Onondaga County/Syracuse Commission on Human Rights

Barrie Gewanter
Executive Director

Bridget Owens
Human Rights Specialist

John H. Mulroy Civic Center,
Suite 19 - Basement Level
421 Montgomery Street
Syracuse, NY 13202

(315) 435-3565

Free Call from Inmates at Jail or Jamesville: (315) 435-3567 

Our Mission: To promote understanding and acceptance of diversity, facilitate intergroup communication, identify and address sources of intergroup tension and conflict, reduce conditions which can lead to discrimination and restrict opportunity, and to provide related education, information and referral.

The Human Rights Commission especially focuses on addressing prejudice and discrimination on the basis of color, creed, sex, age, religion, nationality/national origin, language used for communication, disability, marital status, and sexual orientation.

The Human Rights Commission Director serves as the County's coordinator for its non-discrimination policies under Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.  If you feel that you have been wrongly denied access to Onondaga County's programs or services, or discriminated against by a county employee, you can contact the Human Rights Commission for information about the county's policies and complaint procedures.

The Human Rights Commission staff are also the contact point for the new Jail Oversight Committee. For more information, or to address serious concerns about treatment or conditions at the Onondaga County Jail, please contact the Human Rights Commission staff.

Our staff currently includes Ms. Barrie Gewanter, Executive Director and Ms. Montanette Murphy, Human Rights Specialist. Our office is generally staffed from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, unless one of us has a meeting or other activity outside the office. Please call ahead if you wish to speak with one of us in person.

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Meetings of the Human Rights Commission:

The Members of the Onondaga County / Syracuse Human Rights Commission meets once a month at 5:30 pm on a Wednesday night.  Please see the specific dates and locatoins listed below.  The business portion of meetings are open to the public.

For Upcoming Meeting Dates & Available Agendas and Minutes of Past Commission Meetings See Links Below:   

NOTE: In 2019, meetings of the Human Rights Commission will be held on either the 3rd or 4th wednesday of each monthHuman Rights Commission members will schedule future meeting dates 3-4 months ahead of each meeting date.

For Meeting Agendas and Available Minutes from Past Years See Links Below:

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FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ONONDAGA COUNTY JUSTICE CENTER (JAIL) OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE & MEETINGS OF THIS COMMITTEE PLEASE GO TO NEWLY CREATED WEBSITE FOR THE JCOC AT  www.ongov.net/jcoc 

Meetings of the JCOC are held on the 1st Wednesday of each month.  These meetings are listed  

on the JCOC Website. See link above.