1. Determining Need for Commission
• We felt because of socio-cultural issues revolving around race and other forms of
discrimination, the numbers of complaints filed to the EEOC just scratches surface
of the real number of complaints that might be addressed if there were a more
accessible form of complaint enforcement locally;
• if the Commission ordinance written properly people in Charlottesville could use
the Commission as their first source of recourse.
• The culture of racism and the fear of retribution and losing one’s job with no
accessible institution for recourse has psychological and sociological effects on
discrimination complaint demand.
• Raw numbers of complaints filed in the last two years does not accurately reflect
the real need for the Commission.
• along with the testimony of local organizations in town like the NAACP, VO, Legal
Aid, and QCC who handle these forms of complaints informally, that they cannot
handle the demand and recommend the formation of a Human Rights Commission
to do so, clearly establishes the demand and justification for the Commission