http://illinoisnsf.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=47
Pekin, Illinois is trying to pass some hate crime legislation that doesn't even matter. The class 4 felony status is a state wide statute, it already takes precedent over Pekin's fine. This is just a publicity stunt and a waste of tax payers money. It would almost seem that the presence of the INSF has mayor Rusty Dunn worried that we are going to strengthen the image of a white Pekin. Imagine that! When Pekin begins to turn into the third world hellhole that Peoria has and the streets are filled with the blood of innocent whites, you will be held responsible. Like you were told in an e-mail we sent you. The blood is on your hands. One can only reas through the comments on the second stroy to see that the people of Pekin do not want Pekin to be turned into a Nigger and Spic slum like Peoria.

http://www.pekintimes.com/homepage/x...ts-stereotypes
PEKIN, Ill. - The city of Pekin will tackle outside perceptions, specifically dealing with its sometimes racist image, in a series of moves in the coming months, Mayor Rusty Dunn said Friday.
Dunn and Community Development Director Pamela Anderson spoke at AmerenCILCO’s Diversity Day activities, and the two juxtaposed Pekin’s positive attributes against what they said were common negative stereotypes about the city.
“From the outside view looking in to Pekin, we absolutely have to work on the city’s brand, if you want to call it that, or reputation,” Dunn said. “To ignore that would be ill-advised. We are saddled with, whether we like it or not, a bit of a stigma and a stereotype that our community is racist. That we are just not accepting and tolerant of other people. That we are a ‘white trash’ or ‘redneck’ town.”
Dunn told a story of a professional who told her prospective employers in Pekin that friends in her hometown warned her not to take a new position in the city.
“She was told a lot of really bad things about Pekin,” he said. “A lot of them flat out not true. It was a mythology I was hearing, almost.
“It’s that type of view of our city that will affect us perhaps economically, socially, culturally. And it really does tie one hand behind our backs if we are going to try to move forward and make progress as a community, and show people that we respect diversity and inclusion and are welcoming.”
“I want people to think about Pekin and ... ‘that’s the home of Sen. Everett Dirksen, he was one of the modern architects of the civil rights legislation, intersecting in history with Martin Luther King Jr.’”
Dunn and Anderson said that city staff is preparing a city hate crime ordinance, elevating city law to the same Class 4 felony status of Illinois’ hate crime statute. Currently, a hate crime conviction is punishable by only a fine in Pekin. They said the ordinance could possibly be proposed to the council by August.
City image was one of several directives that council members and staff focused on at the city’s June retreat. Dunn said some of the discussion also was spurred by an incident this spring in which Easter eggs filled with racist messages were thrown on some front lawns in Pekin.
“How do we take a stand on this and tell people that this is not right, and this is not acceptable in our community?” he said. “And what do we need to do to take this to a higher level?
“I don’t think a reputation changes by simply passing an ordinance. It’s going to have to be something that evolves over time.”
Anderson said the city will also be revamping its Human Relations Commission.
“It has to be updated because right now it’s very old,” she said. “It will help carry us through.”
Based on ride-alongs and talks with the Pekin police department, Anderson said there are not a “large amount” of hate crimes in town.
“But that is not the issue,” she said. “The issue is that we’re tired of this reputation, whether right or wrong. We want to move forward with proactive steps.”

YWCA Executive Director Melinda Figge also spoke on the topic of diversity at the event.
AmerenCILCO’s Diversity Day is an annual, corporate-wide day of celebration and training used to identify and eliminate barriers between employees, said Ameren Edwards Power Station Manager Greg Russell.

http://www.pekintimes.com/newsnow/x6...rove-its-image
PEKIN, Ill. - The city of Pekin will tackle outside perceptions, specifically dealing with its sometimes racist image, in a series of moves in the coming months, Mayor Rusty Dunn said Friday.
Dunn and Community Development Director Pamela Anderson spoke at AmerenCILCO’s Diversity Day activities, and the two juxtaposed Pekin’ positive attributes against what they said were common negative stereotypes about the city.
City image was one of several directives that council members and staff focused on at the city’s June retreat. Dunn said some of the discussion also was spurred by an incident this spring in which Easter eggs filled with racist messages were thrown on some front lawns in Pekin.

Easter Egg drop earlier this year
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZistWMMqQ8"]YouTube - Illinois National Socialist Front Easter Eggs Found In Pekin, Il[/ame]