Civil Rights Commission FAQs
What is the mandate of the CRC?
Provide advice and assistance to the elected and appointed officials of the township on developments in human relations and ensuring equality of treatment and opportunity to all. The charter is linked here: https://ecode360.com/7184628
Who serves on the CRC?
17 members, including one student from MSU and one student from one of the local high schools. There are liaisons to police and education. All commissioners must reside in Montclair. The Town Council is responsible for addressing open and pending appointments. You are encouraged to apply here: vif.pdf
How may I engage the CRC?
The CRC does encourage citizens to provide complaints of civil rights issues pertinent to Montclair that it will receive, investigate and evaluate. All matters are evaluated confidentially. To participate in the public comment section of the CRC meetings, you are encouraged to fill out the form linked here: Montclair CRC Public Comments | Comentarios públicos
How does the CRC engage with the township and its departments?
All departments, including police and fire, cooperate with the CRC to gather information. As appropriate, the CRC can engage Township legal counsel on matters of confidentiality or liability.
What capabilities does the CRC have and not have?
The CRC cannot and will not engage in arrests, terminations, private or public sector employment decisions, appointments to other private or public sector bodies, judicial or extrajudicial processes (including crafting rulings or conducting hearings). The CRC does not provide legal services and does not engage in law enforcement.
The CRC does provide advisory services to the Town Council (to which it reports to) and a forum for parties to raise and document civil rights concerns specific to the Township of Montclair.
Can the CRC meeting be recorded?
The New Jersey Supreme Court held in Tarus v. Pine Hill, 189 N.J. 497 (2007) that members of the public have a common law right to videotape public meetings, subject to certain restrictions. As such, the CRC does require, at the beginning of the meeting, that the party wishing to record signs up in the sign-in sheet and informs the CRC that they are recording the meeting.
What documentation exists on the CRC's activities and meetings?
The CRC may issue statements through this website as needed. The CRC does publish meeting minutes. These meeting minutes may be available as appropriate with the Township Clerk after the meeting minutes are adopted. Meeting Minutes are approved and adopted at the subsequent meeting. Other public domain comments or content about the CRC's meetings or activities - including in news sites and social media - do not necessarily represent the CRC's official position and may not necessarily represent an accurate record of activities and meetings.
How does the CRC engage on social media?
The CRC does not and is not required to engage on for-profit social media platforms. The CRC's policies for communications do not include transacting on social media (posts, event notifications, responses or messages). Comments made about the CRC on social media may potentially include misinformation. CRC Event invitations on social media, with Montclair Township and CRC logos included, may potentially include misinformation. This site shares how to communicate with the CRC and how to expect official communications from the CRC. CRC meetings or CRC-sponsored meetings will be shared only through the Township website and identified public notices in accordance with
the
New Jersey Open Public Meetings act.
How does the CRC engage on activities, policies, and conflicts outside the United States?
The CRC does not engage or "take sides" on anything foreign. The CRC asserts that the Township of Montclair is located in the State of New Jersey and furthermore is part of the United States of America. As such, foreign topics should be addressed to the United States Department of State in Washington, DC. The CRC does narrowly review topics / complaints pertinent to and raised by residents of Montclair - and uses as background information trends and statistics from the State of New Jersey.
What is the CRC's position on free speech?
The CRC supports protected free speech rights for all citizens. To the extent any speech (when relevant and pertinent) results in the risk of increased tensions in Montclair, the CRC (based on its charter) will evaluate and share observations (when appropriate and relevant) with its reporting body - the Town Council.
How should I expect the CRC to engage and respond to potential complaints?
The CRC is not set up as a 24/7/365 emergency response service. It is currently set up as a deliberative advisory body that meets, allows citizens to speak, and raises potential observations or complaint follow-ups on a cyclic monthly basis only. The CRC transacts with the Town Council on only deemed urgent matters in the interim. The CRC reports to the Town Council. The CRC will review complaints and the records of any discussions or actions (if relevant) will be in the adopted meeting minutes filed with the Township Clerk. These meeting minutes are filed subsequent to adoption after the next cyclic monthly meeting.
It is unreasonable to expect the CRC to address complaints on a 24/7/365 basis. Furthermore, the CRC does not provide secretarial services to Township residents or media.
Does the CRC police the speech and social media posts of private Montclair citizens and/or other citizens affiliated with the Township of Montclair?
No. The CRC does not interfere with freedom of speech, including private citizens' use of for-profit social media technology company ecosystems to post content or engage in discourse with public officials. The CRC is not a law enforcement agency and cannot (and does not) censor private citizens' contributions to for-profit social media technology companies. There is no legal definition of "hate speech" under U.S. law, just as there is no legal definition for evil ideas, rudeness or unpatriotic speech. Hate speech can only be criminalized when it directly incites imminent criminal activity or consists of specific threats of violence targeted against a person or group. In accordance with the CRC's charter, speech or posts that have potential risks of increasing tensions and reducing harmonious discourse between / across different communities in Montclair will (if and when brought to the CRC's attention separately from the ecosystems of for-profit social media technology companies) be shared with the Town Council.
The CRC is not required to, does not operate for, and does not contribute to for-profit social media technology companies.