From announce at aclu-cu.org Sun Aug 2 17:03:56 2026 From: announce at aclu-cu.org (Champaign County ACLU Announcements) Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2026 17:03:56 -0400 Subject: [ACLU-CU ALERT] CONTACT URBANA CITY COUNCIL ABOUT SURVEILLANCE OVERSIGHT BEFORE MONDAY NIGHT! Message-ID: [image: image.jpeg]``1` *aclu-cu.org * *IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED! *URBANA SURVEILLANCE OVERSIGHT ORDINANCE After two years of work on a complex issue, the Urbana City Council will vote *Monday August 3rd* on an ordinance to give the public a voice in decisions about what surveillance equipment the city of Urbana leases or buys and what they can do with the personal data collected. The ordinance gives the public 30 days to weigh in before the Council votes on acquiring new surveillance technology. The ordinance doesn’t prohibit surveillance technology, but it does set common sense oversight guardrails to ensure our personal data is not misused. Importantly, it gives us, the public, a chance to be informed about any new surveillance, ask questions, and voice our concerns to our elected representatives. AND, it sets a precedent we can urge other towns to follow. *NOW **IS THE TIME TO CONTACT THE CITY COUNCIL AND URGE PASSAGE OF THE SURVEILLANCE OVERSIGHT ORDINANCE (**Ordinance No. 2024-12-042).* · ATTEND THE MEETING (Monday August 3rd at 7 pm) to speak during public comment. · Or write the Council at CityCouncil at UrbanaIL.Gov . Request that your comments be entered into the public record by putting PUBLIC INPUT AUG 3, 2026 in the subject line. · *Thank them for their leadership on this important issue and urge them to vote FOR the Surveillance Oversight Ordinance. * · If you live in Urbana, write your council member directly, too. Find their email here: https://www.urbanail.gov/city-clerk/page/city-council. *SUMMARY OF THE MAIN POINTS:* *How the Ordinance Works* Sections 2-222, 2-223, 2-225 describe how technologies/contracts would be approved by the City Council before they are used and provides some guidelines for what can be approved. Section 2-224 talks about reporting the use of technologies once they start being used. Additionally, it prescribes how to handle surveillance technology that's already in use before the ordinance is passed. Sections 2-226 details an exigent circumstances exemption (how some surveillance technology may be used without going through the above approval process during an emergency at the discretion of the mayor or their designee). The use must be reported to the City Council within 30 days of the use. Section 2-227 explains how to treat surveillance data that is obtained neither through approved means nor through exigent circumstances, i.e. improperly. *MORE INFO: *Watch the video of the latest City Council discussion of the ordinance. Discussion starts just after 2 hours. [2:03]. THANK YOU FOR HELPING US ADVOCATE FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES! YOUR VOICE MATTERS! aclu-cu.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 56175 bytes Desc: not available URL: From announce at aclu-cu.org Thu Aug 6 21:06:19 2026 From: announce at aclu-cu.org (Champaign County ACLU Announcements) Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2026 21:06:19 -0400 Subject: [ACLU-CU ALERT] ACLU AUGUST NEWS Message-ID: *Never-Regular But Ever-True * *News from Your Local ACLU * [image: image.jpeg] aclu-cu.org AUGUST 2026 *Dear Members and Friends,* [image: image.jpeg] On this 250th anniversary year, We the People are still working hard to create that “more perfect union” we envision. I was moved, on a recent trip to Exeter, New Hampshire, to see this rare draft copy of the Constitution with handwritten notes in the margin. It belonged to a New Hampshire delegate named Nicholas Gilman, chair of one of the drafting committees. Seeing it reminded me that the Constitution was drafted by real people – real white men – working together to hammer out a blueprint for a future republic that existed only in their imaginations. When it comes to rights, the Constitution is a good solid floor but it’s not a ceiling. We have more work ahead! *GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON in C-U!* [image: image.jpeg] [image: image.jpeg] Jeff Trask explaining reparations. Luis Gomez tabling at Champaign Public Library. *Thanks to everyone who came out for the “Good Trouble Lives On” Weekend July 17-20th.* We had great conversations at the Champaign Public Library and at Spurlock Museum and did our best to honor the memory of John Lewis and his legacy of activism. We heard from so many local organizers working for good necessary trouble. So much good work happening here in C-U so take heart! Shout out to Luis Gomez of the ACLU Community Activators for coming down and tabling with us AND to Director of Communications and Public Policy Ed Yohnka for speaking on a panel Sunday about challenges to the upcoming election and ACLU’s plans to protect voter rights. Ed stressed that the important thing is to feel confidence in our election system in Illinois, to go out and VOTE, to encourage everyone you know to register and VOTE and NOT to get distracted or deterred by the scare-mongering which is an intentional strategy to deter voting. *INFO* on upcoming *Community Activator* Virtual Events here . *PROTECTING VOTER DATA* Last week a federal judge in Central Illinois ruled against a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking to force the Illinois State Board of Elections to turn over private information – including driver’s license numbers and partial social security numbers. The ACLU of Illinois had joined with others – including ACLU National, Common Cause, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law -- to intervene on behalf of the organizations and three individual clients. The decision in Illinois was the 19th decision (out of 19) that the DOJ has lost in seeking this private information. After the Court’s ruling, ACLU Illinois issued a press release which was covered by the Chicago Tribune , the Chicago Sun Times , WBEZ , and Yahoo News . *ICE ABUSES* The ACLU of Illinois filed Federal Tort Claims Act complaints on behalf of Darren Eichler and Danny Greer – two suburban Chicago cemetery workers (and U.S. citizens) who were attacked at work by ICE officers last October. The filings recently were part of a nationwide effort, with ACLU affiliates filing more than 50 complaints from 17 states and the District of Columbia. Darren and Danny’s stories appeared in Mother Jones this week. *LOCAL NEWS IN THE NATIONAL NEWS! **URBANA SURVEILLANCE ORDINANCE* Yahoo News this week covered action by the Urbana City Council adopting an ordinance that allows the Council – and the public – to have some oversight when the town’s governmental departments contract to use surveillance technology. Note that it covers all Urbana city departments – not just the police. *Our ACLU chapter members, supportive city council members, and all of you who called, spoke or wrote were critical to the passage of this ordinance. It’s an important first step in retaining our constitutional right to privacy. THANKS FOR USING YOUR VOICE TO PROTECT CIVIL LIBERTIES!* The News-Gazette story: *Urbana council approves oversight rules for surveillance technology* By Jana Wiersema August 5, 2026 News-Gazette URBANA — On Dec. 16, 2024, Alderwoman Grace Wilken and then-Alderwoman Jaya Kolisetty presented a draft ordinance to create an approval process and reporting requirements for surveillance technologies used by the Urbana Police Department. Twenty months and several revisions later, the city council has approved the final version of the ordinance, which applies to surveillance tools used by any and all city departments. The ordinance, which requires council approval for any new surveillance technologies as well as those already in use, was approved in a 6-1 vote. Alderwoman Shirese Hursey, the lone “no,” said she could not vote for it “in good conscience,” as she feared it may have negative “ripple effects” for people of color, low-income individuals and “those who need such technology to rid our neighborhoods of dope dealers, (drug) shooting galleries, gun-runners and possible human traffickers and those that prey on the vulnerable citizens of Urbana.” Prior to the final vote Monday night, she spent 12 minutes detailing her concerns. Among other things, Hursey said while she isn’t against having city departments create policies for the surveillance technologies they use, she believes that the ordinance may “cause more harm than good” with regard to public safety. “I am sure that some may be thinking that you’re saving Black and poor folk from the systematic racism and terror that has endured for generations in these communities,” she said. “But from my perspective and those of some of my constituents, you’re just updating it.” Police Chief Larry D. Boone also expressed concerns about the proposal when it was first introduced and said in a December 2024 interview that the first draft was written “so broadly and rigidly that it risks further crippling the Urbana Police Department’s ability to function effectively and efficiently.” The document has since undergone a number of changes. Boone told The News-Gazette on Tuesday that, following the ordinance’s approval, “our focus must be on effective implementation.” “I support oversight and transparency that strengthen public trust while ensuring officers can respond quickly and effectively to protect the community,” he said. “As we gain experience under the ordinance, we should evaluate its impact, make improvements where necessary, and remain committed to both accountability and public safety. Our goal should be a balanced framework that promotes transparency without compromising the department’s ability to prevent and investigate crime.” A couple of individuals spoke in favor of the ordinance during the time for public comment and several more wrote letters in support of it, though some had suggestions for additional tweaks. Jane McClintock, president of the Champaign County chapter of the Illinois ACLU, said that a few sections “remain to be clarified” but was generally appreciative of the council’s work on this matter. “The ordinance will ensure that despite the rapid evolution of technology, Urbana will retain its identity as a community that values privacy and protects civil rights and civil liberties, as well as a community that listens to the voices of its residents and gives them a say in the important decisions that affect their daily lives,” she said. “Even if we trust our own local officials, these forms of surveillance are so much more powerful and the forces we’re trying to deal with are so much bigger than we are,” said Ben Joselyn of Urbana. The ordinance stipulates that all applications for new surveillance technology must provide a use report and draft policy for how it will be used. Both documents must be submitted to the council and made publicly available, with community members able to provide input on the matter. For surveillance technology already in use, the city must create a use report and policy within 120 days of the ordinance’s approval, with extensions available. These technologies will then have to go through the same formal approval process as new technologies. “If the council has not voted to approve or deny the continued use of the existing technology within the specified timeframe, the city department may continue its use of the surveillance technology while the council approval process is pending, provided the city department has provided all documents and information required under this ordinance, and no violation of law or policy has been identified concerning its ongoing use of the technology,” the ordinance states. Once the council approves or denies use of a surveillance technology, the matter can be reconsidered after 12 months, or sooner if there is “a demonstrable material change in circumstances” that may affect its decision. The ordinance also includes stipulations in regards to reporting and transparency and provides that a city department may temporarily acquire or use surveillance technology for a limited time during an emergency with approval from the mayor or their designee. Prior to approving the ordinance, council members passed a couple of minor amendments to the version included in the meeting packet. This included revising the ordinance’s definition of surveillance technology. According to City Clerk Darcy Sandefur, the new definition is “any device, hardware or software that is designed, intended or primarily used by the city to monitor, observe, identify or track the activities, movements, communications or associations of identifiable individuals or groups.” The language further states that this includes tools that “collect, capture, record, retain, process, intercept, analyze or monitor audio, visual, photographic, biometric, geolocation or other data reasonably capable of identifying or tracking an individual with or without their knowledge.” Automatic license-plate readers and aerial drones are included in a list of examples. Exemptions include vehicle and body cameras. City attorney Matt Roeschley noted that the version of the ordinance that was initially included in Monday’s meeting packet accidentally contained language that the council had decided to remove; the oversight has since been corrected. The section, which is not part of the final version, had stated that data potentially collected in violation of the ordinance “may be used for legitimate law enforcement purposes unless and until the city attorney determines that such use would violate applicable law.” The final, signed ordinance will be posted on the city’s website soon, Sandefur said. *Join, renew or donate here to support the work of ACLU:* https://www.aclu-il.org/en/donate. Instagram: @acluofil Feel free to share this newsletter with others. Sign up by emailing info at aclu-cu.org. Ready to get more involved? Email info at aclu-cu.org *Thanks for supporting ACLU of Champaign County!* If you no longer want to receive these emails, reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line or write info at aclu-cu.org. Carol Spindel Director of Communications she/her *ACLU of Champaign County* *aclu-cu.org * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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