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Minutes 03-12-03MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2003 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Ron Washam, Chairman Dan DeCarlo, Neighborhood Specialist Anne Centi Blanche Girtman Eddie Mitchell Jose Rodriguez Clifford Royael Howard Solomon Brenda Lee Williams Sara P. Dye, Alternate Jayne Kupperman, Alternate Absent Anna Marie Noe, Vice Chair I. Pledge of Allegiance Chairman Washam called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Ms. Girtman led members in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. II. Roll Call - Regular Members and Alternates The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared a quorum was present. III. Recognition of Visitors Chairman Washam introduced Vice Mayor Ferguson, Commissioner Weiland, former Commissioner Charlie Fisher and City Manager Kurt Bressner. IV. February 12, 2003 Minutes Approval Motion Ms. Girtman moved to accept the minutes. Motion seconded by Ms. Williams and unanimously carried. V. Agenda Approval Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 Chairman Washam requested to add as Item (c) under New Business "Community Caring Center of Boynton Beach, Inc." Motion Ms. Williams moved to approve the agenda, as amended. Motion seconded by Ms. Girtman and unanimously carried. VI. Correspondence and Announcements Ms. Centi spoke about the CRA workshop held on Saturday and noted that it was very well done and is a new beginning in the City. Ms. Girtman thanked the City for assisting with HeritageFest and stated that it was a success. Chairman Washam announced that the Boynton Beach Tigers defeated Ft. Myers and will be playing Jacksonville for the State Championship in Lakeland on Friday night. The City will be providing a bus and anyone that wants to go to the game should contact the Recreation Department at the Hester Center. Mr. Bressner announced that at the last City Commission meeting the City Commission formally adopted a military unit. This was a tradition that started during the Persian Gulf conflict in 1991 and at that time the City adopted the Delta Demons, 2nd Battalion of the 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), United States Army and will be doing the same again. Mr. Bressner distributed a handout to the members and noted that letters would be welcomed. Mr. Bressner will have more information at the next City Commission meeting. VII. Old Business PATCH Activities Update- HeritageFest Health Fair Mr. DeCarlo reported that PATCH had a tent at HeritageFest and it was very successful. Several vendors were present and a great deal of information was disbursed. PATCH now has a full and active board that meets on the third Wednesday of each month in Conference Room C at City Hall. One of PATCH's main activities is working with several churches in the Heart of Boynton area, and they are working on scheduling a wellness center for one Saturday each month that would be open to the community. Reverend Chaney has been very helpful in this regard. Chairman Washam requested that Mr. DeCarlo offer a brief history of the PATCH Program and how it came to fruition through the Community Relations Board. 2 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 Mr. DeCarlo noted that approximately three years ago the Community Relations Board worked with the Palm Beach County Health Care District and formed a PATCH committee in the City to represent that organization. The committee is now independent. PATCH has been working on various needs assessments and looking a various grant programs, as well as determining the best uses for the Wilson Center. One of PATCH's goals is to meet the health needs of the entire community. Mr. DeCarlo noted that many people are not receiving the assistance they are entitled to because they are unable to fill out the paperwork or have no transportation. They have also been focusing their efforts on the Haitian community as they have concerns regarding health and education. Mr. DeCarlo spoke about the services that have been offered by PATCH throughout the City. PATCH is well aware that there are many people in the community in need of health care, and they are trying to educate people on what is available and how to get help and maintain good health. Ms. Girtman pointed out that over the past 15 years they have been trying to get a health facility in the north end of the City to help the residents of that area, especially the elderly. VIII. New Business (a) Chief Gage (Boynton Beach Police Department)- Discuss Race Relationships between Boynton Beach Police Department and the Community Chairman Washam announced that Chief Gage requested to address the Board to present a report on race relations and how the Police Department is working with all City residents. The Board usually requests on an annual basis an update on how the Police Department is doing with the community; however, tonight Chief Gage was not asked to speak to the Board, but asked to address the Board on his own volition. Chairman Washam introduced Police Chief Marshall Gage, who thanked the Board for allowing him to speak. Chief Gage noted that he has always had open dialogue with the Board and has discussed openly the concerns of the Board and his Department. Chief Gage said he was present tonight to stand up for his Officers in the organization because there are very few people who do so. Even though several individuals receive commendation letters, the public very rarely knows this. Chief Gage noted that there are 137 Officers in the Police Department and next Monday there will be 138, which is the authorized strength. He pointed out that many Officers that have left the Department for better benefits and pay have Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 come back to the City for the quality of life. He personally interviews every individual before they are offered the position and takes personal responsibility for that individual. If an Officer makes a mistake, that Officer is expected to take personal responsibility for his own actions. If an Officer lies, he will be fired; five Officers have been fired for lying. Chief Gage pointed out that over one-third of the Officers that he has hired have at least two years of college and are encouraged to pursue further education. Chief Gage requested to speak tonight because he was concerned about headlines in the newspapers and rumors. He noted that although there are two reporters present tonight taking down notes, he cannot tell them what to put in the paper. He acknowledged that headlines sell papers. They can also destroy careers of good Officers who are doing a good job, but "step into something" and if it is presented wrong, it can hurt those Officers and their morale. Chief Gage said he was here tonight to speak about race relations. He noted that there have been stories in the newspapers recently saying that Boynton Beach has a problem with race relations. People are quick to make judgments without looking at the whole picture. He noted that the Internal Affairs Investigators do the investigations, but he takes complaints from anyone who walks in the door, as well as anonymous complaints. Chief Gage said that he recently had an Internal Affairs investigation that was 7" thick and when he sends a recommendation to the City Manager, the City Manager reads the entire file. He noted that there is an injustice when thousands of hours of work are summarized into one paragraph. This is an injustice to the Officers that did the investigation and an injustice to the agency, their credibility and reputation. The Agency's reputation is on the line at this time and there are two Internal Affairs investigations that will be coming out in the next few days. Chief Gage will announce the completion of the investigation and said he is prepared to live with the results. One of the investigations deals with the event that made the headlines recently, and he is not totally happy with the investigation because he did not receive everyone's cooperation, and this will be reflected in the report. Chief Gage noted that there were two articles regarding the incident under investigation reported in the newspapers without the benefit of the investigation being completed. He also pointed out that there was an editorial in the Palm Beach Post that asserted that one of the individuals arrested was racially motivated and there were comments in that editorial that discussed a 17-year old case. Chief Gage noted that he expects to be held accountable for his organization and what his Officers do and most of them are doing a professional job. The recent events are hurting the morale of his staff, as well as himself. He asked if things are that bad in Boynton Beach. If they are, they need to be worked on and should be of the highest priority. We need to get over this and move on. 4 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 In the last 12 months, the Police Department has received 38 complaints. Previous to that there were 52. He reported that the crime statistics in Zone 3 (I- 95 to the Intracoastal from Boynton Beach Boulevard to the Canal) have dropped two years in a few. However, crime statistics in the overall City have increased slightly. This shows that there has been a tremendous effort in Zone 3 to deal with the issues and there has been great progress in getting the drug dealers out of the City. Last week they started a sweep of 25 men who are drug dealers, who will now be getting out of the City. These same individuals have now been bringing in complaints; they know the system and how to hurt the Officers. He felt that some of the articles are playing it up and going too far and some of the articles have no business rehashing something that happened years ago that does not involve any of today's Officers. All they are doing is fueling the rumors and hurting the community. Chief Gage said that he has been with the Police Department over seven years and came to Boynton Beach because he saw talent in the Department. All allegations of racism are fully investigated. When the investigations are completed, everyone is invited to come into the Police Department to look at the file and to speak with the Officers and the investigators. If investigators find that an Officer did something wrong, it is their job to bring this out and hold them accountable. If their findings show that the Officers did nothing wrong, it is their job to clear that Officer's name. Chief Gage said he was present tonight because he needed a forum to express his feelings and to stand up for the Officers. If anyone has genuine concerns, he wants to hear them and will address them. Chief Gage concluded his talk and was available to answer any questions. Chairman Washam pointed out that the Community Relations Board is an advisory board that serves as a link between the public and the legislators. Chairman Washam noted that members on his Board take their responsibilities seriously and there are some members that have been on the Board for 30 years. This is an important issue and this is not the first time that this issue has come before the Board. This Board has always maintained an open line of communication with both the Police and Fire Departments. Board Member Comments: Mr. Mitchell said that he was glad when Chief Gage came to the City from North Miami Beach, which was a city similar to Boynton Beach. Mr. Mitchell noted that it has been a struggle within the Police Department for many years and at one time the Police Department only had .03% African Americans on the force. He noted that race relations in the City prior to Chief Gage were horrible, but since he came onboard, a great deal of the deficiencies have been corrected. He felt that Chief Gage has done a wonderful job. Mr. Mitchell was under the 5 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 assumption that a groat deal of what goes on within the Department does not always get to Chief Gage. Mr. Mitchell inquired if the senior Officers kept Chief Gage informed of the day-to-day activities that take place within the Department. He felt it was important for Chief Gage to know what is going on within the Department. Mr. Mitchell said that prior to Chief Gage coming to the City, the Police Department was full of rejects from other police departments. Also, Mr. Mitchell said that people have told him that they have gone to the Police Department and were not allowed to fill out a complaint form. Mr. Mitchell felt that a person should have the right to fill out a complaint form regardless of the situation. Chairman Washam suggested that Chief Gage save his answers until all the Board members have spoken. Mr. Solomon said that he has lived in Boynton Beach since 1991 when some of the things talked about were taking place. Mr. Solomon praised the neighborhood policing concept that has been instituted in the City. He was also pleased that the Police Department would have a full complement beginning next week. The Citizen's Police Academy offered by the Police Department is very popular and noted that there was a recent article in the Wall Street Journal regarding the COP Patrols. Ms. Centi complimented the Department on elevating the education level for its Officers, which benefits the City. She also hoped that Officers who furthered their education were compensated accordingly. Ms. Centi felt that Chief Gage was on the right track. Ms. Girtman said that she has worked with Chief Gage on many projects throughout the City. She noted that years ago there were a great deal of race relation problems in the City and prior to 1965 the situation in the City was horrible. Her philosophy has always been when she sees a child she does not see color and felt that people needed to think moro along these lines. Ms. Girtman said that Chief Gage has done a wonderful job to date and even though there have been misunderstandings in the schools and streets, this same thing is happening everywhere. Ms. Girtman said that she firmly supports Chief Gage and his efforts. Ms. Williams also agreed with the other members that when Chief Gage came into the City thero were a lot of problems and felt that since he came to the City the relationship between the citizens and the police staff has improved. Ms. Williams also inquired if the Officers that furthered their education received any tuition reimbursement. She felt that this would be an encouragement for them to continue their education. Ms. Williams also noted that the school system is having the same problems that are taking place in the City. Students are asserting racism as a reason for their lack of respect and poor behavior. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 Children need to obey the Police officers when they are given a direction; this will prevent a great many of today's problems. She also noted that parents need to teach their children to respect authority. Ms. Williams felt that Chief Gage was doing a good job and what she reads in the newspapers she takes with a grain of salt because she knows that what people say is usually misquoted. Mr. Royael said that it appears to him that Chief Gage is open and objective and that he is on the right track. Mr. Rodriquez thanked Chief Gage for meeting with the Board in a public forum. He felt that communication was very important and suggested that more public forums be scheduled. He had one area of concern regarding the newspapers being used as the sole source for information and asked if Chief Gage used any other mechanisms to stay in touch with his Department so that the newspaper was not controlling the Department's issues. Chairman Washam said that he saw real racism growing up as a child in Boynton Beach. He noted that the beach itself was segregated and young African/American men were arrested for crossing the beach boundary. He lived through school desegregation and he can remember when Police officers wore cowboy boots and hats when they patrolled the streets. He remembers when there used to be a curfew in the City, and he grew up knowing that he was going to change things. Chairman Washam pointed out that since Chief Gage has been in the City there have been vast improvements and the Police Department, along with the neighborhoods, have worked hard to make the City a better place. He credited this to Chief Gage's hiring policies. Chairman Washam commended Chief Gage and City Manager Bressner for doing a wonderful job. Mr. Mitchell announced that the Forum should be starting up again. He would like Chief Gage to speak with some of the ministers in the African/American community so that Chief Gage could come to the churches and speak with the people about what they are reading in the newspapers. Mr. Mitchell felt that this would be a great help in putting people at ease. Chief Gage's Response to Comments and Questions: Chief Gage responded that not everything gets to him due to the size of his staff. Everyone that leaves the organization gets an exit interview and he has gone out of the City to interview former employees to determine the real reason why they left the Department. He has the utmost confidence in his senior staff and they know the direction that he is going in. Chief Gage also said that the Police Department is open to everybody, but sometimes they miss things. 7 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 With regard to rejects, Chief Gage does not want anybody's rejects. He is hiring quality individuals that want to be here. Chief Gage acknowledged that there was a person who was not allowed to file a complaint; however, this has been corrected and he has filed a complaint. Better education is encouraged. A person who receives an A or B receives 100% tuition reimbursement. A person who gets a C receives 50% and if you receive a D or F, you receive nothing. As to reaching out to the community, a prior City Manager announced that there would be monthly meetings with all the neighborhood associations in the City and he informed the City Manager that the Police Department was already having monthly meetings with the neighborhood associations. There are over 70 neighborhood associations in the City and Zone Officers are mandated to attend meetings in their zones. He, along with senior staff, also attend zone meetings. All supervisors are required to attend two neighborhood meetings per month. Chief Gage stated that he did speak with some of the local ministers for assistance, and he will continue to do this. Chairman Washam thanked Chief Gage for attending the meeting. Chairman Washam pointed out that very few people knew Chief Gage would be at the meeting tonight until the agendas were given out. Board members are free to put any topic on the agenda by contracting Mr. DeCarlo's office. (c) Community Caring Center of Boynton Beach, Inc. (addressed out of order) Kathleen Brennan, 2308 Aspen Way, Boynton Beach, was present on behalf of the Community Caring Center. Ms. Brennan distributed an informational packet and gave a brief history of the organization. The CCC was formed in 1987 to provide a central location to offer emergency services, such as food, shelter and financial assistance to people in need in the Boynton Beach area. The CCC sponsors the Self-Help and Resource Exchange "SHARE" Program, which is a food distribution and community-building program. People can save money on their groceries by purchasing them through this bulk-buying program. Each food package is worth approximately $30, but the recipient only pays $15. In order to receive the discount the recipient has to give two hours of community service for each package, unless it is a gift package for a needy family. The program is operated in partnership with the City at the Ezell Hester Center one Saturday per month. The City provides the site for the distribution of the food and a truck and two City workers to pick up the food at the Goodwill complex on 45th Street. The CCC provides the volunteers to take the orders and 8 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 12, 2003 distribute the food. The CCC would like to expand the program, but needs a more suitable site. When the program first started at the Hester Center, it was held in the breezeway. Once the breezeway was enclosed, the SHARE site was relocated to the small outdoor pavilion near the basketball courts. The current site is open and exposed to the sun and the rain. It is also uncomfortable for the volunteers who are there for at least three hours. They also have no space to arrange and display the food because the picnic tables are chained together. Ms. Brennan also pointed out that it was a difficult site for the truck to maneuver due to the narrow entrance. The walkway to the pavilion is steep and it is difficult for the elderly and people who use walkers or canes to walk down the pavilion and then carry food back up. Ms. Brennan said that any assistance the City could provide would be appreciated. She felt that they could serve a lot more people if they had the right location or had several sites. Ms. Brennan suggested that if the City wished to pursue the request, they should contact Sherrie Johnson, the Executive Director of the Community Caring Center. City Manager Bressner pointed out that the Wilson Center would be the best location once it is ready in approximately 18 months. However, in the meantime he felt that the Senior Center could serve as the distribution site. Ms. Brennan said that they asked about two years ago if they could use the Senior Center, but were turned down. City Manager Bressner said that he would take care of this on behalf of the CCC. Ms. Brennan said that they would need the Senior Center for one Saturday per month from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and it is usually the last Saturday of the month. Sometimes it would be the third Saturday if it were before a holiday, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ms. Brennan said that she would furnish the schedule to City Manager Bressner. (b) Set Youth and Government Day Date (Thursday, April 17th or 24th date) After discussion, it was determined that Wednesday, April 23, 2003 would be the date for the Youth and Government Day. IX. Adjournment - Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 9, 2003 There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (March 17, 2003)