HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-08-06-FHC-min.pdf Fair Housing Committee Minutes, 8/6/92
Present Gerri Weathers, •Chairman; Florence Baturin;
Jim Brannon; Mary Haskell ; Nicole T
Herrmann; Leona Martin; Steve Baran, Fair
Housing Director (recorder )
Absent Peter Brown; Bob Pressman
Minutes sof 7/8/92
The Minutes of 7/8/92 were approved
Human Rights Committee
The Fair Housing Committee will meet with Jacquie Smith, Chairman
of the Board of Selectmen, on Wednesday, September 9th
Options discussed included
recommendation for two committees, one on fair housing
and one on human rights;
a human rights/fair housing committee with much
expanded emphasis in the human rights area including
formal grievance machinery and subpoena powers
a human rights/fair housing committee with change of
name essentially clarifying and legitimating a
continuation of the way the committee has been
operating for some time already in the area of human
rights but with some expansion in the number of members
to accommodate twin emphasis
Committee members stressed that key to their continued
functioning was an emphasis on creating a climate of diversity
without which other desirable ends such as affordable housing and
fair housing for minority groups and the disabled could not be
realized
Background materials to be distributed in advance of the meeting
include
Charge of the Fair Housing Committee
2 Town Meeting fair housing resolutions legitimating
Committee' s activity in human rights
3 Mary Haskell ' s letter to the Minuteman announcing that
the Committee might be recommending a Human Rights/Fair
Housing Committee
4 Minuteman editorial advocating a human rights board
Fair Housing Committee Minutes, 8/6/92 Page 2
5 Excerpts from Massachusetts Civil Rights Conference
Report
6 Reports of "accomplishments" to MCAD showing Committee
activity in the area of human rights
Prior to next meeting, Gerri will call Franklin Young of MCAD to
discuss legal aspects ; Mary will call Steve Bressler, Executive
Director of the Brookline Human Relations Commission; Steve will
call Bob Pressman to obtain his views
Diversity Training
Gerri announced that there was $2, 000 available to carry out
further diversity training in the Town It was agreed that the
Committee should recommend that there be more diversity training
There was particular interest in the possibility of including
representatives of the Police Department and the Chamber of
Commerce
Leona will investigate Lesley College for trainers
Hate Crime Response
Gerri and Mary noted that no clear resolution came out of
previous discussion of a format by which the Town could respond
to hate crime incidents After some discussion, the matter was
tabled
Letter from Ana Crain of Emerson Gardens
In relation to discussion on the need we all have to learn how to
effectively confront expressions of intolerance, Steve read a
letter by Ana Crain of Emerson Gardens addressed to the Fair
Housing Committee She had been morally outraged by evidence
that a chain store in Lexington had adopted a policy of not
hiring African-American employees after an incident in which one
African-American employee had allegedly been caught stealing
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