Human Relations Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION September 6, 2016 The Human Relations Commission held a Meeting on September 6, 2016 in Council Chambers at City Hall. Chair Larry Apperson called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the HRC were present: Larry Apperson (Chair), Joe Gastiger, Norden Gilbert, Lisa King and Ellingsworth Webb. Commissioner Robert Williams was absent. The following City staff members were present: Management Analyst Lauren Stott Notes were taken by Analyst Stott. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS A recommendation was made to move the guest speaker portion of the agenda to become the first item on the agenda. The Commissioners approved the meeting agenda. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioners approved the August 2016 meeting minutes. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No public participation occurred. E. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discussion and Review of Models for Re-Entry of Ex-Offenders Commissioner Webb introduced guest Keith Knazze, founder of Transitional Alternatives. Knazze provided his background and experiences that brought him to become a transition specialist. Knazze has a law enforcement, urban ministry services and narcotics addiction assistance background. Regular Meeting September 6, 2016 Page 2 of 4 Knazze provided an overview of his ex-offender re-entry assistance programming through Transitional Alternatives (TA). He presented the TA Reentry Initiative which announced the various programs and services provided to communities by TA. Knazze gave some information on recidivism, which is a relapse in criminal behavior, and indicated that much of the work done by TA is to help former inmates avoid repeat actions. Knazze indicated that TA is working with the Aurora Housing Authority to assist families that are fragmented by members who are incarcerated. Commissioner Gastiger asked how Knazze typically starts a relationship with a community or a group of people in need of his services. Knazze said bringing an awareness is the first step in attempting to make improvements to the environment and the quality of life. Knazze said that everyone benefits when community members are less likely to commit repeat crimes. He said he has a relationship with the Mayor of Aurora that helps encourage benefits from TA. He said other assistance comes from various partners who provide grants and other resources. Knazze said a formal agreement is one possibility for a community like DeKalb. He said TA has contracts with certain districts in Kane County. Knazze provided examples of various cases in which he has been involved. Commissioner King said she is familiar with some programs that serve incarcerated populations, and asked Knazze what some of the barriers are to this programming. Knazze said one of the biggest barriers is the misperception of offenders. He said stereotypes cause issues and create challenges to programming. Knazze outlined various programs that help the community, such as the “Giving Back Project.” Commissioner Gastiger said that he sees a community education program to be a major need if a program like TA was pursued in DeKalb. Knazze said one of the benefits of TA programming or similar is when all agencies, such as the City, State’s Attorney’s Office, County, etc. work together to ensure that offenders who should be provided with an alternative treatment besides just incarceration. Commissioner King asked whether Knazze is familiar with Safer Foundation. Knazze said Safer Foundation has been active in Aurora in the past. He said he is also familiar with the Boys to Men Foundation. Chair Apperson said he is interested to hear the point of view of the Mayor or the State’s Attorney on programs such as TA.  State’s Attorney Richard Schmack reviewed the various programming and outreach in progress in DeKalb County that addresses portions of what TA addresses. He indicated that there is no current programming serving mandatory supervised release candidates, and that TA might be able to fill the need of partnering to serve parolees. Mayor Rey asked Knazze to provide specific information about the number of people served, and whether TA is cognizant of service silos. Knazze said TA avoids duplication of services by keeping lines of communication open between organizations. Commissioner King asked what kind of barriers would cause Knazze to decline a request for an agreement between a community and TA. Knazze said he wants to ensure any programs in which TA engages is that it is sustainable. He said that anytime a program is discontinued it will cause issues for the population it has served. Chair Apperson asked Knazze where an agency should first start exploring funding options. Knazze said the County level is an appropriate place to begin, but that other community organizations may be willing to support programming. An audience member asked how TA assists sex offenders and Knazze indicated that TA does not provide services for those members of the population, although there are some exceptions. He said TA is still exploring how it can best serve sex offenders. Commissioner Gastiger asked whether TA utilizes interns, and Knazze said TA has interns from a variety of educational institutions. Knazze closed by saying it is important to always learn from the past experiences. He also said that it is important to establish credibility and integrity with the recently incarcerated population so they trust the programming that is being provided. 2. Update on Cultural Competency Training Proposals Analyst Stott indicated that trainers James Cohen and Katrina Caldwell have agreed to present a joint proposal. The training proposal has been reviewed by City staff. The Commissioners asked whether a model that accommodates separate departments or joined employees from different departments would be used. Analyst Stott indicated that the trainers and City staff had recommended separate trainings for staff in each department. The Commissioners requested that the trainers revisit the idea of mixing departments to encourage active discussions and a diversity of experiences. E. NEW BUSINESS Regular Meeting September 6, 2016 Page 4 of 4 1. Open Meetings Act Training Analyst Stott asked the Commission whether they had received communication from the City Manager’s Office regarding an update of the Open Meetings Act training. The Commissioners indicated that they have, and they are in the process of completing the training. G. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m. _____________________________________________________________________ LAUREN STOTT, Management Analyst Minutes approved by the Human Relations Commission on October 4, 2016.