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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Relations Commission - Minutes - 02/10/1994HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES Regular Meeting - February 10, 1994 Council Information Center, City Hall West 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Council Liaison: Ann Azari Staff Liaisons: Jaime Mares Gabe Serenyi A regular meeting of the Human Relations Commission was held on February 10, 1994, in the Council Information Center, City Hall West HRC Members present: Linda Beardsley, Man Oberoi, Rickie Calkins, Harold Wallace, Arnold Gum, Rudy Garcia, and Letty Coykendall. HRC Members absent: Ramona Robertson, Shari Olsen Council Liaison Present: Ann Azari Guests Present: Brad Hurst, City Of Fort Collins Police Department Mike Blea and Diana Castellanos, Parents & Partners Against the Gang Environment Staff Members present: Jaime Mares and Gabe Serenyi I. Meeting was called to order by Linda Beardsley, Chair, at 5:35 P.M. A motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of January 13, 1994 was made by Harold Wallace. The motion was seconded by Rickie Calkins, and approved by the group. Il. Mike Blea and Diana Castellanos of Parents and Partners Against the Gang Environment (PPAGE) presented their assessment of gang activity in Fort Collins to the HRC. The PPAGE targets families that have youths in gangs. The group is also involved in helping schools solve gang related problems. They have visited several large metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles and New York to assess how these large cities handle gang problems. Mike indicated that statistics show that 50,000 youths have been killed in gang related crimes from 1982 to 1992. They estimate that there are 1000 youths involved in gangs in Fort Collins. According to PPAGE, white gangs are the biggest and most violent gangs in Fort Collins. Adults are also getting involved in gang activities. PPAGE is facititating workshops to try to bring youths back to the family and provide alternative activities for them. Support groups have been formed to share ideas about how to handle young people involved in gang activities. A Positive Youth Direction Team (made up mainly of students) was developed. This group evaluates PPAGE programs. A major problem for the group has been putting together enough activities for women. III. Brad Hurst of the Fort Collins Police Department indicated that the Police are establishing an advisory group to deal with citizen complaints about police activities. The advisory group will allow for an open dialogue to take place between citizens and police department personnel. Representatives of the Justice Department will also meet with citizens (without police personnel present) to help facilitate the establishment of better relationships between citizens and the police. Human Relations Commission February 10, 1994 Page 2 IV. Subcommittee Reports: CAB: The 1994 Community Plan will be discussed at the next CAB meeting. Community forums will also be developed for the 1994 plan. Diverity: The group met with Dr. Jim Banning and several students from Colorado State University to discuss the possibility of getting an assessment of the environment of the City. The students will provide the HRC with a photo essay which will show the problems the City faces with regard to gender, disability, race, religion, and sexual orientation issues. Police Subcommittee: The second draft of the police complaint brochure was approved. The cost of printing the brochure is $500. The subcommittee would like to have the back of the brochure printed in Spanish. Committee for Executive Deleoation (CED): The Committee reviewed the Voices Video and went over the presentation agreement. The final draft of the agreement will be submitted to the HRC at the March meeting. Human Relations Award: Nominations for the HRC awards are due March 18th. The awards breakfast will be held Friday, May 6th. V. New Business. Man Oberoi indicated that the Senior Center is moving along on schedule. VI. Old Business. None. VII. Meeting adjourned at 7:05 P.M. The next regular meeting will be held Thursday, March 10, 1994 in the Council Information Center, City Hall West.