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Hidden with code "Submitted as Feature" |
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News :: Peace |
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Concerned Citizens Inspect UIUC For Evidence of Weapons of Mass Distruction |
Current rating: 9 |
by Paul Kotheimer
Email: herringb (nospam) prairienet.org (verified)
Phone: via IMC 217 344 8820
Address: 218 W. Main Ste. 110 Urbana, IL 61801 |
28 Apr 2004
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An impromptu group of concerned citizens and UIUC students gathered Tuesday afternoon for a "weapons inspection" of the UIUC Engineering Campus. |
An impromptu team of citizen activists met on the Engineering Quad of the University of Illinois yesterday with the intent to exercise their rights to information about publicly funded research on the campus. Organizers, affiliated with a course in UIUC's Communications Department, passed out guidebooks and leaflets in advance, mapping out the the locations of buildings where research projects funded by the U.S. Military or related departments were suspected.
Citizens not affiliated with the University were invited to take the tour and teamed up with UIUC-affiliated citizens, so that each non-affiliated citizen-inspector would be the guest of a person with a valid I-Card. White lab coats and clipboards were provided to as many citizen inspectors as possible.
The group met at noon at the fountain just south of the Beckman Institute. As participants met and coordinated their actions, they were confronted by at least two onlookers who mocked and insulted the action's design and intent. These onlookers consistently referred to action participants as "protestors" rather than "inspectors" or "researchers."
At approximately 12:15, the group began its tour of inspection, working as best it could in the face of a number of notable impediments: The University had denied inspection organizers access to building plans and layouts, making it difficult for the inspection team to locate a number of offices. The University cited a "Homeland Security risk," even though the building interior maps in question were scheduled to be published online within two weeks of the request date. One building on the inspection tour was passkey-admittance only. Inspectors were denied admittance there.
At the Beckman Institute, the inspection team was met at the ground floor by UIUC Building Security Staff and told that they were not permitted upstairs without an appointment. The team attempted to contact the research director of the facility in question, with no success.
The team was given an impromptu presentation by a graduate assistant at a lab researching solid rocket propellants. Inspectors were denied access to inspect the labs due to restrictions barring non-U.S. citizens.
At another research site, inspectors were escorted through the hallways by a facilities administrator. The group was asked to provide a record of the identity of each inspector.
A photograph of two of the organizers was featured on the front page of Wednesday's Daily Illini, the UIUC's student newspaper.
The photo included a caption, but did not accompany an article. |
This work is in the public domain |
