The Iowa Standard reached out to all federal and state legislative candidates to find out where they stand on the idea of defunding police and abolishing both the police and prisons. This idea is supported by Des Moines Black Lives Matter.
Libertarian Myra Matejka is running against Democrat State Rep. Tracy Ehlert.
Matejka’s response: “In short my answer is yes. I believe in abolishing the policing and prison industries as they currently operate. I believe that no person, organization, or company should ever profit from the caging of people. This means we must revamp how we view “crime” and how we view policing. Prisons should be a place for people who commit acts where a victim can be identified. Policing and prisoning should never be an act of revenue generation for government entities, companies, or individuals. I support the end of qualified immunity, civil asset forfeiture, and unconstitutional stops, searches and seizure of property.”