Help Identify Thief of "Beyond the Chief" Artwork
This from Barbara O'Connor, UIPD police chief: The University of Illinois Police Department seeks the public's help in
identifying the suspect responsible for the theft of two artworks that occurred on Saturday (June 13) between 2:13 a.m. and 2:28 a.m. at 1206 W. Nevada St., Urbana.
The artworks, which resemble metal signs, are 18 inches by 36 inches and
are painted white with red block lettering. One says, INILLI GNITHGIF,
TODAY YOUR HOST IS PEORIA; the other says, INILLI GNITHGIF, TODAY YOUR
HOST IS HO-CHUNK. The Peoria sign was removed from its location directly
south of the Native American Studies Building. The Ho-Chunk sign was
removed near the west entrance of the building.
The suspect is a college-age white male who was wearing a dark T-shirt
and dark shorts at the time of the incident. The suspect was captured on
video; images can be viewed at http://www.dps.uiuc.edu/uipdhelp.html
Anyone with information about this incident should call UIPD at 217-333-
1216. Information also can be shared anonymously through Crimestoppers
by calling 217-373-TIPS or online at:
http://www.champaigncountycrimestoppers.com/
Barbara R. O'Connor, J.D.
Executive Director of Public Safety
Chief of Police
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
This mailing approved by:
The Office of the Chief of Police
- 4988 reads
indymedia as police drag net?
im not sure how i feel about indymedia being used this way, whats the context?
Did the people who were affected ask for this help?
weird.
-not from you city
More on This
Everyone's free to choose what they do with info. You can read more about this at:
http://www.ucimc.org/content/hate-crimes-uiuc-beyond-chief-exhibit-vanda...
My take? In this case, the police have been notably lax in their efforts, as they often are with certain categories of crime. On the other hand, most of us are aware about how much the police obsess about certain types of crime, devote bottomless pits of money and resources to those, and pick out certain groups of people to shake down on a regular basis.
In this case, the police have shown an almost obsessive restraint and disinterest in what was happening. Seven chances it took before they came up with any credible evidence, long after a pattern had established itself. Frankly, they've been embarrassed into taking action at last, In part, because community members would not let the story die.
Perhaps a little boost from this exposure will focus the police on something the community really cares about? If nothing else, they might have less time to conduct six-month long investigations into people smoking reefer on campus.
Lord knows they waste a lot of money attacking members of minority communities. Maybe the shoe being on the other foot will cuase more citizens to ask why hate has a holiday at the University of Illinois.
Frankly, I'd have preferred that someone less sanguine than the police about hate crime had caught this little twerp in the act as he was unbolting and vandalizing those signs and administered a little swift justice to the perp, which "unfortunately happened before I could call 911 to report him, because the a**hole attacked me as I was dialing 911!"
Out of sight of the cop-cam, of course...
So yeah, not your usual IMC story, but it's one that some of us care about. My conscience isn't bothering me about this story.
More
Some more here on what those at Native American House have to say about thsi:
http://will.illinois.edu/news/spotstory/native-american-art-installation-at-u-of-i-urbana-campus-vandlized-for-7th-/
I know some of how those most affected feel about this. The community is still trying to come to terms with a tradition of hate. Some is said in public. Others have much more to say in private, in part because they don't trust the police to protect them, especially given the circumstances. Threats have been made in the past against local activists on the "chief" issue..
Some of those threats have now been carried out. Depending on how you feel about anonymous jerks taking credit for these incidents, as can be read in the other thread, that might make you less or more paranoid.
Clearly, whoever it is is a coward, in addition to being a hater. There were some who attacked the local coverage of the vandalism on UC IMC, saying that vandalism doesn't imply some jerk will resort to violence at a later date. Tell that to those who cared about Dr. Tiller.
It's sad that there is no legal alternative than letting the police and courts deal with this, IF they catch him. Some of us want to be sure we did all we could, rather than letting the police keep letting him keep get away with this. Maybe we shoud've staked the signs out on our own? Nah, better not tempt us...
Why We Featured This
BD posted the original email to the Local Newswire. Then I saw it and featured it. Here were my thoughts in my post about it to our Web group list.
I made this a Feature:
http://www.ucimc.org/content/help-identify-thief-beyond-chief-artwork
While it's basically a UIPD press release, the widespread community interest in putting an end to the wave of vandalism directed at Native American art justifies making this a Feature. With the addition I made of the photo, perhaps more publicity about the crime will result in an arrest after the 7th vandalism against these works of art. Given that the vandalism, and now theft, seemed directed at Native Americans and supporters of their rights in a community that for too long tolerated other abusive practices, including under the guise of state power, it's time that all members of the community do what they can to end these crimes.
Just my opinion and my decision, documented within the bounds of UC IMC's editorial process. YMMV
Editing
This may be an important issue in the community. It probably would have been better if you wrote a brief feature about the context that may or may not have linked to the original police press release. That would keep all the readers happy in any future situation.
Dear Barbara O'Connor:
We would never talk to you except to express our contempt for your kind! Only privilege could think of you as anything but an enemy.
Both you and that stupid turbo dude are racists. You can pretend to "protect us" from him, but who will protect us from you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JB4VfxKC_k
thanks
Hey thanks for the thoughtful replies. It's still odd to me, but I gather why yer doing it. Good luck; i hope the person who committed these acts get their just desserts!
:)
-not from your city
Signs recovered
Per the Gazoo, they recovered the signs after some CrimeStoppers calls but they are still looking for the guy.
Busted...
The UIPD announced that they have a UI "May graduate in fine and applied arts" as the suspect who appeared in court after being arrested in his apartment near campusWednesday afternoon.
Rather oddly, UIPD has already declared "Police do not think it's any type of hate crime...There is no indication it was targetted officially against the Native American House."
Didn't really need to talk to a prosecutor on that in Champaign County, right? Because we can never get a jury that would convict a 'chief activist'." So, do you have to like get a memo or permit from the "Save the Chief Society" people to "officially" attack the Native American House or art outisde it?
But really, if you're a Native American, you can trust law enforcement to do a thorough job, right?
Perhaps something like that is what the typical undergrad should have declared when they were busted right before finals for a couple of doobies, but *"Hey, I'm not a drug dealer.*
That should work, right?
After all, if you're like the UIPD and conduct a six-month long investigation into, like students, like using cannabis, like bust like three dozen students and like can only scrape together a couple of like ounces over the course of a *six months* investigatjion, it would like be a wise thing to say if you like do, if you, if you like got arrested, right?
It almost sounds like UIPD's drug squad is stopping off for a "break" on the way to the station, especially when there's like no way you can haul it to the PD in your little tiny cruiser or motorcycle or like, bike. It's so heavy lifting that much stucc, I don't see how those weak, emaciated drug dealers do that all day long!
You don't want to be carrying a little herb because then, some cop might say, "Hey! it's a real serious thing, felony warrants, it's not as if we're going out and arresting people who are sharing a dime bag (instead of just stealing a couple of signs with a friend (maybe with or without a friend, but we're not really looking for him, cause we have to go back to staking out sororities who are buying more than a dime bag a week)..."
And it was just a little art, and some little Indian nation that got wiped out, long before my great gramps came over from somewhere in Europe! It's just not fair that they take my mascot away before I graduated.
Sorry about that.
I don't think destroying someone elses's art project is exactly how to conduct your own senior art project. I mean, cause there are so many other, more creative things you could do, like burn a cross on the lawn of Native American House. Or hold a book burning, because you didn't learn much in art schoo,,,
*(obviously giving the state legislature something else to investigate, cause exactly how did someone get a diploma in May and still do such a stupid thing, maybe the kid is one of the "golden ones" whose daddy wroteGov. Ryan orGov. Rob to get in to UIUC -- yeah, that DEFINITELY sounds like a hot lead)*
...or just trot off to join that fake-'chief' guy doing the alumni chicken dinner circuit. I'm sure that misdameanor rap you'll get for this will make it real hard to get a job.
Post new comment