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Roseville Human Ri ghts Commission <br />Meeting Minutes – March 10, 2009 <br />Page 3 of 5 <br /> <br />City Manager Malinen referenced a Request for Council Action before the City Council, and the <br />City Council’s support for the HRC to fulfill the community mandates in the Imagine Roseville <br />2025 visioning process to create and/or improve neighborhood connections and to provide a <br />sense of welcome and involvement in the community. Malinen reviewed th e desire to educate <br />the community on diversity issues that would foster collaborations. He said there was a good <br />connection between the HRC a nd furthering those community goals. Malinen suggested <br />opportunities for community outreach and establishi ng a communication link to resolve issues in <br />a changing community and providi ng opportunities to do so. <br /> <br />Malinen noted that the City Counc il was supportive of such a concept, with the HRC becoming a <br />vehicle to enhance diversity aw areness, neighborhoods and conn ections, and to create more <br />diversity education and links in the community, while mainta ining their human rights mission. <br />Malinen apologized for any misconceptions of “r enaming” the HRC or diminishing their human <br />rights role. <br /> <br />Member McKenzie prepared a response, attache d, expressing her concern that the HRC and its <br />human rights role being abandoned to facilitate heritage celebrations . McKenzie read the <br />definition of human rights and the universal decl aration of the Human Rights Act. McKenzie <br />said the HRC could be reinvigorated without renaming it and could achieve accomplishments <br />similar to those of the past. <br /> <br />Commissioners discussed whether the purpose was to abolish or redirect the HRC. <br />Commissioners noted the need to consider all aspects of diversity and what it meant to this <br />community, including impacts of the current economic situati on. Commissioners questioned if <br />other advisory commissions were more suitable to accomplishing some of the goals (i.e., <br />festivals). <br /> <br />Member McKenzie highlighted past accomplishments of the HRC and how issues were resolved, <br />saying the City served as a role model for other communities in the field of human rights and <br />emphasized the need to continue that legacy. <br /> <br />City Manager Malinen recognized Member McKenzie’s passion about the HRC title and <br />umbrella of human rights inclusiv ity. He noted his revision of the original Request for Council <br />Action based on concerns and discussions relate d to the intended focus and implementation of <br />the thematic mandates of the community de veloped through the visioning process. <br /> <br />City Manager Malinen expounded on the need for creating or s upporting neighborhoods, <br />community connectivity and divers ity education, all within th e umbrella of human rights; <br />understanding and addressing differences; and foster ing a climate of welcome and unity. He said <br />the function was not much different than the proc ess used for past accomplishments of the HRC. <br /> <br />Member Crump asked if this was a recommendati on to the HRC or the newly-created mission of <br />the HRC. He said it was one thing to ask the HRC to help the City Council meet the Imagine <br />Roseville 2025 goals, but it was another matter to dictate that it was part of the HRC charter and <br />mandate that the HRC accomplish those specific things. Member Crump said that some proposed <br />bullet points may be more applicab le to another advisory commission.