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2021-07-14 DEI AgendaCITY OF ELSEGUNDO MEETING OF THE CITY OF EL SEGUNDO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee AGENDA Virtual Meeting via Zoom Teleconferencing MEETING DATE: Wednesday, July 14, 2021 MEETING TIME: 4:00 p.m. DUE TO THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY, THIS MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED PURSUANT TO THE GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE ORDER N-29-20. TELECONFERENCE VIA ZOOM MEETING MEETING ID: 953 3813 4741 PASSCODE: 519415 How Can Members of the Public Observe and Provide Public Comments? Join via Zoom from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device, or by phone. Join via Zoom: Please use this URL If you do not wish for your name to appear on the screen, then use the drop down menu and click on "rename" to rename yourself to be anonymous. https://zoom.us/o/95338134741?pwd=aXdwU UxMZm5lc3Z1W FVOeXgxa Uw5QT09 Join by phone: +1 669 900 9128 Enter Meeting ID: 953 3813 4741 Passcode: 519415 Your phone number is captured by the zoom software and is subject to the Public Records Act unless you first dial "67" before dialing the number as shown above to remain anonymous. The time limit for comments is five (5) minutes per person. Before speaking to the Committee, please state your name and residence or the organization you represent. Please respect the time limits. Members of the Public may also provide comments electronically by sending an email to the following address, with a limit of 150 words and accepted up until 30 minutes prior to the meeting: mpalaciosCcDelsegundo.org in the subject line please state the meeting date and item number. Depending on the volume of communications, the emails will be read to the Committee during public communications. NOTE: Emails and documents submitted will be considered public documents and are subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act. and possibly posted to the City's website. NOTE: Public Meetings can be recorded and are subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act and possibly posted to the City's website. Additional Information: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, with certain statutory exceptions, can only take action upon properly posted and listed agenda items. Unless otherwise noted in the Agenda, the public can only comment on City -related business that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. PLEASE NOTE: Public Meetings are recorded. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact Monse Palacios, 310-524-2882. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. A. CALL TO ORDER B. ROLL CALL Shad McFadden - Chairperson Kenneth Chancey - Co -Chairperson Lauren Abercrombie - Member Kelsey Chittick - Member Natacha Lee - Member Avery Smith - Member Christina Vasquez -Fajardo - Member Christibelle Villena - Member Steven Wood - Member C. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION Related to city business only and for which the DEI Committee is responsible. At this time, members of the public may speak to any item on the agenda only. Before speaking, you are requested, but not required, to state your name and address for the record. If you represent an organization or a third party, please so state. 5 minutes per person; 30 minutes total D. PRESENTATION 1. Consultant Jimmy Pete Discussion on How Unconscious Bias Impacts Gender Equity Recommendation: Discussion E. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES 2. Special Meeting Wednesday, June 9, 2021 Recommendation: Approval F. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Community Garden Recommendation: Committee Support 2. DEI Committee Role in Responding to Community Feedback Recommendation: Discussion G. NEW BUSINESS 1. Discussion of LA Times Articles Dated July 6, 2021 on Diversity in El Segundo Recommendation: Discussion 2. DEI Webpage Content Recommendation: Discussion 3. DEI Committee Retreat August 27, 20219:00am-1:30pm H. REPORTS OF SUBCOMMITTEES a. Public Safety b. Citywide Organization c. Local Economy- Update on DEI Panel July 15, 2021 d. Community at Large I. ADJOURNMENT City of El Segundo Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Special Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 4:00 p.m. 350 Main Street El Segundo, CA 90245 This meeting was conducted virtually via Zoom conferencing A. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. and roll call was conducted by Shad McFadden. Committee Members Present: Lauren Abercrombie, Shad McFadden, Avery Smith, Christina Vazquez -Fajardo, Christibelle Villena, Kelsey Chittick, Kenneth Chancey, Steven Wood Absent: Natacha Lee City Staff Present: Jimmy Pete, City of El Segundo DEI Consultant Barbara Voss, Deputy City Manager Monse Palacios, Senior Administrative Analyst Cristina Reveles, Economic Development Coordinator Portland Bates, Management Analyst C. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS None D. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES Motion: to approve the Wednesday, May 1 1, 2021 meeting minutes was made by Member Villena and Seconded by Member Chancey. Motion carried 7-0 E. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Community Garden Corrie Zupo shared the community's interest in establishing a community garden. Item will be in the next meetings agenda with the recommendation to support the garden. 2. City Council Meeting Follow up and Next Steps Committee discussed City Council approvals. Next steps include purchasing GARE membership. Work with City Attorney to develop a survey. Film an introduction video of the committee. 3. DEI Committee: Role in Responding to Community Feedback Tabled to the next regular meeting. ;74Z61'���]�III- 6JJAT►'►1kid44 a. Public Safety -Continue to attend the Police Academy. b. Citywide Organization — GARE membership was approved. Portland Bates is the new contact for this subcommittee. Meeting date to be determined. C. Local Economy — Dialogue with business and business owners. First panel will be with LA Airforce Base. d. Community At Large- Working on possibly hosting a podcast. G. ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned at 6:17pm to$! $2.75 DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER ©2021 TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2021 tatmes.com HO T E1 Segundo fought a Black beach resort a century By MEG JAMES I LBS ANGELES TIMES EXCLUSIVE JULY S, 20215 AM PT Nearly a century- ago, Los Angeles leaders offered beachfront property to a Prominent Black entrepre neur, Titus Ale an de r, to build a retreat fo r the city s Fast-groNvi ng African American Population. Alexander enAsioned opening a Black "amusement resort" on a coastal stretch near the s outb ern tip of Prese nt-day Igo cl -veiler State P each, near the city of El s egundo . Lo s ..Angeles initially agreed in 19 2 3 to lease Zoo feet o f city.-oNvned b each to Alexander for 15 years. The land was part of a tract that the city purchased in 18 9 2 for the H�Terion Water Declamation Plant, which remains the cih-'s Primary- sewage treatment facility-. El Se<yundo residents were outraged. City. leaders enlisted Hermosa Beach, Redondo Peach and L.A. businessmen to wage a bitter 18-month campaign that included petition driv. es, a lawsuit and racist smears. In 19 2 4, a judge issued a restraining order, temporarily blocking the lease and demanding the L.A.. mayor and council members testify why the project should go forward. Bowing to Pressure, L.A. officials backed out of the lease arrangement with Alexander. This Nvas another situation where African Americans were foiled," said Black historian Alison to s e Jefferson. -Alexander's stop- has come to light as El Segundo reckons with its history- of racism. In Nl av, the citv's I iver iti-, Equih, and Inclusion Committee recommended a review o f E1 S eau ndo's tro ubl ed Past. In 19 24. officials in neighboring Manhattan Beach confiscated beachfront property where I -Villa Bruce had operated a popular hostel, restaurant and dance hall for Black families.1-Ianhattan Peach used eminent domain to condemn and seize more than two do z e n p ropertie s, claiming a n u rgent ne ed f o r a Public p ark. Black f amili es who lived around B ruce's Beach Nv. ere forced to scatter. In 1926, the Black-oivn ed Pacific. Beach Club in Huntington Beach mysteriously burned to the ground on the eve of its opening. There Nvas .a surg e in Ku lCux Klan activih- and racism in the 19 2 o s as L. .'s Black community became more established. Southerners had been moving to Southern California for job opportunities, and the Black population Exploded. At the daNvn of the loth century, Los Angeles had ,1 1 Black residents. By 1 20, there were 15,579. Many were drawn to California because of anti -discrimination laws, the ability to oivn property and "because the discrimination was a little less offensive than it was in other places in the U.S.," Jefferson said. Central Ax-enue �v.as a bustling business district, and prosperity- seemed ivithin reach, Jefferson said. In the early loth century, Alexander was a toweringfigure in Los An eles. The Arkansas native, ivho moved to LA. in 18 -, ,was a lair Ter, the honorary captain of the L.A. Fire Department and an executive at L.A.'s Bureau of PoNver and Light, said robin Miskoleze, a Loyola Mar mount University English professor ivho has been studying the history of El Segundo. Aexander provided leadership during the 1 2 urr mer Olympics in Los Angeles b ? helping coordinate events. Later that year, Mexander was honored by the L.A. Chamber of Co m m erce f o r his role i n ` makinz cc inf ortable all solo red athletes i vho participated in the Olympic arnes,'. according to a 1932 article in The Times. He ran unsucc.essftilly for the L. A. City- Council and for a California -Assembly seat. "He was a mover and a shaper," Jefferson said. "He was involved in real estate ventures and he was ci,�­ically active. He attempted to get more rights, and less discrimination, for -African —mericans in the city-." His proposed resort also could have been a lucrative business venture. (The city- of Lc s Angeles agree d to lease Al e ander the land f o r abo ut S 5 o o a Fear.) Aroun d this time, the Bruce familVs operation in Manhattan Beach ivas thriving, said Jefferson, author of the 202o boob "Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites Luring the Jim Crow Era." B ut El Segu ndo resi dent s would have no part o f Al e andee s plans. Life some other Southern California communities, real estate covenants prey. ented Black p e opl e from owni ng pro perty. in El S egundo. I eN sp ape r articl es from the 19 20s describe minstrel shows and Ilan cross burnings on the coastal bluffs. 0n 0ct. 2 6 # 19 2 3 , the El Segundo Herald published a front-page story, which began Titus Alexan de r, the gum- sho e Negro iv. ho se actiAtie s for the `el evation' of his race by having them bathe in the sea water lapping El egundo's beautiful beach is libel to have his idea ... ruder* shattered.'' El egundo`s city- leaders had sent iv.ord to their counterparts in Los Angeles that a Black resort "would prove dangerous toy the life and property of a large portion of the public," the article read. A Pacific Electric troller stop Nvas nearby. "Many of the [trollex-] patrons are women and children, and it is not considered desirable' for such a resort to operate there, the Herald article read. 1Aiskolcze noted the property, offered to Alexander Nv.asn`t the finest stretch of beach aroun d. It was next to the Hype rio n s ewage plant, a nd in the e arl F 192 Os the city. dumped ra-vv. seNv.aga into the ocean. "This sectio n of b each would have been 1 aden with human Nv- aste,", sai d M ickolcze, Nvho is white and a member of Sweat Equity Alliance or SEA Change, an actii1st group formed this spring to lobby for increased diversity-, and inclusion in El Segundo. But in the 1920S, the public was not as concerned about ems rcnmental health hazards as it is now, Jefferson said. She noted that several beach communities, including Manhattan Peach and Santa Monica, released untreated waste into the sea. Opponents o f ..Mexandees proposed resort mounted a "Save the Beaches" campaign, according to a 12,5 article in The Times. The article quoted Arthur Eclurnan, who was a leader of the lawsuit to prevent the city- from leasing the land to Alexander. "Contrary- to the belief of some, this movement of ours is not a moITenient against the colored or any. other race, but it is simply a movernent to beep the municipally owned beaches open and free to all the publie," Eckman said. "'We hope to have such beaches placed in the hands of the recreation department of the cih,. he threat came just days before the premiere of "Black in May- berry." An anonymous email warned the tiny El Segundo Museum ofArt that it would be "fire- bombed" ifthe museum continued to support Black Lives Matter. The nonprofit art lab had co -sponsored the film "Black in Mayberry" and allowed the filmmakers to use its shuttered spacery, during the pandemic to shoot the docu- mentawhich recounts the experiences of Black people in one of Los Angeles County'swhitest cities: El Segundo. The FBI was called, and �mdereover police officers patrolled the May premiere at the Brewport Tap House. No one bombed the museum, but theincident rattled this town south of LAX, which has proudly marketed itself as "Mayberry by the Sea," a nod to the idyllic Mayberry of "The Andy Griffith Show." El Segundo — population 16,600 —has a nostalgic charm. Neighbors are friendly, Police officers are ultra -vigilant and Little League is king. Since 1949, a Christmas lights extravaganza dazzles on Candy Cane Lane. Still, the bomb threat was a painful reminder of El Segundo's parochial past and of hostilities [ See `Mayberry,' Al2 ] that surfaced last summer when a diverse coalition of residents came together as EI Segundo for Black Lives. The group demanded ac- tion from city leaders, including an "end to racial profiling" by police, more inclusive schools, and an acknowledgment and apology "for El Segundo's racist legacy." The group's efforts would indeed prompt action by city and school officials. But there also came flag-waving hecklers who disrupted last summer's George Floyd demonstrations, howls of indignation when El Segundo's police chief knelt in solidarity with students marching for raclal,jus- tice, and equivocation by some city leaders Struggling to respond to a divided Community. "Some of the residents feel like El Segundo is their secret little jam, and they want to keep it to themselves," said Tanya Taylor, a foundingmember of El Segundo for Black Lives and the producer of"Blackin Mayberry." "They want to maintain it the way it was when they grew up... when El Segundo was an all -white commu- nity and everyone knew everyone. They don't seem to understand why this town has always }teen white. It wasn't an accident; it's because of racism." El Segundo exists thanks to the oil refinery that looms large on the city's south end. In 1911, Standard Oil opened its second California refinery, prompting the city's name, Spanish for "the second one." Now owned by Chevron, the remains the largest pro- ducing oil refinery on the West Coast. Decades ago, sulfur -like emis- sions from the refinery and odors wafting from the nearby wastewa- ter treatment plant, Hyperion, inspired another nickname, "El Stinko." The city became a punch - line in the 1970s sitcom "Sanford and Son," on which Redd Foxx's Fred Sanford quipped that his son's "Days in Paris" cologne "smells like Nights in El Segundo The refinery's workforce was predominantly white in the early years. So was El Segundo — and it was determined to stay that way. Los Angeles County's South Bay, which includes El Segundo, was a hotbed for the Ku Klux Klan a century ago. In 1922, an esti- mated 12,000 people— including an El Segundo contingent — at- tended a Klan rally in Whittier Hills. in 1923, the El Segundo Her- $2.75 DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER 0-7) 2021 TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2,024 1"till'Iles. eom 9F i "at's been hiding behind this city's nostalgic charm? The new film `Black in Mayberry" exposes how beachside El Segundo stayed so white for so long BY MEG .TAMES old recounted how members ofthe attorneys —Anya Goldstein and issued demands tothecity, includ- summer's activists for neda mul- Methodist church got "areal thrill" Amanda Touchton — decided to ing creating a diversity, equity and tiracial group called Sweat Equity one Sunday when 10 white-r❑bed bring the national movement inclusion committee. Its ceremony Alliance, or SEA Change. It is led Klan members "walked solemnly home, was interrupted by two dozen by Ben Watkins, a Slack television down the aisle, asked for prayer As white people, we need to counterprotesters. "Lies' White producer who moved his family to and left $120" to pay the church's step up," said Goldstein, a crimi- people acting like they care about El Segundo in 2008 for its schools. debts, nal and civil litigator and city Black people: Hideous!"bellowed "El Segundo is an example of a In 1924, El Segundo fought a resident since 2013. one man, who waved a large community motivated by fear," plan for a successfill Black On May 31, 2020, Goldstein, American flag, according to a Watkins said. "They are trying to businessman, Titus Alexander, to Touchton and Touebton's 21-year- video shared with The Times, maintain what they feel is their build an oceanfront retreat for old son, Elias Garcia, were,joined Police formed a line to separate little slice of heaven, but that slice Black vacationers on L.A. city by a multiracial crowd for a so- the two groups. is false because it hasn't been the land. That year, neighboring Man- cially distanced protest at Main There were other threats; One experience of everyone who lives hattan Beach seized the seaside Street and Imperial Highway. El Segundo man wrote on the here. They don't want to acknowl- property of a Black family that ran More than 50 people clapped and Nextd❑or app that he was "having edge what has happened in the a popular Black resort. cheered as passing cars honked trouble keeping calm" and advised past — or what is happening to - As they did elsewhere in Cali- approval. people not bring children to pro- day." fornia, real estate covenants pro- As demonstrations grew in size tests. "Unfortunately there may be Watkins knows all too well. He hibited property ownership in El and volume, some white residents violence this time," according to a said two of his four sons were Segundo by "any person whose warned on social media that such screenshot ofthe message. occasionallyfoilowed by police as blood is not entirely that ofthe activity would invite trouble. El Segundo educators felt the they walked home from school, white race," according to a Depres- "People were afraid that all of a schism. In a June 18, 2020, letter to even as one wore his football uni- sion-era deed. It stipulated that no sudden, truckloads of Black peo- parents, El Segundo Unified form. "Both of fly sons felt uncom- one of `African, Asiatic, Mongolian ple were going to drive over to El School District Superintendent fortable walking home from or Mexican descent" would be Segundo," Taylor said. "But who's Melissa Moore wrote: "ESUSD school," Watkins said. allowed — unless they were "bona going to drive from Crenshaw to El stands firmly in the belief that Watkins said that about seven fide domestic servants." Segundo to protest? They have Black lives matter and is actively years ago, his youngest son — then Under the federal Home Own- problems in their own communi- examining our practices, listening in fourth grade —told his parents ers' Loan Act of 1933, the govern- ties." and reflecting, and taking action a group of classmates had been ment created an agency to boost Mark Knight, a white research to combat racism and to address making,jokes and that a white boy home ownership. It produced a scientist who has lived in El Se- the well-being of our Black stu- repeatedly used "the N-word." The 1939 map of LA. County that gundo three years, was intrigued. dents and other students of color." family reported the episode, and ranked neighborhoods with letter "I felt like I didn't really under- Then came the backlash. "We Watkins called parents of the boys grades to to D}. People of color stand the anger and the frustra- the Parents have had ENOUGH," allegedly involved. "Some ofthe were restricted to "D" areas, which tion, but I wanted to because these mad a Sept.17 Rill -page advertise- parents were very supportive, but were color -coded red. That gave are my neighbors," Knight said ment in the Herald by an anony- the other half said I was making a rise to the term "redlining." He photographed the rallies and mous group. "We insist the Dis- big deal out of nothing," he said. El Segundowas graded "C" due marches. "The protests weren't trict cease efforts aimed at influ- Moore, who became superin- to its proximity to the refinery and what you saw on the news. These encing students' political views, tend entin 2014, was alarmed to sewage treatment. plant. In 1939 are positive people who want a morals and core beliefs." hear about the incident. "There is the Home Owners' Loan Corp. betterworld " The next week, another ad no room for words like that in our noted the absence aFBiack resi- Knight and Taylor became appeared, signed by more than 250 schools," she said. dents, explaining that deed re- friends. One day, Knight shared people, includingTaylor, Gold- City Manager Scott Mitnick, strictions "provide protection haw a Black friend of his had only stein and Knight. who came on board in 2019, said again racial hazards." recently opened up about the "To put it simply" the ad read, the city has "a commitment to Throughout the 1940s, areal racism he'd experienced. "Black Lives Matter is not a paliti- treat all residents, people who estate broker maintained a big Knight's conversation with cal issue; it is a moral one." work in El Segundo and visitors sign at Oak and Main streets, Taylor was the genesis of "Black in u eq ally no matter their race, gen- proudlynotinghedidn'tserve Mayberry." _ der, age, nationalityoror'sentation. Jews or Japanese. "I wanted to pullback the veil,"Each formal allegation and com- F ank L. Snow, then Herald Taylor said. "I wanted people to plaint is investigated and respond - editor, wrote in 1944 that the intol- understand just how much pain City leaders, including the ed to accordingly." all -white City Council, took erant message gave the city a bad Black people are carrying with SEA Change has grown to look. He reminded readers that them." nearly 300 supporters, and 2020, Bayles accepted an than 700,000 Black men had Knight had never directed a Watkins is optimistic. served in World War U. "Negro film before_ He spent $1,000 to buy "Ourgoal is to take two seats on people are entitled to be treated equipment to produce high-qual- the City Council in the next elec- like human beings," Snow wrote. ity video and rebuilt his computer "I was handed a bullhorn. I tion," Watkins said. "We are moti- Still, El Segundo remained after it overheated during one edit really didn't know what to expect," vated by our affinity for this com- solidly white — long after racist session. Boyles recalled, adding, "The idea munity: We love El Segundo and was to go housing covenants were ruled The hourlong documentary, when you love something, you unconstitutional. now available to watch at blac+ti in best tounderstand people'Scon- want it to be the best that it can By 1980, fewer than 50 Black rnayberry.corn, weaves together cernsand their frustrations." be." people lived in El Segundo, mak- Knight's protest photographs, a On the eve of the premiere of ing up less than 0.5%of the popula- stark image of Chevron's refinery "Black in Mayberry;"Avery Smith tion, accordingto the U. S. Census. and vignettes from more than a got an idea. Smith is a popular Whites accounted for 89%. dozen Black activists who share Little League coach, an insurance The city's everyone who lives, works and complexion has discrimination they have faced in agency president and a member of changed and is no longer shaped El Segundo and other parts of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclu- by Chevron. A constellation of Southern California the city said on its website. Sion Committee. The emailed ri corporations ngs the east side, Northwestern University engi "We need to engage people in threat against the museum deeply including Mattel, DirecTV, Boeing, neering student Gabi fella Desch- disturbed him. Beyond Meat, the Los Angeles ON, a 2020 graduate of RI Segundo sentative of all these different "That there was somebodywho Times and tech startups, High School, described the stress was so vile as to want to threaten "El Segundo is in a different ofbeing an outsider in the city's to kill people to me was just u nbe- place demographically and eco- schools, which accept. about 200 lievable," said Smith, who is Black noming to embrace all perspectives." ically, it is much more diverse students ayear from neighboring Smith announced on F'acebook than it was, on so many levels," communities. Desch -Obi is from that he would march alongMain Mayor Drew Boyles said. largely Black Leimert Park. Street to the museum to show In 2019. the census estimated El "Being the token in a predomi lacrosse coach who wrote on his support. He figured people were Segundo's population was 72% nately white space Is a lot harder busy with work and school: "I white,16% Latino,10% Asian and than people think," she says in the thought I would be walking by 31% Black City leaders say the film. "You are supposed to be an tors who've co-opted the sad myself." diversity has accelerated as advocate and basically an urban Puckett and his son showed up younger residents move in. The dictionary foryour entire culture." — along with about 25 white resi- schools are no longer majority Desch -Obi, in an interview, dents, white. And El Segundo has turned recalled when police stopped her "To have all ofyou guys come blue: 64% of voters cast ballots for as she was walking to dance class, out is just so moving," Smith told Joe Biden for president last No- "Theyasked:'What areyou do Nine people of'vas'ious ethnic the group clustered around him. "I vg? mber. in' "she said, adding that she backgrounds were selected last n't couldbe more proud to be part New residents are attracted by noticed one officer's "hand was of this community." in award-wning schools and the restingon his revolver." fir city's reputation as a nice place to Keith Puckett, a security man - live, ager for an international m, "It's a quiet, safe community; it. discussed being pulled over by seemed ideal for family life," said police — an example, he said, of Taylor, an attorney who moved to racial profiling. In May, Puckett El Segundo in 2020 from Long and his attorney, Goldstein, filed a Beach. "Of course we didn't know civil rights claim with the city, the the level and history ofracism " precursor to a possible lawsuit. George Floyd's murder 1,900 By the fifth El Segundo for miles away awakened a new van- Black Lives protest last summer, guard of activists, and two white things grew tense. The group proactive stance. In early June tion to address a crowd of about 300 protesters outside City Hall. and to listen and do my Within weeks, the council formed the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee with the goal of creating "positive change se visits El Segundo feels welcome," the Community who are repre- perspectives to get theirinput, our city is open-minded and will- seat. Amangthem was a longtime cil,our ]ids, our city folk, anyone ... coachbelieveattacking to represent the city's old guard. "We need to Start the hard work and have the tough conversa- tions," said Shad McFadden, a Black marketingresearch execu- tive and Chairman of the commit- tee. "But it needs to start with an understanding of how racism affects people today." This spring, several of last summer's activists formed a mul-