http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/committeem_5159.mp3
For several months now, Springfield residents who have called to make a complaint about discrimination have been forwarded to an office in Jefferson City. That’s been the case because the city isn’t providing enough funding to keep the Human Rights Commission active. But, Springfield officials have decided to organize a committee to meet tomorrow evening to figure out how to fund the Human Rights Commission. KSMU’s Kristian Kriner reports.
Springfield’s Human Rights Commission has only one-thousand dollars, not nearly enough to allow it to operate.
The Human Rights Commission deals with discrimination issues such as civil rights violations, housing discriminations or gender discrimination.
Bob Hosmer is the senior planner for the city of Springfield.
He says stakeholders are going to be looking for a way to fund the commission.“The commission is going to be talking about a strategy with the limited funds we have right now; what is the best strategy with that in mind and where do we go? It’s not going to do away with the Human Rights Commission. We’re still going to have a commission, but it’s trying to find the best strategy under the limited funds we have available,” Hosmer said.
He says there will be three groups that will come up with plans to make the commission better.
Then, the three groups will come together and discuss all of the ideas.
Hosmer says the meeting is open to the public and there will be many human rights activists there to voice their opinions.
“We have people from the NAACP. We have people from the South Asian community and the Groupo Latino Americano. We have the multicultural coordinators from MSU. Just a whole host of different people that would be interested in this, but we’re looking for as many people as we possibly can to give us some ideas,” Hosmer said.
The meeting this week is the first of two meetings aimed at finding funding for the commission.
The meeting will be September 15th from 6-8 pm in the Busch Building, room L-45.
For KSMU News, I’m Kristian Kriner.