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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 06/10/2003 APPROVED MINUTES Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Commission Tuesday,June 10, 2003 7:00 PM—Prairie Room A/B, City Center 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie MN 55344-4485 Commission Members: Harry Moran (Chair), Jeff Strate (Vice Chair), Holly Clynch , Balu Iyer, Gerry Beckmann, Larry Piumbroeck, and Caroline Maguire Commission Staff: Molly Koivumaki, Staff Liaison Lorene McWaters, Recording Secretary I. Roll Call All Commission members were present with the exception of Vice Chair Jeff Strate. II. Approval of Agenda Beckmann moved approval of the agenda as published; motion seconded by Piumbroeck. Motion passed by unanimous vote. III. Approval of Minutes from May 13, 2003 meeting It was requested that page three, second line from the bottom of the page,be revised to read "Peter Huck, Chair of the Eden Prairie Crime Bias Network . . ." Beckmann also requested the addition of a sentence reading, "Commission members thanked Tanya Whitsitt, who is going on maternity leave shortly, for her fine work for the Commission." Piumbroeck moved approval of the minutes as amended; motion seconded by Clynch. Motion passed by unanimous vote. IV. Reports of Staff A. South Hennepin Immigrant Services Group (SHISG) Beckmann reported that she attended the most recent meeting of SHISG. She said there was a presentation by Hennepin County on the federally funded program for teen's and children's checkup services. It was reported that only 20 percent of those eligible currently take advantage of the program. Beckmann said there have been suggestions that Bloomington Public Health might be a better provider than the County for this service; however, she noted that Hennepin County is making an effort to get word out to the community. For instance, they are planning an open forum at Briar Hill Apartments. There are two clinics in Eden Prairie that participate in the program. Beckmann said dental care is also provided through the program, but there has been a longstanding problem in getting Eden Prairie dentists to participate. Therefore, participants must go outside of the community for dental care. B. Hennepin South Services Collective (HSSC) Beckmann said Executive Director John Garry introduced the new coordinator for Eden Prairie, Emily Schug. The proposed new strategic plan was also outlined. The plan includes four areas of focus: health care, school readiness, affordable housing, and self- sufficiency. Beckmann said she is disappointed that transportation is not one of the focal points, since it has been a huge issue in Eden Prairie for some time. Beckmann said the Somali Women's Community Circle started meeting regularly at the Eden Prairie Library beginning May 9. They have acquired four sewing machines and each meeting features a speaker from the community. The current sessions are being funded through a grant from MetLife, which will expire June 27. Approximately $75 per session is needed to run the program. Piumbroeck said funding may be available through a grant from the Pax Christi Justice Program. B. Human Services Review Committee (HSRC) Koivumaki explained that this is a committee made up of city staff, including Koivumaki, Mary Keating, Joyce Conley, Mike Barone, Carla Kress and Randy Thompson. Koivumaki said this year the committee allocated $164,000 in funding to various organizations. The committee made site visits to requesting organizations and then made recommendations to City Manager Scott Neal, who approved the plan. Due to the fact that many budgets are strained and levy limits have been imposed by the state, the committee focused on how to help organizations keeps providing the very basic services. C. Bias Crime Activity Status Koivumaki said the Bias Crime Network was formed after a cross-burning incident in Eden Prairie in the mid-90s. A handbook explaining the purpose and procedures of the network was put together in 1998. Chapter Five outlines response procedures. Koivumaki stressed that responses do not require the involvement of the police department. Many of the resources required to respond to a bias crime are provided by the faith community. Koivumaki pointed out that upon investigation, it often becomes clear that an incident was not actually a bias crime. Koivumaki explained Peter Huck's role in the network, and how and if the city would become involved. Piumbroeck asked if there had been any incidences since the cross burning, Koivumaki said the only documented incident involved the scratching of a car with a rainbow symbol on it. V. Old Business A. Jean L. Harris Youth Scholarship Award Fund Moran said he attended the Minnetonka High School awards ceremony, which included presentation of one of the $1,000 Jean L. Harris Youth Scholarships. He said the ceremony was very different from Eden Prairie's,but that the $1,000 amount seems to be right in line with other scholarships. Moran said he was glad Strate had encouraged the Commission to raise the award to $1,000. Koivumaki said she checked with the Finance Department on the history of funding of the scholarships and they had no recollection of an LMC grant. She said it would be appropriate for the Committee to consider fund-raising strategies, since the fund will have less than $2,000 next year. Koivumaki referenced a resolution passed by the City Council regarding gifts and donations. Beckmann asked why the scholarship was named after Harris, and she wondered if the Commission would ever consider changing the name if a private corporation offered to sponsor it. Koivumaki said the scholarship was renamed for former Jean Harris because of her part in developing the Eden Prairie Manifesto and her work on behalf of human rights. Moran said he doesn't think there will be any problems with a corporation asking for a change in the scholarship's name. The issue of specific fund-raising activities was tabled until the next meeting. Piumbroeck added that there might be fund-raising opportunities at Staring Lake Amphitheatre performances and said he would run the idea by Strate. B. Follow-up report from Staff Liaison on Councilmember Case situation (Koivumaki) Koivumaki said she spoke with City Manager Scott Neal about the role of the Commission in the Ron Case situation. Neal advised her that the idea of holding a forum to get input from immigrants on their experiences in Eden Prairie is appropriate. However attempting to mediate a dispute or determine who is "right or wrong" does not fall within the Commission's charter. Koivumaki said the police department has looked into the issue of the flyers posted in City parks and they are currently not treating it as a bias crime. Koivumaki reported that at the most recent Joint City/School District Quarterly Staff meeting the topic of a forum was discussed. The School District expressed interest in holding a forum in conjunction with the City, focusing on the question or whether or not Eden Prairie is hitting the mark with services to the immigrant community. The goal would be to hear this input from the people themselves. The School District is interested in holding the forum before the school year begins. Moran pointed out that the Human Rights and Diversity Commission is usually dormant in the summer,but that he had sent a draft proposing a forum to City Manager Neal. Moran also stressed that listening will be the most important feature of any program. Beckmann said she is concerned that holding such a forum might raise expectations that cannot reasonably be met by either the City or School District. Moran agreed that clear expectations must be set beforehand. Beckmann warned that there is a portion of the community that is not necessarily welcoming of the changes immigrants have brought to the community, and if care is not taken the forum could degenerate into a griping session. Moran said he envisions the Commission's role as that of a conduit—and solutions will not necessarily come directly from the Commission. Moran said he will follow-up with both Scott Neal and the School District. He will also e- mail a draft of the forum proposal to the Commission members. Beckman said if the Commission is to have an active role in a forum, it may be necessary to schedule a Commission meeting in July. Maguire said if the Commission is not to be involved, they will need to know why. Koivumaki reminded the Commission members that the City has a Human Rights and Diversity hotline—952.949.8444 —for people to communicate with the Commission. Beckmann suggested publishing the number in the newspaper on a regular basis. VI. New Business A. Discussion on Recognition of Citizen Actions that Reflect the Manifesto Moran said the Commission will look at these on a case-by-case basis to decide if a particular person is deserving of recognition. B. Review of Star Tribune article "Minneapolis Emergency Language Interpretation Cards" (Beckmann) Beckmann said she has not had a chance to do further research into the interpreter's card used in Minneapolis. Koivumaki had an example of a card in six languages, which is used by the Eden Prairie Police Department. Koivumaki said she knows the department has found the cards useful. VII. Reports from Commission members Piumbroeck said Pax Christi currently has a Justice Subcommittee that is very active and provides an avenue for individuals to get involved and get their voices heard. VIII. Future Meetings/Events The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. IX. Adiourn Piumbroeck moved to adjourn; seconded by Maguire. Motion passed unanimously.