HRC to focus on community and police relations

More than a year and a half after the Human Relations Commission was formed to examine police and community relations, they are beginning to do just that.

After focusing on bringing a public pool to Carbondale for the past year, the commission, which was created in 2001 after city police maced more than 80 black SIUC students at a block party, will discus ways to improve relations between police and community members tonight at the Civic Center.

Commission Chairman Sam Goldman said it is important to realize the commission focuses on initiating conversation in the community, and what arises afterwards is out of the commission's hands.

"We are not off track," Goldman said. "You have to understand what the HRC is trying to do. This is a grassroots effort by community committee . . . one of the issues that has emerged happens to be about a pool. It doesn't mean that has our been only focus, but it has been something people have been bringing to us."

Sarah Heyer, assistant coordinator of Study Circles, a program the HRC uses to implement community discussion, said the group's main goal is to just get people together and talking.

"HRC started because of one thing, but when it was put together it was given a much broader description," Heyer said. "The HRC doesn't control what comes out of Study Circles. So it just happened that a lot of people said 'Wow, a pool, that's really important.'

"And honestly, what better a way to get a bunch of people together who normally wouldn't get together? A pool could be one way of helping the community come together, sometimes there is more than one way to get to your goal."

Heyer said the media's unrelenting focus on the pool group has also taken away from other important developments, such as a neighborhood group, which has been working on rental and landlord issues.

The neighborhood group will present a proposed resolution to the HRC tonight, which would require landlords to include zoning information and fees or charges that may be assessed in addition to monthly rent on all leases.

"After the HRC examines it, they would pass it on to the city council for action," Heyer said. "It's a pretty big deal, and it is going to be interesting because some landlords aren't happy about it."