Iowa City council decides against Trayvon Martin resolution

Iowa City will not pass a resolution related specifically to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

City Council member Jim Throgmorton earlier this month said he wanted to the council to weigh in on the matter and provided a draft resolution that framed the shooting and resulting uproar in national and local terms.

The proposal said “Martin's killing has caused grief and outrage among many Iowa Citians” and also criticized so-called “stand your ground” laws.

At a work session Tuesday night, the majority of the council said it felt its focus should be on local issues and, if it approved the Martin resolution, it would be hard to draw the line on when to weigh in on national and even international events, Mayor Matt Hayek said. For example, he said, if the council were to pass a resolution related to Martin, an argument could be made it should do the same for the recent shooting deaths of three black people in Tulsa, Okla.

Throgmorton and council member Rick Dobyns will work with city staff on a resolution on how racial profiling affects Iowa City. Stand-your-ground laws, which some Iowa state lawmakers support, also may be included.