WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (July 29, 2020) – Due to overwhelming interest in the Mayor’s Task Force for Racial and Ethnic Equality established by West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James, the City of West Palm Beach has created a forum by which community members can express their interest in participating as a member of task force. Interested individuals, who must live or work in the City of West Palm Beach, are encouraged to participate.

 Mayor James recently announced the creation of the task force after recent incidents throughout the country ignited outrage, exposed deeply entrenched systemic racism in our country, and challenged the public’s confidence and trust in our system of policing and criminal justice. The mission of the Mayor’s Task Force for Racial and Ethnic Equality is to help address issues of racial/ethnic equity through education, research of best practices, and issuance of policy/funding recommendations to address inequities in the City of West Palm Beach.

 Task force seats are available. Community members can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) at wpb.org/equityinterest by August 4, 2020.

The goals of the task force are to:

• Identify best practices and make recommendations on how policing tactics can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust;
• Identify racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, economic development, criminal and civil justice systems, housing, education and workforce development;
• Create a platform to help people discuss, learn about and teach our City’s history of racial and ethnic injustices; and
• Additional tasks and recommendations to the Mayor may be requested.

Members of the task force will include:

• One member designated by the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce,
• One member designated by the executive director of the Black Chamber of Commerce,
• One member designated by the executive director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,
• One member representing the Mayor’s Office,
• One member of the law enforcement community,
• One member representing the Office of the State Attorney,
• One member representing the Public Defender’s Office, and
• Other members as appointed by the Mayor.

The task force will contain five subcommittees that will research instances of racial and ethnic disparities in the areas of healthcare, economic development, housing and more. Mayor will appoint the chair, co-chair and subcommittee members.

 “At a time when both our nation and our city are at an inflection point, this task force has the ability to bring about lasting, transformative change to improve the lives of our residents and for future generations,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James, when initially announcing the group. “The Task Force will help us create a culture in which racial and ethnic disparities are openly acknowledged and addressed to achieve ethnic and cultural equity across our City.”

 Since the initial announcement of the task force, additional slots for task force members have been created. The task force’s original makeup of 11 members has been expanded to 17.  The City has also relaxed the original time constraints for the task force to organize and submit their findings. The deadline for the first report of those findings to Mayor James has now been moved to October 15, 2020.

 The task force will host public virtual meetings, either monthly or on an “as needed” basis, for the duration of the State of Emergency due to COVID-19. Once the State of Emergency has been lifted, the group will continue to meet for the duration deemed necessary. 

 For questions regarding the task force, please send an email to equity@wpb.org or call the Mayor’s Equity Hotline at (561) 822-1363 (TTY: 800-955-8771). Individuals who have previously expressed verbal interest should still submit their official EOI at www.wpb.org/equityinterest.

 To read the executive order establishing the task force, please visit https://www.wpb.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=2341. To learn more about the Mayor’s Task Force for Racial and Ethnic Equality, please visit: https://www.wpb.org/our-city/mayor-s-office/mayor-s-task-force-on-racial-and-ethic-equality.