When the Champaign City Council was called to order on October 20 the chamber was stuffed with people of multiple ethnicities, official looking people, nervous people, young people, old people and sad people. Following typical protocol, the mayor proclaimed the meeting open for audience participation. At this time dozens of community members approached the council for a turn to speak their mind on the serious issue of a black community member being shot and killed by a white Champaign police officer.
Community member Terry Townsend said the big issue is aggressive policing, specifically towards the black community. He offered the idea that there are two mindsets circulating. The first, of civilians, is that they believe they have rights and can legally resist justice. The second, of the police, is that they must stop anyone who is suspected of illegal activity. A result of these two mindsets is that police must be more conscious of their conduct when dealing with people who may not abide by their rules said Townsend. Not only is this a problem of communication between the people and the police, but Townsend also believes it is a result of unsatisfactory intercultural interaction in the community.
Community member Seon Williams said the white and black communities need to embrace each other. He offered the idea of diversity training for police officers so the racism the community addressed at the meeting would no longer be a concern in the future. He said, “We need to meet each other in the middle,” after which a chorus of voices in the audience agreed. He said, “We got to come together as a community.”
The aunt of the victim, Regine Rivers, agreed and said the biggest issue this incident causes the city to be aware of is community unity. If the community does not work together to bring justice to this issue there will be an uproar she says. Many people who spoke during the meeting beseeched the council for answers. They said officials must get a handle on the situation or the community will not be at peace.
A shocking bit of information Rivers revealed was that the press has not spelled her nephew’s name correctly. She said everyone has been missing the hyphen in Ki-wane Carrington’s name. Showing respect for this boy is an important part of the problem. If proper respect is not showed towards the black community in death, how can they expect to be treated respectfully in life? The community understands racism between the public and the police is a long standing issue. The people of Champaign are utilizing Carrington’s death to put a topic to rest which has been circulating since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Hattie Paulk, a minister, parent and grandparent in Champaign was one among many who voiced the need for an independent evaluation of the incident. She said civil rights happened so her children would not have to go through discrimination such as in this case where police officers kill people because of their skin color. “Since 1960 something should have changed in Champaign and Urbana,” said Paulk.
Others at the meeting said police officers need to be trained in interacting with juveniles. The victim’s father, Albert Carrington, spoke on his son’s behalf, saying, “This should not happen.” Dennis Atkins said, “This is a very serious incident not to be overlooked.” Atkins lives at the residence where Carrington was allegedly caught breaking into. He said, “Ki-wane was welcome in our home, he was never a trespasser.”
This incident is not isolated. However, it resulted in the loss of a young boy’s life. Community members stood up together against city council proclaiming the need for a change. Some addressed the police dealing with racism and others with juveniles. Both matters are important and should be further addressed by the city before the community can come together as a whole. Until this issue is tended to fairly people will continue to stand up and speak their opinions of unrest.
