Racial Justice For All
Iowa CCI members organize and build power for an Iowa where Black people, Indigenous people, and all people of color can live without the fear of being stopped, detained, abused, or killed by police officers. We work for an Iowa where skin color is no longer criminalized, and where power and resources are put in the hands of the people, not the police.
CCI members are pressuring elected leaders to take bold action towards the future we need and deserve by sharing our experiences of racial profiling with city leaders in Des Moines and demanding a comprehensive ordinance to ban racial profiling in every Iowa town and city. Alongside groups like Just Voices Iowa, the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement and the ACLU of Iowa, we are rising up to demand true public safety.
Iowa CCI members are fighting for:
A statewide ban on racial profiling by police in every Iowa community that implements truly independent public oversight of the police, instead of the “Des Moines model,” which concentrates all reporting and enforcement in the hands of the police chief and actively prevents independent public oversight.
Neighborhoods that embrace true public safety, and reallocate tax-payer dollars to fully funding schools, social services, and mental healthcare.
A change in Iowa drug policy, decriminalizing marijuana usage statewide. Until the Iowa Statehouse takes action on marijuana decriminalization, Iowa towns and cities must act to make marijuana enforcement the lowest-level law enforcement priority.
How can you help?
Have a story of being racially profiled? Ready to organize with us? Contact one of our racial justice organizers using this form:
More information on the issues CCI members work on:
Read article on our work: Historic meetings seek to end racial profiling in Des Moines
Read stories of Des Moines residents who have faced racial profiling by police from our allies at Just Voice Iowa.
Lori Young, a CCI member who works on our Racial Justice Team, was recently published in the University of Iowa’s Journal of Gender, Race, & Justice. Read her piece about organizing with Iowa CCI: One Journey Toward Racial Justice: The Power of Me, the Power of We.