[00:00:01]
OH, OKAY.I WAS LOST, SO I'M LIKE, WHERE'S IT AT?
[I. Call to Order]
AND I'D LIKE TO CALL THE SEPTEMBER MEETING OF THE DECATUR HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TO ORDER.AND, UH, WE START WITH THE ROLL CALL.
COMMISSIONER WALKER HERE, MR. COMMISSIONER GOODMAN COMM, PRESENT, WE HAVE THREE PRESENT AND FOUR ACTIONS, PLEASE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN DISCUSS SOME OF THE THINGS ON THE AGENDA.
WE CANNOT TAKE AN OFFICIAL ACTION ON ANY OF THEM, SO LET'S TRY TO GET AS MUCH DONE AS WE CAN, UH, BY FIVE O'CLOCK, AND WE WILL DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN TO GET THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS BACK IN ATTENDANCE.
UH, FOR THE OCTOBER MEETING, WE NOW ON THE AGENDA HAVE THE APPEARANCE OF CITIZENS.
I SEE NOBODY FROM THE PUBLIC, UH, ATTENDING EITHER.
THE NEXT ITEM WOULD BE APPROVAL OF THE AUGUST 17TH, 2023 MEETING MINUTES.
I'LL GIVE YOU A MOMENT OR TWO TO REVIEW THOSE.
NO, WE CANNOT APPROVE THE MINUTES.
SHOULD WE EVEN DISCUSS THEM THEN, OR JUST WAIT? PROBABLY NOT.
WE'LL HAVE TO DISCUSS THEM NEXT TIME.
[IV. Monthly Activity Report & Summary of Cases]
0.4, THERE'S THE MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT AND SUMMARY OF CASES.AND IF WE CAN INDULGE FRED SPAN IS TO GIVE US AN UPDATE.
UH, SUDDENLY THINGS HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY.
UH, I HAVE NO EXPLANATION WHY THAT IS, BUT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF CASES THAT HAVE BEEN PROCESSED, AND I THINK WE ACTUALLY HAVE SEVEN CASES THAT ARE STILL ACTIVE AS OF THIS MOMENT.
UH, SO YOU HAVE THE REPORT AND I'LL GIVE YOU SOME UPDATES TO THAT AS WELL AS THE REPORT.
SO, UH, I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THEM CASE BY CASE.
THE OLDEST CASE IS 2 3 0 3 0 3, CHASING BACK TO, UH, MARCH OF THIS YEAR.
AND THAT'S A RELIGIOUS NATIONAL ORIGIN, DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT INVOLVING A TERMINATION.
UH, THEY, UH, DID NOT REACH A SETTLEMENT.
UH, I'VE CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS AND, UH, WAS, HAD ACTUALLY PREPARED THE INVESTIGATION SUMMARY AND REACHED MY DECISION, CALLED THE COMPLAINANT, AS I GENERALLY DO TO ADVISE THEM THAT I'M DISMISSING THE CASE.
AT THAT POINT, THE COMPLAINANT OFFERED SOME INFORMATION THAT THEY HADN'T DISCLOSED BEFORE.
I'M NOT SURE IT'S, IT'S STRONG ENOUGH TO, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE DETERMINATION, BUT I WANT TO GIVE THEM EVERY CHANCE TO PRESENT THEIR CASE.
SO, UH, I, I ADVISED THAT PERSON THAT AS, AS YOU PROBABLY, AS YOU MAY KNOW, I WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR A WHILE AND JUST GOT BACK, UH, TUESDAY NIGHT.
SO, UH, I PUT A CALL INTO THEM TODAY AND I'M WAITING FOR A RESPONSE.
UH, SO THAT'S, I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU MORE, BUT I CAN'T.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE.
UH, WAS DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT, UH, NOT INVOLVING A TERMINATION IN THIS CASE? THE ISSUE, I THINK, IS THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT A PERSON WAS ASSIGNED TO WORK.
UH, AT THIS POINT, THE ATTORNEY FOR THE RESPONDENT GOT IN TOUCH WITH ME AND SAID THAT, THAT HE FELT THAT, THAT THEY COULD POSSIBLY WORK THIS OUT.
AFTER TALKING TO THE CLIENT, UH, TO THE RESPONDENT THEMSELVES, UH, I CONTACTED THE COMPLAINANT AND SAID, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO, TO TRY TO WORK IT OUT, YOU KNOW, ON YOUR OWN? BECAUSE IT MAY HAVE BEEN A MISUNDERSTANDING.
SO AGAIN, UH, I PUT THAT ON THE BACK BURNER FOR A COUPLE WEEKS.
UH, TRIED TO CONTACT THE COMPLAINANT TODAY.
AND, UH, THE COMPLAINANT, UH, HAS NOT RESPONDED YET, SO I'M JUST WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THAT.
THAT ONE MAY OR MAY NOT GO AWAY.
IF YOU WANT TO, UH, PAUSE AND NOW THAT YOU HAVE A QUORUM,
[00:05:01]
IF YOU WANNA PAUSE AND, AND OFFICIALLY CALL A MEETING TO ORDER.I KNOW YOU CALLED IT TO ORDER BEFORE, BUT REALLY THAT WASN'T VERY OFFICIAL 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE IT.
WELL JUST WANNA, I CAN SIT DOWN AND THEN RESUME.
WHAT WOULD YOU THINK, PENNY? WOULD WE, OH, I WAS GONNA SAY, WHY DON'T YOU JUST KEEP GOING AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED WE COULD APPROVE THE MINUTES.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET UP AND, YEAH, I KNOW.
SO THAT BRINGS US TO, UH, 2 3 0 7 1 9, UH, RACE DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT.
UH, THE COMPLAINT, THAT CHARGE HAS BEEN SENT TO THE RESPONDENT.
THEY ASKED FOR AN EXTENSION, THEY ASKED FOR 30 DAYS, AND I GAVE 21.
AND SO THEY, UH, THEIR RESPONSE IS DUE ON SEPTEMBER 29TH.
AND ONCE I GET THAT RESPONSE, THEN THE ACTUAL INVESTIGATION WILL START.
NEXT ONE, UH, SOMEWHAT SIMILAR.
IT'S ALSO RACE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT 2 3 0 7 2 5 B.
BY THE WAY, IF YOU SEE AN A OR B, IT MEANS TWO CHARGES WERE FILED ON THE SAME DAY.
UH, AND THIS IS, THIS IS THAT CASE.
UH, THERE WAS AT ONE POINT A OH 7 2 5 A, AND THAT WAS DISMISSED, I THINK PRIOR TO LAST MONTH'S REPORT.
SO THIS ONE, UH, SAME SITUATION, FOUND REASONABLE SUSPICION AFTER THE, THE INITIAL INTERVIEW.
UH, THE RESPONDENTS ASKED FOR AN EXTENSION DUE SEPTEMBER 27TH TO FILE THEIR RESPONSE, AND I GRANTED THAT.
SO THAT WILL ALSO BE COMING IN SOMETIME NEXT WEEK, AND THAT WILL LAUNCH THE INVESTIGATION ON THAT ONE.
UH, THE NEXT ONE ON YOUR SCORECARD THERE IS 2 3 0 8 2 4 RACE DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT.
I CON, IT'S KIND OF AN ODD CASE.
I CONDUCTED THE INITIAL INTERVIEW, UH, BUT THE PERSON COULD NOT IDENTIFY THAT THEY HAD SUFFERED ANY ADVERSE ACTION AS A RESULT OF THEIR RACE.
UH, IF I, IF MY MEMORY IS CORRECT, THERE WERE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO HAD SUFFERED THE SAME ADVERSE ACTION THAT THEY WERE NOT OF THE SAME RACIAL GROUP.
AND SO THERE WAS NOT ANY, IN ORDER TO HAVE DISCRIMINATION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING BAD HAPPEN.
SO THAT, THAT WAS DISMISSED, UH, 2 3 0 8 3 1.
ALSO, RACE DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT, UH, THAT I CONDUCTED AN INITIAL INTERVIEW SEPTEMBER 8TH, DETERMINED THERE WAS REASONABLE SUSPICION.
I HAVE PREPARED THE CHARGE NOW, AND, UH, THE COMPLAINANT REVIEWED THE CHARGE TODAY AND, AND FOUND IT.
SO THEY'RE GONNA COME IN ON MONDAY AND SIGN THE CHARGE AND IT WILL BE SENT TO THE RESPONDENT AT THAT POINT.
UH, THE NEXT ONE THEN IS 2 3 0 9 2 3 0 9 0 8 A OR RE, OR CHARGE OF RETALIATION.
THAT ONE WE HAD TO REFER TO I D H R BECAUSE I HAD A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
I HAD A, A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RESPONDENT, SO I CAN'T HANDLE THAT CASE.
UH, THEN 2 3 0 9 0 8 B, NATIONAL ORIGIN DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT THAT CAME IN ALSO ON SEPTEMBER 8TH.
UH, HAVE THE INITIAL INTERVIEW SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY ON THAT ONE.
AND THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER CASE THAT'S NOT ON YOUR, UH, LIST THERE, THAT JUST CAME IN ON THE 12TH, 2 2 3 0 9 1 2.
AND IT'S, UH, ALSO RACE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT, UH, INVOLVING A TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.
AND I'M ALSO CONDUCTING THAT INTERVIEW ON MONDAY, THE INITIAL INTERVIEW.
SO IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING, I, WE CURRENTLY HAVE SEVEN ACTIVE CASES.
UM, FRED, WHAT TYPE WAS THAT ONE? THE LAST ONE? THAT WAS RACE DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT TERMINATION.
AND THEY CAME ON THE 12TH, RIGHT? YEP.
AND AN INTERVIEW SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY.
I HAVE INTERVIEWS AT 10 AND ONE MONDAY, AND
[00:10:01]
THEN THE PERSON'S COMING IN TO SIGN THE CHARGE ON THE, AT 1130.UH, I GUESS I WOULD ASK JUST IDLY, DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE SPIKE IN CASES TO ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR? I HAVE NO CLUE.
JUST MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH THEM AND KEEP US IN TOUCH AND WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT.
IT SEEMS LIKE GAVE WAY MY AGENDA TO COMMISSIONER PELLS.
SPEAKING OF COMMISSIONER PELLS, WE NOW HAVE, UH, A QUORUM AND, UH, WE COULD, UM, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? UH, YES, LOOK THROUGH THE MINUTES
[III. Approval of August 17, 2023, Meeting Minutes]
AND, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR APPROVAL.I MOVE, I MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
[V. A. Pride Fest Re-cap]
THE AGENDA, UNFINISHED BUSINESS WOULD BE A RECAP OF THE, UH, UH, ACTIVITY AT THE PRIDE FEST.UM, I GUESS I WOULD, UH, START OFF WITH, UH, UM, COMMISSIONER SLEETER, UH, THAT HE, HE NOTICED THAT OUR TABLE WAS STAFFED AND, UH, I HOPE THAT THERE WAS, UH, APPROVAL ON HIS PART.
UH, THE PEOPLE WHO RAN THE, UH, EVENT, UH, DID GIVE US A VERY NICE CARD THANKING US, PASSED THAT TO THE REST OF THE COMMISSIONERS SO THEY COULD, UH, TAKE NOTE.
UH, I, YOU KNOW, I STOPPED BY THE TABLE SEVERAL TIMES.
UM, KIND OF ASKED HOW IT WAS GOING.
SEEMED LIKE YOU HAD SOME, UH, ACTIVITY THERE.
UM, AND I WAS GLAD YOU COULD BE THERE.
UH, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD IF WE COULD SEND A THANK YOU TO JIM BARR WHO DONATED THAT TABLE FOR THE COMMISSION TO USE.
DO WE HAVE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR HIM? I DON'T HAVE IT WITH ME, BUT I CAN GET IT TO WHOMEVER NEEDS IT.
I THINK THAT'D BE APPROPRIATE.
UM, I COULD, UH, COME UP WITH A THANK YOU CARD IF YOU WANTED TO, UH, UH, GIVE ME THE INFORMATION.
THEN I WILL, UH, UH, SEND IT ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION.
I'LL GET THAT ADDRESSED TO YOU.
COMMISSIONER PELLS HAD A SHIFT THERE.
I JUST WONDERED WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS WERE.
UM, IT LOOKED LIKE THE EVENT WAS QUITE WELL ATTENDED AND HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT CAME UP TO ASK QUESTIONS.
UM, GAVE OUT QUITE A BIT OF MATERIAL.
UM, ALL IN ALL, I SEEMED TO BE QUITE POSITIVE.
WELL, THAT JUST WAS THE IMPRESSION THAT I HAD.
I SERVED WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER KELLY FOR THE FIRST, UM, PART OF THE, UM, PRIDE FEST.
AND I, I WAS SATISFIED THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAME BY AND THEY WEREN'T AWARE OF US, I DON'T THINK.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE WERE UPWARDS OF 20, 25 PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY STOPPED, UH, AND TOOK FLYERS.
AND THERE WAS ONE PERSON IN PARTICULAR WHO SAID THAT HE WAS IN LINCOLN CITY GOVERNMENT, AND HE WAS SURPRISED THAT WE HAD, UM, THE SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT WE HAVE.
AND HE TOOK A FLYER RATHER, UM, DELIGHTEDLY
[00:15:01]
AND SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO SEE WHAT COULD BE DEVELOPED, UH, FOR A SIMILAR SYSTEM IN HIS CITY.SO, UH, I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT, UM, COMMISSIONER PELLS, COMMISSIONER KELLY AND COMMISSIONER KELLER HAD, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY KNOWS OUT OF THE ORIGINAL FLYERS HOW MANY WE DISTRIBUTED.
WELL THERE, SHERRI, DIDN'T YOU PRINT 100? AND WE ONLY HAVE ONE LEFT.
IS THERE, IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN SEE THE FINAL, UH, COPY? BECAUSE YOU WERE, WHEN WE WERE AT THE MEETING THE LAST TIME, WE WERE, UH, KIND OF DECIDING WHAT WOULD BE PRINTED.
AND SO WE NEVER DID SEE A FINAL COPY.
ANYWAY, SHERRY, COULD YOU EMAIL ALL THE COMMISSIONERS A COPY OF THE FINAL FLYER? THANK YOU.
I THINK YOU'LL LIKE IT WHEN YOU SEE IT, BECAUSE IT WAS COLORFULLY DONE AND I WAS REALLY, UH, IMPRESSED ON SEEING IT.
UH, AND I THINK IT STOOD OUT WHEN WE WERE, UH, DISPLAYING IT MORE SO THAN A BLACK AND WHITE WOULD HAVE.
SO I WAS WELL PLEASED WITH, UH, HOW THAT WORKED OUT.
UM, SO WE HAVE, SO WE HAVE ONE, ONE FLYER LEFT, AND, UH, LATER ON WE WERE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE PLACES TO DISTRIBUTE FLYERS ABOUT THE COMMISSION.
SO IS THERE A PROCESS IN PLACE TO TRY TO GET A, A COUPLE DOZEN MORE MAYBE TO, UH, PUT UP PLACES? SHERRY, I GUESS WOULD HAVE TO MAKE COPIES OF, UM, MORE.
WELL, I'M, I MEAN, I'M SURE SHE'S GONNA HAVE TO MAKE MORE COPIES ANYWAY, SINCE WE ONLY HAVE ONE LEFT.
SO WE PROBABLY NEED TO ALWAYS HAVE SUMMIT ON HAND.
UH, AND I, IN MY OPINION, THE WORK THAT THE COMMISSIONERS DID TO, UH, SERVE THERE AND GET THE MESSAGE OUT WAS JUSTIFIED.
THE, THE MANPOWER AND, UH, THE TABLE THAT WAS, UH, GENEROUSLY, UH, GIVEN TO US.
AND I GUESS I WOULD ENTERTAIN DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER THERE IS A VIRTUE IN TRYING TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR ON A LIMITED BASIS ANYWAY, TO, AT FUTURE EVENTS TO MAKE US, UH, BETTER KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENT ON THAT? UM, AS I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A POPULATION THAT, UH, MIGHT UTILIZE, UH, THE WORK THAT WE DO.
AND SO WE WANNA BE, UM, AWARE OF OTHER GROUPS THAT MIGHT BE HAVING EVENTS.
UH, YOU KNOW, OTHER GROUPS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE, UM, OTHER GROUPS THAT, THAT, UM, ARE COVERED BY, UM, UH, OUR ORDINANCE.
UM, AND, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, JUST WE NEED TO BE, TRY TO BE AWARE OF THOSE GROUPS AND POSSIBLE, UH, EVENTS THAT THEY MIGHT BE HOSTING.
UM, I MEAN, WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT A LOT OF TRAFFIC.
SO IF WE CAN FIND OTHER EVENTS, UH, THAT'D BE GREAT.
AND WE DISCOVERED THAT NOT SURPRISINGLY, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DON'T KNOW WE EXIST, SO THAT HELPS US GET THE WORD OUT.
WELL, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING TO KEEP IN OUR BACK POCKET, UH, AND WE WOULDN'T WANT TO BE INDISCRIMINATE ABOUT HOW WE DO THIS, BUT IF THERE IS AN EVENT THAT REALLY SEEMS TO BE, YOU KNOW, ARTS FAIR KIND OF THING, OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD SEEM APPROPRIATE, THAT ATTRACTS A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, UM, WE SHOULD PUT THAT IN THE PLANNING PROCESS AND SEE IF IT'S FEASIBLE TO, UM, TO GET THE COMMISSIONERS IN A SIMILAR SITUATION WITH A BOWL OF CANDY AND A, UH, A HANDFUL OF FLYERS TO, UH, CONTINUE TO DO THAT BECAUSE, UM, UH, THE, THE BAD OUTCOME WOULD BE IF, UH, MR. SPAN WAS, WAS COM CONTINUALLY OVERRUN WITH CASES, BUT I'M SURE HE CAN HANDLE IT.
FRED, SINCE WE'VE HAD THIS EVENT AND WE'VE GIVEN OUT FLYERS, IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR YOU TO ASK WHAT WE CALL 'EM RESPONDENTS NO COMPLAINANTS, PEOPLE WHO COME TO YOU, UH, WHERE, HOW THEY HEARD ABOUT THIS COMMISSION? WE DO ASK THAT.
THAT'S ON THE, THAT'S ON THE FORM.
[00:20:01]
COMPILE THAT INFORMATION SOMETIME AND SEE WHERE THAT, UH, I THINK A LOT OF IT, THEY JUST SAY WORD OF MOUTH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT THAT, WHICH DOESN'T TELL US TOO MUCH.BUT, BUT WE DO ASK THAT QUESTION ON THE, ON THE FORM.
ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE, THE PRIDE FEST? UM, ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, UH, HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD YOU SAY JUST A WILD GUESS, WOULD'VE STOPPED BY WHEN YOU WERE, UH, BEHIND THE TABLE? UM, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY, UH, TO GET CANDY OR TO GET INFORMATION
SO EVEN IF THERE WERE JUST A FEW PEOPLE ON, UH, COMMISSIONER KELLER'S SHIFT, WE'RE UPWARDS OF TWO TO THREE DOZEN PEOPLE WHO MAY KNOW ABOUT US WHERE THEY DIDN'T BEFORE.
AND WE'LL HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER THAT'S A BIG ENOUGH THRESHOLD TO, UH, EXPEND THE EFFORT.
BUT, UH, WE MADE SOME KIND OF A DIFFERENCE, I THINK.
AND SPEAKING OF FLYERS, AS WE HAVE, THE NEXT ITEM,
[V. B. Input from Commissioners about places to distribute flyers about Commission]
UH, ON UNFINISHED BUSINESS IS, UM, YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT PLACES TO DISTRIBUTE FLYERS ABOUT THE COMMISSION AT, AT SOME POINT, ONE OR TWO MEETINGS AGO, I TOOK DOWN, UH, PEOPLE WHO EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN SOME OF THESE PARTICULAR PLACES.AND, UM, I HAVEN'T DISTRIBUTED THAT TO ALL OF YOU, SO I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THAT AT THE MOMENT.
I HAVE NOTES THAT COMMISSIONER KELLER WAS TALKING ABOUT, PUTTING IT IN SUCH PLACES AS D M H, OASIS, DOVE AND KONO.
COMMISSIONER WALKER HAD TALKED ABOUT THE LIBRARY AND CITY HALL, IF I HAVE THIS CORRECTLY, AND I HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER SPOTS THAT MIGHT BE HIGH ENOUGH TRAFFIC TO MAKE IT WORTHWHILE.
SO I JUST WONDER IF WE WANT TO MAYBE SEE IF, IF THERE ARE PLACES THAT YOU WOULD TAKE A, A FLYER AND, UH, ASK FOR IT TO BE POSTED SO WE CAN START TO BE MORE NOTICEABLE.
I AM WONDERING, UH, OH, SORRY, SHERRY, UH, IF WE OUGHT TO JUST PRINT OFF A HUNDRED OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, AS A, OUR STOCKPILE, SO TO SPEAK, AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PULL OFF THAT AS WE NEED THEM.
OR IF, OR IF THAT'S A WASTE OF RESOURCES.
DIDN'T WE COMPILE A LIST OF PLACES THAT PEOPLE WERE GOING TO TAKE 'EM? I THOUGHT PEOPLE ALREADY VOLUNTEERED TO TAKE, THAT'S WHAT I HAVE HERE.
BUT, UM, I HAD, UH, YEAH, I HAD MENTIONED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'D WRITTEN DOWN, BUT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF PLACES AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE NOBODY HAD PUT IN A, A BID FOR THEM.
SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS FOLLOWING UP WITH NOW.
I, I THINK I WAS ABSENT FROM THAT MEETING, SO THAT IF THERE ARE ONES THAT NEED TO BE DELIVERED SOMEPLACE THAT NO ONE'S SIGNED UP FOR, I WOULD BE WILLING TO DO SOME.
I HAVE ONE FOR THIS, UH, PLACE CALLED NORTHEAST COMMUNITY FUND.
DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT?
UM, SO WHY DON'T I THROW OUT MY LIST? THROW UH, ITEMIZE THOSE AND, UH, IF THERE ARE TAKERS, THEN TAKE AWAY IF THAT'S THE, UH, WILL OF THE COMMISSION AND THEN THE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T HERE, WELL, WE'LL ASSIGN THEM THINGS PROBABLY THAT OUGHT TO TEACH THEM, UH, THE CIVIC CENTER.
IS THAT SOMETHING WE CAN ASK THE STAFF TO DO A YES.
UH, HOW ABOUT RICHLAND OR MILLIKEN? THE PUBLIC AID OFFICE? I'LL TAKE THAT ONE.
H HOW MANY ARE THERE? OH, I'VE GOT PROBABLY, I'VE GOT PROBABLY, UM, 12 TO 15.
AND, AND, AND THERE, THERE ARE LIKELY OTHERS, BUT THIS IS WHAT I, FROM THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD, THESE ARE THE ONES THAT I HAD JOTTED DOWN.
AND, UM, IF THERE, IF THERE ARE BETTER ONES THAT YOU THINK OF, THEN PLEASE ADD IT IN THERE.
[00:25:01]
ALL THE IDEAS HERE.OLD KING'S ORCHARD, I'LL DO THAT.
THE DRIVER'S LICENSE FACILITY.
UM, WE HAVE THE, THE, I DON'T KNOW ALL THE TECHNOLOGY, BUT WE HAVE THE CITY'S FACEBOOK PAGE, THE COMMISSION'S FACEBOOK PAGE.
WOULD THAT BE A LOGICAL PLACE TO PUT SOME REPRESENTATION OF THIS? I CAN TALK TO RYAN HEIFER, WHO'S THE COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR FOR THE CITY TO SEE IF HE COULD PUT IT ON THE CITY'S FACEBOOK PAGE.
AND THEN I BELIEVE SHERRY MAINTAINS THE COMMISSION'S FACEBOOK PAGE.
SO SHERRY, MAYBE YOU COULD PUT THAT ON, ON THE COMMISSION'S PAGE.
CHURCHES MIGHT BE A TRICKY, UH, VENUE BECAUSE I, I CAN, I CAN TAKE SEVERAL CHURCHES.
I CAN TAKE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN, UH, FIRST, UH, CONGREGATIONAL, UH, AND FIRST UNITED METHODIST.
NO, NOT ALL, BUT I'LL TAKE THOSE THREE AND I'LL TAKE, UM, MY OWN CHURCH.
AND I'LL TAKE ANTIOCH AND I'LL TAKE BAES MAIN STREET IN THE LIBRARY.
I'LL ALSO TAKE THE UNITARIAN CHURCH.
NO, I, I COULD, UH, I'LL BE THERE ANYWAY.
SO COULD PROBABLY STRONG IRON THEM IN.
DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE A TAKER FOR DOVE AND, UH, THE PUBLIC AID OFFICE? I THINK, I THINK COMMISSIONER KELLER WAS, I, IT'S WHAT I HAD WRITTEN DOWN FOR BOTH OF THOSE.
NOW I JUST TOOK THE PUBLIC AID OFFICE.
BUT IF YOU WANNA EXCHANGE NO, NO, YOU WAS, IT WAS DOVE AND SOMEBODY ELSE, WASN'T IT THAT YOU AND KONO, I HAVE OLD KEYS ORCHARD.
MR. KELLER HAD
UH, I PROBABLY ARM WRESTLING WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AT THIS POINT TO FIGURED OUT.
UH, ARE, ARE THERE OTHER PLACES, NOT TO BELABOR THIS, BUT ARE THERE OTHER PLACES THAT, UM, I HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT SEEM REALLY LOGICAL? DID WE TALK ABOUT THE HOSPITALS? WHAT I HAVE DOWN IS THAT, UH, I THINK YOU HAD VOUCHED FOR, UM, ST.
MARY'S AND, AND COMMISSIONER KELLER HAD FOR D M H.
DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR? MM-HMM.
UM, SO THE ONLY THING THAT'S LEFT OUT ON MY LIST IS RICHLAND AND MILLIKEN.
I'LL, I'LL TAKE BOTH OF THOSE.
AND, UM, I GUESS BY, BY THE OCTOBER MEETING, OR SOMETIME SOON AFTER, THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO START THINKING ABOUT ACTUALLY, UH, GOING OUT INTO THE FIELD AND, UM, ASKING THEM TO BE POSTED.
[VI.A. Review of Articles 1-3 of Chapter 28 of the City Code]
UH, WE HAD ASKED FOR A REVIEW OF ARTICLES ONE TO THREE OF CHAPTER 28 OF THE CITY CODE THAT, UH, EMBODIES THE, UH, ENABLING LEG LEGISLATION FOR DISCRIMINATION FOLLOW UPS.I DECATUR, UH, I HOPE PEOPLE HAD A CHANCE TO AT LEAST LOOK THAT OVER.
UM, AND I WONDER IF ANYBODY HAD ANYTHING THAT, UH, SURPRISED THEM OR SOMETHING THAT STUCK OUT AS SOMETHING THAT WEREN'T AWARE OF.
I HAD MENTIONED BEFORE THAT THE CATEGORY OF SEX IS AN ANTIQUATED CATEGORY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WITH GENDER.
UH, I CAME UP WITH A PROPOSAL AND, YOU KNOW, TO GET US STARTED.
AND FRED, YOU PREPARED THIS OTHER SHEET? YES.
UM, YOU FOUND SOME THINGS THAT I EVIDENTLY MISSED, UH,
[00:30:01]
RELATIVE TO GENDER, UH, BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE CHAMPAGNE DOES A FAIRLY GOOD JOB WITH THAT.I, UH, INCLUDED WHAT COMES FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS ON THIS SHEET.
BASICALLY, I THINK WE NEED TO REMOVE TRANSGENDER FROM THE SEXUAL ORIENTATION SECTION.
'CAUSE IT'S TRANSGENDER IS NOT A SEXUAL ORIENTATION, THAT'S A GENDER ORIENTATION.
UM, AND, UH, GENDER THESE DAYS COVERS A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
NOW, UH, I PROVIDE A LOT OF SPECIFICITY.
YOU KNOW, WE MAY NOT WANT TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT, UM, IT'S MORE THAN MALE AND FEMALE.
BUT YOU MAY NOT WANNA USE WHAT I'VE GIVEN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE KIND OF GIVEN YOU A STARTING BITE.
I REALIZE THAT THERE'S ONE CATEGORY I LEFT OUT, WHICH IS INTERSEX.
I DON'T, UH, INTERSEX IS, UM, THANK YOU.
UM, WHAT, WHAT IT'S, UM, OH, WHAT, WHAT DO WE USED TO CALL IT? BASICALLY IT'S A PERSON, IT'S A, A CHILD WHO'S BORN WITH AM AMBIGUOUS GENITALIA.
UM, THAT, THE NEW TERM FOR THAT IS INTERSEX.
AND, UM, JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A, UM, AN UNDERSTANDING GENDER FLUID AS SOMEONE WHO LIKES TO PRESENT IN DIFFERENT GENDERS, THEY'RE NOT ONE OR THE OTHER.
AND BY GENDER WOULD BE, UH, SOMEONE WHO WOULD, YOU KNOW, LIKES TO PRESENT AS EACH GENDER.
AN EXAMPLE OF THIS, AND IT COULD BE A CASE OF DISCRIMINATION, UH, WOULD BE, UM, SOME PERSON, A GUY, UH, WHO WORKS IN A MALE STATUS, WHO COMES TO WORK DRESSED AS A WOMAN.
UM, THAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
SO THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN GENDER FLUID AND BIGENDER IS WHAT EXACTLY? UM,
UM, YOU COULD MAYBE DROP BY GENDER AND JUST USE GENDER FLUID.
I'M WITH YOU FOR ALL OF THESE.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING HOW MUCH DESCRIPTION MAY HAVE TO BE ADDED TO THIS, UH, RIGHTFULLY TO, UH, EDUCATE THE, THE, THE LEGAL STAFF AND THE CITY COUNCIL DOWN THE LINE SO THAT THEY'RE CRYSTAL CLEAR ABOUT SOME OF THESE RELATIVELY NEW, UH, PIECES OF TERMINOLOGY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHAMPAGNE STATUTE, WHERE, WHICH IS THE BACK OF THAT PAGE, THEY KIND OF DO A SIMILAR THING.
IT SAYS GENDER IDENTITY INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO MALE, FEMALE, NON-BINARY.
GENDERQUEER IS SORT OF AN UMBRELLA CATEGORY.
SO WE HAVE ONE MUNICIPALITY WHO'S ATTEMPTED TO TACKLE THIS.
WHERE ARE YOU, WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING RIGHT NOW? THE, THE, THIS SHEET HERE ON THE BACK.
THERE SHOULD BE THREE PAGES THERE ON THAT.
SO BE THE FIRST, IT'S THE CHAMPAGNE BEGINS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRST PAGE WHERE THEY, BUT CHAMPAGNE BREAKS OUT SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY AND GENDER EXPRESSION.
ALSO IN THIS, IN OUR STATUTE, UM, THERE'S A NUMBER OF PLACES AT USES THE WORD SEX,
[00:35:01]
AND WE SHOULD REPLACE THAT WITH GENDER.I WILL SAY THE, I COULDN'T FIND ANY OF THE OTHERS THAT USE THE TERM GENDER.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T DO IT.
I MEAN, IF WE DEFINE, IF WE REPLACE THE DEFINITION OF SEX WITH GENDER, THEN WE NEED TO BE CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT THE DOCUMENT.
THE OTHER THING I NOTICE IS THAT, UH, WE OFTEN SAY HE OR SHE IN, UH, THE STATUTE AND, UH, I WOULD SUGGEST WE REPLACE THAT WITH THEY, WITH THE APPROPRIATE GRAMMATICAL CHANGES THAT WOULD GO WITH THAT.
ARE YOU GETTING THIS PENNY? YES.
AND SHERRY, SO JUST SO WE CATCH ALL THESE, I WOULD, UH, I AGREE.
I GUESS I WANT TO JUST BACK UP A BIT AND, AND SAY, JUST TO, I GUESS, PUT SOME PERSPECTIVE ON, ON THE TASK WE'RE RENDERING INTO HERE.
UH, DO YOU REMEMBER THE CITY MANAGER WHEN HE CAME AND TALKED TO THE COMMISSION? UH, AS, AS HE DESCRIBED THE ROLE OF THE COMMISSION? UH, HE SAID, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE, AT THE CODE AND REVISING THE CODE IS APPROPRIATE.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHY WE'RE DOING THIS.
UH, PENNY HAS ADVISED AMY WACK OF THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT THAT WERE ENGAGED IN THIS PROCESS.
UH, I, I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S NOT URGENT.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET IT RIGHT.
WE'D, UH, AND WE'D PROBABLY ONLY GET, GONNA GET ONE BIG BITE AT THIS APPLE.
SO WE, WE NEED TO, RATHER THAN SAY, LET'S DO THIS AND LET'S RUN OVER THE LEAF DEPARTMENT, TELL 'EM TO CHANGE THIS PART, AND THEN NEXT MONTH WE'LL RUN OVER THERE AND TELL 'EM TO CHANGE SOMETHING ELSE, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA GONNA FLY.
WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, GET ALL OF ALL THE CHANGES THAT WE WANT AND HAVE THE COMMISSION AGREE ON THAT, AND THEN GO TO THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WRITE UP THE LANGUAGE THAT GET GETS THIS ACROSS.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? AS A WAY OF PROCEEDING PENDING, I JUST, I I TOTALLY AGREE.
I YOU WE NEED TO GO THROUGH THIS WHOLE, UM, CODE AND, UH, MAKE ALL THE REVISIONS THAT, THAT WE WANT TO MM-HMM.
THIS IS ONE ISSUE AND THERE'S GONNA BE SOME OTHER ISSUES.
UM, SO, SO I JUST WANTED TO INTERJECT THAT I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO MAYBE WORK TOWARDS A CONSENSUS OF, OF HOW YOU WANT TO APPROACH THE DEFINITIONS OF SEX OR GENDER AS WELL AS SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION.
UH, THE REASON THOSE ARE IN CHAMPAGNE IS THOSE ARE SPECIFICALLY SAYING WE PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF CHAMPAGNE, SAYS SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, AND GENDER EXPRESSION.
AND SO WHAT, WHAT I'M LOOKING THROUGH THESE CODES, WHAT I ALWAYS LOOK, LOOK FOR IS THE DEFINITION SECTION.
'CAUSE THAT GETS AT WHAT, WHAT THE, WHAT WHO THEY'RE COVERING, IF YOU WILL.
SO YEAH, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT THAT.
UH, WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT OUR TERMS ARE BECAUSE IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE, UH, EXPLAINED DOWN THE LINE, HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY CHANGING WHAT'S HERE BECAUSE IT'S A BIG DEAL.
AND SO THE, THE MORE WE CAN, UH, SIMPLIFY THAT AND, AND, AND KNOW IT TO EXPLAIN IT TO PEOPLE THE BEST, UH, FRED, UH, SINCE, UM, CHAMPAGNE HAS DONE THIS, UH, WOULD IT BE BEST FOR US TO MAYBE USE THAT AS A STARTING POINT? OH YEAH, I THINK, YES.
I MEAN, I THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO MAKE IT MORE SELLABLE TO, UH, NOT ONLY LEGAL DEPARTMENT, BUT ULTIMATELY TO CITY COUNCIL SAYING WE'RE, THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE.
YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UH, I MEAN, THESE ARE THE ONLY ORDINANCES THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE LOOKED AT.
I IMAGINE WE COULD FIND IT IN OTHER MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES AND FIND LANGUAGE, BUT, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS, IT'S, IT'S EASIER FOR A MUNICIPALITY TO DO SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY ELSE HAS ALREADY CUT THE GROUND FOR.
SO, UH, INSTEAD OF MY PROPOSAL, WE MIGHT TAKE A LOOK AT THE CHAMPAGNE, UM, ORDINANCE OR, OR CODE AND, UH, TWEAK IT A LITTLE.
I MEAN, I LIKE WHAT THEY HAVE HERE.
THEY ALSO TALK ABOUT GENDER EXPRESSION, WHICH I ALSO HAVE IN MIND.
SO IF WE COULD START TO LOOK AT SPECIFICS, IF WE ARE LOOKING AT SECTION 2.4
[00:40:02]
M WHERE IT SAYS, SEX MEANS THE STATUS OF BEING MALE OR FEMALE, WE WOULD, WE WOULD REPLACE IT WITH GENDER, BUT IS THE REST OF THE SENTENCE, OPERABLE? GENDER MEANS THE STATUS OF BEING MALE OR FEMALE, KNOWING THAT WE HAVE ALL THESE PERMUTATIONS, UH, OF THE CATEGORIES OF, UH, INTERSEX AND, UH, UH, GENDER FLUID AND WHAT HAVE YOU.WHAT'S YOUR OPINION? SEE WHERE I'M TALKING ABOUT? UH, OKAY.
WELL, RIGHT NOW IT SAYS, SEX MEANS THE STATUS OF BEING MALE OR FEMALE.
AND WE MAY HAVE A CONSENSUS OF SAYING GENDER IS A MORE USEFUL WORD.
BUT THEN IF YOU, UH, SUB THAT OUT, UH, DO WE STILL HAVE A, AN INCLUSIVE SENTENCE? GENDER MEANS THE STATUS OF BEING MALE OR FEMALE, KNOWING THAT WE ARE GOING TO INVESTIGATE PUTTING SOME OF THESE OTHER REFERENCES TO, UH, TRANSGENDER FEMALE GENDER FLUID BY GENDER OR, UH, INTERSEX.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHAMPAGNE DEFINITION OF SEX AND, UH, AND REPLACE THAT WORD, SEX WITH GENDER, THEN YOU COULD, UH, YOU COULD DO THAT.
THE, THE, IT GETS COMPLICATED BECAUSE CHAMPAGNE COVERS PREGNANCY UNDER THEIR DEFINITION OF, OF SEX, WHICH YOU MAY NOT WANT TO DO.
YOU MAY WANT TO COVER PREGNANCY AS A SEPARATE ISSUE.
'CAUSE, 'CAUSE PREGNANCY SAYS, YOU KNOW, BEING OR BECOMING MALE, FEMALE, INTERSEX OR PREGNANT.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK I WILL SAY THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, IMPORTANT AS IT IS, IS JUST GOING TO BE A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THINGS BECAUSE WE, WE REALLY SHOULDN'T GET TOO FAR INTO IT WITHOUT HAVING MORE OF OUR MEMBERS MM-HMM.
SO I THINK WE JUST START THE PROCESS TODAY AND, AND NOT THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO, UM, REALLY COME TO CONCLUSIONS.
I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT, UH, TO GET, UH, COMMISSIONER SLEETER YOUR, UH, SHEET OUT TO THE, THE REST OF THEM.
AND SIMILARLY, UM, FRED'S, UH, PAGES ABOUT WHAT IS, UH, OFFERED IN, UH, THE SURROUNDING CITIES.
SO, UM, I JUST, I, I DON'T THINK WE'LL FINALIZE ANYTHING TODAY BY ANY MEANS, BUT THIS, THIS IS IMPORTANT.
MY NEXT QUESTION THEN IS, UM, ARE, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT WHEN YOU SAY, UH, TAKE TRANSGENDER REFERENCE OUT OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION, UH, DOES IT GET ITS OWN, UM, POINT OF, UM, OF REFERENCE IN HERE? OR WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT END SEXUAL ORIENTATION THEN? AND IT'S A LITTLE UNCLEAR TO ME.
UH, SEXUAL ORIENTATION CAN STAND AS IT IS, BUT WE NEED TO REMOVE, UH, TRANSGENDER REFERENCES BECAUSE TRANSGENDER IS NOT A SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
SO IT WOULD, IT WOULD GO UNDER THE GENDER CATEGORY.
SO YOU WOULD'VE, AND YOU COULD REPLACE IN WITH THOSE THREE PARAGRAPHS FROM CHAMPAGNE, WHICH WOULD BE, EACH WOULD BE A SEPARATE DEFINITION.
YOU'D HAVE SEXUAL ORIENTATION AS WITH ITS OWN LETTER N AND YOU'D HAVE A NEW LETTER O FOR GENDER IDENTITY, A NEW LETTER P FOR GENDER EXPRESSION.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT MARK IS GETTING AT, IS THEY NEED TO BE SEPARATELY DEFINED RATHER THAN ALL THROWN UNDER ONE BIG CATEGORY.
IS THAT, AM I READING THAT CORRECTLY? YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD STARTING POINT.
UM, AND THEN JUST THE, THE CURRENT O AND P AND EVERYTHING COULD JUST BE MOVED DOWN THE ALPHABET.
SO YOU SAID TRANSGENDER SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN CATEGORY? YEAH, NO, NO.
TRANSGENDER SHOULD BE UNDER A CATEGORY.
UH, UH, IT COULD BE GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION, THE, THE MAIN CATEGORY OF GENDER.
WHICH INCLUDES MALE, FEMALE, TRANSGENDER, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
SO IT WOULD SUPPLEMENT, UH, ITEM M, THEN YOU WOULD DEFINE GENDER.
IN THAT SAME POINT, AFTERWARDS, UH, BEGIN TO DEFINE TRANSGENDER.
MAYBE ASK, I'M, I'M, I'M ASK MARK TO COME UP WITH A DRAFT THAT WOULD INCLUDE WHAT HE HAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MELD WHAT HE HAS AND WHAT CHAMPAGNE HAS
[00:45:01]
AND INDICATE WHAT SHOULD BE SEPARATE SECTIONS AND WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED THEN.I WON'T BE AT THE OCTOBER MEETING, BUT I CAN PUT THAT TOGETHER.
I CAN, UH, GIVE IT TO, UH, TO PENNY HERE AND, UH, SHE CAN DISTRIBUTE THAT.
I'M SORRY, I CAN'T BE AT THAT MEETING.
I THINK I'M GONNA BE HERE, BUT THAT WOULD BE, UH, MAKE SURE I'M GONNA BE HERE.
FRED, DO WE, DO YOU HAVE, UM, OF, UH, THE, THESE PAGES FROM THE OTHER CITIES IN A FORM THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE GET TO COMMISSIONER KELLER, KELLY AND GOODMAN? EVERY COMMISSIONER HAS BEEN GIVEN ALL OF THOSE ORDINANCES.
WHAT I SIMPLY DID HERE IN UNDER THE DEF, WELL, I GUESS THE FIRST PART WAS GENERAL COMMENTS THAT DON'T HAVE TO DO WITH, UH, WITH THE OTHER ORDINANCES.
THERE'S THE FIRST TWO ARE, ARE REALLY VERY TECHNICAL THINGS THAT I THINK THEY WERE JUST SOME ERRORS MADE, UH, IN DRAFTING THE ORIGINAL ORDINANCE, YOU KNOW, LIKE UNDERLINING SOMETHING, YOU KNOW.
UH, THE THIRD POINT THERE IS PROBABLY MORE A POINT FOR, FOR DISCUSSION AT SOME POINT, AND IT'S MAYBE A FUTURE MEETING, WHICH WOULD BE, DO WE WANT, DOES A COMMISSION WANT TO CONSIDER PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE A PERSON BELIEVES THAT A PERSON IS IN A PROTECTED CATEGORY, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF I TREAT YOU, IF I FIRE YOU BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE BLACK, BUT YOU'RE NOT BLACK, IS THAT DISCRIMINATION? IF I FIRE YOU BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE GAY, BUT YOU'RE NOT GAY, IS THAT DISCRIMINATION, UH, THAT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING FOR THE COMMISSION TO, TO CONSIDER.
HOW DIFFICULT, IN YOUR VIEW, WOULD IT BE IN, UH, INVESTIGATING THESE TO FERRET THAT OUT? THAT WOULD HAVE TO, THE INVESTIGATOR WOULD'VE TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
BUT, BUT SOME CHAMPAGNE DOES, UH, COVER REAL OR PERCEIVED STATUS, BUT ONLY IN HOUSING.
THAT'S, BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE IT'S COME UP IN CASES THAT WOULD BE, UH, THAT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ISSUE JUST TO EARMARK FOR THE FUTURE.
UH, BUT THEN THE, THE DEFINITIONS, I TRIED TO PICK OUT THINGS THAT WERE, WHERE THE DEFINITIONS WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.
MOST OF 'EM ARE PRETTY CLOSE TO THE SAME AS WHAT WE HAVE.
UH, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT CHAMPAGNE WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT ATTEMPTED TO DISCU TO DEFINE COLOR AND RACE, EVEN THOUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE SAYS YOU CANNOT DISCRIMINATE ON COLOR OR RACE.
BUT THEY, THEY, NONE OF THE OTHERS ATTEMPTED TO DEFINE THAT, WHICH I THOUGHT THEY DEFINE EVERYTHING ELSE.
THEY DEFINE DISABILITY, THEY DEFINE RACE, THEY DEFINE, YOU KNOW, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, MILITARY DISCHARGE, VETERAN STATUS, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
SO THAT'S, I JUST FOUND THAT INTERESTING CHAMPAGNE, YOU KNOW, UH, DID DEFINE THOSE TERMS. THAT'S, THAT'S ANOTHER THING YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER AS WE GO THROUGH THIS.
YOU KNOW, WE, PENNY, OH, UM, I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN THE WORD COLOR DEFINED.
UM, BUT DOES THE STATE OF ILLINOIS DEFINE COLOR? NO.
I ALSO LOOKED AT THE STATE I COULDN'T FIND.
NOW I'M NOT GONNA, THE STATE'S IS ENORMOUSLY LONG.
I'M NOT GONNA CLAIM THAT I THOUGHT THAT I, THAT THIS IS EXHAUSTIVE.
SO I URGE YOU TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
YOU KNOW, DON'T TAKE FRED'S WORD FOR IT.
UH, BUT I DIDN'T FIND THAT THEY HAD THE STATE DEFINE WHAT THEY SAID AND THEIR DEFINITION OF RACE.
THEY INCLUDED SOMETHING THAT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO DISCUSS TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH RACE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO HAIR, TEXTURE AND PROTECTIVE HAIRSTYLES SUCH AS BRAIDS, LOCKS, AND TWISTS.
THAT'S CALLED CROWN DISCRIMINATION.
UH, IT'S BEEN A TOPIC OF A LOT OF NATIONAL DISCUSSION, UH, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS ABOUT DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SOMEBODY WEARING THEIR HAIR NATURAL, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WEARING THEIR HAIR NATURAL.
UH, ILLINOIS WAS THE 17TH STATE, I THINK, TO PROHIBIT THAT I, NONE OF THESE CITIES THAT WE LOOKED AT DID, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, UH, BUT THAT'S ALL THE STATE HAD TO SAY ABOUT A DEFINITION OF RACE.
BUT THAT, THAT AGAIN, IS, I'M KIND OF GIVING YOU A SHOPPING LIST HERE OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, TO LOOK AT JUST IN THESE FIRST THREE SECTIONS.
UH, IS WOULD BE TO LOOK AT, AT, YOU KNOW, DEFINING COLOR, DEFINING RACE, AND MAYBE ADDING WHAT THE STATE SAYS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH RACE.
[00:50:01]
IN OTHER WORDS, CROWN DISCRIMINATION.HOW DO YOU PUT INTO ANY KIND OF A WORKABLE DEFINITION THE LIGHTNESS OF SKIN OF SOMEONE WHO IS BLACK? I DON'T MEAN TO BE OFFENSIVE AT ALL, BUT THERE ARE, YOU'RE NOT OFFENSIVE, BUT, UH, NO OFFENSE TO YOU, FRED, BUT FRED'S NOT BLACK.
I DON'T KNOW HOW HE COULD ANSWER THAT QUESTION, BUT, WELL, HE'S, HE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S GONNA HAVE TO SORT THESE, SORT THROUGH THESE THINGS.
SO THE, HE'S NOT, MOST OF THE ORDINANCES HAVE A CATEGORY OF COLOR AND A CATEGORY OF RACE.
DOES THAT, SO YOU'RE NOT, AND, AND YOU'RE KIND OF CONFLATING THE TWO THERE.
AND, AND YEAH, WE OFTEN DO IT, IT'S IN COMMON USAGE, BUT COLOR IS NOT THE SAME AS RACE.
COMMISSIONER WALKER, YOU WANNA EX WANT TO IMPROVE ON THAT?
LET ME THINK ABOUT IT AND THEN I'LL, I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU THE NEXT MEETING.
BUT I THINK THAT'S PRETTY GOOD DEFINITION.
I, I'M A LITTLE EMBARRASSED ABOUT THAT, BUT, UM, DON'T BE, DON'T BE, I, I WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT.
UM, AND IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME THAT, WELL, SOMEBODY'S INTERPRETATION OF THAT PERSON IS, UH, DARKER THAN I WANT IN MY OFFICE.
UM, IT COULD, IT COULD BE REALLY TROUBLE.
NO, AND THAT'S WHERE COLOR WOULD BE.
THEY'LL SAY, YEAH, I'LL HIRE SOMEBODY WHO'S LIGHT COMPLECTED, BUT I WON'T HIRE SOMEBODY WHO'S DARK COMPLECTED.
AND, AND TO, TO, UM, ADDRESS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE OPEN AND HONEST, AND YOU WERE OPEN AND HONEST.
I KNEW YOU DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING BY IT.
I MEAN, WE HAVE TO TALK, TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS IN ORDER TO GET IT RIGHT, LIKE YOU SAID.
AND IN, IN, IN PREVIOUS TIMES, PEOPLE WHO WERE ITALIAN AND MAYBE HAD A LITTLE BIT DARKER SKIN MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED WHITE OR JEWISH, OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING.
YOU KNOW, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S I THINK WHY ALMOST EVERYBODY HAS COLOR AND RACE AS SEPARATE CATEGORIES.
WELL, IF I, IF I UNDERSTAND IT CORRECTLY, UH, NATIVE PEOPLE FROM INDIA ARE CAUCASIAN.
I GUESS IF YOU LOOK, I READ SOMETHING, THEY'RE CAUCUSES WHAT CAUCUS, AND WE ASSUME CAUCASIAN IS WHITE.
SO THAT WOULD BE A COLOR DIFFERENCE.
UH, IN, IN STUFF I'VE SEEN AND READ ABOUT WITHIN NAZI GERMANY, A LOT OF TIMES THAT WAS, IT WAS MORE, UH, ALONG THE LINES OF SOMEBODY LOOKED TO JEWISH MM-HMM.
UH, JUST ON, ON THOSE, THOSE LOOKS ALONE.
IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE BLUE EYES.
LOOKS LIKE WE'RE, WHAT DO WE HAVE ABOUT SIX MINUTES BEFORE WE GET KICKED OUTTA HERE? YEAH, PENNY.
PENNY DID HAVE TO EXCUSE HERSELF EARLIER.
I JUST ALSO SAY, JUST REAL QUICKLY, THE THIRD PAGE ALSO IS SOMETHING YOU WANNA LOOK AT.
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION THAT ARE COVERED SOMEPLACE ELSE, BUT ARE NOT COVERED UNDER DECATUR.
I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU WANT TO DO THESE, UH, ON THE LAST ONE, SOURCE OF INCOME I DIDN'T MENTION.
BUT THE STATE OF ILLINOIS ALSO, UH, PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION ON THE SOURCE OF INCOME.
AND I THINK THAT MIGHT BE STRICTLY WITH HOUSING.
UH, THERE, WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO GET AT WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, AND DON'T, AGAIN, DON'T TAKE THIS AS GOSPEL, IS THAT THE STATE WISHES TO PROHIBIT LANDLORDS FROM SAYING, YOU CAN'T RENT THIS HOUSE BECAUSE YOU'RE SECTION EIGHT OR YOU'RE ON PUBLIC AID, AND YOU, YOU MIGHT BE AWARE AS I AM OF, OF RENTAL ADVERTISEMENTS THAT WILL SAY NO, SECTION EIGHT.
SO, UH, I'M NOT GOING TO VENTURE ANY FURTHER INTO THIS.
UH, A LOT TO TALK OVER, A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.
SO WHAT I MIGHT DO FOR THE OCTOBER MEETING, HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY EXCEPT COMMISSIONER SLED IS HERE AND HE HAS AN EXCUSED ABSENCE, UM, JUST TO, UH, MORE OR LESS BEGIN AGAIN AND YOURSELF AND, AND SORT OUT SOME OF THESE THINGS FROM THE OTHER CITIES, AND THINK ABOUT QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE FROM OUR TALK TODAY TO, UM, TO TRY TO BRING EVERYBODY UP TO SPEED IN OCTOBER AND, AND MAKE SOME PROGRESS BEFORE WE DISMISS.
I NEED A LITTLE CLARIFICATION BECAUSE
[00:55:01]
ALONG WITH WHAT'S PROPER AND WHAT'S NOT PROPER, I KINDA LOOKED AT THE MECHANICS MM-HMM.SO IS THAT OUR TASK ALSO? OKAY.
THAT'S WHAT I NEED TO, I MEAN, I, I, I'VE GOT SOME OF THOSE TOO.
SOME OF 'EM AREN'T IN SECTIONS ONE TO THREE, BUT PLEASE MAKE NOTES OF THOSE BECAUSE I, I DID, I I, I AGREE THAT THERE'S OKAY, THAT, THAT, THAT'S JUST THE TACTICAL MECHANICS OF IT.
WHAT, WHAT IS MORE PROPER, DO YOU THINK, TO, TO GET AT THE MECHANICS OR GET INTO SOME OF THE, UH, INDIVIDUAL ISSUES? I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S YES.
WELL, WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ALL, BOTH.
AND, AND, AND, UM, SOME OF THIS IS JUST NOT CLEAR MM-HMM.
SO IF IT'S NOT CLEAR, REGARDLESS OF WHAT'S SAID OR WHAT A DEFINITION IS, IF A PERSON CAN'T READ IT, WE'RE STILL GONNA GET IT WRONG.
EVEN THOUGH WE'VE CLEARED UP A DEFINITION.
ONE THAT STUCK OUT TO ME REAL QUICK WAS IT SAID FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE, SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND CITI CITIZENSHIP SHIP STATUS SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING.
NOW I JUST DIDN'T SEE HOW THAT COULD HAVE THE SAME MEANING.
NOW, IF SOMEBODY ELSE CAN EXPLAIN THAT TO ME, I'LL, I'LL HEAR IT, BUT I JUST DIDN'T SEE HOW THAT COULD HAVE.
SO I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARED UP.
WHY WOULD YOU SAY THEY'RE DEFINED SOMEWHERE ELSE? YEAH.
AND I LOOKED SOMEWHERE ELSE AND IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.
BUT I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, FRED.
AND WE SHOULDN'T RUN WITH EVERY LITTLE CHANGE.
AND I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS ON WHAT YOU SAID ALSO, THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
SO PLEASE BE WITH US IN OCTOBER AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND, AND NOT STOP UNTIL WE HAVE GOOD ANSWERS, BECAUSE WE WANT IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
THIS MAY, THIS MAY TAKE A YEAR.
I THINK, UM, I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOMENT.
I, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ADJOURN SECOND.
COMMISSIONER, I SAY COMMISSIONER PELLS.