According to a FOIA I received yesterday, the number of inmates infected has risen to 5 as of August 6th, 2020.
“As of August 6th, we have… had 5 positive tests on inmates.”
When I first read this, I initially thought of all tests done on inmates five returned back positive. Of course, that is not what I asked for: I specifically requested the number of inmates who had tested positive, not the number of positive tests performed on inmates.
I contacted the jail FOIA officer, Mary Lou Allman, to clarify. She told me this is the information she received from medical staff so it must mean the numbers have risen to 5 inmates. Hopefully, this was a mistake but considering how lax Sheriff deputies and jail staff are about wearing masks, I wouldn’t doubt if the number continues to rise.
Furthermore, it confirms the jail did not start properly testing until the Pritzker administration required it in order to transfer inmates to IDOC.
On Thursday, June 26th, 2020 a small group of triggered geriatrics (mostly people of a colonial complexion) stood in front of the McLean County History Museum. Led by McLean County GOP Chair Connie Beard, they decried the creation of a boycott list of about 20 businesses in the Central Illinois Area. The boycott list was created in response to racial tensions in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and the surprising (and alleged) cultural shift in support of Black Liberation occurring nation wide. The businesses that made the list have a history of racist policies or the owners have a history of racist statements & behavior.
Connie Beard’s employer, Denbesten Real Estate, is on this list because of her outspoken support of President Trump. And, despite her support of some incredibly racist policies, she is adamant she is not racist. She even brought her black friend to prove it.2
“We are all one race. We are all one family and children of God,” Beard said. “To judge someone just on the color of their skin, to treat them differently, is not only foolish, it’s a sin.”
She blamed the creation & distribution of this list on Ward 6 Bloomington Alderperson Jen Carrillo. However, this is
FAKE NEWS!
Carrillo has stated multiple times she had nothing to do with the list. When asked whether she had any proof, Beard said, “I’m not saying she’s lying about creating the list. I’m saying, elected officials should not encourage or promote such damaging action to businesses in our community.”
Typical triggered conservatives. They don’t care about facts, only feelings.
But, that’s not how America works. Even politicians have free speech rights. Boycotting is a proud American tradition. Colonists routinely boycotted British goods & taxes in colonial America. It led to American Independence. American’s also have a strong tradition of boycotting racism. What does Beard think civil rights leaders were doing during the fifties? Has she never heard of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
(I’d also like to point out most of these people couldn’t be bothered to wear masks, even though COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing. This is the exact same group of covidiots demanding we open up the economy early and saying Americans are responsible enough; yet, they can’t even be responsible enough to wear masks at a press conference.)3
Covidiots
Beard also decried efforts to defund the police. Typical big government conservatives. Just like they want government to control your reproduction, they want to support overbloated police budgets, increased militarization of the police, & our byzantine criminal justice system that disproportionately oppresses people of color. So much for fiscal conservatism, I guess.
Perhaps the most hypocritical facet of this Coronavirus spreading spectacle is these are the same people who fetishize the freedom of the market above all else. Yet, when consumers choose how to spend their dollars in anti-racist ways, these right-wing types start begging for entitlements from society: freedom from criticism. Sorry snowflakes: freedom means the right to free speech & opinion, but not the right to be free of responsibilities. Maybe ya’ll should get some personal responsibility & reflect on why people think you might have racist opinions.
The murder of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers has ignited a fresh, new wave of protests in support of Black Liberation across the country. In Central Illinois, like elsewhere, those organizing the events are not from older generations like Boomers and Xers, not even from Millenials, but from the Zoomer generation just now coming of age. The combination of no school during the last quarter of the school year, nearly 2 ½ months under quarantine restrictions, the economic depression during COVID-19, and the fact the police can’t stop messing with Black Lives EVEN during a global pandemic has caused an eruption of support for the liberation of Black Lives beyond what many of us expected to see.
Even before May 30th, 2020 Zoomers were already standing on the sidewalk along Veterans Parkway with signs supporting Black Lives. But, Saturday May 30th was a catalyst here in Bloomington-Normal. 24-year old Micah Denniston, posted on Facebook she was organizing a protest at the McLean County Jail in downtown Bloomington. Denniston, a woman of the Caucasian persuasion, was affected by Floyd’s death because “I am the mother of three mixed children. They are mixed with black,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to fear for my son’s life when he grows up. God forbid, he gets pulled over and the next thing you know he’s dead on the ground by a cop because they fear him for the color of his skin or they fear my boyfriend for the color of his skin or my brother next to me for the color of his skin. It’s not right.”
Micah Denniston, 24
She only thought about 15 people would show up. Instead, over a 150 people gathered near the jail next to the US Cellular Coliseum. Micah and her friends wanted to March around the jail. More experienced activists helped facilitate the goals of these Zoomers: blocking off traffic, documenting the scene, and negotiating with law enforcement.
Because the McLean County Jail is in the heart of downtown Bloomington, inmates can be seen from the streets. For many protesters there, it was their first time experiencing their voice reaching out in protest and making a connection of solidarity with another, especially individuals being isolated from society by the state. Even from across the street on a busy day, one can clearly hear inmates banging on their windows. The effect is poignant. Realizing that you can see from the street what the state hides behind architecture and that you can transgress the state’s forced isolation of inmates is a powerful feeling. At the same time, inmates who have been kept on 23-hour a day lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, received some much needed social interaction. These bridges being built through the walls of state authority are an important link activists for Black Liberation must continue to cultivate.
Another novelty found was Bloomington Police Officers, unprompted, offering to block of traffic so that protesters could take over the streets safely. For nearly thirty minutes, Black Liberation activists occupied East Street just outside the McLean County Law & Justice Center. Afterwards, the march of nearly 150 people took over the streets of downtown Bloomington in a spontaneous manner, picking and choosing its direction almost at random for nearly 3 miles as if hunting out the vestiges of white supremacy in the city. Even without a clear direction, police continued to block off traffic for the protesters. There is a clear distinction in the way police in BloNo have been reacting to BLM protests after the death of Floyd. Unlike many cities where the police are actively attacking peaceful protesters, police in McLean county are getting on one knee, saying “Black Lives Matter”, and hugging protesters in an alleged solidarity.
At the jail were many tense moments between protesters and sheriff’s deputies. There is a primal rage in the early protests after George Floyd. An absolute disgust at the injustice inherent in our policing and carceral institutions. There were about 3-4 sheriff’s deputies being confronted by protesters. The anger in the people wouldn’t allow for a satisfactory answer to congeal from the deputies, aside from ripping off their badge and joining the revolution. But, this anger is nevertheless righteous. So many people are sick of the abuse of state power by the police, the sense of helplessness when under the gaze of an officer. The three officers were between Scylla & Charybdis in front of the massive group. No answer was sufficient to calm them down, and any escalation would have put everyone in danger. Yet, those officers needed to feel that powerlessness for the protest to be effective. The entire confrontation only lasted about ten minutes and was finally diffused by a Sargent yelling “Black Lives Matter” with open arms & a smile. It was enough to distract the powder keg and relieve the mounting pressure.
[FULL DISCLOSURE: The author participated in this protest.]
On May Day, May 1st, Black Lives Matter Bloomington-Normal organized a car caravan action around the McLean County Jail calling for decarceration and to waive the costs of video visits/phone calls during COVID19 for inmates. BLM BloNo also released a contract between McLean County and the telecommunications system, IC Solutions, that shows they are profiting off of these video visits/phone calls, which of course happen more often now that in-person visits are shut down due to COVID19.
ACTION ITEM: Join BLM BloNo and Tell McLean Co: Stop Profiting From Jail Visits During Covid-19!
Check out: Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/BLMBlono/ E-mail — blacklivesmatterblono@gmail.com Contact your County Board representative and tell them they shouldn’t be making money just so people can stay in touch with their loved ones during the Coronavirus.
Bloomington insider Don Donath was selected by Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason to be the city’s top cop. No word yet on questionnaire provided by local activist group Black Lives Matter BloNo, which both candidates promised to provide.
