The city of Martinez continues to seek applications from residents to serve on the new Anti-Racism & Discrimination and Pro-Inclusion and Equity Task Force, its goal being to review city policies, programs and procedures for bias.
The task force is expected to include nine members (though that number could be adjusted), the goal being for them to represent a diverse cross section of interests, races, ethnic and faith backgrounds, and gender identification and orientation.
As part of its mission, the task force is expected to conduct one or two community listening meetings” related to race, LGBTQ issues and other personal circumstances or characteristics that impact a sense of inclusion for residents.
The Martinez City Council first approved the concept for such a panel on July 29.
The city sought applications for prospective panelists, and a separate six-person community panel interviewed and selected prospective members. That first panel presented to the council on Oct. 21, comprised nine members and two alternates, and included seven white members and one Black member. That lack of diversity prompted a decision to redo the process, this time with more aggressive and targeted recruitment.
Manufactured racism at its finest. So sad 😞
No one is oppressed in this country. They do however make poor life choices and blame it on racism.
So true! So very true!
I highly encourage anyone, of whatever ethnicity, who doesn’t get selected for this task force despite being qualified, because there are already “too many” of their race, to sue the county for racial discrimination. They may not like the equal opportunity laws on the books, but they are still on the books. This kind of thing is blatantly illegal.
Please define “they”, as for poor life choices, I can attest from personal knowledge that I have liberal and conservative friends that have made poor life choices, often involving money. I also have male and female friends who have done the same. I can include myself ln making mistakes where money is concerned. I did however learn from mistakes, not all my friends have, continue to make the same mistake with money over and over again, one a staunch Trump supporter just cannot hold on to money, despite inheriting a nice sum over the years, and also had a career that paid decent. Poor life choices had nothing to do with race. In fact according to Ric Edelman financial guru on the radio, blacks are more like to warn their children about the danger of credit cards, and talk more to their children about money issues than whites. He sites a reputable study. However, when you say “they” it seems you are targeting it to just one group which clearly does not make sense. Your attitude is the reason this is so talked about.
@hanne jeppesen
What I mean when I say “they” is anyone that uses race as an excuse for poor life choices. I’m all about personal accountability, no excuses.
NO ONE is oppressed in this country.
Hanne, YOU are the one who put the race card into the discussion, not Darwin. You might want to be introspective on this one, and ask yourself why you jumped to that conclusion so readily.
It’s because Hanne comes from a country where 98% of the people are white.
Like the people who are the most rabid tobacco haters are the people who never smoked…it’s easy to be an overly sensitive, critical, know- it – all who jumps to conclusions when you have no experience with an issue.
Alright good citizens of Martinez. Time to vote these clowns out of office then hire and elect some normal thinking humans.
MoJo – I’m very interested in hearing your definition of normal.
Political correctness has gone insane. Vote out these four wheels and bring normality back to society.
Joatmeal, the definition of normal is relative to the community being served. What’s normal in Seattle is different than what’s normal in rural America. Elected officials are not our leaders, they are supposed to be representatives.
“That first panel presented to the council on Oct. 21, comprised nine members and two alternates, and included seven white members and one Black member. That lack of diversity prompted a decision to redo the process, this time with more aggressive and targeted recruitment”
So….what we’re trying not to say is…..no white people need apply?
It’s amazing to me how “they” have dumb downed the population. Talk about having blinders on when looking at life’s experiences through race.
German, Jewish, Portuguese, Irish, Polish, Italian, North African and more all just written off as “White”.
Is this what they call Identity Politics?
It’s ironic because it seems that’s how you loose your identity.
Simpletons running our government.
“With equal rights comes equal responsibilities”
Yep. And THAT is the actual racism.
Lack of diversity because of the color of their skin?
I bet they represented “a diverse cross section of interests, races, ethnic and faith backgrounds, and gender identification and orientation.”
The demographics of Martinez is near 80 percent white. Blacks comprise less than 1 percent, with Hispanics making almost 15 percent. How does Martinez expect to find ethnic diversity then within its population?
@ Beanzy. No way Martinez can be 80% white when it’s like 30% Italian. That adds up to more than 100%.
Cute little knit pink hats part of the uniform?
AD
Gotta love the pink hats! Fighting for equal rights they already have. Bored people looking for non existant problems. Trying to make themselves feel as though they are fighting the good fight.
God bless and protect the couple who painted over the racist display…
No good will come from this. Who is qualified to pick out a panel? They will be getting a pig in a poke.
First they need to pick a diverse panel to choose the diverse task force.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Straight whites need not apply.
No males either
“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither.
A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.”
― Milton Friedman
The price of freedom is responsibility.
An incredibly reasonable cost for what it returns.
Really is this necessary? In Martinez?
Nope
White liberals aren’t diverse enough. Wow, just wow. Can’t WAIT to see where this goes.
This was such a smashing success the last attempt…
This is the dumbest thing I have ever read. What has California come to?
When they have a task force with no white people on it they will call it done.So sick of this Racism 💩 crap.They just want everything for nothing.So It’s the white persons fault they made bad choices?Try and move to another country and see how far you get with Racist s—t.
Are there specific streets applicants can paint with their qualifications ?
Yes, but before you paint the street, you must fake a hate crime, to justify your actions.
Fake hate flyers, fake nooses and faked bleach baths, forced by Trump supporters, are all acceptable choices.
Uhhhhhh,
SHOULDN’T THE TASK FORCE REFLECT THE CITIZENS OF MARTINEZ????
VOTE THEM OUT. NEVER FORGET.
Pay close attention people… This is happening, meanwhile there is a REAL mental health and substance abuse crisis that is much harder to solve than the matter of racial equality which in California has not been an issue for many years. It used to be important to focus on what affects people in your own city or get voted out, this is on us. The truly unfortunate thing is that this has been in motion for a long time but the ones that stood up to evil have either left politics or moved out of CA for a better life away from crime and the mentally ill. I myself will be leaving as soon as I can, not as a bigot but as a normal citizen that has lost hope is our leadership. Cheers to every single commenter that all have the same rational on this matter. Happy New Year
Tale a ride down Waterfront rd (unincorporated Martinez), it looks like burning man the way that the road lined with RVs.
What’s coming for many more of us if the shut down continues.
Mr. Mayor, would you like photos?
Agree; the real crisis is the addicts with mental illness. Some valiant people are developing methods that work in the Seattle area.
This is HARD work, and requires serious commitment.
The parasite drug dealers need to be dealt with, but that’s another story.
One day at a time.
OK, so they will use racial profiling to assemble their New Equity Task Force to battle racial profiling.
Got it.
So … the goal of creating this Task Force is to gather a group of people who do not necessarily reflect the opinions or lifestyles of the majority of residents in Martinez and let them dictate how things should be run. Seems to be the way this whole country is headed. Don’t we have better things to do than further divide people?
Most of panel should be whites,they are the main victims of racism.This 2020,not 1968.
You are correct 100 percent. Obviously our elected officials are the ones who see people of color as not being equal. Our elected officials due to their racist beliefs, believe we all think like them.
It is very unpopular to say, but blacks are far more likely to murder, rape, rob or assault a white person, than the inverse. FBI statistics have proved this for years, and this is with Hispanics being thrown into the white statistic. Of course most crime is within a single race, and also by people who are known to each other beforehand, but it does not change the stone cold fact that blacks are more likely to violently victimize whites than the inverse, by a wide margin. Sad times we are living in.
This S#iT gets more stupid everyday. creating more racism with this idiot panel.
Only race baiters and antifa rioters need apply. Remember you get what you vote for.
The normal nuclear family is now under attack.
Nuclear family in the West has been under endless attack since the 1950s, at the very latest. Look at the birth rates in literally every single western country – well below replacement. We are excessively taxed which leads to Americans not having children; that money is funneled to foreigners in a thousand different ways, and we are told to import our replacements from foreign lands, or else we are racist.
Pretty simple solution.
I vote with my feet and my wallet.
Neither of which will be coming to Martinez anytime EVER!
This whole exercise is so desperate and sad, and now they are embarrassing themselves again.
For one race to blame their self inflicted problems on another is just people that cant face reality and be honest with themselves,with people like you trying to defend it,and acting like youre not by trying to be vague as usual
Ric Edelman?
Who cares?
He’s a raving liberal(of course).
You are not middle of the road as you prove daily
Sounds easy – – why not seven black and two white citizens on the panel?
Hanne. It appears that Darwin is making two separate statements. The first refers to the Task Force. The second refers to the Oppressed. In other words, people who consider themselves oppressed have made poor life choices. The “Blame it on racism” phrase seems relevant to the topic listed in the article. Darwin doesn’t seem to me to have an “attitude”, just an opinion. And Darwin is entitled to that.
Of course we could write a book on this.
I love examples…
My gardener barely speaks English, is here legally and owns a home in Pittsburg AND is building a home in Mexico. He doesn’t feel one bit oppressed. His Wife and Son also work. He says he loves America.
He doesn’t need this Task Force.
My Wife’s hairdresser came from Vietnam, learned English and opened a shop. She even brought her Mother over. She says she was even a (very young) Viet Cong at one time. She loves America.
She doesn’t need this Task Force.
Just who does?
Who ARE those oppressed? You tell me.
I was not making a comment on the task force, the word “they” seem to infer a particular group. As for your gardener and the hairdresser, good for them. However, I hear and read racist comments all the time, those using them often want to lump everyone together, instead of looking at the individual. I to am an immigrant and love America. I’m pretty sure when I was younger benefitted from being a white good fairly good looking female, could even stretch it an say Scandinavian looking female.
@ jimmy
Thanks for breaking things down for Hanns Jeppesson.
Hanns Jepp wake up, do not be an ENABLER of the victim mentality. No one is oppressed in this country.
I guess you are one of THOSE people. Please think about
What I mean when I say “ THOSE PEOPLE “before you respond. 😜
Hanns, answer Jimmy’s question. Who are those oppressed??? Tell him. I want to know to 😊
Another reason to spend my money in other cities. I always go out of my way to shop locally instead of online. If small business owners fail to speak up, I’m sorry but I’m staying away.
Leave it to Martinez to create a problem where one doesn’t exist while it ignoers the problems that do exist. There is an increasing amount of garbage on the streets. Of course, that comes with the increasing numbers of homeless and drug abusers. The mayor made such a big deal about opening his insurance office on Main St. But now, that office is empty. Where did he go? I guess he didn’t want to see what is really going on in town.
Ignore the misspelling of ignores.
All non heterosexuals account for roughly 4% of the American population, generously. All LGBTQ+ is less than 4% of the population.
Therefore a 9 person panel should have 9 heterosexuals on it. A 20 person panel should perhaps have one homosexual, and that would actually be unfair to the heterosexuals as the homosexuals would be factually, mathematically over represented at that point.
Martinez is overrun with homeless, there is tons of garbage, a growing amount of crime, hypodermic needles in the streets… But what matters is making whitey and straightey feel like evil monsters.
It seems to me we should focus on the nuclear family and what is best for the nuclear family.
Additionally, I learned at my very expensive liberal bay area college that race isn’t real. Over and over they told me that race isn’t real. So how is there racism, and why do people keep identifying as monolithic groups, or “races,” while demanding special privileges for their group over others?
Race isn’t real. My professors told me that. That’s why you can get an organ transplant from a Chinese man if you are a Nigerian man. Race isn’t real.
Just more anti white hate being promoted by the local governments of the bay area.