Human rights concerns addressed
By Joy Anderson
The Forum - 10/13/2002
Brian Arett has seen a dramatic change in Fargo-Moorhead's concern for human rights in the
past few years.
But it's not enough, the Moorhead Human Rights Commission chairman said.
The last of five sets of recommendations from Arett's commission, on topics from housing
to public safety, was presented to the Moorhead City Council this week.
They are the commission's response to reports from the grass-roots Justice Circle group, and
a report to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released
in January 2001.
In the reports, the commission asks for a
human rights staff person; hiring more minorities in the police force, local governments
and schools; and diversity and racism training for city, county and school workers and
officials.
"What we're wanting to do is get the Moorhead City Council on board with what I see
as a movement in the community," Arett said.
Having a staff person is one of the most crucial recommendations - many others cannot be
implemented without some staff time, he said.
"We need some help - it's not something volunteers can do."
The commission also asked for other help in increasing its visibility - more publicity for
itself, hosting more educational seminars, and a new process for responding to human
rights complaints.
In the area of housing, the commission asked the city to work to find living spaces for
short-term tenants, such as migrant workers; the disabled and people who have been
convicted of crimes. It endorsed the Housing Task Force report and asked for more fair
housing training for landlords.
In the Police Department, which received a scathing review in last year's civil rights
report, the commission suggested several changes, including a citizen's advisory committee
for the department, a simpler complaint process and the elimination of barriers to
recruiting minority officers.
Encouraging minority leadership was another commission priority. It asked the city to
consider tuition reimbursement for minority employees, support for minority-owned
businesses and appointments of people of diverse backgrounds to city committees.
The next step in the process, Mayor Mark Voxland said, is for the City Council to discuss
the recommendations. That won't happen until after the council finalizes its budget this
December. But it will happen eventually, he said.
"I don't want this to disappear as another shelved report,"
he said. "I want the things that the council wants to become part of the fabric of
our government and part of the fabric of our community eventually."
Greg Lemke, the City Council's liaison to the Human Rights Commission, said he's going to
make sure the recommendations stay on the council's front burner.
"We need to act on these - and I'm not going to let down, I guess," Lemke said.
But Arett knows that even with good will on the council, there will be obstacles.
Namely, funding.
"Every government entity you talk with these days talks about how money is
tight," Arett said.
Human resources can be even harder to scrounge than dollars and cents, he said.
"How do you get people to understand why this is important enough to get it on their
lists?" he asked.
Still, Arett is hopeful.
"I think things are happening," he said. "It just takes time."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Joy Anderson at (701) 241-5556