The purpose of "It's Time to Talk: Forums on Race" is to expand racial understanding through personal dialogue among members of different races, with the ultimate goal of eliminating barriers that foster racism. This is accomplished by setting in motion a series of significant conversations in our community on how to get beyond the issue of race by:

• Increasing contact with people of other races
• Expanding understanding about racial issues
• Building friendships and working relationships among people of different races

The intent is to create opportunities for significant dialogue - conversations that move beyond the superficial. We invite people of every ethnicity to participate in a dialogue and seek reconciliation, friendship, and understanding that will help affirm how important diversity is to our community.

For upcoming events, click here.

For more information about our programs or to host an It's Time to Talk: Forums on Race community dialogue, please email racialjustice@ywcacassclay.org or call (701)232-2547.

it's time to talk luncheon: community panel q & a

The following questions are from audience members at the 2009 Racial Justice luncheon featuring keynote speaker Tim Wise. Due to time constraints, not all questions were answered by the community panel members at the luncheon. Please note that the responses represent the opinions of the community panel members and not the YWCA Cass Clay.

1. Please speak to the attitude toward new Americans - for example "If they want to live in our country, they should know the language and use it."

Answer from Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger: I will respond from a position of a public servant who is charged with providing a vital service to persons who reside in this community, regardless of their citizenship.  The ability to speak English in our society presents some obvious advantages for those who have recently arrived in America as well as to our community.  It should be the goal of our society to provide recent immigrants with the means by which they can learn English, and to provide the same opportunity to their children.  In doing so we provide our community with individuals who will be productive and self reliant.  To meet such goals obviously will require the ability to provide immigrants with English as a second language in both the community and our schools.  Having said that, the inability to speak in English should not pose a barrier to anyone from receiving vital services.  When it comes to providing an adequate response for police services I believe it is necessary for the Moorhead Police Department to find means by which we can communicate with persons who have little of no English.  We have taken steps but will continue to work towards greater gains as resources and budgets allow.  For additional please refer to Question 4 and 5.

2. How do I learn about what it means to be white in our community if I don't have any friends or co-workers who are not white to learn about their experiences of racism?

Answer from Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger: I doubt that there is anywhere in America or on this planet where some form of bias or prejudice doesn’t exist.  The relative level of actual overt racism appears to be dependant on many factors, but is obviously reduced in a community where contact between races is limited by the homogeneous nature of the F-M area.  Involvement in addressing the problem should be coupled with becoming educated about the true nature of the issue here in our community.  We have some excellent colleges in the area as well as organizations like the YWCA that can help enlighten you on the topic.

3. In the 2000 census it was reported that 97.1% of the population in Fargo was Caucasian. How do you feel we can teach culture and tolerance to ourselves and our children in an area with less diversity than many other areas in the U.S.?

Answer from Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger: This question was addressed by the panel.  However, to reiterate, I think that if children are to understand and relate to other cultures it is necessary that they be exposed to those cultures.  Since exposure is limited in this area it is necessary to travel and become exposed to cultures, communities, and persons who are different than those with whom they have become comfortable.  It is also more an issue of understanding the prejudices in each of us as individuals and learning how that impacts on our conduct with those around us.  Teaching that to your children will be an extremely valuable lesson for them no matter where they eventually live.

4. Can police complaints be anonymous?  If in Spanish, who reads them?

Answer from Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger: Anonymous complaints are followed up to the extent possible.  As you might expect we would prefer the opportunity to interview complainants and are often limited by the inability to follow up on allegations, explain to a citizen why an officer’s actions were proper even though it was perceived as misconduct, or to advise the citizen of the outcome of an investigation.  We have not received any complaints in Spanish since initiating complaint media in that language over a year ago.  We have a command level officer who has Spanish language skills (and Spanish immersion training) who is able to translate any complaints received in Spanish, either written or verbal.

5. What is your policy/procedure when encountering individuals whose first language is not English?  What Languages are you utilizing the most?  Which interpreting agency/service are you using?

Answer from Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger: The need for translation services in the field is extremely rare; our populations of immigrants in Moorhead generally have a level of English that is sufficient to clearly communicate without translators.  Spanish is the most frequent language we encounter but a vast majority of our Latino/Latina population has English skills.  We have had one or two incidents where we had need of translators for Bosnian.  When we need translators in the field or, as is more often the case, in Investigations we us International Translation Services, they are located in Moorhead and have court certified translators.

6. What is the race and gender balance (numbers of minorities and women) on the Moorhead Police Department?  What have you done to improve the numbers of minorities and women?  What needs to be done in the future?

Answer from Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger: Of 49 Officer positions currently filled we have three individuals with Native American heritage, one Latino, and four women.  Two factors weigh heavily on our attempts to recruit diversity, the first being that we have such a small population of minorities in the Moorhead.  This not only limits the pool of potential applicants but also contributes to the misperception that minorities either have no communities here in Moorhead or are not welcome in our community, when we try to recruit from outside the area.  The other major factor that impacts on minority recruiting is the Minnesota POST licensing requirements.  Persons seeking Minnesota Peace Officer Licenses are required to obtain a minimum of a two year Associated Degree and to complete a State Skills School in Law Enforcement Training before being eligible for hire.  This requires a fair degree of resolve for a career in Law Enforcement from potential recruits.  Unfortunately that resolve does not seem apparent among our local minority communities.  We have gone to the Twin Cities area and attempted to recruit from the State Law Enforcement Skills Training facilities that have a higher number of minorities.  This has not been particularly effective so we must determine a means to include more of our local minority populations into access to the necessary college education and skills training for consideration for the job of a Moorhead Police Officer. Recent attempts to hire women have met with greater success.  Of the last eight hires three have been female.  We will continue to focus of recruiting quality police officers who reflect the diversity of our city.  The many programs that the Department has that facilitate our working with youth will hopefully yield persons from all portions of the community who will have a desire to seek a career in MPD and provide a diverse pool of candidates with the resolve to commit to the steps necessary for a career in law enforcement in our state.

7. Here in the Fargo Moorhead area it was found that American Indians are targeted by police/law enforcement and pulled over by a larger percentage than whites.  How can local law enforcement work on its poor reputation?  How do I as a person of color learn to trust our law enforcers and tell my kids they can trust cops?

Answer from Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger: Since coming to Moorhead three years ago I have heard a number of persons make statements, and even seen reports in the press, indicating that some evidence exists that confirmed racial profiling.  In trying to pin down the source of this conclusion a report by Mark Hansel at MSUM is generally cited.  This report was based on a year of statistics voluntarily provided for the study in 2002.  I contacted Mark Hansel and asked him what his study determined and he was quite emphatic when he advised me that the study did not provide adequate information to support any conclusion the racial profiling was taking place.  A number of possible factors other than racial motivation, ambiguities in the data, and anecdotal conclusion of racism not supported by the research were cited by Hansel in this study.  The bottom line is that the premise that there are findings that support that any group is targeted by the police simply does not exist. I do hope that you will take some steps to determine the situation for yourself and not rely on anecdote and speculation to determine how you view local law enforcement.  I encourage you to attend a Citizen’s Police Academy, take a police ride-along, and bring concerns and questions you have about police conduct to the police themselves for clarification.  I have found the reputations of our local departments to be good among most of our citizens.  However, we should still be held accountable and departmental policies, technology such as in car, dash mounted Mobile Video Recorders (MVR) and Automated Vehicle Location Systems (AVLS) can often exonerate or support allegations made against officers.  However, it takes willingness for citizens to come forward and communicate with police administrations in order to keep officers accountable or dispel false allegations against them.  I encourage you to get involved and find out for yourself about what type of police conduct exists in your community.