Champaign-Urbana Citizens March to Pass Poverty Referendum
Submitted by Brian Dolinar on October 4, 2008 - 5:33pm
It was a beautiful day for the fifth annual Unity March, an event organized by Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice. This year’s march was dedicated to passage of the coming Township referendum on the ballot this election day, a measure that would raise funds to help the poorest of the poor in Champaign. A diverse crowd of approximately 150 people marched to stamp out poverty.
The march kicked off at the Township office in Champaign. T-shirts were passed out that read on the back, “Freedom From Extreme Poverty is a Human Right.” They were made to promote The Faces of Poverty, a documentary video made about the Champaign Township showing on television this month (See below).
Several members of the Champaign Township Board were present including Mayor Jerry Schweighart, Michael La Due, Karen Foster, Tom Bruno, and Gina Jackson.
A long procession of marchers walked up Randolph, went through downtown Champaign, and met for a rally in Frederick Douglass Park. As the crowd assembled on a hill in the park, they chanted, “Whose park? The people’s park.” En route, marchers passed by the Catholic Worker’s House and the Times Center, two other places where the poor receive assistance but which remain largely hidden in our community.
Aaron Ammons led the crowd in chants such as, “We’ve got money for war, but can’t feed the poor” and “Get up! Get down! Anti-racists in this town.”
Traffic assistance was provided by Sgt. David Griffet of the Champaign Police Department, ironically the same officer who was named in a recently settled federal suit filed by Patrick Thompson and Martel Miller, two black activists charged in 2004 with felony eavesdropping.
After the march, free food was provided in the park annex. A check-in list at the front door was signed by 130 people who stayed around to eat pizza, fried fish, and cupcakes.
Thanks to all the sponsors of Unity March V: AWARE, Radio Liberacion!, Prarie Green Party, Central Illinois Jobs With Justice, School for Designing a Society, Urbana-Champaign Friends Meeting, Central Illinois Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Channing-Murray Foundation, University Coalition of Trades and Labor Unions.
Additional thanks goes to the iHelp student volunteers from the University of Illinois.
The Face of Poverty will be aired by City Government Television. CGTV is carried live on Insight Communications’ cable channel 5.
The schedule for our show times are:
10/2/2008 at 2:30 PM
10/4/2008 at 2:30 PM
10/5/2008 at 9:30 PM
10/7/2008 at 3:30 AM
10/9/2008 at 10:00 PM
10/11/2008 at 10:30 PM
10/12/2008 at 3:30 PM
10/13/2008 at 3:30 PM
10/15/2008 at 10:00 PM
10/17/2008 at 9:30 AM
10/19/2008 at 3:30 PM
10/21/2008 at 3:30 PM
10/23/2008 at 10:30 PM
10/25/2008 at 3:30 PM
10/27/2008 at 9:30 AM
10/27/2008 at 6:00 PM
10/29/2008 at 3:30 PM
10/31/2008 at 5:30 PM
Great job everybody for
Great job everybody for standing up for what's right. Surely, the majority of citizens of Champaign want to feed people making only $3000 a month. This year's Unity March gave voice to this fact. What is missing is the township board's (Champaign's City Council) support. These politicians should give account for why they are not in favor of feeding the poor.
"I'm pleased to see
"I'm pleased to see Champaign citizens come out and show their support," Mayor Jerry Schweighart told the Daily Illini.
Good for the Citizens, How about the Leaders?
I also saw both Tom Bruno and Mike Ladue there. One would hope that they, along with the Mayor, will be as pleased to "show their support" for the poorest of the poor.
Local Yocal,
I think you mean to say "people making only $3000 a _year_" since that is real poverty.
Not that anyone will be getting rich on $36,000 a year, though.
whoops
That's right, it's $3000 a year, and it's a mystery why the City Council members were there.
What exactly were you
What exactly were you marching about? Anyone making less than $1,100 a month is already eligible for food stamps.
Trolling Comment Tied to Bad Facts
"Anyone making less than $1,100 a month is already eligible for food stamps."
Nonsense.
Single males between the ages of 18 and 50 are generally eligible for food stamps for only 3 months in any 36 month period. There are also a raft of other qualifications that vary depending on a variety of factors for an individual or family. Besides, even where food stamps are available, that's all they cover, basic foodstuffs. If you've bothered to shop for groceries lately, you'd also know that food prices are rising rapidly, with food stamps lagging behind the need even where there is eligibility.
Unless one has a place to cook, they won't help much, as food stamps don't provide for ready-to-eat food and the costs of that would quickly exceed the allocation of food stamps anyway. They also don't cover housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, or medical care and prescriptions. Some people may be able to take advantage of other programs to fill these gaps. But --
After 3 decades of politicians shredding what started out as a barely adequate safety net, there are lots of people who've been written out of eligibility for any assistance, other than what the township can provide. The ranks of such people in our society are likely to grow quickly in the current economic downturn.
There are those who like to scrawl trite, off the cuff comments.
Then there are those who aren't in denial about the many who have been written off by our society and who resist the idea that hurting the poor more will somehow improve the situation of the poor and neglected.
Don't be a dick I just
Don't be a dick I just wanted to know what the difference is between this and food stamps.
Chill Out
If you’re going to play the “I’m just ignorant” card, then say so.
If you don’t have a clue, then say so.
If you’re just looking for a chance to call someone a “dick,” then don’t. That’s got nothing to do with your feigned quest for knowledge on the issue at hand.
Otherwise, people will take your ignorant, clueless comment for what it appears to be: one more, trite post by some smartass trying to appear to wrap some ill-defined beef with the top story in the news here around a bonehead remark.
It’s a policy of disrespect for the poor that is the issue here. Adding your crap on top of what already exists is not exactly the way to join in a productive conversation.
Get your facts packed, Jack, or just stay home.
Feeding the disabled
There is a tremendous need for food assistance in this town and state and federal aid is not helping enough, nor does it provide the daycare, the career training needed to put someone into a meaningful career and not need assistance. For those with injuries and illnesses, the situation is even more dire- since healthcare is lacking. Most of those needing assistance from the township are those considered disabled. Why not give them this assistance?
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