What really happened during the summer of 2020 protests? Just Voices Iowa releases ‘The People’s History’ study

 Just Voices Iowa is a social and racial justice nonprofit focused on police reform through advocacy, education and collaboration. The organization released its proprietary study called, “The People’s History: A Study of the 2020 Protests” in Des Moines, Iowa. After more than two years of research, data collection and interviews with protesters, Just Voices is sharing their findings which includes a collection of 12 essays and other data that show the Des Moines Police utilized needless militaristic tactics and weaponry, applied unwarranted use-of-force and did sloppy police work to constrain and harm peaceful protesters.  There is also an extensive essay featuring West Des Moines Police Chief Chris Scott.

The People’s History study

“We launched this research effort, with the help of ordinary city residents who volunteered for us because we all felt the DMPDs actions were an overreach and the public deserved a thorough accounting of what happened so that it never happens again”, said Harvey Harrison, founder and executive director of Just Voices Iowa.  

Many police departments across America conducted what is known as an after-action review (AAR) to critically evaluate their conduct following the outbreak of protests in 2020. The COPS Office, or Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice, describes an AAR as an “effective organizational learning tool and powerful community policing strategy.”

Even the International Association of Chiefs of Police view AARs as vital, saying, “The development of after action reports is critical to the continuous growth and promotion of promising practices within the law enforcement field.” Des Moines Police did not do a comprehensive study nor share the findings with the public.  So Just Voices conducted its own version of an AAR. 

Our goal was to do research that would address questions like ‘was the DMPD response proportionate to the incidents and was it consistent with modern best police practices; how many instances of force were used on protesters, and was it justified; what were the outcome of hundreds of arrests? Equally important are the first-hand stories of what protesters told us they experienced, many of whom have lingering trauma to this day.

Since 2022, essays from interviews have been published exclusively in Black Iowa News.com, and this study pulls them altogether in a 70+ page collection along with other important protest-related information and data.

You can view The People’s History: A Study of the 2020 Protests in Des Moines at the Just Voices website:  https://justvoicesia.org/2020Protests/.

Event/launch celebration

To celebrate the release of the study and explain our research and current efforts on police reform in Des Moines, Just Voices is inviting the public is to attend one of these free events:

• Community presentation at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Corinthian Baptist Church, 814 School St.
• Community presentation at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 24, at First Unitarian Church, 1800 Bell Ave.