DAYTON — The Dayton City Commission on Tuesday night embarked on a conversation whose endpoint will be whether the commissioners declare racism a public health concern.
The topic represents one of the numerous demands for change that continue to come out of the coast-to-coast protests over George Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day.
“We have to make folks a little uncomfortable in this work,” Mayor Nan Whaley said during the meeting presented via video. That was the platform to remain in line with the state’s mandates on social distancing and congregant gathering in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
News Center 7′s Monica Castro covered the meeting, which featured Myla Cardona-Jones, a Sinclair Community College faculty member, who introduced a proposal to declare racism a public health concern.
The proposal has nine variables that she and the group she worked with to create the plan directly feel are influencing public health for the perspective of racism. Some of the variables include understanding institutionalized racism, equitable health care, economic opportunities, housing, food desserts and hate crimes.
A city declaration that racism is a public health crisis is the first step. The next is establishing a local anti-racism task force to address and fully assess the needs going forward.
How do some city residents feel about having racism declared a public health concern?
“There are lot of minority people getting killed. I think something needs to be done. It’s been going on for a long time. Something needs to be done,” Tony Clark told News Center 7′s Monica Castro.
Some things you need to know today about the demand for change:
- Gov. DeWine wants uniform standards on police responses to mass protests
- Miami Valley Fair Housing still in the fight against discrimination
- Asia Gibbs’ The Solution Movement focuses on making positive change
- NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace introduces Black Lives Matter race car
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