City Council members in Minneapolis are pushing an amendment that would add height, weight, housing status, and “justice-impacted status” to the list of categories that receive civil rights protections in the City of Lakes.
Authored by council members Jason Chavez and Robin Wonsley, the proposal was recently advanced out of the City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee with no opposition. A vote from the full City Council on this matter is scheduled for May 1.
Under the proposal, discrimination based on a person’s “justice-impacted status” would be banned in educational institutions, professional organizations, employment matters, public accommodations, and property rights issues.
The amendment defines “justice-impacted status” as “the state of having a criminal record or history, including any arrest, charge, conviction, period of incarceration, or past or current probationary status.”
In short, employers, schools, organizations, and others could be forced to ignore a person’s criminal record when dealing with that individual. However, the proposal does have certain exemptions which would allow employers and schools to consider how a person’s criminal history could impact job duties.
Language banning discrimination based on height, weight, or housing status in educational institutions, employment matters, and other situations is also a part of the proposal.
At present, Minneapolis’ civil rights ordinance prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, gender identity, and many other categories in various areas. If someone feels they have experienced discrimination, the ordinance allows people to file claims with either the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights or the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights.
The addition of height, weight, housing status, and “justice-impacted status” to the list of protected classes would mean anyone in the city could allege discrimination based on one of those factors, and the city would have to investigate.
At a Wednesday hearing, Chavez spoke about his proposal just before the committee voted 5-0 to send it to the full City Council.
“This ordinance is comprehensive,” said the Minneapolis council member. “There are many different communities that are here testifying today, and that is beautiful. That is what I love about this ordinance, there are so many different communities together saying we can improve protections for our residents here in Minneapolis, and we can bring people together to celebrate this moment.”
Chavez’s amendments to the civil rights ordinance have been in the works for some time. Last year, Alpha News reported that Chavez was working to add “immigration status” to the list of protected categories, along with “homeless status” and “justice impacted status.”
While “justice-impacted status” and “housing status” were ultimately included in Chavez’s final draft, “immigration status” was not.
Alpha News reached out to Chavez and Wonsley for this story but did not hear back.
In order to be added to the city’s law books, the proposal would need to be approved by a majority of the 13-member City Council and signed by the mayor.
Should the mayor choose to veto the proposal, the City Council could override the veto with the support of at least nine City Council members.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
