Attachment

DOVER HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION AGENDA REVISED TO REMOVE ITEM #6 - DISCUSSION - CHAPTER 58 - HUMAN RELATIONS April 27, 2011 - 7:00 P.M. - Council Chambers - City Hall - City of Dover Public comments are welcomed on any item and will be permitted at appropriate times. When possible, please notify the City Clerk (736-7008 or e-mail at cityclerk@dover.de.us) should you wish to be recognized. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call 2. Moment of Silence 3. Agenda Additions/Deletions 4. Adoption of Minutes - November 17, 2010 - February 23, 2011 5. Comments/Presentations from Members of the Community This segment is provided to extend the opportunity to the general public to share their questions, thoughts, comments, concerns, and complaints. Discussion of any item appearing on the agenda is prohibited. Citizen comments are limited to three (3) minutes, and this segment will not exceed 30 minutes. 6. Discussion - Chapter 58 - Human Relations 7. Chair's Report (Sudler) 8. Committee Reports A. Intake Screening/Hearing(s) (Britt) B. School Programs (Wasfi) C. Community Programs (Allen-Pyne) D. Assessment (Edamatsu) 9. Unfinished Business A. Mental Health Forum Update - Letter to City Council 10. New Business A. Annual Report (Due by May 13, 2011) B. Discussion - E-mail from Commissioner Steele Regarding February 23, 2011 Community Meeting C. Review of By-Laws, Articles I-III

Dover Human Relations Commission Agenda - April 27, 2011 Page 2 11. Suggestions for Agenda Items for Future Meetings A. Next Regular Meeting - May 25, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. 12. Announcements 13. Adjournment by 9:00 P.M. /dd S:\AG EN D AS & M IN U TES\M isc-Agendas\HU M AN R ELATIO N S\2011\04-27-2011 D HR C R EV ISED 04-26-2011.w pd THE AGENDA ITEMS AS LISTED MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED IN SEQUENCE. THIS AGENDA IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE TO INCLUDE THE ADDITION OR THE DELETION OF ITEMS, INCLUDING EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.

DOVER HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 17, 2010 CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS Present: Dawn Allen-Pyne, Maisha Britt, Ellen Wasfi, Chair Roy Sudler, Jr., Lee Mac Callum, Vice Chair Willie Jones, Catherine Gregory, and Phyllis Edamatsu arrived late. I: The meeting was called to order at 7:12 p.m. and there was a moment of silence. II: There was a motion by Willie Jones to approve the agenda. Lee Mac Callum seconded it, all were in favor, and the motion passed. III: There was a motion by Lee Mac Callum to approve the minutes for the September 22, 2010 meeting, and for the October 27, 2010 meeting. Ellen Wasfi made corrections to her name on the October minutes, and corrected the wording of the section about her nomination by Mr. Finney. Lee Mac Cullum corrected the spelling of his name. Maisha Britt moved to accept the minutes as corrected, and Helen Wasfi seconded, and all were in favor. IV: There were no members of the community present for comments. V: Chair Sudler produced a copy of his Chair’s report and read it to the Commission. He wants to carry on all of the DHRC activities with transparency and he wishes to keep all of the commissioners informed and up to date. Ellen Wasfi discussed the FOIA, (Freedom of Information Act) for the members of the Commission. Maisha Britt was asked to assist the Chair in using “Roberts Rules of Order” to keep the meetings running smoothly. She offered to look into booklets and a DVD for the commissioners to refer to. Ellen Wasfi thought that the DHRC should not be taking orders from the City Council, but Catherine Gregory felt that DHRC should not be adversarial and should take their suggestions, discuss them and report back to the City Council. Phyllis Edamatsu reminded the Commission that DHRC is an advisory board to the City Council, not visa versa. There was also some discussion of having study circles for the commissioners in order to sensitize them to their jobs on the Commission. For informational purposes for the new members on the Commission, there was a discussion of how the Commission is supposed to deal with a complaint from a citizen by using the Intake Form and then having a hearing. The Commissioners decided to begin their annual Bylaws review. Ellen Wasfi made a motion to conduct a review of an article each month. Maisha Britt seconded the motion. Catherine Gregory suggested that a schedule be made up so that all the Commissioners will know ahead of time what articles will be discussed, and will have read and submitted their input to the Chair before the meeting. She agreed to make the schedule and bring it to the December meeting. Ellen Wasfi made a motion to add the amendment, Willie seconded, and all approved the motion.

-2- VI: Committee Reports: A: School Programs: Ellen Wasfi reported that she has been having difficulty getting her study circles on racism and race relations implemented in Dover High School. She said that the school staff, faculty and students initially were enthusiastic, but coordinating everyone’s schedules is a problem. B: Community Report: Chair Sudler reported that he has arranged to have the next Community Outreach Meeting at the Boys and Girls Club at Simon Circle Dover. Ellen Wasfi described the purpose of the meetings, so the new commissioners could get a feel for what to expect. DHRC conducts these community forums to see what the people need or what concerns they have. At the close of the report, Chair Sudler stepped down as head of the committee, and asked if anyone would like to take over. Commissioner Dawn Allen-Pyne volunteered to head up the committee, and Catherine Gregory said she would help. VII: Welcome New Members: Chair Sudler asked for volunteers to fill the vacant positions left open. Maisha Britt took the position of Intake Screening Chair. VII: Next Community Meeting: To be held on January 26, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Boys and Girls Club. Chair Sudler will finalize the arrangements. IX: New Business; Announcements: There will be a Commemorative Breakfast on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January at the Modern Maturity Center, 6:00 am. Commissioners who want to attend and sit together at a table will be able to buy tickets soon from Willie Jones. Ellen Wasfi was honored by the League of Women Voters of Kent County with the Flame of Democracy Award. The next meeting of the DHRC will be on December 15th. Meeting was adjourned at 8:45pm. Attachments Attachment #1 - Chair’s Report - Dated November 15, 2010 Attachment #2 - Community Programs Report

Attachment #1 DHRC M eeting of 11/17/2010

Attachment #2 DHRC M eeting of 11/17/2010

DOVER HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 23, 2011 SIMON CIRCLE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB PRESENT: Commissioners Dawn Allen‐Pyne, Chair Roy Sudler, Jr., Vice Chair Willie Jones, Ellen Wasfi, George Steele, and Phyllis Edamatsu. Chair Sudler opened the meeting at 6:30 pm with a moment of silence. Then he told those assembled that the DHRC was convening this meeting to listen to and learn from the community, assist where possible, and then transmit the concerns to the City Council. He briefly outlined the charge of the Commission and told people they would have 3 minutes to relay their ideas. Darlene Piper began the discussions with her concern about her Dover Electric costs. She feels that people who are low income, seniors, vets, and disabled should be assessed a lower deposit for utility service. She also stated that she was treated discourteously when speaking on the phone to a representative at the Utility Office. Rosie Richardson was also concerned about the high cost of her utilities. She agreed with Ms. Piper that the elderly and low income like she are hardest hit. Jeremy Kopp spoke next to the Commission about his problem finding housing after being released from serving time as a sex offender. He said that landlords do not want to rent to him, or the only units offered are below standard and unfit to live in. Tiya Handy spoke about having problems with high utility bills, and having her hours at work cut back. She came to the meeting to see if she could find help. Pastor Gregory Gordon Sr. told the Commission about his new ministry opening up on March 5 at the Salvation Army. He provides breakfast, and presents his “Man as the Head of the Family” sermons. He is challenging men to stand up and take responsibility in their families as fathers and leaders. Pilar Figuerda expressed concern for the Hispanic community in Dover. She knows people who work in local restaurants who are treated unfairly but who are hesitant to report these abuses because they are afraid of being investigated by the INS or deported. She equates their plight to modern slavery. Commissioner Ellen Wasfi advised her to get a group together and go to the Dept. Of Labor. She also advised Ms. Pilar that she would be a good person to articulate the concerns of the group, and that they would have more clout if there were several people voicing the same complaints.

‐2‐ Gerald Rocha brought up his fear about the impact of gang related lifestyles and activities on his students. He sees them fascinated with gang symbols, clothes, and graffiti. He sees the problem is becoming serious, and we have to admit it. Dover is a small enough community that we should be able to intervene and keep kids away from gangs. He feels schools should build an environment conductive to learning, not just baby‐sitting the kids. Commissioner Dawn Allen‐Pyne felt students should be held responsible for their own actions, not just the parents or teachers. Donald Hacket commented that if Delaware is the first state, why is it so poor? Dover is the state capitol but it seems that no money is allocated to fund parks or activities for kids. Councilman Tom Leary stood up to share some information he had about the new Dover Boys & Girls Club, which is being built out by Shutte Park. The City is moving forward with plans, which include a pool. Also he added that if anyone is treated unfairly by Dover Electric to call his or her councilman for resolution. Councilman Gene Ruane arrived late but just in time to report on the new Dover Public Library. He described the teen loft designed to help teens study and work on homework. He thinks the library will be a safe place for kids to gather and keep them away from gang activity. There will also be a job center in the basement where the Dept. Of Labor will offer help for job seekers. Chair Sudler acknowledged Brian Lewis in the audience and thanked him for his service on the DHRC. Then he moved on to adjourn the meeting, which closed at 8:00 pm. Minutes taken and submitted by MARY WALSON

Devine, Denise From: Devine, Denise Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 11:37 AM To: DePrima, Tony Cc: City Clerks Office Subject: FW: DHRC meeting last night. Please see the email below, sent at the request of G. Thomas Steele, Dover Human Relations Commission member. Please note that Mr. Steele is referring to the Dover Human Relations Commission meeting of February 23, 2011, which was a community meeting held at the Simon Circle Boys and Girls Club. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you, Denise L. Devine Assistant City Clerk City of Dover e‐mail: ddevine@dover.de.us (302) 736‐7008 phone (302) 736‐5068 fax This e-mail was sent to members of City Council and the Dover Human Relations Commission. From: G. Thomas Steele [mailto:mspcio@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 10:21 AM To: Devine, Denise Subject: DHRC meeting last night. Having attended my first meeting of the Commission I have several observations/suggestions I would like to pass along for your consideration. 1. Is there an Ombudsman for the utility companies in Dover? Several questions/suggestions last night appear they could be settled by such a position. Such a person would be able to coordinate the funds collected for fuel assistance through various organizations as well as serve as a source of statistics for legislation in the future. This position should be an out reach activity of the companies and not one funded by any tax or city budget. 2. Pastor Gordon appears to be a person dedicated to his mission of serving the needs of the community. May I suggest your consideration in requesting him to form a "Council of Churches" and/or other such organization to speak with a united voice for the needs of the community? (If such action is within our purview) People such as the Pastor frequently offer a greater solution to problems than government action. Many organizations exist to help the needs of our community outside the government offices yet there does not appear to be any "non-government" place for co-ordination within our city. 3. The continued subject of gang involvement within our community as voiced by the attendees seems to speak of a need for the Commission to briefed on what the status of the activity is and proposed response. My personal opinion is this is the type of subject the Commission needs information on in order to be able to assist/aid the city and community in dealing with the problem as well as understand it ourselves. 4. May I suggest the Commission urge the City to employ a grant writer to take advantage of federal grants to assist the youth within our city and surrounding areas? It appears from the testimony of several attendees that there is no such activity taking place by the city at the present. Many of these grants do not require matching money and would go a long way in providing both funds and educational opportunities to the city and community in subject areas related to the youth of the community. Gangs thrive on the ability to fill the void created when family and communities fail to fill the need of 1

social activities. However, in the case of gangs their activities lead to destruction of communities and family unity. Such grant information can be found at such federal agencies as the National Institute of Justice. Respectfully submitted, G. Thomas Steele 2

REMINDER A copy of the DHRC By-Laws was provided to members in their March 23, 2011 packet. Please remember to bring your copy with you to each meeting, until the Review of the By-Laws is complete. - City Clerk’s Office