Makers Market at MVLY
It’s safe to say that the creators of MVFREE (Mill Valley Force for Racial Equity & Empowerment), comprised of former members of the City of Mill Valley’s 22-person Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force, have stayed busy in the months since City officials decided not to turn the task force into a city commission.
The group is fresh off hosting a deeply moving “Building Belong in Mill Valley” event that gathered a wide range of community members to dig into ways we can create the conditions of a more welcoming, more diverse community with more awareness of our blind spots around racial equity. The facilitated event created a safe space for guided talks with neighbors via Zoom.
It has also continued to track the progress reports from Mill Valley Police Chief Rick Navarro, who delivered the latest report this week on the City’s work to comply with AB 953: The Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA), which requires California law enforcement agencies to begin “collecting and reporting data on complaints that allege racial or identity profiling” and meet a deadline for RIPA data collection of June 2023. And MVFREE keeps tabs on the rest of its initial 93-page list of recommendations for the City to implement, across a range of issues, including affordable housing, cultural and recreational engagement, economic opportunity, education and more.
They’re also directly supporting Bay Area BIPOC makers and artists by regularly organizing “Spread Love” pop-up retail events at Proof Lab, with the latest event set for this Sunday, Nov. 7, 10am-4pm. Proof Lab is at 254 Shoreline Hwy. MORE INFO.