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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 09/11/2014 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Sandra Filardo (Chair), PG Narayanan (Vice Chair), Tonja Bivins, Jenny Buckland, Sana Elassar, Connie Iacovelli STAFF: Patricia Fenrick, Staff Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Emily Higgins, Karena Lin, Elizabeth Corpuz, Tanvi Mehta, Shreya Venkatesh I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Filardo called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. Elassar, Higgins and Mehta were absent. Bivins arrived at 8:08 p.m. II. NEW STUDENT COMMISSIONERS The new student commissioners were welcomed. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Buckland moved, seconded by Iacovelli, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0. IV. MINUTES MOTION: Iacovelli moved, seconded by Buckland, to approve the June 12, 2014 minutes. Motion carried 3-0-1 with Filardo abstaining. Introductions took place followed by an ice breaker activity. V. REPORTS OF STAFF —Fenrick A. LANDLORD/TENANT ISSUES Summer has been busy with wrongful evictions, problems with towing, townhome association issues and unresponsive landlords. A non-profit tenant advocacy organization, HOME Line, met with the parties involved and the issues have mostly been resolved. Problems stem from language barriers and tenants not understanding their leases as well as lack of good education around tenants' HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES September 11, 2014 Page 2 rights. Narayanan asked if there was a particular underlying theme and if there was something HRDC could do. Fenrick said primarily landlords have been taking advantage of tenants who don't understand their rights. HOME Line has hired a Somali interpreter to help. Filardo asked if landlords get tax breaks for low-income housing. Fenrick said while it is subsidized housing, there are no perks for landlords. Fenrick has been working with the fire inspector to do tenant house inspections. Some landlords did not have current renters' licenses. Narayanan stated most Somali head of households are single moms. Fenrick explained the way the system is set up, men and women who stay together are penalized in terms of poverty. Culturally, women tend to handle affairs such as lease-signing. Buckland said single women then band together for accommodations. Fenrick said there is not much housing available for large families which complicates matters. They try not to rock the boat too much because they don't want to leave the area. If they get evicted, they have no place to go. Fenrick and Mohamed Duale from her office mediated and facilitated communication between a tenant and neighbor in a noise dispute. Progress was made and the parties involved shook hands and agreed to start over. B. BRIARHILL/YMCA 2015 SUMMER PROGRAM Property Management for Briarhill, a section 8, reduced-rent apartment complex in Eden Prairie has expressed concern over the number of low-income kids getting into trouble during the summer as they have nothing to do. Part of the problem is lack of transportation and the fact they are not accessing parks and rec programming because the process is complicated. They are looking at a joint venture with the YMCA to do a program on-site specifically for kids at that location. Filardo suggested helping people get assistance with child care through the county but noted the process is lengthy. Fenrick said she will follow up with social worker Carolyn Brown. C. CULTURAL SERVICES UNITY AND CERT TRAINING The Community Emergency Response Team recently participated in cultural training with Hennepin County and ECHO, a non-profit organization providing cultural-specific community services. D. GLBT ALLY TRAINING GLBT ally training recently took place at the Pride Institute in Eden Prairie, the nation's first provider of treatment programs devoted exclusively to treating substance abuse and mental health needs of the gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender community. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES September 11, 2014 Page 3 E. BEST BUY GRANT $5.10 remaining. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. TASTY WORLD LUNCH Fenrick distributed a list of events for the remainder of the calendar year. The next Tasty World Lunch on September 18 at 11:30 a.m. will be capped at eight tables due to space limitations at the Greek Grill and Fry. B. COMMUNITY CINEMA Fenrick noted challenges advertising Community Cinema events because notice of the films does not fit well with the Community Ed catalog deadline. She would like to skip September showings after this year. She showed a trailer for"Makers" which consists of six documentaries about women's contributions to the areas of war, space, comedy,business, Hollywood and politics. Her thought was to feature one in September in the Community Room and a different one in October. She asked commissioners to think about different venues to help increase response. Filardo said "Makers" would lend itself well to a Girl Scout event. Corpuz said she could bring it up with her troop for the October showing. Filardo will coordinate with Corpuz's troop leader and the Girl Scout council. Iacovelli suggested identifying a target audience for each film and marketing it that route which would eliminate the need for advertising in the Community Ed catalog. Narayanan said there is still a market at the high school. Filardo mentioned the careers class at Eden Prairie High School and recommended letting student commissioners find the school connection. The Career Center at EPHS and Grace Church were also mentioned as potential contacts. Iacovelli suggested the citizens' police academy and criminal justice students at Hennepin Technical College (HTC) and Normandale Community College as a good audience for the November film "Evolution of a Criminal". Bivins arrived at 8:08 p.m. Discussion ensued about how receptive the audience might be. Fenrick explained these films are not focused on presenting one side but are rather about asking critical questions on societal structures and larger issues. She can preview the film if need be. Bivins stated we need to be able to have discourse and open dialog. We should not need to edit. Fenrick said similar to the landlord-tenant issues, the topic of this particular film is complex with multiple layers. The purpose is to create discussion and reflection. Narayanan said the senior center may be another opportunity to increase audience. Fenrick will follow up. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES September 11, 2014 Page 4 C. FBI ANTI-TRAFFICKING EVENT Fenrick announced Elassar has arranged for an FBI representative to give a talk about sex trafficking on October 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Cambria Room at the Community Center. Buckland explained this will cover profiles and trends from an FBI perspective. She attended the launch of the Passageways Shelter and is pleased to see awareness continuing. Discussion of marketing methods ensued. Buckland noted it is often developmentally-challenged kids that are targeted and the average age is 13. Collaboration is needed between social services and police. Oftentimes these kids have been pre-identified multiple times. D. UNITY DAY - Fenrick Unity Day at HTC will be October 28, 6-8 p.m. Local theater group Chain Reaction will perform World Without Genocide's play "Upstanders". The performance will be done readers' theater style while Filardo shows slides of people who stood up to genocide. This event will also feature a Human Library during which people are `checked out' as living books allowing patrons to have conversations with people they wouldn't normally talk to. Light hors d'oeuvres will be available before the event. E. DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH October is disability awareness in the workforce month. Fenrick solicited help with planning and has already enlisted Nanette Missaghi from Eden Prairie Schools. Buckland volunteered to help. Fenrick recommended a seminar for City employees and/or featuring a couple stories in the paper throughout the month. Iacovelli said she is willing to interview people or write stories. She and Fenrick will collaborate. Narayanan said he could help with editing video stories. F. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY AWARENESS MONTH - Fenrick November is Native American History Awareness Month. A screening of "Dakota 38" will take place November 6, 6-8 p.m. at HTC. The film documents the story of the largest mass execution in U.S. history and the healing process on both sides. The hope is to also have someone of Dakota heritage lined up. G. MUSLIM PHOTO EXHIBIT - Fenrick There is a possibility "Tracks in the Snow: The Minnesota Muslim Experience since 1880", a recent Walker Art Center photo exhibit about diversity in the Muslim community, could come to Eden Prairie. Elassar has a connection, and locations are being considered. The minimum cost just to bring it here is $650 which is relatively low for an exhibit. It could be exhibited in multiple places. Pax Christi Church and the library have expressed interest. If in the mall, it would have to be placed in an empty storefront for security and safety purposes. The price would be cost-prohibitive and need to be negotiated. Narayanan suggested one picture in each of a number of storefronts. Discussion followed about other HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES September 11, 2014 Page 5 possible locations and timing of the exhibit. Fenrick said it is likely to happen in the spring as the timing is better. She asked commissioners to continue thinking about it. It can serve as a beginning of a series of conversations, and we can create our own exhibit of photographs of the diverse Eden Prairie community. Narayanan suggested video as another format for sharing these stories. Fenrick asked commissioners to start brainstorming ideas for the 2015 work plan. Narayanan suggested everyone submit ideas via Google does. Filardo said she will email the high school principal now about timing for the spring One Voice event. Fenrick said she will have more information next month on the International Town Hall. VII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 9, 2014, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. September 23, 6-8 p.m. —Community Cinema in the Community Room at the Eden Prairie shopping mall. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Narayanan moved, seconded by Iacovelli, to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Filardo adjourned the meeting at 8:56 p.m.