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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Relations Commission - Minutes - 12/13/2001Human Relations Commission CIC Room 300 W. Laporte Avenue December 13, 2001, 5:30-7:00 p.m Council Liaison: Marty Tharp I Staff Liaison: Angelina Powell ==Phone: 221-6525 Chairperson: Bob Lenk Phone, 493-5809 A regular meeting of the Human Relations Commission was held on December 13, 2001 in the CIC 300 W. Laporte Avenue. HRC Members present Mary Gomez, Shion Hung, Rita Klepac, Ingrid Kolstoe, Bob Lenk, Parker Preble, Shion Hung HRC Members absent W/notification Man Oberoi, Richard Miller Council Liaison present Marty Tharp I. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Bob Lenk at 5:41 p.m. Because the meeting fell on the fifth night of the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, Chair Bob Lenk began the meeting by sharing information about the history and significance of Chaunkah, and lighting a Menorah. II. Approval of Minutes. The approval of November 14 minutes will be delayed to a later date. The minutes were not available due to Angelina's 11/19/01 surgery. III. Council Liaison Marty Tharp. Council Liaison Tharp suggested that one of the most important services we could offer to the community is visibility of the commission - resources, information, assistance - and that we should be pro -active in our approach. • Ingrid suggested a dedicated line that people in the community can use to contact the HRC. We can post the phone number on the City of Fort Collins web site. • Rita suggested compiling information in a resource manual or brochure that could be printed and distributed in grocery stores and other general population sites. Council Liaison Tharp reported on the Conference on Racial Equality presented by the National League of Cities that she had attended in Atlanta, Georgia (a city with a population that is 73% black.) She encouraged HRC members to participate in the retreat that is offered through the Human Rights Office, and to talk with students, teachers, co-workers, and others to raise the level of understanding of cultural diversity issues. IV. Subcommittee Reports. Diversity Committee. Chair Mary Gomez distributed copies of the graphs that she created from the data collected by the Diversity Sub -committee regarding the diversity of applicants and appointees of the Fort Collins Boards and Commissions. This data will be compared with current census/population data records to see if the per cent of minorities on boards/commission reflects the Human Relations Comr4kion Page 2 • per cent of minorities in the city population. It was pointed out that comparisons should also be made of the number of minority applicants with the number of minority appointments. The summary of the information will be reported to the City Council. It was suggested that the summary could also be published in the Coloradoan (or similar media) at the time of recruiting for new appointments in September. Chair Bob Lenk reminded us that the details of such plans are best discussed in subcommittee meetings and reported to the whole Commission. Police Subcommittee. Parker Preble pointed out that in the Citizens' Review Board's work plan, they identify and establish relationships with specific groups in the community, e.g., St. Joseph's Catholic Church, and wondered if we should/could do the same thing. A suggestion was made regarding putting together packets of information that could be given to people with a complaint against the police. Human Relations Awards Subcommittee. Shion reported that the Awards Ceremony Sub -committee has begun seeking nominations for this year's recipient. They plan to encourage youth nominations by offering a $100 scholarship to the youth recipient. They are considering Tom Sutherland to be the featured speaker. V. Announcements. The Annual Report is due the end of January. Parker brought our attention to the fact that Ingrid was recently recognized for the job she does as a youth basketball coach. Parker also pointed out that copies of our minutes are attached to the Northern Colorado Multicultural Corporation's (NCMC) agenda when they are sent to members each month, and that we should look into getting their minutes attached to our agenda. NCMC continues to be active. They have a 20- member trans -cultural board (with 10 vacancies). They have recently hired an executive director to raise funds for upcoming activities. VI. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 7:10pm. Thank you to Rita Klepac for recording/transcribing the minutes of this meeting.