District 2 Advisory Board

District 2 Advisory Board Minutes Monday, July 12, 2021 • 6:30 p.m. Virtual meeting via Zoom Attendance Members Present Staff Present Chris Broadrick Officer Ditch, Wichita Police Department Faith Martin Savannah Ball, Wichita Public Library Tim Johnson Cory Buchta, Community Services Tracee Adams Representative, City Manager’s Office Alicia Sanchez Tyler York Guests Bruce Gass On last page Council Member Becky Tuttle Members Absent Sam Lindeman Nancy Loosle • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Order of Business Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Becky Tuttle. Approval of July 12, 2021 Agenda: Motion PASSED 6-0-0 Approval of Minutes from June 14, 2021: Motion PASSED 5-0-1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Public Agenda 1. Scheduled Items None DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 1 2. Off-Agenda Items None Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Board Agenda 3. Updates, Issues, and Reports None • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Staff Reports 4. Wichita Fire Department Report None 5. Wichita Police Department Report Officer Chad Ditch reported: July 24th School supply drive at Chicken and Pickle at 10am. Pickle Ball tournament and police pickups to fill up with school supplies. Large amount of prizes to raffle off. Will go live on Facebook to show off prizes that have been donated. Q (DAB): In my neighborhood, sighting of man looking like he was brandishing a gun. Community overreacted. Wanted to clarify, in city limits anyone can open carry outside, correct? A: That is correct, as long as they are not a felon. Open carry, concealed carry is legal. Can’t point, but can have a gun. Anyone in Kansas, as long as they’re not a felon. Q (DAB): If we have 10 young men get together for fun to walk neighborhood and carry a gun, that is not illegal correct? A: Correct. Q (DAB): Eastridge, I know you are in process of hiring a CP officer, but could we get an officer to come to our meeting next Monday? A: Yes absolutely, email me and we’ll get someone out. 6. Wichita Park and Recreation Report None 7. Wichita Public Library Report Savannah Ball reported: DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 2  The Summer Reading Program continues this month with tons of great programming – both virtual and in person – along with early learning activities for ages 0-2 and reading challenges for ages 3-18. It’s not too late to sign up – visit www.wichitalibrary.org/summerreading to learn more and register. And don’t forget – if you have a child or teen registered for the Summer Reading Program already, they can now stop by their Library location and redeem prizes Beginning July 12, customers can place holds to borrow a telescope from the Library. The Orion StarBlast Astronomical Telescope has been reviewed by a number of astronomical publications and is found to be a great resource for stargazing and learning about the solar system. Each telescope is mounted on a base and has a large optical tube, meaning objects will appear in great detail. There are 11 telescopes available. Customers may borrow a telescope for 14 days. The Georgia Eakins Family through the Wichita Public Library Foundation generously underwrites telescopes. Visit www.wichitalibrary.org/things to learn more. If you want to learn more about book recommendations for the ReadICT Reading Challenge, as well as discuss different topics with professionals in Wichita and across the United States, listen to the Library’s podcast, “Read. Return. Repeat.” available wherever you get your podcasts. This month, we’re discussing ReadICT category nine, “a challenged book.” Host Sara McNeil interviews Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom to explore the roles the Office has in supporting libraries to collect and customers to freely access information. You can listen to this and past episodes of the podcast at www.wichitalibrary.org/podcast. Q (DAB): You have 9 telescopes at this branch? A: We have 11 in circulation throughout all branches. Q (DAB): What is the magnification? A: I’m not sure. We will be getting Hot Spots soon too. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • New Business 8. Non-Discrimination Ordinance Jennifer Magana, City Attorney and Director of Law, presented information regarding the Non- Discrimination Ordinance being considered by City Council. The presentation that was shared can be found here: https://www.wichita.gov/Council/DABAgendasMinutes/2021-07- 12%20DAB%202%20Nondiscrimination%20Ordinance%20PowerPoint.pdf C (CM Tuttle): Q (DAB): Surprised, Becky, when you brought up that this went straight to City Council without coming to DABs. DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 3 A (Magana): Generally, staff will bring a report that has been discussed or requested through council. C (CM Tuttle): In this instance, it was brought to council by the Mayor. Q (DAB): Consent agenda, when it’s on consent agenda for 2nd reading, the whole consent agenda would be passed all as a whole. A (Magana): Correct. C (CM Tuttle): We do have the option as council to remove it from consent agenda to new business so council and public can make comment. From what I’m hearing from colleagues and public, this is not our city hall it’s your city hall, so if people take the time to come and speak, we want to hear you speak. I anticipate that would happen tomorrow. Q (DAB): I’ve heard this was modeled after Manhattan? A (Magana): Not sure about Manhattan, this was modeled after Overland Park and some other cities. Q (DAB): So this update gave it more teeth. AM: Not sure I can say that. This has an enforcement provision. Q (DAB): Do we know of any reports from local communities for how this is going? A (Magana): Overland Park and Manhattan have had a total of 0 or 1 complaint filed since adoption, a few years. Q (DAB): This ordinance makes City enforcement agent? A (Magana): Similar to Kansas Human Rights Commission at the state level or at the federal level it would be the Department of Justice depending on the type of discrimination alleged. Q (DAB): So if this doesn’t pass, the burden would be on the claimant to go all the way to federal if something happened here in Wichita? A (Magana): Currently that is the process. Anyone can file with Kansas Human Rights Commission or federal. I was curious on stats, so I reached out and asked. For the last 12 month period ending June 30, Wichita area, about 117 complaints of all types have been filed. Doesn’t mean they were adjudicated or processed. Can file with federal agencies depending on choice they want to make or the type of discrimination they are alleging. Q (DAB): So this ordinance just gives city ability to enforce? A (Magana): That’s correct. Q (DAB): Someone who was going to file at the state level, if this was an ordinance, could file with the state and the city? A (Magana): I don’t know how the state will look at this. If they want to enter into an arrangement with the City, that’s something that could be discussed. If there are processes for referral currently between state and federal agencies. So there’s not dual filing and duplicitous efforts. That’s something that can be looked into. Q (DAB): Do folks at KHRC, have they seen this document? Do they find it dovetails nicely with what they do on state statute? A (Magana): I don’t know that they’ve seen it. C (DAB): I am a commissioner for KHRC. This has not been shared with us. Q (DAB): This is a proposed city ordinance. Not a state law. I have on the books currently if I understand correctly. Section 5.68.200 of our city ordinances, there is on the books an ordinance against the practice of sodomy in the city limits of Wichita. As far as I understand, that is still in effect and it’s current. A (Magana): That is correct. Q (DAB): If this ordinance cannot violate a previous ordinance, wouldn’t those two ordinances be in contradiction? A (Magana): That’s something the council would have to look at. The council can adopt and amend ordinances at any time. Q (DAB): I was very surprised. Were you aware of this? C (DAB): I’m not sure that has anything to do with discrimination for housing and employment. C (DAB): Seems to be an apparent contradiction. Telling a group of people that what you do is against the law. Then saying you can’t discriminate against them. That seems to be a contradiction in the ordinances. DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 4 A (Tuttle): I think this is a separate conversation for you, me and Jennifer to have on the side. This ordinance is truly for employment, housing and public accommodations. We can schedule that. C (DAB): When I was going through here there’s a reference about, someone has to file within 60 days, and then it mentions reasonable time. It’s supposed to be completed within 60 days. Is the reasonable time counted within that 60 days? A (Magana): No, it’s an addition to it. Can be modified and reviewed. C (DAB): I know the state statute of limitations it’s 6 months, so I’d hate for someone to go through this process and it be after 6 months, and they aren’t able to go to the state. A (Magana): Make an excellent point. Really important to look at. Q (DAB): Did you present to other DABs? A (Magana): Presented to DAB 3. Q (DAB): What did they ask that we haven’t? A (Magana): They asked a lot of questions. I can’t remember them all. C (Tuttle): This also went to District 5. Cory was there. C (Buchta): They had a lot of the same process questions that we’ve already asked. A (Magana): There were a lot of process questions. Questions about carve outs for non-profits and social service organizations and stuff like that. It’s been a couple of weeks. Q (DAB): If this were to be an ordinance. This is still the process. If it doesn’t happen at the city level, you could still report. So what we would be doing as a city is just adding an extra layer, and a statement that would be supporting that we don’t condone discrimination. A (Magana): I think that’s accurate. Not much difference between this and what state, Kansas Human Rights Commission has adopted as a policy. To get into the legalities of it, the state law doesn’t codify, it used the term sex not gender orientation or sexual identity, but the agency has adopted the broad definition after the US Supreme Court under Bostic rule that was the interpretation. So the Kansas Human Rights agency adopted that because the Kansas Supreme Court follows the Title 7 interpretation. Q (DAB): This would also give us an opportunity, the 117, would give us a better sense at city level of what’s happening and how we might evaluate how we are more inclusive and quality of life, this would really help us to have more information. Is that possible? A (Magana): That depends on where people to choose to file. I think it would be a data point. Q (DAB): We would be able to collect information that we don’t currently collect? A (Magana): I believe that’s true. Q (DAB): But it does give us teeth for enforcement though. A (MAGANA): It would. I will say the state has different remedies than this. This is a civil penalty only assessed for the violator. The state has different remedies, such as injunctive relief, or maybe back pay, front pay, or pain and suffering damages in a limited amount. This ordinance does not have that. But it is the same structure and framework for filing a complaint. Q (DAB): In your opinion, can a claimant file at the state level and at the local level? A (Magana): That’s a question the state and city would need to work out. I don’t know that the City would have any objection, but the state might want to make sure there’s a process to work that out. I just don’t know. Q (DAB): But isn’t that pretty normal? Where the state and city have to work things out. Laws are passed and it’s not out of the norm. Very similar to SB 127. The city had to conform with that. A: That’s a good question. We do have to follow state laws in the ordinances we have. We can be stricter than state law. But where this is different we would both be enforcement agencies. There would be two layers of enforcement. That’s where more coordination would need to be discussed. Q (DAB): But not necessarily a barrier. A (Magana): That’s more of a policy decision than a legal one. Q (DAB): Piggybacking, that’s the referral process you were talking about where the state can send to the city and vice versa? A (MAGANA): Have a referral dual file agreement. Work together and coordinate efforts. Between state and federal. Q (DAB): Curious about Sept 1 enforcement date, likely it would all be in place by the time it’s enforced. A (Magana): I believe that would give us time to look at all the administrative tasks, processes and consequences. This has happened rather quickly. Q (DAB): Complaint filed locally and with state, then double penalties for the perpetrator. A (Magana): I think that’s what needs to be worked out. DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 5 C (DAB): I think the penalties would be different. A (MAGANA): I would advise we talk to other cities that have adopted similar ordinances what they have done. Q (DAB): Like 22 cities in Kansas that have these ordinances? 20ish? A (MAGANA): I do not know. Q (DAB): I have a grandson who is blind with a trained dog. It is illegal for anyone to ask him anything about the animal. Medical information is extremely protective. I can’t even ask about my teenager’s health information. As a landlord, is it illegal to even ask a potential renter if they even have LGBT tendencies? A (MAGANA): If it’s something that is protected. It’s not something that could be asked unless there is a bona fide business reason, like someone’s race, gender, religion, age. Any of the protected classes. Unless there’s a bona fide business reason, like age restrictions for hiring airline pilots. Q (DAB): So if I was a landlord or an employer, and I asked a person, are you a Mormon? Is that against the law? A (MAGANA): I think we can’t really get into hypotheticals. Q (DAB): Within this, those kinds of questions would be considered discrimination? A (Magana): If it applies to employment, that is discrimination if it applies to employment based on protected class. Q (DAB): On your protected classes, where can we find the definitions of these? A (MAGANA): It’s in the ordinance. Section 3 page 3. Definitions defined in state law apply to this unless specifically defined here. Q (DAB): I just asked that for the veteran status as there are different definitions. C (Public): Kari Rinker - Woodlawn East: First act of political activism ever was fighting against state LGBT marriage ban in 2005. Was heckled. Doors slammed in my face. Being an ally is risky. But we saw being LGBTQ in Wichita is even riskier. Mental and physical harm. Social determinant of health. American Heart Association released a study, chronically high levels of stressed for members of stigmatized, underrepresented populations associate with poor health outcomes and health disparities, higher rates of cardiovascular prevalence and death among trans and gender diverse people are significantly driven by psychosocial stressors, including discrimination. This NDO is a health ordinance. Wichita doesn’t live in antidiscrimination bubble. There are citizens awaiting justice. Argument can’t be made we don’t need it. Other communities have shown that once an NDO is in place, complaints are few. Laws serve as deterrence. Language has been vetted in other communities. Changes can be made. Analysis by paralysis is real. Decision making bodies can suffer from it. Deferring to state, local is best. City Council, all Wichita deserves right to live play and have equal rep under law. Please vote yes C (Public): Kelly Johnston 2005 S Cypress: Lived there for 10 years. Live in Wichita since 1963. Practiced law for 42 years. Represented injured workers. 3 adult children. All live in Wichita. Think Wichita is great. Want it to be better. Rev King said arc of moral universe is long but bends towards justice. Despite saying that since 1968, still see ugly ace of discrimination every day in the news. Time for Wichita to toe line in the sand. Beyond this point won’t tolerate discrimination. Ask you to vote in favor of ordinance. State and federal law that apply. If you live in a lake and have 3 bull frogs. Wise to get rid of weakest, smallest, bullfrog. No, not when all 3 eat mosquitos. C (Public): Liz Hamor: Work Address: Don’t want to give address. LGBTQ advocates have had tires slashed and received hate mail. Work for Equality Kansas. Work to end discrimination on LGBTQ issues. Want to talk about this process for this ordinance was disappointing. We weren’t driving this process. If we had, it would have looked different .The first one, Topeka ordinance, we did not support it because no enforcement. Needs enforcement .We think the new policy is a great policy. HRC gives 5/5. Worked with legal department to improve it. ACLU spoke to city council last Tuesday and said this policy is good and much improved. LGBTQ advocates approve and want to see it go. More trauma if we drag it out. C (Public): Elizabeth Bishop: Cedar Lakes Village: Support Equality Kansas. Let me ask CM Tuttle to please vote in favor. Because it is the right thing to do. I don’t think we want to count on state human rights commission because protection class of LGBTQ is a policy decision, but its’ basis on supreme court decisions, that could change with a new governor. We need something local that we can point to as quality of life. Example of our values and how people will be treated if they come to visit and how new DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 6 businesses. Out there in big world people are paying a lot of attention to this sort of thing. There are scores and this is known. As city hopes to invite sporting and entertainment venues to come here. And businesses. It means it’s inclusive and a friendly place for all citizens and we value them. C (Public): Sara Zafar: Fountains Neighborhood. Work for WSU, but not speaking for employer. Born and raised here. Went to school then came back. Not always been easy as a woman of color. Emphasize how important a statement of non-discrimination is to keeping people in this city. If we don’t have that statement we will lose really amazing people. Heard great questions about policy and process. That’s what I do for work. Reading through ordinance I can see how there are questions. I want to persuade, don’t let those concerns dissuade you from voting yes on this ordinance. These can be amended over time. Sept 1 timeline gives city plenty of time to come up with those answers. Extra enforcement layers will never be a bad thing. C (Public): Fred Pinoire: Cedar Lakes. Not in favor. We already have laws in place now. Don’t seem to be as effective as they should be. More laws doesn’t change hearts of people. Laws don’t prevent hearts of people. Lots of unanswered questions about how this will work. No specifics that will be clear cut. How much will cost city? Hundreds of thousands of dollars, laws on books not accomplishing anything. 117 on books at state level statistically insignificant to population of Wichita. Don’t need government getting in our business. This is USA not Cuba, Russia, China. Have freedom to do what we want to do. Not government’s job. Recommend you vote no. C (Public): Shala Perez: Somerfield and Tallgrass: Appointee to DICRAB: if anyone has any questions or issues to share with the board, let me know. C (Public): Eric Chastain: 13th and Woodlawn. What would be counted as discrimination? What counts as that? A (MAGANA): Each case looked at on case by case basis. Hard to answer generally. C (Public): Javan Gonzalz: Live in uptown. As an LGBTQ member, instead of enjoying birthday dinner, I’m here defending my rights to Wichita. Following this closely. Appalled and ashamed to hear what fellow Wichitans said at city council member. People in LGBTQ, can’t have pictures of loved ones on their desk. We need those rights in Wichita. Ms Tuttle presented herself as an ally, but when it comes to ask for our vote, no problem waving gay pride flag. But when it comes time to defend our rights, she’s not there. We’re not political pawns. Either pro discrimination or anti-discrimination. Won’t affect anyone unless you are discriminating or being discriminated against. C (Public): Lorna W: 13th and Woodlawn: Against the ordinance. Don’t feel like we need it in Wichita. Laws that already cover. Lots of questions. Who wrote and who advised. I would like to know what city council believes of examples of why it’s needed. What’s the hurry in passing it? Why is it on consent agenda tomorrow? Wichita is not DC? Why not put it up to the voters? People being told people in religious organizations would be exempt but doesn’t seem to be panning out that way around country. Find part in ordinance person might need to be reeducated, sounds frightening. Who’s education? Lots of questions. Don’t believe we need it. A (Tuttle): We have to option to pull it from consent agenda. It is my anticipation that it will not be on consent agenda tomorrow. C (Public): Debra Fisher: Not able to go to DAB 3, so here at DAB 2. Recently heard about this NDO. I agree with a lot that’s been said. Disagree that we need this. Feels rushed. Put on agenda and forced through. Just as Lorna was speaking I have a lot of questions. Why does this need to be done so quickly? A lot of emotion with it. I’ve been in emails with the mayor. His comments to me are that I’m misinformed. If I’m misinformed then let’s take it off the consent agenda and discuss it. C (Public): Melissa Nix: 13th and rock: Question about the timeline. You did vote no last week. I could not find too much you gave publicly or announced, what your concerns were. What prompted your no vote last week? DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 7 A (Tuttle): People are being discriminated against. I know they are. I have no tolerance. I have worked in the field of equity for year’s proudly. I am a women of privilege. But that doesn’t mean my heart does not ache for this and this topic. I do not think that everyone is discriminated against in the same way. I would very much have liked, would still like to see this process go where community has opportunity to weigh in. We have established through painstaking efforts to establish DICRAB and they have not had the opportunity to weigh in. I’m sorry. We brought you to the table I think every day that goes by that someone is discriminated against is not ok. My biggest fear is we don’t want to practice on people. If system is flawed because we have not been methodical and intentional does not get justice. I think that it has come down to people of two different sides. I think there is common ground. If we slowed down and brought people to the table, we could come up with a NDO we could all be proud of. C (Public): Debbie W: 13th and Woodlawn. Resident of Wichita since 1988. Raised children here. I think we need NDO. Sorry if it feels rushed. Been trying for a while. I think we need education because many people are not aware what it’s like to be minority and gender expression. Trans people have highest suicide rates, have most abuse. They are not attacking children. They get attacked. Where do you go? Not anyone else’s choice but that person. I’ve been a teacher since 1975. Retired from WSU. Colleagues sitting in room that I respect. Want to be a leading city in Kansas we need to think about people who are coming here and want them to know it’s a welcoming an open place. People who think religious people can discriminate. We need to do it because it’s the right thing to do. Urge you to vote yes. C (Public): Rhonda Cox: 2300 block S Crestway. Resident past 20 years. Raising 4 children here. Proud parent of non-binary 19 year old who deserves same protections as everyone else. Parent of a child with disabilities. Deserves protections. We need NDO. Vote tomorrow sends a message to youth. Unless you take action to show you support them I don’t know they will stay here. It adds layer of local enforcement. Adds accessibility for people who can’t drive to Topeka. Or a language barrier. Gives them access. Asking you to support. C (Public): Sharry Griswold: Sgainst ordinance as it’s written now and upset by procedure. Process does not feel like representative government. This was a surprise deal. Went on before 4th of July. People weren’t even aware. People need to be involved. We have all seen YouTube videos where people are going to school boards upset feeling like rights are being run over. Listen to concerns, all I can think of was Pelosi saying we need to pass this to find out what’s in health bill. 117 things filed last year in all of Kansas. I won’t break those laws. Friend in Colorado who knows that cake baker. They targeted him and went to him because they knew he wouldn’t bake it. I would urge you to vote against it. A (Tuttle): Point of clarification it was 117 in 2020 in Wichita. C (Public): Anthony Singer: Woodlawn East. I am here to ask for you to support NDO. I am a practicing attorney in Wichita since 1998. Small business owner. Several real estate companies. Each will be regulated under this ordnance. We will fall under this ordinance. You may be asking why I would support when companies will be regulated by it. It is easy to comply with this ordinance. All you have to do is treat everyone equally. No legitimate business reason to discriminate customers based on these protected classes. If you have a business in Wichita and you feel like this ordinance is going to affect you, you might want to look inward and ask why your business needs to discriminate. I can think of no more legitimate government interest than preventing discrimination. Equality is a core governmental goal. C (Public): Kendall Hawkins: Fox Run Apartments. Special education teacher. Veteran of army national guard. Policy coordinator of Bliss in Kansas. Saying ordinance is being rushed. LGBTQ community been waiting 22 years. We have gone through a lot of hostile things. We saw this on Tuesday at last city council meeting. Not something that has been rushed. Saying this would duplicate, having local resource is the preferred way to deal with these things in area of housing, employment. Having to deal with VA, any large bureaucracy takes forever to get anything done. Having to wait years to get results, take a big toll. LGBTQ being discriminated against, having to wait years adds trauma. Like you to consider passing and consider how long it’s been. DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 8 C (Public): Dean Owens: Sycamore Village: Encourage you to hold off. It’s been 22 years. If we had it up to 1999, what caused them to pull it away? Hearing everyone’s concerns makes me say it’s been rushed. Another couple weeks or months won’t feel like much more. Not getting your way isn’t discrimination. Understand importance of it. Trying to do something quickly and if you don’t back up and see forest through the trees, could make a mistake. C (Public): Kerry Wilkes; Pensimin area: I’ve noticed most of people asking for things to be held off are white and cisgender. People who are being discriminated against don’t want to wait. I was sitting in a room at Wichita State when Mizzou happened. That was the beginning of this new racial understanding and awakening that we’re experiencing as a country that led to Black Lives Matter. A lot of people at Wichita state were surprised because they thought racism was dead. Might have been a surprise, we have been working on these for decades. This policy has been vetted. People who say it’s rushed, I secretly wonder if that’s an excuse because they don’t accept me as a bisexual woman. Same people who say their property values will be lower when my wife and I sued the state to be able to get married. Same people who say they want to kill us for wanting to get married. People who face injustice need help now. More discussion will not lead to common ground. Delaying won’t get more justice. Will kill people who have been waiting all too long. C (Public): Steve Decker: Attended July 6 meeting. Asked you to vote no. Lessons learned. At that meeting saw there is common ground. Not all or nothing scenario, there’s a way to work this out. When I spoke, people heard hate and discrimination. Please note I’m 100 aligned with preamble of constitution. Creator gives me my moral code. Where we separate. I learned how family and churches and government should stand together and work together. When we reorder god’s order, we create disorder. Bible tells me to love god and neighbor as myself. If I speak truth beyond anything that leads to say your god sees you in a way… If I say I love you but you are sinning against god, you think I hate you. Not true. If facilities manager at church said he would become a woman and start using women’s restroom, I fear for my wife. I don’t feel that’s right for a number of reasons. C (Public): Debra Decker: A young man just said, “This ordinance would not affect anybody unless discriminator or discriminated against.” I disagree with that. I would like to present a couple of not hypothetical situations that would affect people who aren’t discriminating against anyone. Recently in Iowa, a woman whose perceived gender, part of the wording in this ordinance, the perceived she was a male and decided to go topless at the public pool. Parents were rightfully outraged. But the pool management could do nothing as she was protected by a similar ordinance. Second example. Male identifying as a woman can enter women’s restrooms and would be protected by this ordinance. This has not ended well for countless girls across the country. I ask you to vote no or at least slow down the process until the many unanswered questions can be addressed. C (Public): Sherry Watson: Central and 159th: First time I’ve been to one of these meetings. I would like to echo what I heard others say. I don’t believe more rules and regulations will bring us closer together. Matter of the heart to care for and love one another. More rules and regulations aren’t going to make that happen. I’ve had coworkers part of LGBTQ community and loved them. So much fun to be around. Don’t understand all discrimination and ordinances tend to be more divisive than anything else. This discussion is so divisive. Vote no and pray for community to learn to get along. C (Public): David Babich: Opposed to this because I think it is so divisive. We have so much division in our country it is scary. A speaker said either for it or against it. Part of division problem too. Another speaker said he has lots of businesses. Another speaker said Wichita State and is horrible. Guess who her boss is. LGBTQ president. 2007 mayor Carlos Mayans was mayor and he was Cuban American. Had another election, elected Carl Brewer, a black guy. Hate saying black guy because we’re all people. Mayor Brewer, Lavonta Williams, (listed other people). We had Obama for 8 years. There isn’t a problem. C Public: I did not say WSU is an awful place to work. Vickie: Desire for more time. DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 9 C (Public): Helene Longhoffer: Rockhurst: volunteer at assistant league thrift shop. If anyone comes in you will be greeted hugged and welcomed and made to feel important. We don’t need another law to say what we feel in our heart. Consider postponing this for a while. C (Public): Emily Coello; 21st and Webb: Asking you to vote no at least offer amendment to remove enforcement, not necessary. Process and channels in place. Don’t’ need more laws. If it does pass will give a green light for harassment and bullying to every perceived slight. People are afraid feelings will get hurt. Can’t punish every rude and inconsiderate person in the world. Supporters of ordinance will not stop at leaving religious institutions next. Not city job to be enforcement agency. Turn to hearts. Unnecessary to add another layer. C (Public): Noah Blanco: 7900 block East Lincoln: I was at last Tuesday meeting. Have a rhetoric problem. I love the believers but I hate their beliefs. We live in new modern era where things are advancing. There are certain populations that want to hold us back and not keep us in touch with the times. I would never discriminate I love people, oh those cheeky homosexuals are so much fun. Proves we have a huge rhetoric issue with the way we frame things in our minds. The way we see other people. The way we interact with other people. If this gets tabled it won’t come up again. So much pressure from very small but very vocal percentage of the population that does not represent every Christian organization in this city. The College Hill United Methodist incredibly prominent and very LGBTQ friendly church. Central Community Church is actually an LGBTQ Church. I’m sure there’s an Episcopalian church that supports it. Those beliefs are not the only beliefs within that realm. If we’re going to be honest with ourselves and how we’re dealing with our community then we need to address these issues that we have and the only way to do that when people are forcing us to not look at it. I was fired for having different frame o what my beliefs are about the world. Spent last year and a half being gas lit over COVID. I have personal conversations with people. Heard people have this same mentality and understand it’s sincere and sincerely misguided. Only way to deal with it is legislation. C (Public): Gary Schmidt; Lived in Wichita since 1981. A lot of things said. Comes down to we already have the laws. Anyone breaking the law still breaking the law. Adding cost and trouble to city trying to enforce something. People got in trouble trying to uphold their religious beliefs. Made it sound like Christians are a minority. But Christians make up Wichita. This was rushed and pushed through with an agenda. Needs to be delayed and talked out and make sure Christians are protected from people that would go after them like cake bakers. Not right to discarnate against Christians on behalf of another group. C (Public): Beckie Jenek: 5500 block West 37th S. Went to my own DAB tonight prior to coming here, but all discussion about not enough debate. My CM left it off agenda so there couldn’t be public debate. I stand before you as 45 year old cisgender heterosexual catholic Christian white woman with German Jewish ancestry and with a disability. I support ordinance because this ordinance protects everything about me and who I am as a person. May seem absurd to say something like that but absurd that civil rights are up for debate. Heard a lot about poor little cake baker whose life would be ruined. Federal penalties under civil rights act start at $50,000 and go up to $500,000. Which destroys more, mediation and $2,000 or process of up to $300,000 for discriminating against another individual. Heard we don’t want men in bathrooms. Wichita already has an ordinance separating genders in bathrooms. Bathroom have nothing to do with discrimination. C (Public): Marcus Donart: 500 block of N Rock Road: came out to my mother at 16. 15 years ago. First ting she told me was I better prepare myself for amount of discrimination I would face because LGBTQIA. I want you to vote with heart and mind and listen to people. May have been a bit rushed but has been going on for years. Want to see something happen that would protect everyone from harm. C (Public): Linda Baker - Tallgrass East: I would ask you vote against. It’s possible for people to be discriminated against but not people ordinance is speaking to because one thing I understand in amendment is perceived discrimination. But I can perceive I own your car. I think there’s a lot of things that should be talked about in ordinance. I was at meeting and I heard people expressing views and DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 10 beliefs but I didn’t hear anyone discriminating. Using terms and set up an agenda. I heard people expressing own views and beliefs. A (Tuttle): Jennifer there’s been changes. Perceived was prevalent in first ordinance but not the second. A (MAGANA): That was a modifier to a lot of protected classes. In this ordinance the only place that is mentioned is gender identity. C (Public): Shiran Desilva: been in Wichita for 14 years now. AS an immigrant citizen. Person of color. Member of LGBTQ community. Discrimination we face is real. Not something everybody sees on daily basis. Very prevalent can be micro aggressions. Way someone looks at you or follows you around store. Way police pull you over for no reason, that happens. Having a god heart and treating like friends and family is not enough. In this country we had slavery and Jim Crow for 400 years. It took legislation. That’s why I ask you to vote for it. C (Tuttle): Thank you to everyone who’s been here. More concerned when community members don’t come out. This is your city. I’ve leaned into several people on the DAB. You could be with your friends and family at home, thank you for being here tonight. C (DAB): Not any secret how I feel. My generation, maybe 3 out of 100 people came out. Thankfully as things have changed maybe 1-6 now maybe 1-6. Will change and get better People are more comfortable. My own kid. It matters how we treat people. Just can’t believe. Glad my parents aren’t here. God fearing Christians. Gay people are not pedophiles. Regular people that love other people. God did not teach people to hate. Hope we can get to a place that discrimination on race gender orientation are part of the past. Not something we talk about at dab meeting. C (DAB): I appreciate everyone coming out. As we sat and listened to various points of view and perspectives. We get embolden on issues that aren’t what we’re talking about. Discrimination as it relates to employment housing, and public accommodations. Not church bathroom. Gets muddy when we don’t talk about that. Discrimination on protected class in areas of employment, housing, public accommodations. I heard so many things. Public: Do you feel like your time was wasted? Because lawyers have looked at this and they feel it would lead to that. C (DAB): I would like to add when you talk about protected classes as a veteran that served 3 combat tours, but this covers a lot of people in our community. A lot people are very passionate about certain parts of this, but this will protect and ensure there are the same amounts of rights for veterans as well. A generation ago my peers weren’t allowed to rent certain places. This is a very large broad ordinance that covers people that you may not consider. Not to minimize the majority of the comments, they are all very important, but this covers a lot of people. We need to make sure what is being looked at and the parameters of the ordinance. C (Tuttle): We had 32 speakers. Everyone treated everyone with respect and dignity even though we didn’t agree. I hope everyone felt like they were heard and had the opportunity to speak. Action Taken: Receive and file • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Adjournment DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 11 The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. The next District 2 Advisory Board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, August 09, 2021. It will take place at Rockwell Branch Library. Guests Kari Rinker Tony Singer Kelly Johnston Liz Hamor Elizabeth Bishop Sara Zafar Fred Penaire Donna Pinaire Shala Perez Debbie Chastain Eric Chastain Javan Gonzalez Lorna W Debra Fisher Melissa Nix Debbie Wadman Rhonda Cox Sharry Griswold Anthony Singer Kendall Hawkins Helen Longhofer Dean Owens Audra Owens Kerry Wilks Steve Decker Debra Decker Sherri Watson David Babich Vickie Monnier Emily Coello Noah Blanco Gary Schmidt Beckie Jenek Marcus Donart Linda Baker Shiran Desilva • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Respectfully submitted, Cory Buchta, Community Services Representative, District 2 DAB 2 • July 12, 2021 • Minutes • Page 12