Vote no on JoCo Courthouse Annex

Police brutality, racial disparities and the failed war on marijuana have gained much-needed attention since Johnson County voters rejected two Justice Center referendums over the past two years. Opponents of expanding our justice system facilities pointed to these issues as reasons to vote down the multi-million-dollar jail-courthouse combination: 'Build it, they will fill it.”

As the county gears up for another courthouse referendum, these issues are not going away. In fact, more problems are sprouting up. We know that poor people often face bonds they cannot afford; we know that minorities are as much as 8 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than white folks despite the fact both use marijuana at the same rate; and we know that suspects are routinely intimidated into pleading guilty under a threat of a high bond and pretrial detention.

I encourage Johnson County voters to vote no on the proposed Courthouse Annex. Voting down a $34 million, 69,000 square foot upgrade of the failing criminal justice system is one of the strongest signals we can send that we are serious about demanding reform. Our county and city officials have repeatedly demonstrated that they do not have the political will to address any of the aforementioned issues and it is naïve to think that will change if the Courthouse Annex is built. The best chance for the much needed change is to hold strong and repeat the message again and again: 'Reforms come first!”.

Martha Hampel

Iowa City