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Resident raises allegations of assault and police intimidation during public comment
Summary
At the Dec. 16 Waterloo City Council meeting, resident Aaron Stacy Roberts described a long-running personal grievance including an alleged assault of his daughter and alleged intimidation by local police and other named individuals; the comments were heard during the public‑comment period and generated no formal council action.
Aaron Stacy Roberts, who identified his address as 411 Alma Street in Waterloo, used the council’s public‑comment period to describe a longstanding personal grievance and to raise concerns about policing and community fear. “My daughter was penetrated by a person's finger,” he said, referring to case number 9 914612, and recounted alleged threats tied to money: “Tell your father he no longer has a half a $1,000,000, and if you tell your mother we're gonna kill her.”
Roberts named several people while describing his concerns about intimidation and law enforcement conduct, including a landlord and a Des Moines police officer he identified as Jody Van Velzen. He said some neighbors were scared to seek medical care and that the situation has left “a lot of people [living] under fear, African Americans here in Waterloo.”
No city official responded to Roberts’ allegations during the public‑comment exchange recorded in the transcript. The council’s public‑comment period concluded without formal action on the statements; the meeting proceeded to other agenda items.
Roberts ended his remarks with a prayer and left without a request for a specific council directive recorded in the transcript. The council did not refer the matter to staff during the meeting transcript.
