Approximately 300 people marched in the heat on Friday afternoon from Monroe Park to Mayor Brad Hart’s house. The group kept up constant chants throughout the walk, including “this is what democracy looks like,” “Black lives matter” and “Black voices matter.” Friday’s march was the fourth event organized by the group Advocates for Social Justice […]
Black Lives Matter
Posted inCommunity/News
Coping with uncertainty
We are in a coracle with no oars or rudder, heading to an unknown fate. We are in peregrination. So that’s my topic for the return of UR Here. Rarely have I just not known what to write about for this column. Even though I was ecstatic that Little Village was coming back to print, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘It hurts, it really does’: Advocates for Social Justice feel silenced as Cedar Rapids starts process of forming police review board
Members of the Advocates for Social Justice (ASJ) said they feel their voices are being silenced after virtually meeting with city officials last week to discuss how to move forward with establishing a citizens review board in Cedar Rapids. The grassroots group has been meeting with city leaders over the last few weeks to discuss […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Supervisor Stacey Walker on defunding the police, marijuana laws and becoming a ‘radioactive’ politician
Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker told a crowd of more than 2,000 at Greene Square Park in downtown Cedar Rapids on June 6 to “understand the largeness of this moment” and that they are “part of a movement — a part of living history.” The protest in Cedar Rapids against police violence and racism was […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Freedom Riders protest in Washington, where Gov. Reynolds was reportedly staying the night
After the Iowa Freedom Riders’ success in getting the Iowa City Council to address their city-level demands last week, IFR turned their attention to their state-level demands and Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday. Following a march in Iowa City, which attracted more than 150 people, a group of approximately 50 protesters drove to Washington, Iowa, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Protest march in Cedar Rapids turns into a celebration after the city council unanimously backs demands for reform
“Happy Juneteenth,” the crowd of about 150 people chanted on Friday as they marched from Cedar Rapids City Hall to the African American Museum of Iowa in light rain. June 19 — Juneteenth — is the anniversary of the day in 1865 when the news that slavery had been abolished reached formerly enslaved people in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids City Council will hold special meeting on Friday to discuss Black Lives Matter priorities
The Cedar Rapids City Council is holding a special meeting Friday afternoon for a “discussion and resolution of support for a statement supporting Black Lives Matter priorities.” The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be held via Zoom due to COVID-19. The public will be able to watch on the city’s Facebook page. […]
Posted inUncategorized
‘This is a moral moment for the world’: Images from the protests in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City
“Understand the largeness of this moment,” Stacey Walker told the people gathered in Greene Square Park on Saturday, June 6. “These will be the pictures our kids see in the history books. We know in our hearts, in our souls, that this is a moral moment for the world.” More than 2,000 people had come […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Iowa City Pride hosting virtual parade on Saturday, joining Juneteenth march
Pride events across the country were swiftly canceled earlier this spring, as the risks posed by COVID-19 became clear, but many LGBTQ organizations promised not to let Pride Month pass without a celebration. Iowa City Pride will host its own socially distant celebration this Saturday, June 20, with a virtual parade. Local drag queens and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘It’s time for action’: Hundreds march in Cedar Rapids to push for police reform and other changes
About 15 minutes into Saturday’s march in Cedar Rapids, protesters stopped at the intersection of 19th Street and Bever Avenue. They used chalk to draw and write various messages in the outline of #BLM, an emblem for Black Lives Matter. Twenty minutes later, the protesters stopped again. This time it was at the intersection of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa lawmakers unanimously pass a bill to address police violence
The Iowa legislature passed a major bill aimed at limiting violent police behavior, little more than two hours after it was introduced on Thursday evening. The bill was unanimously approved by committees and in floor votes in both the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate. “Too long have black mothers waited for their sons to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Discussions between Cedar Rapids officials and protest organizers begin
Leslie Neely, Tamara Marcus and Nicole LeGrand organized last Saturday’s protest in Cedar Rapids, which more than 2,000 people attended. The women didn’t expect to be in this position — organizing another protest for this upcoming Saturday, meeting with city leaders to discuss reforms, fielding questions from reporters — but they are ready to see […]
