Restorative Justice Commission

Restorative Justice Commission City of College Park Tuesday, October 17, 2023 7:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Members Present Absent Isabella Alcaniz X Karin Brown X Robert Catlin X Andrew Fellows X Maxine Gross X Violetta Sharps Jones X James McShay X Nikki Pancho X Ian Rowe X Courtnie Thurston X Robert Thurston X Marques Washington X Pamela Randall-Boardley X Fannie Featherstone X Willie Sellers X Staff and Others Ruth Murphy X Richard Biffl X Kayla Carter, Racial Equity Officer, Staff X Liaison Teresa Way-Pezzuti, HR Director, Staff X Liaison Kenny Young, City Manager X Carleveva Thompson, Contract Secretary X I. Call to Order Ms. Gross called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. II. Approval of the Agenda The Commission reviewed the October 17, 2023, meeting agenda. III. Review of September Meeting Minutes The Commission reviewed the meeting minutes of the September 19, 2023, meeting. 1 Ms. Alcaniz motioned to approve the minutes as presented. Second by Mr. Sellers. All members in favor; no opposed. Motion carries 9-0-0. IV. Announcements and Updates a. City Attorney to Join RJC Meeting – The City attorney will be invited to join the November RJC meeting to discuss the changes to the City Charter. b. MNCPPC Letter – On the consent agenda for the October 24th City Council meeting. c. T-shirt Update – T-shirts have arrived. d. College Park Day Follow Up – The RJC had a table at the event and Ms. Brown and Mr. Washington were in attendance. They engaged with people on the history of Lakeland and shared information on how to connect with the Commission. Suggest a tablecloth to identify the table for the RJC. e. Thurston Family Meal Train Sign Up – Ms. Carter informed the Commission of a family meal sign up for the Thurston family and will share the link for Commissioners to provide support. f. Committee Updates i. Community Engagement – no update ii. Truth and Reconciliation – no update iii. Restorative and Transformative Justice – 4 committee members attended College Park Day. 2 members attended the Lakeland Community meeting that was held on October 10th. At the meeting, students engaged with Lakeland residents on how the students envision Lakeland to be. V. Ongoing Work of the Committee a. Grants/Scholarships – Ms. Gross proposed the idea of providing undergraduate and graduate school grants or scholarships to members of the Lakeland community. Undergraduate students would have to complete an essay and the graduate students would have to complete a project. After discussions, Commissioners agreed with the idea to provide three $500 grants/scholarships for undergraduates and three $1000 grants/scholarships for graduates. 2  Ms. Alcaniz motioned to have six scholarships available for students and the proposal of the scholarship details will be provided at the next meeting. Second by Mr. Sellers. Motion carries, 8-1-0. b. Town Hall – The Commission discussed scheduling a town hall that will involve a panel of experts from First Repair to discuss various types of reparations/restorative justice practices that were provided in other communities. Ms. Alcaniz motioned to move forward with the town hall. Second by Ms. Jones. All members in favor, no opposed. Motion carries, 9-0-0. c. Name Changes The Commission discussed renaming the College Park Community Center and other landmarks to help improve the morale of current and past Lakelanders. Ms. Jones motioned to request a change in name from College Park Community Center to Lakeland Community Center; Paint Branch Elementary to Lakeland Elementary; Lake Artemesia Natural Area to Lake Artemesia Natural Area at Lakeland. Second by Mr. Rowe. All members in favor, no opposed. Motion carries, 9-0-0. d. RFP for Historian – The Commission discussed adjusting the Historian’s work description to help manage the scholarships. Ms. Carter will send the RFP to the City Manager for review and approval. VI. Adjournment Ms. Brown motioned to adjourn the meeting. Second by Mr. Sellers. All members in favor; no opposed. Motion carries, 9-0-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. 3