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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 09/16/2004 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2004 7:00 P.M., Eden Prairie Center 125 Eden Prairie Center (Office of Housing and Human Services) COMMISSION MEMBERS: Larry Piumbroeck (Chair), Jeff Strate (Vice Chair), Pam Miller, B alu Iyer, Linda Chung, Gerry Beckmann and Cari Maguire COMMISSION STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Staff Liaison Carol Pelzel, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chair Piumbroeck at 7:10 p.m. Present: Chair Piumbroeck, Beckmann, Iyer, Strate (left at 7:50 p.m.), Chung (arrived at 7:35 p.m.), Maguire and Miller(left at 8:55 p.m.) II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Iyer moved, seconded by Beckmann, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried, 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —June 8, 2004 Strate asked that the last sentence under V.B. be changed to read: "Beckmann said it was good to have it erased, and Strate noted that these kinds of signs promote copy cat graffiti and we don't want that kind of copycat". Strate also asked that the first sentence in the fourth paragraph of Page 3 be changed to read: "Strate said he thought Piumbroeck did a good job and was very much in his element as the MC and that was great for the festival." Miller asked that the last sentence on Page 2 under VL A. be changed to read "Miller said that her job was not explained well and that she did not know what to do after the initial calls. She said she had to miss a couple of meetings,but that from what she saw the meetings should have been split up into separate committees and run more effectively". MOTION: Strate moved, seconded by Maguire, to approve the June 8, 2004, minutes as amended. The motion carried, 4-0-2 with Iyer and Piumbroeck abstaining because of absence from that meeting. Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Commission September 16, 2004 Page 2 IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion on future (and goals) of the Gatherings Koivumaki reported that Commissioner Beckmann asked that the follow-up information regarding the August 12 Immigrant Gathering be included in the agenda material. She suggested that the Commission review the top ten issues to determine which have been met and which are being worked on. Koivumaki reported that No. 5 of the top ten issues (Lack of a place for youth to gather) is currently being worked on. An issue came up with immigrants gathering at the library after school. Koivumaki explained that the City is in conversations with the library to use the facility here at the Center for that time period. They plan to bring in some of the immigrant community leaders to plan structured activities for these kids. Staff is also looking at the Parks and Recreation Department, Human Services and the libraries to assist them in developing some type of program for the kids to participate in. Koivumaki also reported that with regard to Item No. 6 (How students can be welcomed into sports and activities), students at both Gatherings said they need their own gym. They have approached the City to find out how they can get their own facility. Koivumaki explained that Keating has worked with Wooddale Church and the leader of the Somali Community Services to allow them to use the gym at Wooddale for basketball. This program will begin soon and they will be allowed to use the gym every other Friday night and every Saturday. Piumbroeck said that at one time they were trying to turn the Senior Center into a teen gathering center. He asked if this is still happening. Koivumaki responded that they have had some gatherings and activities at the Center but she does not know if it is on going. Strate asked if there was any space at the new library in Eden Prairie to be used as a gathering space. He stated that his only concern with using the Office of Housing and Human Services as a gathering space is that it is removed from everything else. If the new library has the space it might be a more interesting place for these people to gather. Beckmann said the problem with the kids gathering at the library was that they were disruptive to the other library patrons. There were no planned activities for them. Koivumaki said it is staff's feeling that the library is not the place for these kids to gather. City staff does not feel that they should take this on and plan activities for them. This is something that needs to come from within their community. However, staff would be happy to work with them to try and develop some type of program. Beckmann pointed out that at the last two Gathering meetings the Somali immigrants have indicated that they would like to have separate soccer fields and separate soccer teams. Beckmann said they have to be sensitive to the fact that these kids have come to Eden Prairie and do attend school in the City and they should be able to get into some of the activities at the school. By having their own fields and teams they will become segregated and it looks as though they don't want to be with the other kids. Beckmann said they also need to be aware that they don't have the community looking at the City as providing things for one segment of the population but not for others. Koivumaki said the City has only served as a conduit and are telling these groups what resources are available. Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Commission September 16, 2004 Page 3 Maguire asked how welcomed these kids are into sports and activities. Koivumaki responded that the City does a lot of outreach to encourage people to participate. She said she could not speak for the School District but is sure they have done some things to try to bring these kids into their activities. Miller said she has some of the same concerns expressed by Beckmann. The separate teams and fields sound like a good idea but it might appear to be endorsing segregation. She said she would love to see Somali kids included on City leagues. Koivumaki explained that it will occur in the schools and integration to sports teams will happen on different levels. She further explained that if the Somalis come to the City and ask for assistance staff does not feel that they are segregating these people by helping them to find a church that will allow them to use their facilities. Miller said another concern is if these kids cannot participate on varsity teams because of the cost. Piumbroeck suggested that they ask someone from the School District to report to this Commission on what they are doing to embrace new immigrants. Piumbroeck said this Commission's approach is more of a policy approach while the School District has to act with encouragement from this Commission. With regard to the recreational side of things, this Commission can be supportive and encourage the associations to include the immigrant kids but beyond that, as a Commission,he hesitates to get involved. Iyer said he feels it is extremely important to get to the root or cause of the problem. They need to address why the immigrants want to be by themselves. Iyer said that once they understand this it would be easier to develop a policy, which the School should review or make some recommendation on how to solve the problem. What they are seeing is only a symptom of the real problem. They cannot assume that they want to be segregated. Koivumaki questioned if it is this Commission's role to say that these immigrants should be involved in community activities. They asked for space not integration. Miller said it is important that they see that the City is responding to their needs and if they go beyond that, they need to be cautious. Maguire said they need to make sure opportunities exist for them to integrate and participate in other parts of the City and school life and not find it difficult to participate. Motion: Motion was made by Piumbroeck, seconded by Strate, to have someone from the School District attend the November Human Rights and Diversity Commission meeting to talk to the Commission about what is happening with immigrant kids in terms of High School and Middle School. Maguire questioned if there was any outreach by the Eden Lake Carnival Committee to the Somali community encouraging them to attend this event. She explained that those are the kinds of things that need to be done if they want to make sure immigration is going on rather than segregating them. Miller said it is important that they respond to their needs but it is also important that they feel part of the community. Maguire explained that they need to know why they are not participating in after school activities and if they want to,be sure they are able to participate. She stated that it would be good to see what the schools are doing to make the immigrant students feel welcome. Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Commission September 16, 2004 Page 4 Beckmann suggested that they ask the School District to talk about their future goal ideas for future Gatherings. Maguire said she feels it is important that this Commission discuss their thoughts about the future of any additional Gatherings first. Koivumaki suggested that the list of ten points compiled from the August 12 Immigrant Gathering also be addressed by the School District at the November Commission meeting. Koivumaki emphasized that the Somalis did not ask for help to integrate into other groups but asked only for space. Strate said he feels integration will happen in their normal lives. Beckmann said she questions why these kids are going to the library after school not knowing what to do. Either they don't know how to channel themselves into other activities, don't have the finances to do other things or did not try out for athletic teams. Beckmann said she was not sure what their role is but feels the school should look at these kids and see what they can do to help them become more involved. Koivumaki pointed out that the kids that will be using the gym at Wooddale Church are not the same kids that are hanging out at the library. These are two separate issues, said Beckmann. Maguire asked the Commission what their feelings are about continuing the Gatherings. Miller said she likes the Gatherings because new issues continually come up. It is nice to have them or some type of mechanism when certain issues arise. It also provides a forum for people to discuss these issues. Maguire said her feeling is that they should have something annually. This would give them a place to discuss what is going on and to do an annual meeting might be a good idea. Beckmann said she did not see any point in having a Gathering if there are no issues. However, it might be nice to have something once a year so people can have the opportunity to discuss issues or to even have a guest speaker. Beckmann mentioned that there will be an event including the entire community for a book reading and perhaps at that meeting they ask if there should be some type of forum to discuss issues affecting immigrants. She further explained that the community had picked the book entitled "Neither Wolf or Dog" to be read and discussed at a public forum. The author is from Minnesota and will be the speaker at St. Andrews the second week of October. Maguire suggested that this Commission be involved in picking the next book to be read and reviewed. She indicated that it would be nice to do something like a Somali story. Maguire did not feel that there would be a high immigrant turn out at these readings. Miller said that she feels having a Gathering once a year is not enough. New issues might come up and the Gathering gives them the opportunity to voice their concerns where they might not be as comfortable doing so individually. If people are comfortable using this forum, once a year is not often enough. Miller suggested that they have a bigger event once a year and maybe smaller Gatherings more frequently. Maguire said she would be in favor of having one big event and other smaller events during the year. She suggested that this Commission have an open forum time before their meetings to allow people to bring up certain issues, similar to what the City Council does. Beckmann said they might want to consider doing something during Martin Luther King week. She also suggested that they hold a Gathering at least twice a year. The second one would not have to be as big as the first but if they only do it once a year people may not Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Commission September 16, 2004 Page 5 know it is something useful to them. Maguire said that there needs to be a purpose for holding it more than once a year. The once a year forum could bring the City Council and School Board together showing the immigrants that we are all part of this community and that we do care about the immigrant community. The first Gathering took a lot of planning and Maguire said she did not know if it could be sustained. Piumbroeck said he feels they should continue to have a Gathering but feels that once a year is not enough but more than that may be difficult to organize. He suggested that the event not be held during the winter months because of the weather. Piumbroeck said he thinks it could sustain twice a year depending on what's on the agenda. Beckmann said they need to understand what the focus is and they need to be clear on their focus. Koivumaki suggested that they advertise this event in the newspaper and distribute flyers to the various apartment buildings. It is important that they target their audience. She suggested that they ask the Eden Prairie residents if they have questions about immigrants and reassure them that it is okay to ask these questions. It would be nice to have a meeting where they invite people to ask each other questions. Koivumaki also suggested that they talk to non-immigrants and ask them what their questions are about the immigrants and have someone facilitate such a meeting. Chung said she agrees that it is perfectly legitimate to ask questions, however, there should be a better mechanism for informing the broader citizens on some of the frequently asked or common questions than an open meeting. Piumbroeck said they might want to consider having a "Frequently Asked Questions" column in the newspaper. He said they need to come up with some format to encourage the attendees to participate. They don't necessarily learn from listening to lectures but do learn when they have the opportunity to interact. Miller said that the Gathering should give the people an opportunity to tell their stories. After hearing some of these stories, the way immigrants are treated may change. Beckmann suggested that they consider having a couple of story tellers who would tell stories about immigrants and then after they tell their stories the group could break up into smaller groups and have four questions that they can discuss. The focus of this forum would be about learning people's stories. Piumbroeck said this would be a good forum and could be guided so that they get good results and minimize the risk of offending anyone. Miller agreed that this would be a good way to go and they could develop the questions they think Eden Prairie residents want answered. Chung said they could work with the storytellers and give them the questions they know are common throughout the community. Piumbroeck said they need to discuss the timing for the next Gathering. Beckmann said they should have one annual meeting when both the City and School District can be represented and everyone has an opportunity to express their concerns for the immigrant population and discuss how those concerns can be addressed. They should also take the opportunity to address what has been done to ease some of the tensions in the community. This can be addressed by understanding the concerns of both the immigrant community and the community as a whole. Piumbroeck said they need to encapsulate this idea and for it to be valuable it needs to be safe and to be safe there needs to be a guidepost and one common true story. Piumbroeck said they need to move quickly on the timing for this event. Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Commission September 16, 2004 Page 6 Maguire recommended that they have one event as an open forum for immigrants and a second event that would be open to everyone. These events should not be held during the winter months and there probably isn't time to pull one together for November. She suggested that they look at holding such an event in early May. Maguire said they could see how successful the May event was and then determine if they wanted to have another one in the fall. Piumbroeck suggested that they form a subcommittee at their next Commission meeting to develop a program to be held in the spring. Vote was called on the motion to have someone from the School District attend the November meeting to talk to the Commission about what is happening with immigrant kids in terms of High School and Middle School. The motion carried, 6-0. (Strate had left the meeting at 7:50 p.m.) V. REPORTS OF STAFF A. Human Services Review Committee (HSRC) Koivumaki reported that City staff from the Senior Center is doing an outreach to the senior Somali population. They are especially trying to reach the elderly Somali people isolated in apartments. They are approaching these seniors from a health standpoint encouraging them to use the senior services. Koivumaki also reported that the City Zoning Inspector had found that a home in Eden Prairie had been illegally converted into apartments. The attached garage had also been converted into three non-heated bedrooms. There was a Somali family with six children living in this home and had been for the past two winters. The Zoning Inspector did contact Human Services staff and they are working with the family to find them proper housing. Koivumaki pointed out that this is an example of how City staff works together to identify these problems and to assist the people involved. B. Bias Crime Activity Status Koivumaki reported that a car arson had occurred in August at a private business. The victim is an African American male who works the overnight shift at the business. He had previously filed a discrimination complaint against the business with the EOC. The victim felt the arson of his car was in retaliation for his complaint. The incident is still under investigation. Koivumaki also reported that there was a report of the Eden Prairie High School football field press box being broken into and derogatory things were written in the press box. This activity is being investigated as a bias crime. A similar occurrence happened at the Minnetonka football field and these activities are being investigated as possible sports rivalries. Koivumaki said the last item to report was that a community mailbox off of Heritage Road had the word "NIG" spray-painted on it. No formal complaint was filed but was reported Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Commission September 16, 2004 Page 7 by City staff. The Police Department is investigating to see if any African Americans live in the neighborhood. Maguire pointed out that the League of Minnesota Cities Human Rights Commission is suggesting that as part of their sentence those people convicted of a bias crime be required to attend a class on tolerance. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Student cultural relations at EPHS/Plannins!the student panel Koivumaki explained that she, Beckmann, Police Department staff and High School staff met to discuss bringing together students involved in the school lockdown to look at what needs to happen before school begins. The school was not as enthusiastic about this panel as City staff was. They have tried these student panels in the past and have found that there is little participation. They are continuing on with the program with the group called Solution Finders. Chung said she has agreed to facilitate the group for the students to identify problems and solutions. Chung said she is concerned that they have the School District on board otherwise this will not move forward. They have to find a way to get them more excited about it and approach them so that they don't feel threatened or reprimanded for something they did or didn't do. VII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS A. South Hennepin Immigrant Services Group (SHISG) Beckmann said she was unable to attend this meeting because she was out of town. B. Any Commission member may report Maguire reported that she is still planning to put together some suggestions and ideas about the International Festival for next year. It is her intention to submit this list to the Chairperson of the Festival and to that person's supervisor. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12. IX. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Chung moved, Maguire seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.