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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes 2000EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday, November 29, 2000 7:00 P.M. - Room 2402 APPROVED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Hollis Settles -Chair; Hallie Rosen; Jason Aehal, Michael Cervantes, Leo Kirwan, Barry Slavis, Leonard Stein, Nancy Bailey and Mavis Hagemann STAFF PRESENT: Paula A. Haynes, Dorothy Thrower, Michael Redmond, Lisa Allen and Rafael Molinary GUESTSNISITORS: Tom Sullivan -Evanston Ecumenical Action Council; An)a Cordell; Dr. Jeoff Cordell; Mary Gavin -Evanston RoundTable Newspaper; Josh Beckin and Francasen Di Brolo — Parliament of World Religions in Rogers Park (PWR-Chicago) Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. 1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared. it, INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS The visitors introduced themselves. 'Tom Sullivan is a member of the Evanston Ecumenical Action Council (EEAQ; Anya Cordell and Dr. Jeoff Cordell are residents of Evanston/Skokie, Josh Beckin and Francasen Di Broto arc members of Parliament of World Religions in Rogers Park/Chicago; and Mary Gavin is the Editor of the RoundTable Newspaper. Ili. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 25, 2000 MINUTES The following corrections µerr made to the October 25, 2000 minutes: Commissioner Stein asked for a clarification on Page 2, item b., relative to the word usage of "Committee" and "sub-committec". According to the By -Laws, the minutes shall reflect that the correct word usage should be "Committee". Chair Settles referred to Page 6, paragraph 1, where Commissioner Stein moved to accept the proposed budget that was submitted by Ms. Baynes. His concern was whether a majority of the Commissioners voted to approve the budget. Ms. flaymes recounted the discussion and concerns on October 25°i that were presented by the Commissioners. As a result of that discussion, a motion was made by Commissioner Stein and approved by the majority of the Commissioners present, to accept the budget as presented to them by his. Haynes. Chair Settles referred to Page 5 µhere there was a discussion regarding the audit and asked Ibis. Haynes to give the Commissioners an update as to what the Commission's position andlor response would be in the event an audit does take place. Ms. Haynes stated that one audit has commenced and is ongoing. She stated that she would not dicuss the current findings thus far with the Commission because, as she has previously stated, it would be inappropriate to share such information prior to any hcaring(s) as they may be the ones to hear the case. There were no further corrections or comments regarding the minutes. Commissioner Stein moved to accept the October 25, 2000 minutes tvith the noted corrections: Commissioner Rosen scvconded the motion which %as unanimously approved. IV. AGENDA ITEiIS x HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES November 29, 2000 = Page2 of '9 a. Ku Klux Klan Rally Fallowing are summarized statements from the visitors who attended the meeting and presented their issueg`uunccros to the Commissioners regarding the upcoming Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rally-_ This rally will take place in Skokie on Saturday. December 16' , from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Skokie Court House. Comments and/or discussion from the Commissioners are also summarized. Tom Sullivan, Evanston Ecumenical Action Council (EEAC) Mr. Sullivan stated that EEAC is a coalition offfny congregations w-.thin Evanston who have a variety of agendas. When EEAC became aware of the KKK's request jar a permit to march in SL-)kie, naturally thtt7e stus concern bec=se the actions of the KKK litre other hate groups, have targeted minorities - spec:srcalh• African Americans and the Jewish population. After the Interfaith service an Thanksgiving night, Senator Jrnr Scha"-:s h• and some other individuals asirzd EEAC if they would consider facilitating and coordinating an effort to respond to tine rally. EEAC agrL d to this request and met for three hours last Saturdz, where they discussedoptions; the meeting eroded wish an agreement to boycott the actual march and have an alternative location for a positive rally within Evanston to support the residents of Skokie. Afr. Sulln•an stated that subsequent to that. other individuals have conveyed their support, can erns and issues. He talked with Raj+bi Peter Noble who would like to see some people at the Skokie court house to cr:.r front the KKK, letting them know where the faith community- stands when evil abounds. Other individuals feel there should be an alternate rally at a dperer t location. On Tuesday night, Sovember 28th, Mr. Sullivan presented a cable tV program entitled.- Cler&--j, on Call, which is sponsored by EEAC. David Osicndorf, Ereeutive Director and Founder of the Center for Nett• Community its Chicago, who storks truth groups to address.'respond to the issues of hater appeared on that program. His position is that there needs to be visibility at the site but there should also be art alternate site for a positive rally. Mr. Sullivan staled that EEAC's nest planning meeting wdl take place on Saturday, December 2nd at the First Presbyterian Church. Als. Cordell, Reverend Dr Hycel Taylor. Bennett Johnson, and individuals from other religious instrutians, inchrding a representative of the cicrgv from Skokie have been invited to attend this rally. EEAC's go alldesire is to mount a crass racial/religious response to the Klan s march Mr. Sullivan staled that Second Baptist Church has been offered as a possible site for a simultaneous rally for the communin•. Commissioner Stein risked .Ile Sullivan if he knew what the Skokie : ommu ntty plans to do regrading the Alan "larch and if there is a reason svhy Evanston should play a role: in this event.' Mr Sullivan stated that the Skokie community• is having a peace and harmotty rill), at 3: 00 p.m. ore Sund ty, Drcember I th C++ere njtJ>L• clrurcii�-s tt-ilh j,1vn from 1 !io to ,, f10 p.m. while they march is taking place for either prayer, diafague, e:: He stated that hick%• Birdsonq 'Aas killed in the Evanston,Skokie area and hate has no boundaries; if one would leak at this matter from a regional standpoint, the rsco communities should support each other and this is whey EEAC is im-olve�d Atr. Sullivan staled that EF-4C uauld ltke to collaborate with the Evanston Human Relations Commission since their role is to look at human rights and discrimination; EEAC would like their support either through publicity or by stater-ents of supporl. Commissioner Cervantes arked ,ifr. Sullivan if he could share the ra3v discussions that he has been involved in, w:th regard to the plus and minuses ofshosving up at the rally versus ignoring it' Mr Sullivan stated that according to ilfrOstendorf, there are negative implications for individuals itho oppose the Klan or other hate groups when they .show t.-ti at rallies such as this one. Individuals find that is that it is very difficulifor them to contain their emotions once lite rhetnri` &-gins; they react either verbally or physically. The posits a side is to have and. ermte sight for expressions but to also have a religious presence at rallies so that individuals will not feel isolated or tha: there is a lack of support He stated trix he would like to have a controlled disciplined group in Skokie, possibly the clergy, and an alternative group as a pasilive crp suton of to hat can happen in a community. Chair Settles asked Mr. Sullivan if EEAC has discussed having a unity rally prior to Saturday. December loth as opposed to Sunday, December 17tht? F fie stated that he was been informed a member i f the Skokie Human Re 1a--;: ,>s Commission that they intend to hold a rally on Sunday and will fortiard am•Jii-:her information or instructions to the Zransron Human Relations Commission. Afr. Sullivan stater! that EEAC ►will prof+ab: sir port the events theft it ill We place „a StirUn- after �ql x HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES, November 29, 2000 Page 3 of 9 the KKK rally but there has been some discumon to have a presence at the rally There ir concern regarding ho-w•dirc*41ned individuals will he and what kind of training is required when the KKK is being confronted Commissioner Rosen stated that she does nce believe the typical response from those who protest the Klan throw tricks, but rather, they limit their attendance to m=:-hing; there are afew rebels who might react differently. If more than thirty Alansmen shoe• that nivuld be a surprise. She asked Afr. Sullivan if he had information regarding this type of beharrrrr and has the Southern Poverty Lane Center or the .4nii-Defamation League been contacted since they are the organ—cation-•r that monitor hate groupslactivities, to find out %fiat the responses are at a rally? She stated that her position is daft the Commission should have a corresponding ralh� while the Klan's program is taking place. Mr. Sullivan reiter=ed Rabbi Xoble's thoughts about the Alan when they came to Evanston ni n{y}ears ago u here mam• holocaust survivor reticle; some very strong feelings uvre displayed through action. He stated that historically the outcome of these rallies de; -end on the audience and what the Klan is doing. .tits. Haynes stated that whether there is one, one hundred or a thousand Klansmen, their beliefs and conducts are offirssive because it defies what most people believe in and stand for in their communities_ She stated that communication of non - tolerance will not only be sent to members of the KKK but also to those youthj•oung adults who find this type of behn-ior attractive and alluring. She stated that twvo issues need to be addressed.- (1) What is the purpose of the Klan coming to Skokie? And, (2) What is the motivation and purpose of EE.4C. the Commission and the community for responding to the march? Commissioner Stavin stated that he helie yes that airy time there If an opportunity to oppose hate crimeslltate groups people should take it. Commissioner Nehal stated that when it comes to community standards people have to be twilling to stand up for those standards or accept it -hat other people are going to impose upon others In violation of those standards. He stated that it could be about hate or anything else that is offensive as it relates to people or their communities; he believes a major and appropriate response is always fustifted Commissioner llagemann stated that she remembers when the KKK came to Evanston r►eeniv years ago it, eras not a good experience and it was not a good message; too many people attended the march and there were too many responses. Jeff Cordell Air. Cordell stated that given the events which hm•e occurred in EvarmonlSkokie, it concerns him that the tillage of Wilmette a not involved in the issue regarding the KKK. He stated that this is not just a SkokiclEvanston concern because it hat to do nvith the way the community is responding and is seen on a global basis. Commissioner Kirwan staled that he believes the Village of Wilmette's reason for not being involved in the KKK issue u the belief that: " if they do not look ai it, it will go attav". Ile feels when any group that fosters hate, in whatever shape ex form, there should be a wa'v to shows- the children At fro are our future), that het cannot let this happen. but, there should he no violence to put and end to this r)pe r f action. The Human Relations Commission should be a group that supports counter action in a non violent form. He ,stuffed that it is his hope ro foster ere same support from all of the surrounding communities to show that acts of haired are not wanted in their neiglthorhoods. He also stared that a plan of action should be adopted and implemented if the Commission agrees with him. Josh Beckin Mr, Beckln stated that he is an organizer wvith the Parliament of World orld Religions in Rogers Park (Chicago). He stated that they ►+ere successftd in forming a rally after the Benjamin Smith incident when senvnteen different religious communities brought approximately nine hundred people together. Otte month ago there was a day long event entitled. Pathways To Peace celebrated diversi(y, richness and peace making efforts in the Rogers Park community: These ts►b rallies were very succe:ssfid and are the products of )cars and)tars ofhard work and organising ilia community. Responding to hate groups HUMAN RELATIONS CO.%Lx1ISSION Mi,LiJTES November 29. 2000 Page 4 of 9 cannot be juju from the clergy The txnw c f urkArsrzmJmg and breaking acraxr boundaries involves everyone— BAwks, !)'bites, Jews. Crrutianu, ,1luslii+u, etc Mr. Beckin ur±isad the Commission to take more of an integrated approach to this issue and not lrmi at it as just one Ln U nt and hope.!!: r it %ill he the ongoing work of the Human Relations Ce4mmitiion. Chair Settles briefly referred to f-ri-vious imle gniuF sppearanceslevents 11-.at hive affected the 5kokie/ErcrwQn communities duraig the past ru enr. -,ears He st.:ria that such incidents hnr been discussed in various group meetings,'dinner.s that hrnte taAen pl x— in E►unston and Litt• surrounding communists anr4 he agrm is-ith Comrrstt i-arter Kirwan s previout remarks regard:r.-g the C ommissivn't intent. Anya Carddl Sls. Cordell recalled Matthew lla:e 's vi.stt to NU in Fehruary 2000, The response of the President of NU and she Evanston Human Relations Commasifjn wru a call for a fin},colt ivith the hopes bast a lack ofattention wouldmn e his visit and that he an/his members would go away, ha ►+river, that did not happen. She stated that when she =Mcd frith some members of the clergy, they indicated that tfn' isrre told not to get irwolved because it was an a me. When lllutthc►v Hale didshow tip, a sunultanrous meeting was also taking place on campus that nut comprised of arery sincerestudents. ho►ivver, the media did not cover that ,netting and thLy will not attend any alternative meeting; they reported on Hale's visit and will do the same at the KKK meeting in Skokie. Afr Cordell slated that she believes the KKK should he confronted ssrith dacipline: perhaps a rally should be held earlier on Saturday, December lr}h promolinrs; non -violence that it -ill attract a younger au.: �cnce and other individuals is-ho have the same beliefs. At the request of Chair Settles as to how the Evanston Human Relations Commission should respond to this ime, Commissioner Kirmun moved that the Commission publicly state, via newspaper, etc., that it /the Commission) does not support the KKK's march however, it does supper free speech. There was additional discussion to clarify Commissioner Kirwan es motion regarding the Commiuion's position as an official body; i.e., free speech and min: is coverage, as opposed to individual responsibility. As a result of this discussion Commissioner Kirwan deferred his motion. Commis.siuner Rosen inoved that the Evanston Commission send a letter or statement to all communityentiries and place an ud in the mess-spapers, stating that the Human Relations Commission and the Citv of Evanston abhor she fact that the KKK a marching in Skokie and, if more information is required t&-s• may contact EEACforfurrher in fnrmcitionr regarding u c ouiucr raj'.; Commissioner S:— in seconded the motion There were additional comments to clarify the motion on the floor. Commissioner Cervantes moved that Commissioner Rrsen's original motion be amended to include the following languuge: "The Huniritt Relations Commission and the Cin• of Evanston supports owry citizen's involvement in the following activities which suits their awn objectives flat all of the rally locations to Skokie and Evanston), and that every citizen make their mvii judgement as to ►shish one thiq should attend" The motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirism and unmronv asly approved IVA the motion being unanimously approved by the Ccmmission. staff stur directed to draft language in the form of a letter or .statement that ivill reflect the views of the Corn mission without any liability. This document will be marled to churches, .syttvgoieucsircligioii.s institutions, businesses, and coninirinin• organisations/agencies in Evanston. Chair Settles, Commissioners and staff thanked all of the visitors for their attendance and comments. Commissioner Kirwan had to leave the meeting. b. Residential landlord and Tenant Ordinance i11s. I laynes thanked all of the Commissioners who were present at the November 20, 2000, public hearing «here Line X I X HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES November 29, 2000 Page 5 of 9 recommended Amendments to :he Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) were discussed She stinted that out of twenty-one speakers or]y three were tenants: the others were landlords/property managers. The furndiords indicated that they are being av�=-regulated by the RLTO. the Property Maintenance cod= zoning, and buildi-mr codes. Currently the Planning and Development (P._D) Committre has sent the proposed RLTO revisions back to thtrmuman Relations Commission for further work. lltc P&D CorrLmittee requested that meetings be planned for landl' ds and tenants to come up with provisi-.m the)' all can live w ith. Nis. Haynes slat,-d that she believes the RLTO will be enforced once there is an agreement wir:.'r language. She and staff have discussed creating two discussion groups; erne with tenants and one with landlords to address their issues and'oc concerns. Several landlords s=-d they will not p irxieipate in the Section 8 Program, while there were a number of landlords whose tenants are all Sectic--i 8 tenants. Bera=,e there are divergent groups of landlords in Evanston, the discussion group should include the participation of cross &eetion of landlords/property managers. She stated that some tirr. shortly after the first of the new yesr, the discussion groups should be assembled to hear what those individuals have to say and, information that was heard at the public bcaring should be factored into the too groups. One of the primary concerns from landlords was the eighrer-a page Con ditioriNcritication Analysis form; their interpretation of information on the form was taken out of conte.tL The form was developed primarily as a tool for landlords when they rent to tenants and marry of the items listed were there as protective measures for the landlords. Ms. Haynes stated that she was very disturbed by the fact that during the hearing, no one mentioned that tenants would also be cited and fined and no one raised the fact that the amendments and the RLTO are party neutral. Commissioner Slavis asked his. Haynes iFany time was given to the Commissioners or staff to discuss the reascm for the amendments? Ms. Haynes staled that staff did not respond to any of the comments from the speakers as to why the amendments are being recommended to the RLTO and typically, testimony.is given at public hearings. Commissioner Slavis stated that perhaps if staff had explained the reasons for the amendments there might not have been so much dissension from the landlords. Ms. Haynes stated that the public hearing was not the proper forum for staff to respond to testimony and that is why it is important to conduct the discussion groups. Commissioner Stein stated that it appears to him that because the amendments were written in legal form, staff/Commissioners are encountering some difiicultics with them; perhaps this is the reason for much of the misunderstanding (i.e.. the amendments) that took place at the public hearing, fie stated that with regard In the discussion groups, it is important for individuals in each croup to address their concerns separately, including the consequences if changes are made that will affect either the landlord or tenant, and a set of recommendations should come out of the two meetings. Fie asked if it is possible to re -write the draft for the amendments? Mr. Molinary stated that if the recommended amendments are re -written in away that is not consistent with the original language- and written in less than legal terminology, he believes that the corporation counsel who have already approved the amendments as presented will have io re --write the entire RLTO in more understandable language. Commissioner Cervantes stated that he did not attend the public hearing. Fie asked Ms. Haynes what would make the provisions acceptable? 1 le stated that what fie read in the newspaper as being a primary issue at the hearing was The landlords do not believe that the Commission is un-biased and it has to do something to addresses this perception. Mr. Molinary stated that since he assisted in writing: the amendments he would like to respond to Commissioner Cervantes' question. I le stated that prior to the public hearing on November 20'. Ms. Haynes. Ms. Allen and he, met with two members from the Evanston Property Oyvner•s Association (EPOA). He initially assumed that the 'individuals wanted to meet in good faith regarding the recommended amendments but it was clear that they wanted to neutralize any movement whatsoever for chances in the RLTO. The EPOA members argued very stronvh' that the Commission did not have the authority to enact the law in the first place and that it should have no control over the RLTO. He scZed that they came to the meeting with an agenda that was heavily laden to discredit the cited antidotal evidence which w-as totally unsupported and, to misinterpret the la%y to derail the changes. l le stated that it is his belief that if any one 11-wm EPOA attend the discussion group, one can expect that their focus will be to stop any chaw,es or block any enforcer:=t mechanisms or maybe rescind the RLTO. Commissioner Fiagemann asked his. Haynes if the adjudication process would allow staff to assess fines for viol-6 ers X HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES.. November 29, 2000 Page 6 of 9 of the RLTO? Ms. Haynes responded that staff will not have the right to assess fines. The adjudication procest� utlows staff' to issue a ticket that will parallel the fee tines for Property Standards; the adjudicator will determine the fine amount based on the violation_ When the violator is cited, he/she will receive an "S" Ticket which will identify the violation and the associated fine_ If the violator does not agree with the citation he/she has the right to a hcariiiW. where the matter will be adjudicated_ Chair Settles stated that he was present at the meeting i%here the Planning and Development Committee instrututed the Human Relations Commission to plan a meeting for landlords and tenants which resulted in the public hewing on November 20s . He stated that %.th regard to the amendments and the RLTO, the landlords are not going to rndorse any amendments to the existing RLTO. As far as they are concerned, there has been no regulation or enforcesment to it that they prefer. Once the legal language has been assembled that is concurrent with the. the political realit..- has to be dealt with which is, the Commission is trying to sell a piece of legislation. He stated that since the public (hearing, he has heard that landlords are going to fight the proposed amendments and since tenants had very little repre:santation at the public hearing, they (landlords) will paint the Commission as an advocacy group for tenants. If the Comhmission does not change that perception- the RLTO will never be legislated into taw. He also stated that another perception amongst the landlords is that the Human Relations staff is "running rough shod" with the legislation. He srhncd that the only way to address these perceptions is for the Commissioners and staff to go through the RLTO for a win -win situation that benefits both the landlords and tenants; and, they need to determine how the amendments may be -ATitten so that they do not appear one-sided. The political reality at this time is that the landlords are in control and flu.-e is no tenant advocacy in the community that offer any resistance to the landlords. Chair Settles stated that for whatever reason the amendments are being proposed, they have to be sold to the political entity that is going to pass Chem. Ms. Haynes stated that she was truly disappointed that not one Commissioner who was attended the public bearing addressed the fact that the amz-sdmenWRLTO are party neutral. She stated that Commissioner Nehal was die only one who addressed some personal experiences he was encountering with his landlord and how the Human 1lations Commission had successfully assisted him. Commissioner Cervantes suggested that each Commissioner meet with their individual Alderman and provide hirrAcr with data, if necessary, regarding the recommended legislation and explain the Commission's position. He stated that community pressure could also help. Commissioner Nehal stated that he noticed at the public hearing there was a reluctance on the part of tenants to give testimony and, that there was a definite bias from the landlords ►s ho spoke. He feels the comments were arr:—zenant, not just anti -tenant in terms of their business relationships but by some of the comments that were made which were anti -diversity. Commissioner Stein stated that he talked with one Alderman a month ago who mentioned the upcoming public 'hearing and stated that he (Commissioner Stein), would likely see a lot of opposition. I le stated that what was inn:7rsting to him is that die same Alderman who after the public hearing, made the motion that the entire legislation be returned to die Commission for further study. As he indicated in previous remarks, Commissioner Stein stated &at he is absolutely convinced that the µording in the amendments is conducive to the kinds of mis-understandings tt= were articulated at the public hearing. He asked 141s. Haynes if the Row chart regarding the Adjudication Process t-an staff prepared is in violation and contradictory with the original RLTO? He suggested that it be included with the amendments if not. Ms. Haynes responded dial the original RLTO does not provide for any enforcement meu^anisms other than "pattern of practice" and "illegal evictions". The flow chart designates what is in the amendments for the purpose of enforceability. She stated that it was initially designed for the Human Relations staffs'Commissiori rs first meeting with the Planning and Development Committee, to illustrate how the amendments would work; it has no relevance to the current RLTO. Commissioner Cervanles requested that staff return to the January, 2001 meeting wits a summary of whatwas dLgcussed at this meeting and, what their plans are for addressing the next level of action on the legislation Tor the Commissioners. rd HiiMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES November 29, 2000 Page 7 of 9 Chair Settles stated that it is absolutely necessary for the Commission to present word for word legislation if necessary, and the true meanings and interpretation of the amendments that will go back to P&D and the Council, to avoid another public hearing or a committee meeting that is stacked in favor of the landSord. Commissioner Slavis stated that with regard to Commissioner Cervantes' suggestive that the Commissioners talk or meet with their individual Alderman regarding the amendments, he does not feel thata he is sufficiently prepared to do so because he has never been briefed on the amendments. his. Haynes stated that prior to the last there appointed Commissioners, she and staff reviewed/discussed line by line, each amendment cf the RLTO at the August 2000 meetinrt. She stated that briefing sessions could be scheduled for the new Commissioners as a one on cac basis or as a group. Shc stated that based on the different issues/comments that were subm aed by different [aadlords at the public hearing, tenant issues will also be different. The discussion group for landlords should consist of landlords who represent the various levels and types of properties. Chair Settles stated that there has to be a showing that if legislation is directed at a certain group(s), the% should have knowledge of such so that they may respond to it. Ms. Haynes stated that prior to the public hearing. notices were placed in the Evanston Review and the Roundiahle newspapers, informing land:ordslenants that: 'trite City of Evanston's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance will be the subject of a special meeting of the Planning and Development Committee of the Evanston City CounciL Amendments have been proposed that Include a provision for enforcement that could result In the issuance of tickets) and ftne(s) should tither part), (landlord or tenant) violate predetermined sections of the Ordinance. Come and volce your opinions and concerns. If you rent or own rental propertp your atrendance is a trtrtstl" The date, time and place of the meeting was included. She stated that one of the reasons the hearing was televised is because she wanted to refer to the video and the transcript. Staff is planning is to review them and respond to each and every issue that was raised. By doing so they should be able to provide documentation to refute, affirm/ confirm comments that were made, even though some did not address Vecific issues that went beyond landlord/tenant issues. C. Strategic Plan Commissioner Cervantes deferred the Strategic Plan until the January 24, 2001 meeting. d. Holiday Gathering Ms. Haynes offered to prepare food for the Commissioners at her home. It was agreed that each Commissioner would assist with this expense by providing her with Twenty -Five Dollars each which will include the attendance of their spouse. It was agreed that the dinner will take place on Sunday, December I r at 7:00 p.m. V. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update Paula A. llaynes Ms. Haynes reported the following activities: • Participated in interviews for the Public Relations person that the City is hiring; • Housing issues continue to be addressed on a daily basis aside from landlord/tenant Le., affordable housing; she and staff has a been working with a group that have two elected officials, Schakowsky and Hamos, who are addressing ways to better serve the Section 8 tenants and the landlords who serve them; ♦ Continue to work with the Task Force on Civility and Violence; ♦ Ms. Haynes and staff met with the staff from Information Systems because the City is finally going to have a web page and each department was asked to indicate the type of information they wanted on it; HU)L,LAN RELATION'S COMMISSION MINUTES November 29, 2000 Page S of 9 *Therewere 65 walk -its during the past month and 135 clients; and Corrvinue to be involved in budget issues. Ms. l ia}nes showed the Commissioners the new City vehicle sticker for Evanston that has the logo of the CaamUNITY picnic on it. b. Committee Reports 1. Education Commissioner Rosen stated that the Education Committee did not have a report. 2. Housing Ms. Haynes stated that since Commissioner Bradford's tenure has ended, Commissioner Bailey is the ocily member on the Housing Committee. She stated that the proposed RLTO amendments came from the Housing Cot=im:c and staff` and the committee members should work on them together. Commissioner Bailey stated that she will remain on the Housing Committee; Commissioners Nehal and Slavis volunteered to sit on this Committee. 3. Executive The Executive Committee did not have a report. C. FY 2001-02 CDBG Budget Update Ms. Haynes stated that the Fair Housing Program will be funded at the current year's level of funding, S77,?00, which is snort of what was proposed, even with the removal otthe 5100,000. The balance of the proposed amount (not inchiding the S 100.000) will have to come from the general fund. The City Manager and the Budget Director are in the process of finalizing the budget submissions, which will go to Council before January Ist; deliberations will begin afterwards. Nls. Haynes stated that she will keep the Commissioners apprised of the meetings should they wish to attend them. The budget has to be approved by the fast day of February; the fiscal year begins Mares 1, 2001. V1- ACTION ITEMS a. Presentation of slate The Nominating Committee consisted of Commissioners Rosen, Nehal, and Slavis. They presented the following slate for Officers: Hollis Settles for Chair and Jason Nehal and Hallie Rosen for Vice -Chair. Ms. Haynes stated that since there was onty one nominee for Chair, an election was not necessary. b. Nominations for Officers for 2001 There were no additional nominations for officers from the floor. c. Election of Officers for 2001 As a result of the election for Vice -Chair, Commissioner Rosen received the majority of the votes. V11. OLD BUSINESS Commissioner Rosen stated that all of the T.A.P.A.S. groups have met three times. Several members of the Commission and staff participated in the group dinners/meetings. On Sunday, December 10°t, a Fri. ] program will take place and all the groups will assemble to hear a speaker and discuss some things to do in the community. All of the HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES November 29, 2000 Page 9 of 9 groups except one have committed themselves to continue With the meetings. Commissioner Rosen stated 6-rc sbe is soliciting names of individuals who would like to participate in the group dinners/meetings. Ms. Haynes stated that she facilitated one of the group dinners. The meetings provided individuals with an ti.,y........ ' to meet and develop a relationship and bond with someone of a different race: sexual orientation, etc. Sb-- r're1 t Z= she believes everyone who participated in the group meetings came away with the sense that they had lemur d s....,.r.:- from someone else and that new friends were made. She thanked Commissioner Rosen for her efforts in p=Z-4 the groups together. She stated that some elected officials participated in the past meeting and other have sipwd mp to participate in the on -going meetings. Vlll. NEW BUSINESS f61s. Haynes stated that the new cinema complex in Evanston opened on November 16". She stated that is an absok=ei3 beautiful facility and encouraged evMone to visit it. Commissioner Cervantes requested that staff include the retreat notes for Stsy 2000 in the January packets. Commissioner I-iagemann announced that there will be a Youth Response Night at Family Focus on FrUsy, Denmb+er 1 ". 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and on Saturday, December 21, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Isis. Haynes stated that when she receives her invitation for the Menomh Lighting at Fountain Square she will pass t::art information on the Commissioners. She has no information regarding the Kwanza lighting since it rakes place after Christmas. 1X. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Commissioner Nehal moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:00 p.m. Commixsk= Hagemann seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted by: / j. / Ti�, "r i Date: Secretary X EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 MINUTES Wednesday, October 25, 2000 7:00 P.M. - Room 2402 APPROVED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Hollis Settles -Chair; Hallie Rosen; Michael Cervantes, Leo Kkm2m Barry Slavis, Leonard Stein and Jason Nehal COMMISSIONERS(S) EXCUSED_ Nancy Bailey and Mavis Hagemann STAFF PRESENT: Paula A. Haynes and Dorothy Thrower ; ; , , ;:r ; : Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. 1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared. IL INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS George Lambrith introduced himself as an observer and Kristina Carlson, Sam Scott and Andrew Korthrsge introduced themselves as visiting students from the Medill School of Journalism. III. INTRODUCTION OF NEW COMMISSIONERS Commissioner Stein stated that he is retired and has lived in Evanston for approximately thirteen years_ The ma_oY ity of his career was spent as an administrator at Universities planning Adult Education Programs. He also spent ten gars with the Illinois Council on Continuing Medical Education for physicians. Commissioner Stein stated that he is inr_-n zed in the issues of human relations as they relate to the concerns of the Commission. Commissioner Nchal stated that he has lived in Evanston for eleven months. He first became aware and intcrm*cd in the Human Relations Commission as a result of an extremely bad situation with a landlord; the issue was succcssfuity and well mediated by the Human Relations staff. As he attended monthly meetings he became aware that the Commis_si4m is also involved in issues other than landlords and tenants. Commissioner Nehal stated that he works in the public health field and throughout his career he has had tremendous exposure to issues related to diversity and disparity between individuals. Commissioner Slavis stated that he has lived in Evanston for four years and really enjoys the divenit). He stated that he is a social worker and %Yorks with homeless people who are mentally ill and are from'many different countries and backgounds. Commissioner Slavis stated that as a Commissioner he believes he could [earn more about the people who live in Evanston and could therefore give something back to the community. Ms. Haynes welcomed the new Commissioners and their commitment to the Commission. At his. Haynes reguev— the seated Commissioners introduced themselves with a brief background and the reason they wanted to sit on the Human Relations Commission. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES October 25, 2000: : Page 2 of 7 IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - September 27, 2000 Chair Settles called for approval of the September 27, 2000 minutes. Commissioner Rosen me tv-A to approve the minutes for September 27, 2000 meeting. Commissioner Cervantes seconded the motion. The follow,,.uyrrectiotts wwe requested. Commissioner Rosen requested that the minutes reflect that Commissioner Cervantes was -,resi=t at the Se;n mber 27th meeting; on page 5, 1" paragraph, line 3, correct the spelling of'parochial'; correct 'has' tt* m A : 'had'; and snider NEW BUSINESST, 2' paragraph, 2id line, should read: 'a video was shown'. Commissioner Sri.is crquestcd du a on page 5. 10th" paragraph, line 3, correct the spelling of 'his'- Commissioner Settles requested thaa tan page 5, 3' paragraph, the last sentence should read: '......we will revisit that topic'. The minutes were approved^imt«zcty as amerndcd. Chair Settles asked Commissioner Rosen to Chair the meeting, as he had to leave for perscic al rrmns V. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update Afs. Paula A.. Haynes, Executive Director Ms. Haynes reported the following activities: #Participated in the 8' Ward Aldennanic meeting that was convened by Alderman Rainey, •Served as a panelist for the Senior Studies Program at ETHS; ♦Ms. I Nynes, his. Allen and Mr. Molinary attended a seminar that was sponsored by the IAdvocate for the City entitled; 'The Mexican People', which depicted the culture of the Mexican people who have migrated to Evanston from Mexico; • Participated in the HUD interview regarding the Community Development Block Grant moxtim; •The first round of the budget hearings have taken place. The $100,000 that Ms. Haynes included in the Fair Housing budget for litigation was eliminated. his. Haynes stated that she discussed the importance of ha%-ittg a full time staff person to administer the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYCP) with the Budget Administnor z-id it is her hope that it will become a reality; *The 'Gun Buy Back Program' that IIRC participated in received approximately 70 guns whoa u-211 be destroyed. Target provided the Police Department with gift certificates for each individual to be redeemed at thnr stores for every Qun turned in; r ♦ Staff mailed a proclamation and letter naming October as 'Peace Month" to business, cornmuniry groups/organizations and churches/synagogues, asking them to observe it in some manner; ♦Information has been disseminated regarding the Pancake Breakfast that will take place at the American Legion on October 28't; and *Ms. Haynes stated that the logo for the CommUNITY Picnic will become the official vebicfe sticker for the City of Evanston; Commissioner Kirwan had to leave the meeting. b. Committee Reports Education Committee (Commissioners Rosen, Kirwan and flagemmmann) Commissioner Rosen stated that she and Commissioner Hagemann met with Superintendent Murphy of District 65 in September regarding how lie and the Human Relations Commission may be able to assist each other relati%e to school issues. 'there was discussion regarding the test scores and haw the District tries to eontinualhy address this matter. Superintendent Murphy suggested that the Committee meet with the principal council which %4m1d aglow them to meet with =_ every principal in the District to make them aware of the Commission's existence. Fie also indica_ed that he would like to K HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES October 25, 2000 Page 3 of 7 be a speaker at one of the Commission's community meetings in 2001 so that he will have an .-%ptvrtuntty to meet with parents and community members to inform them of his plans for the middle schools and %%hat the S:itkrl Boant has requested of him. Commissioner Rosen informed the new Commissioners of the Committee's plan to prrs idc Nxiks tr:. families with babies so that new parents will understand the importance of reading to their children, speciftcalh to children who are 0-3 years of age. She stated that the Committee wants to learn more about Districts 65 and 202's gcnrral polk:iics regarding Human Relations and how they affect students, teachers, and adminisrrnors. Commissioner Rosen stated that,the Committee has determined that District 65 does not have a human relations creed or zero tolerance policy rtearding disurimination and they are looking at how to address these issues. Ms. Haynes stated that perhaps some of the monies that the American Legion will be donating to the Commitssion could be used to purchase books for families. She also suggested that the Education Committee members approach the Library Board or administration to see if they would be interested in partnering with the Commission to sponsor a 'book prcizram' and she would be willing to try and set up a meeting with the Library Director. Noosing Committee There was no report from the Housing Committee. c. Amendments to Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance Update Ms. Haynes stated that amendments to the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance were first introduced to the Planning and Development Committee on September 25' which was held over until their October 10' meeting. At the October 10' meeting, Committee members asked questions as to }tow the regulations would be enforced, staff's ability to enforce the Ordinance and Whether or not EPOA had been informed of the amendments/.? Ms. Haynes responded that prior to the meeting on October 10', one of her staff persons hand delivered the amendments to a representative of EPOA at the member's request but he did not attend the meeting. Ms. I laynes, leis. Allen and Mr. Molinary met with Dan 5chcrmerhom (owner ofSchertnerhom properties) and Bob Fieiberger (Evanston Bond and Mortgage) on Thursday, October 19' to discuss the amendments; they presented several questions and issues regarding the Ordinance. EPOA stated that they would present their concerns to Ms. Barnes by Monday, October 30'. Ms I iaynes stated that a decision ti%as made to have a public hearing on October'_3`s regarding the amendments to the Ordinance; a large number of propem owners have been invited. There was some discussion and questions amongst the Commissioners and his. Ha}nes regarding the recommendcd amendments to the Ordinance and huw it would be enforced by the City's Administrative Adjudication process rather than the court system. Ms. Haynes explained how the Administrative Adjudication process would worm. The Department of Human Relations or Property Standards staff would write and issue a violation ticket to a landlord cr tenant. The Administrative Law Judges that are hired by the City will determine «hat fine is appropriate for the violation. assess it , and collect the monies; this process will operate outside of the court system. She stated that the City has begun using this process to adjudicate park, ing/traff is tickets rather than going through the courts. Ms. I iaynes stated that the proporc� umendments do not eliminate anyone's rights to pursue an issue within the legal system if it becomes necessary. SI:e stated that an Administrative Procedure was drafted with an accompanying flow than that outlines how the Administratiti. Adjudication process will work. Ms. Baynes stated that the public hearing will take place on Monday. November 20" at 6:30 p.m. and so th::t there will be a balance of property owners and tenants (because the Commission is party neutral), she will buy an ad in :�e Roundtable and Evanston Review and disseminate flyers to the various communin, groups and organizations. Commissioner Slavis suggested that Ms. Haynes also consider buying an ad in the Dailv Northwestem becarse students are one of the largest bodies of renters. Commissioner Stein requested that Ms. Haynes clarify the section in the Ordinance that authorizes the Police to arrest a landlord and assess a fine; he asked whether or not any landlords have ever been fined? x HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES October 25, 2000 Page 4 of 7 Ms. Haynes stated that this section of the Ordinance has to be process.cd civilly however, the Police are autheri7ted to arrest landlords for illegal interruption of tenancy; they are given a court date to appear in court and the judge am-csses a fine if necessary_ Typically, if there is an unlawful interruption of tenancy the Police will inforni the landlord ID correct his actions. Ms. Haynes stated that on one occasion forced the Police to arrest a landlord. If landlord has bee~, fined by the court the department has not been made aware of it. Commissioner Stein recommended that the Commission discuss at a Iater date the interest due on securi-n deposits and possibly the Human Relations Commission setting up a'special' deposit account that will pay the tenant currerrt in.erest rates. Commissioner Nehal asked Ms. Haynes to address the issues of the responsibility ofabsentee landlords w;hu collect rent but neglect the condition of hislher building? Ms. Haynes stated that Property Standards will pursue landlords if they do not maintain their building(s) wtlich will more than likely have several code violations if someone else is not managing or taking care of the building. Shc stated that the City can cite the tenant if he'she is causing a problem or the City can cite the landlord because he/she has wi obligation to ensure that the tenant is abiding by the rules for that property. Ms. Haynes stated that Evanston is involved in the Nuisance Abatement Program with Cook County which no:ifics landlords or tenants of their rights and obligations when there are drug raids. Cook County informs the landlord that he'she will evict that tenant and if there is failure to do so, the building will be boarded up for one year and the landlord will have to continue paying their taxes and mortgage or they will have no income property. This has proven to be effective in ridding buildings of drug dealers and other individuals who are involved in any illegal activity. Last year the RLTO was amended so that the landlord could give the tenant a 30 day notice to terminate the lease rather than 30 days to correct the problem if there are drug raids on a property. Staff will provide the Commissioners with copies of the Administrative Procedure and the flow chart. Commissioner Rosen encouraged all Commissioners to attend the public hearing on Monday. November 20". d. Pancake Breakfast Ms. Haynes stated that the American Legion Post 42, has sponsored a pancake breakfast for the past fourteen years. For the past eleven years they have given the proceeds to the Human Relations Commission to provide holida% cheer for local children. This year the breakfast will take place on Saturday, October 28' from 7:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. The American Legion personnel informed Ms. Haynes that Wal-Mart has indicated that it will match up to one thousand dollars of whatever the proceeds are from the breakfast. She encouraged all of the Commissioners to attend the breakfast if possible. VI. ACTION ITEMS A. FY 2001-02 CDBG Budget Ms. Haynes stated that the Commissioners will have to vote on this item. Last year when the CDBG Committee reviewed the budget, they stated that they wanted evidence in the minutes that the Board or Commission approved the budget submission. She asked the Commissioners to approve the Fair Housing budget because it is funded through CDBG dollars and the other programs are funded through the general fund, however this does not meant the Commissioners cannot approve the entire budget. An in-depth discussion ensued where the following concems/issues were expressed by the Commissioners and responded to by Ms. Haynes. Ms. Haynes explained that the additional S 100,000 that she requested for fair housing was cut by the City's Budget Director HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES October 25, 2000 Page 5 of 7 who has no control over CDBG money which is federal dollars, howLrver, CDBG could xtill approve the Fair Housing budget at $174,000. Commissioner Cervantes expressed concern as to how the money will be used and what role if any Mr. hlohnary a would play if an audit is conducted. Ms. Haynes stated that her purpose for increasing the Fair Housitsr budget is to make the City aware: that if an audit is conducted and litigation by the City is required, there should be mone+' in reserve (and options explored) to litigate internally preferably by utilizing Commission staff. The additional monies would be used for discovery, reproduction of documents and other costs associated to the hearing. She stated that the Fair Housing Ordinance allows the Executive Director to initiate complaints or file charges against a propem• owner for vioiamg the Ordinance. The Ordinance states that violations may be addressed in a couple of ways; (1) the Commissioners can serve as hearing officers where testimony is taken and they become the tryers of facts and have the ability to fine up to S100,000 per incident: or, (2) the complainant can go to circuit court. Because the Commission is the bodti• that is responsible for enforcing the Ordinance they will need an attorney: typically one of the City's Corporation Counsel would represent tie Commission. The Ordinance also states that the Respondent is entitled to legal representation at the expense of the City. Therefore, rather than hiring an outside attorney to litigate or participate in the hearing, she would recommend that Mr. Niolinary conduct the litigation in addition to his other duties. Ms. Haynes stated that the monies A ill be used specifically for the Fair Housing audit. Mr. Molinary will not litigate every fair housing complaint that is filed in the department. Commissioner Nehal asked his. Haynes if there is a possibility that questions could be raised regarding the funding of CDBG monies and Mr. Molinary's acting as a litigator since he darn not appear in the Fair Housing budget? Ms. Haynes stated that she did not think so since Mr. Molinary and hs. Alien's positions (Human Relations Specialists) are in the same department, the job duties arc the same and they are interchangeable; only one staff person's salary is paid out of CDBG funds and that is Ms. Allen's. Commissioner Nehal stated that based on previous discussion, he would prefer seeing Mr. Molinary's salary balanced so that it is reflected in the Human Relations Administration and Fair Hw,using budgets. Commissioner Rosen asked his. Hayes' if the CDBG passes the budget as is, can the City cut it? Ms Haynes stated that typically CbBG monies W c not cut because :bey are governed b% HUD. The representative from HUD mentioned at a CDBG meeting that took place two weeks ago. how well the Fair Housing program is doing and that they look forward to the continued enforcement nfthe Ordinance. Commissioner Cervantes suggested that Ms. I lart>1s prepare some types of addendum to the hair Housing budget that explains staffs role if charges are filed based on the audit, that would help jt:L ;ify the additional S 100,000. Ms. Haynes suggested that the Commissioners review and famih rize themselves with the Fair Housing Ordinance. specifically their roles and the Executive Director, regarding compLints. Currently they, are not qualified to hear a case and they will need specific training to do so. They should be pre.ared in case a Complainant decides the)' want the Commission to hear a charge they might bring against a landlord cc Realtor. Commissioner Slavis asked Ms. Haynes who will conduct the training for the Commissioners and how long of a process will it be? Ms. Haynes stated that an outside agency would be identified to conduct training; there arc firms who provide training for Human Relations and similar groups and the length of time would deornd on the cost of such training. Nis. Haynes stated that the Human Resources Department has a large training fund that c operates and administer. She stated that monies to k HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES October 25, 2000 Page 6 of 7 train Ms. Allen and Mr. Molinary as certified mediators came Lint this fund; it nmy be possible that tsirting for the Commissioners could also come from the same source. Commissioner Stein stated that the Commissioners do not have the =thority to appropriate monies for the Human Relations budget and that he supports Ms. Haynes' explanations for including the S100,000 in the Fair Housing bud4zeL Therefore, he moved that the Human Relations Commissioners have reviewed and accepted the proposed budget for FY 2001/2002 as presented by the Executive Director. Commissioner Slavis seconded the motion. The minutes will reflect that the motion was approved by Commissiancrs Rosen, Slavis, and Stein, opposed by Commissioner Cervantes, and abstained by Commissioner Nehal. Ms. liaynes stated that if the Commissioners decide they want an active role in the budget preparation and determining areas where monies should be budgeted, they need to act now. Their actions will not affect this year's budget but planning needs to start now for the 2002lR003 budget. She stated that %work will begin on the next fiscal year's budget in June or July. If necessary she will present the Commissioners with tasks that she foresee staff performing, It was determined that the Commission's role relative to the budget will be included in the Strategic Plan. Ms. Haynes stated that the budget hearing will begin on November I` at 7:00 p.m. and she encouraged the Commissioners to attend the meeting in case questions are asked. VI1. NEW BUSINESS A. Study Circles - EAC Ms. Haynes stated that she has been contacted by a representative of the Evanston Ecumenical Action Council (EEAC) to explore the possibly of partnering with them to conduct Study Circles. She stated that EEAC asked the Commissioners to attend the meeting on Saturday aflemoon, October 28' to see if they would be interested in pursuing this activity. Study Circles is a non-profit organization who operate programs throughout the country in different cities and have put together materials on a variety of issues where communities can come together and talk about different issues. i.e_. race relations, law enforcement, education, community organizations, etc. An individual who works for the program will show people how to organize their city as a means of resolving their concerns and or issues As a result of this discussion. Commissioners Stein, Nehal and Slavis tentatively volunteered to attend the Study Circles meeting at EEAC. Vlll. COMMUNICATIONS AND ARTICLES There was no discussion regarding the items. lX. OLD BUSINESS Commissioner Cervantes requested that the Strategic Plan meeting that he and Commissioner Rosen scheduled with ifs. Haynes in October be rescheduled. X. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Haynes reminded the Commission that a Nominating Commission should have been appointed bj the Chair in September for new officers and since Commissioner Rosen was serving as Chair for this meeting, she could appoint members to the Nominating Committee or request volunteers. It was determined that members of the Nominating Committee are: Commissioners Rosen, Slavis, and Nchal HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES October 25, 2000 Page 7 of 7 Ms. Haynes stated that she will be attending a session with representatives from EEAC who are also conducting 2 Crops Roads program that addresses institutional racism. She will be attending that meeting on Sunday, October 29th vouch Ls planned to go through next Spring and asked the Commissioners to let her know if they are interested in attending . Ms. Haynes stated that she was named Chair for the United Way for the City and one of the issues with this organizarkm will) be the Boy Scouts. Shortly alter the Fourth of July Parade an Alderman forwarded a letter to her office from a citi= wha-; objected to the Boy Scouts leading that parade_ Staff has taken a position regarding this matter by w7iting a let= to the Fourth of July Association, advising them that Evanston is a community who has anti -discriminative policies and them Fourth of July Association decision was offensive to some individuals. Ms. Haynes suggested that the Commission look ail this issue as a future agenda item to discuss and decide whether they will or will not prepare a position statement Commissioner Rosen reminded the Commissioners that the next Commission meeting will lake pfa,ce on Wednesday. November 15" rather than the fourth Wednesday due to Thanksgiving. Xl. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, a motion was made by Commissioner Stein and seconded by Commissioner Nchal to adjourn the meeting at 10:40 p.m.; the motion was unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted by: , d' l JI [ �l• V Date: /� .� o e o orD othy Throwe /Secretary - HRC x� EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COrVINWSSION = - 2I00-RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 6020I - MINUTES Wedriesdo, September.27, 2000 7:00 P,M.'= Room-2402•' ',:. . APPROVED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Hollis Settles -Chair. Hallie Rosen; Nancy Bailey; Mavis Hxg=rsn, Michael Cervantes and Leo Kirwan COMM ISSiONERSfSI EXCUSED, David Bradford STAFF PRESENT: Paula A. Haynes. Lisa Allen, Rafael Molinary, Michael Redmond and and Dorothy Thrower 5 THE ffWfANRELATIONS COMMISSION DID NOT MEET INAUGUST. Prior to the meeting the Commissioners and staff honored Commissioner Bradford with a reception because his six year tenure with the Human Relations Commission had ended. Ms. Haynes and Chair Settles expressed gratitude for his commitment to the Commission and his never ending perserverance to insure that specific sections orthe Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance be amended and that it will become an enforceable document. Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. 1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared. Il. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS There were no guests or visitors III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES -- June 26, 2000 and July 28, 2000 Chair Settles called for approval of the June 26, 2000 minutes. Commissioner Cervantes moved to approve the minutes for June 26, 2000. Commissioner Rosen seconded the motion. Commissioner Rosen stated that on page 3 under Discussion Items, the staff retreat took place in May. The minutes were approved unanimously with the noted correction. Chair Settles called for approval of the July 28, 2000 minutes. Commissioner Kirwan moved to approve the minutes for July 28, 2000. Commissioner Hagemann seconded the motion. There were no corrections, therefore the minutes were approved unanimously as submitted. IV. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES September 27, 2000 Page 2 of 5 f M. Paula A.. Haynes, Executive Director Ms. Haynes reported the following activities: *Successfully mediated a court ordered mediation; *Ms. Haynes stated that in addition to herself, Nis. Allen, Mr. Molinary, Commissioners Hagemann, Kirwan, and Cervantes represented the Commission at EvansFesz ♦ Ms. Haynes stated that the amendments to the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) were presented to the Housing Commission in August to gamer their support. Commissioners Settles and Bradford attended that meeting. The amendments were presented to the Planning and Development Committee and will appear again on Tuesday. October lot'. Members of that Committee have requested the administrative procedures for review. The amendmerits will be placed on the City Council's agenda on October 10' for intrLMuction and again the following Council meeting ter action. his_ Haynes requested that the Commissioners be in attendmce as a show of support. *Appeared on ECMC televison (Our Town E%2nston) and talked about the Summer Youth Emplo}::lent Program; ♦ Have been meeting with individuals from Distr,-ts 202 and 65, the Chamber of Commerce, NAACP to discuss partnering on a larger job fair that will take place perhaps sometime in April or May of 2001. She stated the: she has talked with individuals from Northwestern to see if this event could take place at Welsh -Ryan arena; ♦ Participated in the selection process for the Community Information Specialist who will be a Public Relations person for the City; ♦The Police Department is conducting a Gun Buy Back Program; the Safety and Civility Task Force is co -sponsoring this program with the City Council. (Ms. Haynes passed out flyers describing the program). On behalf of the Human Relations Commission, Ms. Haynes has asked the Mayor to proclaim October as 'Peace Afonth . A letter from the Commission will be prepared with the signatures of Chief Kaminiski and Ms. Haynes. In addition to the letter, a copy of the flyer and the proclamation will be mailed to all the religious institutions, community groups, businesses, and schools; *Staff manned a table at the Farmers Market on August 14'h; ♦ Budget kickoff began August 21". Ms. Haynes turned in the Human Relations Commission's budget on September 25°; ♦Ms. Haynes stated that the CommUNITY picnic that took place on August 27'" where over 3,000 people attended was a huge success. She thanked Commissioners Rosen, Hageman, Bailey and Settles for their participation; and staff for their - participation and contribution and Mr. Redmond, the SYEP Coordinator, for the outstanding job that he and the volunteers did with regard to setting up before the picnic and cleaning up afterwards; *The Civil Enforcement Team continue to meet and address issues relative to the owners maintaining their properties within the Property Standard codes; ♦ Ms. Haynes and Mr. Molinary attended a kick-off meeting where the Latino Advocates are attempting to put together a coalition of agencies that work with the Latino population; HRC will play whatever role is appropriate as it evolves; ♦ Commissioner Kirwin visited the department to provide input to Ms. Haynes on the ADA self assessment questionnaire; each department within the City has to assess its abilities to provide services to people with disabilities. The questionnaire addressed areas where services shall be provided for individuals who are interested in attending meetings but are hearing impaired. There are other city-wide issues that have to be addressed relative to providing other services for the disabled (i.e. lettering in Braille or having audio equipment available); *Ms. Haynes, Mr. Molinary and his. Allen have been working with a regional consortium of individuals to address affordable housing. This group of individuals have attempted to recruit landlords to rent to Section S mnants. Human Relations co -sponsored a breakfast for current and prospective landlords a couple of weeks ago; ♦Ms. Haynes met with a couple of Northwestern students a few days ago who want to get involved in local public service programs such as the Welfare To Work Program, youth programs, etc. They have offered to volunteer for any projects the commission deems fit; *Ms. Haynes attended a reception for the City of Belize on Friday, September 15th; a festival took place on the Civic Center grounds Saturday, September 16'"; Mr. Redmond assisted in setting up for that event; - ♦Ms. Haynes, His. Allen, and Mr. Molinary have attended several work shops regarding race, hate, etc.; ♦Ms. Haynes was one of several panelist for a forum that Barnes and Noble hosted one week ago to promote the book Close The Book On Hate; ♦Ms. Haynes and Mr. Molinary are continuing to address the complaint regarding the Carlson Building not being accessible �yr HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES September 27, 2000 Page 3 of 5 to the disabled; • Ms. Haynes and Ms. Allen responded to a request from one of the Alderman wbo was recei%ing calls from his constituency regarding an offensive billboard. Ms. Allen made several calls which resulted in the billboard being removed the same day-, and •Three appointees for the Human Relations Commission were submitted to the City Cotmcil and should be confirmed at the October I& Council meeting and present for the October Commission greeting. Ms. Haynes requested that the Commissioners give some thought as to bow the new members may become acclimated to the issues/projccts that are before the Commission. b. Committee Reports Education Commissioner Rosen reported that the Education Sub -committee is meeting with the Superintendent of District 65 on Friday, October 6" at the Parks School, Commissioner Hagemann stated that she attended the Oak Park Exchange Congress forum in August where the Superintendent of District 202 spoke. She is planning to speak with him and same of the other individuals regarding things that are going on at those schools. Ms. Haynes stated that she is addressing a complaint that involves a student and a teacher at ETHS. Superintendent Alston has acknowledged that the teacher's behavior was inappropriate and She was disciplined. Ms. Haynes stated that she does not believe there is a mechanism available for students at MS and the middle schools to pursue who feel they are victims of discrimination and she would like for the Commission to work with the administrators of ETHS to develop a formal process where complaints may be heard Ms. Haynes addressed information relative to the Housing Committee in her staff report. The Executive Committee did not make a report. V. DISCUSSION ITEMS a. FY 2001-2002 Budget Ms. Haynes provided the Commissioners with copies of the budget for Human Relations, Fair Housing and the Summer Youth Employment Programs. She reviewed and explained the language for each program element and responded to qucstions/comments. Ms. Haynes stated that each department received instructions from the Budget Office not to increase any of the line items except for salaries and benefit; all other items will remain the same. She stated that the budget for Human Relations is S 198,000; $167,000 of that amount covers staff salaries which includes 100°/. for Mr. MoIinary, 67% for Ms. Thrower, and 100% for herself. One hundred percent of Ms. Allen's salary and 33% of Ms. Thrower's salary is covered under the Fair Housing Program. She stated that the Fair Housing Program is funded one hundred percent from Community Development Block Grant monies (CDBG); the requested amount for program revenues is $184,400. The reimbursement is higher than what is shown for this program because of the City's pension contribution cost which is not included in a normal City appropriation; there is approximately a S 10,000 difference between the City's revenues and the total of this program budget request. Nis. Haynes stated that last year she requested S72,000 for the Fair Housing Program; this year she is requesting S 174,000 because of the audit that will be conducted, additional costs will be incurred, i.e., training for staff, possible Iitigation fees, etc. Twelve hundred dollars (S 1200) was requested for the West Law/Lexus information service regarding civil rights, fair housing and employment related issues that are on software. The SYEP budget request amount is the same as FY 2000/2001. Sometime in the near future she will meet with the City Manager and Budget Officer to discuss the requested program expenditures. Ms. Haynes stated that budget hearings will begin in January 2001 with the City Council. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES September 27, 2000 Page 4 of 5 VI. commuracATIONS AND ARTICLES Discussion: b. Letter to Ntayor Morton — Re: Minority Hiring Ms. Haynes stated that Mayor Morton forwarded a letter to her which was from a former Civil Service Commissioner. The Civil Service Commission is responsible for interviewing and selecting Police Officers and Fire Fighaess. The gentlemen expressed concern that during his entire tenure with this body they never interviewed a Black person for the Fen Department. Ms. Haynes stated that she wanted to make the Commissioners aware of this matter in case they wanted to put it on as agenda for future discussion. f Letter from Interfaith Housing Center to Paula A. Baynes — Re. Open & Affordable Housing in Evanston There was some discussion regarding the reference letter from Gail Schechter who is the Executive Director for Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs. Ms. Haynes stated that Evanston, next to the southern suburbs of Chicago, has the second highest number of Section 8 certificate holders within the community which is approximately 977 individuals. She stated that cbe percentage of the surrounding suburbs are no where close to having that number of Section 8 clients within their communities. Commissioner Cervantes suggested that the Commission inform Ms. Schechter that the emphmis should be for the communities of Wilmene, Glencoe and Winnetka to increase their Section 8 housing since their percerntzge is so much lower than Evanston's. He further inquired why this community is able to get Iandlords to rent to Section 8 recipients and the other communities are not. He stated that he is concerned that Evanston as a community in terms of the tax basis, will continually go down and the other communities will continue to go up; however it seems that they should make a good faith effort to commit themselves to this effort because he is tired of Evanston carrying the bulk of Section 8 recipeints for the Northshore. Commissioner Hagemann stated that she knows there is some affordable housing in the northern section who do not have Section 8 and pnrhaps the Commission could determine who they need to talk to regarding this matt.-:. Chair Settles requested that Ms. Haynes contact Ms. Schechter to see if she would be available to attend the October meeting to address/respond to concerns that the Commissioners have regarding'Open and Affordable Housing in Evanston'. Commissioner Cervantes stated that he is supportive of the issues that are outlined in the document from Ms. Schechter but before a call is made to her he would like to see the data and comparisons and learn what is the inr.=t of the surrounding communities. Ms. Haynes stated that staff has some information from Cook County which shows the number of Section 8 certificate holders in each community. That information will be made available to the Commissioners to revic--w. Vll. OLD 11USINESS Commissioner Rosen sued that all of the T.A.P.A. S. groups met for the second time in September and believes the meetings are successful because people arc talking about various issues that concern them. Everyone have agreed to meet again and overall the group meetings have been successful. There is a plan to have a get together for evetyone in December and possibly have a speaker and have some tables with community programs information. The purpose is to commend the people who participated in the group meetings and to be recognized as allies. e HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES September 27, 2000 Page 5 of 5 Commissioner Hagemann stated that after attending the Oak Paris Exchaagc Cvagress she realized that this is the time for the Commission to go forward in getting people to become race or diversity cactscious. She stated that minority childrea from the parochial schools entertained the audience, other individuals had as cpporttrrrity to express themselves in so marry ways and just by listening to the conversations around her, she could tell that she was not in Evanston_ Commissioner Cervantes stated that hopefully Ms. Haynes, Commissioner Rcs= znd be will be able to meet before the next Commission meeting to discuss how they will proceed with the Strategic Puns. Chair Settles stated that since the Commission will be fully staffed in October, be would like to rc-visit the make up of the Standing Committees. It is also his desire for the Human Relations Cornmissatln to schedule at least two or three meetings within the Community in the coming year; perhaps it could be included ir: :he Strategic Plan. He stated that once the Strategic Plan and issues from the May retreat are completed he would like to re -visit quality of life issues. • Vill. NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Rosen stated that Barnes and Noble and the Anti -Defamation L are doing the campaign, 'Close The Boole On Hate'. Barnes and Noble has distributed a pamphlet (a copy was passed iraaaid to the Commissioners) with every book it has sold in its stores and on the internet for the month of September. The p=r hlet contains various suggestions as to how an individual may respond to hate in their community, on the job. at home, a :t1rgious institution, etc. Commissioner Bailey stated that she attended ENC's anniversary on Sunday, September 17' . Their new program is concentrating on 'teens in the community'. A video was show which %%as v=y informative. Ms. Haynes suggested that a member of the staff be assigned to the various sub -committees because they attend various workshops, conferences, etc., that would be helpful when there are specific i=cs that need to be addressed She asked the Commissioners to give this some thought because if a Commissioner is no Iortx—cr on a sub -committee there needs to be some continuity and staff will be able to do that. Commissioner Rosen stated that she agreed with Ms. Haynes' suggestion b=== the Commissioners are limited in their pursuit or investigation of an issue whereas staff will be able to follow through on. Ms. Haynes once again stated that the new Commissioners will be confirmed x the October 10° City Council meeting. She requested suggestions as to how they may be acclimated to the Commission - Chair Settles suggested that the Commissioners find a way to meet with those new members sometime between the October 10' confirmation and October 25'' Commission meeting, Commissioner Cervantes stated that as a former member on the Library Board, he recalls that they would assemble a manual for each new Director. information is extracted from minutes regarding key issues that the Board has acted on and regulations are included. The Library Director and the President of the Boa.--' would meet with the new commissioners as a group. Each director is asked to contact each board member for individual pbzr a meetings or to have one on one meetings. Ms. Haynes stated that perhaps new commissioners should be required to an J a Commission meeting prior to being seated. She stated that the By -Laws should be amended so that the change affects the next appointees. There being no further business, a motion was made by Commissioner Res= and seconded by Commissioner Bailey to adjourn the meeting at 10:30 p,m. The motion was unanimously approved - Respectfully submitted: •Date: �L' • � � Dorothy Thrower, Secretary, HRC p\T EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISS1 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 i MINUTES Wednesday, July 26, 2000 -:.7,00 P.M. - Roont 2402 .! , APPROs ED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Hollis Settles -Chair, liallic Rosen; Nancy Bailcy; Nlar•is Hermann, , and Leo Kirwan COMM ISSIONERSISI EXCUSED: STAFF PRESENT: David Bradford and Michael Cervantes Paula A. Haynes and Bonnie Jacoby STAFF EXCUSED: Dorothy Thrower VISITORSIGUESTS: Mary Ebeling-44edill School of Journalism, NU; Traci Ripperda-Medill School ofJoumalism, NU; and Jason Nehal Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared II. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chair Settles asked the visitors to introduce themselves and state whether they were attending the meeting on behalf of a grouplorganization or as a citizen observer. ' 4 Ms. Ebeling and Ms. Ripperda introduced themselves as graduates students at the Medill School of Journalism; Jason Nehal introduced himself as a resident and citizen observer. Ill. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — June 28, 2000 The minutes for June 28, 2000 have not been transcribed for approval because Ms. Thrower is on vacation_ IV. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update Ms. Haynes reported the following activities: •Ms. Haynes stated that staff has been addressing numerous landlord/tenant complaints and there is an increase in fair housing complaints; ♦Ms. Haynes received a complaint about the Carlson Building not being accessible for the disabled; she and Mr. Molinary have visited the building and determined that there are some areas of concern relative to the ADA Law. Aa architect has looked at the building for possible alterations and since it is a historic landmark, the owner(s)/architect will have to appear before the Preservation Commission. Ms. Haynes stated that she and a representative from the Human Relations Commission should be present when this matter is heard, to make the Preservation Commission is aware of the language in 6e ADA Law regarding accessibility; *Attended monthly Civility Task Force for Violence Prevention meeting. The Task Force is interested in working wish the Gun Buy Back Program that the Police Department and the Clergy Team is sponsoring in October. She stied that since HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION _MINUTES 1r_ = July 26, 2000 '. ,_ .^! 1.4 .. Page 2 of 5 October is viewed as Peace Month throughout the country, she would like for the Human Relations Commission in _-conjunction with the Peace Department, to errora resalutiaa declaring October as Peace Month for the Cny Council's approval. The resolution would also state that thers be a moratorium on toy guns_ Ms. Haynes and Chief Kaminski will be contacting Jonathan Pearman, Director of the Chamber of Corrr:neree, asking for his support in this effort; a letter would be sent to businesses who sell toy guns asking them to voluntary discontinue the sells during October, *Received a Ietter of complaint from a young man alleging race discrimination against a Counselor at ETHS. The complainant stated that the Counselor asked him to stop speaking Spanish during the process of enrolling his younger sister in school; the language spoken was European and not Spanish. Ms. Haynes stated that she will find out if there is a formal process to address complaints that occur at ETHS; •Successfully conducted a home construction mediation; *Ms Haynes and staff continue to meet with Interfaith Housing Center and other housing agencies to address Section 8 housing in Evanston; the focus is to determine why landlordsrRmhors do not participate in the Section 8 Program. There will be a landlord breakfast on September 20" and another meeting is scheduled for tenants in the near future. ♦ Ms. Haynes stated that she has received the fair housing audi± results from Gail Schekter of Interfaith Housing. She stated that based on the results, she is going to have additional t estin_ conducted. She requested that the Commissioners review the Fair Ordinance for familiarity because this doc=cnt gives the Commission two options should they decide to file a fair housing complaint against a Realtor or landlord: (1) The case may appear before the Human Relations Commission for a full hearing and this body has the ability to levy fines against the guilty party parties; or (2) the Commission may take their complaint to federal court; • Ms. Haynes gave the Commissioners an update oo SYEP events. She stated that one of the components cheated for SYEP is an ongoing educational program; this year the youth will participate in two field trips; the first is to tour Oakton Community College and the second to visit the Cook County Jail at 26" and California; • Met with Ted Miller who is the new President/Chair of EAC, to discuss forming a relationship with the Human Relations Commission. Mr. Miller will submit a letter of such intent and perhaps he or the EAC board members may be invited to the September or October Commission meeting; and ♦ Facilitated and participated in one of the T.A.PA.S. dinners. Mr. Nehal stated that several months ago the Coa:tnission discussed creating a database for landlord complaints. He asked Ms. Haynes what is the status of that project? his- Haynes stared that because staff' are taking their vacations, the project has not begun but it should start sometime after September. However, a compilation of landlords/Realtors that staff are involved with are being established, b. Committee Reports Education Commissioner Rosen stated that the Education sub -committee met and solidified what their future plans are. They talked about meeting with school board members, administrators, superintendents, principles, teachers, and parents. The purpose of these meetings is to learn about the various school districts and how the Human Relations Commission may be of assistance to them in their challenges, successes, and improvement they would like to make in their schools. The sub- committee also discussed attending school board meetings and getting involved in human relations issues that might arise. They will also become involved in project oriented activities such as providing books for the 0-3 age population, as a follow up to Ms. Haynes suggestion at the June 26' mertirtg. Commissioner Hagemann stated that the sub-commince's goal is to be able to prepare a report on the state of human relations in the schools that could be circulated in the community. Ms. Haynes suggested that the sub -committee look: at the issue of truancy in schools because it is a major problem . There was no Housing Committee report because Commissioners Bradford and Cervantes were unable to attend the meeting. Eri HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES July 26, 2000 Page 3 of 5 C. T.A.P.A.S. Commissioner Rosen reported that the first T.A.PA.S. (Talizing About Prejudice Amongst uS) dinner took pfaae ova Juty 9' , she thanked Ms. Haynes, Chair Settles, Commissioners Bad• and Hagemanrt for participating in tine program. ";k groups met, with approximately 60 people participating. Approximately forty people were unable to attend the meeting on July r, therefore another series of meeting will begin for those individuals on September 17`. Overall the group dinnersfineetings that took place in someone's home throughout the city were successful. V. DISCUSSION ITEMS a. Residential Landlord and tenant Ordinance Amendments Ms. Haynes stated that she and staff have completed the recommended amendmerzs to the Residential Landlord and Tenara Ordinance (RLTO), which are now in the City Manager's Office. She is scheduled to meet with the City Nfattager and the City Attorney on Friday, July 29*. to review the amendments for any questions or concerns. Ms. Haynes stated that she would like to have the amendments approved by the appropriate commirtm before they arc submitted to the City Council for their approval. The Commissioners and Ms. Haynes took some time to review the recommended amendments. Following are Ms. Haynes comments on the amended sections. SECTION RE.: TITLE PURPOSE AND SCOPE Recommended amendment: New language makes this section more definitive_ The City will be able to assess an administrative penalty on a landlord or tenant who violates the RLTO but still retains certain individual statutory causes action which can beftled in the Illinois Court System SECTION RE.: FAIR MARKET RENTALISUBLETTING Recommended amendment: New language defines the fair rental value as the prevailing value of comparable property at the time the tenant advises the landlord that helshe slants to break the lease; allows a tenant the opportunity to sublet his/her apartment svith specific conditions as to how this process should be done SECTION RE.: FINES Recommended amendment: New language gives the City permission to levy fines against landlordr or tenant who violate the RLTO for a monetary payment arrangingfrom $50.00 to 51,000.00. staff will identify what they believe thefine should be but the decision is left to the administrative adjudicator as to what is reasonable. ff he fine limits maybe readjusted by corporation counsel pursuant to the.ddministrative Adjudication Statute). SECTION RE.: RENTAL AGREEMENTS Recommended amendment., New language states that Landlords must have a written rental agreement to cover any rental Period; it can be a standard lease or the Evanston dfadel Lease Agreement; the language in the current RLTO states that names and birth data must be included in all lease agreements for each person living in a rental unit In a non -model lease agreement. all provisions of the RLTO apply. SECTION RE.: SECURITY DEPOSITS Recommended amendment: New Language requires that the landlord and tenant complete a walk through of the property prior to occupancy. Staff have created a document entitled: Verlllcatlon of Condition Analvsls {V" which will be toted as fool for assessing the condition of a rental unit before occupancy; each party is required to sign the document; one copy is attached to the lease agreement and the tenant receives a copy. I17wn the lease agrrernent terminates the document is once again used to conduct a i►ulk through of the rental unit in order to determine whether there is any new visible damage that allows the landlord to deduct monies from the tenant's Security Deposit. �X HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES July 26, 2000 Page 4 of 5 SECTION RE.: DISCLOSURE (LEAD BASED PAINT, EXISTING CODE VIOLATIONS, AND OWNER OF PROPERTY AND MEANS OF CONTACT) Recommended amendment: Staffhave created a document entitled: Full Disclosure Veriflcatlan fFD0, which well be used by the landlord to ensure that the tenant it axvre of the disclosures named above, each party must sign the document, - one copy is attached to the lease agreement aryl the tenant rerrow a copy. The landlord maybe assessed a fcne by the City if the document cannot be produced upon regwcsi. SECTION RE.: ACCESS Recommender) amendment: New language defines "emergency" as it relates to rentals; fthe tenant change his/her door locks they must provide the landlord with a new keg.. SECTION RE.: WRONGFUL FAILURE TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES Recommended amendment • New language states that the tenant can pay for the cart of having the service restored and deduct the amount from his/her rent. SECTION RE.: NOTICE OF REFUSAL TO RENEW A RENTAL AGREEMENT Recommended amendment: New language states that a tenant must provide a landlord with a 30 day notice if he/she does not plan to renew the lease agreement; where there is a month -to -month rental, each party (lessee and/or landlor) is required to give the other a 30 day notice if the lease agreement is going to be terminated. Ms. Haynes stated that the recommended amendments will have to be presented to the Housing Committee, Planning and Development, and then to the City Council for approval; according to City Ordinance, the Human Relations Commission report to the Human Services, therefore the amendments might have to be approved by that body. Mr. Nehal asked Ms. Ilaynes if the RLTO is adopted with the recommended amendments, will it automatically supersede the old RLTO or will it only affect leases that are signed after its adopted. Ms. Haynes stated that she believes the amended RLTO is effective from the day that it is approved by the City Council; leases signed prior to the amendments would be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the document that currently exist. She stated that hopefully she will have a copy of the RLTO in its formal state for the September meeting. b. Retreat Outcome — Plan of Action There was no discussion relative to this item; a planning sub -committee was put in place at the June 26* meeting to prepare a Strategic Plan; they will meet at the beginning of September. C. CommUNITY Picnic Assignments Ms. Haynes stated that CommUNITY Picnic will once again take place on the Civic Center grounds, Sunday. August 27' from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 p.m.. She stated that volunteers are needed in the areas of setting up and breaking down of chairs and tables and overall clean-up; there is a need for entertainers. Commissioner Kirwan asked Ms. Haynes if some of the summer youth participants would be willing to volunteer their time in the areas of clean up, etc.? Ms. Haynes stated that the summer youth participants volunteered their services last year in the areas of clean-up, setting up and breaking down chairs/tables, and in whatever capacity was requested of them; they may volunteer again this year. Ms. Haynes stated that she and Commissioner Rosen have discussed creating a project where children would decorate hands that have been cut from construction paper with peace messages; they could be strung in Council Chambers for Unity and Peace month (September and October). Ms. Haynes stated that the flyers for the picnic have been printed -for distribution to HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES July 26, 2000 Page 5 of 5 various agencies/orgsnizations/neighborhoods/businesses and events; the Evanston RoundTable has offered to provide the Commission with Fine Hundred and Sixty Dollars (S560.00) worth of PR. Picnic information will appear in that paper on July 2'4 and 16°i. She encouraged the Commissioners to come to the picnic and tbey could volunteer at that time in whatever capacity they are needed. Vt. COMMUNICATIONS AND ARTICLES Nts. Haynes stated that Item f Who Ryles America — Hate Crime Literature, is the latest piece of literature that is being distributed in northwest Evanston neighborhoods. V1I. OLD BUSINNESS Nts. Haynes stated that last year was the first year that the Summer Youth Employment incorporated Theater Skills. A couple of months ago the youth were requested to perform their theater production at a convention at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago; 2500 people attended the performance. An individual who attended the performance was so impressed, that upon his return to Oregon he told his agency about the youths spectacular performance and production. As a result of his actions, the agency agreed to fly all of the youth , staff personnel, and chaperons (absorbing all costs), to perform in Oregon at a convention in November. Ms. Jacoby stated that the youths will mrle eight performances that include schools and other place during their visit. Haynes stated that this years production will begin next week on evenings and weekends. Ms. Haynes reminded the Commissioners about EVANSFEST that will take place on July 29; Human Relations staff will man a table at the Farmers Market on August 19a. VI11. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Haynes stated that an Alderman forwarded two letters that she received from her constituents, complaining about the Boy Scouts leading the Fourth of July Parade by displaying Evanston's version of the Liberty Bell. The complainants were offended that such a sacred symbol was entrusted to an organization that violate the tenants and beliefs of this community and that they arc discriminatory towards individuals sexual orientation and sexual preference. She stated that she will write a letter to the complainants acknowledging their concerns and write a letter to the Fourth of July Association, who arc a private organization, notifying them that a complaint has been made and reiterate to them, the diverse nature of the Evanston community. Chair Settles stated that a coalition of organizations in Evanston will host a forum on the death penalty on Sunday, September 24" at the Methodist Church , 7:00 p.m.; the event was initiated by the Democratic Party of Evanston; the Arts Festival will take place in Dawes Park on August 5' and 6". Nts. Haynes stated that on Saturday, July 29'", she will be taping a t.v. show in downtown Evanston with Mayor Morton regarding youth employment. IX. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, a motion was made by Commissioner Hagemann and seconded by Commissioner Rosen to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m.; the motion was unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted by: ' `7 "1 Date: Do thy Thrower,.Secrrctary - -ARC / �1 : EVANSTON,HUMAN•RE%ATIONS COMMISSION 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVA.NSTON„ M. G020I ID MINUTES - ' Wednesday, dune 28,.2004 •.17:00- P,M:.� Room 2Q02 - ,..:.; � ..a s ..-, , . _ . ► COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT{ STAFF EXCUSED: VISITORS/GUESTS; APPROVED Hollis Settles -Chair; Hallie Rosen: David Bradford. Michael Cervantes, Leo Kirwan, Nancy Bailey, and Mavis Hagemann Paula A. I laynes and Bonnic Jacoby Dorothy Thrower Jason Nchal Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7: 05 p.m. 1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared. IL INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chair Settles asked the visitors to introduce themselves and state whether they were attending the meeting on behalf of any grouplorganization or as a citizen observer. Mr. Nchal introduced himself as a citizen observer. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — MAY 24, 2000 Chair Settles called for approval of the May 24, 2000 minutes. Chair Bradford moved for approval and Commissioner Hagemxm seconded the motion. Commissionecr Rosen requested thm the last paragraph on page 2 and the sxcond paragraph on page 3 be corrected to read: Jewish "Reconstructionist" Congregation. The minutes were unanimously approved with the noted corrections. IV. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update — Paula A. Haynes, Executive Director Ms. Haynes reported the following activities for the month of June: ♦The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) officially began the week of June 12th; ♦Received and addressed four (4) Police reports involving hate crime activity; a M.s. Haynes. Ms. Allen and Mr. Molinary have conducted several meetings with various bmtd g organizations incJuding Interfaith Housing Center and HUD, in an attempt to develop a program that would entice Realtors to participaae in the Section 8 Program. A focus group was created for landlords as a means of determining u by they do not participate in Section 8, however due to lack of interest. HUD was unable to find enough landlords to participate. On this evening. Ms. Allen was conducting a focus group for tenants to address their issues with Section 8; ache Civil Enforcement Team met with two new property owners in southeast Evanston w discuss violations~ •The Task Force on Civility and Violence are determining the feasibility of having one Jco Fair in the near future that will include the City of E%anston's SYEP. NAACP, ETHS, the Youth Job Service, and the Chamber of Comme:^;x; Ryan Field has been mentioned as a possible location; +Due to several phone calls that the Department received, Ms. Haynes contacted the Eeitor of the RoundTable regarding a portion of dialogue in an article that appeared in the June 25th issue that was written on the recently released movie, "Shall", produced by John Singletary. It appears that the author commented an several Black movies but referred to the movie 'Rosewood" as silly. Several individuals were offended by his comments because the movie was based on actual accosts of numerous Black men who were killed because a White female resident of a small towns in Florida alleged that she had been ram by a Black man. The Editor apologized for the oversight; x HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES June 28, 2000 Page 2 of 5 ♦ Ms. Haynes stated that she and the Housing sub -committee have spent a lot of time finalizzi=g the proptwd amrmlments to tie Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO); and • Letters regarding the CommUNITY Picnic have already bees mailed and donations aft: starting to arrive. b. Committee Reports yousin Commissioner Bradford passed out the amendments to the F andSord/Tcnant Ordinance for the Commissiotxrs to review. hti Haynes stated that the amendments would have to be approved by this bandy, forwarded to the Housing Commission and then to Planning and Development (one of the three standing committees of the City Council) for their approval_ Commissicner Bradford suggested that the Commissioners review the amendments during their monthly sabbatical and be prepared to discuss them a= the next scheduled meeting; he also requested that the Commissioners approved the amendments Ms. Haynes stated that ttse Law Depar-- tent will place the amendments in the proper format. Per Commissioner Bradford's inquiry, Ms. Haynes stated that she would find out if _ht Housing Commission meets in July; if so, she will request that the amendments be placed on their agenda for discussioc with the HRC's Housing Sub -committee Education Commissioner Kirwan stated that the Committee did not meet because two of the members were on vacat;.un, however they will meet this month. Commissioner Hagcmann stated that she attended District 65% School Board mewing that was held at King Lab. She stated that since the Commission's May minutes addressed lack of accessibility for disabled individuals at the School Board's regular mating ptacc, perhaps they finally got the message. Ms. Haynes made reference to a newspaper article. 'Rook Gan'. Hurts poor Kids- Study, that was included in the Commissioners packets. She stated that her intent for including the article is to make this a project where books would be gathered and sent as gift packages from the Human Relations Commission to parents of new born children who are low/moderate income when the mothers are discharged from the hospital.. The Commissioners were agreeable with Nis. Haynes' suggestion but felt these patents have to be informed somehow, if they begin reading to their children as babies it enhances their intelligence level when they begin school. Chat Settles suggested that during the school vacation, a member of the Education Committee attend the School Board meetings because there is ongoing friction between the Teachers Union and the School Board regarding the reading score gap/testing. Ms. Haynes stated sometime in January 2000. individuals asked the Principal of Haven if there were any eight graders who may not be gradtrsting so that dx-- could mentor these students and help them graduate; they were told there were none. However, a %tick before graduation lure was an ar-nounccment that approximately twelve to seventeen students would not be graduating. Since &..st time his. Haynes received an anonymous letter written by a parent to Superintendent Murphy regarding his/her issues and concerns. Saperintendent Murphy has ord-cred that indn idual curriculum be established for each one of the students for the summer so that they could improve in the necessary areas i.-t order to graduate. Chair Scales stated that District 65 needs mentors for students during the summer to monitor their attendance and make sure homework assignments are completed; he has volunteered to be an alternate mentor at haven Middle School. Executive Commiare Ms. Haynes stated that according to the law Enforcement community that Matt Hale and The World Church of the Creator arc planning some type of anniversary over the week-cnd. because of last July's (1999) reception that he mccived in Ev.L-won; local Police ate on alert. Chair Settles stated that there will be a memorial Service on Sunday, June 31 st , at 6 p.m., w hose theme is `From Tragedy To Triumph", at the First Presbyterian Church of Evanston and is being sponsored by the Worship Center (where Ricky Birdsong worshipped). Chair Settles informed the Commissioners that the Skokie Human Relations Commission is interested in co-sporsoring a Unity Event with the City of Evanston Human Relations Commission in the near future. V. DISCUSSION ITEMS a. Retreat Outcome -- plan of Action Commissioner Rosen acted as the facilitator for the Commissioners/staff retreat that took place on May 12th; she revisited the purpose of the retreat and reviewed the issues/concerns that were expressed which arc detailed as follows; X11 HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION ; MINUTES June 28, 2000 Page 3 of S nuestions: (1) What is the biggest challenge facing the Commission? (2) What do each Commissioner and staff person hope to accomplish during tbe=r tenure? (3) Ideally what you see as the role and/or contribution of the Commission im the Evanston Community? (4) Be specific and identify what you believe the Commission should be doing with regard to the following: • Administration • Program Activities • Political Mmuers Commissioner Rosen stated that one meeting may not allow the Commissioners to accomplish or complete a plan of action but rather look at the issuc(s) of their biggest challenge. The floor was open for discussion and following arc the plat of actions for the concerns stated above: There was in-depth discussion as to how the Commission would address the four q=stions outline above. Although the Enabling Ordinance defines the role of the Commission, it was determined and agreed by all of the Canmissioners that a clearly prepared Strategic Plan needs to be developed that will focus on the Commission's responsibilities to the com=L=ity. i.e. visibility; having functioning cortxmittees and members who moo, attend other meetings, report and act on their responsibilities as well as the entire body. Commissioners Rosen, Cervantes, and his. Haynes volunteered to be on ad hoc commiuce to begin prepwing a Strategic Plan after Labor Day (sometiute during the first week of September). The Commissioners will have to decide the genessl approach they want to take and whether the Plan will be developed intentally or hire an outside facilitator. It is important to note that the current Standing Committees will continua= to mat monthly or on an as needed basis during the development of a Strategic Plan. VI. Communications and Articles Ms. Haynes referred to item b.: Letter from Clarence Woods - `September Is Unity Month". She stated that September is also Unity month in Evanston which follows the CommUNITY Picnic, August 271h. Commissioner Rosen suggested that the Evanston Human Relations Commission send out a letter (similar to Chicago) to the community informing them of the various events that arc taking place during September, that are being hosted by churches and social service agcncieslorganizations; the letter could also be placed in the Evanston newspapers_ Ms. Haynes agreed a ith Commissioner Rosen and stated that was her original plan hDwever the idea needs to promoted and perhaps this is the year to do. She is aware that several churches in the community do promote Unity Month because they have asked to use the department's Unity Flag for display; three years ago a resolution was presented to the City Coun:il declaring September as Unity Month in Evanston. Ms. Haynes further stated that she sent a copy of that resolution with a letter to all of the churches, community groups, and organizations, asking them to der something acknowledging September as Unity Month. Ms. Haynes referred to item d.: Flyer. "EVANSFEST 2000" — Friday, July 28th — Sunday, July 301h. She stated that this will be the first year the World Largest Garage sale will not take place; the "EVANSFEST 2000" will replace it. At the request of Ira Golan, the human Relations Commission will participate in this event along with business, service groups, and various agencies in downtown Evanston. She stated that calls will be made within the next couple of weeks to the Commissioners to determine who will be able to participate in this event_ Chair Settles requested that Ms. Haynes discuss item e.: Letters (3) - Human Relations Commission and Interfaith Housing Center. Ms. Haynes stated that the letters included under this item was correspondence bctwccn she and Gail Schecktcr who is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs (IHC}, with regard to INC conducting preliminary fair housing audits for the department. Ms. Haynes explained that since the Human ReLmions Commission is responsible for enforcing the Fair Housing Ordinance and is being adhered to, individuals arc sent out to test the housing market (i.a purchases, loans, mortgages or renting), to determine if there are any discriminatory practices taking place. She stated that the Commission has not conducted tests for over ten years. INC in addition to testing can now investigate fair housing rases; the Commission contracted with INC to conduct testing only and no follow up ins cstigation. INC conducted testing that resulted in several Evanston Realtors being sued by the City for housing discrimination. his. Haynes' letter to Ms. Seheckler refers to some jurisdictional issues that need to be clarified or addre=d in the contract. Another matter that cenaans Ms. Haynes is that 11-IC sent a couple of test results to an attorney for his assessment intend of sharing the information with the Commission. ox HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES June 28, 2000 Page 4 of 5 Sts. Scheckter indicated that she is exporting to hear from the snomey within the ced couple of weeks and will provide spc iftinfnrmuion to the Commissioct; Ms. Haynes did receive the name of the firm who received nix test result. At this time in tic meeting, Commissioner Kirwan had to leave the meeting. Cccnmissioner Cervantes asked Ms. Haynes if the letter provided to the Commissioners the only agreement with HIC; he expo concern rcg ding Ms. Schechter's disposition of the test results and considered it to be ars act of arrogance and disrespect towards theCoarnmission. He stated that based on her actions the Commission should question whether IHC should be paid the contracted amount of 32= should dwy be released from the contract. 16 s. Haynes stated that there are only certain agencies who can perform testing. Sae stated that prior to contracting IHC to conduct tests, six approached The Leadership Council who declined her reei-rest. Ms. Haynes s=cd that she will keep the Commissioner irdormed about this matter. I ts. Haynes refer, to item e.: Updated Bylaws for HRC swed that in addition to the By -Laws being up dated, staff dc9mt6orts have to be changed and since a Strategic Plan is going to be developed it has to be incoepoorated into the By-laws. VIL Old Business Commissioner Rosen stated that six groups (approximately sixty people are participating) in Talking About Prejudice Amongst uS (T-&P-AS.). Tu=ty people said they would not be able to ascend the meeting ca July 9th, however eighty people did respond to the letter. Other meetings arc planned for the twenty individuals in September who cavld not attend the July. There was a meeting for the DcHitators which included Commissioner Hagemann and tts. Haynes. Commissioner Rosen thanked all of the Commissioners for their responses. She stated that an article should appear in the Roundtable after the July 9th meeting. CommUNITY Picnic - Sunday, August 27. 2000 Commissioner Bailey stated that she has already been in touch with individuals who have been an the Food Committee for t'sr- past couple of years and she sill be contacting Tom Mignon who is the ouster of The Keg to find out if he will be contributing food once again. She stssed that gifts are needed as raffle donations. Ms. Haynes explained that the money that is donated for this event is used to per- for the rental of everything that is not donated such as: grills, stages, tents, sinks, portable toilets, printing poster/flyers, tee shirts, pop. paper towels, plates, napkins, forks, chips, ice cream, popcorn, cotton candy, etc. She asked the Commissioners to call her and let her know if they arc interested in volunteering their time and service for this event. W. Haynes stated that she has signed the Commission up to sit at the Farmers hlarkct on Saturday. August 19th at 8:30 ss:t.: staff is always there but she invited the Commissioners to attend if they are able to do so. The consensus of the Commissioners was to take the mono, of August off. VilI. New Business SU. Haynes stated that with regard to the shootings that took place this month, the Human Services Committee will be meeting on July Sth a: 7:30 p.m.; one of their agenda items is going to be a discussion on "Solutions to Community Violence". They have asked Chief Kaminiski to lead that discussion. Chair Settles asked Ms. Haynes if she would give the Commissioners a status report on the mural at Greenleaf Street under the via dock? hts. Haynes stated that she received a phone call from his. Peggy Tarr a couple of %vecks ago stating that the mural under t ..c via dock was inappropriate and contained racial overtones. Alderman Bernstein called a couple of days oflcr that and asked Mr. IJaynes if she would look at the mural and make a assessment. Upon viewing the mural, she informed Alderman Bernstein that personally, she did not find it offensive; to her it reflected the diversity of the community. She described, for the Commissioners, the appearances of the various caricatures (Blacks, Whites, and Asians -adults and childrrn} and how they were displayed in the mural. Ms. Haynes stated that the Human Relations Commission staff viewed the mural as did several individual who were vv-alking in that area; all indicated that they did not fond it of cnsive or racial. During Ms. Tarr's initial conversation with Ms. Baynes, she stated that she and some of her cohorts were going to bring this matter before the City Council; however, Ms. Tarr chose to take it to the Public Art Committee. As a result of tits. Tarr's actions the racial appearances and dress of several caricatures in the mural were changes it MEAN RELATIONS CONWSSION NUNUTES June 28, 2000 Page 5 of 5 Chair Settles stated that his Ttur sad him and the Ptssident of the NAACP. After viewing the mural her informed her dmd personally they did rwr fmd the mural ofrmwm Chair Settles informed the Commissaoncrs to visit the W'Mmcne Public Library if they have an opportunity to do so been= since the B=jamin Smith shooting spree, the Ls`brmy now indud=-a large number of ethnic and racial authors of books and mega Ms Haynes stated thm she believes the Commission's Stmaegie Plan should also challenge every Board or Commission wiid3in Evanston and the surrounding cities, to do something to address divessiry issues; she stated that the Libraries are the most appropriate ph= to begin this effort. Chair Styles stated that there will be a talent show and com= at the NU auditorium Saturday night, July 1 st that is being part on by the AXEL Group which is a component of the local branch of :he NAACP. UL ADJOURNMENT There being no further business. a motion was made by Car=missioner Hagemann and seconded by Commissioner Bradford to adjourn the meeting at 10:20 p.m; the motion ywss peanimously approved. } Respectfully submitted by: L Date. Dorothy Thr"=. Secretary - YRC E EVANSTON ADMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION- 2100 RIDGE AVEINUE, EVANSTON, IL. 6020t 'INE[NUTES Wednesday, MkY za, 2000 7:00 P.Al. -. Room.2402 APPROVED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Hollis fair, Hallie Rosen; Nancy Bailey; David Bradford, - and Leo Khwan COMMISSIONERS(S) EXCUSED: Mavis Higemann and Michael Cervantes STAFF PRESENT: Paula A_ Haynes and Dorothy Thrower VISITORSIGUESTS: Peggy TattT, Nichols Neighbors and Jason Nehal Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7: l8 p.m. I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared. H. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chair Settles asked the visitors to introduce themselves and state whether they were attending the meeting on behalf of any group/organization or as a citizen observer. Ms. Tarr and Mr. Nehal introduced themselves as observers. Ill. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — MARCH 22, 2000 Chair Settles called for approval of the April 26, 20W minutes. Chair Bradford moved for approval of the minutes; Commissioner Kirwan seconded the motion. Ms. Haynes requested that the spelling of Commissioner Kirwan's last name be corrected on Page 4 under VI. ACTION ITEMS. The minutes were unanimously approved with the noted correction. IV. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update Ms. Haynes reported the following activities: ♦ Ms. Haynes and Ms. Allen had a second meeting with the Police Clergy Team regarding the proposed Banner Program and Activity to see if they wanted to co-sponsor or partner with the Human Relations Commission regarding this effort; • Spent some time preparing for the retreat on May 12'; ♦ Attended a Violence Civility Task Force Meeting; ♦ Ms. Haynes and other Civil Enforcement Team members met with a landlord in an attempt to resolve the matter of several individuals who continually congregate on a property that he owns on Simpson; • Ms. Haynes and Chair Settles attended the Wilm=c Human Relations Commission meeting this month; 4 Served as one of the guest speakers and panelists at Oakton Community College on May 5', regarding Police HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION _. MINUTES i MAy 24, 2000 • - Page 2 of4 _ _.. _ _ - .._. _ -- Profiling; ♦ Received and is investigating an internal sexual harassment complaint; ♦ The Civil Enforcement Team met of which she is a member, ♦ On May 17° the HRC staff and most all other city employees attended four hours ofADA training; ♦ Notifications letters have been sent to youth who were selected for employment with SYEP. Ms. Haynes and the SYEP staff have been interviewing individuals for the positions of supervisors; ISO youth were hired by du-- city; approximately 30 or 40 were hired in the private sector, the program will begin on June 15"; and ♦ Mr. Molinary attended a meeting in April that was coordinated by the Interfaith Housing Center to martxt the Section B Program to Realtors and to discuss training for them; a follow-up meeting will take place on Maw 25i. Commissioner Bradford thanked Ms. Haynes and staff' for a tremendous job that they have done by providing much needed jobs for young adults in the community and for some individuals who have physical or mental disal�ics. Chair Settles stated that the Commission needs to focus on engaging the private sector to participate in the SYU*s Annual Job Fair, because it %ill once again encounter political and other problems as Iong as the City is the primary employer of SYEP youth and the program's only resort for funding. Commissioner Rosen suggested that the HRC staff, Commissioners and the SYEP participants, conduct a presentation to the Chamber of Commerce at the end of the summer until the beginning of fall, as a means of getting the agency involved in the SYEP jobs effort. Ms. Haynes stated that there are several youth entities in the community including SYEP, and somehow all of these groups need to interface and work together because they are all working for a common goal; if the Commission is going to pursue the private sector they need to find out if businesses/agencies are already committed/involved with any of the other youth programs. b. Committee Report (1) Education Committee Commissioner Rosen stated that the Education Committee did not have an opportunity to meet this month. (2) Housing Committee Commissioner Bradford stated that he, Commissioner Bailey and Ms. Haynes met this morning; they discussed and reviewed the proposed text for the amendments to the Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance (RLTO). He emphasized that for the record, the proposed amendments to the RLTO are designed to be absolutely party neutral and they emphasize fair and impartial enforcement. 'there is a possibility that the Commissioners will have to meet some time in the future to discuss, plan and implement the amendments to the RLTO. C. T.A.P.A.S. — Commissioner Rosen Commissioner Rosen referred to a memo that she wrote to the Commissioners wherein she informed them that the synagogue that she belongs to, the Jewish Reconstruction Congregation (JRC), has undertaken a program entitled Talking About Prejudice Amongst uS (T.A.P.AS.). One of the issues that the program addresses is hate crimes_ She is co-chair of the the Hate Crimes Sub -committee which was formed as a result of the shootings that took place last summer. The purpose of T.A.P.A.S. is to bring diverse groups of people together in the Evanston community including those who have some type of connection with it; there will be ten groups with eight to ten people in each group. Diversity will include race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socio/economic status, national origin, disability, etc. Commissioner Rosen is requesting that all of the Commissioners participate in this et%ri in one of the following three ways: (I)a participant, (2) a host/hostess (the home where a pot luck dinner will be held) or, (3) a facilitator, who will moderate the discussion and keep it on track. She requested that the Commissioners provide her x it HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES May 24, 2QOU Page 3 of 4 with the names of at least five to ten individuals by June I' whom she will invite to these meeting groaps by personal letters; the letters will be signed by Chair Settles and Ms. Haynes. Commissioner Rosen moved that the Commission co-sponsor the T A.P.A..S. program with the Jewish Rwonstructlon Congregation. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Bailey and unanimously apprmrd Commissioner Rosen stated that Once the solicitation letters have been sent out and the responses received, groups will be formed and everyone will receive a noticellener of confirmation. She will train the people who vv!tmteer to be facilitators of the groups; the first meeting is scheduled for June 2 V at the Jewish Recc=truction Congm ation which is handicap accessible. Included with the solicitation letter is a registration form drat addresses any spwial needs or restrictions. The first potluck dinner will be held on July 9'"; the location has not ieeri yet determined because the idea is to have it in someone's home. A second meeting will take place in mid -September and the third in early November. After reviewing Commissioner Rosen's memorandum Commissioner Bradford moved that the Human Relations Commissioners accept the memorandum as presented Commissioner Kirwan seconded the motion which was unanimously approved V. RETREAT - Plan of Action With the concurrence of the Commissioners, Chair Settles tabled this item until the June meeting. VI. APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO THE BY-LAWS Commissioner Bradford moved that the amendment to the BY -Laws (Section 9. Nomvration and Election ofOtiicers) be approved Tire amendment would put a mechanism in place for successors of the elected Chair and Vice -Chair should they be unable to fulfilt their terms of office. Commissioner Bailey seconded the motion which was unanimously approved VII. COMMUNICATIONS Chair Settles stated that he and Ms. Haynes attended a forum on May 11" that was sponsored by the Leagm of Women Voters, United Power for Action and Justice, and the Evanston NAACP. There was discussion regarding issues that affect Evanston such as voter registration and affordable health care. One of the successes of the United Power for Action and Justice was the recent suburban strike of janitors. Vill. OLD BUSINESS Ms. Haynes stated that the solicitation letters for the Community Picnic are going to be sent out starting this weeL She stated that Commissioners who are going to volunteer their services for this event should let her know soon so that she can start to plan committee meetings. 1X. NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Bailey stated that on Tuesday, May 23'i, she spoke with an individual who is employed at Evanston Hospital. The individual is alleging that the Hospital has decided that all of their emplo�-ees will speak onh, in Er?lish during work hours; this also includes phone conversations. The individual stated that employees are being monim ed to insure compliance with the decision and wanted to know if this action is discriminatory. Ms. Haynes stated that several factors have to be determined regarding the hospital's administrative policies with regard to employees speaking the English language, departmental policies, etc. Ms. Haynes asked Commissioner BuTmay to x� HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES May 24, 2000 Page 4 of 4 see if the employee would be willing to talk with her so that she can obtain specific information before she approaches the Hospital. Commissioner Bailey surd that she believes the individual will agree to meet with his. Haynes and if not she/he could direct her (Ms. Haynes) to someone else who would be willing to disc= this matter. Ms. Tarr stated that several citizens have expressed concern regarding School District 65 holding public meetings in the administrative building on the third floor at 1314 Ridge; there is no elevator in the building and site School Board states they have grandfathered rights. She stated that there are fifteen buildings in the school district therefore, they do not have an excuse for holding public meetings in a building that is not accessible to the disabled. Ms. Haynes stated that according to the ADA the term "grandfathered" is not addressed. If the building serves the public it has to be accessible for disabled individuals. ADA laws can only be enforzed by the Department of Justice. She stated that the Commission can write a letter to the administration and remind them of their responsibilities with regard to the ADA. Chair Settles stated that Leadership Evanston, the NAACP and Leadership Challenge will host a follow-up meeting at the Evanston Library on Thursday, May 25° at 7:30 p.m. for anyone who is interested in becoming involved in the community and running for elective and appointed positions next year (i_e. Mayor, Council Members, Commissioner. etc.); there will be a memorial 5K walk for Ricky Birdsong on Saturday, June 24. He stated that once the Commissioners have responded to the issues that were addressed at the May 1211 retreat he would like to re -visit the "Quality of Life Issues" in Evanston; some homeowners in various neighborhood (specifically the Church/Dodge and the Darrow/Simpson areas) have had several meetings and asked the Nation of Islam to provide them with security in these areas because the Evanston Police Department has failed to do so. Ms. Haynes stated that bringing the Nation of Islam into those areas is not an action that the City is supporting or encouraging; the decision was made by those residents. X. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business Commissioner Bradford moved to adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. l� _ Respecollysubmitted by: (�'--��::; , Date: Secret ary�Numan Relations Commission • • al MEF PRESENI: ffAa • GUR�-!'S/3aSITORS: EVANS70N HUMAN RELATIONS COMMI—AWON MINUiFS 2100 RIDGFAVENUE — EVANSTON, IL 60202 Wednesday, Agri! 25, 2000 7.00 P.M. — Room 2402 Holies Setbes-Chair; Halite Rosen; Mavis Hagernam DavidBradford, Michael Cervantes, and Leo rxwan Rosalyn LaPier, Vice -Chair and Comrnissiorber Bailey Lloyd McBeM Paula A. Haynes and Lisa Allen Dorothy Thrower ' Uz Rapp-PN; ]ason Nehal; Karen Vroegtrl vanston Task Force on Safety arhd Civility; and Delores Leone Prior to the meeting being called to order, Ms. Haynes informed the Commissioners that she had received a letter from Vice -Chair LaPier, tendering her resignation because her husband had accepted the position of Associate Professor of Native Americans Studies at the University of Montana; her resignation is effective immediately. Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared. 11. I1'TRODUMON OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chair Settles asked the visitors to introduce themselves and state whether they were attending the meeting on behalf of any group/organization or as a citizen observer. Ms. Vnoegh stated that she is the Coordinator for the Task Force on Safety and Civility, which is a coaftion/partnership of agendes representing the schools, Police, Churches, the Human Relations Commission, Health Department, businesses and several other entities. The original Task Force was organized by Superintendent Alan Alston in 1995. Currently they are addressing a couple of issues that have not been formalized; one of ahem Is an issue with childrere behavior who ride District 204 buses; the odder issue is that school age children being seen throughout the community during school hours. Ms. Vroegh's office is located at the Evanston Neighborhood Conference. 11. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — MARCH 22, 2000 Commissioner Cervantes asked Chair Settles if chair persons were designated to the Standing Committees that were staffed at the March 22'0 meeting? Chair Settles stated that he had requested that the Education and Housing Committees appoint chair persons; since the Commissioners approved a motion to amend the by -lays at the April 2e meeting to rename the Economic Opportunity and Development Committee a chair person could not be named. Ms. Haynes requested that the minutes reflect the correct spelling of lanan Rlzski's name. With the noted corrections, Commissioner Cervantes moved for approval of the March 22, 2000 minutes; Commissioner Hagemann seconded the motion which was unanimously approved. s+� HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES Page 2 - April 26-20 0 IV. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update Ms. Baynes reported the following activities: •Ms. Haynes the foilo%sing individuals who volunteered their time to work the Mayors Annual Job Fair which was held on Saturday, April 150: Commissioner Bailey %vho manned one of the job specificatm rooms where hundreds of youth had the opportunity to select and be interviewed for jobs of their choice; Commissicoer Hagemann ccrdueted Inter ews for the library; one of the youth that she recommended was hired . Commissioner Hagemann complimented Ms. Haynes and the SYEP staff on hmv well the Job Fair was organized and %x?gested that the other Commissioners volunteer their time for this event in the future; • Ms. Haynes stated that this Is the second year that Chair Settles has volunteered to brief the yout : at the Job Fair as to hoar they should conduct themselves during an interview; she thanked him for his efforts. She spoke further regarding the events of the day and the processes that take place after the Job Fair relative to the youth being hired. Chair Settles reminded the Commissioners that the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) was one of the programs that, the City Council wanted to eliminate from the budget this past fisml year. He stated that SfEPs continued ebstence in the City is important and stressed the need for the Commission to start exhibiting early support ti:4nards this effort. • Facilitated a citizen complaint regarding the Zoning Division; • attended a diversity workshop at DePaul University; • Attended a Civility Task Force meeting; this meeting addressed youth who are not attending sir`nol In Evanston. Ms. Haynes stated that perhaps HRC and the Police Department could co-sponsor an ordinance tha: would fine/penahze merchants who allow youth to fraternize their businesses when they should be in school; • Successfully mediated a landlord/tenant dispute; • Ms. Haynes, Ms. Allen and Mr. Molinary attended a two day workshop enttld "Black on Black Crime, Prevention and Cures Year 2000 ", that was sponsored by the Center for Social Justice; • Ms. Haynes and staff went on a field trip downtown to The Nature Museum to see the "Question d Truth" exhibit which explored science's perceptions as they relate to culture, race and bias; • Last week his. Haynes met with an elected official to begin creating some amendments that a.-e being made to the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTQ) and to assess fines for violations of this docurent. Once this takes p{a•-e the Human Relations Department will be included in the administrative adjudication of the Ordinance and also have the authority to cite landlords and tenants for violations. Ms. Allen is currently Ceveioping a security deposit checklist that wir, allow the landlord and tenant to walk through a unit before it is rented to identify its condition; once the lease agreement terminates a walk through will) take place again for a comparison of the "before" and "after" checklists to determine if the tenant is responsible for any damages; • The Human Relations Specialists continue to address/respond to numerous landlord/tenant comr)-aints as well as some nuisance abatement issues; and • Received and is addressing a hate crime complaint that was based on a landlord/tenant issue. Mr. liehal asked Ms. Haynes if anything further has been done with regards to tf registry or licensing of landlords? Ms. Haynes responded that a decision has been made not to license landlords t-, rather, to put in place a mechanism to enforce the RLTQ. She stated that the original purpose for licensing landlords was not to raise cr generate revenues for the City but to assure compliance of the Ordinance. Ms. Haynes further sn�ed that the City is considering putting together a welcome packet for new renters in Evanston that will include the RLTO and possibly be disseminated to the attnrney(s) who represent property owners when their transfer takes are paid at tlhe City Clerk's Offcce. Mr. f4ehal stated that the Landlord/Tenant Ordinance does not address the distribution of utilities try the landlord, another problem that he has encountered as a tenant in the past; he wanted to know if this issue wil be Included in the amendments? 3t, HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES Page 3 - April 26, 2000 M5 Haynes stated that Mr. Nehal's Issue will be reviewed to determine how it can be Incorporates? I= the RLTO because it has been a concern of many tenants in the past. b: Committee Reports 1. Education Committee Commissioner Rosen stated that she and Commissioners Hagemann and Kirwin. members of the Education Sub -Committee met informally approximately three weeks ago as an opportunity to get to Lnov each other. They discussed whether education should be addressed specifically with the schools or education with regard to the community that could extend to outreach issues. Some of their ideas regarding the schools were to meet +ntth the Administ::-d= of Districts 202 and 65 and perhaps sometime in the next few months they will prepare a docur.^sent that will address the state of human relations In Evanston schools. She stated that there was scarce uncertainty as b how things would oet done. For instance, will the Sub -Committee members meet with the School aGrninistrators or should a staff person accrimpany them; do they address how the Human Relations Commission might be able to assist them vi th certain issues and what are the is, J. the Commission want the Schools to bring them? The Sub -Committee members decided that at least one of them shmild attend the School Board meetings and that they would like to start receiving those minutes. Their discussed whether one of them or a staff person should be attending the Violence Task Force meetings. They also talked about the upcoming anniversary of Ricky Birdsong's murder and what role the Human Relations Commission might play in that event. Chair Settles stated that prior to the Commission meeting he attended a meeting at Haven Middle School where discussion took place regarding behavior, truancy, safety and security; concern was expressed that these issues are disruptive to the learning process of the students; there was also discussion regarding the reading gap. Chair Sete stated that he Wced with several students at Haven a couple of weeks ago who indicated they did not see these things as an Issue; they felt there was more discontent with the parents than the stuudents. He stated that issues such as the ones at Haven are matters he would like for the Commission to investigate and/or get involved in. Commissioner Hagemann expressed an interest in getting involved in the isv.)es at Haven Schott and per her inquiry, Chair Settles informed her that she may introduce herself to the Principal as a human Relations Commissioner who would like to be informed of any controversial issues Involving its students. Ms. Haynes stated that in the past there has been some discussion as to whether Commission m--nbers are representing the Commission when they attend meetings, etc., versus when they speak as citizens; this issue s`aould be addressed at the May 12'h retreat because there are some parameters that need to be established and understod try everyone. 2. Housing Committee Commissioner Bradford stated that due to the death of Commissioner Bailer's father, she was unable to attend this meeting and tyjsy hey had to reschedule some of their intended meetings. He stated that the sub -committee will present the Commissioners with suggested enforcement mechanisms for the PLTO at the May muting . For the berAfit of the most recently appointed Commissioners, Commissioner Bradford briefly reviewed the need for enforcement mechanisms in the RLTO and for the record, stated that all of them are designed to be party neutral (favoring neither the landlord or the tenant). He stated that during his tenure on the Commission, staff reports have irx1icated that there have been some egregious violations of the RLTO; without some type of enforcement mechanisms sta`° has only been We to request or cajole parties who have a binding contract with each other to adhere to the RLTO; these individuals who have limited resources at their disposal get short -ended - specifically regarding the return of security posits because it is not financially beneficial for attorneys to represent landlords/tenants. Commissioner Bradford stated that HRC has met twice Wth the Housing Commission and at both meetings they vigorously supported and endorsed HRCs efforts to enact enforcement mechanisms to the RLTO. He stated that the Housing Sub -Committee is seeking the Commissioners approval of the recommended amendments to the RLTO at the May meeting. A HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES Itrie 4 — Anril 26.2000 Ms. Haynes emphasized that when the RLTO beccrnes enforceable landlords will not automatitaltly be fated to retum a tenant's security deposit; the tenant will still have to exercise his/her rights in civil court However, the enforr t mechanisms will allow the City to fine a landlord "bo is not abiding by the Ordinance. She stati'.ed that alrrently staff have begun to assist landlords/tenants in filing complaints that will be heard by the SkO ie Courts; to reiterate Commissioner Bradford's comments regarding landlei ds/tenants retaining an attorney, staff Is also considering compiling a list of attorneys who would be interested or willing to represent either party on a pro bona basis-, if this Gorses to fruition the list will be made available to landlords/tenants. S. Executive Committee Chair Settles stated that Racial Profiling is still a major issue involving minorities and he will continue to infer. the Commissioners of the progress or lack of from the surrounding communities. V. DISCUSSION ITEMS a. May 12t" Retreat Ms. Haynes Informed the Commissioners that the May 12' retreat will take place in the Board Roorn at The First Bar& and Trust building on Church Street. There was unanimous agreement that It will begin promptly at 9-W a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. There were no announced scheduling conflicts from the Commissioners that would prevent them from attendrig the retreat. Commissioner Rosen reviewed the agenda format for the May 12v' retreat and asked for other sGyyut;wu that could be incorporated that day. After some discussion it was determined that the retreat should be strut fired in a manner that will allow the Commissioners and staff to accomplish the goals that are set forth. Ms Haynes stated that she will send a notice to the Commissioners and staff Informing them of the location and time of the retreat. b. CommUNITY Picnic Ms. Haynes stated that she and Chief Kaminski will soon start to solicit businesses in town for their goods or services by letter for the CommUNrN Picnic. This is the third year that the Human Relations Commission has co-si msored this event with the Police Department that will once again take place on the Civic Center grounds, Sunday August 27th. She stated that if anyone is interested in volunteering they should contact her so that she can Inform them of the volunteer committees and what their responsibilities are. Commissioner Rosen volunteered her services. Ms. Haynes stated that she and Ms. Allen will meet next week with the Police Clergy Team to further discuss creating banners for the conmmunity and to find out how much time the churches will need to complete them for the picnic and determine hox this prate will be funded. She stated that the banners could also be displayed in September for UNITY mersth and October which is PEACE month. Action Items a. Approval of Amended By -Laws Commissioner Bradford moved that the Commissioners approve the amended recommendations to Sections Three and Four of the By -Laws; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirwan. The motion was unani=L* approved. VI. Communications and Articles For the record, Commissioner Cervantes asked Ms. Haynes what is the status of Commissioner McBeil's tenure on the Commission. Ms. Haynes stated that Commissioner McBell has failed to respond to written correspondence from Chair Settles or return phone calls from staff; therefore, she will be drafting a letter to the Mayor regarding his Lack of attendance at the meetings. z HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES Pave 5 — Apdl26. 2000 Commissioner Rosen stated that the'Mdlion Mom March" will take place In dormto►+n Chicago, `-may, May ice' at 1:00 p.m. VII. Old Business Commissioner Rosen stated that on April 170' a public meeting was held at the university of Illinois at Vtbana-Champaign where Vice -Chair LaPier presented a letter to the Chairman of the University from the Human Relations supporting the retirement of Chief Illinhvek as their mascot; four hundred people were opposed to retiring Chief Ilrern'wek and three hundred were In favor of the retirement VIII. New Business Ms. Haynes stated that Vice -Chair LaPiiees position will have to be filled. The Commissioners decided to amend Me by-laws regarding successors to the Chair and Vice -Chair if either person could not fully serve his/her term; Ms. Haynes will create language for this amendment that will be placed on the May meeting agenda. Chair Settles stated that on May 11t" a forum will take place at the Vineyard Church; it will be co -hosted by the United Power for Action and Justice Coalition, the NAACP, and the League of Women Voters at 7:30 p.m_ Two Inba+.ives vrA be discussed: Affordable Health Care Advocacy and Voter Registradon for the upcoming election In November. Chair Settles stated that the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet will take place on Sunday, May 7v' at the Double 'free Hotel in Skokie at 6:00 p.m. IX. Adjournment There being no further business, Commissioner Bradford moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m.; the rrxXion was seconded and approved unanimously. !rr Respe[tlully. su6mitte�d 6y!. � /u/ Date. 4 Secretary/Human e/alrons Camnrlsslon x EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS CO1111I',ZStON.. 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 MINUTES Wednesday, March 22., 2000 ,(I I'al 7:00 P.M. - Room 2402 APPRO1 ED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Hollis Settles -Chair Rosahn LaPier-Vice Chair; Hallie Rosen; Nancy Bailey; Mavis Hagemma. David Bradford. Stichaei Cervantes. and Leo Kira n COMMISSIONER(S) ABSENT: Lloyd McBeli STAFF PRESENT: Paula A- Haynes and Dorothy Thrower VISITORS/GUESTS: Jason Nc4 Janan Rizski, Boamie Jacoby, Maus= Barry and Mark Franz. Assismats to the City Manager Chair Settles called the meeting to order of 7.10 p-ft 1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was declared. It. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chair Settles asked the visitors to introduce themselves and state whether they were attending the meeting on behalf of any grouplorganization or as a citizen observer. Jason Neil stated that he was attending the meeting as an observer, h(rwever, as a tenant, he found out in March that his landlord failed to give him a copy of the RLTO. He believes his aparunern has several code %ioiations. Janan Rizski stated that he was attending the meeting because he wanted to present some racial statistics of individuals who have been arrested by Evanston Police Officers for Motor Vehicles Offenses. Maureen Barn- and Marl; Franz introduced themselves. Ill. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — February 23, 2000 Commissioner Hagemann moved to approve the minutes for February 23. 2UM: Commissioner Bailey seconded the motion: the following corrections were required: Commissioner Hagemannn req-.:csted that Highland Park be corrected in paragraph 5 on page 4; Vice -Chair LaPier requested that para;raph 8 on page 5 be corrected to read: "...asking them to retire Chief Illiniwck as their mascot"; Ms. Haynes requested that the following s=ement be added to the same paragraph: "The Commissioners nave Vice -Chair LaPier permission to draft a letter from them for their review and approval towards this effort" .; Commissioner Cervantes requested that the minutes reflect he %vas excused for the February 23rd meeting. The minutes were unanimously approved with the noted corrections. IV. INFORMATION ITEMS Staff Activities Update Ms. Haynes reported the following activities: .W HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES March 22;20a0 Page 2 of 6 r; *Attended a Planning and Development meeting on March I" ►shrre there was cxtended discussion on the licensing of landlords in Evanston that was not well received by any of the Lamilotds in attendance; the issue has not been resolved as - there are several questions that have to be answered. Ms. Haynes w 17 meet with Alderttuin Rainey on Friday- March 24"` to discuss the matter further. Commissioner Cervantes wanted to know what o+,her communities require the licensing of landlords and is there a City staff person working towards this effort? Commissioner Bradford wan:cd to know if a fee is asstssed for licensing? Ms. }laynes informed Commissioner Cervantes that she is aware that Elgin, Aurora and Oak Park license landlords; Jim Wolinski the Director of Community Development, put together the initial information and presented it at the meeting in March. In response to Commissioner Bradford's question (i.e. fees)- she responded that each landlord has to pay a cost per rental unit. She stated that the outcome of the meeting with Alder zn Rainey will determine whether she has information to report to the Commissioners and it is her hope that they will support this issue whether it is licensing or for a registry. Site indicated that licensing would be helpful to her staff in addressing landlord/tenant issues. Vice -Chair LaPier stated that she attended the meeting and one of tla concerns that was expressed by landlords is that they viewed licensing as a punishment; ♦Attended a Civil Enforcement Team meeting; +Ms. Haynes, Chief Kaminski, and the Director of Community Development met with a receiver of one of the City's problem properties to address some of the concerns relative to the property and to discuss tenant issues the receiver is experiencing; *Conducted two staff retreats where discussion took place regarding their issues/concems, programs and activities they believed they should be involved as well as the Commissioners; this information will be shared at the Commission's retreat; • Conducted mediation involving an elderly woman who had some problems with a construction company; • Began ADA self evaluation process; will be requesting Commissioner Kirwan's assistance regarding this process as well his feedback on accessibility and mobility; ♦ Have been involved with several City employees issues and their department supervisors; ♦ Ms. Ilaynes and staff (his. Allen and Mr. htolinary) attended a mo day conference on hate crimes and hate groups an Friday and Saturday. March 10" and 1 I". She stated that in the nets future the Commission needs to partner with some community groups to discuss putting together some type of training., seminars or workshops for parents because young adults are being heavily rccruacd by White Supremacist groups through music that is sold by independent music distributors; Commissioner Kirwan stated that it would be helpful if Ms. Haynes could make the list available to all of the Commissioners so that they in addition to herself, can visit some of the independent music stores in search of the music. leis. Haynes stated that she would make copies of the music list for the Commissioners. Wet with the Attorney for Carmen's Pizza reg rding the complami that was filed several weeks ago by an Evanston resident. his. Haynes offered several suggestions as to how this matter might be resolved or corrected. She will meet with him at a later date to discuss how he/Carmen's Pica intend to resoh a the matter; •Conducted training for the Community Investment Force on Fair Housing and Landiord'Tenant Ordinances; • Ms. ]Jaynes thanked Ms. Thrower and Ms. Jacoby for manning Llte Human Relations Commission's table at the Evanston Mental Health Association event that took place on Saturday. March 18' at ETHS; Ws. I Jaynes and staff conducted a presentation at EEAC on Racist Profiling; Commissioner Hagemann and Chair Settles were in attendance; Ws. Haynes and Chair Settles attended a C-Cap meeting on March 22 with the new presiding judge for the Skokie District court; ♦ Ms. Haynes and the SYEP staff are currently preparing for the Job Fair that will take place on Saturday, April 15'h at the Civic Center from 9.00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., she asked Commissioners to volunteer with this effort if possible; +Ms. Haynes stated that the Human Relations Specialists are in the process of instructing tenants on how to file civil suits against their landlord if they find out that the RLTO has been violated: HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES March 22, 2000 Page 3 of 6 Mr. Neil stated that currently there are five or six documented violations in his apanmecz according to the P.LTO; he also stated that he has contacted attorneys and various organizations for assistance but he somas imfwmeJ that his ita:.ame exceeds their standards. He stated that Mr. Molinary and Ms. Allen have worked diligently to assim him but there has b= no resolve to his concerns by his landlord. He referred to a remedy in the RLTO that he as a tenant has %i rich states that City Manager or his designee may bring some type of action against a landlord. Ms. Haynes informed Mr. Neil that she is the City Manager's designee, however, the particular remedy th:te he is referring to states that there has to be a "pattern of practice" by a landlord if helshe is v iolating the RLTO. She stated th= the Housing Sub -Committee is currently working on making the entire RLTO cnforccablc and not jus; the section regard "pattern of practice". *Three fair housing complaints have been filed with staff; one of the complaints involves an individual wi-.-o is on Section 8 and has a mental disability which is covered under the Fair Housing Ordinance. Staff is assisting the individual with a "reasonable accommodation" request. The "reasonable accommodation" is that Section S provide funding for someone to come in and clean the tenant's apartment every two weeks. If Section 8 does not make the "reasonable accommodation" then staff will file a fair housing complaint on the tenant's behalf; Section 8 is funded by HUD which enforces fair housing Iaws. V. DISCUSSION ITEMS (A) Quality of Life Issues Vice -Chair LaPier stated that the By -Laws indicate that there arc three named Standing Committees that currently exist. There was discussion (at the November 1999 meeting) whether or not they wanted those Committees to remain as they are or if they wanted to amend the By -Laws to include more sub -committees or to delete some of the sub -committees; they also discussed whether the Quality of Life Issues (QLI) tit within the current structure or should a different structure be created. Chair Settles stated that the Commission's responsibility at this meeting was to classi6l the QLI under the existing Sub- committees or create new committees and assign individuals to them with an elected chairperson; his goal is to have working committees to address specific issues. At this time in the meeting an in-depth discussion took place regarding QLI. Followine are the results of that discussion: fit was determined that a Board/Committee already exists for some of the QLI or that some of them are being addressed by other Boards/Committees/Commissions; the Commission needs to focus on its rote, respond to issues and not duplicate the efforts by another pan of the City; -Chair Settles emphatically expressed concern that the sub -committee members are not rr=ting on a monthly basis to discuss or update the Commissioners on specific issues they arc involved in; he stressed the imper=ce of the Commissioners being committed to attend other Qoards/Committce/Commission meetings for which they vohmteered; the Comrn.ssioners should agree to a meeting date to have another retreat_ Commissioner Bradford informed Chair Settles that the Housing Sub -Committee that he and Cornmissicaer Bailey staff have met several times but due to some family illnesses and business obligations they were unable to nice: during the past month. He stated that he is committed to the Commission, he understands Chair Settles frustrations and emphasize with his goals and intentions for (lie Commission but the QLI are too broad and made the following motion: •Connnnissiorer Bradford moved that the Commission discontinue addressing the Qu-i1 )- of Life Issues. rho motion it -as seconded b}' Commissioner Boiler. Chair Settles called for discussion. -Commissioner Rosen stated that as a new Commissioner she is unaware of the issues that Chair Settles raised regarding Commissioners commitments to meetings, and rather than the Commission moving on as Commissioner Bra-1dard suggested, she would like for individuals to volunteer or be appointed to the various committees an.i begin meeting reTardless of when .)t HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES March 22, 2000 Page 4 of 6 the retreat takes place. -According to the By -Laws, Chair Settles has the authority to appoint individuals to sub -committees %%to will reviiaw the QLI list and determine what items they will be responsible for addressi s He encouraged Chair Bradford to withdraw ]Eris motiaa; Commissioner Bradford stated that he stands by his motion. -As a means of clarification, Commissioner Hagemann asked 0mrtmissioner Bradford if his motion mearn that the Commission should forget the QLl? Commissioncr Bradford stated that he is requesting that the QLI discussinro be tabled because he believes the current Standing Committees are sufficirm and the Commission should better utilize dbe current structure and resources that it has; -Commissioner Bradford's motion was unanimcrcch• approved; -A timeframe was not established as to how long the QLI issues would be tabled. -Commissioner Rosen moved that Chair Settles appoint individuals to staff the Standing Committees that exist an the By- La►►s; the motion is -as seconded by Commissioner Cervantes; -Commissioner Bradford requested that the Chair and Vice -Chair become more vigilant to Robert Rules of 64rder when conducting the Commission meetings which he believes will run more efficiently regarding motions, discussicm, etc. -Commissioner Hagemann stated that she thinks the third Standing Committee (Economic Opportunity and Development) should be replaced with a Crime and Violence Committee and that she would like for the Commissioners to have same input as to which Committee they will serve on. -Nls. Haynes stated that if the By -Law are going to be amended, they should contain a rule as to how that should be done- -Commissioner Rosen stated that since Chair Settles has the authority to appoint individuals to Committees. she rescinded her motion. -The following individuals volunteered to sit on the Committees listed below: Education Committee Housine Committee Executive Committee Commissioner Rosen Commissioner Cervantes Chair Settles Commissioner Hagemann Commissioner Bailey Vice -Chair LaPier Commissioner Kirwan Commissioner Bradford Ms. Haynes At this time in the meeting Commissioner Kirwan had to leave. -Ms. Haynes stated that in order for the By -Laws to be amended to re -name the The Economic Opportunity and De%rlopmetu Committee, it has to appear on the April agenda referencing the amendment. -Commissioner !Bradford moved Thar the Commusion propose that the Ar-La►vs he amended at the April meerzng to re- establish the elected Vice -Chair as the appropriate Parliamentarian for the Human Relations Commission. The motion ti<as seconded by Commissioner Cervantes and unanimously approied. Ms. Haynes stated that the item will appear on the April agenda referencing the amendment. -Commissioner Rosen moved that the Commission propose that the By-La+vs be amended at the April meeting to replace the current Standing Committee, Economic Opportunity and Development (Article 11, Section 4). with a commiaeeperhaps to be called Lmv Enforcement Committee, that swill look specifically at sssues such as Racial Profiling !late Crimea crtjSafen- and .Security. Commissioner Cervantes. The motion was unanimously approved B. Racial Profiling Vice -Chair L.aPier provided the Commissioners and staff with copies of information from the federal and state Iegislature regarding Racial Profiling. The first Bill indicated what is going to be voted on in Congress; the second Bill indiemcd whw was voted on last week in the Illinois State Legislature; they voted against data collection for traffic stops that would identity individuals by race. Since the Bill received a significant number of votes it will be sent back to Committee who will decide whether or not it should be voted on again; however, it was not brought back for a vote by deadline date Vice -Chair LaPi- stated that Representative I Iamos informed her that the Committee can still decide whether the Bill should be voted on again even though the deadline has passed, however, she believes the Bill will not be voted on or passed in the near fuz=-r due to 4- HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES March 22, 2000 Page 5 of 6 opposition in rural and suburban communities. Rtpresentative Hamos also inforrtted her that National tkilitItt-thganirations are lobbying the US Congress and the Springfield Legislature to vote against the Bill; ChidKaminb1i a1sv menses the Bill; Commissioner Bradford stated that at the January meeting he raised the issue to Chief Kaminiski ah ut --Nc law suit that several Police Officers filed against the City of Mt. Prospect; they alleged that in order to receive a favrr b), jab evaluation there was a quota on the number of tickets they Wrote. He was informed by Chief Kaminiski that there are no ticket quotas for Evanston Police Officers. However, since thaw meeting, Mt. Prospect. Ilighland Parr and some of the c6er subu*bs have acknowledged that they have discontinued evaluating Police Officers based upon the number or mo- ing and parking violations they issue. Commissioner Bradford suggested that a policy statement be developed stating Evanston Police Officers will not be judged according to the number of tickets they issue. Ms. Haynes stated that Reverend Jessie Jackson called a meeting of Police Chiefs on the Northshorc last week to talk about Racial profiling; those Chiefs met again withom Reverend Jackson. Prior to the Chiefs meeting by themselves, she and Chief Kaminiski met and she suggested that another meeting regarding Racial Profiling take place that %►-ill also include residents from the Northshore area. Following that dialogue recommendations and plans will be presented to the Police Chiefs informing them what they can do to ameliorate Racial Profiling or to eliminate it's perception. Father Oldershaw has offered his church as a meeting place. Ms. Ha}ties stated that Chief Kaminiski forward this information to the Police Chiefs who indicated they would like to do something on their own to address Racial Profiling. Ms. Haynes stated that Profiling does not occur with While Officers and B1ackBrown people only; the opposite also occurs. She and Chief Kaminiski talked about the Human Relations Commission and the Evanston Police Department developing an exchange program for Police Officers. At this time in the meeting Chair Settles acknowledged Mr. Rizski. Mr. Riski stated that one of his interest is crime in Evanston; two years ago he appeared before the Human Service Committee and proposed that they put together a Crime Committee to study crime in Evanston but nothing came of it. In 1997 he Sled a Freedom of Information Request with the Evanston Police Department wherein he requested that they break down crime by race in this community. He presented racial statistics on motor vehicles stops which included White, Blacks, Asians_ Chinese, Hispanics, American Indians, Japanese. Nlexicans, Other Latinos, and Puerto Rico. He also reviewed another document entitled: Crime Prevention Stratecies in Evanston that was prepared 20 }-ears ago; it addressed criminal activities by racial percentages and census tract. Mr. Rsski stated that he is willing to assist the Law Enforcement Sub -Committee with issues involving crime. V1. OLD BUSINESS Vice -Chair LaPier presented the letter (i.e. thief llliniwck) that she prepared for the Commissioners to review and approve so that she can present it at a public meeting at the University of Illinois on April 14'h. 'flee Commissioners reviewed the letter. there was unanimous agreement to delete the second paragraph of the letter; Ms. Thrower will type the letter and Charm Settles will sign it. After some discussion the Commissioners ar_rred to have a retreat on Friday, Ma} 12'h; the location will be determined at a later date. Commissioner Cervantes requested that the investigative Process regarding a complaint that Ms. Haynes investigated sometime ago be placed on an agenda some time in the future. V11. NEW BUSINESS Vice -Chair LaPier stated that the Howard Stint Clean-up will take place on April 15°. She stated that perhaps in the future the Law Enforcement Sub -Committee could discuss video surveillance on Custer Street because she have some conccros about it. Y4� HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES March 22, 2000 Page 6 of 6 Ms. Haynes informed the Commissioners dw all work requests should be made through her and noc staff. She stated that the Health Department in conjunction with the Chicago Association of Parliamentarians will be conducting training on "Conducting Effective Meetings and How To Adjourn Before :Midnight"; registration is limited to 40 people xnd a response is needed by April 3'. It will take place cm Saturday. April P from 9 a.m. to 12 p-m. at the Civic Ccmtcr; she encouraged all of the Commissioners to attend. Vice -Chair LaPier stated that she would likt to auend that training. Chair Settles stated that the Skokie Hum tm Relations Commission is requesting that the Evanstoo Human Relations Commission consider co -hosting a Diversi_tt Day project that Will take place in the summer or earn Fail; they would I&c to include some of the other villages and cities in this region as well. Titers being no further business, Comm issiomcr Bradford moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m.; Commissioner Bailey seconded the motion which was unanimousiy approved. Respectfully submitted by: ' . �L. 4 .+ _ { ` [ ril i1_• l izze: Secretary i r EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL 60201. MINUTES Wednesday, February 23, 2000 7:00 P.M. - Room 2402 APPROVED COMMISSIQNERS PRESENT: Hollis Senses -Chair; Rosalyn La4lier, Vjce-C w; Leo Kirwan; Hallie Rosen; Nancy Bailey; and Mavis Hagemann COMMISSIONER(S) EXCUSED: Michael Cervantes COMMISSIONER(SI ABSENT: Loyd McBell and David Bradford gAFF PRESM Paula A. Haynes and Dorothy Thrower VISITORS/GUESTS: Matt Mills and Elie Botner, Students — Medill Sdx)ol of Journalism - NU Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7:10 Am. I. DECLARATION OF QUORUM A quorum was not declared. Commissioner Rosen called to inform staff that she would be late for the meeting. II. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Matt Miles and Aflie Votner introduced themselves as graduate students from HU's School of lournalism. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — January 26, 2000 The minutes could not be approved due to the lack of a quorum. IV. INFORMATION ITEMS Staff Actividres Update Ms. Haynes reported the following activities that she and staff were been involved in from the middle of January through the past week: - Represented Mayor Morton at an employment symposium that was sponsored by Evanston small businesses and ETHS; - Attended a violence prevention meeting; - Ms. Haynes and the Human Relations Specialists (Mr. Molinary and Ms. Allen) met with the Police Clergy Team to solicit their support and involvement in creating a banner program that will be a means of promoting Evanston's diversity; - Met with Commissioners Bailey and Bradford to continue dialogue on ways to enforce the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance; - Participated in a meeting with Mr. Crum, Chair Settles, and Mr. Whitney to discuss the lack of minority as supervisors, managers and administrators within the City; to discuss the Police and Fire Departments hiring and promotional practices; and to discuss perceptions of how the Police respond to various issues within the community; - Interviewed several Medili Journalism students; - Mediated an Internal dispute between a supervisor and employee; - Received two discrimination complaints filed by City employees; - Received a complaint from a resident alleging violation of the State of Illinois Human Rights Acts - Public .k i HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2000 Page 2 of 5 Accommodation Section, because an employee of a local restaurant Informed the resident that he would have to pick up his food because they did not deliver In the neighborhood where he Wed; Ms. Haynes thanked Chair Settles Commissioners Rosen and Bailey for attending the public hearing i.e. the budget on February 7th; Commissioner Rosen addressed the importance and need for the Human Relations Commission. Ms. Haynes stated that it was recommended at one of the budget workshops that the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) receive only half of its funding; as a result of this recommendation, Lynn Richmond who works with Special Education Youth at ETHS, addressed the City Council on February 7'" regarding the impcctance of SYEP and stated that it should continue to function. Commissioners Settles and Bradford attended the public hearing on February 14`' where adults and youth appeared before the City Council lobbying for continued and full funding of the program . The budget was unanimously approved by the City Council on Monday, February 21"; the Human Relations Commission and SYEP was fully Funded at the amounts requested. Ms. Haynes gave an overview of the SYEP sMfFs preparation for the April 15'" Job Fair. She expressed the need for volunteers In various capacities and asked the Commissioners to consider helping if their schedules would allow them to do so. Ms. Haynes stated that Ms. Allen and Mr. Molinary did an outstanding job, considering the extemporaneous circumstances, assisting tenants at 319 Custer who had to move out of the building because there were numerous outstanding code violations; the City also assisted those individuals financially with their move. Ms. Haynes related various program activities that Ms. Allen and Mr. Molinary have been involved in regarding landlord/tenant, fair housing, and mediating matters Vine --Chair LaPier asked Ms. Haynes if a landlord Is obligated to notify the tenant ahead of time that their water is go'-, to be shut off due to an outstanding bill? Ms. Haynes stated that prior to a water shut off a notice is placed on the building affected, informing the tenant(s) of such and when It will take place; the notice details several options that the tenant may exercise and one of them is to notify staff at Department of Human Relations so that the matter can be dealt with. She stated that the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) includes those same provisions as tenants remedies if the landlord fails to provide essential services that he is responsible for. As a means of clarification, Chair Settles asked Ms. Haynes if the City has a responsibility to notify a tenant if their water Is going to be shut off? Ms. Haynes stated that the City will post a notice in the common area of the a building informing tenants that the water is going to be shut off. Commissioner Hagemann asked Ms. Haynes if a tenant Is obligated to pay their rent if tine landlord does not Iive up to his responsibilities? Ms. Haynes stated that the RLTO does indicate that a tenant can give the landlord a fourteen (14) day written notice of his Intent to withheld a portion of his rent, providing the landlord has been cited for a code violation by the City. Chair Settles asked that the Commissioners re -visit Item III. Approval of Minutes since a quorum had been established. Commissioner Bailey moved that the January 26, 2000 minutes be approved; C07Y77issroner Kirwan seconded, Commissioner Hagemann requested that the spelling of visitor Mary Jean Raybums name be corrected; Ms Thrower stater/ that the minutes would be corrected to Indicate that Commisioner Kirwan was excused. 'They were apprr unanimously with the noted corrections D HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2000 Page 3 of 5 V. DLSCUSSION ITEMS a. Quality of Life Issues b. Because of the Open Meetings Act the Quality of Llfe Issues were tabled until the March meeting for discussion. b. Hate Crime Activity/Pubic Service Announcements Ms. Haynes stated that the Hate Crimes Protocol indicates the Human Relations Commission will promote ways of educating and getting the community involved in anti -hate campaigns or promote good will In the community and interface with various agencies/organizations, etc. One idea was to work with all the schools (Districts 65 and 202, parochial, and private) in the community to develop an anti -hate Public Service Announcement (PSA) that the kids could develop and produce with adult supervision. The first step would be to find out if the schools are Interested in partnering with the Commission in this effort. She stated the Commissioners could decide if this is a project that would endorse and If so they could discuss it at the March retreat. c. Creation of a Regional youth Human Relations Commission Ms. Haynes stated that a few months ago the Human Relations Commission made a commitment with several Northshore Human Relations Commissions (Skokie, Willmette, and Glencoe) to work with them in creating a Regional Youth Human Relations Commission. She stated that the Chicago Human Relations Commission should be involved in this endeavor bemuse of its jurisdictional abilities; Clarence Woods (Executive Director, Chicago Human Relations Foundation) could act as an intermediary. Ms. Haynes suggested that a sub -committee be appointed to begin working towards this effort very soon. There were no objections to her suggestions. Commissioner Bailey stated the item should be discussed at the March retreat because of the time it is going to take for discussion and organization. d. March Retreat Ms. Haynes stated that the retreat in March should serve two purposes: (1) It should be used as a medium for the Commissioners to become a cohesive group and (2) the Commissioners need to identify and prioritize their goals for this fiscal year and also determine how they are going to attain them. She informed the Commissioners that the Human Relations staff will attend and participate in the March retreat because they are the ones who will be carrying out the duties being suggested or requested. She stated there will be a staff retreat on Friday, February 25"', to decide what they believe the department's goals and objectives should be for this fiscal year and how to fulfill the goals and objectives that appear in the budget. The retreat will take place on Sundaj, March 5`h at the Library in the large Community Room from 12:00 Boon until 5:00 p.m. Ms. Haynes asked that this item be revisited when Commissioner Rosen arrived because she had some ideas of specific exercises that she wanted the Commissioners to perform as a group. VI. COMMUNICATIONS AND ARTICLES a. Notice of Finding — Charge of Discrimination — Gibbs v. TJ. Lambrecht Construction Ms. Haynes stated that the time has lapsed for Mr. Gibbs to file an appeal. Since Commissioner Cervantes had some questions regarding this item it will be tabled for the March meeting. it HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2000 Page 4 of 5 Ms. Haynes stated that the other items included in the Commission packets were for informational pur0ses. VII. OLD BLMINESS Ms. Haynes stated that the Police Officer who wrote a memo of complaint to Chief Kaminski about her Glaring the time she was conducting In -Service Training on Hate Crirrft-s for the Evanston Police Officers in November 199+j' .has resigned. Chief Kaminski assured Ms. Haynes that during every role call the polices on Racial Profiling are reiterated. Ms. Haynes stated that Racal Profiling should be placed on the March agenda for discussion; the Commissioners agreed. bike -Chair i.apier stated that she is aware of pending Federal and state legislation regarding Radal Profiling if she is able to obtain any information regarding this matter she will forward It to staff so that copies can be marled to ail of the Commissioners prior to the March meeting. The Commissioners agreed to prepare a document to send to the State Legislators stating their position on Racial Profiling and that they support any legislation against Profag; they will also do a mailing to the community at large and local elected officials. Chair Settles stated that he received a call from some Highland Park residents who were seeking advice or counsel regarding the issue of Racial Profiling that recently occurred there; hopefully he will have some Inforrrration regarding their response to this matter that he can report to the Human Relations Commission. At this point In the meeting Chair Settles recognized the arrival of Commissioner Rosen. , Commissioner Rosen stated that the reason she wanted the Commissioners to have a retreat was for everyone to share some personal information about him or herself and it wound give them an opportunity to set some goats and know what direction they are headed. Following are some of the activities that she suggested: (1) Personal sharing would involve each person bringing an object to the retreat that is important to them because it would give good background Information; (2) share three things about themselves - tuo are true and one is not and the group have to guess which one Is not true; (3) share information regarding heritage (ethnic, racial, religious, etc); share four descriptors i.e., when they first realized they were those four things, a time d)-_ person was ashamed to be those four things, a tune the person was proud to be those four things and a time that it eras embarrassing to be those four things. Commissioner Rosen stated that she %,,mould volunteer to facilitate the group acts-4 ies and since they would not be able to compete all of the activities she would select one the four and notify the Commissioners prior to the retreat of such. VM. NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Ba�.ey stated that the Congregations Building Community Organization is sponsoring a Racism and Ethnic Sensitivity Workshop on May 19'-" and 20`" at Reba Place which is co -sponsored by the National Conference for Community and justice and the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities. When she receives more specific information regarding the time she will make the Commissioners aware of that; and there will be a conference in Springfield, IL. On April 4r" for Stand for Children. Ms. Haynes stated that the Evanston Mental Health Association, ETHS, ETHS PTSA, The Boosters Club and the Parent Information Center are sponsoring a family university on Saturday, March 18e' from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at ETHS; community groups and organizations who are Interested in participating In this event will have a table to display their materials; Comm�ssioner Bailey and Vice -Chair LaPier volunteered to man a table along with Ms. Haynes at this event. Vice -Chair LaPier stated that she attended a neighborhood meeting a couple of weeks ago and one of the Iss discussed was Census 2000; one of their concerns vras the high Immigrant population in her area that mould prompt a low Census turnout and they are trying to determine a method of having people fill out those forms. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2000 Page 5 of 5 Chair Settles stated that he attended a Census 2000 muting on January 26d'; there will be a follow-up mreetM for some of the local organizations/groups to become Involved in this effort He stressed the importance of every, household filling out the Census forms because the impact of not having an accurate head count affects re-apportionmertt, federal dollars, etc. He stated that he Is working with the local NAACP towards community outreach. Commissioner Hagemann asked Chair Settles if there is assistance in the community to help those Ind widuais who may not understand or know how to fill out the Census fornns? Chair Settles stated that the City of Evanston intends to open up centers within the next couple of weeks. to assist those Individuals. He stated that the Commission should encourage all citizens to fill out these forms and they can volunteer to man these centers once the locations have been identified. Vice -Chair LaPter gave Chair Settles several community locations where Census 2000 meetings will be taking pace. There was agreement that the Commission would place an ad in one of the local papers stating they support Census 200 and encourage all individuals to fill out the forms. Commissioner Bailey made a motion that the CommL-mm go on record stating they will place an ad or letter (also In Spanish) with the Editors of the Evanston Review and the Evanston Roundtppk announcing theirsuppert for the CrVs efforts with Census 1000, The motion was seconded by eke -Chair LaPier, The motion was unanimously approved. The ad or letter will appear in those papers shortly after March 1R. Chair Settles stated a primary election will take place in Illinois on March 21'; a local referendum Is also on the ballot from District 65 that the public will vote on. Apparently there is some confusion between the referendum and the on- going District 65 instruction Initiative. He encouraged residents to vote. Vice -Chair LaPier stated that she would like for the Commission to write a letter to the University of Illinois Trustees asking them to retire Chief Illiniwek as their mascot; a public forum will take place on April 14`" at Champagne Urbana where people may attend and comment. She stated that she would like to present the letter at that forum. The Commissioners gave her permission to draft a letter from them to review and approve towards this effort. Vice -Chair LaPier Stated that the shooting that took place on February 22nd raises the issue of an ordinance that Chicago recently passed regarding anti -loitering which is a concern of the residents In southeast Evanston. She requested that this matter be placed on the March agenda when Quahy of Safe Issues are discussed. Ms. Haynes stated that she would see if Chief Kaminiski would be able to attend April's meeting to address the concerns of the residents in southeast Evanston and other matters. Ms. Haynes stated there will be a reception in the Parasol Room on Thursday, February 24t' at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate the Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the CDBG Committee. VIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Commissioner Hagemann moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m.; the motion was seconded and the meeting was adjourned. ? Respectfully submitted: r etary Date: o� �� X EVANSTON HLmLaN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday, January 26, 2000 7:00 P.M. - Room 2402 APPROVED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Hollis Settles, Chair; David Bradford; Rosalyn LaRer.Vice-Chadr, Hallie Rosen; Nancy Bailey; Michael Cervantes; and Mavis: Hagemann COMMISSIONER(S) ABSENT: Lloyd McBell and Leo Kirwan STAFF PRESENT: Paula A. Haynes; Dorothy Thrower Lisa Allen; and Rafael Molinary VISITORS/GUESTS: Frank Kaminski -Chief of Police; Peggy Tarr -Nichols Neighbcrx Mary Jean Rayburn -Nichols Neighbors; Anya Cordell; Jean= Monty- Healing Racism Network; Sherrill Frost -Brown; and Mary Gavin -Evanston Roundtable I. DECLARATION OF A QUORUM Chair Settles called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.; a quorum was declared. H. INTRODUCTION OF NEW COMMISSIONER - MAVIS HAGEMANN Chair Settles introduced the new Commissioner, Mavis Hagemann. Ill. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chair Settles asked the visitors to introduce themselves and to state whether they were attending the meeting on behalf of any group/organization or as a citizen observer. The individuals introduced themselves: Peggy Tarr -Chair, Nichols Neighbors; Mary Jean Bayburn- Vice -Chair, Nichols Neighbors; Frank Kaminski -Chief, Evanston Police Department (EPD); Anya Cordell-CitizerdHealing Racism Network; Jeanne Monty -Healing Racism Network/Evanston Neighborhood Conference; Sherrill Frost - Brown -Interfaith Housing Center, and Mary Gavin- Evanston Roundtable. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - NOVEIIBER 17, 1999 Commissioner LaPier requested that the following corrections are made to the November 17, 1999 minutes: Page 1, StafjReport, item #1 should be changed to read Evanston Police Ogcers, Page 3, beginning,-- -s, ,s-h, delete Fair £mnlovment Ordinance and the ...Commissioner Bradford moved to approve the "rinutes for November 17. 1999: they ivere seconded and approved unanimously. V. FRANK KAMINSKI, POLICE CHIEF Ms. Haynes stated that Chief Kaminski was invited to attend this meeting by the Commissioners to adiress their HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES January 26, 2000 Page 2 of 7 concerns regarding-(]) Police Racial Profiling (2) EPD's response to Hate Crimes and- Activities, and (3) Steps that are taken to ensure that members of the Police Department are void of racial znd religious bias. Chair Settles asked the Commissioners and Ms. Haynes if they had any opening statements or questions they wanted to present to Chief Kaminski. Following are summaries of the quest ions/statements presented to Chief Kaminski and his responses. Ms. Haynes stated that the department has received several calls from individuals who have alleged that they have been stopped by the Evanston Police for no apparent reason; she asked Chief Kaminski to respond to these allegations and to define Profiling from a law enforcement point of view. Commissioner Cervantes wanted to know how does EPD respond to Hate Crimes, Racial Profiling, and other complaints from individuals/citizens? He stated that there needs to be a strong parmership between the Police Department and the Human Relations Commission and perhaps there can be some dscussion as to how this can be done in order for them to achieve some mutual goals. Commissioner Rosen stated that Profiling is important but so are Hate Crimes and Steps that are taken to ensure that members of the Police Department are void of racial and religious bias. She stag that since she has become a Commissioner, she is aware of different hate crime activity in the community. She wanted to know what are EPD's policies are as far as disseminating information to the community and how are these issues addressed? Commissioner Hagemann stated that she has talked to retired people from the Black community who have experienced Profiling when they cross the border from Evanston to Wilmette and wanted to know if Chief Kaminiski could address this matter? Chair Settles stated that the practice of Racial Profiling is nothing new because Black males have been experiencing it for decades; with the advent of an increased Hispanic population and other minorities in the twenty-first Century, Profiling is becoming an issues to be concerned about and sh-ould be addressed. Chief Kaminski stated that the term Profiling is a set of characteristics put together by various law enforcement agencies or groups as a means of identifying individuals for their specific purpose. He stated that he uses Profiling as a screening process for his Police Officers to make sure that he have the best people performing their jobs. Profiling takes on a negative or inappropriate connotation when an individual is stopped by a Police Officer because of their race or ethnicity He addressed in detail, things that he has done to create a positive relationship between the citizens of Evanston to dispel their perception of its Police Officers; he offered individuals to participate in the Citizens Police Academy which is a twelve week program. He stated that EPD conducts two in-service training programs each year (springifall) for its Officers; Ms. Haynes recently conducted training on Hate Crimes for the Officers and one of his Sergeants conducted training regarding -How do you communicate and how do you perceive yourself as a Police Officer?" He stated that one of the key recommendations in a video (shown at the International Chiefs conference in October 1999), is that Officers have to make sure that during their initial encounter with any person who is stopped for a traffic violation, he/she should exhibit some basic courtesies: (1) introduce themselves; (2) what department they work for; and (3) the reason for the stop. Another recommendation was to have video cameras in squad cars. Chief Kaminiski stated that the number one complaint citizens in the community have is the way people drive; they ignore school zone sigsts, speed in neighborhoods, ignore stop Signs and use alleys a Iot. He stated that he wants his Officers to be able to respond to traffic safety issues without them being accused of practicing Profiling because of a person's race or ethnicity. A - HUMAN RELATIONS COINIMISSION MINUTES January 26, 2000 Page 3 of y Commissioner Cervantes stated that Profiting, in its generic sense, is being used by s %mrievy of Inw enforcement agencies with excellent results to apprehend certain individuals. He asked Chief Kaminski what kind of Profile or mode of behavior alerts a Police Officer that they have enough probable cause 7- o stLV n motorist; he asked ifaII stops are recorded? Chief Kaminski stated that any number ofcircu:n stances may be reasons for an Ot€c---x to strip someone and they have to rely on the best information available at that time because many calls are frsLmented. Each cars has to be looked at separately and the only way he can do quality control is to examine thr- incident and respond to a complaint. Chief Kaminski stated that traffic stops are not recorded. However. a citizen may identify the Officer who stopped them by having EPD check the Mobile Data Terminal to see if the motorist's license plate was run or they can check the radio transmission and they can pin point the day, time, and the Police car. Currently the legislature is addressing the matter of placing a person's race on tickets in order to form a data collection system. Ms. Cordell stated that she was surprised and disappointed that the meeting was not well because it is important for individuals to relate their own personal experiences regarding Profiling. Ms. Haynes stated that this meeting gave individuals an opportunity to address theirceincerns to Chief Kaminiski regarding Racial Profiling; it is the continuation of a forum that the Evanston Human Relations Commission co. sponsored with the Chicago Human Relations Foundation (CHRF) that began in May- 1999. The forum was well attended by individuals from the community who felt Profiling was a problem and shared their personal experiences. The Commission has continued to have ongoing discussions regarding racial Profiling and invited Chief Kaminski to attend the November meeting. Ms. Haynes stated that she spoke with Clarence Woods, President of CHRF today; they discussed conducting a Northshore dialogue on Razziaf Profiling that will be hosted in Evanston. Chair Settles stated that the forum in May 1999 was publicized and well attended. He stated that he did not know why the attendance at tonight's meeting was poorly attended but he knew some people were aware that Chief Kaminski was going to be at this meeting. Ms. Tarr stated that she attended the forum in May 1999 where she presented her issues regarding Racial Profiling. At this meeting she related a personal experience to demonstrate that RaciA Profiling does not occur with traffic violations only. Another concern she expressed is that most of the Poli•:e Officers do not live in Evanston and perhaps this is something that should be considered when they are hired s.D that they will have some kind of relationship with ilia community. She also suggested that if more people would write down the Police Officer's bade number, the time, and the number of the Officer's car who stops them, they could report this information to their Alderman or Chief Kaminski - especially if they are not ticketed. She stated that regardless of how well EPD addresses other issues, Racial Profiling is a problem that needs to E-- addressed. Commissioner Bradford related his observations on minorities being stopped more often than individuals of other races on Dodge Avenue and Oakton (near James Park), which is a more racially diveree area than other parts of Evanston. He asked Chief Kaminiski if there is a quota system on tickets issued; how many squad cars patrol the streets; have there been discussions on mechanisms to establish a statistical basis as a means of ascertaining who is being stopped by the Police at particular times, and what is the cost of video equipment for each patrol car? Chief Kaminski stated there are no quotas for Evanston's Police Officers. The traffic is heavy in the Oaktord Dodge area because people travel that route when they are coming home from work and because there is a school and shopping center; traffic ticket counts show that the people who live in this area nee the primary traffic HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES January 26, 2000 Page 4 of 7 violators. He stated that he would like to make that data available but he recently- lost people from the Records Section who normally input that information into the computer system. He stated that the number of sgmd cars on the stints vary; the 3:00 to 11:00 p.m. shift is the peak time for service cal Is; there are eight beat. tirce eover, and a couple of supervisory cars; on the patrol shift there may be thirteen to fifteen cars on the street. The cost of a video camera for each patrol car could cost six to seven thousand dollars depending on the vendor, Ms. Mayburn stated that she anended the Racial Profiling forum in May 1999, however she was disappointed that none of the Aldermen or anyone from Districts 202 or 65 attended. At that meeting she stated that her bi-racial son was being stopped quite often by Evanston Police Officers without probable cause; he was never issued a ticket during theses stops nor was he told why they stopped him. Once again she reiterated those concerm and believes her son is being harassed because he is bi-racial. She suggested to Chief Kaminski that if his Police Officers have probable cause every time her son is stopped then they should issue him a ticket. She stated that as a White person she feels protected but as the mother of a bi-racial teen-age son she is scared to death; she is not afraid of him being harmed by gangs members, robbers or people selling drugs but by the Police because they have the guns and power and they are the ones who are continually stopping him. Ms. Frost -Brown related an incident that her brother and his wife experienced several years ago when they were stopped one evening as they left his Counselor's home in north Evanston. A neighbor reported to the Police that her brother had walked on the individual's lawn. She stated that Officers should consider their actions when responding to certain types of calls and recommended that Police Officers tell people why they are being stopped. Ms. Haynes stated that Profiling is not only used in the area of traffic stops it is also used in stereotyping people. She asked Chief Kiminski what kinds of programs or activities does EPD have to dispel stereotyping and, if the Police Officers do not integrate or work together in-house, is it possible that this behavior is translated on the streets? Chief Kiminski stated that the Administration tries to make sure that the Officers are trained to treat everyone fairly when it comes to stereotyping and the only way he can find out what takes place on the streets is to meet with the supervisors and rely on feedback from the citizens and Officers. Mr. Molinary stated that there are good and bad Police Officers. Often times Police Officers do things that their supervisors or their Police Chief might not ever know. There are good and bad Police Officers and when people know they can get away with things they will do them. He stated that Black and Hispanic males appear in court more than any other race and more times than not the Judge will rule in favor of the Police Officer. Ms. Monty stated that in order to prevent any possible conflicts that might arise between Officers and citizens during a routine or traffic stop the information could be recorded on a pad of paper, a carbon copy could serve as proof for the citizen if he/she is claiming harassment, etc. Chief Kaminski stated that he is trying to break down the barriers that exist between the public and Police Officers but to begin formalizing contacts would defeat his purpose of creating more positive contacts. He stated that lie has and is willing to meet with individuals who believe they are being harassed by Police Officers so that he can try and mediate their issues; this invitation has been extended to Nis. Baybum-Nichols's son as a means of determining whether there are Officers in Evanston harassing him. Chair Settles asked Chief Kaminski if EPD encourages the practice of Racial Profiling and is he aware of any Police Officers tinder his command that might harbor attitudes or sentiments that would encourage this practice? Chief Kaminski stated that EPD does not encourage Racial Profiling; he has never heard of anyone issuing any HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES January 26, 2000 Page S of 7 type of traffic orders or profile. He stated that he hopes it is not happening and if there is any evidence that Profiling is taking place he will respond to it immediately. Ms. Cordell talked about the accomplishments she has made in overcoming her r -ist views and stereotypes by becoming involved in the program "Healing Racism". She stated that she attended three meetings at NU prior to Matt Hales's announced visit. The President of NU called for a boycott of Matt Hale and the Human Relations Commission also sent letters to the clergy, churches/stinagogues and ceaimunity groups in Evanston asking people to stay home. Ms. Cordell encouraged the Commission to estabFush forums such as "Healing Racism" for public participation; site asked the Commission to send out another Better asking people to come together as a community to address their problems or concerns. Ms. Haynes stated that in February, 1999, the Human Relati.ms Commission sent letters to every church, community group, religious institution and organization in Evanston, inviting therm to join the Commission to begin dialogue that will send a message to the community that racism will not I:c tolerated; only one agency responded out of hundreds of letters sent out. She stated that she has been workin{a with Chief Kaminski and the Police Clergy Team to create a message recognizing Evanston's Diversity and Uuity. Chair Settles stated that he wanted to give credit to the Human Relations Commission because they rt= in the forefront of the hate issue; they have been looking at and disc ussing hate crime activity since December 1998 and the Commission has developed a Protocol against Hate Crimes. In May 1999 the Commission co -hosted a forum on Racial Profiling with the Chicago Human Relations Foundation. Benjamin Smith was identified in the Spring of 1999 by the Commission. This year the Commission is out front cmce again but it needs the community's help to address all of it's concerns. Mr. Johnson stated that most people have a misunderstanding about Police and crime because much of it occurs due to a person's race and people are more concerned about the petty things than the surreal or actual criminal acts. He addressed the kinds of behaviors that are frustrating to Police Officers wren they are doing their jobs. He suggested that another place be identified for citizens to complain other than the Police Department; he also stated that the Human Services Committee does not review Police complaints; they perform a perfunctory/administrative role; if there was an open process where the complainmt could have an opportunity to exchange dialogue or address the contents of the police report with the Ofiiccr. this could be another way to resolve issues amicably. He stated that he is not in favor of Police Officers taking notes because they have an opportunity to create anti justice for a citizen by recording what they want to Commissioner Hagemann stated that she is one of the four graduates from "Healing Racism" at the meeting and it is the only program that she has ever seen that works by changing people from within. She highly recommended the program. Chief Kaminski challenged the Human Relations Commission and citizens to tom, and understand the Police Department and the problems and issues Officers face before recommendations --re made as to what should be done regarding a complaint. He stated that he was willing to attend another meeting to address any questions/concerns from Commissioners that he did not respond to. Mr. Molinary discussed the repercussions of illegal police stops and the ramifications that can occur to individuals later on in their lives Chief Kaminiski's meeting with the Commission concluded. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES January 26, 2000 Page 6 of 7 VI. INFORMATION ITEMS a. Staff Activities Update Chair Settles deferred this item until the February meeting Ms. Haynes stated that she would like for the Commissioners to inform her before the February trtiesting as to what kinds of information they would like to receive or hear from staff. V1I. DISCUSSION ITEMS Chair Settles deferred items b. Quality of Life Issues and d. Creation of a Regional Youth Housing Relations Commission until the February meeting. Commissioner LaPier stated that item b. Quality of Life Issues, included discussion about sub -committees and the Commission having a retreat or meeting after January 2000. She requested that an actual date be set for that retreat where they can have a planning session and discuss items they want on the agenda for the entire year. After some discussion there was unanimous agreement that the date for the retreat will take place on Sunday, March A beginning at 12 Noon at the Library. The Commissioners also decided to review the video tape on Racial Profiling that Chief Kaminski left on Friday, February 4th at 9:00 am. at the Civic Center. a. FY 2000-01 Budget Ms. Haynes stated that this coming Saturday will be the first budget session where the Aldermen will begin discussing the budget including possible services that could be eliminated. She stated that she has no idea at this time what their thoughts are regarding Human Relations; the thought of eliminating the Commission would be a disservice to the entire community with the current activities regarding hates crimes, racial divisiveness and religious persecution. She stated that Human Relations receives several telephone calls from surrounding communities requesting Evanston's Ordinances and other documents that would assist them in putting together their own commissions. She stated that there will be a public hearing on the budget Monday night, February 7th at 7:00 p.m. At the request of the Commissioners, Ms. Haynes explained that each department was instructed by the Budget Office to prepare continuation budgets (what they are currently operating under). The total amounts submitted indicated that the City was three million dollars in excess of this fiscal year's budget; the overall budget was reviewed and reduced as much as it could be. The City Manager determined that there would have to be a 9.4 % tax increase and a sewer increase to balance the budget. There will be a meeting every Saturday until the budget is balanced. After some discussion it was decided that the Commissioners would address the Council on February 7th and express their feelings/concems in writing to the Mayor and their individual Alderman, regarding the importance of the Human Relations Comm ission/Department to the Evanston Community. Since members of the Commission did not represent each of the nine Wards Chair Settles stated in addition to talking to his Alderman (Drummer) he was willing to talk with Aldermen Newman and Bernstein; the other Commissioners will talk with their individual Aldermen. b. Hate Crimes/Activities Public Service Announcement HUMAN RELA11ONS COMMISSION MINI M January 26, 2000 Page 7 of 7 Ms. Haynes stated that Hate Crimes is included in the Commission's Protocol; sometime ago there was discussion regarding the Commission working with NU and the School Districts to try and pet studcres to crease a public announcement on a pro bono basis; she asked that the 'stem be defcnrd to the February meeti=g because it will require in-depth discussion. V1II. COMMUNICATION'S AND ARTICLES Commissioner Cervantes requested that item f. Notice of Finding -Charge of Discrimination be deferred until the February meeting because he wanted to ask some questions regarding the process. He asked Ms. Haynes if the minutes from specific Committees/Commissions that are included in their (Human Relations Commissioners) packets are information items only or can they comment/discuss the contents? his. Haynes stated that the purpose of her sending copies of other Committees/Commission's minutes to the Commissioners is because there are times when the departments have to collaborate and work together on issue's. IX. OLD BUSINESS Commissioner Rosen asked Ms. Haynes if site had received any response from the Police Department regarding the letter that one of the Police Officers sent to Chief Kaminski when she presented her training on Hate Crimes to all of the Off cers? his. Haynes responded that she did not receive any follow up regarding the Officer's letter. X. NEW BUSINESS Commissioner LaPier passed out flyers for two events: a Theater Group from Alaska will perform at the Newberry Library on February Ash at 7:p.m.; and the Evanston Native American Education Committee received a small grant from the Illinois Humanities Council to conduct two seminars on Native American Children's Literature; one will be conducted in Evanston on April 15dt and the other one will be in Chicago on May 13th. Ms. Haynes stated there will be a meeting at NU on Thursday, January 27th at 5:00 p.m. to discuss racism and biases that people have and what can the community do to make a difference. Chair Settles stated that he will be attending a meeting with the Hispanic Students at NU on Thursday, January 27th at 7:00 p.m.. They have expressed concerns about feeling left out of the curriculum and the Administrators have failed to respond to them . XI. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business Commissioner LaPier made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:10 p.m., the motion was seconded and the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully subinitteek I 7 7;� Secretary— Human Relations Commission