2026-09-23 - Oklahoma City Human Rights Commission

06:06Good evening. I would like to call this

06:09meeting of the Oklahoma City Human

06:11Rights Commission to order. It is 6 PM

06:14on September 23rd, 2026.

06:17I am thrilled that we are all here

06:19together tonight. I am your new chair,

06:22Amy Majouay. Uh I am super excited to

06:27serve alongside each one of you. I've

06:29had the opportunity to meet with each of

06:31you prior to tonight and I can say

06:34without a doubt that we have some of the

06:37most kind, incredible souls on this

06:40commission. And I think that the

06:42different skills that we each bring to

06:44the table are things that can help move

06:47our city even more forward than it has

06:50already come. So, I'm excited about

06:53that. Um, I'm going to turn this over to

06:57Emma to make introductions for the new

06:59people.

07:01>> Yes. So, I mean, I've met all of you,

07:03but again, welcome. My name is Emma. I'm

07:06so thrilled to see a full horseshoe and

07:09um to be meeting, especially with some

07:11new and old faces. So, um I'll give you

07:14all a chance to just like quickly

07:16introduce yourselves, but we have three

07:18new members, really four. We have we do

07:20have a new ward, three person. um she

07:22just wasn't able to make be she was not

07:24able to make it tonight. Um but just

07:27introduce yourself. Obviously we're like

07:29seated in word order, but maybe just say

07:31like hello and I don't know if you want

07:34to share a little fun fact or like what

07:36you do when you're not volunteering your

07:38spare time to uh serve on this

07:40commission. That'd be great. So Ralph,

07:42can I start down there with you?

07:52mic

07:54now. Is that good? Okay. Um, might help

07:58if I use these. I am Ralph Crawford. Uh,

08:01Councilman Carter asked me to be on this

08:04almost two and a half, three years ago,

08:06and I was very, um, leery, but um, I

08:12have enjoyed my time on this. I've had

08:13to miss some time because of surgeries

08:15over the last year. when you turn 75 and

08:17you've been a fireman well for almost 30

08:19years. Your body starts to go in the

08:22blink and uh but I have enjoyed my time

08:25here. The groundwork was set and I think

08:28the new members are going to be great. I

08:30hope to get to know all of you like I

08:31did the others. Uh, I missed them dearly

08:34because of my to my left I had a gal

08:37that we were totally on the opposite

08:39ends of the spectrum and we were friends

08:41and we sat over here and we decided

08:43which were the best breath mints to use

08:46and so we had a great relationship and I

08:48hope to continue that on with everyone.

08:50I spend my time in the political realm

08:53but as of November 3rd I am done with

08:55that. I'm going to spend more time with

08:57my grandsons and with my wife because I

09:00have been on the road since 2024

09:02campaigning across this state and I am

09:05done. So, uh that's it. I spend a lot of

09:08time mowing my yard and playing golf as

09:11best I can and following my grandsons

09:14around.

09:19>> Okay. Is this on? All right. I'm Caitlyn

09:22Rod. Um, Councilman Cooper asked me to

09:24apply for this spot last fall. Um, and I

09:28was honored to do that. Um, I love

09:30Oklahoma City. I'm really passionate

09:32about the energy of our city, the people

09:34of our city. Um, I think we have really

09:37kind, generous people, and I just want

09:39to be able to feed into that. Um, help

09:41us be more kind and more generous. Um,

09:44for my job, uh, I'm a plaintiff side

09:46civil rights attorney just down the

09:48street at Forth and Walker, actually.

09:50Um, so, um, I primarily represent

09:53plaintiffs in, uh, abuse and, uh, like

09:57physical, sexual, mental abuse cases.

10:00Um, so very heavy work, but I'm very

10:02passionate about it. Um, in my spare

10:05time, I like to I go to the movies a

10:08lot. I'm an AMC list member. Um, pretty

10:11proud of that. Um, I like to read, uh,

10:14walk my dogs, and just go to events in

10:16the community.

10:20I'm Leslie Vanbuskerk. I represent Ward

10:234, which uh somewhat is encompassed by

10:27the piece of property I I live on. I

10:29live on an urban farm. So, the front

10:31half of my property faces Sooner Road,

10:33which is a four-lane highway, and the

10:35back half is three and a half acres of

10:37farmland. um which is a a good

10:40representation of Ward 4 that we have a

10:44very uh bustling parts of it and then

10:48parts of it are just very rural and

10:50you're like wow it's really dark out

10:52here uh at night um we have raccoons and

10:56armadillos both of which have visited us

10:58this past week um at 3:30 in the morning

11:01that has disturbed um all of the pets in

11:03the house uh that then disturb the

11:06humans uh I am a a research Arch

11:08professor for Southern Nazarine

11:10University. We uh largely do research

11:12into uh administration, leadership, and

11:17um educational administration in

11:19particular. Uh I am married to my

11:22husband, Bill. We have two grown

11:24daughters, a son-in-l

11:30Oh, and a snake named dog. We have a

11:32grand snake named dog.

11:37Right.

11:40>> My name is Jonathan Garcia. I'm a legal

11:43counsel for the Human Rights Commission.

11:45I also am the legal counsel for Embark

11:48um which is Central Oklahoma

11:49Transportation Authority. Uh and I'm

11:52also legal uh counsel for One Transit.

11:55Um so I'm busy. Um but this is my

11:58favorite client and that should go in

11:59the minutes. Tam, [laughter]

12:02thank you. [clears throat]

12:08Oh, hello again. I am your new chair,

12:12Amy Majoue. Um, in my day job, I have

12:16the best job in the entire world. I am

12:19the chief administrative officer at City

12:21Rescue Mission and I get to walk

12:24alongside some of the most incredible

12:25people in our city as they get their own

12:27housing and that is just the best day

12:30ever. Um, so I hope that everyone in the

12:34world loves their job as much as I do,

12:36even on the tough days. It's worth going

12:37back to. I have a huge passion for

12:40poverty and homelessness issues, which

12:42is what's led me down the path in my

12:44life to caring so much about human

12:46rights. Um, I also have lots of pets. I

12:51have three dogs. Uh, and I almost bought

12:54another one last week without my

12:55husband's permission, but I didn't.

12:56[laughter]

12:59Um, yeah, I live in Ward 8. Even though

13:02I'm not representing a particular ward

13:04here, that's the ward that I belong to.

13:08Um, I'm Emma. I'm the Human Rights

13:10Commission compliance officer. I've been

13:12with the city for a little over three

13:15years and, uh, I now serve in a

13:18part-time capacity, mostly just, uh, to

13:21stay as a compliance officer for the

13:23Human Rights Commission. I care about

13:24this work, um, and I love working with

13:26all of y'all. Uh, in my other day job,

13:29I'm the chief strategy officer at

13:32DiversionHub, which is a nonprofit in

13:34the area. Um, we serve folks impacted by

13:36the criminal legal system. So, yeah, uh,

13:39I feel like in in multiple capacities,

13:41it's been amazing to like move to OKC.

13:44I'm I'm not from here, get involved in

13:46the community, um, and really learn

13:49about all the good work that has

13:50happened and get to be a part of some of

13:51the good work that is happening.

13:58Hello, I'm Stephanie Holloway. I

14:00represent Ward Five. I had a

14:02conversation with Matt Hinkle and being

14:04able to give back to our community and

14:06it happened to be that W five had a

14:08vacancy and I enjoy serving our

14:12community um currently um a realtor and

14:16have enjoyed being in the capacity of

14:19helping people find um and buy or sell a

14:22home. And so I believe it's important

14:24for people to have the equal opportunity

14:27to own a home within, you know, Oklahoma

14:31and being a part of our fast growing

14:33state. I'm also a graduate student and

14:37will be graduating in May with my LPC

14:39degree. So I enjoy being able to serve

14:42others in many different capacities.

14:48Daisy Essara. I represent Ward 6 and

14:52I've been on the board same amount of

14:54time as Ralph. Ralph, we're we're here.

14:58We're hanging on. Um yeah, so I am I

15:02live in the heart of um South Oklahoma

15:05City. I am u I love my roots. Mexican. I

15:09was born in Mexico. I love my roots.

15:10Love my city. Um and so I love just

15:13being a part of this. And um I'm an

15:16attorney. I'm an attorney for Oklahoma

15:19school uh state schools board

15:21association and so I work with public um

15:24school districts all over Oklahoma and

15:27uh my whole career has been in public

15:30education and so I'm a product of public

15:32education and so I'm a huge advocate for

15:35um advocating for our public schools. So

15:37just happy to be here and serve.

15:43>> Good evening. I'm Andrea Benjamin. I

15:45represent W 7. In my day job, I'm a

15:49professor at the University of Oklahoma,

15:51but I do live in Oklahoma City. That's

15:53how I'm on this commission. People

15:54always ask. Um, I don't live in Norman,

15:57obviously. Um, in my free time, I am a

16:00crazy cat mom. I have two cats named

16:02Laya Ali and Misty Copeland. And they do

16:05have an Instagram, and I love them so

16:06much. Um, and then I'm pretty active. I

16:10also serve um at a county commission um

16:14the um housing commission um for the

16:16county and I used to do other board work

16:20but I had to roll off of that. So this

16:22is my first board back in a long time so

16:24I'm pretty excited about it. Um and

16:27yeah, I'm excited to be here.

16:32>> My name is uh Brian Ferguson. I'm

16:35represent Ward 8. uh Councilman Stone

16:38Cipher, his ward. Uh I'm married with um

16:42a 24 year old daughter who's almost out

16:45of the house and a 20-year-old [music]

16:47who's currently at O U O U O U O U O U O

16:48U O U O U O U O U OU. My day job is in

16:51the commercial food service business. I

16:54have several businesses that kind of

16:55revolve around that in one capacity or

16:57another. Um, one of my many other jobs

17:02is as president of our neighborhood

17:04association of 1700 homes um, in

17:08northwest Oklahoma City. I've been doing

17:10that for about 17 years now. Um, I like

17:14serving the community. I like taking

17:15care of our own little community, but

17:17then, you know, serving others and

17:19making it better for everyone. So,

17:24>> thank you everyone for your

17:25introductions and your commitment to

17:28being on this commission. I'd like to

17:31consider this commission a working

17:33commission. Understandably, we are all

17:35volunteers here. Um, but I am looking

17:38forward to the engagement of all

17:40commissioners in all the things that we

17:43decide to really focus on over the next

17:45year plus in moving our city forward.

17:49So, thank you everyone for being here

17:50and for your introductions. Our

17:52different diverse backgrounds I think

17:54make us a pretty well-rounded group to

17:57work together. Um, moving to the minutes

18:00for the last meeting meeting. You were

18:02sent those prior to this and had an

18:05opportunity to review. Are there any

18:07questions or comments about the minutes

18:08before we put it to a vote?

18:14Hearing none, I would like to uh open it

18:18up for anyone to move to approve the

18:20minutes from March 25th, 2026.

18:24>> I'll move to approve.

18:27>> Any second?

18:30>> Second.

18:34All those in favor? Do we go one at a

18:36time?

18:37>> Just say I.

18:38>> Okay. All those in favor say I.

18:40>> I. All those opposed hearing none. The

18:44minutes have been approved from the

18:46March 25th, 2026 meeting. The second uh

18:50voting item on the agenda uh by our

18:53ordinance, we are required to vote in a

18:57vice chair from our commission members.

19:01And we did not have one yet voted in for

19:042026. And so we are um I'm opening the

19:07floor for nominations for a vice chair

19:09for the remainder of 2026. Any

19:12nominations?

19:13>> I'd make a motion to nominate Ralph

19:16Crawford.

19:17>> Ralph, if so voted, would you accept the

19:19nomination?

19:21>> Any other nominations?

19:26Hearing none, we will open the

19:29nomination and election of Ralph

19:31Crawford as vice chair for the remainder

19:33of 2026.

19:35All those in favor?

19:37>> I

19:38>> I

19:38>> Who was the second?

19:40>> Was there a second?

19:41>> I would like to second the nomination

19:43for Ralph.

19:45>> So sorry. Thank you.

19:48>> All those in favor?

19:49>> I. All those opposed

19:52hearing none. The vote passes. Thank

19:55you, Ralph.

19:59>> May I make a comment or two?

20:01>> Absolutely.

20:02>> Okay. I am uh thankful for this

20:05nomination and for you all to entrust

20:07me. Uh again, I hope to get to know the

20:10new members a lot more. Uh after

20:13November 3rd, I'll have more time to

20:15spend to the on this commission. And I

20:18want to assist our chairman and make

20:22life as easy on her and Emma as I

20:24possibly can. And when the time comes I

20:27have to fill your seat, know that I will

20:29rely on your right-hand man [laughter]

20:32extremely. U I am thrilled that you have

20:36the confidence in me to put me in this

20:38position. Thank you.

20:40>> Yeah. Thank you for accepting, Ralph.

20:42I'm I before joining the commission,

20:45I've heard wonderful things from the

20:47rest of the commissioners about you and

20:49it has all proven true so far. So, I'm

20:52very excited to work closely with you

20:54and the rest of the commissioners.

20:57I think the biggest focus for tonight,

21:00especially since we have not had a

21:02commission meeting since March, um, and

21:05we've got a full commission, is to

21:07really focus on our strategic plan for

21:10the rest of this year, but also in the

21:12strategic plan that we create tonight,

21:14adopt that through the remainder of

21:162027. So, we have a plan going into next

21:20year as well. Um,

21:23prior to arriving, there was a

21:26commission compass document that was

21:28sent out uh for some pre-work and

21:31pre-thought. Um, and also to help us get

21:34to really know each other and the things

21:36that we're passionate about since we do

21:38have several of us that are new. Um, so

21:40if you could pull that out on your

21:43laptop or on paper, however you have it.

21:45Um, we're going to talk through some of

21:47these if you're willing to share. If

21:49there's anything for um the first

21:52question, why did you agree agree to

21:54serve on the human rights commission

21:56that you didn't already share in your

21:57introduction? I invite you to share if

21:59you are willing.

22:08I I certainly didn't address this in my

22:10introduction, but I believe um my life

22:14motto has been that I believe in the

22:16intrinsic value of every human being.

22:18And so I wrote that I agreed to serve

22:21because I believe we have a

22:22responsibility to ensure that every

22:24person is treated with dignity and

22:26respect. And HRC gives us that

22:28opportunity to listen and to learn and

22:30then to advocate for the equal treatment

22:32of everyone in our community.

22:37>> Thank you.

22:44Um, so you know, um, in in June of 2020,

22:50I was part of a group that led the

22:52charge to bring the Human Rights

22:53Commission back and it was 25 really,

22:55really, really long and really, really,

22:57really hard months. Um, and so to have

23:01the opportunity to serve on the

23:03commission that we worked really hard to

23:06build and bring back, it meant a lot to

23:09me. Um, I think

23:12if I'm being honest, you know, there

23:13were a lot of concessions made um to

23:15make this commission exist. Um, and so

23:18for me, given my career choice as a

23:21researcher and as an educator

23:24by my reading the ordinance, those are

23:26the strongest things that we have on

23:28this commission. And to be able to come

23:30and serve and hopefully bring the the

23:33talents that I think I have um to that

23:36is something that's really important to

23:37me. But like Dr. V I think you know

23:40really to take a step back and say I do

23:42love this city and I think that people

23:44do deserve to be treated with dignity

23:46and respect and have a good experience

23:48here and if there's something that we

23:49can do from this deis and our work

23:51together that can provide that I'm all

23:53for that. So,

23:57>> thank you.

24:10I think this kind of segus us actually

24:12naturally into the second question. When

24:14you hear the phrase human rights, what

24:16does it mean to you? Because I think

24:17that we all view what that means through

24:20different lenses. If you're willing to

24:22share, I invite you to

24:42um I put that I believe human rights are

24:44both tangible and intangible items that

24:46everyone deserves simply for being

24:47alive. So that could be food, water,

24:51shelter, healthcare, things that we have

24:52plenty of to go around that everybody

24:54should have. Um, but then the

24:56intangibles as well, just dignity,

24:58respect, a sense of belonging and

25:00protection in your community.

25:21We're quiet. We're quiet because we all

25:23agree with that.

25:27>> Agreed. [laughter]

25:29>> We should just nod our head.

25:30>> Yes.

25:32>> Does everyone second that

25:34>> unofficial vote? [laughter]

25:37Yeah. I I also agree with that. I think

25:40that

25:41the goal with human rights is to

25:46promote equity

25:48for everyone that passes through our

25:50city. Uh whether a resident or a

25:54visitor, being able to see and be seen

25:57is a very valuable thing as a human

25:59being. And it gets boiled down to that

26:02for me.

26:04Um, and I mentioned too earlier all of

26:06us come here with different experiences

26:08and I think that's so valuable. What are

26:11any experiences or communities or

26:14professional skills or roles that you

26:16bring to the table that you think have

26:18shaped the way you understand human

26:20rights?

26:27I'll say uh uh there's lots of things

26:31that have impacted it, but I think you

26:33know just looking around the city right

26:34now, you can see how much things have

26:35changed over a short period of time. How

26:38there's a large disparity between people

26:41and a lot of people don't know how to

26:44they don't know their rights are

26:45necessarily even being violated. And I

26:48felt that coming onto the commission

26:50that you know I needed to learn more

26:52about it. So, even though my councilman

26:54nominated me and and I came to this role

26:57when I first stepped in, I don't think I

26:59had a a great understanding of the

27:02definition of human rights and what we

27:04were trying to accomplish on the board.

27:06Um, so just being on the board, I've

27:08learned a lot. Um, it's also verified

27:11the disparity that we see out there a

27:13lot of times and that people need a

27:14resource to go to. So, um, I'd mentioned

27:18that, you know, I operate a lot in my

27:21small little community. um which is uh

27:24oddly diverse um which is great but

27:27again I just think that you know when

27:29you're out in the city and you're you're

27:31looking at it on a day-to-day basis that

27:33you can tell there's just many there's

27:35so many people that are in need

27:40>> I um would share that. So I think what

27:44prepares me to serve in a committee like

27:46this or just to serve my community. So I

27:49started my um work in like my my

27:52community advocacy through Dream Action

27:55Oklahoma. Dream Action Oklahoma is a

27:57nonprofit that advocates for immigrant

27:59rights um in our community. They're

28:01still very active. Um but I think that

28:05shaped me. Um and also growing up

28:07undocumented, I think I grew up Well, I

28:10didn't think I I don't think I did. I

28:12grew up in an environment where being

28:15undocumented um you wouldn't tell

28:17anyone. Like you couldn't tell anyone.

28:19It had to be a secret. You were under

28:21this microscope and um just being

28:24scared. And so through my advocacy and

28:26knowing, you know, my voice had power,

28:30um I think that even though we are

28:32constrained with the ordinances and that

28:35we're limited on some of the things that

28:36we we do because of the the our

28:40ordinance, um we can't do a lot. But

28:43still, I think that my voice and having

28:45that background and and telling my

28:47story, I think there's power in that

28:49story and then just being at the table.

28:51I although I can't represent every

28:54single, you know, individual in my

28:56community, I can still voice what my

28:59background is and advocate as much as I

29:01can. So, I think that's what I can

29:05bring.

29:10Also, I'm proudly a US citizen.

29:15Love America, too.

29:37I think for uh myself,

29:41one of my greatest passions as I me

29:43mentioned are poverty and homelessness

29:46issues and um I worked in the Tenderloin

29:50district of San Francisco for a while

29:52serving the community experiencing

29:54homelessness there and it's once you

29:57meet a human being no matter what their

29:59circumstances and hear their story and

30:01they become a person and not a

30:03statistic. You can't unsee

30:06the injustice and uh it's become just a

30:10life goal of mine that when I see an

30:12injustice I feel responsible for doing

30:14something about it. Um and that's

30:17empowered me always to have a purpose in

30:19what I'm doing. And in Oklahoma City

30:22specifically, I helped create our

30:24community court program. Um,

30:28and it's a program through the municipal

30:31court that serves individuals in our

30:33community experiencing homelessness to

30:35try to break down the barriers to

30:36housing, employment, things like that

30:38through um, the justice system and

30:42mitigating their

30:44criminal alleged activity.

30:46um and getting to know hundreds of

30:50Oklahomaman through that process and

30:53seeing that the majority are going

30:57through life experiences that any one of

31:00us could go through um has really shaped

31:05the way I see everyone I encounter

31:09because

31:11we're all one step away from having an

31:14injustice on ourselves. as well. And if

31:18I want someone to be there for me, if

31:19that were to happen, it's my duty to be

31:22there for for everyone else as well. I

31:25will also say what's also shaped me as

31:27not a native Oklahoma is moving to

31:29Oklahoma and really seeing the Oklahoma

31:32standard that is nationally known about

31:36and to be able to actually live in that

31:38and see that come to life is just

31:41incredible. I don't think that there's

31:42any place in the world quite like

31:44Oklahoma City.

31:52I agree about the Oklahoma standard. I

31:55uh lived it in 1995.

31:58And uh I'll share this little tidbit

32:01with you. And to elaborate, I'll kind of

32:04cover all that you've been over.

32:06Um,

32:09I was fortunate enough to spend seven

32:12straight days down here at the Merl

32:15building right after it happened. And it

32:18was a life-changing event.

32:20It brought me closer to my Baptist

32:22preachers kid, which I am

32:26closer to God and made me realize a lot

32:29of things. It changed my life and it

32:31brought the woman that I've been married

32:33to almost for 30 years. Next month, um,

32:37she brought her into my life.

32:40While on the Oklahoma City Fire

32:41Department and serving down here at the

32:43Burough Building, I saw a lot of

32:44different things happen.

32:47Um,

32:50but having served for 30 years, you get

32:53to see the good, the bad, and the ugly

32:56of everything that happens in this city.

32:58And some of it just breaks your heart

33:00and it stays there. And those are the

33:03things that go into the roller decks of

33:05my head and that certain things will

33:07click and I will see them. And I think

33:10that because of my faith, I believe that

33:13God put me in this position to serve

33:15here to better understand what the needs

33:18are some of the important things that we

33:20need to cover and that we've already

33:22done and we're set the ground groundwork

33:24for of this commission. I think Brian is

33:28a godsend because of his ability to

33:29advertise and the things that he knows

33:31how to do that. I I I all of you have

33:34your your special niche in here and I'll

33:36just say this right off the bat. I'm the

33:38dumbest one in this room. Okay? I got an

33:41associate degree in fire technology.

33:43Okay? And here that's it. You guys are

33:45doctors and graduates of college. But my

33:48experience I think in understanding

33:50because coming from the quote unquote

33:53the conservative background I was

33:55isolated to some of the things that I

33:56have learned since I've been here

34:00and I will just go on record saying

34:01this. I was put on this commission to

34:05fill a seat and to be a watchdog.

34:08That has all changed. It changed after

34:10the first two or three meetings. And

34:13that was because of our leadership. And

34:15I'll say this, I see that same

34:17leadership in you. I do. And I am

34:20looking forward to this opportunity to

34:23spend more time.

34:26I

34:28didn't have

34:31the knowledge of what let's just take

34:34the plot plot thing that we're doing for

34:36that. I didn't know

34:39what that looked like in black and

34:41white. and I asked to see it and I

34:43thought it kind of ruffled some feathers

34:44on this this commission because I it was

34:47as though maybe I was asking the

34:49question because I didn't believe it.

34:50But when I saw it in black and white, it

34:52astounded me as to what Americans did to

34:56people

34:58because they didn't look like them or

35:01act like them during that period of

35:03time. And I thought,

35:08where was I? while I was a little boy in

35:111951.

35:13So I

35:15my whole attitude has changed. I want to

35:18see people have the same outcomes that I

35:20have. That's not going to be possible in

35:22this world. But I want them to have that

35:24chance to do that. And it's if we can

35:28help in some way to get there, I'm all

35:31on board. I don't have an agenda. All I

35:35have is to be able to do what we can do

35:38to make better for those who can't help

35:41themselves.

35:42And Brian was right. Sometimes people

35:44don't know

35:46that they're being mistreated. They

35:48think that's the way it is. And that

35:51ought to break our hearts.

35:53But that's kind of where I am. If you

35:55can kind of read between the lines, uh

35:58it has become a soft spot in my heart.

36:01And that's where I feel. It's not

36:02emotional. It's real and I want to take

36:05care of the problems in a real way, not

36:07an emotional way. And that's why I want

36:10to stay on this board.

36:14>> Thank you.

36:19>> Would anyone else like to share before

36:21we move on?

36:25Okay. There are a couple other questions

36:27on this page, but I'm going to ask that

36:30you use the answers that you have for

36:33those. Moving into our next activity,

36:36we're going to start really

36:38brainstorming with the goal of ending

36:40tonight with uh voting on the single or

36:46two top two human rights issues that

36:48we'd like to focus on through 2027.

36:52And the question that was sent out to

36:55you to sort of meditate on, think about

36:58is at in December of 2027,

37:02if there is a newspaper doing some sort

37:05of headline about the accomplishments of

37:08the Human Rights Commission, what

37:10headline is it that you want to see? I

37:13want you to kind of have that thought in

37:15your mind as well as other things that

37:17you would be proud to have

37:21have done in our city um that the

37:24commission can take part of in answering

37:27the next few questions or moving into

37:29the next activity. So behind me there

37:31are three uh whiteboards start, stop,

37:36and build. And we're going to kind of

37:38complete these different things. The

37:41start page is going to be answering the

37:44question, what should the commission

37:46begin doing? Something that we've not

37:49done before. Is there anything the

37:51commission should begin doing? The stop

37:54is what practice or tendency should the

37:57commission avoid? Are there some

38:00tendencies that the commission has had

38:02in the past or that we might be inclined

38:04to that are not within our authority?

38:06Are there things that we should avoid?

38:08And the third one is build. What

38:10strength or relationship or prior work

38:14that has already been started should be

38:16expanded or continued. So I think an

38:19obvious one we can maybe all agree on is

38:21continuing to complete the plat project.

38:24That would definitely be an example of

38:26what goes on on build. But we all have

38:28come to the table hopefully with

38:30different ideas. Each of you have some

38:32post-it notes and I want you to take

38:33some time to think of what you would

38:37want to include on start, stop, and

38:40build. And when you have your ideas, you

38:42can stick them on those post-it notes

38:44and that's going to be where we're going

38:45to branch off with our brainstorming.

38:49>> I'll just quickly add uh regardless of

38:51how long you've served on the

38:53commission, please don't feel limited in

38:56what you're sharing here. So if there's

38:59something again we've heard a lot about

39:01different backgrounds and experiences.

39:02So please share your ideas. Um obviously

39:06the people who've been on this

39:07commission you can probably speak a

39:09little bit more specifically to things

39:10that um maybe we should avoid or expand

39:14but again we want and value all of the

39:17input. Uh and then a second note when

39:19you stand up please uh remember to

39:21detach your mics uh first so that you

39:24don't rip them off. Thank you.

39:40It is 6:33 right now. So, let's just

39:42take the next 3 or so minutes till about

39:456:36 6:37 to brainstorm our ideas. If we

39:49need more time, we can we're we're our

39:51bosses. We can do that.

40:06So

40:22that was Congratulations.

42:47Yeah. Anything

44:58I think

45:09it is.

45:24I don't

45:26know.

46:10I really didn't. It was almost all

46:20over here chatting.

46:35testing. Oh, okay.

46:38So, we're going to go through each of

46:40the ideas on here. This is not yet time

46:44for deliberation. We're just learning,

46:46hearing all of the ideas, synthesizing

46:48some ideas, um, and putting all of these

46:51ideas in front of us for when we really

46:53move into the deliberation stage on

46:56where we're going to be focusing most

46:58over the next year. So for building,

47:01this is where we're expanding where

47:03something that we have already been

47:04doing that we want to focus more energy

47:06on. So the first is completing the plat

47:09project. Surprise.

47:12Uh the next is partnership initiatives

47:16exploring someus.

47:20Next is spread the word a did you know

47:23process which looks like there's several

47:26people that said similar things. Direct

47:28community presence at events expanding

47:30conversations across the city. Make

47:33grievance process better known

47:35especially in circumstances where state

47:37and federal law offer less protection.

47:40relationships with elected officials and

47:42community reps. So, it looks like

47:45several people had a similar idea on

47:47expanding in that education capacity and

47:49relationship building capacity,

47:52more meetings for faster progress,

47:57continue trainings and workshops,

48:00learning meetings, educating the

48:03community on human rights. So focusing

48:05continuing to focus on the educational

48:07piece,

48:10expanding housing housing equity with

48:13the goal of reducing the number of

48:15evictions at the courthouse and focusing

48:18on the unhoused with the goal of

48:20decreasing the total number of unhoused

48:22in the city. Community education on fair

48:25housing. collaboration with community

48:27partners to address the housing c crisis

48:30and our standing in the area of

48:32accessibility. So housing and

48:35accessibility

48:37things to

48:40stop misinformation about human rights

48:44and I don't want to speak out of turn

48:46but I think that can also go handinhand

48:48with the educational piece. The more we

48:51educate the less misinformation there

48:53is. Sorry if you want to

48:56>> [gasps]

48:59>> The leadership of this community has

49:01always been on top of doing what the

49:03community was formed to do.

49:06I

49:07>> commission

49:09>> commission.

49:10>> I love it.

49:12Okay. I can't read the rest of your

49:14scribble. I

49:21>> to stay in her lane. Got it. This is

49:24kind of affirming that there's not much

49:26to stop. I I'm with you now. And then

49:30this one, starting too many projects

49:32without focusing our efforts. That's an

49:34excellent one, too. That's why we want

49:35to get to like one or two single goals

49:37that we're going to focus on.

49:40And then last is the starting

49:45community needs assessment. So,

49:47conducting an assessment of what our

49:48community actually needs. community

49:50survey about human rights in the city,

49:54creating an opportunity for direct

49:56resident input about what we focus on,

49:59research project based on needs

50:00assessment results and survey results.

50:02That's all kind of clumped together.

50:04Multiple people said that type of thing.

50:06Getting input from the community we're

50:08serving.

50:10working with city council to review,

50:12develop, or amend ordinances and

50:14initiatives through an equity lens.

50:18Creating some sort of preventative

50:19measure like ordinance review prevote.

50:22Partnering with the city on educational

50:25videos and small clips.

50:29>> That's my resources. Did you know? I got

50:32it. [laughter]

50:35>> I like that idea. Doing small clips on

50:37resources. Did you know videos

50:39partnering with a lot of the education

50:41too represent an open inclusive

50:44community that will welcome the world in

50:462028. Go Olympics.

50:49Uh begin OOLTa. Begin real estate board.

50:55Build partnerships with other

50:57organizations entities that overlap with

51:00our goals and mission awareness. Being

51:03more available to speak to groups about

51:05the commission. providing resources and

51:08advocate for equitable treatment of all

51:10people. Lovely.

51:19We're not quite there yet.

51:30Okay. So from

51:32that brainstormed list,

51:36let's keep those thoughts and ideas in

51:40mind and

51:43move in

51:45your agenda. Oh, it's not I don't think

51:49anybody has a copy of this.

51:52>> I think it's okay.

51:52>> Okay. Okay. So, what I'd like you to do,

51:54if you have a way to to take notes in

51:57front of you, um, is now is the time to

52:02write down what you think or would want

52:06or hope the December 2027 headline in

52:10the newspaper would be about the

52:12accomplishment of the HRC. What is the

52:15headline?

52:18This is what I want you to write down.

52:20Sorry. One, what is the headline? Two,

52:23based on your headline, what is the

52:25human rights issue addressed?

54:30And for this one, we're going to have

54:32everyone answer. So be ready.

56:07All

56:30right, I'll give everyone just one more

56:32minute.

57:28Okay, it's definitely uh more organized

57:31if we go in number order, but I don't

57:33want to call any one particular person

57:35out. So, I will start with volunteers.

57:38What is your headline and what human

57:40rights issue does it address?

57:47I'm not sure I understood the assignment

57:48exactly, so I'm going to give it my best

57:50try.

57:51>> That's all I ask for.

57:53>> Um, so the headline I put down is where

57:57do they go now?

58:00And the issue that is would be

58:01addressing is looking at the lack of

58:03housing, facilities, and medical care

58:05for those struggling with mental health.

58:08It's a real issue for all people, not

58:10just the homeless.

58:13You understood the assignment perfectly.

58:15>> Okay, good. [laughter]

58:17>> Next volunteer.

58:19>> Okay. Um, I'll save mine. So, HRC

58:23partners with I couldn't think of like

58:25that one partner, you know, but you guys

58:28can brainstorm. We can brainstorm

58:30something, but HRC partners with to

58:32provide resources for community members.

58:36And the um issue it addresses is just

58:39knowledge. We all know that knowledge is

58:41power. Uh knowing your rights. It's

58:43always constantly reminding people that

58:46what their rights are and then even

58:47reminding people of their resources. I'm

58:49still so surprised of, you know, if I

58:52know that the resources there, but then

58:54I'm talking to someone, they're like,

58:55"What?" And and we talked about it

58:57earlier. It's like a lot of people don't

58:59know their rights. And [music] so just

59:01constantly being there and partnering I

59:03think with other organizations that are

59:04either already doing it and then we have

59:06a lot of leverage just being with the

59:09city and it being a commission like

59:11this. So yeah,

59:16>> thank you.

59:23>> I'll go um for my headline. I just said

59:27HRC and community join forces to address

59:29the city's most pressing needs mostly

59:32because I believe in a needs assessment.

59:33So I don't want to say what the

59:34community needs. So I said a couple

59:36things just um as I mentioned earlier

59:39when we were doing this work we um me

59:43and one of the other co-chairs got a

59:45grant to do a baseline survey and there

59:48were ended up being six groups that we

59:50ended up doing focus groups with to

59:52learn more about their experiences and

59:53the three that just really stood out was

59:56um police community relations as a

59:58potential um those being just formerly

1:00:00justice involved. how do we welcome them

1:00:02back to our community was something that

1:00:03people brought up. And then um just

1:00:06making sure that all across many cuts of

1:00:09our community that people continue to

1:00:11feel included. So I thought either of

1:00:13any of those three might be a good

1:00:14baseline since I don't know what they're

1:00:15going to say.

1:00:18>> Thank you.

1:00:23>> Okay. [clears throat]

1:00:25Um I did HRC tackles homelessness in

1:00:282027. how the HRC is working with

1:00:31community partners to provide every OKC

1:00:33resident safe and stable housing. I

1:00:35think there's a lot of fantastic

1:00:37organizations already functioning in the

1:00:38community. So, I'd love to see how we

1:00:40can can help them out and enhance what

1:00:42they're doing already.

1:00:49>> Great.

1:00:53Um, mine relates to housing and mental

1:00:56health. One OKC, one voice. Um, being

1:01:01human rights begin at home. Building a

1:01:03stronger Oklahoma City. Dignity,

1:01:05opportunity, belonging. Our city, our

1:01:08neighbors, our rights. Building a city

1:01:10where everyone belongs.

1:01:14>> Thank you.

1:01:17>> Um, I'll give you my headline first and

1:01:19then I have some information I would

1:01:21like to share about a community needs

1:01:23assessment.

1:01:25I wrote, "HRC and community leaders

1:01:27collaborate to drastically reduce the

1:01:29number of unhoused people in Oklahoma

1:01:31City, addressing the human rights issue

1:01:33of safety, security, and a sense of

1:01:35belonging. Um,

1:01:39I I did just some reconnaissance work

1:01:41while we were writing and I have been

1:01:45told that United Way and Evolve research

1:01:47are in the very early stages of doing a

1:01:49community needs assessment that should

1:01:51be available publicly available either

1:01:54at the end of this year or early 2027

1:01:59>> and it's an assessment on that topic. It

1:02:02>> it's a complete community needs

1:02:03assessment.

1:02:04>> Oh per Oh, that's fantastic.

1:02:07Maybe we're partnering in that way

1:02:09[laughter]

1:02:10to come full circle.

1:02:13>> Okay. My headline is in great big bold

1:02:16letters on the Oklahoma and on channel 4

1:02:20news

1:02:21>> at 4

1:02:23and four, five, and nine. Okay. So,

1:02:27Human Rights Commission takes lead in

1:02:28helping those disadvantaged and

1:02:30homeless. Positive results. Outstanding.

1:02:41All right. Well, I'm hearing some

1:02:42overlap already. That really really

1:02:45helps us in in starting to narrow some

1:02:47things down. So, um, to try to sort of

1:02:51synthesize some of the things that I'm

1:02:53hearing and common human rights that

1:02:57we're focusing on, um,

1:03:00I want to ask a couple of other

1:03:02questions. As you're thinking about the

1:03:04headlines that we have all put forward,

1:03:08of the headlines discussed,

1:03:12what does each headline require

1:03:16us, the city, the community to

1:03:20specifically change in order to achieve

1:03:23that headline?

1:03:25Open thoughts.

1:03:35I'll kind of start to get us rolling. I

1:03:38think that one of the things that I

1:03:41heard across all of the headlines was

1:03:45education on resources

1:03:49um and education on

1:03:53people's actual rights in general. I

1:03:56think that addresses some of the earlier

1:03:59comments raised about some people don't

1:04:02even know that their rights are being

1:04:04violated or what their rights are. And

1:04:07so in order to really address any human

1:04:09right, I think we have to continue

1:04:12building with that education piece.

1:04:22Um,

1:04:23I'll say I think partnerships came up

1:04:26both in the headlines and then when Amy

1:04:29was reviewing the sticky notes up here.

1:04:31Um, and then housing came up. As a

1:04:34reminder, the HRC has three sort of

1:04:36areas of focus. Um, and housing is one

1:04:40of them. Um, housing, employment, and

1:04:43public accommodations. And so when we're

1:04:44thinking about like our scope and the

1:04:46way we fit in, let's try to like uh see

1:04:50see if and if and how they fit into one

1:04:53of those three buck those three buckets.

1:04:55Uh and I think since housing came up so

1:04:57much obviously I think there are great

1:04:59community orgs who are doing work in

1:05:01this area and then obviously key to home

1:05:04um the city's initiative is doing a lot

1:05:05of work already with our um encampment

1:05:07rehousing initiative um and a slew of

1:05:10other programs. And so, um, like they

1:05:12just launched recently a care team

1:05:14that's meant to help people with complex

1:05:15needs, so maybe experiencing mental

1:05:17health, substance use issues,

1:05:18chronically homeless, how to really go

1:05:21out, meet people where they're at, and

1:05:22then provide the wraparound supports

1:05:23that those people need um to get

1:05:26housing, but then also stabilizing

1:05:28support um to maintain and and thrive in

1:05:31that housing. So, as we're thinking

1:05:33about what we can do as a commission, um

1:05:35I think like it would benefit us to

1:05:37continue to speak uh to those groups who

1:05:40are already out in the community or in

1:05:42other parts of the city to make sure

1:05:44that we're not duplicating work uh

1:05:47unintentionally being harmful to the

1:05:50efforts that they're doing. Um, and just

1:05:52seeing ways that we can plug in both

1:05:53like in our capacity as a commission and

1:05:55then our capacity as individuals because

1:05:56I think there are probably also plenty

1:05:58of volunteer opportunities that don't

1:06:00require us to wait every other month to

1:06:02get uh plugged in.

1:06:22Not ending that question, but sort of a

1:06:24follow-up question to maybe think about

1:06:26it differently. Uh, when thinking about

1:06:28the headlines, what specifically did the

1:06:32HRC do that produced that headline?

1:06:54I think we could advocate for um a

1:06:59change in legislative efforts that

1:07:01strengthen the rights of tenants.

1:07:26Caitlyn, you looked like you were going

1:07:27to say something. I didn't want you to

1:07:29not have a chance. Okay.

1:07:40>> Okay. I do. I'm ready now. Um, just

1:07:43thinking about what Emma said and that a

1:07:44lot of us highlighted community

1:07:46partnerships. I mean, I think that that

1:07:48is a along with like a community survey.

1:07:50I think talking to community partners

1:07:52and and commissions and entities within

1:07:55the city already is also going to be a

1:07:57great early step to figure out what is

1:07:59being done because a lot of a lot of the

1:08:01areas like housing, mental health,

1:08:03anything, there's going to be a more

1:08:05specific entity that's already doing

1:08:06work in that area. So, I think that'd be

1:08:07something good to do very early on is to

1:08:09see what they're doing. uh what their

1:08:12needs are and if you know they're

1:08:14already really doing something that

1:08:15maybe it's not helpful for us to do to

1:08:17know if we need to pivot just so we

1:08:19don't get far into something and realize

1:08:21that like I said we're hurting more than

1:08:23we're helping. So following on that

1:08:25point, whenever I think of partnerships,

1:08:28um I think of building those

1:08:30partnerships and building that um

1:08:35what's it called? The support and even

1:08:39like what do we bring to the table,

1:08:40right? Like these organizations are

1:08:42already doing the ground work. They're

1:08:44grassroots. They're nonprofits. Like

1:08:47they have minimal like funding, all

1:08:49this. Like what can we bring to the

1:08:50table? And when I tell people I'm part

1:08:52of the HRC, it's a city commission. Like

1:08:55they think all these resources and

1:08:57Facebook and you know all this access,

1:09:00they think they're thinking the city

1:09:02like they're not thinking, you know, and

1:09:04so I think going into these

1:09:06partnerships, what can we provide? What

1:09:08do we bring to the table? And I think

1:09:10for us internally, what does that look

1:09:12like? What what are we really bringing

1:09:14to the table other than just a name? Um,

1:09:17you know, so I think it's it's a lot of

1:09:19internalizing and

1:09:21working with the city like what can we

1:09:23what kind of resources are available for

1:09:25us as a commission to utilize and to

1:09:27bring to the table to those

1:09:28organizations.

1:09:41I have one more thought kind of jumping

1:09:42off of what I said before, but um and

1:09:46what Daisy said, we had several that

1:09:48talked about uh reviewing ordinances

1:09:50through an equity point of view. And I

1:09:52think community partnerships would be a

1:09:53great way to do that because those who

1:09:55work in those areas, they're going to

1:09:56know what ordinances might already be

1:09:58harmful to the community that they're

1:09:59helping.

1:10:14more of a thought in experience. In the

1:10:18over the last four or five months, I've

1:10:20been able to be involved with a couple

1:10:22of churches that are reaching the

1:10:24homeless.

1:10:26That's one of their main focuses. And

1:10:29one of them is is right up the street

1:10:31here, not too far. and their new pastor

1:10:35moved in to the neighborhood to be able

1:10:37to relate to them. And I've visited with

1:10:40him about that and they're already

1:10:42seeing changes. This has happened in the

1:10:44last four or five weeks,

1:10:47how they're reaching those people. I

1:10:49think it would be good that if we team

1:10:52up with these other agencies and these

1:10:53other groups that are helping in these

1:10:56areas that we actually say, okay, when

1:10:58you're reaching and you have somebody

1:11:00that we can help, let them know what we

1:11:03are about so that we can get them in

1:11:05touch with the agency and then they can

1:11:07give a testimony at some point in time

1:11:09as to how that succeeded not only with

1:11:12the the faith-based groups if they if

1:11:14that's who it is or another agency, but

1:11:17that's just off the top of my head of

1:11:19what we're trying to how we get to that

1:11:21that uh headline. I

1:11:24I'm

1:11:27liking what I'm hearing though,

1:11:34>> Ralph. I I'll say to um what you just

1:11:37said. So, Key to Home has a a fellow

1:11:40named Elizabeth who um is largely

1:11:44working with Keto Home and she's from um

1:11:47Harvard Divinity School. And so one of

1:11:49her main focuses is going out to um

1:11:52different faith communities and doing

1:11:54trainings with them because I think

1:11:56there's always a huge um desire to help

1:11:59and sometimes the efforts are like more

1:12:02or less helpful. Um especially like as

1:12:04all these people want to help and then

1:12:06the city is trying to coordinate a

1:12:07response, sometimes people are stepping

1:12:09on each other's toes or I might do

1:12:11something I think is great and then I

1:12:13actually undermine something else that

1:12:15was happening. So remind me to just

1:12:16connect you with her because I feel like

1:12:19if she hasn't already, she would love to

1:12:20come do a training at those

1:12:22congregations and I think she's had a

1:12:23lot of success just again speaking with

1:12:25people who uh feel led to contribute in

1:12:28that way and helping sort of uh tell

1:12:30them about what the city's doing and

1:12:32then figure out a way that um they can

1:12:34all work together.

1:12:45Okay. So, I don't want to

1:12:50say my conclusions of what I hear

1:12:53everybody saying. So, I want to hear

1:12:55from you guys if we could narrow down I

1:12:58think what we are jointly different

1:13:00people saying but but some overlaps.

1:13:03What are the top couple of headlines?

1:13:06And we don't have to repeat the exact

1:13:08news headline, right? But the subject

1:13:11matter um of focus so we can narrow it

1:13:14down to a few and then hone our

1:13:16conversation even further.

1:13:27I think we can hone it down to like

1:13:29providing educational resources like

1:13:32forums. I don't know if it looks like

1:13:34forums or what we've done in the past,

1:13:36but to continue to do that um with the

1:13:38help of partner agencies and that could

1:13:41be a workshop or just even partnering

1:13:44and what I said and I don't know if u

1:13:45the I know at one point we talked about

1:13:49starting with partner agencies that way

1:13:52it's more of a concrete partnership um

1:13:56and so I that's what I kind of am

1:13:59hearing the resources educational um for

1:14:02the community.

1:14:18>> I like that just to the extent I mean

1:14:20I'd like to focus on education for the

1:14:22public. Um, but what I found in in our

1:14:25meetings is that I become more and more

1:14:27educated and I look it helps me to learn

1:14:29what tools and resources are out there

1:14:32as well for that what that's worth. So

1:14:35can't do much unless you know what tools

1:14:36you have to work with.

1:14:46So followup question on that headline,

1:14:49would that be educational regarding

1:14:53general

1:14:55human rights and starting from that big

1:14:58umbrella or focusing in on one

1:15:00particular area?

1:15:04I'd vote to target just to target hone

1:15:07in on one specific area. I mean, I think

1:15:12in general, it's really hard for the HRC

1:15:14to find momentum and get things

1:15:17accomplished with as few meetings as we

1:15:19have. So, I think we've identify a

1:15:22microscopic problem that we can actually

1:15:24make an impact on rather than a larger

1:15:27scale. That's just my vote.

1:15:33Okay, let me start then before we hone

1:15:35in on topics by asking if there are

1:15:37other uh key headlines that we're

1:15:41synthesizing from the conversation that

1:15:43we had. I I I heard earlier and so you

1:15:45guys get to decide and and what you guys

1:15:48think are sort of our top few that we're

1:15:50going to really drill in on tonight. I

1:15:53heard the education awareness

1:15:56partnerships. This headline that Daisy

1:15:59provided is combining those I think

1:16:02really meaningfully. Um focusing on

1:16:05housing

1:16:07advocating for change in legislative

1:16:09efforts that strengthen the rights of

1:16:11tenants. Other things that were brought

1:16:13up too uh police positive police

1:16:17relations focusing on those who are

1:16:19justice involved and creating an

1:16:21environment of inclusion and belonging.

1:16:24any other headlines that we want to add

1:16:26to this list in addition to providing

1:16:29educational resources with partner

1:16:31agencies?

1:16:34>> Uh I don't think anyone said this during

1:16:36the headline portion, but it it came up

1:16:37here and I know we've spoken about this

1:16:39before. Uh kind of the ordinance review.

1:16:42I feel like that is um like as a city

1:16:46commission that is a place where we

1:16:48could provide a service to the city. Um

1:16:52and I feel it could help like I think

1:16:54it'd be within our lane. I think it

1:16:56given the expertise we have here and

1:16:59probably some of our partnerships with

1:17:01communities um that could be like a very

1:17:04unique new function that the city

1:17:06doesn't currently have. um and would be

1:17:10like sort of an innovative way for us

1:17:12like not a very um like flashy way for

1:17:15us to be involved, but I I think like

1:17:16obviously these ordinances carry a lot

1:17:18of weight. And so I think like being

1:17:20involved in that process um and building

1:17:24the relationships to be trusted to do

1:17:26that um would be something that I would

1:17:28see as like a real opportunity for us to

1:17:30contribute.

1:17:34It definitely would require a close

1:17:36partnership with our municipal

1:17:38counselor's office [laughter]

1:17:40>> taking notes.

1:17:43>> I agree. I think that'd be a great area

1:17:45to hone in on because that's efforts

1:17:47that

1:17:48the nonprofit can't duplicate. That's a

1:17:51very specific niche we could fill and it

1:17:53would be great to build that a

1:17:54relationship with city council where

1:17:55they they trust us and see that as

1:17:58something vital.

1:18:20any other sort of key big headlines

1:18:24before we focus on a specific human

1:18:27rights topic.

1:18:32Okay, hearing none, we will move to

1:18:34specific topics. So, uh, as Emma stated,

1:18:38we have really three main categories:

1:18:41housing, employment, and public

1:18:43accommodations.

1:18:45I know that a lot of people voiced

1:18:48housing in their headlines. So, I don't

1:18:50want to just conclude that for everyone.

1:18:53Uh, this is not a me choice. This is an

1:18:56US choice. Um, obviously, you all know

1:19:00I'm pretty biased towards the housing

1:19:01one, though. That's no lie. So

1:19:03[laughter]

1:19:04you all let me know what you all really

1:19:08feel you can get behind over the next

1:19:10year and a few months.

1:19:17I'll say that um over the past year I

1:19:21think our our target has been housing

1:19:24and that's kind of been our focus and

1:19:26the road that we were going down when we

1:19:28were trying to kind of narrow down what

1:19:29do we want to focus on and what do we

1:19:30want to impact. Um housing has always

1:19:33been kind of one of those those keys. So

1:19:36I would be all for that.

1:19:44I'm seeing several nods, but want to

1:19:46give the opportunity if anyone else

1:19:48would like to add theirs because

1:19:50obviously all three are important.

1:20:03Well, I think that kind of helps make

1:20:04our strategic plan a little bit easier

1:20:06to to vote on as far as what we're

1:20:09focusing on. Um, so right now on the

1:20:14table, the focus is housing. So, I would

1:20:18like to entertain a motion for that to

1:20:21be the commission's focus through

1:20:242027.

1:20:29>> I would move that um

1:20:37Do you want a motion?

1:20:38>> Yes, please.

1:20:39>> I would move that the Human Rights

1:20:41Commission's focus for the for the

1:20:43coming months and the new new year of

1:20:462027 be housing.

1:20:48>> Any second?

1:20:52>> Discussion briefly.

1:20:54>> Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

1:20:56>> Isn't that what it comes after this the

1:20:58motion?

1:20:59>> Yeah.

1:20:59>> Okay. Okay. So, can we have a little bit

1:21:02of leeway, city councelor, to maybe if

1:21:06we're going to stay focused on housing,

1:21:08if that's the thing, but that takes us

1:21:11to something else.

1:21:14>> Can we have that leeway?

1:21:17>> No, you don't want leeway.

1:21:20>> Oh, you do want leeway.

1:21:21>> I think absolutely leeway.

1:21:23>> Yeah. Well, the commission could always

1:21:25um decide later on if if they want to um

1:21:31go into a topic a little bit deeper or

1:21:33if they want to explore something a

1:21:36little bit broader. Yeah, the commission

1:21:37can always decide to do that. But if you

1:21:40all want to do the overall main topic to

1:21:43be housing and then you could branch out

1:21:46as you see fit,

1:21:48that that is perfectly fine.

1:21:51>> I agree. And Ralph, I think you bring up

1:21:53a really good point, too, because

1:21:55housing isn't a single solution issue.

1:21:59It definitely plays on employment and

1:22:02public accommodations and dozens of

1:22:04other things, right? So we will

1:22:06certainly be encompassing I think all

1:22:09human rights topics when addressing the

1:22:12issue of housing particularly which

1:22:14partnerships depending on what

1:22:16partnerships we we form and which

1:22:19organizations we're speaking to and

1:22:21engaging with. So I think naturally it

1:22:24could

1:22:26mold itself into a specific subtopic

1:22:31that addresses housing.

1:22:34I think we have that authority and

1:22:36leeway and so so does

1:22:37>> he [laughter]

1:22:44go into the morning houseire you have in

1:22:47front of you

1:22:48>> uh

1:22:48>> oh I' got to go so I just

1:22:52we have may have to go the uh what do

1:22:55they call those things turnabouts now

1:22:57>> yeah

1:22:59thank you that's a meaningful point any

1:23:02other discussion

1:23:07And for minutes purposes, who was the

1:23:09first motion? Where did that

1:23:15>> any second?

1:23:17>> I think

1:23:19>> Oh, okay. Thank you, Stephanie.

1:23:22>> All in favor?

1:23:26>> Any opposed?

1:23:29Hearing none, the HRC's focus through

1:23:322027 will be the umbrella of housing

1:23:37with the ability to focus in on other

1:23:40areas as necessary to achieve our goals.

1:23:44So to also point us in the direction of

1:23:48how we're achieving this focus on

1:23:51housing, I heard the two main headlines

1:23:54of providing educational resources and

1:23:57partnering with agencies as one and the

1:24:00second building this relationship with

1:24:02the municipal counselor's office and

1:24:04city council in potentially being able

1:24:08to review ordinances and serve in that

1:24:10capacity for the city. Are there any

1:24:13that I missed or are we in agreement on

1:24:17those two?

1:24:18>> This hasn't come up other than on the

1:24:21build. Um but I think the continuation

1:24:24of the plat project obviously fits

1:24:26within the housing umbrella as well. Um

1:24:29so and um I think because this is we

1:24:34started this project after state law was

1:24:38passed um there's opportunity for

1:24:40education about this effort both in

1:24:43Oklahoma City but across the state for

1:24:46other jurisdictions who might be

1:24:48interested in taking a look at their

1:24:49plat documents as well. So um I think

1:24:53this this fits well. We just haven't

1:24:54explicitly talked about the plat

1:24:56project.

1:24:57>> Can Emma or when you do your report, can

1:25:01you bring us up to date how close we're

1:25:02getting to the end of that and could

1:25:04that be a uh thing that gets broadcast

1:25:07out?

1:25:08>> Because I'll just say this is that as

1:25:11much as that impacted me when I was able

1:25:13to see what it really was about,

1:25:15>> I think there will be other people that

1:25:16have that same impact if they see what

1:25:19we have done to bring us into the 21st

1:25:21century. So, I'm just

1:25:25saying that. Do you have that on your

1:25:27plate to tell? Okay,

1:25:29>> don't worry.

1:25:29>> I'm done.

1:25:31>> You don't ever have to be done.

1:25:33[laughter]

1:25:35>> Okay. So, this leads us then into our

1:25:38committee work. So, let's let's grind

1:25:40down a little bit further with some of

1:25:42the goals that we want to set out. We

1:25:43have four committees uh on this

1:25:46commission. Communications, governance,

1:25:49complaints, and education. And I know

1:25:52for those of you who who have been on

1:25:54the commission, you are already on

1:25:57committees or have been on committees up

1:25:59till now. Uh and those of you that are

1:26:01new on the commission have an

1:26:03opportunity to select them. But even for

1:26:04those of you who have been on the

1:26:06commission, you're not locked in. I want

1:26:08to give you the freedom of choice. We

1:26:10are all volunteers here. Uh I want it to

1:26:13be something whatever choice you make

1:26:15that it's something you feel passionate

1:26:17about. You are giving extra time. So

1:26:19something you feel like you can really

1:26:22get behind in in once we decide who is

1:26:27on what committees, we're going to take

1:26:29a minute for to group up with our fellow

1:26:32committee members and come up with two

1:26:36goals for that committee through 2027

1:26:40that help achieve our overarching

1:26:42strategic goals. Um, so first

1:26:47for I guess we'll let's just go through

1:26:49I guess one at a time. It's probably the

1:26:51most organized. Uh, Ralph, if we'll

1:26:53start with you. I think that you have

1:26:55been on the communications committee.

1:26:58What is your preference of committee

1:27:01participation? You can choose to stay or

1:27:03select something different.

1:27:08Back before I had a major surgery, Brian

1:27:11and I were going to do a role play and

1:27:15you all were going to be the HOA and we

1:27:18were going to talk about what HRC is

1:27:22about. Now that we've kind of defined

1:27:25the focus, I'm hoping that you will

1:27:26allow Brian and I to next time we meet

1:27:29to do this and let you all decide

1:27:31whether or not you like it or not

1:27:34because we're going to go to some key

1:27:35points is to go down what we're about

1:27:38about the commission, what we can and

1:27:40can't do and make it within three to

1:27:43five minutes so that you can then have

1:27:46something solid that you can say. and we

1:27:48hope to present an outline, correct me

1:27:50if I'm wrong, an outline that you can

1:27:53use when you're asked to go. Also, we're

1:27:57hoping that at some point, Emma, Madame

1:28:00Chairman, that we can have somebody say,

1:28:03"Hey, listen. We've got this group in

1:28:05Quail Creek or in Ponderosa or

1:28:09wherever it is. they'd like somebody to

1:28:12come from the city to talk about HRC,

1:28:14what that is about, and that you can

1:28:16reach out to us. That's what I hope it

1:28:18happens this year be as we go forward.

1:28:22Um, is that what you wanted?

1:28:27>> So, that being said, does that would you

1:28:29like to remain on the communications

1:28:31committee?

1:28:32>> [laughter]

1:28:33>> decided to stay where you want us or

1:28:35not.

1:28:38>> I think it sounds like this next stage

1:28:39is an opportunity to fulfill the plan

1:28:41you and Brian have set out. [laughter]

1:28:44So, I don't want to mess with a good

1:28:45thing. Um, okay. So, Ralph will have you

1:28:49remaining on communications and since he

1:28:51raised your name, Brian,

1:28:55you have been on communications as well.

1:28:57What is your preference?

1:28:59I'm happy to stay on it unless you need

1:29:01me to be somewhere else. So that's fine.

1:29:04>> Thank you.

1:29:04>> Great.

1:29:06>> All right. Um

1:29:09Leslie, you have previously been serving

1:29:12on the governance committee. Would you

1:29:14like to remain on that committee or

1:29:16select something new?

1:29:17>> I would actually as a lifelong educator

1:29:19like to move to the education committee.

1:29:22>> Sounds good.

1:29:26And Daisy,

1:29:28oh, sorry, Stephanie,

1:29:31what what committee would you like to

1:29:32serve on? I think that you had

1:29:34previously served a little bit on a

1:29:36couple of them.

1:29:39>> When I came on, I just said I would go

1:29:41wherever was needed. So, I'm can still

1:29:45be fluent, but I wouldn't mind if

1:29:47education is not full, but if there's

1:29:49areas that is needed, you know, I'd be

1:29:52happy to assist.

1:29:54>> Thank you. And Daisy, I believe you've

1:29:57been on the complaints committee. Would

1:29:59you like to remain on that committee or

1:30:01change?

1:30:03>> Okay,

1:30:05>> awesome. And

1:30:08to our lovely new members, uh, Caitlyn,

1:30:12do you have a particular interest in

1:30:14committee?

1:30:16>> I'd love to fill the governance spot.

1:30:19>> Great. And Andrea, do you have a

1:30:22preference of committee?

1:30:24Um, complaints or education is fine.

1:30:33>> Do you have one that you feel stronger

1:30:35about?

1:30:38>> Probably education, but I mean that

1:30:40tracks.

1:30:41>> Yeah. I didn't want to put the words in

1:30:43your mouth or assume. You know what? You

1:30:46know what that does.

1:30:48Okay. Does that mean we've got some

1:30:50people for every committee? We have

1:30:52communications, governance, education,

1:30:56and complaints.

1:30:58>> Yeah,

1:31:00>> we've had people serve on multiple as

1:31:02well. Um or kind of like

1:31:05>> where we have a need

1:31:06>> sub. Yeah. Okay. Um pinch and then

1:31:08obviously Amy will be on all of them and

1:31:11I'll be on all of them. So yeah.

1:31:14>> Okay. Awesome. Well, what I would

1:31:16>> Benjamin wants to join the

1:31:18>> Oh, you do both?

1:31:20>> Yeah. I'll say like the complaints um

1:31:23like the way the complaint process works

1:31:24is like the complaints are not brought

1:31:27in front of the commission and really as

1:31:30the ordinance says like what we can

1:31:32provide is voluntary mediation and

1:31:34consiliation services and so um that has

1:31:37not really come to fruition so far. So

1:31:39often what is happening is um people

1:31:41submit complaints. I review them if

1:31:44they're within our jurisdiction

1:31:47then um I'll sort of try to reach out to

1:31:50them and and learn more about it to see

1:31:51if it falls with within really and if

1:31:53they want to proceed down this process

1:31:55knowing what we can provide. Um, if it

1:31:58doesn't fall within our jurisdiction, as

1:32:00in the complaint took place uh somewhere

1:32:03outside Vocal at Oklahoma City, it's

1:32:04against like a city, county, federal

1:32:07employee, including like police or the

1:32:09school board or something. Um, or it's

1:32:13just about something like private

1:32:14property or something that doesn't fall

1:32:16within one of our three subject areas,

1:32:18I'm referring them to other agencies.

1:32:21So, if they think they were laid off and

1:32:23really it could be employment, but what

1:32:25they want is their job back or a

1:32:27monetary um sort of award or settlement,

1:32:31that's not really going to be our lane.

1:32:33So, I'm referring them to our our local

1:32:35EEOC. Um same with housing. If they are

1:32:38facing an eviction, I'm connecting them

1:32:40immediately to some of our um community

1:32:43groups who are doing like emergency

1:32:45eviction prevention services. And then

1:32:47if they also want to work with us, like

1:32:49we can discuss that. So, I'll say like I

1:32:52think we can kind of revamp and think

1:32:54about what complaints and what that

1:32:55committee is meant to do because um by

1:32:58structure a lot of it I'm handling. So,

1:33:01I'm excited though to have both of you

1:33:03on it and then reimagine what that can

1:33:06be because I think how it started was

1:33:09and Daisy you can speak to this was

1:33:11getting the process by which residents

1:33:14submit complaints in place which was a

1:33:17huge undertaking and now in this new

1:33:18iteration since we have a process what

1:33:21does it mean for us to do so

1:33:23>> and we have data too to look at.

1:33:26>> Yeah.

1:33:31Fantastic. That was easy. You guys made

1:33:33that really easy. So, uh, what I'd like

1:33:36for the next five or 10 minutes, meet

1:33:38with your fellow committee person,

1:33:41people.

1:33:43And, um, here are three things that I

1:33:45want you guys to be able to bring back

1:33:47to announce to the rest of the

1:33:48commission.

1:33:50First, two committee goals through 2027.

1:33:58The second, the result that the

1:34:01committee expects to achieve by the end

1:34:05of 2027.

1:34:08And three, what will your committee

1:34:13commit to doing before the next

1:34:15commission meeting

1:34:17in November?

1:34:21So, one, two goals.

1:34:24two, a result. Three, a commitment

1:34:28before the November meeting.

1:34:35>> Yeah.

1:34:37>> Yes. To recap, I have for communications

1:34:40committee Ralph and Brian for

1:34:44governance, Caitlyn. And I'll meet with

1:34:47you to make those goals tonight because

1:34:49the rest of the committees have two

1:34:51people. Um, for education, Leslie and

1:34:56Stephanie. For complaints, Daisy and

1:34:59Andrea.

1:35:05>> Yeah, she's going to be both. But since

1:35:07for purposes of creating the goals, so

1:35:10you have a partner to work with night.

1:45:18Let's just take one or two more minutes

1:45:20if you still need it.

1:48:57All right,

1:48:59let's um go through one committee at a

1:49:03time and share our goals and our

1:49:08commitment to

1:49:10what we're going to do before the next

1:49:11meeting. So, um, we'll start with our

1:49:15communications committee. What are your

1:49:18goals through 2027?

1:49:21>> Ours is, uh, easier because we've

1:49:24already kind of had it in place for a

1:49:26long time. So, um, and then for the new

1:49:28members, we can kind of go over that in

1:49:30more detail when we talk. I think, um,

1:49:32I'll touch on that in a minute. Um our

1:49:35goals for uh now through 27 would be to

1:49:40number one continue with the current HRC

1:49:42promotional plan which in general

1:49:45promotes um reaching out to the public

1:49:48with a for a passalong rate um to

1:49:51organizations that can pass pass along

1:49:53at a higher rate than we can reach

1:49:55people individually. Um, so presenting

1:49:58to organizations that can communicate,

1:50:00spread the word about us. Um, that's the

1:50:03the existing plan and I recommend that

1:50:05we keep that in place even though it's

1:50:07not specifically targeted at housing on

1:50:10its own, but I think that's that as we

1:50:12move forward, we can come up with an

1:50:14additional plan on how we want to

1:50:16communicate housing issues. It kind of

1:50:17depends on what comes through

1:50:21um upcoming meetings kind of what our

1:50:23goals are and what you all need us to

1:50:25communicate to the public. Um number

1:50:27two, let's see for our goals was booking

1:50:31and executing uh booking and execution

1:50:33of 20 to 25 engagements

1:50:36um with exposure to their constitu

1:50:39constituents

1:50:40uh via passalong rate. um we can't

1:50:44really quantify what that reach um and

1:50:47impressions look like since some one

1:50:50organization may have a hundred

1:50:52constituents pass along rate another one

1:50:56might have 5,000 or 10,000 or something

1:50:58like that. Um so it's really hard to put

1:51:01a number on that but we felt originally

1:51:04we were hoping that each commissioner

1:51:06could connect us with two different

1:51:08organizations. So obviously that takes

1:51:10us to around 16, but we think that we'll

1:51:13have some additional. So we'll set our

1:51:15goal a little bit higher and hopefully

1:51:16throughout the year have 20 to 25 and

1:51:19ultimately once we have that kind of

1:51:21that media plan or that timing in place.

1:51:25I mean that's that's you know every

1:51:26other week hopefully something's going

1:51:28on. So that was our goals. Sorry they

1:51:34weren't that clean. Let's see. You want

1:51:36me to keep moving on?

1:51:38>> Yes, please. uh the results to you

1:51:41should expect to see kind of goes back

1:51:42to what our goals were. Our goals and

1:51:44results are pretty much similar or the

1:51:47same. Um

1:51:51and then what will we commit to bringing

1:51:54to the table for the next meeting? Um

1:52:00having a presentation ready. Uh

1:52:02hopefully hopefully Ralph will carry us

1:52:04in that since he's uh better than

1:52:07[laughter] me at that. So I have a

1:52:09presentation ready to bring to the

1:52:11table. You know we anticipate for

1:52:14anytime we do this trying to keep it

1:52:16short and brief. We don't want to have

1:52:1820-minute presentation to people. We

1:52:19want you know a 3 to five minute

1:52:21discussion. Our end goal in the

1:52:24communication strategy was just to get

1:52:25the passalong right. So, we want to

1:52:27educate them a little bit, but really

1:52:28what we want them to do is pass along uh

1:52:31to their constituents. Uh so, number

1:52:33one, having a presentation ready to

1:52:35bring to the table. Um and then by the

1:52:38next meeting, we will have talked with

1:52:40each commissioner about how who they can

1:52:42connect us with or connect the HRC with

1:52:45for a presentation.

1:52:47That doesn't need to be dated and set in

1:52:49stone, but let's go ahead and talk

1:52:51names. I think some of the delay we've

1:52:53had was just the timing and the pop, you

1:52:58know, getting everybody to the table and

1:53:00getting the seats filled um to executing

1:53:03that plan. But I also think part of it

1:53:05is us not proactively reaching out to

1:53:07the commissioners to to to pin them down

1:53:11on what organizations they think where

1:53:12instead we were kind of hoping, you

1:53:14know, think about it for two months and

1:53:16then come back to us. So, um that's kind

1:53:19of been a hit and miss.

1:53:21So we think by reaching out to the

1:53:24commissioners directly that we can get

1:53:25some answers and hopefully by the

1:53:26November meeting have you know a list of

1:53:28names who we want to connect with.

1:53:32>> That's fantastic. I think that will help

1:53:34bring our um overarching awareness and

1:53:37educational goals

1:53:40immediately closer to that 2027 goal. So

1:53:44that's great. Thank you.

1:53:46>> Can I add to that just just a couple of

1:53:48caveats? Uh, one of the things Brian and

1:53:51I have talked about is that should we

1:53:54possibly foot the bill or if there's

1:53:57money in the budget for each of us to

1:53:59have a business card because that's a

1:54:02communication thing. And it also not

1:54:05only does it say you're part of the

1:54:07commission, but it gives you a little

1:54:08bit of credibility when you're speaking

1:54:10before someone and you can hand them

1:54:12that and say if you have this, here's

1:54:14the contact. Here's the email you need

1:54:16to look at. here's the contact you need

1:54:18at the city. And not only that, it'll

1:54:21have our name on it, email address, and

1:54:24if you want your phone number on there,

1:54:26then we could reach out and have more

1:54:27meetings or more contact. Uh, that's a

1:54:30communication things to me. Now, that's

1:54:32the firefighter brain. So, uh, just so

1:54:36you

1:54:37get it is that I'm going to need a

1:54:40roster of everybody on this commission,

1:54:42including you, city councelor, because I

1:54:45want to be able to contact you and say,

1:54:47"Hey, listen. We're Brian and I are

1:54:48going to be able to meet at the city

1:54:49hall. Can you meet us at that day? Make

1:54:52sure we're

1:54:53doing what we're supposed to do because

1:54:55we want to present to Emma and to the

1:54:58chairman what we're going to present to

1:55:01the rest of everyone. We want to make

1:55:02sure that that there's no holes that we

1:55:05need to fill. U I think our

1:55:07communication

1:55:09and I'm very much on board to stepping

1:55:12up now because November 3rd is right

1:55:14around the corner for me. Uh I'm going

1:55:17to need something to fill this time and

1:55:18I want to put it focus on this. So if

1:55:21you can consider those things if they're

1:55:23a possibility, let me know. Um I think

1:55:27we need to make that one of our goals as

1:55:30well.

1:55:31>> Yeah. Yeah. Also, the the city's print

1:55:33shop is amazing. The entire uh like

1:55:35public information and marketing team is

1:55:37amazing. They like help us get out press

1:55:39releases, advertise on their social

1:55:41media for events, etc. They're great to

1:55:43work with. Um but our our print shop, uh

1:55:47I think we would have funds to print

1:55:48business cards. I know that um hopefully

1:55:51you'll have your like name tags. I know

1:55:53that the new commissioners don't, but um

1:55:56just another thing to like help

1:55:57especially as we hopefully increase our

1:56:00external sort of presence in the

1:56:01community. So yes, we should have a way

1:56:03to do that. I will talk to Shay and

1:56:05confirm about budget. Um I know that

1:56:08like mostly what we're spending money on

1:56:10right now is like sending mail to

1:56:12residents for the plat project and that

1:56:14is kind of an expensive endeavor. Um but

1:56:16yeah, we should definitely have a way to

1:56:18do that.

1:56:23Great. Let's move to the complaints

1:56:26committee, please. What are your goals?

1:56:31>> Sure. So, one of our goals is to audit

1:56:33the complaint process by looking at the

1:56:36data of sort of who's been making

1:56:37complaints, at what point are they

1:56:39kicked off or passed and filtered to

1:56:41other partners, and then finally trying

1:56:43to figure out why some people never make

1:56:44it to the end of the process, sort of

1:56:46why don't they do that? And so our goals

1:56:49then are based on the data when we get

1:56:51the data um is to try to revamp the

1:56:54process and then identify areas of

1:56:56improvement to understand the perception

1:56:57of the form even is there something

1:56:59about it that's making people decide

1:57:00they don't want to do that um maybe make

1:57:04it more accessible provide more clarity

1:57:06make it more productive and so then our

1:57:07goals before the November meeting is to

1:57:10um Daisy's going to email Emma to get

1:57:12that data and then once we have the data

1:57:14then then we're going to meet about it

1:57:17so that we can have a report for you all

1:57:18in November about sort of what we think

1:57:20some of the roadblocks are or especially

1:57:23if they're being kicked out to other

1:57:24organizations, we view that as maybe

1:57:25potential partners for us since they're

1:57:27we're already working with them. So

1:57:29that's our report.

1:57:34>> Excellent.

1:57:36I do think that helping people better

1:57:38understand that this is even a resource

1:57:40is going to help the HRC do one of its

1:57:46main mechanisms. That'd be great.

1:57:48um education.

1:57:54>> We discussed um having a panel event

1:57:58where we would have a panel where the

1:58:00city planning commission legal aid o

1:58:04which is Oklahoma association of

1:58:06realtors, the real estate commission and

1:58:09the central Oklahoma homebuilders

1:58:10association.

1:58:12So that it could be maybe titled this is

1:58:15kind of all fluid and moving. You know,

1:58:17understanding the housing landscape and

1:58:20being able to reach areas and

1:58:23partnerships that have not been reached

1:58:24before of how the real estate market

1:58:27comes into play and being able to have

1:58:31individuals and partnerships that do not

1:58:35know about the HRC.

1:58:37And I think that would be very important

1:58:40um for many of the areas within all the

1:58:43wards.

1:58:46So that was um really the goals and then

1:58:49by the next meeting um Leslie and I both

1:58:52are kind of dividing out to reach people

1:58:54within each of those areas

1:58:58to have a meeting with them prior to our

1:59:00next meeting.

1:59:03So when you come to the November

1:59:05meeting, will you guys plan to have a

1:59:07list of those people that you have

1:59:09reached out to?

1:59:13>> Okay, great. Thank you.

1:59:19And last but not least, governance.

1:59:25And Amy and I did work on these

1:59:27together. I was not alone. Um [laughter]

1:59:29but um our overarching goal is about the

1:59:32ordinance review process uh that we

1:59:34discussed and so there's kind of two

1:59:36subpoints in there. The first thing we

1:59:38want to achieve is to engage community

1:59:40partners about existing ordinances.

1:59:43Um and you know this can expand later

1:59:46but right now with the housing focus

1:59:48we've um we've focused on we want to we

1:59:52want to engage uh our housing focused

1:59:55community partners. And then the the

1:59:58step two of our goal is going to be uh

2:00:00reviewing all new ordinances by the end

2:00:02of 2027. So we know this is going to

2:00:05involve cultivating a trusting

2:00:07relationship with city council. Um and

2:00:10so that actually takes us to the second

2:00:13point. Our result um is after we engage

2:00:17with community partners about reviewing

2:00:18existing ordinances, we'd like to

2:00:20provide data to city council to show uh

2:00:23why such a review is even necessary. Um,

2:00:27kind of like how Ralph was saying

2:00:29earlier that, you know, if you don't

2:00:31know about the why the plat project was

2:00:33necessary, you might just kind of have

2:00:35questions and think that doesn't I mean

2:00:37that that doesn't sound like we need to

2:00:39do something like that and then you see

2:00:40what's actually happening. We want to

2:00:42see which what's actually happening with

2:00:44existing ordinances and um yeah, talk to

2:00:48our community partners to see even if an

2:00:50ordinance looks fine on its face, what's

2:00:52the application of it and is somebody

2:00:53being hurt? Uh we want to present that

2:00:55information to city council so that then

2:00:58hopefully um

2:01:00um the end goal would be for them to

2:01:02automatically send new ordinances to us

2:01:05to review uh before they're even even

2:01:08voted in so that we can be proactive

2:01:10instead of reactive. Um, so our our goal

2:01:13for the next meeting is to compile a

2:01:15list of housing focused community

2:01:17partners that we can engage with about

2:01:18the existing ordinances.

2:01:24>> Madame Chairman, chairwoman,

2:01:25>> yes, chairperson, please. Sorry. Um, I

2:01:28think that there is a real opportunity

2:01:30for the education committee to overlap

2:01:33with the rules and governance because

2:01:35part of our focus is looking at the

2:01:36ordinances that the city planning

2:01:38commission has been um undertaking to

2:01:42increase density predominantly through

2:01:45accessory dwelling units in the urban

2:01:46core, but how that could be expanded to

2:01:49other areas to offer more affordable

2:01:52housing as well. So that might be

2:01:53something that we could partner with you

2:01:56um intercom committee.

2:01:58>> Yeah. Fantastic.

2:02:05>> Any other comments, questions at the

2:02:09moment about strategic plan committee

2:02:12goals through 2027? What do you think?

2:02:16>> I think that you all made this very easy

2:02:20and I'm super excited to have some

2:02:22concrete goals to look forward to

2:02:24through 2027. We will be um formally

2:02:29typing up this strategic plan and

2:02:31sending it out prior to the November

2:02:33meeting. So that way in November we

2:02:35actually vote on the formal strategic

2:02:37plan, but we all have our our micro

2:02:40goals um to have something concrete to

2:02:43work on to bring back to the table in

2:02:46November. And I'm just really excited.

2:02:48Thank you all for making those

2:02:49commitments and brainstorming how we can

2:02:53really put our

2:02:55power to positive use the way we've got

2:02:58it. So thank yeah, I'm excited.

2:03:01Um, okay. So, closing

2:03:04strategic planning. I think this was

2:03:06incredibly productive. I thank you all

2:03:08for your ideas and thoughts and

2:03:11engagement. I'm going to turn it over to

2:03:14Emma for the compliance officer's

2:03:15report.

2:03:17>> Yes. Uh, this should be pretty quick.

2:03:20Our last meeting was in March. Uh, since

2:03:23then we've had 79 complaints submitted.

2:03:26uh none of them have been

2:03:30eligible. Um so again, we can get into

2:03:34the data a little bit more. Uh just as a

2:03:37snapshot though, almost all of them are

2:03:39outside of our jurisdiction. So I'm

2:03:40really serving as a referral um partner,

2:03:42which is great and I'm happy to do that.

2:03:44Uh I feel like when people reach out to

2:03:46the city, we want to take a no wrong

2:03:48door approach and if we're not the right

2:03:49avenue, we want to direct them as

2:03:51quickly and kindly to the appropriate

2:03:53group as possible. Um that's something

2:03:55that's been happening for years now. I

2:03:58mean really since the commission was

2:03:59formed. And so um yeah that that's I

2:04:04think largely the function we're

2:04:05serving. Um the other update is on the

2:04:08plat amendment project. So um back in

2:04:12June council approved uh the first batch

2:04:15of plats to ever go through this

2:04:17process. So we went to the historic

2:04:19preservation commission, then the

2:04:20planning commission, then city council,

2:04:22and then they were filed with the county

2:04:24clerk. So um this whole past year has

2:04:27been twofold. One, reviewing plats to

2:04:29identify the ones with discriminatory

2:04:31language, but then two, trying to figure

2:04:32out the process by which we would

2:04:34actually go through the amendment

2:04:35process because there are a lot of

2:04:36moving pieces. Um so actually our second

2:04:40batch um is coming before the planning

2:04:42commission tomorrow.

2:04:44um mail has already been sent out to

2:04:46residents. Uh it'll go to planning

2:04:49commission and then we'll get it on the

2:04:51council agenda. Um assuming or if they

2:04:53approve it. Um the other update though

2:04:57is that uh this last legislative session

2:05:00there was an amendment to the initial

2:05:02law that was passed that changes a

2:05:04little bit um the process that we have

2:05:07to go through. So, um, me and some

2:05:11municipal counselors and the mayor met

2:05:12about this because it's like slightly

2:05:14more burdensome on us, uh, to get these

2:05:18through. Like for example, we were able

2:05:21to pass them via resolution and now we

2:05:23have to pass them via ordinance and an

2:05:25ordinance has to be like introduced at

2:05:27one council meeting and then passed at

2:05:29another. So, you can't just do it in one

2:05:30swing, for example. So, there are just

2:05:32some complications. Um, we I did send I

2:05:35filled out a form um that the city

2:05:39shared I think with our lobbyists just

2:05:40about like proposed amendments if we

2:05:42want to like bring a uh change to the

2:05:45legislature um or like advocate for some

2:05:49change. So, I did mention this um and

2:05:52say that it would probably cause like an

2:05:54unnecessary or in our opinion

2:05:56unnecessary administrative burden um on

2:05:58the city to continue to do this project.

2:06:00I'll keep you all posted if the city

2:06:03chooses to take this up and if there's

2:06:05any traction there. So, um we're

2:06:08continuing to work uh on trying to

2:06:11figure out what the new process will be

2:06:13when that amendment goes into effect in

2:06:15November. Um otherwise, we still have

2:06:18William who some of y'all met. Um he's a

2:06:21graduate student at OU. He's been

2:06:24amazing. Um and so uh still sort of

2:06:27working very closely with him and some

2:06:29volunteers who are contributing to this

2:06:32project. So it is moving forward. It is

2:06:34just slow. We've done an initial review

2:06:36on all of the Oklahoma County plat.

2:06:38Obviously Oklahoma City and Oklahoma

2:06:40County are not the same, but they're our

2:06:42largest overlap. So now we need to

2:06:44review some of the ones that are in

2:06:45Oklahoma City and our surrounding

2:06:47counties. So like Canadian and

2:06:49Cleveland. Um those will be a much

2:06:51smaller um overall total of plots. that

2:06:54we need to review. But um even like

2:06:57figuring out exactly which plat fall

2:07:00within city boundaries in other counties

2:07:02can be a little confusing as things sort

2:07:04of boundaries change. Um so yeah, that's

2:07:08that's the update. I don't know if yall

2:07:09have any questions. We're just like

2:07:10chugging along.

2:07:11>> If I could say something. Um Emma, you

2:07:14you did have two people that did qualify

2:07:17and that went kind of to the last but

2:07:19they decided not to continue. I just

2:07:21want to give you that credit cuz you

2:07:22worked really hard on that. So, you did

2:07:24have that happen.

2:07:24>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Sorry, I've lost track

2:07:26of time. There was one complaint that

2:07:28Jonathan and I did think was valid and

2:07:32the individual did submit a sworn form.

2:07:35We uh like worked with the respondent.

2:07:39Um and we offered mediation. Um neither

2:07:42of them were interested in continuing,

2:07:45but yeah, I guess that's like the close

2:07:47that's the furthest anyone has ever

2:07:48gotten in the process. And um again, we

2:07:51didn't provide mediation, but um we did

2:07:53sort of like issue our findings on the

2:07:55complaint. So, yes, thanks for reminding

2:07:57me of that.

2:07:59That's all I got.

2:08:02Thank you. Any other questions or

2:08:04comments for Emma?

2:08:07Okay. Uh next is chair's report. I'm

2:08:11brand new, so I have zero report other

2:08:13than I'm happy to be here.

2:08:15>> You've been doing a lot of work.

2:08:16[laughter] Thank you.

2:08:19Um, and then opening it up to remarks

2:08:22and announcements. Any

2:08:25comments from the public?

2:08:29[laughter]

2:08:30>> Seeing none, uh, we'll move on. Any

2:08:34remarks or announcements from any

2:08:36commissioners?

2:08:38>> Please let your wife know that it was

2:08:39okay. She She felt bad that every time

2:08:41she was making noise, it was like, "It's

2:08:43okay.

2:08:44>> That's your personality."

2:08:47like we're sorry we're they're making

2:08:49the not you

2:08:53>> okay no other comments announcements

2:08:57uh city staff announcements comments

2:09:01I'll just quickly say uh next meeting

2:09:04I've already put this on uh Jonathan and

2:09:06Amy's radar we will have to vote to

2:09:09approve the meeting dates times and

2:09:11location for all of our 2027 meetings

2:09:14that has to be submitted to the county

2:09:16clerk by December 15th. Uh in the past,

2:09:20I've basically [clears throat] sent a

2:09:22couple of options for meetings like at

2:09:24different times. Obviously, I know

2:09:26schedules can be complicated and so

2:09:28after work is convenient and

2:09:30inconvenient, lunchtime and morning

2:09:32convenient and inconvenient. So, um just

2:09:34be on the lookout because I want

2:09:36everyone to have input into that, but we

2:09:38have to vote on that uh at the next

2:09:40meeting to make sure that we can get

2:09:42that submitted in time. So, um, again,

2:09:45just in between, keep an eye out for,

2:09:48uh, like emails from both me and Amy.

2:09:53>> Thank you.

2:09:56>> Seeing no other remarks or

2:09:58announcements, we can adjourn our our

2:10:02meeting.

2:10:02>> Do a motion.

2:10:03>> Oh, we have Okay. Yes. Thank you. I have

2:10:06my trustee attorney here. Um, I would

2:10:08like to entertain a motion to adjourn

2:10:11our meeting.

2:10:12>> So moved. Any second?

2:10:14>> Oh, actually I'm sorry. Any discussion?

2:10:18[laughter]

2:10:19>> Second.

2:10:20>> If there is discussion, he has to stay

2:10:22by himself. No, I'm kidding. I'm

2:10:24kidding. Ra.

2:10:26>> All those in favor?

2:10:28>> Any opposed? Hearing? None. The meeting

2:10:31is adjourned. Thank you all for being

2:10:33here.