December 5, 2007 NPFH Committee Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 10:45 am. Members present included PHS student Luke Hadley, Chief Warren Tobias, Chair Sgt Carrie Lopes, Co-Chair Cathy Reno-Brouillet, Myriam Zuber ADL NPFH Program Director.

The minutes from the Nov. 7 meeting were briefly reviewed. Corrections made. Lopes will email corrected version to all committee members for review for next meeting.

The Chief and Sgt. Lopes updated the committee on the status of police training. They met with Robert and Amanda from the ADL who specialize in providing law enforcement training on hate crimes and related issues. The Provincetown and Truro departments will train the last week in February and in May the summer officers will attend the same training. This training will count as one of the three required projects for NPFH certification.

The committee discussed the community forum and set a target date for late April. We

Would like to develop a foreign worker component for the forum. Brenda Haywood was volunteered in absentia to work on this component. In general, the committee wants to work more with the ADL survey and see what issues are identified before the next meeting when we will start to build the forum. Discussion followed on either having the co-chairs facilitate the forum or whether to have an independent facilitator should do it. Committee decided on an independent person like Kim who has done a great job in the past. Also, Lopes and the Chief to coordinate the District Attorney and Attorney General offices participation. The forum will be the second project for certification.

The survey will be available on the town web site and can be downloaded. Surveys to be returned to Sgt. Lopes at the police station. Lopes to coordinate with Myriam Zuber once the surveys start coming in. The reporters in attendance were given copies of the survey and the proclamation.

The committee also discussed student participation with the survey and the forum. We decided to set up a program with the school to write a cover letter from the committee and send surveys home to parents. We also talked about having the Civil Rights officer go into the schools to do presentations on issues like bullying, resources if a victim or witness to hate violence or language, how to address the heckling that goes on at sporting events. Luke Hadley reports it is not happening as much as it used to but the assumptions are still there that if you go to Provincetown High you’re gay. We will invite the school superintendent, principal and the guidance counselors to the next meeting to develop this program further. This will be our third project for certification.

Our next meeting is set for Thursday January 24, 2008 at 10:00 am at the Judge Welsh Hearing Room at Town Hall. Meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.

Sgt. Carrie Lopes, Chair