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The commission is presenting a report on its work from September 2003 through June 30, 2004, and a proposed 12-month work plan for council consideration and action. In addition to any items the City Council wishes to discuss, the commission plans to address the following topics: Responding to Hate During fiscal year 2004, several major incidents of bias occurred. Commission members and staff collaborated with local advocates, providing aid to those targeted and working to support the community. The collaboration and aid will continue to be a primary focus of the Human Rights Program. · Hate Group - RelatedArrests In March 2004, two separate altercations occurred at the Samurai Duck and the WOW Hall, at which people allegedly associated with white supremacy groups were arrested. The commission was kept apprised of the incidents and staff and commissioners worked with people involved in these incidents. · Hate Leafleting In February 2004, during showings of the movie "The Passion of The Christ" at Cinema World in Eugene and Gateway Mall's Movies 12 in Springfield, cars in the parking lots were leafleted with anti-Semitic fliers attributed to the Volksfront and Aryan Nations hate groups. Leafleting also took place near Civic Stadium and Temple Beth Israel. In a separate incident in June, hate flyers were distributed in neighborhoods in at least three separate areas of Eugene. Flyers referenced the hate groups National Alliance and Aryan Nations, among others. Staff and commissioners worked together to deliver a message on TV news and through a letter to the editor in The Register-Guard that it is everyone's responsibility to speak out against hate. Responding to Emerging Issues The commission is committed to addressing emerging issues as demonstrated below: · The CLEAR Act The commission recommended that the City Council, through the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Committee, take action to oppose Federal House Bill 2671 entitled "Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2003," otherwise known as the CLEAR Act. The IGR Committee did so in January 2004. · Housing Standard; The commission endorsed a proposal regarding housing standards brought forth by Eugene Citizens for Housing Standards. The City Council held a work session about the subject in May. · Downtown Ordinance Commissioners expressed concerns regarding the potential for selective enforcement and inconsistency of the law applying to some geographical locations of the city and not others. Commission leadership drafted a letter to the City Council to outline their concerns. L:\CMO\2004 Council Agendas\M040726\S040726B.doc