And Madam Clerk, will you please call the rope?

Councilmember Scott Benson.

Councilman Letitia Johnson present.

Councilman Maginziel McKimbell.

Councilman Renala Miller.

Councilman Mary Walters, present.

Councilman Angela Whitfield Calloway.

Council President Poe Tim Coleman Young the Second.

Here.

And Council President James Tate.

Here.

You have a corn president, Ms.

President.

Thank you.

We have a corn, which means we're now in session, and we will now have our invocation.

And the person I'm going to be bringing forward is someone who, yes, sir, please come forward.

Has probably had more years in his in his previous life, spent more years in this building than all of us combined.

And that was during the Coleman A.

Young era here when he was the mayor of the city of Detroit.

This is none other than Pastor Larry Simmons.

And we can take a remote.

Okay, you can hear me.

Yes, sir.

Just want to take a moment here.

Uh, as the president observed, I've spent many, many, many days and nights in this room.

Uh some with the council, some not so much.

But it is always special.

And I hope you will take the time to appreciate how special it is that you can show up before your elected representatives and lift signs to say what you want to say and stand and speak to them directly.

That is not to be taken for granted, as so many have for so long.

This freedom is precious, and it is watered with our blood.

To Council President Tate and to the Deuce, Coleman Young the Second, the President Pro Tim, to my longtime friend Mary Waters, to my new friend Angela Whitfield Callaway, to the councilman over my growing uphood, Scott Benson, the sister Letitia Johnson, my co-worker in community development, to Renata Miller.

To my sister Gabriela Santiago Romero, who is at this moment, I believe, in front of this building, standing before the spirit of Detroit and Liberty, speaking about those very things.

And to Denzel Anton McCampbell, one of our newest members, to each of you, good morning.

I congratulate you.

That means to invite God to these officers and leaders of our city into this meeting with the spirit of Detroit.

Now the Spirit of the Lord, now the Lord is that spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Let us be still a moment and pray.

Lord Almighty, Holy One of Creation.

God of Andromeda and Angle.

God of our salvation.

I pray for the president of this country who will visit in our city today.

That this prayer will stretch out over him and touch his heart.

I pray for all the women and the men who donned the badge and wear the uniform, whose desire is to service and to protect us.

I pray for them.

I pray even for the stricken whose unwell spirits.

Lead them to shoot unarmed women and men.

Who along with all of us are immigrants here by choice or by force?

I pray for an Ashanabe, the original people, the original people upon whose land we stand.

I invoke the spirit of Second Corinthians and Liberty.

Not just for liberty, Lord, but for the defenders of liberty.

Not just for courage, but for the courageous.

Not just for peace, but for the peacemakers.

Not just for prosperity, but for the prosperity builders.

Not just for love, but for your love masters.

Not just for the council, but for these council persons.

Anoint them with your wisdom so they may legislate justly.

Anoint them with your discernment so they may see clearly.

Anoint their households with your protection, their families with your love, their staffs with your energy, and each with your calling to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with you.

I invoke you, Almighty God, in the name of my Savior.

His name is Jesus, and he is the Christ.

But let each of us pray as we believe, and we all say together.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you so much, Pastor Larry.

Thank you for your presence and your prayers today.

You are absolutely welcome to stick around, but I understand if you have to go about your day.

But again, thank you for opening up.

Yes, sir.

Right more up.

All right.

There being uh the journal of the session of uh Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 will be approved.

Uh, there being no reconsiderations or unfinished business.

We will now proceed to the budget, audit, and finance standing committee.

Madam Clerk for the budget finance and audit committee standing committee.

Three reports for various city departments.

The three reports will be referred to the budget audit and finance uh standing committee.

Uh and I will say that we were now open up or continue to keep up uh open public comment.

I saw a number of folks who are in the committee of the whole signing up.

If you're at home right now, if you're at home, raise your hand because we are going to be closing the collection of public comments very shortly.

Uh for the internal operations standing committee, madam clerk.

Two reports from various city departments, two reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood and community services standing committee.

Submitted of a memorandum.

Uh one report shall be referred to the neighborhood and community services standing committee for the planning and economic development standing committee.

26 reports from fairity departments.

26 reports from fair city departments.

My apologies, the 26 reports should be uh referred to the planning and economic development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee.

I'm sorry, um, Mr.

President, the planning department will submit a memorandum as well.

And now only at 26 reports and very can you speak up just a little bit, Mr.

President, for the planning and department, it will submit a memorandum.

There's one, yeah.

That's right.

Yeah, that was one.

You were right.

Now we are uh public station that's 25.

So we'll do that again.

Um, for the planning and economic development standing committee.

Submit a memorandum.

Now the memorandum will be referred to the planning and economic development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee.

Now there's 20 reports of the city departments.

Yes, ma'am.

The 26 reports will be referred to the plan to the public health and safety standing committee.

That's right.

We will now move to voting action matters.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

Uh, under communications from the mayor and other governmental officials and agencies.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

We will now close the collection of public comments, and we will now begin with public comments, starting with those who are in the committee of the whole.

I'm sorry, in the auditorium.

Good morning.

Team, I'm looking for my cards.

All right, we have a collection of 38 individuals who have signed up in the committee of the whole.

Our first speaker will be Mr.

Brother Cunningham.

Second speaker, Russ Bellant, followed by Cassandra Rodriguez.

We will give everyone two minutes.

Let's get that clock up.

It is up on the screen.

When you begin, your time will as well.

Thank you again for being here, Brother Clean.

313, 444, 9114, 313, 444, 9114.

313, 9114.

That number was made so you can remember it.

And on Facebook, not enemy Detroit.

Click people and then put in not enemy Detroit.

And you'll see the things I'm doing in the community, be doing it for a long time.

I thank you for your prayers.

If anybody, the investiture uh ceremony was on the 9th, and I took a bunch of the leftover programs.

Anybody like one, just holler at me.

Um, uh, there's a DDOP meeting.

Hopefully, council members can send an intern to somebody this Thursday to the virtual.

So you don't have to do it in person to the virtual D dot input meeting.

And also the FAST bus is sponsored by uh SMART, and there's a sounding board meeting uh in regards to SMART this week as well.

Um, so a lot of people that take the bus feel like they're not being heard.

Um, and so just you guys' presence there is wonderful.

Um, the people feel like that they're being heard, someone cares, the bus system is still not on time.

We had Adam Hollier on the coach center at uh uh uh Adam Holler on the coaches, and the smart bus was 30 minutes late.

The DOB bus was 20 minutes late, and most of you all council members, and if anybody at home wants to do a bus ride along, you can hit me at that 313-444-9114, send me a text.

Uh, and uh we can do a bus ride along.

Upper echelon to the top, whomever you are, the people on the bus uh matter, they do matter.

And for me, with these uh investiture, the program.

I've been praying in the Holy Spirit my daily prayer time and praying in English over each and every person is elected here in the city of Detroit that money won't change them and it won't get sedidity, it won't get fake, they'll keep it real in one hundred and love on the people.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks for the two minutes.

Absolutely.

Um please note that we have been joined by member McCampbell as well as member Santiago.

The clerk was so nope.

Thank you so much.

Our next speaker is Russ Ballant, followed by Cassandra Rodriguez, followed by Jackson Roback.

Good morning.

Mr.

President and members of this honorable council.

I'm here to support the resolution that I understand is being uh sponsored by uh uh member uh Gabriela Santiago Romero to put restrictions on ice in 2020.

All of us know that Trump tried to get the Secretary of Defense to shoot activists who are protesting the murder of George Floyd to shoot them in 2024.

He said, as president, I can shoot anybody I want.

He said, I can use the Delta force against protesters, meaning, of course, special operations, the ones that went into Caracas recently.

His people published a book in 2024 that said, anybody who believes in fairness and equality is an unhuman must be crushed.

And I told council about this a year ago.

I said, this is what they're going to do.

This book wrote four chapters praising dictators who conducted mass murder against their opponents.

I have a write-up on this if you ever care to know more about it.

Higgs, the so-called Secretary of Defense, said on podcast that he was organizing an underground army for insurrection.

This was after he was nominated to be Secretary of Defense.

Steve Miller, according to Donald Trump as reported the New York Times, Steve Miller believes that America must be reduced to 100 million people and only people that look like him.

White.

I've talked to my my friends in networks that are specializing in studying the white supremacist movement in this country from militia to Klan to Nazi and beyond.

And we believe some of those people have now disappeared into ice.

Thank you, Rose.

That's why we have maximum dogs, they need to be banned.

And no excuse for voting against the team.

Mr.

President.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Just briefly, because there was mention of a resolution.

So that's what we moved for was a memo asking those questions.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Cassandra Rodriguez, followed by Jackson Robach, followed by Daniel Weber Antior.

Morning.

Thank you.

Again, yeah, my name's Cassandra Rodriguez.

I'm part of Comitele Acción Comunitaria.

We're a local group that's been fighting to make Detroit a sanctuary city.

And I want to express my support for Gabriela Santiago's memos today.

I think it's the start of very important work.

And this body here should really take a stronger stance on where they stand with immigrants.

And that starts with looking at her memo and pushing this further to make real protections for the immigrants in this city.

DCAC, we have been fighting for Detroit to be a sanctuary city since our founding and last year presented an ordinance to this body.

And we actually urge everyone on this council to take a look at that ordinance and to figure out ways that we can implement these protections in a real way.

DCAC is willing to work with anyone on this body to make sure that that ordinance could get passed in a real way and that we can get real protections for Detroiters.

And I just want to mention I think the sentiment is echoed around this room.

Detroiters do not want ice in our city.

We don't.

And we want them to go.

We want them to leave.

Thank you so much.

Speaker Jackson Robot.

Thank you.

And sorry, before I end my comment, I just want to say something for the Latinos that are watching.

Ma'am, ma'am.

Sorry.

You had you did have 20 seconds left.

Okay, I will.

Hold on.

We got to give everything has to be protocol.

No worries.

Yeah, just let me know.

Okay.

Floor's yours.

Okay, thank you so much.

I just want to say something for the Latinos that might be watching and are not here.

Estamos aquí luchando.

Issi podemos ganar.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Jackson Robot.

Yeah, hello, council.

I would just like to uh start by saying, you know, um, we can look at the murder that just happened of Renee Good.

We can look at the attacks of immigrants happening all over, and uh we have to stand up and fundamentally do something about it.

You know, I'm uh another member of Detroit Community Action Committee, and uh, you know, while we praise Santiago Romero for having good first steps of banning ice from certain public areas, we need to end DPD ICE cooperation.

I know this body is not a body that has endorsed Trump in any way or wants to work with Trump in any way.

So why are we working with this ice thugs that come into our neighborhoods, deport high school students, rip people out of their cars, attack people's houses and attack whole families?

Why are we still allowing DPD to cooperate with ICE?

Why is the city government giving information to ICE?

We have to break that connection.

And now those are being used as tools by these mayors to stand up and fight back against ICE.

We've seen it in a clear way.

We see it now with Jacob Fry calling for prosecuting ICE officers who have done illegal actions.

We've seen it with Brendan Johnson, who has been willing to stand up and fight back against ICE and start to the process of driving them out of that city.

And uh Detroit is want that.

You know, the community wants it.

I've talked to dozens and dozens of community members, whether it's uh people who uh Denise, who owns Vominos, who feels protected when we're there and our demands, whether it's uh the community members we talk to every day with our barrio walks.

The community wants our city and our tax dollars not going to ICE, and we want to break the ties.

We have to break the connection between Donald Trump and the city of Detroit.

And the main way we can do that at this current moment is by breaking the connection between DPD and ICE and the city government and ICE.

There should be no uh handovers from DPD to ICE officers of our uh immigrant citizens, and there should be uh, you know, no crowd control for protesters at when ICE is raiding a family.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh Daniel Weber Etior.

That was the next speaker I have on my list here.

Good morning, City Council.

My name is Daniel Weber Alator.

I'm a Detroit City resident and first responder.

As an EMT, my job is to care for and protect any and all members of this city.

And it is under my impression that city council has that same responsibility.

That's why today I am here to urge City Council to adopt the Sanctuary City ordinance.

Our police force should not be working with ICE to tear our neighbors from their homes, nor should our tax dollars go to arming these mass kidnappers to raid our communities, our schools, and our homes.

We are imprisoning our neighbors, our friends, and our family members just to make sacrifices to ICE.

The murder of Renee Good was not ICE's first crime, nor will it be their last.

Their violence will not stop from their own volition, but from our action.

We must not allow them to continue any further.

When I see the spirit of Detroit outside this building, I see a beacon of hope and not a symbol of compliance.

Because when our rights can be limited and their force becomes limited, limitless, we are all in danger.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Mocha Brown, followed by Sophia Marks, followed by Rue Rodriguez.

Yeah, I was five.

What's your name?

Ashley, we'll give you a chance.

Come on up.

I saw your name on the list.

Hi, my name's Ashley Anderson.

I'm also here with Detroit Community Action Committee.

And first I want to start with the fact that I am not a Detroit resident.

I actually live out in East Point, but once every other week I drive all the way down to Southwest Detroit to fight for this because while I may not live within the city limits, I am born and raised just outside of Detroit, and Detroit is very special to me.

Now Detroit has long since long been a city of diversity, of inclusion, and of immigrant communities who helped build its foundations.

We have a responsibility to continue that legacy by ensuring our undocumented neighbors are protected, not persecuted.

Declaring Detroit a sanctuary city would mean formally limiting our city's cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

It would send a clear message that we stand with families.

No one in our city should have to live in fear of seeking medical help, sending their child to school or being in a public space.

Cities across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, have adopted sanctuary policies to protect their residents and focus local resources on real community needs.

Studies show that when cities adopt sanctuary policies, community trust improves, and areas experience lower crime rates and stronger economies compared to non-sanctuary cities.

Detroit's resources are finite.

We should focus them on local public safety priorities, not on conducting federal immigration enforcement.

Detroit police officers should not detain individuals solely based on information provided by ICE detainers, which are civil requests, not criminal warrants, and have been found unconstitutional in multiple federal rulings.

We urge the city to adopt our ordinance that has clear language prohibiting the collection or sharing of information or immigration status by city agencies unless required by law.

The use of city funds, personnel, or facilities to assist ICE operations and prohibiting any detention of individuals based solely on information from ICE detainers or administrative warrants.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Melka Brown, followed by Sophia Marks, followed by Rue Rodriguez.

Good morning, City Council.

My name is Moca.

I'm with the Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria or Detroit Community Action Committee.

We are here to demand a sanctuary city.

32 people have died in ICE custody in 2025.

Several high school students who have attended Detroit and Metro Detroit schools have had their homes raided.

Silverio Viegas Gonzalez was murdered by ICE after dropping his children off at school in September.

As you know, two people have also been shot and murdered by ICE in the past two weeks.

Keith Porter on New Year's Eve and Renee Good on January 7th.

Not by choice, of course, but in the end, Renee made the ultimate sacrifice to protect her community.

She died to protect the immigrant community, and y'all won't even pass an ordinance for the people of Detroit.

I feel like that's shameful.

This is urgent and it's been urgent for a very long time.

Let us remember that the only reason this feels urgent now is because you all have wasted months ignoring the various groups here pleaing for protection to be put in place for the people of Detroit.

The lack of urgent action by city council and the lack of sanctuary city protections speak volumes to the people of Detroit.

So we demand a sanctuary city now.

You do not work for ICE, you work for the people of Detroit.

And if we do not see this happen, we will not vote for you in another election.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you.

Uh Sophia Marks.

Two minutes.

Good morning, Council President and members of the City Council.

My name is Sophia, and I'm a resident of District 6.

And I'm here with Detroit Community Action Committee to urge you to take decisive action and to declare Detroit a sanctuary city.

We urge the city to adopt our ordinance that has clear language prohibiting the collection or sharing of immigration status by city agencies unless required by law, the use of city funds, personnel, or facilities to assist ICE operations, and any detention of individuals based solely on information from ICE detainers or administrative warrants.

We are asking for I'm sorry, we're gonna have to set Detroit police.

So I'm gonna ask the team to start the timer once you can start your comments all over again.

Okay.

Apologize about that.

No worries.

Very much so.

Um your time may begin now.

Uh yeah, I'll just we're asking for a commitment that Detroit police will not serve as agents of ICE, that our city services will not ask for immigration status unless required by law that our city's people first.

We cannot allow killer ICE agents to take a life here in Detroit like they did with Renee Good or Silvario Viegas Gonzalez.

We cannot allow our students to be kidnapped.

We need protection for our city, and we need a city council that will take action.

We need a sanctuary city and nothing less.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Giselle Reyes, followed by Alexis Escato, uh, followed by Marcel Olascia.

I do apologize if I mispronounced your names.

Uh Giselle.

Um, you had said uh Rue Rodriguez was next.

That's me.

Um thank you.

Uh good morning.

My name is Rue Rodriguez.

I'm a Detroit District 6 resident and a member of Detroit Community Action Committee, and I am urging the city council to pass the sanctuary city ordinance written by DCAC.

As city council, you have a responsibility to ensure protections for all residents, regardless of immigration status.

Our taxpayer dollars and city resources should go to go towards improving the quality and safety of our communities, not towards assisting ICE to detain our neighbors and tear families apart.

Allowing ICE to roam our neighborhoods unchecked with the help of Detroit police and city officials does not help keep our city safe.

In fact, it erodes the trust between residents and their city authorities, making them hesitant to reach out for help when they need it or report crime when they witness it.

It also causes undocumented residents to feel nervous to go to work, school, or public spaces.

We need real protections put in place so that immigrants, uh real protections put in place for immigrants so that all Detroit residents can live with a feeling of safety and dignity, nothing less.

We need to cut the ties between Detroit and Trump's racist agenda to deport as many people as possible.

We demand a sanctuary city now.

Thank you.

The next speaker, yes, that's me.

Good morning.

Good morning, City Council.

My name is Gisel Becerrareyas.

Uh I am a city.

People put your mic down just a little bit, so we can hear you.

Hello, this is better.

Awesome.

Uh hello, City Council.

My name is Gisel Becerra Reyes.

I am a resident of District 6.

I'm here with Detroit Action Committee to continue to demand a sanctuary city policy ordinance.

Uh I am also here as the daughter of undocumented immigrants, the sister of undocumented immigrants, the neighbor of undocumented immigrants, all of whom are living in fear currently.

Just last week, we saw once again the harassment, violence, and murder that ICE inflicts on our community, not to mention the many, the many deaths of community members who are kidnapped and who die while in detention.

Detroiters deserve to live free of the fear that ICE, with the help of DPD, can at any time freely harass and terrorize them in our schools, neighborhoods, and community spaces.

Detroiters deserve to have our tax money go to education, housing, and actual public safety, not the tearing apart of families again assisted by DPD.

The council has the power and responsibility to act now.

We need you to take clear decisive action that will not allow DPD to share our neighbors' information with ICE.

We need you to not allow city spaces and city resources to go towards helping racist fascist federal agents terrorizing our community.

That is not the job of our city agencies, and again, that is not why we pay taxes.

And so we demand that you are elected officials entrusted with our public well being and our public safety, take a stand alongside us.

There is no excuse.

And I'm urging city council to pass some um some type of protection policies for our undocumented neighbors because uh we need more protections for our communities for ABO for them to go to work, to school, and um to stay safe in the community here in Southwest Detroit and in the city of Detroit.

We need to end ICE and DPT cooperation immediately to bring city resources for um rec centers for our education and um and more protection, making Detroit a real welcoming city for all.

Thank you.

The next speaker, Marcel Alatia.

Hello.

Hi, my name is Marcel, and I'm a proud member of the Detroit Alliance against racist and political repression.

Today, the Detroit Alliance stands in full solidarity with their sister organization, the Comité de Acción Comunitaria, and advocate for the Sanctuary City ordinance.

What Detroit is deserve is concrete policy that protects them against the brutality of deportations and murder from ICE.

I repeat, our community members are being murdered and deported, fighting for small wins during times of increased police and state repression will not liberate nor protect our people.

While I support Gabriela Santiago Romero's memo, and I believe it's going in the right direction into truly powerful legislation.

I do believe I do believe the memo only takes half measures to guarantee the security of immigrants.

We need a sanctuary city now.

We need an end to DBD ICE collaboration, and we need Mayor Sheffield to take a stand for Sanctuary City, just like many other mayors, such as Jacob Frey and Brendan Johnson.

Again, we as a Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression fully support the Detroit Community Action Committee Sanctuary City Ordinance ordinance.

Sanctuary city now.

Good morning, City Council.

My name is Ben Feldposh.

I live in District 5.

I am here today with the Detroit Alliance against racism and political repression.

And as my friend said, we are here in full support of Detroit Community Action Committee and their ordinance to make Detroit a true sanctuary city.

Every day, it seems like every day now we see on the headlines uh ICE killed another person in this city.

As we just saw, they just killed a good Minneapolis.

How much longer until it's a Detroit person on the headline, Detroiter killed by ICE.

I know you might not have the power to drive by South completely, but you have an obligation to this city to limit ICE's power as much as you can.

I work in the city as a first responder.

I have I sorry.

I have been on these on stressful scenes before.

I know what it's like.

There is no justification for that kind of killing.

There is no justification for shooting someone who is just trying to drive away.

And everything they have done elsewhere, everything that they will do here.

Anything that they can do, they will do.

I lost where I was at.

Uh point is we have an obligation to limit ISIS power as much as possible.

Next speaker uh Christopher Hazlitt, followed by Joe Fico, followed by Danielle Saeed.

Saying good morning.

Uh, my name is Christopher Hazlitt.

I live in District 5.

I'm here independently.

Um, all of us have seen the terror that ICE has reaped across this country and within our community.

Um, so I will keep my comments brief because we've heard many wonderful detailed things already today.

Um, ICE must be restricted on city property.

ICE must not have resources from this city.

I understand that this is not that this agenda uh is not something that can just be legislated or litigated away, but the people who are pursuing the suppressive agenda will use every tactic that they have, so we must do the same.

So I'm urging all of you to summon the spirit of that hunky statue that's outside of this building and stand up to this.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Joe Fico.

Hi there.

Um, I'm Joe.

I'm the education chair of the Detroit Anti-War Committee.

As an anti-war activist, I support a sanctuary city because ICE is used, I mean, Trump is using ICE to wage war on immigrant communities.

That's why we need to cut all ties between Detroit and Trump.

And divestment is part of that.

Uh, that way that we can cut those ties.

Um, because of that, I want to introduce this body to the Detroit Anti-War Committee.

We are a grassroots anti-war organization, and for over a year, we fought the previous city council for divestment.

This would be done with the Detroit Divest Resolution, which we have written, and it would divest city funds from companies that are on the BDS list, have targets with the Department of War worth over $25,000 or otherwise do business directly with Israel or the U.S.

military.

Based on the research that we did into the city contracts from 2024 to 2025, the city spent over 667 million dollars on companies that fulfill one, if not more of this criteria.

This money that could be spent on much more important initiatives, many of which you all campaigned on, such as transportation and education.

We don't want our tax dollars spent on war and genocide.

We want our tax dollars spent on improving Detroit.

If you would like to learn more, as I hope you will, our email is Detroit Antiwar at gmail.com, and everyone here, council members and residents are invited to attend our online teaching about our contracts research on 1-17 at 2 p.m.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Danielle Sayin.

Hello, I'm Daniel Sayed.

I am a grad student of Wayne State University, and I also work as an engineer in the city of Detroit.

I'm also a member of the Detroit Anti-War Committee.

I am here to demand that you support the Detroit Divest Resolution because it is far past the point of necessity.

The last city council body ignored our demands.

But the fact is that we know from 2024 to 2025, just as Joe said, six over 667 million tax dollars have been spent on companies that profit from the ongoing genocide on Palestinians, and now on Trump's new war with Venezuela.

The last city council ignored us.

And when it comes to the genocide on Palestine, which is one of the most horrific things that I have ever witnessed.

Opportunity to learn more about the companies that the city has contracts with and make the choice to divest.

We are having an online teaching, just as Joe said, on Saturday, the 17th at 2 p.m.

We need divestment, both for our community, but also as a way to fight against Trump against unjust wars.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Todd Whitting.

Howdy.

Howdy, my name is Todd Whitick, and I am a member of the Detroit Anti-War Committee.

Scott, if you can pull the mic forward so you just look at sweet here.

Is that better?

You got it, sir.

The city should divest from war profiteers.

The genocide on Palestine was the precise moment to take action, and City Council failed to do so.

The genocide is now continuing with Israel Israel ramping up its bombings once more.

Those bombs are paid for with our federal taxes, and the same is happening with Venezuela.

The bombs on Caracas and the Navy ships off the coast are paid for by our taxes.

We also know that $667 million of our city taxes have gone towards companies that profit off this genocide.

For example, the company Image Trend provides real trime situational awareness to the U.S.

Navy.

The city has spent over one million dollars on image trend services, which means this city has funded helping facilitate Navy operations in Venezuela.

We must divest now because our complicity is perfectly avoidable and unnecessary.

Our next speaker, Alexandra Trumbull.

Hello, Council members.

I'm Dr.

Alexandria Trombley.

I'm a member of Detroit Anti-War Committee and a neuroscientist studying the psychiatric effects of trauma.

As a professional and as a human being, seeing the profoundly inhumane impacts of the genocide waged against the Palestinian civilians by us and by Israel has changed me.

Knowing that we not only in DC, but here in Detroit fund this genocide and prop up in apartheid state shames me.

It should shame you.

It should shame you that this council body has appropriated 667 million dollars, our money, to genocide perpetrators and to war profiteers.

Divesting our tax dollars from war and using that money, our money, to improve our communities, is the only justifiable action moving forward.

Detroit City Council support Detroit anti-war's resolution and divest from apartheid Israel.

The blood of Palestinians and the diminished welfare of Detroiters of your constituents is on your hands, and you have the power to do better.

I'd also like to express support for Detroit Community Action Committee's Sanctuary City Ordinance.

ISIS atrocities and Israel's atrocities are not separate issues.

They are one coordinated violation of our so-called inalienable rights by two bodies that train together and that are funded by the same extreme nationalists.

Divesting our tax dollars from genocide is a win for immigrants, for citizens, and for Palestinians.

And in the same way, diminishing ICE's power by passing the Sanctuary City Ordinance protects not only immigrants here in Detroit, but all of us impacted by the power hungry, racist, wealthy minority that hoard wealth to fund all of our oppression.

Detroit Divest Now.

Yeah.

Our next speaker is Adam Barrett, followed by Elena Howard.

Yeah, Adam Barrett, Southwest Detroit.

Not feeling super great today, so I'll keep it short.

Um I'm here to speak on behalf of Moratorium Now Coalition and uh support of item 24.5 regarding ICE and DPD interaction.

Um and also if you have any uh updates on the Leland tenant situation, I'd love to hear that.

Thanks.

Okay.

Next speaker, Elena Harada.

Followed by Pastor Ovella, followed by Omar Santana.

Good morning, council.

I would like to um first.

I'm speaking as an individual and a member of the community.

Um, I'd like to also support Garriela's resolution for um, but we also I'm just gonna tell you what I'm requesting here.

I've had occasion to drive people back from North Lake Correctional Facility after they've been detained, and I've learned from people that when the police pulled them over, and often they don't know who it was that took them.

They took from one person in particular, they took his car, they took his keys, they took his wallet and all of his money, and he received no receipt.

He served five and a half months in North Lake, and when he got out, he had nothing.

And he had no proof that he had a car that was taken by the police.

What I'm asking for here is particularly for with regard to immigrants in our city.

There's a lot of people that worked on land bank properties, and if they get detained and deported, the land bank will take their properties.

Every every resident of Detroit needs to be protected from the Detroit land bank.

Everybody does, but particularly the vulnerable people who thought they had ownership, they did all the work, and you know, you know how our people work.

Fixed up these houses and don't own them anymore, have lost their cars.

Many of the things that the police, ICE, whoever these people are, are doing, would send an ordinary civilian to prison.

That's carjacking, that's assault, that's kidnapping.

There's all kinds of things that they're doing.

And I really am asking that there be an investigation into the behavior of these officers, whoever they are, toward our citizenship and to protect the property of Detroiters.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Dr.

Iowa Wallace.

Hello, everyone.

Good morning.

My name is Dr.

Aya Waller Bay.

I'm a resident of District 6 and a concerned citizen.

In 2019, I visited Amsterdam to present my research at a conference.

While there, I made a point to visit the home of Anne Frank, including the NX, where she and her family hid in World War II.

Frank and her family who were Jewish lived in constant fear of the Nazis that ultimately raided the home in Annex where they hid in 1944 and deported them to concentration camps.

Anne Frank died in 1945 at the age of 15.

We say never again.

Yet in 2026, the immigration and customs enforcement ICE operates like a modern day gestapel, kidnapping U.S.

citizens and our undocumented and documented immigrant brothers and sisters.

They racial profile, harassed, kidnap, and murder with impunity while hiding their faces behind masks.

In 2025, ICE murdered over 32 people, and the most and most recently, a black man from LA named Keith Porter and Renee Good, a white woman from Minneapolis.

They have also kidnapped and detained at least four Detroit public school community district students.

ICE has no place in Detroit, and I support council member Santiago Romero memo restricting ICE activities on city owned property and buffer zones to begin with.

We say never again, and I mean it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I did want to respond to the question regarding Lelands and what's going on there.

Yesterday was their court hearing.

The judge did approve to have movers pack up items for residents.

They're not very happy about that.

Of course, you want to pack our own things, but that has been approved.

Um residents should be working now with the new owners to get that um to coordinate their pickup of their personal things.

Also want to share that uh thanks to my team, Salvation Army coordinated with the city and with uh with tenants that are still living at the hotel in Southfield because they are still there to drop off toiletries, clothing and such as well while they while while they wait to to uh have their things returned as well.

Just wanted to share that.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

All right, our next speaker, uh, Ms.

Joyce Jennings, followed by Char Williams, followed by Claude Norwood.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome, um, Mr.

President and Bobby and to the public at large.

My name is Joyce Erlene Jennings Fills.

I was born May 10th, 1973 as Joyce Erlen Jennings.

I represent the maternal lineages of the Spencer and Tompkins family, and my paternal lineages represent the Jennings and Robinson family.

My bloodline is representative of various royal blood lines.

And I've been asked why do I remain in Detroit?

I'm the oldest of my generation, the oldest female of my generation.

This year, July 4th, 2026.

America will celebrate 250 years of carrying out practices, establishing policies that contribute to the stealing, killing, and destroying from the indigenous ancestors and heirs of these lands until the invaders do what is righteous and restore and make whole the true and in fact blood heirs of these lands, killing throughout the land will never be the reality of any nation throughout the land.

When we talk about Detroit, we need to stop the sanctuary theft that is going on in the city of Detroit.

My father's church, St.

James Missionary Baptist Church, one of the historic Saint churches of the city, is now occupied by a group called the Fraternity of Notre Dame from France.

Our church was assessed over a million dollars in two years for rainwater drainage.

So when I hear people coming before city council today, wanting the city to be a sanctuary for them.

Detroit is not a sanctuary for the people who have already been here and have been here, suffering by the very accounts that are being brought forth today.

That has been our history as black folk, not only in the city of Detroit, but throughout these lands.

Doug and used DPD to wage war on the black deity and heirs of the city of Detroit.

You want to talk about Trump.

I'm sorry.

Project 2025 started here in Detroit way before Trump ever got here.

Let's bring forth him and put the band.

Leave by example.

I've been coming down here over a year and a half concerning the um illegal corruption of the city.

So we are teaching our kids, it's okay to kill, steal, lie, cheat.

They're not gonna make this city a sanctuary city because they want that money from DC.

So while you guys continue to come down here, you preach into the choir because they're not gonna do anything about that.

So we teaching our kids.

If you do not study, and you cheat on your test, you can become a mayor.

So when I say this, I'm very clear on this.

I've spoken before she became a mayor, Mayor Sheffield, and my face on several different occasions was dishonest concerning what police officers living in the Detroit shelter or on the Detroit police department.

Your job was to investigate, not go on here, Sat.

So you telling me, if you she, because we talk about illegal fraud bubble, too.

So you never know if you really became the mayor on a legal perspective.

Because we went to DC last year in March about illegal vote.

Now, this this is for the kids of the city of Detroit.

I don't care what your nationality is, but if you work hard and study, when you know you passed that test and got an A plus, you know you earn that A plus.

And what you installing your kids, more of a character, their integrity.

That goes a long way.

You all have not done a great job watching over the city.

You misused all these hundreds of millions of dollars.

You still, you're not paying for DTE.

That's a list of things.

We are sitting in the House of Mayors with the people in the city of Detroit.

It's nothing else I can say, because like I said, when you have a rapist under the Detroit police department, and you had not done anything about that, and he's on there with a fake name.

Make me understand that.

Thank you very much.

Our next speaker, Claude Norwood, followed by Omar Santana, followed by Pastor Ovella.

Good morning, council members and staff.

Um, my name is Claude Norwood.

I'm a newly elected official for the CAC District 7.

And I'm also uh president of the Grand River Community Block Club.

And um before I get into that, you know, I want to address the issue that some of my constituents are talking about with this ICE issue.

And also I want to thank the city of Detroit's residents for allowing me to be here.

Thank you.

Um, the thing with the ICE issue, you know, is that if any of us are affected or pulled over by ICE people, and our rights are violated, someone's harmed, any of the distinguished panel members here, it's gonna be a problem.

So it should be the same problem when it comes to community people being pulled over and unarmed people getting killed.

That just don't fit right.

And I can tell you myself, whenever I come in contact with the police, I'll be in compliance, I bow down, and I still get insulted and my rights violated and almost taken to jail when I'm being totally in compliance.

And that just it just don't fit right.

And you know, we're not trying to come here and point the blame at you.

We know that this is a big issue, but we just want some some transparency on this issue.

We know that it exists, we just need more people in power to investigate, launch investigations against the police.

Why isn't the body camera on?

It should come on as soon as you come in contact with a resident, not just for their protection, but also for the residents, the people.

And the first words in the constitution say, we the people.

So we the people are coming to this distinguished council, asking you for your support, your help so much.

Pardon me.

Thank you so much.

Oh, it's up.

Okay, yeah, sorry.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your presence.

Our next speaker, Omar from Panel, followed by Pastor Ovella.

Hi, um, my name's Omar Santana.

I'm a resident of District 5.

I am a U.S.

Army veteran.

I just want to speak more on the issue going on with ice in the city.

Somebody earlier had mentioned an Anne Frank's Anne Frank story.

We're living through it right now, actually.

Personally, myself, I have moved families to safe homes because their homes were being stalked by quote unquote ice agents who don't have a badge on them, who don't have any identifier on them, and it just says police.

That's it.

We've had families being stalked by men who are dressed like cops but don't show any evidence of them being real cops, right?

I've had to move countless families already to safe homes.

Just last week I've had community members reach out to me about how their husbands were being detained while they were driving uh for Spark for the Walmart Spark drivers and gotten beat up by these quote unquote ice agents, right?

Like this is happening.

This is real life.

It might not be your reality, but it's the reality of many Detroit residents right now.

It's scary.

A lot of these people don't have anybody to go to.

These people are newcomers.

They've been here within less than three years in this country.

They don't understand our laws or rules or regulations.

So people like me have stood up and stand out in order to help these people navigate their way through this system.

The system is corrupted.

It has been corrupted for decades for centuries against black and brown people, and now they're weaponizing it against all of us again, right?

It took many years to fight for civil rights movements to finally get what they wanted.

And now they are reversing everything back, and now we're having to do this all over again.

This administration is terrible, they're awful, they're not here to protect us.

And if you guys want to know more, but those of you on this board want to know more of the realities of these people of what they're facing, what they're going through, come talk to us, talk to me, talk to some of my other comrades out here.

This is reality.

This is happening now.

Now, thank you so much for that.

Pastor Avella of behalf of Code 22.

Yes, sir.

Good morning, council.

God bless everyone to our council president, council president pro tem uh Coleman Young.

I bring you greetings in peace today.

Um, I'm coming to you because uh we have an initiative which many of you know about uh Code 22.

Um we stood before Detroit City Council in 2010, and we requested a testimonial resolution to declare each 22nd as a citywide day of peace and healing and our efforts to reduce violence by promoting peace.

We received a unanimous vote, and we had our first testimony of resolution to come from you, Detroit City Council, which we are humbly honored by.

Uh, from there, Mayor Dave Bean gave us our first proclamation.

Then Mayor Duggan gave us our proclamation when he came into office, and we anticipate that our new Mary Mary Sheffield will honor us with our proclamation at this time.

What we're coming before, why we're coming before you today is because it's a new season, it's a new year.

We have new leadership, and we have revised um how we want to expand this mission to promote peace, healing, and positive change, and not just in Detroit, but from Detroit to the nation.

We've seen amazing results happen from code 22.

We've seen violence not reduced but stopped in schools.

We've seen it adopted in prisons where prisoners actually honor the 22nd by wearing white t-shirts and doing push-ups for peace to promote peace in their environment.

We have seen churches have peace and healing services on the 22nd, where they gather those that are grieving to help them to turn the pain into power.

We work with uh crime stoppers every 22nd to help families to turn their pain into power.

So, what we're asking you for today is a new testimonial resolution.

Uh, we submitted an email.

We actually have hard copies for you today, as well as our code 22 bracelets so you can remember us as we go forth.

We're asking every citizen to wear white every 22nd to promote peace.

There are a lot of terrible things going on, but there's a lot of great things going on, and one of them is that what we have done on the 22nd is create a new consciousness to communities in crisis.

So, together we're asking that you would help us to expand this mission, we're white on the 22nd, do something intentional to promote peace.

Thank you so much.

Jackie Provide and collected information, please.

Our next speaker, Tony Mua.

Mua.

Mua?

Yeah.

All right.

Followed by Tanya Webs.

Good morning, council.

Morning, council.

My name is Tony Moa, candidate for state representative of District 9.

And I'm here because I'm angry, I'm heartbroken, and I'm exhausted.

Uh, what immigrant families are dealing with and being forced to endure, even here in Detroit.

I want to speak in full support of council members, Gabriela Santiago Romero's memo calling for the city to take action and limit ice operations because this isn't abstract.

This is personal and not just for me, but many of us sitting in this audience.

Cry because her friends that she's worried about are not coming home after she's talking to them.

What happened in Minneapolis was not an isolated incident.

It was a result of a system that treats human beings as threats instead of people.

When immigration enforcement turns deadly, when it operates without care or accountability, it sends a message to immigrant families everywhere, including Detroit, that their lives are disposable.

And let me be clear our lives are not disposable.

I am a child of two immigrants, and I am fearful that the moment that they step into this city, my parents are gone.

I cannot allow that to happen.

How would you feel if someone took your mother, your father?

I'm asking you all to do what's right.

And I want to say this very plainly to this council and the public watching.

Silence is a choice.

Neutrality in this moment is a choice, and choosing comfort over courage has real consequences for our family.

Thank you.

Followed by Dale L.

All right, give it an honor to the Lord God of Israel, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I bring you greetings from the house of Israel church where my pastor is my uncle.

Wherefore seeing we are also compared compassed about with such a great cloud of witness.

Let us lay aside every way and the sin which so easily besets us.

And let us run this race with patience, and that that is set before us.

Looking to Jesus, the offer and finisher of our faith, who for the joy of that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the same, and you sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself.

Yes, lest ye wear it down and faint, not in your minds.

That is Hebrews the 12th chapter one through three for those of you who are not Bible scholars like myself.

I present to you my colors.

I have three associate degrees from this distinguished crowdage.

I come before you, council, because uh BSEED, Building Safety Engineering and Department has failed to uh make sure that the rental compliance inspections certifications are continuously kept up by the um landlords.

We are selling our city to immigrants, so I feel a little out of place right now speaking about this, but uh I challenge you to do your affirmed and sworn duty to protect the people of the city of Detroit.

And in closing, David Winterman, I believe you have received.

Oh, he left.

He's received his copy of it.

The arms person is still missing and asking because she left, she left one seat and went to another one.

And uh, I mailed both of them the exact copies of the complaint I have for you, uh Denzel um McCambra.

Is it sorry?

You are my member, and um, I'd like to know when building safety and engineering meets again.

And um, member Calwell, you only an apology for speaking so negatively on care about me.

Thank you.

Windows B a next speaker.

I'm sorry, when does B S E D meet a public safety?

So I'll have someone from my team get uh connect with you, give you the information you're looking for.

You're very welcome, Fidel L followed by Danube Danusia Fed.

I apologize if I'm mispronounced your name.

So it's something that I'm not quite understanding now.

If somebody's here illegal, that's against the law.

What are they asking y'all to do to break the law?

Ramirez, you got black people in that district.

When are you gonna ever stand up for them?

They living in poverty, uh, poor education.

What are you saying?

You can't even look at me in my face.

What are you saying?

You don't care about them.

And here go eight black faces.

We the majority, and you sitting here talking about a small majority, a small voting bar.

What are you saying?

Forget the biggest voting bar that y'all are supposed to represent.

And listen to me, my biggest threat is not ice.

My biggest threat is the local police, the sheriff, the state troopers.

It wasn't long ago that the state troopers rolled a boy down on the ATV and shot him.

Which one of y'all stood up for us then?

Ken Worthy, always overcharged.

And in fact, she got an integrating unit that says after five, 10, 30 years.

Oh, we made a mistake.

Let them go.

Y'all don't say a one ugly word about that.

So what are we doing here?

I mean, if these guys are asking y'all to break the law, you got the right city council.

They break the law all the time.

To the Detroit residents, there are no longer gangs in the street.

Little to none.

Your biggest gang are politicians now.

They crewed up.

They public enemy number one.

They will not help the majority of the people that are black people that you want to vote for you.

And then help a small majority of people.

Do it right in your face.

Give our money away to billionaires in the forms of bonds, grants.

And then black people don't even run the essential business.

Another group of immigrants run their central business.

You guys are the lowest form.

The devil is animal city council of all.

James Tayson, the Detroit City Council.

Thank you so much.

Everyone's trying to get their viral moment.

Remove these gentlemen from the auditorium, please.

Thank you.

Order.

Excuse me, ma'am.

Ma'am, you may proceed.

You may proceed, ma'am.

Hi, I'm Danusha Fadinelli, and I feel very honored and humbled to be addressing you in a city that was built by immigrants and former slaves.

I became a citizen.

But I do not have this sign.

I do not hold this sign very lightly.

It is just not a prop.

Um, because my um grandparents and parents lived it.

My um grandparents fled Stalin, Russia.

My father fled um, well, he was a poor W in the Russian POW camp.

He survived.

My mother was a survivor of the Russian um for labor camp, and then seven years as it lived in the refugee camp in what is now Tanzania.

So I um I feel very privileged, but I also very frightened.

And my father before he died in 2020, um, saw what was happening with Trump and Putin, and he could not believe his eyes.

Um, as Putin was a former KGB director, and he was appalled, and then we see the slide of our democracy to totalitarianism and the Gestapo-like tactics.

I've urge you to make Detroit a sanctuary city to um have the police department not cooperate with ICE.

I have two of my um children are military.

That's one.

My daughter was one of the few military um helicopter pilots of the Sea Stallion, flew many emissions, and my son who suffers from PTSD after 13 years in the Marine Corps actually fled the state to a remote area with its mixed racial family because he is so frightened.

He was also an NSA tracker.

He's many times had been also deployed.

So I urge you to have the courage to make Detroit a sanctuary city and factor of our democracy.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Followed by Abby.

There you go.

Thank you so much.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President and uh City Council.

I'm Reverend Paul Perez, uh minister at Central United Methodist Church in Detroit.

Uh, this morning I had a chance to be part of a press conference with community elected leaders uh in support of councilmember Santiago Ramiro's uh memorandum and limiting ice in Detroit.

I just want to share a few of those comments that I made.

Um, the Trump administration has started the new year escalating violence here at home and abroad last week with uh murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis and the shooting of two people in Portland.

It's just been utterly heartbreaking.

The shortest verse in my tradition scriptures, the Bible is Jesus wept.

I imagine Jesus is weeping now at this very moment that his sacred heart is broken open for the utter disregard for human life and the turning of neighbor against neighbor by hateful lies.

Jesus' tears show us what true strength looks like.

The strength of love, compassion, and care for our neighbors.

Might does not equal white, care and compassion is greater.

It melts, it melts the cold and callousness of cruelty.

So it's the strength of love and compassion and care for our neighbors that I stood today to say enough is enough.

ICE has clearly demonstrated that its operations are putting residents, residents, and law enforcement in our communities and their own ICE agents in danger.

ICE is not making our communities or nations safer.

ICE needs to be stopped and held accountable.

No one should be afraid to go to school or a government office or the hospital or even to their house of worship.

And so as a faith leader, I want to say please protect our residents and please protect these sensitive locations.

Please protect these sensitive locations.

We get stuck with the bill twice.

We're paying for ice, and then we're gonna pay when our local government has to clean up their mess.

We need more health care, not ice.

We need living wages, not ice, we need more affordable housing, not ice.

We need affordable groceries, not ice, we need affordable water, not ice.

This is what we the people and our elected leaders need to be working for.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, I wasn't pronounced your last name one more time.

Oh, Nalia Gaka.

Nalea Gaka.

Naliaga.

Yes.

You can call me Abby.

Okay.

Um, hi, my name is Abby, and I'm a success coach for youth in Southwest Detroit.

I'm a Detroit resident, and I'm also a master's and social work student.

I want to first acknowledge that all oppression is interlinked, and I want to acknowledge that black, trans, and indigenous people have been experiencing this form of violence since the beginning of this country.

I want to express my deep concern for the safety of our youth and our community.

My job is to help youth access their dreams by giving them support in their journey.

But how are you supposed to dream when they're stuck in survival?

Seeing the amount of violence and injustice makes dreaming seem unimportant because how are they going to dream when their future doesn't seem to exist?

The ICE agents and reg and regime are not following the law.

The federal government is against us.

I want to know where our city level government stands.

Are you for the people?

Do you care about the future of our youth?

If you do, then make Detroit a sanctuary city, protect our youth and our communities before they add us to their death count.

I stand for ICE out of Detroit and for laws and support for protection of those who resist in defense of community safety without the excessive use of policing and surveillance.

Protection from ICE is protection from colonizers who believe that we are expendable.

Detroit needs to make a stand and make tangible actions to protect the people, protect the future of our youth.

The Detroit people have spoken.

We are for the people.

I hope you are too.

Stand in truth and against fascism.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Noelle Bellinger.

Followed by Victoria Camille.

Uh hello, my name is Noel.

Um, I'm with the Assemblea Papilar or the People's Assembly of Detroit.

I'm here to support uh Councilwoman Gabby's uh memos, resolutions, anything that would ban ice from the city of Detroit.

Uh I wanted to speak a little bit more to what's been going on on the ground.

Uh, our network, we provide mutual aid for immigrant families, especially those who are left behind.

We also have an active ice watch in our neighborhoods where we see violence happening every single day.

Even just during this meeting, there were two men who were taken near Warren by ICE already.

And that is happening every day.

What we've also seen, we've had car windows broken and people dragged across that broken glass by ice.

And we've also seen little children left behind in their cars after their fathers or their mothers were taken.

We have shame and we have uh we've run many campaigns to support the high school students who were kidnapped by ice and are still currently held in a detention facility.

So we know all of these instances.

We have documentation of it.

We see it every single day.

And we this is why we are here today.

We are supporting not only a ban on ice, but I also want to echo a lot of the other concerns that were brought up about DPD.

And I want to I want to emphasize that it's all a part of the same arm of force, DPD and ICE doing the same violence on black Detroiters on immigrant Detroiters.

It's all connected.

Many of us here in this room were here to demand the names of the murderers of Sherman Lee Butler and many others who were killed by DPD.

This is all a part of the same fight.

This is all a part of that same struggle.

And I also want to emphasize DPD's constant collaboration with ICE, even if they say they are not collaborating with ICE.

We have evidence of the contrary.

We've seen DPD threaten to call ICE on a high school student, a 17-year-old high school student, uh, just because he didn't have his license on him.

And we see this happening more and more, and it's going to keep happening until we actually do something to stop it.

Thank you so much.

Uh Ms.

Ballinger, Miss Ballinger, Ms.

Ballinger.

Uh I would like for you to talk to someone from my staff uh regarding that uh last allegation about the police department, police officer uh threatening ICE.

Uh, we need to identify who that is and uh understand better what happened in that situation, please.

Someone from my staff will be in touch with you.

Thank you so much.

Good morning, honorable city council, and congratulations to each of you.

Again, my name is Victoria Camille, your district seven police commissioner, and I'm here to show support for the memos that council member Gabriela Santiago Romero issued on January 8th.

I implore this body to protect the lives and well-beings of all Detroit communities, including our beloved immigrant communities and those who advocate for them.

We must not allow a Renee good here in Detroit.

As elected officials, we must not allow our most vulnerable communities to be terrorized and unjustly criminalized.

It is time for us to be creative.

The law exists to serve the people, and we must bring in attorneys willing and skillful at interpreting the law to the benefit of the everyday person.

We must find that legal path to get ICE out of Detroit and protect Detroiters.

I'm committed in my role in the BOPC to support and encourage my colleagues to support this in any and all ways within our power.

That includes enforcing that DPD does not actively assist ICE and that DPD does not passively assist ICE through various surveillance and data collection networks.

Let's work together and with our communities to protect Detroiters.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Josh Mann, followed by Betty Lyons, followed by Joshua Medina.

Good morning.

Are we allowed to use this to communicate or I just got to talk at you?

I'm sorry.

Do I just gotta talk at you with my two minutes?

Okay.

Provide your comments.

Yes, sir.

I guess we can see that most of the people don't like ice, but we need to remove flock, which is making ice uh and police access all this information somehow.

Slock cameras got implemented in our city.

I don't think our residents were aware of it.

And now the technology that they're using to gather information on people and surveil people.

We I can understand that it might be hard to make this a sanctuary city or remove ice, but you have the power to remove flock cameras from our city.

Ferndale and multiple other states and cities around the country have already removed them.

And I ask that you take this into consideration.

Miss Miller, I'm a resident of your district and South Bowden Lodge Freeway at Chicago Boulevard.

Cars keep hitting my house.

Cars, we need to could I speak to a representative of yours to figure out how to come to a solution to protect my property.

And that's pretty good.

We'll let you finish with it.

That's it.

All right.

Someone can get your private meeting at the top of the stage.

Young lady in the red right in the back.

No one on council will go and march for us.

But something said about the Mexicans, there you go, Romero out there marching.

Restaurants, you talk about inclusion.

I go to restaurants, they're owned by Mexicans.

A raps.

I go to the liquor store.

Please, please do not use denigrating language, please.

My time.

What language?

A ramp.

Again.

Oh my God.

Correct.

Don't worry about Trump.

Dugan, a known white supremacist, didn't march against him.

He stole that over 600 million dollars that belong to the Detroit residents.

Like I said, gas stations.

Hamptram, they were given those property.

Dearborn Heights, Arabs given those properties.

But when we ask for something, the real standards of Detroit, the black people, we get nothing.

We're told no, we will not receive money that was stolen, given to Dan Gilbert, tens of millions of free grants.

The richest man in Michigan, and he gets free grants, and I can't get mine.

The law department has let us completely down.

They're all afraid of doagan.

Yes, that Rashida Talid, big mouth.

When it comes to the Muslim, all over the place.

But when it comes to black people, she wants us to be quiet.

No, that's another one.

You turn turn your back on her.

And our blacks, council, it's a shame.

You have turned your backs on your own people.

That sounds just like the House Negroes we read about.

And it's a shame.

Our next speaker is Joshua Medina, followed by Thomas Montgomery, followed by our last in-person public commenter, Ronald Foster.

Yeah, I mean I'm here to express uh you know strong support for uh councilmember Santiago Romero's uh memo.

Um and I want to you know to let's just let you guys know, you know, that you have people, many people in Detroit living under violence and terror.

Um you know, we we have families in hiding.

We we we have uh we have youth being ripped away from their families, and I can't tell you how painful it is every time you know I work with youth every time that happens.

Um also also want to let's let you know that you know it is rare that I'm I'm in a space, whether it's a business, a restaurant, a community organization that I'm that that there's not people around that are actively in struggle again against against the fascist uh status raids and ice.

Um you know, the the people of Detroit have responded, you know, you know, whether it's business owners leaving our highlight number out or or or or core organizers, patrolling, or or people doing no rights trainings, like I said, you know, that it is rare in Detroit that you're in a space where there's not there's not a few people in the room that are that are um in struggle against this against this violent administration defending our immigrant uh communities, you know.

And I also want to point out that that it is not just Mexicans or Latinos that that that are that are under attack, you know.

It is our Arab community, it is our African community here, Detroit, which is robust.

It is people of our races that ISIS targeting and people that are defending uh our immigrants that they're beating and targeting as well.

So, you know, I'm not only here to express support, but I'm here to get to work with with uh you guys.

You know, I want you guys, um, I want the I'm imploring the city council to be in service of that struggle, you know, to uh you know to follow leadership of its people and be in service of that struggle and and set strong sanctuary ordinances in place and ultimately ban ISA Detroit.

This is this is something that we can win because I because I've I've already seen already seen the movie in Detroit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Thomas Montgomery, followed by Ronald Fawkes.

So I come here as a community member, as a homeowner, taxpayer, as a as somebody who has been in the city since I was born.

And I needed to not get away from us that what happened is that the federal government through the the representation of ICE officers shot a woman in the face, and then they clapped that woman, they called her dead body, and excuse my French, but they called that woman her dead body a fucking bitch.

And then the administration went on to justify this.

Donald Trump, JD Vance, the vice president, Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff, and Christy Norm, the department, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, called her a domestic terrorist and justified for murder.

And so I need every black person in here to understand that if you think what they did to her, they won't do to you.

I think I think you're sorely misunderstood.

Police everywhere have been targeting black people since the dawn of time.

They're targeting Somalians in Minnesota, they're targeting black people all across this country, collegians, anybody who is an enemy of the administration.

The administration is looking at us next as the enemy of the administration.

We are everything they hate.

We are a black city, we have a dense population of Latino Chicanos, and need I remind you, slaves were also sent to Latin America.

So this is a part of our fight, just as much as it is theirs.

We have a dense population of diversity Asians, we have Yemenis, we have other people, we have resorts of people the city, mayor, female mayor.

Donald Trump, Donald Trump is as bad as things are.

Just a few things.

Um, very cautiously optimistic about the Dr.

Schaefer.

Very confident about poverty and addressing those things.

The optimism comes from University of Michigan.

We had a Dr.

Carl Smith here for over 20, 30 years.

It didn't pan out so well.

Okay.

And so in the medical examiner.

So just off of name recognition is not going to be enough.

We have to have annual reviews to review the conduct and progression of anybody in positions.

Secondly, on item 24.5.

I would like to just bring to your attention Bird versus Briske.

466 F2D Seventh Circuit 1972, which requires the duty to intervene.

U.S.

Court of Appeals established that police officers have an affirmative constitutional duty to intervene and stop fellow officers from violation of persons' rights, particularly from a cessive force, even if they were not directly involved in the misconduct.

So our police officers cannot be cowards.

They cannot taste black women here and not address each other.

Okay.

Good police officers.

Um demonstration by checking each other.

All right.

Um secondly, I want to bring into civil rights judiciary and public safety bills that was introduced by Senator Ruth Johnson in 1113, 2024, which is also a duty to intervene act.

And then lastly, I want to talk about 21.5 or corporate counsel and the great need of separation of powers.

Or corporate council have too much power here, unchecked power.

He is over the judges.

He is over the police.

He is over the police commissioners.

He is over the defense council, and he's over the prosecutors.

There's nowhere in the world that our citizens here can have a fair and just trial or process with all this unchecked power under one person.

We have to do separation of powers to bring quality to our brings us to the end of our in-person public comments.

We'll now go online.

Who is our first caller?

Uh, for the record.

Uh council president order.

Go ahead, Brian.

Council President, we have 35 callers on Zoom.

Who's the first caller, please?

First caller is Avery Vope.

General Public Comment.

Good morning, Council.

Can everyone hear me?

Yes.

All right.

My name is Avery, and I am also a member of Detroit Community Action Committee.

Um, first I want to thank Councilwoman Santiago Romero for taking the first step in the right direction here with her memos.

But I also want to echo the demands of my comrades.

We need a sanctuary city ordinance in Detroit.

We need meaningful, enforceable legislation that limits the power of ice in the city.

There are people of this community in the streets every single day, as you have heard earlier, that are monitoring ICE activity and fighting to protect their immigrant neighbors, just like Renee Good did.

To city council and especially Mayor Sheffield, you have a duty to your constituents to use whatever legislative powers you have to keep ice off of city property property off of Detroit school property to make it illegal for DPD to collaborate with or assist ICE in any way, and also to have enforceable consequences for any DPD or city employee that provides information to ICE when it is not required by law.

The people in Detroit are scared, angry, but we are ready and willing to stand up and defend our neighbors.

Please do your jobs and pass an ordinance that protects people's rights, freedoms, and lives.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is number ending ending in 169.

Um hello, can you guys hear me?

Hello, can you guys hear me?

Yes, we can.

Okay, great.

Hello.

Hello, hello, everybody.

Um, thank you for praying for Brother Cunningham.

Long suffering is real.

Cunningham was homeless 10 years, literally.

The only one to come to help him was the honorable Coming Young's office and the honorable great mayor, mayor Dugan's office, most elected officials just watch and laugh.

Every council person in the last 10 years should be ashamed of themselves.

While homeless Cunningham had a mild stroke while homeless hands and feet crows twice, COVID, pneumonia, and breathing machine.

Again, you council members and people of power should be ashamed of yourself.

Be sure you put your feet in the right place and stand firm.

And that quote was made by Abraham Lincoln.

Thank you for my time.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Cole DC AC.

I call it the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Hi.

What a wonderful morning for community activism.

Can you all hear me?

Yes, we can.

All right, good.

Okay.

So uh good morning, uh Council President and members of the city council.

Uh, my name is Cole, and I'm a proud member of the Detroit Community Action Committee.

And I'm here to urge you to take decisive action to declare Detroit a sanctuary city.

We urge the city to adopt our sanctuary city ordinance that is clear language prohibiting the collection or sharing of immigration status by city agencies unless required by law, the use of city funds, personnel, or facilities to assist ICE operations, and any detention of individuals based solely on information from ICE detainers or administrative warrants.

The country and our city are tired of witnessing the deaths of people like Ray Good and Savario Viegas Gonzalez at the hands of ICE.

We're also tired of our students being kidnapped in a city council that has refused to act throughout the first year of Trump's second term.

We need protection for our city and our whole city, not just for certain locations within the city.

That just allows ICE to kidnap our neighbors everywhere else.

That is the same as committing to fight while pulling your punches.

Donald Trump will not pull any punches when it comes to Detroit or any other city, and neither should we.

We need a city council that will take action and is willing to fight.

We need a sanctuary city and nothing less.

And since I have a little bit more time, I'd also like to shout out the Detroit Anti-War Committee and their campaign to uh minute Detroit divest from Israel.

It's about high time that we do so.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Guadalupe.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Let's get that clock back up at two minutes, please.

All right.

Caller, the floor is yours.

Caller, are you there?

All right, let's put that caller at the end of the queue, Brandon, and go to the next caller, please.

Brandon, are you there?

Uh yes.

Next caller is Michael Wachinski.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Caller, are you there?

All right, let's put this caller at the end of the queue and go to the next.

Okay.

Next caller is N Hunt 04.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Fingers crossed.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes.

We can.

Hi.

Um, my name is Nathan Nontima, resident of District 2.

Um, and I'm just calling to support the effort to make Detroit a sanctuary city.

Um, and stop cooperating with IC.

Um, that's all I have to say for now.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is William M.

Davis.

William M.

Davis, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Uh, good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes, sir.

I like to set out by saying um I think we need to make sure everyone knows from the police, the citizens and ICE officers know that there are things to what they can and cannot do.

Uh, far too often they may take liberties that they should not be taken.

Uh I was a police commissioner from uh 2018 to 2022.

During the time when I was on, I thought that uh Chief Craig and uh Mayor Doug was a little bit too close to the Trump administration and to some of the practices that they were doing.

That's one of the reasons why I wouldn't vote for neither one of them.

But also, we need to make sure that we keep our police officers in line.

As a police commissioner, I was one of the very few that often voted against uh police officers to have horrible records.

You know, we can't keep people like that around.

Most police officers are good and do a hard do hard work and need to be recognized for that.

But we need to be doing more in the city to make sure that people know their rights and what they can and cannot do.

And I should know what they're what they can and cannot do.

And after them doing things that they shouldn't be doing, you know, we should be taking actions against them, you know, suing them.

A number of things that we can and should be doing.

Uh also uh I think that we need to let people know that we will enforce the law, the law as it stands, you know, it also means that they cannot do certain things that they have been and be doing other places.

Uh on a separate note.

I would love to see the city of Detroit uh advanced one of my proposals from uh a couple of years ago to add an additional um senior, you know, retiree on the Detroit pension board, uh, because police and fire got two representatives, two seniors, and two retirees, and our general fund that has more people than the city has active workers could use at least an additional person to help make sure things are done right and our investments are the way they should be.

Thank you.

Thank thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Zoom user.

Hello, can you yes, we can hear you?

Okay.

So my name is Veronica Rodriguez, and I am just uh just an advocate and just a volunteer within our community in Detroit District 6, and I support Gabriela's memo.

And I do want to say that um I've been volunteering since February as far as with the flooded community, and um have built trust with the community, and I've been witness to for the past 11 months in our city um of how everything's changed and no longer feels safe.

And it's not only Mexicans and Hispanics, however it wants to be labeled.

It's it's all colors of skin that are in danger.

These men are not obviously not trained when they point a gun at you.

And I'm speaking about these men that are that are coming to our communities with masks.

We don't know if they are or they are not federal agents because they do not identify themselves.

They mistreat the people that they take.

They leave the children um inside or by the vehicles when they take their parents.

Um I've witnessed how they hunt them down, and it's very traumatizing, not only for undocumented um members of our community, but also for my own child that is 14 that already lived through COVID and another four years of hell.

It's just not it is not fair to my child.

And I asked for our city to stand up against all the unjustice and all the uncertainty that there is in our community every day.

I get up every morning, I patrol, and I try to keep our city safe.

And it is very dreaming, and we need more support because we don't know these men are federal agents, like I said, or if they're just random people coming into our community saying that they do represent this administration.

I ask that they identify themselves and that they have proper training when it comes to weapons of that can kill individuals.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is owner Papa.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Let's talk about it.

And and oh yes, yes.

And through the through the chair, may I be heard.

Yes, ma'am.

Uh thank you.

Um, so all praises to the most high God um of Israel.

Um, I agree with uh Miss Jennings, who points out that this is not a sanctuary city for the very uh people who've been here uh the longest and are the greatest numbers.

Um we still don't know who the police officer was that shot at the woman who he lied and said she didn't show her proof of insurance and uh police chief, you know came out and told the same lie to the people, but no one has been transparent as to what has happened to that police officer and what is going to happen to him.

And I'll tell you, we'll see it as a legal representation and indemnification down the road.

I agree with Ms.

I agree with Miss Lyons and the 600 million dollars that has been stolen from the residents, majority um black residents who live in this city, and uh Mr.

Fidel, who says that uh you guys are probably the worst council that we've seen.

And I can tell that uh nothing much has changed.

And I hear from these people talking about a sanctuary city when no one talks about Ayana Jones, who was killed by the police, or Malice Green, who was killed by the police.

Black people in this country and this city have been killed by the police more than we know.

And if you continue to indemnify and give legal representation to police officers who behave in such a deleterious manner, we won't have any changes.

It's a shame that you you let all of these people speak today, and I'm gonna see how much time we get when it's an issue that is basically pertaining to black people.

Um you wanted to get all of these people in talking about a sanctuary city.

You can see what happened to Chicago, and we're not going down that road.

So, no, Detroit will not become a sanctuary city.

Um, it is not advantageous for the resident.

All right, thank you, Fed.

Who's next to the queue?

Um, hello, bro.

Uh, the next caller is Dominic Swing.

All right.

Go ahead, two minutes.

Hello, council.

Uh, thank you for hearing uh me speak today.

My name's Dominic Sweeney.

I'm from District Five.

Uh, and I just wanted to ask you when was the last time that you looked at the headlines and you asked yourself, what is going on in this country and who is going to stop this madness?

Will the Supreme Court ever stand up for the Constitution?

Will Congress say enough is enough?

Unfortunately, the answer is no one's coming to save us.

Our institutions have fallen into the hands of people who do not believe in democracy, and we have to save us.

And yes, that includes you as well in your roles.

We are at a moment when the vice president has declared that ICE has absolute immunity.

ICE has now been regularly breaking into homes and cars without warrants, violating the most basic principles of our constitution.

Um in Minneapolis, they're going door to door and demanding papers from U.S.

citizens and undocumented uh neighbors alike.

And the message from this week is clear comply or you will be executed.

Staying quiet and appeasing this administration will not save us.

Fascists see appeasement as weakness.

They do not believe in democracy or the will of the people, and they will come for Detroit when they are done with Minneapolis, LA, Portland, Chicago.

Fascism is here.

We need to act different than we have in the past.

We need to understand that this is not the same law enforcement agency that you believe is protecting us.

These are fascists, and they have 11 billion dollars per year in funding, bigger than the military, bigger than Mexico's military.

They will not stop with these cities that they are bullying now.

And we need to stand up collectively with our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis, with our brothers and sisters in LA, with our brothers and sisters in Chicago, grow a spine and become a sanctuary city and say enough is enough.

This is the United States of America, and the Constitution still stands.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

General public comment.

Hello.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

Good afternoon, Council.

Uh, I come before you very, very often.

I like to give a shout-out to uh council member waters because of her work around the land bank.

Also, council member Johnson, I appreciate your uh response to me officially um about the conditions of the shelters.

Like I said, I do stand with immigrants in City of Detroit, but I also stand with black issues such as Cronos Concrete in the city of Detroit, um, which I have been trying to fight to get down zoned.

Uh very, very not effectively, but um very, very diligently, I would say.

And I will be organizing a similar outturn um of individuals who are concerned about their neighborhood to come to city council in the same manner.

I'm gonna try to get 200 people because this affects lots of people in district three is very, very underserved.

Um I also like to say uh nice to unofficially meet you too, Tony.

I'm running for the same seat.

Um it's nice to come out one time, but we need continue, continue uh fighting advocacy, not just for certain communities in Detroit, all communities.

Somebody mentioned um the fight that we did for Shermer Lee Butler.

I was there for that years ago.

Um, this work that we do is very, very important.

I wish I was being able to be there in person.

I wish I was being able to be there in person, um, actually at the Detroit Economic Club event.

Um, also I can say I can I introduce myself now as vice president of Helen Street Block Club.

Um I stepped down on my presidency, but it's not about that.

Long story short, I'll be I'll be doing a lot of work in my district, district five.

I'll be doing a lot of work in district three, a lot of work in District One.

Um, lots of work in District 4.

Um, I had to forego a meeting with the District District Manager today about lots of concerns that I have in District 3.

Um, I look forward to seeing what comes out of this council.

Um, and also, like I'm just gonna ask right now, but I'll let you know there's gonna be a lot of voices talking about Donald's own the Chronos, working on Sephorias and things like that.

I'm gonna give a shout out to uh one of my board members, uh Tara Brown.

Everything she said four years ago is coming to fruition when it comes to the shelters, when it comes to the handling of things, um, and when it comes to lots of the issues that we have in the city of Detroit.

Thank you so much.

Next caller, please.

We're gonna do it today.

Caller is Betty A.

Farner.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes general public comment.

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

I'm Betty A.

Barner, president of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association.

Uh I'm gonna talk about today that my association, we advocate for our community.

I'm hoping that the honorable uh mayor Sheffield, I know someone from her team is at the meeting, will continue uh to work with our uh black club to in the project of our thinker corridor.

Uh we need monies for our corridor.

There were meetings, successful, good meetings we had last year in 2025, and there were some wonderful ideas, but it's money.

Money was not available.

We are asking for the same type of attention in our area that has been happened on Dexter, uh downtown, Mexican town, Avenue of Fashion, uh McNicholas and Livernoise.

We deserve that in our area.

Another problem.

We don't have a supermarket.

So for people who don't drive, there's a challenge to get healthy food, fruits, vegetables, good meat.

We need a supermarket in our area.

We are considered a what food desert.

That's not right.

We deserve better.

And so we as a uh black club is looking forward to working with the administration to improve and continue the work that is going on in our community.

We are still working and have projects for our uh park that we have created.

Diva Community Park.

We have purchased additional land, and we need help with our.

On the fifth floor outside his office.

We talked for a while.

But fact still remains that he was sitting right next to Janice Winfrey, but she lied about the findings on the allegations of voter fraud by anonymous citizen report on April the 25th, 2024.

And supplied me with uh findings on the allegations of voter fraud by anonymous citizen report.

Comrade Mallet is on the Detroit election commission as well as Harry Sheffield.

He didn't show up for that, maybe, but it's on Zoom, and it's April the 25th, 2024.

I implore everyone in attendance and the sound of my voice.

Watch that.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is telephone number ending in 753.

Caller ending in 753.

The floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Okay.

No, we cannot hear you.

Uh it sounds like you're you're here in person.

Got your first one's free.

We'll give you an opportunity to do it up front, but we'll do that after.

We'll do that after we get through everyone since you're uh in person.

Next caller.

Um next caller.

Caller is Alec Camp.

I'm sorry, one more time, please.

Sorry about that.

Next caller is Alec.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes general public comment.

Uh hello, can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi, my name's Alec Camp.

I moved here to Southeast Michigan about three years ago now.

I'm just starting to get into learning about the municipal policies and the general city council of this area, and I gotta say, I'm just disappointed.

You guys are letting ice run around like a pack of feral dogs, ripping people apart, ripping families apart, targeting the weak and the young.

It's just so disappointing, so disheartening.

It's not gonna stop me from learning and participating in this, but learning more about the corruption and abuse of the Detroit PD.

It's just what are you guys doing?

Are you even here to protect people?

Or are you just here to rake in money?

I just asked you this city council kindly do better.

Because you're a disappointment to your people.

I see the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Darren McCleskey.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Good almost afternoon, council.

My name is Darren McCleskey.

You might remember me from last year.

Um, lots of talk about constitutionality today.

Um, there's two new council members, so I'll try to bring them up to speed regarding the Detroit Solar Neighborhood Initiative.

It all started with 12 million dollars repurposed from Mr.

Ski Power Plant demolition with the idea to replace power output with solar panel farms.

Then it grew into using eminent domain to take people's property for those solar panel farms.

While the city of Detroit has plenty of land that it could have used, plenty of rooftops it could have used, is decided to take the ugly stance of taking private property for solar panels, which are completely flexible, movable objects that can be placed anywhere and everywhere.

So we've almost gone through a year of this now.

Um there's never been an evidentiary hearing for Sard has seen every single challenge to the project.

Well, guess what?

Frasard's son worked in the La Department under Duggan and under Conrad Mallet.

If that's not a conflict of interest, I don't know what is.

So we have many immigrant families.

Nadal Hana, who's trying to sell her house in Chaldean Town, had her side lot ripped out from under her.

Daniela Mertez, who had her house taken by foreclosure, but not evicted from it.

She was taken by police action, claiming her house was unsafe.

And meanwhile, all the benefits that were supposed to be given to residents.

Yvette, John Roger, Jared Rogers, multiple people have yet to see any improvements to their homes.

Detroit Solar Scam.com.

Please check it out.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Jasica Karchov.

Caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

The floor is yours.

I'm a Detroiter residing in District 5, as well as a historian of Central Europe who is deeply aware of the dangerous parallels in our current moment.

And I'm calling to register my utmost support for Councilwoman Santiago Romero's memo to restrict ICE activity on city property in Detroit and especially around schools as well as hospitals and places of worship.

And to echo calls this morning to halt DPD involvement in immigration enforcement.

ICE's unbridled and abusive actions have had immensely harmful impacts on our community, creating a climate of fear and trampling upon the principles of democracy and due process that are the core of our city and nation.

The practice of detaining community members outside schools and churches or while pursuing legal or city business is particularly insidious.

And we must not stand by as parents are violently abducted while picking children up from school, high school students are detained despite asylum status, or families are prevented from attending worship or accessing essential services by the paralysis of fear.

The tangible suffering that ICE has imposed upon our community, the murders of Renee Nicole Good, Keith Porter, and Silvio Vilagas Gonzalez, and other tragedies perpetrated by ICE, throw the stakes of this conversation.

I think into sharp relief.

And I thank you all for your service and hope for your solidarity.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is PSAL Detroit.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Thank you.

My name is Lauren Brandt, and I'm an organizer with the Party for Socialism Liberation and the People's Assembly of Detroit.

I'm a black Detroiter residing in District 7.

In District 7, we border Dearborn, right?

And we are just uh short drive away from Southwest West Detroit.

These are neighborhoods that are being terrorized 24-7 right now.

Recent abductions included five high school students, recent abductions by ICE included five high school students, including a black student, right?

One of the memos that has been referred to today draws into question whether DPD is supporting ICE's uh terrorism.

And I can say from being on the ground with many other people who are here today.

Um, when Marcos Fabian Arita Batista was abducted, that DPT facilitated that abduction, right?

We're talking about the same DPD that ended the year killing several Detroiters, right?

Marcos was abducted on Joy Road in Livernoise in a predominantly black community.

I bring up these points about more, the black high school student, and Marco's abduction on Joy Road and Joy Road and Livernoise to say that the violence of ICE is not on its way to Black Detroit.

It's already here, right?

Our enemy is not each other, our enemy is the city, state, and federal government that is sustaining this violence and oppression, right?

And so I'm here to say that we support policies to end DPD support of ICE.

Thanks, make Detroit a sanctuary city, right?

Support of councilperson Santiago Romero's uh memos.

We should be moving those forward to limit ice activity and then keep going until we get ICE out of our city.

And a city council, if you care about the people that you are supposed to serve as you say you do, we need to put an end to this violence in our city.

This is the bare minimum.

We've been doing our part.

It's time for you to do yours.

All right.

Next caller, please.

Thank you.

Next caller is JM Ann Arbor.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Hi, I'm here.

Can you hear me?

Can you hear me?

I think you can because it's working, the uh the transcript.

And the interpreter is still still working with my words.

So I'm happy to start the timer anytime you're ready.

You may proceed.

Okay, thank you.

Um, city council.

Although I'm not a Detroit resident, I live in Ann Arbor, but I'm the child of a native Detroiter and a Chicagoan who worked with the Methodist Church and Michigan Quakers to support civil rights in the mid-60s and within a few years against the unjust military action, then called the Vietnam Conflict, now called the Vietnam War.

The actions of these two cities, Detroit and Chicago, with regard to governmental neglect and overreach by turns, have been models for the rest of the country.

As of January 20th, last year, we've been shown governmental neglect and overreach on an international scale.

The plans of the Trump administration and his supporters are now approaching change on a biblical scale.

The country is against the policies and actions being carried out in our names.

Many people like me, a white Anglo-Saxon, secular Protestant who's a senior, an old white lady retiree in a wildly diverse ivory tower community.

We've been doing what we can, really our duty so that vulnerable black and brown populations can stay relatively safe while we have enjoyed extra privilege and rel and relative safety during our protests.

This has changed now, and the racist shock troops are killing white American citizens too.

Their own racist limitations are being breached, and we're all vulnerable.

This is about terror, sadism, and control.

The oppression is rapidly being extended to people all over the globe.

And it's my understanding that we have a tight window to help restrict ICE activity on Detroit City property.

Detroit City Council member Gabriela Santiago Romero is requesting that Detroit restrict ICE activities on city property, and she needs help to get this passed.

So on behalf of the Rinkleys of Ann Arbor, your know it all sister to the West, I ask you, please provide this help.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is David Roberts.

Hello, and thank you.

I am uh Dave Roberts.

I um resident of District 5, and I want to voice my support for the memo uh to restrict uh city of Detroit support for uh uh ice in any way.

Um we all see that ICE is demonstrating lawless unconstitutional behavior, and we need to protect our fellow residents.

Thank you.

That's my comment.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Stevie Collen.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Yeah, hi, can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi, my name is Stevie.

I'm a community organizer with Detroit Jews for Justice and the Detroit People's Assembly.

I'm here to echo the many sentiments we've heard today and strongly support Gabby Santiago Romero's memo to restrict ICE activity on city property in Detroit and around churches and schools.

There was an article just released the other day showing that ICE abductions in Michigan have doubled in the past year, with 2300 people abducted from our state.

This is an authoritarian display of state-sanctioned violence that is terrorizing Detroit neighbors on a daily basis, including at least six students from Detroit public schools.

Not only are families being violently separated from their loved ones, but are often losing the financial support needed to remain housing and food secure to feel safe enough to attend school.

It is your responsibility to institute stronger protections for the communities that you represent to prevent future violence against Detroit immigrant communities and those organizing to defend them.

Detroit doesn't want ice in our city, so we are acting you to act upon it, that there be no more collaboration with ICE, and that you be on the right side of history.

We are only here today because our ancestors escaped.

We are asking you to not let this happen again in our city.

Thank you, and I see the thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Alex.

Caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Can you hear me, Oka?

Yes.

All right.

What up though?

Um Alex from the East Side.

Fellow Black people on the council.

We are stolen people on stolen land.

Does the ground not quake beneath your feet watching our documented and undocumented neighbors and siblings be kidnapped, beaten, murdered, raped, and enslaved.

We are ground zero.

This happened to us in the indigenous first.

I support Gabriel's memo.

I support Detroit Sanctuary City Ordinance.

I support the removal of flat cameras and all surveillance pointed against we, the people.

Defund and abolish ice and the police.

Ban data centers.

For my city, I demand free affordable and unpolluted groceries, health care, homes, transportation, education, and third spaces for rest and recreation and for clean water for my people.

We have the power to do something.

I suggest we do it.

Otherwise, there will be nobody left to stand for the rest of us that's remaining.

I see the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Julia Solsen.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Hi, my name is Julia Sawson.

I'm a resident in District 2.

Um, also a volunteer with Detroit Jews for Justice.

And I've seen um in my time working and um and organizing in Detroit that this is a huge city, diverse with multiple issues, tax property justice, police brutality, um, homelessness.

Today I am joining the momentum um in support of member Santiago Romero's memo uh about limiting um ice collaboration and ice activity on city property and also a public.

Yeah, unfortunately.

Caller, are you are you still there?

Unfortunately, your the the signal is being uh warped just a bit.

Um we're gonna stop your clock and a minute and five it was and give you an opportunity to dial back in.

You may want to shut your system down and start it back up.

We're gonna give you an opportunity to complete your minute and five.

Uh, Brandon, please note that number.

We're gonna give them a minute five and allow them to come back at the end of the queue.

Let's go to the next caller, please.

Are you there?

Sorry about that.

Next caller is Jacqueline Miller.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Yes, I'm here.

The floor is yours.

Good morning.

Okay, thank you.

Um, I I tried to get down there today, but the parking was atrocious.

Um, to Miss Gabrielle Santiago.

Um, this is Jaclyn Miller, and I just want to apologize to you.

I heard you last week speaking on the hurt you fell, feel felt with people attacking um immigrants.

And I, you know, I feel kind of bad because it seems like it happened after I came down there and spoke.

And I truly, truly am sorry about that because I felt you're hurt.

And believe it or not, I do support that Detroit should be a sanctuary system um um city.

And that is my comment.

Thank you.

Bye.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Sam Scipio.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Hello, good afternoon, everyone.

Um, my name's Sam Scipio.

I am a resident of District 2 here in Detroit.

And uh in my professional work, I serve as a creative lead at the Institute on Race Power and Political Economy, led by Professor Derek Hamilton.

I'd like to start off by saying that Council Person Santiago Romero has my full support to make uh Detroit a sanctuary city.

Um and I will also say the work we do at the institute um solidly centers people in the environments in which we live.

And I know right now in our current political climate, um, there are hit after hit after hit that we have to respond to in an urgent matter.

And I also want to urge us to plan for the future.

And one way we can do that is through baby bonds.

Um, so it's really exciting to see the appointment of Luke Schaefer and to see the city commit to RX kids as part of its programming.

Um, and in our opinion, baby bonds is a great complement to that program as it invests in babies at birth and allows them to be self-determining with a pot of seed money that grows over their lifetime that by the time they turn 18, they can decide what they would like to do with it, and they can decide from any amount of wealth building activities that could be built into the policy, whether it's purchasing a home, investing in a business, starting their own business, or going to school.

There are endless options.

Um it's not something that's glamorous and is going to give hits now, but it's something that is investing in our future and investing in children that are born here to close the wealth gap and specifically close the racial wealth gap.

Um, we know that persists here in this city and throughout the country.

Um, so I would love uh to either have a conversation with my district representative or the broader council.

Um thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is gone.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes general public comments.

Hello, city council.

Um, can you hear me?

Yes.

Awesome.

So I want to speak on the proposal uh that councilwoman uh Ramirez has uh Romero has uh propositioned.

Um it's something that um is relevant to um the entire country, this nation.

Um I've heard the comparison of ice being carried compared to the Gestapo, and I only speak on this because it is relevant, but I agree with an analysis that they're closer to um what folks would describe as slave catchers.

They abduct people from their homes, from their communities, oftentimes without documentation or asking for an ID, and they will ship them off to countries they've never been to to participate in forced labor practices.

What does that sound like to you?

And how long do you think it will be until we are all subject subjugated to the whims of racist homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic agents who only seek to abuse, to gain money, and to gain power.

Their motivations are two um one, uh it's money, a lot of it's from money.

They um you know receive so much money from doing these things, the bounty hunters GEO group.

Um, and so by uh not taking a stand by not doing something to prevent them from working and uh uh abducting and kidnapping and abusing our citizens, you are complacent in their actions.

Again, this is a historic moment.

And by doing nothing, you are saying you are okay with these practices.

Again, this is our modern-day slave catchers.

They are worse than Gestapo.

They are taking people, they're sending them to countries they've ever been to do forced labor often.

Not always, but it will get worse.

They're trying to build a detainment center in Highland Park.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Chloe Ripco.

Caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi, um, my name is Chloe Ribco.

First, I want to say thank you for allowing me to speak virtually.

Um I am a homeowner in District 5.

I'm a third generation American.

I'm a third generation Detroiter.

And it is sickening to me that the opportunities and privileges that were awarded to my white grandfather are being stripped from immigrants who support our communities currently.

I would like to echo support for councilwoman uh Romero's proposal and memorandum to prevent ice from having power and authority in our streets.

I also do believe that Detroit should be a sanctuary city.

And I've heard opposition in front of this today.

By making Detroit a sanctuary city, we have more of our community members out of survival mode.

We have more of us able to band together and support one another.

I think all of these issues are not only for brown people, black people, white people.

They are our issues as Detroiters.

And the more that we are able to band together on these issues and support one another, the farther we are going to get collectively.

And I'd like to use the rest of my time to say, Mr.

President, how dare you pass judgment on a comment that a citizen has made in general comment talking about virality.

The only virus present here is complacency and inaction.

And I do hope that you guys use your power as legislators to put in writing controls and protections for all the members of our city and prevent ice from being, as the previous comments are meant, slave catchers who are kidnapping human beings off of our streets.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller will be Guadalupe.

Caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

I think this is a returning call, correct, Brandon.

Caller, are you there?

That is correct, sir.

Okay.

Please know.

Caller, are you there?

Going once.

Going twice.

Going three times.

Caller, are you there?

Unfortunately, we're gonna have to move on.

We would um encourage you to provide your comments to the clerk's office, and they will be placed onto public record.

Okay.

Next caller, please.

Next caller, we're going back to Julia Sulzan.

I believe you said a minute of five.

Okay.

Caller, let's put that clock up for the colour.

Can you hear me again?

Yes, we can hear you much better now.

The floor is yours.

I just wanted to finish my point and say that I believe that this issue also affects every single Detroiter because of its interrelation with the prison industrial complex and the wars overseas.

Um, if they can do this to immigrant communities, then who's next?

Um, and I believe that our safety is shared through solidarity.

That's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Tracy Joe Rizzo.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have three minutes.

General public comment.

Can you hear me all right?

Yes, we can hear you.

All right, thank you.

Uh my name is Tracy Reed.

I live in District 6.

I would like to echo some of the needs and demands of my fellow Detroiters and support the memos of councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Uh, these include making Detroit a sanctuary city, divesting from war powers that benefit from us as taxpayers, calling on city council to restrict ice within the city for DPD to share all information regarding ICE interactions and operations.

For DPD to end all support for and compliance and cooperation with this rogue federal force from sharing information to assisting cost department in ways such as traffic control and suppression of protesters and observers while raids are happening.

I'd also like to demand the enforcement of consequences for doing these things.

Uh we need you to act with more than your legislative powers.

We know from history that a massive movement of people in the streets is the only way to stand up to tyranny.

So, council members, in addition to the memos and demands being presented here today.

We call on you to join us, not only symbolically, not only politically on its face, but physically in the struggle against the terror from ICE and DPD that the citizens of Detroit are facing daily.

You owe your constituents this.

Fight with us to get ICE the hell out of Detroit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We have one more caller online and ma'am, if you can make your way here so we can have you uh wrap up our public comment section in this particular meeting.

Next caller, Mr.

Whitfield.

Next caller is Gina Brown.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Good morning.

Congratulations to the new members of City Council.

I hope your term results in a positive change for our community.

I commend the individual who nominated Benson for president against Pro Tim Tate.

This decision was crucial in ensuring that Benson did not become president or pro tem.

Congratulations to President James Tate and Pro Tim Coleman Young, who are the better choices for these roles.

Pro Tim Young, as an at-large member, I urge you to support and help residents in District 3.

Someone needs to show us some love.

I recommend that the creation of a real estate task force for Detroit, especially in Detroit and District 3.

Large amounts of property.

I think we just had an interruption with our feed.

Environmental issues in our community are worsening and lack sufficient attention from local leaders.

This neglect is resulting in serious health consequences for our residents.

The council must represent all groups and address injustices proactively, not just reactively.

I support measures that prevent harm to our residents and oppose the presence of ICE in our community.

We are all under attack in one form or another and must fight back together for all causes.

Thank you so much.

Good afternoon, um, council members.

Thank you so much.

One second, we need to get the clock up.

Brandon, get the clock up on two minutes, please.

Thank you.

The floor is yours.

My name is Audrey Borio.

Um, today I speak in my own name and also in the name of my group, indivisible.

I want to voice my strong support of Concealed Woman Santiago Romero's memo to restrict ICE activity in Detroit on city property, especially around schools and house of worship.

In the current context, our memo makes fix sense.

As our nation witnessed last Wednesday with the brutal shooting of Renani Colgood, ICE in America is out of control.

No one in this room wants to be the next casualty of their reckless behavior.

If the federal government has given them carte blanche to commit lawless acts of violence, then it becomes our duty as elected officials or ordinary citizens to take steps to protect all of us.

Where the federal government is so profoundly failing us that it cannot even ensure our most basic safety, make sure that we can stay alive in our own streets.

It is the mission of local authorities such as the Detroit City Council to act as shield to protect the lives of its constituents.

And it's this is my ask today for the city council members to fully support Gabriela's memo.

Turn it into a resolution as fast as possible and pass this resolution in even less time that Rene's shooter needed to pull the trigger.

Thank you.

Mr.

President.

Member of Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

First, just want to say thank you, Ms.

Miller.

If you're still online, I deeply appreciate you and the apology.

And want to say a huge thank you to all residents coming in, sharing with us their concerns.

As we heard, there is very real fear across the board from wanting to make sure that we are protecting undocumented immigrants, but also making sure that we are not turning Detroit into a target against federal, you know, a target for federal agents.

And quite frankly, I think at the end of the day, we have to be working together and we have to do two things at the same time.

We have to, as a council, as a city local government figure out what we can do legally to protect residents.

And as someone mentioned in the comments, the government is not here to save us.

If these laws are not in place, if if we cannot legally do that for our residents, then what is that next step?

I believe, and I have always said it is mutual aid.

It is organizing, it is educated and making sure that we are ready to mobilize when we do have federal agents in our in our neighborhoods.

I can tell you right now in Detroit, um, and and DPD will say this as well.

We don't we do not have the same ICE activity that you see in Chicago or LA.

But as a resident, and and my neighbors will know this, ICE is coming into our neighborhoods at three, four, five o'clock in the morning, eight o'clock in the morning is why you're sleeping and why you're at work.

And we lack capacity to respond when they are in our neighborhoods, which is why we are seeing deportations almost daily.

In the city of Detroit, we are seeing deportations almost daily.

They are fast, they are quiet, they are targeted.

It looks different than it does in other places.

That does not mean that we cannot prepare.

So as we prepare and we ask these questions, um there is the real consequence of if we do something through ordinance or through some official measures that state or federal funding could be cut.

That's a very real threat for everyone.

Um, I do believe that we have a mayor in place that is willing to work and be creative among what we do to protect residents and also not become a target for the federal governments.

I want to make sure that our office is able to work with organizers so that we're able to do this together.

Because quite frankly, if we are told by our lawyers that we can't do anything legally, it's gonna end up being on the backs of all of us having to do know your rights, mutual aid training.

I am happy to offer our office to do something more publicly.

Um everyone should be trained on know your rights.

Um, our mutual aid efforts need to be more enhanced.

We need more help.

We need people to sign up for four or 6 a.m.

uh routes or or time blocks to know that you can be on call of things if things happen.

Um, so I'm happy to do that work as well of building um that infrastructure of care and response that we need.

Um I hope that soon the mayor and DPD can share what the city already has in place and and and to reinforce that and to remind us all that DPD currently we're not allowed to be asking anyone for the immigration status.

Um we are not supposed to be using any of our resources for immigration enforcement.

I think that needs to be stated clearly, reinforced, and we need to be holding our city accountable to that work.

We talked about being creative.

Oh being creative about capturing and and reporting these things.

I will ask residents.

If you do see any agents, um, if if if you are seeing DPD also supporting federal agents, please do take pictures, please do take videos, tell us the time, the day, send that to us.

Because as a council, we are not seeing the full picture.

I I am being in D6, but as a council, we are not seeing the full picture, and that needs to be shared so that everyone on this council is working together to be able to address these issues.

But I know we know deportations are happening in district six, in district seven, in district four, in district one, and we have immigrants here from all over the world and need protections.

Um, so thank you everyone for coming down.

I will continue to work with the administration with my colleagues to make sure that we're moving this forward and would support any other creative solutions, ideas.

Um, but that's all I have.

This is just the beginning, Mr.

President's of figuring out what we can do.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And as everything that we can talk about, there has to be a strategic and very thoughtful approach.

And uh I appreciate uh having an opportunity to work alongside you, and as we not just approach this particular issue, um, but all of these things that we have that are uh press in our city.

All right.

Uh um, Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Just want to um share my support in the work that Member Santiago Romero is doing.

I have had um one or two people reach out to me because there's been a resident in District 4 that has been impacted, but I appreciate the ask to the community to let my office know to for us to be aware of the impact of the residents.

I don't fully know.

Uh, and so I do appreciate you asking for people to share that information so that I have a full understanding of what residents are dealing with, what is transpiring on the ground, um, can be better able to assist and support you, but to also elevate things that are brought to my attention and ask for your support as well, because I do know that uh there is a uh a growing percentage of immigrants in District 4 that are moving into District 4 and want to be able to support them as well.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Uh Pro Tim.

Thank you.

Um, I I just wanted to ask Um, do we have a timeline of when this is going to be ready?

Because I mean, I'll rate it on this now, and I think this is a serious issue.

We just heard a lot of testimony here from people who are being abused, and this has been going on for a long time.

This is going to be going on for much longer than what they've been talking about now.

I I mean, I remember when I was, I feel like I feel like I'm back in the ice ages, but I remember when I wasn't in the state legislature, and people were randomly pulling up on Werner and just randomly picking people up and putting them in the patrol cars at schools, you know, at restaurants.

And so this is serious.

This this is a very serious thing.

I also think that there is a spirit of, I don't think that anti-immigrant is the word.

I think some of this is just Latino hatred.

Um, I think some of this is just you know Islamophobia or transphobia.

And I think that we have to set, we have to set a tone, um, not just for what's going on in this city, what's going on across the country.

And I've said this before, and I want to say this again.

I think part of the reason why we're here in the first place is because we have made a promise to the Latino community uh in the 80s when they gave them amnesty for them to take advantage and exploit their cheap labor.

And this is how we've had people come over here.

They have to work for low wages or for pauper's wages.

These are the folks that far these in our farms, these are the folks that pick our fruits, these folks that watch our children, these people who build our houses.

These are the folks who maintain America and have maintained America for a very long time.

And I think he's, and I think it's hypocritical, and quite frankly, I think it's disgusting for us to after they have kept up their end of the bargain after we have recruited them for the purposes of exploitation and financial profit for us now to be able to turn our back on the very people that have maintained this country for so long.

And so I am very excited, and I am I am I I guess I'm mixed, I guess I got mixed emotions, joy and happiness in terms of being able to wait for this, and I think that we need to vote on this on the utmost.

There's gonna be consequences with this.

I'm willing to take those consequences, whatever they are, wherever they may be, right is what's right, no matter how many people are against it, and what the penalty is for that, and wrong is what's wrong no matter how many people are for it, and what the rewards are for that.

And so we have an obligation morally, and we have an obligation financially, and we have obligations just for a humanitarian standpoint for us to be able to stand up for our immigrant population.

So I look forward to supporting uh member Romero and I want to support enthusiastically her resolution.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Let me let me make clear I I did not hear there was a resolution yet.

Right now, right now, it appears that we're at the point where we are fact-finding, but also crafting and identifying what that strategy would be.

And so I just want to make it very clear.

There's nothing on the table in terms of a resolution at this point.

We are listening, we're learning, but we're also strategizing.

Sometimes you don't do that this way.

You have to do it in a way that makes sure that those who you are trying to uh address in the most positive way are are shielded, are shielded from the negative effects of what could happen if we just do things haphazardly.

And so uh we it may not always be the popular thing because you know, folks want to cheer and uh hear something great coming from our mouths today.

This is about a process, and as we've seen, it's uh it's a marathon, not a sprint.

So just lend it if we win one leg of the sprint or the marathon and don't win the marathon itself.

What have we won?

Not much.

So it's about the strategy, and member Santiago Romero.

I will continue to work with you.

You have the you know, all of us are willing to work with each other about all of these issues.

And this is part of not just when we talked about the legislative agenda that we have moving forward, but even these very hot issues that are in front of us right now.

So with that being said, colleagues, if we can there's no further, we can continue to go through member McCampbell.

Okay, give you an opportunity.

We want to get into this agenda.

Absolutely.

So uh uh thank you, Mr.

President.

I just want to thank folks for coming down today, um, and also extend my support to council member Santiago Romero and seeking the information to protect our communities, especially our immigrant communities.

Um, I also want to say that, and as speakers mentioned today, you know, in the city of Detroit, we do have a shared humanity where we're talking about the issues that are confronting our people.

Um, it is uh we have to make sure that we are lifting up, protecting folks and not really dividing our communities.

Um, just as housing is important, just as uh transportation, just as making sure that folks are there in met is also protecting folks from uh criminalization and uh separation of their families and being deported to places that they don't even know.

So, as we for me as being in this role is to make sure that we're uplifting every resident of Detroit.

This is not an issue of um this or that.

This is not issue of communities being put together.

It's about sharing our values and and voicing our values and acting on our values that actually says that every Detroit here belongs, and that we have a city that can provide for everyone.

So I just want to make that uh that statement and make that clear here.

Um, I will also say, Mr.

President, that a lot has come up about the sharing of data um and entities that have maybe contracted here in the city.

So I do want to make a motion um to uh have LPD provide a report on city contracts with vendors that allow uh the selling or sharing of data with third party brokers and or entities.

Um with discussion, member Santiago Roma.

Oh, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

No discussion on that motion, just something else briefly I wanted to share.

Okay.

Colleagues, any objection to the motion.

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Member McCampbell, we can please make sure we follow up with that written memo.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Uh, member Santiago River.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I just wanted to also share briefly that um just for all of us to know on the council, the clerk's office received over a hundred um public comments, either written um or submitted, um, all around this issue of ice wanting more protections.

Um, and just to be clear, I think that this is all a distraction because we have so much that we need to work on, like transit housing public safety.

Um, and and here we are responding to to this terrible ice aggression.

There was another comment made around us investing in uh um raw profiteers.

Um so I think that's just another thing that the city could be looking at as well.

Um, so I can make a motion for LPD to also help us do some of that research um to LPD.

Are there any contracts that the city has with people that are profiting from war?

Um, I do believe Oracle is one of those.

Um, so we need to talk have these conversations around who we're working with and where they are and how they benefit from tragedy happening all over the world.

So we can send that through a memo as well, but a memo for LPD to look at contracts that might be profiting from war.

Discussion.

With the skirt, there's a motion on the floor with discussion, member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, through you to Member Santiago Romero and perhaps Member McCampbell, I believe that's what Member McCampbell just requested to the LPD.

No, a little different through the chair.

Uh member McCampbell.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, it the motion that I made was related to uh contracts that we have that may allow uh the sharing of data uh to third party entities or brokers.

Got it.

Thank you.

Thank you for that clarification.

I don't know why I heard what member Santiago Romero just requested.

Um, and Member Santiago Romero, I am wondering if you might be willing to connect with the agency that was here to identify companies, entities that they believe um we are working with to make it perhaps a little easier for LPD as opposed to LPD having to go and search and do a lot of um background work if they've already done it.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you so much.

All right, there's a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Any objection?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken and shall be followed up with a written memo as well.

All right, so that closes out our public comment section of the meeting.

Um, Madam Clerk.

Understanding committee reports for the internal operations standing committee under resolutions.

Councilmember Ashville Cottaway on behalf of council member Scott Benson, two resolutions.

Item 17.1 and 17.2.

Thank you so much.

Uh member with Phil Callaway.

The floor thank you, uh Mr.

Chair.

Uh motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line items 17.1 and 17.2, colleagues.

Any objections?

Seeing none, those actions shall be taken.

We will now move to the new business portion of the agenda from the Department of Public Works City Engineering Division.

Councilman.

Councilman says resolutions, items 18.1 to 18.6.

All right, member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Motion to approve 18 points one through 18.6.

These are all various petitions for encroachments and vacations.

There's a motion to approve line items 18.1 through 18.6.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

For the president's report on standing committee referrals and other matters from the budget finance and audit standing committee.

So we put from various city departments.

The two reports will be referred to the budget finance and audit standing committee for the internal operations standing committee.

Third reports from the various seed departments.

Uh, with discussion, please.

Thank you so much.

Um, let me just say that these we will uh the two reports will be referred to the budget audit and the final for I'm sorry, the 30 reports shall be um referred to the uh internal operations standing committee.

But I did want to mention line item 21.1.

Um we did receive for the public, we did receive the uh EOP from the mayor's administration.

Uh and the clock began on January 9th.

We have uh 60 days, 60 days to approve that EOP.

If I'm not mistaken, is that correct, Mr.

Whitaker?

So no, there's 30 days on the appointment, but I believe it was 60 days on the EOP.

Mr.

President, yes, sir.

You have 60 business days, 60 business days.

So it's we haven't done the calculation just yet on when that date is.

But we'll if you give that send it to LPD for report, which is traditionally what happens, then we'll provide a report to you that will give you the date and give some analysis on the EOP as drafted by the mayor's administration so that you have some guidance in your deliberation.

Okay, can we do that right now?

Yes, member with Phil Calloway.

Would you like to do that?

Yes, absolutely, Mr.

Chair.

All right, there's a motion on the floor.

Colleagues, any objection?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

But we do know that the clock will be starting with on the ninth.

It started on the ninth.

But we have you you'll have it will be after but budget or near well, we'll give you the date.

Well, I included all days.

I I landed on March 10th.

So I did I included weekends as well.

Yes, so it'll be even there.

Yes, sir.

And then for the the following line items 21.2 through 21.8, these are the appointments uh that need council confirmation.

Uh, these items again, the clock started on January 9th.

Uh, I did include the weekends, and and I do know that that included it took us to February 8th, but you're saying only business days, so well that's a different calculation for for that because that's just straight counting days.

We did give you a report, but we counted, we've already submitted the report to you.

It was a privileged report.

Yes, sir.

But we we counted as if the fifth was the date.

The fifth, yeah, because that's the date that was widely reported in the news, and we thought that it had been communicated with the clerk.

So, according to the clerk, when we spoke to the office, they had not received it at that point.

Um, so we can definitely clarify that.

So we'll clarify that date too.

Yes, please and get it to you as well.

But you've got time.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

And we are looking to have because we're talking about confirmations to have an extended uh IOS uh session to allow all of the members uh to stand and um uh do through while we go through the interviews of the individuals, the seven individuals that are coming before us and just want to give a heads up.

We're looking right now tentatively uh at uh uh January uh 23rd, January 23rd.

That is a Friday, and it will allow us to go through all of those seven individuals as opposed to breaking them up.

We'll have conversations, please.

Our office will be reaching out to everyone, but wanted to let you know right now, tentatively speaking.

Uh we're looking at that date, which will give us uh well enough time to have additional conversations if we have any challenges uh following the interviews, uh interview part of the process.

Uh Pro Tim Young, followed by uh member Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, my office was told by the law department that it would be 4726 for approval of the EOP by Tanya Law.

I just want to make sure is that maybe they may be right.

I just I was off uh the last several days.

Oh, okay.

I I hadn't done the calculation yet, but that may be right.

That's certainly closer than the earlier date.

Well, well, first of all Ms.

Whitaker, you can do no wrong.

I'm not I'm I'm I want to try to correct you.

I'll just I'll just ask you just for clarification.

Is that the right thing?

That was all we'll we'll get clarity.

Yeah, I just want to make sure.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Uh a member with Phil Callaway.

Yeah, um, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, I um have already asked uh my colleagues who serve on the committee with me, um, member Benson and Member Miller to start drafting the questions that they have for the seven candidates, and I'm asking and encouraging my other colleagues to do so as well, so we can move through um having those interviews and having all the questions answered in um in advance if possible.

So that is my recommendation to my colleagues if you can start drafting your questions for all of the seven candidates.

Um, I've already put that request in to member Miller and uh Miller um Member Benson.

So I'm putting that request in to each and every one of you here today.

If you can get your questions um, and they go to Malik Washington.

They don't come to me, they go directly to Malik Washington, and he will make sure each of the candidates get your questions and get try to get those answers to you prior to um the 23rd.

Thank you.

And that would be in addition to the actual interview part of the portion of the process.

Thank you so much for that.

No, thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh, as mentioned earlier, the 30 reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood.

Um my apologies.

There's a motion on the floor, member Callaway's motion.

Any objection?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, colleagues.

Thank you, Dr.

Powers.

The 30 reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood and community services standing committee.

The reports from various departments.

The three reports will be referred to the neighborhood uh and community services standing committee for the planning and economic development standing committee.

Three reports from various city departments.

Three reports we refer to the planning and economic development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee.

Five reports from various city departments.

So we can vote on those.

Yes, one from Member Callaway, and this would be recognition of January.

It's human trafficking prevention month.

Colleagues, is there a motion to walk this item on to the agenda for uh vote?

That's a motion.

Any objection?

Seeing none.

Discussion, with discussion.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, this gives me an opportunity.

We're just gonna walk it on, but then we'll vote on it.

This was just a walking on.

Okay.

See no objections.

We shall walk this item on.

Uh, and we also have one, two, three, four, five, walk-on from member uh waters, these are task force.

Uh Madam Clerk, do you have those five?

One is the uh resolution establishing the literacy uh task force, another is resolution to staff re-establishing the retiree task force.

The other is a resolution continuing minority business task force.

Uh and we have two more resolution continuing continuing skilled trades task force.

And the last one I have here is a resolution to re-establish the climate resilient task force.

Right, yes, that's that I have, yes, Mr.

President.

These are on for a vote or just referral.

New put place them onto new business now for a vote.

Uh there's a motion to place these items onto new business for a vote.

With this, there's a motion with discussion.

Um pro Tim Young.

Yeah, I just want to add, did we also include the continuing skill trades task force?

Uh yes, sir.

Okay, so maybe sure.

All right.

All right, madam clerk.

Council member called with a resolution.

This is for um the human scene uh provision month resolution.

Thank you so much.

Discussion at this point.

Member Withfield Callaway.

Okay, thank you so much, Mr.

Chair, and thank you, Madam Clerk.

Um, I do want to um show my appreciation to LPD for getting this resolution out and just um in short notice.

Um, and I also want to thank those who came out yesterday to um the very first hotel where the sign um has gone up.

It was installed yesterday at the Crystal House Motel on the corner of Greenfield and eight mile.

I want to um thank our mayor, Mayor Sheffield for joining us.

I want to thank Member Waters for joining us as well, and the honorable um Angelique Peterson Mayberry, who's the commissioner for District 5, and then also our brand new police commissioner for District 2, Lavish Um Williams, they joined us yesterday, and also, of course, our chief of police and his entire team, they were all there yesterday, but I'd like to take this opportunity to read this um very important resolution.

Whereas, according to the United Nations International Labor Organization, human traffickers victimized over 27 million people worldwide, and human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on tribal land and within United States territories.

And whereas more than 20 years since the passing of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, human trafficking still persists, including the forced and fraudulent recruitment, harboring and transportation of people for labor or commercial sex.

And whereas there is no comprehensive data available, however, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has identified 3,307 cases of human trafficking in Michigan, with 6,909 victims identified since the hotline started in 2007.

Although the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission believes that the actual numbers are several times higher, and whereas, while human trafficking impacts people across all demographics, traffickers tend to target vulnerable populations, i.e.

migrants, Native Americans, and other historically marginalized underserved communities.

And whereas the most report shows that Michigan had failing grades in several categories, we got to change that.

We don't want any failing grades in any categories based on state statutes that address human trafficking.

And while the Michigan legislature passed several laws at the end of 2024 to support victims' ability to testify in court proceedings, there are more legislative and non-legislative efforts needed to fully address the severity of the problem.

And whereas there is a need for training and education programs and the creation of partnerships with various community and social services agencies because an educated public is one of the most effective weapons to assist authorities in the fight against this most heinous crime.

And whereas Detroit's human trafficking task force established by myself has been working toward local policies and efforts to address human trafficking, including the passage of a hotel signage ordinance requiring hotels to display signs to create awareness of human trafficking and to provide the hotline numbers for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

And ours is very unique, uh, Mr.

Chair, because we have a 313 designated number that goes to the real-time crime center.

So somebody's in Detroit and they're being trafficked, or you suspect that we have a 313 local number.

It does not have to go to the 188 number.

You're going to have more um, I think immediate assistance if you call the 313 number.

So we're forever grateful to DPD for establishing that 313 number for this purpose.

Whereas anyone who is a victim of human trafficking or known someone who's a victim can contact again the um 1888 number and the 313 number.

Lastly, we're asking Detroit City Council is dedicated to ensuring that anyone impacted by human trafficking can receive services that provide individualized care, address the impact of trauma, and incorporate cultural and linguistic needs.

Now, therefore, be it resolved.

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Callaway and the Detroit City Council hereby recognize the month of January as human trafficking prevention month, reaffirming the commitment to increase awareness and education on human trafficking to make resources available to assist individuals and communities impacted by human trafficking and to build diverse public-private partnerships to support a more comprehensive response to prevent and respond to human trafficking.

Now, be it finally resolved that the city that the Detroit City Clerk provide a copy of this resolution to the Avalon Healing Center, Alternatives for Girls, the Sparrow Freedom Project, the Sasha Center, the Michigan Sexual Assault Assault Hotline, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Member Calegway.

Thank you for this very worthy, very, very worthy uh effort.

Uh look forward to joining you next time uh as well and along the way.

All right, colleagues, there is a motion.

Any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Ms.

Wait, Mr.

Chair, may I request a waiver on that?

Yes, ma'am.

There's a waiver requested on.

No, I know we already moved it to my business.

Just the vote.

There's a request for a waiver.

Any objection, colleagues?

Seeing none, the waiver should be attached.

You're very welcome.

All right, madam clerk.

Councilman was six resolutions.

No, I have did I have five or six more.

Yes, really.

Or I have five, Madam Clerk.

There was one that she withdrew.

Oh, without.

Yes, that's it.

I'm sorry, there are five resolutions.

So for the record, which one was removed?

It was the senior.

Yep.

The senior citizens task force was removed because that was the one that she's jointly working with member Benson.

You wanna remove that one as well?

Okay.

So we did move it to new business, so we need to dispose of it.

Mr.

President.

Um, Member Johnson.

Thank you.

Through you to member waters.

I'm fine with it moving forward as long as um we make the motion to add both myself and member Santiago Romero as co-chairs.

Okay.

And we will uh and again, can you verbally say that for the record?

Member Johnson, the amendment to the climate resilience, climate resiliency task force.

Well, seeing that we're doing this verbally, can we we wanna we're gonna read into the record and then we're gonna follow up with the memo to make sure that everyone has it.

Can we read into the record what we the changes we want?

Motion to add um council member Letitia Johnson as as the chair, councilmember um Gabriela Santiago Romero is co-chair, and member Mary Waters as a member.

Thank you so much.

And that again uh is for the resolution to re-establish the climate resiliency task force.

All right, there are five resolutions that are up for a vote, colleagues.

They have been moved.

Any objections?

Seeing none, those actions shall be taken.

Thank you.

Uh, under the consent agenda, Madam Clerk.

There's no answer, Mr.

President.

We shall now move to member reports.

We will start um on this uh member with Phil Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you so much.

Again, I want to thank Madam Mayor Sheffield, Chief Todd Bettison, A.C.

Hayes, Wayne County Commissioner Peterson Maybury, Representative Um Regina Weiss, um, member at large number one, Mary Waters, and also um police commissioner um Lavish Williams for joining me yesterday at the Crystal House Motel to install the city's very first official human trafficking helpline sign.

We will be out.

My team and I will be out delivering the signs to all of the hotels in Detroit.

We're gonna try to get the ones that are down here first, downtown, because we know the um auto show is coming, and we know for a fact when the auto show is here, there's a huge, huge increase in human trafficking, especially with the with the Canadian um border over there.

Um, so we are um going to make sure that all of the hotels in downtown Detroit and the motels will have a copy of um the sign, and we're framing it for them.

Also, I'd like to thank the residents of Teresa Max's apartments for inviting me to the ribbon cutting of their new food pantry.

Um, the first pantry is on the east side on Grasship.

It is provided by the Metro Food Rescues, and we have ours at Teresa Mask Masses Apartment Building, which is located at Wyoming and Six Mile.

Had an opportunity to be there yesterday, and the senior citizens are so excited.

They have fresh produce coming into the building, they have the refrigerators there, and they also have fresh um fresh fruit and um bagels and bread and English muffins.

It was just um a sight to behold.

So I was grateful that I was there yesterday.

Also a friendly reminder that the housing and revitalization department will host a grant funding informational session, which is virtual virtual for nonprofits serving unhoused individuals on January 20th at 10 a.m.

For more information, you can call my office at 224535.

And lastly, join me for our first coffee and conversation of the year on Monday, February 9th at 8 a.m.

at the Northwest Activity Center located at 18100 Myers.

And congratulations to the oldest Greek organization in the country, founded in 1908 on January 15th on the campus of Howard University.

None other than Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, which is the sorority that I've been a member of for almost 44 years, proudly.

Soon to be a golden source war.

So happy Founders Day to all of my store wars under the sound of my voice and those who are not and all the Soros on the campus of Spelman College where I was initiated.

Mew Pie, the sweet new pie.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, madam chair and happy Founders Day on behalf of Alpha Five Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.

Member Waters.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

On January 31st, we'll do a town hall meeting, Deep Frog Protection.

That's from 4 to 6 PM.

Northwest Activity Center.

1810 Myers.

Again, that's January 31st, 4 to 6 p.m.

Deep Fraud Protection Town Hall.

Please come out and join us.

Help us to spread the word.

Some of you who may not know will be surprised the amount of homes that are being stolen via deed fraud.

And so we'll we're gonna have some very, very uh helpful information for you.

We have a um a plan, something that we're gonna do to help prevent this uh in the future.

Please join us once again, January 31st, 4 to 6 p.m.

at the Northwest Activity Center.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Approach M Young.

I just wanted to say that I have two people in my office whose birthday means today.

Uh Maya Grace and Kennis Johnson L.

So we give you a little round of applause for them real quick.

Uh and I also just want to say thank you so much.

I appreciate you, and I look forward to working with you in the new year.

God bless, and that is my time.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

And I will, for my member of course, just say ditto.

Um, member Renetta.

I just want to say good morning to everyone who attended today uh online and in person.

I am still up and uh getting situated.

I do not have my phones.

I calls have been transferred.

We look forward to working with you in the future once I get our office and um I have a uh you can call or come down, but we do not have ways of communication.

So please forgive us that we have not been effectively moving in our capacity in district five.

We're gonna get you in there.

I promise.

I'm looking forward to it.

Yes, ma'am.

Um, member Santiago.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Just want to share with the district six residents to join us for our first team GSR meeting of the month.

We are going to be meeting on Saturday, January 24th from 11 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

We're going to be at St.

Stephen AME in 48 to 10.

We're going to be joined by our colleagues at LPD to learn about the budget process, what the budget looks like.

And we're also going to take the time to hear from you what you want us to be prioritizing on this budget during this budget cycle.

We want to share that our office hours are continuing this year each month.

We will be at two different locations.

We will share where those are through our newsletters to social media.

Our next one will be at Kemini Rec Center in 4217.

We're going to be there on Monday, January 26th from 4 to 6 p.m.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, good afternoon, everyone.

Just want to remind you all that on Friday, this coming Friday, January 16th at 8 a.m., we are hosting our first coffee hour of the year with an invited guest, uh, my colleague Renata Miller, uh, who will be joining us from District 5.

Uh, the coffee hour is taking place at the Commons at 7900 Mack Avenue on the corner of Mac and Van Dyke.

Again, that is this Friday, January 16th at 8 a.m.

And then on Monday, January 26th, we are hosting our monthly community meeting um at Hope Church on East Jefferson, located at one four four five six East Jefferson.

That's Hope Community Church.

We will have a discussion about complete streets, complete streets, as we've been having some conversations about a complete streets ordinance.

We just want to make sure residents know what the Department of Public Works is doing, moving towards uh complete streets and just making sure that our streets are safe for everyone.

We have also invited the assessor's office, uh Alvin Horn and his team, the chief assessor to come out and have some conversations about principal residence exemptions.

We're hearing from the community that some residents had their PRE removed.

Um, and as a result, their property taxes skyrocketed.

So we want to get the correct information to the community and make sure that any changes that were made um are done correctly and appropriately.

So if you've had that challenge, uh, particularly in District 4, please come out to our monthly community meeting again on Monday, January 26th at 5:30 at Hope Community Church, located at 14456 East Jefferson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Uh member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

President, and good afternoon, everyone.

Um thank you all for those who came down and um joined us online.

I would just want to make a few announcements that we will be having a community celebration swearing and slash a visioning session with District 7 on Wednesday, January 28th at 5 30 p.m.

at St.

Suzanne.

So uh encourage residents to join us as we uh together uh uh think about the priorities and the needs for our district moving forward.

Uh we are also in a place where um we're waiting on our office to be fully ready for us.

So we are working away from our office here um at the municipal center, but our district office at St.

Suzanne is operating right now, so if folks need anything, please give us a call at 313-224-2151, or you can send an email to Councilmember Denzel at Detroit Mi.gov.

Thank you so much, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

All right, that will take us to the end of our memory reports under adoption without committee reference.

There you know, Mr.

President.

Uh under communications from the clerk.

And we put approval overseas by the mayor.

The report should be be received in place on file under testimonial resolutions and special privilege.

Councilmember Johnson, the resolution item number 29.1.

All right, councilmember Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Move for approval.

That's a motion to approve line item 21, 29.1, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken.

Council President for Tim Colomia, two resolutions.

Item number 21.2.

I'm sorry, 29.2 and 29.3.

Thank you.

Approach them.

Uh move to approve.

There's a motion to approve line items 29.2 and 29.3, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none, then action shall be taken.

And I do see Mr.

Whitaker joining us.

Yes, Mr.

President.

I just wanted to indicate that the 60 days for the approval of the EOP will be April 7th.

April 7th.

Okay.

And just for clarity, there is uh feedback that we can provide.

Right.

So we can veto it.

Um, but we can't supplant what we want uh in that document, and there shall it be.

We have to then give the mayor's administration opportunity to then provide us with another uh EOP if we then uh veto it, correct?

That's correct.

Our report will include all instructive information for council's consideration.

Okay, we should have it out.

I will say a couple of weeks.

Okay.

All right, thank you so much.

Just wanted to make sure the public understood.

Umber uh Winfield Callaway.

You're very welcome.

All right, colleagues.

There being no further business to come before this body, this meeting, so stand for July.

Thank you so much.