year, she said. "Patriot Act reform is the issue of the year." Also on the front burner: The FISA Amendment, the Military Commission Act that "stripped habeus corpus from people at Gitmo and allowed Bush to determine enemy combatants and define war crimes, and a limit on the state secrets documents, so we'll have disclosure on wrong doing."

The ACLU wants to kill the Real-ID Act, which would require uniform identification cards for everyone and could be misused by business and government. "The struggles will continue," she said.

Democrats control Congress but have been reluctant to act on some of these initiatives, she said. "Some were briefed" on torture, "and might have approved," she said. They fear being blamed if terrorism occurs again in the US. "We say you'll be blamed anyway."

The government is now investigating who destroyed videotapes of torture, she said, without investigating the torture itself. "That's absurd," she said.

Memos that supposedly legalized torture may be a legal defense, but will not immunize someone from prosecution, Frederickson, an attorney, said.

In Illinois, ACLU activists are hoping to pass a civil unions bill, expanding rights to domestic partners, and the Reproductive Health and Access Act, which would allow health care providers to opt out of procedures that violate their religion or conscience, but also requires them to refer the patients elsewhere. It's being fought by the Catholic Church, which has misrepresented the proposal, said Colleen Connell, ACLU Illinois executive director.

The Catholics fear that their hospitals will lose business, she said, when patients learn what services they will not provide and go elsewhere.

Polling has found 70 percent of Illinois residents in favor of the bill. It "protects the rights of people to make their own decisions" about health care.

Gov. Pat Quinn is constantly lobbied by the religious right, said John Peller, director of government relations for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Quinn included $1 million in his budget for abstinence education, he said, while others are trying to get that dropped.

"Why is Quinn saying that it's God's will that he's in office?" Peller asked.

On the other hand, with a deficit of up to $13 billion, Quinn is also trying to protect funding that benefits low income people, he said.

Illinois legislators "get away with what they couldn't in Chicago" when they're in Springfield, he said, citing some discussion and debate he described as "disgusting."

About 150 people attended the event.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Peoria activist wins ACLU award

CHICAGO – Peoria activist Dave Weiman, a former leader of the ACLU of Illinois Peoria Chapter, will receive the 2007 Annetta Dieckmann Award for volunteer activism by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

The award is presented each year to an individual who has worked tirelessly to advance the goals of the ACLU, the nation’s largest and most active civil rights and civil liberties organization. Weiman will receive the award during a presentation ceremony as part of the 2007 ACLU of Illinois Bill of Rights Celebration, to be held in Chicago on October 20, 2007.

“We are honored to recognize Dave’s hard work, his tireless commitment to constitutional values and his personal courage,” said Colleen K. Connell, Executive Director of the ACLU of Illinois in announcing the award.

“Time and again, Dave has been a leader – from working diligently to protect lesbian, gay, transgender and questioning students in our public schools to speaking out against the abuses of the Bush Administration. Dave is courageous and fearless in speaking out about the critically important constitutional issues.”

Weiman organized the Peoria-based Heartland Safe School Initiative. HSSI is committed to ensuring that lesbian, gay, transgender and questioning students are protected in public schools.

He worked with individuals and organizations across the Peoria area to draw attention to this crucial problem and develop new ways to bring tolerance and understanding into public schools.

In January 2007 an audience of more than 200 Peoria-area residents turned out on a cold night to hear a panel of youth and experts speak about the problem of bullying in public schools and discuss solutions for moving forward. As a result of the program, at least a half dozen Peoria-area public schools and youth serving agencies have launched new training programs for staff and administrators.

-- From an ACLU news release.