ASJ Mission
Our mission is to create social, political, and environmental change within greater Cedar Rapids, prioritizing the objectives of the Black Lives Matter movement to eliminate white supremacy and systemic racism, and affirm the lives of under-resourced and marginalized communities.
OUR DEMANDS
1.
Citizen’s Review Board
Read our CRB Research Brief
3.
Ban the use of Chokeholds, Knee-to-neck Maneuvers (and other lethal restraining techniques) and Strengthen Existing Use of Force Standards
5.
Impose Strict Body Camera Provisions
7.
Abolish Qualified Immunity
2.
Significant investment in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
4.
Decriminalize minor marijuana crimes and other lower-level offenses.
6.
Make the negotiations between municipal authorities (management) and the bargaining units that represent police officers public
MEET OUR Co-Founders
Leslie Hauskins
An ASJ co-founder, Leslie is continuing to learn what it means to be an Activist. She currently works with local political and community leaders on decriminilizing marijuana and other measures around police reform.
She is the mother of four wonderful boys. She is a native of Chicago, IL, and attended Harold Washington College with a focus on Liberal Arts.
She’s been an Iowa resident since 2001 and employed by Toyota since 2017. She is a member of the Toyota CSC Central's Racial Justice Action Committee where she works on racial and equity initiatives.
Nicole Legrand
Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Nicole LeGrand is an ASJ co-founder and democracy defender.
Nicole is working alongside political and social leaders in Cedar Rapids to help the ASJ move forward on their list of demands with the Cedar Rapids City Council, Police Force, and Mayor.
She is the proud mother of two and graduate of the Surgical Technology Program at Kirkwood Community College.
Tamara Marcus
Tamara is a co-founder of the Cedar Rapids non-profit, Advocates for Social Justice, the Linn County Sustainability Manager, and a Ph.D. candidate in the Natural Resources and Earth System Sciences program at the University of New Hampshire. Tamara has been working with Black leaders and city staff on creation of the Citizen Review Board.
Previously, she has worked with non-profits and local governments in the Indian Himalaya to translate results of her research into local environmental policy. Ms. Marcus has been a Fulbright-Nehru fellow, a NASA New Hampshire Space Grant fellow, and a National Center for Atmospheric Research fellow and completed her B.S. in biochemistry and English from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.