Civil rights commissions still fills need

There's been a lot of progress in civil rights in recent decades, but the city-run offices in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City that help fight discrimination remain important, officials say.

“It's kind of like a police department,” said Karl Cassell, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission. “I don't care how large or small the town is, people need to know that if something happens, (they) can go to a neutral agency.”

Staff in his office and its equivalent in Iowa City, the Human Rights Commission, investigate claims of discrimination and enforce their cities' civil rights ordinances.

Another component is community outreach and education, a role filled primarily by commissions made up of residents.

State law requires any city with at least 29,000 residents to have a civil rights agency.

Cedar Rapids' and Iowa City's were born out of the civil rights era, with each forming in 1963. That predates the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Stefanie Bowers, Iowa City's human rights coordinator, said a lot of strides have been made since then, but she believes there's still plenty of room for improvement in Iowa City.

“I'm not sure things are always as blatant as they have been in the past, but I think discrimination can be done in a very sophisticated manner,” she said.

In fiscal 2010, Iowa City received 52 complaints alleging discrimination. Of those, 28 involved employment and 13 housing. Race was cited in 19 of the complaints, followed by 14 for physical disability and 14 for mental disability. (Some complaints cite more than one basis for discrimination.)

Bowers' office resolved 30 cases last fiscal year, some of which were filed the previous year. Of those, investigators found no probable cause in 17 cases, and Iowa City lacked jurisdiction in another six.

In Cedar Rapids, 48 complaints were filed in calendar year 2010 - 28 in employment and 12 in housing. Race was a factor in 23 of the complaints and physical disability in 10.

The city resolved 61 cases, finding there was no probable cause in 51 of them.

The process in both cities is confidential, unless it proceeds to a public hearing before an administrative law judge, which is extremely rare. The Gazette was unable to speak with someone who has gone through the complaint process in either town.

Neither commission can enforce a penalty on a party it finds to have committed discrimination, but mediation and a resolution-seeking process known as conciliation can be undertaken. If it appears discrimination occurred, the respondent has an incentive to settle the matter, rather than have it go to a public hearing or be the subject of a lawsuit.

Bill Reagan said it's good for people who believe they have been discriminated against to have the outlet the complaint process provides. As president and CEO of the Arc of Southeast Iowa, which helps developmentally disabled people, including in Johnson County, he said that's especially true for people with intellectual disabilities who can't always speak up for their own rights.

“They need venues like the commission that can safeguard and protect their rights and give them a platform for a fair hearing,” Reagan said.

Dedric Doolin, president of the Cedar Rapids branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the Cedar Rapids commission is an important vehicle for people to have and said his organization has referred people there.

Hhe said a concern is that it can't investigate complaints against the city. Those are referred to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, but Doolin said he has heard from people who found the state process less than satisfactory. Iowa City does the same or asks another local agency to take the case.

Doolin also doesn't believe many residents are aware of the work the Cedar Rapids commission does.

“Your general layperson on the street doesn't know a lot about how to access them,” he said.

Cassell said he put a big focus on outreach when he started two years ago, and Doolin said Cassell has done a good job getting out into the community.

Both commissions hold and participate in events year-round to educate the communities about civil and human rights.

They also sometimes advocate for particular issues. Recently, the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission proposed changes to the city's civil rights ordinance, most notably making it illegal to deny housing to renters solely because they receive government assistance, like Section 8 housing vouchers.