Restorative Justice Commission

Restorative Justice Commission City of College Park Tuesday, September 17, 2024 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Members Present Absent Isabella Alcaniz1 X Karin Brown X Robert Catlin X Andrew Fellows X Maxine Gross X Violetta Sharps Jones X James McShay X Rashard McCreary X Nikki Pancho X Ian Rowe X Robert Thurston X Marques Washington X Pamela Randall-Boardley X Fannie Featherstone X Willie Sellers X Ruth Murphy X Staff and Others Joanne Braxton, Braxton Institute X Richael Faithful, Braxton Institute X Kayla Carter, Racial Equity Officer, Staff X Liaison Teresa Way-Pezzuti, HR Director, Staff X Liaison Kenny Young, City Manager X Jessia Avila X Charkera Ervin X Eric Olsen, PG County Council X Linda Mann, Redress Network X Pablo Vasquez X Carleveva Thompson, Contract Secretary X 1Left meeting at 7:10 p.m. I. Call to Order 1  Ms. Gross called the meeting to order at 6:09 p.m. II. Review and Approval of July Meeting Minutes The Commission reviewed the meeting minutes of the July 17, 2024, meeting and edits were made. Mr. Thurston motioned to approve the minutes with noted corrections. Second by Ms. Alcaniz. All members in favor; no opposed. Motion carries 8-0-0. III. Reports a. Lakeland Day – well attended with ~200 people in attendance. IV. Community Updates: a. Civic Association – Met last Thursday and working towards a final decision on the neighborhood plan. Questions came up on the commercial district and plan to send final draft back to the City. The Emory Center held a block party and had good attendance. The Civic Association is also working towards creating a website. Will also participate in Good Neighbor Day. b. Heritage Project – Coordinating archeology project at University of Maryland to scientifically document Lake Artemesia. Mapping work has been done to look where structures were in relationship to the current lake and it appears some structures are not under water. Recently had volunteer meet and greet to discuss ongoing projects. Will also participate in Good Neighbor Day. c. Legacy Scholarship – City Manager is reviewing the Commission’s suggestions and would like to do the scholarship announcement at College Park Day. d. Renaming – The name changes in Lakeland were approved by Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) and this is also on the consent agenda for the Planning Board. The Commission requested to have an announcement and/or celebration for the name changes. e. College Park Day – RJC will have a table, and volunteers are needed to sign up. V. Review and Adjustment of Meeting Schedule a. Selection of Committee Meeting Time/Date – Ms. Carter will send an email to conduct a poll on what days during the week members are able to join a meeting. VI. Introduction of African American Redress Network – L. Mann Dr. Mann introduced the Redress Network and stated the model was co-founded in 2019 between Columbia University and Howard University. The group works to advance 2  restorative justice at both local and state communities and their work plays a crucial role in providing recognition and fostering trust in institutions where there was harm. Ms. Ervin presented the idea of conducting an in-person town hall to get a snapshot of what the current community conditions are and to capture those metrics through a human rights glance. This work has been done with Detroit and Kansas City reparations groups. Ms. Brown suggested more than one town hall should be conducted and Dr. Mann explained other activities occur such as interviews, focus groups, and direct outreach. Ms. Avila provided explained a report will be drafted and include an afro history section with a timeline of the urban renewal. Ms. Avila asked the Commission to provide help with data collection and if any data collection has been done, what has the data shown? The Commission was asked for potential dates and location to schedule a town hall. Mr. Vasquez explained his role in working on the slavery disclosure redress ordinance and also worked with Kansas City. The Commission discussed plans for a town hall, preferably on the same day the Civic Association meeting is held. Need to check speaker availability by October 10th. Once the date is confirmed, a flyer will be created to distribute to the community. VII. Next Meeting The next Commission meeting is scheduled for October 15, 2024. VIII. Adjournment Mr. Thurston motioned to adjourn the meeting. Second by Ms. Brown. All members in favor; no opposed. Motion carries, 8-0-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:21 p.m. 3