Human Rights Commission Regular Meeting of the Human Rights Commission - Location: Austin City Hall, Board & Commission Room, Room 1101, 301 West 2nd Street, Austin, Texas 78701
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Regular Meeting Monday, April 25, 2022 5:30 p.m. – Adjournment Austin City Hall, Board & Commission Room, 1101 301 West 2nd Street, Austin, Texas 78701 Some members of the Human Rights Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may speak up to three minutes on an item only once either in-person or remotely. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, call or email the board liaison at 512-974-2544 or sammi.curless@austintexas.gov CURRENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: Sareta Davis, Chair Isabel Casas, Vice Chair Malenie Areche Jared Breckenridge Kimberly Brienzi Garry Brown Jamarr Brown Kristian Caballero Idona Griffith Maram Museitif Alicia Weigel CALL TO ORDER AGENDA PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Consider approval of the minutes from the Human Rights Commission’s February 28, 2022, Regular Meeting and the March 28, 2022, Regular Meeting. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion and briefing on legislation that passed that affects the city – presented by the City’s Intergovernmental Relations Office (IGRO) sponsored by (Davis/Casas). b. Vote on Recommendation Number: (20220425-001): Hate Incident Reporting. (Weigel/Davis) c. Nominate someone to be on the Joint Inclusion Committee. The Commission needs to select a representative who will be able to attend those meetings on their behalf. 3. OLD BUSINESS a. Commissioners will report on and discuss the status of the Commission’s key priority areas of concern for 2021-2022, including plans and strategies for meeting those key priority areas of concern: i. Institutional Equity ii. Environment & Land Use iii. Health Access & Nutrition iv. Autonomy & Human Rights ADJOURNMENT 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 Sammi Curless at 512-974-2544 or sammi.curless@austintexas.gov for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Human Rights Commission Recommendation Number: (20220425‐001): Hate Incident Reporting WHEREAS, hate incidents have increased YoY across Austin and nationwide; and WHEREAS, there is documented confusion regarding the usage of Austin 311 and Online Reporting Tools to report hate crimes vs. “bias‐based” incidents—as well as how to differentiate between the two; and WHEREAS, individuals looking to report hate crimes in good faith often refrain from doing so based either in that confusion or in fear of being charged with filing a false police report; and WHEREAS, there is no singular place to report hate crimes and/or incidents, with seven distinct recommended avenues published on the Austin and Travis County Hate Crimes Taskforce site; and WHEREAS, those reporting to APD must be prepared for a call back from an unknown number to take a report with, three missed calls resulting in a closed case with no further action; and WHEREAS, reports being made through disparate entities creates barriers to aggregating and accurately understanding the nature of hate‐based incidents in our city, meanwhile deflating overall numbers; and WHEREAS, the multilateral Hate Crimes Task Force exists and launched working groups to address anti‐ hate initiatives, it meets infrequently and has not issued a report since 2012; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission encourages the Austin City Council to: ● Ensure adequate coordination and collaboration between the offices of the County Sheriff, District Attorney, Austin Police Department and the various organizations listed as avenues for reporting hate incidents in the city of Austin ● Build a cohesive system to capture accurate data as well as analyze data for patterns to effectively assess trends in hate incidents and guide the city's proactive response. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: () Attest: _____________________________________________ (Staff or board member can sign)
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Human Rights Commission Recommendation Number: (20220425-2b): Hate Incident Reporting WHEREAS, hate incidents have increased YoY across Austin and nationwide; and WHEREAS, there is documented confusion regarding the usage of Austin 311 and Online Reporting Tools to report hate crimes vs. “bias-based” incidents—as well as how to differentiate between the two; and WHEREAS, individuals looking to report hate crimes in good faith often refrain from doing so based either in that confusion or in fear of being charged with filing a false police report; and WHEREAS, there is no singular place to report hate crimes and/or incidents, with seven distinct recommended avenues published on the Austin and Travis County Hate Crimes Taskforce site; and WHEREAS, those reporting to APD must be prepared for a call back from an unknown number to take a report with three missed calls resulting in a closed case with no further action; and WHEREAS, reports being made through disparate entities creates barriers to aggregating and accurately understanding the nature of hate-based incidents in our city, meanwhile deflating overall numbers; and WHEREAS, the multilateral Hate Crimes Task Force exists and launched working groups to address antihate initiatives, it meets infrequently and has not issued a report since 2012; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission encourages the Austin City Council to: • • Ensure adequate coordination and collaboration between the offices of the County Sheriff, District Attorney, Austin Police Department and the various organizations listed as avenues for reporting hate incidents in the city of Austin Build a cohesive system to capture accurate data as well as analyze data for patterns to effectively assess trends in hate incidents and guide the city's proactive response. Date of Approval: April 25, 2022 Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 6-0 vote with Commissioners Areche, Breckenridge, Brienzi, Brown and Brown absent. Attest: _____________________________________________
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Monday, April 25, 2022 MINUTES The Human Rights Commission convened in a regular meeting on Monday, April 25, 2022, at 301 West 2nd Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Chair Davis called the meeting to order at 5:37pm. Commissioners in Attendance: Sareta Davis. Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Isabel Casas, Kristian Caballero, Idona Griffith, Maram Museitif and Alicia Weigel. Commissioners Absent: Malenie Areche, Jared Breckenridge, Kimberly Brienzi, Garry Brown, and Jamarr Brown. Staff in Attendance: Sammi Curless and Brie Franco. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL NONE. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Commission did not take action on the minutes from the Human Rights Commission’s February 28, 2022, Regular Meeting and the March 28, 2022, Regular Meeting. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. b. c. Discussion and briefing on legislation that passed that affects the city – presented by the City’s Intergovernmental Relations Office (IGRO) sponsored by (Davis/Casas). Brie Franco, Intergovernmental Relations Officer, provided a recap presentation of the 87th legislative session. Vote on Recommendation Number: (20220425-001): Hate Incident Reporting. (Weigel/Davis) Chair Davis made a motion to approve the recommendation; Commissioner Weigel seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 6-0 with Commissioners Areche, Breckenridge, Brienzi, G. Brown, and J. Brown absent. Nominate someone to be on the Joint Inclusion Committee. The Commission needs to select a representative who will be able to attend those meetings on their behalf. Chair Davis motioned that Idona Griffith serve as the primary representative to the Joint Inclusion Committee and to select a new secondary representative at a future meeting without objection. The recommendation passed on a vote of 6-0 with Commissioners Areche, Breckenridge, Brienzi, G. Brown, and J. Brown absent. 3. Commissioners will report on and discuss the status of the Commission’s key OLD BUSINESS a. priority areas of concern for 2021-2022, including plans and strategies for meeting those key priority areas of concern: Institutional Equity Commissioner Weigel mentioned need for Commissioner attendance at meetings. i. ii. iii. iv. Environment & Land Use Health Access & Nutrition No report. No report. No report. Autonomy & Human Rights Chair Davis made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:24pm; Commissioner Museitif seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 6-0 with Commissioners Areche, Breckenridge, Brienzi, G. Brown, and J. Brown absent.
