MONTICELLO – Human Rights Commission (HRC) Executive Director Ramone Wilson addressed the Legislature on Thursday, February 19, with an update on his progress after 10 months on the job.

“As of right now the Human Rights Commission has served a total of 45 individuals across housing, employment, and discrimination matters,” Wilson told the legislators.

Wilson said the commission has successfully mediated five disputes locally, comprising three housing-related issues and two employment-related issues. Though the HRC was able to dismiss 14 complaints, there were some cases that were unresolvable through mediation.

“We had to unfortunately escalate nine confirmed complaints to the New York State Division of Human Rights,” said Wilson. He then specified the nature of claims received by his office: “We’ve identified housing stability as the leading complaint category, followed by discriminatory complaints based on retaliation in the workplace.”

To address the community’s discrimination concerns, Wilson said the commission has successfully implemented an online complaint portal accessible from the Sullivan County Government’s website (https://www.sullivanny.gov/Departments/Humanrights/HumanRightsComplaintForm). 

Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz expressed gratitude for Wilson’s efforts, saying, “I hear you’re doing a very good job. Thank you for being here.”

After the meeting, the Democrat caught up with Director Ramone Wilson to learn more about what is going on over at the HRC.

Interview with Ramone Wilson

When asked to elucidate housing instability in the context of a human rights complaint, Wilson explained that this happens when a person complains that they don’t have access to fair housing because of discrimination. 

“These are complaints that the housing they’re applying for is denied because of their race,” he said. 

Wilson said this can happen when people apply for both public housing and housing on privately-owned property.

Wilson said that when his office receives a complaint and they conclude that it is valid, the first approach is to attempt to resolve it before it escalates. “We try to engage both parties and see if they want to voluntarily resolve the issue,” he said. 

Some cases, said Wilson, were based on misunderstandings that can be resolved by talking it out with both parties. “Some people are willing [to talk and try to resolve], some are not,” he stated.

If an issue cannot be resolved through mediation, the commission calls in the big dogs. “If it does meet the criterion as a civil rights violation and we are not able to mediate, we send it to the state,” Wilson said. 

He emphasized that they do not have the jurisdiction to investigate violations, but the state authorities do have the ability to make punitive decisions if a violation is committed.

When asked if any punishments have been doled out because of a complaint, Wilson responded, “No, everything at the state level is in process. We have no control over what they do at the state level, but at this time, we are not aware of any [punitive outcomes].” 

After 10 months serving in the role of Executive Director of HRC, Wilson said, “I’ve learned that Sullivan County is a wonderful county with a lot of positives, but also some real issues that need to be addressed. There is a marginalized community here that doesn’t feel like they’re being heard. They don’t feel the county is taking the measures to make sure they have a voice, which is why we’re planning on more community outreach.” 

Wilson emphasized that it’s crucial that all the communities that make up Sullivan County know that the Human Rights Commission is here to help.