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HomeMy WebLinkAboutsocial justice and racial equity third quarter update 2017CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: October 19, 2017 To: Geoff Fruin, City Manager From: Stefanie Bowers, Equity Director and Human Rights Coordinator Re: Social Justice and Racial Equity Third Quarter Update for 2017 Attached please find the third quarter Social Justice and Racial Equity Update for 2017. Included as part of this update is the Police Department's third quarter report on community outreach, community presentations, cultural competency trainings, public education efforts on rights, and community partnerships. Social Justice & Racial Equity Third Quarter Update (July-September 2017) CITY OF IOWA CITY UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE CIT Y OF IOWA C ITY SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY Accountability July 12, the resolution for reaffirming the City of Iowa City Law Enforcement Non-Discrimination policy was translated into Arabic, French African, Spanish and Mandarin and placed on the City's Social Justice and Racial Equity site. The resolutions can be located at https://www.icgov.org/citv-government/departments-and- divisions/equity-and-human-rights/social-justice-and-racial-eguity. July 24, August 28, September 25, staff in the Office of Equity and Human Rights participated in GARE monthly meetings. 2 "'I TY ')F IOWA CITY SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY Conversations August 9, the City Manager's Roundtable was held with representatives attending from the Center for Worker Justice, the Coalition for Racial Justice, the Human Rights Commission, the Black Voices Project and the Community Police Review Board. The discussion focused on summer programs for youth. For meeting notes and the list of participants, visit https://www.icgov.org/city-government/departments-and-divisions/equity-and-human- rig hts/social-j u stice-a nd-racia l-eg u ity. August 23, the Police Department participated in Coffee with a Cop, which is a chance for the public to ask questions, voice concerns and have a conversation with neighborhood police officers in an informal setting. The event was held at Cortado Coffee and Cafe. September 6, the City Council held its seventh Listening Post at Uptown Bill's. City Council listening posts provide opportunities for the community to engage with City leaders on topics that are important to them in an informal setting. September 23, the Library, the University of Iowa's Center for Human Rights and the Human Rights Commission sponsored a book discussion on Butterfly Mosque. The book explores the story of a journalist "converting to Islam and falling in love with an Egyptian man in a volatile post-9/11 world" (Publishers Weekly). 3 CITY ru· '0WA CITY SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY Justice July 20, staff of Neighborhood Development Services (NOS) participated in Preserving African-American Historic Properties: A Historic Preservation Conversation with Jack Pyburn .. Jack Pyburn, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects discussed the lessons learned from his experiences with broadening the interest in, commitment to and resources for conserving African American heritage in the United States .. Iowa City recently received a grant from the National Park Service to help preserve the Iowa Federation Home and the Tate Arms Home .. The Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission is currently working towards getting these properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This will solidify their importance as historic landmarks associated with the struggle for housing equality for Black students in Iowa City. Grant money will also be used to install plaques in front of each building, conveying their historical significance to passersby. More information can be located at https://www.icgov.org/news/historic-preservation-commission-awarded-national-park-service-civil- rights-grant.. August 4-5, the City was a sponsor of the 2017 Iowa Sou/ Festival, an event celebrating African-American culture through music, dance, networking, food, and art. August 18, Mayor Throgmorton released a statement rejecting armed intimidation and white nationalism, and reaffirming Iowa City's commitment to justice, equality, and the value of a diverse and inclusive community. August 31, Iowa City joined more than 40 other cities, counties, and municipal agencies across the country in filing an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in City of Chicago v .. Sessions. The brief urges the Court to grant the City of Chicago's request for an injunction barring enforcement of new conditions on federal grant moneys .. If enforced, these conditions would disqualify state and local governments from receiving funds unless they agree to assist in enforcing federal immigration law. CITv OF IOWA C I TY SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY Outreach July 19-20, members of the Police Department, along with other local law enforcement, participated in the second annual Do You See Me Now challenge. The challenge included a friendly basketball game where youth in the Teen Dynamics Program competed against the officers. The Teen Dynamics Program was created by staff of Parks and Recreation to provide teens with opportunities for positive interaction, education, relationship building and activities during summer break. July 27-28, the Police Department sponsored area youth to participate in the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) which included an overnight camping trip. Seven kids and three adult chaperones made the ride .. The trip is part of the Police Department's ongoing effort to develop relationships between officers, youth and families. It is also part of a larger City initiative to encourage more people, including children and families, to ride bicycles. August 1, members of the Police Department and Fire Department participated in National Night Out held at Wetherby Park. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, and more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true 4 sense of community. It also provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. August 4, the Library hosted a Teen Drag Show. The free teen-friendly performance featured local drag kings and queens, but with a twist. September (throughout), the Library's fall Bookmobile scheduled stops that coincided with the English Language Learning program at Grant Wood elementary, together with stops at Coles Community, Mark Twain elementary, and preschools that serve youth from families with low incomes. September 8, staff of the Office of Equity and Human Rights presented Iowa's Civil Rights History and Legacy to the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Program participants. September 12, the City sponsored its annual Job & Resource Fair. The Robert A. Lee Recreation Center hosted the event. Other sponsors included Successful Living, Iowa Workforce Development and Shelter House. Over thirty local employers attended the event. September 13, the Bookmobile made a special visit to the United Action for Youth (UAY) program in Eastdale Plaza to introduce the Bookmobile to youth served by UAY. September 16, 20, 22, three Deaf Awareness story times were held at the library. September 27 (ongoing), the Library and the University of Iowa's Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program offered job application, resume writing, and job skills workshops from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays thru November. 5 CITY OF IOWA C ITY SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY Training July 19, staff in the Office of Equity and Human Rights participated in Rapid Response Team-Hate Crimes, Hate Violen.ce and Local Government Response. The webinar was sponsored by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE). July 25, staff in the Office of Equity and Human Rights participated in a webinar on Combating Hate in Your Community. The webinar provided participants with information about housing related hate and how it is covered under the federal Fair Housing Act. It also highlighted the key strategies to combat hate and harassment using fair housing laws. July 25, staff in the Office of Equity and Human Rights participated in Developing a Racial Equity Action Plan. The training is designed to assist agencies in developing racial equity action plans and share current promising practices. August 24, staff of the Office of Equity and Human Rights participated in Using Data to Assess Fair Housing and Improve Access to Opportunities, a webinar showing how to access and use data sources to inform fair housing policy decisions and program planning. August 25, staff of NDS presented to the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition regarding the City's Affordable Housing Action Plan. More on the plan can be found at httos://www.icgov.org/affordablehousingactionplan . September 13, staff of the Office of Equity and Human Rights participated in Working in a Diverse Environment: Challenges and Opportunities, a webinar exploring characteristics of an effective workplace diversity program. September 13, staff of the Office of Equity and Human Rights attended Racism Within Muslim Communities, a presentation by Professor Motier Haskins sponsored by the University of Iowa Chief Diversity Office. 6 TO: FROM : RE : DATE: Stefanie Bowers Captain Bill Campbell DIF Reporting for ICPD -3rd Quarter 2017 October 19, 2017 The Iowa City Police Department's DIF reporting for the third quarter of 2017 is below. COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Documentation of participation in any event, attended or presented, by a Department member to a community member or organization. 51 officers attended 314 events in the third quarter of 2017, for a total of 411 hours of involvement. Events included : • Increase in neighborhood foot patrols and officers getting out of their patrol vehicles to engage the community and build relationships through non-enforcement interactions. • Foot patrols and school visits, sporting events • Several party in the parks were attended • Continued use of Southside Substation by officers to complete paperwork and other tasks at this facility, being more visible and making themselves more avai lable to the community in that area. • "National Night Out"-encouraging neighborhoods to engage and become more involved with each other • Public Safety Camp and Leadership Academy open to local youth at IC Fire Station #4 • Southeast Iowa Regional Fire Honor Guard Training • "Courage Ride" -Iowa Mennonite School • Octoberfest DIF Reporting for ICPD-3rd Quarter 2017 1 • ALICE Training • Youth Basketball Challenge-IC Rec Center • Teamsters Labor Day Picnic-City Park • Police/Fire games-Substation • Survivors Program Fund raiser • "Coffee with a Cop" -Cortado Coffee & Cafe • "Cop on Top" -Dunkin Donuts • "Kid's Day"-City Park • Hand-painting Substation with day-care children COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS: Documentation of any participation in a community presentation by a Department member. 20 officers participated in 40 community presentations in the third quarter of 2017, totaling 95 hours of involvement. Presentations included the following topics/groups: • Defensive Tactics-Leadership Academy • "ALICE" active shooter response training-various locations, including staff at all 3 public high schools and Southeast Junior High • "ODARA" domestic abuse risk facto.r training-UIPD • CST presentations-Children's Museum • K9 Presentation - U of I Law School, Kids Day • CIT Presentation -City Park • Drivers education classes • ON Iowa Safety Fair-IMU • RAGBRAI-KCRG DIF Reporting for ICPD-3rd Quarter 2017 2 • CULTURAL COMPETENCY TRAINING: Documentation of any training received by a Department member involving cultural competency. Cultural competency training refers to training directed at the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures, ethnicity and socio- economic backgrounds. 82 officers attended 44 hours oftraining during the third quarter. This training included: • Disproportionate Minority Contacts (DMC)-AIIICPD staff, including both sworn and non-sworn personnel, attended a four-hour training session on DMC issues. The first two hours were presented by Dr. Chris Barnum, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice and Director of Graduate Studies Masters in Criminal Justice at St. Ambrose University. Dr. Barnum presented information to the groups on our ICPD traffic stop data and the research he conducts on that data. The second two-hour instructional block was put on by Dr. Sarah K. Bruch, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, and Director of the Social and Education Policy Research Program, at the Public Policy Center at the University of Iowa. Dr. Bruch presented on the negative effects that police interaction can have on minority communities. • LGBTQ Safe Zone-East Side Recycling PUBLIC EDUCATION EFFORTS ON RIGHTS: Documentation of any participation at an event, attended or presented by a Department member, to a community member or organization where the focus is education on on individual's rights. 1 officers conducted 2 training sessions during this quarter. This included orientation for new international students at the Uland meeting with property managers reference ongoing problems. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: Documentation of any partnership between the Department and another community organization. The Department worked with community partners that led to attendance at 56 events by 18 officers who spent 116 hours engaging with community members. Below are some highlights and noteworthy outcome from those partnerships. • Iowa City Downtown District-To champion the Iowa City Downtown District as a progressive, healthy, and culturally vibrant urban center of the region. • The Downtown Liaison continues to represent the Iowa City Police Department and participate in the White House's Data-Driven Justice Initiative. This is a coalition of city, county, and state governments who have committed to using data-driven strategies to DIF Reporting for ICPD-3rd Quarter 2017 3 divert low-level offenders with mental illness out of the criminal justice system and change approaches to pre-trial incarceration • The Downtown liaison's partnership with the Johnson County Local Homeless Coordinating Board (LHCB), the Frequent User Systems Engagement (FUSE) sub- committee and the winter Low-Barrier Shelter sub-committee. The FUSE sub-committee has developed a "housing first" initiative which will provide housing to chronically homeless individuals with a goal of reducing their use of emergency services. During this quarter the FUSE project received more than $3 million in federal and state money. The 24-unit project will likely break ground in early 2018. The winter Low-Barrier Shelter sub-committee has identified and secured a location for the fourth consecutive year. This will allow us to provide a temporary shelter to provide an alternate housing option for the winter months. This alternate housing provides shelter for individuals who are intoxicated or are otherwise ineligible to receive housing at Shelter House. The Low-Barrier Shelter sub-committee is part of the "San Antonio Model" for crisis intervention. The sub-committee is exploring the details of San Antonio's model compared with Johnson County's needs and will be developing a plan and necessary budget to implement a comparable system here. • The ICPD continues to collaborate with the Iowa City Bike library to repurpose abandoned bicycles impounded by the Department. Instead of being auctioned or recycled as scrap metal, the Iowa City Bike library refurbishes some of the bicycles which are then lent out through their organization. The remaining bicycles are collected by Working Bikes. Working Bikes is a non-profit that rescues discarded bicycles and gives them new life by redistributing them. in global communities. During the previous quarter the Downtown liaison worked with staff and the City Manager to amend City Code which covers impounded bicycles. The amendment will allow the police department and other City Staff to repurpose unclaimed bicycles for community outreach with disadvantaged youth and adults. • "Free Wheels" completed its first year in 2017. This program provided 15 children with bicycles as well as safety and maintenance training, an introduction to the City trails and safety equipment. Great feedback was received regarding this program and it will be continued in 2018. DIF Reporting for ICPD-3rd Quarter 2017 4 The Department continues to provide extra patrol at citizens requests and foot patrols where criminal activity or safety concerns had been identified. DIF Reporting for ICPD-3rd Quarter 2017 5