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HomeMy WebLinkAboutwork session agenda joint TRC 04-15-21 agenda packetElectronic City Council Work Session Agenda Joint meeting with the Ad Hoc Truth & Reconciliation Commission Thursday, April 15, 2021 Zoom Meeting Platform 7:00 PM Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Council members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can watch the meeting on cable channel 4 (118.2 QAM) in Iowa City, University Heights and Coralville, or you can watch it online at any of the following websites: •https://citychannel4.com/live •https://www.youtube.com/user/citychannel4/live •https://facebook.com/CityofIowaCity If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you can call in by phone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting ID 960-6951-6431 when prompted. Attending in person is not an option. Agenda: 1.Welcome & Introductions 2.TRC Resolution Review 3.Land Acknowledgments 4.Orientation for new members 5.Bylaws 6.TRC Budget 7.Facilitator 8.Sub-committee 9.TRC Electronic Zoom meetings 10.Questions/Comments by Council and TRC members re: TRC If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Stefanie Bowers at 319-356-5022, stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. AD HOC TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 Electronic Formal Meeting IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING CONCLUSION OF JOINT MEETING BETWEEN CITY COUNCIL AND AD HOCTRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION ZOOM MEETING PLATFORM Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can participate in the meeting and can comment on an agenda item by going to https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nkc8KumMRce0tHjYfXT1RQ via the internet to visit the Zoom meeting’s registration page and submit the requir ed information. Once approved, you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting or webinar ID, enter the ID number found in the email. A meeting password may also be included in the email. Enter the password when prompted. If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you may call in by telephone by dialing (312) 626-6799. When prompted, enter the meeting or webinar ID. The ID number for this meeting is: 968 6095 0734. Once connected, you may dial *9 to “raise your hand,” letting the meeting host know you would like to speak. Providing comments in person is not an option. AGENDA: 1. CALL TO ORDER and ROLL CALL 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 1, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING 3. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA Commentators shall address the Commission for no more than 5 minutes. The Commission shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning said items. 4. DISCUSSION OF ITEMS FROM JOINT MEETING WITH COUNCIL 5. DISCUSSION OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT 6. MEETING FREQUENCY AND DATES If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Stefanie Bowers at 319-356-5022, stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. 7. COMMISSION ANNOUCEMENTS Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with one another concerning said announcements. 8. STAFF ANNOUCEMENTS 9. MOTION TO ADJOURN Prepared by: Council members Janice Weiner and Laura Bergus I Resolution No. 20-228 Resolution establishing Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission Whereas, in Resolution No. 20-159 (Initial Commitments addressing the Black Lives Matter Movement and Systemic Racism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police and calls for action from protesters and residents), the Iowa City City Council resolved asfollows: By October 1, 2020, create an ad hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission to bear witness to the truth of racial injustice in Iowa City and to carry out restorative justice, through the collection of testimony and public hearings, with such work to include a recommendation to the Council of a plan for dedicating and/or renaming public spaces and/or rights of way in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement; and, Whereas, the City Council committed to allocate City funds of $1,000,000 during the present Fiscal Year to support Resolution 20-159, which includes a variety of initiatives, among them theTruthandReconciliationCommission; and, Whereas, truth and reconciliation underscores the imperative that confronting and reckoning with the past is necessary for successful transitions from conflict, injustice, resentment and tension to peace, equality and connectedness; and, Whereas, while we acknowledge that other forms of injustice and challenges have occurred over the course of the history of the city of Iowa City, the focus of this Commission is on race; and, Whereas, the City Council acknowledges the existence of painful, systemic, persistent, and varied forms of racial injustice in Iowa City, and acknowledges that such injustice persists despite past efforts to address it, consistent with observations that systemic racism and white privilege are deeply resistant to change; and, Whereas, the Iowa City community must look comprehensively into its past and bear witness to the truth of racial injustice in order to provide the best possible foundation for moving into a future of equity based on healing and hope; and, Whereas, the City Council recognizes that, for a Truth and Reconciliation process to be meaningful, it must include bold action to confront privilege, stimulate difficult conversations, and reach and engage a full cross-section of the community, including those in the community not inclined to engage or resistant to engagement; and, Whereas, a comprehensive process will require that City of Iowa City departments and the City Council itself participate, including individual councilors, in good faith, in the process and to actively encourage broad participation throughout the community, and the City Council hereby commits to such participation and encouragement; and, Whereas, creation of an Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission is in the best interests of the City and its residents. Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the City Council of the City of Iowa City, that: 1. The Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is hereby established Resolution No. 20-228 Page 2 2. The TRC shall have nine members who are representative of the City's BIPOC communities and organizations, including those who have direct lived experience with systemic racism, as well as experts who support those communities. To the extent possible, as determined by the City Council, the TRC shall include representation from groups such as the Iowa Freedom Riders, the Black Voices Project, the South District Neighborhood Association, the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, and the Community Police Review Board. Johnson County residency is required. Iowa City residency is preferred but not required if an applicant offers expertise or representation not available from applicants who reside in Iowa City. Members of other City boards and commissions are eligible to serve on the TRC. 3. Applications for membership on the TRC shall be announced, advertised, and available in the same manner as those for all City boards and commissions. 4. The TRC shall select the Chair, who when present will preside over all meetings, and the Vice -Chair, who will serve as chair in the absence of the Chair. 5. Within the charges of the TRC set forth herein, the TRC is not required to seek approval from the City Council, mayor, or city manager to set its own agenda and prioritize its activities. 6. The TRC shall be facilitated by an independent consultant, funded by the City, with expertise in group facilitation and human rights, and to the extent possible, experience with diversity, implicit bias, mediation and conflict resolution, until such time as the TRC concludes by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the TRC 7/9) that facilitation is no longer needed. 7. To conform with the requirements of laws pertaining to open meetings and public records and to facilitate transparency and public education and participation, administrative/clerical assistance and media/event assistance shall be provided by City staff as determined by the City Manager and City Clerk. Media assistance may be supplemented by outside expertise on a case-by-case basis if the Commission believes it will substantially expand outreach. 8. The TRC shall determine the frequency and conduct of its meetings. The meetings will be open to the public and conducted in accordance with Chapter 21 of the Iowa Code. Records, documentation, and communications of the TRC will be public records under Chapter 22 of the Iowa Code. 9. The TRC shall serve from the date of appointment of all members to June 30, 2022. The TRC shall have an organizational meeting no later than 30 days after the appointment of all members. 10. Within 90 days of its organizational meeting, the TRC shall recommend to City Council a preliminary budget for funds needed to carry out the charges of the TRC beyond what existing City staff, programs, and services can provide. 11. The charges of the TRC are as follows: A. Fact -Finding The TRC shall collect evidence, including first-hand testimony, of discrimination and racial injustice in multiple settings and compile a complete record of racial injustices that will inform and support the fundamental institutional and policy reforms necessary to address systemic racism. Resolution No. 20-228 Page 3 B. Truth -Telling The TRC shall: 1) Provide multiple fora and creative opportunities for persons impacted and traumatized by racial injustice to share their stories of racial injustice and experience to be heard by: (a) fellow communities of color; (b) a broad cross section of the entire Iowa City community; and (c) key decision - makers in city government, the business community and the University; 2) Explore ways to provide such opportunities through art, music, theater, workshops, rallies and other forms of congregation, multimedia and listening designed to reveal truths that cannot be fully expressed in traditional fora; and, 3) Create a repository for community stories expressed in multiple media (written, video, audio, art) that can be catalogued and used to educate and inform members of the community. C. Reconciliation The TRC shall: 1) Provide opportunity for and facilitate direct conversation among and between community members of color, white community members and representatives of various sectors in which people of color experience discrimination and injustice (e.g. police and protesters, landlords and tenants, students and teachers, patients and health care providers, business owners and staff); 2) Create a replicable model that provides a structure for enabling these conversations throughout the city; 3) Make available opportunities for a broad cross section of the community to learn about discrimination and racial injustice in our community; and, 4) Identify and recommend to the City Council institutional and policy reforms, new social practices, expectations, protocols, habits, rituals, conversations and celebrations that will move Iowa City toward a shared experience of race and difference, justice and equity and community and harmony. 12. The TRC shall strive to provide a safe and supportive space for its work, premised on mutual respect, and shall conduct its work so as to promote healing and justice. The TRC shall consider the possibility of adverse actions against those who participate in its work. The TRC shall carefully consider mechanisms to protect participants, and shall work to support those who allege harm due to their participation in the TRC process. 13. The TRC shall submit periodic updates to City Council to include, but not be limited to: its plans for community education; recommendations for Council action; requests for resources the TRC needs to carry out its work; and recommendations to dedicate and/or rename public spaces and/or rights of way in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement. 14. By May 1, 2022 the TRC shall submit to City Council: A. A report summarizing the work of the TRC. B. A repository of community stories expressed in multiple media (written, video, audio, art). C. Recommendations to the City Council for: 1) Institutional and policy reforms to end systemic racism; 2) Opportunities to create new social practices, expectations, protocols, habits, rituals and celebrations that will move Iowa City toward a shared experience of race and difference, justice and equity and community and harmony; 3) Measures to enhance the autonomy/security/sovereignty of communities of color and mitigate disparities in social and economic power; and 4) A recommendation on whether and in what form the work of the Commission should continue. 15. At any time in its work, and no later than June 30, 2022, the TRC shall strive to submit to City Council a replicable model and structure for conversations between people of color Resolution No. 20-228 Page 4 and white community members and representatives of various sectors in which people of color experience discrimination and injustice. 16. Absent further action by the City Council, the TRC will dissolve on June 30, 2022. Passed and approved this 15 day of September, 2020. ted by City Attorney's Office - 09/10/2020 Revised 4/3/21 Native American Land Acknowledgement Prepared for the City of Iowa City’s Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Human Rights Commission PURPOSE Iowa City owes its existence to the many indigenous peoples who were the original stewards of this land and who were subjected to manipulation and violence by non-native settlers and governments in order to make this moment possible. Acknowledgement of this truth is central to our work toward reconciliation across all barriers of difference and injustice. Starting with a Native American Land Acknowledgement, this Commission will bear witness to the legacies of violent displacement, migration, and settlement that have afforded us a diverse community while marginalizing those who were the first inhabitants of this land. We must also address the mistreatment and exclusion that Native Americans continue to face today. The Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Human Rights Commission encourage the community and City of Iowa City to join us in these efforts through the use of a Native American Land Acknowledgement. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT To be read at all public meetings and events: “We meet today in commitment and dedication to the community of Iowa City, which now occupies the homelands of several Native American peoples. We acknowledge the following Nations as all having ancestral connections to the land in the state of Iowa: the Chippewa, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda, Iowa, Kickapoo, Menominee, Miami, Missouri, Omaha, Osage, Otoe, Ottawa, Ponca, Potawatomi, Sac and Fox, Winnebago, and the Three Affiliated Tribes. We also acknowledge the history of treaties and forced removal which have, by dispossessing Native Nations of their traditional territories, allowed our community to grow. We commit to understanding and addressing these injustices as we work toward equity, restoration, and reconciliation.” LEARN MORE Native Governance Center Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement US Department of Arts and Culture: Honor Native Land Virtual Resources and Guide Special thanks to the University of Iowa Native American Council for their work and guidance, as well as members of the public for their input.