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5 <br />should be asking (questions attached, see Appendix). The same set of questions was asked in each <br />of the groups. At the commencement of each discussion, we advised all of the participants that the <br />information they provided would not be confidential, but that it would be shared anonymously; <br />their names would not be associated with any of their stories or comments. <br /> <br />The focus groups themselves were informal, and oftentimes the facilitators only asked the first <br />two questions or so and the discussions then took on a life of their own, with many of the <br />questions being answered without being asked. Each of the groups was also provided with an <br />information sheet about the Eugene Human Rights Commission (see Appendix), and information <br />was shared about the process for reporting hate and bias crimes. The main role of the facilitators <br />was to bring the discussions back to the questions, if necessary, and to otherwise listen and take <br />comprehensive notes for this report. <br /> <br />Each group was informed that, once all of the focus group meetings were completed, the Anti- <br />Discrimination Work Group would draft a report and recommendations for the City Council and <br />share it with each of the participants prior to its completion. All of the participants were invited to <br />a large gathering held on May 31, 2017, to share a meal and give their feedback about the report <br />and recommendations. Representatives from most of the focus groups attended this event, and a <br />rich and passionate discussion took place, partly in small groups and then with everyone together <br />in the same room. Their feedback was taken into account and helped us finalize the report for <br />presentation to the full Human Rights Commission at their June 2017 meeting. <br /> <br />This is the finalized report and recommendations, approved unanimously by the Eugene Human <br />Rights Commission. We submit this to the Mayor and City Council for your consideration and <br />action. <br /> <br /> <br />Overview <br /> <br />We have organized our findings around a number of themes that arose during the course of <br />discussions in the ten focus groups. In the case of each theme, we have selected statements <br />illustrative of the kinds of things that were being said. (For a fuller accounting of what was shared, <br />see attached Appendix for each focus group.) <br /> <br />Taken together, the themes and statements collectively serve to demonstrate how it feels to be a <br />member of a marginalized group in Eugene. (In fact, the themes and statements likely <br />demonstrate how it feels to be a member of a marginalized group in many places across the <br />country.) In multiple instances, focus group participants also expressed that they held <br />membership in more than one marginalized group, a topic we discuss under the theme of <br />“Intersectionality” below. <br /> <br />As stated above, we invited focus group participants to a May 31 gathering to give us feedback on <br />our draft report. Almost all of the focus groups were represented at this meeting, typically by two <br />to four people. One of the most striking features of the discussion that took place was participants’ <br />frequent references to the current political climate. Fear of violence or of being mistreated, always <br />present, was said to have escalated among people of color, Muslims and the LGBTQ population <br />since the November 2016 election. <br /> <br />September 12, 2018, Work Session - Item 1