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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTRC Transcript - February 3, 2022[00:00:00] [MUSIC] It is seven. [BACKGROUND] Are you- call the general roll call stuff. [00:00:15] Commissioner Ali [00:00:16] Present [00:00:18] Commissioner Daniel. I see her. Commissioner Gathua, Commissioner Johnson. [00:00:28] Here. [00:00:29] Commissioner Harris. [00:00:33] Here. [00:00:33] Commissioner Nobiss. Commissioner Rivera. [00:00:38] Here. [00:00:39] Commissioner Traore. [00:00:40] Here [00:00:41] Commissioner Gathua. [00:00:43] Yes. [00:00:44] Thank you. [00:00:44] [BACKGROUND] I'm sorry. I- I got you down. [00:00:52] Commissioner Daniel is also here. [00:01:00] Thank you. [00:01:03] I'll read the land acknowledgment. We meet today in the community of Iowa City, which now occupies the homelands of Native American nations to whom we owe our commitment and dedication. The area of Iowa City was within the homelands of the Iowa, Meskwaki and Sauk, because history is complex and time goes far back beyond memory. We also acknowledged the ancient connections of many other indigenous peoples here. The history of broken treaties and forced removal that dispossessed indigenous peoples of their homelands was, and is an act of colonization and genocide that we cannot erase. We implore the Iowa City community to commit to understanding and addressing these injustices. As we work toward equity, restoration and reparations [NOISE]. All right, you guys all get a chance to look at the meeting minutes. Is there anything you guys wanna t- [00:02:00] motion to pass? [00:02:06] Second that motion. [00:02:09] Commissioner Ali? [00:02:10] Yes. [00:02:12] Commissioner Daniel? [00:02:13] Yes. [00:02:15] Commissioner Dillard? [00:02:17] Yes. [00:02:18] Commissioner Gathua? [00:02:20] Yes. [00:02:21] Commissioner Johnson? [00:02:23] Yes. [00:02:23] Commissioner Harris? [00:02:25] Yes. [00:02:26] Commissioner Nobiss. Okay, she's- let me promote her to panelist. [00:02:40] I'm here. [00:02:43] We're taking a vote on- I just got to your name. So commissioner Nobiss? Yes. [00:02:49] Thank you. Commissioner Rivera? [00:02:51] Yes. [00:02:52] Commissioner Traore? [00:02:54] Yes. [00:02:54] Thank you. Motion passes nine zero. [00:02:59] Okay. Next [00:03:00] on the agenda, uh, um, is public comment,um, of items not on the agenda. The TRC members shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning set items. We're gonna start with, uh, the attendees on Zoom. So if anyone on Zoom would like to make a public comment about something that is not on the agenda now would be an appropriate time to raise your hand. [00:03:29] Is there anyone that's in here that would like to make a comment, the- a public comment about an item not on the agenda. [00:03:39] All right, I think we're good then. I met- ite- item number six is the Excluded Workers Fund update. Um, so, in the packet that was attached to the update email from the Iowa City Catholic Worker House, along with like my [00:04:00] very short and brief update. Um, so, in it, um, Commissioner Harris can talk about this just a little bit more, um, but, uh the way that they've done the excluded worker or that they are deciding to do the Excluded Workers Fund now is expand it, um, and it broadens the program and now there is- they're proposing having a lottery process. [00:04:30] That is an issue because it could potentially have the excluded workers excluded from the process. And, um, I'm gonna hand it over to Commissioner Harris who knows a little bit more about this. [00:04:43] Um, so thank you. Um, so I've been at usual, but always, you know, I've been on the frontlines of this thing since the beginning. Um, and it just seems like that things are getting worse. Initially, [00:05:00] um, the past funding was like 2 million dollars from Johnson County, and a million and a half from the city. Then they had a name. It was the Excluded Workers Fund. They were gonna, you know, get paid this to all the excluded workers. Well, once they passed that they decided that they was gonna start planning on implementing it. Johnson County staff decided to make different changes to it, where they changed the name of the plan to something different. They included people, many people eligible wasn't excluded. So basically what they did is they made people who got stimulus cheques and got the help from the government during the pandemic, they made these people eligible. Then they changed the name of it, which is kind of almost you could say it's intentional. [00:05:57] We've been down there a few times [00:06:00] to go to meetings and try to have public comment. The last one that I went to, um, we wanted to have public comment, um, there was 75 workers there and they said 11 people. It was a joint entities meeting. They said, we've only had 11 people in the room, there was 75 workers at least there. They told them to watch the meeting on a third chain inch TV screen. There was 75 people there and so the representatives from the- our Catholic Worker House of Iowa city. They decided that they would not gonna close the door because they wanted the people to hear the meeting. And the next thing you know, there are- five deputies show up, armed gripping tasers. You know, and, um, so it turned into kind of a standoff. I didn't want it to turn out, um, [00:07:00] bad so at first I was there then I was going back and forward like this is not fair. You know and, but if- this felt threatening, you know, just to have deputies there. It was unbelievable. The reason that we were processing the things that were going on because they've changed it to a casino style lottery. Um, there's enough money. Kind of 50 something million dollars. You guys are only taking three and a half million of it. You know, totally, um, to help the excluded workers. Um, If you gonna expand the program, put more money into it. If you gonna spend it, because now you're gonna exclude the excluded workers once again, because once people hear about that, I, oh, I've got a stimulus cheques. I'm a regular person that- some people worked through the pandemic they gonna all go sign up. It's going to be people still left out. So, um, some of the activities, um, have not been fair by the Johnson County Supervisors. Um, On the next- [00:08:00] I think it was a couple of days later or a day after that. Um, it was the day after that, um, The whole police didn't happen and I didn't wanna be like, you know, um, like some of my fellow commissioners who were targeted by law enforcement. So when they brought the law enforcement, I kinda sent the best signal out and got out of there. But on the next day they went back again. Um, and they already had the law enforcement up. They had the law enforcement ready to go. You don't use law enforcement against the excluded workers? Just because they wanna, um, use a right to speak. Um, another thing that I will put and I don't wanna make this a personal thing. I will just say Johnson County Supervisors. Um, they- one of the supervisors ask- you know it was people that wanted to make a public comment when I was asked to join entities meeting, no it was the meeting after the disjoint entities [00:09:00] meeting. They wanted to, um, make a comment. The people before they made comment and they were like I watched this at home and it moved me emotionally when they were making the comments and they asked for more time because they had to use translation and things like that. The Johnson County Supervisors just moved on. They didn't even allow us people on Zoom with their hands up. They just moved on. Like it's not a big deal. That's what I've been dealing with lately and it's sad to see, um, so I'm gonna wrap it up, um, because people, but I will- - like I will say that it should not be that way. They should not be using law enforcement to stop people from speaking. With that i yield. [00:09:48] Thanks for the update and I made a big mistake. I forgot to allow public comment before the Excluded Worker Fund update. But that's okay because how we are gonna do the next, um, like [00:10:00] agenda item is allowed the people to present first and then allow public comment. But if there's anyone who is on Zoom that would like to talk about the Excluded Workers fund and that would like to make a public comment on that, now would be a good time to raise your hand. [00:10:20] Okay, perfect. Um, is there any commission members on Zoom who have any comments to make regarding the Excluded Workers Fund, anything that, um, Commissioner Harris has an update? [00:10:38] What about anyone in here? [00:10:49] Hello, Nicholas Tyson. I live in Carville. Um, I'll be very brief. I mean, so I would just like to second everything that Commissioner Harris said. Um, and I also note that, [00:11:00] um, by the county's current criteria for this general assistance fund that they've created, I qualify. It's that broad. And in fact, not only do I qualify, I would actually rank quite highly because I didn't receive, um, unemployment insurance because, well, we live in Iowa and it's always a fun time trying to get [LAUGHTER] insurance here. So it's absolutely absurd. And I just wanted to second that and just like, you know, use myself as an example of just how absurd it is. Thank you. [00:11:31] Thank you. [00:11:32] Thank you [NOISE]. [00:11:35] Okay. Let's move on to, um, agenda item number 7, um which is, ah, gonna be like the Community Conversation. And before we get to speaking to, ah, the, ah, facilitators and the people who have sent us their proposals, ah, I just want to be very clear on this is just right now. Um, having a conversation and kind of taking [00:12:00] a step back and seeing ah where the rest of the TRC is at. Just because it's been mainly me that has been communicating. And then, you know, Mohammed, uh, jumped into the last meeting and I just wanna make sure that we're all on the same page, um, about kind of what we're looking for and what our needs are, um, as a commission. Um, and, um, I don't think that time is something that's gonna be um against us this time, I- I spoke to Mayor Tig about how we are taking a step back and kind of seeing the needs. And, um, he was very receptive of that, said that he appreciated as seeing and communicating with, um, one another in the community to kind of just make sure we're- thought about this the right way. So with that being said, I'm going to allow the presenters, um, to present first and then we'll allow for, [00:13:00] um, public comment and then comment from the commissioners. Um, and, um, first, if it's okay with you guys in okay with you Arnold, I wanna start with you because yours is a little bit separate, um, than the other three and yours is individual. Um, and I think that um, even though, um, we have, you know, your stuff right here, I think it would be helpful to hear from you and, um, ask questions. Kind of like the presentation you gave me via Zoom if that's okay. All right. So we're gonna start in here with um, ah, with Arnold and then we will move to Zoom to you wonderful people up there, if that is okay. Perfect. All right. Whenever you're ready, if you want to go to that microphone. [00:13:55] You can probably also sit at one of these chairs. [00:13:57] Yeah. If that's more comfortable. [00:13:59] Those mics should be live. So you should be - [00:14:00] Yeah. That might be more comfortable. [00:14:12] Good evening, Commissioners. [00:14:14] Good evening. [00:14:15] Thank you for giving me the opportunity. I thought I would use this opportunity to- to [NOISE] introduce myself. Ah, because some of- many of you don't know me. Um, I'm a cultural anthropologist and I'm interested in the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, efforts to facilitate ah the talks. Um, as a cultural anthropologist, I stand on the shoulders of people involved in the peace process, such as Alfred Kroeber, Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, and more lately, uh the [00:15:00] shoulders of WEB Du Bois and Isabel Wilkerson, who many of you have heard that from cast. I stand on the scholarship shoulders of these people, um, because as Columbia trained anthropologists, ah, we are used to, ah, becoming a part of the community. And I live here locally. I'm in the creative Carter. I'm active in the carter and I'm active all the way to Des Moines Because of my involvement um, I- I- I'm involved with the NAACP, I'm the executive committee, and served as chairman of the Freedom Fund, ah, which got to know all stakeholders. But, um, I'm involved with the political action committee where I supported [00:16:00] candidates, um, and get put on forums. Um, I was involved with the religious affairs community. The reason I bring this up because as an anthropologists, we move into a community. We move into a community to understand how it works systemically. And the problems that we're talking about with the truth and reconciliation committee- commission are systemic problems. And I'm prepared to look at the system and take interviews with individuals in a comfortable space for them. Ah, I am politically- I represented, um, the constituencies of Land county. Um, with voting, I was selected to go to Houston by one of the political candidates for the debate, ah, I [00:17:00] set up meet and greets for our local candidates who are identified individuals, ah, in the community who were leaders. Um, I am in involved with the Black Caucus of one of the political parties. And that gets me to know black activists throughout the state. Um, I'm also a volunteer at the African American Museum. Ah, and we're working on a closer partnership um with me to do research, possibly to speak on behalf of them, um, to do interviews with the, ah, Unity Trump's racism organizations before the last major presidential election. I conducted interviews with academic simple politicians to express their cue about- about [00:18:00] serious topics that were involved in the upcoming election. Um, in the past, I have worked on police. The initial study when police women were brought into regular patrol opportunities for the New York City Police. Um, this was been all police departments were beginning to integrate their- their departments including women. And I was involved in that study. I've been involved with IQ testing for a civil rights leader who did national debates with William Shockley because it comes up every so often in the black community, in the national debate onstage that blacks are inferior because of IQ. And I became a subject matter expert on IQ testing and presented the research that prepared him for those national debates around the country [00:19:00] about blacks and IQ testing. Um, I have been- I have done interviews for the Department of Commerce, ah, about the Gulf oil spill that happened a few years ago in- in the Gulf of Mexico. And I was involved with the National Science Foundation Study of the 2008 election. Um, I'm very used to interviewing, uh, that's part of the stock and trade of an anthropologist. And it also involves, ah, writing. Um, I don't know if I've said enough or if you have any further questions. [00:19:45] Um, so we're gonna allow for a public comment. Ah, so if there's anyone that has any questions, ah, regarding, um, that presentation [NOISE]. First, we will go with folks on Zoom, [00:20:00] um, who may have questions. [00:20:06] What about anyone in here? [NOISE] Okay. And then we'll move to commission members. Ah, so Chastity Daphne or Sakawas. If any of you guys have any questions, um, for the presenter or any, um, comments or anything like that, now would be a good time. [00:20:33] All right. How about you guys in here? Do you guys have any questions? [00:20:42] It's very nice to have you here. Thank you for, um, your interest in facilitating, um, our Commission. Um, I'm really impressed with, ah, just all of the decades of work that you've done um for black people all around this country. Um, and, you know, I think that [00:21:00] [NOISE] there- there's a lot of opportunity for us to learn from your experience, um, and a lot of assets that you have. I'm wondering specifically, um, ah what work you've done in like Iowa City and John- Johnson County, um, and how you've like this far applied some of that work to this community. Um, I am- one of the benefits of being associated with the museum, ah, the African American Museum that is in- in Iowa- in CEDaR records, is that the director has- uh, and the State Commission on archaeology has included me on their board. And [00:21:47] I am for me- I mean the process of becoming [00:21:55] an adjunct research associate with the [00:22:00] State Commission- the State Archaeological Commission, which is housed out of the University of Iowa, here in Iowa City. Uh, and that puts me in touch with researchers who have worked with the Native American population in terms of remains. And I'm a social anthropologist, so I would- what I will bring to the table is how they culturally uh, have been displaced. And that would be- mine will be dealing with the social. I deal with living societies. We think of anthropology just as- we separate out archaeology, but archaeology is just one of the specialties. I specialize in living societies, and that's why I identify the systemic structures that people are facing in their living society. I have- [00:23:00] because of my NAACP involvement, I've met with the Johnson County NAACP president. Um, and I'm just down the road so it's getting invo- I'm here- I'm here, I've made a commitment. Um, this is a six year- going on six years of a commitment to this part of Iowa. And I'm involved politically and culturally, and all I would do with Iowa City is apply the same. I would get to know the churches. Get to know the recreation centers. It's just that I live down the road and so I spend more time in Cedar Rapids than I do in Iowa City. And I'm becoming involved with the major university here, so um, that will put me in touch with the city even more. [00:23:58] Thank you. [00:24:00] Can I ask one more question? [00:24:01] Yeah. [OVERLAPPING] [00:24:01] Um, I- I really appreciate that um, sort of detailed outline of your um, budget proposal as well. Um, you mentioned um, you being the lead facilitator as well as um, the involvement of students in volunteer facilitators. Can you outline kind of how you envision that relationship to go and- and what- and how you would uh, delegate different roles and responsibilities. [00:24:21] I see we- we would work as a team and with the aid of the commission, identify activists who have a story to tell of- of abuse or social injustices. And we would identify those people first and get identify the- trace their background. And then we would begin [00:25:00] the um, involvement with telling of their incidence of um, dehumanization. I'm also prepared- I'm also a member of The Economic Alliance and as you know, the chamber- which is the chamber of commerce for this area. And I'm also a member of the economic alliance and so I get to know the stakeholders who may have perpet- perpetuated and systemically have been involved with social injustice. [NOISE] And also, want to say in terms of the South African example of their Truth and Reconciliation Commission, one of the lead commissioners was Mary Burton, and I had the privilege of working with Mary Burton [00:26:00] when I worked for the United States Department of State, I spent a month with her here in America during the end of the era and I don't know if you know who Marry Burton is, but she's a white woman who was president of black sash. And black sash are wealthy white women who used to during the previous regime go and stand with a sash- a black sash, to observe the horrors of the system. And Mary Burton was very much opposed to the system as a white woman. [NOISE] And it led me to understand that even like Martin Luther King came out of the churches, uh, Mary Burton was greatly motivated by her religious beliefs and she was put in prison after I worked with her. Uh, but she was on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission [00:27:00] in South Africa. [00:27:06] Thank you. [00:27:08] Anyone else have any follow-up question? [NOISE] No. Okay. Thank you so much for your time. [00:27:27] Thank you. [00:27:28] Yes. And we'll be in touch. And I don't foresee us- obviously, like I said to you, I don't foresee us making the decisions at this meeting at all. This is kind of just to let everyone know where we're all at and to ask you questions. So I appreciate your time and um, I'll- we'll debrief with most of the TRC members and then probably invite you back to the next meeting with the presentations and stuff and then- [OVERLAPPING]. [00:27:56] Thank you. [00:27:57] -go from there. [00:27:58] Thank you. [00:27:58] Sound good? [00:27:59] Thank you. [00:28:00] Thank you so much. Um, okay so and on Zoom [NOISE] we have our wonderful friends um, so and I kind of explained this um, at the last TRC meeting um, where my head was at with the Kearns West and think piece. Uh, and what I had said was where I envisioned them being very helpful, these two separate um, groups is, um, I really think Kearns in West um is very useful for you know the outreach, the reporting that things like that um, I think this has so much experience in uh the actual truth telling process. Um, and I think that also it's super important to have someone locally. Um, and so something that we had been working on was trying to make this hybrid [00:29:00] literally using councils own words, this hybrid kind of solution um, in a multifaceted you know, different team of things. So um, I wanna give you guys the floor to be able to talk about on your different- um, your different proposals. I know that I only- we only have the think piece, and um, the Banjo Nets a Stige Planning and Mediation Services 1, um so- so It's up to you guys in whatever order that you guys wanna go in. Um, I would suggest maybe letting Larry go first. He talks the most so- [LAUGHTER] but it's up to you guys. [00:29:56] Madam vice-chair friends like these. [NOISE] Um, I'm [00:30:00] gonna actually defer to uh, either uh, Ms. Jordan, uh Ms. Tucker or- or V if they'd like to go first just to share more about their work and- and Dr. Roggan as well. I'm happy to pick up the rear as before. [00:30:17] Okay. [00:30:19] Sure we're gonna just jump right in. Ah, so first we wanna just start thank you to the TRC for the opportunity to submit this proposal. Can you guys hear me okay? All right just checking. We- we really appreciate you all reopening the application process so that we and more folks can share their ideas and get directly involved with the TRC effort, so big thank you for that. Um, and just also high, you all good to see you again. Um, before we jump into our presentation our proposal, I wanna do some introduction. Uh, my name is Angie Jordan. I'm a founder and director of Angie Jordan empowerment, which is a small local business [00:31:00] that focuses on community development and entrepreneurial empowerment. Most people probably though know me through my neighborhood association work where I'm the president of our South District Neighborhood Association, the chair of our Event Committee. Um, I also do the- chair The our Leadership Committee in that neighborhood. And I'm currently the try Chair of the Project Better Together 2030 Envisioning. Um, my background is working with a fixed judicial district with kids who have parents in prison, and then I moved into family support advocacy work through the neighborhood centers in Johnson County. I started up a small business and then went hardcore into neighborhood work and advocacy um, at the grassroots level. I'm a native Iowa-sedian. I'm one of those weirdos who is actually born here and loves it here and weirdo with the most affectionate term. Um, and I'm- very invested in um, healing and being part of the change. So I wanted to throw it over to V so [00:32:00] that they could talk more about who they are. [00:32:04] Thank you, Angie. It's always hard to follow your enthusiasm. [LAUGHTER] I'll do my best. My name is V Fixmer-Oraiz and I'm the CEO and founder of Stig Planning, we're a planning firm is located here in Iowa city in the South District probably. And we focused on community and environmental planning. And we're directly at the nexus of climate change impacts and racial justice and gender inclusion. So we do plans that include things like the flood resilience action plan for the city of Coralville, where we worked with community members um, during the COVID pandemic right in 2020. Um, and looking at who's being disproportionately impacted by flooding. And how do we bring those voices to the table and- and bridge those gaps with uh, community leaders and uh, decision-makers. We also were part of- we helped to lead the planning part for the University of Iowa's [00:33:00] um, campus safety action plan. And um, worked very closely with students, staff, and faculty on uh, putting together that document that- those plans and open house sessions. Um, we really believe in community engagement that focuses on people of color, uh, immigrants, LGBTQ plus uh, community members. People who are formerly incarcerated, kids, people that quite frankly often aren't involved in the planning process, but yet are always impacted by the plans that are made. So we're really excited to partner with um, Angie Jordan and Andy Tucker on this proposal and I will turn it over to Andy. [NOISE] [00:33:46] I'm Annie Tucker. I, um, was one of the founders of a local non-profit mediation services of Eastern Iowa. We started- we had people who were trained in mediation and we ended up starting to court connected mediation [00:34:00] programs, small claims and family. Um, eventually we hosted a training for restorative justice and do have a pool of people who do restorative justice processes for kids who are in situations where they're referred. And, um, that's been interesting work. And of course doing that kind of work, you get to see the systemic inequities in the patterns. So that's been worthwhile putting some feedback about that to folks in the system. We, um, had a grant and use part of it to provide- to bring in a trainer for circle trainings. And we, um, we made it available at hardly any costs to anybody who was working with kids or families locally. And it turned out that a lot of folks from the school district came and that became- really expanded their basic people who were trained in circles in RJ [00:35:00] in the school district, and that's continued to grow. Um, we've begun doing some restorative justice cases for the county attorney. We've also, um, we also have provided an access to justice conference for two years and in planning for the next one. So, um, our work, uh, our work now with Angie and V is really exciting and dear to my heart with the possibility of increasing the use of circles. If- if it seems appropriate and we'll talk more about that, uh, in this community. So anyway, I toss it back to Angie. [00:35:47] And just you guys know I am gonna read from my script because those of you who know me know I can go all over the place. Um, but the main talking point I wanted to focus on is the purpose of our proposal, [00:36:00] which centers around healing. We know there's an incredible amount of healing work to do and to continue doing through our community. As individual entities the- Annie and I, we've devoted much of our lives professionally and passionally to healing practices. And it is really exciting to be honest team this powerhouse, um, to combine our energy and our experiences and our skills and talent to offer our local community healing opportunities, specifically through circles. In our proposal, our team offers community circles to engage different groups in the area, to include them in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission processing. Circles are currently used in restorative justice practices throughout the world. They're also used like Annie set up a local level, again, the county attorney's office, the school district. And we also have their origins in First Nation people in the Yukon, which we will talk more about [00:37:00] here soon. And community circle, we start by acknowledging the origins of the circles. We don't get into any of the meat or the relationship building until we make our acknowledgment. We've done establish a safe space by creating a shared set of values. Folks on this team, we're all about that shared space and how important it is to have before you can get into the relationship building or even those hard conversations. We use a talking piece and take turn answering our question. A talking piece is at the heart of what distinguishes circles from other forms of the meeting. A circle keeper will ask a question. They'll take their turn answering and then pass that talking piece to the next person. When the person has the talking piece, they'll have a choice. They can share anything they choose, or they can pass, which is totally legitimate choice. When participants do not have the talking piece, the piece is huge, I think their role is to listen to understand. And the implicit message [00:38:00] and experience of a talking piece is that, every voice matters, every perspective matters. And like we talked about our proposal, that hierarchy is really flattened in this- in this space-shared face. Which is- which is a rare space it can be remarkable and transformative. Together, our team has already offered several circles. And the feedback has already shown healing happens. But one of the things it does it for me to take a lot to get me excited and hopeful. And we already have been seeing some of this sprinkles. And I just wanted to share some testimony and feedback, either different voices but I will read it kind of as a whole. I felt I was in a space space with people I already knew. But in that safe space, I felt I could say more than I usually say to people I know in the circle. After the circle I felt refreshed and replenished. And I was in a very good mood for the rest of the day. I also appreciated the input of other circle members. I've got a couple [00:39:00] much here to read. It was very calming, a very calming place. It allowed me to speak freely without judgment. I think circles are a great way to communicate and let people get their feelings out and be heard. And then the final testimony I wanted to share. A lot of differences that we have could be resolved. People would have a chance and better understanding how community feel about certain things. And that was the question of how do you think circle could be useful moving forward. So we hope more healing work can be offered through community circles. As mentioned before, circles comes from First Nation people in Yukon. And now I want to pass it over to V who's gonna help discuss that, uh, or address that elephant in the room. V take it away. [00:39:49] Thank you Angie. Remind me never to follow you again. [LAUGHTER]. Yeah, has passed me the elephant in the room. Thank you. What we're talking about, [00:40:00] of course, is appropriation, which really is no laughing matter. And I appreciate, um, everything that Angie has said before, um, circles coming from First Nations people in the Yukon. And really what we want to shift this towards is making sure that we are in right relationship with those communities and, um, go beyond just the acknowledgment of passing on that prac- the practice and healing of circles. Um, so as Angie mentioned, there is an acknowledgment, of course, at the, um, outside of every circle that we've done. Um, and there also has been, uh, funding that- in- in the budget for- that is set aside to set it- to- to provide that to the Yukon, uh, tribe. So b- but beyond that, we realized that we also have, um, you know, a- a commitment to our local community. And, um, the First Nations people of the Muscogee tribe, are here locally. And so it is, [00:41:00] um, a task for ourselves and for others to really become more in right relationship. And I want to thank, uh, Councilperson Neves for communicating with us directly about this. And, uh, we look forward to continuing our outreach and engagement to make sure that as we continue to move forward, um, that we are in right relationship with the tribal practices. Um, recognizing that that's where it comes from. Making sure that we're not appropriate in that culture, but really celebrating that culture. And we find that in saying that the proposal that we have put forth may shift and may change because we want to make sure that those relationships are honored. And so while we put those forth here before you today, we also want to acknowledge that as we deepen those relationships and engage, um, more fully with the First Nation people Muscogee tribe and- and others that may come forth that we just want to be open to that potentially changing. [00:42:00] Um, because again, we- we wanna be within our inte- integrity. We want to make sure that even though we feel that it is a healing practice that we're being resp- respectful and mindful of where those practices come from and how they are being utilized. Uh, so that is what I wanted to say about that. And, um, I will pass it over to Annie to expand on the Truth and Reconciliation core and capacity- capa- capacity building component of our proposal. [00:42:28] Great. Thank you V and thanks Angie. Um, so in focusing on the Truth and Reconciliation process, we realize that, um, it's great for our community to have access to folks who are experienced in this process. And we want to build community capacity once they leave, once that initial stage is over. It occurred to us that we want to have local folks who understand [00:43:00] this process and who are able to continue it. And in fact, we thought maybe one of the reasons why there weren't a lot of- of applications to provide this process from local folks is we don't know our community folks, you know, we have great leaders, great activists, but they don't know this process. So we ask that the commissioners consider building this in with anybody they- any of the professionals that they hire to pro- help shape our local process. That they ask them to, um, first, that we- we find a group of people who are willing to learn these skills and later provide them collaboratively in an ongoing way in our community. Because there will still be truths that needs to be told and heard. There will still be work and change that needs to be done. So we ask that you have that be part of the terms [00:44:00] of the job description, that they include that core of people in, um, conversations with the TRC, which inevitably you would think would include them explaining, here's how the process works, here's why we do this. Here are your options and here's what we would advise about them, and here's what we do and why. And that local folks get to be involved in that. And those may just be Zoom calls that you all the commissioners are having with the folks that you hire so that the, you know, the small team of people, however large you determine, um, can be present for that and build our community's capacity to keep this work going on when the initial phase is over. So that's- we're excited about that idea and when it occurred to us, it seemed like, wow, that should be part of going into any community is making sure that the local folks can continue this work because it's not going to be done [00:45:00] in six or nine or 12 months, right? We've got decades, we've got centuries to work with. So, um, there's that idea that we just wanna plant that seed in how you shape your relationship with whoever you hire. And we also want to say, thank you for the work you're doing. You know that it's important to work and I'm talking to the commissioners now. And we support you creating a process that gives our local folks a chance to share their truths and have them heard and have them be part of change that happens here. Thank you. [00:45:45] So uh, do we want to let them all go kind of together and then ask questions individually, would that be the best way to go about this or do you guys want to hear things, piece and then have- it's up to you guys. [00:46:00] Okay. Let's do- let's have Dr. David Ragland speak if that's okay and then we'll do questions for everyone uh, all three of you guys at the end if that's okay. [00:46:13] Uh, good evening. Um, please tell me if you can hear me. My, uh, Internet has been spotty where I'm at. There's a storm coming uh, or underway, but, um, it's a pleasure to be here with you all. And it's a pleasure to be here and be considered and- and be a part of the work that's happening um, here in Iowa City. And, um, just to introduce myself, I'm Dr. David Ragland and, um, I work- I'm the co- executive director at the truth-telling project. And we, uh, created our partnership, um, about six months ago with [00:47:00] think peace to support truth commissions around the country. We'd already been doing that to a large extent, really informally. Um, we met, uh, each other in 2014 after the murder of Mike Brown Junior in St. Louis and, uh, we- myself with a number of other activists, we started the- um, the Ferguson truth commission, uh, and what we call this a truth-telling project. And we didn't know what we were doing. My background up to that point had been in peace-building and, um, restorative justice. Um, I'd done a lot of research on that and had been working to convene, uh, communities across the country, uh, particularly where I was teaching at at the time. Um, [00:48:00] and in- in Ferguson, uh, we basically were able to, um, hear from so many different, uh, people that supported our work because we were- we understood that at that particular moment in time, we were addressing police violence. But that police violence was part of and connected to many other structural dynamics. Um, and there was so many people who came and supported us and taught us and we learned together with them like folks from Greensboro truth commission. And I was even really, um, inspired. Um, and just, uh, my thoughts came back to Bishop Tutu, um, as he recently passed away. And I found a message that he sent to [00:49:00] us after a few months of our work that had begun in Ferguson. And he wrote, "You've changed the nature of the national conversation about racist police violence. Bringing to light the unfortunate pattern that until you stood up, had largely been understood as isolated events. But now this nation is debating the deep problems of structural racism and militarized police tactics. This reframing of the problem is a first step toward true and lasting transformation." And that's been our- our hope, um, to not only support our community and telling their stories, uh, but it was also, um, all of the folks who participated in the- the true commission have been able to continue, um, in that work. And some of the outcomes [00:50:00] of our truth Commission, um, have been contributing to substantive transformative change in the Ferguson St. Louis area. Not to mention the individuals who were able to move on and really impact our community like Court Congresswoman Cori Bush who helped us start this project as well. And so some of the- the things that we are really excited and, uh, hope to continue supporting this commission a- around is providing a space where they can gather with other people from other communities who are doing the same thing. For instance, in, uh, throughout the country there are over 40, uh, truth commissions that are emerging, doing their work, uh, and trying to address long- held historical [00:51:00] issues of structural racism and violence. Um, and actually some of the, many of the people on the call now and in the, uh, meeting have attended and been in conversation with uh, people who are doing similar work around the country and throughout the world. And, um, our approach is- is very much connected and I think honors the sentiment that, um, some of the past speakers, uh, mentioned. And we're focused on supporting, um, this community in creating a- a transitional justice process that fits them. Uh, we don't- we don't consider ourselves as experts per se. We consider ourselves as people who've had similar experiences and how do we be here to help. And part of that is, uh, in our proposal is [00:52:00] speaks directly to how we want to support the community in developing its own transitional justice efforts, which includes some of the fact-finding, uh, some of the- um, the outreach and, um, working with local community partners, uh, but also evaluation and reporting and then that how that can support, uh, structural transformation in- in your community. And so our proposal is focused on six months where much of our focus is around developing capacity in the local community. And one example of that is we're offering a course on truth and reconciliation for folks around the country who are doing this work as well. Um, and so, um, in addition to supporting [00:53:00] this community and supporting the development of processes around truth telling and truth and reconciliation, uh, we see ourselves as, um, being supporters even after the six-month period has gone and continuing to connect people so that they feel that they're part of a community and a larger group of folks who are uh, doing this work. And, um, I'm just going to close and I believe we've submitted a report that, uh, we are- would be happy to share and I'd be happy to answer specific questions about our work. And some of the folks who, uh, are a part of our work. But, um, I'm a Midwesterner, I'm from St. Louis, born and raised and I am so honored and happy that this community is, uh, doing [00:54:00] this work and we're in this together in this country, this is an important time where if truth, uh, is not held up, um, then, uh, we'll have nothing but mis- truths. And one of our- um, the people who worked on the Truth Commission in Ferguson, wrote in her book that truth telling is the beginning of a moral inventory. And thus essentially what we are working on, a moral inventory that touches us, to our hearts helps to heal the woundedness that all of us are feeling. Um, and so, uh, such a pleasure. Thank you all for allowing me to come to you and I'm- I'm here to answer any questions and thoughts and concerns. [00:54:56] Thank you so much, Dave. All right. Larry bear [BACKGROUND]. [00:55:00] [00:55:02] I don't know what rhymes with that [LAUGHTER] Well, [00:55:07] now you are - like I am sure commissioners understand why I would want to not go first and it's such a distinguished group, and I'm here primarily just to express our excitement at the prospect of being teamed with Annie, Angie, Vee and David, if I may. We believe that we can play a helpful role as facilitators uh, for the TRC, um, and as uh, means of helping with the capacity-building that's been talked about in other uh, presentations. Uh, you all know a lot about us, we obviously had an extensive conversation a number of months ago, and I wanna thank the TRC for being open to the possibility of working with us again. I also want you to know that you know, amongst currents and west, and the three local organizations and think piece, um, [00:56:00] we- we certainly feel as if we have the beginnings of a very symbiotic uh, relationship and partnership to help the TRC not just with it's work internally, and with it's truth telling in fact finding, but with its deliberations on the completion of this first part of its work. And so like others, I'm here to answer questions, but I don't think there's much need to present more to you all. I think you've heard plenty and, you've heard plenty from us in the past, so happy to take questions and be part of the conversation. Thank you very much. [00:56:33] Yeah. Thank you, Larry. And before we go to um, public comment and questions, um, I wanted to just kind of touch base on what my, um where my head is at with those three different proposals. And I think, [00:57:00] and I've- I've spoken to them about it before. [NOISE] Eventually the goal is to make an agreement amongst the three, that way that we don't have council voting for, yes, will take currents and West, yes will take circles, no, we don't want thank piece. No, we don't want thank piece, yes, we want, you know, so things like that. So that's kind of what we're working towards, and that's why I wanted to give all of uh, the people who have sent in proposals um, time to communicate and talk to us and see where our heads are at uh, with things and, um what we feel like we might need from them, uh versus, uh them as in like them outside of the city and then our local, um community uh, proposals that have been put in. Um, so with that being said, I'm gonna, um open it up to public comment, [00:58:00] um just for the participants on Zoom first, um so if you have any questions for either Annie, Angie, Vee, Dave, Larry, um now would be a good time to raise your hand. [00:58:13] Um, I just want to add as well. Before we go onto the public comment, I just want to make sure it's clear, we're not disqualifying Arnold or anything by any means. This including these three in the group as they've actively been working together on a joint proposal. Arnold, again, if you'd like to work with them or also do a separate proposal yourself and then have that considered um, as, you know, something as an attachment, we can do that too. Just wanted to make sure that's clear for everyone, before we start public comment. [00:58:45] Doesn't seem if anyone raised a hand. It looks like nobody on Zoom has any questions, but about anyone hear public comment? Any questions? All right, um, commissioners [00:59:00] that are on Zoom, if any of you guys have any questions, comments, um, now would be a good time to raise your hand and then, um, we'll, uh get staff to unmute you and have our questions answered. [00:59:18] Looks like ooh, there we go. [00:59:22] They should be unmuted they're panelists. [00:59:24] Oh, yeah. They can unmute themselves, I think so. [00:59:28] Sikowis. [00:59:29] It's just, yeah. Sikowis go ahead. [00:59:35] Good evening. Um, I actually am sickly, I have COVID. Uh, so um, I may not be, um the most articulate at the moment. Um, I have some concerns with this proposal. Um, I had been contacted by the circles folks, um, but wasn't told that this was actually something that was being proposed for the TRC. [01:00:00] Um, what I understood was that it was something that was being proposed through, um, an Iowa City grant, um, I think it's the human rights commi- um human rights commission or something. And that they were going to do this, um, like within their communities. Um, however, I do have very big concerns if this is something that's going to be done through, um, the commission, uh, because I'm very uncomfortable with, uh, circles being used, um, by non-native people, um, when indigenous people are involved, um, not as leaders. Um, and though I know that there has been discussion about reaching out to indigenous peoples, um, I do feel that this is, um, too soon to, um be, uh, proposing, uh this, uh without actually um, having consultation and consent, um, from indigenous communities in the area. [01:01:00] I have said, uh to Annie,um, Angie, um, Vee and Arnold that, um, this is a very, um, intricate subject to discuss, and, um, I myself would be very uncomfortable in a circle being led by a white person or a non-native person, like you would find that quite odd right? So right there, that's the very example of new ageism and appropriation, and, um, I'm like for using it for TRC purposes would be like going completely against the grain of what the TRC is for. Um, because it's not actually like being inclusive of indigenous peoples, it's appropriating or using indigenous ways for the healing of other, um, communities, but not involving the leadership of indigenous peoples, which it should. Um, and then also, I find it very tokenizing because [01:02:00] so far with the TRC, um, I have um, had an interesting experience where the first thing that I was asked to do was that when I came on, um, after having to fight to get on and get indigenous representation on this committee by the way, was, uh to help write a land acknowledgment. Since then there has been little to no interest, uh, in indigenous communities and are- are issues that we face here. Um, and the focus, um, of the TRC is, uh, far from anything that, um, is about indigenous folks. And then now we're going to see circles possibly used, um, as a way to heal the community, um, but again, without any indigenous involvement. Uh, or asking myself, I- I've been asked now by four people if I'm okay with this, and I've said every time [01:03:00] I'm - I'm really not, but I'm open to talking about it because, you know, like I like these people, like every single one of these people that have approached me are people that I respect and I like. So I just hope that the people that I'm speaking like about; the circles folks right now know that this is not like a personal attack or anything like that. Um, but I definitely think that this is a conversation that needs to be had, um, like the circles aspect of it really needs to be discussed at further length. And we need, um, indigenous folks from the community involved and not just miss quirky folks actually, like there would be Iowa folks that would need to be consulted about this, because this is actually Iowa land, um, and, um, miss quirky folks, second fox folks came later. And, um, representatives from the community, I know Marie Krebs is here in attendance, um, and maybe she has something to say, uh, I'm sorry I'm picking on you Marie. Um, but, um, it's, [01:04:00] uh, it's been very disheartening for me to be on this committee, this commission, um, it's one of the reasons I've gone quiet the past few meetings, because I don't feel like, um, indigenous representation is something that's taken seriously and are only in the form of a act that is somewhat like new age or inland acknowledgments which frankly don't actually like do anything for us. It's just like using us as a- as a vehicle, um, for healing others, but like really leaving the first peoples of this land, the peoples with the highest rates of police murder. The people with the highest rates of youth suicide, uh missing and murdered people, um like serious- serious issues that we're facing. Just leaving them, like pushing them to the wayside, and like apexing, you know, our ways as a way to move through, [01:05:00] but like not pushing all of our stuff out as we go. So this might seem like a harsh assessment, um, but I have to be honest, because that's my job, that's why I do what I do, and I do want to see these circles happen possibly, but like I would really like to see like actual, real consultation, and real consent with indigenous communities and like folks. That's more than just calling me up and saying, what do you think? Like well, I told you what I think, but then here we are discussing it, like with I feel kind of ambushed, like I wasn't even- I didn't know this was happening. And it's my fault because I was actually um, the last meeting I was at ah, actually a training uh, for sex trafficking, and how to teach that to youth, um, because we have- we space such high rates of that within our communities. So, um, that's the stuff I'm dealing with, and so this is why maybe this is a little bit triggering for me, um, and [01:06:00] I just think that it's best that I'm honest and I hope that we can be stronger for it because of that reason. But I do appreciate the work that Vee, and Annie, and Angie, um, are doing, um, and I really would like to have, um further conversations. So I guess that would be what I would add to this right now, is that like let's talk about it, like let's set some time aside to have more conversation and, um, get more folks involved. Thank you. [01:06:30] [NOISE] Marie, do you want to go really quick, [01:06:36] just because you're - [inaudible 01:06:37] - [OVERLAPPING] [01:06:38] Yeah. I just wanted to back, uh, Sikowis in what she said. [NOISE] Um, when- when they spoke of, uh- when Angie spoke of the healing circle, she mentioned First Nations people and Yukon. So, um, I guess my first thought was, are we going to be hosting these people to lead the circles? Um, [01:07:00] and then when we're speaking of other, uh, you know, tribal nations involved in the circles, but this is not, uh, from their nations. So that was a little confusing to me. I just wanted to back her on that. Um, if we are going to be using, uh, these people's, um, healing practices, we probably should be involving them. [01:07:21] [NOISE] Thank you, Marie. Um, so before Daphney goes, I wanna give an opportunity for- if Angie, V, or Annie want to respond, um, to Sikowis [01:07:41] Yeah, thank you so- so much. If it's okay, Ange, can I [inaudible 01:07:44] [NOISE] and of course please other's talk. And first of all, uh, Sikowis, I just wanna thank you for the gift of you speaking up. Uh, I really mean that like from my heart. Like thank you [NOISE] for saying that, everything that you said. Um, and I apologize if, uh, [01:08:00] we had somehow mischaracterized, we did submit a grant. That is true, um, and maybe in our conversation that just kinda got, um, [NOISE] caught up in the mix. Um, our number one priority in- in- in approaching this is making sure again that we're in right relationship and so, um, I- I am certain that the other people in my group would feel similarly and absolutely doing what you said. Um, we welcome, you know, making those relationships, um, doing it the right way. You know, there's, uh- there's- there's [LAUGHTER] there's no finish line. Right? And so we're in no- we're in no hurry, that's white supremacy and we know that. Like we're planting seeds for like a future, 20 generations away. So, um, absolutely welcome any engagement and, uh, will actively pursue that. And I know that you're not feeling well right now and I'm very sorry that you are sick with COVID. And so, um, you know, rest up. And definitely [01:09:00] we- I'm personally committed to making sure that we do this, um, you know, step-by-step. So thank you so much for your words and- [OVERLAPPING] [01:09:08] Yeah. [01:09:09] -for your passion. [01:09:10] It- it could potentially be a really good thing if we get, like, I'm imagining like truly partnering with local indigenous folks, like it could really be a good thing. I just don't want to like, this happens so much to us. Like you know exactly what I'm talking about because you also come from, you know, disenfranchised communities. Um, but in particular, indigenous peoples face such high rates of cultural misapprop- misappropriation, new-age tokenism and so I- I just- I had- I- I would not be a good relative if I did not speak up and say like, you are wonderful people but let's like talk about like doing this in a way that will be suitable to local folks. I've reached out to some Meskwaki folks already. And, [01:10:00] um, one of them is interested in connecting you with maybe folks in the area. And I'm happy to also talk to Iowa people, um, and then local natives as well at the university and within the Iowa city community that might be interested in, um, becoming a part of this or helping with it, or consulting or even teaching or leading a circle. I'm not sure. I just feel like- yeah, I feel like we could talk more about that. So, um, thank you for [NOISE] that really, um, good presentation. [01:10:34] Absolutely. [NOISE] And I also want to say thank you for your words about the commission in your experience. I know that took a lot of courage and just want you to really feel seen in what you said. So thank you. [01:10:45] Thank you. [01:10:47] I also just wanted to chime in. I'm probably not gonna say anything new that we didn't already. Um, and then this has been at the forefront of what do we not know, what do we not know we're doing, who can we ask? I'm- I'm [01:11:00] very sensitive to being a token. I'm very sensitive of people taking credit for things that, uh, my perspective brought about or people like me brought about and then it being taken. I'm definitely not saying that I can relate exactly to indigenous people, but I- I also just want to say thank you for being brave and being brave publicly and being brave publicly on a city commission, Sikowis, just- just- and as a woman to you, I'm just- I'm just having kinda a little heart crash on you right now, um, [LAUGHTER] and I'm super excited to move forward wherever forward goes for us, um, because that is our priority. So I'm- yeah, I'm- I'm gonna stop there, but I just want to give gratitude. [01:11:42] I'm happy to talk to you all more about this moving forward and putting people in touch with you. [01:11:52] Like Annie might be- are you unmuting yourself, Annie? He's try- she's trying to, oh. [01:12:00] [01:12:02] Down there. I was [OVERLAPPING] kidding the one on my picture which I know that it's down below, [LAUGHTER] but I was just- it wasn't working on the picture. Um, Sikowis, thank you. I really appreciate you sp- speaking up. And, um, it- it's a big issue every place and it's a big issue here. And so you're giving us a chance to, um, really de- really deal with it and see what needs to be done. I appreciate it. I appreciate you speaking up. Thanks. [01:12:39] Hey, perfect. Um, good, I wanna give gratitude to Sikowis for being very vulnerable. Um, and that was wonderful insight. And I think that that was really- really useful, uh, not only just for, uh, that team, but for everyone who is in- on this Zoom meeting as well, and he's here. So I appreciate you for [NOISE] being [01:13:00] vulnerable. Um, and just articulating that beautifully. Uh, Daphney, you wanna go ahead and see- and ask any questions? [01:13:11] I don't really have questions. I just want to say, um, thank you to Sikowis for sameness, um, because I think it is something that at least one or two of us have- have been thinking. Like we really aren't comfortable- comfortable with these circles going forward. Um, I personally feel like we do not have- we have not been properly introduced to circles and I think the way to properly do that is asking First Nations people to do that, to show- to- to the ki- I mean, they're not- it's no one's job to necessarily teach you about their culture. [01:14:00] You ask them and hope that they are willing to share that with you. And I'm gonna put it out there K crannies or prannies or whatever, um, she is held up as the person who is teaching all these different non-indigenous people how to create these circles. But she herself has been accused by indigenous groups of appropriating this and falsely claiming she had permission to teach others this practice. And this is exactly why it's important to not go to people who said, "Oh, so-and-so taught me, " but to actually go to the people who know, go to the people who understand the spiritual and cultural background and respecting what they're willing to share with us and what they want to keep for the- for themselves. And so thank you so much Sikowis, I really hope you recover. [01:15:00] But thank you for expressing that, it's not always easy to speak up when you feel like you're being tokenized or you're feeling- feeling or you're being marginalized. And I also completely agree that we- we need to expand our focus because a lot of the focus of work- of our work has been on, um, really African-Americans and to a lesser extent black, um, members of Iowa's community and to- and even lesser extent, um, excluded workers which can come from various backgrounds. We kind of need to start opening up our work because as- as far as being inclusive, that's not what's- what's happening now. Um, so thank you Sikowis and the- and I take this as a challenge for us to do better and I hope we can, uh, meet-meet that challenge. Thank you. [01:16:00] [01:16:02] Thank you, Daphney. Um, Dr. Ragland, do you had your hand up before and then put it back down? Did you have something that you wanted to say before I [OVERLAPPING] moved on? [01:16:12] Yeah. I- I- yeah, I just wanted to be clear that, um, I- I definitely appreciate what was said. And- you know, but I also just wanna name, in all honesty that circle practices have been practiced around the world in most countries, um, in most indigenous places around the world. For instance, the approach that we learned from was from traveling to South Africa and learning specifically through Ubuntu. And- so I just- I wanna be careful about essentializing where knowledge comes from. So I just want to honor what you said, but also honor that there are [01:17:00] so many traditions that are mixed and melded in- in where we are now. So that's not to take away what you say, but I just want to add some contexts in depth to that. [01:17:16] Actually- I've actually said that exact same thing to both Annie and V, um, about circles. Uh, these are, uh, something that I- I don't know wha- how it's practiced in other parts of the world. But, uh, if, you know, folks are more comfortable going to their own, uh, you know, cultures, traditions and backgrounds, and, um, moving from that direction then, you know, and not like, you know, uh, aligning it with First Nations folks, you know, that might be a lot easier way to do it. Um, you know, just, uh, at the same time we all know like why it's happening though. So, you know, it's cuts out of the bag. It's like that's where it's coming from in this particular case. So, um, [01:18:00] uh, yeah. That's- but that was one of my ideas in the past. I- I know I've said that before to Annie, um, awhile back. You know, the circles are- they happen all over the world. So, um, that's something to look into for sure. [01:18:12] Okay. Thank you for that comment. [01:18:19] Um, and then I'm gonna bring it over to the commissioners that are here. Commissioner Rivera, do you want to start? [01:18:28] Yeah. I have two things, [NOISE] in lines of inquiry, [NOISE] I guess just comments and I wanted to make them. One in response to, so it was a conversation that's happening. I think that this is a robust conversation and an important one to have. I just want to say to Sikowis, um, I hope you got some rest tonight and just speedy recovery. My thoughts are with you and appreciate you, um, being with us today. Um, I always miss your voice. [NOISE] in these meetings so, as much as you're willing to provide, you know I'm always grateful for it. Um, I- [01:19:00] you think that a lot of attention has been sort of put on this kind of circles and sort of RJ process. I- I think that it's a little bit putting the cart before the horse in terms of us really needing to focus on sort of the fact-finding entry is tearing parts before we really consider the methods by which we, um, enact sort of reconciliation and restoration in the community and so I- I appreciate sort of the advocacy on behalf of these local leaders, um, and and really wanting to sort of propose, um, this type of practice, uh, in our work. But I- I don't think that we're in a place where we can necessarily commit to saying that this is gonna be the way that we carry out the third part of our- our mandate. Um, I- I don't think that we should be making that commitment with this kind of initially- initial facilitator, um, phase of our work. Um, that being said, I really, um, I recognize how involved, you know these three local leaders have, um, been with our commission and I just want us to sort of think how [01:20:00] we can incorporate them a little bit earlier, um, uh, in partnership with, um, whomever, uh, we go with for facilitation. Um, the other question, not to just like not let anyone respond to that, but I just wanted to ask Larry, I- I really appreciate you, um joining us again. Um, you know this is a different phase. Uh, well, the TRC is in a different place than we were when we first spoke and heard from you and I just kind of wanted to get a sense from you in terms of what's- how do you, um, imagine things being different in terms of your involvement and role compared to when we first, um, uh, spoke? [01:20:37] Yeah. Thanks, Commissioner, very much for that question. I- I think that because of the team that we've assembled, we see our role as being one in which we can be primarily a resource to the commissioners, um, as facilitators of a strategic and work plan process, as compilers of the testimony that you will receive from all different corners, whether it be public hearings or [01:21:00] private, uh, fact-finding and truth-telling, to assist with research, to be supportive to both Dr. Oregon and Eduardo in the work of designing and staging public events, but really being, uh, in a shotgun seed, if you will, a supportive role there. Um, and then assisting you, um, as you complete the compilation of the testimony and begin thinking about recommendations to be facilitators for you so that every commissioner can be, um, you know fully participative and- and we can sort of help with, um, you know, getting you all to consensus on- on recommendations so that they represent the views of the entire TRC and carry that much more weight. [01:21:43] Thank you. [01:21:44] Sure. [01:21:45] Um, I don't got a question. I just got a comment. Um, I've been involved in a circle with Annie Tucker. Uh, I didn't really think about [01:22:00] the part about, um, it shouldn't be like ran by a white woman. I never thought about that. But I was - I was so dissatisfied with the circle. But I am open to education and learning more about the circle as in, you know, I'm open to the idea of having discussions about, you know getting indigenous people to run a meeting, or maybe even just advising, or- or helping to run these circles. So I'm open to education. Um, I just wanted to say thank you to any circle because I participated in a circle and I enjoyed it and as far as the issues, um, going around like who shouldn't be that bad, and shouldn't have been really bad at. I'm open to be- I'm open to be educated about that and- and with that of you. [01:22:58] I'm good. This [01:23:00] is Commissioner Wangui for the record. Thank you everybody who presented. Um, taking away something from all of you presenters that is can be useful to the TRC. Thank you, everyone, and it was good to listen to you again. Larry, we had already listened to Canzan West. We'd also listened to some of what was said by Think Peace through Gonzales and part of Canzan West. Thank you. And with Angie the- and Annie, we work with you in the community as, uh, I've [01:24:00] been aware of for long that Annie you do circles in the community, uh, as part of the organizations that are already working in Johnson County and in Iowa City and it was good to hear you, Arnold and also- and to read up on your work and all your experience and what you would also bring to the table. I also do want to respond to Sikowis. Thank you again for standing up. [01:24:49] And, uh, this is the time sometimes it feels like somebody is representing a whole cultural group. Thank you for [01:25:00] doing that. Been there, done that and it's not for me. It's never a very comfortable feeling. But we end up doing it anyway being BIPOC people in Iowa City. So I appreciate your courage and your strength in doing that. And thank you, Daphney for pointing out that we should not- to remember that we don't- even if some BIPOC groups in our community don't come forward to- to be part of the facilitation process or working with TRC at the forefront. We should not forget to go out [01:26:00] there and look for them. Uh, right now, I'm thinking of the Latinx communities [NOISE] in our- in our- in Iowa City and in Johnson County. I've been hearing a very loud absence of that particular group. So I- I'm thinking it's on a, [01:26:37] I'm feeling as TRC commissioners, [01:26:41] we are obligated to be proactive in bringing them to the table we had started when we were approaching allies. I would- wou- I would suggest that [01:27:00] we somehow follow up on that and bring them to the table as we move with the facilitation process because to me the way it's looking it's now working with multiple facilitators, I stand to be corrected. And then, the other- I'm also hearing a very loud, absence of, uh, Asian community. [01:27:36] And the African community and even if they did not- they haven't yet volunteered themselves, they are there so am feeling obligated as a- as a commissioner that we go seek them out. I- I may be leaving [01:28:00] out other groups, but I- I needed to say that. Then the other thing, er, from Think Peace. Thank you very much for taking me back home. You used the word Ubuntu. And that is actually, uh, uh, I'm Bantu linguistically. So when you say Ubuntu, if I say it in my language, um, I would say omodo for Ubuntu, meaning and you are relating that to circles and circles- and they are not called circles when you go to Ubuntu in my language. But what it means as you sit down to listen fact find and work on justice, and finally get to reconciliation. Uh, humanness, or Ubuntu or omodo, whichever [01:29:00] Bantu language you'd be using, should run through the process. So thank you for bringing that and- that- so that I remember as I work as a commissioner, to remember to have humanness. As I go- through- as i work as a commissioner, I yield. [01:29:24] And [NOISE] really quick before Daphney speaks, I just want to say kind of like the comment regarding the circles aspect of this. Um, so and that was the part of the reason why I wanted to get the whole commission involved on this conversation because if you look at their, um, proposal that they have so far, they don't really have a timeline on it. Um, there is no timelines sets to be determined. Um, and so I think that's also really important to take into account [01:30:00] because, um, at the beginning of this, when I was reaching out to Kearns in West and Eduardo, um, I- I said that I was interested in circles, but I just wasn't sure how it would fit into this process. And so it's been kind of like an experience figuring out how circles fits into this process locally. Um, for me, it's in the longitivity of this, how this is going to be long-term. Um, So I just wanted to kind of make sure that people knew that there wasn't a timeline that was determined yet, um, by these three, um, and this is kind of just to like gauge everyone's perspectives and stuff and then like go from there from what feedback they're hearing. Um, Daphney, if you still have something to say, I'm-I'm totally open to you going. [01:30:53] I just- I just wanted to say you know I'm sure a white woman or [01:31:00] like, um, a- I'm sure anyone could lead a circle. It's just understanding the cultural significance behind it and some parts of the country or parts of the world. The religious, um, beliefs behind it for creating that sacred space. So whether it's Annie or anyone else, I'm-I'm not saying [LAUGHTER] people of a certain, yeah- yeah, i yield. [01:31:37] And, um, anyone from, uh, and so- I guess, um, earlier, get to what you had mentioned, um, something about kind of where you pictured and you said you- you might stand to be corrected. Um, I can't exactly remember what you said before that. Um, but [01:32:00] my intention in having these conversations with these folks, um, specifically, um, Kearns and West and Think Peace is because I don't think, um, that there is anyone in this community who has the knowledge, um, and expert- experience, since Dr. Ragland doesn't like to use expertise of this truth-telling process. And I think the va- the experience that they bring to the table is invaluable. Um, and I always joke with Larry like, um, I- like I can't wait to use you because like I don't want to do this research stuff like that's hard. I don't want to do it. It takes up a lot of effort. Um, and so I'm looking at it as a sense of like different phases. And for lack of a better term different ways that I can use these guys. Um, and so you know where I see Larry Schooler [01:33:00] and company being super-helpful you know is getting that research. Um, someone being there to just type and you know during the truth-telling sessions and gather that information in a place. Um, and kind of help with the strategic planning and all of that with specific things and- and I also personally in the future would love to use a stage planning for- for strategic planning, especially when it comes to sustainability efforts in this community. Um, but I- and i also know that Dr. Ragland, like the experience that he had in Ferguson and, um, you know just with everything in the truth telling project and the amount of expertise that Eduardo has is just invaluable. Um, as far as like the- the sandwich method [01:34:00] for the- the bread and then I think the meat is the local, the local people who, you know whether we decide who- whoever it may be locally. Um, because that's kind of where like a lot of the work on the forefront is going to be. Um, and so I want to make sure that everyone knows that we want to work to make this plan as easy as possible. And like Larry has been very- very you know, um, straightforward about not wanting to kind of take over you know any of this and knowing kind of what they're part of this agreement would be, um, versus what Kearns and Think Peace is part of the agreement would be versus what, um, Estig mediation, banjo, nets empowerment role would be, [01:35:00] and I'm going to yield to the floor. Does anyone have? [01:35:06] Yes, um, I'm just thinking out loud, but as far as I see sort of the proposals for facilitation as it stands, we have, um, kind of two, um, sort of ways of going about things in ways of exploring. We have you know the Think Peace, um, and Kearns and West proposals group for facilitation, maybe kind of bringing in partners, um, down the line. Um, and then we also have, um, Arnold who is offering sort of his services. Um, and- you know I think that there's a lot of good options there and I would be ex- excited about pursuing any of those options we saw are running into an obstacle that we face towards the council previously, which is that- out of those two options that are being presented for us, we still don't have like anyone in our community. Um- [01:35:57] With- if you look at the proposed [01:36:00] budget for Think Peace, so they have, um, a senior facility- or a local facilitator, um, that is doing the work on the- they've a lot of that in their budget proposal. Um, for that, and, um, I Estig- Estig and mediation- [01:36:25] Is it Estig or Astig by the way, i just wanted to- [01:36:27] Is it Estig or is it Astig? [01:36:29] Uh, it's neither. It's- it's Estig. [01:36:33] Estig? [01:36:34] Yeah, it's Filipino. [01:36:35] Sorry, I'm so sorry. [01:36:36] No, it's okay. People get it all the time. It's Filipino means like really- it actually means like cool, fresh, bad-ass. So it's- it's okay. [01:36:44] Hey, I like that. [01:36:45] Yeah. [01:36:47] Insert that into planning as much as I can. [01:36:49] [LAUGHTER] yeah, and so with that Estig would be within that time- with Think Peace and, um, [01:37:00] and Kearns and West, sorry. So they would be like the local. And so that's why I was having this conversation with everyone because we do want to ma- they want to make an agreement with those three after hearing because they've just only been hearing like me and my perspective, um, via communicating with them. Um, and so I wanted everyone to kind of hear where their head was at and that's why I kind of said that we were taking a step back after that, the last time we had met and kind of just said, Hey, let's slow this down. Let's see where everyone's heads at. Um, let's see. Redmond? [01:37:42] Ye- Yes. [01:37:42] Is that our deputy. I was gonna say, okay, yes, [01:37:47] perfect. Hello, Red. [01:37:48] Hello, how are you? [01:37:50] Good. How are you? [01:37:51] I'm doing fine. Um, I- I, you know, I- I didn't wanna really interject myself, but, uh, the deliberations is been [01:38:00] totally fabulous to listen to and, um, kind of maybe highlighted something, um, in my mind, at least that, may be the commission may wanna consider. Um, I think it's probably fair to say that, uh, amongst the BIPOC communities, there's specific challenges in each one. And it may be challenging to expect one facilitator or one group of facilitator to capture all of those unique challenges. Um, may be having, uh, facilitating team that can, um, be broken up into specific communities to focus their energies to come back together, uh, into some type of a unified, [01:39:00] um, overall process. Uh, might- might be an order. Um, just kind of dawned on me hearing, um, some of the comments which make a whole lot of sense. And, um, the fact that maybe some communities may be harder to reach or harder to, uh, participate and, um, and avoid, um, the- the- the possibility of leaving someone out because they may have a different timeframe on how they feel comfortable accessing this process. Just a thought. [01:39:43] No. I love that. Thank you so much, and I appreciate you for chiming in, um, and being a part of this conversation. It means a lot to have you here, almost every single meeting. Um, and, [NOISE] um, so thank you for that feedback. Ah, [01:40:00] V, what's Up? [01:40:03] Yeah. I just wanted to- just to say this. Um, it is something that our team has discussed, um, with- in terms of being the local- a local component. And it was something that obviously we were aware of when the first round- um, when the first proposal was discussed at city council and, um, I would- many of us were present in the room. And so, um, [NOISE] I think that- that's- that's something that we would definitely be interested in and we do, do a lot of that work. We do do, I wanted to say that for a while. Ah, a lot of that work already in the community in many aspects and I appreciate what Redmond was saying. We- we also have other communities, the Racial Equity connect collective. There's- you know, there's a lot of organizations and, um, communities that we are, uh, part of, that I think that we could really, you know, tap into, um, and- and beyond, of course, making new relationships as well. But I just wanted [01:41:00] to say that we had already discussed that, and would certainly be willing to- to- to do that and shift our focus because there's obviously other work with circles that needs to be done, but, um, we're already doing that work in the community and- and would love to be a part of that. So, um, just wanted to speak that into the space. [01:41:18] Thank you so much. Uh, Annie, you wanna go ahead? [01:41:24] Um, just two quick things. I wanna riff off of what Redmond said like when we were thinking of having people get to learn these skills, we were thinking of folks from throughout the different communities in our community. And, um, so that's something to keep in mind if that's useful. And then I just wanna say, um, how grateful I am to be part of this conversation. People being so honest about the inequity and the history and, ah, quite skin and the appropriation [01:42:00] and the mindfulness that's needed. So I just wanna really thank people for being so so honest and direct. Thank you. [01:42:12] Thank you, Annie. Um, is there anyone here that has any like last comments that they wanna make, um, about the community conversation that we just had with all of our facilitator proposal? Folks. Chastity, why did I feel like you had your hand up at one time? [NOISE] Would you? Okay. Um, so- and I'm gonna say what I think would be like the most logical next step and stuff you can let me know, [NOISE] um, I think that it would be important, um, if we set up zooms in like different groups, like to speak to you guys, if that makes sense, so that we're not breaking any public records [01:43:00] laws, um, but up to four people. Do you think that would be helpful? Or, um, it's up to you guys, really? I mean, I found it extremely helpful to be able to engage, um, with these guys, and, um, so I think- I think if that's something that you're interested in, um, because I would really, really like to have something, not that it's the end of the world that we don't have something figured out by the end- by the next meeting, um, you know, like time right now, what's another two months compared to the year we had last year? So- and- and that's- that's very straightforward. I think council members are aware of that. I think that they're aware that we're being very intentional about this process. Um, so I think what the next logical step would be, uh, maybe Stephanie could reach out to all of us, and see what times would work [01:44:00] to get together for a Zoom to discuss. And I want to be, um, very frank. I think the local is like the most important to be discussed, like where you guys, um, stand because they think that's gonna be the big thing with council is how locally- what is gonna happen at the local, um, point of like all of this? What are our local facilitators gonna do? So I think that that's really important. Um, but like everyone said before, this has been like such a riveting conversation and so great. And like, I hope that you guys got a lot of good feedback, and we'll be touching back based with you guys, and I'll be in communication. Um, is there any last things that anyone wants to say before, uh, we go on to the next agenda item, and that's the presenters or any commission members. [01:45:00] [01:45:01] Just a quick word of thanks. [01:45:03] I- I also saw, um - [inaudible 01:45:04] bring into this phase like how V says that but just one of my guiding lights of curiosity. Again, those that know me, that's a big thing, and I feel like today in this phase with you guys, I got a chance through my curiosity and like unknown's been really awkward, uncomfortable, like can we even do this? Like even though we're not answering all the questions right now, I just feel good to be curious in a group. And so just that power of curiosity, um, some of my uncertainties and lack of confidence or, um, my internal vulnerability, I feel stronger with you guys. So I just- I just wanna speak that into the space that are shared curiosity. Um, that's a lot for the individual, at least for me. [01:45:55] Okay. I know we're all in different time zones, especially Dave, Larry. [01:46:00] Um, I appreciate you guys so much. You and we will all be in communication. Um, but with that being said, I'm gonna move on to the last agenda item, which is announcements of commissioners or staff. And, uh, just a reminder, we're not gonna engage with one- one another on the announcements. Um, yeah. Steph, do you want to go first if nothing? Anyone here have anything? [01:46:27] Happy Black History Month. [01:46:29] Yeah. Happy Black History Month to you all. [LAUGHTER] If you're- if you see a black person, give them $20, right? Well, that was me trying to be funny. Motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn. [01:46:47] Second. [01:46:49] Bye, everyone.