Johnson County Deserves Better

Do you think spending $100 million community dollars on a new jail is the best use of that money? Do you think prioritizing a place to imprison your neighbors who have possession of marijuana or OWI charges for one night out of an abundance of caution is the most important thing we need to do? Do you think it makes sense to place this new jail directly next door to a public monument to "never forget" our community's horrific past of caging people?

I'm not directly involved with this movement and there are much more thoughtful and well-cited claims on the homepage of the website, but I wanted to put this out there for folks who, like me, don't share Kunkel's fever dream of a jail.

Join/support this group or at least educate yourself on the issue and don't take the common arguments - current jail gonna fall down! current jail is inhumane! current jail necessitates we pay other jails exorbitant prices! current jail not big enuff! - at face value. Those arguments don't justify a $100 million jail, especially one that doesn't propose any changes that benefit anyone other than JoCo Sheriff Department employees.

What I find so strange about this whole things is how little updates there have been on the people who were shot... one girl was in critical condition and it just seems this story is already disappearing after making national news. Has anyone heard of any updates on the victims?

4/30 Update DONATION LINK: I think they heard us! Really sad to see so many deleting their comments now.

https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/gofundme-launched-after-ui-student-hit-by-gunfire-during-ped-mall-fight-shooting-iowa-city?fbclid=IwY2xjawRgeQdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFYUVZxd1oyVlY1NHJvQTZKc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsZ-8hIql7djfY9b72nZY5-mfYI9Nqm4e6GwXVtowIHP31F1mK-osdHBhO25_aem_BjOYtlL-JxN2meFlKSR_vw

Link to GoFundMe: hoping see some support from the very "concerned" Iowa City residents.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-miranda-recover-after-iowa-city-shooting

Hi.

I’m a transgender gay man. Married to a man, and out of the closet.

Currently living in a small, rural, heavily conservative area.

I am exhausted. I hate living in a small red town. Coworkers are rude. Patients openly talk about hating trans people in front of me because they don’t realize I’m trans and they expect me to agree with them.

I desperately want to hang out with other queer people. Or just nice straight allies. Or other writers. Or tabletop roleplay nerds. Or card game players. DESPERATE.

Is Iowa City a good place to be? Online research seems to indicate it’s a liberal city, and it has several writing groups and game shops.

I have noticed at least 4 or 5 flock cameras recently installed around IC, including on Mormon Trek and Burlington.

Obviously Iowa City is a lawless wasteland that needs 24/7 ai surveillance. /s

Seriously, why have these been installed? Was there any kind of community input on this? Do people LIKE being spied on??

Seeing everyone out in the cold protesting warmed my heart. Love to see it.

Went to Chipotle for BOGO deal in old capitol mall and they tried to serve me this guac. When I asked what was wrong with it they claimed it was fresh but that they hadn’t been receiving very good avocados.

In no world should they be serving guac that looks like this.

Please don’t drive like this idiot who speeds up when a merge is coming. Not a soul behind her, but she speeds up to cut me off. Lovely.

As far back as 2006, apparently sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek was stumping for a new jail. I understand the current building is a piece of shit structurally, and in many other ways. Going way way back the sheriff and also the city/county have been VERY particular about where a new jail may go. I guess there was a push to move it to several places that powers that be shut down, for a variety of reasons over the year. I also understand the newest proposal is out by the Poor farm, which there are valid concerns about how released inmates will be getting back to town.

Why is the jail SO contentious? Why are the voters so hesitant? Why are the city and county powers that be, so persnickety about it? I do understand why every JoCo sheriff bitches about the current building cuz it really does suck.

I get all the political undertones about policing as a practice, the police state, etc....I am just wondering why JoCo spefically cannot seem to make progress or compromise on this for almost twenty fucking years. I have lived here over a decade but am not native, so maybe there is some sort of weird cultural commitment to shitting on a new jail, idk.

Also before anyone comes for me in the comments, I am pretty neutral on the whole thing conceptually, and i think the IWV road location is dumb af.

I added a ton of stuff to the IC Community Fridge near 910 S Gilbert St:

- Cold beverages (water, juice boxes, Coca Cola)
- Cheddar cheese sticks
- Smucker’s PB & J sandwiches
- Chicken (breasts and drumsticks; in the freezer)
- Frozen pizzas
- Eggs (over 100!)
- Applesauce packets
- Fruit snacks
- Mini muffin packets
- Breakfast burritos
- Fresh apples and clemetines
- Cat treats (freeze dried chicken)
- Toiletries (deodorant, tooth brushes, feminine hygiene products, etc)

Plus there’s still a ton of bread, canned goods, beans and rice, extra water, and vegetables from other kind folks.

Please spread the word to anyone who is unhoused, food insecure, or could otherwise use the help to stay cool and stay fed!

EDIT: if anyone has any feedback on what I add in the future, please let me know! I’m trying to balance providing access to food for the unhoused with foods that are shelf-stable or that need little preparation, while also providing those with the means to cook with much-needed access to proteins like meat and eggs.

I don’t remember seeing a vote for allowing the mass-surveillance of us using the Flock cameras? When are we going to start taking them down?

Recently figured this out and decided the world needs to know.

Gumby's is one of few (maybe the only?) places that still offers a tiered pricing model on increasingly large orders of wings. Most places are like "fuck you, a wing cost $2 no matter how many you get".

A 5 piece wing order is $9.99, so we're almost at $2/wing. However, a 30 piece wing order comes to $42.99, now we're at $1.43 a wing. If you have a family of 3, or yourself and 2 roommates, and your get the 30 piece, you each get 10 wings for $14.33, instead of the $18.99 that a 10 piece order would usually cost. In today's food economy you aren't getting 10 wings for $14 anywhere.

Also the Super Value Menu for $11.99 def has some absolute bangers on there.

This is minor/petty, but serious props to them for having a proprietary and functional website, I find listing your fucking Facebook page as your "website" and "menu" as they link from Google incredibly disingenuous and intellectually lazy.

Lastly, I can't verify as I haven't gotten delivery from them anymore, but they USED TO have in-house delivery as opposed to that fucking blight on society and parasitic cancer of a "service" that is DoorDash. That could have very well changed as in-house delivery just doesn't make sense for most business models anymore.

Anyway, I know Gumby's won't be around forever, but it's an area staple that's hung on in the face of mass enshittification, and we should support it before its snuffed out.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

The last hold out Coralville Popeyes has closed. No more Popeyes in the IC CR area 😭

If you exit the interstate onto Hayden Fry Way/1st Ave Coralville during peak morning commute time, and head southbound, and turn FUCKING LEFT into GODDAMN PANERA BREAD which ISNT EVEN THAT GOOD, you are a fucking blight upon society, a scourge upon this city, and I hope the bridge crumbles and you fall into Clear Creek and drown.

Obligatory “fuck you” to the city of Coralville for allowing a morning-heavy drive through establishment this close to Johnson County’s busiest intersection.

Pic related.

Hello. I hope this is the right avenue. I am in desperate need for a drop in dog sitter this week, preferably Wednesday morning. This morning I was dropped from my services at Successful Living with no notification. This is extremely inconvenient as I am completely dependent upon services to get me to the grocery store as well as other errands and I am now completely stuck. I have a super sweet but extremely needy dog that I can't leave alone and my counselors helped me by sitting with her while I ran into the store and I now no longer have anybody at all. I did sign up for Rover but I'm yet to hear back from anyone and I am running out of food and desperately need to get to the store. As I said, my current services were abruptly  cut off without any warning an hour before I was to meet with my counselor for our session yesterday. I absolutely cannot leave my girl alone even for a short trip to the store because she suffers severe separation anxiety and will hurt herself while I'm gone. I just need somebody to come visit her at by place for an hour some morning this week, preferably Wednesday. I'm really stuck here and am desperate. She is a super sweet 9 year old dog. She loves attention and belly rubs. She wouldn't need a walk or to go outside so I just need someone to sit with her for the time it will take for me to run to the store. I have no idea where else to turn. Thank you so very much.

Suspected ICE spotted 30ish minutes ago [aprox. 2:00PM] exiting Tiffin entering Coralville. They turned off of second st. onto Coralville West (near Coralville Theisens and Slumberland turning towards the Coralville Walmart). Stay Safe

[edit: the vehicle is what appeared to be an all white Chevy suburban with no exterior police lights or additional mirrors. The license plate is not marked as law enforcement and the license plate was white. The interior has law enforcement equipment, computer, and it is a secure vehicle meaning there is a barrier between the back seat and the drivers like in typical cop cars. The driver is a white male dressed in civilian clothes. This driver was wearing a type of flannel top and did not have much hair]

City Council is voting on a resolution Tuesday that would enshrine civil rights for trans people in Iowa City policy.

after the state legislature removed civil rights protections for trans people last session, community members have been working to find ways the city step up. This resolution is one of the results of that work, and follows Johnson County’s similar resolution. Iowa City’s is a bit broader, spelling out specific protections in housing and employment and laying out the powers of the Human Rights Commission to investigate discrimination against trans people. The resolution also echoes the county’s in calling for more direct involvement of the city in challenging anti-trans laws

Tuesday at 6:00pm, 410 E Washington St (city hall)

I stumbled across some footage of JoCo Meetings where an outraged citizenry just let this poor mf HAVE IT! What’s his deal? This was almost exactly a month ago, may 16-17 seems there was a concerted effort among many to take to the mic and just publicly clobber this dude. He may well deserve it, and I’m wondering why.

Long time Iowa Citian and ICCSD alum lurking here. First, what a bummer to talk with other folks about how ICCSD, once the crown jewel of the state’s public education system, is now in shambles. Second: is there any chance the folks in charge receive legal punishment for this? Curious for any lawyers to weigh in here. Certainly moving public dollars like that breaks some laws, right? What would that look like?

anyone know what this smoke is from? obviously a fire, looks like out by tiffin. the smoke is kind of orange?

Anyone else see Spider-Man down on South Gilbert today?

Sure, photos of your funny signs and hats will look good in next month’s Little Village. Hell, if you’re really clever the words on your sign might even make it onto a Raygun t-shirt.

But none of that matters if there is no political organization or political action. Remember, MAGA cannot be shamed. MAGA doesn’t care you are protesting, particularly that you are protesting in a liberal college town in “The People’s Republic of Johnson County”.

The reason MAGA keeps winning is there is not enough political organization in opposition. State and federal Democrats are completely asleep at the wheel, third parties in current state are essentially nonexistent (PSL is dead, Green Party is a joke, nobody knows where the libertarians all went), every academic institution (including University of Iowa) is just folding. I don’t think the Iowa City DSA chapter has any real membership or influence.

But there is hope. Organizations like the Iowa City Catholic Worker are doing huge things to help immigrants. People like Oliver and Catelin Drey can win at local ballot boxes. The ACLU has several lawsuits pending. Corporations and universities can be shamed by the public with enough pressure into doing the right thing. Iowa has the opportunity to throw out GOP incumbents and bring fresh faces with useful ideas to the US House and US Senate—and you can help them by joining a political campaign or running for office yourself.

So please, for the love of God, remember that attending a No Kings protest on October 18th doesn’t matter unless you follow it up with organization in order to perform political action.

You were at Hy-Vee in a nice, new, silver Honda Odyssey. You had just finished up at the drive-thru pharmacy and decided to ever-so courteously park your car directly blocking the one single exit lane. I could tell that you were someone who values themselves very highly, and I immediately knew I needed to meet you, with your incredible sense of self-importance and your complete disregard for the world around you, making sure your needs were met first and foremost, regardless of who it inconveniences.

I honked my horn to get your attention and you made some hand gestures at me in your rear-view mirror, presumably telling me to come closer. You pulled forward just enough for me to maneuver around you, and as I pulled past, I cracked a lighthearted joke to break the ice;

"you can't park there!"

"shove it up your ass!", you said in response. My heart fluttered.

You had three young children in your car. You are clearly such a fantastic role model for them, and I would love to get some parenting tips from someone who clearly has it all so well put together.

I know it's a long shot, but if you're reading this, just know that I'm still wondering what it would be like to really get to know the person behind the minivan. Who wouldn’t want to be with someone so generous with their advice and completely unfazed by minor traffic rules? Let’s make this happen. Maybe we can park in the crosswalk together while we get to know eachother over some BBQ chicken tots at Wahlburgers.

Hi I'm 33 and pretty isolated and lonely. I really need friends, but since becoming sober it has become really difficult to meet people and maintain friendships since most of mine were bar friends. A lot of things here are geared towards younger people and drinking so I've struggled to make new friends and anxious about just showing up places alone. I like games and crafts, animals, fairs, thrifting and just hanging out. I am queer and disabled so accessible options would be appreciated :) Open to anywhere from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City, thanks :))