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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 - Human Relations Commission - Annual ReportHUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION 2004 ANNUAL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Human Relations Commission was active, visible and audible during the past year. A project that received significant attention was the draft Human Rights Protection Ordinance. In March, City Council passed Resolution 2004-037 directing the Commission to create a citizen task force which would review issues raised in the draft Human Rights Protection Ordinance. After meeting for four months, the Task Force recommended to the HRC that City Council adopt a Human Rights Protection Ordinance. On September 14, the HRC submitted this recommendation to City Council and successfully garnered support to proceed with the drafting of a Human Rights Protection Ordinance. Work is ongoing and should be presented to Council within the next two months. Under former chairman Ken Gordon's leadership, the Commission significantly enhanced its visibility and level of activity, as depicted by the committee work. Enclosed are the accomplishments of the committees that performed the work of the commission. That work has fulfilled the 2004 Work Plan. Also of significance is the change in the by-laws which were instituted this past year and from which the 2005 committees and their duties have been formed. A copy of the new by-laws is attached. DIVERSITY SUBCOMMITTEE The Diversity Committee deferred analyzing data from the City Clerk's office regarding applicants and appointees on the Boards and Commissions determining that this report should be repeated every other year as the information yearly would not change considerably and we can use our available resources more productively. There had been a lot of publicity in the local media regarding the perception that citizens and businesses in Fort Collins are intolerant of differences among people. The HRC wanted to examine this more closely. HRC Chair, Ken Gordon, asked the Diversity Committee to develop and administrate a survey to Fort Collins citizens asking which local businesses they thought encouraged diversity. Several businesses were identified as being open to diverse populations. Those businesses receiving "multiple nods" were: Avogadro's, HP, King Soopers, Target, Starbucks, Wal-Mart and Wild Oats. The HRC and Diversity Committee sponsored a Forum May 1,2004 titled "The Nuances of Racism." We believe it turned out to be a successful venture. Ken Gordon acted as facilitator with the following panel members participating: Jacob Castillo, N. Colorado Economic Development Corporation Jack Coleman, Fort Collins Human Relations Commission Mikiko Kumasaka, Assist. Director, Asian -American Services, CSU Michael Limon, Executive Editor, Fort Collins Coloradoan John Pino, Administrative Lieutenant, Fort Collins Police Force David Roy, Fort Collins City Council Johnny Square, Pastor, Iasis Fellowship The Committee continued to participate as liaison to the Eracism Film and discussion series and the Northern Colorado Multicultural Corporation. Parker Preble volunteered to visit and interview participants in the Institute of Healing Racism. This was suggested as a good program to adopt in Fort Collins. This visit has been delayed, as it has been difficult to synchronize. There has been some dissent as to whether this program is too religiously affiliated. The Diversity Committee had a shorten duration in 2004 due to the restructure of the Human Relations Commission's Standing Committees. The Diversity Subcommittee was abolished late in the year and new committees became: Education, Media, Police and Executive. HUMAN RELATIONS AWARD SUBCOMMITTEE About 100 people (including Mayor Ray Martinez, City Council, nominees and guests) were in attendance at the 2004 Human Relations Award Breakfast held on June 8, 2004. Keynote speaker was former State Senator Stan Matsunaka. The focus of the awards is to give recognition to individuals and organizations, who through volunteer action, have advanced the human dignity of minority and/or disadvantaged citizens in Fort Collins. In 2004, the emphasis was to honor the work that has helped minority and/or disadvantaged in our community. Committee members made a concerted effort to seek nominations, including going to schools and talking to counselors, principals and teachers. We networked: sending emails, advertising on the City's web page, and announcing it at community meetings. We received a total of 27 nominations in the following categories: 8 for Adult, 7 for Senior Citizen, 7 for Youth, 5 for Organizations. This was a successful Human Relations Award Breakfast and an event of which we should be proud. POLICE SUBCOMMITTEE The Police Subcommittee: • Organized a task force of members of the Fort Collins community to examine and recommend changes in the Police Complaint process. This task force met twice and recommendations were made to the City Council at a Study Session on September 14, 2004. • Studied the Police Department's Complaint Process in other cities • Served as Citizen Liaisons to assist citizens in filing complaints with Fort Collins Police Services. • Helped to educate the citizens of Fort Collins concerning positive relations among community members, Fort Collins Police Services, and the Citizen Review Board. • Attended meetings of the Citizen Review Board and provided assistance to the Board upon their request. • Worked with Police Services to train new members of the HRC to serve as Citizen Liaisons.