Human Rights Commission Meeting   12/19/2024

Todd, would you please do roll call?

Yes, happy to do that.

Yep.

Here.

Mary?

Bethany's not here.

Here.

Here.

Can we all please recite the mission together?

As a strong advocate to justice and equal opportunity by providing citywide leadership and guidance in the area of civil rights.

because we didn't have a December.

We're ahead of the game.

We don't have anything from November minutes.

Let me think about that.

I think they're not on the agenda.

We'll cut them in January.

It's okay.

We know what we need to do.

Do we have any doctors?

I don't have much.

I

And I think that's all I have for now.

What's the time of the event again on Sunday?

Sorry, I thought you said Saturday.

Gotcha.

You're still welcome there on Saturday.

Big Spark is open then.

You get the farmer's market.

Exactly.

The farmer's market would be closed by 12, right?

No, it would be.

It's Sunday.

No, the event is on Sunday.

This looks like a great program.

Yes, the event is on Sunday.

Is this going to be a big event?

Mary will be there.

That's like part of the event.

I have nothing else to do so I might as well go.

This is kind of the methodology here.

Hey, how you doing?

Is it overwhelming?

Just to give you an option.

A little bit more focused this last time I was here, so exciting.

How full are our plates?

So we're watching.

Other things?

So just wanted to acknowledge his passing, Chuck Pace.

What's your presence, Norman?

Yeah, he was the Rio district member.

It was, yeah.

Allow the city to build in that space that's on, what is that right there by Tustin?

Cherry Island.

Is everybody okay with that?

Sounds good.

Good with that?

Okay.

It sounds horrible.

We had a member who loved rules and regulations.

I find that's kind of up my alley but I'm not that pedantic.

I've had to have some like Robert's rules based like wars with people so maybe you know this okay it's gonna be spicy

Going back to Roberts, leave them all alone.

It's just there for if you need something to fall back on because you can't get through a procedure or something.

And so it's like a nice place where if there's disagreement, people that everyone can be heard, but then the majority gets to go forward.

So thank you.

Of course.

Compose amendments to Charlottesville human rights points.

2.0.

We're back.

And they said it wouldn't, it was our prerogative and wouldn't affect our substantial.

Feels timely.

But likewise, in an investigation, the office can do it as well.

These are findings subpoenas like they have to comply with them.

or if we settle it through alternative dispute resolution and conciliation agreement, you don't have a hearing either.

That's really useful because I think that one thing that was just a difficult decision point was for us this past opportunity to maybe go to a public hearing was not knowing really what the both parties wanted.

Yeah.

And then they would know that in advance, they would be decided to go to a public hearing as opposed to putting it in their hands.

That could be a thing.

backed into a situation where we must have a public hearing if it isn't the right thing to do.

In this case, a review of record, there's a little bit less of that to happen, but it's something to consider, not for this time, but just reflecting on your comment there.

Cool.

Look at that.

We're going to fix that before we go to Council.

I think they would

Is there any reason that any of us should show up with you when you present this?

Like, is it helpful to be supportive?

Anyway, so once they sign it, once they adopt clerk signs, we submit it to HUD and then off we go.

Hopefully we don't go, you know what?

What that might mean, but we want to see what HUD also advises in terms of our growth.

And don't wait until it's, I would say to her, I think she's on.

I'm here, I can hear you.

But I know you will do a great job of taking care of the people that are coming to you and that have investigations and things pending.

Thank you.

Next steps, next steps.

Oh, there's two slides that are called next steps.

So there's phase one and phase two.

I was like, oh, I think it's just like it's next steps, one slide, and this is the rest of the next steps.

But anyway, next steps continued.

OK. Any other questions?

So I think it looks great.

She has successfully now been moved from investigator in training to investigator.

Yeah, that's a big deal.

So that's all I got.

All right.

Is this the fun part?

Yeah.

Is this the voting part?

No.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right.

Seconded.

Yeah.

I don't want to hold this up anymore.

That's fine.

Ernest?

Okay.

Simi, you removed that comma.

I hate to say it, there's probably a stray thing, stray punctuation mark in the ordinance somewhere.

We'll catch you the next time.

Yes, full stop.

I read it pretty closely, yes.

I did not see anything weird.

Kathryn's not here, Dawn's not here.

That's helpful.

All right, next is policies and procedures or rules.

And then so it's back.

Change.

Yes.

Can you do it on that?

Yes.

Oh, there you go.

Seconded.

There we go.

We're good.

Okay, so we'll change that and get that posted publicly as well.

Okay, work plan check in.

Oh my goodness, we're almost at the end of it.

Sorry.

Yes.

We actually look at it every meeting, which makes it all even better.

But we just know what we're doing all the time.

What parts?

We did not.

So talk about time.

I can reach out to Dawn too and just see what's going on that day since she's not here with us.

We did an early session, we ate, we had food and then we did a session after that.

And we started later too.

We did.

We had to regroup.

I was going to say the AJO.

No.

I think I went to practice there.

Heather could start at 1130, is that right, Heather?

If we do it on the 22nd and I make it, I don't have any time constrictions.

Oh, okay.

But okay.

And then Wolfgang, sorry, what did you say about Dawn?

So the gap where she's not available.

We'll just do everything from 11.30 then.

But it does look like she's not available any other Saturday.

Yeah, just do everything.

We might need to reach out to her and just see.

Doing everything in that window.

I'm staying on that one.

If it doesn't, we're at the same place.

Ernest, you wouldn't be with us anymore.

No, I wouldn't.

I'm going to say that because I felt more energy.

Was it two years ago?

Did you see anything, Todd, on our time?

things down weird and on the minutes we didn't actually record the time properly but I think we missed that because that'd be weird it's already set but um yeah it looks like 10 to 1.

Oh I don't like us more than that but okay.

I don't know.

I thought we did.

Yeah.

Because that you know because we because what time do we eat because I know we ate at least 40.

What we didn't write is when we finally adjourned on this thing.

So at least we went a couple of hours after that.

Yeah.

Yeah, I was thinking about five.

OK. 10 to 3.

With lunch in there?

Do people have strong opinions?

Is that accurate?

It's not a ton of time.

Either way.

Here's the agenda.

Hey, traffic.

Traffic was really bad.

Well, maybe Catherine can come and settle, settle it.

11.31.

Let's put the difference between 9 and 10 and say 9.30.

Yeah?

We split the difference between 9 and 10 and we say 9.30.

The parking garage was malfunctioning.

Todd was outside and it was raining and there's this man and his poncho directing all the traffic.

And we were worried about the lady coming for Richmond.

Alright, 9.30, March 22nd.

So if we do 9.30, the one thing that I would say, just in terms of only having Dawn here from 11.30 to 1, is that we probably should not eat lunch during that time, or if we do eat lunch, we need to do a working lunch to not lose her.

you know the the team building stuff this is the way I'm specializing based on previous ones um we do maybe some of the non-mandatory kind of training things that we often do that like that y'all lead um and then we when we start digging into the strategic goals we do that to prioritize our time and I can reach out to her to see like what is what is her vibe for that Saturday um and try to incorporate it as much as possible because it's good to yeah

Let's confirm that she can be here during that time.

Over to you.

And then hopefully those individuals can work around that.

It does seem we can hold it in the month of March each year.

I think we should probably stay with March to the best of our abilities.

There's a lot going on between January and February with getting new commissioners, getting them in, getting them trained.

Somebody's going to not, yeah, unfortunately.

So full of March 22nd right now?

Yeah.

Does anybody have any burning desire to meet on January the 2nd?

Beautiful.

So I would do it if you actually twisted my arm or something going on that day.

I feel like I need to ask to make sure.

Do you have a burning desire to meet?

Not by myself.

No, what's the...

In February.

Oh, okay, we get you for two more sessions then.

Oh, I thought next session was the last one.

I was like ready to like, I've got like words to share.

No sharing.

No words tonight.

Okay, good to know.

Do we have any new business?

All right.

Matters of public.

You guys have anything?

So I think it's just something that we should engage with city leadership on.

Yeah, I agree.

There's no new business for me.

I'm glad you said it.

I think the moment requires a shift in maybe the focus that we've had to looking at this and just the repercussions that our community members might face.

So thanks for bringing that up.

Any other new business?

So it's been about that.

Emily's still there.

So it's just something to kind of, you know, that's kind of what community members are saying.

And so, you know, a community member said, yes, yes, yes, exactly.

Keeping an eye on that and just having that be on our radar is the best way to advocate for the greatest number of shelter beds and the best possible response to creating a place for folks.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, so, so that's something you know that we, yeah, just to be on our radar and watch how this kind of unfolds.

Wasn't that on the docket?

Yes, so they approved, it's going to, I think they have to have two readings, so it's going to the consent agenda for whatever their January meeting is.

And it's important to keep

You know, powerful statement.

It's like being unhoused is the dangerous situation.

So

All right.