Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission - Aug. 24, 2020
Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Special Called Meeting of the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission
Special Meeting of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission Monday, August 24, 2020 3pm- 5pm Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission to be held August 24 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (August 23 by Noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the August 24th Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at Amanda.Jasso@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9107 no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Amanda.Jasso@austintexas.gov by Noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live Font Size: 12; Font: Times New Roman; Font Style: Regular HISPANIC/LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020 AT 3PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING (RECORDED) CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Amanda Afifi, Chair Angelica Erazo, Vice-Chair Diana Salas Melissa Ayala Zaira R. Garcia Maria C. Solis CALL TO ORDER Jovita J. Flay Felicia Peña Ricardo Garay Lourdes Zuniga Sharon Vigil AGENDA 1. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON SUSPENSION OF ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF JUNE AND JULY MINUTES 3. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion and possible action regarding elections for Chair and Vice-Chair (term to end April 2021) b. Discussion and possible action regarding recommendation about Austin Police Department c. Discussion and possible action regarding recommendation on Pflugerville ISD and school reopening plan d. Discussion and possible action regarding recognition for community leaders and advocates recently departed 4. STAFF BRIEFING a. Update from Office of Police Oversight, Cristina Tangredi, …
HISPANIC/LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020 AT 3PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING (RECORDED) CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Amanda Afifi, Chair Angelica Erazo, Vice-Chair Diana Salas Melissa Ayala Zaira R. Garcia Maria C. Solis DRAFT MINUTES Jovita J. Flay Felicia Peña Ricardo Garay Lourdes Zuniga Sharon Vigil CALL TO ORDER – Chair Afifi called to order at 3:03pm. Board Members in Attendance: Chair Amanda Afifi, Vice-Chair Angelica Erazo, Maria Solis, Felicia Peña, Ricardo Garay, Zaira Garcia, and Lourdes Zuniga 1. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON SUSPENSION OF ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER a. Commissioner Solis moved to suspend Robert’s Rules of Order. Vice Chair Erazo seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 2. APPROVAL OF MAY AND JUNE MINUTES a. Vice Chair Erazo moved to approve May and June minutes. Commissioner Peña seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 3. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion and possible action regarding elections for Chair and Vice-Chair (term to end April 2021) i. This item to be moved to September’s agenda. b. Discussion and possible action regarding recommendation about Austin Police Department i. Chair Afifi and Commissioner Peña to form Public Safety workgroup. ii. Vice Chair Erazo moved to approve the recommendation and allow the Public Safety workgroup to make final edits, including amendment from Commissioner Garay. Commissioner Garay seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Font Size: 12; Font: Times New Roman; Font Style: Regular c. Discussion and possible action regarding recommendation on Pflugerville ISD and school reopening plan i. Vice Chair Erazo moved to approve the recommendation with an amendment from Commissioner Zuniga. Commissioner Zuniga seconded. The motion passed unanimously. d. Discussion and possible action regarding recognition for community leaders and advocates recently departed i. Commissioner Solis read a prepared statement honoring Johnny Limon. ii. Commissioner Zuniga recognized Rosalio “Rabbit” Duran, Lois Villaseñor, and Ramón Galindo for their contributions made during their lifetimes as community leaders in Austin. ii. Speaker Susana Almanza paid tribute to Johnny Limon with a speech and photos. 4. STAFF BRIEFING a. Update from Office of Police Oversight, Cristina Tangredi, Program Specialist – regarding Officer Involved Shootings Report and relevant updates b. Update from Director Veronica Briseño, Economic Development Department - regarding Covid-19 economic recovery efforts c. Update from Austin Public Health, Ana Urueta, Flor Hernandez-Ayala, and Stephanie Treviño- regarding COVID-19, disparate impacts for Latinx community, ongoing testing efforts, contract tracing, and community resources ADJOURNMENT – Chair Afifi adjourned the meeting at …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Hispanic Quality of Life Commission Recommendation Number (20200824‐3b): Leadership of the Austin Police Department must uphold and demonstrate anti‐racist, anti‐bias values that the community, City Council, and our City of Austin Leadership expect WHEREAS, it is the value of the City of Austin to be an inclusive city for all of its citizens including those of diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and national origin backgrounds; WHEREAS, the City of Austin had called for an adequate response from the Austin Police Department following the shootings of Mauris DeSilva (July 2019) and Mike Ramos (April 2020), both incidents involving Officer Christopher Taylor; WHEREAS, in the Joint Report: Analysis of APD Racial Profiling Data dated January 2020, the City’s Office of Police Oversight, Office of Innovation, and Equity Office jointly evaluated APD’s Annual Racial Profiling Report from 2018 in the context of the City Council’s Strategic Direction 2023 (SD 2023) priority indicator of Fair Administration of Justice and concluded that “Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos are increasingly overrepresented in motor vehicle stops from 2015‐2018. White/Caucasians are increasingly underrepresented during the same time period;” “Data from 2018 shows that Black/African Americans are disproportionately overrepresented in cases when their race is known by officers before the stop compared to cases when their race is not known before the stop.;” and “While African Americans have the largest disproportionality, Hispanic/Latinos have similarly concerning trends, and APD should work to bring these disparities to zero in the same timeframe.”; WHEREAS, the Office of the City Auditor Impact of Community Policing Efforts audit, dated May 2020, found mixed results when they reviewed how APD’s efforts have affected APD’s relationship with the community, and state “One possible reason why the results of APD’s community policing efforts have been mixed is that community policing efforts address issues of culture, trust, and confidence both within APD and between APD and the public. Recent issues suggest there are deeply rooted challenges APD must face to create a department‐wide culture that is fair, impartial, and procedurally just, which APD states it is aiming for in its community policing policy.”; and “While APD’s community policing efforts since 2016 appear to have helped establish a foundation to support community policing goals, APD must address these issues and then continue to build on the foundation they have built to produce the change that they and the community want.”; WHEREAS, the audit report’s APD Employee Survey shows more …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Hispanic Quality of Life Commission Recommendation Number (20200824‐3c): Pflugerville ISD Must Ensure Safety of All Staff, Students, and Families Equitably WHEREAS, it is the value of the City of Austin to be an inclusive city for all of its citizens including those of diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and national origin backgrounds; WHEREAS, Pflugerville ISD currently has 26,053 enrolled students for the 2020‐2021 school year; WHEREAS, during the 2018‐2019 school year, 25, 361 students were enrolled in PfISD: 15.3% African American; 0.2% American Indian; 8% Asian; 48.6% Hispanic; 0.2% Pacific Islander; 23.1% White; and 4.5% Two or more races; WHEREAS, roughly 35% of PfISD is within Austin city limits; WHEREAS, Delco Elementary, Dessau Elementary, Parmer Lane Elementary, River Oaks Elementary, Dessau Middle, Westview Middle, and Connally High reside within Austin City Council District 7; and Copperfield Elementary resides within Austin City Council District 1; WHEREAS, the Austin Public Health Interim Guidance on Reopening for Austin‐Travis County Schools, dated August 12, 2020, recommends centering equity in plans and implementation, and states “Schools should actively apply an equity lens to the creation and implementation of health/safety and operational plans.”; WHEREAS the Austin Public Health Interim Guidance on Reopening for Austin‐Travis County Schools, dated August 12, 2020, states “Hispanic and black children had the highest rates of COVID‐19– associated hospitalization,” and, “the rates among Hispanic and Black children were nearly eight times and five times, respectively, the rate in white children.” And “About one‐third of hospitalized children had to be admitted to the ICU, which is similar to findings among adults.”; WHEREAS, PfISD does not have an Equity Office and has not mentioned how the school reopening plan ensures equitable decisions and policies are being implemented to protect Hispanic/Latinx and Black employees, students, and families; WHEREAS, the Austin Public Health Interim Guidance on Reopening for Austin‐Travis County Schools, dated August 12, 2020, recommends using cleaning and disinfecting products that meet EPA disinfection criteria; however, the campuses are being treated with BIOPROTECT, which is not listed on the EPA’s website as a disinfectant for use against COVID‐19; WHEREAS, some campuses have requested additional Plexiglas to ensure safety of all students and staff, yet have been told that they have reached their Plexiglas allowance; WHEREAS, employees are already voicing concerns that not all schools are consistently implementing all measures; WHEREAS, the Austin Public Health Interim Guidance on Reopening for Austin‐Travis County Schools, dated August …
