Minutes - Council Work Session - 05/18/2021 - Special

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Tim Gladhill: “The Chief does some unconscious training with PD, if you want to go first, Chief.” Councilmember Howell: “I actually do. I’m aware of what unconscious bias is. So here’s the thing. You’re looking for a ghost of a ghost. You look at someone and you say, you have unconscious bias. You don’t know that you are biased, but you are. And I can’t pinpoint what it is, but I have the right with my immutable characteristics to judge your immutable characteristics that I’m looking at and I’m assuming are there, because I actually didn’t ask you. I’m just looking at you and I’m making the assumption that my immutable characteristics are superior to yours and can judge your immutable characteristics and what you really mean even though you never said it. There is a problem with that. I never said what I was accused of saying. We’ve had the discussion. I do not have unconscious bias, you can’t… so unconscious bias. What do you know about me? What do I know about you? Why if somebody who shows up that looks a certain way, do their immutable characteristics supersede somebody else’s immutable characteristics? It makes absolutely zero sense. I gave an example of basically executive orders. I have always my entire life been against executive order powers being abused by anybody. I don’t care what office they are in, it’s problematic; what party you are, it’s problematic. That is what I brought up. I gave an example. Because I don’t look at people for the color of their skin. I don’t. I haven’t my whole life. And you can say I have unconscious bias because I don’t know that I look at people that way, but I don’t?! You don’t even know what my heritage is! I gave an example in history where people were treated absolutely atrociously. You can laugh at me, or mock the fact that I think there’s a problem with masks. I never compared them to what the Japanese people experienced. What I did say is, I do really have a problem with executive power. You can admire the governor; I do not admire what he has done. There are people who have suffered under those policies and who has stood up for them? Who has stood up for the 5 or 10 or 15 people in our communities, or 100 or 115 who have struggled and have been castigated for their experiences? And then you know that dear lady. You know, I was so disappointed Mayor. You invited her for political buttons pushing against me, to push back on me. You used her and Mr. Taguchi used her as well. You guys used her and she allowed herself to be used. That was not the appropriate place for her to give a history lesson. She does have a lot to share with all of us. What an experience to go through! We can’t relate to that. But you guys used her in bringing her here in a session and caught me off guard and tried to accomplish something. I will never apologize for something I did not do. I do not have unconscious bias. You don’t know my heritage. You are looking at my skin color and deciding that you know who I am based on what I look like because you are determining that someone who looks different from me is superior. And the fellow who came in and talked, Mr. Kent, the same thing. He tried to chide me and humiliate me in front of everyone. What are we doing to each other? And, I’m sorry this is like completely awkward for all of you I am sure, but this is inappropriate. You cannot pinpoint, you can’t look at someone and say you are racist, you don’t know you’re City Council Special Work Session / May 18, 2021 Page 15 of 19