Articles Tagged: Black Lives Matter

A yearlong review finds current systems ineffective for many — particularly underrepresented and vulnerable students — and more mental health and non-law enforcement services could be fruitful.

Five Des Moines Black Liberation Movement protesters filed a lawsuit in seeking to block Iowa State Patrol troopers from arresting them if they return to the Capitol.

Speakers called on the city government to be more engaged in issues of social justice and equity

In a budget outlined from July to December, the pay makes up less than a third of the request — $103,500 of the proposed $337,500 overall six-month budget.

Two murals under construction in downtown Iowa City are meant to provoke conversations about race that the artists hope will inspire others.

Group says meetings too focused on issues raised by white people

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22½ years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin’s knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.

The fire early Wednesday in Des Moines destroyed a memorial created last summer by the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement. It honored Black Iowa youth who have died in recent years.

The panel -- created this year in response to demands for police reform from racial justice advocates -- will begin meeting in July to chart a path forward for improved community-police relations.

Inspired by their experiences seeking police reform last year after George Floyd’s murder sparked a reckoning with systemic racism, Advocates for Social Justice members Amara Andrews and Tamara Marcus now look to lead change on the Cedar Rapids City Council.

Angelina Ramirez, 21, and Harold Walehwa, 22, are Coe College rising seniors leading efforts to push for racial justice on campus, in Cedar Rapids and across Iowa.

The Board of Supervisors is publicly questioning the need for military vehicles on city streets, but they can’t force the sheriff to get rid of it.

The settlement will head to the city manager for approval. The lawsuit asserted that Mitchell, a Black motorist, was recklessly shot and paralyzed by white police officer Lucas Jones, who has since been fired for a separate incident.

Kennedy High School twin sisters -- who are advocating for the removal of school resource officers from the school district and for classes to include more Black history, literature and art -- are proud of themselves for speaking up for equity, but say they are ready to leave the “racial trauma” they experienced in Cedar Rapids’ schools behind after they graduated this week.

One year after George Floyd’s murder, the Cedar Rapids City Council prepares to appoint members to the new citizens’ police review board, which takes applications until May 31. The panel was the top demand for police reform from racial justice advocates after Floyd’s death.