AMERICAN
CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
of
Champaign County
Steering
Committee
May 5,
2005
Present:
Bill Brown, Rachael Dietkus, Ward Henson, Brian Issleb, Allan Levy, Esther
Patt, Gary Peters, Richard Schnuer, Carol Spindel, Shirley Stillinger, Marsha
Woodbury
Student
Chapter: Maeve Anderson, Colin Bishop, Vinay Tota, Nellie Waddell,
Absent
with notice: Roger Clark, Harry Hilton, Steve Shoemaker, Kristin Solberg,
The
meeting was called to order at 7:35 by the chair, Rachael Dietkus. The minutes
of the April meeting were approved as distributed.
Financial
Report
Ward
Henson presented the treasurer's report. He reported that 160 people attended
the annual meeting. There was $2,680 income from the brunch, $2,920 expenses.
Plaques for the awardees and student subsidies accounted for the $240 deficit.
Total assets as of today: $2,480.65.
Student
Chapter
Maeve
reported that this was her last meeting. The chapter has written and ratified a
new constitution and has new officers. Rachael thanked Maeve and Vinay for
their work.
Illinois
Division
Stan
reported that there has been membership increase across the state; numbers are
the highest ever. Ed. Johnka will be speaking here at an A.W.A.R.E forum on the
Patriot Act on June 15. Stan has learned that ACLU does not have an official
position on civilian police review boards; positions are left up to local
chapters.
Annual
Meeting
Everyone
agreed that the annual meeting at the Great Impasta was a big success. The food
was excellent. There was consensus that brunch was a better time than dinner.
Stan pointed out that we need to begin work on securing a speaker for next
April now; discussion of possible speakers followed.
Statewide
Emergency Summit
Bill
distributed a summary of the discussion at the Champaign County workshop; Colin
reported on the student workshop.
Reproductive
Rights
Esther
reported that there is a big push now on sex education (more than abstinence
only). She is going to a meeting Saturday of the Campaign for Responsible Sex
Education; she will continue to follow this issue and report to us.
Police
Review Boards
Bill
Brown attended a meeting of the Coalition for a Police Review Board; four
people were present. The coalition plans to meet with Urbana's new mayor,
Laurel Prussing, asking that she appoint a task force to study the issue.
Stan is
on a sub-committee of the Champaign Community Relations Commission which will
look at the idea of a civilian police review board. The organizational meeting
of the committee was last week; it will be meeting monthly. The meetings will
not be open to the public.
The
steering committee agreed to invite the sheriff to our June meeting.
The
steering committee agreed to be a co-sponsor of the A.W.A.R.E. forum at which
Ed Johnka will be speaking at the Urbana Free Library on June 15.
The
meeting was adjourned at 8:55.
Respectfully
submitted,
Shirley
Stillinger
Next
meeting: Thursday, June 2