By Kayli Reese
A charge of energy always seems to fill the air when racial issues with the police are brought to attention, and the open discussion, a “Thin Line Between Black and Blue,” is no exception.
On Aug. 31, Delta Sigma Theta and Omega Psi Phi, both chapters of the “Divine 9,” hosted an event at the Department of Public Safety focused on the issue.
“This is an open discussion between students and police officers,” said University of Iowa senior JaMaya Austin, a Delta Sigma Theta member.
She said the event was meant to bring community members together to voice their concerns with the UI police, and in turn let the police talk about their procedures and ease the current police stigma that has swept the country.
The discussion was meant, she said, to be a comfortable, safe place for community members to talk to police officers about any issues they have with the police system without any fear.
“We want to mend relationships that have been hostile throughout history,” Austin said.
Austin noted that, while no specific issues have taken place in Iowa City, the current issues with the police and “the community” on the news isn’t something that should be ignored. With this open discussion, she said, the problems can be talked about before something explodes.
Not all police officers are bad, Austin said, noting that she hopes the discussion will erase the stereotypes associated with the police. She said a big portion of the event was focused on familiarizing the community with police procedure to make the uniform seem less of a threat.
Austin also said that the Black Lives Matter movement was brought up, as well as representing that movement in a positive way.
“The movement doesn’t immediately correlate to ‘we hate the police,’ ” she said.
“There’s a healthy fear of the police,” said City Councilor Kingsley Botchway. He was asked to mediate a discussion sponsored by Mission: Iowa City and the Iowa City Downtown District on racial issues on Aug. 17.
Botchway said that some community members at the discussion said they wouldn’t call the police when needed because they’re not willing to risk a negative situation. On the other side, he said, the police weren’t aware that fear of the uniform was so strong.
“I hope that we look for actionable solutions,” Botchway said.
He said that discussions about potential issues are a great thing, but perhaps a more active role by the community to prevent any violence would be a stronger, better option.
In Iowa City, he said, the community is trying to make progress in terms of racial issues and the police, but the city has not seen much of the problems that other cities, such as Milwaukee, have had.
“There’s always room for improvement,” said Sgt. Scott Gaarde of the Iowa City police.
While there may not be any pressing racial problems in the Iowa City area, Gaarde said, there are multiple positions throughout Iowa City dedicated to talking with residents about racial issues faced.
These discussions are expected to become more frequent over time, Austin said. Currently, the focus is building relationships between the community with the police.
“The discussion isn’t over,” Austin said.
