Oct. 27 Meeting Agenda and Oct. 20 Meeting Summary
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Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community. Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views and questions at council@townofcarrboro.org
Coming Up
The Town Council will meet virtually at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, to consider an agenda https://bit.ly/3ku785O that also will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/
To view, livestream at https://carrboro.legistar.com/ or Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro).
To speak at the meeting email publiccomment@townofcarrboro.org
Past Meeting
The Carrboro Town Council met virtually Tuesday, Oct. 20, and took the following actions.
Reports from Stormwater Utility, Fire Department, Police Department and Economic Development
The Council received several regularly issued reports.
Reparations Resolution Prepared by Mayor Lavelle and Council Member/Mayor Pro Tem Foushee
The Council unanimously passed the following resolution:
Resolution Supporting Reparations for Black Carrboro
WHEREAS, Black people have been unjustly enslaved, segregated and incarcerated; and
WHEREAS, Black people have been systematically excluded from historic and present private economic development, the awarding of government contracts, and other community investments and, therefore, Black-owned businesses have not received the benefits of these investments; and
WHEREAS, Black people have been denied housing and homeownership opportunities through zoning laws and other racist practices in the private real estate market, including redlining, steering, denial of mortgages, and gentrification leading to the displacement of residents in vibrant, historically Black neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Black people have been consistently impoverished by discriminatory wages and experience disproportionate unemployment rates and reduced job opportunities causing tremendous financial as well as psychological hardship; and
WHEREAS, Black people have been denied access to early childhood education and segregated from mainstream education, and have experienced unacceptably high K-12 discriminatory disciplinary practices and achievement gaps, and unacceptably low high school graduation and college matriculation rates; and
WHEREAS, Black people, in the past and the present, as made all the more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, receive inadequate and sometimes detrimental healthcare as can be seen in morbidity/mortality rates and life expectancies that result from the generational trauma of systemic racism and discriminatory treatment by medical professionals such as involuntary sterilization, denial of adequate testing and denial of preventative procedures; and
WHEREAS, Black people have been unjustly targeted by law enforcement and criminal justice procedures, leading to mass incarcerations; and
WHEREAS, Black people have for centuries been denied the right to vote through federal, state, and local voter suppression laws and other forms of voter intimidation; and
WHEREAS, industrial plants, highways, dumps, and municipal landfills have systematically been sited adjacent to Black communities, neighborhoods, and residences where they are exposed to environmental hazards that cause health disparities; and
WHEREAS, systemic racism was created centuries ago, will take time to dismantle, and this resolution is a first step in that process; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Carrboro affirms the dignity and humanity of each of our residents, and the right of every resident to be free from discrimination and harm caused by actions, speech, and attitudes due to their race; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Carrboro is committed to working to eliminate racial bias and racial disparity, build trust in government and other institutions, and create a more just and equitable world.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE TOWN OF CARRBORO:
1. Apologizes and makes amends for (what would later be named) Carrboro’s participation in and sanctioning of the Enslavement of Black People.
2. Apologizes and makes amends for its abominable history of unjustly empowering white supremacists and even naming its town after one, and enforcement of segregation and its accompanying discriminatory practices.
3. Seeks to establish, within a year, a Racial Equity Commission that will be empowered to make short, medium and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism, boosting economic mobility and opportunity, and creating generational wealth in the Black community.
4. Empowers the Commission to hold community conversations to educate the public on the mission of the commission and discuss implementation of the above recommendations.
5. Directs the Town Manager to give, at a minimum, a bi-annual update to the Town Council on the progress of work performed as it relates to this resolution.
6. Calls on the Truth Plaque Task Force to continue to uncover the truth and shine the light on centuries of institutional and systemic racism.
7. Supports and actively participates in the Government Alliance for Racial Equity, a national network to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all, and encourages town staff and Town Council to participate in racial equity training.
8. Calls on the state of North Carolina to begin policy making and enact a program to allocate funding for reparations to governments at the local level, healing some of the deepest wounds we face today and reaffirming our commitment to a more inclusive future.
9. Calls on the federal government to work toward the immediate enactment of the following policies and bills:
- A program to provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans sufficient to eliminate the racial wealth gap;
- A program to provide a universal basic income to all citizens sufficient to meet each person’s basic needs;
- A program to provide a guaranteed federal or federally-funded living-wage job to all citizens;
- An increase in the federal minimum wage to $15/hr. or higher, with regular increases to account for increases in cost of living and inflation;
- A program to provide universal health care;
- H.R. 40, a bill to establish a federal Commission to Study and Develop Reparations for African Americans.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town of Carrboro requests that the Town Clerk send copies of this resolution to N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, U.S. Rep. David Price, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, and U.S. Senator Richard Burr, and any new officials elected to these seats in the November 3, 2020 general election.
This is the 20th day of October, 2020.
A Discussion About Reparations
The Council continued the discussion about reparations in a work session with Anita Jones-McNair, Recreation Parks and Cultural Director and Race and Equity Officer.
View the complete agenda at https://bit.ly/2ISDGbG and access the meeting video at https://carrboro.legistar.com/
About the Town Council
The Town Council is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, consisting of seven elected members: Mayor Lydia Lavelle, Mayor Pro Tempore Barbara Foushee, Council Member Jacquelyn Gist, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Susan Romaine, Council Member Damon Seils, and Council Member Sammy Slade. More information is available at http://townofcarrboro.org/248/Town-Council
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