In The News
PRESS RELEASE
Clarifying Public Perception of Back the Blue Champaign County
Back the Blue Champaign County was created on August 6, 2020, as a private Facebook group page by Matt Stuckey of Mahomet, Illinois. Mr. Stuckey created the group to provide a forum for citizens to express support for the Champaign County law enforcement community. Back the Blue Champaign County is comprised of approximately 5,200 individuals working in private and public sector professions that derive from all walks of life and are demographically, socioeconomically, ethnically and politically diverse. Back the Blue Champaign County is unashamed to support law enforcement officers that uphold their sworn oaths with courage, honor and dignity. At this pivotal time in our nation’s history, it is imperative that Back the Blue Champaign County continues to provide morale-boosting programming for the law enforcement community. Officers deserve encouragement, gratitude and respect as they stand on the front line of a global pandemic, provide safety to all citizens, are targets of hateful actions and used deliberately as political pawns. This is the first pillar of Back the Blue Champaign County’s mission. Back the Blue Champaign County also affirms that every life is valuable and stands united against injustice in all forms.
Deliberately pursuing traditional and unconventional avenues to understand the experiences of underserved and underrepresented citizens and communities, actively seeking partnerships with individuals, organizations and businesses to bring forth awareness of social inequities, providing aid to socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals and striving to uplift every human being is the second pillar of Back the Blue Champaign County’s mission. Back the Blue Champaign County’s two-fold mission, as described above, offers a positive framework for practicing responsible, meaningful community outreach and engagement initiatives while serving as bridgebuilding liaisons between divided communities. Mr. Stuckey states, “Our response is our responsibility. In order to make impactful changes and bridge divided communities, we must do so purposely with a servant’s heart and an open mind.” Back the Blue Champaign County’s Community Outreach & Engagement Committee is available for interviews and civil roundtable discussions to continue in-depth learning and education of matters relevant to the experiences, needs and welfare of Champaign County’s law enforcement officers and underserved communities.
