Letters to the Editor
Proposed curfew is discriminatory
It was, to say the least, unsettling for me to read about Iowa City’s new curfew proposal for minors. Though the article spoke vaguely, the subtext of the city’s agenda was quite clear. The introduction of this ordinance “follow[s] a spate of incidents involving numerous minors on the city’s Southeast Side.”
What is taken for granted in the article is that this area of the city houses a significant black population; what is rather blatantly implied is that this curfew will affect only black youth living in this supposedly troubled area, not white students from downtown whose behavior is, of course, beyond reproach.
Indeed, City Councilor Matt Hayek was quoted in the article saying that he “can’t imagine a 17-year-old who attends the UI and has moved here from somewhere else would be swept up by this.” All residents of Iowa City should be deeply disturbed by both the proposal and by this statement. In case no one has noticed, Iowa City is growing more racially divided with each passing day. The proposed curfew serves only to promote this division by encouraging ethnic profiling and by drawing an arbitrary, yet distinct line between the actions of one group and another.
I urge the people of Iowa City to oppose this discriminatory ordinance, which will only exacerbate an already discordant situation and set a disconcerting precedent.
Colin Davis-McElligatt
UI graduate
Cleaning up after the fun
It’s a pleasure to bring visitors to the Ped Mall. The embarrassment is the view of the alleys. How can such a progressive city let private businesses have no responsibility for the unsorted trash that ends up in our own county landfill? That is not material for a landfill. That’s what you take to a dump. Tell your elected officials and the businesses you frequent to take care of business the 21st-century way.
Jack Carlson
Iowa City
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