Councilmember Scott Benson.

Councilmember Fred Duhard III.

Present.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson present.

Council Member Gabriela Sancha Remember.

Present Councilmember Mary Walters present.

I'm fine, sir.

House member is the Witfield Callaway.

Council Member Coleman II.

Here Council President Pro Chim James Tate.

And Council President Mary Sheffield.

Present.

We have a core present, Madam President.

All right.

There being a quorum present, we are in session.

We will start off with our invitation.

We have joining us Commander Chaplain Little John, who is joining us virtually to lead us in invocation.

To any community members who are there, and those who are perhaps joining us virtually.

Thank you for their hearts, their minds, their passion, the privilege they undertake to serve and to be servants of you and of our community.

We recognize that without you, we embark on impossibilities.

And yet we know through you and with you, all things are possible.

And so we thank you.

And we're believing you today for our council president.

We're believing you today for each council member and even the districts that they represent.

We're believing you for blessings abundantly upon them as they lead, as they lead with transparency, as they lead with integrity, as they lead with vision.

That allows us to align ourselves with you so that through our lives, through our efforts, through our leadership, your will is done.

Your will is being done.

How we thank you for this Detroit community and your favor upon us.

God, let your favor continue to rest upon the city of Detroit.

And one by one, and name by name, each household, each person, each citizen.

God, we pray your touch.

Pray your touch on those who are hurting, those who are struggling.

We pray your touch on those who stand in need of your healing and your endurance strength that is far beyond us, but accessible to us.

God, we're believing you for that right now.

God, we pray your hand on this meeting that it might be a productive one, that it might be one that represents the kind of peace that only you give, that it represents what our city continues to need to not only survive but to thrive according to your holy will, your holy word.

And so bless God, have your way.

We invoke your divine presence, the manifestation thereof to guide us in those things that are pleasing unto you, beneficial for the kingdom, and certainly beneficial for the city of Detroit and beyond.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you so much, Pastor Chaplain Little John, for that invitation.

It's an honor to see you.

Uh, and we wish you the best.

God bless you, sir.

Uh, thank you for all you do.

Bless you, thank you, madam president.

Have a great day.

Thank you.

Do the same.

All right, the clerk would know, member Callaway has joined us, President Pro Tim has joined us as well.

Uh, we have several presentations uh this morning.

And we are going to start off with recognizing our current umbuds person or umbudsman.

Uh Mr.

Bruce Simpson, if he can come down, we want to honor him for his 10 years of service and dedication to the city that we know you have uh a presentation as well that you would like to present.

A lot of your staff and family are here today.

Um, and so would you like to present first?

Sure.

Okay, okay.

Go ahead and get it out the way.

Before I begin, I want to announce to uh council members as well as staff.

There are about 80 donuts for you guys in the conference room.

My tree is one last kind gesture.

I don't know if 80 will be enough, but there are 80 of them there.

So please help yourselves.

Good morning.

I would first like to state that I'll be brief and my remarks so you can attend to the people's business on the agenda.

Secondly, I would like to thank this body for the opportunity to present one final report from this ombudsman administration.

The purpose of this report is to ensure that there is an accurate record of the contributions made by my administration, and that those contributions are formally placed on the record to ensure that when we examine the archives years from now, we can speak accurately about our impact on this office.

I think we can all agree that in the absence of factual information, there's a tendency for some to fill in the blank with whatever they desire, whether it is rooted in truth or not.

I've seen a little too much of this as of late.

Loyalty may not mean much to some, but it means everything to me.

This is why, no matter the distraction, the environment or the challenges presented, we stayed loyal to the mission.

What was the mission?

The mission was to build an ombudsman office that provided a level of service that the people could be proud of and ultimately rely upon.

This means that under my direction, this office operated objectively, transparently, and justly, with an emphasis being placed on attention to detail, always relying on the facts to govern our actions without the interference of emotion.

At points, there was noise, but we never allowed the noise to interfere with the mission.

Understanding that the majority of the time that noise was coming was coming from those that did not know what they did not know.

We heard it, but we were too disciplined to respond.

We were solely focused on the mission.

What did it take to serve in this capacity for 10 years?

It meant that through bankruptcy, emergency management, COVID, two charter commissions, and two lawsuits.

We did not flinch, blink, or waver.

True independence means that you have the ability to function without a crutch.

But I want to be clear.

Earlier, I mentioned two lawsuits.

One was against the Bing administration and one against city council.

Council led by President Pew at the time, who sought to leave the Ombudsman's office with only two FTEs.

And there were only two because Mr.

Whitaker had to tell him it was charter mandated.

That was when we had RAD.

For those of you who don't know, I suggest you look it up.

Due to those actions not being based in merit or fact, we won both lawsuits.

Every step of the way, we defended this office in order to ensure that a more capable ombudsman office was available to the people.

I watched leadership, which represented the people, do whatever they thought was necessary to get close to what they perceived to be power.

I have always been of the opinion that true power rests within the people we serve.

Those are the only persons I desire to get close to.

Once we emerged from the challenging times of bankruptcy and emergency management, with your help, we began to rebuild this office.

This was a partnership rooted in what was best for our citizens.

Through this partnership, we were able to develop a robust ombudsman's office, increase the staffing levels from six to 15 FTEs.

That's an increase of 150%, taking a budget that was less than $800,000 and now turning it into a $2.6 million budget with the ability to increase over $300,000 annually if the guidelines of proportional funding are followed.

We have been good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

During my time in the office of the Ombudsman, working my way up the staffing hierarchy as an assistant ombudsman and becoming the ombudsman, which is what I believe is the right way, promoting from within.

Nearly 50 recommendations have been submitted to this body, and two of those recommendations have become state law.

But of all the recommendations that I've made, recommending the termination of the demolition management agreement between the city of Detroit and the DBA is the one that I'm most proud of.

Why do you ask?

Because this recommendation, this recommendation, it required, excuse me.

This recommendation required intestinal fortitude, moral clarity, and the ability to speak truth to power when others were either unwilling or unable.

This was a period of time where there were valid questions surrounding the recipients of these contracts.

This is a billion-dollar industry and the signature issue for this administration, which is why so many stared clear of taking on this issue, but not the Ombudsman's office.

If mistakes are made, these are mistakes that the residents literally have to live with.

Now, the people cannot take advantage of a resource provided by the Ombudsman if they are unaware of the function through constant outreach to our citizens.

A name synonymous with advocacy.

Over 1,440 community meetings held and attended both virtually and in person.

A door-to-door outreach campaign and the level of attention given to every citizen we engage is something that I'm very proud of.

I'm the first ombudsman to come knocking on your door and asking how can I be of service.

The beauty of this office is that it will take on the personality of its leadership.

A person that is willing to go right when everyone else has chosen to go left.

Understanding that demanding accountability will not make you popular, but should allow you to go to sleep at night with a clear conscience, knowing that you worked every day to improve the quality of life of our residents.

Being able to be impactful without the aid of a camera or a microphone.

So for the last time, on behalf of the residents, business owners, and stakeholders in the city of Detroit, I humbly and respectfully submit this ombudsman administration's final report.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Bruce Simpsons.

We uh appreciate you and your 10 years of service to the city of Detroit.

You have definitely been um just a great leader uh in person to work with.

Uh, on behalf of Detroit City Council, we do want to present to you a testimonial resolution um solidifying your service uh to Detroit.

Uh and it reads a visionary leader committed to service, equity, and community empowerment.

Bruce Simpson, a proud native Detroiter, has dedicated his life and career to public service, community advocacy, and improving the quality of life for all Detroit residents.

Whereas in 2015, Bruce became the youngest ombudsman for the city of Detroit at the age of 32 years old, embarking on a 10-year appointment in which he has consistently consistently exemplified integrity, diligence, and unwavering commitment to the people of our city.

Guided by his legacy of his grandmother, the honorable Congresswoman Barbara Rose Collins, Bruce has devoted himself to serving the community, advocating for Detroit residents, and ensuring city agencies provide high quality services through education, engagement, and transparent communication.

Whereas during his tenure, Bruce has made over 40 fiscal budget recommendations aimed at enhancing city services, promoting community safety, supporting small businesses, and ensuring equitable opportunities for all residents.

Bruce Simpson has also achieved a historic distinction as the only city of Detroit Ombudsman to have two fiscal budget recommendations adopted into state law, demonstrating his impact not only on the city of Detroit, but also across the state of Michigan.

Bruce Simpson's commitment to civic engagement, professional excellence, and community empowerment has earned him the trust, the respect, and the admiration of Detroit residents, colleagues, and leaders throughout the city of Detroit.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that on this day, the Detroit City Council and the Council President Sheffield honor and commend Bruce Simpson for his outstanding service, his visionary leadership, and his extraordinary dedication to the city of Detroit and our residents.

We celebrate his remarkable legacy as a steadfast champion for the residents of the city of Detroit.

Congratulations, Bruce Simpson.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

And we have more.

We have more.

There's more.

So hold one second.

Member Young also had something that he would like to present to you as well.

Thank you, Madam President.

I'm not gonna be able to follow that, but I just wanted to say Bruce.

I know we go back like seatbelts and car seats, man.

So you know, we got a long history together.

And um when I found out that you were gonna be the ombudsman, I couldn't think of a better person.

I didn't think of a man that had more integrity and more character than you.

And you know, it's true what they say is they say if you want to touch the past, touch a rock, you want to touch the present, touch a plant.

You won't touch the future, touch a life.

And you have shaped the future because you have touched so many people's lives.

Thank you.

And you have Blaze the Trail for the next generation of ombudsmen to come in here.

You really redefined this position.

And so I just can't be more proud and more honored to know you and to call you a friend.

I just wanted to read this letter really quickly.

Uh honoring the 10-year term of service for Bruce Simpson, ombudsman for the city of Detroit.

Bruce Simpson is a legacy leader in our beloved city of Detroit.

He is the grandson of one of the founding members of the Shrine of the Black Madonna, the honorable Congresswoman and Detroit City Councilwoman, Barbara Rose Collins.

He also received Tuli from my father, the honorable mayor Comey Alexander Young.

We were young friends together, learned the political landscape from Councilwoman Collins in the summer of 2005.

We all helped the councilwoman's reelection campaign at the age of 32 years.

He has indeed been a dedicated professional who sought to improve the quality of life for every Detroiter.

He was quoted in the Michigan Chronicle as saying everything in my training has led me to conduct myself in the most humble and respectful manner as I carry out my duties on behalf of Detroit residents.

It is my great honor to call your friend and brother for his decade of dedicated and devoted service to the people of Detroit and to say thank you, Mr.

Obudsman, Bruce Simpson, for your honorable service.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Any additional comments?

Yes, Councilmember Durha.

Thank you, Madam President, and good morning to you all.

Good morning, uh Mr.

Ombudsman.

Uh first, I just want to say thank you.

Uh, I believe you served that position uh with a tremendous amount of integrity uh and compassion.

Uh I can remember firsthand, uh, even going into my district, and we are putting boards up on houses uh in the district.

We are doing cleanups through multiple neighborhoods in my district.

Uh, and that showed a level of commitment outside of what just the duties of an ombudsman is, uh, but I think very indicative to how you care for the people uh of the city of Detroit.

Uh I've known you for a very long time.

Obviously, our families go way, way, way, way, way back with your grandmother.

Uh, but what I can say personally, and I tell you this all the time, I do believe she is very proud of you uh as a young black man in the city of Detroit to serve with such integrity in this city, uh in this government and work so hard uh to make it better.

Uh, it has been a pleasure working with you.

I look forward to where you are going to be next.

I know it may not be far, but I know that it will be uh in service of the people, uh, which you have always done, and thank you uh for also leading an amazing team.

Uh that is not you know unbeknownst to us.

Uh but again, uh, I think you helped redefine what the ombudsman position should look like here in the city of Detroit.

Uh, but did want to thank you personally on the record for your service.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Member Durha.

Thank you so much, Member Durha, Member Johnson.

Thank you, Madam President, and good morning to you.

Um Mr.

Umbudsman, I just want to say um I've observed you for 10 years.

I've known you for four, and I just uh genuinely appreciate um what the East Side produces, first of all.

Uh, but also I I do appreciate your professionalism.

Uh because you were not only advocating and listening to residents throughout the city of Detroit, but we had opportunities to have conversations and be honest, be genuine about who we are as people.

And I just appreciate you always bringing the facts and delving deeply into the facts of anything that has been presented to us and the way that you present it is just stellar.

It's absolutely stellar and greatly appreciated for us because there are times when you know the investigation, the binder, the information is thick, but you have a way of synthesizing it and making sure that we know and understand the facts for us to be able to do our job effectively.

And so I thank you.

I thank you for your leadership.

I thank you for your vision, and I thank you for having an amazing team who have been able to execute your vision and always standing up and advocating for the residents throughout the city of Detroit.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Member Johnson.

Thank you, Member Johnson members, Santiago Rivero.

Thank you, Madam President, through the chair.

Um, Bruce, thank you so much for everything that you've done for us.

I want to say thank you on behalf of my staff.

We become very close friends.

I'm going to miss having the conversations with you frequently about what's going on, what we want to change, and what we're doing together.

I want to say thank you as well for working together so closely with my team, your staff, and my staff.

We want to make sure that continues because your office is incredibly important.

You have become a known name in our community.

Um, if there's an issue that we're working on, oftentimes we're working on it together with your office as well.

Just want to say thank you for what you've built.

Um, I'm going to make sure that my team and I continue to work together with the embudsman's office because we have to.

Um, it's how we are better able to serve our residents.

Just want to say thank you.

Congratulations on your your your end of this chapter.

Looking forward to what you do next.

And I know that's this is not going to be the end of this relationship.

We're going to continue to talk, drink, plan, um, uplift our communities in whatever ways that we can.

So thank you.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

Councilmember Benson.

All right, thank you.

And there's a famous saying, and there before you goes an alpha man.

Thank you very much, Bruce, for your level of dignity, uh, compassion and integrity in leading that office.

You have done an exceptional job.

I remember the time that we went door to door early on in your tenure when you really wanted to make sure that the ombudsman's office got out and touched the residents of the city.

And you honored us in the third district by doing those walks with us and my staff uh to ensure that everyone knew about your office and its services offered.

And as you said, not everyone has the opportunity to meet the ombudsman, but you ensured that happened.

You continue to have that level of community engagement throughout your tenure and your staff.

I really do want to congratulate and thank them for their service.

We often talk about what it means to work in KMAC, but was often left out is the hard work.

And this is a commitment to service.

And your office exemplifies that.

So I want to say thank you to you and your team and to our incoming ombudsman as well.

And so this is a continued level of service, something that is committed by our city charter that residents have the opportunity and are entitled to someone who's going to resolve and champion their issues.

And so I just want to give an old naval saying as a Coast Guard officer, Bravo Zulu, to you and the job you've done, as well as fair wins and following C's in your future endeavors.

And once again, they're before you go Alpha Man.

Thank you so much for the first time.

Thank you, Member Band.

President Pro Tentate.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Hey, five.

As one of the few members here who took a had a hand in the appointment of Mr.

Bruce Simpson as ombudsman, I take extreme um pleasure in seeing uh how you've operated that particular office.

You have been placed in some very challenging situations based on uh uh thoughts, processes, and intentions of others, but you and your team, your very strong team have uh stood fast, unwavered, and brought forward, you know, the the legislation, uh, but also the heart and compassion that is needed uh in that particular space.

And you did so quiet.

It wasn't about any fanfare.

Uh the fanfare that we saw more than anything was when you were out in the community.

And I don't know if you can call it a fanfare, it's called engagement.

Right.

Many people didn't even understand truly what an embudsman's office was.

They'd heard about it, but didn't understand.

But because you and your team have uh taken the tour on the road directly in the neighborhoods in the community, um, it has made a difference.

Um, we've been able to work together, and I call you friend, but I don't you've never, and I don't believe I've ever used that as a crutch towards anything.

It's all about the work.

And it's been times we didn't agree.

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

It's about the work.

So I just again want to thank you for the work, the 10 years of work that you've uh conducted, performed, and led again, your very strong team uh to provide us uh the information that we need uh to move the city forward.

Looking definitely forward to uh what's next.

Me too.

Um, but I share the the the notion and uh sentiment that uh it is very clear based on your heart, soul, and your DNA that it's going to be something that benefits our community.

So congratulations, and again, thank you so much for your tenure.

Thank you, Council President Pro Tim.

Thank you so much.

Member Callaway.

Yes, good morning.

Um, thank you, madam chair.

Um, and good morning, everyone.

Good morning, Mr.

Simpson.

And um, I think my colleagues have done up done an amazing job.

What um um expressing their gratitude to you and um um mentioning all of your accolades and accomplishments.

I've only had an opportunity to work for you the last with you for the last four years.

Um I hope you're not going very far from district two, where you are a resident of.

You remind me of that all the time, and I thought it tells me to tell you hello, because we also know that you are a graduate of Bowling Green, yeah.

Um in Ohio.

So thank you for your ten years of service.

And I know this is simply serving as a launching pad for you for your next.

And whatever that next is, I know it's going to be great.

So God bless you and your young family, and um, I know you're gonna do amazing things.

Thank you, Member Callaway.

They think I'm old.

I have a 19-year-old who swears that I'm old.

But I I thank you.

Thank you.

And I just have to shout him out too.

Uh his son is dynamic.

He worked in our office uh, I think two two times.

Um, and he is just phenomenal.

And I think he represents what his father is.

Um, so I know he's proud of you as well, too.

Uh, Cameron, yes, ma'am.

Is just a dynamic, smart young man who served uh in our office a couple of years.

So I just want to give him a shout out as well.

Thank you, Councilman.

He's about it too.

Thank you.

All right, thank you so much, Bruce.

We appreciate you.

Thank you all.

Thank you so much for all that you do.

Thank you so much.

And yep.

Yeah, we're gonna do a picture.

We have two more presentations.

Yeah, yeah, public comment.

We're gonna cut off our public comment and now turn it over to President Pro Tem Tate for his two presentations.

Thank you.

Thank you, madam president.

Uh uh, colleagues, I want to thank you for and community and opportunity to uh provide a uh honor to an individual who has done tremendous work in our community as well.

Uh very short in stature, but big in impact.

Um, you will uh more than likely just walk right by.

Many of you have heard the name and the organization as well, uh, but you don't know the woman.

Um, but I have had the pleasure of knowing her for a number of years because she also is my neighbor.

Um, and I've seen the work that she does in the community as well.

If I told you before I mentioned the the individual that uh the organization started back in 1985, this individual became the CEO of the organization in 1987.

You probably still wouldn't know who I'm talking about or what organization I'm talking about.

If I said it, this organization has served more than 37,000 young women and families.

You probably still wouldn't know who I'm talking about, but we're getting warm.

We're getting warmer.

Uh we're talking about an organization that serves currently 2,000 individuals annually and offers uh in the last report has offered a 6,503 nights of sheltered care to 114 participants and 38 children.

Um for those of you who may have caught on by now, um talking about alternative for girls and Miss Amy Good.

That deserves a round of applause for that for 14 years of service and started out as a volunteer organization in the basement of uh St.

Peter's Episcopal Church.

And now look at where we are today, having even an uh location for support of housing in District One, Maya Angelo Village, which we're very proud of.

Um, I'm not gonna read the entire testimonial resolution because I do want you to have an opportunity.

Miss Amy Good, come on forward, please, so we can see you properly.

So uh I wanted to spend more time to give you an opportunity to talk about your organization uh and why it has been so important to you and what you and I see you're you're the person who took the baton, uh Ms.

Cecilia Washington, she's there is there as well.

But I want you to talk a bit about uh why this was important to you, uh what the impact has been for you in this space, and what's next.

But before I do that, well, you know what?

I'll let you do that first, and then I'll just do the uh whereas.

Floor's yours.

This down a little bit.

Good morning.

Thank you, Council President Pro Tem.

Uh uh this recognition means a lot to me.

Uh uh Alternatives of Girls.

Gosh, you've asked me some uh big questions there.

Um so alternatives of girls started as you said as an idea in 1985 and became incorporated um in 1987, and we are very much a grassroots southwest Detroit project, just a bunch of neighbors coming together, and you know, we recognize that girls and young women were in harm's way in in some very scary ways, and something needed to be done.

And we came together, just just you know, determined that uh the status quo was unacceptable, and we had to find a solution.

There were girls who were um victims and survivors of sex trafficking and otherwise engaged in sex work, they were homeless, experiencing homelessness, and just little girls not going to school.

And we came together and decided something had to be done.

We it had a in fact, council president at the time, Murian Ahafi facilitated our very first community meeting in June of 1987.

We so many people came together, block club presidents and neighborhood residents and business owners and school, people and police and uh health workers, and talked about what needed to be done.

And what we decided was we needed shelter for girls and young women who were not in the foster care system and not old, kind of too old for the foster care system, too young for the adult shelter system.

Um we needed to uh uh do something for those who were victims of sex trafficking and engaged in sex work.

There was nothing for them, nothing but stigma, and we needed to go upstream and help little girls who are just not going to school and help their families help them stay in school, stay out of gangs.

There was a big gang problem in the mid-80s, and for the first time, girls were being uh dragged into gangs.

So there were a lot of issues.

We looked around for somebody to step up to the plate and address these issues.

There was nobody to do that.

We decided to do it ourselves to make a long story short.

We we applied for funding in the fall of '87 from HUD, didn't get it.

Decided, you know, kept looking for money.

One day, super cold day in January of 1987.

A 16-year-old girl came to the door.

Nothing there, I couldn't find any support for her, so we just decided we're gonna open without money.

And that's how and why we did it.

It was a very neighborhood-based response to what was going on around us.

Um, and we didn't know if we'd still be there the following week, but we were responding to a need in the community.

And ever since we've grown so much, uh, and I have to express thanks to so many individual city council members now, and also city council over the years that have always been there for us.

Um, even when it's been hard, for example, our you know, the the trials and tribulations of an affordable care affordable housing project is Council President Pro Tem mentioned.

Um But I I you know what it means to me, I mean, it means the world to me, kind of my firstborn.

Um, so I was part of starting alternative to girls or AFG, um, but it's always been the team and some of Alternative Girls team members are here with me.

Uh and uh, you know, we continue.

I'm always gonna say we.

I retired now.

Um, but I've I'm always gonna say we and us.

So um understand it was my firstborn.

Um so you know, we'll always be responsive to the community and always continue to grow and learn in response.

Um, it's been the privilege of a lifetime um to be able to work with awesome people and see incredible growth on the part of the girls and young women who are the ones really doing the heavy lifting, and I'm just really grateful for the support from so many in so many ways.

Uh, and I and I'm more than anything else, um gratified and and grateful that I know that AFG will continue because it was never about me, it was never about one person.

Um it it will continue to be responsive to the needs of girls and young women as long as we're needed, and we look forward to the day where uh a project working with girls in harm's way is no longer needed.

But until that day, we'll be there.

Thank you.

Well, the folks who are joining me who are part of your team or your family, if they can please stand and be recognized as well, because you don't get an opportunity to do this by yourself in a vacuum.

It is a we absolutely congratulations to you as well, sir.

Uh uh therefore be resolved on this day, October 7, 2025, Council President Pro Tim James Tate, Jr.

and the entire Detroit City Council on behalf of the residents of the city of Detroit, proudly present this testimonial resolution to activist Trailblazer, Amy Good, uh a woman with a servant's heart.

Your decades of dedicated service stand as a testament to the power of empathy, collaboration, and civic responsibility.

May your journey ahead be filled with continued purpose, joy, and the knowledge your life's work has left an indelible mark on Detroit that you all that you so passionately served.

Congratulations again.

We're gonna come down and give you presenters to you, but also take a photo with you as well.

But thank you so much.

Because yeah, congratulations.

We do have another awardee.

Now, this is 40 years for this Tyra Moore.

Can we speak to this one?

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Uh, my apologies.

You know what I mean?

That's good.

Come on down.

That's good.

Come on back now.

This is we were neighbors for 15 years on Rosemont.

And we raised our children together.

Um, there were four families, and we were so tight-knit.

And I appreciate your dedication.

Then I uh appreciate it today.

You would get me up early in the morning.

Are you still walking and running at five?

6:30 this morning.

Oh every day.

And it doesn't matter the weather.

Um, I try.

I try.

Um are you still running with our neighbor?

Is she still over there?

Yep.

So, how many years have you been running um at um 29?

29 years.

And I'm a witness.

Um encouraged me to run my first um, it wasn't really a marathon, but was around the park.

And uh I appreciate that, and I appreciate all the work that you've done in the human trafficking um field, and you were the inspiration behind the task force that we established here in 2022.

You are one of the partners.

We go to Lansing every year, we hold the rally every year, and it's because of your dedication and commitment.

Me watching you over the years with your children, Ann and Justin and your husband Dave.

Um does he still listen to Mildred Gaddis.

Dave, I see you over there.

Are you still listening to Mildred Gaddis?

Okay, all right.

But uh, we go way back.

And so thank you so much.

And I know you're not going far because your work is here.

It continues.

It's not a work that's dying.

It's a work, it's like the constitution, it's a living work, just like the constitution is a living document.

So thank you for breathing life.

Um and from an idea.

You said just from an idea and some conversations.

So thank you for all of that.

And um, we'll talk real soon and have lunch and and happy retirement.

And God bless you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you so much, Member Santiago Ramiro.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Through you to Amy.

I had to say thank you as well.

Amy, thank you for giving me what I consider my first adult job.

Um, you and Eric Howard and so many others in the community have mentored me uh since I was incredibly young.

Um, really made sure that I had opportunities to speak out uh against all the things that were going on and to really help in the efforts that you you were all a part of.

Um you really helped me see firsthand how bad things are for so many of our residents and how much care they need, and also just the systems, the grants that we receive that come from the federal government sometimes are incredibly difficult to even use because of their of how the policy is written.

Um so and I just remember working at the at the crisis center, having people call me asking for shelter, for food, for bus tickets, and knowing that we ourselves were limited with the limited power and limited resources.

So I just want to say thank you for all that you've done for doing things, even when you're limited in the options, it does make a huge difference.

I mean, this is truly inspired me to make sure that we have policies that center people and actually what they're dealing with, and that we don't create policies that make it more difficult for organizations like alternatives for girls to do their jobs.

So thank you for always fighting.

Thank you for always being in this.

You created an amazing team.

I I often will go back to Alternatives for Girls and talk to the women that are in the sewing class that are taking their talents, creating beautiful, um, whatever they create to with with their sewing talent, selling it, um, utilizing it for their jobs.

Just thank you so much for giving young women and young men.

There were there were boys that we that we worked with in the mentor program as well.

Um, just thank you for the love and the care that you've provided.

It's been very inspiring.

It has given you an opportunity to learn and to grow.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Councilman.

Thank you again.

And we will absolutely make sure we take another photo.

And as you see, there's a lot of work that we have to do in this community.

A lot of times folks believe that it's all the work starts and ends in city government.

This is an opportunity to understand very clearly to show that the community plays a major role in the transformation of our neighborhoods as well.

We certainly have an obligation and responsibility, but making sure that we provide a space and support for organizations that do this good work is critically important as well.

So thank you again, uh, Amy Good.

And as we transition from someone who's retiring after 40 years, I want to transition to someone who is really, I would say on the beginning of her journey.

She has done uh great work in our community.

I got an opportunity to meet her first as she was doing just giveaways over in Brightmore.

Um, and then I thought it was just one event, and then I turned around the next week and the following week in the following, and that's what she does.

She just gives and gives and gives of her heart.

And no matter what uh program, television, national show she's on, where they're giving her accolades, she always ensures that she puts Detroit uh the best face forward for our community and our citizens.

And so I'm gonna bring Ms.

Tyra Moore up.

She is the founder CEO of Girl Like Me.

You've seen her before.

Ms.

Tyra Moore, I'm going to read just a little bit of yours, and then I'm gonna give you an opportunity to say some words too.

All right.

Okay.

All right.

So um founder of Girl Like Me, Inc., Tyra Moore was born Tyramona Woods uh on July to, excuse me, July 29th, 1991 to Alfrida Jemison in Calvin Woods, and was raised on the west side of Detroit in a close-knit family with her older sister Lakia, uh, inspired by the support she received as a young mother, she was a mother at the age of 14, y'all.

Uh the support she received as a young mother, uh, Tyra was determined to pay it forward.

And on November 4th, 2019, right before the pandemic, uh, with the support of her husband, Detroit Firefighter, uh founded Girl Like Me using her own savings during the pandemic, which provided diapers, wipes, feminine products, and essential household items for families in need.

And whereas, through her leadership, a girl like me has grown into a beacon of hope in Detroit's Brightmore community and throughout the city of Detroit, honestly, uh offering youth programs for girls ages 11 through 17, annual uh holiday parties, adopting 100 to 200 children each Christmas, uh proms for teen moms, moms who have not did not get an opportunity to enjoy their own prom and free educational classes, including childbirth education, CPR, first aid, nutrition, and car seat safety.

Um, I'm gonna drop down, talk a little bit about the awards real quick spirit of Detroit Award, Essence Fest, a magazine award, uh, Best Detroit, Best of Detroit Our Magazine Award, and numerous of other accolades and um financial uh support as well from others, and as I mentioned before on the Drew Bear Moore Show and other national programs.

Now, therefore, be resolved on this day, October 7th, 2025, a council president Pro Tim James Tate and the entire Detroit City Council on behalf of the residents of the city of Detroit, proudly present this testimony resolution to and to author.

I forgot to mention that too.

She's an author, uh, community activist, Tyra Moore, in recognition of her outstanding dedication, service, and commitment to uplifting young mothers, children, and families through a girl like me, Inc.

May her passion and selflessness continue to inspire and strengthen Detroit communities abroad.

Congratulations.

So I started because at first.

Okay, closer.

14 years ago became a team.

My mom, she's here.

He found out on a Tuesday.

I gave birth in that same week on that Friday.

Didn't have anything, and because of the huge commitment from my family friends in the community when we got home to my grandma's house.

It's a long story, so I'm gonna fast forward.

So I always told my husband when I met him in 2012 that I want to do something.

So November 2019, we was on a little drive and we passed by here, and the name came to my head, a girl like me because I wanted to help girls like me and also not have girls become a team mom like me.

And from there, we started, we used our savings.

We were both working during the pandemic, we got laid off, so we thought the world was gonna end, so we used our money to help the community by buying all the diapers, wipes women products out the stores.

We set it up a community event at Brightmore, that's where we're from, and it just took off from there.

I can't stop.

I went to start a mentoring program because of course kids wasn't in school and they needed that support.

And then we wanted to do more things.

We started adopting kids for Christmas because we knew it was hard times.

My my husband every year dresses up at Santa.

They take pictures and I just kept going on from there.

I wrote my second book that um came out October 5th, it's a children's book, it's called Just My Mom.

It's about me and my daughter Samari.

She's 18, she's in college, no baby.

And it's about um her seeing me as just her mom, not a team mom, even though she heard people talking about me being a team mom.

And I'm just so excited.

I never went to my high school prime, so I started one in 2022.

Sarah Jake Roberts reached out, she helped us get it started, and just from there, I just love doing what I do.

It's not a job, it's not work, it's just fun to me to give back and also do what I said.

I said what I was gonna do at 14, which was paying forward, and I'm thankful.

And presenting with the spirit that you you have thus far.

You know, uh council president, uh former council president Brenda Jones used to say the spirit of Detroit is right here, it's in your heart, right?

And so it's clearly that it's very clear that you uh represent the spirit of Detroit.

We thank you so much for your your work.

Thank you guys.

Congratulations.

And we're also want can't can't forget uh one of Detroit's bravest, right over there, your husband.

Y'all give it up for him.

And how do we say anything?

I think he might want to say something.

You want to say a couple of words about that?

This is a two-party thing.

And also, he just got off of work this morning.

All right.

Oh, he just could work.

The things that she has done, the commitment that she has given to not just myself, her husband, to our children, but to strangers, people that she didn't know.

And it's always been a no one's turned away, no one's turned down.

They call from all over the country.

She says, if we can ship, you will have it.

If we can get there, you will get it.

She gives, she's thoughtless about it all.

She just, you know, she wants to give, she wants to do, she makes it happen.

And yes, she didn't go to her prime, she didn't have these things, but she graduated college.

The surgical tech.

And unfortunately, she doesn't get to practice being a surgical tech because her commitments to a girl like me and all those others.

But just want to say thank you, thank you all.

Um again, it's not about me, but uh this woman here is amazing.

I love that.

Right.

All right, we can go down.

All right, colleagues, we can go down now to do pictures with everyone.

We'll start with Bruce Simpson first.

All right, let me write one.

Right?

Like you write to the end of that.

One more thing.

I put it down.

All right.

Uh we are going to proceed back to our agenda for today.

We thank everyone for uh uh the presentations and the awardees for the work that they're doing in our community.

The journal of the session of Tuesday, September the twenty third will be approved.

There being no reconsiderations or unfinished business, we will proceed to the budget finance and audit standing committee.

For the budget finance and audit standing committee.

Eight reports from various city departments.

The eight reports will be referred to committee.

We will now move to the voting action matters under other matters.

Under communications from the mayor and other governmental officials and agencies.

The fossil fuel industry's solution to our plastic waste crisis includes these toxic ineffective technologies like incineration, chemical recycling and burning plastic and cement fields, which increase plastic production and comes back into our city in hazardous waste.

Members of our committee and the Detroit City Council's Green Task Force are working on policies to support a true circular economy, one that protects the environment and human health, reduces fossil fuel extraction for plastic production and centers non-toxic circular systems, including non-toxic reuse.

Um because of this, local jurisdictions must have the power to enact ordinances that are in the best interest of its residents, their health and environment.

Sorry, we're gonna turn that down and thank you so much for your comment.

Sorry about that.

Right, we heard that one.

Good morning.

Thank you.

Good morning, counsel.

My name is Mike Shesterkin, and I co-chair with KT, the Detroit Green Task Force Subcommittee on State and Local Policy.

And I'm here to speak on the resolution regarding a P the repeal of PA 389.

Thank you, Councilmember Benson.

Can you hear me better now?

Good, thank you.

So I'm here to speak on the resolution to repeal Michigan Public Act 389.

Now I do not speak so much on behalf of the subcommittee, but rather as informed by the work I do with that great group of folks.

I ascribe to the paradigm see judge act as informed by the historical materialist perspective.

One that sees the world through a systems thinking lens.

In this case, we're looking at the behavior of a system or the establishment as it is shaped by the rule of law or public policy.

Michigan PA 389 is a grotesque misapplication of preemption law, but we shouldn't be surprised by this.

Just look to Chicago and you'll see what a brazen disregard for the law looks like.

The law is supposed to work for all so that we may live better together.

PA389 does nothing of the sort, but rather advances the interests of the billionaire class.

The good news, the good news is this that a repeal of PA389 does absolutely nothing at all until someone shows up at a county meeting, county commission meeting, and says I have an idea.

Let's work together to make that idea work for us here in the community.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, sir.

Good morning.

Good morning, council.

And some of you know me, and those of you who don't, I'm Sharon Elizabeth Sexton.

I am one of your community people on the historic designation board.

I am also chair of the Black Historic Sites Committee, which was started by this esteemed um body back in 1971.

And I'm also on the right community uh right museum as a community um the on the community um advisory group.

And I just wanted to let you know that I have a petition in front of you, uh, number two 2025-259, and it's a request to speak to you about the gateway to Freedom Monument, which is on the um the um the the riverfront and the heart plaza.

Um I was the idea person 20 some years ago to have it built, and it has been reimagined, and I would like to bring a PowerPoint presentation to you, and if I could have 10 minutes of your time to talk to you about the reimagining of the gateway to Freedom Monument, I encourage you to go down and take a look at it.

Um, it's right like I said, right on the riverfront at Heart Plaza.

So I hope that you approve my petition to talk to you about this matter in more depth.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

Good morning.

Good morning.

I want to talk about the solid waste tax that's on the summer tax bill.

Um, it's too high.

Uh the it covers things you can put out with the regular kitchen garbage now for the weekly.

It used to be twice a month, but it went to weekly, but it also went up in cost.

And for three years, it's going to go up $10, $5 for seniors.

That's a lot of money.

For the end of the next year, 240 is going to go up to 270 dollars.

And seniors who are paying 120 is going to be 135.

It's not really necessary to have a weekly here.

We don't have enough to put out uh from October to September.

That's usually a slow time.

Now I was told the reason for this is the dumping in the city, but what we're paying when it was twice a month should cover that.

That was a lot of money.

And it wasn't being picked up anyway when it was twice a month, and it's not being picked up weekly here.

So I would like to find out why the city went up so high on the solid waste tax and why we're only allowed a minute and a half to speak when it used to be two minutes.

Thank you so much.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

I just wanted to just say um I don't I don't want to get too much into your personal business, but if you are 65 years and older uh with a principal residence exemption, you can qualify for a 50% discount on a solid waste fee.

It wasn't so much for me.

I'm worried about more as the people they have to pay more because they're not seniors, and it's not getting picked up and it's not necessary.

Well, I well, I was opposed to the increase in the first place.

So I understand what you're saying, but I just want to let you know there is ways which you can get discount for it.

Thank you.

Don't choose to do so.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Our next speaker is Ms.

Natalie Jacob.

Good morning, council.

My name is Natalie Jacob.

I'm the executive director of a nonprofit organization called Green Living Science, co-chair of the recycling and waste reduction committee through Detroit City Council's Green Task Force and a proud resident of District 2.

We are grateful for the support provided to our committee as we identify ways to reduce waste and increase access to recycling programs in the city of Detroit.

We appreciate your consideration to support our resolution to repeal the ban on the ban of plastic bags and auxiliary containers.

Your support for this resolution will tell the state that we want to take back local control to do what we believe is right for our community.

In doing so, we can set an example for our peer communities and other parts of the country so that they can follow.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And next speaker, Miss Williams.

Yes.

Too bad, Madam President walked away.

I don't know what's going on.

But this is for the citizens of the Detroit.

We all expect honesty.

And when you tell the truth, a lot of people don't like you, but that's okay.

I've been coming here for a very long time concerning the issue, what's going on in this system.

Homeless, fraud, illegal voting, a whole lot of different stuff.

But at the end of the day, it started from the top.

The mayor, you guys, the chief of police.

You all appointees people that are elected.

So keep in mind, Senizens.

Next month is voting.

So the people who's been doing this job for the last 12 years, if you are not happy with going on in this city because they continue to lie, that you they went wear all different masses and act like what we see is not what we see.

And they sit up here and lie to us constantly every day.

Concerning ex-offenders on the Detroit police department, Madam President, it's fully aware.

She has to give permission for the sheep to get that.

You all voted on that.

And how do I know that the chief and the mayor and madam president is fully aware of this?

Because I when I was at 32 for 32 26th Mac Avenue.

Okay and came and got their weapons.

Now tell me about that.

If they are not aware of what's going on in the city.

And on Facebook, not enemy.

Anyone in the room that would uh like some bus tickets, uh, I pay it forward when I get a donation, I take some of it and I always pay it forward.

I'm leaving after my public comments.

So if anybody knows anybody needing any bus tickets, let me know.

Also wanted to shout out uh district three as a driver on the entire city.

They have refurbished bus shelters since they're not getting um new bus shelters for a long period of time during budget season.

Councilman Benson said, Well, where the old ones at use old, and then I've been seeing them being placed, eight mileages, seven grass, etc.

In front of you is a proposal to retain drivers, and I will we spent 20 on copies, so just don't throw it away.

Um I'm poor man, so don't throw them away, just read them.

I'm gonna let this young lady we can't we can't do that.

Well, she she's the one to help me with the 30 seconds.

If I do that, I have to do that with everybody else.

Okay, probably say it's it's talking about how the drivers at Smart are getting uh much higher pay, and they're jumping ship.

Um we're actually having a rally 10 a.m.

Wednesday at the Rosa Parks Transit Center about doubling D Dot and uh uh parity um between smart and D dot pay.

So uh please read that.

Please come out to the rally and don't throw it away.

I spent 20 hours we spent off on those flyers or those papers.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Not Janal, you can always send information to me.

Make sure you see we sent it via email just a minute ago.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

All right, next speaker, Ramon Jackson Residents in Detroit.

Last week, we've been coming, we've been coming here about the voting and from the county jail in the previous election.

James State, last week you told Foodell Gibson to come up here to see what these people been saying in these other entities.

They've been saying the same thing you saying.

Nothing.

You don't have no legal explanation to come back on why they doing.

So that's what they've been saying every time we go to these various different things.

Nothing because if you got a law, if y'all saying that the election department is gonna bring a document, if it don't have the law, that document means nothing.

Tisha Johnson at your meeting the other day, you had some words to say about the election that, but we wasn't present at that meeting.

They say you had words to say about the election.

Do you know if they can vote using the county jail address in Detroit?

That's what we're talking about.

We're not talking about voting from the county jail.

We all know you can vote if you are pretrial detaining.

We are talking clearly about could you use the county jail's address?

And if you can, could y'all list the law?

Because we presented the law where you can't do it.

The issue is that we can't just move on.

You got you got fraudulent or irregularities in that election that needs to be addressed.

The old way of doing things is not gonna go on.

Y'all not gonna cheat and just stay here in our face and just cheating.

We caught y'all cheating, and we know y'all cheat, and y'all voting on our research.

But you said we're cheating.

I asked the question last week was about lawsuits and other individuals that you take it.

Thank you.

I didn't interrupt you.

Have a nice day.

Say we're not cheating.

Ms.

Love, the floor is yours.

I I I can tell you that you'll stop disrupting this meeting, or you would be removed.

I know.

Miss Love.

Councilmember Palman A Young, the second.

I want to sincerely and publicly thank you for helping me and my family providing a stable housing as I've been homeless for a year.

The national voter registration act of 1993 states that they maintain clean voter roles.

I'm Melissa Love, never voted November 2020 or August 2024.

I will not be silenced, and justice will be served, and respect will be on my name.

I will not stop or be stopped unless God tells me to.

Until then, I will continue to be obedient, stand 10 toes down, be bold as a lion, and keep exposing this evil wicked corruption.

Detroit, I stand here asking y'all.

Is this who y'all?

I'm sorry.

I will continue to fight for myself, children, disabled and elderly for what's right.

Mary Sheffield is mind-boggling to me that every Wednesday I pop in.

You are never present.

But yeah, every time I look up on Instagram, you cheese and hardwood rappers.

What type of representation are you setting for our city?

You are creating bad habits and a lack of integrity and charisma for our future women being brought up here in the city of Detroit.

Detroit, I stand here asking y'all.

Is this who y'all want for mayor?

I am here to demand our resources back, our contracts, and to get y'all out of here.

Time's up, Detroit.

Let's flip this city red.

It's time for the righteous, the truth and the light to win.

Thank you.

Ronald Foster.

Good morning.

Um the greatest tragedy is not the brutality by the bad people, but rather the silence by the good people, Martin Luther King.

And so I just wanted to talk very briefly.

Um this is an educated board.

Before you can go to school, you have to learn plagiarism.

Plagiarism is using someone else's words, ideas or images without giving proper credit to the original source, presenting them as your own work.

You have to do better and present your own work and plagiarizing.

Part of the oath of our law enforcement, whether the community knows it or not, part of the open office that they take is not to deceive the public.

And uh fatal shootings that was public yesterday.

I also spoke often about crime.

Crime is as far as carjackings and shootings and everything else.

While we talk, CBI, there's sexual assaults that occurred in our hospitals.

There's um assaults that are occurring in our nursing facilities that need intervention and interruptions.

There's children getting murdered in route to school that need interruptions and interventions.

And so deceiving the public with words and crime to the illiterate and impoverished cannot continue.

We have to do better and being transparent and accountable for everything.

Again, welcome to the most corrupt, devilish and more insane city council, the Detroit City Council.

Let me say this tapes.

Here's the thing why you won't say nothing, your fellow colleagues, because y'all benefit from we saying that they cheated.

Here it is, I can come to city council meeting, but I can't go vote, but they got me voting absentee.

If you look the law up, you got lawyers here, you got lawyers here, look the law up.

Can you vote from the Wayne County jail using the Wayne County address?

The answer is no.

Now, why won't y'all do nothing about it?

You know why?

I'm gonna say this again, y'all benefit, y'all shouldn't be sitting there.

So again, yeah, that's right.

Smirk all you want.

Waters, call it, y'all are elders on here.

How can y'all allow this this type of nonsense to go on?

Y'all done been through Jim Crow or segregation, Martin Luther King, and y'all sit up there and y'all don't say a word.

Y'all think we lie?

I never voted absentee, never applied for it.

So what's what seems to be the problem?

You got a real big issue here, and y'all don't want to say a word about it, just smirk.

Just smirk.

Look at Comb.

I was in his campaign.

That's what he won't tell you about.

I work with him.

Meet people in his campaign, went in person and vote, and on they voter roll, they got me voting absentee.

Now, what more can a person say?

I break the law, they come kick my door in.

What seems to be the problem?

Don't know about nothing to say, huh?

That's why I call y'all the devils in disguise.

Praise God, won't you do it?

That's a goofy lie.

Uh number waters.

Uh, thank you.

And I'm gonna praise the Lord right now.

But at any rate, uh, Fidel, I want you to know that that does not fall, first of all, within our jurisdiction.

That's number one.

But number two, I have taken the time to reach out to the Secretary of State.

Now it is within her jurisdiction.

I'm awaiting a response from her.

Now that's that that's that's what I did.

And and and beyond that, excuse me, excuse me.

You can leave if you want to scream out.

You can leave if you're screaming out.

It's a state issue.

Excuse me, give one more chance.

It's it's a state issue.

I don't I don't, I don't understand what they want us to do.

All I can do is ask the question at the state level.

So thank you, this thank you.

Miss Barbara Logan.

My name is Bob Bree Logan, and I've been coming here for a while, quite a while, a couple of years now.

Last time I was here, I said quoted uh it was on I found it on the internet.

Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the reason I said that is that we have these one-minute public comment.

You you give us one minute on a weekday at 10 o'clock, so that no working person can come.

So you don't really want to hear the voice of the public, but that one minute.

How can we even form uh uh uh an issue when you can make a statement and then you contradict the statement and then tell us well, don't contradict you because you contradict us.

That's not democracy, that's an abuse of power.

And today you took about an hour and a half, almost an hour and 15 minutes doing presentations during people who take off of whatever they're doing during the week to come down here and speak for one minute, but you too, you waste, and I'm not saying waste, but this is our only chance to voice our concerns, and we have to wait for an hour and a half almost so they can present people.

Thank you so much.

We're the good.

Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.

Excuse me.

This is not this is not how we operate things.

It's not a debate, so you may leave if you don't.

I am I'm giving you, I gave you the opportunity to speak now.

Because I gave me an opportunity to speak, Miss Logan.

Our next speaker, Miss Pamela Griffith, Pamela Griffith.

Griffin.

And I'm addressing again for Mrs.

Maddie Culver.

I was here before about a month ago about the 91-year-old woman who put in for a building maintenance and help.

She didn't get it.

So I was given numbers from Romero's office.

The young lady spoke to me.

Oh, here's a number.

Here's a number.

Oh, we're out of money.

And then I called, they gave me Mary Waters' number.

Her gentleman that answered the phone.

He was very polite, I must say.

And he agreed with me.

He said, ma'am, there's 700 people on the waiting list.

And he said, and I said, why do they do this backwards?

Get the need first.

Go down the neighborhoods and ask the people, what do you need done?

Then get the supply as the demand is needed.

Instead of backwards, 700 people on the waiting list.

Nine, and she's 91 years old, 53 years in that home.

I think it would only take about 20 to 50,000 to fix her house.

She's got holes in her ceiling.

She needs a roof.

She needs her tree, giant tree cut down.

God forbid, if that house, that tree was to fall on her house.

Do something about it.

I mean, I know she's his good person, but help her.

Thank you.

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho.

Are you missing Jericho?

Uh-huh.

Jericho.

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down.

We're here on assignment from the most high God.

Mr.

Scott Benson, you may remember about three years ago.

We were in the process of recalling you when the Lord gave Ramon Jackson the assignment to expose this cheating in elections.

So let me talk about my own personal experience on this journey of recalling you, Mr.

Scott Benson.

And I did have the opportunity to speak with you on Zoom about this.

So let me say this.

My name is Teresa Williams.

I live on the west side of Detroit in Councilman Fred Durhal's district, as I shared with him the last time I saw him.

I vote, I have never voted absentee in my entire life.

In fact, it is a theme in my household.

We don't do that.

I've never trusted the process.

So I say that to say I went to check my voting record in this process, check the third party source at first, showed me voting absentee.

And I'm like, well, I've been voting since I was 18.

There's no way in the world that this is correct.

So I blew it off for a couple weeks.

And I said, let me go on down here and just look.

I go check the record, and sure enough, they have me voting absentee.

I don't vote absentee.

I've never made out an absentee application, but they have me voting absentee in the 2021 primary election.

So I say that to say Detroit.

Okay, I'm gonna miss Betty Lyon.

You can tell when Dugan and Betterson are lying when they move their mouth, lies yesterday, talking about killings are down.

That's a lie.

One of our teenagers was killed, and the other was put in the hospital.

Yeah, they are big liars.

He is a failure in everything he does.

He failed the medical center.

He failed in his marriage.

He failed the Detroit residents refusing.

He and his partner, Dana Nessel, and Romero takes all the millions of dollars and hides it.

Two children froze under his watch.

Yes, he's a devil.

He is a devil.

He has no problem giving millions to Mexicans, saving and repairing houses in Mexican town, protecting illegals, the gang, the cartels.

He has no problem.

But he has a problem with the Detroit presidents getting their money over 600 million dollars plus penalties and interest.

And you sit there and you know it.

You can do all this all you want, young, but you are a set to that because you know what he's doing, and you're allowing him.

That's why uh Sheffield, he's there, because he wants to make sure that we don't get any of the money we're supposed to have.

Ruben James Crowley Jr.

This time starts now.

Thank you.

Okay, council president, Mary Sheffield has left the auditorium.

Now I had a couple questions, but now I'm getting ready to change it all up.

You hear that, Fred Duha?

Angela Whitville Calloway is absent from the auditorium as well.

And I noticed this, and it's been peculiar that this occurrence has been happening lately.

Now, Mary Sheffield came out to visit the veterans in 1932 7 West Chicago.

I would like to ask her.

So when she comes back out here, one of y'all make sure y'all ask her what made her come in the building, look at some pictures on the wall, and turn around and leave and leave the batches and stood up.

She knows Marvin Walker.

I know she does.

I was getting ready to ask her.

Is there a problem?

Because there's a lot of things going on here in the city of Detroit.

But now I just want to focus on an apology for all those 25 veterans over there at 1932 7 Chicago that got up shaved and was ready to have a luncheon with Mary Sheffield, and she bowed out.

She got up and bust out, and um, she knows Marvin Walker is doing good all around the community, everywhere he goes.

Now I don't like the people business out, but thank you so much.

Our next speaker, Tyson Gersh.

Hey man, you know what the code is, right?

Minute 30.

Dave State, call him over here and tell him to look out the story.

Now, how what you gonna do?

Thank you.

Never came on that lady back.

It's all recorded.

Tyson Gersh.

Okay, it's time to leave.

We shall recess this meeting to the call of the chair.

All right, it's time to remove him.

Okay.

I didn't know here.

I'd like to now call back to order the formal session.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Councilman Scott Benson.

Councilmember for Jewel Hog III.

Present.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson.

President.

Councilmember Gabby and the Sensei Alcovero.

Present.

Councilmember Mary Walters present.

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Colloway.

Councilmember Coleman the second.

Council President for Tim James Tate.

Sure.

And Council President Mary Sheffield.

We have a quorum present.

We're now back in session.

We're still in public comment.

Well, hi, thank you.

Um today.

I hope you guys are listening to the things people are saying.

Uh little closer to you for getting a little bit more.

Yeah.

Is that better?

Um so I guess I'm in a bit of an interesting moment because I I sort of have to public comment on behalf of myself and then separately on behalf of my organization, which is its own interesting due process question.

Um I guess what I'm here today to just chime in on is item uh 24.2, um, the proposed text amendment to the zoning ordinance.

Uh I'm here, I guess, as myself, but mostly in my capacity as secretary of the Lower North End Neighborhood Association.

Um I I think there's a lot of really good stuff in here.

Um, and a lot of people that I personally know and really respect worked on this.

Uh I do think it's really important to acknowledge that this is not an R2 specific change.

Um, this amendment would be the largest change to our zoning ordinance in modern history.

It would allow multifamily buy right on standard lots in the north end um because there's a new uh intensity and dimensional uh standard that's being imposed under 50-13-4B.

Um, and I think that's occurring across all the residential districts, and I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing, um, because I found out about this on Thursday, despite wanting to be okay.

Thank you.

Uh in-person speaker, only did he oh, there he is.

Uh Jadante Smith.

Minute 30, General Public Comment.

Uh good morning.

I just want to say uh I'm so happy to see Councilman Benson come back in.

Good to see you.

I wanted to invite you personally for the second time at a public forum to the meeting uh in your district D3 with your bosses at Paris Bar um regarding the the fugitive dust from Cronos Coccupation.

It's gonna be Paris Bar, October 10th, uh 10 a.m.

We love to see you there.

It's the second time I'm inviting you.

I invited you at a subcommittee a while back.

Love to see you there.

Also want to talk about the amount of uh abandoned homes in the city of Detroit that are just completely wide open, no window, no doors.

Apparently, during the process of demolition in the city of Detroit, homes are stripped of all the windows, all of the doors, um, and left wide open, left to the elements, even if they're being abated, they still can be uh clear boarded up and uh the people can go in and out and do what they need to do.

I feel like this is a very, very uh dangerous hazard to the community to the residents.

It could be dogs inside, young children can be put inside to be uh sexually assaulted, other things like that.

Um drugs can be you know stored in these homes, all different types of things.

I feel like this is a big issue.

I want to say Malia Howard has been an incredible help um in this issue.

Uh also I look forward to working with your office, uh, Councilmember Romero with some issues in your district.

Also, I'm not gonna spend any time bashing black women, but at the forum I just went to on the east side.

Uh I did hear a couple lives from a couple of sitting council members, and it was not Mary Waters.

I'll just say that.

Um, I appreciate the work that you've been doing on the housing land bank issues, uh, the land bank MOUs that you produced.

Uh those amendments are very, very important.

We appreciate the work that you do and keep doing that work.

All right, thank you.

It takes us to our the last of our in-person public comments.

We shall now transition to online.

Ari, good morning.

Who is our first call?

Morning, Mr.

President.

There were 23 hands raised before public comment was cut off.

And the first caller is Mrs.

Mayberry.

All right, Mrs.

Mayberry, good morning, good morning, everyone.

Yeah, I am calling in uh concerning the Martin Luther King Memorial Park once again.

Although I'm like Martin Luther King said, give me what you promised.

You promised that you would help me to to renovate the uh Marlowe King Memorial Park.

We still don't have a a uh freestanding uh just a porter potty there.

Although we did get the cleanup and everything, I thank you for that.

But we wanted to have the renovation started.

They had already did the testing for the land and all this other stuff.

And now we're back to we gotta wait till 2026 when it was supposed to be done this year to commemorate the park being 45 years old this year, and we still haven't got no renovation.

Uh the black club has been told even at your city council meetings that it would be done in this year because I've been coming down there for the last three summers to get that park renovated, but we're not even gonna go there.

I see that we have a brand new park that was built downtown Detroit.

How many children live downtown Detroit?

You got two miles of a brand new park that's been built downtown.

You have we have two brand new parks that's even on uh 12th Street, which is Rosa Parks Boulevard that's been renovated, and we still have not gotten what we was promised at least a porter party.

We haven't gotten that.

You know, the people in the residents of that area, they do use it.

All right, thank you so much.

Let's call it please.

Thank you.

Uh next caller is Tahira Ahmed.

Yes, good morning.

I wanna uh first of all thank uh Ombudsman Bruce Simpson.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Simpson.

We're gonna miss you.

When I was being prevented from getting um plumbing services or help during the pandemic, and I realized that I was being uh prevented for two years for getting the needed services I needed.

I called the ombudsman.

He got right on it.

Bruce Simpson, thank you.

And I got my plumbing done.

Uh, you know, I I've already said that this is a corrupt administration, and uh people are punished because we speak out in public comment.

I'm being punished, I know, but that's okay, because I'm not I'm from the people who fought for our freedom of speech and our rights.

I wanna thank you for passing the property tax reform ordinance.

Um, and for sponsoring it, Mary Sheffield, we thank you for your work, but it's not being it's not being fully implemented.

And so we want to encourage council to fully implement the property tax reform ordinance.

We have a problem now with the new numbers of poverty.

Uh part of that is people's houses were stolen.

Detroit was illegally over taxed 600 million dollars, and 100,000 homes were illegally foreclosed.

That's why we have a housing problem and homeless problem.

All right, thank you, Ms.

Amai.

Our next caller, please.

Uh next caller is William M.

Davis.

Good morning, Mr.

Davis.

Uh, good morning, happy heard.

Yes, you can.

I like to start off by also thanking Bruce Simpson.

I think he's done a very outstanding job.

I've been knowing him for years.

I knew his grandmother quite well, uh, who was a dynamic city council person and an exceptional congressperson.

You know, hopefully one day he might follow in her footsteps and become the Congressperson for the East Side.

Anyway, uh I I also like to say this that um if we had a a mayor as efficient as Bruce Samson has been, the city church retirees would be had received something by now.

If we had a mayor that was as efficient as he has, the city of Detroit, you know, child property rate wouldn't be three times the national average.

You know, there are many, many failures of this administration.

You know, I like a week or two ago, I uh I said that I was gonna find a hundred reasons for uh his failures, you know, with people reaching out to me.

We've already over 350 of his failures.

You know, like one that comes to mind when he initially said that judge him on the population.

When he took office, Detroit was the 18th larger city.

Now it's the 26th.

So I don't think he's gonna get a whole lot of people to vote for him.

I know he hasn't done anything for City Detroit retirees to vote for him.

Have a good day.

All right, thank you.

The next caller is owner Papa.

Good morning.

Morning, if you could chair me, I'd be heard.

Yes, you can.

Yes, you've heard a lot of things today, but I want to draw your attention to 16.2.

You want to codify the theft of uh the citizens' property tax dollars by implementing codifying an income tax reserve fund that comes from the surplus of property taxes that we pay.

Um I'm not sure.

This is a Jim Crow council.

And I and I really believe Fred Durha, you should take the place, the mascot, because you have uh ushered in uh uh tax and uh uh in lieu of taxes.

You've you've caught you you've been the person who's done a lot of this, or your name is on it, but but I I am in agreement with Ms.

Lyons.

Uh uh when you do devilish things that makes your makes you the devil's disciple.

Um you heard a lot of things from the the person who gave the invocation today, but one of the things they talked about was integrity and transparency.

You all just had a meeting, a closed session about all these police officers, some retired who have done all of these things.

And I look on the agenda today, and we still have uh legal representation and uh endemnification.

Why do people have to be indemnified if they've done nothing wrong?

Um, you are uh Mr.

Bettis, the the police chief only wants to punish and accountability from the citizens.

What about the accountability from this council and other people in this city, especially the police officers?

As long as you indemnify them, they're gonna keep the thank you.

The next caller is not that Karen.

Yes, good morning.

Good morning.

Um, I'd like to send a shout out to all the honorees that you had on today.

Um, but I want you guys to keep in mind for everyone that you honor today.

There's hundreds of city of Detroit retirees that have been honored by having their pensions cut, by having their annuities clawed back.

That's no way to honor people who served and gave them their lifetime of service to the city.

I wish you could take time and think about all of the hundreds of retirees that are in the same position that have done their work, but now we can't get our glory.

Um Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson.

Shout out to him.

Uh, he's he's advocating for ice-free zones in his city.

We need to see the same thing for the city of Detroit.

Um, the city of Detroit retirees, we don't want to fast track to a line or wait in line until we die.

We want our money back, we want it back promptly.

And I think instead of the 42 million going to this business fund, you know, Sora is dead.

Even the state is realizing that that all giving this money to these uh big businesses, this it hasn't garnered the jobs that it touted it would it would present.

So why will you keep throwing good money after bad rubbish?

We don't need to do that any longer.

Um 21% of the 11,300 jobs, only 100 jobs materialized, and that's the same type of thing that goes on here in the city of Detroit.

We don't get our dollars worth, we don't get our dimes worth, we don't even get our pennies worth.

Thank you for that 90 seconds today.

Thank you.

The next caller is Ruby.

Good morning.

Good morning, Ruby.

Good morning, Ruby.

Okay, can we come back to uh this caller, please?

Okay.

The next caller is iPhone.

Uh good morning.

This is Betty A.

Verner.

Uh good morning to all within the sound of my voice.

Today I'm going to use my time to thank uh President Pro Tim Tate for listening to my advocacy for my family with the problem they had with the flooding in their basement.

They have been dealing with that problem for five years.

Uh talking to the water department.

The water department said it was their issue and gave them instructions on what it is they needed to do to correct the problem.

They spent thousands of dollars, and the problem still was not corrected.

I am at district seven, I'm not district one, but pro Tim Tate.

My family is in district one.

And he listened to what I had to say.

And uh I think it was last week.

Uh people came out and did work at my family's home to correct that problem.

So we'll see when it rains.

We have another uh hard rain if it's corrected.

But I thank you so much for listening and uh being a responsible council person and taking care of the people in your district.

My family will be thanking you personally and uh God bless you and to all within the sound of my voice.

God bless you and have a great day.

All right, thank you, Pro Tim.

I just want to say thank you for the recognition.

Thank you so much.

All right, thank you, Pro Tim.

The next caller is Evan Rosen or Rosen.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Thank you.

Uh yes, my name is Evan Rosen.

I sit on the board of directors of the Wayne County Conservation District, and I'm just calling to speak on the plastic containers and plastic bag, uh, the attempt to repeal the bag ban.

Um they just did a study of Great Lakes fish.

I think it was actually, I believe it was Lake Erie, and they found that uh every single fish sampled had plastic in their gut, and they averaged a hundred pieces of plastic per fish.

So in the ocean, uh, it's about 25% of the fish sample, it's about one in four, and there's usually just a handful of plastic pieces in these fish sampled.

Uh, in the Great Lakes, it's a hundred percent of the fish, and it's a hundred pieces per fish.

So to use uh, you know, to use a substance that never biodegrades or takes thousands of years to biodegrade, and in fact, just breaks down into smaller and smaller and smaller pieces until those microplastics are found in all of our blood, all of our brains, uh, our placentas.

It is suicidal to use these substances for single use purposes.

And the city of Detroit, I really hope makes themselves really heard here because we need to be allowed to protect our communities from this uh this environmental travesty.

Lansing has no right to prevent us from doing that.

So I hope the council stands up.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Good afternoon.

Good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Yes, uh, good morning to all.

I'm calling in regarding uh item number 24.2 about the rezoning uh ordinance.

It was only this past Thursday that I heard about that.

Um I would like council to put this off.

The citizens need to be more informed about the rezoning of Detroit.

We're not fully informed yet.

Um as I say, it was only last Thursday that I originally found out about the rezoning and the original memo that was sent to our block club president, North Blood North End Block Club Association, uh did not really specify that this was a rezoning uh meeting.

So she was not in attendance, but we were in attendance last night in regards to some of the changes.

But if they would hold off, not put this through until the citizens are fully informed about the rezoning of Detroit.

Please do not put this through.

I oppose it right now until I have a further understanding of what the rezoning is.

Um also I'd like to call attention to the Dolores Bennett Park.

It has been a source of crime, noise throughout the day and night.

The police are not ticketing people, so they have no qualms with blowing bass and music anywhere from 2 a.m.

through 5 p.m.

And people are riding through our neighborhoods blowing their music exceptionally low.

All right, thank you so much.

The next caller is Shoshana Shakur.

Uh good afternoon, everyone.

Um, I want to share a critical observation with you all today to think about Professor Bernadette Antageny of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice compares the unjust property tax over assessment and foreclosures in the city of Detroit to Hurricane Katrina.

Think about this.

Black communities in the Gulf.

Black people in Detroit.

Property tax foreclosure process for one and three homes displacing over 100,000 fans.

This is the highest number property tax for clock.

We cannot hear you.

Okay, we can um give her her time if she does uh come back on.

Okay, the next caller is calling user one.

All right, call in user one.

Good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes, you can.

Congratulations on your election.

I'd like to ask the question.

When will City Council implement a policy to make sure that if there is a electric or gas emergency in apartments?

That number one, all utility workers should have on identification badges that can be seen.

Um, as opposed to bargaining in people's places without identifying themselves, putting residents at risk.

And when will council also regulate to make sure that when apartment buildings are applying hazardous chemicals that they must be state licensed or state certified?

I'm noticing that many apartment buildings are making up their own rules and regulations when putting down hazardous chemicals when they are not licensed or state certified as exterminators, and when you complain, you're given eviction notice or lease violations for complaining to city council.

Right.

Thank you so much, Michael.

And we can uh try to get those questions uh answered for you if you send us over uh an email or give our office a call.

Thank you so much.

Our next caller, please.

Next caller is Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Yes, could I be heard?

Yes, you can.

Okay, first of all, I think uh your city council shouldn't walk out the room when certain people are in the room, you know, Ramon Fidel and the other gentlemen, you know.

If you can't take the heat, you only need to be in that seat, you know.

I'm saying, and come back afterwards and stuff.

You know they go how they go approach you guys.

That's your job.

You know, we pay big, we pay top pay y'all all the tax money to listen to us, and we get one minute, one minute and a half when we have to sit through all these presentations that we don't know nothing about.

And it's sad, but you guys don't want to stay uh extra 30 minutes for us to hear what we have to say, which is sad.

You know, like uh I've been complaining about the uh like this the older lady need her house repair when Doug had got an office, they took away the grants for the seniors where they have to pay back and then put a grant in there where uh no interest.

If the seniors ain't getting that much money, how in the heck does they go pay that back?

You know, what is gonna be done for all everybody that's running in office?

What are you gonna do to change this back?

Doug and get an office and put everything his way.

Where's the backbone of y'all?

Y'all got to stand up for the black folks and the brown folks in the city of Detroit.

We've been fighting and we've been catching hell, like over here at the fume.

We've been touching hell.

I say the same thing every time I call.

Thank you.

The next oh, apologies.

The next caller is Darren McCluskey.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, council.

Can you hear me?

Yes, I can go right ahead.

Great.

Okay.

Recovery park, a name you'd like to forget.

A name you'd like to forget.

A failure of foundations, nonprofits, and the government alike.

There was a memo from July 23rd, 2025.

I came across.

And thank you, Mary Sheffield, for inquiring.

It's been years since anyone has cared about this.

The legislative, the policy, policy division.

Um, I'm asking what value do they provide?

They summarize things that are easily accessible, but could have gone so much deeper.

They basically just did a Google search.

They quoted Metro Times as their main source of information, but they failed to fully analyze, assess, and report the situation.

He even quoted me as saying uh that I was in a defamation complaint against Recovery Park and Gary Wozniak, alleging that they will sell off the properties to real estate speculator Matt Detarian.

Well, I know a lot more, and he could have gone so much deeper in a 30-second interview with me, just picking up the phone.

So years later, now we have 400 properties that are owned by an LLC that looks like it's Recovery Park, Recovery Park Holdings.

It's actually 52% owned by Matthew DeTarian.

So because of the city and their failure to enforce restrictions, they have lost over 400 properties to the biggest speculator who lives on a sailboat overseas.

And now you guys are taking land from people for the solar scam when you can't cover the basics.

Thank you.

The next caller is Renard Monchowski.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Madam President.

Can I be heard?

Yes, you can.

All right, good morning, everyone.

My name is Renard Roswski, organizer with the Detroit People's Platform, and I want to inform you all tomorrow about our uh conf press conference that's going to take place at the Rosa Parks Transit Center tomorrow at 10 15 at the corner of Michigan and Cass.

It is um the Pay Workers Double D dot.

Um, and it's a coalition of Detroit People's Platform, Transportation Writers United, the Sierra Club, Detroit Disability Power, and of course, our three unions that represent our DOP employees as well.

All three unions representing the DOP workers are currently in contract negotiations with the city of Detroit.

DOP workers, including drivers, mechanics, road supervisors, are significantly less than their partners at the suburban mobility authority for regional transit or smart as we know it.

Proposed DDOT service improvements scheduled to go into effect last month in September, has been put on hold indefinitely due to the shortage of operable buses.

Speakers at the press rally.

Um, of course, we'll include the little organizations that I've mentioned, and it's tomorrow, 10 a.m.

And we'll start um our press conference then, and we'll have several speakers, including myself.

We encouraged all members of the community that care about public transportation, candidates, anyone that are there to attend so we can know so everyone can know this current situation.

What's going on with PDOT?

Thank you.

Great, thank you.

The next caller is Charles Miles.

Good afternoon.

Hello.

Yes, good afternoon.

We can hear you.

Okay.

I was calling in, and I wanted to thank uh Bruce Simpson uh for his service.

Uh he's been really good at trying to help with the uh situations, even though sometimes he can't get anything done.

But to go on, this thing about you uh you uh changing the time of a person being able to speak is ridiculous, and it should be something done about this where you just get to decide uh despair at a moment of what how much time you're gonna give a person to speak.

But anyway, that's neither here nor there.

We're still talking about when the person does speak.

Are you gonna actually do something about it?

I mean, you listen to people, you say thank you, and then you move on.

Do you oh what are you gonna do about it?

But actually, I was calling to find out why you can't find any of these recordings on YouTube, like other states.

You cannot even find on YouTube none of these city council meetings currently.

If you put it in YouTube, it's always something old.

So you don't want the public to know what's going on.

I know you got a website, which I'm on the website, but everybody don't know about it.

Why is that not talked about?

Why don't people know what's going on in the city of Detroit?

This seemed like something that was planned.

Thank you, sir.

Our next caller, please.

The next caller is C Gina Brown Anderson.

All right, good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Can I be heard?

Yes, you can.

My name is Crestina Anderson, a city council candidate in District 3.

Even though it's reported that 51% of our children in Detroit are in poverty, the numbers are more higher.

They're a lot higher than that.

I don't want to waste my time, so I want to get right to it.

No one is above the law.

District three has a council person who has sat in that office, refused with sobriety tests, prosecuted for being slumped over in city owned vehicle, and let out of jail just to make a meeting to vote that he stays in council.

The FBI has reported that the bribery case against him has been closed, and politics have taken a toll on our neighborhoods and work effortlessly to keep us divided.

I am appalled that this one point three minute has not been considered that council table to be extended.

However, I know that people have very a lot of issues and are very angry.

This is not enough time.

I will never waste time to come downtown to pay $20 to park for 1.3 seconds.

That's crazy.

People cannot do that.

The election part, they're collecting duties.

People are calling it fraud, but it is clear dear collecting duties.

The informed decisions cannot be made when you're ignoring the people about these elections in 212, which is a zip code.

My name is not on the ballot.

So we need to check what they're talking about and fix it.

Work for it, work for them.

Do it needs to be done.

Thank you so much.

Our next caller, please.

The next caller is Kevin Westbrook.

Mr.

Westbrook, goodbye.

Hi, good next.

Oh, good morning, Council President.

My name is Kevin Westbrook.

Um, let me start with saying council president Mary, you did not lose the trust of veterans or turn your backs on veterans.

I personally know how dedicated you are to the armed services.

I personally know how hard the work is that it takes to help veterans.

I stood before you with a proposal to help get the homeless veterans back on their feet.

And thank you, Miss Paris Blissman, for your immediate reply.

Now diligence and work ethic, community dedication, people empowering.

You have led the citizens of Detroit to embrace their city.

Trust that her and the council president, staff, and office has created pathways and opportunities for all citizens of Detroit, Michigan, to have a fair chance at a thriving life for years to come by working together with your colleagues, not disruptive, you make a great leader, keep doing great work, continue to lead with the genuine passion to you, senior citizens.

It has given you an irremarkable skill to lead.

The creator has some great things planned for you to do more civil service.

Bless you today and your team today.

Continue greatness.

You were needed.

Your journey brought you here.

Lead away to the prosperity of Detroit.

Thank you, Mary.

Thank you.

Is Ruby.

Good afternoon.

Money can I be heard?

Yes, you can.

People had to ride the bus, and when they get off down there, counselor president, people have to use the bathroom.

And at 12 o'clock, they said that it was locked.

And I people not only myself, we take blood pressure pills, water pills, and all that.

So can you please do something about them not letting us in use that bathroom?

Because it's it's terrible.

So number two, I also want to wish Ruby Riley a happy 75th birthday.

Seven five today, baby.

Doing great, gonna stay great.

I'm in the city, I've been a residence for 75 years.

I've been a resident in District 3 since 1977.

It's more and a whole lot to need to be done in District 3.

And I'm hoping when you become if you become the mayor, that you look out for us because we need this.

You know, you got people just looking out for other things, other issues, other people, and we're just put by the way sad.

So anyway, as I end it, happy birthday, Ruby Riley.

Happy 75th birthday.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And happy birthday, uh, Miss Ruby Riley as well.

Um, my apologies, madam president.

Um, a hand that had been raised, just re raised, and that's Miko A.

Williams, and he would be the last caller for public comment.

Yes, yes.

Hi, I'm sorry, I've been knocked off of Zoom.

Something's going on, but I hope this is working.

Can you hear me?

Yes, we can hear you.

I don't see the timer, so please forgive me.

Umri, can you make sure the timer is working, please?

Yeah, I see it.

I had to uh minimize my screen.

Uh, so I just want to speak out against this um uh false um news yesterday that the crime is down.

Uh if the crime was down, we wouldn't have the news reporting on violence every day and night.

If the crime was down, we would know the true numbers and not uh numbers that are uh omitted uh because they don't want to scare the uh outsiders and folk.

Uh we would have transparency and accountability, and that's the last straw that these uh police informants and uh uh officials have created have literally lied to the city of Detroit, and we see things, we talk about things, but yet you silence us, and then the poverty in Detroit, we know there's poverty, but I am still condemning the nonprofits like Wayne Metro, United Way, American Red Cross, and all that come down here and they beg for money and they beg for our help, but yet they're not helping our youth, they're not helping our children, they're not helping the single mothers.

This city of Detroit would rather punish parents than to give them help.

That you want to go after those those parents for the curfew, but instead of helping those parents and stopping child poverty, child hunger, and having these kids walking around with no clothes and unkempt, we would do a better job if everyone was able to eat.

And this council gave a damn and cared.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

That will conclude all of our public comments for today, and we will now go to our agenda.

Uh, we are going to, if there's no objections, go to 20.41, uh, which is a resolution on behalf of councilmember Benson.

Uh, is there any objections to move into that item?

Okay, that's 20.41.

Line item 20.41.

Madam Clerk, if you can uh move forward with that item, yes, madam president.

Council member Benson, a resolution line item 20.41.

Councilmember Benson.

All right, thank you.

Um, thank you, madam president, for moving this one forward.

Just quickly want to acknowledge the Green Task Force as well as the Office of Sustainability for coming out today to support this.

This is a request to repeal an existing preemption, which allows the city of Detroit and other municipalities around the state to actually control plastic single use plastics, i.e.

plastic shopping bags, which you see throughout the city, which are the vein of GSD, which are the vein of our recycling attempts, because they ruin our MERS, our municipal um recycling facilities, they gum up the equipment, it costs millions uh throughout the state of Michigan to manage and maintain uh single use plastics.

So looking for the ability as a city just to manage that.

And so this ordinance, the ordinance, this resolution speaks to that, and something that's very critical.

I don't think many people realize, and this is something I was spoken to during public comment.

This speaks to nanoplastics, effectively flowing through the veins of every human being on the planet.

Furthermore, toxic chemicals leaching from plastic products have been linked to a range of severe health issues, including endocrine disruptions, reproductive problems, impaired organ uh problems, as well as being detected in human brains, placentas, memory grant plans, and the testicles of all Americans.

And so just be clear that this is a problem, and hopefully we can start to uh mitigate and resolve this issue.

So motion to approve, madam chair.

All right, resolution to repeal public act 389.

Are there any objections on the resolution, madam chair?

Yes, yes, member Callaway.

This and um council member Benson, if you will allow me, I would like to join you on the resolution.

Gladly.

Absolutely.

Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you.

Okay.

The clerk will note.

Clerk will so note, madam president.

If there are no objections, the one resolution will be approved.

Thank you.

Thank you, Member Benson.

Motion.

Request a waiver.

Okay.

There are no objections.

A waiver will be attached to 20.41.

All right.

That motion is approved.

There are thank you.

All right.

And if there are no objections, we're going to skip around one more time and go to line item 20.20.

Um for member Durha proposed ordinance.

Line item 20.20.

And madam clerk, if we can proceed.

Councilmember Durha, introduction of an ordinance, line item 20.20.

Councilmember Durha.

Thank you, Madam President.

I move that the ordinance be read twice by title ordered printed and laid on the table.

All right.

And this is an ordinance that would make it a misdemeanor violation to use a vape or other smoke tobacco products in stadium or sports courts arenas.

This is for the scheduling of a public hearing.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken.

Discussion.

Councilmember Benson.

For yourself to Member Durhaw, I would like to join you on that ordinance.

A huge proponent of protecting our youth and Americans from the ills of tobacco.

So love to join you on that one.

Three of you, Madam President, to Member Benson.

Um we were opposed to introduce this ordinance.

Uh, a little bit out of my lane at the time, noting that you have been a champion uh as well as member Callaway on on this issue.

Uh, I am happy uh to have any of my colleagues uh join me on this ordinance, which I think will be great.

I think it is an ordinance that pushes forward and reiterates uh the opportunity uh for us to encourage our sports leaders and heroes here in the city of Detroit to encourage our young folks to lead healthy lifestyles.

Uh, and that is why we're pushing.

But I'd be honored if if any of the members would like to join me on this.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to thank you.

And member Calloway would like to be added as well.

Okay, the clerk would note.

Member Young.

Clerk will so note, Madam President.

This is just for the uh setting the uh okay when I have a lot of thoughts on this.

All right, yeah.

Okay, all right.

The clerk would note we will add member Benson and Member Callaway to the ordinance, and hearing no objections that action will be taken from the law department.

Councilmember Durha, a resolution set in the public hearing.

Line item 20.21.

Member Durhaw.

Thank you, Madam President.

I move that a public hearing be set for a date to be determined.

Right.

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken.

For the scheduling of a public hearing.

All right, going back to the top of the agenda.

Madam Clerk.

Madam President, from the Office of Contracting and Procurement, Councilmember Durha, a resolution line item 16.1, contract number 6007 188, 100% city funding to provide reconfiguration and implementation services for the Oracle Project Portfolio Management Module, Contractor Vigilant Technologies LLC, total contract amount 449, 396 dollars.

That's for the office of the chief financial officer.

Councilmember Durha, a resolution.

Councilmember Durha.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move for approval for line item 16.1.

All right.

Are there any objections?

Objection, Member Santiang Ramu.

The clerk will please note.

Clerk will so note, madam president.

Hearing no further objections, the one resolution will be approved.

From the Office of the Budget.

Councilmember Durha, a resolution, line item 16.2.

Councilmember Durha.

Thank you, Madam President.

Line item 16.2 is a resolution of authorization establishing the fiscal year 2025-2026 corporate income tax reserve fund.

Move for approval for line item 16.2.

Are there any objections?

Hearing none, the one resolution will be approved.

Request a waiver for line item 16.2, madam president.

Hearing no objection, a waiver will be attached to 16.2.

From the office of the city clerk, city planning commission.

Councilmember Durhall, a resolution, line item 16.3.

Councilmember Durhoff.

Thank you, Madam President.

Line item 16.3 is a resolution of authorization for a neighborhood enterprise zone certificate application for the construction of 11 new single family houses at 1457, 1478, 1482, 1716, 1723, 1724, 1731, and 1737.

Fisher and 1564, 1591, and 1595, Belvedere in the East Village Amended Neighborhood Enterprise Zone Area.

This is a recommended for approval by the CPC as well as committee.

Move for approval for line item 16.3.

Right.

Is there any objections?

Hearing none, the one resolution will be approved.

Request a waiver for line item 16.3, Madam President.

Hearing no objections, the a waiver will be attached to 16.3.

From the department of health from the health department.

Councilmember Durhall, two resolutions.

Line items 16.4 and 16.5.

Member Durha.

Thank you, Madam President.

Line item 16.4 is the proposed 10% fee schedule increase for the Detroit Health Department and 16.5 is a resolution of authorization for the proposed resolution to approve fees for issuance of disinterment uh permits.

Move for approval for line items 16.4 and 16.5.

Hearing no objections, the two resolutions will be approved.

Request a waiver for line items 16.4 and 16.5.

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken.

From the general services department.

Council member Durha, a resolution.

Line item 16.6.

Member Durhaw.

Thank you, Madam President.

Line item 16.6 is a resolution of authorization to update and amend the Detroit Parks and Recs, uh Parks and Recreation Fee Schedule.

Move for approval for line item 16.6.

Hearing no objections, the one resolution will be approved.

Request a waiver for line item 16.6, madam president.

Okay.

Uh so there will be no waiver attached to 16.6.

Thank you, madam president.

For the internal operations standing committee from the office of contracting and procurement.

Council member Johnson for resolutions.

Line items 17.1 through 17.4.

Contract number 6007408, 100% city funding to provide temporary staffing services for the department of elections.

Contractor in tech staffing solutions.

Total contract amount 265,512.

That's for elections.

Contract number 6006876, 100% city funding to provide HR with talent analytics software as a service.

Contractor 0 and Technologies LLC.

Total contract amount 510,000.

That's for human resources.

Contract number 6005962-A2, 100% grant funding, amendment two to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for pre-arraignment legal defense services for indigent people, contract, misdemeanor and felony defenders PC.

Total contract amount 2 million 512,500.

That's for law.

Contract number 6005963-A2.

100% grant funding.

Amendment two to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for post-arraignment legal defense services for indigent people, contractor misdemeanor and felony defenders PC.

Total contract amount, $4 million $1,060.

That's for law.

Councilmember Johnson, four resolutions.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move for approval.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, the four uh resolutions will be approved.

Madam President, I'd like to request a waiver for line item 17.1, 17.3, and 17.4.

All right.

Any objections to a waiver.

Hearing none, that action will be taken.

From the law department.

Councilmember Johnson, 21 resolutions, line items 17.5 through 17.25.

Member Johnson.

Thank you, madam.

President move for approval.

These are various lawsuits settlement requests and requests for a legal representation and indemnification.

All right.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objection to the settlements, the 21 resolutions will be approved.

From the office of the city clerk.

Council member Johnson, two resolutions.

Line items 17.26 and 17.27.

Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move for approval.

These are requests for a charitable gaming license for nonprofit organizations.

All right.

Hearing no objections.

The two resolutions will be approved.

From the human resources labor relations division.

Councilmember Johnson, a resolution.

Line item 17.28.

Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move for approval.

This is to implement the 2024 through 2027 labor agreement between the city of Detroit and employees represented by International Brotherhood Teamsters Local 214.

All right.

Are there any objections?

Hearing none, the one resolution will be approved.

Under resolutions.

Councilmember Johnson, a resolution line item 17.29.

Member Johnson.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move for approval.

This is to reappoint Robert Roberts to the Board of Zoning Appeals representing District Six.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, the one resolution will be approved.

Request a waiver, Madam President.

All right.

Any objections to a waiver?

Hearing none, that action will be taken.

Thank you.

Under resolutions.

Councilmember with the Callaway, a resolution line item 17.30.

Member Callaway.

Yeah, thank you, madam chair.

Um move for approval for the appointment of Jerry Flindell to the entertainment commission representing district two for the remainder of the term ending February 14th, 2026, and the three-year term beginning February 15, 2026, and ending February 14th, 2029.

Thank you, madam chair.

Hearing no objections, the one resolution will be approved.

Attach a waiver, madam chair.

Hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to 17.30 for the planning and economic development standing committee from the office of contracting and procurement.

Council President Pro Tim James Tate, three resolutions, line items 18.1 through 18.3, knowing that they are all for the housing and revitalization contracts.

Contract number 6005583-A1, 70% ARPA and 30% CDBG funding.

Amendment one to amend contract terms and conditions for data management and incentive resolution portal.

Contractor renovate incorporated doing business as neighborly software.

Total contract amount 2 million 180,000.

Contract number 6007459, 100% CDBGDR funding to oversee the rehabilitation and or construction of public housing units, contract Detroit Housing Commission, total contract amount 31 million, contract number 6007349, 100% city funding to implement skill trace apprenticeship DPSCDESC Skills Trace Instruction and Brightmore Workforce Development Programs Contractor Detroit Employment Solutions Total Contract Amount 1 million 300,000.

Council President Pro Tim Tate, three resolutions.

President Pro Tim Tate.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um move to discuss line item 18.2, please.

Um discussion.

Thank you.

There's been a request from a colleague to uh postpone the vote for line item 18.2 for one week if there's no objections, colleagues.

So move.

All right, any objections?

Hearing none, we will postpone 18.2 for one week.

Thank you.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, 18.1 and 18.2 will be approved.

18.3.

Excuse me, 18.3.

Postpone for one week, 18.2.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh request for a waiver on line item 18.3, please.

Hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to 18.3.

Thank you.

Discussion.

Yes, member Benson.

Uh chair Tate.

Um, just knowing that we voted to bring back a line of 18.2.

Is there something that the other colleagues should know about that contract, or is just the colleague will spend some more time to get information?

Colleague wanted additional time for uh information for my understanding.

Okay, thank you.

Yes, sir.

Discussion member waters.

Um I just have a question here on 18.3.

Is this the item that I put in the budget?

Negative ma'am, it's the item I put in the budget.

All right, right.

Okay, babe will we work for an apprenticeship program.

I guess it's yes.

Okay, gotcha.

Yes, ma'am.

All right, I see it's right.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

All right.

From the Office of Development and Grants.

Council President Pro Tim Tate or resolution line item 18.4.

Pro Tim Tate.

President move approval line item 18.4.

Line item 18.4 is to uh request authorization to accept and appropriate the lid hazard control program grant.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, the one resolution will be approved.

Yes, request a waiver on line item 18.4, please.

Okay.

Hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to 18.4 for the city planning commission.

Council President Pro Tim James Tate and introduction of an ordinance line item 18.5 pro tem tape.

Uh with discussion, yes.

Thank you.

We did receive the signed uh approved to form version of the document is pretty heavy in front of all of us uh right here to this morning.

Uh so I would like to move that the ordinance be read twice by title, ordered printed and laid on the table.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken from the from the city planning commission.

Council President Pro Tim James Tate a resolution set in the public hearing.

Line item 18.6.

President pro Tim Tate.

Uh November 6 discussion for line item 18.6 with discussion.

Member Benson.

Uh through yourself uh two.

I see that we have a CPC staff here.

Just quickly, can you identify the um recommendation from the city planning commission and the rep recommendation from staff on this proposed ordinance?

My apologies.

Good afternoon, honorable city council.

Uh through the president's chair to member Benson.

My apologies again through the president's chair to member Benson.

As it concerns the adaptive reuse, uh, the institutional building adaptive reuse ordinance proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance.

Both the staff and the commission are in sync, and there's uh recommendation for approval on this ordinance.

Thank you.

Yes.

Oh no, the first and November 6th.

Yes.

Okay.

Any objections in scheduling a public hearing for November the 6th?

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken.

Thank you.

For the housing and revitalization department.

Council President Pro Tim James Tate, two resolutions.

Line items 18.7 and 18.8.

Pro Tim Tate.

For approval.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, the two resolutions will be approved.

From the planning and development department.

Council President Pro Tim James Tate.

Two resolutions, line items 18.9 and 18.10.

Pro Tim Tate.

Madam President, I move approval both line items 18.9 and 18.10, please.

All right.

These are various property sales for 18.9 and 18.10.

Are there any objections?

Hearing none, the two resolutions will be approved.

From request to speak before the Detroit City Council.

Council President Pro Tim James Tate, a resolution line item 19.1.

Okay.

Um pro Tim Tate.1, please.

Thank you so much, Pro Tim Tate.

You would like uh attorney Anderson to give us a free for uh some advisement on this particular item, understanding that it is in litigation at this point through the chair Graham Anderson Law Department for these four petitions regarding the first one with Mr.

Tyson Gersh.

We the law department would recommend that you deny this petition as we are in active litigation with this individual on this issue regarding the remaining three.

I would ask for a one-week breakback to fully uh analyze and give a more uh detailed uh response to this body.

I'm sorry, what the other remaining items will a one week bring back, council president for the remaining items, yes, so we can make sure we um across all the T's and daughterized to make sure to give a full recommendation.

Okay, all right, totem tape, president move approval line item 19.1, please.

And approval will be recommending approval of the denial.

Oh no, we get the denial okay.

Okay, all right.

Motion has been made to approve line item 19.1.

Are there any objections?

Objection tape clerk with no objection, uh President Sheffield Objection, Member Santiago Romero.

Objection, member Johnson, objection, council member Durha.

Any further objections, madam president.

That item fails.

Okay, that item does fail from the request to speak before the Detroit City Council.

Councilmember Santiago Romero, a resolution line item 19.2 member Santiago Ramiro.

We're gonna bring these items back.

Sorry about that.

Thank you, Madam President.

Motion to bring back in one week.

Hearing no objections, we will bring back line item 19.2 in one week under request for the Detroit City Council.

Councilmember Young, two resolutions, line items 19.3 and 19.4.

Yep.

Thank you, Mayor President.

Line of 19.3 and 19.4 when we hearing no objections, the two items will be brought back in one week.

From the mayor's office, council member young seven resolutions, line items 20.1 through 20.7.

And Madam President, just pointing out that we are now on under the new business agenda.

Under new business, thank you.

Councilmember Young.

Thank you, Mayor President.

I'd like to approve my item 20.10.7.

Are there any objections?

Hearing none, the seven resolutions will be approved.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Mayor President.

I'd like to request the waiver on line items 20.1 through 20.3 and line items 20.5 and 20.6.

Hearing no objections, the waiver will be attached.

From the Office of Contracting and Securement.

Council Member Santiago Romero, five resolutions, line items 20.8 through 20.12.

Contract number 6005083-A1, 100% grant funding.

Amendment one to provide an increase of funds for a program administrator for coordinating and managing medical and supportive services for low income under insured and uninsured persons living with HIV in the Detroit Metropolitan in the Detroit eligible metropolitan area.

Minority AIDS initiative contractor is deaf community at C network incorporated.

Total contract amount 252,000, 372 and 95 cents.

That's for health.

Contract number 6005089-A1.

100% grant funding.

Amendment one to provide an increase of funds only for a program administrator for coordinating and managing medical and supportive services for low income, underinsured and uninsured persons living with HIV in the Detroit eligible metropolitan area.

Contractor Community Health Awareness Group.

Total contract amount 3 million 637, 113 and 91 cent.

That's for health.

Contract number 6004865-A2, 100% grant funding.

That's for BC.

Contract number 6004842-A1, 100% city funding.

Contractor American Indian Health and Family Services Total Contract Amount 450,000.

That's for BC Contract number 6006396.

100% grant funding to provide for electric buses, EV charging infrastructure, training and associated tools and parts.

Contractor, new flyer of America Incorporated, total contract amount 9, 78, 101 dollars and 88 cents.

That's for transportation.

Councilmember Santiago Romero, five resolutions.

Thank you, Madam Uh, Madam Clerk, Member Santiago Ramiro.

Thank you, Madam President.

Motion to approve 20.8 through 20.12.

Right.

Any objections to the items.

Hearing no objections.

The resolutions will be approved.

28 20.28 through 20.2012.

From the Office of Contracting and Procurement.

Council Member Young, seven resolutions, line items 20.13 through 20.19, noting that they are all contracts for the general services department.

Contract number 6007428, 100% city funding to provide service, labor, and or parts for log loader and bucket trucks and units with hydraulic boom lifts.

Contractor Southern truck equipment doing business as STE.

Total contract amount 150,000.

Contract number 600666-A1, 100% IPA funding, amendment one to provide an increase of funds only for new ambulance body replacement.

Contracted McQueen Equipment LLC doing business as McQueen.

Total contract amount 7,366, $699.59.

Contract number 6005566-A1, 100% city funding.

Amendment one to provide an increase of funds only for events management for Spirit Plaza and Recreational Park Affairs.

Contractor, total access events, total contract amount 2 million 896,000.

Contract number 6007375, 100% city funding to provide snow removal equipment repair services, labor and or parts.

Doing business as McQueen.

Total contract amount 300,000.

Contract number 6007376, 100% city funding to provide snow removal equipment repair services, labor and or parts, contractor, southern truck equipment incorporated, doing business as STC, STE, total contract amount 200,000.

Contract number 6007365, 100% bond funding to provide park improvement at Simeneck Park, contract in Michigan Recreational Construction Incorporated.

Total contract amount 2,876,500.

Last contract is contract number 6007377, 100% city funding to provide snow removal, equipment repair services, labor and/or parts.

Contractor Bill Jones Enterprises doing business as Metro Airport Truck.

Total contract amount 525,000.

Council member Young, 7 resolutions.

Thank you, Mayor President.

I move to approve line items 20.13 through 20.19.

Right.

Any discussion on these items?

Any objections.

Hearing no objections, these seven resolutions will be approved.

Mayor President.

Yes.

I like a request to waiver online items 20.13 through 20.19.

All right.

Hearing no objections, then action will be taken.

We've already done 20.20 and 20.21.

Moving to the law department.

Councilmember Woodfield Callaway and introduction of an ordinance.

Line item 20.22.

Councilmember Callaway.

Um thank you, madam chair.

This is um a proposed ordinance to abend chapter 26 of the 2019 Detroit City Code Law Enforcement by adding Article 5, release of incident footage to include section 26-5-1, um, etc.

Um, and this um the version has been supported by DPD and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is a long time coming.

We've been in talks for probably over a year now.

Um, it has been approved as to form by the law department, and um madam chair.

I move that the ordinance be read twice by title order printed and laid on the table.

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken from the law department.

Council member with field calloway, a resolution setting a public hearing, line item 20.23.

Member Callaway, thank you, madam chair.

Motion to approve, madam chair.

This is for scheduling of a public hearing.

Yeah, determined date to be determined.

Yes, any objections on scheduling a public hearing hearing none.

That action will be taken from the from the law department.

Council member with Phil Callaway, an introduction of an ordinance line item 20.24.

Member Calloway.

Um, thank you, madam chair.

This is an ordinance to amend chapter 26 of the 2019 Detroit City Cult Law Enforcement by renaming Article 3 to Citizens Patrols and dividing the article into two divisions.

Right now we have the citizens radio patrol assistance program, and this will simply add the citizen neighborhood blight patrol, madam chair.

I move that the ordinance be read twice by title order printed and laid on the table, madam chair.

All right.

Are there any objections hearing none?

That action will be taken from the from the law department.

Council member with field calloway, a resolution setting a public hearing.

Line item 20.25.

Member Callaway.

Thank you.

Thank you again, madam chair.

Just motion to approve and determined for the um foregoing ordinance.

Hearing no objections, the scheduling of a public hearing will be approved.

From the Office of Development and Grants.

Councilmember Santiago Romero, two resolutions, line items 20.26 and 20.27.

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you.

Motion to approve.

All right.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, the two resolutions will be approved.

Thank you.

From the Office of Development and Grants.

Council Member Young, three resolutions.

Line items 20.28 through 20.30.

Councilmember Young.

Thank you, Mayor President.

I'd like to move to approve line items 20.28 through 20.30.

Right.

These are both requesting to accept and appropriate various grants.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, the three resolutions will be approved.

Yes.

Thank you, Mayor President.

I'd like to request a waiver on line item 20.

No, 20.28 and 20.30.

All right.

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken.

Any objections to a waiver on 20.12.

Hearing none, that action will be taken.

From the department of public works, city engineering division.

Councilmember Santiago Romero, nine resolutions, nine items 20.31 through 20.39.

Councilmember Santiago Ramiro.

Thank you, Madam President.

Motion to approve 20.31 through 20.39.

These are all various requests for vacations or easements.

All right.

Hearing no objections, the nine resolutions will be approved.

Under resolutions.

Councilmember Johnson, a resolution line item 20.40.

Council Member Johnson.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move for approval.

All right.

This is a resolution in support of Senate Bill 479 and House Bill 4742, the protecting overburdened communities act.

Okay.

Are there any objections to the resolution?

Hearing no objections, the one resolution will be approved.

Under resolutions.

We have taken that one up already.

Thank you.

Okay.

Before we go to referrals, we do have a request for I think we have two walk-ons.

Yes, we do, madam president.

Okay.

Madam President, we council member Johnson, a resolution appointing an ombudsman.

Right.

Before we move forward, um, attorney Barcliff.

Good afternoon.

The resolution before you changes the date for the appointment of the ombudsperson.

Um, the original appointment date was October the 5th, which is a Sunday, but she's all she actually started to work on the Monday, the 6th.

So in order to align those dates, we're just um submitting this new uh resolution amending the date until October the 6th rather than the 5th.

Okay.

So it's just changing the date from the 5th to the 6th.

Yes, okay.

Is there a motion to walk this item on to new business for a vote?

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken.

And member Johnson, if we can move this item for approval.

Uh move for approval to appoint uh uh Sherry Gay Dan Yoga as the umbuds as the ambudsman for the city of Detroit with a term beginning October 6, 2025 and ending October 5th, 2035.

Right.

Are there hearing no objections?

The one resolution will be approved.

That's the waiver.

Yep, madam president.

I'd like to request a waiver.

All right, hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to that item.

Yes, madam president.

Oh, also domestic violence.

Go ahead.

Um, there's a request to walk on to new business referral line item 22.8.

So we need to move them first.

That's fine.

Okay, we can do it now.

Go ahead.

Okay.

So this will walk on line item 22.8, which is a resolution to set rules public hearing.

Council member Johnson, a resolution.

Council member Johnson.

This is line item 22.8.

We need to walk this on to new business, correct?

Okay, is there a motion to walk this item on to do business?

This is for the scheduling of a public hearing for the rules committee.

So move.

There are no objections.

Line item 22.8 will be moved to new business.

Is that the only item that needs to be referred?

No, no.

Um, that's the only one that's a referral, madam president.

Okay, perfect.

Yes, it's another one, but it's not a referral.

Yeah, so we so we can take up 22.8 now.

Council member Johnson, a resolution.

Council member Johnson.

Thank you, madam president.

Move for approval.

This is to set the rules public hearing.

I believe the date has been November 14th.

What time?

Did you guys pick a time?

I'm getting a little confused.

Yeah, uh, isn't it?

The public hearing for the rules committee on November the 14th.

Okay, it's her.

So you guys never schedule the time.

Yeah, I'm gonna ask that uh we remove this from the agenda right now.

Um, I haven't had a chance to look through anything.

I haven't had a chance to discuss the date for November.

So if we can remove this and bring it back in a week, that's my motion.

Thank you, madam chair.

Okay, is that a meeting?

I'm just asking that we bring it back.

Okay, one is fine.

Why should we take a look at it?

Just bring it back in one week.

Bring it back in one week.

Yeah, okay.

One thank you.

Madam President President, just so let you know.

Under the charter, you have to notice this.

This resolution has to be published at least four weeks before the public hearing is held.

And right now is my understanding that you want to have the public hearing on November the 14th.

I'm afraid that if you wait till next week, you may not have sufficient time to publish in order for the 14th to be confirmed.

So that's why we asked it.

What we've done with this resolution is really to set in place the items that the rules committee wanted to have considered for the public hearing.

So that's all we've done.

Yeah.

It's just put it in a resolution form so they can then be published by the clerk.

Yeah.

Madam Chair, if I might.

Okay.

Member Calloway.

Thank you, Madam Chair, to Mr.

Whitaker.

So it's the 14th on a Friday for a public hearing?

Yes, ma'am.

That's the date that oh, I'm I'm sorry, it's a formal session.

So it'll fall because this is uh typically when when council votes on the rules after they emerge from the from the committee.

Uh that public hearing is a is either in the form in a committee, the whole setting, or uh is that formal because the whole body needs to discuss the rules before they're enacted.

So the public hearing is intended to to allow for full discourse amongst the the council members who is really beyond the committee at this point.

Before we before we move forward, pro tem I know I think you requested that it be that it takes place during the 14th date.

Well, so my I was approached about what time works from for my schedule and not.

Two different things the public hearing or the rescheduled date of formal session because we were scheduling.

I was talking about the formal session.

That's what I was talking about.

During that okay, so we can don't we don't have to proceed with the public hearing if that's not what the committee wants.

Well that's that that's fine.

I think we were under the impression that you all wanted the public hearing during that formal session that's being held on that Friday.

If that's not what the committee wants, we can remove it.

Yeah, um, I don't think we should have a public hearing on a Friday, but you're saying through the chair, you're saying that it has to be on that Friday.

It has to be is that the I'm asking for clarification.

Yes, my understanding that the 14th was the date that was set for this public hearing.

Okay, do we have that?

Because I don't remember that being the date set.

And I chaired the meeting, so that would have been that would have come out of the president's the 14th day.

No, if I'm hearing that, I guess I should have so from my understanding and if Paris sent an email asking everyone what was the best date for the public hearing, and Friday was the date that was selected.

That was the best date for everyone's attendance.

Um, and again, if the public hearing doesn't need to take place Friday, that's that's fine.

I think some is the piece that's missing is that that Tuesday we won't be we don't have right, so there's two Tuesdays informal of the November, Tuesday the fourth, which is the election.

The following Tuesday is veterans day.

Friday.

So there's two Friday, there's two Tuesdays in November that council will not be meeting.

The majority of council selected Friday as the alternative date to make up for those Tuesdays.

So that is why we're referring to a Friday date for anything at this point for formal and for the public hearing.

That's correct.

I'm sorry.

Okay.

So do we still want to proceed with a public hearing on a Friday, or do you want to remove this at the time through the chair?

Um, Mr.

Whitaker, are you saying that would be the date that we would have to um have it on the 14th in order to be in compliance with what the charter is saying?

I I guess, madam president, I guess what I'm saying is you have to have right this this resolution has to be published at least four weeks before you can have a public hearing.

Okay, so that's why I was suggesting when you suggest moving in a week in order to meet that 14th date, the clerk is going to need to have it voted on today.

Okay.

Is that correct?

Okay.

Okay.

I see a couple of hands, member waters.

Um, I I just wanted to understand.

I've been here for four years, but we haven't done anything with the rules committee.

Now we're about to get some new council members in, and we want to make these changes prior to their arrival.

And you had a couple of council members that are leaving.

So I mean, I haven't been able to get a darn thing done.

Uh as it relates to the rules committee.

I think to differ.

So I I haven't voted on anything to this date as it relates to the rules committee.

I don't, I don't recall doing that.

Now all of a sudden, we have all these things we just have to get done before the new council members come in.

So I mean it's just my concern.

I I don't get I don't get the urgency.

And maybe somebody can tell can explain that to me, madam chair.

If I might well, Matt, uh member Callaway followed by Pro Tim.

We've never missed the meeting.

We've been in compliance with what's been required um by the charter for the rules committee meeting to um meeting to be held.

We've always had a quorum.

We've not ever canceled one rules committee meeting.

I've chaired all of them.

We produced a lot of good amendments.

Um I don't know if you've been following, but we have.

We've done some good work in the rules committee.

We've also, every time we've had a rules committee meeting, we urge, I urge my colleagues to submit recommendations.

I think you submitted one um regarding how we get offices back in 2022 when we all first took office.

There were six of us, and that's the last time I've gotten something from you.

Um, all due respect, um uh member waters, but we've been doing a lot of good work on the rules committee.

I mean, my colleagues are sitting here and we go back and forth.

So um maybe we need to update the entire body in terms of the changes that we've been making because we've been working diligently with LPD and my colleagues, member waters.

We've gotten a lot of um amendments changed um and introduced, and we've had a lot of tense conversations too.

So we've been we've been diligent about what we've been um asked to do as the rules committee.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, Madam Chair, Madam President.

Um I just want to find I I wasn't suggesting that you haven't been diligent that you haven't been there because I know that you have.

Yes, but when you're making major changes like this and you're about to have a new counselor come in, I just think I just don't get the the urgency of that.

And I just don't think that is right.

I just don't.

So but that that's my opinion.

And I know that that you've been there doing your job, and you're you you uh you're the chair, so you have to wait for other people to make such motions and whatever it may be, you cannot do it yourself.

And so that's probably some of you know uh the reason why some other things did not get done because you could not make the motion yourself.

I just wanted to express my opinion.

Uh that is my opinion about uh uh these major changes right here that are coming before that's coming before this body.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, President Power and Tate.

Thank you, Madam President.

So uh these are these items that are before us.

Uh we have had multiple um committee meetings to discuss and uh further uh on a fairly regular schedule throughout the the last four years.

Um certainly would have been great to move them faster, but the reality is we had discussion that we had to go through, and we had some items where we were not uh in a core on the committee, whether it's the chair or me or member member young, but we have steadfast continue to move forward, and this is the combination of all of that work that we've done over the four years, which also included items from the previous session as well.

So this was it's voluminous because we did a lot of work and because we wanted to make sure that we got it right.

So I would I wouldn't classify it as rushing.

This is now uh finally getting to the finish line, thankfully, but we've got meeting records, we have uh video to show that we have met and continue to advance in different versions of the uh proposed amendments as well as and you can see how they have changed in each meeting as well.

So I would not personally classify it as rushing.

Uh I am more personally classified as we're finally getting to the finish line of all this hard work that Madam Chair, myself and my colleague have uh committed to in the committee over this this particular term.

And I thank you both for allowing me to participate in the committee.

Thank you.

Thank you, pro Tim.

Council member Young.

Oh, sorry, I don't mean to be like the slow end the class here, but did we discuss the oh budsman um walk on already?

Yeah, we're already we we we we postponed it or do we move it out?

We've already voted.

We we voted okay, okay, okay.

And I was yes, okay, I can make sure I got that together because I don't remember that.

Okay.

And secondly, yes, we we had diligent work on this issue.

I don't have a problem with most of the stuff.

I don't like the stuff about the Spirit of Detroit award and all that stuff about the testimonial resolution.

You gotta go get everybody else's signatures.

I think that's a kind of a waste of time.

Um, but I don't think this is necessarily the hill that I want to die on.

I just want to know you you are telling us uh Mr.

Whitaker that we have to move this out by this day, or else this will be null and void.

Like what happens if we just you know it it it we would never do this.

Let's have it just say just hypothetical.

We spurned your wisdom here and decided not to do what you're telling us to do.

What would happen?

Well, it's the worst that would happen.

Of course, madam president, of course, it's your prerogative to get these matters up.

Maybe if you don't take them up now, you really are starting over with the new term.

And that and that's becomes problematic.

Okay, because there are issues that you have come to notice in these rules that you need changes to, and to start all over with a new council who has to sort of go through the process you just went through.

Uh uh I mean that's one reason why in terms pass rules are somewhat delayed because if you don't act within the term in which you're doing the new council has to begin anew.

And I think I've never said on council, of course, but I think I think if I was on council and and I would want the benefit of your wisdom when I took the seat, and and you've come you cut you culminate to use uh President Pro Tim's nerve.

This is the culmination of a lot of work and to sort of start all over.

I you know, if you're looking for my advice, I would say don't do it.

Take it up now.

It's unfortunate that you're at this point and you feel some uncertainty.

But what you have to rely on the colleagues that set on that committee, they've done the best that they can do is now before the body.

And I think in order to meet the time set forth in the charter, today is the data to to move this matter forward so that you can you can have full discussion.

You can have your public hearing on the 14th as previously scheduled.

So just to reiterate what we're saying again through the chairs, just to reiterate here.

You're saying that if we don't pass this, then all the what the work we did will just be completely wiped out, right?

We just have a clean slate for next year, right?

Right.

Okay, it's gonna have to start over with a new new rules committee.

All right, so how would you all like to proceed?

Let's proceed.

Um, if the chair, yeah, let's proceed because I certainly don't want the work that we've done for the last four years to be for naught.

Okay, and if we don't move forward, it will spill over into a new um new administration.

So this will be um the approval today will be scheduling that public hearing, um, which will take place on November the 14th.

We have not set a time.

It'll be during formal during the formal session, so we can adjust the calendar.

Right, you can adjust, yes.

Just uh to add one of the items that we we dealt with in committee, the rules committee is this item that keeps coming before us, and that's the petition to speak before council.

We've discussed it and debated it here at the table.

But in committee, we actually went and did the hard work and pulled apart and put together uh this uh amendment that actually put some yeah, flushes it out and explains it for us, so we don't have the you know fumbling and bumbling that we have when it comes before us on a regular basis.

So it's that kind of information for the public who's watching.

That's what we're talking about.

And if I might add, madam chair, and these are some amendments that we're recommending, and we hope that our colleagues, all of us will support them.

But there's going to be a new rules chair um come January 2026, and you may want to go back, whoever that individual is and go back amend and amend what we've already amended a second and third time.

That's the beauty of the rules.

If if if the if the um committee, the new um newly seated committee says, you know, we don't want this in here, they have an opportunity to amend what we've amended.

I mean, I mean it can go on and on and on, it's just like the constitution.

You can amend that uh through the proper process, and that can also happen with the rules.

Um, so thank you.

Thank you, um, Dr.

Powers, and thank you to the entire LPT team and to my colleagues.

Thank you, madam chair.

All right, thank you.

All right, is there a motion um to approve the scheduling of a public hearing for the uh rules?

Motion and that will be November the 14th.

Are there any objections?

Objection.

The clerk would note member waters.

So note, madam president.

Right.

Hearing no further objection, that action will be taken.

All right, we have one more walk-on.

Yes, madam president.

We have a walk-on request from council member Callaway to walk on a resolution proclaiming October as domestic violence awareness month.

Like to walk on to new business.

Right.

Is there a motion to do so?

Okay, and hearing no objections, this item will be walked on.

All right, council member Wenthale Callaway, a resolution.

Member Callaway.

Um, Madam President, this is a resolution proclaiming October as domestic violence awareness month.

I've given my colleagues the purple um ribbon that um signifies that this is um domestic violence month and purple is their awareness cover.

The actual awareness day is October the 16th, and we're asking everyone to wear some purple on that day.

But I'd like to read the resolution if I might.

Um and I want to thank LPD for always doing a stellar job with putting these resolutions together, sometimes without a whole lot of time.

So thank you so much.

Whereas domestic and family violence affects people of all ages as well as all racial, ethnic, gender, economic, and religious backgrounds, and whereas domestic and family violence includes a range of abuse, including economic, physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological toward children, adults, and elders.

And whereas unfortunately, exposure to forms of family and domestic violence can often lead interrelated forms of violence and cycles of abuse that children carry into future relationships.

And whereas an average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States, affecting more than 12 million women and men each year.

And whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 41% of women and 26% of men experience sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported a related impact.

And whereas domestic violence poses a disproportionate threat to women, where about one in five homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner, and over half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner.

And where survivors can experience a wide range of physical and mental health outcomes, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and are at a higher risk for engaging in behaviors that cause additional negative health outcomes in the future.

And whereas a community, we are all responsible for supporting survivors or domestic violence in whatever way we can, which includes learning to recognize the signs of domestic violence and ensuring that resources and protection are readily available.

And whereas the city of Detroit is committed to honoring the memories of those who were lost to domestic violence homicide and to supporting those currently suffering from domestic abuse by working to end the cycle of violence through awareness education, training, and violence prevention.

Whereas anyone currently suffering from domestic violence can reach out to the Detroit Police Victims Assistance Program at 313 833 1660.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Detroit City Council hereby recognizes the month of October as domestic violence awareness month.

Now be it finally resolved that the Detroit City Clerk's Office provide a copy of this resolution to Detroit Health Department, all things women, alternative for girls, first step Detroit, women in touch, the YWCA Interim House Metro Detroit, Avalon Healing Center, Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, Coalition on Temporary Shelter, Sisters Against Abuse Society, and the ASTARS Initiative.

And I'm also going to add that we send this also to the office of our um our very own Debbie Dingle, who grew up in a house where she was subjected to and witnessed domestic violence.

And I just read her story earlier today.

So if we can also add her as a recipient of this resolution, that would be great.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you so much, Member Callaway.

And if I can be joined, yeah.

Motion to approve, madam chair.

If I can be added as well, okay.

Thank you.

All right.

It looks like the name of the council.

Okay.

All right.

The clerk will know we would add this in the name of the council.

Clerk will so note, Madam President.

Okay.

And is there no objections?

The resolution will be approved.

And if there are no objections, a waiver will be attached to the item as well.

Thank you, Member Callaway.

Councilmember Young.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

It's my understanding.

I forgot to get a waiver online 20.29.

Which item is that a parking burden.

That's the uh request to accept and appropriate the fiscal year 2026, Eliza Howard Park Improvement.

Okay.

Are there any objections for a waiver for that item?

Hearing none, that action will be taken.

For the president's report on standing committee referrals and other matters for the internal operations standing committee.

Eight reports from various city departments, Madam President, excluding line item 22.8, which was moved to new business.

All right.

The eight reports will be referred for the neighborhood and community services standing committee.

Six reports from various city departments.

The six reports will be referred to committee for the planning and economic development standing committee.

Six reports from various city departments.

10 reports from various city departments.

Madam President, yes.

Thank you.

Before we move on to the rest of the referrals, um, just for a few items that we already voted on for public health and safety.

I do have a few waiver requests for 28 and for 20.8 and 20.9 requesting the waiver.

This is for medical support for folks uh that are living with HIV.

I'm sorry, what 20.8.

What about the items?

20.9 requesting a weaver.

A waiver.

Okay.

Hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to those two items.

There are no objections.

Um, Madam President would also like to request, I have a few more.

20.11 and 20.12.

These are the EV buses and remediation work requesting the waiver for 20.11 and 20.12.

Hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to both items.

And my last request, Madam President, through you is 20 points 26 and 20.27.

This is regarding the grants applications that we have.

Requesting the waiver again for 20 points 26 and 20.27.

Hearing no, I'm sorry.

Oh okay.

Hearing no objection, a waiver will be attached to both items.

Thank you.

Madam President, yes.

Before you proceed, um, we have um we're asking that for the formal session items.

We refer line item nine point one nine point one to the planning and economic development standing committee.

However, that item should be referred to the budget finance and audit study committee.

Okay.

There are no objections, and that was nine.

You said 19.1 line item nine point nine point one.

Okay, well that will go to the budget finance and audit standing committee if there are no objections.

Thank you.

Okay, that will be all of our referrals under the consent agenda.

There are no items, madam president.

We will call for member reports.

Council member frozen tape.

Yeah, thank you, Madam President.

I was unable to attend the uh press conference yesterday announcing the uh the uh continued reduction in the violent crime in the city of Detroit.

I want to personally commend the uh chief of police, Chief Bettison, as well as the men and women of the Detroit Police Department, our citizens for their participation.

All of the organizations, the community violence intervention organizations that have been doing this work for quite some time and now finally starting to uh get the rest of us on board with the work that they've been doing.

Um I think it really speaks to the importance of as I mentioned before and continue to say collaboration between government and the community.

It should not be versus, it should be all in together, and the results that we see here with the 15% reduction in homicides uh in this particular quarter versus last year.

Um, and then when you look at uh non-fatal shootings going down uh in 24, uh 22 percent uh from excuse me, 25 this year took from 24, uh 22 percent.

That's huge.

Uh and 15 percent may not seem like a lot, but when you talk about that sheer number, 23 additional or less fewer uh victims of of homicide.

It's not just that individual, but it's also their family member and those who are surrounding them that are also affected.

We know that that when a homicide takes place or even a non-fatal shooting, that in many situations unfortunately creates the environment where those root causes of crime, uh the lack of mentoring and guidance, the uh lack of the breadwinner, if you will, of the home uh individual being there in the household.

When you see that happening, it creates a cascading effect that leads us to continue to try to drive these numbers down.

So numbers are still way too high.

Not gonna take a victory lap, but we also need to make sure that we uh take a pause and commend all who are doing extremely difficult work to transform the lives of others, even if we don't have full control over how their lives are um uh further through.

So again, just want to give a shout out to all who uh continue to do the work and uh really appreciate uh taking the time to pause and giving true information, real information about where the crime situation is in the city of Detroit.

Still a long way to go, but this is a uh just a checkpoint.

Yeah, and it shows we're going in the right direction.

Thank you.

All right, thank you so much, Pro Tim.

Member Young.

Thank you, man President.

I just want to say thank you to Arc Detroit um for recognizing all my work, the disabled community, getting the lifetime achieving the award was wonderful, and it was an honor and privilege for me to be there, and I appreciate that.

Um, also I just want to say at a great Saturday to all the CVI groups who drove their cars and their bikes from River Rouge to Bil Ow for a unity ride to stop the violence.

There were hundreds of cars and bikes out for the event.

I feel honored to speak with leaders in community.

I also was at the uh AKA Forum.

Uh that was really nice and fun.

I had a real good time.

I want to thank all the ladies out there for allowing me to be able to have that opportunity to speak to them and speak to the constituencies about uh all the great things that are going on in the city of Detroit.

My record, that was fun.

Um, just want to let everybody know that you are invited to come celebrate with me my birthday early, Coleman, Thursday, October 9th, uh, 4 to 7 p.m.

That's Thursday, October 9th, 4 to 7 p.m.

at Bussel Family Center at 7737 Kirchwell.

So Thursday, October 9th, 2025, 4 to 7 p.m.

Bucksell Family Center, 7737 Curtible.

You get RSVP 313 574, 5449.

That's 313 574 5449.

That's 313 574 5449.

Email Miss Zena.johnson at Detroit MI.

Please, no gifts.

Appreciate you.

Just come.

No gifts.

Let's say it again.

No gifts.

Just come.

Thank you.

All right.

Um, also, I am having a hope program virtual meeting with uh when I say hope, I mean the hope owners property exemption program for people to get relief for the property taxes.

Uh, we will have Eric Zabri, Wayne County Treasurer, and Willie Donwell, director of Board of Taxes Review, the hardest work man show business.

He will be there.

Uh it's the hope program virtual meeting.

Wednesday, October 22nd, 5 p.m.

to 6 p.m.

It's Wednesday, October 22nd, 5 p.m.

to 6 p.m.

It's Wednesday, October 22nd, 5 p.m.

to 6 p.m.

Uh, remember the hope deadline is November the 7th.

The hope deadline is November the 7th.

Register now, scan QR code or call 313-224-4248.

313-224-4248.

That's called 313-224-4248 for the Wednesday, October 22nd, 5 to 6 p.m.

Hope program virtual meeting with me, Eric Sabre, Wayne County Treasurer, and Willie Donwell board director of board tax review.

Thank you, Madam President.

That's my member of right.

Thank you.

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Madam President.

Just want to share that for the first time in three decades, our city will be hosting the Indigenous People's Day celebration next Monday, October 13th, from 12 to 6 p.m.

at Heart Plaza.

My team and I have been working closely with our indigenous community here to make a celebration happen.

Join us to hear from notable indigenous leaders, witness dance and drum exhibitions, enjoy food and craft vendors, and celebrate the pride and joy of Detroit's Native Heritage.

We are going to have partners from the North American Indian Association of Detroit, Indigenous Detroit Indigenous People's Alliance, also known as DIPA, the American Indian Health and Family Services, Southeastern Michigan Indians, Detroits, our own Detroit Civil Rights and Inclusion and Opportunity Departments as well.

And huge thank you to administration for helping us make this happen.

We hope to see you there.

We also invite you to join us for our next coffee hour, Thursday, October 16th at 11 a.m.

at Donut Villa.

We will continue our monthly office hours on October 20th at the Equity Alliance from 3 to 5 p.m.

Our guest is going to be the Detroit Health Department.

Stop by to ask us any questions that you might have.

And just we'll continue to ask folks to be engaged for the CBO projects at the DCFC future sites.

This is the seventh meeting on Thursday, October 9th at 6 p.m.

at the CDC.

They always have great dinner.

You'll hear from the NAC memberships what they're trying to push forward and also provide opportunity for you to make a public comment on the project as well.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you so much, Member Johnson.

Thank you, Madam President.

Just want to say thank you to the building department, the Detroit Police Department's Fifth Precinct, as well as the Detroit Fire Department for joining me yesterday evening at River River Point Tower.

Um residents have recently formed a union and had some challenges within the building and uh the three entities came out to hear the residents and to address their issues.

Glad to see progress being made with the uh property management company.

So just wanted to say thank you to them.

And this morning we had a press conference about Halloween in the D, kicking off uh our celebrations for Halloween.

Looking forward to all of the costumes of the young people.

And we did it at the Chandler Park Field House.

Uh, and so I really want to encourage families to not only go there for trick-or-treating or trunk or treat, but to also take some time to go inside of the field house to experience everything that they have to offer so we can get our young people signed up and be involved in recreation at the field house.

Uh, and lastly, just want to say to the general services department, I think District 4 is looking amazing with the parks and our recenter.

Um we are looking forward to next week, October 15th at 1 p.m., having the ribbon cutting to reopen AB Ford Park.

Although the community center has been open uh throughout the um renovation work that's been taking place at the park.

The park will reopen October 15th at 1 p.m.

So excited about that.

Looking forward to all of the improvements and the uh changes at the park.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Okay, thank you so much, Member Johnson, member waters.

Thank you, uh Madam President.

Um first of all, I want to invite my colleagues to participate in elevating breast cancer awareness um next week to say during our former sessions.

Um shades of pink um day.

Um as a breast cancer survivor, I cannot stop doing this work because I understand um what women go through when they first receive that diagnosis.

So this is very, very important work, and it's very important that we continue to educate um our communities.

Um on the 17th of next week, uh, is the the luncheon, which is really geared towards all city employees and will be here on this auditorium area, um, just so that we help to raise the level of awareness amongst our uh city employees as well.

Um Rhonda Walker will be our our MC for that event.

And so um, I know the 17th is not on a Tuesday, but if my colleagues are around and perhaps they can come in and say hello to to some of those uh that could be survivors in attendance or those that are just there to receive the the uh information on October 15th is the skilled trade um task force meeting, is it's the last meeting uh before January.

Next one is not until January, it's gonna be at Crowwell, which is on um Laser.

And the address there is I can't ever remember that address, is 1660 Lasser Road, 1663 Larser Road, and that is October 15th, Wednesday, October 15th from 4 to 6 p.m.

On October 24th, um, is sheltered by faith.

This is a uh housing uh conference with our faith-based and nonprofit community.

Um we want to encourage them to help us solve our housing issue, and this that is going to be October 24th at Wayne County Community College from 10 a.m.

until 2 p.m.

That's October 24th from 10 a.m.

until 2 p.m.

We invite our faith-based community along with our nonprofits out to participate.

We'll have some information uh for you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Member Waters.

Member Benson.

All right, thank you.

Just want to remind my colleagues as well as the viewing public and our public commenters.

Detroit is a welcoming city, which means the city officially commits to inclusion for all residents in integration into its civic, social, and economic life.

The city of Detroit was officially certified as a welcoming city in 2022.

I want to repeat, we are a welcoming city, and we commit to the inclusion and integration into our civic, social and economic life for all residents within the city of Detroit.

In addition, I would like to say if people want to report fraud for elections, please go to the Secretary of State.

There is a fraud hotline.

That is 313 4560660.

If you suspect voter fraud, the arbiter, the agency that has jurisdiction is the secretary of state.

Please go to that office.

Detroit City Council, Detroit City Clerk, Wayne County Clerk.

Do not have jurisdiction over voter or election fraud.

Please go to your Secretary of State if you truly want a solution.

If you do not want a solution, please continue to come down here to Detroit City Council and voice your concerns and or complaints, and nothing will happen.

In addition, please sign up for your free life and legacy planning workshop.

We have two more in the month of October.

One being in person on October 20th and one being virtual on October 23rd.

And I believe our October 20th life and legacy planning workshop, which are free, will be in Spanish as well.

And these are hosted by the Elder Care, Elder Law and Advocacy Center, ELAC, the City of Detroit, the Office of Councilman Scott Benson, and the Detroit Housing Network.

Please get your affairs in order and protect your family wealth and ensure generational wealth.

And estate plan is about a $4,000 transaction in the private sector.

We do that for free for our residents.

Please get your free estate planning to the city of Detroit.

In addition, if you live in zip code 48234, the north side of Detroit, please and you are food insecure, go to our new free produce and dairy market called Fresh by Gleaners on 4401 East Eight Mile Road on the Warren side.

Although it still services Detroit residents if you live in 48234.

Please, if you are food insecure, take advantage of this fantastic service where you can call in ahead.

They will pack groceries for you.

They have protein as well as fresh produce in a grocery store style atmosphere.

This is an excellent service for those of our residents who are food insecure.

And please sign up for your free workshop, life and legacy planning.

And remember, Detroit, as certified in the year 2022, is a welcoming city, and we welcome all of our residents to be included and integrated into our civic, social and economic life.

And we are the only city in the state of Michigan with that designation.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Member Benson.

Member Callaway, thank you so much, Madam Chair.

Um tomorrow, October the 8th at 3 p.m., I'll be hosting a virtual town hall discussion with Airbnb organizers and operators regarding short-term rentals in our city.

We'll be discussing the regulatory framework and the public safety initiatives revolving around short-term rentals in Detroit and come to find out during my recent conversation with some of the uh organizations regulating at the state level.

Um District 2 and District 6 have the largest number of Airbnb operators in the city, and a large number of those are African American women.

So we will make sure we're going to make sure that everybody's rights are protected.

And we want to make sure we are not interfering with anyone's rights to operate an Airbnb.

We just have to have some regulations attached to it.

So please be on the call tomorrow at 3 p.m.

You can visit my Instagram page at Angela for Detroit, or you can visit Detroit to City Council Detroit Mi.gov webpage, or you can call my office for more information at 224 4535.

But that is a very, very important meeting tomorrow, October the 8th at 3 p.m.

We'll have everyone and anyone on that call who can answer your questions about Airbnb slash short term rentals in Detroit.

Then next on October the 9th, the Detroit City Council Historic Designation Advisory Board will hold a public meeting on the 13th floor of the Coleman A Young Municipal Center.

There will be presentation on the draft preliminary report for the proposed Oak Grove AME Church Historic District.

The church has served the community for over a hundred years and occupies a mid-century building designed by noted African American architect Nathan Johnson.

And all are welcome to attend.

So that is tomorrow.

Please come out and support.

Call in regarding the Oak Grove AME Church Historic District Conversation.

That is tomorrow at nine o'clock.

I'm sorry, at 4 o'clock on Thursday, October the 9th.

So it's not tomorrow.

It's Thursday, October the 9th at 4 p.m.

And we love Oak Grove in District 2.

We love Oak Grove in the state of Michigan.

They do phenomenal work.

And so we love Cindy Rudolph, who is the pastor over there.

Join us on Monday, October the 13th at 8 a.m.

My team and I will be hosting our monthly coffee and conversation that will be at the Tindal Rec Center.

All are welcome.

You do not have to live in District 2 to come to our coffee and conversation.

It's chalk full with information and it's information that you can use regardless of your zip code.

That is Monday, October 13th at 8 a.m.

at the Tindal Rec Center at 10301 West Seven Mile Road.

And lastly, we'll have our virtual monthly call on October the 20th.

Call my office at 224 4535 for more information.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member Callaway.

Just a reminder that next Tuesday is the City Council evening meeting in District 5 that will be held at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church at 7 p.m.

Again, that's next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The evening council meeting will be held in District 5.

We will be hosting our annual coat, hat, gloves, and scarf giveaway on October the 19th from 1 to 4 p.m.

at the Toll and Playfield.

Again, it is our annual covering the community.

Hats, gloves, scarves, and coats will be given away to the community from 1 to 4 p.m.

at the Tollin Playfield.

Please contact our office for more information.

Lastly, our annual expungement event will be held in partnership with Project Clean Slate on Wednesday, October the 29th from 1 to 5 p.m.

at the Budsoe Family Recreational Center.

Pre-registration is required.

So please contact our office as well for more information.

All right, that will conclude all of our member reports.

We will move now to under adoption without committee reference.

There are no items, madam president.

Under communications from the clerk.

A report on approval of proceedings by the mayor.

The report will be received and placed on file under testimonial resolutions and special privilege.

Councilmember Vincent, on behalf of Council President Mary Sheffield, a resolution line item 30.1.

Councilmember Benson.

Motion to approve.

Hearing no objections, the one resolution will be approved.

And if there is no further business to come before us, is there a motion to adjourn?

All right.

This meeting will stand adjourned.