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<span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">Dear ACLU members:</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"><b style="line-height:normal">If you live in the city of Champaign</b></span><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">, you voice is needed in support of fair housing and racial justice for the June
25 Champaign city council study session on Section 17-4.5 of city code.<br>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">City council members' email addresses are at the end of this message.<br>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">Champaign's Human Rights Ordinance prohibits discrimination in employment and in the sale of housing based on "prior arrest or conviction record." But
</span><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"><b style="line-height: normal;">Section 17-4.5 of city code says that for rental of housing, landlords may discriminate based on an appli</b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: normal;"></b></span><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"><b style="line-height: normal;">cant's
felony conviction record until the person has resided outside of jail or prison for 5 years without another conviction.</b></span><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"><br>
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<li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black; line-height:normal">The Champaign County Racial Justice Task Force and Champaign Human Relations Commission recommended repeal of 17-4.5 because this policy has a disparate
impact on African American people due to the race disparity in household incomes, homeowner status and criminal conviction rates:</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">
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<li><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Only 31% of African Americans in Champaign County are homeowners while 66% of Caucasians own their homes.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The poverty rate for Caucasians in Champaign County is 17.5%; the poverty rate for African Americans is 41.5%.</span></li></ul>
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<li><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">African Americans are twice as likely as Caucasians to be convicted of crimes like drug possession, despite a wealth of data showing drug use rates are the same for
both populations.</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt; line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">
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<li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal">Even if the crime for which the person was convicted did not occur at a rental property and the person has a perfect rental history, the fact of the conviction can be
the basis for denying a rental application.</span><br>
</li><li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal">This exception allows rental property owners to arbitrarily increase a person’s criminal sentence for five years.</span><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal"><br>
</span></li><li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal">No consideration is given for efforts at rehabilitation after conviction.</span><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal"><br>
</span></li><li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal">Even a person whose sentence was probation must wait 5 years before regaining fair housing protection.
</span><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal"><br>
</span></li><li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal">A person convicted of any crime can immediately re-unite with family upon release if the family are homeowners; the 5-year wait is only for people whose families rent.</span>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span></li><li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; letter-spacing:.1pt"><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">Champaign County Re-Entry
Council supports repeal of 17-4.5 because it undermines their efforts to reduce recidivism.
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</li><li><span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; line-height:normal">City of Urbana has no such exception in its non-discrimination law and the rate of crime is NOT higher in Urbana than in Champaign</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: normal;">City council will study Section 17-4.5 on Tuesday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. in city council chambers.</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: normal;">Please send a message to these city council members and the mayor</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> asking they vote to repeal
Section 17-4.5 of Champaign city code -- or speak in person at the council study session on June 25.
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Clarissa Nickerson Fourman – District 1</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Tom Bruno – At-large</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><a href="mailto:Clarissa.Fourman@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Clarissa.Fourman@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><a href="mailto:Tom.Bruno@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Tom.Bruno@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Aliia Beck – District 2</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Will Kyles – At-large</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><a href="mailto:Alicia.Beck@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Alicia.Beck@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><a href="mailto:Will.Kyles@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Will.Kyles@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Angie Brix – District 3</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Matthew Gladney – At-large</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><a href="mailto:Angie.Brix@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Angie.Brix@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><a href="mailto:Matthew.Gladney@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Matthew.Gladney@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Greg Stock – District 4</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Deborah Frank Feinen – Mayor</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><a href="mailto:Greg.Stock@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Greg.Stock@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><a href="mailto:Deb.Feinen@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Deb.Feinen@champaignil.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Vanna Pianfetti – District 5</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span><a href="mailto:Vanna.Pianfetti@champaignil.gov"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Vanna.Pianfetti@champaignil.gov</span></a></p>
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<span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></span><span style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"></span><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></span>Any questions?
Please write to ACLU chapter member Esther Patt. <span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">
<b><a href="mailto:Matthew.Gladney@champaignil.gov"><span>estherpatt@hotmail.com</span></a></b></span><br>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt; line-height:normal">Thank you for taking action for fair housing and racial justice.<br>
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