‘Community conversation’ on law enforcement is Saturday in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Local leaders tied to a task force convened following a rash of teen shootings are launching a series of 'community conversations” beginning Saturday.

Members of the Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities Task Force, which released its final report examining systemic causes of youth gun violence in February, plan to host a series of meetings over the summer to 'engage the larger community on important issues.”

'We're really hoping to bring people together and keep these conversations going,” Mary Wilcynski, visiting professor at Coe College and co-chairperson of the SET Task Force, said in a news release. 'If we can do this once a month, and keep people engaged, we believe that will help us drive positive change.”

The first conversation takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall at Coe College, 1220 First Ave. NE. Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman, Bernard Clayton, Kim Abrams-Bryant and Anthony Arrington will participate in a panel on law enforcement and public safety moderated by Karl Cassell, chief executive of Horizons Family Services Alliance.

Those in attendance will have an opportunity to enter the discussion and ask questions. The event is free to the public.

The 19-person task force, which included subcommittees on housing, education, law enforcement, economic opportunities, outreach and community engagement and programming, met for more than a year. The final report included these five recommendations:

- ‘Ban the box,' which would remove the box on hiring forms that applicants must check if they've been convicted of a felony. The task force members said this would make hiring more inclusive for those with lower level felonies.

- Establish a regional public-private housing entity to provide insight on affordable housing challenges.

- Professional development for law enforcement to improve intercultural relations.

- Adopt best practices from President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

- Develop a web-based search system to replicate the 2-1-1 help line supported by the United Way of East Central Iowa.

After the final report, some of the members discussed ways to ensure progress on the recommendations, which lead to the community conversations. A presentation is planned for the fall.

'We put a lot of hard work into developing the recommendations of the SET Task Force,” Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker, who is co-chairperson of the SET Task Force, said in a news release. 'We believe that these recommendations belong to the community, and therefore it will be the community that must ultimately hold our institutions and organizations accountable for their implementation.”

Future topics for conversations include affordable housing, economic opportunities, education and nonprofit programming.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com