Tales from the Road - Butter Cow Edition - Marsy's Law for Iowa

We're back with another edition of our Tales From the Road, with a throwback to our team's adventures at the  this past summer. 

Last summer, the Marsy’s Law team had the chance to have a booth at the Iowa State Fair. This was my first time attending the State Fair and I knew I was in for a treat (not just the food). The Iowa State Fair brings Iowans from all over to enjoy festivities like carnival games, the ferris wheel, and seeing the butter cow! Our team of employees, interns, and volunteers spent the day talking to attendees about constitutional rights for victims of crime. We brought thousands of postcards that would be sent to legislators, urging them to add a crime victim Bill of Rights to the state constitution, and discussed with Iowans why this is something that our legislators need to consider. We met individuals who were interested in our effort, were touched by those who shared their story with us, and persevered through the hot day towards our goal – 1,000 postcards!

The Iowa State Fair was a pivotal moment in my time with Marsy’s Law for Iowa. I was still relatively new and learning as I went. But on that day, I learned that many Iowans already assume that crime victims have constitutional rights. What we can’t do is expect every citizen to understand the criminal justice system, and as a team we were able to take a step in educating Iowans on what already exists and why victim deserve to be elevated. We were able to have an open discussion with citizens about how Iowa is falling behind on this movement towards Constitutional rights for victims of crime. By the end of the day, we were able to surpass our goal of 1,000 postcards and continued throughout the rest of 2019, collecting more to be sent to legislators.

I am excited to see what this summer brings for the Marsy’s Law for Iowa team. We will continue traveling across Iowa, attending events like the Iowa State Fair, and discussing constitutional rights with Iowans!

Sydney Fox

sfox@marsyslaw.us