City of Salem’s Race Equity Commission Introduces Discrimination Reporting Form, Available in Multiple Languages

The City of Salem’s Race Equity Commission today released a new Discrimination Reporting Form, now accessible on the City’s website at: https://records.salem.com/Forms/DRF. The form aims to capture comprehensive data on discriminatory incidents experienced by community members, including bias, racist actions, and microaggressions.

While similar tools exist in other municipalities, Salem stands out by offering its Discrimination Reporting Form in multiple languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Haitian Creole. These languages were selected based on the City of Salem’s Census data and feedback from the Salem Public Schools.

Entries can be completed and submitted anonymously and most data fields are optional. The form is intended to equip City officials with a better understanding of community experiences, aiding in even more effective resource allocation for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“Everyone should feel safe and welcome in the City of Salem,” said Mayor Dominick Pangallo, “Discrimination in all forms is challenging to address, but it’s our goal and our responsibility as a City to work toward eliminating it. This new Discrimination Reporting Form is one more tool to help us learn more about what our residents, workers, and visitors are facing in our community. We can use their feedback and the data from the form to improve our approaches to ensuring a more welcoming community for all.”

Regina Zaragoza Frey, the City of Salem’s DEI Director, remarks, “Originating from Salem’s Human Rights Coalition (previously 'No Place for Hate'), this form now stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts of the Race Equity Commission in understanding and addressing discrimination in our community. Thank you to the Commission members who have engaged in intentional dialogue about the creation of this form.”

Alphonse Wright, Chair of the Salem Human Rights Coalition and Vice Chair of the Race Equity Commission, adds, “The in-person reporting of discrimination can be daunting or even embarrassing. Our digital and anonymous form seeks to alleviate these barriers, striving for ease of use and accessibility. While it may not eradicate discrimination, shining a light on these issues is a pivotal step towards its elimination.”

Those submitting reports through the form should be aware that such reports are considered public records and therefore enter information accordingly. The data will not be used to prompt a response to a particular individual event and anyone experiencing an incident that may necessitate a law enforcement response should report the incident to the Salem Police Department.