JOIN OUR WORK AND SHARE YOUR STORY
Just Voices, an Iowa nonprofit organization whose mission includes ending racially biased policing in Des Moines, has initiated a project to prepare a “People’s History” of the 2020 racial justice protests in Des Moines that followed the murder of George Floyd on May 27th. The history will be shared publicly through various mediums, including the Just Voices Iowa website. in order to raise awareness, evaluate the police response and insure transparency about police interactions with protesters during the protests.
The goal of the project is to study and give witness and to insure transparency about police interactions with protesters during the protests.
This peoples history will be raised up by the stories of the people who participated. We
will attempt to answer the following questions
Ø Was DMPD response proportionate to the incidents?
Ø Was DMPD response consistent with best police practices; and,
Ø What was the outcome of the arrests?
Ø Were arrests of Black and Brown residents disproportionate to the racial makeup of the protestors?
Ø What steps has DMPD taken to insure accountability for wrongful conduct.
There may be other important questions to be asked and answered about the protests but these are questions we start with. It does not appear that the City of Des Moines, or anyone else, is currently engaged in such a study and evaluation. George Floyd’s murder and the nationwide protests that followed were a transformative event in our nation and in the city of Des Moines.
We want this to be a community project, to raise up the voices of those who were a part of this transformative time. To do this, we need your help. We want to hear your story; we want to know what impact this has had on you; we want you to participate in the ongoing effort to effect the changes in how we address public safety in the 21st Century.
Adequate training will be provided and ongoing. Volunteers will be able to reach Harvey Harrison and Lori Young with questions and be assured of a prompt response.
For info or questions, contact Just Voices at: info@justvoicesiowa.org