We Can Do This Together

“Thank you for letting me come to the capitol with you.”

That was the message we received from Shal, a crime victim survivor and our friend, who devoted her entire Tuesday to traveling to the State Capitol and talking to legislators about the need for a crime victims’ rights amendment in Iowa.

All we could do was hug her and say, “No Shal, thank YOU.”

There is no better person that a legislator can hear from than a constituent, an Iowan who has been thrown into the criminal justice process in our state and has the firsthand experience of what a nightmare it really is.

Since the legislature has started their 2020 session, we are organizing “Takeover Tuesdays” – getting groups of people together who are interested in changing our system for the better, giving crime victims’ constitutional rights.

We understand that not everyone can take time off work or school to drive to Des Moines and talk to their legislator. That’s okay – there are other ways you can get involved. It’s as easy as a click of your mouse to send an email to your legislator, you could pick up the phone and give them a call, you could pull them aside at a local forum in your town, you could even just sign our online petition – no action is too small, no work is too insignificant.

We know brave survivors like Shal are the backbone of this organization. But the rest of us must follow their lead and push for change, for our voices matter too. At any given moment someone we love may become the victim of a crime and be thrown into a criminal justice system that favors the convicted. Now is the time for a crime victims’ rights amendment and we need your help.