Hunter
06/20/20
A leader of the recent demonstrations against police brutality in Iowa City who was arrested on misdemeanor and felony charges tied to those protests and subsequent vandalism has had five of six counts against him dropped by the Johnson County Attorney.
The Gazette reports that 20-year-old Mazin Mohamedali will plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct for time served. The plea acknowledges that he obstructed a street or highway when marching against brutality on Dubuque Street June 3rd.
University of Iowa Police had charged Mohamedali with a felony for destroying $5000 worth of fencing around the Old Capitol Museum on June 7th. He allegedly recruited other protesters to help him, and was seen celebrating when they got the fence down.
Mohamedali was relocated from the Johnson County Jail to Marshall County, where he remains on a 2018 armed robbery conviction and subsequent probation violation. His attorney, Rockne Cole, told the Gazette Friday that Mohamedali will be entering Hope House in the coming days.
Speaking through his attorneys, he said, “I am incredibly pleased that our community has recognized our concerns and outlined a concrete plan of action to improve the lives of people of color in Iowa City, which I believe directly resulted from our non-violent protests.”
Cole said Mohamedali sees his misdemeanor conviction as a “badge of honor.”