[CITY OF PHILADELPHIA LETTERHEAD]

July 26, 2000

Ms. Cheri Honkala
Kensington Welfare Rights Union
PO Box 50678
Philadelphia, PA 19132

Dear Ms. Honkala:

This letter serves as a follow-up to our meeting yesterday regarding the role of DHS in citywide planning efforts for the Republican National Convention. Let me begin by re-emphasizing that the City and the Department of Human Services values and respects the rights of our citizens to peacefully demonstrate with their children.

I also want to reassure you that our Department’s planning efforts are not and have never been geared toward actively taking temporary custody of children who, for a variety of reasons, become separated from their parents. Rather, our planning efforts are only aimed at ensuring the safety of such children by preparing our agency to: a) respond in the case of emergencies and/or when called upon to help out by other city agencies and b) assist and support children and families who become lost or separated from each other. In addition, given our Department’s Juvenile Justice Division, DHS has a mandated role if any minors are detained as a result of RNC activities.

I understand and empathize with your concerns about our communities’ negative perceptions about DHS and how this might interfere with their participation in KWRU events or other demonstrations. DHS supports and encourages Koru’s alternate care plans for children that may be separated from parents due to civil disobedience activities. For this reason, and following up on our conversation, I want to assure you that DOS’s role and involvement in RNC-related activities will be limited only to emergencies or in cases where our assistance is needed as a last resort.

In order to lessen the potential for problems, it is important that any children involved in any demonstration have identification. You have assured the City that KWRU will ensure that all children will have identification and that alternative plans for care will be in place in advance.

If further coordination or discussion is needed between KWRU and the City on issues related to children, this will be handled by the Office of Social Services, under the direction of Estelle Richman.

Sincerely,

/s/ Alba E. Martinez
Commissioner

CC: Eltelle Richman, Director of Social Services
Ken Trujillo, City Solicitor