City Of Springfield, Illinois Fighting Lost Cause

In the current edition of the Illinois Times, Dusty Rhodes recounts (Holy Hyperbole, Family Man!) her role in revealing the link between Psychologist Michael Campion, of Campion, Barrow & Associates and the right wing Illinois Family Institute. Dr. Campion, a member of the board of directors of the conservative evangelical organization was under contract by the City of Springfield to screen Fire Department, and Police department candidates.

Now that Campion's relationship to the IFA has been revealed the City of Springfield has decided to allow CBA's contract to expire. Did a sense of moral outrage over CBA's "secret agenda" of preventing non-whites from serving our community fill the hearts of City officials, or was it simply an attempt to pin the blame on CBA?

Is the City of Springfield just another victim, or is it a co-conspirator in violating the civil rights of non-white applicants to positions with Springfield's Police, and Fire Departments?

Was Campion's consulting firm, Campion,Barrow & Associates, used by the City of Springfield, Illinois to keep non-whites from gaining employment as firefighters, and police?

While CBA's relationship with IFA has brought yet another spotlight to bear up0n the City of Springfield's descriminatory hiring practices, we need not forget that the City of Springfield employed CBA, and not the other way around.

While Dusty Rhodes never suggests that the City of Springfield deliberately employed CBA to do its dirty work in keeping non-whites from the ranks of the city's Police, and Fire department, one has only to look at the result of the pattern of hiring descrimation to see the end result - a city with few non-white police officers, and fire fighters.

As this nation continues its ethnic, and racial demographic shift from a white majority into a more diverse racial, and ethnic mix the task of protecting the white "good old boy network", and its grip on civil service jobs, will become an ever more difficult task to accomplish, and cover up.


Note: I am not a paid staff member of the Illinois Times, nor did I consult with Dusty Rhodes, or any other member of the Illinois Times Staff in the writing of this post.