HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-30 TranscriptionPage 1
Council Present: Bergus, Mims, Salih, Teague, Taylor, Thomas, Weiner
Staff Present: Fruin, Dilkes, Fruehling, Monroe, Kilburg, Nagle-Gamm
Others Present: Longenecker, Van Heukelom (UISG)
Discussion of Resolution (20-159) of Initial Council Commitments addressing the Black
Lives Matter Movement and Systemic Racism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd
by the Minneapolis Police and calls for action from protesters and residents:
Teague/ Welcome to the Iowa City City Council work session on June 30`' and this is, um, a one -
item agenda essentially, related to Black Lives Matter. And so wanted to, uh, again just
talk to, um, the community as to where we are, um, as Council and where we are as a
community. We know that the death of George Floyd has, um, really caused within our
country, um, a lot of heartache and grief, and ... but it has also allowed an opportunity for
people within our own city to look at what are we doing and how can we change, um, the
movement, um, within Black Lives Matter and look at some systemic racism and how we
move forward. We created a resolution, um, and tonight we're gonna talk about that
resolution, go through .... the plan is not to get into the details, at least from what I have
knowledge on. Um, the Council would like to do, at least my personal intent, um, the
intent of this meetin' is really to allow us to start to talk a little bit about the frame work
of how we are going to move forward with Black Lives Matter, um, with the 17 items
that we have, urn .... committed to. So with that bein' said, we know that, um, at least the
Councilors have all received from .... uh, Councilor Bergus and Weiner, um, some
thoughts from ... from their point of view of how we can move forward. Um, in a minute
we'll probably look at .... we'll look at that and talk about it in some fashion, and I am not
exactly sure if all the Councilors have received the letter from IFR, um, in your emails.
Can ... um .... and if ..if you haven't seen the letters in your emails, then at some point I will
have it shared on the screen so that we can talk about it. Um, so .... I think for startin' our
conversation, um .... the plan is to go through each item and I .... I think .... the hope is that
we kinda .... tackle this from the expectation of settin' up how we envision groups. I
know that many of us have been in lots of conversations with, uh, people in the
community, um, includin' IFR on some of the, um, things that people are wanting now
that we have our resolution, in order to move forward. So .... my thought is that we would
kinda go through the items, maybe for starters we can talk about some of the groups that
have been emailed to us through, uh, the Councilors, as well as, urn ... um, definitely look
at at least what the categories that IFR sent and I'll tell ya that it was policing, housing,
Truth and Reconciliation, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and then the Councilors Bergus
and... Weiner sent categories that stated public safety, healing, um, and then they had
some items under there. So .... I'm gonna just stop there and let Councilors maybe give
any comments that they want before we kinda dive in or give some thoughts on which
direction we should go.
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Mims/ I'll go ahead and start. Um, I really appreciate the efforts of Councilors Bergus and
Weiner to put together that .... that memo and kinda give us some direction for tonight. I
think that was really helpful. And when I looked through their two categories and kinda
some of the ... the items they put under each one and then I looked at the memo from IFR,
to me there was an awful lot of similarity, um, between those two. So from my
perspective, what I would be really comfortable with is ... a, it's kind of a combination of
the two really. I think when I ... I kind of did my lists of the 17 points and which
categories they would fit in for each for ...the memo from Councilor Bergus and also for
IFR, and they really matched up well, but what IFR does that I think is actually helpful is
it kind of pulls out two cases. It pulls out housing, which is part of item number two in
the resolution, but that's a huge item. So to me pulling that out could make a lot of sense,
and then the Truth and Reconciliation Commission also is a really huge item to work on.
So from my perspective, if we basically use what IFR has presented, um, I do like,
however, the public safety title that Councilors Bergus and Weiner have used, um,
because I think that's a little broader scope thanjust police. So if we went with public
safety, housing, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and then I don't care whether
you call if healing or whether you call it diversity, equity, and inclusion, but I think those
four categories can work really well.
Taylor/ Uh, this is Pauline. I ... I agree and I thank, uh, Councilors Bergus and Weiner for .... for
sharing, uh, their thoughts on that, but I too thought, uh, perhaps, um, police, uh.... didn't
sound quite as great as, uh.... um, what.....what we'd like it to .... to .... to mean, um, but I
did like the categories that the IFR sent us. So with the housing, pulling that out and the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission cause in thinking about, uh, plans forward, I think
that should be top of our list and perhaps we should talk about that tonight as a priority,
uh, everything kind of seems to spin around that, and I think that we didn't really talk
about,we touched on that we would consider it like we do our other commission
appointments, uh, but I think that we need to, uh, make a definite on that, make definite
plans to post that as .... as a commission, and get applicants for that, and ... and get that
started, cause that seems to be square one where we need to start, but I also thought, and
maybe it sort of goes along with the IFR's category, which I liked, is diversity, equity, and
uh, you know, that kind of is the healing, but I also thought of well being. I think it's
more the .... the well being of our entire community, such things as like the, uh, using the
Public Arts for the mural. That .... that kind of makes people feel ... feel good, and .... and
understand, uh, where they're coming from on this and I think the City of Dubuque
recently hired an artist, one of their local artists, to do a beautiful mural on one of their
buildings, and I .... I think that is something that we seriously need to look at, and that
brings up some of the... our.... our already boards and commissions that we have, such as
the Public Art. They need to be a part of this. Our .... our, urn ... uh, HCDC committee,
um, Human Rights Commission, those all really need to be a part of...of these things too,
these items, so we need to include them and figure out how to include them, and that
should be a place to start too.
Thomas/ One of my comments and, uh, following up on what we've already mentioned, I .... I too
am appreciative of the work of the IFR and also Janice and Laura, of trying to come up
with categories for framing, uh, how we move forward. Um, one.....one thought I was
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having in this regard would be .... uh, the question, um, of what I would term opportunity,
uh, you know when I look at the issue before us, which is trying to address, you know,
what we're describing in the resolution as `systemic racism.' It seems to me that, uh,
there are a lot of aspects, uh, of our City operation, uh, our commissions, our boards, uh,
that I would like to try to incorporate into this process, uh, staff as well, and under that
kind of frame work or concept of opportunity, uh, which I think addresses issues of
economic development, uh, workforce development, uh, recreation, transportation, a
whole range of issues which, uh, I feel if we're really.... really going to be looking at this
then ... this thing systematically, uh, we should in the end, uh, have recommendations, uh,
that would address, you know, all these various aspects, which make up the life of Iowa
City. You know I've looked at some of the reports from years past. You know we're not
the first to have, um, tried to address systemic racism. This has been around... it's been
with us for hundreds of years. Uh, the most recent one that I .... that I discovered was the
Koerner Commission Report. It was about 52 years ago. And they certainly talk about
police reform, but they also talk about, you know, the kind of issues that I was describing
as being critical to, uh, truly achieving, uh, the society where opportunity and systemic
racism have been eradicated. So, um, you know I kinda viewed this .... this resolution and
it's kind of in the heading of the resolution as initial.... initial Council commitments, and I
think the focus initially was on the police reform, which I think is a critical one. Uh,
housing kinda made its way in there, but I do see that there are .... as other issues as
important as housing, uh, if we are truly going to be successful at achieving our goals.
Teague/ All right! So I did hear, um, two more possible categories, urn.... Councilor Thomas just
mentioned `opportunity.' And then Councilor Taylor mentioned `well being.' I don't
know if anyone has any thoughts on that. One thing that I still, um, hope that we'll do is
kinda .... maybe figure out categories first and then maybe we can start throwing some of
the numbers from the resolution under the categories, and then we can come back
to ... um, a little further discussion as to ... um, the process for individuals bein' at the table.
Weiner/ My suggestion would be, and I ... I like the way that ... that a couple of you fleshed it out
further by...taking the IFR categories and pulling out Truth and Reconciliation on the one
hand and housing on the other. Um, I would suggest that maybe, if it's possible, to ... to
have a visual that .... that staff much like, uh, Ashley's done in the past, could take some,
uh, notes and show us on the screen, so that we can see how we're catego ... categorizing
things, and at the same time I'd also suggest that, um, as you were just mentioning,
Mayor, that we really focus initially on the seventeen items of this resolution. This is
what we've committed to initially. It is a start, as you mentioned, John, um, but I think
that we ... we need to really, um, use this document initially as our touchstone or our
constitution, and come back and .... make sure that we have it fleshed out, um, and then
maybe some of the rest of this will come in holistically, but I think we need to focus
initially on this document.
Salih/ I agree 100%, Janice. Uh, I understand that there is many issues that, uh, as John said, for
the life of Iowa City resident, completely agree with ya, but right now is the focus of
Black Life Matter. Is the focus of, you know, the IFR demand. Is the focus of the
resolution that we agree .... to do it. So I thinks, uh, we can talk about anything, I don't
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mind talking about anything else in the city, and (unable to understand) you know that's
our work. We have to do everything, we have to, uh, like look at all the demand that the
City (garbled) and the needs, but right now we have to focus. I like what, uh, you know,
uh, Ja... Janice and Laura Bergus, you know, this is really great to start with, but to be
honest with you, I (unable to understand) you know, as Susan Mims said, uh, the house
and pulling out some specific information that both of them will work together very
good, if we can do that. I don't know what, uh, what, you know (unable to understand)
by healing, not healing, uh, I guess well being or what she said. I don't know, I don't
remember the exact word, but I need like more clarification about what that means, where
we can put this in, you know, and speaking about the public safety instead of police. I
really want it to be police, because we need to focus, you know, the Black Life Matter is
not complaining about the firefighter! They're not complaining about anything else, but
they are specifically talking about restructuring the police department. So, you know,
why we wanna add to it? Let us just make it focus on the police department, and that's
why, you know, I really like what they're propose. I understand that public safety will
include a lot of things. No problem! We're gonna work with that too. We want also to
do ... to work for the firefighter and everything, but I really specifically know that Black
Life Matter, they're problem is with the police department! We need to call it what it is!
That what I think.
Teague/ So we do have, um .... police as a category, which we already had that, of course. And I
think opportunity, at least from .... when I heard opportunity from Councilor, uh, Thomas,
and maybe you can clarify. Um, one of the biggest things that I know when we're talkin'
about Black Lives throughout our nation, um, when we're lookin' at businesses and
businesses for people of color, um, at least in our Iowa City area we have very few
businesses, and so when I heard the word opportunity, I .... I saw that as kind of focusin'
in on things specific to, um, people of color or minorities, um, within our community. Is
that some of the things what you were thinkin' about, at least when I heard the word
opportunity.
Thomas/ Yeah, it was certainly, uh, an important .... an important component, uh, moving
forward, uh, is the question of economic opportunity. Um, you know, it's .... to me one of
the foundations that need to be addressed, as well as housing. You know the notion of,
um .... and opportunity applies to that as well. Housing opportunity, the opportunity to
live in an inclusive neighborhood is an important goal. Urn.... education.... obviously
opportunity as it relates to education, which I would expand to include, uh.... education
outside the classroom, in other words just general competency and, um, mentorship
issues. But, yeah, opportunity seems to me to be .... uh, a word that's often .... often part of
these sorts of discussions historically. Uh, and it's.... in this land of opportunity, as.... as
the United States has often been called where we find, uh, African Americans and people
of color just have not had the opportunities, uh, that have been ... offered to others.
Teague/ I do wonder if, um .... as you were talking, if that could not go under Truth and
Reconciliation potentially. Um, because that would be somethin' that they could navigate
as well.
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Salih/ Bruce, this could be another, you know, category, if we said opportunity for people of
color, and give (garbled) and like, uh, having businesses, given chance to have
businesses, houses, all those, you know, but ... but if just opportunity in general, I .... I
really, really want you guys to focus on what the .... the demand that we have. You know,
if the opportunity..... if we gonna create opportunity category, it'd have to be opportunity
within the seventeen, you know, point that we have.
Taylor/ I ... I agree, Mayor Pro Tem. I .... I think one thing that was talked about, and ... and John
mentioned workforce development, which we've talked about on Council for years.
Rockne Cole talked about that as far as getting the schools to, uh, have children learn the
trades, working together with Kirkwood Community College, uh, but along with that, uh,
we also talked about what are the barriers that we haven't mentioned. That one ... one of
the categories was, uh, increasing our .... our workforce, people of color in our workforce.
That would fall under opportunity, but under that one of the actions is to find .... what are
the barriers? Is it, are there barriers? Why aren't they applying, you know, what can we
do to get them, you know, to come into our workforce. So, yeah, I ... I think, uh, I agree,
opportunity's a good category for that.
Salih/ Uh huh.
Bergus/ It might just be a matter of, um, semantics, but would you agree, John, that, um,
opportunity would fall within the diversity, equity, and inclusion, um, I mean I think of
especially equity. That's, you know, having an opportunity that is equitable in all of those
different subject matter areas. I'm just wondering if we can use that heading, um, of
diversity, equity, and inclusion and .... and know that what we're talking about includes
opportunity in all those different areas. (mumbled) would work?
Thomas/ I think .... if. ... if we're looking at one word, opportunity, uh.... implicit in the notion of
opportunity are .... are questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Um .... so, yeah, I
mean if. ... if the majority on the Council like diversity, equity, and inclusion, um, there
are .... there are similarities there, um, you know, so yeah. It's .... if that's what people
prefer, but again I .... I was trying to look for a word that has some his ... you know this, uh,
I .... I've just seen it repeatedly used in .... in documents in the past, the question of
opportunity and how that has, um, that's.... there are barriers to opportunity that .... that
are felt, uh, in our community. Um .... and it sort of relates more specifically as Bruce
mentioned to, uh, the Mayor mentioned to question of business, you know, business
opportunities, things of that sort. (several talking)
Taylor/ I was just going to, uh.... uh, mention since you were talking about, uh, that inclusive
title, uh, what I was referring to, the well being. Perhaps maybe would fall under that as
far as, uh, folks ... or people feeling more included in the community, uh, would benefit
their well being. They would feel more like they're a part of the community and valued
as community members, so, uh, that could actually maybe fall under the inclusive title,
cause I .... I did like that, uh, category that the IFR included.
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Teague/ So ... I'm not sure if Councilor Bergus was going to say somethin' but, um, I did wanna
kinda .... refer to (sighs) what I'm hearing from Council, not majority totally. Um ... but
I ... I kinda hear really goin' with, uh.... the public safety and policing, maybe hear a little
more about that, but um, it sounds like housing, diversity, equity and inclusion because
well being, um, I can see .... I think that's perfectly an option under there. Um,
opportunity could be, uh, one of the ... one of the charges under there as well. Um, Truth
and Resolution, um, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, um, we know that that is
somethin' that, um, we definitely want and havin' that as a category of its own. Um, so
then it .... it's, I kinda hear .... either public safety and police....
Weiner/ I mean I think the ... the, one (mumbled) one of the reasons that we are referring to public
safety is we're looking forward. We're looking for, um, a frame work ultimately as .... as
we decide what we want this to look like, that will serve the entire community and serve
it well, and that's not just policing. It's a....it's a core competency of a city, and that, um,
at least that encapsulates the reason why I wa.... I really like the term `public safety,' um,
because it is more all encompassing and it can .... focus on violence, it can focus on
community policing, it can focus on a variety of things that I think are likely to be on our
agenda.
Salih/ I understand, you know, Janice, what you saying, but .... when you say serving the .... the
whole community, of course that's a goal, but if we just focus on the demand, let us read
the demand, number one. It is just an instruction of the police department. And I
understand that, you know, we .... we.....we need to do the whole public safety for the
whole community including police and fire department and everything, but for the ... just
the sake of the focus of the resolution, we .... we need to focus right now, and we need to
have committee that (mumbled) the police. We just gonna deal with the policing for now.
That's why just give it the name that it should be, the right name, you know. That what I
really believe. But I'm with you, we need to like work in the whole public safety, you
know, for the whole community, definitely! That's something we need to do. But right
now we are just talking about Black Life Matter. We are talking about restruction of the
police. That's why when we give it only the police, that means we gonna put all our
effort toward implementing that demand, number one.
Teague/ So as I (several talking) Go right ahead!
Bergus/ Sorry, Mayor. Um, just to clarify, because I think it's important to focus on, you know,
the resolution, like you said, Mayor Pro Tem, and one of the reasons I was using the term
public safety rather than policing is that I think our commitment to restructure the police
means alternatives to policing as well, and so I wanted to be like in ... in the words of the
resolution that we adopted. It's decreasing the public's reliance on police in non-violent
situations, through the use of unarmed professionals. And so if that's not, you know, if
our intent is to make sure that we're evaluating and potentially adopting some of those
alternatives to traditional policing, that, I mean I .... I wanted to elevate that goal as, you
know, set forth in I think both the Iowa Freedom Riders' demand, as well as our, you
know, the words of our resolution, um, which is why I didn't wanna limit it to policing,
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because I think we could get stuck in just what is the current system. So that ... that was
where I was coming from with the use of. ... of that term.
Teague/ I do wonder (several talking)
Taylor/ Oh! Sorry, Mayor. I was just going to say I .... I agree with Councilor Bergus on that
because although police is the generic category we're talking about, uh, that tends
to ... you tend to think of law enforcement, uh, and I think we're looking at the options
and ... and you don't see that, such as increasing perhaps social workers, uh, out there to
take calls, uh, from the call center type of thing and .... and that would be a different, uh
....uh, meaning than .... than police as such.
Teague/ I do wonder if we don't kind of move forward with goin' through the items, and I don't
know if I can ask Ashley on the spot if she would be willing to kinda take some notes and
throw `em up on the computer screen, if she .... is available. Awesome!
Monroe/ I do have a document here. I hope this suffices.
Teague/ Great!
Monroe/ It's just a listing of the resolution items.
Teague/ Great!
Monroe/ (mumbled) ...based on your conversation about category we can add that and some
notes. So...
Teague/ Great. I wonder if we can't number the ... public safety and police, cause I was gonna,
um, just say we'll wrap back around and kinda figure out if we go public safety or police.
Um .... and then as far as.....the healing, um .... at least from what I've heard so far .... it
kind of sounds like we're just going with diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially given
what, um, Councilors have been talkin' about opportunity, as well as well being. Um...
so I think that's .... this is kind of where we are. But those four. So ... we'll go (both
talking)
Mims/ Yeah, I was just going to say, Mayor, that looks good to me, and I certainly, you know,
appreciate, um, the viewpoint and .... and rationale that, uh, Councilors Weiner, Bergus
have used in terms of public safety and I agree with that in terms of looking forward. But
Mayor Pro Tem Salih's point of the focus here and .... and some of the issues that have
brought us to this point are policing issues. So actually to do this as a public safety/police
or I think policing might be better, um, helps give that focus to all groups in terms of
what we're looking at. Um, I think the diversity, equity, and inclusion to the broader
community might be clearer than what healing says. Um .... and then I'm really
comfortable with three and four as they're written. So that's just my perspective.
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Teague/All right, shall we get started? So maybe we'll just start, urn .... sayin' what... where
number one kinda go under which one of those, uh, numbers, one through four. Of the
resolution.
Mims/ Number one.
Teague/ Number one! (laughs) I think, uh, all right, so we might be able to just cruise through
this a little bit. So number two .... that's Truth and Reconciliation. Or do we see that it
can be kinda .... kinda (several talking, garbled)
Weiner/ Well I think it's cross cutting to include diversity, equity, inclusion, housing, Truth and
Ree ... Reconciliation, and perhaps even public safety, because I think we're gonna have to
divide the money up once we meet on that, among all four categories to some extent.
Mims/ I would agree. It's at least two, three, and four, and potentially number one as well.
Teague/ All right. Any other thoughts on that?
Bergus/ Yeah. Two, three, four, more than number one, but yeah.
Weiner/ Agreed.
Teague/ All right, so then what we can probably do is come back around and talk about that a
little more. So number three....
Taylor/ Number two! Diversity (mumbled)
Mims/ Agreed!
Salih/ Yes.
Teague/ So those in the public, uh, we're actually going through all of the seventeen items of the
resolution, uh, which we did on June 161 and so we're kinda puffin' them in categories,
just so that you're aware. All right! So we're on number four. Any other thoughts for
number three or (several talking) we're pretty good there? All right. So number four...
Salih/ One.
Taylor/ One, definitely!
Mims/ Agreed!
Bergus/ Yep!
Teague/ Okay. Number five.
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Bergus/ Four.
Salih/ Three is four (laughs)
Taylor/ (laughs) Uh, yeah!
Bergus/ Okay.
Teague/ Yep. And then number six. That's .... I .... I almost, I mean I (several talking)
Salih/ What, I don't know (several talking)
Bergus/ Maybe all of them (laughs) (several talking, garbled)
Taylor/ It is almost all of them (laughs) (several talking, garbled)
Teague/ Yeah, I think because it has the CPRB, you can, you know, say number one, urn .... I
think I'm comfortable with number one.
Salih/ Number one.
Teague/ Yeah. But I can see it in other categories as well (laughs)
Taylor/ Yeah, I think you're right. I think the key issues of...of the IFR, uh, fell under that as far
as policing and... and things that relate to that, for legislative issues. We .... we have a lot
of legislative issues, but, uh, in relation to the IFR request, yeah. Number one, yeah.
Teague/ Okay, number seven.
Salih/ (mumbled) (both talking) ...diversity. I don't (mumbled) any more.
Teague/ Yes, so .... (several talking) number.... number two.
Salih/ Yes, number two.
Teague/ Yes! Yep.
Mims/ When we get all done we might warm change those to A, B, C, and D. (several talking
and laughing)
Teague/ Great!
Mims/ (mumbled) ...doing it on the fly! (laughs)
Teague/ Yes! Number eight.
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Salih/ Number one. Oh, and number nine, sorry.
Teague/ But I agree with number eight bein' number one. It's CPRB (several talking)
Bergus/ It's now A (laughs)
Teague/ Okay, we're ... all right, perfect! (laughs)
Salih/ Yeah!
Teague/ Great! All right! Well we'll give a minute. Uh....
Salih/ (mumbled)
Teague/ So ... all right, we'll go to number nine, unless Ashley needs a minute.
Salih/ Oh, okay!
Mims/ (garbled) ....adjust for us.
Teague/ Okay.
Monroe/ Go ahead!
Teague/ All right, thanks. All right, number nine.
Salih/ Number one.
Taylor/ One.
Weiner/ Uh huh.
Bergus/ A! (laughs) (several talking and laughing)
Teague/ Yes! All right, and then number ten.
Taylor/ A.
Weiner/ Also A.
Salih/ A!
Teague/ (laughs) I have to change between one and A, a letter really quickly. All right, we're
movin' on to number eleven. Um .... (several talking)
Salih/ A!
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Bergus/ A.
Teague/ And then twelve. (several responding)
Salih/ A.
Teague/ Okay. Thirteen. (several responding)
Salih/ A.
Teague/ Fourteen.
Salih/ A. (several responding)
Teague/ And then fifteen. And this got us, uh, cause it can at least go in two.
Mims/ That's the diversity one. Was that D?
Salih/ Yes, the diversity (several talking) The inclusion and diversity one.
Weiner/ That's B, I believe. (several responding)
Salih/ All right. Is very small, Ashley. I cannot even see them. (laughs) Okay.
Teague/ All right, um, number fifteen.
Taylor/ A.
Salih/ A.
Bergus/ Oh, sixteen?
Mims/ Sixteen.
Teague/ Yes.
Bergus/ Sixteen is A.
Teague/ Sixteen .... is A, and then lastly is number seventeen. (several talking)
Salih/ B, inclusion and diversity, whatever.
Teague/ Yeah. Um, so .... we kinda made it through this initial list. I think that, urn .... maybe
get .... get some thoughts on afterthoughts. One .... one quick afterthought that I had, and
the reason I was kinda really thinkin' about some of the ones that had diversity, equity,
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and inclusion, uh, was I was tryin' to figure out what could go under Truth and
Reconciliation because there's, um, there's only one item so far under there, and so....
Mims/ May I throw out a comment? Mayor?
Teague/ Yes!
Mims/ To me .... that Truth and Reconciliation Commission, um, is ... is a big project of its own.
Um, I think it's a really big project of its own, and I think, you know, as we dig into that
deeper and (garbled) a commission. Um, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna take a second
to .... to share with the Council some ideas that have been, um, proposed to me by, uh,
some community members, and that is, um, that potentially we ... we look at some, while
we obviously appoint people to that commission, that we look at some outside assistance,
um, for that commission, with some people with some real expertise. Um, one
suggestion has been, this is nothing official. It's just ... it's just throwing out the
suggestion at this point, um, is the Obermann Center at the University. Um, I've also
been informed that there is, uh, a staff or faculty member at the University that has
significant experience with truth and reconciliation commissions. Um, so I think using
those kinds of resources could really, um, help us to make sure that that Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, um, has the right resources to really .... to really do the kind
of work that we want to help promote those stories and healing, um, within the
community, and I'm certainly no expert on that at all, and along with that, and this might
come either from Council or from that Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the
idea of really trying to, um, encourage and invite organizations within the community to
kind of be a part of that and do their own, um, self -study, if you will, and in fact the Iowa
City Downtown District mentioned this this afternoon on their annual report, uh, meeting,
to ... and I could include in that, you know, our financial institutions, our healthcare
institutions, our educational institutions to really encourage, um, and ... and cajole, if you
will, them to very much become a part of this and do some real self -reflection within
their organizations, because as we all know, systemic racism is not something that is just
under the control or can be cured by city government. This is .... this is, that's why we
call it systemic. And so I think that Truth and Reconciliation Commission, while it's a
category of its own, uh, may in fact be the, in some ways, the biggest and most important
thing that we can do to actually impact systemic racism in our community.
Taylor/ I ... I agree with Councilor Mims. I ... as I mentioned earlier, I think it's one of the things,
one of the places where we need to start, uh, is to get ... get that up and running, uh,
because I kind of see it as, uh, something that's going to oversee all of the other groups
too, to make sure that they're on track and ... and she mentioned some of the resources we
have in our community and ... and it'll .... it would take us forever if we wanted to start
from square one, but we ... we need to, yeah. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. We
need to utilize those resources that we have out there, so that we can get up and running
right away.
Teague/ All right, so (both talking)
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Salih/ ...okay.
Teague/ Oh, go right ahead, Mayor Pro Tem!
Salih/ Uh, I really wanna talk about something else, not this item. If you wanna talk about the,
this one, you can go ahead!
Teague/ Um, I was .... I was gonna make a comment about this, but I think also I wanted to, um,
since we had Councilor Mims talking about moving forward, I did want to ... maybe pull
up, if Kellie would, IFR, the letter that we, the email that we received from them today. 1
at least wanted to bring that up to share what they stated, um, so that that can also be in
the thoughts and minds of Councilors and a part of the conversation. Um, so this is what
they wrote, and I'll go ahead and read it. Um, so this (both talking)
Salih/ ...there, Mayor, because, uh, what I wanna say is after you said like do you have
afterthought after bringing all this item in the (both talking)
Teague/ Sure!
Salih/ ....before you do that, because this is like (mumbled) I don't wanna (mumbled) before I
say this. Uh, you know, just by the ... by looking at all the item that we ... we put them
under the number one. Is a lot of item. And all of them is refer to the Iowa City Police
Department. They're not referred to any other public safety department. So this by itself
prove that the work that we need to do is with Iowa City Police Department. Not other
department. That's why really encourage this committee to call, you know we call it as it
is policing.
Teague/ Any comments on categories, and we can go back to that screen for now. Cause we can
go through the categories. Um .... so we have.....in regards to (both talking)
Mims/ I'm sorry! I guess for me, when you look at number six, um, and we have that under the
public safety/policing. Those legislative priorities, um, go well beyond just the Iowa City
Police Department. That's really trying to change policy at the state level, um, that will
allow us to do some things differently that impact our Community Police Review Board,
um, you know, legislation relating to marijuana and different things. So there's not a lot
necessarily in here that goes beyond (garbled) related to our police, but to me there is
some that goes beyond it, and I .... and I also do like, um, what Councilors Bergus and
Weiner have said about also focus, trying to focus even with the title, not necessarily
"what the problem is today," but what we're trying to move forward to. So by having the
combination of the wording of public safety/policing, I think can really reflect both of
those, that we're focusing on what the issues are that are a problem, but we're also trying
to move forward to a much better model that includes a lot of different things.
Salih/ (several talking, garbled) which one that you said it is referring to other than. Everything
that you said that advocating the (unable to understand) is regarding the police
department. Uh, you know, it is still saying that (unable to understand) police department
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(unable to understand) regarding the police department. Everything that in there, it is
regarding the police department. I ... I just, if you just give me one categories that will talk
about the fire department, as Laura said in her report, saying that I guess what she said is
this includes the police and the fire department, but (mumbled) this is will be like
(mumbled) but this is not anything here for the fire department. And even the ... the one
that you just read about the... legislature is not regarding any another public safety
department, except the police! Why we want just to put another word there to distract us
from the focus?
Mims/ To me it's broader than that. I'm sorry! Go ahead, Janice!
Weiner/ Um ... um, I .... because, Mayor Pro Tem, for me, uh, and this is my perspective, for me it
really is about looking forward and figuring out what models are going to work for the
community as a whole. Um, if...the current policing model is not working, then we need
to figure out a broader.... a, we have to reimagine it, think about what parts of it .... who
may .... who may be doing what, who's no longer, uh, an armed, sworn officer, and that's
where public safety comes into it for me. I want, for example, can we have .... do we have
a different team, sort of like the crisis... current crisis management, who can .... (unable to
understand) go out and, um, and... and respond when there is a mental health crisis, um, or
someone with an overdose, or to check on someone, uh, who is homeless, or for a welfare
check. To me that's a broader category of public safety and that's where I wanna head.
Um, I don't .... I honestly don't wanna get wrapped up in semantics, but I do think it's
important that we think about this as a .... as a, an undertaking to create what we want for
the future, which involves obviously dealing with what we have now, um, and creating a
broader framework. So that's where... that's.... that's where I'm coming from, Maz.
Salih/ Just could you, just could you explain for me now, really I don't understand that, when
you say, uh, somebody (mumbled) you mean that's the center for the mental health. Who
will (unable to understand), from which department that person will be checking, not like
a community pol.... I saw the community police type of, they will be doing that kind of
job, and ... but, uh, can you just tell me exactly what another public safety department will
do that job, so .... this is should be here. And also (both talking)
Weiner/ I don't know because we haven't .... we haven't fleshed it out yet. I don't know if (both
talking)
Salih/ We are not here to (both talking) for the, you know, we are here specifically for Black Life
Matter, for Black. I understand that we have to work for the whole community, no
problem, but we are not ... this demand came from Black Life Matter. And the Black Life
Matter, their problem is with the police department! You know, it's not with (mumbled)
public safety! Uh, we can .... we can still work on this, no problem. If you want us to
work on the public safety department for the whole community, we can do that later
(garbled) but let us just have a committee that focus only on the police department, and if
we wanna create another committee outside of this resolution to look into another public
safety, why not? Why wanna distract ourself?
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Bergus/ I don't wanna get stuck on the.... the.... the title of, I'm fine if it's called policing. I just
wanted to make sure we actually talked about, if...if this is coming in response to calls
from the community to defund the police, if we focus only on the fact that we've got, you
know, twelve out of seventeen items that relate to the police department, I think if we dig
into that, and certainly what I .... what I think our commitment is, a lot of those items
about the police department are .... are interim measures to get us to progress on number
one, which is the restructuring of the police towards community policing, meaning, you
know, the specific things that we said in our resolution. So I, again I don't .... I don't
think it's a, you know, it's not a hill that I'm willing to die under. It's not worth it to me,
you know, as far as that word, but I don't want us to just say, you know, we've got all
these items that relates to the police, because if we start pattin' ourselves on the back for
like publishing the budget, well that's.... that's like bare minimum. Right? So we really
wanna focus on number one. That's the big item, um, and .... and I think the ... the, all of
these other ones that are sort of underneath it, just feed into our progress towards number
one. That's how I see the numerous, um, category A, whatever we call it, items (laughs)
that we have!
Taylor/ Well thinking about that and looking at this item, I almost think we almost need a
separate category, uh, just legislation, because some of these thins are things that this
group, even if we have a .... a committee or sub -committee, titled public safety or
policing, they can't do without changing things at the state level. I'm thinking even, uh,
one of the requests of the IFR was the, uh, legalization of the marijuana, which we would
have to look at that pretty seriously and see, you know, what ... what level is it? Just a
blanket, uh, saying legalizing marijuana possession, etc., uh, those kinds of things.
That ... that kind of falls under that. The ... the use of force, even the CPRB, uh,
reconstruction of the CPRB, there was that, uh, state ruling about the, uh, subpoena of...
of the officer, being able to subpoena the officer. So that .... that's kind of more a
legislative thing that ... that we need to, uh, look at that, rather than a sub -committee.
Weiner/I'm gonna come back in once, because I was cut off. In the end ... to me what it's called
doesn't matter so much as long as we focus on the intent. I don't know where, when we
have, for example, let's say we end up with unarmed people who are very much like our
current crisis, the current crisis response unit, that exists, but we end up with several of
those. I don't know what category they're gonna fall in. I don't know who is going to be
in charge of them. I assume that we're gonna have to have sort of an overall review with
the JECC dispatch and who sends out .... who sends out whom, but the reason that I was
focused the way I was is because I believe it's a bigger umbrella issue that ultimately, and
that ultimately we hope to move forward on, and I don't wanna get stuck on the present
or on the past. I want to be able to move forward.
Thomas/ Yeah, I (both talking)
Teague/ I think for me .... oh!
Thomas/ I was gonna... follow up on ... on your comments. I ... I don't think it's certainly worth,
uh, debating, uh, this question, uh, if policing, Maz, if you feel that's important, um,
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I'm .... I'm, I'll be supportive of that, but I ... it does raise, for me, a real concern how ...the,
you know, this .... this resolution is heavily weighted, as we can obviously.... we can all
obviously see toward actions related to the police department (mumbled) hope is while
that's obviously a very critical issue, that we pivot and begin to look at those issues that I
mentioned that were now falling under diversity, equity, and inclusion. That ... that to me
is where the action is, um .... as well, and you know, I'm concerned that this resolution,
again it's.... it's an initial step. I hope with our subsequent steps we start focusing on the
diversity, equity, inclusion, uh, at what I referred to as opportunity, uh, because that's...
that's as critical, uh, if we're gonna be successful.
Teague/ So for me, um, and ... there's a lot here that talks about police, and I think restructurin' the
police is what we're talkin' about. Um, when we're talkin' about if it's gonna be social
workers, we don't know what it's gonna play into. Um .... so whether we just have the
word police, policing, restructurin' the police. Um, I .... I think the word police needs to
be there somewhere, um, in that category. Um, so .... I don't know if people prefer any of
those. I'm hearin' more that people would be amenable to the word just police and so,
um, if we wanna leave it at police or do we wanna .... say policing? Restructurin' the
police, or we just gonna leave it at police?
Salih/ I think we talk a lot about this. Let us, everybody say what they want and so we can move
on. As a black person, I will be comfortable call it restructure the police department
because that's what we are supposed to do in this category, and don't call it something
else. Call it the same thing. And you know it may be, Mayor, you can just... call the other
people and ask `em what they think and we can move on, because, uh, that what I
believe, black person, and that's what would make me feel comfortable, uh, for Black
Life Matter! (both talking)
Teague/ I wanna just get clarification. Did you say restructuring the police?
Salih/ Yes, because that's what we gonna do!
Teague/ As far as the title?
Salib/ Yes!
Teague/ All right!
Taylor/ I would say that some of the categories we talked about, uh, I ... I appreciate your
comments, uh, Mazahir, but some of these things, such as the body cameras and ... and, uh,
those items, uh (mumbled) is .... is separate from the actual restructuring. Uh, I ... I would
be in favor of, if...if you want that word in there to say policing.
Teague/ I....I, could I make one comment that I didn't make earlier? Um, I know that you had
mentioned like there's some legislative things in here, even from number six. As far as,
um .... I think that some of this stuff can be moved around. If we found that the Truth and
Reconciliation wanted to take on like the legislative items. Um, and even what you just
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mentioned, if we wanted to, you know, shift that somewhere else. I think that could be
done. I think if we can focus on the title, the ... the grand title for this one, um, so the
question would be, you know, where do you wanna be? Do you wanna be ... police,
policing, uh, restructurin' the police, or public safety? And I think everybody is off
public safety, but which one of those three?
Mims/ I'm still where I was. I think this is broader than just policing. I realize that that's the
biggest emphasis here and it's a crucial emphasis of that, but I think it's broader than that
and I ... I like what Janice and Laura were thinking about initially in terms of also looking
forward and the idea that, um, really some of that restructuring (garbled) public safety
and pulling some of those things out of the police department. So I like the combination
of public safety/policing. I think it gives us both of those pieces.
Teague/ All right. So I have, uh, Councilor Mims, Mayor Pro Tem, and if I ... I think I heard
Councilor Taylor say policing. All right. Anyone else? Who's next (both talking,
garbled)
Taylor/ I did say (garbled) Council Member Mims' argument about the public safety, cause as I'd
said earlier, some of these things aren't really restructuring. It's just holding to poli...
holding them to the policy of the body cams, etc. So that would, uh, probably fall under
the public safety. But public safety (garbled) I do like that.
Salih/ But that's police public safety! It's not like fire department public safety! You know I
really don't understand exactly... how you guys look into it. What I saying, the body
camera is the police is the one who putting the body camera. Not the firefighter! That's
mean it's under policing!
Teague/ So we'll get some more (both talking) Oh!
Salih/ No, I really, you know, want them to know exactly what I meant, because yes, I ... I
understand what you saying, Council Taylor, that, you know, this is a public safety, but
public safety, who's wearing the camera? It's the police, and it will be part of that
discussion. But you know when you say public safety, you mean beyond the police. You
mean the ... the fire department, maybe. That's why, you know, I ... I really ...that what I
mean exactly — police. Think about what we want to do. This is restruction the police
department and also, you know, figuring out a way for camera for public safety and
everything, but when she said public safety department, that's not only the police.
Longenecker/ Can I add something here, just, um, student perspective?
Teague/ Yes!
Longenecker/ (mumbled) help a little bit. So, um, cause I see just some .... some wires getting
crossed here, and I think maybe .... at least from students, from ... from what I hear and
from what, personally I .... I agree with and advocate for is .... um, we agree that there
needs to be significant changes in the police department and agree and support everything
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IFR has listed, and I think that's an important part, but like some of the Councilors have
said, we don't want ... police responding to a lot of different things. If someone has a
mental health episode, we don't want police with a gun to respond to that. If someone is
simply having a verbal dispute with someone else, we don't want a person with a gun
coming responding to that. And so I think that's what at least I'm getting from
Councilors Weiner and Bergus is that they want to create a whole new public safety
department that is outside the police that responds to those, so that the police have a more
narrow scope of what their job is for and that way the ... people in the community,
particularly people of color, feel more safe by not having to interact with someone who
could, you know, kill them. Um ... and so that's kind of why I ... I like the public safety and
policing part, and ... that's just because there are things that I think Council needs to
change immediately in the police department, and that need to stay there, but then I agree,
I think it goes beyond that there needs to be new public safety measures and departments
created to respond to those kinds of, um, those kinds of calls, and I don't know for sure
what that looks like, and I think that's kinda what everyone's figuring out, but I agree that
needs to be a part of it and that's what students are looking for.
Teague/ I did wanna, um, I did wanna respond. So again I think any time we're talking about
mental health, not havin' the police involved, um, if we're talkin' about any of these
things where we're gonna be changin' how the active policin' happens, uh, we're still
talkin' about the police, and I think restructurin' the police as the title ... is at least what
Mayor Pro Tem has stated. Um, every one of the items that we have under public safety
and /police, uh, is there. If people .... I wanna continue with every Councilor, so
I ... thanks, Ryan, for chimin' in. Um, but I do wanna continue with the .... with every
Councilor saying where they want to be. So so far I have public safety/police with
Councilor Mims and Taylor. I have restructurin' the police with Mayor Pro Tem and
myself. (both talking)
Salih/ The last thing (both talking) before I can just don't say anything. Uh, you know, I .... I
really think, Ryan, what you said is great! But this is not FIR demand. Not IFR demand.
Because this is something else. We need it! Definitely we need it! But we need to
(garbled) this time. We need to (garbled) City Council meeting and talk about it. But
right now, the item number one, just read it again. It just say to restructure the police
department. They talkin' about the way that the police track and treat black people. It's
not talking about (unable to understand) right now. It's not talking about anything but we
see across the country police killing the black people! I'm not saying the police
(mumbled) black people with, you know, with a gun and the black people (mumbled) that
person has a mental health or anything. We are specifically talking about the practice that
the police, you know, been doing toward black people and people of color! I understand
that what you talkin' about (garbled) Yes! We don't want to (unable to understand)
person who suffer from mental health with somebody have a gun in his pocket. No! We
don't .... I don't mean that, but we can work on this. This is have to be a separate topic,
you know, but still we talking about policing. (unable to understand) in this topic, but it
still on the police department and we talk the police department (mumbled) to do so.
(both talking)
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Teague/ I think it (both talking) Yeah. No, I think it's in this topic. I think restructurin' the
police, you know, mental health, community policing is in this topic. (garbled) didn't
mean to cut you offl
Salih/ No, that's fine! Yeah. That ... that's true. It is .... at end of the day, you saying that you
don't want the police to respond to a mental health person with a ... with gun! That's true!
That's why we need to restructure the police department, and tell them that, but when you
say public safety, can you just.... somebody can give me (mumbled) what's the definition
of public safety? What consider public safety in the community?
Bergus/ I think (both talking) safety is ... is people feeling safe. It's the people feeling safe, and
that's (both talking) and that's what we're, I think that's what we're responding to in,
understanding that people do not feel safe with our current way of policing, at least
for.... from.... right? I mean is that.... that.... that's why I use the term public safety is....
is safety in the community and what we're talking about right now is the black
community, needing to feel safe. So that .... that's literally what my intention was. I
really don't wanna get hung up on the name. If the majority of Council wants it to be
restructuring the police, I'm all for it.
Teague/ I guess I will ask you now, where would you ... where would you like to be? Or do you
warm wait to comment?
Bergus/ I ... I would like it to be category A in the way that we've set it out with the seventeen.
do not care what the words are. I think .... I think we're in agreement on what the items
that we adopted in the resolution would fall within that category A.
Teague/ Okay (both talking)
Bergus/ I....I really don't....
Teague/ (both talking) So it sound like you can go either public safety/police or restructuring the
police, if I...
Bergus/ Yes, Mayor.
Teague/ ....all right. All right!
Thomas/ I was, uh, leaning toward policing or police.
Weiner/ Policing is fine. (both talking)
Salih/ What about (both talking)
Weiner/ I do wanna say that.—that some .... some of the things that you just mentioned, Mayor
Pro Tem, that's not .... we're not in the situation here in Iowa City where .... where we have
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police, um, killing people of color. We're starting from a .... there are issues, there are
enormous issues to deal with, but, um, I'm fine with policing.
Salih/ I have to say to answer that. You know, I .... I did not say in Iowa City. I said in Iowa City
people are suffer, you know, like complaining about the way that police treat them and
across the country we seeing policing, you know, police is killing black people. Am I
right or...they are not killing black people?
Weiner/ Ab ... absolutely you are right! I'm just trying to avoid conflation, that's all. That's...
that's all, because, um, the ... (both talking) I know that (both talking) I know among other
things right now that ... that our police are taking a lot from the community. They're
getting death threats, other things are happening, and so I would just sort of like to focus
in on our community.
Teague/ Okay, so it sounds like, um ... Thomas and .... and Weiner want the word policing, um, so
Bergus is....so if. ... it sounds like it's .... it's really between restructurin' the police or
policing, tome. So .... Bergus, where do you wanna be (laughs) Cause I think it's gonna
....we're gonna (laughs) I would....I.....I think what I would say is we're .... we're
restructurin' the police and (both talking)
Salih/ Can I give you another one, Mayor? (garbled) can we say addressing policing and future
of public safety?
Mims/ I think that sounds fine!
Weiner/ Awesome!
Salih/ Okay.
Teague/ So three, I can .... I can live with that.
Thomas/ That's fine with me!
Teague/ All right (both talking)
Taylor/ Yeah, I like the inclusion of addressing the future cause that also does take in those
legislative issues cause looking at the future and .... and getting the legislator to change
some of those rules, uh, that need to be changed. I like that!
Teague/ All right.
Salih/ Okay. Thank you!
Teague/ All right! Um, let us go .... I did at least want to, if it is okay I'll have IFR, um, cause I
think we need to go on to the next conversation. I ... I know that we got this, um, letter,
the public don't have it, so I think I should read it for ...for now. I will also state that there
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is a lot of people that have weighed in on this, um, at least to me personally, and I've
talked to other Councilors who, um, I've talked to people from various social justice, um,
that have labored in this, that really, really wanna be a part of the movement, and a part of
what Council does. So, um, to those individuals, I ... I won't mention you, uh, specifically
tonight, but I know that your interest is there as well. Um, so for the Black Lives Matter,
here is what they ...they wrote to Council, and I at least wanted it to appear to the public
so that they know the letter that we're referring to. Um, I did wanna point out that,
um .... IFR mentioned .... um ..... well, I'll just read it. We have created four work groups
to address the implementation of City demands. These groups are composed of Iowa
Freedom Riders and other community, University experts who are prepared to offer
research, education, and policy pro ... uh, proposal; the police and housing, Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, diversity, equity, and inclusion. At your June 301' meeting
please assign Council Members, uh, Member liaisons to each of these groups. IFR and
our community partners are committed to provide implementation steps for each of your
seventeen, uh, resolutions as needed. Having Council Member liaisons will improve
communication and great opportunities for deeper learning. Also at your June 30a'
meeting we ask that rather than specific goals, timelines, or next steps we discuss the
process that you will undertake to ensure that Iowa Freedom Riders and members of the
black communities in Iowa City are welcome, included in, and have access to your full
Council discussion of these demands. We see this applicable by havin' a permanent seat
for IFR at the table. So I wanted to read that because I know that, uh, the public don't
know that this letter was sent, uh, to Council. We've been alludin' to parts of it a little
bit, urn .... and I guess my .... my, um .... um, my personal response would be, um, as far as,
uh, some of the things in here, I plan to .... you know, definitely have conversations with
IFR. Also have conversations with, um, other people within the community that want to
weigh in on this. I think right now ...my personal charge is for us ... for Council to move
forward, um, with now lookin' at, um, we've kinda put the things in categories. So now
we probably need to discuss those groups. We do have IFR who have made comments,
so it's free game for anybody to make comment about that. Um, I ... I personally think that
Council needs to set, um, and move forward how we envision who's going to be at the
table and how do we get them to the table, and I think that's kinda our next conversation.
(mumbled) Councilor Mims had started to mention, um, you know ...and I'll just rephrase
what she stated, lookin' at a expert with the experience to comment and maybe be, um,
you know, a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to kinda help facilitate that.
Uh, there was some more things that she mentioned, but one thing that I know is that
there are, uh, people in the community, individuals in the community, people of color in
the community, that are individuals or social justice groups that are, you know, have
been, um, really waitin' for some type of opportunity like this, like Black Voices Project,
um, our Human Rights Commissioners, I mean they've been reachin' out to me and
wantin' to be a part as well. CPRB. Um, so .... I .... I think we have, um, opportunity here
to really make great strides, and I think that's where we are next .... to talk about who,
how we're gonna do that process of invitin' people to the table, and givin' everybody
opportunity. So we'll go back to our, uh, our (mumbled) please.
Mims/ Mayor, if I could I think if, yeah, if. ... they're sharing that. You know as I've talked to
some of you over the last few days, and I've looked at these seventeen steps, um, and my
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comments, you know, earlier tonight were directed particularly towards the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, because I do think that is so, uh, big, complex, important,
um, but when I look at the remaining sixteen, um, my .... my perception is that there are a
few of those that we could kind of check off pretty quickly and easily that don't
necessarily require, um, maybe any more time and effort on Council's part, but we would
want follow up reports on from staff. Um, some of the, uh.... oh, I'm just looking at
these. Number ten, um .... you know, the .... the letter on the military grade equipment.
I... I don't know if that's been done yet, but we've decided we want to do that. Some of
the general orders that we said — no chokeholds, um, the police misconduct related to
House file, etc. Um, so there's certain ones in there that I'm wondering if we could kind
of say, you know what, we've already directed staff. This is what we want done. Um,
report back from City Manager that it's been done and then maybe, like I say, quarterly,
semi-annual, annual, I don't know, reports on those sorts of things. Then some of the
others, I think we have to discuss in detail, and I wonder if we are potentially going to
need some ad hoc committees, um, established to work on some of these, which might
mean that we need to do a process, like with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in
terms of asking people to apply, and that we appoint people to those ... you know, ad hoc
committees to work on one or maybe two or three of these particular items if we can
group them together. Cause there's a lot here to do!
Taylor/ I think that's a good idea, Councilor Mims. Uh, I keep thinking of our .... our Climate
Action Commission and, uh, I think they did an excellent job of doing just that. They...
they, uh, broke themselves down into different categories of groups and whichever people
were interested in, uh, say the communication or working with the businesses, and they
fell into those categories. Rather than the whole group trying to tackle the whole big
issue, they....they narrowed that down and... and each group focused on certain topics.
So, uh, I agree with you on that.
Teague/ All right, so .... (sighs) do we wanna think about the broad topic of each one of the A
through, um, what do we have, D .... categories, how we envision... next steps as far as
groups and how we'll do that. Um, I think because, uh, Councilor Mims did bring it up,
uh, what items here can we ... sort of take off the list? Um, I know that number ten,
eleven, sixteen, and seventeen are some that can come off the list, and .... in response to
number seventeen, um, the holiday will be set, right? So that's off the list. That will still
be of discussion, um, when ... um, and I'm trying to figure out which group. Maybe it's
the Truth and Reconciliation or, you know, it'd go under diversity, equity, inclusion,
where they'll talk about, um, you know, that well being, that, urn .... that was just
mentioned about... what will happen, um, in the community on Juneteenth next year. So,
um, I do feel that those are kind of done, personally. I don't know if there's anything else
that people see. Um, number four, we know that we'll be, um, you know, getting' a
report, and I don't know if staff want to update, uh, now or...uh, we're gonna have....
we're gonna have this a part of our agenda every .... every, uh, work session, um, movin'
forward, is my assumption. Um .... so, at least with number ten, eleven, and ... uh, sixteen
and seventeen I feel like those are things that don't need to be on the list because they're,
um....um, well....
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Mims/ What about twelve, thirteen, and fourteen? Are .... are there things with those that we still
really need to discuss or is, are those pretty .... set with what we've directed staff to do?
And do we just need to report back? I'm not ... I'm ... not saying one way or the other. I'm
just kind of asking that question.
Teague/ And ... and even .... even like number, even the things that were taken off the list, there'll
still be conversations about them. Um, up under whatever that category is. I think, uh,
what you just referenced, is Council don't have to spend time .... you know, discussin'
those.
Mims/ Would the rest of Council agree that like ten through fourteen are more report -back type
of items? (several talking, garbled)
Fruin/ Mayor and Council, may I chime in for a quick second here?
Teague/ Yes! (both talking, garbled)
Fruin/ Um .... uh, several of those items already have procedures in place. Uh, so for example the
CPRB already reviews all updates to general orders that the Police Department makes.
So in the last twelve months you may not know this, but the, uh, CPRB has reviewed the
use of force and they have reviewed, um, other, uh, general orders as well, including the
body camera policy. That's a routine practice that has already been in place. Um, so our
intention, uh, based on your resolution, was to update these policies again and per normal
practice, take those to the CPRE for review and comment, and if needed, go back at the
staff level and make some adjustments based on those comments. Uh, so those all do
become public record, and of course, um, because they're a part of your resolution, we
would keep you and the public apprised of how that process is working. So I agree that
you don't necessarily need to be involved, um, in items say eleven through fourteen,
which are updating G.O.s. You need to be kept informed and ... and certainly if you see
something even that you .... if you see something you've got questions about or that you
don't agree with, uh, even if the CPRBD, uh.... uh, CPRB did agree with, you could step
in and direct staff, but I don't think you need to spend a whole lot of time or ask a new
committee to do that because you already have the CPRB that's charged with that.
There's a number of other nuances to some of these items that .... that probably aren't
gonna be on your radar that again staff can help you with and we can, uh, facilitate. So
for example the .... the Juneteenth holiday is not as simple as just declar...uh, declaring a
holiday. Um, holidays are mandatory subject to bargaining for some of our, uh, collective
bargaining unions. So, uh, we need to go back to those unions and have those
discussions and create side letters with those unions that have existing contracts, uh, to
try to make that change. Again that's nothing necessarily that the Council needs to be,
uh, directly involved with or that a committee of the public needs to be involved with,
um, but just ... just know that, uh, it's ... it's oftentimes gonna be a little bit more
complicated or there may be a few, uh, administrative steps that need to take place in
order, uh, for us to completely check a box on these items.
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Teague/ So I did want to at least, um, expound upon what I was mentioning when .... you know,
like checkin' these things off the list. It's not that they totally go off the list, like there'll
be some follow up, but it .... like I don't think that Council needs to kind of focus in on
this, when we're thinkin about the groups that are going to be created, um, cause that
could ... if you have .... maybe a narrow picture of what the resolutions that we're
addressing and what type of, um, groups we're needing, if we can cross some of these
things off the list that, yeah it may go back to that group, you know, the reports that a...
CP brings about the body cams and that type stuff. Um .... because we already have it in
the resolution, specifics of. ... of what's to be there. So....I wonder if there's any other
item that we want to, um .... you know, kinda take off the list for us not to ... have it in the
mix when we're thinkin' about groups moving forward.
Mims/ Mayor, you had mentioned number sixteen, uh, the City Manager did not. Um ... Geoff, is
number sixteen something that with the direction we've given you with the resolution
that would also be set to go back through the general order process with CPRB or not?
Or is that something that needs more City Council discussion?
Fruin/ Yeah, certainly we've, um, we would need to go through all of our general orders and, uh,
standard operating guidelines, uh, within the Police Department and make sure that that's
fully addressed. That... that's part of the process that's ongoing right now. It may not be
that that shows up in the existing GO. It could be a ... a new general order, or again, uh,
some.... some standard guidelines that need to be adjusted. So that one's not, uh, not
completely straightforward, just from a ... a policy standpoint, as the use of force or the
body camera policy, but um, certainly the direction has been provided. It's just a matter
of us, uh, codifying that in some manner right now.
Bergus/ Mayor, I just wanted to jump in about process, um, for a moment, because I ... I just
wanna be careful how we're talking about things that are sort of on the list or off the list.
Um, I agree with you that what we're looking for is the .... the, um, things that won't take
as much direct Council involvement or necessarily creating a new, um, organization or
infrastructure to do the review, to get to the point where we feel like these items have
been completed, um, but just to be very clear for anyone who's .... who's listening, the...
the process will continue to be public and transparent, and we're not saying like take it
off the list like we're done, we're not gonna look at it again. So just I think
understanding the processes that are in place. With something as large as this resolution,
I think it's really incumbent on us to ... to find the places where we can leverage the
resources that we do have and we've already said, okay the CPRB needs to be, you know,
itself a ... undertake a review and see if we can, you know, uh, enhance its power, but its
purpose in reviewing, um, general orders of the Police Department, I think that's really
an, uh, a, you know, that .... that will make us more effective and make us more efficient,
and certainly, you know, I hope everyone, um, subscribes to the City newsletters that tell
them when the next CPRB meeting is happening and that they are looking at the agenda
for that and that they are tracking when that is, you know, going in front of them and so
that they can participate as they see fit. I just wanna be really clear that we're not trying
to, you know, take it off the list or say that it's already completed or exclude, um,
participation from people who are interested in how that's going to go down.
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Mims/ Thank you, and if I could just piggyback on that a little bit. Councilor Weiner and I each
individually, um, had conversations with the City Manager this week, and as a result of
those conversations asking about just kind of..process and .... and transparency and stuff,
Geoff shared, I believe, with each of us, um, a document that the staff has already started
putting together that, urn.... basically tracks each of these seventeen and that I believe
they're getting.... they're getting ready to put up on the website. So if I could I'd like to
ask Geoff maybe to explain that to the rest of Council because I think that really will
address your comments, Laura, about the importance of transparency and people
understanding that ... with the conversation we're have ... that we are having we are not
ignoring any of these items, um, it's just how they're going to be dealt with, but that
tracking that ... that staff is proposing and their form they're using, um, will really
facilitate that transparency, both for us and the public. So maybe, Geoff, you could
explain that to Council.
Fruin/ Sure. Well it's very common with any significant undertaking like this that there's regular
update reports that are provided to the Council and to the public. Uh, we do so with
varying frequency on a number of items like your strategic plan or maybe a Parks and
Rec master plan, bike master plan, all those types of efforts. Your climate plan, uh, you'll
get regular reports on. Uh, so the public can track where we are, uh, with regards to the
commitments that the City has made. So as staff we've already started to pull together
that document and as Susan described, uh, it is a ... a document that contains, uh, each of
the seventeen actions, and ... and very generally, uh, we'll have the exact language from
the resolution on there, a summary of where we currently stand in making progress
towards that, uh, an outline of next steps. So that could be a future Council meeting, a
future CPRB meeting where the public could participate. It could be community
outreach events. Um, but a list of which ones will be applicable to that item. And then a
list of any accomplishments. So as .... as you, uh, really finish some of these items, no
matter how small they may be, like for example, Mayor, you've already sent the letter to
the Sheriff's office on the MRAP vehicle. So then we would list that under the
accomplishments and someone could then download a copy of that letter to see that
themselves. That framework is al ... already in place and then we're building.... we're
building the content now and our intention was to, uh, take away anything we can from
your discussion tonight, infuse that in the report, and publish that on Monday, prior to
your, uh, July 7`h, your Tuesday, July 7h Council meeting. So, urn ... uh, that .... that is
already in the works and ... and we'll be able to .... we'll be able to meet that goal of
getting' it up on Monday, uh, after we're... after we're done with the meeting tonight.
Mims/ Thank you, Geoff.
Teague/ All right, so for the .... so how do we envision really... there's a lot of work to be done. So
how do we envision, um, formalatin' these .... these groups, commissions, urn ... we
already .. know what Truth ... what a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as far as the
process, could be. Um, of course there's always the bureaucracy of...of city government,
um, that .... we have to behold ourselves to. Um, there has to be transparency. Um, and
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there also has to be opportunity within the .... within the public to weigh in on it or to have
opportunity, and so .... maybe Truth and Reconciliation might be the easiest one to tackle.
Salih/ I .... I just wanna add something about this committee, that the IFR is already work .... I .... I
talk to them and they already working with the Center for Human Right, uh,
Commission, of University of Iowa, and you know, to prepare the Truth and Recre
(garbled) Committee and they have began making plans for how they can involve
business, non-profit organization, University, Black Voices Projects, and like a lot of
community. So, uh, I thinks, uh, we need just a way that how can those people reach out
to us and tell us what they do. Uh, I understand that maybe they did not done a very good
job of communicating with us, but also we make it hard for them to communicate
because we don't have, uh, they cannot come and talk today in this like work session, for
example! And, uh.... they don't know exactly what we going to be discussing on ... on
today.... meeting. Uh, I just believe that they are the one who come with this
recommendations, uh, let us make them well involve in creating those committee.
(several talking, garbled)
Teague/ Well at least for my perspective as far as the, um, opportunities for IFR to be on the
committees, I ... I think that, um, you're exactly right. They have, um, they have been very
influential in, you know, getting Council to move, right, on the demands, and the things
that, you know, the seventeen items, um, some ... they asked specifically for, some Council
heard from other people in the community, and we put into the resolution, and so I ... I do
believe that .... we can certainly have space, reserve space, somewhat.... somewhat of
what we've done in the past for any type of, uh, a group, like for the, um .... when we did
the, um, Climate Action Commission. We had eleven spots, we looked at the three
people that use the most electricity in the community, we gave them resp.... reserved
spots and then we selected the nine. So for me, I believe that when we're talking about
any of these groups, we can certainly reserve, uh, spots for, um .... people, Black Li ... um,
Iowa Freedom Riders, but also any of those groups that we know that have been in the
community that have, urn .... been about social ... uh, justice, such as Black Voices Project,
that was just mentioned. Um .... and.....and whether, we don't totally know all those
groups. It's not like.... urn..... for the Climate Action, we know who uses the most
(laughs) um, electricity, right? Um, so we know that. Council may think that we know
who's been, um, kinda those champions within our community..... for social justice and,
uh, rights for people of color, um, so I do believe that we, you know, open up the process
for the Reconciliation Commission.... and we invite groups to participate, as well as
individuals, and you know, maybe that group, they .... maybe we say we want eleven
spots. Um, four of those spots are going to be, you know, from groups within the
community and then the others will be upon appointment. Um, so ... or maybe we, you
know, don't make that limitation and just say let's see what we get and then we go from
there. So everybody have an opportunity, all the groups, all the individuals within the
community. Uh, you know, come and apply for the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, and then we go from there, but that is my personal thought for Truth and
Reconciliation Commission.
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Mims/ I think that's a good idea, Bruce (garbled) and I think because we don't all necessarily
know all the different groups, um, it might be hard to up front, you know, say that we're
going to reserve X number of spots. Maybe one approach would be, um, as we advertise
and .... and get the word out about people applying for this, one of the things maybe that
we could do is encourage that if you .... if you are applying to represent an organization,
that maybe you, uh.... solicit letters or signatures of other members of that organization to
indicate that you are in fact, um, their choice to represent that particular group. And if
you don't do that, then you're considered simply an individual applicant. Um, that might
help us in terms of making sure, um, for example that, you know, we don't end up with
ten people from Black Voices or .... and I'm just using that as an example, but that we
really make sure (mumbled) that we get, um, a really diverse representation across the
community, across the black population, etc., um, but if they really are there to represent
an organization to have some other documentation with it from the people in that
organization say, hey, this is our person that we're putting forward that we really want to
represent us on the commission.
Teague/ I do hear what you're saying and .... and I think certainly we wanna make sure that we
get the word out that there needs to be, um, a collective agreement on who will be the
repres .... representative from that organization. Um, I think, you know, if we should, at
least this is my initial thought, I think we can, you know, get the word out, um, and if we
should get, you know, two applicants, um, it's kinda hard when it's last minute, right?
But if we should get more than one applicant from the same organization, maybe then we
find out who that organizational leadership is and we reach out to them and, uh, cause
there should be some type of email. Or we .... if we had that capacity. Now this could be
like a lot of our, you know, some of our commissions we can get fifty applicants. I know
that the involvement from the community right now has been great, and so there could be
a lot of applicants comin' in. Um ... but I hear what you're sayin' and I think that
potentially if we did get that, maybe we can seek some clarification, um, without havin'
that stipulation.
Dilkes/ Mayor, can I interrupt for a minute? Um (both talking)
Teague/ Yes!
Dilkes/ ....just as a reminder, um, the first step in creating a commission is typically doing a
resolution that creates the charge to that commission, and so in thinking about work flow
here, you might wanna talk about ... who it is you would like, whether that's a group of
subset of Council, staff, etc., to do a draft of that, uh.... uh, resolution, and what you
would like it to include.
Teague/ I...yes, um, one of the things, at least from our Councilors that I've been getting, um,
and even from the public is that people want to weigh in on what that .... what that charge
would be. And so, uh, with that bein' said, uh, we can certainly as Council talk about
that, but I also feel that, uh, we don't have to get into the nifty gritty of that. We can
certainly say that we'll bring that to a, urn ..... an opportunity for the public to weigh in on
an agenda item and then they weigh in on what that charge will be and then we have
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conversations there, cause I think we can ... we don't wanna get too much into the details
because I feel that we need to have the public weigh in on that.
Dilkes/ Well and I ... I think that's fine but we need to have the direction as to ... if there's a desire
for public input on that item (both talking)
Teague/ Yes!
Dilkes/ ...as your staff set up that meeting and request public input. So that's the kind of
direction that if...if we're gonna move forward on some of these items, we're gonna have
to get.
Teague/ I...yes, I appreciate that.
Salih/ Mayor, I just ... I really (garbled) know that we going to into details and I .... I thought we
are just going to agree to the, um, like which (mumbled) we need to like do like the ... the
A, B, C that we did like four committee or five, and also we wanna talk about which we
need from the staff, to report to us with it, and after that we give chance to the public
because I really would love the public to tell us how we can come up with those, uh, you
know, uh, commissions. I don't know whether it is City commission or whether it is like,
uh, you know, I really don't know; however, the public wants to do. That's why I thinks
if. ... it is time just to leave it as it is and we just wait for the public to come and tell us
how can we do this? Because we are not gonna say no, you....you going to have only
one person from one organization. You are going to have only like .... no! This is not our
call, by the way! This is the public call, and they have to tell us how can we come up
with this. Uh, we been here forever, the staff been there forever, City Council was here,
and we (garbled) with this demand and we did not work on thein from ourself. We
waited until like somebody else came and bring this. Then that the public! Then let the
public come up with the rest of the (mumbled) like how can we move forward with those,
you know, uh.... commissions, whether they send us something, they come as the Mayor
said, the public comment during a meeting. I don't know how, but we have to make the
public involve in like how can we move forward.
Taylor/ Well I think on this particular item, uh, most important input needs to come from the I...
the IFR, uh, people, the folks on there, cause this ... this came from them. This specific
request came from them, and we really need to know, you know, what they .... they had on
mind, what .... what do they think, um, this group, Truth and Reconciliation, would
accomplish. So I think, you know, posting it and saying `we want your input,' but I think
they would understand more truly than the general public as such, uh, what .... what this
means. (several talking, garbled)
Van Heukelom/ Um, I just wanted to say that Ryan and I are in contact with some IFR members
and they already have like a lot of ideas and framework ideas about what they want, uh,
Truth and Ree ... Reconciliation Commission to be, and I think it's important that, um, they
like have a seat, you know, during these meetings so they can, um, cause they're already
like steps ahead on like a lot of this stuff, and I think if we have them like included we
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could definitely just, you know, the change could be coming faster, and they have like a
lot of the details laid out for this commission and whether it's not all IFR members and
it's like a ... variation of different, um, groups throughout the Iowa City community, um, I
think that to get tlus ball rolling I think that if we just give them a spot we can definitely
see what they already have and what they want.
Salih/ And just to add to what Anna said, the, you know, they are reaching to a lot of group and
they still .... but they did not finish, they did not reach to like there is many, many
community that they are intend to reach to. Uh, but you know they are doing this work of
reaching out to the community that, you know, we would like to hear from them. I
thinks, you know, in the same time we can open it to any, another organization who
would like to come and say, hey, I would like to be part of this, not only the FI ... you
know, I'm not saying only the IFR, but the IFR is already been reaching to a lot of, and
talking with a lot of, organization. So we can also open it to any community by maybe
for any reason the IFR did not reach to them, but you know .... let's start with them!
Bergus/ Well and, Mayor Pro Tem, you mentioned earlier the, um, communication challenges
maybe that .... that we've had, and I think when we're talking about, um, the steps that the
City Council can implement, I ... I just wanna... I wanna try and keep our focus on what the
City Council is intending to do, is trying to do, and ... you know, making sure that we're...
we're able to get to a point that we're, um, facilitating broader community change, but
still understanding that we are the elected representatives of the entire city, and so you
know, how .... how recommendations and presentations and that kind of thing can
get .... get brought to us. I mean I .... I think having like the liaisons that they were asking
for, so that we can, you know, have maybe a few Councilors who are, um, able to take
time in between our meetings and to help facilitate that presentation back to Council. I
mean I think that's really, um, that's what I'm looking for. You know, I ... I have reached
out to them and not gotten any response, and so, um, you know, I think it's .... it's
important that we enhance that communication and, um, you know, be able to talk with,
you know, whoever they're willing to, um, put forward as .... as a .... as a representative,
but not just in this context of like what this conversation would be. I think it needs to be
the, you know, getting to work in these, um, the ... the kind of, I don't know if you wanna
call them .... well, the categories! The categories that we just came up with. I think that's
what's really important to ... kinda take that out of just the bureaucracy of these particular
meetings.
Salih/ Yes, I agree with you. Yeah!
Teague/ So I think one of the ... one of the, um, hopes for the meeting today was definitely to
kinda put things in categories. Um .... the other hope was for us to have the initial
conversation of how do we envision the categories, the groups. Like, um, so Truth and
Reconciliation, certainly we, the commission, we have a process for commissions. Not to
say that we do things the same way all the time, but we have a process for a commission,
so we can certainly, um, if we're going to, you know, open it up to the public to kinda
weigh in on what that charge will be, because that's our next step in order to start a
commission, then we can certainly wait to talk... about, you know, how do we do that
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application process and get some ideas from the public, um, .... because we can't open up
the, uh, we can't open up the .... the commission until we have the charge ready. Um, as
far as the housing, diversity, equity, and inclusion, um, and then the addressing ... uh,
policing, um, and I .... I need to give that official title. Uh, Mayor Pro Tem, what was that
title that you, urn.... addressin' policin' and future public safety?
Salih/ And the future of public safety, yeah.
Teague/ Okay. Um ... you k now, so the ... I think we need to start the conversations about, um,
what does the groups look like, even if we don't make final decisions today, or do we
wait and kinda allow that to come from the public as well, since we have the four, um,
categories, but I do want Council to weigh in on what .... what we feel are next steps.
Weiner/ Well I .... I would think that, for example with respect to creating a commission, um, for
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that we can probably manage to walk and chew
gum at the same time, and what I mean by that is ... is, uh, consider doing what, uh, what
the City Attorney suggested, which is put together a small group of us to start, um,
putting together a structure and charge, and at the same time talk to IFR and get their
ideas into that, as well as other members of the community, so that we can ... we will then
have the structure of. ... urn, the.... prepared, so that it can be brought to Council, because
we'll already have our framework there to plug things into, uh, and discuss!
Teague/ I know that we have, um, kind of a goal of when we want the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, um .... you know, in .... in place by, and I wonder if that was a little
ambitious, right? Um .... because of the timing, and because .... I think there could be a
framework. Absolutely! But ... but then that would be who's at the table creatin' that
framework, and so .... um.....we certainly want people from the .... from, uh.... one thing
that I will say is that it is very important that we have people at the table that have, that
are Black Lives, um, at the table, and so .... if we're gonna talk about the charge, then...
whether that's within Council, we look at, you know, three of us bein' a part of that
process and then we have people from the community bein' a part of that process, um, I
don't know what people thoughts are, but I ... I do believe that we ... if we're going to be
talking about initial charge, then we need to have people that have experience, um, as a
black person, a black .... a person of color be a part of that conversation. And I know that
we wanna get ... we wanna move quickly, you know, to .... to set up the commission and
the, you know, we wanna move quickly. So, um, I don't know if people have ideas, um,
my..my initial thought was to .... um, but we can't set up a commission without (laughs)
havin' a .... a initial charge. Uh, we potentially could change the charge, if..maybe if
Eleanor could weigh in on that, if we ... if we set up a .... kind of a template of the charge,
could the charge change or evolve itself, or is there a way to make language, um...
Dilkes/ Uh, Mayor, this ... this is Eleanor. Of course it can change. Um, sometimes it's good for
people to have something to respond to or to shoot at, and then .... and then you ... as .... as
you get that public input about .... how you've worded things or what else should be
included or what isn't included and should be included. Of course that can all be added.
But sometimes it's .... it's good to have something to start with.
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Teague/ Okay.
Mims/ Well and I'm wondering to your points, Bruce, and... and the fact, and I don't know if this
individual would be, uh, available or be amenable to being a resource, and I would have
to go back to ... to somebody else to get the name, that there is somebody at the University
who has significant experience with truth and reconciliation commissions. Um, if we
could, uh, contact that person, see if there is any interest or availability. Um, we could
certainly reach out to the IFR and see what they have put together so far. Um, you know,
and if there's other Council Members that wanna do some research on these, that maybe
we could, you know, in a relatively short period of time get a charge put together, urn, for
the commission, with the idea, you know, as Eleanor has said, that maybe that gets us to
the point of being able to appoint the commission and if they feel that that charge needs
some adjusting. I don't know if they can do that on their own or if they would have to
refer that back to us and request us to make the update. Eleanor could obviously advise
us on that, but that might be able to help us get moving forward on this.
Dilkes/ What I was suggesting really is more what... what's.... what staff does for you all the time,
which is to draft something, put it in your packet so the public has notice of that, what's
being proposed, and notice that you're going to be talking about it, and then even before
it is finalized, you get some input and you make some changes. That's a pretty typical
process.
Teague/ At least from my perspective, um, I ... I don't totally have an issue with that. I think
what's gonna happen is, you know, staff's gonna reach out and they're gonna, um, you
know, they're gonna do some real deep research and find out, you know, what are the
Truth and Reconciliation, um, items that are already out there, and as long as there's an
opportunity for the public to weigh in I think a framework is exactly, um, kinda where...
where we start, and then the public weighs in, whether they scratch everything that's
there or add on to it, but I think that that could be a way forward, because we kinda want
to put this in a progression rather quickly, and at least for me, I think the next, um, you
know, potentially.. this is a holiday week, right? So we will be lookin' at either three
weeks from now, uh, if I'm addin' it up correctly, urn .... or maybe havin' another, um,
meeting, a .... another special work session.
Salih/ I just wanna mention that IFR is workin', you know, Susan Mims, you mentioned
somebody from the Human Right Commission. His name is I guess Aaron (mumbled)?
Mims/ No, that's not what I mentioned.
Salih/ Which ... which one you talkin' about?
Mims/ I don't know. I was just told that there's somebody at the University that has significant
experience in truth and reconciliation commissions. (both talking, garbled) I don't know
(both talking)
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Salih/ ...his name is Aaron (mumbled). He is ... was the University (mumbled) of Human Right,
and he's working with, uh, IFR and right now they even have a ... and they reach out to a
lot of organization. They still keep reaching (mumbled) from another organization, and
they have like kind of a .... you know, presentation almost ready, if we want them next
time to come and have their presentation. I really suggest that we can just put them
(garbled) agenda for the future meeting to give a report about the work that they have
done so far, and if any also like pub .... another community wanna come, because ... but Fir
sure 100% those people are working hard to reach out to much .... all the organization
that, uh, they .... they focus on Black Life Matter or just social justice organization, uh, or
racial, you know, justice organization. So I ... I think, uh, they .... they are working hard,
reaching out to the community, and they are the one who bring us all those demand, so if
we can give them a chance to come and give us report each time about what they been
doing, and at the end of the day it's up to us to agree or disagree. Uh, but just give them
the chance, uh, so they can come, because they are really working hard with a lot of labor
organizations and, you know, uh, other.... racial organization, justice organization.
Bergus/ I would like for us to focus in on .... on the, what's happening kind of in between
meetings, cause, Mayor Pro Tem, I'm hearing you say that, you know, lots of work is
happening, but if...if what will be coming to City Council is something for us to ... I'm
not .... I .... I think we need something different than just kind of a presentation with an up
or down vote. Like I think we should be involved, and I think they're asking us to be
involved (both talking) in ... in, like they're.... like the request for the liaison in working
groups, like I ... I think the intent is so that there's people on Council who understand the
work that's happening, because we're all also having, getting tons of input, you know,
meeting with people, getting, you know, people who are reaching out, hearing all kinds of
things, and I ... I think if we, whether it's one group or more than one group, if we just kind
of wait for a presentation to Council and then we've got, you know, maybe a ... a five or
six different presentations that we're supposed to be, um, you know, kind of up or down
voting, I ... I feel like that's going to be really inefficient, but if we have .... if. ... if the full
Council is comfortable sort of saying who can assist to be that liaison and .... and
hopefully work with them. Um, one thing I feel like we're really.... that's really, truly a
challenge in this process is .... is what the role of City Council is and what it can be,
and ... and I'm just really concerned that ... that we're gonna come up with, or be faced
with, something that maybe is beyond the scope of ..of what could even be possible in
our current form of government. So I think we need to be involved in that process to
make sure that solutions are being developed that ... that are achievable, even if they're,
you know, things we haven't thought about before. So I ... I really just think we need to be
trying to be engaged now, not just waiting for folks to come forward with a presentation.
Salih/ No, I'm saying beside that, Laura. You ... being like a liaison to the ... to the, with them,
that's total fine, I agree with the demand, and I'm with you on the same page, but I'm
saying like beside that, you know, after you meet with them they have many thing they
can come and talk about it, but you know, of course, one of us will be there, which is...
that's what their demand is. They need like each Council to be like representative on all
those, you know, committees, as a, you know, I .... I'm agree with that, I don't mind that.
But ... they are working hard and we need to know what they are doing.
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Mims/ I guess I would just also add to what Laura said is that ... I think we also have to remember
that we were elected as City Council Members for everybody in this community, not just
the Iowa Freedom Riders. And while I understand, I appreciate the ... the energy and the
passion that they have put into this, and we wouldn't even begin to be where we are today
with these discussions without what they have done. So I don't .... I don't wanna
minimize that. That has just been incredibly important and I'm totally supportive of that
that has gotten us to this point today. At the same time, as Laura said, we are talking to
lots of people across the community, lots of people are reaching out to us. We also have a
lot of expertise with staff who can do research on what, uh, truth and reconciliation
commissions have been, um, and have done in South Africa and other places, and to ... I'm
not comfortable sitting here and saying this one group has been out meeting with all these
other people in the community and doing all this hard work and then they're going to take
......structure all that and bring that straight to us. We need to be getting that direct input,
um, as well, and it needs .... it needs to be coming from across the community. So I ... I'm
....I'm a little uncomfortable with this .... with this as well.
Teague/ I think, um, so that we can kinda move forward with ... what we're... what we're hopin' to
do today. Um, so right now we have four different groups. So .... how do we envision
these... these groups? Um, and....and.... and havin' people involved? So ... that is kinda
where I wanna transition us to now.
Weiner/ So I'm .... I admit to being a little confused right now. Um....
Teague/ So we have (several talking, garbled)
Weiner/ So .... cause what I'm hearing from a variety of folks is we want ... we want, um, to be...
to be (mumbled) discussing with IFR and other folks. At the same time we do ... if we
want to move forward, if we're going to move forward with, uh, a commi.... a City
commission, we need to create a charge, um, and so I guess I come down right now in
favor of creating a draft charge and at the same time taking all that input and liaising....
and listening so that we have that draft charge sitting there that can then be filled in or...
uh, amended, changed, completely changed so that ... that we're not pushed back another
two weeks or another month.
Teague/ Okay. Any other thoughts on that? And ... and I think because of time, I .... I'm ... I would
say that we should direct staff to kinda give that draft, while realizin' that, you know,
they're gonna do some good soul searchin' and re .... you know, researching, but again,
the community can weigh in, um, and we ... as Council we can rethink, uh, what we hear.
Salih/ Well what draft you talkin' about?
Teague/ Oh, uh, the charge for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Salih/ Why the staff should do it by themself without input from the community, without input
from IFR, without input from us?
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Teague/ Uh, if...if any of us, I mean we....we also have the option of waitin' until...I think it's
gonna be three weeks out, at this point. Unless we have another special Council meeting,
which we can! When I look at number two and .... um, of the .... of the resolution, support
....support of the to be determined efforts of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and
hold a Council work session on or before, uh, August I" to address specific alle...
allocations. So .... if ... we .... we still have time, but .... are.....are we gonna be that only
one opportunity in three weeks to have that, you know, to have that input. Now we can
talk about between now and then. We have our meetin' next Tuesday that people can be a
part of and... and give input, and even after next Tuesday, uh, we can have discussion on
that as well. So maybe .... for now .... um, since we do have a little, you know, have a little
time to talk about the, uh, to address the specific allocations, then maybe we do wait and
just open it up to the public next Tuesday to weigh in, as well as the following week ... or
the following Council meeting.
Salih/ That's before the staff ...the staff propose anything, that what you mean, right?
Teague/ Yes.
Salih/ Yeah, I .... I really believe that, you know, IFR, any other organization because, you know,
even though I know that they are reaching (mumbled) but IFR and any other organization
if they would like to bring us something about this, you know, let them do it and we just
have to tell the people that we are ready to, uh, like to have feedback from the community
about how we can create this committee. Uh, I ... I just think that should be the way,
before the staff put anything. After we receive something from the community and from
IFR, maybe we can give it to the staff and staff (garbled) and also from the legal
perspective from like Eleanor, our City Attorney, can look at it. That what I ... I really
think.
Bergus/ Well even if we put public input prior to any drafting from staff, we ... we need an
infrastructure for what ... how that public input comes to us. I'm not comfortable just
having an open-ended, you know, public comment time, to ... to try and do something like
a charge for a new commission that'll be appointed by .... by the City Council. What...
what if we had a couple of Council Members who before the next meeting worked,
tried .... tried to solicit some of that community input to at least have that draft to ... to work
from. I mean we've been ... we've been doin' a lot on the fly lately and I'm .... I'm very
concerned with, I mean we ... we need to get .... we need to give people our work product.
They need to see what we are doing, and even if it's something that gets completely
revised when we're in that ... that meeting, um, I really just think that ... that we need to
have something in advance of when we're talking about it to respond to and to try and,
you know, frame our thoughts around. So what if we had a couple of Councilors who,
prior to the next meeting, you know, their .... their job was to help come up with this
rough draft that then we would get public input on. (several talking, garbled)
Salih/ Go ahead, Susan!
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Mims/ What I was going to say, I think Councilor Bergus' idea is good from the standpoint ii..if
IFR is working hard and getting a lot of this work done, and we wanna move as
expeditiously as possible, why not have a couple Councilors reach out to them, ask them
for the work product that they have so far. Those Councilors.... couple of Councilors can
look at it, can discuss it with them. As to .... if you need explanation of why it says what it
has ... says, so you have a better understanding of it; get it to Legal; get it to staff so they
have an opportunity to look at it and respond to it; and use that maybe as a working draft,
um, that staff has. We can still see the original from IFR. We can see what staff has
come up with, um, what changes they have made to that, whether with this being a
holiday weekend and maybe people being gone late this week. I don't know if we have
time to get all that done and have it in the packet for next week. I think that's very
questionable, um, but if IFR really has gotten all that work done, let's encourage them to
say, look, if you want this input then get us this stuff now so we can start reacting to it.
Don't wait for some time for presentation. I'm like Laura, I like to see stuff ahead of
time so I have time to think about it and process, and I think our staff needs to see it
ahead of time so they can think about it and process and give us the best advice possible.
Taylor/ I .... I think that's a good point, Susan, and by ahead of time I think it's more than the
morning of, more than just an hour and a half or two hours before our meeting. Uh (both
talking)
Mims/ I agree!
Taylor/ ....but I need a lot more time to absorb things, wrap my head around it, and .... and really
think about things. So it's gotta be presented more than just the morning of or...or a few
hours before a meeting.
Mims/ And I think that's what Laura said when she said we've been goin' on the fly, we've been
doin' a fair amount of that lately cause we're having these one-on-one discussions and
trying to get stuff to other Councilors, and we're not getting it to each other very fast.
We've gotta get back into a better procedure here.
Dilkes/ The expectation of the (both talking) The expectation of the community, I think, after
years and years of the packet going out on Thursday, is that material that the Council is
going to be discussing the next week will be included... to the extent it's at all possible,
will be included in the packet in Thursday .... on Thursday. So that there's an opportunity
to .... to look at it and provide ad ... feedback to the Council.
Salih/ Yes.
Teague/ So just from a .... a timing standpoint, we're lookin' at .... our, do we have a meetin' on
the 2151 or did we move that meeting? July 215`
Fruehling/ It's the 215`
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Teague/ All right. So .... maybe we would have somethin..... um, between now and ... I guess the
next time, you know, we can discuss this formally, uh, would be the 2151. Potentially
between... now people can weigh in next Tuesday if they want. If we wanna have that on
an agenda item. Urn.... and.... and then .... the following week, or the following two
weeks we could have .... the draft. Or..for Council to vote on the charge, for the
commission.
Salih/ You mean three week?
Teague/ Through.... three weeks for the charge, if I'm countin' in my head correctly. (several
talking, garbled)
Mims/ I don't see how we can get to it before then, not and give public notice, um, but certainly
that gives us plenty of time hopefully to get input from IFR, um, if they've already been
doing a lot of work, let the community know this is something we're moving on, um, but
maybe even have it done so it's in the packet a week ahead, which would give people
even more time, if possible, to look at it and respond to it.
Taylor/ And, Mayor, you said something about voting on it, but do you really mean to discuss it
and tweak the language, if we felt necessary?
Teague/ Um .... yes. I mean, our ...our, in our resolution we say ... I guess we don't have that we
have to vote by August I". So yes, we can certainly, on the 2155, um, just have it for
discussion.
Weiner/ (several talking, garbled) I understand that....
Salih/ Go ahead, Janice!
Weiner/ I understand the imperative of moving quickly. I also understand the need to really give
everyone, not just Council, but everyone in the community a chance to look at and review
and comment on it, so the timeline, even though it's ... it may seem long to some, uh, is
one that's going to end up giving us a good product that has everyone's input, including
especially that of IFR, and also other members of the community.
Teague/ Okay. So (both talking)
Salih/ Just let me make sure I understand. Now we gonna have two Council Member will meet
with the IFR to look at what the work that has been done right now and bring that input to
us, and we will.... and .... I don't know, we will look into it and ... that's what you meant, by
three ... two week, in two week?
Teague/ Um, I .... I think it, we can go wherever I think, um, because of the next Tuesday is really
quick, for any organization to create somethin', um .... that we actually put this on the July
2155 agenda, so that the public can weigh in on it. That'll allow anyone the opportunity,
uh, Councilors meet with whomever, um, they want to to discuss and re -envision what
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the Truth and Reconciliation Commission look like, research it, and then we get public
input first, and then we come back and we have it on the agenda. At least we would of,
you know, it won't .... we won't be addressin' specific allocations by then, um, but I think
we'll definitely have a lot of input that we can potentially draft up somethin' that night,
um, if that's where Council wanted to ... wanted to be or...I don't know.
Dilkes/ Can I .... can, Mayor, can I tell you what I've understood from your ...from your
discussion?
Teague/ Yes!
Dilkes/ That you are looking at having a couple Council Members reach out to IFR. Um, get
their ...the, find out what work they've been doing on this issue. Those two Council
Members look at that, uh, communicate with staff. Staff... prepares a draft in connection
with those two Council Members, that we then get out to .... in the Council's packet of....
which would go out on July 16' for the 2151 meeting. Then at that meeting you can take
input and discussion, etc., on that draft, as you normally would on any agenda item. You
can defer that item if you want. You can make revisions to it or whatever, but you will
have a draft in your packet on the 10h.
Salih/ That sound good to me!
Mims/ So, Eleanor, from what you've said, if that draft came back acceptable to us, we would
have an item on the agenda that is the resolution that we could pass that night, potentially.
Dilkes/ Yes.
Mims/ Thank you! I think that allows us to move forward fairly expeditiously assuming we can
get the contact with the IFR, get their input, um, then get it to staff to review and
potentially edit, and then get us a draft that, as Eleanor has said, we can either, um,
amend on the floor that night or, uh, defer, or accept. So that would give us some
options.
Salih/ That depend on like more public input. Yeah. (several responding, garbled)
Teague/ Yep! All right, so ... are we comfortable with .... with that outline of how we'll move
forward, and then do we wanna appoint or kinda talk about which two individuals would
be in contact... with IFR, and I also ... I mean I think that there are other people in the
community that do wanna weigh in on, you know, Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
I've talked to several people, um, people of color specifically, that you know have went
into great detail about, uh, truth and reconciliation and what that means to them, and so,
um, maybe some of those ideas can be funneled or, uh, to whoever we select now. Um,
who would like to be a part of that, I guess.
Bergus/ I would!
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Mims/ Good, I was gonna nominate you! (laughter)
Bergus/ Well I ... I mean I .... especially the part about kind of drafting something that might be up
for consideration, uh, if you all, you know, could ... I don't know. It seemed to work well
and was effective when you, uh, sort of put your faith in my participation in that process
for the prior resolution and I'd be really interested in helping again.
Salih/ I ... I think, um, you know, I .... I think I need somebody else, you know, I can say I wanna
be on that, but I .... I really want somebody else to be, because I'm definitely agree, and
you know, I think this is might be ... I'm personally been affected by this movement and,
uh, I think, uh, I'm totally on board. That's why I think if another Council Member want
to go, uh, with Laura and just having like ... because you gonna have more understanding
about the issue. If you have (mumbled) or anything, I will, uh, you know, save that seat
for whoever.
Mims/ How bout Janice?
Weiner/ I volunteer as well.
Salih/ Okay then. Uh, but ... but that doesn't mean the IFR cannot meet with another people of the
Council to talk about something, I guess. Yes (several responding, garbled)
Weiner/ Of course not.
Salih/ As long as it's not a quorum, they can still meet. So if they wanna just convince some
Council about something or talk about it, yeah.
Teague/ All right. I wonder if we ... urn, so thanks to Janice and Laura. Um, I wonder if we don't
kinda have the same process... well, I wonder if for A, B, and C if we kind of ...delay that
discussion until our next work session, and contin... and continue the discussion about
what that might look like, or um, I think that between now and then, urn .... we could
have, or do we want to put that on ... maybe in August, where we will have public input
on, you know, how do people see these bein' envisioned and then ... because those are not
with definite timelines that we, you know, can't kinda reimagine. I, you know the
December 1 for the Police Department, um, we already .... or December 15a', we already
know that that preliminary plan is very aggressive and I think ... you know, if it needs ... if
we have the ... whoever is gonna be a part of that group, you know, come and say we need
more time, then.... more than likely they're gonna take whatever time, a little more time
to figure out, you know, whatever they need, uh, for that. So, would people be amenable
to us kinda doin' A, B, and C in August, just havin..... maybe we'll put that on a public
comment, uh, or you know, start to get some public comment. How do we get that, how
do we envision gettin' public input on those?
Mims/ I guess I would have a question and that would be both I guess for you, Mayor, and staff,
um, do we already have a full work session agenda for next week? Um, if we do then I
think it's totally acceptable that we need to push this out to our first meeting in August. If
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not, I would suggest that .... maybe we try and take the easiest one from a "process"
standpoint and maybe address, um, how we would want to move forward on housing.
Obviously that's not to develop the housing plan, but to just talk about, you know,
process for housing. Um, so I guess that would be my comment there, and then I ... I'd
like to come back to what we were talking about in a minute.
Teague/ I...I, and I don't ... people can respond. I think the challenge that we just, you know, spent
maybe 30, 45 minutes (laughs) about was .... gettin' the public input first, and then making
decisions, and so maybe we .... might want to consider, um, maybe havin', um, we can
work with the work session items. There's.... there's, to my memory, there's a few things,
there's not too much there pressing, although, you know, there's a lot goin' on, always,
right? Um, so we could potentially .... instead of havin' a work session, um, well, we
could open it up to the public, I guess, if we wanted to do somethin' like that for ...A
through C or maybe there's .... somethin' different that we want, and ... and I just don't
know, but I think havin' input first from the public might be good, especially given the
time that we just took right now.
Salih/ If I can give you a suggestion is ... you know, why don't we just say I know that you are
focusing on the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, but (mumbled) we are .... we are
focusing on that to write the charge and everything, yes. That's will be our focus. But in
the same time, because the people who will look at all this will be different group, and if
we can just say we need everybody to send us like their recommendation, even IFR if
they wanna like bring another recommendation for, uh, like (mumbled) for the housing,
or for the... anything, and also group and the committee, they can work in the same time
come up with this, something... why we are working on ... on this. So like all of them to be
(mumbled) at the same time that we need input from the community.
Bergus/ I agree that trying to gather some public input from the community sooner rather than
later would be excellent. I ... I do think we need some structure for that, um, you know,
whether that's, um, you know, uh, meetings that aren't full Council meetings that ... that
people can ... that would have, you know, sort of a forum for providing that, you know,
giving that input, whether that's a survey that would go out, whether that's, I mean I ... I
can see a lot of different ways in which we would gather public input, but I would like us
to just try and ... try and make, um, some pathways for that or some tools for that, so that
we're gathering input in like a consistent way so that we can categorize it and use it and
track it and respond to it and make sure that people remain involved and make sure we
can be responsive to them, um, so I don't know if...if, um, Mayor Pro Tem, if you had
other thoughts on, you know, what that might look like, other than ... in .... in addition to,
you know our meetings that would have kind of the open-ended public comment.
Salih/ I said that because I know that IFR is creating like subcommittee for each, uh, category
that they send out. So they already are talking about this, uh, with different group, like
for example housing, they been talking with Affordable Housing Coalition (mumbled)
Habitat and all those, like I mean like they already putting some kind of, uh, structure
there so if the ... and also they gonna continue working with people so if they can bring us
also ... because those different group are workin' different thing, not the same people are
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working on the same thing. That's why I mean, uh, it still ... all of them can work at the
same time, and bring us recommendation, or maybe also the Council Member that, who
going to be, you know, the.... the.... the two of the person to work on those committee can
work with those people also. Uh, maybe right now we need to choose who Council will
work and what, because uh, you know, they can ... they can continue working, while we
are doing one committee the other committee the same time are working to bring
something to us. Maybe it is ... the best thing just to choose now, who wanna work and
what, you know.
Mims/ Related back to what Laura just said, would, you know, would an appropriate point of
discussion for next work session next week be, and maybe staff could help us, you know,
give us some ideas of this by then, how do we set up ... um, a good public input process, so
that we can be getting input from across the community on all of these different items,
um, you know, as quickly as possible, but again we've gotta make sure that it's... it's
reaching all of our various community members, um, and giving all of them that
opportunity, and so that's where, you know, the electronic thing works for some, it
doesn't work for others, um, but really trying to .... to get as much public input as quickly
as we can on all of these, and... and quite frankly I think for some of these, people
aren't..... without some more explanation, people maybe not ... are not always going to
understand what it is we're getting after.
Teague/ One of the things I'll just mention, um, oh, I don't know if somebody else was about to
talk, but one of the things I'll just mention is, um, when we had the speak -up, speak -out
events in....in some of the neighborhoods where people of color, um, live, um, people
came out and they were involved and shared their stories, and so um, I ... I do think that we
should at least consider, uh, when we're talkin' about some of these items, how can we
reach, urn .... uh, people of color, um, as well to be included in the conversation, um, so...
we know that we have lofty goals and we want to be aggressive and fast and all of that
other stuff, but we also have to ... um, and maybe that's a part of. ... whatever that
committee that is developed, but then I think we're kinda missing out on an opportunity
to have some conversations with people in our community, um, that ... they really don't
know about Council and Trow we have work sessions and formal meetings. Um, I think
we're missin' some of those opportunities if we ... well, I think we should just .... uh, think
about that a little bit as well, how do we reach, urn .... peop.... you know, a lot of people in
our community that just don't know this process of how Council operates, because
we're.... we're talkin' about things, um, that, you know, um, firsthand knowledge of and
experiences could help guide some of the decisions that will ulti ... ultimately be made
here. All right! So it sounds like we are at a point, oh! Go right ahead!
Weiner/ Sorry! Um, the .... I just wanted to note that at...at a minimum on housing and perhaps,
um, on diversity, equity, inclusion, at least with respect to what the City has done over
some years, we have both a fair amount of expertise on staff that's worked through a plan
before on housing and we have a number of, um, of non -profits in town with ... with
enormous expertise, um, and I would go back to something the City Attorney said earlier
was ... which is often it's really helpful to have, um, a draft there or something there or a
framework there to ... to which people can comment. They can say they really don't like
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something, something's not going to work, they can add things, but sometimes it's really
hard to just sort of work from a blank slate. So I would be interested in, at a minimum on
housing and perhaps on hou.... and adding B to it as well, um, asking staff to put together
some things that they think are where we are now, um, pos.... what opportunities they
know exist, um, and use that as a starting point to start reaching out to, um .... uh, to
people and, uh, and social.... social justice and, um, non -profits that already exist and
have enormous expertise in those areas.
Teague/ Okay (several talking, garbled) No, did you wanna say somethin'?
Salih/Yes I do!
Teague/ Okay.
Salih/ Uh, I really, I understand what Janice said, but that's after we create the committee.
Maybe you can ask the staff what existing, what ... what we have, what opportunity in
town, but to create that committee... because we're not talking about the work or what this
committee going to do and where, what the City have done, and even though like my
understanding the City is done few things, and if we ... if the City and the staff, yeah, they
done something (mumbled) nobody to get me wrong. They do something here and there,
but we did not solve the crisis of affordable housing on this community. We did not have
a solid plan for affordable housing in this community. It is time now to ask the public
what they want to see ... before we can come to the staff. The staff, you know, if...if they
have something there that, uh, you know, existing and they can do it, they have done it
long time ago, you know, and we been talking about .... I been in the City for three years
now and I been talking about affordable housing. If the staff have something beside what
they have right now, and they wanna do it, they should of come up with it, during this
three years that I was every single meeting (mumbled) we talking about affordable
housing. I .... I just believe that .... I understand what you think. We need that point. Also
we need that work from the staff, but not now. After we have input from the community
how we can create the housing (garbled) After that we can come to the staff.
Bergus/ I think we have to be doing those things at the same time or else this process will take so
long that ... that we can't move forward. I mean I hear what you're saying and I
understand what you're saying, Mayor Pro Tem, but I think it would be...it would be, um,
frankly just wasteful for us to not work with what we have to see how it needs to be
improved and move forward, and I ... I think that's what Councilor Weiner is saying, and
.....and while in the past I think City Council has typically, you k now, looked to staff for
a recommendation that we sort of up or down, and then you know, maybe have some
tweaking. Already this is a very different process and I ... I really appreciated your
suggestion that maybe people, you know, we try and get some Councilors on the different
topics now to see what conversations, meetings, input can be garnered, you know, even
before our .... our next meeting! I ... and I think that has to work in conjunction with, um,
with staff and with... existing non -profits and with organizations who've been doing social
justice work, you know, over a period of time, as well as with the Freedom Riders. But I
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think it has to be everything at once, or else we're gonna .... I ..... I think we'll just end up
having, you know, to kind of reinvent the wheel as we go along.
Teague/ I, as far as like housing, um, I think there's a difference between, you know, lookin' at
what we currently have in place, um, anything that we have, um, desires for, I...1, you
know, that's already in writing and that bein' presented to, um, you know, the housing ad
hoc committee, whatever we have. I think.... what.... what we're talkin' about is not
creatin' new things, um, and allowin' that to be what the housing, um, ad hoc group, um,
and I ... and I sense that we're all in agreement with not addin' new things. It's more so,
um, we can't have a housin' group if we don't, as Council, have some type of structure,
and so .... in my mind at least, that structure is .... the .... these are the topics that have been
on, you know, that Council has ... um, adopted, uh, maybe tried in the past and had some
challenges with, and... and these are the needs of our community, if we have that type
stuff, but I do believe at some point we have to get to a point where we give the charge. I
think gettin' input from the community is what it sound like we're gonna do on July 2151
and then I think we can go into more conversation now. Unless there is somethin' else
that people really wanna.... chime in on, I think I kinda ... we need to kinda bring this, um
...um, next steps. So we know what we're gonna be doin' on July 2151. Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, we already talked about that. Um, and we have Laura and
Janice that's gonna be meetin' with, um, IFR and, uh, and anyone else from the
community can be plugged into them as well. Um, or..personal Councilors and share
your stories from which you learn. As far as the A through C, uh, we can .... we certainly
can continue this conversation next, uh, next Tuesday but I ... I think that, if we put it on
July 2155 and have `em all together as suggested by Mayor Pro Tem, where people can
weigh in on it, I think it allows people time, it allows us a little time to think about things,
to meet with people, and then we bring it up again on the 21st. So .... it sound like people
were a little amendable to kinda getting input from the public on these items, but I also
heard some structuring, um, but ... you know, just to give people ideas without havin'
kinda some framework, urn .... maybe .... maybe somethin' that we've never imagined
before and we might be surprised at how people might be able to present some things to
us, um, that we, you know, haven't thought about, but ..... are people agreeable to July 2155
we'll talk about all of this at that time and then there will be only one draft, and that will
be from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, that charge. That we can, um, still
have public input that night, but we'll kinds have a draft of Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. Are people amendable to that? Is that what I'm ... is that what I understood
that there'll be (garbled) that.
Taylor/ I agree.
Bergus/ Yeah, I would also like to see at that meeting, um, kind of the framework for the
progress that staff has made on the items that we identified, um, that they'll all be
working on too.
Weiner/ I think (several talking, garbled) I think Geoff indicated that would already be up on the
website start ... next Monday before our meeting on Tuesday.
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Teague/ Yeah, and maybe we can ... just my thought, uh, we can certainly have that next Tuesday,
because—maybe that's what we have next Tuesday, just to get that update. Cause I ... I
believe on the 21" that's gonna be, you know, a lot of...a lot of time.....that'll be
dedicated.
Dilkes/ Can I make one more suggestion, and that is that you really are going to have to dedicate
some time to figuring out how you're going to structure the public input process. It's one
thing to say you're going to get public input. It's another thing to actually get it in
effective ways, and I'll use the example of the Charter Review Commission, that, um....
reviewed the charter for a period of years. They spent a significant amount of time just
talking about how they were going to get the public input that they needed. So I think
if...if that's something that is important to you, it's worth some time spent figuring out
how you're going to do that.
Teague/ Okay, I .... I appreciate that! So maybe what we could do is, uh, maybe between now and
next Tuesday just, um, kinda.... have that on the agenda too, think about how we can get
public input, urn .... as well as have kinda the staff report, um, on items .... uh, staff report
on Black Lives Matter. On the resolution I guess! So that would be two things that we'll
add to the work session, uh, for next week. So .... are we all in agreement with the 21`9.
I'm seein' some noddin' of heads. All right, so we will kind of bring now to a close,
unless there's some lasting comments.... from anyone? Well thanks, Councilors. I know
that we haven't given a great deal of time to Black ... to this resolution Black Lives Matter,
um, wanted to ... we're learnin' along the way, uh, what is really systemic racism, um,
we're learnin' along the way kind of -the processes that Council has always had, um, and
how do we move forward, um, with ensurin' that black voices are heard, and I know that
that's, um, kind of -sometimes can be a little challenge with our bureaucracy, um, and I
think that we have to continue to kind of strive to reimagine how this process work, um,
so thanks for all you've done today and we will convene again on Tuesday at 5:00 P.M. in
our work session. So there's nothin' else for today. Speak now .... all right! We will
come back on next Tuesday. Have a happy 4h everybody!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council special
work session of June 30, 2020.