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Update on Black History Month Event . Carolyn Curti reported that everything is set for the February 16 event at Parkview School. Mark Taylor will do two reenactments of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech. Bookmarks with age appropriate reading materials will be distributed to all the students. Forum on the Patriot Act Commissioner Vnuk reported on a forum she attended that discussed the Patriot Act. She said even though it was one of the coldest nights of the year, they had a packed audience. Generally, the tone of the forum was on the infringement of personal rights. She said that US Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger attended the forum, and he was extremely upset that his office was not a part of the debate. Attorney General Mike Hatch was part ofthe forum, and he responded that it was not a debate but rather a forum givng people an opportunity to speak about the impact of the Patriot Act. Mr. Heffelfinger then left the forum. Commissioner Vnuk said that several panelists spoke. One person spoke about the content of the Patriot Act and others talked about the importance and timeliness of this discussion. She wanted to know if the Commission was interested in bringing such a forum to the City of Roseville. Commissioners agreed that they are interested in holding a forum, but it should be held before summer or in fall. Commission Vnuk agreed to contact the organizers about holding a similar forum in Roseville. Commissioners asked staff to provide a copy of the Patriot Act. . Other Business Chair McKenzie distributed several handouts including a letter from the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions (LMHRC) to the Police Chiefs throughout the state, a Human Rights Commission Starter packet and a review of the Human Rights Commission's Objectives from July 2002. Chair McKenzie said that the State League sent a letter to all Police Chiefs, and they want individual Commissions to follow up with a second letter. The LMHRC wants to set up training sessions for Police Departments around the state. Each city can decide whether they want to incorporate all the topics in their training session or just a few. LMHRC would like local commissions to contact their police chief as a follow up to the letter sent to encourage the Chiefs to hold the training for the officers. The topics include: 1. Welcoming Immigrants To Your Community 2. Understanding, Reporting and Countering Hate Crimes 3. Racial Profiling 4. Appreciating our Diversity as Well as our Basic Human Commonalities 5. Responding To Calls For Those With Mental Health Problems 6. The Distinctive Role ofthe Police in Democratic and Totalitarian Societies . 2