The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2011 04-12 HRC packet AGENDA CITY OF MAPLEWOOD Human Rights Commission April 12, 2011 7:00 P.M. Council Chambers - Maplewood City Hall 1830 County Road B East 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes A. Approval of the March 8, 2011 Meeting Minutes 5. New Business A. Focus Group Proposal – Commissioner Char Winnen B. Maplewood Human Rights Commission Essay and Art Contest Spring 2011 – Commissioner Ridgeway C. Yellow Ribbon Communities – Commissioner Maxwell – Report Distributed at Meeting D. Review of the HRC Mission Statement 6. Unfinished Business A. Getting to Know Your Neighbors - Commissioner Simon 7. Commissioner Presentations A. Response to Citizen Complaint – Commissioner Brandt 8. Staff Presentations 9. Visitor Presentations 10. Adjournment – 8:00 p.m. THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK March 8, 2011 Human Rights Comm ission Meeting Minutes 1 Agenda Item 4. A MINUTES CITY OF MAPLEWOOD HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Council Chambers, Maplewood City Hall 1830 County Road B East 1. CALL TO ORDER A meeting of the Commission was held in the City Hall Council Chambers and was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairperson Kringle. 2. ROLL CALL Commissioners Jon Brandt, Commissioner Present William Joanis, Commissioner Absent Jeffrey Kringle, Commissioner Present Arianne Maxwell, Commissioner Present Marie Ridgeway, Commissioner Present Laurie Rose Simon, Commissioner Present Charlotte Winnen, Commissioner Present Staff Chuck Bethel, Labor Relations Attorney Alan Kantrud, City Attorney 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Maxwell requested tabling 5 d. Yellow Ribbon Committee until the meeting in April. City Attorney Kantrud stated a visitor is present who was going to speak during Visitor Presentations. City Attorney Kantrud recommended moving Visitor Presentations ahead on the agenda so the visitor doesn’t have to wait through the remainder of the meeting. The commission agreed to the amendment. Commissioner Simon moved to approve the agenda as amended. Seconded by Chairperson Kringle. Ayes – All The motion passed. 4. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS Bob Zick, North St. Paul addressed the commission. Mr. Zick handed material out to the commission regarding Visitor Presentations at City Council meetings. Mr. Zick gave his opinion regarding freedom of speech and asked that the commission make a recommendation to the City Council to request that Mayor Rossbach step down as Chair of the City Council meetings. Packet Page Number 3 of 13 March 8, 2011 Human Rights Comm ission Meeting Minutes 2 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the February 8, 2011, Human Rights Commission Meeting Minutes. Commissioner Simon moved to approve the February 8, 2011, Human Rights Commission Minutes as submitted. Seconded by Commissioner Ridgeway. Ayes – All The motion passed. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Presentation of the Commission Handbook i. City Attorney, Alan Kantrud gave the report on the Commission Handbook and answered questions of the commission. ii. Labor Relations Attorney, Chuck Bethel addressed and answered questions of the commission. b. Presentation on Equal Rights Organizations in Local Schools i. Commissioner Ridgeway gave a power point presentation on Equal Rights Organizations in Local, Public, Private and Alternative High Schools in Maplewood, North St. Paul and Oakdale. Commissioner Ridgeway recommended having an essay and art contest on Human Rights for the schools in Maplewood, North St. Paul and Oakdale. ii. Human Rights Attorney, Chuck Bethel addressed the commission on this subject matter. c. Presentation on Getting to Know Your Neighbors i. Commissioner Simon gave a brief presentation on Getting to Know Your Neighbors. Chairperson Kringle moved to further explore getting to know your neighbors and offered to assist Commissioner Simon with this project and bring it back to the commission. Seconded by Commissioner Winnen. Ayes – All The motion passed. d. Presentation on the Yellow Ribbon Committee – (Tabled until April) 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 8. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS Commissioner Winnen shared her background and interests serving on the Human Rights Commission. Commissioner Brandt stated that the commission is open to hearing issues that the community has and recommended that the public bring those issues forward during Visitor Presentations at a Human Rights Commission meeting. Packet Page Number 4 of 13 March 8, 2011 Human Rights Comm ission Meeting Minutes 3 Commissioner Brandt stated he would like to bring some type of presentation forward at the April Human Rights Commission meeting but wasn’t sure of the subject matter at this time. Commissioner Winnen offered to put together Human Rights topics and ideas for focus groups and bring a proposal back to the commission. 9. STAFF PRESENTATIONS a. Labor Relations Attorney, Chuck Bethel said there are many areas that the commission could have a focus group for therefore, he suggested narrowing the scope of ideas down for a focus group such as People Getting Older in the Work Force or Discrimination in Housing and Employment. Mr. Bethel stated that coming up with questions for a focus group will be a process in itself. 10. ADJOURNMENT Chairperson Kringle adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m. Packet Page Number 5 of 13 THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Packet Page Number 6 of 13 Draft ITEM 5A Focus Group Proposal Submitted by Char Winnen for review, comment, and revision by the Human Rights Commission Background Focus groups are a qualitative research tool for obtaining information from 6 to 10 people at the same time in the same group. Generally focus groups are composed of representatives from the same demographic and are formed to gain information on people’s perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, or idea. Typically a focus group lasts between one and two hours where five or six carefully developed questions are asked related to the major objective of the session. After each question is asked, members of the focus group are given time to write down their responses, then a facilitator captures the information on a flip chart by going around the group so each person has an opportunity to participate. The facilitator paraphrases the responses to make sure the meaning of what is stated is understood. The focus group usually is also recorded via a recording device to make sure all the information is available for further evaluation. When multiple focus groups are used, the information for each question can be compared using qualitative research methodology to identity major themes, issues, problems, or understandings. 2010 Census Data for the City of Maplewood The following data was obtained from the Minnesota State Demographic Center. Population Type City of Maplewood Maplewood/North St. Paul Schools Total Population 38,018 76,855 One Race Total 36,921 74,696 White 28,719 61,161 Black or African American 3,122 5,383 American Indian and Alaskan Native 197 392 Asian 3,963 6,399 Native Hawaiian and other Asia Pacific 21 40 Some other race 899 1,321 Two or more races 1,097 2,159 Hispanic or Latino 2,342 3,931 Packet Page Number 7 of 13 Draft Unfortunately the other demographic data is not yet available from the 2010 Census. Proposal Given that the Maplewood Human Rights Commission is newly formed and its mission is to advocate for equal opportunities for all citizens of Maplewood in: housing, employment, public accommodations, services and education, it is important for the commission members to gain a better understanding of the issues facing the City of Maplewood in these areas so that the Commission can better plan and prioritize its activities over the next several years. Thus, as additional 2010 Census demographic data becomes available or as issues surface within the community, I believe a series of focus groups would be of value to gain insight into any issues within the community. I propose that a subcommittee of the commission meet to identify:  at risk population groups  current issues within the community As issues surface, the subcommittee can then develop questions to meet the major objective of the specific focus group, submit the questions to the commission for review and feedback, conduct the focus group, evaluate the information, and present a report to the commission. I believe the information gained by this or other research methods will help the commission in its strategic planning and prioritization of its activities. / State Demographic Center Packet Page Number 8 of 13 Item 5B Maplewood Human Rights Commission Essay and Art Contest Spring 2011 Who: All elementary, middle school, and high school students in Maplewood/Oakdale/North St. Paul are invited to participate. What: Art Contest: Through art, depict the world without discrimination. Essay Contest Topic: Why Human Rights Is Important To me. *Describe your personal experiences with human rights issues in 250 words or less *Describe, from your perspective, the human rights needs at your school *Include your first and last name, teacher, your grade, age, name of school and email/phone number to reach you if you are chosen as a winner When: Deadline for essay and art work submissions is May 5th, 2011 Where: Submit your essays to _________@______ and/or drop off your art/essay submissions with ____________ at the Maplewood City Hall. All winners will have their essays and/or art work displayed at Maplewood City Hall and HRC events. __________________________________________________________________ I acknowledge that submitted art and/or written work is the property of the Maplewood Human Rights Commission and will be on display to the public in a variety of ways. The use of my work for display or printing will be at the discretion of the Maplewood Human Rights Commission. Signature: Parent/Guardian Signature: Date: ______________________________________________________________________________ The mission of the Maplewood Human Rights Commission is to aid and advocate for equal opportunities for all citizens of Maplewood in: housing, employment, public accommodations, services and education, in addition to continuously working to improve human rights within the community. Packet Page Number 9 of 13 Contacts for Maplewood HRC Essay/Art Contest Public High Schools in Maplewood, North St. Paul and Oakdale North High School Tartan High School 2416 – 11th Street East 828 Greenway Avenue North North St. Paul, MN 55109 Oakdale MN 55128 651-748-6000 651-702-8600 www.isd622.org www.tartanhighschool.org Ms. Brady, Ms. Kaltved 651-702-8600 Alternative High Schools 622 Alternative Middle/High School (9-12) Fairview Adolescent Program 1961 County Road C East 1707 Cope Avenue Maplewood MN 55109 Maplewood MN 55109 651-748-7488 (651) 748-7452 Core School (grades 6-12) Sobriety High School (grades 9-12) 2365 Ariel Street 2055 White Bear Avenue N. Maplewood MN 55109 Maplewood MN 55109 651-773-8378 DCD @John Glenn School (grades 5-10) 1560 County Road B East Maplewood MN 55109 651-415-5490 Private High Schools Mounds Park Academy (College Prep K-12) Hill Murray School (Catholic 8-12) 2051 Larpenteur Avenue East 2625 Larpenteur Avenue East Maplewood MN 55109 Maplewood MN 55109 651-777-2555 651-777-1376 www.Moundsparkacademy.org www.hill-murray.org Paul Deziel PDeziel@hill-murray.org Hill-Murray School 748-2421 Here are North High clubs. ASA Club: A student group welcoming everyone to share and learn about Asian Cultures. Some of the events include regular volunteer opportunities, a district wide Hmong New year, social justice and community awareness projects. Advisors Ying Lee and Ms. Price C.A.R.E.: Student organized group, CARE works to Create Awareness, respect, and Equality for all students at North High. This group provides support and resources for students. Advisors: Steve Dombrosk and Jennifer George FCCLA: Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. Work on service projects for the community. Advisor Jane Hinrichsen NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY (NHS) Work on service projects for the community. Advisor Scott Kopp JROTC: Community service projects. Advisor Brian Buesgens and David Wilkinson. Packet Page Number 10 of 13 Item 5-D MEMORANDUM TO: Chuck Ahl, Assistant City Manager FROM: Karen Guilfoile, Director Citizen Services DATE: April 7, 2011 SUBJECT: Review of the HRC Mission Statement Attached is a copy of the tri-fold that was used by the former Human Rights Commission. The pamphlet was used for informational purposes at seminars, conferences and Human Rights sponsored events. Staff is requesting that the Human Relations Commission review the pamphlet and make changes so that it can be reprinted and available for use. Packet Page Number 11 of 13 Minnesota Human Rights Act Under the Minnesota Human Rights Act it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of:  Age  Creed  Color  Dependence on public assistance  Disability  Familial status  Marital status  National origin  Race  Religion  Sex  Sexual orientation Human Relations Commission If you feel that you have been discriminated against in the City of Maplewood, call the Maplewood Human Rights Commission at 651-249-2002. This information is available in alternate formats upon request. Contact the City of Maplewood at 651-249-2002. City of Maplewood Human Relations Commission Living together in our diverse world. “We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.” Franklin D. Roosevelt Packet Page Number 12 of 13 Since 1968, the Maplewood Human Relations commission, a seven-member group chartered by the Maplewood City Council, has worked to secure equal opportunity for all Maplewood citizens. We also work with other agencies, organizations, businesses and individuals to improve the human relations climate in our community. Our Purpose The Commission is charged to:  Solve human rights problems on a local and informal level.  Advise the City of Maplewood on human rights matters.  Work with the City Council in providing a discrimination free environment in Maplewood  Help all citizens, groups and businesses of Maplewood by providing education and answering questions concerning the Minnesota Human Rights Act.  Assist the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Get Involved! Meeting ~ Commission meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month, September through June, at 7:00 p.m. at Maplewood City Hall. The public is invited to attend. Events ~ The Human Relations commission sponsors an annual diversity contest for city youth. It offers a variety of in-service and workshop events throughout the year. Past topics have included age sensitivity, the Americans with Disabilities Act, gang issues and more. The Commission also participates in Maplewood Night Out each August. Other Assistance ~ The Commission is interested in your suggestions, questions or concern. The Commission is here to help if you have faced discrimination in Maplewood. Membership~ The Maplewood City Council appoints commission members. For an application or additional information, please call 651.249.2002. Packet Page Number 13 of 13