Thread by @shayshinecastle

OK, first up is the public hearing / vote on the racial equity plan. Here's that story again: boulderbeat.news/2021/02/11/rac…

"This is another step in the city's journey" of the work we're doing on racial equity, says interim city manager Chris Meschuk.

Here's the city's presentation: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/Item_5A_-…

"Our planning team was intentional in bringing the plan for you to adoption in February, during Black History Month," says equity program manager Aimee Kane. "It's an opportunity for you to recommit to dismantling" historic, systemic "barriers" to equality.

"The plan is not perfect by any means," Kane says, "but it is a start."

First, Friend is reading a declaration for Black History Month

Weaver asking public hearing participants to be clear on whether or not they think council should adopt the racial equity plan.

20 speakers signed up for that.

Kane going over council's suggestion when they first heard the draft plan. You can read about that here: boulderbeat.news/2020/12/12/cou…

Per notes for THIS meeting, here's the full list of council feedback.
Further refine accountability of the plan
Include the raw numbers in census data if possible

"Increase acknowledgement of the contributions of Jane Brautigam, former City Manager and Tanya Ange, former Deputy City Manager, as they were instrumental in bringing this programming to the City of Boulder"

RE: that last one, Kane says they didn't do it, bc it felt wrong to give "more real estate" to "two white women," and she thinks Brautigam and Ange would agree with that decision.

Back to the list of feedback:
More thought and inclusion of immigrant population
Ensure a balance of qualitative and quantitative data
Strive to include stories behind the numbers
Informing community – potential road map or dashboard as follow-up items for accountability

Data disaggregation – unhoused populations – other things already underway that can be included in a set up paragraph before the logic model.
Data on boards & commission demographics; ensuring the instrument is applied
Concrete actions

Consideration of long-term goal of a creation of a cultural center
Focus on reframing and providing documentation for Land Use concerns on page 15 of the original memo packet in coordination with the Guiding Coalition

and....
Eventual Racial Equity as part of the Sustainability & Resilience Framework

Obviously my stories focused on Page 15 and the land use references, because that's really what dominated discussion the last time.

Kane calls it "that nasty page 15. That's where we spent the bulk of our conversation."

That section was roughly doubled in length, and includes more citations and examples of problematic land use and housing policies.

It's the result of a "robust" conversation from the working group, Kane says.

Ryan Hanschen, engagement specialist: "We heard over and over that this plan is only as good" as the accountability outcomes.

Wallach: "to what extent was community feedback funneled through the Be Heard Boulder site? Was that the major portion of feedback you got?"
No, Kane says. Most of it was from community partners.

She said earlier that the feedback was received over "years," because Boulder has been talking about racism since, like, forever. When I wrote my series in the Camera in 2018, one of my references was a series the Camera did in the 1990s.

Here's the public hearing speaker list: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/February_…

Katherine Farnan urges council to make budget and policy changes based on the racial equity plan.

"Boulder is not unique in its challenges. (It) has a wealth and ability to reallocate resources ... in order for us to become stronger. ... Barriers fall along color lines."

"Policy and budget. That's where racial inequity live. We can't change hearts and minds. We can change policy. ... Accepting the status quo ... that is also a decision, a choice."

Liz Marasco: "I did not see how this plan asks anyone to give up comfort and power .... It means money, and it means land."

"Giving up comfort and power doesn't mean that comfort and power disappear. It can get transferred."

Marasco is the first to ask specifically for reallocating police spending to the community.

Taylor Gair, an organizer with SURJ, says that recent requests to shift police funding were met with "fear" and a label of "radical" — a very common approach to slow progress.

"Public safety is what the whole program is about. ... Programs like CAHOOTS, STAR have shown that public safety can be provided better with less money and less racist outcomes than with policing."

More on STAR: denverite.com/2021/02/02/in-….

Cora Wiese Moore is the first to reference that Boulder is on stolen Arapahoe and Cheyenne land.

"Reviewing these policies needs to be a clear part of this plan," Wiese Moore says, in reference to the height limit, green belt, single-family zoning, etc. called out in the plan.

"We need to not only acknowledge the racist history of Boulder," but work quickly to address it.

RE: Those comments, the plan actually includes language that says undoing those policies isn't part of the plan. Likely to pacify council/the public.

"To be clear, this plan does not advocate for reversing past policy decisions. Rather, the challenge now is to ensure our policies reflect all community values, including environmental protection, quality of life and racial and soci-economic equity.”

Lauren Groth: "We can't dismantle racism with plans." We need resources. "City council has to be willing to make long-term investments to BIPOC communities."

Chelsea Castellano repeating that oft-referenced KKK leader quote about Boulder from the '90s, that it had done everything right to make Boulder inhospitable to non-white residents.

"I don't want to live in a community that the KKK looks to as a model."

I know I have a reference for that somewhere; sorry, though, I can't find it.

Ask and ye shall receive:

https://twitter.com/kejtia/status/1361868984660885507?s=20

Fairly certain there is a Boulder Weekly story about this.

Found it: web.archive.org/web/2013040412…

Apologies to the last two speakers; I missed your comments while I was hunting for those. Both were in support of the plan but asked for more action, from what I gathered.

Katie Dyer: Since moving to this city 8 years ago, I've seen some white ppl wake up to the need for change, some white ppl to continue to cling to inherited privilege, and many BIPOC people move away.

It makes me question whether or not I want to stay here, Dyer says.

"The current plan is not enough. .... There are hundreds of leaders in communities of color who have been doing racial justice work for decades. ... Fund their projects and let them lead."

Similar comments have been made about Boulder's "re-imagining" of the police dept, a two-year process that is starting now-ish. boulderbeat.news/2021/02/08/bou…

Denver has a community group working on this. A rep from that group spoke with me to say that Boulder should do the same. When a gov't leads, there are certain "guardrails" — things that just won't be considered.

That was Dr. Robert Davis, FYI.

Lane Taplin echoing those thoughts: There are leaders already doing this work, but they have lacked access and resources.

"Boulder has the ability and responsibility to go so much further" than just adopting this plan, Arien Gutierrez says.

Ralph Burns: The plan is more of a "broad-reaching goals" document. Also asks for non-police response to mental health crises. There are some programs already, but they're funded with short-term grants. Those should be permanent funding sources.

Robert McNown repping the United Nations Association of Boulder County, which I didn't even know existed.

Pretty sure the U.S. is one of the only countries not to adopt U.N. resolutions on fair housing. Or something similar... You guys know what I'm talking about?

Again, another link I know is somewhere but can't find.

Anyway, McNown says the city's goal of 10% BIPOC employees is not enough.

Laura Maguire: Our community has the resources needed to move toward true equity, but only if we have the courage to make difficult choices.

Mylene Vialard, not the first person to acknowledge home ownership privilege tonight.

I, too, have home ownership privilege, among many other privileges.

"We do have significant work to do," Vialard says. "The racial equity plan is a start, but it is far from enough. ... Once it passes, let's not pat ourselves on the back."

"Other cities are showing us the way. Let's not fall behind."

Mistakenly claims we are increasing police spending. While it IS now the biggest single source of spending, they did get their budget cut by ~4.8%. Still, compared to other dept, very small reduction. And no reduction in armed officers.

Lucas Schaffer: "By suggesting the city is not open to the necessity of policy reversal," the plan undermines itself. "We must accept that significant systemic changes ... will be necessary."

It's confusing to me that the plan would suggest the city will not advocate for reversing policies IF the plan itself reveals these to be driving inequity, Schaffer says.

That wraps the public hearing.
Young wants to make a motion... before discussion. Maybe there won't be any. Brockett seconds.

Young: "What the plan does not address is community members themselves. ... Let's talk a little bit about doing the work."

That means "actively taking part in ALL of these steps," Young says.

Young: "I hope that community members will do the work. ... It's really hard to acknowledge your own biases and even harder to address them."

Brockett: It's an important step, but there's much left to do. "It's definitely not sufficient." These are "part of a larger journey toward racial equity." We're fighting against "centuries" of racism.

We need to hold ourselves accountable, Brockett says. "I invite all our community members to hold us accountable. ... Let us know when things are going well and when things are falling short."

Swetlik, who is super interesting here because he is socially very progressive but a little more conservative on the housing side: "This is only the beginning. This is nowhere near the end of the journey."

"Please, if you came here tonight to speak" about the need for change in policing, "keep speaking about it. Keep coming out to show us the vision you want. ... It's going to take your input all along the way to make those changes."

Joseph: "Community members... you hold us to the fire." Thank you for that. "We all have to work on our blind spots."

"This is a progressive community," Joseph says, "and yet we're dealing with the same issues that communities who are less progressive are dealing with."

Friend: "I see our work tonight as more or less committing to an ideal," but one we'll have to follow up with work on "some of the tricky issues we face. That's where the rubber will meet the road."

Weaver: "Not everyone in our community is at the same place in this discussion. Everyone starts where they start and hopefully works toward better understanding. ... Let's look with humanity and grace on each other."

"And when we see people falling short ... let's try and bring them along."

No more discussion. We're voting now.

Well, they are voting.

Wallach: "Emphatically yes." Quite a turnaround from last time.

Everyone else, too, so that passes unanimously.

Not what I was expecting, but there you go.

@threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you.