Truth and Reconciliation Commission asks council to remove Eric Harris amid absences

Iowa City’s Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission is asking the city council to remove one of its members after he allegedly tried to light himself on fire and threw his ankle monitor in the trash.

Eric Harris, 44, is being held in the Johnson County jail for allegedly attempting to flee to Chicago before a hearing last month. Truth and Reconciliation Commission bylaws allow recommended removals after six absences or three unexcused absences. The board voted unanimously, 5-0, to approach city council and ask for Harris' removal.

Commission members did not discuss the recommendation before they voted on it. Wednesday's meeting opened with a vote to recommend Harris' removal before transitioning to its work with local and national facilitators.

Harris was first appointed to the TRC in 2020, but he has been absent from every commission meeting since March because of the pending charges against him. The commission, originally founded by the City Council in the wake of racial unrest across the country, has worked for years to deliver on its original goals.

The initial mission statement says the commission is supposed "to bear witness to the truth of racial injustice in Iowa City and to carry out restorative justice, through the collection of testimony and public hearings," providing input and serving in an advisory role for the city council and other city offices.

The commission held a session Wednesday to learn more about stress and trauma, an education effort to aid the board's decisions.

More: Jack McCaffery accepts $1,000 fine, 180-day suspension of license in fatal May accident

Harris has had multiple run-ins with police in 2023

Harris' troubles began with an alleged incident in late March where police responded to reports of a man trying to light himself on fire.

Criminal complaints say officials found evidence that Harris allegedly tried to light a couch on fire with a blow torch. He also allegedly admitted to attempting to light himself on fire. Two children were in the residence at the time, according to police.

Harris was charged with child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor, second-degree harassment, a serious misdemeanor, and reckless use of fire or explosives, a serious misdemeanor. He pled not guilty in early June.

In late June, police say Harris approached a person at the same residence as the attempted fire and started a physical altercation, striking them in the head and allegedly causing minor head injuries. Authorities also found a small amount of marijuana on Harris' person.

He was charged with one count of domestic abuse assault, a serious misdemeanor, and one count of possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense, a Class “D” felony.

A Johnson County District Court judge also issued no contact orders for the three residents of the south Iowa City residence where Harris had lived.

Harris was allegedly evicted from the Inside Out Reentry House in Iowa City on Sept. 29 for “his behaviors,” court documents said.

Police say they were informed that Harris had cut his GPS monitor on Sept. 30. It last "pinged" at the Trailways Bus Station on Court Street in Iowa City. Police say they tracked Harris' GPS monitor to a trash can near the station later that day.

Police then texted Harris, who admitted to fleeing Iowa City, saying he understood he would be arrested soon. He is charged with escape from custody by a person charged with a felony, a separate Class “D” felony charge.

Arraignment on the escape from custody charge is set for Nov. 6.

More: NCAA issues two-week delay on vote for potential changes to sports-wagering reinstatement guidelines

Controversy is another bump in the road for the commission

The commission’s recommendation to remove Harris is the latest in a long line of turbulence for the commission, which has seen multiple chairpersons and members fly in one door and out the other since it was founded in 2020.

The first large scandal came as the commission endured a slew of resignations — four in the span of a few days in 2021 — from the commission’s first chairperson, Royceann Porter, the commission’s first facilitator, Jesse Case, and two members.

In the summer of 2021, the commission, behind new chair Mohamed Traore, asked the council to approve $1,000 monthly stipends for each of the nine commission members in its budget.

The most high-profile controversy came when commission chair Amel Ali was embroiled in a scandal for comments she allegedly made about local officials, including Johnson County supervisor Royceann Porter, on a small podcast. Porter called for Ali’s resignation and the Iowa City city council spent weeks trying to decide on a course of action for the committee. Ali later resigned as TRC chair.

The commission had tried for months to figure out a facilitator role to work alongside the commission, eventually gaining council approval for roughly $400,000 in funding in early May.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: TRC recommends IC council remove Eric Harris amid absences, felony charges