HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-07-14 HRC Minutes Draft
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
of the
City of Palm Springs
Minutes from the July 14, 2014 Meeting
COMMISSIONERS
Present at
this Meeting
Present FY
Year-to-Date
FY 2014-15
Excused
Absences
FY 2014-15
Unexcused
Absences
Dee Dee Wilson Barton
David Brown
Jilska Chandrasena
Janel Hunt
Jack Newby
Wes Rankins
Suzanne Reynolds
Deborah Sutton-Weiss
Les Zendle
Maddie Barton, Student rep.
Maribel Wright, Student rep.
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X
X
X
X
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X
X
X
0
X
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
1
0
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The above roll call record is based on all meeting Minutes from July 14, 2014 thru July 14, 2014
1. Chair Wilson Barton called the meeting to order at 3 p.m. and welcomed new student representative
Maribel Wright from Raymond Cree Middle School and newly appointed Commissioner Suzanne
Reynolds
2. Student representative Maribel Wright led the flag salute.
3. Commissioner Reynolds recited the Mission Statement.
4. Commissioners Present: Brown, Chandrasena, Hunt, Newby, Rankins, Reynolds, Sutton-Weiss, Wilson
Barton and Zendle. Student representative Maribel Wright was also present. Student
representative Maddie Barton was absent.
5. POSTING OF THE AGENDA: The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act on or before 4
p.m., on July 7, 2014.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT: Hal Gutterman from Palm Desert said he has significant experience with Islam and
said it is a religion that does not tolerate other religions. He sp oke about what he said has occurred during
the past 80 years, saying that after the creation of the state of Israel in May 1948, the Arabs attacked in
order to kill all the Jews in Palestine, which did not happen according to their plan . However, he said
Israeli Arabs celebrate Nakba Day, which means day of the catastrophe, the day Israel was created.
Don Donnelly said his concern with today’s discussion had to do with clarity and honesty. He said he was
opposed to the Muslim takeover of this country or (takeover of) the laws of this county. Mr. Donnelly said
he opposes Sharia Law. He said he is the legal counsel for Pacific Justice Institute and they support law
and order in our country. Mr. Donnelly said there are two areas that he is very concerned with, the first
being that Sharia Law is a serious infraction, he said, on the rule of law for women in this country and the
second is the Koran, which he said does not accept anyone who does not accept their religion. He said
the Commission needs to validate what will be said.
Ken Irwin told the Commission that people have to be taught to hate. He said he grew up in an era where
people in minority groups were hated by other groups – people had to have an enemy. During the
Depression, he said people were helping people and even though they were opposed to those kinds of
hatreds, they still practiced them , which, he said, was sad. Maybe because of the war or just time, there
was an opportunity to be exposed to more people and exposed to the possibilities of movi ng away from
hatred.
Human Rights Commission Minutes Page 2 of 3
Meeting of July 14, 2014
2
Travis Armstrong thanked the Commission for having the forum today and he said he was impressed with
the diversity on the Commission.
David Hollis said they use words that are in Arabic and it is important to know what they are sayin g. He
said when they say Muslim it means servant or slave of God and Islam is submission to God’s will.
8. GUEST SPEAKER: This month’s topic was religious intolerance. The Commission decided to focus first
on Islamophobia. Reymundo Nour, the acting pres ident and Imam with the Islamic Center of Palm
Springs, said Islamophobia is the persistent, irrational fear of Islam. He said there have been a couple of
cases of Islam ophobia in the Coachella Valley, but there have always been people who oppose Islam,
since its inception. He explained the Muslim beliefs and religious persecutions. He spoke about a fear of
truth. He said throughout the world, there is an upsurge in Islamophobia. He said 25 or 30 years ago the
Muslim community in the Coachella Valley wanted to purchase property in Palm Springs for a mosque,
but it was opposed. He said he hoped that sentiment has changed today. Sharia law , he said, is that
group of law that govern Muslim activities and can only be applied in a country whose people have asked
for it –it’s the predominate way of life for the people. He said there isn’t a country that applies 100 percent
Sharia law. If you look closely at Sharia law, he said, it is compatible with much of the United States
Constitution and Bill of Rights. Islam, he said is a way of life. Muslim, he said, is the one who submits in
Islam. He said if you separate the actions of a few, Islam is a way of life that promotes peace. He said
there is a very specific, unambiguous verse in the Koran that states you should not kill yourself. So a
Muslim who decides to kill himself or herself in the name of religion, he said, is not a Muslim because he
or she is violating a direct order from God. He said an educated comparison needs to be made between
cultural practices and what Islam is. He also spoke about the role of women in Islam and said we have to
distinguish between the cultural practices of some people and what Islam actually says is the position of
women.
9. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 9, 2014 MEETING: The minutes from the June 9,
2014 HRC meeting were unanimously approved 9-0 following a motion by Commissioner Newby and
second by Commissioner Sutton-Weiss.
10. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION / AND OR VOTE
10.A Following a motion by Commissioner Zendle and second by Commissioner Rankins, Chair Wilson
Baron and Vice Chair Newby were unanimously elected Chair and Vice Chair respectively.
10.B Commission’s retreat, Saturday, Sept. 27, 9 a.m. to noon, Room B, Police Training Center: Chair
Wilson Barton reminded the Commission of when and where the Commission’s planning retreat will be
and what will take place during it. At that planning meeting the Commission picks the topics it wants to
address and Commissioners are assigned to those topics. Chair Wilson Barton said she thinks they will
follow a very similar format as last year’s planning retreat. Staff was asked to provide a list of past
Community Service Award recipients. Commissioner Reynolds asked about discussing community
outreach at the planning retreat.
10.C Cooling centers in Palm Springs: Information from Community Action Partnership of Riverside
County regarding heat warnings, protecting your health when it’s hot and a list of cooling centers was
distributed. Vice Chair Newby explained why Mizell Senior C enter is no longer a cooling center.
Commissioner Zendle asked who makes the decision where the cooling centers are going to be and who
funds them so people can voice their opinions about that.
9.D Ongoing calendar review, topics and discussion: Regarding the topic of senior issues and the stigma
of ageism, Vice Chair Newby said he has spoken to the director of Riverside County’s Office on Aging
who has agreed to moderate or participate on a panel based on ageism. He said they are looking to do
this in fall, possibly in October. The Commission will not meet in August and the planning retreat will take
place in September. For the October meeting, Chair Wilson Barton said the Commission is planning to
have an update on the City’s diversity/cultural humility training and talk about the City’s recruiting, hiring
and promoting of women and other minority groups. Additionally, there will be a presentation about the
City’s analysis of impediments to fair housing choice.
Human Rights Commission Minutes Page 3 of 3
Meeting of July 14, 2014
3
10. STUDENT COMMENTS: Student Representative Maribel Wright, an 8th grader at Raymond Creed Middle
School, introduced herself and spoke about why she wanted to be a representative to the HRC. She said the
Commission is an opportunity to help the entire community. She said she hopes this year to talk to the school
administration about forming an international club where students of different cultures and religions can come
and talk about their cultures and their daily lives.
11. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Newly appointed Commissioner Suzanne Reynolds introduced herself, and
said she has extensive experience in mediation as a volunteer mediator and as a trainer. She said she looks
forward to working with her fellow Commissioners. Commissioner Hunt distributed fliers regarding Raymond
Cree Middle School’s continued anti-bullying work. Commissioner Zendle thanked those who spoke during
public comments and guest speaker Reymundo Nour. He said Palm Springs is a very diverse community and,
he said, we need to honor that and understand that. One of the things he said he has learned about all phobias
is that in some ways phobia is not the right word. It’s not rea lly phobia, which means fear, but rather ignorance,
he said.
12. STAFF COMMENTS: None
13. AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE SEPT. 26, 2014 HRC PLANNIG RETREAT MEETING: In addition to
determining which topics the Commission wants to address in the coming months, the Commission will also
review its handout materials. The upcoming Community Service Awards will also be on the agenda along with
the list of prior recipients and a timeline that Commissioner Zendle will put together. Another agenda item will be
to approve the expenditure for mediation training.
14. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 3:57 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee A. Bonno
Staff Human Rights Commission Liaison
Director of Neighborhood & Community Relations