Blog For Iowa

Prairie Dog

From the January 2025 edition of The Prairie Progressive, Iowa’s oldest progressive newsletter. The PP is  funded entirely by reader subscription, available in hard copy for $15/yr.  Send check to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City 52244. Click here for archived issues.

by Stephanie-Fawkes Lee

A young Des Moines police officer who was helping us with a racoon issue hadn’t yet been indoctrinated into how to handle the perception of crime in our neighborhood. He asked us point blank, “Do you hear gunfire at night?” My day starts around 3:00 a.m., so gunfire occurs regularly, sometimes within the neighborhood, but also across the street where a
paved trail system winds along a wooded area by the Des Moines River and poaching runs rampant. We have the luxury to lock the doors, pull the blinds, stay away from the windows, and stick earbuds in to drown out the potential threat. Others aren’t so fortunate.

At our neighborhood association meeting, the appointed Des Moines community police officer gave an update on recent crime activity. There had been a domestic stabbing and a fatal gang related shooting. Even though both tragedies happened only a block away, they were targeted violent deaths. The presentation was delivered to reassure the audience that we needn’t be concerned about our safety or property values. Some didn’t buy into this message. Longterm residents sold their homes to investors to convert into rentals.

Flashing lights greeted us on our walk a short time ago. The usual police cars and fire trucks were joined by the coroner and criminal investigation vans. The vehicles were parked at the entrance to the Tai Dam Village, which borders part of the Trestle to Trestle Trail in our neighborhood. Although the vehicles were running, there were no occupants and no way to find out what happened. So, we ordered an incident report from the Des Moines Police Department.

It stated that a homeless woman was walking in the woods, going to a homeless camp  when she noticed a female hanging from a tree. She called the police with someone else’s
phone, because she did not have one.

Officers located the female in the woods hanging from a tree…by her neck with a rope tied to a branch. Medics and ME were called and declared the female deceased. IDENT was called and processed the scene. ME and IDENT didn’t notice anything suspicious about the suicide. ME took possession of the body. The deceased female had no ID on her person and was not able to be identified.

The incident occurred on 11/04/2024 at 13:51 and the case was closed on 11/05/2024.

The victim was Elizabeth Sue Phillips. According to her obituary, she enjoyed styling hair, going on walks, converting new items out of old ones, and spending time with friends and family, including her children, nieces and nephews. She also left behind a grandchild, “Although she left us too soon, Elizabeth’s memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. She will be remembered for her vibrant personality and contagious laughter.”

Given Elizabeth’s hobbies, it made more sense for her to choose a different form of suicide. Hanging is violent. Men prefer it along with fatal gunshots. Women tend to prefer slicing wrists or swallowing a bottle of pills. What wasn’t in the police report was Elizabeth’s activities before her death.

She had visited a campsite just down the trail from where her body was found. It was one of many encampments that lay scattered along the banks of the Des Moines River. Mary, who lives in a tent with her veteran husband and a lovely dog described the events leading up to the hanging. Although they are labeled as homeless camps, these are complex communities of survivors.

Mary described how Elizabeth had visited their camp with a known unsavory male character. Food is shared with fellow survivors and that was the first and last time Mary
saw Elizabeth. The night before she died, a loud truck was heard driving down the trail in the direction of the hanging tree. Mary and her husband chose to remain in the safety of their tent. Their dog scares away the wild animals that pose a threat. Nothing can protect against the persistent gunfire or an unidentified vehicle that invades their otherwise peaceful existence. Mary carries doubts about the circumstances of Elizabeth’s death. She also understands why members of these closely knit communities may simply give up, tired of living in fear.

The government plays a key role in disrupting their feeling of safety and security. Periodic signs are posted along the trail with maps outlining where and when they will infiltrate and take down these encampments or homes. It’s a Whac-A-Mole game. As one campsite is destroyed, another one pops up. Mary’s campsite is now gone. Although I look for her along the trail on my daily walk, the only thing left is the memory of the pain, fear and
resignation that she carries.

—Stephanie-Fawkes Lee is a public policy advocate dedicated to strengthening Constitutional freedoms and related social issues.