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Golden Valley City Council Meeting <br />October 7, 2020 <br />Agenda Item <br />__. Resolution condemning the use of discriminatory covenants, discharging discriminatory covenants <br />on City-owned property, and approving participation in the Just Deeds Coalition <br />Prepared By <br />Kirsten Santelices, Human Resources Director/Human Rights Commission Liaison <br />Kiarra Zackery, Equity and Inclusion Manager <br />Maria Cisneros, City Attorney <br />Summary <br />Overview <br />Staff recommends that the City Council pass a resolution to: <br />•Condemn the past use of discriminatory covenants in Golden Valley and prohibit their future <br />use; <br />•Investigate and identify any real property owned or leased by the City that contains <br />discriminatory covenants and to discharge those covenants in the Hennepin County land <br />records; and <br />•Participate in the Just Deeds Coalition, a group of community stakeholders committed to <br />acknowledging and addressing systemic racism in housing in Minnesota. <br />What is Just Deeds? <br />Just Deeds is the name of a project launched by the Golden Valley Human Rights Commission (the <br />“HRC”) to provide free legal assistance to homeowners who want to research and discharge <br />discriminatory covenants from their property titles. The City has partnered with local law firms and <br />title companies, including Hoff Barry, Dorsey and Whitney, Edina Realty Title, and Guaranty Title to <br />accomplish this work. <br />Just Deeds also shares the name with a coalition of cross-disciplinary organizations whose goal is to <br />acknowledge the harm caused by discriminatory covenants and actively work to dismantle structural <br />and institutional racism through education and action. Coalition participants include Mapping <br />Prejudice, the Minnesota Association of City Attorneys, Edina Realty Title, the Minneapolis Area <br />Association of Realtors, and the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors. Additionally, Golden Valley <br />staff is working with staff members from Hennepin County and neighboring cities to further the <br />work of the Just Deeds Coalition. <br />Project Timeline <br />In 2019, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law to allow property owners to renounce discriminatory <br />covenants on their properties. In response, the HRC requested that the City Council approve an