A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.
For the Illinois village previously known as Rantoul see Alma, Illinois Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,918 at the 2000 census; however, by 2007 it had shrunk to 12,402. The present mayor is Neal Williams, who was re-elected in 2009. The community was named after Robert Rantoul, director of the Illinois Central Railroad. In 1917, Rantoul was chosen to be the site of the Chanute Field due to its proximity to the Illinois Central railroad and the War Department’s ground school housed at the University of Illinois. In the 1930s, Chanute grew, dominating the local economy as thousands of Airmen were stationed there to train new recruits who cycled in and out. Renamed Chanute Air Force Base after World War II, the base was closed in 1993, and partly reoccupied by the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum and the Rantoul National Aviation Center. The major employers in Rantoul are C.I. Telecom, JELD-WEN, Bell Sports, Bell Racing, Combe Laboratories, Eagle Wings Ind. , Conair Corporation, Microfilm Service, AT&T, and Pactuco.