* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. SOON. AND [00:00:01] WELCOME EVERYONE. [Human Relations Commission on March 19, 2026.] I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE DECATUR HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH, 2026. CAN WE HAVE ROLL CALL PLEASE? CHAIR PERSON, GOODMAN. HERE. VICE CHAIR ROBINSON. COMMISSIONER EER? HERE. COMMISSIONER SCHLATER. COMMISSIONER PELLS. COMMISSIONER KELLER? HERE. COMMISSIONER IBRAHIM HERE. OKAY. WE HAVE FOUR PRESENT AND THREE ABSENT, SO WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. SO OUR AGENDA CALLS FOR APPEARANCE OF CITIZENS. DON'T SEE ANY COUNCILWOMAN. CRUZ? UH, DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING OR, HELLO? I AM DECATUR RESIDENT, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CONSUELO CRUZ. UM, I, I WOULD JUST, UH, SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO, UH, HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMMISSION. UH, YOUR WORK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED AND, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT. UM, IT'S, IT'S STILL ORGANIZED AND HAPPENING, UH, WITH SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE EXPERIENCED LAST YEAR. UM, EVERYTHING IS, IS MOVING FORWARD IN A, A POSITIVE DIRECTION AND I WELCOME OUR NEW INVESTIGATOR. SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE, UH, THE WORK AND GROWTH THAT YOU GUYS WILL COMPLETE THIS YEAR. SO THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. OKAY. MOVING ON TO APPROVAL OF JANUARY 15TH, 2026, MEETING MINUTES. WE DID NOT HAVE A QUORUM LAST MONTH, SO WE HAVE BOTH JANUARY AND FEBRUARY ON THIS MONTH'S AGENDA TO APPROVE. SO I WOULD, UH, DOES ANYONE NEED TIME TO LOOK AT THE MINUTES? OKAY. IF NOT, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE JANUARY 15TH, 2026 MEETING MINUTES AND I WILL MOVE TO APPROVE . THANK YOU. AND CAN WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, VOTE PLEASE. COMMISSIONER IBRAHIM? AYE. OKAY. I ACTUALLY, I THINK YOU'LL HAVE TO ABSTAIN AB YES, BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T AT THAT MEETING. ABS. OKAY. OKAY. UM, COMMISSIONER KELLER, AND YOU'LL NEED TO ABSTAIN. YES. ABSTAIN. OKAY. UH, COMMISSIONER SCHLATER. UH, JANUARY. I FOR JANUARY. ABSTAIN FOR FEBRUARY. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA DO 'EM SEPARATELY, SO, OKAY. I FOR JANUARY. OKAY. COMMISSIONER EER I, AYE. AND CHAIR GOODMAN. AYE. OKAY, SO WE HAVE, UM, THREE A'S AND ONE ABSTENTION, OR TWO ABSTENTIONS. SO THE MOTION PASSES. SO MOTION CARRIED. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. AND MOVING ON TO FEBRUARY 19TH, 2026. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THAT AS WELL. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION. WELL, YOU WEREN'T HERE AT THAT MEETING, HANK, SO, OKAY. SO THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE THAT WERE AT THAT MEETING ARE COMMISSIONER EER AND CHAIR GOODMAN. WELL, THEN I MOVE TO APPROVE . I'LL SECOND THAT. I OKAY. MOTION BY, UH, CHAIR GOODMAN. AND SECOND BY COMMISSIONER EER. UM, SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THE ROLE. UM, COMMISSIONER IBRAHIM ABSTAIN. COMMISSIONER KELLER ABSTAIN. COMMISSIONER SLEETER ABSTAIN. COMMISSIONER EER AYE. AND CHAIR GOODMAN. AYE. OKAY, SO WE HAVE, [00:05:01] UH, TWO AYES AND THREE ABSTAINS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU EVERYONE. NEXT WE'LL HAVE OUR MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT AND SUMMARY OF CASES. OKAY. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. IT IS GOOD TO, UH, SEE THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS HERE. UM, I HOPE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO READ THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY CAREER THAT I'VE BEEN IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS FIELD FOR OVER 35 YEARS. SO, IN REFERENCE TO THE CASE SUMMARIES, THERE WAS ONE CASE THAT INVOLVED, THE FIRST CASE INVOLVES RACE, COLOR, AGE, AND RETALIATION AND EMPLOYMENT. IT WAS FILED ON FEBRUARY 20TH. I INTERVIEWED THE COMPLAINANT TO SEE IF THERE WAS A BASIS FOR A DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT. AND IN TALKING TO THE COMPLAINANT, IT JUST, AT THAT POINT HAD NOT ESTABLISHED A BASIS FOR A CHARGE TO PROCEED. SO, AND DURING THE INTERVIEW, HE HAD MENTIONED SOME WITNESSES THAT HE FELT THAT WERE PERTINENT TO HIS CASE. SO I ASKED HIM TO PROVIDE ME WITH THE NAMES OF THOSE WITNESSES. AND I HAVE SPOKEN TO THOSE WITNESSES, BUT, UM, THEY WERE AFTER I HAD SUBMITTED MY REPORT. SO I WILL BE GIVING YOU A SUMMARY ON THE, THE REST OF THE CASE AT THE NEXT MEETING IN REFERENCE TO 25 0 8 0 1. THAT CASE WAS ORIGINALLY FRED SPAN CASE. HE ASKED ME TO BE THE MEDIATOR FOR THIS CASE BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, THIS CASE IS, UH, HEADED TO A PUBLIC HEARING IF THEY DO NOT TO CONCILIATE OR MEDIATE THIS CASE. SO RIGHT NOW, I AM, I WILL, I AM THE MEDIATOR AND I'M MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS CASE. A DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR THIS CASE FOR MEDIATION. AND IN TERMS OF THE MEDIATION RULES, THAT'S ALL I CAN TELL YOU BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE HAS TO REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? SO, I JUST HAD A QUESTION AS TO WHY THE DATE HAS TO REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. BECAUSE, UH, THE WHOLE PROCESS IS, IS TO REMAIN, EVEN THE DATE HAS TO REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL BECAUSE THE MEDIATION PROCESS IS CONFIDENTIAL. SO THE WHOLE PROCESS HAS TO BE, HAS TO REMAIN YOU MAKING YOU ACTUALLY AWARE OF THE CASE IS GIVING YOU BASICALLY THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED. BUT IF THE MEDIATION DOES NOT GO RIGHT, THEN I CAN GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE MEDIATION WENT. BUT THIS POINT IS, UM, IT'S CONFIDENTIAL. ALL MEDIATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE CONFIDENTIAL. OKAY. I JUST DIDN'T, UH, I DON'T KNOW. IT SEEMS LIKE THE DATE WOULD BE INFORMATION, GOOD INFORMATION FOR US TO KNOW, SO WE WOULD KNOW WHEN WE COULD EXPECT TO HEAR SOMETHING OR, UH, AND THAT WILL BE AFTER THE FACT. IF THE MEDIATION IS SUCCESSFUL, YOU WILL HEAR THE DATE OF THE MEDIATION AND THAT WOULD ALSO MEAN THAT THEY DID COME TO AN AGREEMENT TO SETTLE THE CASE. SO YOU WILL HEAR ALL THAT INFORMATION. IF THE, IF THE MEDIATION IS SUCCESSFUL OR IF THE MEDIATION IS NOT SUCCESSFUL, YOU WILL, YOU WILL GET ALL THAT INFORMATION. OKAY. NOW, IF, IF WE HAVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, THEN OF COURSE WE'LL KNOW THE DATE OF THAT. NO, I MEAN, YES. IF IT IS SUCCESSFUL, IF IT'S NOT SUCCESSFUL, YOU WILL HEAR THAT INFORMATION. YES. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU MS. FINCH. WE APPRECIATE IT. I, UM, THEN WELL, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THE NEXT, UM, THE NEXT COUPLE ITEMS, UM, MS. FINCH, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL GO OVER THOSE AS WELL. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. I'LL LET YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. OKAY. THANK YOU CHAIRMAN. AND, OKAY. WHEN I LOOKED THROUGH THE SURVEYS THAT I DID RECEIVE, IF YOU LOOKED AT THE, UH, FIRST QUESTION, IT INDICATED BECAUSE YOU HAD RECENTLY GONE OVER THE REVISIONS OF CHAPTER 28, MOST OF YOU HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CHAPTER 28. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS IN REFERENCE TO THAT? DID YOU WANT TO ADD TO THAT? I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN THE SURVEY, WOULD YOU, IN LOOKING AT THAT QUESTION, ON A SCALE OF ONE TO FIVE AS A COMMISSIONER, HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHAPTER 28, WHICH IS YOUR UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE? [00:10:01] AND OF THE FOUR, UH, RESULTS THAT I DID RECEIVE, THREE COMMISSIONERS GAVE IT A FOUR RATING, WHICH INDICATED THAT YOU PRETTY MUCH UNDERSTAND CHAPTER 28 AND THE ONES WHO HAVE NOT TAKEN THE SURVEY. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON THAT QUESTION? OR DO YOU WANNA JUST GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE SURVEY? I WOULD SAY FOUR. FOUR. OKAY. I, BECAUSE OKAY. SO I DID GIVE IT A FOUR BECAUSE, UH, THROUGHOUT THAT LONG PROCESS, I, I DID LEARN A LOT, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM TO LEARN MORE. SO SURE. I DIDN'T WANNA GIVE IT A FIVE 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING. YES. BUT I DID LEARN A LOT DURING THAT PROCESS, SO. GREAT. UH, MR. SLEDGER, IS THAT HOW YOU PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME? ER, SCH SWEETER SCHRADER. OKAY. I DIDN'T HAVE THAT NAME. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO MOVING ON TO QUESTION NUMBER TWO. ON A SCALE OF ONE TO FIVE, HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR COMMUNITY'S AWARENESS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE DECATUR HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION? AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE RESPONSES OF THE FOUR THAT I DID RECEIVE, TWO COMMISSIONERS GAVE THE QUESTION A ONE RATING, ONE COMMISSIONER GAVE THIS QUESTION A TWO RATING, AND ONE COMMISSIONER GAVE THIS QUESTION A THREE RATING. AND I, I LISTED SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT I DID RECEIVE. THE FIRST ONE, WHICH GAVE IT A ONE RATING SAYS, LACK OF COMMUNITY AWARENESS. THE NEXT ONE, I'M NOT SURE THE COMMUNITY KNOWS THE COMMISSION EXISTS TWO RATING. AND ALTHOUGH THERE ARE RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT AWARE OF THE COMMISSION, THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE AWARE, BUT FEEL THAT IT'S NOT FAVORABLE TO THEM, GAVE IT A THREE RATING. SO IN LOOKING AT THE RESPONSES TO, TO THAT QUESTION, UH, MY COMMENT TO ALL OF YOU, OR THE ONES WHO DID THE SURVEY, WHY IS THERE A LACK OF COMMUNITY AWARENESS ABOUT THE COMMISSION? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT THEM TO RESPOND TO THIS QUESTION NOW OR JUST THINK ABOUT IT, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS, THE SURVEY RESPONSES THAT CAME UP, AND THEN THE OTHER WAS, WHY IS THERE A FEELING THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD NOT BE FAVORABLE TO THEM? MADAM CHAIR, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WANT THEM TO, TO KIND OF DISCUSS RIGHT NOW OR, OR DISCUSS LATER ON? OH, SORRY. WE CAN DISCUSS IT NOW. THAT'S FINE. OKAY. SO BACK TO THE FIRST QUESTION. MY COMMENT IS, WHY IS THERE A LACK OF COMMUNITY AWARENESS ABOUT THE COMMISSION? I DON'T KNOW. I GUESS BECAUSE, UM, WE MAYBE HAVEN'T DONE A GOOD ENOUGH JOB OF, UH, LETTING THE COMMUNITY KNOW WE'RE HERE. UH, WE'VE, WE'VE ATTEMPTED A FEW THINGS, BUT OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE NEED TRY TO TRY SOME, SOME OTHER THINGS TO JUST LET FOLKS KNOW THAT THIS COMMISSION EXISTS AND THAT WE'RE HERE FOR THEM AND, AND SO FORTH. I MEAN, UM, I, I RATED THIS, UM, UH, LOW, UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S THE SITUATION I WISH IT WAS OTHERWISE. AND, UM, UH, AND WE HAVE TRIED A FEW THINGS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BRAINSTORM AND COME UP WITH SOME OTHER THINGS JUST TO GET THE WORD OUT. MM-HMM . ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO RESPOND TO THAT? WE NEED MORE PUBLICITY ON THAT SO THAT MORE PUBLIC COMES TO KNOW THAT THERE'S A HUMAN COMMISSION EXISTS IN THE CITY OF DECATUR. UH, MY, I MYSELF DIDN'T KNOW THAT THIS EXISTED BEFORE COMING HERE, , SO. OKAY. I THINK THOSE ARE DEFINITELY GOOD IDEAS. ANYONE ELSE? I AGREE WITH THE COMMENT. I THINK THIS IS ONE AREA WE COULD MAKE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN RECOGNITION, EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY AND EXPLAINING WHAT OUR PURPOSE IS. THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. CAN I, CAN I? SURE. SURE. OKAY. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY ANNUAL EVENTS OR ANY, LIKE, REGULARLY SCHEDULED PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS? DO YOU DO ANYTHING WHERE YOU INVITE LIKE A SPEAKER TO COME EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT SOMETHING, LIKE ANY TYPE OF EVENT THAT HAPPENS ON A REGULAR, LIKE AN ANNUAL CADENCE OR ANY CADENCE THAT, THAT WOULD, UH, BE AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE THE PUBLIC IS GETTING AWARENESS, BUT ALSO THEY'RE LEARNING SOMETHING LIKE YOU COULD HOST SPEAKERS OR DO YOU YOU DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WE, WE HAVEN'T, BUT, UH, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. WE DON'T CURRENTLY, BUT WE DO HAVE A LIST OF THINGS THAT WE GOT FROM [00:15:01] THE, UM, OH, WHAT'S THE ILLINOIS COMMISSION ON HATE CRIMES AND, UH, WHAT'S THE OTHER, UH, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS? YEAH. , THAT ONE. SO WE HAVE A LIST OF THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING ACTUALLY, UH, REVIEWING TO SEE IF WE WANNA HAVE THEM COME AND DO. AND, UH, ONE OF THOSE INCLUDE LIKE, LISTENING SESSIONS, SOMETHING SIMILAR, WHAT THE, TO WHAT YOU GUYS DO WITH THE COUNCIL, A COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO WE'RE LOOKING INTO THAT. SO THANK YOU THAT THAT IS, UH, GREAT IDEA. ANYTHING THAT FUNCTION LEARNED? I MEAN, I'M SURE THAT THERE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR BUDGET IS, BUT I WOULD THINK, UM, IF YOU WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING LIKE, KIND OF LIKE HOW THE, UM, GREATER DECATUR OF THE BUSINESS GROUP DOES, LIKE LUNCH AND LEARNS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, THAT MIGHT ALSO BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO ENGAGE WITH YOU, BUT THEN ALSO LEARN SOMETHING FROM THE SPEAKER THAT WOULD BE THERE. SO, I MEAN, I WOULD DEFINITELY ASK FOR, UH, RESOURCES IF, IF IT WAS GONNA BE LIKE AN ANNUAL THING OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. GREAT SUGGESTION. THANK YOU. YES. UM, I DO, I I DO FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE A LITTLE MORE INVOLVED WITH THE VIOLENCE IN THE CITY, YOU KNOW, TO SHOW, YOU KNOW, COMPASSION AND KINDNESS AND, AND TO HELP, UM, WITH THAT. AND WELL, AT ONE TIME WE DID, WERE PROMOTING ACTS OF KINDNESS. AND, UH, THEN ALSO WHEN THE CITY, UH, DECIDED THAT WE WOULD NO LONGER DO THE MARTIN LUTHER KING BANQUET, I FELT LIKE THAT TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF SOMETHING AWAY FROM US, BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE BIG EVENT THAT WE REALLY, REALLY FELT DID SOME GOOD, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY AND, AND WAS REALLY INVOLVED IN. SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ABOUT THAT IF, BUT THOSE WERE JUST SOME THOUGHTS THAT I HAD. I, I GUESS YOU COULD CREATE ANOTHER EVENT OR EVEN, UH, WORKING WITH, YOU KNOW, KONO DOES THAT, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD THING IN THE PARKS. UM, AND, UH, DIFFERENT VENDORS HAVE TABLES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A TABLE THERE THAT WOULD BE FREE, UM, THAT ALREADY EXISTS. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ATTEND THOSE. SO EVEN IF YOU HAD LIKE, HUMAN RELATION, LIKE I KNOW THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD T-SHIRTS FOR KIDS AND THEY HAVE LIKE LITTLE GIVEAWAYS, YOU KNOW, ON THE TABLE. UM, IF YOU STARTED PLANNING FOR THAT, JUST PARTICIPATING IN THAT EVERY YEAR, I THINK WOULD BE A, A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND THAT ALREADY EXISTS. SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO LIKE, CREATE OR HAVE VOLUNTEERS. THEY ALREADY HAVE VOLUNTEERS. WE HAVE, UH, HAD A TABLE AT, UH, DECATUR PRIDE FEST, UH, WITH THE IDEA THAT THAT'S, UH, THAT TWO YEARS AGO IT WAS TWO YEARS. WE DID, WE DIDN'T MAKE IT, UH, LAST YEAR. BUT, UM, WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT. 'CAUSE THAT'S A, A VULNERABLE POPULATION. ONE OTHER ADDITION. I, I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT'S A VERY APPROPRIATE EVENT YES. FOR US TO HAVE REPRESENTATION. AND WHEN, UM, I HELPED AT THE TABLE TWO YEARS AGO, I FELT LIKE NO ONE WAS AWARE OF THE COMMISSION. THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE THAT SEEMED TO BE INTERESTED IN AND TOOK THE FLYERS THAT WE HAD TO OFFER. UH, ANYWAY, THAT'S, I THINK A VERY INAPPROPRIATE, A VERY APPROPRIATE EVENT FOR US TO BE INVOLVED WITH. ONE OTHER ADDITION, I MEAN, HOW ABOUT PLACING FLYERS OR PAMPHLETS AT PUBLIC PLACES LIKE LIBRARY, WALMART, YOU KNOW, WHERE PEOPLE GO, THEY CAN SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS EXISTS IN THE CITY AND PEOPLE WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT. I MEAN, I AGREE. I, I MEAN, I SERVED OVER A COMMISSION FOR 35 YEARS, SO WE DID PUT OUT PAMPHLETS, BROCHURES, WE HAD ALL OF THAT. AND WE ALSO SENT THAT INFORMATION TO LIKE SOME OF THE EMPLOYERS IN THE CITY, SO THEY WOULD BE AWARE OF THE COMMISSION. AND DO YOU HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE OR ANY TYPE OF, LIKE, KONO HAS A PRETTY ACTIVE FACEBOOK PAGE OPINION THAT'S THE BEST SOCIAL MEDIA THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT HELPS? WELL, THE COMMISSION DID HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE AT ONE TIME, BUT I JUST DON'T, I'M NOT SURE HOW ACTIVE IT IS. AND IF IT'S EVEN UP TO DATE, I DO FEEL THAT WE SHOULD, SHOULD REALLY BE MORE INVOLVED WITH BLACK HISTORY MONTH. [00:20:02] I REALLY DO FEEL LIKE WE, I MEAN, I KNOW WE HAVE, UM, WORKED WITH EVELYN HOOD SOME UM, TIMES, BUT I THINK WE SORT OF LED UP ON THAT A LITTLE BIT. I THINK WE NEED TO BE MORE INVOLVED WITH THAT. AT ONE TIME, WE DISCUSSED, UH, WELL, AND IT HAD TO DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, . AND SINCE WE ARE NOT REALLY UP ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT WE DISCUSSED, UH, PUTTING OUT INFORMATION FOR ALL OF THE AWARENESS, UH, LIKE THE, UH, BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND THE, UH, PRIDE AWARE, I MEAN, JUST THAT WAS A DISCUSSION, BUT IT NEVER REALLY WENT ANYWHERE. SO IF WE COULD GET OUR SOCIAL MEDIA GOING, I THINK THAT WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, PROMOTE AWARENESS OF THE COMMISSION AS WELL AS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT EVENTS OR AWARENESS, MONTHS, WEEKS ACTIVITIES. SO IF SOMEONE, DOES SOMEONE HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY IN THE COMMISSION, OR WOULD, WOULD YOU HAVE TO DO LIKE ASSIGN THAT THE CITY WAS, AM I CORRECT? THE CITY WAS DOING THAT AT, UM, ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WAS DOING THAT, BUT SHE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND ANY MEETINGS FOR THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS. SO I THINK THAT MIGHT BE ANOTHER REASON WHY IT KIND OF FELL AND FELL AWAY. OKAY. SO THE OTHER PART OF THAT QUESTION, IT TALKED ABOUT, UM, THAT IT'S NOT FAVORABLE FOR THEM, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT AWARE OF THE COMMISSION. THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE AWARE, BUT FEEL THAT IT'S NOT FAVORABLE FOR THEM. SO WHY IS THERE A FEELING THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD NOT BE FAVORABLE TO THEM? ANY COMMENT ON THAT? SO I HAVE, UH, OH, SORRY. I HAVE, UM, WELL, ONE IS BECAUSE NO CITY EMPLOYEE WHATSOEVER, IF YOU HAVE ANY CONNECTION TO THE CITY, YOU CANNOT FOUL. UH, SO OF COURSE IT'S NOT FAVORABLE TO THEM. AND THEN I'VE, UH, JUST HEARD FROM A FEW PEOPLE THAT THEY DID GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, UH, BUT FELT THAT THEY WERE NOT TREATED FAIRLY. YOU KNOW, THAT THERE WAS, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY FELT DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN THIS PROCESS, BUT MM-HMM . SO THAT WAS MY COMMENT. SURE. YEAH. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . DID ANYONE ELSE WANNA COMMENT ON THAT STATEMENT? IT OKAY. MOVING ON TO NUMBER THREE. OVERALL, THE DECATUR HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF DECATUR CITIZENS AGAINST UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION, THE AREAS OF EMPLOYMENT, FINANCIAL PRACTICES, HOUSING, AND PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS. HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE LEVEL OF PERCEIVED? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PERCEIVED UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION INDICATOR, AND YOU HAVE, UH, FIVE CHOICES. AND TWO, COMMISSIONERS GAVE THIS A HIGH RATING. ONE COMMISSIONER GAVE THIS A MARGINAL AND HIGH RATING. ONE COMMISSIONER GAVE THIS QUESTION A MARGINAL RATING. AND AS YOU READ, THE REASONS GIVEN. WELL, I AM CONSTANTLY HEARING COMPLAINTS OF A LAWFUL DISCRIMINATION. HOWEVER, SOME PEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE SYSTEM, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE PROVIDED WITH THE THOROUGH EXPLANATION AND NECESSARY INFORMATION. THAT WAS A HIGH RATING PRIOR TO COMING ON BOARD, I WOULD HEAR COMPLAINTS, CONCERNS FROM COMMUNITY CLIENT STAFF. MANY FELT THERE WAS NOTHING AVAILABLE TO HELP, OR IF IT DID EXIST, NOTHING WOULD COME OUT OF IT. AND THE LAST ONE, ACTUALLY, I WOULD RATE IT BETWEEN MARGINAL AND HIGH, JUST BASED UPON THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT HAVE BEEN PROCESSED OVER THE YEAR. SO THIS, THIS, UM, COMMENT ABOUT NOT TRUSTING THE SYSTEM IS, IS HERE AGAIN, THIS IS AN ISSUE NOT TRUSTING THE SYSTEM. AND I BELIEVE WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THAT. DID ANYONE ELSE WANT TO ADD TO THAT? AND THEN IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE PAST RELATED TO HOW THE COMMISSION HANDLED COMPLAINTS? AND IS THAT WHY YOU'RE GETTING THESE UNFAVORABLE FEELINGS ABOUT THE COMMISSION? IS THERE SOME HISTORY OR SOMETHING THAT, THAT MAKES THE COMMUNITY FEEL LIKE THEIR RIGHTS ARE NOT GONNA BE UPHELD BY THE COMMISSION? I KNOW TH UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, [00:25:01] UM, THE INVESTIGATORS HAVE HAD TO DISMISS SEVERAL COMPLAINTS. AND I, I THINK MAYBE THE, THE PEOPLE FILING THOSE COMPLAINTS MIGHT HAVE FELT LIKE THAT WASN'T FAIR. BUT, UM, I FEEL LIKE THE INVESTIGATORS THAT WE'VE HAD DID A REALLY GOOD JOB OF RESEARCHING AND LOOKING AT CHAPTER 28. AND EVEN THOUGH THEY, THEY MAY HAVE FELT LIKE THE PERSON MAYBE WAS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, IT DIDN'T FALL UNDER CHAPTER 28, SO WE COULDN'T REALLY MOVE FORWARD. THAT'S WHY THEY WERE, SOME OF THOSE CASES WERE DISMISSED. SO I COULD SEE WHERE THE COMPLAINANTS MIGHT HAVE FELT LIKE IT WASN'T FAIR OR SURE. I MEAN, UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS FOR FILING DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT, IT, IT IS VERY CLEAR, BUT SOME PEOPLE, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN THEY DO FILE A COMPLAINT, LIKE THIS ONE CASE I'M WORKING ON, YOU HA YOU HAVE TO ESTABLISH A BASIS FOR DISCRIMINATION CHARGE TO FILE AGAINST THE COMPANY. AND YOU GO THROUGH THIS INTERVIEW WITH THE COMPLAINANT, YOU ASK THEM PERTINENT QUESTIONS REGARDING THE COMPLAINT, AND IF GETTING THAT INFORMATION DOES NOT RISE TO A BASIS OF DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT, YOU CANNOT FAIL IT. SO WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THAT, THEY THINK YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR THEM. SO, AND, AND THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT THEY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THERE ARE RULES WE HAVE TO ABIDE BY TO FILE A DISCRIMINATION CHARGE. AND I'VE ALWAYS TOLD PEOPLE, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU, YOU WERE NOT DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. IT JUST MEANS THIS JUST NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MOVE FORWARD THE CASE. SO I'VE ALSO HEARD THE COMMENT THAT, UM, THE INVESTIGATOR SHOULD NOT MEDIATE. THEY SHOULDN'T, I MEAN, IF YOU'RE WORKING ON A CASE AS THE INVESTIGATOR, YOU SHOULD NOT BE THE MEDIATOR. I DON'T KNOW. IS THAT A CONFLICT OR, WELL, ACTUALLY, UM, IN MY FORMAL LIFE, WHEN IT CAME TO A SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE CASE, THEN IT WAS TIME TO DO CONCILIATION WITH THE RESPONDENT AND THE COMPLAINANT. AND, AND SO ONCE YOU DO THE INVESTIGATION, YOU FIND THAT THERE IS PROBABLE CAUSE OR REASONABLE CAUSE, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DEFINE IT, THEN THAT'S WHEN YOU START THE CONCILIATION. SO BEING AN INVESTIGATOR REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE GONNA BE FAIR AS A CONCILIATOR. SO ANY, SO THAT'S, UM, ALL I HAVE IN REFERENCE TO THE RESPONSE TO THE SURVEY. I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE REVISIONS OF CHAPTER 28? ? I HAD THAT QUESTION. DO YOU, DO YOU WANT ME TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION? SURE. OKAY. SO, UM, WHEN I WAS FIRST BROUGHT ON, AND I, BEFORE I SPOKE WITH THE TEAM, UM, MS. FRENCH, MS. TERESA, MS. PENNY, ABOUT, UM, THE ORDINANCE. I DID READ IT AND I, I, AND I HAVE READ THE REVISIONS AND BASICALLY, UM, I HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT THERE BE SOME, UH, SOME CHANGES TO CLEAN IT UP TO MAKE IT MORE USER FRIENDLY. UM, THERE ARE SOME ISSUES IN THERE THAT REALLY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. I'M BE HONEST WITH YOU. IS THERE A TIMELINE FOR THAT? WELL, UM, I THOUGHT I COULD HAVE IT DONE WITHIN A MONTH OR SO, BUT WITH THESE OTHER THINGS COMING UP, UM, HOPEFULLY I'M LOOKING AT, HOPEFULLY BY THE END I'M JUST GONNA GIVE MYSELF ENOUGH TIME BY THE END OF APRIL. OKAY. YES. UM, SOME THINGS THAT WE NOTICED, UM, WAS THERE SOME AMBIGUITY IN SOME OF THE, UM, UM, TIME, UM, WHERE THINGS SAY THINGS LIKE, UM, MAKING A REASONABLE EFFORT AS OPPOSED TO, UH, A QUANTITY? SO LIKE CONTACTING MINORITY CONTRACTORS, UM, LIKE THE, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE YOU'VE CONTACTED, I THINK IT SAYS SOMETHING LIKE, MAKE A REASONABLE EFFORT. AND WE WOULD, WE WOULD'VE LIKED TO SEE A DEFINITIVE, LIKE, UH, A MINIMUM OF TWO OR SOME TYPE OF QUANTITY AS OPPOSED TO THESE AMBIGUOUS PHRASES WHERE THERE COULD BE ACTUAL NUMBERS. UM, I DUNNO IF THAT'S ANYTHING THAT YOU, IN, IN LOOKING AT THAT, THAT PART OF THE, THE ORDINANCE. I DID REVIEW THAT PART AND I, I CAN GIVE YOU A RESPONSE TO IT, BUT I'M MAINLY FOCUSED ON THE DIS DISCRIMINATION PART. BUT IN REFERENCE TO YOUR COMMENT, UM, WHAT WE SAY IS TO MAKE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO HIRE TWO, HAVE 2% MINORITY CONTRACTORS. YOU CAN'T JUST, YOU CAN'T SAY YOU HAVE TO [00:30:01] HAVE 2%. YOU HAVE TO MAKE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO HAVE 2% OF MINORITY CONTRACTORS THAT THAT'S, THAT'S HOW THE LANGUAGE HAS TO BE. 'CAUSE IF YOU DON'T USE IT, THEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT QUOTAS. SO COULD, YOU COULDN'T SAY A CONTACT, A MINIMUM OF ONE, UH, COMPANY AS OPPOSED TO WHAT A GOOD FAITH EFFORT IS? SUBJECTIVE, RIGHT? LIKE WHAT YOU THINK IS A GOOD FAITH EFFORT MAY NOT BE WHAT I THINK. SO IF WE SAY DO AT LEAST ONE, UM, YOU COULD DO 10, BUT YOU NEED TO AT LEAST DO ONE, UM, THEN THAT KIND OF HELPS CLARIFY WHAT A GOOD FAITH EFFORT MEANS. UM, MS. CON, CONSUELA IS, THAT'S YOUR NAME. OKAY. SO WHEN YOU SAY CONTACT AT LEAST ONE, YOU MEAN A MINORITY CONTRACTOR, RIGHT? RIGHT. OKAY. OR ANY NUMBER. I JUST, I'M, YEAH, I KNOW. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND YOU. SO WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU NORMALLY DO IS YOU PUT THE PROJECT OUT BID, OKAY. AND YOU MAKE IT KNOWN THAT YOU HAVE THESE AFFIRMATIVE, WHAT WE CALL AFFIRMATIVE ACTION REQUIREMENTS, MEANING TO MAKE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING I, UH, I DID MENTION, I HAD MENTIONED TO, UM, THERESA AND IN FRENCH ABOUT, UM, HAVING A SYSTEM WHERE WHEN YOU SEND OUT THIS INFO, WHEN YOU SEND OUT THIS INFORMATION, YOU WILL HOLD ALL CONTRACTORS, UH, ACCOUNTABLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT FOR ONE, THEY ARE HIRING AT LEAST MAKING AN EFFORT TO HIRE MINORITIES. AND THEY'RE ALSO MAKING AN EFFORT IF THEY'RE NOT A, THE MAJOR CONTRACTOR TO HIRE MINORITY, UH, SUBCONTRACTORS. BUT HERE'S THE THING, THERE ARE NOT, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE CITY OF DECATUR, I HAVEN'T STUDIED HOW MANY MINORITY CONTRACTORS THEY HAVE, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT FIRST. HOW MANY MINORITY CONTRACTORS DO YOU HAVE? HOW MANY ARE REGISTERED WITH THE CITY? SO THAT COULD SET THE FOUNDATION TO COME UP WITH A NUMBER OF, OF A PERCENTAGE OF HOW THAT YOU SHOULD MAKE AT LEAST AN EFFORT TO HIRE AT LEAST 2%. BUT LIKE WHERE I'M FROM, WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT TWO MINORITY CONTRACTORS. SO THAT IS A PROBLEM IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. NOW, WHEN YOU GO TOWARDS CHICAGO, THOSE AREAS, YOU'RE GONNA FIND A LOT OF MINORITY OR FEMALE CONTRACTORS. BUT DOWNSTATE, IT'S HARD TO REALLY, TO FILL THAT PERCENTAGE UNLESS YOU GO FIND A CONTRACTOR FROM UP STATE OR FROM ANOTHER AREA OF THE STATE, RIGHT? YEAH. AND I'M NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT HIRING, I'M JUST SAYING PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL TWO PEOPLE. LIKE THE ACTION THAT COMES BEFORE ACTUALLY HIRING. HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT ACTION HAPPENS? THE WAY I WOULD PRESENT IT IS TO PUT IT OUT FOR BID, AND THAT'S WHAT MOST CITIES DO. SO IT'S UP FOR THE MINORITY CONTRACTOR WHO WANTS THAT BID. BECAUSE ONCE, ONCE YOU START CALLING ONE CONTRACTOR HERE AND ONE CONTRACTOR OVER HERE, THEN MAYBE THERE'S ONE IN THE MIDDLE YOU DIDN'T CALL. THEN THEY'RE GONNA SAY, WELL, WELL, YOU PROBABLY CALLED THESE TWO, BECAUSE I'M JUST SAYING BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUR FRIEND, RIGHT? SO NOW YOU'VE CREATED A, LIKE, MAYBE A FAVORABLE, UH, SYSTEM WHERE YOU'RE CALLING THESE CONTRACTORS OVER HERE, BUT YOU DIDN'T CALL THE CON THE MINORITY CONTRACTORS IN THE MIDDLE. SO IT'S UP TO THESE CONTRACTORS TO PUT IN A BID FOR THESE PROJECTS, NOT FOR US TO GO OUT AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS CONTRACT AVAILABLE. OKAY. I SEE. BUT I THINK LIKE MR. ABRAHAM, I MEAN, IT IS MENTIONING WHAT IS YOUR PUBLICITY PROCESS, AND I'M SURE ALL THE CONTRACTS ARE PUT IN THE NEWSPAPER FOR EVERYONE TO BID ON. RIGHT? OKAY. SO YOU'VE ALREADY GOT THAT SYSTEM. SO IT'S UP TO THE MINORITY CONTRACTOR TO PUT IN THE BID IF THEY QUALIFY FOR THAT PROJECT. OKAY. SO THEY JUST HAVE TO LIKE, HAPPEN TO SEE IT IN THE PAPER. SO THERE'S NO, LIKE, YOU'RE NOT GOING LIKE TO TRY TO ATTRACT MINORITIES. IT'S JUST OUT THERE. AND IF THEY SEE IT, THEY SEE IT. I WOULDN'T SAY NOT TO, UH, ATTRACT MINORITIES. I THINK, LIKE YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE, UH, SOME TYPE OF SYSTEM TO INFORM PEOPLE THAT THIS IS WHAT IS IN THE CITY OF DECATUR ORDINANCE. WE WANT TO SEE MY MORE MINORITIES TO, TO APPLY FOR THESE PRO THESE PROJECTS. AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE MESSAGE YOU WANT TO GET OUT THERE. IT'S NOT LIKE, BUT IF YOU ARE A CONTRACTOR, YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WORK. SO WHY WOULD YOU NOT BID ON THE PRO THE PROJECT? SO, BUT WE DO NEED TO HAVE A SYSTEM OF INFORMING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE COMMISSION AND WHAT IT DOES INFORMING THE PUBLIC ABOUT CITY PROJECTS. WE WANT TO PROMOTE OR RECRUIT MORE MINORITY TO RECRUIT MINORITY CONTRACTORS [00:35:01] TO APPLY FOR THESE, THESE PROJECTS. BUT YOU WILL FIND LIKE, I, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT OVER HERE, BUT OVER WHERE I'M FROM, THERE'S ONLY LIKE MAYBE TWO MINORITY OR ONE FEMALE CONTRACTOR. SO DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA HOW MANY MINORITY CONTRACTORS YOU HAVE HERE IN DECATUR? I, I DON'T. OKAY. DOES ANYBODY HAVE AN IDEA? OKAY. I MEAN, I WOULD, I MEAN, MAYBE THAT SHOULD BE, I GUESS LIKE AS YOU'RE DOING THE REVISIONS, WHAT CAN BE ADDED TO IMPROVE THE ACTIONS THAT RIGHT NOW COULD BE IMPROVED? RIGHT? SURE. I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION REQUIREMENT. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT, THAT WAS PUT IN THE ORDINANCE FOR THE CITY OF DANVILLE, WHICH I DID HELP, UH, WRITE THE ORDINANCE. AND WHAT WHAT IT DOES IS, IS MAKING SURE THAT ALL CONTRACTORS MAKE AN EFFORT TO RECRUIT MINORITIES AND FEMALES, BASICALLY. AND I MEAN, IT IS THERE, IT SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO DO THAT. SO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO IS FILL OUT THIS WORKFORCE PROFILE AND THEY, THEY SHOW HOW MANY, LET'S SAY HOW MANY ASIANS OR HOW MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS, HOW MANY, LET'S SAY HISPANICS OR HOW MANY FEMALES, OKAY? SO THE FIRST YEAR WHEN THEY APPLY FOR THIS BID, RIGHT? THEY HAVE TO SEND IN THIS APPLICATION TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY. AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE FIRST YEAR YOU'RE KIND OF LIKE GIVING THEM A BREAK, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU KNOW, NOW THEY KNOW, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO DO THIS IN ORDER TO BE CERTIFIED BY THE CITY. SO LET'S SAY THEY, SO THIS IS DONE EVERY YEAR. SO THE FIRST YEAR YOU'RE CERTIFIED, LET'S SAY YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MINORITIES, RIGHT? YOU DON'T HAVE ANY AFRICAN AMERICANS, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY ASIANS. SO THE, THE SECOND YEAR YOU'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THIS WORKFORCE PROFILE. AND IF YOU'VE DONE ANY HIRING FOR THE SECOND TIME, YOU APPLY FOR YOUR CERTIFICATION, YOU WILL THEN YOU GET TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THEY MADE, IF THEY HIRED ANY MINORITIES, AND LET'S SAY THEY DIDN'T HIRE ANY MINORITIES, OKAY? SO THEN NOW YOU CAN QUESTION THEM ABOUT, WELL, HOW COME YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY, WELL, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY AT, AT THE HALL. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO, TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO APPLY, UH, AT YOUR BUSINESS? THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS YOU CAN LOOK AT. AND THAT CAN BE PUT IN YOUR ORDINANCE. YEAH. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSION CAN OVERSEE MM-HMM . IN TERMS OF APPROVING WHETHER OR NOT A CONTRACTOR CAN BE CERTIFIED TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. YEAH. SO THAT STATEMENT, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO RECRUIT? THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S POTENTIALLY QUANTIFIABLE. YES, IT IS. SO YOU COULD SAY, YOU NEED TO DO THIS THIS MANY TIMES. MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, AND THAT CAN BE . WELL, YOU GET TO LOOK AT WHAT THEY'RE DOING. IF THEY, THEY DID ALL THIS HIRING, AND I MEAN, THE FIRST YEAR, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU JUST GET TO SEE IT. THE SECOND YEAR THEY HIRED FIVE EXTRA PEOPLE. OKAY? YOU DIDN'T HIRE ANY MINORITIES. SO NOW YOU'RE SENDING THEM A LETTER ASKING THEM WHAT HAPPENED. I MEAN, LIKE, HOW COME YOU DIDN'T, HOW COME NO, NO MINORITIES WERE HIRED. THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME UP WITH A REASON. RIGHT. OR THEY COULD SAY, WELL, LIKE THE ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS. YES. THAT'S KIND OF LIKE WHAT YOU WOULD DO. YEAH. MM-HMM . YEAH. YEAH. AND IT HAS TO BE ON, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, FOR BIDS, WHAT IS IT? 20,000 OR MORE FOR LIKE, IF YOU, THE COUNCIL TO BE APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL. SO IT HAS TO BE FOR BIDS THAT'S $20,000 OR MORE. IT CAN BE, CAN BE UNDER THAT. RIGHT. SO YEAH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR, YOUR FINAL OKAY. BECAUSE THEN WE WOULD APPROVE IT, CORRECT. YEAH. MM-HMM . SO, OKAY. I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. OKAY. SO JUST SO I UNDERSTAND, YOU ARE MAKING SOME RECOMMENDATIONS YES. CHANGES AND THEN IT WILL COME BACK TO US. YES, MOST DEFINITELY. YES. MM-HMM . OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THE REASON WHY I'M STAYING UP HERE, FOR PART B. OKAY. SO , I DID LOOK OVER THE LIST OF TRAININGS THAT, UM, COMMISSIONER, I BELIEVE HER NAME IS TINA, UH, SUBMITTED. AND THE ONE THAT STICKS OUT TO ME, AND THIS IS BASED ON YOUR, UH, SURVEY, IS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, IT SAYS COMMUNITY AWARE, COMMUNITY CONVERSATION. WHAT IS HATE? AND HOW CAN WE BUILD A SAFER, MORE CONNECTED COMMUNITY? OKAY? THIS IS A STRUCTURED COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WITH SMALL TABLE DISCUSSIONS. AND AGAIN, WHAT, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CONSUELA, I LIKED HER IDEAL BECAUSE WHEN YOU BRING IN PEOPLE, YOU BRING THEM IN TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW COME YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE COMMISSION. IF YOU DO, WHY DO YOU HAVE THIS UNFAVORABLE, YOU KNOW, OPINION ABOUT [00:40:01] THE COMMISSION? SO THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN GET THE FEEDBACK THAT YOU NEED TO MOVE FORWARD ON HOW YOU WANT TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY MORE AWARE OF, UH, OF THE COMMISSION. AND CONTENT. CONTENT WILL FOCUS ON WHAT COMMUNITIES ARE EXPERIENCING. WHAT ARE YOU EXPERIENCING HERE IN DECATUR? WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE? WELL, WE HAVE THE COMMISSION. THAT'S PART OF A RESOURCE YOU CAN USE, UH, GAPS IN RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES. AND SO THIS PROGRAM CAN BE SHAPED WITH COMMUNITY HOSTS. BY THE END OF THE SESSION, PARTICIPANT PARTICIPANTS WILL FEEL BETTER TO TALK ABOUT HATE AND BIAS FEEL HEARD. AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU REMEMBER, I'VE BEEN IN THIS FOR A LONG TIME, STUDY CIRCLES. DID ANY OF YOU EVER DO STUDY CIRCLES? OKAY. AND IF YOU REMEMBER, THAT WAS THAT TYPE OF CONVERSATION FOR PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIRSELVES ABOUT HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY, RACE, WHATEVER IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, HAVE A SENSE OF HOW TO CREATE A MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITY, FEEL MORE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER OR THE COMMUNITY, KNOW MORE ABOUT AVAILABLE RESOURCES, LOCAL AND STATE, INCLUDING HELP DOT HATE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I HAD SUGGESTED TO THE TEAM IN TERMS OF IN MY FORMER LIFE, I'D ALWAYS GET PHONE CALLS ABOUT RESOURCES IN TERMS OF PEOPLE WHO NEED, UH, INCOME TO PAY THE RENT, THOSE TYPE OF THINGS. LIKE PUTTING OUT SOME TYPE OF INFORMATION OR BROCHURE WITH THIS IS WHO YOU CALL IF YOU NEED THIS. NOW, DOES THAT MEAN THEY'RE GONNA HAVE THE FUNDING OR DOES THAT MEAN THEY'RE GONNA QUALIFY? I DON'T KNOW. BUT JUST HAVING THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE WITH YOUR NAME ON IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE PROMOTING TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. SO MY SUGGESTION IS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IS THE TRAINING I BELIEVE YOU SHOULD START WITH. OKAY. WELL YOU GUYS THINK, DID YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE, UH, LIST OF TRAININGS? YEAH, I'VE LOOKED AT THE LIST. I GUESS, UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE RECEIVE THE TRAINING? I DIDN'T ATTEND THAT, THAT CONFERENCE, BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS A CONTACT PERSON WITH THE STATE WHO CAN PROVIDE THAT TRAINING OKAY. FOR YOU. MM-HMM . OKAY. UH, EL ALANA KAHAN. MM-HMM . WE HAVE HER CONTACT IN INFORMATION. YEAH. YES, YES, YES, YES. MM-HMM . LIKE I WAS TELLING YOU, UM, VIVIAN AND I, AND, AND FRED ATTENDED THE, UM, CONFERENCE OVER IN, UM, CHAMPAIGN ON THE HELP STOP HATE MM-HMM . CAMPAIGN. SURE. UHHUH . AND LIKE I WAS TELLING YOU, I, WELL, I WEAR THIS PIN EVERYWHERE AND I TOLD THEM I COULD HAVE SOLD A LOT OF THEM . OKAY. BECAUSE PEOPLE SAID, YOU KNOW, WHERE'D YOU GET THAT? MM-HMM . BUT, UM, I THINK THIS IS ONE THING WE DEFINITELY NEED TO PROMOTE MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, FOR DECATUR. BUT IF OUR, IF, IF THEY WOULD HAVE TRAINING LIKE THEY DID FOR THIS MM-HMM . OVER IN CHAMPAIGN MM-HMM . IT WOULD HELP US IN ALL AREAS. SURE. SO IT'S A START. YES. WE COULD CONTACT HER YES. AND SEE ABOUT GETTING, IF WE COULD HAVE A A MM-HMM. HERE OR A CONFERENCE HERE. YES. A TRAINING HERE. I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO ALSO NEED TO, TO PUT THAT OUT ON THE MEDIA. SURE. FOR ANYONE THAT IS STRUGGLING, THAT NEED HELP, THAT WANTS TO KNOW WHAT WE DO, COME TALK TO US. SURE. BEFORE, YES. I BELIEVE HAVING INVITING, UM, PEOPLE THAT YOU, PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND I'M SURE YOU HAVE PE PEOPLE YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM IN THE COMMUNITY CAN BE AT THE TABLE TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION. AND YOU WANT THE, YOU WANT EVERYONE INVITED, I MEAN, NOT EVERYONE, BUT CERTAIN GROUPS OF PEOPLE THERE SO YOU CAN HEAR THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON. WELL, THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE COULD INCLUDE THE PEOPLE HELPING WITH THE VIOLENCE IN OUR CITY. SO. WELL, AND I WAS JUST GETTING READY TO MENTION THAT BECAUSE, UM, THE, THERE WERE TWO ACTUALLY, THE, UH, PRESENTATION WITH THE Q AND A ON WHEN HATE HARMS PUBLIC SAFETY AND TIME OF, UH, RISING HATE. AND THEN ENVISIONING A RESILIENT COMMUNITY. THERE'S A GROUP CALLED CREW [00:45:01] THAT'S WORKING ON VIOLENCE PREVENTION. I THINK THIS WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT COLLABORATION, UH, TO MAYBE HAVE MM-HMM . SOME COMMUNITY, UH, EVENTS AND GATHER INFORMATION. I'M SORRY, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE VISIONING. YOU HAVE TO SAY, WHICH ONE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? MADAM CHAIR, THE VISIONING, A ENVISIONING OF RESILIENT COMMUNITY. AND THEN, UM, THE PRESENTATION WITH Q AND A ON WHEN HATE HARMS, IT'S RIGHT ABOVE THAT ONE. MM-HMM . PUBLIC SAFETY IN A TIME OF RISING HATE. AND I, BUT I, I DO LIKE THE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ONE AS WELL. ACTUALLY, I LIKED ALL OF THEM. MM-HMM . SO I THINK WE JUST NEED TO PICK A PLACE TO START. YES. AND I THINK THAT ONE BE, WOULD BE THE ONE TO START WITH, TO, TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THE COMMISSION AND I MEAN THE COMMUNITY OVERALL. YEAH. ALL. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU GUYS. AGREED. UH, UH, DO YOU WANNA START ON THAT ONE? YES. YEAH. START THAT ONE SINCE, YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE WILL LOOK INTO STARTING ON WITH COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND GO FROM THERE AND I'LL HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH TINA AND WE CAN GET IT GOING, I GUESS. ALRIGHT, SO MOVING ON TO, UH, WELL, ONE MORE THING UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS, I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THE TWO VACANT SPOTS MM-HMM . HAVE, HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY APPLICATIONS OR WHERE ARE WE WITH THAT? I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY APPLICATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED TO FILL THOSE VACANCIES IN THE PAST. UH, NOT SO LONG AGO WE ACTUALLY, UH, WENT OUT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SOUGHT TO RECRUIT PEOPLE. UH, WE PROBABLY NEED TO DO THAT AGAIN. AND KIND OF THINKING IN TERMS OF WHAT'S NOT REPRESENTED ON THIS, UH, COMMISSION. YEAH. THE, THE CITY HAS A MEDIA PERSON, UM, I CAN'T THINK OF HIS NAME. RYAN HUFFER. RYAN. YEAH. AND HE'S IN OUR, HE SITS IN OUR AREA IN HUMAN RESOURCES. OKAY. YEAH. I, YOU KNOW, I WOULD ASK HIM IF HE HAS THE BANDWIDTH TO DO YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, BUT ALSO IF HE COULD POST SOMETHING SAYING THAT YOU HAVE TWO OPENINGS AND LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, LET THE PUBLIC KNOW AND YOU CAN GET, UM, CAST A WIDER NET, I THINK YOU'LL GET, UM, BETTER APPLICANTS, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S POSTED ON THE CITY'S PAGE. UM, I WOULD THINK THAT HE WOULD DO THAT. UM, IF HE CAN'T MANAGE YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, I MEAN, I WOULD PUT, IF, IF I COULD HAVE PERMISSION TO, I WOULD POST FOR YOU GUYS LIKE THAT. IT'S AN EASY THING TO DO THAT I THINK YOU GUYS WOULD GET A LOT OF LIKE, BANG FOR YOUR BOOK OUT OF FACEBOOK. LIKE WHEN WE PUBLICIZE LIKE OUR FORUMS, WE GET GOOD ATTENDANCE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE KNOW ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF FACEBOOK. SO I WOULD DEFINITELY START WITH ASKING HIM. UM, BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY BE WILLING TO DO, IT WOULDN'T, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TIME TO JUST CLICK A, YOU KNOW, I CAN DO IT IN MY CAR AND JUST POST SOMETHING FOR YOU GUYS. LIKE, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO DO IT. UM, BUT I THINK YOU WOULD GET A LOT OUT OF IT. UM, SO, UH, SO YEAH, YOU CAN, UM, ASK RYAN AND LET ME KNOW, UM, WHAT HE, WHAT HE SAYS, BUT I WOULD START WITH LIKE ASKING HIM TO POST THOSE, UH, OPEN SEATS ON THE CITY'S, UH, FACEBOOK PAGE. OKAY. SO PERHAPS OUR CHAIR CAN ASK HIM. I MEAN, WHO NEEDS TO ASK HIM? OH, I MEAN, YEAH, I'M JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE. PENNY. I CAN ASK HIM. ALL RIGHT. . YEAH. I'M JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE. HE SITS RIGHT IN, IN OUR OFFICE. OKAY. SO I SEE HIM EVERY DAY. GOOD. AND THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING IN CASE HE DOESN'T WANT . YEAH, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU DO THAT. I I BARELY USE MY OWN FACEBOOK PAGE, SO I KNOW I WOULDN'T BE THE PERSON TO DO IT, BUT YES, THAT, UH, WE DEFINITELY NEED TO DO SOMETHING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA. WHO, WHO HAVE WE LOST? I KNOW WE LOST THE ONE LADY WHO'S HAD BACKGROUND IN, IN REAL ESTATE AND WHO ELSE DID WE LOSE? WE DID, DID, OH, OUR, OUR FORMER CHAIR. YEAH. OKAY. BUT WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER WHITE GUY. I THINK WE WERE TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE IN THE SPANISH, [00:50:02] UH, COMMUNITY. YES. YEAH. AND I MAYBE HAVE SOMEONE I THINK I MIGHT BE ABLE TO TALK TO, SO TO ENCOURAGE 'EM TO APPLY. RIGHT. BE SOMEONE A LITTLE BIT YOUNGER THAN US. I'M NOT, I'M NOT DISCRIMINATING , IT'S NOT AGE DISCRIMINATION, BUT YOU KNOW, MOST OF US ARE OVER 65 , INCLUDING ME, BUT . ALL RIGHT. SO NEW BUSINESS. IS THERE ANY NEW BUSINESS? THIS IS FRIVOLOUS, BUT UM, DO WE MAYBE WANT TO HAVE SOME KIND OF A LITTLE PARTY OR WHATEVER TO UH, ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, FRED'S, UH, SERVICE AND UH, UH, YOU KNOW, HIS RETIREMENT OR WHATEVER? YEAH, YEAH. THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. I WAS KIND OF THINKING ABOUT THAT TOO, THAT WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE HIM. SO, UM, I'LL LOOK INTO THAT. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU PENNY FOR LOOK, UH, LOOKING INTO THAT AND SHOULD HAVE ICE CREAM CAKE, . AND THAT, THAT BRINGS ME BACK TO A POINT THAT I WANTED TO, UH, SOMETHING I WANTED TO ASK WHEN, UH, I THINK COUNCILWOMAN CRUZ SAID SOMETHING ABOUT, UH, HAVING SESSIONS AND HAVING MAYBE REFRESHMENTS. OH, LUNCH AND LEARN. THAT'S WHAT IT WAS. DO WE KNOW WHAT OUR BUDGET IS? WELL, WE USED TO HAVE AN OUR OWN CHECKING ACCOUNT AND WE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT ANYMORE BECAUSE THAT WAS FOR THE MARTIN LUTHER KING ACTIVITIES. SO IT WOULD HAVE TO, I'D HAVE TO LOOK IN AT THE CITY'S BUDGET AND SEE ABOUT THE LINE ITEM THAT HAS BEEN ALLOCATED FOR HUMAN RELATIONS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER BUSINESS? IF NOT, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. I MOVE WE ADJOURN. SECOND. OKAY. AND ROLL CALL. MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER SCHLATER AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER KELLER. UM, WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO, UM, COMMISSIONER IBRAHIM AYE. COMMISSIONER KELLER? AYE. CHAIR GOODMAN AYE. COMMISSIONER SLE AYE. AND COMMISSIONER EER AYE. OKAY. WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU EVERYONE. WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH. TWO MORE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.