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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 01/12/2012MEETING NOTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Pam Spera (Chair), Peter Huck (Vice Chair), Linda Crawford, Gayle Sanders, Robert Rozanski, PG Narayanan, and Zina Nourkadi STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Manager - Housing and Community Services; Heidi Wojahn, Recorder STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Ramla Mahamud, Camrie Vlasak I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Spera called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Commissioners Crawford, Narayanan, Nourkadi and Rozanski and Student Representatives Mahamud and Vlasak were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA No quorum. III. MINUTES No quorum. IV. NEW BUSINESS None. V. REPORTS FROM STAFF - Koivumaki A. HUMAN SERVICES REVIEW COMMITTEE (HSRC) The group will meet on January 23 to review funding requests for Community Development Block Grant funds. B. BIAS CRIME ACTIVITY STATUS No report. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 12, 2012 Page 2 C. OTHER REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. 2012 Work Plan Commissioners are encouraged to brainstorm tasks they might be interested in working on for 2012 and the timing of those tasks. Rozanski has already expressed an interest in assisting the fire department with diversity recruiting and can report back to HRDC in April. In August, City Council will host a Town Hall meeting for immigrants. This meeting is being planned by The Office of the City Manager. Although no further information is available at this time, this could be similar to the former gathering model when HRDC and the school district put on a forum for the immigrant population to talk about their reality of living in Eden Prairie. Koivumaki was contacted by the Bloomington Human Rights Commission about partnering with HRDC and the Richfield Human Rights Commission to offer cultural training. Each partakes in its own separate awareness programs, but she is in favor of moving forward with this to offer something on a broader scale. Huck asked who the training would be for. Koivumaki said it is unclear right now what it will look like, but it would probably be for the general public to learn about the immigrant population. It might be similar to the “Who Are Your Neighbors” series, but with the commissions sponsoring it jointly and perhaps approaching it from a different angle. The three staff liaisons would work together initially and bring the commissioners in at a later date. May is the tentative work plan date for this event. Any other work plan ideas should be forwarded to Spera or Koivumaki. Folks from the Somali community have been requesting meetings with City officials to discuss business initiatives. With light rail coming, they are wondering what opportunities are available for the immigrant community to start businesses. The City is working in conjunction with Hennepin County on a business opportunity (in the form of a counselor or consultant) to help upstarts learn how to obtain funding. Since there is so much interest, Spera suggested perhaps the joint commission effort be geared towards small business opportunities for immigrants. Huck agreed this would be a good topic to explore further. 2. Domestic Partner Registry The second reading of the ordinance will take place at the January 17 City Council meeting. Koivumaki and Rozanski plan to attend. Two letters to the editor appeared in the Eden Prairie News today, one for and one against the registry. The letter writer opposed to the idea suggested people show up to the meeting to voice their opposition. Huck stated he was pleased with the research done by Council and liked how they tied this issue to the Manifesto. The arguments were countered well. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 12, 2012 Page 3 3. Eden Prairie Manifesto An article appeared in the Eden Prairie Sun newspaper about the proposed modification to the Manifesto. It was primarily a reflection of Council discussion. The modification was not approved and the Mayor has asked for feedback on how the Commission feels about the outcome. Koivumaki’s sense is people are fine with it but were happy to have the opportunity to talk about it. Huck agreed adding he was pleased with the time and effort the Commission put into it. They did their job, Council did its job, and the system worked. He learned a lot in the process. Spera said HRDC wanted to make sure the Manifesto covered everyone. Even if there was some ambiguity in the language, it can be viewed in a positive way that Council is interpreting it broadly. 4. Human Rights Awards Kick-Off At the January 17 Council meeting, the Mayor will read the MLK Proclamation. Spera will read the information about the awards process, including the timeline and where to find the application. A publication will appear in the Eden Prairie New on January 26 and will direct people to the City website to access the two-page form. Nominations are due back March 2 with the Commission making its selections March 8. The presentation will take place at an April Council meeting. 2. Best Buy Grant Balance is $5.10. VI. OLD BUSINESS This item addressed out of order under Item V.C.1. Spera inquired about the next step in the conflict resolution process. Huck said he didn’t think the training they received qualified them to handle issues of a larger magnitude such as the conflict over the school boundaries. That was clearly outside their scope. There is only a limited area where he would be comfortable in this role. If an individual came to them through the Commission or Koivumaki’s office wanting to talk, that would be a different story. It is more of an adjunct responsibility at a low level which can be supplemented with resources or referrals as needed. The plan needs to be formalized and marketed. Koivumaki stated the vision was to create a calm, safe environment for people to air their frustrations. Sanders asked if there were current needs in this area. Koivumaki replied complaints typically go hand-in-hand with warmer weather but there does seem to be an overall decrease and it would be nice to do a study showing progress. Spera also agreed it should be implemented on an informal, small-scale, case-by-case basis. VII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS None. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 12, 2012 Page 4 VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting will be Thursday, February 9, 2012, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. IX. ADJOURNMENT Chair Spera adjourned the meeting at 7:48 p.m.