Marion After Black Lives Matter Protests: Alliance For Racial Equity Wants To Engage Residents

Editor’s Note: After video last summer captured the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, protests for social justice reverberated across the country, including in the Corridor. Local governments and school districts made promises about how they would respond to the calls to eliminate systematic racism. Now months later, here are updates on where these public agencies stand.» Read more from: Cedar Rapids | Iowa City | School districtsMARION — The Marion Alliance for Racial Equity listed six demands for racial justice to the city in July and in response, Marion’s Community Equity Task Force was established the next month.The group’s six demands were to establish a citizens’ police review board; decriminalize marijuana; make city departments more inclusive and diverse; open doorways to make voting easier; hire a mental health liaison with police for crisis calls; and for Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden to resign.Create mental health liaison with policeIn October, the Marion City Council voted to approve an agreement between the police and Foundation 2 to embed a crisis counselor within the department.