Special Meeting of the Human Rights Commission June 5, 2020 Human Rights Commission to be held June 5, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance by Thursday, June 4, 2020 by Noon. All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the June 5, 2020 Human Rights Commission Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at (512) 974-3276 or jonathan.babiak@austintexas.gov no later than noon on Thursday, June 4, 2020. 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 jonathan.babiak@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 1 a E, j HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION June 5, 2020 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING CURRENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: Sareta Davis, Chair Jamarr Brown, Vice Chair Jared Breckenridge Garry Brown Kristian Caballero Isabel Casas Idona Griffith Maram Museitif Courtney Santana Alicia Weigel Nathan White AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 1. NEW BUSINESS ADJOURNMENT a. Discussion and possible action on a Recommendation to Council to publicly call for the community to stand in solidarity with the family of George Floyd. (Davis) The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Jonathan Babiak, Human Resources Department, at (512) 974-3276 for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more …
DRAFT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Human Rights Commission Recommendation Number 20200605-001a: Recommendation to Council to publicly call for the community to stand in solidarity with the family of George Floyd WHEREAS, the Human Rights Commission of the City of Austin advocates on behalf of human rights for all people in the City of Austin and the broader community; and WHEREAS, recent events have heightened awareness of police killings of citizens. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission recommends the Austin City Council to issue the following statement: FROM: The Mayor and Council of the City of Austin TO: The Citizens of Austin, Texas Just days ago, George Floyd was murdered. We are calling on the community to stand in solidarity with his family. We are calling on allies of communities of color to speak up in their spheres of influence. We are calling on people of color to continue to agitate and not give up until justice is served. The purpose of law enforcement is to protect and serve. Communities, and especially communities of color, can't trust law enforcement officers - who are paid with taxpayer money - to use their authority in an appropriate way if Black Americans keep dying at the hands of those who are paid to protect and serve. As much as things change, some things remain the same. There are social inequities, institutional racism, and just pure hatred alive and well in our society. These systems of inequities are allowed to thrive, and people are dying because of it. For every video clip we see, there are surely thousands of clips we do not, and the abuse of power has to stop! The oppression and threat to black lives is not only an atrocity that justifies outrage and unrest, but it is a human rights issue that reflects a toxic culture that perpetuates systemic racism and injustice. During this COVID-19 pandemic we have seen our minority communities suffer the most and there has not been any targeted intervention to prevent any further deaths or cases. Our black and brown communities are at constant threat for their lives. This is not the community Austin prides itself in being as welcoming and embracing. We need empathetic leadership that feels the pain our marginalized communities experience daily and just and equitable policies that do not discriminate against people based on their race, color and ethnicity. …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Human Rights Commission Recommendation Number 20200605-001a: Recommendation to Council to publicly call for the community to stand in solidarity with the family of George Floyd WHEREAS, the Human Rights Commission of the City of Austin advocates on behalf of human rights for all people in the City of Austin and the broader community; and WHEREAS, recent events have heightened awareness of police killings of citizens. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission recommends the Austin City Council to issue the following statement: FROM: The Mayor and Council of the City of Austin TO: The Citizens of Austin, Texas Just days ago, George Floyd was murdered. We are calling on the community to stand in solidarity with his family. Murder by police is the sixth leading cause of death among young Black men in America. We are calling on allies of communities of color to speak up in their spheres of influence. We are calling on people of color to continue to agitate and not give up until justice is served. The purpose of law enforcement is to protect and serve. Communities, and especially communities of color, can't trust law enforcement officers - who are paid with taxpayer money - to use their authority in an appropriate way if Black Americans keep dying at the hands of those who are paid to protect and serve. As much as things change, some things remain the same. There are social inequities, institutional racism, and just pure hatred alive and well in our society. These systems of inequities are allowed to thrive, and people are dying because of it. For every video clip we see, there are surely thousands of clips we do not, and the abuse of power has to stop! 1 Human Rights Commission Recommendation Number 20200605-001a The oppression and threat to Black lives is not only an atrocity that justifies outrage and unrest, but it is a human rights issue that reflects a toxic culture that perpetuates systemic racism and injustice. Police brutality and anti-Black racism is a public health emergency. During this COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen our communities of color suffer the most and there has not been any targeted intervention to prevent any further deaths or cases. Our Black and Brown communities are at constant threat for their lives. This is not the community Austin prides itself in being as welcoming and embracing. …
REGULAR MEETING FRIDAY, June 5, 2020 HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MINUTES The Human Rights Commission convened in a special called regular meeting on Friday, June 5, 2020 via teleconference in Austin, Texas. Chair Sareta Davis called the Board Meeting to order at 10:06 a.m. Board Members in Attendance: Chair Davis, Vice Chair Jamarr Brown, Commissioner Breckenridge, Commissioner Garry Brown, Commissioner Caballero, Commissioner Griffith, and Commissioner Museitif, Commissioner Santana, Commissioner Weigel, and Commissioner White. Staff in Attendance: Jonathan Babiak, Human Resources Coordinator, Human Resources Department 1. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion and possible action on a Recommendation to Council to publicly call for the community to stand in solidarity with the family of George Floyd. (Davis) Chivas Watson and Bobbie Mack addressed the Commission and answered questions from the Commission. The Commission discussed this item. The Commission worked informally to finalize the draft recommendation. The recommendation was adopted on a vote of 10-0; Chair Davis motion, Commissioner Garry Brown second. Voting in favor were Chair Davis, Vice Chair Jamarr Brown, Commissioner Breckenridge, Commissioner Garry Brown, Commissioner Caballero, Commissioner Griffith, and Commissioner Museitif, Commissioner Santana, Commissioner Weigel, and Commissioner White. Commissioner Casas was absent. ADJOURNMENT Chair Davis adjourned the meeting at 11:29 a.m. on unanimous consent. 1
