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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION - MINUTES - 02/08/2024HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Thursday, February 8, 2024 – 5:30 PM City Hall; 300 Laporte Ave, CIC Conference Room Zoom: https://fcgov.zoom.us/j/99439209110 Webinar ID: 994 3920 9110 12.CALL TO ORDER: 5:30 pm 13.ROLL CALL a.Board Members Present – Beth Jaeger, Barb Kistler, Phil Walker, Kevin Goff, Masood Ahmad, Teresa Cribelli b.Board Members Absent – Kyle Teramoto, Miho Yoshioka, Coronda Ziegler c.Staff Members Present – Claudia Menendez, Equity Officer, Melanie Clark, Staff Liaison 14.AGENDA REVIEW – Chair Beth Jaeger noted that, due to the requests from City Council and City Manager Kelly DiMartino for the HRC’s recommendation regarding any future Council action related to a proposed ceasefire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war, the HRC will restructure its agenda to focus on this issue. Those discussion items noted in the HRC’s February 8th meeting agenda will be moved forward to its March 14th meeting agenda. 15.APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Moved to March 14th HRC meeting agenda. 16.PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – The HRC listened to comments from 25 public participants related to a proposed ceasefire resolution. 17.BUDGET REVIEW - Moved to March 14th HRC meeting agenda. 18.NEW BUSINESS – The DEIJ Networking Event discussion noted on the February 8th agenda was moved to the March 14th HRC meeting agenda. a.Discussion re: Proposed Ceasefire Resolution •In order to respond to the request from the City Council and City Manager for a recommendation related to a proposed ceasefire resolution, the HRC discussed the matter and considered community input from this evening’s HRC meeting, emails received by the HRC prior to this evening’s meeting, and public comments from the February 6th City Council meeting. •The HRC recommended that a memo be sent to the City Council and City Manager outlining a set of considerations that might be included in a newly worded resolution. The HRC approved this action by a 5-0 vote with one member abstaining. The final memo is attached to these minutes for review. 19.OLD BUSINESS - Moved to March 14th HRC meeting agenda. 20.ANNOUNCEMENTS a.The “Cross Cultural Communication” educational program will be held at the Senior Center on Wednesday, October 9th. b.The “Human Library” program, planned in conjunction with the City, Museum of Discovery, and the Poudre River Library District, will be held Sunday afternoon, August 4th, at the Museum. c.The HRC and the Larimer County EDI Advisory Board will hold a joint meeting on Wednesday, March 27th at 5:30pm at the County Administrative Services Building at 200 West Oak. d.Autism Awareness Day proclamation and reception will be held on April 2nd at City Hall. 21.NEXT STEPS a.Next Meeting – March 14, 2024 22.ADJOURNMENT a.7:26 pm Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on 03/14/2024 02/08/24– MINUTES Page 1 DATE: February 10, 2024 TO: Mayor Jeni Arndt City Councilmembers City Manager Kelly DiMartino CC: Jenny Lopez Filkins Claudia Menendez Sarah Kane Melanie Clark FROM: The Human Relations Commission RE: HRC Recommendations re: Proposed Resolution Related to a Ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War Pursuant to the request from City Manager Kelly DiMartino to consider the above referenced resolution, the Human Relations Commission (HRC) deliberated on the matter in its meeting on February 8, 2024. Our discussion took into consideration community input from the February 6, 2024 City Council meeting (members heard approximately 100 people speak to the proposed resolution), input from an additional 25 community members that was shared during “public participation” at our February 8, 2024 meeting, review by HRC members of approximately 40 letters/emails received by City staff as of February 8, 2024 at 4:00pm, and review by HRC members of a number of resolutions passed throughout the United States in recent weeks. Commissioners also discussed at length our desire to stay true to our team’s and City’s values and vision: To advance the City of Fort Collins' vision to be a safe and welcoming community for all – a community where all belong. After these deliberations, the HRC passed a motion by five to zero, with one member abstaining, to recommend to City Council to consider a newly worded resolution related to a Ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War, with the following considerations: •acknowledges the immense human suffering and loss of life on all sides as a result of war • does not assign blame, and/or use adversarial language • condemns violence - without condemnation of any group or community - or taking of sides; promotes peace for all • condemns Anti-Semitism, Anti-Palestinian rhetoric and Islamophobia in Fort Collins • states unwavering commitment to all Fort Collins residents to promote peace, unity and respect for all; represents voices and concerns of all • acknowledges commitment to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian and Jewish communities, and to reaffirm commitment to their safety, security and well-being • calls for an immediate ceasefire on all sides of the conflict • calls for immediate release of hostages on all sides of the conflict • calls for immediate sharing of humanitarian aid to all who are impacted by the conflict • expresses hope for swift, peaceful resolution of current conflict, leading to a just and lasting peace for all involved Additionally, the HRC resolved to work towards bringing together members of the Fort Collins community on different sides of this conflict. The HRC resolved to hold a meeting or a program where members of the Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, Christian and other interested communities will be invited to explore ways to continue working towards a peaceful coexistence in our beautiful and inclusive city. We appreciate City Council's consideration of the HRC's request. Please let us know if more information is required.