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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003 - Human Relations Commission - Annual ReportHUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION 2003 ANNUAL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2003 the Commission was able to make progress in executing most parts of our work plan. We strived to develop a stable team with the inclusion of two new members in 2003. Our main goals for 2003 were to define our true purpose and to increase our visibility. Many meetings and discussions were held to determine the true purpose of the commission. Ultimately, we determined assistance was needed from City Council in order to craft our true purpose for the future. Increased visibility was achieved through various means during the course of the year. Examples include invitations to community leaders to be guest speakers at our monthly meetings, attendance at other community organization events and meetings, increased communication with community media sources, increased involvement in grass roots human relations issues and submission of articles concerning human relations topics to local media. The Commission finalized the "Report on the Comparative Analysis of the City of Ft. Collins Board and Commissions Diversity and Demographics". This study purposed to analyze the application and advertisement processes of the Board and Commissions, specifically as it relates to ethnicity, and make recommendations, as appropriate. The Commission did not make progress on the question of Citizen Review Board and Citizen Liaison Program direction. Due to instability and differing opinions regarding the necessity and effectiveness of these entities, these issues were not effectively resolved. The Commission completed another successful year of recognizing those that volunteer in our community. We were not able to effectively increase nominations in the Youth and Senior categories. However, we did receive ample nominations to make acceptable awards. The Commission remained abreast of local, state and national legislation that could affect human relations in our community. Where appropriate we engaged in action. Additionally, the Commission moved towards developing more structure in the roles, responsibilities, actions and expectations of the Chair, Vice Chair, Sub -committee chairs and commission members. TRAINING A half -day training session was conducted on March 14 by Barbara Catbagan, Director of the Human Rights Office. The training session consisted of a mask exercise, a discussion of "Why We Are Here", dialogue technique training, goal setting training, understand and getting to know the fellow team members, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the commission and evaluating individual goals and visions. 1 DIVERSITY SUBCOMMITTEE The Diversity Subcommittee analyzed diversity data from the City Clerk's office regarding applicants and appointees on the Boards and Commissions. It was determined that the report ought to initially concentrate on ethnicity rather than gender, age, or a combination thereof, since further delineation of the criteria might lead to a less reader -friendly report format. Analysis of additional criteria may be addressed in subsequent reports. Data graphs were created based on information from 1998-2002 and a preliminary report for City Council was drafted. With the goal of assisting the HRC in further publicizing culturally -relevant events and programs, it was decided that DSC members would research upcoming events, collate data and report to the HRC Chair, who could disseminate same to the media or designate parties to do so. To this end, members volunteered to cover designated areas (PSD, CSU, media, etc.) and to give ongoing reports to the DSC. Again this year, one of our members participated with members of the Social Justice and Cultural Diversity Task Force of Foothills Unitarian Church and Northern Colorado Multicultural Corporation, with a grant from Fort Fund, to host "The Eracism Film and Discussion Series," which presented documentaries and two feature-length films with guest speakers from the community. Additionally, the HRC Chair served as a guest speaker / facilitator for one of the films. Another of our members attended meetings of the Northern Colorado Multicultural Corporation and reported their activities to the Human Relations Commission. lllu• /:\►@;7111►.4 Y (/7►a`y\`.'/:\ N 1»;YII:ZK/lu• tu• I Y W Y 11 y In May we honored three individuals and one organization for their volunteer work at the 21 st Annual Fort Collins Human Relations Award Breakfast. The winners in each category were: Senior - Joyce Dillon Adult - Patrick M. Brady Youth - Esmeralda Gamaz Organization - Fort Collins Lions Club The breakfast, hosted by the Human Relations Commission was very well attended by nominees and their families, as well as nominators, City Council and staff. The featured speaker was Bob Powell, Character Fort Collins. We continue to plan to build on our successes to further raise awareness of the Award. POLICE SUBCOMMITTEE The Police Subcommittee struggled to realize stability and purpose. The existing chair resigned, due to job relocation, mid way through the year. The new chair was elected in June, however, resigned in October, also due to job relocation. The final three months of the year, the Subcommittee was dormant. Part of the reason for this dormancy was due to significant concerns raised by its former chair concerning the effectiveness and need of this Subcommittee. It was felt by members of the Commission that this subcommittee had outlived its purpose, as its primary purpose had grown to be interaction with the Citizen Review Board (CRB). This was felt to be futile, as no two-way communication with the CRB existed. Further it was felt that the CRB was "self reliant, with good support from the Police Department and District Attorney's office." It was determined that the Commission Chair and Vice Chair would set up a meeting with the Chair of the CRB to discuss future cooperative existence and interaction. No action or real progress was made regarding the Citizen Liaison Program. There was significant discussion on the effectiveness and viability of this program. It was determined that no matter the outcome, all interested HRC members needed to be trained by the Fort Collins Police Department for inclusion and involvement in this program. As a result, select HRC members were trained by the Fort Collins Police Department (FCPD) in the Citizen Liaison Program (CLP.) Each member was instructed for approximately 2 hours concerning the rules, regulations, policies and procedures of Intemal Affairs and the Police Department's citizen complaint process. Additionally, each member also spent several hours riding with a Fort Collins Police Department officer. EXECUTIVE DELEGATION SUBCOMMITTEE The Executive Delegation Subcommittee engaged in activity beyond monitoring and reviewing legislation and ballot initiatives affecting human rights. However, this was a pivotal area of involvement for the year. Monitoring and review of legislation, ballot issues and community activity adversely affecting human rights yielded several topics of concern and involvement for the HRC. Examples included the Human Rights Protection Ordinance, the CLEAR Act, Perry Lorenz's stance on racial disparity, perceived job discrimination against and perceived illegal termination of community members and investigation of the Institute for Healing Racism. Additionally, the subcommittee explored improved public relations efforts. Increased involvement was achieved with two local radio stations and three major print media sources. Also, at the request of Barb Catbagan, Fort Collins Human Rights Officer, the Executive Delegation subcommittee represented the Human Relations Commission in drafting, and being presented, the 2003 Human Rights Day Proclamation. Commission by-laws and annual work plans were reviewed, with strategies put in place to evaluate ourselves by these tenets on a monthly basis. Additionally, roles, responsibilities, actions and expectations of all positions were evaluated with strategies put in place to insure each position is contributing at an appropriate level.