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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHRCMinutes_2014_09_24Brookings Human Rights Committee Minutes Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 12:00 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, Steve Bayer and Lawrence Novotny. Also present: City Staff Shari Thornes. Hamer called the meeting to order at 12:01 pm. A motion was made by Dwivedi, seconded by Novotny, to approve the agenda. Motion carried. A motion was made by Rahman, seconded by Jennings, to approve the amended August 14, 2014 minutes with the correct spelling of Semehar Ghebrekidan’s name. Motion carried. Schedule next meeting date. October 23, 2014 at 12:00 pm. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Award Program. Mike Mogard from the Children’s Museum has agreed to display the posters, however, not in the atrium. Mogard suggested the Doodle Den. Access to the Doodle Den requires an entrance fee. The committee agreed the posters need to be accessible to the public for free. Sioux River Bicycle & Fitness has agreed to display the posters again this year. A motion was made by Bacon, seconded by Bayer, for the essay topic – “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and poster topic – “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Motion carried. Discussion of possible future quotes included: • “What are you doing for others?” • “Faith is taking the first step even though you don’t see the whole staircase.” • “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” The committee also suggested recognizing teachers who taught the quote through their classes. Updates. a. Annual Butler Human Rights Award Event – Hamer cannot attend. Novotny will present the award to Swedlund. The Mayor’s Awards Reception begins at 5:00 pm with a program at 6:00 pm. Members should arrive at 4:45 to greet guests. b. 2014 Community-Campus Common Read – Members are to distribute bookmarks. The sub-committee is working hard on all the events, especially Holly Tilton Byrne. c. Brookings Equality Index Scorecard – The revised score is 48, which is better than the previous score of 20. Brookings has the highest score in the state, but there is still more work to do. The next step is changing the committee to a commission prior to December, followed by a non-discrimination ordinance. Novotny has examples of non-discrimination ordinances as well as an example from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Lieutenant Derrick Powers has been officially designated as the LGBT liaison with the Brookings Police Department. Bayer suggested that the committee request quarterly updates from Lieutenant Powers. The subcommittee will be meeting soon to discuss Lieutenant Powers’ role as well as Diversity Training for Human Resources and Law Enforcement. d. Renter’s Rights & Responsibilities Brochure – Bacon has been working with Caleb Finck - SA President and Shawn Storhaug - Brookings Property Management regarding the SDSU Renters Fair next spring. Previous fairs classes have had a poor turnout. The committee is going attempt with promotions including distribution the brochure to human resource departments with larger workforces, international students and SDSU International Student Office. The City Attorney reviewed the checklist and notice of eviction sections and did not find any legal liability. However, he did note that testing fire extinguishers is a good idea, but may not be practical. Thornes will add updates from the Street Department, Liquor Store and disturbing the peace language. A new section will be added regarding emotional support animals. There are few exceptions for a landlord to deny such animals. The committee will obtain a list of landlords from the City Code Enforcement Department for the purpose of cross promoting to all landlords. Thornes plans to have the brochure translated in Spanish. e. October 19 Fall Diversity Potluck – Thornes presented the poster, which will also be translated in Spanish. The Diversity Potluck will also have a food drive for non-perishable food items for the local food pantry. The SDSU logo needs to be added to the poster as well as the Campus/Community Common Read for distribution on campus. Food donations will be loaded after the Potluck and delivered to the food pantry on Monday. Members are needed to volunteer to bring tubs, pick up and deliver the non-perishable items. Announcements/Correspondence/Calendar: • October 2nd – Appreciation Reception for Volunteers, 5-7 pm, Dakota Nature Center • October 19th – Fall Diversity Potluck • October 27th – Community Common Read Will Allen Author Presentation • December 18th – Mayor’s Holiday Party, 5-7 pm, Swiftel Center Adjourn. A motion was made by Bayer, seconded by Hauffe, to adjourn. All present voted yes; motion carried. Meeting adjourned 1:07 p.m. Submitted by Patty Bacon.