Human Rights Commission

MORGANTOWN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION January 16, 2025, Minutes for the Regular Meeting At the Morgantown Public Safety Building, 300 Spruce Street, Morgantown, WV ATTENDANCE: Commissioners: Chair, Annie CRONAN YORICK; Vice Chair, Danny TREJO; and Secretary, Ashley SWANSON, Commissioner, Laura FLETCHER via videoconference 6:43 pm Liaisons: Tim Hairston, West Virginia Human Rights Commission Absent: None (3 Vacancies) Members of the Public: Siegrid Tuttle, M.J. O’Brien, and Mimi Ferguson (WVU SGA Local Governance Liaison) CALL TO ORDER: A quorum was present, so the Chair called the meeting to order at 6:43 p.m. when Commissioner Fletcher joined via Zoom. MINUTES: SWANSON moved to accept the Minutes for the Regular Meeting of December 19, 2024, and TREJO seconded: Unanimously approved. PUBLIC PORTION: • Siegrid Tuttle (a 4th Ward resident) voiced concern about the warming shelter distance from downtown. Discussion followed about services that have vacated downtown, public transportation challenges, questions about a day shelter, laundry services, and funding options. • M.J. O’Brien (a 4th Ward resident) is collecting signatures to be on the April ballot as a candidate for the 4th Ward Council position. He attended the HRC meeting to see what we do. • Commissioner Fletcher wants to learn more about voter information for City elections. May we only vote for the candidates for our ward, or is it at-large voting? Brian and Annie responded that it would be an at- large ballot. All voters can choose a candidate for each of the three wards up for consideration this year. She also asked if there was a central location for Election Information. She wants the website language to be more reader-friendly. Brian will contact Christine Wade, City Clerk, to update the website. COMMUNICATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: • The City’s Communications Department Director has announced that his Department will control all social media accounts for Boards and Commissions. The HRC can still post to its Facebook page, but Communications can add, alter, and delete content. • The Chair sent letters thanking the Starbucks managers (Chestnut Ridge and University Avenue stores) and their District Manager for providing beverages for the International Human Rights Day Awards Reception. • Two candidates applied for HRC vacancies, but none have attended interviews. 1 • The WV State Bar is offering an online seminar on Immigration Rights on January 29th. Annie will send the link to all. • The Annual Report must be submitted to the City Council by June 30th. This is a policy change from fiscal year to calendar year. Our last Annual Report covered the Fiscal Year 2022/23. The year’s report must cover July 2023 through December 2024. • The HRC is registered to table at the WVU Women’s Basketball “I Belong” game on February 5th. UPDATES: Chair, Annie CRONAN YORICK: • She purchased display easels for signs and posters; they are high-quality and will last many years. • She discussed the Human Rights Film Series with Bonnie, explaining the City’s requirements to disburse HRC funds. Bonnie seemed to decline the HRC offer of $400, asking only for help with event promotion. • She is working to organize a consortium of the seven WV municipal Human Rights Commissions. Tim Hairston said the WVHRC also wants the agencies to work together. • She asked Deputy Chief Ruehmer to help identify an LGBTQ+ Liaison to work with us as a part of the Minority Liaison Coordinating Council (MLCC). She has already recruited a Liaison for City Employees. • She addressed the City Council meeting to ask whether the City uses the Human Rights Non- Discrimination Contract Addendums required since 2022. She also pointed out inconsistencies in the protected classes categories of the City Code and Charter, asking the City to make updates to clarify the protections the City offers. Further, she questioned the scope of the Youth Anti-Bullying Ordinance. It identifies BOPARC and the Morgantown Library Services as City programs that must enforce the Ordinance, but there are no enforcement or penalty clauses in the ordinance. The ordinance tangentially references ‘City-supported programs’ but doesn’t define what those are. Vice Chair, Danny TREJO: • MAYSP’s non-citizen family clients fear deportation by the new Administration. They need services for protective guardianship with citizen relatives and/or referrals to immigration attorneys. NCWV offers almost no immigration services to help MAYSP’s migrant clients. Secretary, Ashley SWANSON: • She is excited about the upcoming legislative session but is concerned about Governor Morrissey’s Executive Order to terminate all West Virginia DEI initiatives. She expressed interest in lobbying the State Legislature. Commissioner, Laura Fletcher: • She will assist Bonnie with promoting and advertising the Human Rights Film Series. • She is interested in monitoring the 2025 legislative session. City Council Liaison, Brian BUTCHER: • The city is implementing a Municipal picture ID system. It aims to incentivize potential participants by offering discounts on city services and issuing them bus passes. The program should help lower barriers to getting bank accounts and other services that require a photo ID. Undocumented migrants will be eligible to register. The ID will be valid for voting purposes in city elections. 2 WVHRC Liaison, Tim HAIRSTON • All WVHRC seats are finally filled. He often chairs meetings due to the spotty attendance of some officers. • The Community Coalition for Social Justice and the West Virginia University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will cohost the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on Monday, January 20th, at 2:00 p.m. on Zoom. This year’s celebration is “Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as Remembered by Storytellers in the graphic novel, West Virginians' Experiences in Civil Rights.” The program will feature interviews with five people who worked with Dr. King or were inspired by their contact with him. Prospective attendees must pre-register online to get the Zoom link. PRIORITY BUSINESS ADDRESSED: • The HRC Bylaws say a quorum is formed when 50% of commissioners are present, currently, two of the four sitting commissioners. The City requires that we abide by Robert’s Rules, which preclude the Chair from making or seconding a motion. Three voting members must be present to conduct a proper meeting. The Chair proposed a Bylaws change to require 50% of commissioners, with a minimum of three, to make a quorum. Swanson motioned, and Trejo seconded: Unanimously approved. TO-DO LIST: • Annie will distribute the Zoom link for the Immigration seminar and revise the Bylaws for approval at the next meeting. • Ashley will assemble a report on the legislative session to share before or at the next meeting. [Chris Phillips is the Chair of the Government Organizations Committee] • Laura will help Bonnie with the Human Rights Film Series and will design a new HRC brochure, hopefully in time to print & distribute it at the February 5th “I Belong” tabling event. • Brian will confer with the City Clerk to improve the webpage with Voter Information. ADJOURNMENT: There was no further business. SWANSON moved to adjourn the meeting, and TREJO seconded. The Chair adjourned at 9:19 p.m. NEXT REGULAR MEETING: February 20th, 2025. TODAY’S MINUTES: Written by Ashley SWANSON, Secretary, and edited by Annie CRONAN YORICK for approval at the February 20th, 2025, Regular Meeting. 3