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Mr. Johnson acknowledged and thanked the commission for the hours it spent working on <br />community issues. He had stressed the importance of diversity and human rights to the <br />organization and believed the message was accepted because employees recognized the value <br />of diversity. He said that staff was happy to work with the commission. <br /> <br />Chief Jim Hill thanked Mr. Van Steenbergen for his work and assistance to the department. He <br />said the HRSS took a tremendous work load off the department and defused situations that the <br />department often did not have the resources to address. He liked the fact the HRC represented a <br />standing forum for important discussions. He agreed that the Police Commission needed to be <br />closely aligned with the commission and believed the proposed structure would accomplish that. <br />Regarding gender balance on the Police Commission, Chief Hill said that he would track that and <br />take remedial action if needed. <br /> <br />Mr. Torrey asked if the commission reached out to the Asian community. Ms. Middleton said that <br />she recently presented an award to the Asian Council through the Lane Arts Council. She agreed <br />that spreading the word about the HRC was important, and a volunteer base to do outreach was <br />needed. Ms. Hall noted the commission's involvement in the Asian Celebration. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson noted that the words "discrimination" and "harassment" were associated with adult <br />activities, but they were issues for youth as well. She asked the commission to put emphasis on <br />developing a way to reach out to youth. She wanted to ensure that all youth felt like they were <br />part of the community or could be part of the community. <br /> <br />Mr. Farr said that the HRC discussed working with youth, and had a youth member. It was an <br />important issue in the forefront of the commissioners' minds. Mr. Dalton added that the HRC had <br />a lot of networks into the community, and currently there were several groups he had worked with, <br />including CALC and the Minority Advisory Committee, working with the school districts on issues <br />of harassment between kids. He thought the commission could get more formally involved, but <br />individual commissioners were already informally involved. <br /> <br />Ms. Duke said that the HRSS had worked in the schools with the districts reacting to <br />discrimination and harassment. Administrators are concerned about the incidents, and fear they <br />will happen again if nothing is done. She said that the school districts have been proactive in <br />seeking the commission's help. <br /> <br />Mr. Rayor did not think the Human Rights Program should be only a complaint-driven system, but <br />a proactive system that could encompass the City's vendors and contractors and the businesses <br />in the enterprise zone that could be worked with if a situation arose. <br /> <br />Mr. Farr noted that the commission currently had a member that was on the Bethel School <br />District. <br /> <br /> Mr. Meisner moved, seconded by Ms. Nathanson, to approve the <br /> commission's goals and work program for FY2000. The motion passed <br /> unanimously, 7:0. <br /> <br />Mr. Farr indicated his interest in further discussion of his suggestion for council-commission <br />liaisons. <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 23, 1999 Page 5 <br /> 5:30 p.m. <br /> <br /> <br />