Richfield Human Rights Commission Minutes 11-4-2021Richfield Human Rights Commission
Meeting Minutes November 4, 2021
Members Present: Mara Gulbka, Tiffany Bighley, Michelle Thompson, Katherine Goodemote,
Tyler Olson, Walter Burk
City Council Member Mary Supple, Chief Deputy Mike Flaherty, Equity and Inclusion
Administrator Blanca Martinez-Gavina
1. Call to Order: 6:36 p.m.
2. Approval of Agenda: Tyler and Tiffany
3. Approval of Minutes: Tyler and Tiffany
4. Open Public Comments: None
5. Reports:
Chair: honor to serve but will not return as Chair.
Vice Chair: No report
Secretary: no report
City Council: Mary Supple: Encouraged commission members to seek out more
applicants for all city commissions.
School Board: No report
Public Safety Liaison: No report
6. New Business
a. Presentation about Smart911: gave presentation on Richfield Police use of Smart
911, which allows a user to create profile for LE/Fire Response to use when responding
to a 911 call. Also use of Vitals app, which gives user a beacon which will give Richfield
LE/ profile info given by user so that LE can more effectively respond to emergency.
b. Presentation about RPD’s Mental Health Response Practices: Spoke about extra
training Richfield LE receive about de-escalation training, mental health awareness,
autism awareness, crisis intervention training. COPE services available for Richfield LE,
in addition to a social worker embedded in LE force. Also spoke about how Richfield LE
is more diverse in POC and gender.
c. Presentation of the 2021 HRC Annual Report: Mara presented draft of annual
report. Minor edits suggested, but substance of draft maintained. Mara is presenting
annual report to City Council on November 23, 2021.
d. Review of Bylaws: amendments made to bylaws. To be presented to all
commission members by email and voted upon at next meeting.
7. Unfinished Business:
a. Census Presentation: tabled due to time constraints, Blanca will present at next
meeting.
b. Disabilities Identification Initiative update: tabled.
c. Legal Aid Clinic update: Walter is reaching out to Richfield law firms to see if
they will consider volunteering at a HRC yearly legal clinic. He will report on replies at
next meeting.
d. Further discussion about Blanca’s role with Commission: Blanca will continue as
advisor to commission and update commission on city’s efforts in furthering diversity
and inclusion. She will also provide guidance on connecting commission to diverse
populations in the city.
e. Request to have commission’s proclamations displayed in City Hall (Blanca) or
Richfield History Center (Kris): tabled for next month.
f. Review of 2021 workplan: brief review, focus on next year’s efforts.
8. Announcements/Open Forum
Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. at Richfield Government Center
Motion for adjournment: Tiffany/Tyler
Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 p.m.