Golden asks community to help with diversity, equity and inclusion

The City of Golden is taking steps to make the city more diverse and equitable and a new plan is calling on the community to help find tangible ways to make some changes.

The city has been working with consulting group MIG to develop a racial equity plan that looked at the barriers the city faces and how it can foster a more welcoming environment- it's called the Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion plan or the REDI Action Plan.

"You know Golden itself, within the city limits, you know, not the most diverse community. But, when you look at the workforce within the city, when you look at the workforce within the community when you look at the folks that are visiting, it becomes more diverse," said Scott Vargo, Golden City Manager. "I think that the study or the efforts around the study are really to try and embrace some of the folks that may not actually be residents of the community but that are in some other way a part of the community. Whether they go to the schools or whether they work within the community."

For the last year, the city has been working with the consulting group to identify areas where the city can make improvements.

The following is a summary of some of the "major Issues", MIG identified:

▪ Lack of affordability and opportunity—especially for less-advantaged communities

▪ Majority, traditional, white-centered culture and history—others do not feel welcome

▪ Intolerance and discrimination in community, businesses, and schools

• Racial, economic, and many other sources

• Less visible to the majority 

▪ Resistance to change / lack of understanding of diversity's value

Some of the areas the city hopes to make big changes are within community leadership roles; making sure the hiring process is more inclusive. There is also a big emphasis on providing equitable access to resources and opportunities (e.g., affordable housing, jobs). Even the Golden Police Department is working toward a new policing philosophy called equitable policing.

"We need to look at the way we do things and do it differently and that's part of what this city council has challenged the staff within the City of Golden to look at," said Joe Harvey, Golden's Chief of Police.

Harvey began working on equitable policing with his predecessor and as the chief, he believes equitable policing is the future.

"When I define equity based policing, it is policing with dignity and respect, compassion and empathy and fairness and impartiality," he said.

Harvey says, of course, these are qualities you hope to have in members of law enforcement, but he wants to change policies, so dignity and respect are part of the procedure during that routine traffic stop for instance.

"That person who is sitting in the car, this might not be just another traffic stop for them. We have to bridge the gap between the officers' systematic approach to that contact, and the person who is sitting in the car and what they may be feeling."

It's one of many ways the city is actively looking to make a change. It hopes to have the REDI Action Plan finalized by this time next year.

"People are entitled to their opinions about this but I think that as a community in general, there's been support around this topic," Vargo continued, "so I think it's important and I believe it's the right thing to do."

For more information on the plan, click here: https://www.guidinggolden.com/striving-for-racial-equity