Former County Supervisor Royceann Porter’s Statement on Recent Events
“And now here we are again, right after another tragedy, and instead of talking about REAL safety solutions, we’re debating cutting police funding.
Let’s be clear:
Three Iowa City City Council members:
Laura Bergus, Mazahir Salih, and Oliver Weilein voted to reduce the police budget by $500,000.
Mazahir Salih voted yes on the full city budget. Bergus and Weilein voted no on the full budget, which included over $250 million in city services and support such as staff, social services, domestic violence services, the fire department, the library, senior center operations, city roads, mental health services, bargaining obligations, Parks & Recreation, trails and health benefits.
It didn’t pass, but the fact that it was even on the table right now?
That should concern every single one of us!!!
Because downtown Iowa City especially the Ped Mall needs more presence, not less.
Two officers were not enough.
And this past weekend proved it.
I support prevention.
I support community investment.
I support CVI -Community Violence Intervention and the work that is being done every single day in Johnson County.
But let’s stop playing like this is either/or.
Because it’s not.
We need prevention AND more POLICE presence.
We need investment AND enforcement.
People deserve to feel safe when they come downtown.
Families deserve to know their loved ones are protected.
And I’m going to say this plainly:
We cannot keep showing up AFTER tragedy
and stay silent BEFORE it.
And we damn sure can’t pick and choose
whose lives get attention and whose don’t.
Next Steps:
Show up.
Speak out.
Hold leadership accountable.
Continue to fund CVI and the work already being done AND demand real protection in our downtown.
Because we deserve safety before the next tragedy, not after.”
I am posting this because her thinking resonates with me, and I haven’t seen any statement from a public figure that actually has meat on it. I hate seeing posts about how the city council is just symbolic and they don’t have any real power. That is a lie intended to either excuse poor performance by our elected officials, and/or create a culture of complacency to a squalid status quo.