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Brookings Human Rights Commission Minutes (unapproved)
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Brookings City & County Government Center and Zoom Meeting App
Attendance: Nieema Thasing (chair -in person); Dianne Nagy (vice-chair – online); Lawrence Novotny,
(recorder and CLEAR Partners liaison– in person); Dan Berg (online); Erica Moore (online); Emma
Qurashi (student representative & behavioral health liaison – in person); Charlene ‘Charlie’ Ward
(county representative & Disabilities Awareness Committee liaison– in person); Caleb Johnson (police
liaison – in person); Marty Stanwick (sheriff liaison – in person); Michele Vande Weerd (school liaison
- online); Casey Bell (city human resources & staff liaison – in person);
Absent: Marci Gebers (sheriff’s office liaison); Mikaela Neubauer (library liaison); Bruce Pengra
(sustainability council liaison);
Chair Thasing called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm.
Ward moved, Qurashi seconded, to approve the agenda. Motion passed.
Berg moved, Qurashi seconded, to approve the minutes of the August 18, July 21, and June 16 meetings.
Motion passed.
Liaison Reports:
Brookings Police Dept (Johnson): The new police chief, Michael Drake, started on August 22. The
August coffee with a cop will be at the Children’s Museum. There was a good turnout for the Night
Out event at Pioneer Park.
Sheriff’s Office (Stanwick): The sheriff’s office along with BPD and UPD had info tables at the new
student international evening at Good Roots on August 21. They ran out of drivers manuals. The
agencies will be distributing a pamphlet on how to act when stopped by law enforcement. The sheriff’s
department received a COPS grant which allowed it to hire an additional officer to do public information
programming. Stanwick invited BHRC to turn the new jail facility.
School; Vande Weerd is seeking diversity programming ideas for the school’s 2-day in staff training.
Disabilities Awareness Committee (Ward): The DAC is working on their mayor’s awards. An event
will be held in the afternoon on October 15 for White Cane Day.
Library and Brookings Inclusive Collaborative (Nagy): About 14 facilitators were trained on August 27
for the Intergroup Dialogues. There was good attendance at the kickoff event at the library on Sept 13.
There will be 6-7 topic dialogue discussion groups occurring weekly from Sept 19 thru October 22.
Two of the topic groups will have to be split due to the large number of sign ups.
CLEAR Partners (Novotny) – CLEAR had a meeting with the new police chief.
Brookings Economic Development Master Plan (Novotny) —Resonance (the contracting agency) held a
community meeting the forenoon of September 15. The results of the surveys were presented.
Attendees also engaged in small table discussions to provide more ideas.
Working Groups:
Common Read Fliers were distributed. Neubauer is leading a library book discussion (Crossing the
Line) on Sept 26. Arrangements are made for the community common read event showing of the film
PRIDE at Brookings Theatre on October 15. Discussion will follow the film showing. Ward also took
requests for Griffith lecture tickets.
Training: Thasing and Ward are drafting a white paper on the role that mentors will play. Berg is
working on finding people to keep the complaint process moving once a complaint is initiated. Moore is
working on locating mediators.
Black Culture Awareness (Thasing): Need to start looking at MLK event for next year. Also need to
have a closure meeting about the Juneteenth event.
Indigenous Peoples (Moore): An indigenous peoples festival is being planned for November 19 at the
middle school. It will cost $600 to rent the school. A certificate of insurance is also needed. The WG
is seeking funding for the event.
Budget
The balance on hand is $238. We still have to cover the Butler and Youth awards.
Old Business
HRC statewide meeting Vermillion, Sioux Falls, and Brookings are on board. Thasing’s calls to
Rapid City are not being returned.
SDSU liaison: Shelly Bayer, the director of the SDSU Multi-Cultural Center recommended 2 people.
Novotny moved, Moore seconded, that we invite Marjoanne Thompson, the assistant director of the
multi-cultural center to be SDSU’s liaison. Motion passed.
UPD liaison: Ward moved, Moore seconded, that Caleb Johnson be approved as the liaison with the
SDSU University Police Department. Motion passed.
Butler award: One nomination was received. Novotny re-submitted 2 nominations received last year.
After discussion, Ward moved, Moore seconded, that the 2022 Butler award be given to Tom and
Jeanne Manzer. Motion passed. The Manzers are being recognized for their role in the establishment
of Bienvenidos a Brookings which addresses the needs of the LatinX community, focusing on farm
laborers, in Brookings and Moody Counties.
Youth Award and Youth Ally Award: Announcements for nominations will be sent out to the Register,
the Brookings School System and Boys and Girls Club.
New Business
Joel Gindo, Erinn Thomas, and Tracy Chapman all have resigned from the Commission.
Members reviewed and ranked the 8 applications that were received.
Applicants A, B, H & G will be forwarded to the mayor for his recommendation for appointment to the
BHRC.
Adjourn:
The October meeting will be held in the new Brookings Detention Center facility.
Meeting adjourned at 7 pm.
Submitted by Lawrence Novotny, recorder