DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission is working to move the city in a new direction, and they want to get the public's input. To do so, the organization is hosting community conversations throughout July.
Commissioner Chris Espersen said the goal of having community conversations is to take the temperature of how the public feels, gather what they want and try to make it a reality.
The meetings will dive deeper into issues that have surfaced previously in other community conversations, including public safety, economic opportunity, fair housing practices and advancing equity and justice for all.
Along with those topics, the commission wants to gather new recommendations to consider.
"We have seen so many challenges that people have faced, especially in the past couple of years, and we just really want to make sure that we are making Des Moines a better place for every single person," Espersen said.
During the community conversations, the commission will also provide an update on community recommendations from previous discussions.
This includes implicit bias trainings and the hiring of equity officers to oversee all departments.
Espersen said once the commissioners hear people's suggestions, they'll take that information and provide recommendations to the city council.
The Refugee and Immigrant Advisory Subcommittee and the LGBTQ Advisory Council will also hold community conversations this month to discuss issues pertaining to their communities.
View the schedules for all conversations below:
Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission Conversation Schedule
- July 7 - Polk County River Place, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- July 13 - Polk County River Place, 6-8 p.m.
- July 16 - North Side Library, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
- July 25 - East Side Library, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Refugee and Immigrant Advisory Subcommittee Conversation Schedule
- July 13 - Evelyn K. Davis Center, 6-8 p.m.
LGBTQ Advisory Council Conversation Schedule
- July 7 - Evelyn K. Davis Center, 6-8 p.m.
- Topic: Economic Opportunity
- July 13 - Robert Mickle Center, 6- 8 p.m.
- Hosted in conjunction with Iowa Queer Communities of Color Coalition
- Topic: Public Safety