Agenda Packet 7-8-19 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Volunteering at Egan warming center and being employed at White Bird Clinic has prepared me well for doing the work of a human rights commissioner. 1 How has your employment and/or volunteer experience prepared you to do the work of a Human Rights Commissioner? Please be specific. Because I believe the issues of income inequality, homelessness, environmental crisis, and other social ills stem from the same root, I believe that my work as an environmental activist and social justice advocate have given me the critical eye necessary to look at the issue of human rights with the broad, yet cutting realism. 2 How has your personal experience prepared you to do the work of a Human Rights Commissioner? Please be specific. 1. Homelessness This should be apparent given the obvious level of homelessness on the streets of Eugene. The problem is growing, not lessening. 2. White supremacy There have been multiple instances of displays of hatred of marginalized communities here in Eugene, from swastikas spray-painted on walls to racial insults thrown at people of color who are walking on the street. I think we as a city could do more to distance itself from the white-centric and white-supremacist (whether explicit or implicit) rhetoric which at this point is coming out of the administration that holds office in our federal government. 3. Immigration While Eugene is a city that is generally seen to be friendly to immigrants, I would like to see even more reduction of barriers to undocumented people, especially as it pertains to accessing vital human services. Nobody living in our city should have to be afraid to access the resources they need to live because they are afraid of getting captured and deported. 3 What do you see as the three most pressing human rights issues in Eugene? Select the most important and explain why. I have started and run a nonprofit organization. This has involved secretarial work and the keeping of meeting minutes. As a member of the board of this organization I was constantly in the process of decision-making and negotiating project plans. As a systems administrator for two social service organizations, I have had to partake in strategic decision-making from a technical perspective so that my organization of employment could 1) provide services to its clientele and 2) grow the resources necessary for longevity. As a person I am very easy to work with. I am patient, friendly, and always willing to give others the benefit of the doubt in stressful situations. You could call my organizing style to be that of the "peacemaker". 4 Describe your specific strengths and weaknesses that would allow you to negotiate group situations in which members hold strong, differing opinions. Give a specific example if possible. Dillon Thomson HRC - Round 1 Applications July 8, 2019, Meeting – Item 4