City of Lawrence

Lawrence Human Relations Commission

November 20, 2014 – 5:30 PM

Minutes

 

Members Present:  Scott Criqui, Bill Welch, James Dunn, Carl Edwards, Sarah Bloxsom

 

Members Excused:  Katrina McClure

 

Staff Present:  Scott Wagner and Elizabeth Hafoka

 

Public Present:  Bill Larzalere, Chief Litigation Attorney with KU Legal Services for Students & Guest

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Commission Meeting Called to Order

The Lawrence Human Relations Commission (LHRC) Meeting was called to order by Chairman, Scott Criqui, at 5:32 p.m. in the Carnegie Building, located at 200 West 9th Street, East Gallery Room, Lawrence, Kansas 66044.

 

Chairman Criqui welcomed everyone to the meeting and discussed the role of the Lawrence Human Relations Commission as an advisory body to the Lawrence City Commission.

 

Approval of Minutes

Chairman Criqui asked the commissioners if there were any additions or changes on the minutes from the August 21, 2014 meeting, there were none.  Commissioner Dunn motioned that the minutes be approved, it was seconded by Commissioner Welch, and all voted in favor.

 

Receive Staff Report

 

Case Report Update - Ms. Hafoka gave a report on the current Human Relation Cases.

Housing – National Origin.  The case was successfully conciliated.

Housing – Age.  There was a finding of no probable cause.

 

A third case investigation has been completed, a housing disability case, and is pending final determination.  There are currently no open cases being investigated.

 

Commissioner Bloxsom asked about the employment discrimination case that was reported at the last meeting?  Ms. Hafoka stated that the complaint was never signed in that case despite repeated attempts to contact the complainant. 

 

Staff Updates

Ms. Hafoka also provided an update on staffing at her office.  Bryant Barton is no longer with the City.  He took a position with the District Attorney’s office.  A new City prosecutor and Human Relations case investigator has been hired and will start in December.  An intern – Briana Edmo, has also been working in the office and assisting with human relations work, including investigations.

 

 

Outreach Activities

Scott Wagner reported on outreach activities since the last meeting.  The Festival of Cultures was held on Sunday, October 12, 2014 (noon to 5).  The commission fully staffed the table for the afternoon and despite the cooler weather, attendance was good.  Advertisements were placed in the Journal World prior to the event which showed that the Lawrence Human Relations Commission was one of the sponsors.

 

Human Relations Commission outreach items were at a Bi-dentities event at the University of Kansas on September 23rd at the KU Multicultural Center.  There was also a panel discussion held on October 27th at the Lawrence Public Library on the events in Ferguson, Missouri.  Outreach materials and our brochures were made available to the public.

 

Scott Wagner provided an update on the request for proposals (RFP) that was issued in September for the production of an outreach video for the commission.  The City received four responses.  The subcommittee of the commission met on November 10 to review the proposals.  They decided to interview the three local firms who submitted bids.  Interviews will take place December 1st.  A decision to proceed with a selected firm is expected after that meeting.  An update on the project will be provided at the February 19, 2015 meeting.

 

Commission Items

Chairman Criqui asked if there were any commission items.  He stated that he had a couple of items for the commission.  The first item was a document he received from Housing and Urban Development.  It was a performance review of the department and the commission’s work regarding housing discrimination cases.  He stated that the City met all nine criteria evaluated in the report.  It was a nice affirmation of the work of the City in enforcement of its human rights code as it relates to housing discrimination.  He shared the report with other members of the commission.

 

Chairman Criqui then reviewed a recent survey completed by the Human Rights Campaign.  He stated the group is a national organization that serves to advance LGBT equality issues.  A copy of the survey results for Lawrence was passed out to the commission.  Discussion followed.  Chairman Criqui noted that the City scored a 72 out of a possible 100.  Some items to note were that the City scored a zero in the LGBT liaison to law enforcement category.  Chairman Criqui wondered if only large cities had an actual dedicated LGBT liaison to the police department.  Commissioner Welch asked if we – the Human Relations Commission, were looking to bridge that gap?  Chairman Criqui said that would be a good conversation to have. Commissioner Bloxsom asked if there were models we could look at from other communities and not just for LGBT issues but for other minority groups too.  She asked if it would be possible to get ideas or suggestions from the Human Rights Campaign.  There was commission discussion on transgender benefits under the Municipality as Employer section.  It was unclear exactly what that was or what it covered.  There were questions on what the City of Lawrence was doing as an employer.  Scott Wagner noted that in this year’s current open enrollment period for City benefits, domestic partner benefits were being included for the first time this year.  He said that staff could provide an update at the next meeting at what the City is currently doing regarding these types of benefits.

 

Chairman Criqui asked if there was a starting point on some of these issues.  Scott Wagner noted that it may be helpful to have someone from the Human Rights Campaign come to the next meeting as Chairman Criqui indicated it was a Kansas City based entity.  Commissioner Bloxsom noted that with the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, it would be helpful to know what if any discussion is happening in our community to prevent such issues here.  She said minority leadership issues are also important to look at.  Chairman Criqui said he would contact the Human Rights Campaign for input and would work with staff on follow-up to these items for the next meeting.

 

2015 meeting dates and times were distributed to the committee.

 

Public Comment

There was no public comment.

 

Adjournment

Commissioner Edwards motioned to adjourn, Commissioner Welch motioned and Commissioner Edwards seconded for adjournment, all voted in favor to adjourn at 6:00 P.M.