The Detroit City Council convened to honor community leaders with the Spirit of Detroit Awards, engage in public commentary regarding neighborhood funding and charter adherence, and deliberate on a series of municipal contracts and park improvement grants. The meeting was characterized by celebratory recognition of local block clubs and food security initiatives, followed by robust public testimony concerning equity in resource allocation and specific infrastructure concerns.
Councilmember Scott Benton. I've been snar. Mr. Chair DeCorm. Excellent. Now we will move on into a very special presentation that we have here. We are going to present Spirit of Detroit Awards to the Titan Equity Nourished Network, celebrating their 10-year anniversary. Let's get a round of applause. Yeah. Before I begin, I just wanted to say there's a great quote that says that you make a living by what you get. You make a life by what we give. All of our lives have been made tremendously better based on what you have given to us, whether it's for Princeton Street Block Club or whether it is 10. I just want to say thank you for giving us one, the gift that no one can take away the gift of knowledge and education and enlightenment. Secondly, I want to say that the services that you have provided, the people who you have fed, the people who were naked that you clothed, the people who are homeless that you built houses for, the people that didn't have health care or were infirm that you provided the health care for, the doors that you not. I'm looking at um, I'm looking at a man of God right here. I can only imagine the mouths that you have wiped clean that were dirty. And so I just wanted to say thank you so much, one, because as someone that's in city government, you have made my job a whole lot more easier because we constantly have people who come up here who are asking for things, and usually it's we want to help them, but we don't have the resources to be able to do it. It's because of programs like yours that those people can still get the resources that they need. And secondly, and finally, I just want to say thank you for always letting us know that the most important race is the human race, and that no matter who you are or where you are, you deserve humanity and to be treated as such. And so I just want to say it is my honor and privilege to be able to give out these spirit of Detroit Awards, starting as a presentation as an expression of gratitude and esteem of the people of Detroit to the significantly important and tremendously viable Gwyn Knowles, Princeton Street Block Club president. Yes. Making Detroit neighborhoods a better place to live. Thank you. The mission of the Princeton Street Block Club is to foster friendship, cooperation, and helpfulness that encourages active participation to improve and grow our area into a model of urban living that enables us to live in an inviting, safe, and healthy environment. The vision of the Princeton Street Block Club is to create a lovely and vibrant community where those who live on Princeton Street are happy about their neighborhood and others want to become residents. Thank you. You are indeed a champion for the people of Detroit. You are an asset to our great city of Detroit. We thank you and are eternally grateful for your tireless efforts, exceptional achievement, outstanding leadership, and dedicated devotion that lifts the spirits and hearts of the people of Detroit, Michigan, and America. The honorable Coleman A. Young II, Detroit City Council at large, with the entire Detroit City Council of Detroit, Michigan, is proud to present this Spirit of Detroit Award to Gwen Knowles. And let me just, yeah. And let me just say this too before I continue before I read all these things and finish. Obviously, because we're talking about Black Girl Magic and Black Excess here. This is then Member Callaway's district. So I just wanted to emphasize that and say thank you to Member Callaway for partnering with me and allowing me to be able to provide honor where honor is due. All right. What? Well now. That's Mary Black Manson Nextur. Yeah. Well no, you need to mention that. Okay, I was gonna go through the whole thing and then if they want to have them say something. I was sorry. Had a little uh technical difficulties in terms of a little disagreement in terms of how to present this. I was gonna read all the names, and then I was gonna present Ms. Blackman, who is here and saying thank you so much for all the work. I was trying to build up and then reveal you, but Miss Calvert said that my theatrics and histrionics will not be tolerated. So instead, I will just say it is my honor and privilege to be here and to be joined by Mary Blackman and thank you so much for all the wonderful things that you've done. The reason why I am here and I have the position that I have today is because of your sacrifice.