A new human relations task force has been appointed in Rapid City. Their job is to analyze the human relations commission. That’s a group that was established more than ten years ago to focus on resolving discrimination issues in the city. The task force will determine whether the commission needs to be reformed or shut down.
Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender picked six people to participate in the task force. They’re a mix of political affiliations, races and genders. Allender says there are problems the way the commission operates.
“Last Fall I did send an informal poll to the remaining task force members who kind of confirmed my suspicion that their hands were really ties in a lot of instances.”
Allender says the commission and task force only cost a couple thousand dollars for the city to run. Issues brought to the commission can be handled locally or are referred out to state or federal agencies. Allender says there’s no need to double up on resources when different agencies are better equipped for certain issues.
“I think what we need is something that’s efficient and meaningful, something that people can see value from. And something that also won’t create a false sense of hope or justice and I think that’s kind of what the old configuration of the commission was doing. It was giving people a place to go and complain about virtually anything as long as they felt they had been disrespected or discriminated against.”
Allender chose members for the task force he says are objective, though some members are actively involved in addressing race relations in Rapid City. The task force’s job is to identify a range of solutions for the commission.
“To see if it should exist at all. Or if it exists, what the scope should be because I think it would be a mistake to pick up exactly where we left off and have the same scope and the same intent and then put a whole other group of people through the same, frustrating process of not being able to do anything.”
Allender hopes to take a fresh, honest look at the roll of human relations in the city.