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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 8/25/2020 - Memorandum From Marcy Yoder And Janet Freeman Re: Community Tensions And Stress Points 1 Sustainability Services 222 Laporte Ave PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970-221-6600 fcgov.com MEMORANDUM DATE: August 20, 2020 TO: Mayor Troxell and City Councilmembers THRU: Darin Atteberry, City Manager Kelly DiMartino, Deputy City Manager Jacqueline Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer Caryn Champine, Director of Planning, Development & Transportation FROM: Marcy Yoder, Senior Manager, Neighborhood Services Janet Freeman, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator, Social Sustainability RE: Community Tensions and Stress Points Purpose Per Councilmembers’ request at the August 11, 2020 Work Session, the purpose of this memo is to provide Council with an initial overview of some tensions and stress points in the Fort Collins community and City responses to date. Concepts presented focus on coronavirus-related stressors and bias motivated activity. This information is largely anecdotal, with some data points and reports, and does not represent a thorough assessment and is also reflective of changing trends. Bottom Line The Fort Collins community, like others in the nation and world, is experiencing significant stress resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, as illustrated by dramatic increases in hospital visits, mental health concerns, requests for unemployment compensation, economic hardships, childcare needs, changes in education formats, isolation, etc. People of Color are experiencing disproportionate impacts from the coronavirus as demonstrated across the country by data. Adding to the stress are heightened racial tensions from the killing of George Floyd and other African Americans, triggering protests across the nation and in our community. Staff have also experienced elevated tensions in public interactions. The City is responding to this situation in many ways that involve efforts to listen and understand, to foster a culture of inclusiveness in the community, and to offer support and resources. And while tensions and challenges have marked this difficult time, the community has also responded with acts of kindness, ingenuity, and coming together to support each other. DocuSign Envelope ID: B87DAA62-16C6-4521-B71F-778F9757FBDE 2 Gatherings/Protests  The right to protest is protected in Fort Colins and gatherings have generally been peaceful, with one recent exception on August 8th. Police Services has routinely engaged with protestors and provided clear statements that freedom of speech and the ability to peacefully protest is a fundamental human and constitutionally protected right, and there is no tolerance of violence when people are peacefully exercising these rights here in Fort Collins.  Black Lives Matter protesters in Old Town and at Police Services have experienced one incident of “rolling coal”, which have been swiftly reacted to and managed by Police Services. Bias-Motivated Incidents Although more engagement and outreach would be useful to inform ongoing and future efforts to mitigate, staff have witnessed, experienced or heard reports from community members and partners that there have been various instances of bias-motivated incidents and stereotyping of some members of the Fort Collins community. At times, these views are expressed through coded language. Although these incidents have happened in the past as well, we recognize current conditions could be adding difficulty to people’s ability to cope, especially if pressing financial concerns are limiting access to mental health resources, or social distance requirements are interfering with communal and familial support. Examples include:  Asian and Asian-American residents experiencing racism because COVID-19 originated in China  Concerns about students returning to CSU from other communities and possibly raising risks of infection  Neighborhood allegations about rowdy children being unattended in multifamily and mobile home neighborhoods because of "the parents' culture”  Calls about neighbors not keeping their yard or home in good shape/failing to take trash to the dumpsters with references to race and statements that everyone else in the neighborhood (white families) do not neglect their responsibilities  Development Review neighborhood meeting comments about low-income developments and manufactured housing communities attracting "the wrong kind of person" and that groups of teenagers roam all of the existing mobile home parks committing crime and terrorizing surrounding neighborhoods  Increase in language, yard and car signs, and social media posts/comments that suggest anti Black Lives Matter sentiment, or that exacerbate idea that supporting both Black Lives Matter and Police are oppositional  Increase in negative comments on the City’s social media sites and posts, including over 500 mostly negative comments on posts related to facial coverings Disparate Impacts in Community As previously reported to Council, the pandemic continues to exacerbate previously experienced inequities and create new ones, especially among communities of color. Examples that have also been shared with City staff from community members include: DocuSign Envelope ID: B87DAA62-16C6-4521-B71F-778F9757FBDE 3 Education and Childcare Some PSD students will likely still be affected in the fall by lack of Internet access needed to participate fully in school. In addition, many families are forming learning pods for their children, yet concerns exist that this may exacerbate long-standing equity gaps created by income, race and geography. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by these challenges, as well as low income families and those experiencing homelessness Coronavirus Stressors (Social and Economic) Ongoing stressors related to the coronavirus pandemic are adding to residents’ and business burdens. These concerns include availability of childcare, students either returning to school or adapting to online learning, economic stressors for those laid off or working reduced hours, health concerns for loved ones impacted by COVID-19, or related delays in access to health care or health impacts exacerbated by wildfire smoke. Many have expressed concerns about others not wearing masks, and some have expressed concerns about the mandate to wear masks. Mental and Physical Well-Being All of the coronavirus stressors mentioned above have impacted the mental and physical health in our community, and the breadth and depth of these impacts on individuals, households and various identities is not yet fully understood. Communities of color continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-related illness and unemployment. Examples include:  When evaluated relative to proportion of population, those who identify LatinX/Hispanic experienced 4x the infection rate vs. those who identify white  Ongoing fear/concern about being more susceptible to the virus due to underlying health conditions  Heightened fears of undocumented residents for contacting law enforcement when help is needed due to concerns over deportation  Increased fear for personal safety  Language barriers  Heightened concerns over limited access to PPE  Increasing concern about being able to maintain housing stability People Experiencing Homelessness The need for physical distancing caused by COVID has put additional strain on our community’s homeless shelter system. Our local community shelters are only able to operate at 50% capacity, which has created the need for additional temporary congregate shelter space. This has led to some community tensions in neighborhoods as well as businesses. Nationally, people experiencing homelessness are contracting COVID at higher rates; however, the numbers have remained low here in Larimer County. DocuSign Envelope ID: B87DAA62-16C6-4521-B71F-778F9757FBDE 4 Staff Experiences City staff are reporting a rise in tensions and reactions in general. Examples include code compliance staff receiving negative gestures more frequently, people reacting negatively to having staff pull over near their home to take a phone call or check email, etc., phone callers yelling at employees about costs or other problems they perceive as the City’s responsibility, elevated phone calls regarding violation letters, etc. Many City staff are trained in de-escalation techniques and additional training is readily available from the Human Resources Department. Staff work to respond calmly to these elevated incidents and to provide relevant background (the what, why and how) and additional resources that are available. For most people, that results in understanding. In addition, City staff have also reported some instances where community members have extended kindnesses, generosity, connection and compassion in these difficult times. City Actions Strengthening Relationships, Community Support & Organizational Capacity As part of Council’s priorities around Reimagining Engagement and Equity and Inclusion, the City is focusing on relationship building and communication with all residents and businesses, especially historically underrepresented groups through multiple efforts, while also working to strengthen organizational capacity in equity and connect these current events and community issues to day-to-day work. ‘ Some examples:  Fort Collins Police have actively engaged with protesters, held meetings with stakeholders (e.g. BiPOC Alliance), are actively engaged online, and maintain the Police Transparency webpage that provides information, links, and policies that define our processes, philosophies, and accountability measures.  The City’s equity statement and “Community Agreements” are being shared at neighborhood meetings. These include statements that recognize no space can be completely “safe”, that we will speak from personal experience and avoid generalizations, and that we will consider the impact of our words on others.  Additional homeless shelter capacity is being sought and implementation of a non- congregate shelter program that provides individual rooms for people experiencing homelessness who are most at risk of severe health impacts if they contract COVID began August 3. A collaborative team is working on finding a day shelter location for the cold winter months.  The City has adapted to a virtual environment, providing continuity of local government services and access, during this time.  Programs have been expanded and launched to alleviate stressors such as utility, childcare, rental and business assistance with an emphasis on extra outreach and engagement to connect community members to available assistance.  PSD and community partners, including the City, are coordinating to mitigate impacts related to remote learning.  The City and community partners are increasing language accessibility for resource information by: DocuSign Envelope ID: B87DAA62-16C6-4521-B71F-778F9757FBDE 5  Partnering with Poudre Library District to compile and translate into Spanish lists of emergency resources  Hosting a series of town hall meetings in conjunction with Poudre Library District with simultaneous interpretation  Collaborating with community partners on resource information dissemination  Codesigning with community partners presentations and workshops regarding City projects and plans  The City organization is committed to and continually participating in additional training on equity, inclusion and diversity.  Council and the City are also gathering information through people’s stories  In many cases, local laws and ordinances are not suited to provide relief from the stressors residents are experiencing, and frustration is growing. Efforts to understand the lived experience of community members through their own words and stories is a fundamental need. Recent efforts like the “Local Stories Night” hosted by the Home2Health project at the Lyric Cinema, and the just-launched effort to solicit ideas and stories from the community through Council’s Community Impact Ad Hoc Council committee Our City site (https://ourcity.fcgov.com/community- impact-ad-hoc-committee?tool=story_telling_tool#tool_tab) provide important avenues for community member voices to be heard.  Other listening and learning opportunities include:  Upcoming Museum of Discovery “Mind Matters” exhibit about reducing the stigma associated with mental illness and substance use disorders  The Equity Indicator project, funded by Council in the last mid-cycle budget period, will host focus groups this fall to hear from residents on how they experience Fort Collins across a broad range of equality topics to co-create ways in which the City can more effectively track gaps and align resources to better serve marginalized community members Supporting Businesses  The Economic Health Office is using CARES Act dollars to implement de-escalation training for businesses and front-line workers to better equip them with tools to respond to conflict and customers who may feel frustrated by face coverings or other safety modifications. The training will consist of two parts: a moderated business panel and followed by a series of micro-videos available on-demand. The panel will include Spanish simulcast targeted to launch /early September. The plan is to distribute the micro-videos several weeks later to include Spanish subtitles. Supporting City Employees The City supports the wellbeing of its own employees’, as public servants, in many ways, including:  Four Employee Resource Groups: Single Parents/Caregivers, Women FoCus, LGBQTIA+, and ENCORE, which is our newest group for employees of color  De-escalation and other trainings for interacting with the public  Extensive physical and emotional self-care tools and resources  On June 4, 2020, the City held a virtual Lunch and Learn on Racial Justice and the Unfolding Crisis. Three of our employees shared their experiences with racism. This was a time for employees to come together to share and support each other.  Mindfulness virtual sessions occur every week, and employees are encouraged to attend. DocuSign Envelope ID: B87DAA62-16C6-4521-B71F-778F9757FBDE 6  The City is hosting a weekly check-in session for leaders and employees during this stressful time, and given its success, we will continue. Each week we focus on different topics to support our workforce. Some of the opportunities included:  De-escalation Training  Leading through Complexity, Volatility, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty  How to Separate Pressure from Stress and Rumination  4 Behaviors to Lead During a Crisis  Your Brain at Work During a Crisis  Steady Communication for Unsteady Times  We have ten coaches who have offered pro-bono consultation plus team facilitation at a significantly reduced cost to explore social justice issues and tensions, customer interaction challenges, and or any other challenge that is presenting itself. Next Steps: Community Campaigns and Messaging Council has encouraged a focus on and increase in messaging around themes of unifying community and supporting equity, diversity and inclusion. Next Steps include:  Distributing signs and buttons of support for the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as buttons supporting racial justice, by the Community Welcome Teams to the college student neighborhoods for back to school  Leveraging current campaigns to share messages (For Fort Collins, ForFoCo, Keep NoCo Open, 2021 Budget Outreach, Our Climate Future, etc.)  Exploring opportunities to empower/enable community driven messaging around these themes which could be shared/amplified by the City DocuSign Envelope ID: B87DAA62-16C6-4521-B71F-778F9757FBDE