When an African-American woman from Waterloo named Scottize Brown was pulled over in 2015, it had little to do with her behavior. The officer who pulled her over had run the license plate on the vehicle she was driving and learned that the owner had alleged gang...
Month: September 2018
How private is a student’s locker?
Heading back to school brings a few familiar rituals, which can include shopping for school clothes, school supplies and getting a new school locker and combination. But unlike clothing and school supplies, lockers are not personal property. Therefore, once students...
Are the Des Moines police engaging in racial profiling?
The dashcam video of a Des Moines police stop involving two African-American men, Montray Little and Jared Clinton, has been viewed over 9 million times."My heart sank into my feet," said Clinton's mother. "I apologized to him because I brought him to this city."...
License suspensions longer for those who refuse breath tests
In Iowa, all drivers are subject to the implied consent law, which states that drivers agree to taking a blood, breath or urine test if pulled over by a police officer who has reasonable suspicion of intoxication.Drivers have the right to refuse a chemical test, but...
Protect your rights when stopped by the cops: 4 key concepts
Always be respectful when interacting with law enforcement. At the same time, to be aware that when the police are questioning you about a potential crime, they are not on your side. Explaining your side of the story will not clear things up. In fact, it's best to...
ACLU of Iowa targets unconstitutional panhandling ordinances
In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed in Reed v. Town of Gilbert that content-based regulations on free speech are unconstitutional. This has been widely applied to panhandling ordinances. Indeed, according to the ACLU of Iowa, every case since brought against a...
