June 8, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hugh Espey, Executive Director, 515-282-0484, hugh@iowacci.org
NO CRUMBS: Iowa CCI members in Des Moines say they will not support the city's ordinance to increase police chief power at the expense of black lives
CCI members will mobilize on Zoom to stand up and speak out for racial justice during tonight's city council meeting
Des Moines, Iowa --
Iowa CCI members announced Monday they will not support the city's so-called anti-racial profiling ordinance, saying the proposal to be debated tonight is a step backward. CCI member Sharon Zanders-Ackiss from Des Moines said:
"Two years ago, we asked the city of Des Moines to ban racial profiling and pre-textual stops and to guarantee the ban will be enforced by an independent community review board. Tonight, the city council will instead vote to give the unaccountable police chief even more power to suppress racial profiling data and arbitrarily dismiss complaints.
The city's ordinance will not end racial profiling in Des Moines. It will concentrate all reporting and enforcement authority in the hands of the police chief. It actively prevents independent public oversight, and it is completely silent on the very real need to decriminalize marijuana.
A step backward in the fight for racial justice is not what we asked for. CCI members will not allow the mayor, the city manager, and Chief Wingert to turn this sham into a showpiece. No justice, no peace.
In recent days, the national debate about how to stop racist police violence has moved away from discussions about how to reform the police.
Many groups and organizations across the country are now echoing the calls of black abolitionists to defund and dismantle the police and replace officers with public servants dedicated to restorative justice. |
