Members Absent: Duff Kliewer. Guests: George Amberman, Kelly Kultys, Michael Cloud Butler

Transcription

1 HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (757) VIRGINIA BEACH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEMBERS: WM CLIFF RICE CHAIR VIVIAN E. BLAIZE VICE-CHAIR TERESA STANLEY 2 nd VICE-CHAIR BEATRIZ AMBERMAN MICHAEL F. BERLUCCHI THOMASINE CUBINE GERALDINE KING HUNT RAJEEB ISLAM L.W. DUFF KLIEWER, JR. MARY MATHENA SYLVIA NERY-STRICKLAND FATHER JAMES E. PARKE LUIS A. RIVERA, MA Ed. RONALD TAYLOR RABBI ISRAEL ZOBERMAN STUDENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: REAGAN BRACKNELL GAVIN MOULTON CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS: BOB DYER SHANNON DS KANE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: REGINA S. HILLIARD, HR DIRECTOR LEGAL COUNSEL: ROD INGRAM, DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY VIRGINIA BEACH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Thursday, November 12, p.m. Municipal Center, Bldg. 19, T/R B MUNICIPAL CENTER BUILDING COURTHOUSE DRIVE VIRGINIA BEACH, VA Members Present: Cliff Rice (Chair), Vivian Blaize (Vice-Chair),Teresa Stanley (2 nd Vice-Chair), Beatriz Amberman, Michael Berlucchi, Rajeeb Islam, Father James Parke, Luis Rivera, Sylvia Nery-Strickland, Rabbi Israel Zoberman, Ronald Taylor, Gavin Moulton, Mary Mathena, Thomasine Cubine, Geraldine Hunt Members Absent: Duff Kliewer Guests: George Amberman, Kelly Kultys, Michael Cloud Butler Staff Present: Regina Hilliard- HR Director, Rod Ingram, Melissa Bowers, Ashleigh Thorpe, VBPD Deputy Chief Bell, VBPD Lt. Christman, Sherriff s Sgt. Thompson AGENDA I. Call to Order/Roll Call/Minutes (October 2015) II. Citizen Comment III. New HRC Member Thomasine (Tommie) Cubine IV. VDPD Oceanfront Camera Presentation Lt. Bob Christman V. Human Rights Day Commissioner Zoberman HRC Refugee Resolution VI. HRC Awards Criteria Subcommittee Commissioner Islam VII. Close session overview. Staffing Rod Ingram & concerns; Retreat VIII. Homelessness Awareness Week & Vigil IX. HRIDC Conference Reviews Commissioners X. Continuing Work of HRC Update XI. Commissioner & Staff Remarks All XII. Adjournment

2 November 12, I. Call to Order/Roll Call/Minutes (October 2015) The meeting was called to order by at 4:03 pm. The minutes for the October meeting were approved subject to corrections. Rumi Award not Rooney Award. Commissioner Hunt was not at the October meeting. II. III. IV. Citizen Comment No citizen comments. New HRC Member Introduction Thomasine (Tommie) Cubine. Commissioner Cubine is a former employee with the Department of Human Services and is truly looking forward to being a part of this Commission. VBPD Oceanfront Camera Presentation Lt. Bob Christman of the VBPD provided the Commission with a presentation regarding the increased use of cameras at the Oceanfront. The project was funded as a City CIP and it is being implemented in three phases. The VBPD are currently working on Phase One of the project. When Phases One through Three are completed, there will be a total of 85 brand new Police Department cameras in and around the Oceanfront. Phase One will provide the VBPD with access to a total of 54 of the Traffic Management cameras which are at various intersections at the Oceanfront. The VBPD currently has access to 13 of the traffic cameras. Along with the Traffic Management cameras, Phase One will also include 25 brand new digital cameras along the boardwalk. The cameras themselves are all going to be very overt; the VBPD wants citizens and the general public to know that the cameras are out there as a force multiplier and to also influence the public at the Oceanfront to exhibit proper behavior. The new cameras being installed will have complete 360 degree motion to allow officers a full view of a situation in real time. The cameras will be mounted on top of a 25-foot round tapered poles in the greenbelt area of the Boardwalk and would be painted Virginia Beach white to fit in aesthetically with the rest of the Boardwalk. The VBPD is looking into both digital cameras with infrared picture and thermal sensors. Each camera should have a range of yards which will allow the VBPD to assist with search and rescue in the Atlantic by pinpointing heat signatures in the water. Each new camera installed on the Boardwalk will be located at every even numbered street; each camera installed on Atlantic Avenue will be installed at every odd numbered street. Once the project is complete, the VBPD should have viewing capabilities from Rudee Inlet to 40 th Street. The location of the cameras was determined by public areas at the Oceanfront and will not be going in neighborhoods. The locations were based on calls for services. All of the cameras located at the Oceanfront will be recording 24/7. Per state regulations, the video data will be stored on servers in Building 2 for thirty (30) days before being destroyed. If the video is determined to be of evidentiary nature and needed for court, that video will be exported and saved according to the type of case (criminal vs. civil). The last part of Phase One will be a new video management system manufactured by Genetec. This will allow the VBPD to monitor school cameras, currently using the Genetec system, to provide real time data in case of a critical incident as well as give first responders access to the school in lockdown mode. The Genetec system will also interface with Lynell, the current system used by the rest of the City. With the installation of the new video management system, the VBPD will be upgrading its surveillance center located at the Second Precinct. The upgrade will be expanding the current room used to monitor cameras as well as create a VIP room for officials wanting to monitor special events. During weather related emergencies, the officers who monitor the surveillance cameras will be relocated to the Emergency Communications Center located in Building 30 of the Municipal Center to assist Emergency Management personnel from a central location.

3 November 12, The Police Department will also be working with both the VDOT and the State Police to gain access to their cameras in and around the areas of I-264 and I-64 to monitor traffic situations. Phase One should be completed by July Lt. Christman will coordinate a tour of both the Second Precinct and the EOC facilities for the members of HRC upon request. Commissioner Strickland made a motion for the HRC to support the Police Department in this project. Commissioner Amberman seconded the motion. Motion granted. V. Human Rights Day Commissioner Zoberman wanted to thank everyone involved in creating the resolution. Rod Ingram, Deputy City Attorney, stated that he was not aware of any other resolution of its kind in Virginia. Vice-Chair Blaize made a motion to revise the wording of the resolution to state Central and South America including Columbia and Venezuela. Commissioner Parke and Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion. Motion granted. Commissioner Zoberman announced today was his 70 th birthday and he would be leaving early to celebrate. He also displayed a swallowed cloth with a description of its significance in the Jewish culture, and shared a picture of himself as a child. VI. HRC Awards Criteria Subcommittee Commissioner Islam spoke on the subcommittee meeting held after the Hampton Roads Diversity and Inclusion Consortium on October 20, The subcommittee reviewed the awards criteria and grading process to finds ways to update and improve. A task list was put together to begin the process of planning the awards ceremony. Commissioner Islam will be reaching out to Melissa Bowers, Employee Relations Manager, to schedule a meeting to go over any questions and concerns over the event. Commissioner Islam made a motion to rename the committee to the Nomination and Banquet Review Subcommittee and add additional members to the committee. Commissioner Amberman seconded the motion. Motion granted. VII. Close session overview. Staffing concerns; Retreat Rod Ingram provided an overview of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) which allow Commissions to go in to close door sessions only under limited circumstances. The HRC can only go into closed session to discuss giving a special award or to discuss the performance of staff appointed or hired by the HRC. Rod will be discussing FOIA, Conflict of Interest and the roles and duties of the HRC as written in the City code during the upcoming retreat. spoke about the retirement of Bonnie Beni, Community Relations Specialist and continued support to the HRC. He indicated that he did not want to stifle anyone s opinions, but felt the retreat would allow a better forum to discuss the future direction of the HRC. Commissioner Amberman provided a brief report via to members regarding a meeting that she had with Regina Hilliard, Human Resources Director, and Melissa Bowers. The report included Regina s responses. Regina addressed the members of the Commission and confirmed that the HRC would continue to receive support from Human Resources. Regina was asked to provide a brief update related to the

4 November 12, vacancy. The proposed position will be full-time but will have other duties and responsibilities in Human Resources/Employee Relations. Due to the hiring freeze, Human Resources has drafted an exemption to fill the position. Once the exemption has been approved, the position will be advertised. The department hopes to have a person in place within sixty (60) days. Regina stated that the Commissioners will have an opportunity to participate in the performance evaluation process of the support staff assigned to the HRC and she will be asking for regular feedback from the Commission. In the interim, Melissa Bowers, will be the Commission s primary contact until the vacant position has been filled. Commissioner Stanley expressed concerns related to continued support that she has been accustomed from Human Resources. She wanted to ensure that there is back-up when the primary contact is not available. was appreciative of the update related to continued staff to the HRC from Human Resources. He stated that the Commission will need to take on more responsibilities in the interim which will be discussed in more detail at the retreat. The members of the HRC will hold their Annual Retreat on Friday, December 18, The location and duration of the retreat was not confirmed but will be discussed at the December meeting. VIII. Homelessness Awareness Week & Vigil Commissioner Parke provided an update. Monday, December 21, 2015, is scheduled for Homelessness Awareness Day. A letter has been sent to the Mayor to invite him. A phone call has been made to inquire the availability of the Mayor for this event. The Commission will not be collecting coats this year. The Commission will reach out to the schools and ask about the need for blankets and socks and to coordinate a drop off location. The Lighthouse will be co-sponsoring this event. This event will focus on the day as opposed to the week and will pick up blankets and socks for those in need. Commissioner Moulton advised that he will coordinate with his high school s homeless awareness club to inquire about a potential donation drop-off location. IX. HRDIC Conference Reviews Commissioner Hunt attended the Hampton Roads Diversity and Inclusion Consortium (HRDIC) and felt it was an excellent conference and discussed the generational differences break-out session. The keynote speaker discussed her work in Israel with refugees from Ethiopia. Commissioner Hunt felt the event was organized well. Commissioner Stanley provided an update on the Taskforce Meeting. They recently met with Deputy Chief John Bell, local pastors and other leaders to work on issues such as transparency and data collection. The Taskforce will continue to meet and have expanded to include the City of Norfolk. The Commission will be updated on future meetings. X. Commissioner & Staff Remarks Student Commissioner Moulton Discussed the bombing in Turkey, where he was an exchange student this past summer, which occurred on October 10, He wanted to remind the Commission that people who do the same work as the HRC throughout the world do not have the same amount of security as we do here in this country. Commissioner Amberman - Wanted to share an from the Governor detailing his plan to assisting homeless veterans. The Commonwealth of Virginia will be one of the first to take care of housing for all homeless veterans. She suggested highlighting this initiative at some future events.

5 November 12, Commissioner Nery-Strickland - Currently a homeless shelter/building is being built on Witchduck Road. The Commission should invite Andy Freeman, Housing Director, to discuss the topic of homelessness and the shelter being built in greater detail. Commissioner Nery-Strickland, also, informed the Commission about an outdoor gym being construction on 40 th Street at the Oceanfront. There has already been opposition on the placement of the gym. Commissioner Nery-Strickland also like to invite others to the Beach Events Taskforce to continue collecting ideas. Bobbi Melatti has been very helpful in providing and coordinating information amongst the members. Commissioner Cubine Expressed her gratitude related to becoming a member of the HRC and looks forward to contributing to the current efforts of the Commission as well as bringing forth new initiatives. Commissioner Rivera Thank Commissioner Amberman for mentioning the efforts of the HRC during her one-hour discussion on the Cathy Lewis program. Commissioner Taylor - Was recently given a tour of both the City of Virginia Beach Juvenile and Detention Center and the City Jail. He encouraged other Commissioners to visit the facilities to gain a better understanding of related issues. Also, City Council approved the land for the African American Cultural Center in the Bayside area. Funding has yet to be determined. Commissioner Hunt - Attended the Human Action Committee in September This particular meeting was heated and controversial due to the discussion by concerned citizens about a sex offenders living in their neighborhood even though they are under supervision. Also the 5 percent cut in the City s budget was also discussed. Vice Chair Blaize - Thanked everyone for a very productive meeting today and would like thank both and Rod Ingram for handling the concerns of the Commission. Melissa Bowers - Confirmed that a separate conversation was needed to confirm the location/venue of the Refugee Resolution presentation. Thanked everyone for a very candid conversation and a very productive conversation and especially the members of Human Resources and he believes that we have the right attitude to move forward. Commissioner Mathena Apologized for being late and asked the commission who will now be the point of contact for her to reach out to. said that the point of contact will be Melissa Bowers with Human Resources. XI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:03 pm