RES-2020-035 Resolution Denouncing the murder of George Floyd and addressing the Health Director's Declaration of Structural Racism as a Public Health Crisis in Orange County

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RES - 2020 - 035 Whereas , the Centers of Disease Controls ( CDC ) has identified , " discrimination " as a social determinant of health , "which can be understood as a social stressor that has a physiological effect on individuals that can be compounded over time and can lead to long-term negative health outcomes " ; and Whereas , the CDC has found that the health differences between racial and ethnic groups are often due to economic and social conditions such as where people live , learn , work and play as well as access to health contribute to the adverse health conditions that disproportionately impact diseases , such as COVID - 19 , have on the African American community as well as other communities of color; and Whereas these social and economic conditions have their roots in structural discrimination , or " racial bias among interlocking institutions and across society, causing cumulative and compounding effects that systematically advantage white people and disadvantage people of color . i2 Whereas , Orange County Public Health Director Quintana Stewart has declared , " Structural Racism as a Public Health Crisis in Orange County, " stating it creates a " cycle of injustice against people of color leading to trauma which ultimately affects health . " Now, therefore , we , the Orange County Board of Commissioners do hereby resolve to do the following . 1 . Publicly denounce the egregious actions or inactions of the police officers in Minneapolis that resulted in the death of George Floyd and stand with the North Carolina Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police Associations as they support Chief Medaria Arradondo ' s termination of the officers and their belief that law officers who violate laws or policy should be held accountable for their actions . 2 . Commit to dismantling structural and institutional racism in Orange County government and throughout Orange County . We direct the Department of Human Rights and Relations to lead the One Orange Racial Equity Team in developing a Racial Equity Plan using the Government Alliance on Race and Equity Model and bring a first draft of the plan back to the Board in September 2020 . The Plan should include : a . Building internal organizational infrastructure by inviting a diverse array of stakeholders to collaborate toward a shared vision of equity . b . Creating and implementing racial equity tools that mechanize the practice of considering racial impact when making and implementing policy . They should incorporate the following : i . Inclusion and Engagement — Promote racially inclusive collaboration and engagement ; Jacob Bor, S . A . ( July 28 , 2018 ) . Police Killings and their Spillover Effect on the Mental Health of Black Americans : A Populations - Based , Quasi - Experimental Study . The Lancet, Volume 39Z Issue 10144 , Page 302 - 310 , 2 Advancing Racial Equity & Transforming Government, A Resource Guide to Put Ideals Into Action, Government Alliance on race and Equity, p . 17 .