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Human
Relations Commission
City
of Los Angeles
Report on Meeting - November 7, 2002
by Bill Murray
I was pleased to represent the Los Angeles Community Policing forum
at the November 7th meeting of the Human Relations Commission. It
is the LACP Directors' belief that a City as diverse as Los Angeles
needs a vibrant Human Relations Commission operating all the time.
Toward the end of the meeting I was offered an opportunity to address
the Board during the Public Comment Period, and explained that we
have decided to maintain a significant presence for the Human Relations
Commission on this, the LACP website.
We will continually include current information about the Commission's
agendas and its work, and will cooperate as partners with the Department
as it reaches out to engage the community.
As of the November meeting, seven of the eleven Board seats filled,
and the vacancies are expected to be appointed over the next several
weeks.
This was the first time in months that the Commission met when a
quorum was present. The Board selected Ms. Lorraine Bradley as its
President and Mr. Shoukat Ali Hussain as its Vice President.
The current members of the Board are:
Human
Relations Commission
Lorraine Bradley
.....President
Shoukat Ali Hussain
.....Vice President
Philip Bartenetti
Dr. Cliff Cheng
Rabbi Elazar Muskin
Warren Steinberg
David Wexler |
The
Human Relations Department, which serves the Commission, is led
by Executive Director Rabbi Allen Freehling.
Rabbi Freehling gave the Executive Director's Report, highlighting
the work his staff had accomplished in the past few months. He explained
the fifteen employees of the Department include a Senior Project
Coordinator, Arturo Piņa, who spoke briefly. He supervises the work
of six Project Coordinators, each of them responsible for representing
the Commission in geographic areas roughly equivalent to two City
Council Districts.
Special mention was made of Emily Williams, designated as the Department's
principal representative to the Los Angeles Police Department. In
addition to her other duties, Ms. Williams teaches Human Relations
related courses at the Police Academy, both to new cadets and "in-service"
training for current officers, several times a week.
Another staffer, Patricia Villaseņor, had been selected as a representative
from Los Angeles on a recent trip to Korea. She said she believes
her experience will serve the City well, as it considers how to
assist and include the Korean community. Other communities will
benefit, too, because she now understand much better the nuances
that make all the difference in a new social structure.
The Board decided that the first Thursday of the month would be
set aside as the regular meeting day for monthly Human Relations
Commission meetings. Board members also agreed that they should
make an attempt to schedule some of their Board meetings out in
the community, perhaps at night, so as to give a better opportunity
for Angelenos to attend (please see the LACP
Calendar).
As part of a new effort to reinvigorate its mission and mandate,
the Commission is currently redefining itself and expanding its
impact by establishing subcommittees to address specific issues.
Several subcommittees have been proposed for future consideration.
Each may be chaired by a Commission Board member who will report
back to the Board at large about the progress of the subcommittee's
work.
Here are some of the proposed Human Relations Subcommittees:
| Subcommittees |
Members |
Purpose |
| Faith
Communities Human Relations Champions |
A
multitude of Faith Communities |
To
wrestle with solving mutually experienced problems for the benefit
of the religious community, as well as the community-at-large |
| Human
Relations Network |
Other
Human relations commissions and community-based social justice
organizations |
Exchange
ideas for the mutual benefit of all |
| Council
of Governmental Representatives |
Local
human relations governmental agencies |
To
plan for, anticipate, prevent events that may lead to community
disturbance |
| Community
Council Human Relations Advocates |
Neighborhood
Council members interested in the field of social justice and
human relations |
To
explore programs of mutual interest and to determine ways to
defuse inter-group tensions before they get out of hand |
| Committee
of Clergy and LAPD personnel |
Commission
is joining with already established Police Clergy Council and
LAPD personnel |
To
develop strategies to diminish gang influence and violence in
the community |
| Media
Advisory Board |
Written
and oral press |
To
foster good relations and balanced media reports |
| Congress
of Middle School and Senior High School Students |
School
leaders |
To
promote discussions that will lead to a more wholesome attitude
and behavior among peers, parents, teachers and respective administrators |
| New
Angelenos Council |
Consular
Corps and others |
To
open up lines of communication and develop ways to bring immigrants,
refugees and other newcomers together in dialogue and celebration |
| Board
of Advisors |
The
Mayor, each Councilmember and the Commission's President |
To
supplement the activities of the Commissioners |
This final subcommittee, the "Board of Advisers" subcommittee
will have 18 members at a minimum. Each City Council will be entitled
to send two representatives, and the Mayor may have five. Others will
be appointed at the recommendation of the Commission itself. Eventually
this subcommittee might have as many as forty or more, since there
may be an interest in participation expressed by NGOs (Non Governmental
Organizations) and CBOs (Community Based Organizations).
The "New Angelenos Council" will be a new effort on behalf
of the Human Relations Commission. The subcommittee, assisted by a
full time staff member, will seek out ways to make newcomers to Los
Angeles feel welcomed, and will assist in bringing them the services
to which they are entitled. Although the focus might be on immigrants,
anyone new to LA would benefit from the New Angelenos Council.
Commissioner Dr. Cliff Cheng remarked that he serves on the LA County
Human Relations Commission which has Hate Crimes Media Group. This
could form the model for a subcommittee
Discussion
ensued about this being an incomplete subcommittee list, and a work
in progress. Commissioner Warren Steinberg suggested that other ideas
be brought by the Commissioners to the next Board Meeting.
Rabbi Freehling explained that the Department was already overworked,
with many staffers serving double duties, mainly due to Human Relations'
expanded relationship with the Department of Neighborhood Councils.
Because of this, he was preparing a request for additional funding
which would allow for three more Project Coordinators and an additional
staff member.
Senior Management Analyst Ruby Turner explained the Department will
seek to increase its current budget of $1.1 million by an additional
$200,000, up about 20%. The funds would be principally for the salaries
of the proposed new staff.
Rabbi Freehling noted that the Human Relations Department maintained
a trust fund, and can ask "friends" of the Commission to
go out into the community as needed to seek funding for programs beyond
that which was available in the City's General Fund. But salaries,
of course, should come out of the Department's budget.
There were two members of the public who requested time to speak.
Charles Moorehead, a safety expert, spoke about the need for all public
meetings to be proceeded by a description what to do in the case of
an emergency. He suggested announcements be made about where the building's
emergency exits were located. He also said it's a good idea to identify
who in attendance might be a medical professional or have CPR skills,
and who knew how to properly operate a fire extinguisher.
As it happened I was the final speaker. I introduced the concept of
our grassroots efforts at Los Angeles Community Policing to the Commissioners
and renewed the offer I'd made in the past to Rabbi Freehling ...
that we offer to assist the Human Relations Commission in any way
we can.
We consider the work of Human Relations to be among the most important
in Los Angeles. The diverse neighborhoods and groups which comprise
LA need to be included in every way possible if we are to keep our
streets safe, and improve the quality of life. |
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