HUMAN RIGHTS

DES MOINES HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

• Mission: to advance justice and equality for all people in Des Moines.

• Vision: We attempt to foster equality for all people who live or visit Des Moines by creating an atmosphere of opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry or age.

• The Commission is an agency of City Government. Its purpose is to prevent and eliminate, to the extent possible, discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, disability or familial status.

• The Commission addresses illegal discrimination that occurs in the City of Des Moines in the areas of Employment, Public Accommodation, Housing and City Government.

What Is Discrimination?

• Illegal Discrimination In Employment Is: A difference in treatment on the job, including hiring, discipline, harassment or firing based on one’s :

• Race;
• Color;
• creed;
• sex;
• sexual orientation;
• age;
• national origin;
• ancestry;
• religion;
• disability.

• Illegal Discrimination In Housing Is: A difference of treatment in the conditions of housing. City Ordinance makes it illegal for anyone to refuse to: Rent; sell; or make housing loans, to you because of your:

• Race;
• Color;
• Creed;
• Sex;
• Sexual orientation;
• National Origin;
• Ancestry;
• Religion;
• Disability;
• Familial Status;.

• Illegal Discrimination in Public Accommodation Is: A difference of treatment based on one’s:

• Race;
• Color;
• Creed;
• Sex;
• Sexual orientation;
• national origin;
• ancestry;
• religion;
• disability.

A Public Accommodation is any place, such as a store, restaurant or hotel, which offers goods or services to the general public.

• City Government: It is also illegal for any City of Des Moines employee to discriminate against you in any city program or service based on one’s:

• race,
• color,
• creed,
• age,
• sex,
• sexual orientation,
• national origin,
• ancestry,
• religion
• disability.

• What Can the Des Moines Human Rights Commission Do?
• The Commission can help you to prepare and file a complaint against anyone who you believe illegally discriminated against you.
• The Commission will try to negotiate a settlement of your complaint. If it cannot be settled, the Commission will investigate your complaint and if it finds that you were illegally discriminated against, it will assist in obtaining a remedy for you.
• You must file your complaint with the Commission no later than 180 days after the illegal discrimination happened.
• The Commission will investigate your complaint at no cost to you.

The Commission is an impartial Investigative Agency, which seeks to determine through Investigation, if a person was treated unfairly in violation of the City Code we enforce.

Complainants are responsible for: maintaining contact with the Commission; providing a contact person; and providing evidence, or the names of witness(s), that supports their allegation.

The Commission is charged with providing a "Public Service" to the Community and is supported as part of City Government. A timely resolution of cases is dependent upon cooperation of all involved parties. Although investigations are begun in a timely manner, it is not unusual to experience delays. A Complainant may elect to proceed into Court by retaining an attorney and filing for a letter to sue after the case has been on file with the agency for 60 days.

The Commission also provides oversight to the City Council regarding issues within the City that involves the various bases addressed in the City Ordinance. In relationship with this charge, Staff provide educational opportunities, mediation services, public hearings and opinion sampling.

If you think you have been illegally discriminated against, call the Des Moines Human Rights Commission at 283-4284, Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. or e-mail us anytime at rusimms@dmgov.org