HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-01 Declaring the City's Commitment to Social Equity and Racial Justice and Repealing RESO 2020-151
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RESOLUTION NO.2021-01
A RESOLUTION DECLARING THE CITY OF ASHLAND'S COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL
EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE AND REPEALING RESOLUTION N0.2020-15
RECITALS:
A. The Ashland City Council recognizes that the United States' shameful history of slavery and
over 150 years of systemic racism post -slavery has created a legacy of unequal opportunities and
higher risk of violence for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States.
The mere presence of this reality should be a concern and top priority for all Americans who
value the goal of equality for all people; and
B. The Ashland City Council recognizes that intrinsic bias is the foundation on which systemic,
institutionalized racism is built and that the work to unwrap and disassemble that bias is work
that we must do both as individuals and as a community; and
C. The Ashland City Council recognizes that, in spite of the values of equality held by the
majority of City of Ashland residents, Ashland has not yet reached the point where it is a
comfortable place for people of color to live, work, own a business, and raise their children; and
D. The Ashland City Council recognizes that local leaders who have been advocating for racial
justice and social equity on behalf of their families and communities cannot and should not be
asked to shoulder this work alone. There is work to be done by all Ashland residents, including
this Council; and
E. We find ourselves in a moment in time similar to, but in many ways distinct from, previous
incidents of police brutality that have happened in various locations across our country. What we
know from the past is that too often outrage tapers off over time, and there is strong momentum
to go back to business as usual. We must use this historic moment to commit to doing the
sustained work over time necessary to create a different future for Ashland — a future that is more
diverse and authentically welcoming to all who live and visit here; and
F. The City of Ashland's commitment to progress on these issues has been visible through the
following efforts which are ongoing:
1. The Ashland Police Department (APD) is committed to engaging all members of the
community in an equitable, professional, and compassionate manner. For years the
officers of APD have trained in implicit bias, procedural justice, de-escalation and on
other best practices. APD knows, however, that these are not boxes to be checked and
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never re -visited, but rather that this work is never-ending and that it needs constant
attention and updating. To that end APD is dedicated to continuing its work with
community members and groups to move forward in collaboration, while strengthening
relationships and fostering mutual understanding.
2. The City of Ashland has also begun adapting its employment recruitment and hiring
processes and recognizes that more needs to be done to eliminate bias in this area.
3. Mayor John Stromberg has signed Ashland on to the Obama Foundation's "Eight
Can't Wait" program, and Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara has completed a review
and revision process related to that commitment; and
G. While the City of Ashland has made progress, our community, values, and constitutional
ideals call us to be more than we have been and to move forward with purpose in order to
provide immediate support for advocacy efforts while putting in place the elements necessary for
long-term, systemic change.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASHLAND, OREGON,
RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Ashland City Council commits to the following:
A. Designate Social Equity and Racial Justice as a Value Service in the City of
Ashland's strategic planning process, which will provide an opportunity for focused and
sustained attention within the City's planning, management, and policy structure.
B. Proclaim Juneteenth as an annual day of municipal commemoration and partner with
communities of color and other local organizations to celebrate African American/Black
culture on this day annually.
C. Advocate at the state and federal levels for policy reform that includes: a searchable
database of officers sanctioned for excessive use of force and other misconduct; a
national data collection program to determine the number of people killed or injured by
police officers tracked by race, gender, age, and other demographic characteristics;
limiting the transfer of military equipment to local jurisdictions; providing more
extensive training for police officers regarding de-escalation, intrinsic bias, and
procedural justice; and assisting people with mental health or addiction issues who have
interactions with law enforcement.
RESOLUTION NO. 2021-01
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D. Work in the near term as a "Committee of the Whole" to move these efforts forward
by assigning tasks outlined in this resolution to individual staff and councilors and
reporting back to Council on a regular basis while a more formal process and timeline is
developed that includes regular progress reports to Council.
SECTION 2. Moving forward, the City of Ashland will:
A. Support the Ashland Police Department in taking a more active role in on -campus
conversations about racial justice at Southern Oregon University and in developing
engagement events to help local residents understand APD's policies regarding use of
force and other relevant issues.
B. Strengthen our cultural competency and intrinsic bias training program for members
of the City Council and City Staff.
C. Display Black Lives Matter signs at City -owned locations to offer visible and
immediate support for racial justice advocates in our community.
D. Continue and enhance our support of the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s birthday.
E. Connect with Southern Oregon University and its students to better understand the
experience of all college students, but particularly students of color, in the City of
Ashland as a first step toward improving that experience. Through this process, the City
will help all local college students understand the City's ideals and expectations
regarding respect for all people.
F. Work with community partners to develop training, incident response, and
community acknowledgement programs that help residents and business owners address
the long-term, systemic root causes of inequality and racial injustice and celebrate
progress.
G. Work with Jackson County and neighboring communities to develop a program that
will provide trained mental health professionals for instances where the Ashland Police
Department is called upon to serve the needs of people who are suffering from mental
health issues and/or addiction.
RESOLUTION NO. 2021-01
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H. Determine the feasibility of a mural project to provide a mode of artistic expression of
our community's commitment to making meaningful, visible, and ongoing progress on
issues of social equity and racial justice.
I. Request a proactive review of the policies that pertain to the standard process of
investigating incidents where deadly force is used in Jackson County.
J. Review recruiting/hiring practices to address implicit bias with input from leaders of
local diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
K. Renew the effort with Indigenous leaders in the community to find a solution to the.
renaming of Dead Indian Memorial Road.
L. Periodically provide updates on local legal cases with social equity and racial justice
implications
M. Review and update this resolution as necessary to ensure accurate and relevant
objectives, policies and actions are defined and accomplished
SECTION 3. This resolution is effective upon adoption.
ADOPTED by the City Council this zday of AU 6r� , 2021.
ATTEST:
Melissa Huhtala, City Recorder
SIGNED and APPROVED this VIA day of , 2021.
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Alie-Akins, Mayor
Reviewed as to form:
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David H. Lohman, City Attorney
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