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Human Rights Commission Minutes October 16, 2013 Page 6 of 9 Mr. Vang explained the rental license process and implementation was a concern (Item #1 on the referenced Next Steps). There was worry that families would be evicted and forced to live elsewhere without knowing where to go; he referenced a recent situation in St. Paul where two weeks before eviction four families of Karen renters found they had nowhere to move. He indicated his biggest concern was possible unintentional consequences of the Rental Licensing proposal. Vang said collaboration with the HRC would allow his community to have a better connection and build that relationship where his community would know where to go and get some help if such events were to occur. If you do not know where to go or who to turn to the result often is that you feel yourself a victim. An alliance with the Roseville Human Rights Commission. In addition, the poor maintenance of rental properties was an issue. Vang added that his organization was available to the Karen community offering support and advocacy on their behalf. As such, his role was to find access for the Karen Community. He commented there was a level of fear between the Karen community and the Government, given the history of the Karen people. He was working to educate the Karen community that the United States was different, and people had the right to ask questions and seek answers from the government. Director Vang also said that one of his organization's main challenges was to educate the broader Roseville community on who the Karen community is. Now more Karen are moving to Roseville and Maplewood, and such conversations were needed sooner than later. Chair Grefenberg mentioned that there had been some conversations with the Mayor and City Council members indicating they were eager to meet with the Karen Community. He referred to Item # 10 on the Next Steps checklist, and said this was certainly an area where the Commission could be of some help. Grefenberg thanked Mr. Vang for his comments. He stated the Commission was hoping to initiate a conversation between the school district and members of the Karen community. He noted Commissioner Thao, a Roseville School Board member, had indicated her willingness to assist in this endeavor. This conversation would assist in bringing other issues to the surface for students in Roseville. He encouraged the youth commissioners to participate in this conversation. Chair Grefenberg then raised the HRC- proposed Culture Fest that would be held in conjunction with Rosefest (Item # 4 on the Next Steps document), a Roseville civic celebration. He suggested that this may be a way for the Karen Community to make its presence known in the broader community. Grefenberg encouraged the Youth Commissioners to meet with their fellow Karen students. Youth Commissioner Sara Thomas indicated that she had recently seen at the high school a flyer for a Karen student group.