Dayton activists present human-rights report, ask city to create dedicated action fund

Tarra Campbell, Executive President of Dayton United for Human Rights, presented the Community Voices Dayton Region Human Rights Report and urged the city to adopt a human-rights framework and a permanent human-rights action fund to support implementation. "Community at the center," Campbell told the commission, summarizing the coalition's emphasis on participatory decision-making and accountability.

Campbell said Dayton United for Human Rights (DUHR) hosted seven community collaboratives in 2024, engaged 192 residents, and used the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a guiding framework. Her presentation listed eight priority areas identified by residents: equality and equity; health care access; environment and safety; privacy; economic justice; legal and police accountability; transparent governance; and housing and poverty alleviation.

Commissioners publicly commended the volunteer coalition and promised to review the report in a work session. Commissioner Beckham thanked DUHR for the "long hours" volunteers invested. Commissioner Fairchild and Commissioner Shaw linked the group's recommendations to American constitutional principles and said they wanted to see community engagement continue into policy and budget planning. Commissioner Joseph also praised the initiative and said the report's application of UD principles is novel in Ohio and possibly the Midwest.

Public speakers echoed support during the public-comment period. Maggie Burke, vice president and youth program director for DUHR, told the commission the report was "put together for community, by community" and asked elected officials to read it carefully and act on its recommendations. Tony Talbott, co-founder of Abolition Ohio and a University of Dayton Human Rights Center affiliate, offered the university's expertise in helping draft ordinances and implement community-led policies.

The commission set a follow-up work session on the human-rights assessment to occur immediately after the meeting. Staff and commissioners did not adopt any ordinance or budget line during the meeting; Campbell and others asked the commission to add a dedicated budget item to ensure long-term funding for the recommendations.

Next steps: the commission will review the report during the scheduled work session and staff said they would provide additional implementation details and possible action items, including how community-driven recommendations could map to existing departments and budgets.