Activists call for removal of Des Moines police chief after video shows officer pushing pedestrian

Activists and community members say video footage of a police officer pushing a pedestrian to the ground that surfaced last week on social media is another example of violence by the Des Moines Police Department that goes unchecked.

Just Voices Iowa, an organization looking to "end racial profiling in Des Moines," according to its website, tweeted the 29-second video on Feb. 15. It shows three officers approach a man walking alone along the city's Court Avenue at 2:48 a.m. on May 31, 2020. One of the officers pushes the man to the ground and the three officers stand over him briefly before all four walk away.

That night was marked with protests in Des Moines following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

At a news conference Wednesday morning at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement's office in Des Moines, members of Iowa CCI, Just Voices, and Des Moines Showing Up for Racial Justice called for more accountability and transparency within the Des Moines Police Department, and the removal of Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert.

In a statement, Wingert said that an investigation into the incident shown in the video was initiated immediately after it was posted online last week and that he expects a standard of professionalism from his department.

"The appropriate measures will be taken to address this matter," he wrote.

During the news conference, Iowa CCI member Chris Robinson said: “This type of conduct does not promote public safety, and shows that the police cannot police themselves.

"We want Wingert gone," said Lori Young of Just Voices, echoing the calls from the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement and others last spring to fire both Wingert and City Manager Scott Sanders.

Robinson and others cited settlements and numerous recent lawsuits against the department that detail unlawful arrests, racial profiling, excessive force, gender discrimination and sexual harassment complaints.

“Accountability starts at the top, and it’s clear Police Chief Dana Wingert doesn’t have control of his department, or worse, doesn’t care to hold his fellow officers accountable," Robinson said. "The city must take action now to ensure our communities are safe from those who swore to protect us."

During Wednesday's news conference members of Iowa CCI, Just Voices, Des Moines Showing Up for Racial Justice, and others listed demands for city leaders:

• A third-party investigation of the Des Moines Police Department by the Polk County Attorney's Office.

• An independent community review board to investigate discriminatory, racially motivated and abusive tactics.

• The firing of Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert.

"Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, including CCI. Having said this, our number one priority is to keep this community safe and maintain our status as an award-winning city. A small few may think that their strongly held beliefs, ideals, and open criticisms somehow factor into that responsibility. That's simply not the case,"Wingert's statement said. "much progress has been made in terms of policy, procedure and relationship building in recent years."

But Laural Clinton of Iowa CCI said the racial profiling ban the city passed in 2020 has not stopped police from wrongful conduct and violence. In 2018, the organization presented a six-point ordinance to the city that included: a ban on racial profiling; making cannabis the lowest enforcement possible; prohibiting pretextual stops; creating a community oversight board; mandating data collection and disclosure for all traffic stops; and further police training.

What was passed in 2020 did not include a community oversight board, did not include strong enough language to prohibit pretextual stops, and did not emphasize proper data collection, Clinton said.

Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders said he and Wingert met with seven members of Iowa CCI on Feb. 16.

"CCI’s agenda items for the nearly 90-minute discussion included racial profiling, data collection, de-escalation training, implicit bias training, pretextual stops, a community review board and marijuana enforcement," Sanders said in a statement provided to the Des Moines Register. "Issues were not resolved that morning but the fact we sat down together and had a civil conversation was encouraging. The CCI members in attendance must have felt similarly since they sent a letter thanking us for the meeting."

He said it was disappointing that Iowa CCI members decided to hold a news conference after that meeting but "it is important for my office, our Police Department and community leaders to continue the discussion and work toward common ground."

Clinton, of Iowa CCI, said, however, that "the behavior of the Des Moines Police Department has not improved. The recent release of last week's video is another example of what we are working against."

"And we know there's more to come," Clinton said.

Andrea Sahouri covers social justice for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, on Twitter @andreamsahouri, or by phone 515-284-8247.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines activists: New video is latest example of police misconduct