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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-18-2012 Human Rights CommissionIOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS IBCOMMISSION 49 Years of Advancing Equality 1963-2012 AGENDA CITY OF IOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION HELLING CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL December 18, 2012 6:00 P.M. 1. Call Meeting to Order/ Roll Call 2. Approval of Minutes from the following meeting: November 20, 2012 3. Public Comment of Items Not on the Agenda 4. New Business a. Recognition of Outgoing Commissioners b. MLK, Jr, Proclamation c. Universal Identification (Packet Item 4-c) 5. Old Business: a. Immigrant Subcommittee i. Spanish Signage Recommendations for City Services (Packet Item 5-a(i)) 6. Updates/Reports: a. World Human Rights Day & Proclamation b. Ad Hoc Diversity Committee c. Building Communities d. University of Iowa Center for Human Rights e. Commission f. Staff 7. Set Next Regular Meeting for January 15, 2013 at 6 p.m. 8. Adjourn The Iowa City Human Rights Commission meetings follow the Iowa City Community School District closings for inclement weather except for early dismissals for heat. Page 1 of 13 Minutes Human Rights Commission November 20, 2012 — 6 P.M. HelUng Conference Room PRELIMINARY Members Present: Harry Olmstead, Orville Townsend Sr., Connie Goeb, Kim Hanrahan, Diane Finnerty, Shams Ghoneim. Members Excused: Dan Tallon, Jessie Harper, Howard Cowen. Staff Present: Stefanie Bowers This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Human Rights Commission meeting of November 20, 2012. Recommendations to Council: None. Call to Order: Chair Olmstead called the meeting to order at 18:00. Hamahan moved to approve minutes, seconded by Townsend. Motion passed. 5-0. (Finnerty not present) New Business: Youth Awards (May 15, 2013) SB: The Englert is booking up quickly and so they actually contacted me maybe two or three weeks ago, and so that's why the date is being selected this far in advance. So actually from an advertising standpoint I think having a date this early is probably not a bad thing. This is a Wednesday and the ceremony would be at 7 p.m. and more details to come. Old Business: World Human Rights Day Proclamation SB: I submitted this to the city clerk for a review by the mayor, and as it stands now it's too many words for what he would even consider at this point. So what we can do or what the Commission can decide to do is to cut it down to 200-250 words, that's basically the choice that you have. Then it will be considered, but it's still not necessarily going to be accepted, but even for consideration it has to be cut down. I believe that word number would approximately be about one page. I did not bring copies for everyone just because I thought if anybody wanted to assist on this matter I didn't need nine copies, but probably just those Commissioners who wanted to assist with trying to get this down to one page. Another thing to consider is that it has to be completed by Wednesday the 28t' to be considered for the December 40' city council meeting, which would be the only city council meeting that would be near or around the December 1 Os' date of International Human Rights Day. The council does meet, I believe, on the 18"also of December, and certainly it could be considered for that date too, but if you wanted it before the 1 Os' then we would be looking at the 28s' to submit it. Page 2 of 13 SG: December 28`s is the deadline or November? SB: November 28`". KH: Is it three pages long or how many? SB: Its two pages. KH: Is that standard protocol for submissions? SB: Correct. It surpasses the words allowed. SG: I can help again and if anybody else would like to chip in. SB: I can certainly do it, but the concern on my part is how I would determine what to leave in and what to take out and as staff that would not be my role. So if somebody wanted to go through and mark it up that's fine and then I can go from there. SG: So do you think we can just do it via email and then send it? HO: Can you send copies of that? SB: I certainly can. So who is? HO: Shams and I, anybody else want to work on it? SB: Let me give you these two hard copies. I'll electronically send it tomorrow also. SG: If anybody has suggestions please let us know. SB: I should say the whereas is something that is standard protocol for proclamations. HO: Any other further discussion on that? Okay update on reports and Human Rights Breakfast. Updates/Reports: Human Rights Breakfast SB: I want to thank everyone for all your help. It's always a stressful event until about 8:29. It had a good turnout and great honorees. CG: The article in the Press Citizen was very complimentary I thought. HO: Did you hand out the surveys yet? SB: I have not yet. Basically what's going to happen this year is it's going to be a postcard where the Commission thanks participants for their support of the breakfast, and asking for their continued support. Basically we can't do it without you, and for further information about the Commission or for upcoming events, please visit and I'll give the website. I think just to streamline things try to make the survey more intemet based than sending out standard mail. Page 3 of 13 HO: Don't forget to add to reserve your ticket for next year check here. CG: What is the survey? Do we usually have one? SB: It's just how they liked the space that is used and how they felt the sound was, the quality of the program and the food. CG: Did we use to hand it out at the breakfast? SB: No, last year they were sent an actual letter in an envelope and the card was pre -stamped and they could send it back. We had a really good response, but it's just not as easy to do that anymore. SG: One suggestion that just came to me is nametags. Maybe we should have some nametag blanks because at certain times it would be nice to know who is there. SB: Sure that makes sense. This is just kind of to think about, and I don't think we need to get into it until early spring. The next breakfast would actually be the 30`" anniversary of the Human Rights Breakfast, and next year is also the 50`s anniversary of when the city started the Commission. We might want to make it a little more spectacular. I'm not sure how to do that. It would be nice to invite back all past honorees, however funding doesn't allow to give complimentary tickets. SG: Maybe a discount, like a special guest rather than the $25, maybe $10 or $12 or whatever. OT: How expensive is it to create a little booklet? SB: I don't think it would be terribly expensive. OT: We know it'd be expensive to give honorary tickets. We could have a little booklet that had all the information about the history of the program, and then have pictures or inserts on all of the past recipients. SB: I'll check with communications, which used to be document services to see how much information they have from before I started with the city because that is something I could get working on early. CG: Stefanie do you send out invitations to past honorees or any particular targeted marketing on past honorees? SB: If I have an address and I mean it depends, but there are a lot of past honorees that do get postcards. I don't know if it's an invitation. I would call it more of a solicitation to attend the Human Rights Breakfast. Past honorees the chances of them returning to the breakfast are usually within I would say a three to four year margin of when they actually were recognized. I do see that, but yes. HO: Any other discussion? SG: No, just the thought and please forgive me if I didn't notice. Do the honorees themselves have nametags? SB: No. Page 4 of 13 SG: I mean I knew some of them, but they should have a nametag, and write honoree even on it. KH: Could we include in that booklet perhaps key accomplishments of the past like four years or ten years? SB: Sure. HO: Okay Immigration Subcommittee, Kim? Immigration Subcommittee KH: Stefanie put together a rough draft and Gloria and I got together and reviewed that. We're meeting again next week and this is on the signage for the city offices to edit that or add additions or deletions. The overriding recommendation would be all signs in Spanish quite frankly, but the draft was maybe three or four pages long that included pictures of some of the key areas. Then at the Ad Hoc Diversity Committee I don't know if you notice it in the back there was the idea information, and that's what I was referring to. SG: So would you say Kim that of course the majority are Spanish speaking, were there other languages spoken from the groups that came? KH: Not on our tour. We just really focused on the Latino population. There were some suggestions for translation services though, and some of the departments that we went into the little sign was either hidden or just not very visible. Folks aren't really aware that that's available perhaps. That's such a huge thing to tackle because there are so many languages. DF: It seems like it's a great project that the city could get also some goodwill about. Like was it documented of you guys walking around the buildings and looking at stuff or? It seems like it'd be a great photo op for the Press Citizen too. SB: I mean Kim did a really good job of introducing folks to the staff. HO: Anything else? KH: Then just on the ID's, the universal ID's. That's one of the things that had come up on the tour because it's already implemented in a number of other cities. There was some more information on that that was in the handout. I'm not sure if we can move on that or how. SB: I can check with the city clerk and I'll put a copy of it in the packet. I can mail it out email sooner, but I will put a copy in the December packet. I'm not sure why it was included in that packet, so I have to check myself because I'm not sure. OT: When you say M's what are you referring to? KH: Well one universal ID that could be used throughout the county that would be accepted at the library and at the rec center and at some of the other entities that What they asked for then also would be consistent because documents. SG: And that is for undocumented only or? KH: No it would be citywide ID's for anyone to use. Page 5of13 HO: At the Ad Hoc Committee forum they had a three page article about the ID system. SB: I think maybe that was an Ad Hoc because that doesn't sound familiar to me. KH: That might be why it was included SB: Right. OT: came in and at the public input _ support of it and gave a talk on ID's. DF: I don't know the timing of it, but if it's relevant I'd propose that we take it up as a Commission for our December meeting and make a vote and support a nod or has that already happened? SB: No. DF: That we could vote in support of the city moving forward on it. HO: That's a good idea. SB: I think that's what Kim is working on. I think she's working on a document that she can bring to the Commission, so if you should get a call from The Gazette or the Press Citizen, any Commissioner would be able to speak about the recommendation versus just the subcommittee. KH: _ up to this point because we really were focusing on just the signage, but it came up through the tours and then this additional information from the Ad Hoc Committee kind of brought it a little closer too. DF: So I guess I'd propose if it's not part of the recommendations that the Immigration Subcommittee is bringing forward in December, that the Commission take up the issue of understanding the issue and then voting on it in December? OT: I had mentioned that there were several cities that had already used it. KH: That's how it came up. There were several folks on the tour that had lived in communities where they had universal ID's so. Do we have enough information to share? SB: I'm going to guess that that was submitted by the person who came to speak to the Ad Hoc Committee, so it wasn't really an endorsement by the Ad Hoc Committee, but more an opportunity for the public to submit documentation or articles. So that's what I'm guessing, that's why that was in that particular packet. I can certainly follow up with the city clerk, and I can still electronically mail you that information that Connie is looking at tomorrow. I mean I have that so it's not a problem. DF: I might have some other stuff too from Sanctuary City Committee. KH: Could you send it out to all of us then? SB: Yes. DF: Do I need to propose it for the December agenda or? Page 6 of 13 OT: One of the things that I mentioned to the guy when he brought it up at the meeting, you know me I'm always looking at the big picture. Right off the bat I could see some positives, but I was wondering about what are the negatives that could have a negative impact on individuals if you DF: That would be a good question to ask the cities that are doing _. CG: Would this kind of ID be one that would be used you know somebody would have one ID that they could take to different places like where normally you would have to take like a utility bill or something. So if you had to get this card you probably would bring in a utility bill or some proof of residence or something of that nature. You're thinking about proposing not just city wide but county wide? KH: No city wide. It'd be great if it could be county wide. CG: Well if the city would consider it maybe then the county would too. DF: My proposal isn't that we vote on it tonight, but that we put in on the agenda for December. I think these questions may or may not be addressed in the materials. I think these are good questions, but put it on our December agenda. HO: I think one of the things that I think about will be cost. Who is going to bear the cost, be it the city _ cost for the ID's or personal CG: This note says that Enrichment, California, which is in Northern California. The program is administered by a third party vendor at no cost to the city, but I would think that that would be right for. I mean ... yeah that would just seem to be... OT: I think basically you know I'm not sure but my first thought was that would be ideal, it would be excellent for undocumented individuals because that's one of the big hurdles they have. If it comes down that it's going to improve the situation then we can start looking for ways to make it accessible to them. KH: I actually think that it's convenient for people who speak all languages because documented or undocumented because struggling with understanding our system to begin with. This way it just eliminates some of the barriers to at least getting that ID card. SG: What about people that come for say a fellowship at the University. They are here for like one or two years and they leave. Would that also be available for them? HO: I would think so. If they have residency here in the city I would think that would be the only stipulation. OT: They would have a University ID wouldn't they? SG: I don't know. DF: So does anybody have any opposition to doing it in December? SG: No that sounds good. Page 7 of 13 HO: Any further discussion? Okay Ad Hoc Diversity Committee, Orville. Ad Hoc Diversity Committee OT: We had a public input meeting Thursday. It was very well attending, you know cross section of individual, non -speaking English and had interpreters there for the Latinos. I was disappointed that there weren't that many individuals for the African American community there, but there were a couple. I think we kind of missed out on that segment so we had our Ad Hoc meeting yesterday. We're thinking that in order to be more user friendly we're going to try and get out into the community places like the schools and we're looking at our options. We requested some kind of ruling on the legality of kids in the schools because I know I'd be really upset if I found out that somebody had met with my kid you know a situation like that without my permission. So we got to check and see where we go with that, but we are definitely going to be getting out into the community, and trying to get the information and the feedback that we need. Another thing we talked about, well yesterday in our meeting the representatives from the Police Citizen's Review Board were there, we met with them and it was a very good meeting, very productive. We just kind of laid it out on the tables things like public distrust from certain communities. The fact that we really need to work at doing a better job of educating our community about the law and the police force. We talked about the review process and one thing that really kept coming up was the fact that all appearance that the police department is policing itself because if you make a complaint the police chief basically that's the first round. You meet with the individual and then the officer and then he gives his recommendation to the Police Review Board. Then they can do whatever they feel they need to do to get what they need. One of the things that we came up with was in order to counter or eliminate that appearance of self you know patrolling is that, well let me back up. One of the problems that we run into is with the union police when it comes down to the individual who makes a complaint, the Police Review Board can meet with that individual. But when it comes to officer, only persons have the right of the authority to request that that person participate is the police chief or the person's superior. So supervising an officer or... DF: Is our force unionized here? OT: Yes, or the city manager. Those are the only two people that have the authority to require that the police officer participate. So the suggestion was made that maybe the city manager could sit in on that session, and that kind of starts that _ that appearance of the police force totally you know investigating itself. Another thing we came up with is maybe the process could be changed so that a member of the Citizen Review Board would sit in on the meeting with the police chief and the complainant. Again that's kind of getting in there you know. SG: Would they accept do you think? OT: Well you know this is, we have to make recommendations to the city council, so these were just some things that we were kind of throwing out there. It's like we, I personally thought it was a very good meeting. Everybody just kind of laid it on the table to kind of get a picture of what we're dealing with. Of course not everybody agreed on what we're dealing with, but we discussed it anyway. DF: Was Kathy P_ there, the legal counsel? Page 8of13 OT: Yes I think her name was Kathy. It was a young lady and then the guy who chairs it. That's kind of where we are there. So in the future we will be trying to set up meetings so that we can get out into the community and see if we can get some individuals from the community be engaged and share the concerns that they have. KH: There was also the suggestion of focus groups. SG: To do what? KH: To get some information to the Ad Hoc Committee, so like the schools having small focus groups and the neighborhood center having small focus groups so that it was less intimidating. Also listening posts came up which I thought was kind of a neat idea. I know a few of the county supervisors have listening posts. I thought it would be nice if we It's a way to get out into the community and help them understand the work that we do. HO: Stefanie you also appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee. Do you want to say anything about that? SB: I was invited to speak. They wanted to know about the process as far as the Human Rights Commission, and then what the process is if there would be a complaint filed against the city. So that's basically what I spoke on. I think that the reason I was asked to go there so that they had a better understanding of how our office, you know I think at one time they thought maybe there was more of a relationship there. But generally speaking if somebody wants to file a complaint against a city department .... I try to be careful in my wording here so I'm going to slow down, but because I want people to understand and realize that they have the ability to come to the Human Rights Office here in Iowa City. What we would tell somebody is that we can help intake this, but to avoid the appearance of impropriety, we would transfer the complaint out, but we certainly are available to get people that information and to answer questions that someone may have and things of that nature. SG: So say party A had a complaint against party B, which is a department within the city. They can come to the Human Rights Office, but wouldn't that be a conflict of interest at some point? SB: Well we would just intake the complaint. We would not investigate the complaint. We would transfer it out. Generally it would be the State, but it depends because sometimes it depends, but generally speaking it would be the State. I don't think it's a conflict because all we're doing is either giving somebody something or we take the complaint and then we transfer it. OT: I was surprised that they seemed to have so much difficulty comprehending what you were saying when you said that if someone comes to you and they have an issue with a landlord or a job discrimination, then your department will deal with it. But if someone came to you and wanted to file a complaint against the city that you know you wouldn't deal with that. You would basically pass that on because of the impropriety. That seemed very simple to me, but it just kept coming UP. CG: Stefanie I'm not sure what your tenure has been here, but have you can you estimate have you, how many you might have had like that? SB: That's not something I could answer whether a complaint has been filed or not. That's not something I would, that's part of the ordinance. Whether a complaint has been filed against a business, educational facility, that's not something that I can disclose. Lots of times we receive Page 9of13 calls like for example: my employer is doing this, have you had other complaints? That's not something that I can disclose. KH: I was surprised to find that there's really no tracking system for any officer complaint that would have more than one complaint. Is that true? OT: I don't know. I would hope that that's not true. KH: I think that the last I had heard that that was the case and currently their system doesn't track officer complaints because they have to put a number with that complaint right, and so they don't have any way of tracking how many complaints one particular officer may have had. Is that so? SB: You mean the PCRB? KH: Yes. SB: It's possible, I don't oversee the PCRB. OT: The PCRB may not have that information, the police department has it. DF: That's the point you put it in the PCRB statements right. So it's not just a personnel matter, it's a... SG: If it's a police matter isn't that confidential? OT: But I think basically my understanding of it is when the police chief, that's his investigation with the individual and the officer. Then he passes it on to the PCRB, and then they can request what they want, and I think if they wanted to know how many complaints were against that individual, they could request that information from the chief. I would say most likely the board would have the authority. DF: Would you recommend it as a system change? Would they have it automatically? That seems like its relevant information. OT: I would say it should, you know, but obviously I agree that anytime there is a complaint against an officer one of the first things that should be looked at is what is that individual's history. I can't guarantee that they're doing it. I know the information has got to be available, but whether or not it's being utilized, I don't know. KH: Then I wonder what consequences there are for repeat offenders if any. SG: The issue is because it's almost like a university issue; you know we're sort of in the middle of something similar. What constitutes confidential information, which is personnel versus the right of the individual that is issuing the complaint? OT: The biggest thing about confidentiality in this situation is that it's a personnel matter. You know so it's kind of, I would say that's a delicate area because I would think that yeah we really need to know how many complaints this person has had against him, but at the same time that gets into the personnel arena so you don't know what your rights would be to get it. Page 10 of 13 DF: It could be depending on who gets to know it, like is it the PCRB gets it and the public doesn't. The PCRB serves an investigatory role. They would be granted it seems like extension. OT: A good question though, and in the next meeting I'll ask that question to the city attorney. You know is that something that could be included automatically where there is a complaint, is that the information that we looked at in terms of complaints that the person had. SG: Here's another question. Say the board recommended a specific recommendation against a specific officer. Does the police department, does it have the choice whether to do it or not, to follow that recommendation or not? What's the final outcome? Okay they did the investigation and found officer A there was just cause okay. So they go back to the chief and tell him or her that, and then what? OT: I would think that what happens is once the Police Review Board comes to its conclusion and makes recommendations to the chief, and then the chief would probably follow that, except you know if the officer doesn't agree. He or she can always appeal or if the chief chooses not to do it he doesn't have to. The Review Board is just an advisory board. SB: The annual report, which should be available online, would give an overview of the process and that may answer some of these questions also. HO: Any further discussion? Building Communities OT: We met this morning and where we are is we're trying to branch out to the community and identify individuals that want to work with us. We want to form a group to actually look at issues in the black community, and basically set some programming in place. One of the things that we hope to do is get parent citizens involved. So that's kind of where we are, so we are in the process of identifying individuals and we're planning to have a function in January where we'll invite everybody and give our spiel and see how many people we can get to buy in on it. Then once we get that established and then what we hope to be able to do is sit down with the group and kind of discuss what we want to do. You know what issues we want to deal with and get a commitment from the group. We've been talking about various things in our committee about what we think needs to be done, but we decided that we would hold off until we actually get the group formed because we don't want to set a direction that we're going to take, and then go on with the people on board. It would be much more productive if we waited and let the people who are going to be involved decide what the group is going to do as a whole. HO: Any further discussion? University of Iowa Center for Human Rights HO: I can speak to that. As you all know the University Center for Human Rights is a target by the Provost Office to be closed next year. Several things have occurred. The executive board has met and formulated a sub -committee to save the Center for Human Rights, and I'll pass out the fact sheet that we put together. There has also been a student organization that is recognized by the University to save the Center for Human Rights. I want to point out that on December 5`, at 3:00; it's a Wednesday at the Pentacrest they are going to have a protest to save the center. They also ask that you sign the petition online and the address is on the sheet. They are also sending an Page 11 of 13 email to Sally Mason. They brought up the email that we sent. They were very pleased with that and they want to see more letters to the editor. The Provost Office is taking a lot of heat on this I understand from several areas, and the Provost has asked to meet with the executive board and we are trying to set up a date for that. SB: You were talking about the Provost Office and how they've been viewed. HO: They want to meet with the executive board and we're working on setting up a date for that. As of right now the School of Education has agreed to accept the Certification Program in Human Rights that has been offered. The School of Law is going to take over the Camille Internship Program. Burns Weston who is affiliated with the School of Law has got them to agree to keep up the website that has a large hit on it daily, and they're going to keep that up. So this is just moving right along and there are more ideas that are being generated and planned. They are talking about having a 24 week movie night, a movie on human rights each week for the next 24 weeks till the target date of the center closing to get people more aware of human rights on the campus. So there are a lot of things being generated. Any questions? DF: I think the email address they are using at the bottom is incorrect. HO: This is what was sent to me. DF: Do you know who did it? What they've got is Provost Butler's hawk ID, but not his email address. It should be patrick-butler@uiowa.edu. HO: Okay thank you. Any other concerns or questions? I understand the Library Board is looking at the One Community, One Book as a possibility to be picked up at the library, but right now we're not calling it quits and rolling over just because Provost says that we have to. OT: I thought that the award that was given to the center was very tasteful and very timely. HO: The students are also talking about the possibility of a sit-in. I'm not sure exactly where. They're talked about Sally Mason's office. They talked about the Provost Office so. Reports of Commission SG: Nothing CG: No KH: Just one thing. I was really sad, I was watching a city council meeting and sad to hear that the Grant Wood skating program is no longer in existence because they couldn't control what was happening out on the playground. So this was every Friday or Saturday night they had open gym and open skating at Grantwood Elementary. It was a community, I think it was or something. It's been going on now for over a year and it just finally on the -decided to close it down because of the unruly behavior of the students outside of the gym and the many calls to the police. OT: No DF: Nothing HO: I don't have anything at this time. Page 12 of 13 Reports of Staff SB: The status of complaints should be the last page in the packet. I want to mention that our own Harry Olmstead was recently recognized, and I hope I have this correct, by the Iowa Chapter of the National Rehabilitation Association. SB: Do you want to talk about getting the award? HO: I was given the Craig Woods Award. Craig Woods was a vocational rehab counselor who is blind I understand and did a lot of active work in the community. So they named an award after him and they recognized someone with a disability that has been active in the community. It hasn't been awarded for four years, that's what they told me, so I was quite honored to receive it this year. SB: So the Iowa Chapter of the National Rehabilitation Association. Then I want to mention that there were vacancies on the Commission and those have been filled. One is by our own Harry Olmstead, who was actually filling an unexpired term. So now he gets to come back and serve again. Then the other is Joe Coulter, who I believe is a professor at the University. The third appointment Katie Anthony who is the program director for the Iowa City Association of Realtors. I worked with her before for fair housing conferences and stuff. I think that's all. SG: When do they start? SB: Technically January 1, 2013. HO: Who is the second person, the woman? SB: Katie Anthony. HO: Our next regular meeting is scheduled for December 18, 2012. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn at 18:49. Next Regular Meeting —December 18, 2012 at 18:00. Page 13 of 13 Human Rights Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2012 IMeetino Datel TERM NAME EXP. 1/17 2/21 3/20 4/17 5/15 6/19 7/17 8/21 9/18 10/1 111/20 12118 Dr. Howard 111/13 X X O/E X O/E X O/E X O/E X O/E Cowen Constance 111/13 X O/E X X O/E O/E X X X X X Goeb Harry 1/1/13 X X X X X X X X X X X Olmstead (8-1-2010) David B. 1/1/14 X O/E O/E O/E R R R R R R R R Brown Diane 1/1/14 O/E X X X X X O/E X O/E O/E X Finnerty Orville 1/1/14 X X X X X X X X X X X Townsend, Sr. Henri Harper 1/1/15 O/E X O/E R R R R R R R R R Kim 1/1/15 X X X X X X X O/E X X X Hanrahan Shams 1/1/15 O/E X X X X X X X X O/E X Ghoneim Jessie 1/1/15 - - O/E X X O/E X O/E Harper (Appointed 6-5-12 ) Dan Tallon 1l1/14 - - X X X O/E (Appointed 7-31-12) KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting/No Quorum R = Resigned - = Not a Member Agenda Items Agenda Item 4-c Stefanie Bowers From: Finnerty, Diane L <diane-finnerty@uiowa.edu> Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 12:59 PM To: Stefanie Bowers Subject: Municipal ID cards Dear Stefanie, Would you please share the attached and following information about municipal -issued ID cards with the other commissioners? The information was shared by the Sanctuary City Committee. • http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/id plan gains key approval/ • • htti)://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6913493.stm http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/07/25/us-usa-immigration-idcards-idUSN2422231920070725 • • http://www.nvtimes.com/2008/05/­­22/opinion/22thu3.html http•//www newhavenindependent org/index php/archives/entry/mayor to feds back off/ • http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/extra extra/city id can be used at polls/ • http://www newhavenindependent org/index php/archives/entry/ortiz details death threat google bomb/ • http://www newhavenindependent org/index php/archives/entry/city wins id battle/ • 0_ Thanks, http://www.omaha.com/article/20091028/AP09/310289832 Diane 15 }r 6ue.0(_ Il-1S-1a. Police Legal Agenda Item 4-c Sciences Inc. November 15, 2012 Ad Hoc Diversity Committee c/o City Clerk City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 RE: ICPD and Multipurpose I.D. Card To members of the Ad Hoe Diversity Committee: I am a resident of Iowa City and the director of Police Legal Sciences, Inc. (PLS), a public safety training company. PLS provides monthly, online training lessons for the Iowa City Police Department (ICPD) and the Johnson County Emergency Communication Center (JECC). I am writing: a) to share what I have observed about how the ICPD is addressing some of the diversity issues in our community; and b) to make a recommendation that the city provide its residents, citizens and foreign nationals alike, the opportunity to obtain a city -issued I.D. card. ICPD: 1. In March of each year since 2008 every commissioned officer has been required to take a one -hour lesson entitled "Biased -Based Policing," a lesson, updated each year, designed to address the unconstitutional practice of racial profiling. Any officers failing to pass a competency test on the material must re -take the entire lesson until they pass the test. 2. In June of 2012 each officer was required to take a one -hour lesson on federal immigration law and pass a competency test over the material. The lesson addressed the fundamentals of immigration law with an emphasis on the necessity of each officer to exercise appropriate discretion. This lesson was a response to the President's and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director's directives to federal agents to exercise "prosecutorial discretion." 3. For several years the ICPD has gathered statistical information on every vehicle stop and warrantless search performed by its officers in an effort t to expose any tendencies by officers to exercise their discretion based on a motorist's or passenger's race. 4. In response to the expressed needs of minorities residing in the southeast area of town, the Iowa City Council supported the ICPD in establishing a sub -station in a strip mall off of Highway 6. At a recent community dinner hosted by Royceann Porter at a facility in southeast Iowa City called "The Spot," I heard first -band reports from residents of the neighborhood and the manager of the facility about how greatly improved relationships between residents in that neighborhood and police had become. Chief Hargadine and Officer Jorey Bailey were singled out as having played major roles in this development. 319-651-5001 PO Box 0052 602 W. Main Street Washington,1A 52353.0052 F Agenda Item 4-c City -Issued Multinu tense I.D. Cards: I recommend that an initiative be undertaken to implement a city -issued identification card for residents of Iowa City. This recommendation is based on the successful implementation of similar programs and its positive impact on minority populations in other communities in the U.S. In 2007, as part of a larger effort to address significant immigration issues, the city of New Haven, Connecticut established a program in which residents were able to obtain a multipurpose identification card. Attached to this letter is an article on the New Haven project, a project that has now been operating for more than five years. Other municipalities have or are developing resident cards including San Francisco (CA), Oakland (CA), Richmond (CA), Trenton (NJ), Asbury Park (NJ), Mercer County (NJ) and Washington, D.C. See, littp://www.newliavenindet)endent.org/index.nlip/archives/entry/id card anniversary/ http://www.sf og v2.or index.aspx?page=I10 littp://www.nytiiiies.coiii/2010/05/17/nvregioii/I 7idcard.html?paaewanted=al l I believe that if a similar card were available to the residents of Iowa City it would: a) reduce the need for police officers to take crime victims and witnesses of certain ethnic minorities into custody, handcuff them and place them in detention simply for the purpose of identifying them; b) provide certain crime victims who are members of minorities access to the services of police officers without risking horrific consequences to themselves and their families; c) provide people with access to banking services that presently do not have such access because they do not have sufficient identification to open an account; d) reduce crime by reducing the population of people most susceptible to robberies and burglaries (i.e. ones whose currency must be kept at home or on their persons); e) increase access to any community services for which a reliable identification card is required; f) constitute alignment with the very recent national, bi-partisan, political pronouncements about inevitable immigration reform; and g) promote "community." The cost for the cards in New Haven are $5 for children and $10 for adults. In Richmond (CA) the program is administered by a third -party vendor at no cost to the city. Conclusion. I believe there is compelling evidence that the Iowa City Police Department has been proactive in its efforts to better serve and protect minority populations in Iowa City. I believe a city -issued, multipurpose I.D. card for Iowa City residents would enhance the quality of life for everyone in our conununity. Respectfully Submitted, �iea�,,ald . arh'idge, D ector Agenda Item 4-c New Eng0 ind''i Emerging Issues in Community Development and Consumer Affairs Inside Data Corner Community Affairs News to Federal Reserve Bank of Boston 2008 Issue 1 f fic Hm City Resident (Eardo IiMcw Haven Reaches ORA to krivnigyani:c; By Kica Matos Cities are addressing the challenges posed by illegal immigration in different ways. This article describes some of the policy choices made by the City of New Haven. As the national debate over immigra- tion reform continues, cities with sizable immigrant populations are responding to the issue of illegal immigration in a number of different and sometimes controver- sial ways. Some cities have responded by enacting ordinances to encourage the flight of illegal immigrants, whfle others have sought ways to engage and integrate this population. In 2004, the City of New Haven began to actively collaborate with its immi- grant population for the purpose of finding ways to increase public safety and integrate immigrant residents into the civic life of the community. Over the last few years the city has implemented a series of public policy initia- tives. The program that has generated the most attention is the Elm City Resident Card, a multipurpose identification card that can be of use to any city resident, irrespec- tive of status.' The card, launched in July 2007, was created to address several areas of concern in the immigrant community: public safety, access to financial services, access to government services, and knowl- One of the many New Haven residents to obtain the new ID, Mapr John Defitefano, shows his card. Illerrmlion by Joe Guidry. edge about individual rights and civil Iiberties.This article outlines the genesis and implementation of the resident card program and provides an update on the status of the policy initiative. Agenda Item 4-c Background Over the last several decades, Connecticut has experienced a significant surge in the immigrant population. Currently, one in eight residents of the state is foreign born, reflecting a 61 percent increase in the size of the foreign -born population over a decade since 1990, and a 21 percent rise over the last six years. It is estimated that by the year 2025, the population will double, with the state gaining an additional 337,000 residents from outside of the country. Immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the population in Connecticut. In the city of New Haven, between 1990 and 2000 there was a 43 percent increase in the foreign -born population. Currently there are 127,288 city residents, an esti- mated 17 percent of whom are foreign born. As with the rest of the state, residents from Latin America constitute the biggest group (38 percent) of foreign - born residents in the city. Undocumented immigrants are also a part of the immigration narrative in Connecticut. A 2005 U.S. Census report estimates that there are approximately 70,000 undocumented immigrants in the state, comprising 20 percent of the foreign -born popula- tion. In New Haven, there are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 undocumented immigrants, which means that about 10 percent of the city's population is made up of residents without status. The rapid increase in the immigrant population in recent years presents the city with a number ofchal- lenges and opportunities, particularly as it relates to the undocumented population.These undocumented residents face the traditional obstacles confronted by immigrants (language barriers, cultural differences, barriers to educational attainment, low -wage work), as well as additional problems uniquely tied to their lack of status, including difficulty accessing financial institutions, victimization, scams promising citizen- ship, and exploitation in housing, employment, and other areas affecting quality of life. To compound matters, undocumented immigrants are often afraid to report violators for fear of deportation. For city governments across the country, these problems present themselves as issues of public safety and community integration. For cities with sizable immigrant populations, the need to respond is para- mount, and municipalities have approached the challenges posed by illegal immigration in different ways. The City of New Haven decided to work in partnership with its immigrant population to address these problems. Engaging Immigrants In 2004, the City of New Haven and the New Haven Police Department began to focus on ways to strengthen local government's ability to effectively manage the influx of new populations. The city engaged in a series of dialogues with members of the immigrant community and immigrant rights orga- nizations about public safety and ways to strengthen the relationship between the city and the immigrant community. The New Haven Police Department, in partnership with community -based organizations and a local church, held separate dialogues with the community about policing issues. These interactions culminated in the submission of an October 2005 report written by Junta for Progressive Action, New Haven's oldest Latino community -based organiza- tion, and Unidad Latina en Acci6n, a New Haven grassroots immigrant rights organization.This report outlined six policy initiatives for the city to consider that would increase "public safety at the same time as improving the effectiveness of local government" Among the initiatives listed were the following? 1) develop a New Haven Police Department policy of nonenforcement of federal civil immigration laws consistent with the city's policy of community policing;' 2) strengthen the relationship between the police and the immigrant community; 3) enforce state criminal wage laws through the New Haven Police Department; 4) create a municipal ID card for residents of the City of New Haven; 5) work with financial institutions to allow customers to open bank accounts without Social Security numbers; and 6) create an Office of Immigrant Affairs. After the city received the report it explored the proposals' feasibility and legality. Concomitantly, the Board of Aldermen's Human Services Committee held a series of public hearings to examine issues affecting the immigrant population and explore recommendations put forth by city residents. After doing its due diligence and at the urging of Mayor John DeStefano, the city set about implementing the initiatives. The New Haven Police Department began developing a nonenforcement policy, working with community groups to improve relations between the police and the community, and exploring models to facilitate their enforcement of criminal wage laws. 2 eomnunlly Developments Agenda Item 4-c The city initiated discussions with banks about ways to facilitate access to bank accounts for the city's unbanked populations, to protect their safety (see below) and promote their ability to build wealth. By the summer of 2006, the only two items that had not yet been tackled were the creation of a munic- ipal ID card and the establishment of an Office of Immigrant Affairs. A tragic incident in the fall of 2006 would change this. In October 2006, an undocumented immigrant by the name ofManuel Santiago was stabbed to death in Fair Haven, a neighborhood with a large Latino immigrant population. Santiago was the victim of a botched robbery. His story and the circumstances behind his killing touched a nerve with the immigrant community and created considerable community sentiment about the need for additional public safety treasures to protect vulnerable immigrants. Like many residents of Fair Haven, Santiago originally hailed from Mexico. He was 36 years old and worked at a local bakery. He had moved to New Haven in 2001 to join his brother and earn enough money to be able to send some home to support his mother. Because he was undocumented and did not have easy access to financial services, Santiago, like many others in the neighborhood, was a "walking ATM" —a term used for undocumented immigrants f lt'a'tl ililil i11,'.1 I gal P O L_ C E who, because they carry cash on their person, make them an easy and likely target for robbers. While Santiago was cashing his paycheck, a robber lay in wait. When Santiago resisted the robbery, he was stabbed to death. Santiago's death galvanized the Fair Haven community; advocates, immigrants, and supporters alike called for the city to increase its efforts to protect immigrants. Unidad Latina en Acci6n orga- nized a press conference at City Hall and renewed its call for the city to implement the resident card program, which would help immigrant access to banks and obviate the need to carry large sums of cash. The group met with Mayor DeStefano, who subsequently directed the city's Community Services Administration to work on the creation of a munic- ipal ID card program. Overview of the Elm City Resident Card As originally conceived, the Elm City Resident Card was to address three primary issues of concern to the immigrant community: • Public Safety. A lack of access to official U.S. government -issued identification made it Federal Reserve Bank OFBoston 3 Agenda Item 4-c difficult for immigrants to open batik accounts and access financial services; and because they work primarily in a cash economy, immi- grants were frequent targets of robberies and burglaries. A lack of identification and their undocumented status also made them reluc- tant to report crimes and/or serve as witnesses. To further complicate matters, immi- grants expressed a general reluctance about contacting the police in any situation in which they were either a victim or witness for fear of deportation. • Lack of Access to Set -vices. Immigrants and service providersworking with them articulated the general absence or lack ofunderstanding by new immigrants of ways to access government services and information about government. Providers stressed the inability of community - based organizations to handle the increasing needs of the immigrant community and called for greater communication between the city and immigrant residents. • Marginalization. Immigrants and providers identified a sense of marginalization and disorientation among some immigrants resulting from language and cultural barriers, immigration status, lack of familiarity with the city and its neighborhoods, and a lack of knowledge about individual 'rights and civil liberties. Some immigrants confirmed that they and their peers rarely ventured beyond the Fair Haven neighborhood and most did not know whether or not laws protecting city residents applied to them. After determining that the City of New Haven had the legal authority to issue municipal IDs, the Community Services Administration proceeded to design a card that would address immigrant concerns regarding safety and access to institutions, be appealing to the city population at large, and be able to meet security standards that would give the card legitimacy with city and banking institu- tions. New Haven tackled these concerns in the following ways: 1) Safety and Access. The city sought tocreate a card that would facilitate access to cityservices and financial institutions. It engaged local banks, in partnership with the Connecticut Bankers Association, in dialogue to address concerns about the security of the proposed ID card and authentication of documents. The Bankers Association hosted a forum where the city presented its ID card program and took questions from banks. 2) Broad -Based Appeal. Immigrant advo- cates stressed the need for the card to have appeal beyond the immigrant population; otherwise, undocumented immigrants could be easily identified by virtue of their cardholder status. Exploratory efforts were made to determine whether an ID card/ debit card could be created in partnership with MasterCard, Visa, or another similar financial institution. This was not possible, however, because of the limits that would be placed on the amount of text that could go on the card and because card ownership would not remain with the city. The city decided to go with a debit card supplied by Parcxtnart, a smart card and patent -pending payment system. 3) Security Standards. The city worked to create a card with security features that would make it difficult to forge; it created a training program for staff around authentication of documents; and it patterned the require- ments for obtaining an ID card on those used by the U.S. Department of Treasury to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) account. The result was the creation of the Ehnn City Resident Card, a secure, multipurpose resident card available to all city residents, irrespective of their immigration status. The card's multiple features include the following: 4 Community Developments P Agenda Item 4-c 1) ID Card. The card includes a resident's photo, name, address, date of birth, date of issue and expiration, and the cardholder's signature. Each card has an identifying nine - digit number. 2) Library Card. The card can be used to access any of the city's six public libraries. 3) Debit Card. The adult card has a debit chip in the reverse side that allows holders to load up to $150 that can be used to pay for city parking meters and garages, and to purchase goods at about 50 participating stores. 4) Access to City Services. The card provides access to the Recycling Center and gives holders residential rates for the public beach and golf course. More recently, it has been used to determine resident eligibility for a public works program to discard large electronic products and for flu shots being dispensed at City Hall. 5) Kid Card. A separate children's card gives parents or guardians the option oflistingboth emergency contact and allergy information. The card's numerous security features include UV text script, a faded city seal, a halftone photo, text script on the applicant's photo, and a custom- made Parcxmart debit -chip card. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. The First City Fund Corporation made a grant available to the city to support the program for a one-year period. The Politics of the ID card In order for the program to launch, legislative approval was required, including a favorable vote from the Finance Committee and a majority vote from the full Board of Aldermen. In preparation for this, the Community Services Administration engaged in community outreach and education efforts, while simultaneously seeking input and feed- back from members of the Board of Aldermen. To that end, meetings were first held with the leadership of the Board, followed by an informational session of the full board, and individual conversations with Aldermen needing additional information. In prep- aration for the public hearing before the Finance Committee, JUNTA, Unidad Latina en AcciSn, and the St. Rose de Lima Church engaged community members, encouraging broad -based participation in support of this initiative by way of testifying at the public hearing or attending the proceedings. While there was some opposition to this initia- tive, it came largely from Southern Connecticut for Immigration Reform (SCTIR), an anti -illegal immigrant group with a small membership based in North Branford. The group held a number of sparsely attended rallies outside of City Hall, and created a series of flyers that were widely distributed throughout the city. On the Sunday before the final vote of the Board of Aldermen, SCTIR produced a flyer that was distributed outside of African American churches and left under windshield wipers of cars parked close to these churches. As the city worked to obtain final approval for the card, the program began to generate an increasing amount of media attention, first local, then statewide and national. Stories about the initia- tive even prior to its launching appeared in the New Haven Register, New Haven Independent, Hartford Courant, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, ABC, CNN, NBC, Telemundo, and Univision as well as international media outlets from Europe and Central and South America. By the time the proposal was ready for a legislative vote, it seemed as though the eyes of the nation were on New Haven. The public hearing before the Finance Committee was held on May 17. Before a packed room in As the city worked to the Aldermen's chambers, approxi- obtain final approval for mately 40 city residents testified, the card, the program the overwhelming majority in favor began to generate an of the initiative. For the fourth time in his 14-year tenure, Mayor increasing amount of DeStefano testified, stating: media attention, first local, then statewide and It is only tbrongb the recognition national. . . of the value and wodi of each one among its, Nmt we are able to employ , By the time the the skills, the strengths, and vision of proposal was ready an entire connnnnity to the benefit of an individual... Living among as for a legislative vote, it today—silentry, ohnose invisibly, are seemed as though the some 12 million men, worsen, and eyes of the nation were d5ildren ... lbey would not be beer on New Haven. but for the complicit permission of the national government. Like the rest Of us—tbey are not here by accident. Federal Reserve Bank orRoslou 5 Agenda Item 4-c So tonight we have a chance to end the silent complicity in orn' nation—hy taking action together, here in New Haven ... We can do that by way of a funda- meutal acknowledgment of an individuaA worth and dignity—hy giving a name to those among as. Not to name thent by a stereotype. Or by an ignorance. Or a prejudice. Rather —to call our neighbor by their own name. After attaching several stipulations to the proposal —including that the initiative is funded from outside sources and there be periodic reports of the initiative —the Finance Committee unanimously voted the proposal out of committee. On June 4, the proposal came before the fidl Board of Aldermen. After testimony from numerous Aldermen, the board approved the initiative by a vote of 25 to 1. New Haven understands that citizens themselves benefit when all residents feel they have a stake and are not pariahs. Two days later, in the early hours of the morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a series of raids in the Fair Haven neighborhood. By day's end, they had arrested and detained 32 individ- uals. The timing of the raids, the way in which they were conducted, and the individuals targeted suggest that they were carried out in retaliation for the city's resident card program. Notwithstanding, the city resolved to continue with its effort to implement the program, despite reservations about its success following the raids. Program Launching During the month of June and the first few weeks of July, the city worked on the final stages of the program. A new office was created to house the initiative, the Office of New Haven Residents. Its mandate from the very beginning was to administer the municipal ID card program as well as create addi- tional programs and initiatives to assist new residents arriving in the city. On Tuesday, July 24, before a national audience, the Elm City Resident Card program was officially launched with a ribbon -cutting ceremony attended by local elected officials, community leaders, and city 6 Connnunity Developments residents. Several hundred applicants turned out on the first day of the program. The following day, a line of applicants for the resident card program formed before city hall opened its doors, and residents were turned away because of capacity issues. By Friday morning, the line stretched an entire city block, with the first applicant standing in line at 4 a.m. City Hall was forced to triple the number of available staff and extend the office hours of operation. Last October, the city launched a mobile unit, which travels to different neighborhoods in order to process card applications in community -based settings. The mobile unit has visited faith -based organizations, senior centers, and community -based organizations. Plans are underway to visit schools and homeless shelters. Since the launching of the initiative, other cities interested in replicating the program have reached out to New Haven for information, guidance, and support. Currently, legislation has been introduced in San Francisco and New York City. Similar efforts are taking place in Madison, Wisconsin, and Lexington, Kentucky. Opposition to the program has continued, with the efforts of SCTIR and a local anti -illegal immigrant newspaper focusing on trying to obtain applicant records under the Freedom of Information Act. They have so far been unsuccessful. Efforts to encourage banks to accept the card as a primary form of identification in order to allow immigrant access to financial services continue. To date, the following banks accept the card as a secondary form of identification: Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Sovereign Bank. Other secondary forms of identification can include a utility bill or major credit card. Applicants for a bank account trust first provide a primary state or federal identification, which for undocumented immigrants includes a valid passport or a consular ID card. The Community Services Administration has been working with the business clinic at Yale Law School and the Connecticut Bankers Association to think about ways to encourage all banks with branches in New Haven to accept the card, and to transition acceptance of the card as a primary form rather than secondary. The Community Services Administration is also planning to do additional research on how to strengthen the financial services available to local immigrant residents. Agenda Item 4-c I Conclusion Currently, there are an estimated 12 million undoc- umented immigrants living in the United States. In the absence of comprehensive federal immigra- tion reform, cities, towns, and states have enacted measures to address the challenges posed by indi- viduals without status. Beginning in 2004, the City of New Haven has adopted policies that focus on integrating immigrants into the larger community and ensuring the public safety of all of its residents, irrespective of their status. In an op-ed piece for the New York Times (April 15, 2007) entitiled, rA Safe Haven in New Haven," Michelle Wucker wrote: New Haven understands that citizens thernselves bevnefit when all residents feel they have a stake and are not pariahs. 4 place is far better o, ff when people wart to come to it that if they are fleeing infects; and when practical solutions take precedence over meaf— spirited solutions. While it is too early to measure the impact of the Elm City Resident Card program, anecdotal evidence suggests that it has resulted in improved relations between law enforcement and the commu- nitl; led to the increased use of libraries and other city services by immigrants, and helped immigrants open bank accounts. The program has been very popular with residents. The city had established a goal of issuing 5,000 cards over a one-year period. This target was reached within the first five months of the program and, as of mid January 2008, 5,101 cards have been issued. IGea Matos is the administrator of the Comnurnily Services ddministration at rise City of New Haven. Joseph Guidry createdthe itlustmtions far this article. Sources A City to Model: Sk Proposals for Protecting Public Safety and improving Relationships Between Immigrant Communities and the City of New Haven, Junta for Progressive Action Inc. and Unidad Latina an Acc16n, New Haven, October zoos. DataHoven, an online community database for Greater New Haven located at http://researchyale.edu/detainitiative Immigration Growth Presents Opportunafes for Connecticut, News Release of Connecticut Voices for Children, New Haven, October 18 2007. Melia, Rafael, and Priscilla Canny. Immigration in Connection: A Graving Opportunity, Connecticut Voices for Children, New Haven, October 2007. Testimony of Mayor John DeStefano before the finance Committee of the City of New Haven Board of Aldermen in favor of the Elm City Resident Card Program, May 17. 2005. 2oo6 American Community Suri http://w .cansus.gov/acs Vinocur, Nicholas. By tire People: Greater New Haven 2007 Citizens forum Local Background Paper. Life, Liberty and tire Pursuit of Happiness as it Relates to Immfgmtion, Gateway Community College, New Haven, October 2007. Endnotes r New Haven was nicknamed 'The Elm Cily" after instituting the first public trmplanting program in America. The program eventually produced a canopy of mature trees, including some large elms (Wikipedia). a A seventh initiative —the translation into Spanish of the most frequently used city documents —was requested at a meeting with the Mayor. This was the first Initiative to be launched. 3The federal government has authority over the creation and enforcement of immigration laws. 4 This recommendation was aimed at helping banks understand that federal and state laws do not require individuals to have Social Security numbers to open a bank account, although laws requiring acceptable altemalive forms ofidentificatiun do exist and should be enforced. Federal Reserve Dankof Roston 7 Agenda Item 4-c Ad Hoe Diversity Connnittee, November 13, 2012 MINUTES DRAFT CITY COUNCIL AD HOC DIVERSITY COMMITTEE NOVEMBER 13, 2012 HELLING CONFERENCE ROOM IN CITY HALL, 4:00 P.M. Members Present: Kingsley Botchway II, Joan Vanden Berg, Bakhit Bakhit, Cindy Roberts, Joe Dan Coulter, Orville Townsend, Sr. Members Absent: LaTasha Massey Staff Present: Dikes, Karr, Markus Others Present: Charlie Eastham, Jerry Partridge RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None CALL MEETING TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chair Botchway at 4:05 P.M. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES: Coulter moved to approve the minutes of the October 29, 2012, Ad Hoc Diversity Committee, as presented. Townsend seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0; Massey absent. INFORMATION GATHERING SESSION DISCUSSION: Botchway noted that Members should have a copy of his email which showed what he plans to say at the upcoming public input session. He asked if anyone had anything to add to his remarks. Coulter spoke first, noting that he believes they need to make it clear to the audience what the Committee's charge is. Botchway noted that he will stipulate in the introduction that if those speaking start to go off topic, he will stop them and ask that they remain on the topic at hand. Townsend suggested that they should let people know that their concerns will be listened to, even if off topic. Roberts stated that she believes they need to say something to let the public know that they view the openness of this information gathering session as being very important, that it's not an open forum for any topic, but that the Committee will make note of all concerns expressed. It was suggested that language be included that all information is important to the Committee; and because of time constraints the remarks may be considered at the Committee's next meeting. Botchway then spoke about how they will handle public input, asking if they will be giving their name and address. Karr noted that having the address is a necessity if the Committee would like to get in touch with anyone or follow up with them for additional information. Charlie Eastham clarified his suggestion at a previous meeting that they should let those in attendance Thursday night know that by giving their name and address is not related to a person's citizenship status. Townsend asked if they truly — �1 Agenda Item 4-c Ad Hoc Diversity Committee, November 13, 2012 need to get this information or if giving one's name would be enough. Karr noted that the fliers and the news release both gave the message of speakers' needing to give their name and address. Dilkes added that they can tell participants that they are asking for this information in order to follow up for further information, but that they should not push the issue if someone is reluctant to give their address. Karr noted that there will be a sign -in sheet for participants, and suggested that they add Bothchway's remarks to the bottom of the agenda for Thursday evening distribution so that people would have all of it together on one sheet of paper. Botchway then spoke to whether or not they should stop someone who starts to speak about something they've already heard. Dilkes responded that she believes they should not do this, that they need to let people speak. Roberts asked what the timeframe is for people to speak and how they will keep track of this. Coulter stated that he doesn't believe they need an actual timer. Karr suggested that she keep track of the time and can let the Committee know when the person is at the 2 1/2-minute mark. Botchway shared his concerns on time, noting that he believes it needs to be fair for all. He likes the use of a 3-minute timeframe. Karr spoke briefly to Members, noting that the information gathering will be live on the Library Channel. She asked Members how they would like to handle any lapses between speakers, such as shutting off the sound until the next speaker steps up. Coulter stated that during periods of inactivity they need to remember that the sound will be on at all times. Karr stated that this is why they ask if they should shut off the sound, that staff will be present at all times and just need direction from the Committee on how to handle this session. Townsend spoke to the statement distributed " ...provide recommendations regarding minority issues regarding transportation and police"; and suggested they eliminate one of the Tegardings' and make the second one 'related to,' and then replace police with law enforcement. Botchway agreed with this statement, noting that he will have that on his final outline. Roberts noted that even though this session will not be an interaction with the speakers, would the Members be able to ask questions to help clarify someone's concerns. Botchway noted that if they are not clear on something they should definitely ask for clarification so they can take the issue up for discussion. Dilkes suggested that Botchway remove the second to last sentence relating to minutes of the meeting. Karr suggested the wording clarify each presenter will have three minutes, and remove "and goes into our minutes for the meeting". Karr then asked the Members if they would like a complete transcription of the session, to which they all agreed. Karr then noted that she had received an inquiry from the Immigrant Voices Project, asking if translators would be available. She stated that she responded back that they would not have a translator available, and that the group did offer translation services for the information gathering and future events, as well. Karr added that she has not yet had, to date, any requests for translation services. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: None TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE: Karr then reviewed the upcoming meeting schedule, noting that this Thursday the 151h is the public information gathering session. This will be followed up with a Monday the 19th meeting. Karr continued, noting that the 26th presents a conflict for staff as there is a Council meeting that day. She also shared that with the meetings so close together, not -3- Agenda Item 4-c Ad Hoe Diversity Committee, November 13, 2012 all of the transcripts will be available right away. Karr reminded Members that they tentatively have PCRB coming to speak to them at the meeting on the 19 1h. Coulter stated that with the limited life of this Committee, he believes they should take advantage of every meeting they have planned. Botchway stated that with PCRB coming the 191h it won't give the Members much time to share their thoughts of the information gathering session. Members then looked at the meeting for the 26th and agreed to cancel this meeting, and to have PCRB in for the meeting of the 19th. Botchway suggested they talk at the next meeting about having sub -groups and perhaps meeting less often as a whole group. Karr reiterated to Members that they will have copies of the meeting transcript before their December V meeting. Karr then noted the correspondence received from Karen Kubby and how it will be added to the agenda for the meeting on the 15th. Vanden Berg asked if they needed to do anything more to get the word out about the upcoming information gathering. Karr reiterated all that they have done so far with fliers in public buildings, on buses, press releases, the City web site, the neighborhood associations. Members spoke briefly about who they have talked with about the upcoming meeting at the Library and that they hope they have a good turnout. Karr asked Botchway if he could complete his remarks yet today so she can add it to tomorrow's packet. He stated that he would do so. (Botchway left meeting at 4:30 P.M.) Coulter thanked Karr and staff for their help in setting up the information gathering session. He noted that it helps to have their experience in such an event. Co -Chair Roberts asked if there were any comments to Kubby's correspondence. PUBLIC INPUT: Jerry Partridge spoke briefly, asking how late they plan to told Thursday's session. He was told that it is scheduled from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M., but that if people want to speak they will continue the meeting. Partridge asked whom he would address a letter to, if he were unable to make the Thursday meeting. He was told that he can send a letter directly to the City Clerk. If he gets this to her by tomorrow, she can then distribute with the Committee's next packet. Otherwise she will make sure the Committee has his correspondence on Thursday evening. Members invited Partridge to speak now if he would like to. He stated that he is an attorney and the director of a company that does the racial profiling and biased -based police training for the ICPD. He shared that he knew the current Chief, Sam Hargadine, from Missouri where law enforcement are required to have this training, and that when Hargadine came to Iowa City, he asked Partridge's company to bring the training to the ICPD. Partridge stated that he is here to listen and hopefully learn what his company might be able to do in their training for police concerning racial profiling and bias -based training. He continued to give the Members a brief history of the training and what it is meant to accomplish. Roberts invited Partridge to come back to any of their meetings, as well, as they are all open to the public. The topic of having an identification card system was briefly discussed, with Partridge stating that he would be glad to speak further with Members about this. Members asked Partridge if he would share the advantages of such an ID system, as well as other communities that have implemented such a system. Partridge shared that the Chief of Staff for the Mayor at New Haven has offered to speak via speakerphone to Agenda Item 4-c Ad Hoe Diversity Committee, November 13, 2012 the Committee about the pros and cons of their system. Charlie Eastham weighed in briefly on his agreement with such a system. ADJOURNMENT: Vanden Berg moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:45 P.M. Coulter seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0; Botchway and Massey absent. �5- Agenda Item 4-c Ad Hoc Diversity Committee, November 13, 2012 Ad Hoc Diversity Committee ATTENDANCE RECORD 2012 NAME TERM EXP. a °o o �\o 0 m 0 Co o 0 0 0 .+ Co co 0 -1 4 V7 N 0 0 W Donna 03/1 1113 O/ X N N N N N N N Henry E M M M M M M M Cindy 03/10/13 X X X X X X X X X Roberts Joan 63/10/13 X X X X X X X O X Vanden /E Bar Bakhit 03M0/13 X X X X X X X X X Bakhit Kingsley 03/10/13 X X X X X X O/ O X Botchway E /E Orville 03/10/13 X X X X X X X X X Townsend Joe Dan 03/10/13 X X X X X X X X X Coulter LaTasha N N N X X X X X 10 Massey M M M /E Kew. X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = Not a Member Agenda Item 5-a(i) To: Iowa City Human Rights Commission From: Subcommittee on Immigrant Human Rights Date: December 12, 2012 Background: The Iowa City Human Rights Commission (ICHRC) in response to community concerns on the plight of immigrants in the Iowa City community made nine recommendations to the City Council in the fall of 2011. The City Council did not reach consensus on many of the recommendations but did request the ICHRC proceed on the two cited below. Recommendation 4) Increase Access to City Services by Immigrant Communities, particularly those identified as most -used in the "We Are Iowa City" survey data. As discussed above, it is clear that several City services are currently accessed and appreciated by local immigrant communities. Given the connection that currently exists, we recommend that these services increase outreach to non-native English speakers by developing brochures and resources in other languages. For example, we encourage that a version of the Recreation Services program and policies be offered in at least Spanish, and that signage in more than one language be posted in the facilities. Recommendation 10) Create a Standing Immigrant Review Committee: Given the well-founded reluctance of many people in the immigrant community to come forward with concerns of rights violations and/or recommendations for community improvements, we recommend that the IC Human Rights Commission create a stand- alone subcommittee focused on reaching out and serving as a vehicle for the voices of immigrants living in Iowa City. This committee could include membership from the IC Human Rights Commission (2 members), the Police Citizen Review Board (1 member), members at large (2 members to be appointed by the Iowa City City Council), and 3-5 members of the local immigrant community. Details for how often they would meet and how they would channel their recommendations to the City leadership are left to be developed, but we encourage this committee as a conduit between the community and City leadership, since such a connection does not naturally occur in our current system. The ICHRC established The Subcommittee on Immigrant Human Rights (IHR) in February 2012. The purpose of the IHR is to be a voice for those immigrants in the Iowa City community whose voices may not be heard and to convey their concerns to the ICHRC, City Council and City staff. Giving immigrants the support and encouragement to come forward and speak for themselves. On September 18, 2012 & October 9, 2012 members of the IHR including Commission member Kim Hanrahan met with the Human Rights Coordinator to tour City facilities. Hanrahan and Bowers were the only native English speakers participating in the tours; other participants were native Spanish speakers. The tours were arranged to determine what signage in Spanish would be most helpful in navigating City Departments. The Public Library, Robert A. Lee Community Recreational Center, City Managers Office, Cashiers Desk (Revenue Division), Police Department, Personnel, Main Information Desk (City Hall), Housing Authority and Human Rights were all visited on the tours. What follows are the recommendations based upon the two tours. Agenda Item 5-a(i) Recommendations: Cashier's Desk (Revenue Division) 1) Signage that announces department in Spanish. 2) Brochures/handbills in Spanish available at the counter that describe and explain the services offered at the Cashier's Desk. 3) All flyers, signs or notice affixed to bulletin board (to the right of the counter) posted in Spanish. City Manager's Office 4) Handouts on permit process and application for permits available in Spanish. Robert A. Lee Community Recreational Center 5) Activity guide published in Spanish. 6) Activity guide published in Spanish distributed throughout the Latino community in Iowa City. 7) Signage at checkout desk in Spanish. Signage in Spanish should include what forms of identification are required to utilize specific services. 8) Signage in Spanish in upper level notifying of services located on that level. Public Library 9) Visible "Check Out" signage in Spanish Agenda Item 5-a(i) 10) Brochures or handbills in Spanish explaining library services. 11) Signage in Spanish identifying the Children's Area. 12) Library Calendar of events available in Spanish in a printed format. Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center 13) Program guide published in Spanish in a printed format. 14) Calendar of events published in Spanish in a printed format. 15) Programming reflecting the ethnic and cultural diversity of Iowa City. 16) Outreach to immigrant communities notifying of the services and programs offered at The Center. Information Desk (City Hall) 17) "Main Lobby' signage in Spanish. Additional Recommendations related to City Services in General 18) Mandatory employee training on how to use the Language Line Service. 19) Signs for Language Line larger and more visible in all departments. 20) Pamphlets or brochures published in Spanish that explain the function of City Government available in a printed form. 21) Pamphlets or brochures published in Spanish that explain City Services and the function of each Department. Materials should include specific sections on refuse collection, recycling and how to read a water bill. Pamphlets or brochures should be available in a printed form. 22) Universal Identification Card that can be used as identification for all City Services and at all City Facilities. Correspondence HUMAN RIGHTS DAY PROCLAMATION Submitted by Staff on 11/28/12 Whereas, residents of Iowa City have reaffirmed their faith in: fundamental human rights, dignity, and worth of all human beings; and Whereas, we affirm the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights as the standard- bearer; and Whereas, all people are equal before the law and are entitled without discrimination to equal protection; and Whereas, no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile; and Whereas, no one should be subjected to arbitrary interference with one's privacy, family, home, correspondence, or to attacks upon one's honor and reputation; and Whereas, men and women of full age, have the right to marry and to a family that is entitled to recognition and protection by this City; and Whereas, all persons have the right to freedom of thought, freedom of religion, and of peaceful assembly & association in conformity with valid promulgations of this City; and Whereas, ethnic, religious, or racial profiling is not allowed; and Whereas, recognition & celebration of our diversity is of paramount importance to us all and to the community's unity; and Whereas, Iowa City will not tolerate any deprivation of rights, privileges or immunities, nor life, liberty or property, without due process of law regardless of a person's color, race, religion or citizen status; and Whereas, all residents are entitled to the protection by the City's police and fire departments; and Whereas, all residents are encouraged to participate in the civic and governmental affairs of the City of Iowa City without fear of reprisal; and Now, Therefore, I Matthew J. Hayek, Mayor of Iowa City do hereby proclaim December 10, 2012 as Human Rights Day and urge all to join the Iowa City Human Rights Commission in combating all forms of discrimination and protecting the human rights of all residents of the City. Signed this _ day of 2012 Mayor, Matthew J. Hayek EdStern Iowa`s Von The Ll l ire GLBT Chorus presents... r 177 L • r • k .. n . SdtUrddljDeb -mber 1� 2�012 r 7:30 111 Zio"11.Lutheraii Church 510 N. JohIlS011 St., IOWd Cit'Lj Freewill Donations Accepted For more information, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, visit www.thequire.org Those needing accommodation in order to attend, please call 319.321.2349 Page I of 1 Submitted by Staff on 12/06/12 YOUR JOURNEYI BEGINS THEIR JOURNEY IT WITH BECOMES OUR JOURNEY watchJnurney SUNDAYS 11/25, 12/3, 12/9, 12/23 @Q 11:30AM ATV EVERY MONDAYAT 7:30PM AND SATURDAYS AT 12 NOON SPONSORED BY: YDIVERSITY FOCUS LEARN MORE: DIVERSITYFOCUS.ORG http://diversityfocus.wdfiles.com/local--files/journey/joumeyposter.png 12/6/2012 Submitted by Staff on 12/11/12 Iowa City celebrates Human Rights Day, supports UI center BY RISHABH R. ]AIN I DECEMBER 11, 2012 6:30 AM ® SHARE/EMAIL THIS ARTICLE While locals celebrated Human Rights Day in Iowa City, several took the opportunity to further discuss the future of the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights. Members from various local advocacy organizations convened Monday to discuss the importance of universally defined human rights, on the 64th anniversary of the U.N. General Assembly's ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After shifting the venue into the Old Capitol because of freezing conditions on the Pentacrest, speakers took to the stage and read aloud the 3o articles in the Declaration and talked about their importance. Harry Olmstead, member of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, declared Dec. 10 as Human Rights Day in Iowa City. He also declared the commission's support for keeping the UI Center for Human Rights on campus, which was followed by a roar of applause. "The city of Iowa City encourages citizens to join the Iowa City Human Rights Commission in addressing all threats and discriminations and protecting human rights for all residents of the city," Olmstead said. "I would also like to say, on the behalf of Human Rights Commission, that we all support in keeping the Center for Human Rights here on university campus." UI officials have decided to discontinue funding for the center. University officials said that does not necessarily mean the Rights Center would close if supporters are able to find other means to fund it. Amy Weismann, associate director of the center, spoke briefly about its significance "The Center for Human Rights has been engaged for 12 years in efforts to educate a global community about the human rights of individuals and what organizations and individuals can do to protect those rights," Weismann said. She noted that it is most important to protect the rights of individuals who are most vulnerable and have spent time in incarceration or detention. Maureen McCue, UI adjunct assistant professor in International Programs, also expressed her support for keeping the center on campus. "If we are ever going to promote a global community that works for the betterment and security of all, we must pay attention to and promote the values embedded in the [Rights Center]," McCue wrote in an email. "We need to not only save the center but to strengthen its mission and incorporate the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights] into the university's mission." Ed Flaherty, the president of Iowa Veterans for Peace, said human rights has a very global aspect to it, and therefore, it is important for people in Iowa communities to know more about what is happening in such places as Afghanistan and Syria. "We need to understand what life on the ground is like in Afghanistan because we have been engaged with that country for more than a decade," he said. "... And to decrease the psychological gap between American citizens and say, Afghan citizens, we need to first stop killing each other." Thomas Baldridge, the vice president of Iowa United Nations Association, said that sometimes, the universal interpretation of human rights may contradict the American interpretation of the same. He used the issue on same -sex marriage as an example. "We are brought up to think that well, this is the best country in the world, and everything that is right and just is what we do," he said. "And then we look at the declaration and go oops, we are different in this category and that category."