Task Force Aims To Alter Idaho Image Cities Form Panel To Coordinate Human Rights Strategies

Idaho is home to just 13 of the 614 active hate groups in the United States.

Regardless, the state can’t seem to shake its reputation as a haven for such groups - especially in North Idaho.

It’s a perception city leaders across the state want to change, said Georgia Smith of the Idaho Department of Commerce.

Idaho plans to spend $1.6 million over the next year to improve its image.

On Friday, a statewide human rights task force was created at the Association of Idaho Cities conference in Coeur d’Alene. The task force will coordinate human rights strategies from city leaders across the state.

Some 600 city leaders attended the conference, and human rights dominated discussions.

“People are ready to go - this is exciting,” said Greg Carr, a Harvard University human rights expert who led several conference sessions.

City leaders shared how their towns have handled human rights issues. Some cities created organizations, while others built human rights centers, hosted concerts or provided resources for residents.

Years of publicity surrounding the Aryan Nations compound in North Idaho have helped build a national stereotype that the Panhandle is filled with intolerant people.

Carr, who is also chairman and founder of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, will continue to provide human rights workshops for Idaho cities. He said his biggest challenge is training city leaders.

Carr, originally from Idaho Falls, agreed to pay for two new human rights coordinators in the state through the Carr Foundation - one in North Idaho, the other in southern Idaho.

The human rights position in North Idaho, first announced in March by Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Judy, is a direct response to racist activities. The position’s responsibilities were largely shaped during this week’s conference.

“It think people have recognized (North Idaho has) been the subject of public scrutiny,” Judy said. “We need to live our commitment to human rights.”

Marilyn Schuler, president of the Idaho Human Rights Education Center in Boise, said the state has 114 human rights organizations in 25 communities. She said many human rights groups in southern Idaho have looked to their counterparts in North Idaho as role models.

“There’s some real leadership coming out of Idaho,” Schuler said.

Judy said respecting individual rights and responsibilities are key values in fight racist messages in North Idaho.

The Department of Commerce plans a pro-active program to address Idaho’s image problem, focusing on the state’s economy, low unemployment rate and personal income growth.

“We need to rely on the facts versus the anecdotal rhetoric,” Smith said. “That’s how you retain perspective. These (hate) groups do not represent the people of Idaho, and the world needs to know that.”

This sidebar appeared with the story:

RESOLUTION

On human rights

A “Walk for Human Dignity” is planned in downtown Coeur d’Alene this morning at 9 a.m. in conjunction with the Idaho Association of Cities conference.

On Friday, conference attendees passed the following human rights resolution:

“A healthy community is a place where people feel a sense of belonging and fellowship.

Isolation is a corrosive force that destroys the vitality of our communities.

Communities need not be fragmented and alienation need not exist.

Good citizenship requires that we focus our efforts on creating, welcoming, livable, civil, positive and inclusive communities in Idaho.

Cities of Idaho are home to many differences, which if not approached with openness and respect, can be the source of misunderstanding, tension, conflict and isolation.

People of goodwill can ease tensions and solve conflicts, making the cities of Idaho more civil and livable.

The membership of the AIC is committed to education, discussion and mutual understanding of these differences by addressing difficult and often uncomfortable situations and by resolving conflicts with openness and directness.

AIC members are community leaders in a unique position to promote these values in homes, neighborhoods, the workplace, city hall, counties and school districts.”