DES MOINES – The Des Moines NAACP is advising African-Americans to be on high alert after an alleged beating of a young black male in the state’s capitol city.
The organization reports:
On May 14, a joint meeting between the Des Moines City Council and the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission was forced to cancel due to a racist, anti-semitic, sexist, and pornographic cyber attack.
On May 16, a 22-year-old black male was hospitalized after reporting that he was the victim of a racially-motivated assault by a group of white males. Thankfully, he has lived to tell his story. The Des Moines Police Department (DMPD) is currently investigating this assault. “While we await the results of the police investigation, we ask for all members of the community to look out for one another.” Said, Kameron Middlebrooks, Des Moines NAACP President. “The only way that we can overcome these recent incidents is by working together. That includes us as a community working with our local government and police department.”
In light of these events, the Des Moines NAACP advises the city’s African-American residents and other residents of African descent to be on high alert against racist attacks in various forms. We strongly urge the DMPD and the city’s elected officials to investigate these attacks to bring about equitable outcomes for the victims. From Ahmaud Arbrey to Breonna Taylor, recent events have shown that African-Americans nationwide are still grappling with the fatal effects of racism. Des Moines is not immune to those effects and therefore must be at the forefront of standing against racism in every form to improve the quality of life for all residents.
