The City of Duluth-hosted forums are held.
While city staff explained that the data from the forums would be shared with city councilors, no information was given about how the information would be collected for analysis or how it would inform decision making.
Even when asked by community members at the forums, the City could not explain the process by which the collected information would be analyzed and used going forward. At the Denfeld forum, uniformed officers were present, even after community members asked at the October 8th meeting that they not be in uniform, and Hamre had promised to send the message to officers not to show up in uniform.
IMPACT: The lack of clarity at the public forums impacted the community’s confidence in the process. Additionally, the presence of uniformed police can be a triggering experience for folks with a traumatic past with the police. The uniformed officers that attended the forums and approached all tables of people writing out their responses, meant folks experiencing trauma were unlikely to fully and comfortably participate in the forums, limiting their participation.
Also on this day, members of PRISM and the Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights attended the Human Rights Commission meeting on October 10th and asked if the Commission would make a statement regarding riot gear. The Commission was unwilling to make a statement without having more time to understand the issue and gather information. They felt rushed and wanted to delay making a statement until their next meeting.
IMPACT: The lack of public process and engagement from the City of Duluth meant that other citizen-run entities with a vested interest in the purchase of riot gear were unable to vote on and bring forward a statement.
Photo Credit: file/Duluth News Tribune
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