Agenda Packet 9-12-18 Work Session

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10 • What trainings are they getting? Cultural training? Who is giving that training? (Latinx) • No police of color. (Latinx) • Police on and off campus treat Latinos with negative bias. (Latinx) • Police are so sassy on campus; it’s unnecessary sassiness. (Muslim) Across the Community Focus group members also touched on their experiences interacting with people across the community, including: fellow shoppers and employees at local businesses; landlords and neighbors; staff in public schools, higher education institutions and social services; with potential employers and as employees. We heard many stories of the ways in which they were made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, and even fearful in certain settings. Many of the participants found themselves constantly on guard when they walked out the door of their homes, which provided most of them with a sense of safety and a setting in which they could relax, socialize with others like themselves and feel protected. Businesses • I always get followed in a store by the mall; they don’t train. Staring at me, I make eye contact, looks away. (African American/Biracial Youth) • Am followed around at malls and stores, asked “Can I help you?” – or ignored if you have a question or want to buy something. (Native American/Alaska Native) • Was in line in Safeway, not paying attention, person in front of me left, checker asked “Is this WIC?” We were dressed nice. It was offensive. “Could raise hell, but it’s every day, am just going to go home. People don’t get it.” (Pacific Islander) • I feel least comfortable in commercial areas because people think that black people steal things; I get looks, glances, people watch me when I’m in stores. (LGBTQ) • Am hypervigilant in malls. “Not all people are accepting and to know there are people who would be quite happy to shoot me in the head; I am aware of that all the time.” (Trans) • Latinos are blamed when others start trouble or cause conflicts, e.g., at local bars. (Latinx) • Racism is expressed by rudeness in the provision of services, e.g., library, coffee shop… (Latinx) Housing • Tried to rent houses; it’s “a real struggle, had to go through the university.” (African American) • Friend was booted from the Mission as soon as workers there realized she was trans. (Trans) • Very hard to find places to live. Landlords charging higher rents, not getting deposits back. (Latinx) K-12 Education • Teachers: Don’t ask a black person how they feel if you are talking about a black issue; let them raise their hand if they want to share. Don’t put them on the spot. Don’t purposely split up or clump the kids of color together. They put us in the same area or separate us if we are too close. (African American/Biracial Youth) • My son was asked to welcome a new student in middle school. He met and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek (a custom in our culture). The girl was not offended. Someone down the September 12, 2018, Work Session - Item 1