The
Ann
Arbor
City
Council
met
Tuesday
night
and
discussed
anti-Israel
protests,
adding
youth
members
to
the
Environmental
Commission
and
how
best to proceed regarding
contamination
from
the
Gelman Dioxane plume.
During public comment,
multiple
community
members spoke regarding
the
Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, condemning U.S.
military aid to Israel. Anti-
Israel
protester
Henry
Herskovitz,
a
defendant
in a recent lawsuit over
a 16-year protest at an
Ann
Arbor
synagogue,
addressed comments from
a City Council meeting
earlier this month in which
Councilmember
Zachary
Ackerman,
D-Ward
3,
called him racist and anti-
Semitic.
Ackerman
explained
Herskovitz’s history of anti-
Israel
picketing
outside
the Jewish synagogue and
told attendees Herskovitz
denies the Holocaust at
meetings. Councilmember
Julie Grand, D-Ward 3,
supported Ackerman and
criticized
Herskovitz’s
behavior
during
such
protests. Councilmembers
were interrupted multiple
times by outbursts from
a
community
member
shouting in protest about
Israeli violence in Palestine.
Councilmember
Ali
Ramlawi,
D-Ward
5,
responded
with
a
call
to
order,
expressing
frustration over the time
spent personally addressing
Herskovitz
rather
than
focusing on the issues on
the agenda.
“I am Palestinian, and I
have not made it this forum
to
express
my
political
beliefs and my personal
positions, and I think this
body should be held to
a higher level where we
should be able to take a tax
and move on and discuss
the business that this city
has elected us to discuss,”
Ramlawi said. “I have my
personal positions, and to
this point, I’ve kept them
to myself, and I wish others
would do so, so we could
get on to the work of the
people. This body should
not be attacking members
in the audience, and I
find that a very troubling
direction that we’re going
in.”
Ackerman
and
Grand
responded
that
it
was
necessary for leaders to call
out hate in the community.
As
councilmembers
continued to discuss this
topic,
Councilmembers
Kathy Griswold, D-Ward
2, Jeff Hayner, D-Ward 1
and Ramlawi temporarily
retreated to the council
workroom until the Council
returned to issues on the
agenda.
Mayor
Christopher
Taylor said he believes the
protests at the Ann Arbor
synagogue are relevant to
the community.
“I
believe
that
the
ongoing protests at temple
are a local issue; they are
a local issue because they
impact
deeply
members
of the community on a
consistent
basis,”
Taylor
said.
“I
believe
those
protests are improper, I
believe
that
protests
at
a house of worship are
inconsistent
with
the
values of Ann Arbor, and I
believe they should end.”
The
Council
later
considered implementation
of a resolution that had
passed in June to add two
youth voting members to
the 13-member board of
the city’s Environmental
Commission.
Though
youth was initially defined
as those aged 14 to 25,
Councilmember
Jack
Eaton, D-Ward 4, proposed
an amendment to change
the age range to 16 to 25,
believing that 16-year-olds
would be better equipped
to participate in policy-
making.
Grand
contended
that
some leaders of the climate
change protest are as young
as 14 or 15 and should be
allowed to apply, as they
will
only
be
appointed
to a position if they are
adequately qualified.
The
majority
of
councilmembers, however,
believed it would be in
the best interest of all to
restrict the age minimum
to
16.
Councilmember
Jane
Lumm,
I-Ward
2,
highlighted the importance
of ensuring the experience
is as beneficial as possible
to youth members.
“It’s all about making this
experience beneficial and
positive, onboarding young
people, orienting them in
the appropriate way so that
it’s a good experience, and
they build confidence as a
result of this experience
and their leadership skills
and competency,” Lumm
said. “So, I’d like to see us
do this in a more, sort of,
thoughtful, planned way,
not just lower the age and
add these folks.”
The
amendment
to
change the age to 16 passed.
The
Council
also
discussed
whether
to
postpone
voting
on
a
resolution to support the
Environmental Protection
Agency listing the site of the
Gelman Plume, the spread
of dioxane in groundwater
contaminating
drinking
water, as a “Superfund”
site, which would begin a
long-term cleanup by the
EPA.
Councilmembers
Hayner and Nelson opposed
the postponement, urging
immediate action.
However, other members
believed it more important
to
deliberate
carefully
before
taking
action.
Taylor
emphasized
the
importance of consulting
with
the
public
before
moving forward.
“I believe it is wise that we
have the consent judgment
in hand before we make the
decision,” Taylor said. “I
think further, it’s wise that
we have an opportunity
to distribute the consent
judgment to the public for
their feedback before we
make any decision.”
The vote was postponed
until the Council meeting
on February 3.
During communications
from the city administrator,
Lori
Roddy,
Executive
Director of Neutral Zone,
a
youth-driven
teen
center, spoke about the
benefits of the program’s
partnership with the city.
Neutral Zone was awarded
a
$10,000
grant
from
the city in May to create
the
Capacity
Building
for Job Corps Program,
which provides mentors,
tuition
scholarships
and
employment opportunities
to underprivileged youth.
Roddy was joined by two
participants of the program
who spoke to their positive
experiences in the program.
“You have really created a
space where, two years ago,
honestly, I’m not sure many
of our Black youth felt like
they belonged in this city,
and you’ve really created a
warm, supportive, inviting
space where they have a
platform to be successful,”
Roddy said.
FE ATU RE
2A — Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
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ANGELINA LITTLE
Daily Staff Reporter
Members discuss how to deal with drinking water contamination from Gelman Dioxane plume
City Council talks anti-Israel protests,
board of environmental commission
Jan. 22, 1970: New Human Rights Commission:
Stronger code draws mixed response from community
Community leaders have given
a mixed response to Ann Arbor’s
new
human
rights
ordinance
which imposes stronger penalties
against discrimination.
While Mayor Robert Harris
considers the ordinance “probably
the
best
anti-discrimination
code in the country,” others are
concerned that the new Human
Rights
Commission
does
not
have broad enough powers to
adequately
probe
community
tension.
The
ordinance,
enacted
by
City Council Monday, abolishes
the present Human Relations
Commission and, along with the
new commission, creates a hearing
panel of human rights examiners.
The examiners are empowered to
issue cease and resist orders in
cases of discrimination.
If the examiners decide a
discriminatory
practice
was
committed,
a
newly-created
Department of Human Rights
can petition Washtenaw County
Circuit Court to order the person
to pay a fine of $1000 per violation.
The department, responsible
to the city administrator, handles
investigations of discrimination
charges and can request and can
request the subpoena of records
and witness, enforced by the
Circuit Court.
The Human Rights Commission
will oversee the city government’s
efforts to eliminate discrimination
and ease tensions within the
various departments of the city.
Harris, who drafted much of
the ordinance, is pleased with the
scope of the penalties—especially
the fines—imposed on persons
found guilty of discrimination.
City
Administrator
Guy
Marcom and Ann Arbor NAACP
member Dr. Albert Wheeler of
the medical school agree. “The
ordinance spells out in much better
terms
the
anti-discrimination
laws,” says Larson.
Others are not so positive.
Mrs. Mildred Officer, a member
of the present HRC, fears that
the community may not have the
opportunity to voice its grievances
before the new Human Rights
Commission.
She is concerned will involve
itself
with
overseeing
city
departments instead if serving as
a forum for individual problems.
Commissioners
Theodore
St.
Antoine
and
Lloyd
Williams,
who are generally pleased with
the ordinance, also believe the
commission should extend its
authority to act as a center for
citizen’s complaints.
Commissioner
Paul
Wasson
sees few desirable elements in the
ordinance.
“The human rights department
should not be responsible for the
mayor and city administrator but
to all the people of all the sectors
of the community,” he says.
Outgoing HRC Director David
Cowley contends toe ordinance
places too much emphasis on
specific
discrimination
cases
and does not provide an adequate
structure for examining general
discriminatory practices.
Others believe the department
should be free from the city
administrator’s
jurisdiction.
They contend that, to operate
effectively,
the
department
must be autonomous and able to
undertake broad investigations of
discrimination and tensions in the
city.
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