Tuesday, January 18, 2000
Human Relations Commission opposes change in focus
Councilman wants community, police relations to be goal
BY ROBERT ANGLEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Members of Cincinnati's key race-relations group will oppose an attempt today to turn the group into a go between for police and citizens.
Councilman Charlie Winburn said the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission needs to change its focus and make police and community relations its top priority.
“This organization is very much ineffective,” said Mr. Winburn, who will propose specific changes today at the council's Law and Public Safety Committee meeting. “They should not continue to waste taxpayers' dollars without getting tangible results.”
But commission members said they already intervene when police and citizens clash, and contend that changing the group's focus will only do a disservice to the community.
“All we do is dodge rocks,” said Commissioner Simon Talamantes. “They keep throwing rocks at us. ... Why don't they tell us what it is they want done that we haven't.Where is it that we have failed?”
He said the nonprofit group has been disabled by City Council, which has limited its funding and refused to pay for an executive director for more than a year.
“They are leaving us in a vacuum,” Mr. Talamantes said. “What organization is going to fill it?”
Mr. Winburn said the commission can fill an even bigger vacuum by concentrating on police-community relations.
“Police community relations have deteriorated,” Mr. Winburn said. “Citizens distrust the police.”
Mr. Winburn pointed to a $10,000 study released last week that criticized the commission as ineffective — and unknown to the segment of the community that needs it most. He said the change would help the organization as much as it would the community.
“This is not a group that would have oversight over the police,” Mr. Winburn said. “We don't need one more group to do that.”
Instead, he said the group would focus on repairing police relations in the community.
“That is what it was originally intended to do,” he said.
Founded in 1943 as the Mayor's Friendly Relations Committee, the commission's original mission was to study problems connected with the promotion of tolerance and harmony. In 1965, following nationwide race riots, the commission was renamed and charged with investigating reli gious, racial and ethnic relationships.
“Any time someone gets shot or burns a cross in somebody's yard, we're in favor again,” said Commission Chairman Ernest Waits. “It's much easier to tear down than it is to build up.”
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