Deng Investigation Goes to State Attorney General's Office For Review

According to the Press-Citizen this morning, the investigation concerning the altercation that led to the untimely death of John Deng is being reviewed by the State Attorney General's office. For some in the community, this restores the belief that the investigation needed a more impartial set of eyes. According to the account "Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness said the case would be reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office to eliminate the possibility for, or perception of, a conflict of interest." According to a Gazette report, "Attorney general spokesman Bob Brammer said Monday investigators have given the case priority in an effort to bring it to a close as soon as possible."

As the investigation stretches on, the other perception is that there is foot dragging taking place and that law enforcement has provided little in terms of the status of the ongoing investigation. From existing accounts, there is a conflict between what witnesses said they saw. This lack of corroboration may be the crux of the review by the SAG's office.

Community Discussion on Deng Killing Moves to City Hall

Dr. Vershawn Ashanti Young, a University of Iowa professor of African-American Studies and Rhetoric organized a forum on racial issues in Iowa City that was to be held at the Iowa City public library. According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Young said he is interested in discussing issues that he said are not directly tied to, but are related to, the death of 26-year-old transient John Deng. Deng was shot by a Johnson County Deputy after stabbing another man on July 26.

However, according to Donald Baxter who attended the discussion, the group, at his instigation, marched to the City Hall and had the discussion there. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that 30 or so people met at Iowa City's City Hall to discuss the killing of John Bior Deng, the homeless man who was shot by Johnson County deputy Terry Stotler during an altercation between Deng and Iowa City resident John Bohnenkamp outside a bar on Prentiss St. last Friday.

At the meeting, participants questioned whether race played a role in the shooting. Deng is black and Stotler is white. They also wanted to know more about the fight between Deng and Bohnenkamp and asked why Stotler didn’t try only to wound Deng. Young said “All the community is asking for is a liaison, a conversation.”

So far the investigation has been conducted with limited information being provided to the press and public. As of yesterday, County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek has not released transcripts of the 911 calls about the incident or commented on the ongoing investigation.

Roosevelt Rally: A Cry in the Wilderness?

On Friday evening, several parents and some supportive others, my wife and I included, rallied across from Roosevelt Elementary under a threatening sky. With news reporters from KGAN, KCRG, and the Press-Citizen present, a handful of hopeful leaders of the Save Roosevelt group, the Roosevelt PTO, and We Love Our Neighborhood Schools encouraged the public to go to the school board meeting Tuesday night at 7 pm wearing green (Roosevelt's school color) to show support for not closing Roosevelt.

While a number of motorists honked their horns in support, the turnout from Roosevelt parents and students was relatively small, however there was a Read America program going on at the school at the time and perhaps that is exactly what should be the focus. What will be sad is if those parents do not make their voices heard to the Board of Directors on S. Dubuque St., which not coincidentally, is the site of a now closed public school. Hopefully the stormy Friday night eally was not foreshadowing of things to come.

We Are Roosevelt and We Are In Need of a Serious Discussion

I wrote an op-ed piece that appeared into today's Press-Citizen. Jeff Charis-Carlson was faithful in editing and publishing it, but minor vanity suggests that I really do need a newer picture--I have lost a good deal of weight since the photo next to the op-ed was taken. But be that as it may, a more important point that I did not address was ongoing the boundary issues that plague the school district.

Even though I could only cover so much ground in 600 or so words, rightfully I was called to task for not addressing it. So to that point, the school boundary lines need to be redrawn to reflect the most equitable way to allow kids to go the least amount of distance to receive a top-notch education. This is such a local hot potato, but needs attention from the public and the board to accomplish real school equity. Without doing this, we will forever be placing band-aids on the schools and hving the appearance that we have intentionally segregated schools. Said differently, unless we are going to put the schools on rollers and move them around to meet the changing needs of the community, parents will need to become open to their child going to school where it best makes sense and the school district make the necessary accomodations to all schools to make them all at a par.

I hope others will continue to lead on the issue of boundaries. If you are interested, the COPE group (Citizens for Outstanding Public Education in Iowa)has more information for you to consider.

Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen Readers React to "Obsession"

Letter writers who were appalled by the DVD, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" submitted letter to both the Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. One writer, Ken Gayley said, "was appalled that my local newspaper, which I expect to supply balanced reporting, included a propaganda DVD, "Obsession," with the obvious intention of fanning the flames of hatred and fear, with zero effort to be balanced (not a single dissenting view was presented anywhere in the film, so the purpose was obviously not truth seeking -- which requires considering expert opinions from multiple sides of the question)."

James L. Fritz of Decorah wrote to the Des Moines Register "This DVD connects modern Jihadi to Nazi Germany ideologues. It attempts to scare us into a paranoiac approach to our place in the world.

While I do not deny that terrorism is a real threat, and feel strongly that we must all prepare to deal with it, this is a blatant attempt to frighten us into our own brand of Western militancy. The last eight years of the Bush doctrine have taught us the consequences of stirring the hornets' nest of militant Islam in the Middle East. Saber rattling, "shock and awe" and cowboy diplomacy have only fueled hatred of the United States in the Islamic world and threatened our long-term security here at home."

Mark Kane of Des Moines asks a great question in his letter to the Register, "What did the Register ask to know about the Clarion Fund Inc. before agreeing to insert the DVD?"