On anniversary of Jerime Mitchell shooting, advocates continue push for change

CEDAR RAPIDS - On the night of Oct. 31, Louise Johnson said she spent the evening along Coe Road NE, standing on the corner where her son was shot a year ago.

It was cold, it was raining and it was difficult for Johnson to relive that moment, she said. But despite this, Johnson believed it was important to stand on the street where her son, Jerime Mitchell, had been shot and badly wounded by a Cedar Rapids police officer during a traffic stop.

'I wanted to make sure that what happened in this city remained on people's minds and (they are) aware that such a thing can happen in our city, in the town we live in,” Johnson said at a gathering Saturday in honor of her son.

In the early hours of Nov. 1, 2016, Mitchell was shot by Officer Lucas Jones, who has said he pulled over the pickup truck because its license plate lights were not working. A police video later released shows Jones was some distance away from the truck when he accelerated to catch up to it.

After Jones pulled over the truck, things escalated to an altercation between the two and Jones fired three times as Mitchell drove away. A bullet paralyzed him from the neck down.

Neither Mitchell nor Jones were charged.

The event this weekend at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids was a time to reflect on the past year's work toward getting a social justice agreement and as a rallying cry to keep up the momentum.

'This is important,” said Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, to the 50 or so attendees. 'We are here, one year later, seeking justice.”

The event was organized by the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP and the Cedar Rapids chapter.

Damian Epps, who is running for a Cedar Rapids City Council seat in this week's election, is the pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Mitchell - who must use a wheelchair - and his wife, Bracken Mitchell, expressed their gratitude for the support they've received.

'We're here to fight with you guys now and we're thankful that (Jerime's) here, too,” Bracken Mitchell said.

Following the officer-involved shooting, Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden brought the case to a grand jury, which cleared Jones.

Jerime and Bracken Mitchell since have filed a lawsuit against Jones and the city.

Johnson, as well as other speakers, expressed frustration at the incident, particularly over questions they have that they say remain unanswered, including: Why Jones pulled over Mitchell in the first place; and why the case went to the grand jury without a statement from Mitchell giving his version of events.

Cedar Rapids mayoral candidate Jorel Robinson also spoke at the event.

'It was good to see the community come out and still have interest in this issue and realize this is an important issue we need to address in our community,” Dedric Doolin, president of the Cedar Rapids chapter of the NAACP, told The Gazette. 'This is our community. That's the attitude we've got to take. This is our community and we've got to realize that whatever affects someone in the community affects us all. Hopefully we can get something changed in this community, but change is not overnight.”

Since July, representatives of the NAACP and advocacy group Iowa Justice Alliance have been meeting with local and county law enforcement officials, Vander Sanden and Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett to discuss demands released early this year.

Most recently, the group enlisted the help of the U.S. Department of Justice to oversee talks. But a decision by parties involved to go further was tabled until Nov. 17.

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