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. ~~ Human Rights Commission Minutes March 8, 2005 Present: Thelma McKenzie, Steve Smith Karen Vnuk, Larry Voeller Absent: Phillip Crump, Janet Delmore Staff: Carolyn Curti Forum on the Patriot Act Chair Thelma McKenzie called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. and asked Louisa Hext and Isaac Kaufman to introduce themselves. Kaufman volunteers for the Minnesota Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) and Hext works for Jewish Community Action (JCA). They helped organize a recent Patriot Act Forum in St. Louis Park and are interested in helping the Human Rights Commission to sponsor a forum in Roseville. . Hext said the JCA is a grassroots organization that works on immigrant issues. They mobilize around an issue, raise awareness and work to impact public policy. Both organizations have strong concerns about the Patriot Act infringing on basic rights. They believe the Patriot Act requires local law enforcement to do the work of the federal government and cities to do the work ofthe US Citizen and Immigration Services. They see this forum as an opportunity to educate Roseville residents about the Bill of Rights. Kaufman said the BORDC is a statewide grassroots organization working to get a resolution passed at the Legislature to affirm civil liberties. He said the Patriot Act is up for renewal this year, and his organization hopes to pressure Congress to rethink some of the Patriot Act that infringes on basic rights. The two organizations hope to change public policy around the Patriot Act. They want to accomplish this by raising awareness about how certain part of the Patriot Act infringes on civil rights. They believe the forum is a good way to do this. They would then ask the Roseville Human Rights Commission and Roseville citizens ifthey agree with their premise, and if so, what they could do about it. Finally, if the citizens and Commission agree, ask the City Council to pass a resolution asking for changes in the Patriot Act and/or clarify that City employees will not engage in actions that should be carried out by the federal government, such as the Police asking whether someone is an American citizen. Commissioners discussed whether it would be better to have a forum or a debate about the Patriot Act. They agreed that a forum would be better way to raise issues. Commissioners . agreed that they wanted panelists who could talk about the Patriot Act and about the Bill of 1 ~