SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
January 31, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 2/1/24
In this edition:
*Black History Month
*Groundhog Day
*Wallace Shawn
*Healing Prairie Farm
*Trans Right in Iowa
*Prosecutorial Independence
*Did You Know?
*Black History Month
February is Black History Month. I often wish that there was no need for a Black History Month – instead, black history would be a robust part of the history that is already taught in our schools.
The fact is, we all need a reminder of the amazing history of African Americans. I am planning on doing some reading on Little Rock Central and Brown versus the Board of Education. I may try to sneak in a visit to my daughter in Memphis. What will you be doing?
*Groundhog Day
Happy Groundhog Day! Hey, we need to celebrate anything we can, right? By the way – the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” really is a classic, isn’t it? OK. Enough small talk. I wish you six less weeks of winter!
*Wallace Shawn
Speaking of classic comedies… one of my favorites is the 1987 classic “The Princess Bride.”
Only onscreen for ten minutes in his role as Vizzini, actor Wallace Shawn is simply unforgettable. Rewatch the movie sometime. And see if you can stop yourself from saying, “Inconceivable!” for the next several weeks!
*Healing Prairie Farm
Last Saturday I went to an open house at Healing Prairie Farm just southeast of Iowa City. It is a beautiful setting, and I am excited about all the good things that can happen there. Healing Prairie Farm will be a basic youth shelter, and also provide child crisis observation services.
First, some background… for decades, Iowa City was home to a youth shelter. It was run first by Youth Homes, and after a merger, by Four Oaks. Youth shelters are an important piece of the continuum of care. There is currently some very limited counseling for kids who need it. There is juvenile court for kids who get in trouble with the law, and juvenile detention for kids who get in very serious trouble with the law.
But what about the children who really need to get away from home, but have not committed a crime? There are scores of kids in Johnson County who just need a place to go for a little while. The youth shelter used to fill this need. Unfortunately, Four Oaks was no longer able to make the youth shelter work financially, and it closed in July.
There is also a void when it comes to children’s mental health services. Ask any parent who has had to deal with a child’s brain health issues – there is very little out there. The State of Iowa has been talking about children’s mental health for over 30 years, but has never really done anything. Recently, the East Central Mental Health Region (ECR) (of which Johnson County is a part) made some money available for children’s mental health. As a member of the ECR Board, I was extremely proud to make this funding available.
So kids with shelter and/or mental health needs in Johnson County were going to be even more desperate. CommUnity Crisis Services and United Action for Youth decided to step into this void. They decided to open a facility to serve both general shelter and crisis observation mental health needs for local youth. And as luck would have it, they were able to purchase the former Kinderfarm property just southeast of Iowa City. Kinderfarm was a longtime area daycare that featured a pond and a bunch of farm animals. The animals even came with the property as part of the deal!
They got $1 million from the ECR for the purchase, which was great. But refurbishing the old house, adding sprinklers, etc. was more than anticipated. If they wanted to get it done, they would need another million. The ECR said no, it was not in the budget. So Johnson County stepped forward with the $1 million, and asked the ECR to consider paying us back if there is money left at the end of the year.
I hope Johnson County gets the $1 million back. But even if we do not, Healing Prairie Farm is going to be worth the investment. This is badly needed. Now the plans are to begin taking referrals in March! Thanks to CommUnity and UAY for their vision and leadership!
*Trans Right in Iowa
Representative Jeff Shipley of Fairfield has introduced HF2082, a bill that would make Iowa the first state to repeal legal protections for transgender people. HF2082 would remove gender identity as a protected class, and add a diagnosis for gender dysphoria to the civil rights code. In other words, his bill classifies being trans as a mental illness.
This means Iowa would allow discrimination when it comes to housing, employment, education, credit, public accommodations, and more. It is hateful.
I wish I could say this bill was likely to fail, but I fear it will go the other way. What can we do? Talk to members of the State House and State Senate. And not just your reps; talk to other members of the body. (I understand that most will not take your calls.)
Meanwhile, Representative Shipley had better hope there is no God, because if we are all judged in the end, he’s not going to fare well.
UPDATE: As I go to print, a subcommittee voted this down 3-0. That does not mean it is dead, but it is certainly good news. There are still MANY battles ahead this year from our trans siblings, so please remain vigilant.
*Prosecutorial Independence
If you are like me, you get really upset when Donald Trump talks about siccing the Justice Department on his political rivals. It chills me to the bone. That is not how America is supposed to work. We have a separation of powers.
If you share this opinion, then you should be concerned about things in Johnson County. We have a situation where the Board of Supervisors is walking up to that line with the County Attorney.
Look, I don’t agree with everything that happens in the County Attorney’s Office. I have had the opportunity to work with three different County Attorneys, and though I have great respect for all three, we have never agreed on everything. That is life.
I wish the County Attorney had not charged the protesters. But it is not my job to tell her how to do hers. I like, respect, and trust her. You may share my opinion, you may not.
It is not my place to start ordering the County Attorney how to do her job. “Prosecute this person,” or “Don’t prosecute that person.” Imagine the ramifications! “Hey Rachel – Phil Hemmingway might run for Supervisor again. Why don’t you charge him with something?” That is a direct affront to the rule of law!
It is a very real feeling to want the County Attorney to prosecute the people you don’t like and to leave alone the people you do. We all feel this way. Yes, prosecute the Nazis or Klan if they do something illegal. But don’t prosecute antiwar activists for the same thing; they are our friends. In reality, society cannot operate that way. We need to follow the rule of law.
Trying to influence who gets prosecuted when you have a position of power creates even more concerns. Supervisors should have ZERO role in who gets prosecuted or not. And they should not try to pressure the County Attorney. There will be other County Attorneys, and other Supervisors. Someday YOU might be the target. All the more reason to fight for a separation of powers.
One more thing. While no form of government is perfect, County government gives you the opportunity to elect your local prosecutor every 4 years. I love that! So if you dislike the County Attorney, or feel she has not performed well? Find a candidate and run that person against her. She is up in two short years. Don’t like me? I’m up this year! You have a lot of power to make change locally.
Supervisors are political animals. They can affect a lot of change in the County in which they live; maybe even beyond. But Supervisors should stay out of prosecutorial decisions.
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County is home to approximately 14,000 black residents. (Source: US Census Bureau.)
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 3:22 PM
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