Updated July 12, 2022
This post shared at Brown County Matters
Nashville Town Hall Meeting Notes – Roundtable Discussion – “Human Rights” Commission July 7, 2022, 6:30-8:30. Audio of the Meeting
o. The latest draft of the ordinance was introduced (working to confirm the revision date). The second reading and possible vote is scheduled for July 21, 2022. The elected representatives of the county government chose not to participate in this initiative.
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- July 9, 2022. The latest version of the ordinance. Nashville Draft – 2022_07_07 Human Rights Ordinance. Current version of the proposed and “revised” ordinance that was first shared at Thursday’s meeting. They made it more generic and vague. What is the difference between civil and human rights laws? What “human rights laws” are not covered by the Constitution?
Note: There was discussion that this initiative could be put on the ballot in Nov.
o. The problem? The ordinance represents an incomplete solution without documented and published evidence of the need. The report submitted by the committee did not include footnotes and references to substantiate opinions. The lack of participation by county elected official (s) also indicates a lack of support from the larger community.
o. Intent of the HRC? The Nashville “Human” (not civil) Rights Commission (HRC) will provide education and facilitate the collection and dissemination of information regarding allegations of violations of “civil rights” laws. Complaints will be passed to the Indiana “Civil Rights” Commission (ICRC) for resolution. The ICRC has a website (in.gov/icrc/) and toll-free number (1-800-628-2909 ) for reporting complaints.
o. Civil as Opposed to Human Rights. “Human” Rights is much broader in scope than Civil rights that are protected by U.S. law. The United Nations developed a Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. These include rights addressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The first amendment protects free speech which includes being tolerant of just about anything. Some countries pass laws to limit speech – hate speech is among those laws. Canada proposed human rights legislation that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Jordan Peterson became famous for protesting against these laws. Guidance regarding love, tolerance, acceptance, and understanding are provided in the Bible. This is in contrast to countries that believe government can assume this role regarding thought, speech, and behavior.
o. Motivation. It was reinforced that the motivation and desire for the ordinance originated from the Nashville Solidary Rally for Social Justice on June 23, 2020. It was alleged that “100” complaints originated from Brown County. This rally was a follow-on from the George Floyd riots that were sparked by the perception that black men were “systemically” and disproportionately being targeted by white cops. This perception was debunked by the stats. Another controversy is the conflict between “equality of outcomes” which are discriminatory and supported by the justice movement, and “equal opportunity” supported by the U. S. system of government.
o. Brown County Leader Network (BCLN). Methods and tools for working towards “a more perfect” union, community, county.
Independent Voters of Brown County IN 