IOWA CITY, Iowa (KWWL)- The Iowa Freedom Riders are putting a temporary "hard pause" on the People's Truth and Reconciliation (PTRC) meetings after they say it has steered off course.
IFR, a youth-based organization in Iowa City fighting for systemic change, made the announcement on Twitter Sunday afternoon.
The group, which led dozens of local Black Lives Matter protests during the summer of 2020 to protest the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African-Americans at the hands of police, formed the Truth and Reckoning Commission in March to further its goals.
The PTRC met in both April and May.
"When we started doing these meetings, we hoped it would be a safe and healing place for black and brown people in Johnson County to discuss the injustices they face on a daily basis, whether that is wrongful eviction notices, armed guards in a Casey's, or walking while black," the group wrote. "Since then, the PTRC meetings have steered off course and have become a place for white people to come and discuss their issues, and while their issues are valid, they are more likely to be heard by those in power."
The reckoning commission was called "The Peoples TRC" because the group said it lost hope in the city-created Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The city's TRC has seen four members and its facilitator resign since March 8. The City Council also suspended the body for one month on March 17.
The city's TRC resumed after a one-month suspension on April 15.
In a statement announcing the formation of the Truth and Reckoning Commission in Mach, IFR said its goals for the PTRC were truth-telling, reparations for marginalized groups, creating a space for healing and education.
In the tweet Sunday, IFR said it was "disheartening" to learn its goals were "not being met in a way we would like."
"Iowa Freedom Riders was founded last year with the goal of becoming it's separate entity away from the Iowa City Government, to go into Brown and Black neighborhood and advocate for them," IFR wrote.
IFR leaders said they are re-evaluating the best way to achieve their goals but do not plan to do away with the PTRC for good.
"We will never stop fighting for the liberation and joy of black and brown people," IFR said.
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Iowa Freedom Riders temporarily pause 'People's Truth and Reconciliation Committee' Meetings - kwwl.com
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