North Dakota Human Rights Coalition

Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights

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~NDHRC PAUR Report~

Visit our Website at www.ndhrc.org

May 27, 2003

Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources

Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!

In this week’s PAUR Report:

1)     Save the Date! NDHRC North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Fall Conference

2)     NDHRC Action Request to Governor Hoeven receives no response; The Forum (Fargo) Article, Hoeven names Webb to judgeship

3)     The Forum (Fargo) Article, Staff Analysis of 11 Major Issues that Crossed Legislators’ Desks in 2003

4)     Bismarck Tribune Article, Racism hurts victims and city, too

5)     (Reminder) Peace Rallies for the Near Future

6)     (Reminder) 2003 Four Bears Pow Wow, May 29-31, New Town, ND

7)     (Reminder) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies” (Various Locations in ND and MN)

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1.) Save the Date! NDHRC North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Fall Conference

NDHRC Fall Conference

Saturday, October 25, 2003

Fargo

Ideas & suggestions for topics are welcome, contact Andrea at andreadeegan@ndhrc.org

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2.) NDHRC Action Request to Governor Hoeven receives no response; The Forum (Fargo), Hoeven names Webb to judgeship

The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition encouraged Governor Hoeven to consider appointing a woman to this judicial post.  There are only 6 female judges in North Dakota, out of 42.  There were two women among the five finalists for the judicial vacancy.

The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition believes that the number of women, people of color and people with disabilities in state and local governments should reflect those numbers in the population of this state.  Their representation in government, including the judiciary, is necessary to provide the perspective of these populations in the branches of government, and for those who access our government to believe that those who make the decisions in our government understand the concerns of all residents of North Dakota.

Governor Hoeven did not respond to the NDHRC request.

Hoeven names Webb to judgeship
By Jeff Zent 
jzent@forumcomm.com
The Forum - 05/21/2003

There’s a black robe with Cass County prosecutor Wade Webb’s name on it.

Gov. John Hoeven announced Tuesday in Fargo that he has appointed Webb to the bench in the East Central Judicial District.

Hoeven said he chose Webb because the 33-year-old prosecutor is tough in the courtroom and understands the state’s growing drug problem.

“He’s established himself as a fair-minded, hard-working prosecutor who is tough on crime,” Hoeven said.

Webb, who will be the youngest of the state’s 42 district judges, took a large breath before addressing the media and a group of supporters during a press conference at the Ramada Plaza Suites.

<snip>

View full article here

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3.) The Forum (Fargo) Article, Staff Analysis of 11 Major Issues that Crossed Legislators’ Desks in 2003

The Forum staff did an analysis of 11 major issues that crossed legislators’ desks in 2003

By Janell Cole
and Lou Ziegler
Forum staff writers - 5/18/2003

<snip>

Human Rights

Both the House and Senate voted not to support attempts to create a North Dakota Human Rights Commission. Instead, legislators said the state Labor Department’s Human Rights Division, created in 2001 by the Legislature, should be given more time to show what it can do.

It isn’t doing enough, according to the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, which said the division’s phone number doesn’t appear in most telephone books around the state. The Saving North Dakota Roundtable panelists strongly supported a commission. The Fargo City Commission voted to back the idea.

Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, proposed that the governor appoint a seven-member panel to become something of an advisory board to the Human Rights Division.

That idea was shot down in a 29-16 vote.

Mathern later asked the House Judiciary Committee to amend a different bill to add a human rights commission. The committee voted 7-3 against it.

The votes:

- Senators in favor of the proposed human rights commission: Bercier; Christenson; Every; Fairfield; Heitkamp; Krauter; Lindaas; Mathern; Nelson; Nichols; O’Connell; Polovitz; Robinson; Seymour; Tallackson; Taylor

- Senators opposed to the proposed human rights commission: Andrist; Bowman; Brown; Christmann; Cook; Dever; Erbele; Espegard; Fischer; Flakoll; Freborg; Grindberg; Holmberg; Kilzer; Klein; Krebsbach; Kringstad; Lee, G.; Lee, J.; Lyson; Mutch; Nething; Schobinger; Stenehjem; Syverson; Thane; Tollefson; Urlacher; Wardner

Absent: Traynor; Trenbeath

- House Judiciary Committee members in favor: Delmore, Onstad, Kretschmar.

- Committee members against: DeKrey, Bernstein, Boehning, Grande, Kingsbury, Klemin, Wrangham.

Absent: Maragos, Galvin, Eckre.

- Sen. Stenehjem: “I think Bismarck and Fargo and major cities are doing a good job (setting up their own commissions). I think things are being handled in the court system and the Labor Department. I didn’t feel we needed another bureaucratic agency to deal with it.”

- Sen. O’Connell: “I don’t know why it gets to be a political issue.” Questions why that issue would fail on party lines. “Just do it.”

- Gov. Hoeven: Would have supported the legislation, although he notes the Human Rights Division at the Labor Department was created two years ago. “Let’s make sure we understand what the Human Rights Division is doing.”

Report card grade: F

Comment: The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, the Saving North Dakota Roundtable, and more than 40 organizations statewide said a commission of volunteer panelists would send a strong message that the state values diversity.

To many, the opposite occurred.

<snip>

View full article here

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4.) Bismarck Tribune Article, Racism hurts victims and city, too

Racism hurts victims and city, too
By FIA TIMALI, Bismarck

5-16-2003

Racism -- does it exist in Bismarck? Yes!

Earlier this year, as I was crossing an intersection, a white Bronco driven by a white male entered the intersection and nearly ran me over. Besides that, the driver put his head out the window and yelled, "Why don't you get off the road, you drunken Indian?" I was very shaken up by that, and forgot to get his license-plate number.

On May 12, I decided to walk to work, and as I was going to cross the street, an older white male driver in a black pickup honked his horn and kept on driving, nearly plowing me over. I hollered, and he stopped and gave me the "bird" before driving on. I was very scared when it looked like he was going to back up and finish his bad deed, so I didn't get his license plate, either.

Maybe that I am a person of color didn't help matters any, and gave this ignorant, stupid person the right to say I can't walk the streets. It's sad, because a lot of drivers aren't aware that pedestrians have rights.

I would've just thought of that incident as due to ignorance or stupidity, but after being yelled at and called racial slurs, it is racism. And, if Bismarck and North Dakota are to solve their problems of outmigration and the inability to attract new business, racist attitudes need to change.

Attitude is what's it's all about. Attitude about how one is going to live makes all the difference. Remember, word of mouth is the most successful way of advertising one's business. After the May 12 incident, I couldn't write a favorable report card of the area. Many attitudes in our job market, school system, service industry, law enforcement, housing and restaurants need to change.

My children and I have lived in Bismarck long enough to have been victims of racist attitudes. A lot of it happens in subtle ways, and then some things smack you right in the face.

Bismarck has been a great community to live in, and my children and I have benefited greatly from living here. But a lot of things that have happened to us, we have had to ignore. It's a great place, and could become greater as we overcome our negative attitudes.

View article here

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5.) (Reminder) Peace Rallies for the Near Future

The North Dakota Peace Coalition and the Red River Anti-War Coalition (RRAWC) sponsors pro-peace demonstrations in Fargo in front of the Federal Building (657 2nd Ave N) at noon.

The RRAWC has moved the rallies to once a month during the summer to accommodate vacation schedules and avoid diluting the rallies.  The rallies will respond to events as they unfold and will be on the first Saturday of the month.  The next rally will be on Saturday, June 7th at noon.

The RRAWC will continue to have weekly organizational meetings, which are expected to evolve into planning/strategy meetings in preparation for the monthly rallies for the fall and for the beginning of the political season.

The RRAWC meetings will move to Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm beginning May 14th.

More information is available at the Red River Anti-War Coalition's website: www.rrawc.org

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6.) (Reminder) 2003 Four Bears Pow Wow, May 29-31, New Town, ND

The pow wow will be hosted by the Three Affiliated Tribes at the Four Bears Casino & Lodge Event Center in New Town, ND.  For more information contact Paul Danks at (701) 627-4781 or email fourbearspowwow@mhanation.com.

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7.) (Reminder) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies”(Various Locations in ND and MN)

Sr. Yvonne Nelson has begun a Peace Studies program at the Sacred Heart Convent.  Lectures will take place at the Presentation Center through May 30.

View Schedule of lectures here.

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***Member Reminder***

Please keep us in mind for your group or church social action/social justice meetings! We’d be happy to provide a presentation at a meeting or provide newsletter articles for your organizations.

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