Human Relations Commission - July 16, 2020 Minutes
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Human Relations Commissioners of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held in the Commission Chambers at City Hall at 12:00 p.m., Thursday, July 16, 2020.
The Human Relations Commissioners present or absent were as follows:
Present: Matuor Alier, Cheryl Schaefle, Adam Martin, Barry Nelson, Hamida Dakane, Cody Severson
Absent: Abdiwali Sharif-Abdinasir, Laetitia Hellerud
Item 1. Welcome and Introductions
Chair Nelson welcomed Members to the meeting and introductions were made.
Item 2. Approve Order of Agenda
Chair Nelson proposed an amendment to the Agenda to add an Item prior to Item 9 – Presentation by Jim Shaw regarding the renaming of Woodrow Wilson High School.
Member Schaefle moved the Order of Agenda be approved as amended. Second by Member Alier. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 3. Approve Order of Minutes
Member Alier moved the minutes of the June 18, 2020 Human Relations Commission meeting be approved as presented. Second by Member Severson. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 4. Reflections on June 18 Public Comment and Next Steps
Chair Nelson thanked those that appeared at the June 18 meeting and noted that discussion prompted a large number of conversations going forward. He noted honest conversations have taken place and one issue that has stood out to him was the conversation on what kind of training was needed for law enforcement and other parts of our City. He stated the importance of that conversation to continue.
Chair Nelson noted that equipment for Police Officers (body cams) is a topic in the current budget talks.
He shared that work will be happening to organize committees and subgroups to work within the community.
Item 5. Statement of Intent and Agreement (“WeAreOne”)
Wess Philome and Ritchell Aboah, representatives of OneFargo, provided an overview of the Statement of Intent that was drafted by the City with input from OneFargo. Mr. Philome noted the main purpose of it being committing to having leaders meet on a consistent basis, creating dialogue, and striving for a more inclusive community in Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead. This will also show accountability in the community.
Mr. Philome explained the background of the name update to WeAreOne.
Member Dakane inquired if Black Lives Matter and OneFargo were included in the selection of the Police Chief Selection Committee.
Ms. Aboah stated that OneFargo was not included in the conversation of picking the committee.
Faith Dixon, Black Lives Matter, stated they were not included either.
Member Martin clarified the main things OneFargo is looking for with the Statement of Intent is transparency and clarity with reports.
Member Alier moved to endorse and recommend to the City Commission approval of the Statement of Intent and Agreement proposed by WeAreOne. Second by Member Dakane. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Member Severson noted in the reporting section that he would like to see concrete timelines included in the agreement.
Item 6. 2020 Human Relations Commission Work Plan
Chair Nelson provided an overview of the background and process to develop the Human Relations Commission work plan. He noted this plan will continue to encourage community input, and that the plan has been shared with the OneFargo and Black Lives Matter groups.
Member Schaefle moved to approve the Human Relations Commission work plan as presented. Second by Member Martin. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Chair Nelson reminded each commissioner of their commitment to one of the priority areas in the work plan to focus one. He asked each commissioner to connect with City staff on which area they will focus on.
Item 7. Sponsorship Requests
a. JoyFest
Faith Dixon, Faith4Hope, provided a background of the JoyFest event scheduled for July 25 from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Island Park. She noted the request is for $940.
Member Dakane noted concern regarding protection measures that will be in place for the event due to COVID-19.
Ms. Dixon stated masks, social distancing, and sanitizer will be present and they will be following CDC (Center for Disease Control) guidelines.
Member Alier questioned if a sponsorship cap was in place for the Board to approve funding.
Director of Planning and Development Nicole Crutchfield and Assistant Planner Karin Flom, stated funding is available in the Human Relations Commission budget to accommodate the request.
Member Martin questioned if this request will be reoccurring or a one-time sponsorship.
Ms. Dixon noted this will be a one-time request, but the event will be an annual event.
Member Dakane moved to approve the $940 sponsorship request for the JoyFest event. Second by Member Martin. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
b. Liberian Independence Day
Chair Nelson noted that a sponsorship request was received from the United Liberian Association of North Dakota for an event to be held on July 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Johnson Park.
Ritchell Aboah and Augustine Zulu spoke on behalf of the request, noting they are requesting $1000. They shared that the Liberian community has been hit hard due to COVID-19 and this event will bring joy. Ms. Aboah gave an overview of protection measures that will be in place for the safety of attendees.
Discussion was held on the details of the event and number of expected attendees.
Member Martin inquired about the Board’s history of approving sponsorship funding without an attached budget.
Ms. Crutchfield noted that Mr. Zulu presented an overview of the event budget to City staff, and that staff has worked with the group on the amount of the request. She also provided an overview of the sponsorship process, and shared that work is being done to establish a more clear guidance for sponsorship requests.
Member Schaefle moved to approve the $1000 sponsorship request for the Liberia Independence Day event. Second by Member Alier. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Chair Nelson noted that the Human Relations Commission would have a booth at both events.
Item 8. 2020-21 Chair and Vice Chair Elections
Chair Nelson noted that his term as chair has ended, and elections are needed for a new Chair and Vice-Chair for the Human Relations Commission. He shared the Member Alier has been recommended by the nominating committee to serve as Chair and Member Severson as Vice Chair.
Member Schaefle moved to approve Member Alier as Chair, and Member Severson as Vice Chair. Second by Member Dakane.
Member Dakane inquired if these recommendations were discussed with all Board Members.
Member Martin requested the vote for each position to be done separately.
Member Schaefle moved to appoint Member Alier to serve as the Chair of the Human Relations Commission. Second by Member Severson. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Member Schaefle moved to appoint Member Severson as Vice-Chair of the Human Relations Commission. Second by Member Alier. Majority of Members present voted aye. Member Martin voted nay. The motion was declared carried.
Added Agenda Item – Jim Shaw presentation
Jim Shaw gave a presentation regarding our Nation coming to grips with racism. He noted areas of the country recently have been removing images of the confederate flag, renaming professional sports teams, and schools removing names of known racists. He stated that recently Princeton University removed the name of Woodrow Wilson from its Public Policy School.
Mr. Shaw noted that Fargo has a high school named after Woodrow Wilson and he is asking the Board to go on record to ask for the removal of his name. He provided an overview of Woodrow Wilson’s racist background and stated that Fargo needs to stand on the right side of history.
Mr. Shaw asked the Board to make a stand in our community.
Ms. Aboah thanked Mr. Shaw for his presentation, and noted that a name change has great meaning.
Member Severson stated he is in support of the removal of the name, and hopes that we can rename all the schools in the area named for oppressive figures.
Ms. Dixon stated that Black Lives Matter wanted to address this issue as well. She wants voices to be heard, and children to be raised to know who people are and what they stand for.
Rebecca Knutson, Fargo Board of Education President, spoke noting there is a meeting June 23 at 7:30 a.m., of the Governance Committee. She shared the purpose of the group is to help decide items that move on to the agendas for the regular school board meetings, and the policy deciding school naming will be discussed. She noted that if there were a consensus at that meeting, then the discussion would be moved on to the larger board level.
Precious Dwah spoke for the New American and Immigrant Community. She stated there are issues when it comes to sponsorship. She noted equipment is needed to help with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but that funding has not been able to be secured to obtain the equipment. She wanted to the Board to know that frustration is occurring due to not being able to secure loans or funding for grassroots organizations and help is needed.
Member Alier noted that the New American and Immigrant Community did reach out to the City and United Way of Cass and Clay County when the pandemic happened. He stated that the City partnered with United Way and about six New Americans were hired and are working out of the Somalian Community Development Center to cover different languages in the City. He noted a grant is in the process for New American businesses and more information can be obtained through him or Ms. Crutchfield.
Ms. Crutchfield noted Ms. Dwah could connect with her.
Member Alier moved to recommend to the Fargo Public Schools to remove the Woodrow Wilson name from the Fargo Public School facility. Second by Member Schaefle.
Discussion continued on the recommendation to remove the Woodrow Wilson name from the Fargo Public School facility.
Member Severson inquired if the Governance Committee meeting is open to the public. Ms. Knutson noted that currently meetings have been held via Zoom for the committee meetings and the Fargo School Board meetings have been held in person. She shared that comments for the Board can be submitted to her or any of the other school board members, and that all of the School Board Members email addresses are available on the Fargo School District’s website.
Member Dakane inquired if discussion will be held on the recent hire of the Director of Diversity of Equity Position. She would like to see it on the Agenda.
Ms. Knutson stated any comments, concerns, or questions the public may have that relates to the business of the Fargo School District can contact the Administration and School Board Members directly. She noted regular school board meetings are open to the public, but there are a few current challenges due to COVID-19 and space constraints.
Chair Nelson noted that a motion and second has been made to recommend to the Fargo Public Schools to remove the Woodrow Wilson name from the Fargo Public School facility. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 9. Old Business
a. Juneteenth Holiday Discussions Update
Chair Nelson stated at the June 18 Human Relations Commission meeting, a motion was made to carry forth efforts to create a Juneteenth as a holiday within the City of Fargo. He noted that Senator Tim Mathern is bringing forth a bill to the North Dakota Legislature to declare Juneteenth as a state holiday as well.
Senator Tim Mathern read his proposed bill to the Board. He noted that he is looking for political support of the measure and stated the Legislative session begins in January.
b. HRC Appointment to Police Chief Selection Committee
Chair Nelson noted that Member Alier will be serving on the committee as the representative from the Human Relations Commission, and that a meeting is being held today, July 16 at 2:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers.
Item 10. Public Comment - Citizens to be Heard
Chair Nelson noted a recent Supreme Court ruling, which covers sexual orientation and gender identity to now be covered under Section XII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He stated as of June 15 it is also protected under the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights. Individuals who feel they have been discriminated against can now file a complaint.
Faith Dixon, Black Lives Matter, wants to address the prone restraint. She provided an overview of what the prone restraint is. She requested the Fargo Police Department to move to ban this type of restraint as well.
Member Alier absent.
Ms. Dixon additionally noted they will be working with Fargo Public Schools regarding the recent hiring for the position of Director of Diversity of Equity. She stated there are many questions to be answered. She requests the Human Relations Commission to look into the matter, as it is an issue the community wants answers on.
Wess Philome noted OneFargo was not aware that the vote on banning chokeholds would be happening at the last City Commission meeting. He stated that the chokehold should be banned outright without any exceptions. He would like to see both topics to be discussed. Mr. Philome provided a brief overview of the difference between a chokehold and prone restraint.
Member Martin noted that this has been a hot topic and there is a lot of fear in the community. He would like a survey done on when and who chokeholds have been used, to identify trends and total numbers. He stated that there needs to be momentum and we need to start outlawing things that create hostile environments.
Mr. Philome shared about an event from his past regarding a traffic stop. He stated a study needs to be done also on “stopped by” demographics. He wants to see if our local law enforcement has a racial bias, and if it is happening, what we can do to get that corrected.
Chair Nelson noted the meeting packet contains a document listing the concerns that were voiced at the June Human Relations Commission meeting. He stated gathering data is important and to know what we are dealing with.
**NOTE: The following below remark was not heard at the meeting, but was received via telephone call during the meeting.
Victoria Johnson called and wanted to ask the Human Relations Commission if the data (numbers and percentages) of minority children and Native American children being sent to the juvenile justice center through the school system could be released to the public. She said she was interested to see this data.
Item 11. Announcements
Chair Nelson noted that Member Sharif-Abdinasir was unable to attend today’s meeting due to a funeral.
Ms. Dixon shared that Black Lives Matter received many complaints regarding the hiring of the Director of Diversity of Equity Position, and why people of color were not called back for an interview. She questioned why other people of color were not chosen or even offered an interviewed. She noted concerns of how diversity could be taught when there is a lack of it present.
Member Dakane shared that she personally knew an applicant for the position. She stated there is an issue of getting people of color in the schools, and action needs to be taken.
Ms. Dixon also shared additional details regarding the use of prone restraints.
Chair Nelson ask the Board if there is an action they would like to take regarding the hiring of the Director of Diversity of Equity Position with the Fargo Public Schools.
Member Dakane moved to write a letter to the Fargo Public Schools noting the public has concerns, how to slow down the process, and to reopen the position to give people of color a second chance. Second by Member Severson. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
City Commissioner John Strand extended his thanks to Chair Nelson for his time served as the Chair of the Human Relations Commission.
Item 12. Adjourn
The time at adjournment was 1:33 p.m.