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4
EUGENE
LOCATIONS
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Oct 31, 2003
RIGHTS
continued from page 4C
are trained by the program, are case
managers working on problems with
discrimination in housing, employ
ment or public accommodation.
"We'll help to resolve the issue
through mediation, administrative
action or legal action," Rikhoff said.
The program also works in collabora
tion with the Lane County Human
Rights Advisory Committee.
Its roles include advising city gov
ernment on different policies and
training employees to be sensitive to
situations affected by race, gender, re
ligion, disability, sexual orientation
and age. The program also provides
community education through work
shops and cultural events and re
sponds to reported discrimination
and harassment.
"The most serious crimes are hate
crimes and acts of hate," Rikhoff said.
"In Eugene many of those take the
form of assault, intimidation or ha
rassment." He added that many at
tacks are based on race, sexual orien
tation and religion, predominantly
anti-Semitic activity.
Recently tne program nas been
dealing with the Aryan Nation, which
distributed literature claiming the su
periority of the white race.
"It's all First Amendment-protect
ed speech, but it's hurtful; it's very
scary when you find it on your door
step or your windscreen, and we'll
help the community respond to
that," Rikhoffsaid.
One of the city's most prominent,
ongoing programs is the Human
Rights Support System.
"It's a system that makes a differ
ence in people's lives literally on a
daily basis," Rikhoff said.
People who feel they have been
discriminated against may call and
the program will assign an advocate
to investigate the case, offering both
technical and emotional support.
Clients are then given different op
tions on how they could deal with a
particular situation, according to
FIRSS program specialist Francisca
Leyva-Johnson.
"We don't fix the problem," Leyva
Johnson said. "Our goal is to empow
er folks to make decisions for them
selves." At times, Leyva-Johnson said,
people simply want the accused to
validate that what the victim experi
enced should not have happened.
The program dealt with 129 cases
in 2002. A large percentage of the
complaints were against Eugene po
lice — 36 cases — followed by com
plaints related to employment — 17
cases. Bias because of race or ethnicity
drew the highest number of com
plaints, with 42 total cases in 2002.
"Discrimination should not be al
lowed, (nor should) unfair treatment,"
Leyva-Johnson said. "There needs to be
a place where you can report it (and)
where you can get assistance."
Other marks of the program's
work are evident. In 2001, the pro
gram organized Oregon's first Hate
Crimes Conference, which attracted
more than 600 participants, Rikhoff
said. Earlier this year, it pushed for
amendments in the city's human
rights ordinance to create a domes
tic partner registry, which allows un
married couples to officially docu
ment their relationship. Currently,
.the program is working to get a
ramp included in the construction
of the new Federal Courthouse to
make it more accessible.
Rikhoff said community police re
lations are another area of concentra
tion, adding that creating greater
communication and respect between
law enforcement, communities of
color and youth is a big challenge. I le
said the program was a key supporter
of a police study on racial profiling
released in August, adding that there
is reason for concern with some po
lice practices.
ine documentation snows mat
young men of color are often stopped
in greater numbers by percentage of
population, are held longer at the car
stop and are more often asked for con
sent to search," Rikhoff said. He said
many students have also complained
about youth profiling from the police
and local businesses. The program par
ticipates in pre-service and in-service
training for police officers.
Leyva-Johnson said making people
aware of the commission's presence
and benefits is also a big challenge.
She said some people may not realize
they have a channel for recourse or
may be reluctant to make complaints
against government agencies through
a city-funded office.
She said it is necessary to bring is
sues to the forefront, however.
"We wouldn't want our children to
carry the burden that we do,"
she said.
Human Rights Commission
Chairman James Dean agrees.
"It's a watchdog for our communi
ty to see that we are least attempting
to do better," he said.
The program plans to train new
volunteers on Nov. 1. For more infor
mation on the Human Rights Pro
gram, call 682-5177.
Contact the news editor
at ayishayahya@dailyemerald.com.
Sorority Recruitment
Fraternity Recruitment
October 3rd - 8th
Recruitment begins at
Splash Waterpark
Transportation provided,
meet Oct 3rd, 9pm, at
the Greek Life Office.
Be a part of the largest student group on campus.
1
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Friendship - Leadership
UNIVERSITY .
of Oregon Scholarship - Community Service
For info and to register go to: http://greeklife.uoregon.edu