By David Leshtz, Iowa City The heated public debate over a new jail in Johnson County has overlooked one player all Iowans should be worried about: the for-profit corporate prison industry. With privatized prisons already located in more than half of the United States, including Illinois and Indiana, the prison industrial complex is eager to […]
Letters
Letters to the editor(s) are always welcome; we reserve the right to fact check and edit for length and clarity. Please send letters, comments or corrections to editor@littlevillagemag.com.
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Bring Fatou Traore home
By Sara Gilmore, Iowa City As an employee of UIHC (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics), and on behalf of a great number of community members, we would like to voice our support for our co-worker Fatou Traore, who was unlawfully taken by ICE last Thursday morning on her way to work and is set […]
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Letter to the editor: Vote No for common sense on the jail referendum
By Tim Weitzel, Iowa City I will be voting no on the upcoming bond referendum to fund a new jail and sheriff’s office, not because I dislike law enforcement or because I think we shouldn’t have a jail but because there has been no dialogue about why this facility has to be built and why […]
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Letter to the editor: Ashley Hinson’s attempt to sound like a peacemaker is a farce
By Ed Flaherty, Iowa City Representative Ashley Hinson, candidate for U.S. Senate, on Sept. 16 stated that “I want this war to end — I believe President Trump should immediately bring this war to a successful end….” This is just after she voted “no” on Sept. 15 on a resolution to stop the war. That was the sixth time […]
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Letter to the editor: We can build a new jail while working to reduce the jail population
By Mary Mascher, former state representative and retired educator I support the bond issue for the new jail. As a former elected official, educator, community activist, and long-time volunteer I also support our jail diversion efforts in Johnson County. I am extremely proud of our community and what we have done over many years to […]
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Letter to the editor: As a mental illness advocate, I support the new jail and sheriff’s office
By Leslie Carpenter, co-founder of Iowa Mental Health Advocacy I have spent years advocating for people with serious mental illness and for a system that treats illness as illness — not as a crime. That is precisely why I support the effort to build a new jail and sheriff’s office. My support is not an […]
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Letter to the editor: There is no Human Rights Commission consensus on the new jail, yet
By Eleanor Fuller and Susanna Rodriguez, Iowa City Human Rights Commissioners On Sept. 2, a group of FORMER Human Rights Commissioners publicly endorsed Johnson County’s proposed $94.5 million bond referendum to fund a new jail and Sheriff’s office facility. For many readers, it could easily create the impression that the CURRENT Human Rights Commission supports […]
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Letter to the editor: Let’s have a conversation about the jail beyond Yes and No
By Finch Vandyk, Iowa City A handful of Tuesdays from now, Johnson County will vote on a deceptively direct bond measure. “Should we build the $124,000,000 new jail proposed by the sheriff?” There are two options: Yes and No. Emphatic camps have emerged on either side of those options. Yes, we should build the jail […]
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Letter to the editor: Vote Yes on the jail referendum
By Paul Deaton, Solon I visited the current Johnson County Jail soon after it opened in 1981. I remember saying to myself, “My God! They made it too small!” The current board of supervisors approved a referendum for the November ballot to build a new jail and sheriff’s office. I support it. Opinions on the […]
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Letter to the editor: Support the Jefferson Street Historic District at tonight’s Iowa City Council meeting
By David Woodruff, Iowa City; President, Friends of Historic Preservation Right now on the Northside of Iowa City, two houses in the heart of the Jefferson Street Historic District are proposed for demolition. I want to urge the Historic Preservation Commission to oppose this permit and safeguard the architectural and cultural integrity of our community […]
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Letter to the editor: Why you should watch Bergman films
By Jim Walters, Iowa City Today, leaving New Pioneer, I saw a young man with “Ingmar Bergman” emblazoned on a T-shirt. Backing up, I said, OK, what’s your favorite Bergman film? With only a moment’s hesitation, he said, Persona (1966). Good choice, I replied. Persona contains what is arguably the most erotic scene in cinema. […]
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Letter to the editor: Can No voters trust these supervisors to fix the Johnson County jail?
By Rose Phillips, Iowa City I rarely buy stuff on Amazon. But in 2023, I bought some breast pump parts that, if I recall correctly, I couldn’t find anywhere else. Imagine someone was so bitterly opposed to Amazon’s business practices that they didn’t think anyone had the right to buy stuff from them. Imagine they […]
