Vadnais Heights group demands a human rights commission

Vadnais Heights teacher Heather Gustafson started calling on her city to create a human rights commission in spring 2020, after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd and a Vadnais Heights City Council member resigned following a confrontation over social media posts that disparaged Muslims and LGBTQ people.

More than a year later, Gustafson is still at the helm of a grassroots group of neighbors called Vadnais Heights for Change, demanding the Ramsey County suburb of 13,600 form a commission to address these types of issues head-on. While the mayor says city officials want to make sure any new commission has a clear purpose and is wanted by the community, Gustafson accuses local leaders of dragging their feet.

"What is the downside to having a human rights commission?" Gustafson said. "Racial justice isn't just a big city thing. A lot of these problems are in the suburbs where it's under the surface but it can cause just as much damage."

Mayor Heidi Gunderson said the council agreed in July to add the potential creation of a human rights commission to a future council workshop agenda — the first step in the process.

"Vadnais Heights is a small community and we have a lean staff and budget," Gunderson said in a written statement. "It is my hope that we can partner with community members to craft a plan that is well tailored to our demographics and resources to ensure that all people feel welcome and included in our community."

About 40 cities in Minnesota have human rights commissions, some of which date back decades, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. While the state human rights department is charged with enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act, local commissions established by city charter or ordinance promote equity and inclusion and advise their city councils.

What these community commissions actually do can vary widely and, at times, be a point of debate.

The commission has found other ways to be effective, said Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig. Commissioners do research and community outreach and advise the City Council on issues including cultural competency and racial equity goals.

In 2020, the commission helped draft a statement in which the city acknowledged its location "on the homelands of the Wahpekute and other Bands of the Dakota Nation," as well as ongoing injustices, and it committed to acts of healing and honest storytelling.

"I think we have a very active and vibrant group right now," Martig said.

Along with community building and violence prevention work, Brooklyn Park's Human Rights Commission has been focused on police reform and racial justice efforts, said Assistant City Manager Wokie C. Freeman-Gbogba.

The commission is partnering with the Police Department's Multicultural Advisory Committee to develop a plan for possible police reforms. It also pressed the city to hire Wilder Research in December 2020 to uncover the root causes of violence in Brooklyn Park, evaluate the Police Department and make recommendations to improve community safety.

A human rights commission could jump-start discussions about race and equity and reveal issues in the Vadnais Heights community, Gustafson said. Vadnais Heights is nearly 80% white, 8% Asian, 7% Black and 3% Hispanic.

Gustafson said she started lobbying for a human rights commission in spring 2020. George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on May 25, igniting a new civil rights movement across the country. That same week, Vadnais Heights City Council Member Craig Johnson abruptly resigned after an anonymous person publicly confronted him about dozens of inflammatory social media posts.

Gunderson, the mayor, swiftly denounced Johnson's comments, saying this "rhetoric is not acceptable for any representative of this city."

Gustafson said she was invited to speak at a council workshop in summer 2020, but it was canceled. The City Council did form a community engagement committee, which Gustafson joined, but she said it felt like a way of sidestepping demands for a human rights commission.

Her group endorsed two council candidates who were elected last fall. But they still need one more ally on the five-member council.

Gustafson said she is frustrated they city still hasn't put the item on the agenda for a future meeting.

But Gunderson said the council is listening and responding. After the engagement committee recommended the city invest in a community survey, the council hired a firm to conduct one this fall. A section of questions will be devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion. Vadnais Heights is also collaborating with neighboring White Bear Lake, local schools and other partners to host "Community Conversations on Race."

Council Member Steve Rogers, who was elected last year with a campaign focused on sustainability and human rights, said he is now trying to bring all sides together, listen to the community and come up with a framework for a human rights commission that is productive and long term.

"One of the goals of the City Council is to engage with residents. This is something the residents have come to us and said this is what they want," Rogers said. "This is a topic that is big. There is a lot information out there. People can get overwhelmed by it."

Rogers said he is listening to others' lived experiences.