Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTRC Agenda 9 19 2024 Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission Thursday, September 19, 2024 Regular Meeting 7 PM – Emma Harvat Hall, City Hall 410 E. Washington Street AGENDA: 1. CALL TO ORDER. 2. READING OF NATIVE AMERICAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA (COMMISSIONERS SHALL NOT ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE PUBLIC CONCERNING SAID ITEMS.) 5 MINUTE MAXIMUM FOR EACH SPEAKER. Only in-person comments will be allowed for Public Comment. Public comment for specific agenda items, which must be directly related to that agenda item, may be made in-person or remotely. 4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2024. 5. PRESENTATION BY RESILIENT SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IOWA CITY. 6. UPCOMING ACTIONS FOR PHASES THREE AND FOUR 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS 8. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF STAFF 9. ADJOURNMENT In order to encourage input from the public, the Commission intends to offer the opportunity to participate in the meeting remotely. However, this meeting is in-person, and those wishing to ensure their ability to participate should attend the meeting in-person. If you instead wish to participate remotely, you may attempt to do so by joining the below link. First Thursday Meetings ID: 867 2424 8095 Third Thursday Meetings ID: 895 3695 0485 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 when prompted. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all City of Iowa City-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in these events, please contact the Office of Equity and Human Rights at 319-356-5022 or humanrights@iowa-city.org. 1 September 5, 2024 Draft Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Minutes Emma Harvat Hall Commissioners present: Amos Kiche, Cliff Johnson, Chastity Dillard. Commissioners on Zoom: Lauren Merritt, Wangui Gathua, Lubna Mohamed. Commissioners not present: Chad Simmons, Kayla Rossi, Louis Tassinary. Staff present: Stefanie Bowers. Recommendation to City Council: No. Meeting called to order: Approximately: 7:07 PM. Reading of Land Acknowledgement: Dillard read the Land Acknowledgement. Public Comment of Items not on the Agenda: No. Approval of the Minutes from August 15, 2024: Dillard moved, and Merritt seconded. Motion passed 5-0. (Gathua not present for vote) Next Steps for Phases Three and Four Including Upcoming Events and Engagement: Johnson apologized for his absence at the Latino Festival due to a personal emergency. Kiche updated the commission on the success of tabling during a Willow Creek event. Kiche reported himself and commissioner Tassinary were able to attend from around 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm and engage with the community. During the event community members signed up to volunteer with the commission. Kiche also attended the Latino Festival in representation of the commission and was able to talk to community members interested in volunteering and had a total of 26 people willing to be contacted to learn more about the commission. Dillard suggested creating a poll asking when people who signed up would be available to attend a meet and greet event. The meet and greets would be an opportunity for an open dialogue where community members can learn more about the TRC and how to get involved. It was suggested the meet and greet run for 45 minutes to an hour and be split into two groups of the commission in order to avoid meeting in quorum. Dillard also mentioned the possibility of inviting people to attend the commission’s next meeting. Commissioner Lubna suggested a Sunday at 4:00pm option, Dillard suggested a Saturday (11am/12pm) option, and Johnson suggested a Friday evening (4/5pm) option. Merritt is available between 6-8pm on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. Kiche reported on a community meeting he and Mohamed hosted at the Java House (Mormon Trek) on August 20th. There were 6 community members in attendance. Many attendees wanted to focus on workplace discrimination. 2 The first two people who spoke about their experiences reportedly work for Oral B and experience verbal mistreatment and inconsistent hours/pay. They believe these experiences may be due to the fact they speak Arabic and are Muslim. They reported there appears to be a corrupt hierarchy within the facility including a group manager and the supervisor. A third person spoke to the commission about their experience working at Walmart and alleged mistreatment from a new supervisor. This person reported issues of getting unwarranted warnings regarding her work performance that has led to being suspended from work. The fourth person who shared with the Kiche and Mohamed spoke on being bullied in the workplace and denied additional hours. The last person reported being laid off for 3 months due to poor communication with the supervisors and false accusations made by coworkers. Kiche summarized that the workers performance and possible reasons for the mistreatment they reported to him, and Mohamed share a common conclusion that the mistreatment is unjustified and unfair. Kiche shared on behalf of Mohamed that 17 other people have sent complaints to Mohamed alleging similar forms of mistreatment within the same workplace. Mohamed spoke about additional employees complaining regarding the same company, but they are afraid to come forward to the commission due to possible retaliation from their supervisors. Staff asked Mohamed to provide her with the contact information after the meeting so that the office can reach out to them. Johnson and Gathua thanked the commissioners for their work. Gathua asked if any of the people have gone to the Center for Worker Justice to report their claims. Mohamed mentioned the Center for Worker Justice does not deal with discrimination just wage theft for workers. Dillard shared thoughts on the matter mentioning the importance of helping these people access resources to fight against discrimination as well as the commission keeping an eye out for similar reports and patterns to bring light to the issue. Mohamed spoke of the language barrier for Arabic- speaking employees and the lack of access to an interpreter or effort to obtain an interpreter for languages beyond Spanish or French. Kiche supported this thought and spoke on the importance of employing an interpreter to allow employees clear communication. Project 2030 was another resource mentioned as a possible bridge between these workers, their employers, and the city. Kiche mentioned it is in the company’s best interest to work with their employees. Gathua mentioned that Linn County has programs that assist employers in understanding how to best accommodate immigrant employees in the workplace. Gathua offered her workplace for smaller group gatherings as a free option as well as organizations that will help fund community-focused gatherings. Gathua also mentioned attending a housing presentation by Iowa City Catholic Workers House and the possibility of them presenting to the commission. She also talked about the non-profit Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City and the possibility of them helping fund community gatherings. 3 Kiche spoke about his talk with individuals who have experienced the homeless shelter in Iowa City and their willingness to speak with the commission. A date of early October was suggested for a time to meet with these people to hear what they have to say on issue of housing, including choice and affordability. Kiche also brought up that the city recently received a grant and are taking suggestions on where the funds should go noting the number of persons struggling with housing in the community. Mohamed updated the commission on her discussion with a lawyer from Iowa Legal Aid and their discussion on the issue with section-8 housing. The lawyer shared that each family would have to report their issues to Iowa Legal Aid so they can communicate with these families and evaluate their applications. Mohamed will follow up with staff regarding this issue and future solutions. Dillard mentioned that this meeting has brought up topics for future areas of focus or future truth telling events. Dillard also mentioned the possibility of the commission tabling at the upcoming African Festival. Kiche said he would be there to represent the commission. Gathua will also be in attendance. Gathua thinks that the commission should also attend the Welcoming Immigrants to Our Community event to meet with the community as well as connecting with the Refugee Alliance of Johnson County. The commission agreed they would like to get onto the agenda for the Refugee Alliance to present to them. If they are not able to present this month, it was suggested a few commissioners attend a meeting and introduce themselves and the commission briefly. Kiche suggested providing beverages at future events. Dillard provided that beverages and other necessities the commission may need was approved in their budget and that Kiche just needs to let staff know what he wishes to supply at events. Dillard asked about the progress on the TRC documentary. Gathua mentioned the possibility of the commission presenting to the NISAA community over a Zoom. Staff confirmed that Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City is on the agenda for the next scheduled meeting. Annie Tucker thanked the commission for its work. Announcements of Commissioners: Dillard invited others to attend the opening of a new building of the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County. It will be held on September 21 from 2- 5 PM at 1041 Arthur Street. Announcements of Staff: Staff will follow up with the City Attorney on the feasibility of a Meet and Greet as part of the commission’s next meeting date. The meeting adjourned at 8:29 PM. The full meeting video can be viewed at this link. AD HOC TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2024 (Meeting Date) NAME TERM EXP. 3/7 3/14 3/18 3/20 3/21 4/4 5/2 5/16 6/20 7/18 8/1 8/15 9/5 Dillard 12/31/24 P P P P P P P P P P P A P Gathua 12/31/24 A P P P P P A A Z Z Z A Z Kiche 12/31/24 P P P P P P P P P P P P P Johnson 12/31/24 P P P P P P P P P P P P P Merritt 12/31/24 Z P P P P P P A P P P P Z Muhamed 12/31/24 - - - - - - - Z Z Z Z Z Z Simmons 12/31/24 P P P A P Z P P A P A A A Tassinary 12/31/24 P P P P P A P P P A P P A Rossi 12/31/24 - - - - - - - - A Z A A A P = Present in person A = Absent Z = Zoom