Untitled Document
On July 14, Rakiem Campbell tossed a concrete patio
brick from an interstate overpass in Peoria, killing 26-year-old Katrina
Kelley. Local prosecutors charged Campbell, 15, with first-degree murder. One month later, Bradley
University soccer player Danny Dahlquist was killed in a fire when four of
his buddies ignited fireworks under his door. Daniel Cox, 20, David Crady,
19, Ryan Johnson, 22, and Nicholas Mentgen, 21, were each charged with one
count of possessing of an explosive or incendiary device and two counts
each of aggravated arson. Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons,
explaining why he didn’t seek murder charges, characterized the
incident as a prank. Donald Jackson, a Peoria attorney
and president of the Illinois state conference of the NAACP, criticizes the
handling of the two cases: “The law requires parity. Either
they’re both pranks or they’re both murders.”
Jackson draws a parallel between
the handling of the Peoria cases and one involving high school students in
the Louisiana town of Jena, which has garnered national attention. Both, he
says, show the criminal-justice system still isn’t colorblind. The case of the “Jena
6” is complicated. A series of racially charged altercations between
groups of teens in Jena, population 2,971, preceded the arrest of six black
boys for allegedly beating up a white classmate. Before that, several nooses,
which symbolize the practice of lynching, were hung from a tree where
African-Americans sat in defiance of a school tradition that only whites
could sit underneath the shady tree. All six involved in the fight
were charged with attempted second-degree murder and expelled from school. A march and rally, expected to
draw participants from across the nation, is scheduled for today (Sept. 20)
in Jena, and supporters have been asked to wear black clothing. In Peoria, Jackson plans to hold
a press conference and has encouraged leaders of local NAACP branches to
make statements expressing support for the Jena 6. Ken Page, president of the
Springfield branch of the NAACP, says he believes the students should be
disciplined for their actions, just not thrown in prison. He adds that what
happened in Jena could just as easily occur here in Springfield. Jackson believes nowhere in
Illinois is immune. “Shoot yes,” Jackson
says. “Can it happen in Peoria? Sure it can. Can it happen in Decatur
or Springfield? Absolutely.”
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2007.
