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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/03/1984 Minutes : January 3 , 1984 Business Meeting Maplewood Human Relations Commission Present : Eiden, Williamson, Lynch, Fischer , Larsen, Hoyt Approved : December 6 , 1983 business meeting minutes . Amending of Agenda: Election of Officers will be held in February. International Year of Human Rights Observances -- suggested . January -- City proclamation . February -- Take a picture of new officers and have it published along with an introductory item on the workings of the Commission. . March -- Commission blurb in the MAPLEWOOD IN MOTION. Thrust would be observance of Human Rights Year and NFG. . April -- Council/Commission interaction. Invite Peter Lewon, Local Commission Liaison of the Department of Human Rights . The Council members would find it of interest to speak with him directly on human rights topics . Shall we invite chairs of the Northern Ramsey County commissions? Other suggestions : - September MAPLEWOOD IN MOTION. Publish date of December HRs observances . - If possible , the planned HR Act workshop will be in March. - Help League/Department of Human Rights plan for the December 10th observances . - Have the League of MHRC take the lead at their annual meeting in June with a prelude to the December observances . - Commissioners asked to think about what might be other appropriate and feasible activities past April . - Meeting with almost new school superintendent , District 622 . Bring HR Act presentation to his attention. Offer our services and familiarize him with the Commission and its goals . Human Rights Act Presentation Packet - Fischer Peter walked the Commission through the presentation. One of the Commission goals is to train other members to make this presentation. 2-MHRC Business Meeting 1/3/84 Workshop Update - Fischer Committee was meeting soon. Lewon was going to draft a proposal for that activity e . g. role playing of NFG process ; pulling together a grievant charge ; use an actual case (probably in sex discrimination) ; use a number of cases , with different situationsito challenge the attendees in discussion. Proper (by law) answers would be given at the end of the workshop . Local chambers are interested. State Department of Human Rights Organizational problems . NFG procedure is not being prioritized. Blue Ribbon Commission will be out with findings soon. Serious problems in the way the department is being run. Suggestion that two out of the four top position become Civil Service and not appointed. Legislature is alert to some of the problem; groups are juggling for position. Larsen will see what information she can garner at the next League Board meeting late in January. Annual Report : In typist hands . Should be out before next meeting . NFG Case Update Discrimination on the basis of public assistance status . Fischer. Kept multiple appointments . Now dealing with owners . Owners reviewing records and photographs . Hope that everyone will get together in a couple of weeks (immediate supervisors and owners , possibly grievant) . New Business Commissioner/Chairperson Fischer is interviewing for a position at a private club in Eau Claire , Wisconsin. If accepted, will hope to retain seat on Commission as he will be in town on Tuesday' s and can make the meetings . Will not accept any position on board. Next Meeting: February 7 , 1984 . Maria Larsen , Secretary Maplewood Human Rights Commissioners From: Maria Larsen The League of MN HRCs board meeting Saturday, January 28th, was so full of pertinent news , I decided I would write up a little report for you to read prior to the meeting. Then, you can be prepared with questions , or I can amplify on certain aspects of the meeting , as they come to mind. Firstly, Peter Lewon, Liaison to the local commissions and NFG resource for the local commissions , attended the meeting, as did Geri Evans , assistant to the Commissioner . At one point Peter felt in jeopardy as we attempted to discuss Department activity and consequences . Geri told him that she was there as a member of the board and not as his boss . Peter has been removed from all local human relations commissions functions , including NFG workshops and training sessions , and placed on case work. When we suggested that non referral of cases under the NFG program was counterproductive and just added case burden to the State ,Geri could not give us a satisfactory answer on why the Department was backing off. Now, with the January 30th removal of Commissioner Gomez-Bethke , Geri Evans , and the Deputy Commissioner , I can understand that Geri had other things on her mind. At present we have no idea where the NFG program stands . I will bring in the special state disclaimers so we will have an idea of how many cases we might have had in the past few months and what situations they covered. I will call Peter before our March meeting to see what his status is . Also , if he could, at that time , accept an April 3rd invitation to dialog with our Council . He told me that the invitation would have had to have gone thru Evans . In the conversation that ensued when the Department was discussed, it was agreed that the appointment of Gomez-Bethke was"programmed to fail" . She has been on a toboggan slide since she took office . I will also be watching the "I Team" reports on Channel 4 this week for added input into this situation. Chair said that we came "that close" to not having a State Department of Human Rights in the previous legislature but that there were too many of us out here actively working for human rights , and communicating our anxiety to our legislators and the Governor. An active interest keeps the wolf at bay. When I brought up an "International Year of Human Rights" observance , and asked for advice on a proclamation, no one on Board knew what I was talking about . Perhaps I am mistaken. I have gone to a source and will have this checked out before our meeting on Tuesday. However , League Chair did state there was no reason why we couldn't have a Human Rights Year for Maplewood and all of them thought our activity suggestions interesting and valid. What would you think of a civic Human Rights observance? 2 L Minneapolis Human Rights Commission has new chair; Bill Davis ; Vice Chair (and past chair) Tom Beaver. One or two very important items on the docket -- the hiring of minorities by the Fire Dept (court ordered) and the antipornography ordinance. Have formed a special community task force to discuss the pornography ordinance. (Minnesota Civil Liberties Union having a cat fit ; dangerous precendent setting; shades of the witch hunts . _ beaver said they would talk about alternatives such as special zoning laws and the like. I will be on a committee for the "Awards" function of the League Annual Meeting in June. Chair is Chair of the St . Paul Human Rights Commission. (Joan Cardenas de Enos ) I will have copies of the Blue Ribbon Task Force recommendations for you, hopefully by our meeting date . League Chair , who sat on Task Force ,broke down their observations and recommendations thusly . . . . 1 . Strong, top level management essential . Appointments should be made with careful attention given to management background. 2 . Develop a program of education outreach and prevention. Indepen- dently funded. Could be a deterrent . 3 . For charges filed ensure a system assigning weight/priority. 4 . Referrals to local commissions . 5 . Easier access to higher courts 6 . Cost effective methods to increase service to outstare areas . Perhaps establish regional human rights offices . Especially in Duluth and Bemidji . Concept of a mobile unit also . Funds for regional offices should be newly appropriated. 7 . Legislature mandate a payment by the respondent of three times the compensatory damages . Comment from League Chair : Covernor ' s Task Force said State should increase referrals to local HRCs . We are a very viable option. If County commissions are established , League will be major contact . National trend in human rights is to put "it" on the back burner . There will be four new justices under a Republican administation (Supreme Court) who could be anti human rights . Our human righters will be retiring shortly. A discussed alternative(GTF) ; put the State Department of Human Rights under the Attorney General ' s office ; not feasible ; major objection -- a conflict of interest. We can express our support/reaction to the report to the Governor ' s office , the city council ' s of St . Paul and Minneapolis , their human rights commissions , Acting Commissioner of HRs and our legislatures . Reconvening March 6th. 3 Annual Meeting Discussion of theme; agenda topics , length, cost . Consensus -- reduce cost and have a one day session. Start at 9A, June 5 , 1984 , Saturday, and end with an evening banquet at which the League award would be made ; a keynote speaker would also be obtained. Committee selected to chose theme and presenters . PUT JUNE 5 ASIDE ON YOUR CALENDARS PLEASE AND LET' s GO IN FORCE , o.k. ? I would also like to discuss attendance at the monthly League board meetings . Last Saturday of the month. Perhaps the MHRC commissioners could take turns going with the district rep -- me . May the good Lord willing, I ' ll see you Tuesday night . (\f"lk att . Summary of presentation by League President at Human Rights Day Conference. Only about 80 to 90 people . Department/ League sponsored. However , Evans said that was representation from about 80 or 90 business firms , agencies , etc . so not too bad. We are pleased to have a new appointee to the Commission: Ronald Heimerl 1701 Birmingham Street Maplewood, MN 55109 H: 777-0378 I will call and invite him to the meeting and also send him this mailing. ffor your information...) Summary of the PRESENTATION BY LEAGUE PRESIDENT to the representatives of various Human Rights groups at the HUMAN RIGHTS DAY CONFERENCE, December 10, 1983, St. Paul As we engage together in this "war" .as Victor Propes, of the Council on Black Minnesotans, calls it) on behalf of human rights, the local human rights commissions have some resources to offer,'but we also have some needs, and so I would like to end up making a recommendation. First, the chief resources we can offer are three: 1) We can offer access to the public's attention, through public education in the communities where we are. For example, today many of our commissions are bringing Human Rights Day out into the state, While we are meeting here, I know that Bloomington's commission has notified its public of Human Rights Day through newspaper ads, and its mayor has issued a proclamation. So has the mayor in my town, New Ulm, and our commission has created displays in public places, gotten front page coverage in our local daily paper, and our radio station, R:NUJ, has promised to play some human rights music -- whatever that might be, especially since they play polkas most of the day. Under the theme, "RESPECT RIGHTS -- IT'S THE MOST AMERICAN THING YOU CAN DO," local commissions are bringing today's Human Rights Day to public attention. 2) We can also provide some front-line services in dealing with individual human rights problems. Working with the Department of Human Rights in the "no-fault° process, our commissioners are often the first people to talk with victims of discrimination, and many times we can help solve their problems. 3) And then we can, when needed, supply some grass-roots political pressure. Our commissioners are often community leaders, and politically active, with access to the ears of their legislators_. In those areas where concentrations of vulnerable people live, we naturally expect their representatives to stand up for their consituents. But it's useful, when human rights concerns come up in the Capitol, for lawmakers from all over the state, even from out in the countryside, to hear from THEIR hometown people who care. We are getting better at generating such contacts. But while we can offer these three resources, we are aware of our need. The fact is, we are not professionals. Local commission members are for the most part appointed citizen volunteers. I have found them extremely dedicated, quite resourceful, and their training by the Department is excellent. But still they are not professionals. Discrimination has become more subtle today than it was in the past, and we need a greater sophistication in order to counter it. That means we local commissioners need to tune in to vOU, individuals and groups interested in human rights. In order to do a good job with the resources we have, we need frequent communication with all of you. And that brings me to the recommendation: MORE OF THIS. We need more meetings like this one today, to bring us all together to talk and share. A few weeks ago I heard Julian Bond, when he spoke in St. Peter, call for a restoration of the old coalition that propelled the movement so effectively in the 5O's. After his speech I asked him, 'How optimistic are you?' I wasn't optimistic. I've seen how often we fight with each other, how many ways we find to fragment ourselves. But he replied without hesitation, "I'm very optimistic, because I've seen it work before.' I must say that after today, I too, am more optimistic.