The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, amplified the Black Lives Matter movement and immediate need for action. As a result, rapid change has swept the country, including here in Iowa City.
Accelerated by local protests and calls for justice, the City of Iowa City has committed itself to strengthening existing social justice and racial equity efforts as well as re-imagining new strategies for dismantling systemic racism in our community.
Review the City's Preliminary Plan to Restructure Police here.
Black Lives Matter & Systemic Racism Resolution (June 2020)
On June 16, 2020, City Council passed Resolution 20-159, outlining 17 actions to be taken by the City to address the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and systemic racism. An abridged summary of the resolution items is listed below. View a full one-year progress summary.
1. Develop a preliminary Plan to restructure the Iowa City Police Department (ICPD) towards community policing.
2. Commit $1,000,000 to local efforts promoting racial equity and social justice.
3. Increase diversity of City employees, expand equitable recruitment efforts, and elevate organizational equity training, policies, and procedures.
4. Receive a report of ICPD involvement in use of gas and flash-bang devices during a June 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Iowa City.
5. Create ad hoc Truth & Reconciliation Commission to carry out restorative justice.
6. Adopt 2021 state legislative priorities related to criminal justice reform, the enhanced authority of the Community Police Review Board (CPRB), and decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana.
7. Continue use of racial equity toolkit use in all city departments, expand training to the City Council, and educate and train the local business community.
8. Increase accountability and oversight authority of CPRB, where legally possible.
9. Improve transparency and accessibility of detailed ICPD budget expenditures.
10. Review inventory of military-grade equipment in ICPD, evaluate federal contracts with the ICPD, and express support for divestment of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.
11. Enact ICPD General Order to expressly ban the use of chokeholds and any maneuver that cuts off oxygen or blood flow.
12. Continue ICPD policy and practice to be consistent with IA H.F. 2647, ensuring police officers in Iowa have not committed serious misconduct.
13. Investigate compliance and evaluate disciplinary action related to proper use of body cameras and vehicle recording devices
14. Ensure the duty to intervene and stop excessive force, in both ICPD General Order and an MOU with area law enforcement agencies.
15. Increase opportunities for artistic expression by communities of color.
16. Prohibit the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs against peaceful protesters.
17. Establish Juneteenth as an official city holiday beginning in 2021.
Summary of Racial Equity Efforts
For information on past social justice and racial equity efforts, visit the Office of Equity and Human Rights.
- Racial Equity Report Card
- Memo on City's Use of the Racial Equity Toolkit (July 23, 2020)
- Report on Iowa City Employee Demographics, Recruitment Efforts, and Staff Diversity Training (August 20, 2020)
What is Community Policing?
Community Policing is a philosophy that seeks to address the root causes of crime, works to reduce fear of social disorder, and builds confidence in police through problem-solving strategies and police/community partnerships. It recognizes that law enforcement can rarely solve complex societal problems alone and that creative solutions and partnerships are needed to ensure the best outcome for all residents. Community Policing may mean many different things to different people.
Community Outreach
If you would like City staff of the Office of Equity and Human Rights to conduct trainings on Know Your Rights in the area of education, public accommodation, housing, employment, credit or on the use of a racial equity toolkit, please contact the Office of Equity and Human Rights.
In addition to specially planned events, the public is invited to provide input at formal City Council meetings, Community Police Review Board meetings, and/or Human Rights Commission meetings.
Please visit the Preliminary Plan to Restructure the Police webpage to find additional input opportunities.
Education + Engagement Events
Many different City departments and divisions host and partner to provide educational events, celebrations, and trainings, including the Equity & Human Right's Division, the Iowa City Public Library, Iowa City Parks and Recreation, the Senior Center, and many more.
To stay up-to-date on all the events occurring throughout the City, please register for e-mail and/or text message alerts from the City and various departments. You can also follow the City on social media.
Documents and Resources
June 16 Resolution No. 20-159 Addressing the Black Lives Matter Movement (English)
在明尼阿波利斯警方杀害 George Floyd 之后，市议会就“黑人的命也是命”运动和系统性种族主义问题作出初步承诺决议，并呼吁抗议者和居民采取行动。
- Documents and Resources” with title “One Year Progress Report on Resolution No. 20-159, Addressing the Black Lives Matter Movement and Systemic Racism
- Video of June 2, 2020 Statement from Mayor Bruce Teague
- Video of June 2, 2020 Statement from Interim Police Chief Bill Campbell
- Video of June 2, 2020 Statement from the Police Labor Relations Organization of Iowa City
- June 10, 2020 Statement from City Manager Geoff Fruin
- Report on Iowa City Employee Demographics, Recruitment Efforts, and Staff Diversity Training (August 20, 2020)
- Memo on City's Use of the Racial Equity Toolkit (July 23, 2020)
- Memo on ICPD Federal Contracts (August 17, 2020)
- Report on Body Worn Cameras and In-Car Recorders and Updated General Order (September 10, 2020)
- Memo on ICPD Military-Grade Equipment (September 10, 2020)
- Resolution Establishing Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (September 15, 2020)
- Report Summarizing Public Input on Community Policing from Sept - Oct 2020 Listening Posts and Online Form (October 15, 2020)
- Report: A 23-Year History of the Iowa City Community Police Review Board (October 2020)
- Community Police Review Board Proposed Changes Report (December 2020)
- OIR Group Report on an Independent Review of ICPD and the June 3, 2020 Protest (January 28, 2020)
- City Manager's Cover Memo to the OIR Report
Links
More Information
Racial equity is the development of policies, practices, and strategic investments to reverse racial disparity trends, eliminate institutional racism, and ensure that outcomes and opportunities for all people are no longer predictable by race.
Why start with race?
The creation and perpetuation of racial inequities is embedded into economic, educational, health care, governmental, and social structures at all levels. Initially focusing on racial equity provides the opportunity to introduce a framework, tools and resources that can also be applied to other marginalized groups based on gender, sexual orientation, ability, class, and age, among others.
Get involved:
Stay up to date on City of Iowa City news, including social justice and racial equity efforts, by signing up for e-mail or SMS/text message notifications from the City of Iowa City. Simply enter your preferred communication method and select "Equity and Human Rights," under 'News and Events": sign up for e-subscriptions.