Yaneli Canales, Community Organizer

I grew up in Iowa City and I’ve spent a lot of time in our community listening to people, standing alongside families, and learning from stories that too often go unheard. One thing I’ve come to understand is that human dignity is not defined by the structures we build. It is defined by the systems, policies, and standards we choose to put in place.

We can invest millions in building better facilities and call it progress because the conditions inside a jail have “improved”. But, in a county that has a growing population and a decreasing crime rate, why are we investing over $124 million in improving where people end up instead of changing the conditions that helped bring them there? To put it in perspective, the “once in a lifetime” American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) granted JoCo residents under $60 million. We are willing to spend twice that amount and pay it back with interest under the guise of “human dignity”. That is disingenuous and misleading of our county leaders.  

We also cannot forget that the recent death of Nate Davis Jr,  in the hands of Johnson County’s Sheriff’s Department was not due to the condition of the building but rather because of lack of care and accountability by the staff. Where was human dignity then? 

I want to be clear that the 45 year old building is in dire need of long overdue maintenance and this isn’t about ignoring accountability or pretending harm doesn’t happen. It is about recognizing that a jail is a response to harm, not a solution to the conditions that create it. Johnson County leaders need to go back to the drawing table and present a plan that genuinely reflects our values because Johnson County deserves more than a better cage. We deserve housing, health care, education, opportunity, and support before a crisis becomes an arrest. Let’s choose people over cages, prevention over punishment, and possibility over inevitability.

Vote “no” on Nov. 3.