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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-22-2021 Human Rights CommissionHuman Rights Commission June 22, 2021 Electronic Formal Meeting- 5:30 PM 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 Sy35gpirTgeK11 snp7wB-Q via the internet to visit the Zoom meeting's registration page and submit the required information. Once approved, you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting ID 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 ID or webinar ID. The ID number for this meeting is: 941 8316 5236. 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 Meeting to Order and Roll Call 2. Approval of the May 25, 2021 meeting minutes 3. Public Comment of Items not on the Agenda. (Commentators shall address the Commission for no more than 5 minutes. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning said items) 4. Conversation with Police Department Liaison for the Human Rights Commission, Daisy Torres 5. Funding Request: Diversity Market 6. Coralville Pride: Does Commission Want to be a Vendor at Event (Sunday, September 5, Noon-8PM) 7. Request for Transit Facility Letter of Support 8. Discussion on Including a Land Acknowledgement as a Part of HRC Meeting 9. Subcommittees: Housing, Anti -Racism, Health Equity 10. Commission Statement in Support of Black Lives Matter 11. Convention on the Rights of the Child 12. Social Justice Racial Equity Grant Reports 13. Staff/Commission Announcements. (Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with one another concerning said announcements). 14. Adjournment. If you will need disability -related accommodations to participate in this meeting please contact the Equity Director, Stefanie Bowers, at 319-356-5022 or at stefanie-bowers(a�-iowa-cit . oorg. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. . f Oslo deftill A Ak Aim CITY OF 10VVA CITY 4 10 Fast "'ashin ton Strect [ova City{, lm a 40- 1826 (3 l 9) 3 5 ELL 5 000 (3 19) 3 5 6-5009 FAX wrw.io.or HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION JUNE 22,2021 MEETING PACKET CONTENTS AGENDA ITEM #2 • DRAFT MAY 25,2021 MEETING MINUTES AGENDA ITEM #5 FUNDING REQUEST FOR DIVERSITY MARKET INCLUDING CORRESPONDENCE, FUNDING REQUEST, BUDGET AGENDA ITEM #7 IOWA CITY TRANSIT OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE FACILITY PROJECT INCLUDING DRAFT LETTER AGENDA ITEM #12 • QUARTERLY REPORT FROM CENTER FOR WORKER JUSTICE Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission May 25, 2021 VIA Zoom Platform Commissioners present: Mark Pries, Jessica Andino, Ashley Lindley, Jason Glass, Bijou Maliabo, Adil Adams, Roger Lusala, Tony Siva nthaphanith. Commissioners not present: Noemi Ford. (Electronic Meeting Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting was held because a meeting in person was impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. Meeting called to order: 5:39 PM. Approval of the minutes from the April 27, 2021 meeting: Lusala moved; the motion was seconded by Pries. Motion passed 7-0. (Maliabo not present). Public comment of items not on the agenda: None. Introduction of Monica Stone Deputy Director Iowa Department of Human Rights: The mission of the Department of Human Rights is to achieve equity and opportunity in Iowa. There are three priority areas: 1) Community Action Agencies, 2) Criminal & Juvenile Advocacy Planning, and 3) Community Advocacy & Services. The goals are to eliminate economic, social and cultural barriers for Iowans, ensure basic rights, freedoms and opportunities for all, and ensure access to government services, advance educational achievement and employment success consistent with the aspirations of Iowans. There are 15 Commissions that fall under the Department and include a focus on women, Latino, African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islander, Native American, and persons with a disability. The Youth Action Squads (YAS) are comprised of Iowa youth, aged 14-24, from diverse backgrounds with lived experience and an interest in advocacy. YAS participants learn leadership skills, conduct research to gain an in-depth understanding of issues, and create an actionable plan to address the issues in their communities or statewide. 2020 YAS members addressed racial justice and COVID-19. Actions included: advocating for and achieving removal of school police officers in Des Moines, adopted curriculum to include Native American history, and gallery space for youth featuring art on justice. More information can be found by visiting the link human rights. iowa.gov. Discussion of including a Land Acknowledgement as a part of HRC meetings: No update at this time. Funding Request for Coralville Pride: This is a request from Reach Out Marketing for $1000 to support Coralville Pride being held on September 5. Glass inquired into using Iowa City money to support an event in Coralville. Lusala thinks that Coralville is close enough to Iowa City to support the event. Andino noted the Commission has provided funding for events in Johnson County. Lindley pointed out that the event is a fundraiser for the University of Iowa Health Care LGBTQ Clinic. Because some Commissioners had questions about the City of Coralville's financial support of the event it was decided to table the discussion until the June meeting date. Staff will follow up with the requestor for more information. Motion by Pries, seconded by Andino. Motion passed 7-0. HRC Subcommittees: Anti -Racism Committee: the kick off for the implicit bias summer series starts June 3. This is the one-year anniversary of Iowa City demonstrators being teargassed by law enforcement while marching for change. On June 28, a film screening of Stonewall Forever will be held via Zoom. A panel discussion will follow the screening. Health Equity: has been working with the Johnson County Public Health Covid-19 Committee. Some of the work has focused on bringing awareness as to why a person should be vaccinated. Commission Statement in Support of Black Lives Matter: The Commission decided not to change the statement itself. Instead they will work to reaffirm that Black Lives Matter. Ideally something that will last into the future. Suggestions from all Commissioners will be sought and incorporated into the statement. Pride Month: Sivanthaphanith will accept the Pride Proclamation at the City Council meeting of June 1. Juneteenth: Lusala will accept the Juneteenth Proclamation at the City Council meeting of June 16. Social Justice and Racial Equity Grants: The Sudanese Community Center submitted their quarterly report for the Commission to review. Reports of Commissioners: Adams mentioned a fight between two Sudanese teenagers that resulted in everyone being kicked out of the establishment. Glass will be on a 5-week military leave for the Army Reserves and will miss the June meeting. Lindley attended the One Iowa LGBTQ Older Adults Conference. Lusala mentioned the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder and that the war has not ended. Sivanthaphanith recently became a trained LGBTQIA Inclusive Training Facilitator. Adjourned: 7:25 00 N N N N O 0�0 N N 00 N N M N N N N N N N N N N W w O O O O O O O O O N cl-I CIIA CIA CIA CIA CIA CIA CIA CIA .,O POEM ORO .POO c From: South District To: Stefanie Bowers Subject: Checking in --DIVERSITY MARKET Date: Sunday, May 30, 2021 11:32:21 AM A RIS Hey Stefanie, I wanted to reach out and let you know I submitted (probably a bit late) an application for Human Rights Commission Funding to help with entertainment costs for our pilot Diversity Market. We are working to piece this event together to stand it up and show its needed in our neighborhood and for marginalized entrepreneurs. The entertainment part of this event would be free to the folks who come out and check the market out regardless of if they buy anything. We want their kids to have some fun stuff to do and so I thought I'd see if that aligned with Human Rights Commission grant. We appreciate the consideration and hope to hear back soon! Respectfully and Kindly, Angie Jordan she/her/hers * President & Lead Organizer South District Neighborhood Association Email: southdistrictneighborhood�L2mail.com Website: www.southdistrictnei2hborhood.or2 Facebook: South District Neighborhood Association Nextdoor.com: Wetherby, Grant Wood, Pepperwood and South Pointe *Why this matters Please share info about this association with others who live, work and play in the South District If you would like to be removed from this email, please respond with SUBJECT: Please remove my email from this list Cover Letter (required reading) Thank you for your interest in seeking sponsorship from the Iowa City Human Rights Commission. The Commission provides funding to organizations and agencies to offset the costs of organizing, planning, and facilitating educational public forums or programs and activities that are designed to eliminate racial, religious, cultural, and other intergroup tensions, including but not limited to, sex, color, creed, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, and national origin. To process your request for sponsorship, we need you to take a few minutes to fill out this application form. Please note sponsorship requests are due by 5 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. The Iowa City Human Rights Commission will review the request at their monthly meeting and staff will contact you to let you know whether the request has been approved. If you are awarded funding, you will be required to submit a full (one page) summary of funding impact, including but not limited to, number of persons involved in your project, anecdotal stories to share with the team about the event, frequency of the event, and other essential information. If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Equity Director Stefanie Bowers at 319- 356-5022 or Stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org. Please sign here to verify you have read the cover letter to this form. * Application Date * 5/30/2021 Group/Organizaton Name* South District Neighborhood Association Contact person Angie Jordan Phone number* 319-471-0181 Email * southdistrictneighborhood@gmail.com Date of activity/event/program 6/12/2021 If your event occurs on multiple dates, list here 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, & 7/10 Event location and address* 611 Southgate Ave Is the event wheelchair accessible?* • Yes No Is the event accessible to individuals with visual impairments?* Yes No Describe the activity/event/program and how it contributes to Human Rights. The goal of this summer "pop-up" market is to bring together and elevate BIPOC-owned and/or woman -owned entrepreneurs, artisans and others looking for a spot to shine and sell their products & services! Another goal is to increase access to a neighborhood marketplace for South District residents and other folks throughout the Iowa City area to come shop and enjoy our side of town (that often has a negative narrative produced by people who don't live over here). Amount of funds requested. Attach an itemized budget (field below). $ 2,000.00 Attach itemized budget. Diversity Market 2021_Budget & Accounting - Sheet3.pdf 27.94KB List other funders below: JD Beauty Supply Shop Iowa City Program to Improve Neighborhood (PIN) Grant -City of Iowa City Multicultural Development Center of Iowa City Has this organization applied for any other City of Iowa City funding for this activity/event/program? * Yes C No If yes, what department were the funds requested through? Program to Improve Neighborhood (PIN) Grant --for promotion How much funding was requested? $ 1,150.00 Was this request granted? • Yes No Has the organization received any funding from the City of Iowa City in the last year? Yes No If yes, what department were the funds requested through? Neighborhood Development (PIN grant for Neighborhood Mural Ribbon cutting Event, Thanksgiving Feast Meal Box Distribution, National Night Out How much funding was requested? $ 5,000.00 How will this activity/event/program be marketed? It is already being promoted by our sponsors, community partners, neighborhood residents, businesses, nonprofits, etc. through social media (and boosts), flyers, resident door hangers, & through a press release Will sponsors be mentioned and/or logos be used in the marketing of the activity/event/program? G Yes C1- No Is the activity/event/program a fundraiser? Yes No O O O O O O U) N O61:> 61=1+. 69- U Q O (1) V) z � a) � a) Q U') LO 0 O U o � 0 � Z W N U Z = � W ~ Z LU W ~ N U Z 00 Q U Icu W Z W W }, � Z _O Q d Q o a Z W N ca � Cl) W CO �= cn Z W - X 0 W =10WACITY Projer ription The Iowa City Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility Project will replace a facility that is failing in condition and unable to support future growth or full conversion to a zero -emission fleet. The existing facility is located on a former unregulated dump site and has significant ground settlement and air quality issues which prevent expansion. The existing facility needs significant repairs and is over capacity with some buses being stored in the wash bays overnight. The replacement facility will be constructed to modern safety, accessibility, and sustainability standards and feature expanded capacity to support the 1.5 million annual riders of Iowa City Transit. In 2020, the City invested $250,000 in a transit study to optimize and improve operations -- setting the stage for ridership growth. Emission Transit f � "I ustainable Future Iowa City's Climate Action Plan calls for replacing 55% of vehicle trips with sustainable transportation options by 2050 and the City's goal is to double transit ridership in the next 10 years. In 2021, the City replaced four diesel buses with battery electric buses and envisions a full transition to a zero-emi! lion fleet in the future. The existing facility cannot support a full transition to no emission technology or an expanded fleet. The City's electricity supplier produced 61.3% of energy from renewable sources in 2019, with a goal of 100% in the next few years. This means the City's electric buses will be 100%powered by clean energy and one of the most sustainable systems in the U.S. Project Cost + Timeline Site STIP &Long Environmental Acquisition Range Plan Review Existing Facility Condition Fall 2021- 2022: Spring 2023: Design & Engineering Construction lAnnual asphalt overlay required so buses can enter bay A UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE Iowa ( Transit Metro Population: 171.4K Annual ridership: 1.5M 111dr Congressional District: IA-02 Iowa City has the 17th highest ridership per capita in the nation. Community Support Letters of support received for the project: • Senator Chuck Grassley • SenatorJoni Ernst • U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack (former IA-02, 2007-2021) • Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague • Procter &Gamble • Iowa Department of Transportation • University of Iowa • Iowa City Business Partnership (Chamber of Commerce) • Iowa City Area Development Group • Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) '*Idnnillg D,11ho*uments A new transit facility is programmed in: • FYI - FY21 Iowa DOT STIP • FY20 - FY23 MPO] C TIP • MPOJC 2045 Long -Range Transportation Plan • City capital planning documents The existing transit facility was rated as poor to marginal condition by the Iowa DOT in a Transit Facility Condition Assessment conducted in 2018. June 21, 2021 t � � The Honorable Pete Buttigieg ot L 11% -k "=I% Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. CITY OF IOWA CITY Washington, DC 20590 UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE Human Rights Commission www.1cgov,org/hurnanrights RE: Support for the City of Iowa City's RAISE grant funding request for a replacement transit facility Dear Mr. Secretary, am writing to express support for the City of Iowa City's RAISE grant application for a replacement transit facility that will help remove barriers to economic opportunity and enable the City to further social justice and racial equity goals in the area of transportation. The infrastructure to support a strong transit system is critical to making our environmentally burdened and economically disadvantaged communities healthier, cleaner and more sustainable places to live, work, play, and learn. Iowa City recently completed a full-scale transit study reviewing all routes, stops, service frequency, service hours, fares and passes, amenities and even a potential transition to zero -fare. The proposed service changes and future enhancements included in that study reflect the City's commitment to the future of transit in Iowa City. Proposed changes such as increased service frequency, improved connectivity across area transit systems, and pilot Sunday and late night on -demand service will provide significant mobility and equity benefits to community members that have been historically overburdened by pollution and under -investment in housing, transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure, and health care. However, expansion of service will not be possible without a replacement transit facility. The current facility is nearly 40 years old and reaching the end of its useful life. Additionally, it is located on a former unregulated dump site with significant ground subsidence and air quality issues that require costly annual investments in asphalt overlays, methane abatement, and safety repairs which could be better spent on service enhancements for the community. The Human Rights Commission supports this application for replacement transit facility. These investments are essential for supporting Iowa City's tradition of and commitment to providing exceptional, equitable, and sustainable transit service. Sincerely, Name Chair Iowa City Human Rights Commission Interim Report, April 1, 2021 Social Justice and Equity Grant: Social Enterprise Project Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa Purpose of Project As stated in the previous interim reported submitted on November 1, funds from this grant were designated to be used for specific services and items of equipment to support the newly formed Center for Worker Justice Social Enterprise, a project focused on creating opportunities for economic independence for members with culinary skill through the creation of a cafe. The Social Enterprise project addresses the following priority areas: 1. Community building: by providing an alternative for low-income, underrepresented and immigrant workers to showcase their culinary skills while also modeling good business practices within the community. 2. Employment: through the creation of new jobs, which will have a ripple effect leading to the creation of additional jobs as the social enterprise chefs set up their own independent restaurants and catering businesses. 3. Education: by providing training in food handling to minority and low- income chefs as well as education in managing food quantities and developing customer service skills. Background The initial stages in the development of the social enterprise project were described in some detail in the previous interim report. The partnership with St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, begun in the spring of 2019 to conduct fundraising events in a space donated by the church, continued throughout 2019 and into early 2020, providing an opportunity for the parishioners and members of the wider community to experience the cuisine of the social enterprise cooks. The events were very successful in providing both profit for the chefs and useful feedback from customers. At that point, our plans for the future included continuing to host similar events and making adjustments to our internal processes to increase profits and improve efficiency in preparing and presenting food. Recent Developments and Current Status of the Project With the advent of the pandemic, the partnership that had developed with the network of local churches for the social enterprise to cook and raise funds during community events was put on hold until these facilities are again able to open their kitchens. In the meantime, the social enterprise is exploring other options to provide the chefs with the opportunity to prepare food for their catering services and continues to pursue acquiring a licensed kitchen for the chefs to use to conduct their catering activities. The best option for this appears to be securing a location in an unoccupied space in an Iowa City restaurant to serve as a certified kitchen for our cooks to prepare and sell food. We are currently working with the Chamber of Commerce and local business owners to explore the possibilities. In the meantime, some of the social enterprise cooks, in an effort to compensate for the loss of income resulting from the pandemic, have been offering some of their specialty items such as tamales and sweet empanadas on a free will donation basis throughout the winter and early spring with pickup occurring at the Center for Work Justice. The project has enjoyed considerable success, and at this point the enterprise is ready to purchase equipment items from the approved grant budget to support these events and other future events when local churches with whom we had partnered are able to reopen their kitchens to us. The equipment purchased will increased the mobility of the enterprise and facilitate cooking for outdoor events. The following items have recently been purchased. (Links are provided for purchase information). This list includes 2 Apple tablets for the social enterprise to use as a bookkeeping tool and a credit care Square with a chip so they can use the tablet to make an electronic payment. The invoice for these items is attached; we will forward additional invoices as they become available. We have also included honoraria for the two guest speakers who will be speaking at a Zoom presentation to be held on April 12 moderated by Victor Oyervides, Retail Business Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. This presentation is for our members already in the restaurant business or aspiring to be. The topics covered will include how to price items and how to determine quantities for larger catered events. Following this event, we will allow the social enterprise cooks to utilize the information they received to inform their requests for purchases with the remaining funds. Item Price # Total Vendor Grill/Griddle' $ 499.99 1 $ 499.99 Costco Shipping + Tax $ 30.00 $ 30.00 Costco Commercial Blender2 $ 339.99 2 $ 679.98 Webstaurant Store Serving Chafers3 $ 34. 6 $ 208.68 Webstaurant Store Beverage Dispensers4 $ 88.99 2 $ 177.98 Webstaurant Store Shipping + Tax $ 105.43 $ 105.43 Webstaurant Store Apple Tablet (256GB) 5 $ 879.00 1 $ 879.00 Apple Apple Tablet (64GB) 6 $ 729.00 1 $ 729.00 Apple Square Stand for Contactless and Chip 7 $ 169.00 1 $ 169.95 Apple Shipping + Tax $ 106.68 $ 106.68 Apple Honorarium for Event9 $ 50.00 2 $ 100.00 ISU Extension TOTAL $35868.69 REMAINING BALANCE $65189.29 1 Louisiana Grills Event Grill with Griddle (costco.com) 2 Avamix BX2000V 3 1/2 hp Commercial Blender with Toggle Control, Adiustable Speed, and Two 64 oz. Polycarbonate Containers (we bsta u ra ntsto re. co m ) 3 Choice 8 Qt. Full Size Stackable Chafer (webstaurantstore.com) 4 GaterGator 5 Gallon Black Insulated Beverage Dispenser (webstaurantstore.com 5 256GB Personalized 10.9-inch iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular — Sky Blue 6 64GB Personalized 10.9-inch iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular — Green 7 Square Stand for Contactless and Chip 8 Tax on Apple purchase 9 Vendors invited from Iowa State University Extension for April 12 event The following documents were handed out during the meeting. Continuing Affirmation of Black Lives Matter Iowa City Human Rights Commission The Iowa City Human Rights Commission stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement We are part of a society where the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color continue to be affected by structural racism, lack of opportunity, health disparities, and direct violence by the police and others. American cities, including Iowa City, have for too long been complacent or complicit. The Iowa City Human Rights Commission hereby reaffirms its longstanding commitment, and pledges to more fully act in solidarity with all who are targets of this violence and inequity. The Commission recognizes the ongoing oppression occurring not just in police departments, but also eviction courts, legislatures, banks, academia, and hospitals. Additionally, this includes any space where Iowa City has been complacent about and complicit in the eradication of intellectual and cultural contributions by Black, Indigenous and People of Color, as well as women, and ignores the racism present in the contributions of white people and the sexism present in the works of males. We pledge the following actions to embody our affirmation that Black Lives Matter • We will continue to uplift the contributions of nonwhite, non -male, and non-Eurocentric people in our recommendations to the Iowa City City Council and support events dedicated to their recognition. • We will actively confront racism, sexism, or other forms of bias within the work of the Commission or City of Iowa City by pursuing training to increase our awareness of our racism, sexism and bias. • We will support City departments' efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. • We will plan and promote additional programming opportunities focused on understanding oppression and recognizing the contributions of people from underrepresented groups, as well as promoting widespread discussion of related issues and concerns. The differential valuing of life, achievement, opportunity, and intellectual and cultural contributions based on which racialized group one is thought to be a member of is manifestly unjust. It compels us to repeat, internalize, and act on the affirmation that Black lives matter. Black lives do matter, and our collective practices, discourses, policies, and laws must reflect this. Black lives matter for the same reason that everyone's life matters; yet we are compelled to affirm that Black lives matter precisely because institutions, practices, and behaviors have so long denied it. We are committed to continuously engaging the people of our community in dialogue and action to realize a world in which "Black lives matter" is a simple description of how we all live. Until that world is achieved, we stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.