Title
Resolution to Approve a Professional Services Agreement with Obsidian Research Insights LLC for Consultative Services for Harms Report (NTE $200,000.00)
Memorandum
This resolution is requesting approval to advance a research project that will result in the issuance of a Harms Report.
City Council approved Resolution R-24-259, "Resolution to Study a Reparations Program in Ann Arbor to Remediate Historical Injustices and Discrimination Against its Black Residents" on June 18, 2024. This resolution directed the City Administrator to conduct a study of feasibility, process, and structure of a potential Municipal Reparations program. Municipal reparations refer to actions taken by a city government to formally acknowledge, address, and remediate historical injustices and discrimination through direct financial restitution, policy reforms, community investments, and public acknowledgments.
This report should include a "Harms Report" (also known as an impact report) regarding the harms to be addressed by the potential Municipal Reparations Program. This report will include a review of the past policies, laws, practices, regulations and impacts on the Black community in the areas of housing and policing.
The City Administrator conducted RFP 26-09 for consultative services for a Harms Report for potential reparations program. The emergent firm is Obsidian Research Insights LLC (ORI) based in Washington, DC. ORI will be collaborating with Blue Marble Analytics to perform this research project. The latter being a firm that is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ORI will serve as project management, develop the innovative research plan, and lead all data collection and analysis. Overall, ORI will serve as the City's main point of contact and drive the project forward efficiently and effectively.
The work will be performed by a team lead by Dr. Rashawn Ray, who is a graduate of the University of Memphis, and has two degrees from Indiana University. Dr. Ray is a Pro...
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