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About Check CU
This non-profit site was established to aid in disseminating information about relevant issues in the Champaign-Urbana area. Transparency and access to public records is paramount to functioning government and since the public bodies within CU are failing in that regard, civilians must do the work. If you have files or documents that are of public interest, please consider sending them to Check CU so that we can make them publicly accessible.
-Christopher Hansen, Founder
Latest articles
Search Ordered by Illinois Attorney General Reveals Multiple FOIA Violations
This letter from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office may not appear terribly interesting at first glance. So the City of Urbana didn’t try hard enough on their records search, so what? This might be one of those situations that is too complicated to...
Criticism Not Welcome at Urbana Human Relations Commission
I have been speaking at Urbana Human Relations Commission (HRC) meetings for several months now, ever since they decided that the Urbana Human Rights laws don’t apply to the City of Urbana or its employees. This rather cowardly decision goes against everything written...
Urbana City Attorney Suggests Suing Residents Who Expose Corruption
Urbana City Attorney James Simon delivered what can only be interpreted as a threat to residents who have been speaking out about corruption within the Urbana City government. The Council was discussing an ordinance put forth by Mayor Diane Marlin and James Simon...
Urbana’s Todd Rent Violates FOIA, City Releases Partial Records After 6 Months
On July 25th, 2019 I sent a very simple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the City of Urbana. I sought to understand why a previous FOIA request was delivered late and also determine if Human Resources Director Todd Rent was lying to me about a...
Urbana Dinged Again by Illinois Attorney General on FOIA & Postage Fees
Urbana City staff continue to commit FOIA violations against the residents of Urbana. This request was in regards to police complaints. Lizabeth Kay Meharry illegally assessed $20 in fees and also sought to charge for postage. Meharry also claimed that...
Urbana Violated FOIA Law by Overcharging $768 in Fees – Illinois Attorney General
Urbana City Attorney James Simon giving a presentation on July 20th, defending Urbana's FOIA fee structure which was recently ruled to be illegal by the Illinois Attorney General On September 2nd, 2020 the Illinois Attorney General released a determination letter...
Illinois Attorney General: Urbana Violated FOIA Law by Denying Police Body Camera Video & Overcharging $120 in Fees
On September 2nd, 2020 the Illinois Attorney General released a determination letter indicating that the City of Urbana was in violation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The City attempted to charge a requester $128.35 on a single FOIA request whereas...
Calling Simon’s Bluff
At the July 20th City Council meeting, during a presentation about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Urbana City Attorney James Simon made a great number of false claims (documented to some extent in my letter to the Urbana City Council here). One particular...
Two Letters to the Urbana City Council on FOIA
This article will be mainly comprised of two emails that I sent to the Urbana City Council. The quick backstory is that after a number of complaints by residents (many from myself) about public records requests, the City of Urbana arranged for a presentation on...
Illinois Attorney General: METCAD Violated FOIA in Regards to Aleyah Lewis Arrest Documents
In mid-April this year, Mayor Marlin announced that the Urbana Police Department would be giving a presentation on the Aleyah Lewis arrest, which occurred on April 10th. At the City Council meeting held on April 20th, Marlin further announced that the city...
Ward 4 Alderman Bill Brown Will Not Seek a Third Term on Urbana City Council
Urbana City Council member Bill Brown released a statement on September 12th indicating that he will not seek a third term on the Council. Mr. Brown did not respond when asked why he decided not to pursue another term. Brown’s statement: “I've told a few people...
Mayor Marlin Prefers Open Meetings Act Violations Over Honest Discussion
It is hard to know how to respond when someone twice your age, a democratically elected official, and supposed community leader carefully calculates that committing crimes against her constituents is better than honest dialogue. That is, after all, what Diane...
Speech Restrictions at Urbana Public Meetings Will Backfire on Mayor Marlin
Mayor Marlin at a Council Meeting, August 2020 On Saturday morning, Mayor Marlin sent out an email to the Urbana City Council and City of Urbana Department heads describing a plan to regulate speech during public input at meetings of public bodies. The relevant...
The Safety of Wrestling With Your Rifle
Urbana Police Officer Eric Ruff running toward Officer Michael Cervantes and Urbana Resident Aleyah Lewis On April 10th, Urbana Police officers arrested Aleyah Lewis using, to put it mildly, highly questionable techniques. Alongside many other Urbana residents,...
Chicago Firm Hired to Review Urbana PD has Worrying Police Ties, Offers Disappointing Community Engagement
Bijal Patel, Christopher Hansen, Sarah Nixon, Alen Romero (originally published by the Public i) Officers Michael Cervantes, Eric Ruff, and James Cory Koker wrestle Urbana resident Aleyah Lewis to the ground and apply handcuffs (image captured from Eric Ruff's body...
Urbana Residents File Petition Demanding Changes in Police Review
On June 23rd, four Urbana residents submitted “A Residents’ Petition for Reforming the City of Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB)” to the Mayor, City Council, and the members of the CPRB. The petition was also posted to change.org and has been signed by over...
Urbana Civilian Police Review Board Under the Spotlight After Violent Arrest
A Meeting of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board For the past seven Urbana City Council meetings, residents have lined up to deliver what has amounted to several hours of criticism and dozens of misconduct allegations against the Urbana Police Department. ...
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