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ACLU and residents urge Fargo not to cede human-rights functions to nonprofits
Summary
Public commenters, including the ACLU of North Dakota and area residents, warned that shifting the Fargo Human Rights Commission’s duties to nonprofits would weaken public accountability and accused city leaders of secretive actions; speakers called for a strategic plan under the current municipal mandate.
During a public-comment portion of the special Fargo Human Rights Commission session, Cody Schuler, advocacy manager for the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota, urged commissioners to preserve a city-affiliated role for human-rights work and warned that outsourcing or privatizing those duties could reduce government accountability.
"If this group goes away and you delegate that to a nonprofit, you're gonna give what you do have away," Schuler said, arguing that groups outside government are not subject to the same public oversight as city-appointed commissions and that the city could decline to engage nonprofit partners unless a formal memorandum of understanding is in place.
Other residents expressed sharper concerns. Christopher Cohn alleged that the City Commission had quietly decided to eliminate several commissions and suggested that process may have violated open-records or open-meetings law. "This was done in secrecy, and it's against the state law, open, records, open meetings law," Cohn said.
City staff and commissioners at the HRC meeting did not produce documentary evidence of a prior sealed vote during the session. Commissioners and staff acknowledged public confusion about budget lines and authority: Sekou, HRC chair, told attendees the commission does not have an independent budget line, saying, "We don't have a budget," and participants discussed whether a hybrid approach could preserve public accountability while providing staffed support.
Why it matters: Public commenters warned that removing human-rights responsibilities from a city-affiliated commission could make it harder for residents to hold elected leaders accountable. Several speakers recommended drafting a strategic plan grounded in the city's existing ordinance and returning a clear framework to the City Commission for formal consideration.
The HRC took no formal vote on structural changes during the meeting. The board agreed to continue drafting a framework and invited community groups to the Jan. 29 follow-up meeting.
