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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHRCMinutes_2014_08_14Brookings Human Rights Committee Minutes Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. Suite 230, Room 241- Brookings City & County Government Center Attendance: George Hamer, Penny Hauffe, Chandradhar Dwivedi, Shafiqur Rahman, Sam Jennings, Hanna Larsen, Patty Bacon, Judy Karen and Lawrence Novotny. Absent: Steve Bayer. Also present: City Staff Shari Thornes. Hamer called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm. A motion was made by Dwivedi, seconded by Rahman, to approve the amended agenda with the addition of the vote center issue. Motion carried. A motion was made by Novotny, seconded by Dwivedi, to approve the amended June 12, 2014 minutes with the addition of Mayor Reed present and remove the FBI definition. Motion carried. Schedule next meeting date. September 4, 2014 at 12:00 pm. Citywide Non-Discrimination Ordinance. Cathryn Oakley and Hope Errico Wisneski from Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) participated by teleconference. Oakley shared why a non-discrimination ordinance is important and is also preparing a draft to consider. Currently, there are no federal or state protections or non-discrimination ordinances in South Dakota that would help anyone at this time. The only way Brookings residents would be protected is if an ordinance is passed. In order to have enforcement capabilities, the Brookings Human Rights Committee needs to be changed to a commission. Having an ordinance in place gives the employer motivation to, at minimum, seek mediation. The HRCF recommends creating a coalition of organizations which could stand together and provide public education. Novotny recently attended the Equality Federation national conference and suggested connecting with them. Conservative religious groups tend to lead the opposition to an ordinance. The Human Rights Committee needs a good strategy and good partnerships before entering into a campaign to pass the non-discrimination ordinance. HRCF could possibly come and testify before the City Council when the ordinance is being proposed. Possible partners include, but are not limited to, Planned Parenthood, ACLU and the faith community. If the ordinance includes broader situations (pregnancy/mental illness) more partners could join the campaign. The HRCF encourages us to work incrementally – start at the local level and then set a precedent for going to the state level. After receiving the non-discrimination ordinance, Thornes will have the City Attorney review it. Issues that have come up in other towns includes transgenders using restrooms, religious exemptions and service businesses. The HRCF has developed talking points to help us when that comes up. Oakley advised of four towns in Montana could be used as comparable cities. Oakley advises against having criminal penalties in the non-discrimination ordinance, rather a good enforcement mechanism in place like a Commission. The Executive Committee will work on the action plan for campaigning. Updates. a. Brookings Equality Index Scorecard – The subcommittee reviewed short term and long term goals. Last year our score was 34. It dropped this year to 20 because the Human Rights Committee is not a commission. Thornes is working to raise the score by the August 31 deadline. The resolution to add gender identity to City’s Equal Opportunity policy will be on the August 26th City Council agenda. Members are asked to be present if any questions are asked. Mayor Reed signed a letter designating HRC as the official liaison for the City. The City is moving forward to designate a Police LGBT liaison. Future items include: non- discrimination ordinance, changing to a commission, and diversity and LGBT training for law enforcement. Thornes is working with the Department of Justice for hate crimes and diversity training opportunities, which are no cost. Novotny asked if the trainings for city, county and campus law enforcement could include emergency staff at the hospital, domestic abuse providers, mental health providers, etc. Thornes advised the domestic partnerships registry will take longer than initially thought. b. I,TOO,AM SDSTATE – Novotny attempted to contact Semehar Ghebrekidan, but had not heard back from her. Bacon reported that Semehar Ghebrekidan, contacted her and asked if she could do an internship with BHRC by providing public education on micro-aggression. The committee liked the idea. c. Annual Butler Human Rights Award Event – Thursday September 25, 2014 at 5-7 at the Dakota Nature Center. Novotny is drafting the press release. d. 2014 Community-Campus Common Read – The HRC is partnering with the Sustainability Council. Bookmarks are scheduled to be sent in the August utility bills. Community events include: Tour de Garden on September 6, Common Read film Food Patriots on September 16, Compost Workshop & Kids Activity at Library on October 18, Diversity Potluck on October 19 – Holly Tilton Byrne will speak on Local Foods. e. Dr. Martin Luther King Day Poster Location – Hamer has contacted Children’s Museum and is waiting for a call back. f. Welcoming Campaign for Residents – Karen contacted property rental businesses and realtors, but did not have any luck with donations. Hauffe advised that some of our new residents may have language barriers. Dwivedi replied the U.S. Friends group on campus provides ESL services for new residences. Karen suggested providing a list of resources at locations including Walmart, laundromats, Bel Brands, dairies, Swiftel and other likely gathering places for our newest international residents. An additional promotion could be the Brookings Municipal Utilities monthly bill. The subcommittee of Karen, Hauffe and Hamer will look into other opportunities and report back. g. Renter’s Rights & Responsibilities Brochure – Bacon, Dwivedi and Rahman reported on the proposed brochure and a renters/landlord checklist template to post on the city website. They also mentioned a possible meeting with landlords and the Student Association to discuss options to work together to improve relations with students and responsible renting. h. Voter sites – The Holy Life Tabernacle Church has been added as a fourth voting center for the fall election. With the new vote center concept where you can go anywhere, it’s no longer as much of an issue about forcing voters to enter a religious facility to vote. However, the committee will continue to look for a more neutral site for future elections. Thornes is open to other ideas, but must consider accessibility and many other issues. The committee will look into options of a voting center closer to campus to increase voter participation from SDSU staff and students. Announcements/Correspondence/Calendar: • October 19th – Fall Diversity Potluck • October 27th – Community Common Read Author Presentation Adjourn. A motion was made by Rahman, seconded by Dwivedi, to adjourn. All present voted yes; motion carried. Meeting adjourned 7:35 p.m. Submitted by Patty Bacon.