To: Charlottesville City Council, Mayor Huja, Councilor Dave Norris, Councilor Kristin Szakos, and Councilor Dede Smith
Human Rights Enforcement Now
We the undersigned demand that Charlottesville City Council include in its Human Rights Commission enabling ordinance language from the Virginia Human Rights Act related to enforcement and enact an ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing, real estate transactions, employment, public accommodations, credit and education on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, marital status or disability, and sexual preference and sexual identity. Charlottesville City Council should enact an ordinance establishing a local commission on human rights which shall have the following powers and duties:
1. To promote policies to ensure that all persons be afforded equal
opportunity;
2. To serve as an agency for receiving, investigating, holding hearings,processing and assisting in the voluntary resolution of complaints regarding,discriminatory practices occurring within the City; and
3. With the approval of the City attorney, to seek, through appropriate enforcement authorities, prevention of or relief from a violation of any ordinance prohibiting discrimination and to exercise such other powers and duties as provided in this article. However, the commission shall have no power itself to issue subpoenas, award damages or grant injunctive relief.
4. Adequately fund and staff the Charlottesville Human Rights Commission rather than merely refer these complaints to agencies external to the City of Charlottesville.
1. To promote policies to ensure that all persons be afforded equal
opportunity;
2. To serve as an agency for receiving, investigating, holding hearings,processing and assisting in the voluntary resolution of complaints regarding,discriminatory practices occurring within the City; and
3. With the approval of the City attorney, to seek, through appropriate enforcement authorities, prevention of or relief from a violation of any ordinance prohibiting discrimination and to exercise such other powers and duties as provided in this article. However, the commission shall have no power itself to issue subpoenas, award damages or grant injunctive relief.
4. Adequately fund and staff the Charlottesville Human Rights Commission rather than merely refer these complaints to agencies external to the City of Charlottesville.
Why is this important?
The Charlottesville City Council is poised to water down the proposed Human Rights Commission by not including enforcement authority allowed by the Virginia Human Rights Act. They are currently drafting language for their next meeting February 19 at 7 pm that will essentially turn the proposed Human Rights Commission into a symbolic entity that will not include anti-discrimination protection allowed by the Virginia Human Rights Act for individuals subject to discrimination in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, and private education as allowed by Law. Influence the drafting of this ordinance now.