Character First Comes Under Fire Human Rights Commission Members Say Being Nice Won’T Stop People From Discrimination

The Human Rights Commission gave a collective snort to the mayor’s Character First program and said Spokane already has character.

Instead of pushing values, the commission wants the city to stop oppression and open doors of opportunity.

Mayor John Talbott’s proposal would encourage niceness, but it wouldn’t solve any of the commission’s defined problems, members said Tuesday night during their monthly meeting.

The commission made no formal decision on whether to support the program. Members will vote next month.

Talbott, who was invited to discuss the Character First program, did not attend the meeting. Instead, his assistant, John Gutierrez, answered questions.

“I do see it as something of value,” said Gutierrez.

The program is designed to promote a variety of values such as patience, sincerity and obedience.

Last week, Talbott invited two Character First representatives to a public meeting to explain the program. Talbott said he was trying to gauge public support.

Gutierrez said he was doing the same at Tuesday’s commission meeting.

Only one commission member, Victor Buksbazen, spoke in support of the Character First idea.

Khalil Islam, another commission member, called the program a “1999 version of the melting pot” and a “backlash to the legitimate diversity work that’s been done in the community.” The problem, Islam said, lies with the oppressiveness of the dominant culture. “For this program, the oppressors are inviting the oppressed to be just like them.”

Mark Luna, a sociology professor at Spokane Falls Community College, said he was both resistant and suspicious of Character First.

“I’d like to see a character second program rather than a character first program,” Luna said. The government needs to concern itself with concrete issues, he said. “Show me the opportunity, show me you want to hire me, show me you want to retain me.”

Commission member Eileen Thomas said she could never get behind the program, no matter what adjustments are made.

“It doesn’t do what they think it will do,” said Thomas, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “All it would do is have us going around saying, `Excuse me.”’

Linda Wilson said the city avoids cracking down on tough issues by doing “nice-nice” things.

Brad Read, who joined the commission in March, called the program dangerous. “It’s not what a government entity should be about. It’s completely misplaced for a government entity,” Read said.

Luna added that values such as patience and sincerity are good to promote, but it has nothing to do with discrimination.

A non-prejudiced person who is nice can still practice discrimination, he said. And likewise, a prejudiced person can work in a non-discriminating institution and not be able to discriminate.

“I would like to be a nicer person believe me, but talk to me about patterns of exclusion,” Luna said.

Gutierrez got the message.

“What I think is that this is completely incompatible with your mission statement,” Gutierrez said to the group. “I was hoping to go forward and learn together. If however this is not possible, I have no ill feeling.” He reminded them, “The door is always open.”

Talbott could continue with the program without the commission’s support. He said last week he is in the process of gathering public comment on Character First.

Also at the meeting Tuesday, Sharon Schroeder was elected the new chair of the Human Rights Commission. Khalil Islam was elected vice chair.