Good morning, everyone.

All right.

I'm sorry.

Good morning, everyone.

There we go.

A little energy in here in the room.

Thank you for being here this morning and welcome to the session of Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Councilmember Scott Benson.

Member Benson did mention that he would not be here today, so his absence is excused.

Clerk was on note, Mr.

President.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson, present.

Councilmember Nazale and Tom McCampbell.

Present.

Council Member Renata Miller.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Present Council Member Mary Waters.

Present Councilmember Angela Whitfield Callaway.

Oh Member Callaway did indicate that she would be charting.

So note, Mr.

President.

Council President Pro Tim Cole.

Here.

Council President James Tate.

Yep.

Mr.

President, you have a quorum.

Thank you so much.

We're now in order.

The quorum being present.

We are now in session.

We would like to begin the collection of public comments, uh cards for those who are in attendance.

If you have not, if you're looking to uh speak before this body and you have not received a card to write your name on it, please raise your hand and someone will come by and get you a card.

Anyone looking to provide public comment that has not been provided a card just yet?

Okay, just making sure.

But if for those who are at home as well, if you are looking to speak before this body, please raise your hand online.

Please raise your hand online.

We will be closing public comment collection uh shortly.

Uh providing this morning's invocation, we have uh none other than Reverend uh Todd Jarrett, senior pastor of St.

Paul AME Zion Church, located at 11359 Dexter Avenue in District 5.

A native Detroiter and a preacher's son, he is his ministry journey took him across the country before returning back home here to serve in our city.

Uh before relocating back to Detroit, uh Pastor Jared dedicated nearly 30 years to teaching in Chicago public schools, and we are so grateful to have him today.

Good morning, Pastor.

Thank you for joining us.

Good morning.

Thank you so much.

In the spirit of Valentine's and Love, we know that God is love.

Because God is love, it's only in fitting that we invite him into this uh occasion on this morning.

Let us invoke God's presence.

Great as God, our Father, we are so grateful for another opportunity to see another day.

God, our prayer right now is for the world in which we live, the state in which we live, but more important, the city which we live.

God, we call on you to love on Detroit.

Bind us together from heart to heart, from breast to breast.

God, our prayer is that we would have first of all your presence.

So join us here this morning, oh Lord.

Move about this room and help us make decisions.

Then, oh God, not only do we want your presence, but we need your providence.

God, we need you to provide everything that this city needs, oh God.

You have in your hand, so dispatch it now across the city through the highways and the byways, oh God.

That short Detroit might be under your control.

But not only your presence, not only your provision, but we need your power.

Strengthen each of us this day, that we might go about doing the soul saving and preserving work that you have called us to do.

God, our prayer at the mighty, matchless name of Jesus, is that each and one of us will be strengthened for the cause.

God, you are love.

We command over this meeting today, the greatest commandment of all.

But not only love the Lord our God, but love our neighbors and our friends and even our enemies.

We thank you, we glorify you.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you so much, Pastor Jared.

Uh, thank you for being here.

I know you have a long day ahead of you.

If you like to stick around, we welcome you, but we understand if you have an agenda and have to move forward.

Thank you.

Before we move forward, I'd like to uh provide a moment of silence for uh great um Reverend Jesse Jackson who made his transition uh overnight.

So uh if there's no objections, let's have a moment of silence, please.

Thank you so much.

Journal of the session of Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 shall be approved.

There being no considerations or unfinished business, we will proceed with the budget finance and uh audit standing committee.

Um Madam Clerk.

One report from the Office of the Auditor General.

The one report will be referred to the budget finance and audit standing committee for the internal operations standing committee.

Three reports from various city departments.

The three reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee, and the collection of public comment cards shall conclude at this time.

Uh, for the planning and economic development standing committee, ma'am, madam clerk.

Five reports from various city departments.

The five reports will be referred to the planning and economic development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee.

14 reports from various city departments.

The 14 reports will be referred to the public health and safety standing committee.

We will now move to voting action matters.

Madam Clerk.

There are no items, Mr.

President under other matters.

Thank you so much.

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

There are no items, Mr.

President.

Okay, we shall now call for public comment.

All in for public comment.

Team, I need the cards.

Need my lineup.

Right.

A real for real.

Hold on, hold on one second.

Hold on one second.

Hold on, one second, please.

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Yeah, you gotta like energy.

So for those three who are in line, uh, you may those will be our first three speakers, and the team will get me caught up to speed on the next ones that we have available.

Brother Cunningham, you shall be first.

We should give everyone uh two minutes for general public comment.

Let's get that clock up, Brandon.

Thank you.

Morning, Brother Cunningham.

The floor is yours, sir.

Good morning, everyone.

313-444-9114-313-444-9114-313.

That number was made so you can remember it.

And you can put that number in and find me on Facebook.

You can put that number in, find me on Cash App.

You can put that number in to hear the message and to contact me.

Pray together, whatever you want to do.

Folks at home, thank you for your donations of food that I give up at the transit centers and hand warmers.

Like I said, you might be afraid to do it, but you can do it through me or just do it yourself.

And some cash donations for me to purchase bus tickets and taking time off from the taxi cab to advocate.

It is greatly appreciated.

D just DOT is not on time.

The buses are most lackluster on weekdays after 6 p.m.

And on weekends 24-7.

Uh, thank you, thank you, thank you again.

Councilman Pro Tim Young's office for that donation.

I'm wearing it out.

I'm gonna keep on saying thank you uh for a couple weeks here.

Um, also I've been saying for a long time that those that you know have a lower income or just people that come in general should get their parking validated when they come to council to speak or come to council just to view, um, validate parking and give bus tickets.

Um probably never happened, but we can keep on trying.

To everybody in the room, I got flyers for the virtual uh meeting and also chevals having a transportation meeting tomorrow and a free gift to pay it for.

These two love gifts are example of things I give.

There's a portable charger, there's bus tickets and hand warmers.

So get it and then pay it forward to someone who rides the bus in your community, the person that I cannot touch.

So please, I got a flyer for you and these two gifts.

If anybody would take it and give it to someone they know.

Our next speaker, Ben Gardner, followed by Adam Barrett.

Good morning, council.

Morning.

My name is Ben Gardner.

I am Michigan Senior Campaigns Manager for all voting as local action.

Um, and it saddens me that we are here today talking about voting rights and attacks on voting rights, um, as we mark the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Um, because uh we have many reminders that the work continues.

Um I believe everyone should have a copy of our coalition letter in the packet.

Um, I can hand out uh physical copies of the updated letter if uh you'd like.

But there are more than 30 organizations that have signed on to this letter against the Americans for citizen voting ballot proposal.

Um, or as we're calling it the Michigan version of the Save Act.

Um I want to thank you for for considering this important resolution today, uh, opposing policies that silence eligible voters to create more barriers to voting.

Um, as we'll see from the letter, there's dozens of organizations representing voters with disabilities, young people, seniors, rural voters, black and brown voters, immigrant communities, justice impacted voters, low-income voters, faith communities, community service organizations.

All these organizations are standing together to encourage you to pass this resolution.

These organizations reflect Michigan's great diversity and show the widespread impact of this harmful red tape anti-voter proposal.

This is not about voter ID.

We already have voter ID and voter verification.

This is about silencing eligible voters and implementing show your papers laws that intimidate voters, create unnecessary headaches for voters and election officials and hearken back to an ugly history in America that unfortunately is still here.

So in a democracy, elected officials and out-of-state billionaires do not get to choose the voters.

Voters get to choose the their elected officials, which is why we must protect access to the ballot and defeat this ballot initiative.

The pro-voter reforms that Michigan has voted for in the past set several years have elevated our state as a model for free and accessible elections.

And yeah, the attacks and disinformation opinion.

So I urge city council to vote yesterday today's resolution.

And I really appreciate you using your voice as trusted.

Thank you so much.

Next speaker speaker, Adam Barrett, followed by Melanie Smith.

Uh Adam Barrett, uh, Moratorium Now Coalition and Detroiters for Tax Justice.

Um, I'm here in solidarity with the Leland Tenants Union again and their demands around getting their belongings back, ASAP.

Uh, I also support their demand for the city to seize the building.

Um, I find Conrad Mallet's sudden caution around using eminent domain to do that.

Awfully suspicious when we all just watched him uh so quickly justify it when it was about removing Detroiters from their property for the solar farm thing.

Excuse me, I'm getting a cold.

Um, second uh the law department memo regarding DPD interaction with ICE and immigration, uh, that Conrad Mallet is shielding from the public.

Um, I asked council to uh vote to overturn that confidentiality.

Uh, especially since it was just exposed that DPD was caught collaborating with uh at least twice with border control.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Madeline Smith, followed by Charles Miles.

I'm here today in support of declaring Detroit a sanctuary city, but I also want to just echo the sentiments that the last gentleman made about the Leland House.

I didn't can't come here for that today, but I do feel strongly about that comment as well.

But um, for me personally, I'm here to declare or support Detroit being declared a sanctuary city.

I'm not part of any organized action specifically.

So I don't have the most compelling argument, but to me, this is a matter of the heart.

People I love very, very much are threatened by ICE's aggressive tactics.

I currently rent in Ham Tramic, and if Detroit could become a sanctuary city, that would be a huge relief to me.

Uh today is my day off, and I would have loved to sleep in, especially because I thought this meeting started at nine, and I was up way too late last night.

But I'm here in hopes that this will prove how important this is to me.

In fact, I was up late last night searching homes to buy in Detroit.

And right after this meeting, I am linking up with my buyer's agent to Torah Few.

I am so excited.

I love living in Detroit.

I love the idea of living in Detroit.

And I feel like I live in Detroit.

I know I live in Ham Trampic, but I feel very closely tied to Detroit.

And I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

And I have faith that my city will make me infinitely more proud by declaring Detroit a sanctuary city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Charles Miles, followed by Ashley Anderson.

Okay.

I'm here again.

And nothing's been being done.

You get my situation, it's just getting worse.

So this is about the city of Detroit.

Illegally foreclosing my property for missupply payments that I paid back in 2017.

So you and Conrad Mallet has uh hid these facts and won't let it be overturned with the city.

I've talked to you guys individually.

You claim you were working on it.

Nobody's doing anything.

So now there uh is an illegal eviction going on with no judge order.

Uh I contacted city of Detroit police department.

They wouldn't do anything about a legal eviction with no court order, no judge, court order.

Uh the chief himself said you got to stand down.

It's just a civil matter.

This is this situation is not just civil, it's criminal.

So what are you gonna do about it?

I mean, I mean coming down here, this has been going on since 2017.

It's 2026.

What are you gonna do?

I mean, y'all just stay here and be quiet, and all these people just looking.

This happened into everybody.

Everybody thousands of people.

Conrad Mallet, the law department has thousands of cases of misapply payments of property foreclosure cases.

You got illegal millage rates that you're charging everybody in the city.

Double the millage of any other city, but West Bloomfield, Birmingham.

Double.

They're paying 10,000 for 100,000 assessed value houses in the city of Detroit.

They're paying 5,000 in Birmingham on the same property, same exact year make, everything, the same house.

So what's going on?

Yaga yucky is up to y'all to change it.

You can change it today.

Campaign don't.

So just so everyone knows you're not going to have a back and forth with us because the open meetings act does not allow for us to have the back and forth with you.

We will address comments afterwards if that is uh a time for us to do so, if it requires that.

But just wanted to give everybody an understanding of what to expect as we move forward.

Because some of you, I see some new faces here, haven't been here before.

So just want to give you again uh how it's operated here within Detroit.

Ashley Anderson, followed by Gru Rodriguez.

Ashley.

Hello, uh, my name's Ashley Anderson, and I'm here with Detroit Community Action Committee, and we are pleading with city council to make Detroit a sanctuary city.

Now, I do want to start with letting you know that I am not a resident of Detroit.

I am a born and raised Metro Detroiter and Detroit is my home, even though I do not live in the borders.

And I care about this city, and that's why I'm here on my day off of work fighting for a city that for regulations that honestly won't even affect me.

Um but you've said from the beginning that making Detroit a sanctuary city would put a target on our back.

Well, if you look around, there already is.

ICE is active in Detroit and Metro Detroit.

They're judging people based on skin color and perceived immigration status, ripping parents from kids and disappearing them into a system designed to make it hard to locate.

Detroit has the chance to set a precedence.

Let's prove to the world that Detroit fights back by ending collaboration between Detroit police and ICE.

Not only can you prove to Detroit and Michigan as a whole that we will stand up, but you can open resources for Detroiters instead of this lawless militia.

All over the country, people are terrified to leave their houses.

They're being taken at courthouses, jobs, schools, churches, traffic stops, and every place in between.

Making a few of these locations does not help when people are able unable to get to those locations for sanctuary.

Now, in the agenda, I saw three different events looking for approval.

It looks like the African World Festival, Backwoods and Bonfires, and the Easter Fun Fest are all looking for approval for their events.

Well, you can approve those events, but what happens when nobody can show up because they are terrified to leave their houses because you are not giving them the protections they deserve.

People should be able to go to these events and know that they are not going to be tackled or pepper sprayed or kidnapped and never see their family again.

Now, do we have to be at the point that Minneapolis is with ICE blatantly?

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Rue Rodriguez, followed by Cassandra Rodriguez.

Hello.

My name is Rue Rodriguez.

I'm a Detroit District 6 resident and a member of Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria.

And I am here to urge the city council to pass the Sanctuary City ordinance written by DCAC.

As we've seen ICE escalate their violence in the past month with the murders of Renee Good, Alex Predi, and Keith Porter Jr., more and more people are concerned about ICE presence in our city.

We've seen multiple Detroit residents be detained and deported, including three high school students within the last year.

And our tax dollars and city resources have been used to aid those processes.

Meanwhile, Detroiters who have lived here their whole lives are struggling, whether it be with unsafe living conditions, grocery shopping, or delayed illegal processes.

Our tax dollars should be used to improve our communities to ensure that our residents are housed, fed and cared for, not to aid federal agents who come into our neighborhoods to tear families apart.

And while I realized there was a memo put forward by Gabriela Santiago Romero to prohibit ICE presence from working at public spaces like churches, schools, and city spaces.

This would still leave immigrants at risk most of the time, as many of them are being detained at work, traffic stops, or in their own homes.

We need to put real protections in place for immigrants by prohibiting DPD ICE collaboration and city information information sharing with ICE.

And we need to use our resources to uh improve communities for all of our residents.

Uh sanctuary city now.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Cassandra Rodriguez, followed by Daniel Weber Alatory.

Um, hi, yes, my name's Cassandra.

I'm with Detroit Community Action Committee.

I'm also here to advocate for a sanctuary city um status for Detroit.

I think a lot of us, when we hear this, we're debating the label, but people are getting deported.

While we're here having a conversation about what we should call ourselves as a city, people are actively getting deported.

As Ruth said, there was three high schoolers last year, and that those weren't the only people last year.

People continue to get deported.

Black people.

Detroit is a majority black city.

This community is no um stranger to over policing and surveillance, and ice jets adds an extra layer to that, to that type of violence that's in our neighborhoods.

Just yesterday and this morning, we're getting reports about someone in Atlanta, a woman, a doctor that was killed in a ice chase where ICE uh pulled over someone, and that person fleeing for their lives, scared, terrified, caused a car accident.

This is the type of stuff that we're seeing in other cities, and isn't necessarily happening here, but people are still being targeted here.

So we have an opportunity before stuff escalates to a real scary level to actually create some protections for the people that we're supposed to represent.

I think when we have a conversation about sanctuary cities, a lot of people think it's only immigrants, but it's honestly for everybody, these protections.

This allows for us to put our resources into things that we actually need, like rec centers, education centers for our students, um, um safety measures for our residents, housing, transportation.

These are all areas that Detroit needs extra help in.

There's no reason for us to be doing federal immigration enforcement.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Detroit City Council, my name is Daniel.

I'm a Detroit resident and EMT in the city, and I come here today to fight for DCAC Sanctuary City campaign.

Across the country, we are seeing a brutal onslaught of our communities by ice.

We're seeing these monsters tear apart our communities while city governments do nothing about it.

This includes Detroit.

We've seen families destroyed and lives taken, and so I ask why no action has been taken.

It is common sentiment that our resources are not being put towards the people of Detroit.

Our bus stops are worn down, our homes have crumbling infrastructure.

So I ask why our city services are going to aiding ICE's terrorism.

Why are our resources, our tax dollars going to collaboration with ICE?

Why is our DPD supporting ICE's onslaught?

Why are our most vulnerable community members being sold out to ICE?

Trump and his administration have been fighting to stop the Gordy Howe bridge.

This is just the most recent example of how he's trying to shut down the welcoming city Detroit is.

Next speaker, Ivory Burks, followed by Charles Cunningham.

Hello, my name is Ivory Burks.

I'm here to speak up against uh against ICE.

Speaking a little closer to the maximum here.

I'm here to speak up against ICE being in Detroit.

I no one in here should have to live in fear of ICE breaking down their doors or taking their loved ones.

I have younger siblings that I fear every day just because of how they look, they could easily be snatched away from me.

I myself get calls from my mom asking me if I'm going to be okay driving down the street.

I may not live in Detroit as I live in Harper Woods, but I work here, I visit my friends here and practically here every single day of my life.

No one should have to fear ice breaking down their doors.

No one should have to fear ice killing them.

I shouldn't even be here.

Ice shouldn't even be in the state.

I'm speaking about Detroit and how Detroit can make that a change.

DPD shouldn't have no involvement with ICE.

Why do they?

I have no clue.

But ICE is uh ununiformed mercenary group at this point.

They kill and with no repercussion, and yet DPD, a system designed to help Detroit citizens.

Is assisting this.

I'm here pleading.

I'm here stating ICE should not be in the city.

That's all.

Uh next speaker, Charles Cunningham.

Morning, everyone.

My name is Charles Cousin.

I'm 39 years old, originally from Albany, New York, and I've been a proud, I'm proud to call Detroit home for the past five years.

A couple weeks ago, I didn't even know what a police commissioner was, but after doing some research, I believe that I'm an ideal candidate for the role.

I've attended every walk a mile Wednesday this past year, and I find those gatherings to be not only fun, but also therapeutic, especially for someone who has experienced misconduct and police brutality firsthand.

I hold a bachelor's degree in communications in business from St.

John's University, and I also attended law school at the University of Havana.

Over the past 10 years, I've worked across multiple jurisdictions to effectively hold police accountable, both formally and informally.

As an international city, Detroit benefits from diverse perspectives.

Having worked with police around the world, I believe I can bring a fresh global outlook to this board as well.

I work well with others and I care about people, which is most important.

And I believe the chief would vouch for my integrity and commitment.

Just this morning, I left a message with the mayor's office to let them know that I'm interested in the position.

I'm an open book.

If you want to know something, you can just ask me.

Um also believe that the police commissioners board should get paid for what they do because in other cities they do, and they deal with a lot of crap from people and they have a lot of work to do.

Um thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Walter Welch, followed by Michael Shane.

Walter Welch.

Not speaking.

Okay.

Yeah, I don't know.

Okay.

All right.

So did you see the mic?

All right.

I know.

I was that I represent Point Tower 10 unit federation, along with the Leland House, and I have one question.

What is the city council going to do about the living situations of scenes?

I lived in and all these you, all these 10 youth represents this place.

And how fast can we expect anything to be done?

And that's all I want to know.

All right.

Thank you so much.

So we do have someone that's going to be coming online after we complete public comment to discuss the Leland House as well as others.

We have had this conversation before, just so you know, we we did have this just last week and have the individuals saying that there's interest again this week.

We'll have someone um present uh to provide comment.

All right, next speaker, Walter Welch.

No Walter Welch.

All right, Mike Shane.

Mike Shane, come on down.

Followed by Katherine Guyton.

Uh good morning, uh Councilmember Tate and the rest of the city council.

Um, I'm here to representing the Moratorium Now Coalition.

We've been around for about 20 years fighting for housing justice.

Today we're standing in solidarity with the tenants at the Leland House and the other tenants' unions across the city of Detroit.

It is imperative that we all stand in support of the righteous demands to get the goods, their their household belongings out of the Leland House right now.

We also need to support their efforts to turn the Leland House into affordable, truly affordable housing for the residents of Detroit.

Uh I just want to uh point out one thing.

We all you acknowledge that Reverend Jesse Jackson uh passed away.

I think it was yesterday.

I don't know if you know, I think this is before any of you were on city council.

He joined us for a demonstration to stop a property tax foreclosure about 15 years ago.

If he was here today, he would be standing with the residents of the Leland House and the other residents of the other uh uh complexes that are in deplorable condition in the city's BC department, does nothing to improve the living conditions.

So, in honor of Reverend Jesse Jackson, I urge you to support the demands of the Detroit Tenants Union.

Thank you.

You know, one other thing ice out of Detroit, ice out of Michigan, defund ice.

Catherine Gyton.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Catherine Guyton, and I am a member of the Leland House Tenant Committee, and also a member or a tenant at the Leland.

This entire situation has cost me mentally, physically, and emotionally.

I was only days away from moving into the new home that I was going to be moving in before I was evacuated, causing me to lose that residence and the stability I so desperately need to thrive, as I also care for my nine-year-old grandson.

This too has affected him, and he's here.

As I was working at the Leland at the time of the evacuation, but I no longer have that job or a way to earn a living due to this situation because I no longer have an address or a place to even call home.

My savings are gone, my bank accounts are overdrafted, and I have lost my entire food supply.

I have been forced to replace even the most basic necessities, the clothes, shoes, underwear, and socks that I'm wearing now are only because I had to replace them.

But it still isn't enough.

Y'all would have some kind of heart.

What if it was your brother, your sister, your niece, your nephew, your grandmother?

Some kind of heart.

But I would truly appreciate it if you would help us retrieve our belongings from that building so we can move on and finally get our health and our life back together.

Because instead of moving on with nothing, we do have something, and we we we earned it.

It's ours, we need it, and we want it.

It's no more excuses.

We're tired of the excuse after excuses, the memo, this, that, and the third stuff.

Thank you, Ms.

Guy.

Sorry that you you're going through all those uh machines.

Many of you know there are legal proceedings that are taking place regarding what we can and cannot do.

And again, we're going to have someone coming before us uh at the end of public comment to uh describe where we are in that legal process.

Um we're gonna just reserve the comments.

Yes, sir.

We're gonna have everybody here.

I told Mr.

Uh Washington, yes, sir.

So uh next speaker, Wendy Gill, followed by Danise Johnson.

And I do a Dana, my apologies, Dana.

Hello, my name is Wendy Gill.

I lived at the Leland for 10 years.

Can you get a little closer to that mic?

We can't hear well back here.

I hello, I'm Wendy Gill.

I lived at the Leland for 10 years.

Um I just would like to get my things back.

I'm I'm not only asking for myself, I'm asking for Charles Gibson, who has like about um close to like a million dollars worth of stuff, museum pieces in his place.

And uh I feel that was, you know, they could have planned with us and moved us out in the proper way, but still they did a backstabbing, vicious act upon our on our life, our our job, their jobs, and um we live there for so long, you know, and it was just unnecessary to go that route.

And I'd like for you all to set some kind of ordinance that you have to plan with the people before you kick them out.

You had to give them at least a year before you kick them out.

Um, like I said, I want my stuff.

I need my stuff.

All my my uh neighbors need their things.

Charles is not here, but I am speaking on their behalf of Charles Gibson and Wendy Gill.

And please uh as my grandmother said, Don't get your ass on your shoulders, just give us our stuff.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker, Dana Johnson, followed by Melody Richards.

Hello, everyone.

Morning.

I come to you standing in solidarity.

A little close to that, Mike.

We can't hear you.

I come to you uh standing in solidarity with the Leland House.

I have a sister and a brother and friends that has been displaced.

They actually had a hostile takeover, is what she's talking about.

They had less than a few moments to grab whatever they can get in their hands and get out.

Um they have a list of demands, they want their belongings, and also they want to retrieve their own belongings, not have some uh moving company come and grab their things that they have had for 10, 20 years.

You know, they have artwork, they have equipment, they have medical supplies, they have a lot of things that they want to retrieve.

These things have been sitting there for months now.

This has been taken on for months now.

So we don't know the damages.

It's also been a break in.

We don't know if the belongings are still even there.

It's a lot going on, and we're just asking for everybody to stand in solidarity with us and help them retrieve their properties, also get temporary um functions to the elevators, you know, so they can just go up there and just get their belongings and then also have a chance to return back to their homes.

This was home to them.

This was home to them.

And I stand in solidarity and saying, let Lin House residents back into their homes.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Melody Richards, followed by Stephen Rimmer, followed by Donovan McCarty.

Hi, I'm Melody Richards, born and raised in Detroit, and uh resident of the Leland House.

Um basically I'm going on what Dana just said about us wanting to retrieve our belongings, ourselves, our personal belongings, ourselves, because we don't want anybody going through our property, just like anybody else won't want anybody going through their property, moving their property, damaging their property for you to restore lights for the elevators so we can move our property out of the building.

Um, and the right to return to the building once they restore it and do whatever they do with it.

Um we just ask that you all do something about the whole situation because it has been very stressful on every resident in the Leland.

So please listen to our opinions and please do something.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Steven Rimmer, followed by Donovan McCarty.

So good morning, council.

My name is Stephen Rimmer.

I'm an organizer with the Detroit Tenant Union.

Um, at the Leland House, you know, like you've heard residents were displaced due to a power failure, and tenants were left without protection.

So this is not an accident.

This is what happens when renters have no guarantee right to remain when ownership fails.

So this is why we are advancing the right to renew ordinance.

Um it includes a right to return provision for residents going through a situation like this.

It's been about three years we've been coming talking to y'all about this right to renew ordinance.

Um Leland House shows that there's a structural protection that needs that is needed.

Um we're also here formerly proposing that the city of Detroit acquire Leland Building and convert it into city control housing.

Right now, we're paying um for all of these displaced residents, all of these fees, and there's no permanent resolution, anything to address the root problem.

Um, if private ownership fails, the city must stabilize it in public interest.

We cannot allow another system or cycle of speculation or displacement.

So I also want to talk about River Points Towers.

We got our folks up there at the top row.

So residents organized, they formed a union, and they have secure results, maintenance issues addressed, they got the intercom fixed at the front door, the drainage and ventilation has starting to be addressed, and this is what tenant organizing produces.

It produces accountability.

But what followed is retaliation, evictions over minor issues, union leaders like Miss Jackie, Mike, AJ were targeted for standing up when tenants fight for the rights and improve their building, they are punished.

That exposes the imbalance of power in our city.

And here's the truth.

Tenants are already stabilizing buildings.

We are enforcing habitability, we are creating accountability.

Oh, we're just gonna keep doing it by ourselves.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Donovan McCarty, followed by our by Marcellus Bell.

Good morning, council.

My name is Donovan McCarty.

I'm the director of the housing justice clinic at Michigan State University, and one of the attorneys representing the Detroit Tenants Union and the Leland House residents.

Um, so I think I heard that the uh somebody from the city of Detroit uh law office is gonna be here to give us an update.

I'll spoil that a little bit.

The update is there's no update.

Um, the city is refusing to work with the tenants.

Um, the city is refusing to do anything.

From the beginning, we asked the city to intervene on behalf of these tenants as Mayor Mamdani has done in New York.

It's not unprecedented, it's something that can be done, and it should be done, but they're refusing, and instead they're obstructing.

Instead, what they're doing is they're challenging our motions that we organized the legal team.

We don't have the time to do this, right?

But we did.

We made the time so that we could help these folks.

Um, and it was important to us, and they're doing nothing, right?

They're they're not intervening.

In fact, they're challenging everything we do, and they're obstructing every effort.

They're saying these residents can't move into this build, get go back into this building to return their property, but they're gonna allow movers.

What you know, magical force field do movers have that these uh residents don't have to go in and get their own belongings to save them from an invasion of privacy to save them from their things being damaged, stolen, whatever.

Um, and so we're asking for that to be met immediately.

We also uh issued a demand uh to the city asking them to acquire this building.

And that's not just a single demand, that's not just something that is about the Leland.

That's about the city doing housing differently, right?

We want to see the city do things like the home key uh project that was done in California to acquire uh uh motels and hotels, turn them into affordable housing to do something like Vienna did, right?

Think transformatively about how housing could be done and use the Vienna model to create social housing here that creates long-term permanently affordable housing and attracts people to this city and maintains the residence that we have.

So that's really all I have to say.

Uh, thank you very much.

Next speaker, Marcellus Bell, followed by Russ Balance.

Good morning.

My name is Marcellus Bell.

My first time here.

Uh due to the Leland House.

I apologize to the community for not stepping up and being a voice or a solution or whatever we need.

Um, we met with the CBO, Vince Keenan.

We met with Aaron Goodman, we met with the Emily Matthews 2020, met in 2020.

Uh, about the um speak of just development of the Leland House.

The tenants were um asked to stay and be a part of the investment with the other investment groups.

Uh with our rent, they added all our rents up five years.

We spent over 50,000.

The city wants their money, but we can't get our money or apartment.

So um, we want a right to return, or we want our body out.

We had um for low income, we would be paying 750 for one bedroom, uh 900 for two bedroom.

If your income was 28,000 between 28,000 and 44,000, your rent was 900 for one bedroom, a thousand eighty for two bedroom.

If your rent income was over 44,000, your one bedroom was 1200, two bedroom 1800.

And now they want to displace us into the regency the boosters for more rent than this.

So we just want a rental return and to be heard when we're in the news or our videos are edited, and what we want to say is not in the news, but our belongings, but we do want our belongings also.

Next, um, madam, you can please know that we've been joined by member caliber.

Good morning, ma'am.

Uh, next speaker, Russ Bellant, followed by Teresa McCormick.

Thank you, President Taton and members of the council.

I wanted to uh raise an issue concern about the uh data from uh the uh recent revenue estimating conference that occurred last week.

It projected that water rates in this fiscal year would go up 23 percent.

The they said the 25 fiscal 25 uh revenue was 590 million.

They're projecting in this year it'll go up to 724 million, and five 15 million increases up to 2030, going up to almost 800 million.

I checked with uh uh number of sources at the water department.

They have no idea what the revenue estimating conference is talking about.

They're projecting about a four percent increase in revenue, but this is coming from the Treasury Department and concert with uh the conference that includes the auditor general, legislative policy division, and the state of uh state treasury department.

I talked tried to talk to Treasury about this.

They did not want to answer questions.

So I'm asking you to try and get a reconciliation and give us true data on what uh is planned going forward, and I also want to uh uh say that any entity that does illegal break-ins, warrantless kidnappings, putting people in concentration camps that they call detention centers, and deporting them from the United States without due process is a crime wave in and of itself, has no business in Detroit, no business in Michigan, no business in the United States or any other country on this planet, no collaboration with this massive crime activity that they call legal because they're being paid by the feds is powerful.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Teresa McCormick with River Point Towers.

We're standing in with Leland's problems because we're we may be like that situation if we don't have help with uh the capital reality that has the building here.

We have experienced retaliation, harassment, uh illegal eviction that just happened not too long ago with one of the residents here.

We need the council to help us fight these landlords.

Capital Realty is a slum landlord.

This building at 800 Dickerson, East Jefferson area.

I watched it be built across the street at a doctor's office, and it was beautiful.

Now it's rat and it's bug infested roaches, bedbugs.

They need a better guidance.

The city needs to come up with these people, these capital realities, these home of these companies that come in and buy up these buildings, but they don't fix anything.

We've just got carpet pulled out that's been in that building over 30 years.

So can you imagine people walking over the previous tenants mess?

It's never been cleaned, it's never been pulled up until this time.

Capital sent six men here from New York City to help fix the problem.

They put a band-aid on our problem, but that band aid is slipping off.

Roof is starting to leak again.

Management don't know their ass from the hole in the ground.

And I'm sorry to say it, they are the biggest problem at our building.

We don't know what you're doing.

Thank you for helping.

Next speaker is Morgan Boydson, followed by Dan Austin.

Greetings.

My name is Morgan Boiston.

I live in District 1.

On behalf of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, I want to thank the Detroit City Council for introducing this resolution to set the record straight on the proposed documentary proof of citizenship mandate.

Over the past decade, United Way for Southeastern Michigan has advocated for pro voter changes that voters overwhelmingly support.

In 2022, we passed some same day registration, no excuse absentee voting, and in-person only early voting, allowing more citizens across the state to make their voices heard.

Our state's investment in pro-voter policies earned us an A plus grade from the Institute of Responsive Government.

The proposed documentary proof of citizenship mandate isn't a step in the wrong direction.

Instead of allowing voters to registrate, register using a driver's license, this ballot proposal would require voters to show sensitive and often costly documents, such as birth certificates and passports.

In Wayne County, more than half of our households struggle to afford basic budgets.

Families who regularly choose between food and heating bills often can't pull together the 150 dollars cost of a passport or take the time off work to update their documents, nor should they have to.

The documentary proof of citizenship mandate shouldn't just harm voters with wouldn't just harm voters with low income, older Americans and people with disabilities who are more likely to face challenges obtaining an ID could lose their freedom to vote.

This is not a partisan issue.

The people harmed by documentary proof of citizenship mandates cuts across race, background, and political persuasion.

At United Way for Southeastern Michigan, we work every day to help families move from crisis to stability and stability to prosperity.

Voting is an important way that every citizen can raise their voice to make their pathway towards stability possible.

Documentary proof of citizenship mandates make it more difficult for our neighbors to work towards the system at systemic changes we need for everyone to access to prosperity.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Deanne Austin, followed by Allison Briggsby.

Good morning, honorable members of council.

My name is Deanne Austin.

I'm a resident of District 2, proudly represented by Councilmember Angela Callaway.

Um I am here in strong support of the resolution of local democracy, which is opposing the Michigan version of the SAVED Act.

Let's be clear, it is already unlawful for non-citizens to vote.

This proposal that the SAVE Act is presenting, it does not address the real problem.

Instead, it's creating new barriers for eligible voters.

Requiring passports or original birth certificates to register or update voter registration would disproportionately impact all Detroiters.

That's the working class and low income.

I know my mother, my late grandmother, kept all of my documents, and I was just able to afford at the age of 39 my passport.

And I just think that it's really, really hard.

This would also impact our seniors, our married women whose names have changed, our LGBTQ residents who have legally changed their names, and other communities of color.

Many people do not have access to these documents readily available, and obtaining them costs time and money.

Also in Detroit, we cannot ignore the transportation issue.

Not everyone has reliable access to a vehicle, flexible work hours, or the ability to make multiple trips across the city to secure these documents.

When you layer this strict documentation on top of existing mobility barriers, you are effectively restricting access to the ballot for those already navigating these structural inequalities.

Detroiters have fought too hard for the right to vote to see this new red tape introduced under the guise of election security.

Our democracy works best when every eligible resident, regardless of their income, their race, gender, or zip code, has equal access to participate.

Support in this resolution, and I standly stand firmly in the protection of the Detroiters' fundamental right to vote.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Speaker Alison Briggsby, followed by Daryl Stewart.

All right.

Good morning to the Detroit City Council.

My name is Allison Grigsby, and I am the education programs manager with voters, not politicians, as well as a lifelong Detroiter currently residing in District 5.

Our organization was founded on and centers itself on the first sentence of the 1963 Michigan Constitution that all political power is inherent in the people.

And this quote has been the motive surrounding all of our pro-democracy work, working to ensure that all Michiganders can utilize their political power.

I am here today on behalf of VNP to ask that you support Council Member Santiago Romero's resolution in support of local democracy and against any ballot proposals or legislative efforts that would impose harmful and unnecessary barriers to eligible Detroit citizens to register.

The current ballot proposal being circulated by Americans for citizens voting is not backed by everyday Michiganders, but by out of state special interest groups and billionaires that aim to undo the pro voter reforms that Detroit voters overwhelmingly supported in 2018 and 2022 and were imposed detrimental proof of citizenship policies that would make it harder for eligible citizens to cast their ballots.

Unfortunately, many Detroiters have been misled about these petitions.

These are not voter ID proposals, but documentary proof of citizenship proposals and require that every Michigan voter have to provide their birth certificate or their passport in person, um, basically to their clerk before November 2027 in order to stay on the ballots.

And over 700,000 eligible Michigan voters already do not have access to these documents.

And this will particularly impact young voters, voters of color, elderly voters, disabled voters, and more.

And we do want to affirm that there are already laws in place at the federal and state level that ensure that only citizens can participate in our elections.

And on behalf of voters, not politicians and voters across Detroit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Darryl Stewart, followed by Betty Lyons.

Right?

Yes, you may put it.

So my name is Daryl Stewart, 67 years old.

I am a tenant in the leal and a member of the Leland tenant union.

What I'm here to say is this I'm gonna break it down like this.

All of a sudden, we're doing okay in the building.

Power goes out.

We gotta evacuate under the guise of urgency emergency.

We get that.

We have to move forward with our lives.

But are we trying to get these little things we need to move forward?

We can't because emergency get out.

Okay.

We got ourselves together now.

We need to retrieve these things we need from the building, which we can't do because evacuated and deemed unoccupied.

We have to get in and get our things that we need to move forward.

This is stuff like think about this.

All of a sudden, you left your grandmother's diamond ring she gave you.

You got this stuff from dad back 50 years ago.

You got stuff you collected these last 20 years that you need to move forward, like birth certificates, uh social security cards, things like that that will move you forward in this world we need these things in.

And medical gear that's inside there.

Are you trying to grab that in state emergency?

You some people have pets.

We got them.

What we're against right now is this.

We need to get in that building to get retrieve our belongings so we can move forward.

That's it.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

It's become a mental and psychological psychological and physical thing.

One is awesome.

And we're not kids.

We're gonna have someone again, uh, a couple of folks who are gonna be coming on after public comments provide uh information on where things stand.

Our next speaker, Betty Lyons, followed by Eliberty.

No sanctuary city.

Let ICE take these illegal immigrants out.

How they did the black slaves, bought us over here illegally.

We built this country, never was paid, and we still haven't got paid.

There's over 600 million dollars that belongs to the Detroit residents.

We haven't got that.

You're not fighting for that, but you want to fight for some illegal people that shows your satanic spiritual.

Anybody that supports illegal action is satanic.

And that uh milk thing, what do they call that?

Um about the breastfeeding, that uh lactation, that's a doggone uh hair brain scheme to get money.

As they say, if you don't stand for anything, you'll fall for anything.

So I had five babies, breastfed all them rasco loved every bit.

So I had five babies, breastfed all them rasco loved every bit, and it y'all making it harder than what it is.

I got on the bus with my baby, breastfed him, no big deal, and you don't even include the father.

That is awful.

No mention of a family, father, mother, and child, nothing like that.

That is awful.

So I want you to think about that.

Don't let them folks come in here take money and don't do something because that's gonna fail.

These uh well endowed women, I see them bottle feeding their kids, and do kids even marriages even want kids nowadays.

They take in dogs and cats as their children and call the dogs and cats.

That's my baby, and be on television crying over dogs and cats.

So don't let these folks fool you out of that money.

I thank you, and Mr.

Tate, you take care of yourself.

Our next speaker, e Liberty, followed by Cameron Lee Fitz L.

Good morning.

Bless you, just bless you.

Um, so good morning.

I was going to spend my two minutes listing many reasons against turning Detroit into a sanctuary city.

It would actually create a dangerous place for those who everyone seems to want to protect.

Refer to the TV shows, Chicago PD, Law and Order, Special Victims Unit for the horrors that a sanctuary city would create, the indentured servitude, and it could lead Detroit into a second embarrassing uh bankruptcy.

It's complicated, but it'll be worse than the 1930s prohibition and bootlegging days in Detroit.

But there's something missing here of focus.

Um, this is my first government meeting I've attended that doesn't say the Pledge of Allegiance.

The invocation is great, at least God is here, but every action you as council, staff, schools, contractors, all boards and commissions should be laser focused on U.S.

citizens and taxpayers, period.

So as a proud patriotic reminder, through the council board president, I invite everyone to remove your hat and stand for the pledge.

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all U.S.

citizens.

Please put it back in the beginning of the meeting.

Again, I've attended hundreds and hundreds of courts and commissions, school meetings, every you need to put it back, keep the focus.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Cher Williams, followed by Mr.

Rora.

Can you guys hear me?

Hello.

Okay.

The mayor's job is to make sure the citizens of this city of Detroit well-being is taken care of, the safety.

Council members, you all make decisions that impact the citizens of the city.

It's unbelievable.

When we sit up here and we talking, and you absolutely right.

We need to focus on what's really going on.

When you all allow for the last 13 years, I'm gonna go back 13.

That's when the FBI gave it back to you all.

How is it possible that we have illegal immigrants on the Detroit police department in ex-offenders?

I've been talking about this on so many different levels.

He came and got them weapons from 3426 Mac Avenue.

So I don't care what you guys say when you allow an ex king pin on the Detroit police department.

And the man that raped me, he worked at the third with a fake nine.

So I'm at the Secretary of State Office.

This is for you, Romero, your P.

Okay, so I be 59 on the 4th of July.

I never had a problem receiving my license.

So this is what they're doing.

It's not just ace-convicts, ex-offenders working on the Detroit Police Department.

They got a hookup because they all over the place because I'm in the Secretary of State Office.

They give me my information is wrong.

I was born in 1967 on the 4th of July, but I'm seeing these people coming here.

That must be the hookup on West Grand Boulevard where you can receive fake identification.

And you talking about uh what?

No, when you steal it, how much money?

How much money are you stealing?

Let's keep this 100.

So when Tracy Allen got shot, have your attorney check and see if oh he was an ex-offender because they had to pay 25 million.

They might have to pay more.

Next speaker, Lee Fitz L.

I see Islam Alekham.

Praise the Lord, everybody.

I'm Charles Diggs Singh's grandson.

This is a disgrace.

Okay.

As well as Charles Diggs Jr.

Eln Rising Council.

Um I come today.

First off, Jesse Jackson.

I remember I was in Berg of Mississippi Burger Prison, and Jesse helped them from killing me and got me out of there.

Okay.

And he also last time I seen him was that John Cony's home going.

He said, Cameron, your mama told me what's the chicken.

Every time he comes to East High School, you get a chicken from my mother.

And so anyway, this is about the water quality.

We got the worst water in the world.

Right there coming from Great Lakes Ford and throwing through these pipes, which is gone.

The truth is on a landfield.

We don't know what's on each there.

Them pipes decayed, and everything on existence no more.

Okay.

Goes all the way to Flint.

My brother, making Bishop Jackson Jefferson's working on Flint.

This been going on for a long time.

Say, take the throwing on my side.

When she last said, I'm gonna get 200 million dollars to me a time to change fight.

I said, trick no good.

You don't hear nothing about that no more, did you?

Okay.

Now the baby one way kind of wants to throw sighting in one middle belt, one instrument, both of them contaminate.

They said it was 25 million dollars.

So Bill Thursday, but what?

It's commentary, contaminate.

My girlfriend, dog for tea or dull, and go last third, got three different pairs from the water.

And said, Don't drink the water, don't do the two things, don't do everything.

Well, my brother both.

Well, what's in the water?

Why got a book?

Once you want to cool up, still the pair of sets in there.

The whole thing is illegal.

Okay, unjust back.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ruben James Crowley Jr., followed by Steve Walker.

Hey, that car said Rurah, Mr.

Time has begun.

James Tate, you never should have called Antonette Ivory, Kenisha Coleman's mother, and told her I wasn't the right representative.

So now I'm gonna display for you exactly just who the F I am.

I'm young blood.

But a booster projects in 1980.

Nah, Dodo ain't here, but is gone, fancy bill to back me up with what I'll say, but all the rest of them is still around.

They in town, a few of them.

So we all gonna focus on you and Angela Callaway, Angela Whitfield Callaway, the scoundrel grandstander with the 203 million dollar affordable housing program, but she don't want to talk about nor looking me in my eye.

But Gabriela Santiago Romero, I'm now over in district six.

Yeah, my old stumping grounds.

I got a new residence over District Six, and we're two and Mary Waters.

I know a lot about what's going on for real for real in this town.

J tape, your whole fraud, you and that pastor, Solomon Kenlock.

Y'all think I'm slow.

You said I was a social media entity.

Well, what did you call me?

I'm gonna show you how social I am.

I'm real, I'm real.

Nickname I was given back seat of a black limousine, apartments parking garage by Detroit Matter.

She said I wasn't no jet and I wasn't no.

So she was just gonna call me what I was real.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Stephen Walker, followed by Ronald Foster.

Somebody loves you.

Hello.

My name is Steve Walker.

I'm a resident of District Six.

And as always, I support my councilperson Gabriela.

I salute you for bringing forward this resolution to oppose the ACV petition drive in Michigan.

Usually when Republicans are picking on voters, they pick on black people or brown people.

This time they're being real clever, they're picking on uh women, which is half the population.

Uh in the case in my own case, my wife changed her name when we got married to my name.

That was 26 years ago.

I had no idea where our marriage certificate is.

So if this proposal were to pass, we'd have to go through all sorts of conniptions, uh, go downtown and get another copy of our marriage certificate to make her eligible to vote.

So uh again, this is an outrageous proposal.

They have all this rhetoric about how elections are wrong, uh wrongly held in the United States.

It's a total lie.

Uh Secretary of State Benson just did an audit of the last election.

She found 15 illegal voters.

Uh, people don't remember, but back in the early 2000s when we had a Republican Secretary of State, she did an audit of Michigan elections.

There's four or five million people vote.

She found the Republican found 28 illegal voters.

There's no problem with voting in the United States.

It's a total lie.

President Trump had took 60 cases to court trying to prove the 2020 election was stolen, and he lost 60 times.

He found one judge who gave him a slight victory, but he lost that case as well.

Again, man.

So again, I hope you will approve this resolution today.

Thank you.

And I thank you for your consideration.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Ronald Foster, followed by Jacqueline Rice.

Um, good morning through the uh council.

Just very briefly.

Uh, during World War II, the city was labeled as the Arsenal for democracy.

It was labeled as the Arsenal for Democracy because they came together to create tanks and planes and everything else for the benefit of everybody.

It was World War II.

I just challenged us today to not let our democracy become a hypocrisy.

Okay, so I'm grateful for the skills, trades.

I think that's very needed.

That's something that's available for everybody.

When we talk about our police and BOPC, I'm glad they're making some strides to change forever.

There has to be a change of culture, accountability.

As a young man that's been out here, I've come across officers who have now the chief of Highland Park, who is now the chief of Dearborn Heights.

I've never encountered a Chief Bellison in my walks out here, anywhere else.

And so that is to say a lot about walks out here in the community.

Secondly, when we look at the Leland House and these people that are in here, they're seniors.

I'm just very uh disgusted with the idea that this is occurring in the DDA, somewhere that's had over six billion dollars in the last 40 years.

And if the DDA can't come together and make it right for this particular building, then what are we standing for?

Let our democracy become a hypocrisy.

Okay.

And so uh when you retaliate on citizens, I think that's important that you should create the space to address them personally.

If you do it within your capacity, then you're doing it with a 6,000 police force behind you.

That's what makes it a violation of color of the law.

That's what makes it contemptuous.

You cannot strong iron this community, and lastly, uh, I'm not always having always been a fan of police, but I respect Sergeant Knox.

I think you guys should consider him for Master Sergeant or something else.

He runs a tight ship.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Jacqueline Rice, followed by Barbary Logan.

Uh hi.

I come here today, uh, stand in solidarity with the leading house, but I also come from River Point Towers.

I was one of the persons I'm in the tenant union uh union at River Point Towers.

I was retaliating against.

I just got my rights back to stay in um, they gave me a 30-day notice for me to move.

It was the worst three weeks of my life with me not knowing where I have to go, getting put out for something that I didn't do.

Getting put out for something that I didn't do.

You know, they say I was uh verbally abusing staff, harassing staff.

How can I arrest you when I don't be around you?

So if it wasn't for my tenant representative Steve and my tenant union people at the building, uh I don't know where I would be or where I'm going.

But they recited that 30 day eviction as of yesterday.

So that's one thing good they done.

But the management and River Point Towers, they don't know what they doing.

Stuff they need to take care of in the building, they don't even bother it.

They don't have no sense of you know loyalty to the seniors.

You know, talking to them, it's just like they treat us like it's nothing.

So what needs to be done is uh we need some help at River Point Towers at 800 Dickinson Street.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms.

Barbara Logan will be our last in-person speaker.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm Barbara Logan, and I'm still fighting the fight for overassessment of property taxes, but I'm just going in a different direction.

But today I'm here because we as a majority black city must do more to honor our black heroes, and in turn prioritize our own interests and words without the need for outside approval and red tape.

For example, as I walk down our beautiful riverfront, I look for the statue of Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

I could not see it from the riverfront.

I had to go through what looked like a maze through snow and flooding on the sidewalks, as if nobody was interested in visiting his site.

All on the way, I passed by the statue of Abraham Lincoln.

It was sitting next to this.

That statue was twice as big as Martin Luther King, and it was sitting in the courtyard next to the Veterans Memorial Building.

Beautiful.

Martin Luther King when I when I got to him, he didn't even be, he wasn't even on a pedestal.

And he on his back was sentenced.

The death on that track.

That's how we honor our black heroes.

He was facing the Detroit River Detroit.

Nobody could even see him from the riverfront.

I think that's appalling.

How do we treat our black heroes?

Our black residents in the city.

Thank you.

We should now transition to our online speakers.

Mr.

Whitfield, good morning.

I believe we have 20 online public commenters.

Who's our first caller?

Morning, Council President.

Our first caller is phone number ending in 169.

Caller ending in 169.

The floor is yours.

Two minutes general public comment.

Paul, are you there?

Hello, can you guys hear me?

Yes, sir.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Cunny ham, cunning ham, cunning ham.

Listen to this quote by Oprah Renfrey.

Um, surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.

Again, surround yourself with only people that are going to lift you higher.

Surround yourself with only people that are going to lift you higher.

Everyone listening, yes, you listening.

Thank you for praying for Brother Cunningham.

Your prayers are working.

I got this information for the Zoom meeting from Cunningham's Facebook page.

I also see the nightly city council meeting, district seven on Cunningham's Facebook page.

I think the local advisory committee D dot meeting is today at 1 p.m.

I'm praying for Mr.

Cunningham's energy to be increased so that he can continue to do the work of the people.

Cunningham is the underdog doing God's work.

Cunningham is the underdog doing God's work.

Cunningham is the underdog doing God's work.

Powers that be, thank you for listening.

Thank you for my time.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

James Chandler.

Excuse me.

Mr.

James Chandler, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes to the Republic Comments.

I am here regarding petition 2026-009, the Civil Rights and Constitutional Reform Act.

It was on the agenda for two weeks, which feels like two days.

This body officially heard my petition, acknowledged its legal merit, and then refused to enforce it.

The Detroit City Charter is not a suggestion.

It is a legal contract with the people.

Article 1, Section 101 defines this government as a service institution.

It exists solely to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of its residents.

Section 102 contains your pledge that every official will be held accountable to fulfill the intent of this charter by acknowledging the constitutional mandate of my petition and then failing to act.

You have broken that pled.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Mark Snipes.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Can I be heard?

Yes, sir.

Uh first of all, let me start off by saying to you, congratulations for that leadership position you have.

It gives me great hope for this city.

And second, the reason that I'm calling, I'm calling on the behalf of Black Elevation.

Uh cannabis group of black owned dispensary owners, growers, processors in the city of Detroit.

And how displeased we are about the removal of Kim James from her position.

It took us a long time to be a part of this cannabis industry for black folks in the city of Detroit to be a part of it.

And the person that y'all removed helped bridge that gap between ownerships and the city, helped us work together, helped us communicate together.

So I would love if y'all look into the reason why she was removed and see what we can do to reinstate her.

If y'all not reinstating her in that position, y'all need to be putting her into a better position because she communicated with us in a way that we felt like we were a part of this city.

We were heard in this city.

So I just wanted to fight on her behalf.

And you know I'm a fighter.

Uh and if I have to come down there, I'm coming down there.

But y'all need to really look into that situation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Thank you, Mark.

Next caller is owner Papa.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Uh yes, I'm here.

May I be heard?

Yes.

Yes.

Um, this is very much hypocrisy.

This is what we're looking at.

You can see these people come down from Leland House, and we have gotten millions upon millions of dollars, of which Julie Snyder has misappropriated and misused, and then you go and put her back in the same position.

And you hear that Conrad Mallet is actually working against the people.

And you did the same for him.

We the people are asking you to remove these people from these positions because they are inadequate and they're incompetent, incompetent in that they are not working for the citizens for the city of Detroit.

If if if if they don't, if that didn't tug at your heart, or if that doesn't show the humanity that you lack on this body, I don't know what does.

People come down and ask for this to be a sanctuary city.

It's not a sanctuary city for us.

We've had children freeze to death in the cold, shot through the throat by the police, fall through floors into defecation.

I don't, I don't see your energy around those things.

We just had a woman shot six times by the police for no reason, other than he just wanted to, and then he lied about it.

I don't see the chief coming down making an explanation, an apology, saying what's going to happen to these people and everyone that was there on the scene.

Because if you see something, you must say something.

That is what they tell my community.

If you see something, say something.

They had to have seen it.

That they all lie on their reports, and there should be some something, not indemnifications, and not me paying for their legal representation.

I mean, getting rid of these people.

We need you to do your jobs.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is William M.

Davis.

William M.

Davis, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Uh good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

I like to speak in support of the Leland House hostages because that they're being held hostage.

You know, you got their possessions, you know, the uncertainty about how they're going to live and what's going to be going on with them.

And so it should be greater support from them.

Also, separately, you know, uh, ICE has been continue to do uh horrible things in the city of Detroit.

And we need to call that to attention.

But also, attention needs to be brought to the fact that we have police officers.

You know, I get reports all the time.

People still think I'm a police commissioner or other things.

You know, I've been out there for almost over four years.

But we have young people that are being bungrushed at gas stations and party stores while police officers are running up to them and patting them down and searching them, asking where's the gun.

You know, this cannot should not be happening in a majority black city, but it happens, you know, for black and brown young people, teenagers, 20s and 30s, like it's nothing going on.

And Comrade Mallet knows this.

You know, he's been at the Board of Police Commissioner meetings.

I think it's an injustice that you have the corporation council there.

The Board of Police Commissioners need to have their own separate independent council.

That way the people perhaps trust the Board of Police Commissioners more and trust the police department more.

You know, there's a whole lot of things that need to be improved in this city.

But you know, we need to make sure there are greater transparency.

And we need to make sure that everyday citizens, you know, young black and brown people don't have to worry about just going to the gas station.

You don't have to worry about going to the party store.

Don't have to worry about being in public and being bungrushed by police officers.

And and as always, I think the city need and should be doing more to help the city of Detroit retirees who this whole recovery has been on our backs and continues to be on our backs, and we see it every single month.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

General public comment.

Good morning.

Can y'all hear me okay?

Good morning, thank you.

This is Casey Pellet, resident in District 4 and policy manager with Detroit Disability Power.

Um, as many others, I'm here today to urge you all to vote yes on the resolution in support of local democracy in every state, including Michigan, already has strong checks and balances to ensure only eligible citizens vote.

When someone registers or votes for the first time, they have to provide their social security number or state ID and election officials verify their eligibility.

Non-citizen voting is already illegal and very exceedingly rare.

This proposal goes much further and not in a good way, requiring citizens to produce passports or certified birth certificates.

And these are documents that millions of people do not have easy access to.

Roughly half of voting age Americans don't have a current passport.

And for many Detroiters with disabilities, obtaining those types of documents means navigating incredibly inaccessible offices and processes, transportation barriers, long processing times, and added costs on limited and fixed incomes.

Many disabled voters rely on absentee voting, accessible early voting, and streamlined registration processes and adding any additional type of new paperwork requirements creates confusion, delays, and real risk of eligible voters being blocked from the rules.

Not because they're ineligible, but because bureaucracy got in the way.

And that is something that the disability community is all too familiar with.

This proposal is not about security.

It's an excessive mandate that would create chaos for many local clerks and harm eligible voting citizens, especially seniors, low-income residents, and people with disabilities.

We should support accessible, secure elections, not harmful and unnecessary barriers.

Please vote yes to support our local democracy.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Next caller is Veronica Smith.

Smith, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Good morning, everyone.

My name is Veronica Smith with the Coalition of Property Tax Justice.

During their first 100 days in office, the coalition of property tax justice is asking Mary Lex Sheffield and Detroit City Council members to implement the following action plan to address illegal property tax overassessments in Detroit once and for all.

Newly elected leaders must one ensure Detroit's property tax assessment officials have the highest state certification to serve in their important positions.

Two, take action to fully implement the property tax reform ordinance by improving the Detroit Notice of Assessment, timely processing, excuse me, timely producing an independent audit of the city's property tax assessment data and disclosing the property tax assessment data.

Three, mandate that the assessment division does not use only warranty deeds in their economic condition factor, the ECF analysis and correctly depreciate homes.

Four, improve the principal resident exemption PRE by removing ineligible LLCs from the PRE rolls and making it easier for wrongly removed homeowners to reinstate their PREs.

Fifth, create a plan to provide property tax credits to compensate homeowners who previously overpaid their property taxes.

Now on a personal note, I'd like all of us to call our state senators, Gary Peters and Alyssa Scottkin at 2024, 3121.

Last week the House of Representatives passed a new version with the Republicans Republican so-called Safe Act.

This bill would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters by requiring them to provide a passport or an original copy of the birth certificate to register or update their voter information.

21 million American citizens don't have those documents readily available.

This would hurt hard working class Americans, older voters.

Caller is Mrs.

Mayberry.

Can you hear me now?

Yes.

My name is Bernard Mayberry.

I am calling in regards to the reparations that need to be given from the city of Detroit for a displacement of the black residents of the city of Detroit.

I wanted to know if it's going to be renovated as promised by the city of Detroit.

I came before the city council for the last three years on that issue of the park being renovated because it has been passed over for many, many years.

Over 20 years, last year was the 45th anniversary of the park, and the park had not had no renovation.

Money has been spent on other parks in the city of Detroit.

And this park has been neglected for over 20 years.

We have no lights there.

It uh doesn't have any representation of Martin King on the on the park itself.

So I'm looking forward to working with the city of Detroit on that issue.

Also, I don't think that Detroit should be a sanctuary city.

We already are overtaxed and uh bringing in other entities where you will not even take care of the residents of the city of Detroit is just atrocious.

And I think that also the water, the water here in the city of Detroit.

Also, we have never had a water, a board water alert in the city of Detroit.

We have had more water alerts.

Never in my lifetime, and I'm been a resident of the city of Detroit, born and raised here in the city of Detroit.

And I feel that we need to do more about that.

Uh and thank you for the new city council members.

Let's see if if you can do some of the work that needs to be done in the city of Detroit.

And also that Martin Luther King statue that sits uh facing um Canada.

I think uh it is just awful.

It doesn't represent Martin King at all.

All right, thank you for that.

Uh next in the queue is Samsung SMG991U.

All right, go ahead.

Floor is yours.

Two minutes.

Samsung going once.

Samsung going twice.

Samsung going three times.

Samsung going three to third.

All right, Sam.

So you can email your comments to uh city council.

Who's next in the queue?

Next in the queue is please stop black bottoming residents.

All right, floor is yours.

Two minutes.

Go in once.

Good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes, I can.

Two minutes.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Thank you for two minutes.

Uh I'd like to thank member Tate for taking a moment to honor the late Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.

Won the Presidential Democratic nomination in the state of Michigan.

However, I must say, if you were here today looking at some of the things going on in Detroit, I don't think he would approve of it, such as using eminent domain to take people's private property for solar farms for DTE.

And yet you have all these displaced residents from the Leland here begging you to be able to go through their own belongings.

And what led to this was the DTE.

They had a DTE of 20 million dollars.

Well, with everything that the city is doing for DTE, then maybe this city should ask DTE to turn the lights back on, let them back in there and use eminent domain to take this property.

It would be a proper public purpose to not put people through all of this, what's been going on.

I suspect there's probably a little bit of funny business behind all of this.

Uh literally are citing uh the the inway slum clearance of black bottom in 1951.

So not all the members here voted the black bottom residents, but many of them did, including member Young.

Uh also for those who want a marriage certificate, you if if you were married in Wayne County, you go to 400 Monroe and it's 24 dollars.

Um if we truly care about voting rights, so we got to make sure we have proper voting roles and people off the voting rolls who are not eligible to vote.

Otherwise, folks, we don't get what we deserve if we don't have fair elections.

So don't be fooled by the top.

Next caller is telephone number in ending in one two four.

Caller ending in one two four.

The floor is yours.

General public comment.

Yes, sir.

The next number is Hello.

Oh, there we go.

I already spoke, thank you.

Yeah, Ms.

Warwick, if you can please from now on, only dial in on one call, one phone.

That that's that'll be helpful for us.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Tahira Aman.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Good morning, uh, President and Council.

And you're running this uh this a lot better than it was when Mary Sheffield was president, and I appreciate that.

Uh, this is uh uh a call for all residents in Detroit.

We were illegally overtaxed, almost a billion dollars, and a hundred thousand of our homes were illegally foreclosed, and so it um 84 percent of the lowest value homes have been um uh well have been uh overtaxed, and so it's happening at the assessment level.

So uh the coalition with property tax justice will appeal your property taxes assessment.

Um, and you can call us at 313-438-8698, 313-438-8698.

We'll peel your property taxes for free.

84% of you need our help.

Okay.

Also, Christmas Addicts was the first person to die for the revolutionary war, a black man.

Um, we we were here before 200-year birthday.

We were here 200 years before America became uh a nation.

So a black and and Reverends of Black History Month and Reverend Jesse Jackson, rest in peace.

Uh, we we would like to uplift uh Christmas addicts and many black people who were who were who fought in the revolutionary war.

No, on the um uh uh sanctuary city.

Come on, folks, y'all.

You know, you you you expect us to give up resources that are already strained ass for sanctuary city in Bloomfield Hill.

They can afford it.

Also, um I support West Vallant on the water rates issue.

Uh Leland House residents have to be made whole.

What is this?

This is you don't believe in the democracy to take people's um belongings and hold them hostage like that.

So uh give them um justice at the Leland House.

Thank you.

Okay, can you hear me, sir?

Yes, we can hear you, but we now need to make sure the Zoom is operating.

Let's get that.

Okay.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Al Williams.

Al Williams, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Uh good morning.

Can everybody hear me okay?

We can hear you.

Uh, first uh congratulations to uh the new council members and to uh council pro Tim Um Young as well as uh Council President Tate.

Congratulations on your new position.

Looking forward to your leadership uh this year and for the next four.

Um I'm speaking today as the president, my name is Al Williams, of course, and I'm speaking today as the president and board chairman of the Detroit Cannabis Industry Association, and I want to be very clear and very direct.

Um, the removal and/or de-apointment of attorney Kim James as director of the cannabis affairs is a mistake.

Uh Kim James did not inherit a functioning cannabis industry in Detroit.

She built it.

Uh, she helped to draft the ordinances for medical and recreational marijuana.

She helped to establish the structure for the entire industry in Detroit.

She created the framework for compliance.

She laid the foundation that allowed this industry to operate with integrity and legitimacy.

There, there's a reason why a lot of people in this industry call her the cannabis czar uh or the godmother of the cannabis industry in Detroit.

Uh that reputation was earned through results.

Look, man, this inner this industry right now generates millions of dollars for this city annually.

And that didn't come by mistake.

That revenue exists simply because of competent experienced leadership, guiding it from day one, being able to talk to people to help them usher in to being a business owner and then being compliant with the state on the back end.

That was Kim James.

As a social equity license holder, that's me.

I respect um the intentionality, I should say, that she brought to inclusion, uh, to making sure that business owners felt included.

And as a business owner, I valued her accessibility and her command of next caller, please.

You got two minutes of general public comment.

I thought we were a sanctuary city.

I see a sign up on temple and uh third, a big billboard with the spirit of Detroit symbol, and it says Detroit Sanctuary City.

And I just want to say when I was a member of the Communist Party, I learned about labor history, how Henry Ford tried to split African Americans and white workers.

Now we don't want to split our working people.

We're all people, and we need to come together and not try and say, well, we're competing in a capitalist system for the same resources.

That there's they want us to fight each other instead of organizing ourselves to solve our problems.

Anyway, we are a sanctuary city, and uh that's I think we need to stay that way.

I don't know why we all of a sudden say we're not, I guess, unless we say we're not.

Yeah.

Another thing I want to say in public clienting.

They used to say if the city had the ability to create their own power, any power company like Detroit Edison at that time could not charge more than wholesale rates to the city.

Now, if that law is still there, I want to I want us to use it to keep DT from overcharging us for heat for electricity and for gas.

And it took over a month to do one side of the block between uh Cass and Second on Peterborough, and then they got one cross the street for about 10 feet.

And that was one month to next caller, please.

Next caller is Monica Lewis Patrick.

Monica Lewis Patrick, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Monica Lewis Patrick, are you there?

And Brenda, let's put that caller at the end of the queue and go to the next place.

Good morning.

Oh, there you are.

Good morning.

Good morning, Mr.

President, and to the uh council body.

I'm Monica Lewis Patrick, um, your water warrior.

And I'm calling in this morning because I received, just like Mr.

Ballant, a very alarming call expressing that we are in threat of possibly a 20%, a 23% rate increase.

And the concern that I have is that of course I serve as your representative on the International Joint Commission for the Great Lakes.

I serve on a national committee for water affordability with PolicyLink.

I serve on regional committees around the Healing Our Waters with the How and the National Uh Wildlife Federation.

And then I serve at a state and local level.

So I know many times as activists, we're marginalized as not being well informed or understanding these very complicated things that deal with our water rate structure.

I am sounding the alarm that there must be an investigation by this body into why at a state level are talking about such a drastic increase, and we haven't heard any of this at the DWSD table.

We need an immediate investigation in terms of why they are saying that we have a gaping hole of about 130 million dollars, and we've never heard anything of that measure at the DWSD table.

One of the things that we discovered from our research under the previous administration is that public health and water shutoffs are deeply connected.

We do not want to return to the days of having infectious diseases and basic health prices in our city because we cannot solve this one issue.

Under the last administration, we saw over 141,000 homes shut off.

We must resolve water affordability and we must do it through and by the citizens of Detroit immediately.

Yes, peace and blessings.

However, we work with residents who've been shut off for as much as a penny.

So it's it's deeply concerning and deeply alarming to us when we see a jump in revenue.

We've seen some some variation in revenue, but never a jump upwards of over 130 million dollars in one fiscal year.

So again, water is a human right.

We definitely need to ensure that our residents continue to maintain access to water.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Betty A.

Warner.

Betty Avarner, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Good morning to all within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Brown, the president of DeSoda Elsewhere Black Association, advocating today for my community, our Finkel Corridor.

In this past few months, there's been a business that is opened up in our corridor.

There's been discussions.

There's a gentleman who would like to open up a business on uh Wyoming and Finca, where the McDonald's used to be located.

And he has met with uh the business associations, uh, Mr.

and Mrs.

Sims, and they've had a um meeting at their business in regards to this gentleman.

I don't know uh his status if he's been to the council, but there's interest.

Um uh was told today, and I looked at their gender.

I believe it's gonna be some communication in regards to another business that uh is interested in opening it up on our fink accorder.

Saying all that, that means that interest, there are people now that are looking at our fink accorder.

We need monies to uh continue to keep the uh corridor cleaned up.

Uh we need monies to market, we want the same type of uh energy, money's coming to our corridor that has been uh avenue of fashion on uh uh McNicholas and Divino's and Dexter Avenue, Mexican town, all of these are great.

It's been great energy.

The uh corridors are beautiful, and we want to be able to spend our money in our immediate area, and we need a supermarket, and so please, administration council, do what you need to do so that we can have a thriving corridor in our area.

We are uh thank you, Ms.

Collins.

Next caller, please.

Yes, sir.

This is the last caller.

Uh Samsung SMG991U.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Call your caller.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Um, I was calling about.

I'm talking about the come on.

I was calling about the DTE.

I mean, not DTE.

The bus.

I was downtown, I want to say uh Thursday.

And I had to what let's go with the Hardgrove one.

That's where I was at.

I was at both of them.

But anyway, at the High Grove, what we need to do, the way the Smart Bus had the time for the buses that's gonna take off and everything.

We need that president tape because what's going on?

There were two woodwork buses up there.

Now it's called outside.

I'm 75, I'm not gonna stand outside.

So two, when I got off the corner bus, I went to the Whipple bus.

Nobody was on there.

I went to the second woo bus.

Nobody wasn't on there.

So I went inside to ask the guy, the guard or whatever they is, uh, what time do the bus pull off?

You know, and he looked, he said, probably in about a few minutes.

So what we need is the stand like they have for smart bus.

So we won't have to even ask them any questions because the bus end up pulling off without me going to get on it.

And then the other one was sitting out there for a minute.

So we need like the smart bus, put it by the um where the buses come stop at, so we can see what time they're gonna stop.

What time they're gonna, let's say what time they're gonna take off.

I'm sorry.

Because like I said, I missed the first bus, and I was at my I got to my dentist appointment late.

Uh, so I had to go later.

That caused me to miss my employment, and that's very important to be on time for a dental.

Going to dental is like going to work.

You gotta get your mouth right.

So I appreciate it if you speak to them to uh get somebody to put up like the smart has what time the buses take off because when you go in and ask people to act like they don't want to tell you, because I don't want to go through the metal detector.

I don't have no weapons on me, but I actually look it up and he said we're a few minutes, but what's a few minutes?

So, like I said, I stood in there for a minute and then the bus took off.

And I didn't really see the bus drive when they went to the bus.

Thank you.

And that takes us to the end of our general public comments.

We'll now go to uh responses to some of the concerns that were uh brought to us.

And I'm gonna start first with assistant chief uh Fitzgerald, who's uh in the um auditorium.

No, it wasn't so much a question, but it was a headline that came before us that we saw that the chief of police is now seeking to relieve individuals of their uh duties who uh went against departmental policy as a result as a real as it relates, excuse me, to the uh interaction engagement with uh federal uh ice uh agents.

Uh so if you can talk to us a little bit about that, if you will, please.

And I see we've also been joined by uh DC as well as AC um Hayes.

I'm sorry, M'Brain.

AC, floor's yours.

Please introduce yourself for the record before you speak.

Yes, sir.

Uh Charles Fitzgerald, first assistant chief Detroit police.

And as you stated, uh, got assistant chief Franklin Hayes and Deputy Chief Grant Howe with us, our legal advisor.

Okay, speak up a little bit, take that, bring that money further in to you.

You could all right.

Much better.

Uh so what question do you want me to go with first?

So just uh again, saw a headline.

Uh folks may not have understood the context surrounding it.

Um talk to us a little bit about because it the reality is what we saw that took place was in uh conflict with what the chief has said is the departmental policy.

Um we saw in the paper that it indicated that he's uh recommending relieving those officers of their duty.

Um, if you can go uh into that, and maybe I got some of it wrong, maybe I got all of it right.

If you can now uh for the DPD side of things, explain what that headline meant for those who may need some interpretation, please.

Yeah, certainly.

And as we've uh we've spoken here before, we're not in the immigration business of DPD.

AC Fist is just really low.

We never have, never will.

Is that better?

Yes.

We're just we're not in the immigration business.

We never have been and never will be.

Uh, we have obviously the city ordinance uh for biospace policing.

We have our own uh policy for biospace policing.

We have special orders, but we we do not, unless there is an absolute nexus to a violent crime, we're not in the immigration business.

And even then, I'll tell you if it's connected to a violent crime, we shouldn't care.

We do not care.

We don't care what the violent what their immigration status is.

We have had two incidents now in the last three weeks uh where um our members have taken it upon themselves, and I'm not gonna get too far into the details because they're open investigations, but they have contacted uh uh a unit under the Office of Homeland Security, uh, which we've clarified since this moment as well.

Uh and they said for language issues.

We don't do that either.

We have a number of members, DPD members that speak different languages, those are all cataloged at our notification and control center.

We have language line, which we subscribe to.

We have we can call, you can have someone interpret that way.

So even then, uh it's it's unacceptable.

We do not tolerate it.

Um so uh the chiefs' comments are what the chief's comments are at that point.

Um it is an open investigation once it's done, whatever the decision is made at that point, it goes to discipline administration, and then it'll be set up for a uh command uh hearing to determine the penalty.

What is the timeline potentially of that process uh playing out?

Both of these investigations were set at the command level, uh so they should be done within the 21 days.

Uh then it'll go over to discipline administration, it'll be a fairly quick turnaround with those as well.

Okay.

What one thing that you know, a lot of folks on the outside don't necessarily understand how things work on the inside.

So when the messaging, uh what is very clear what a directive is, how are officers uh notified of that particular directive?

Again, it it appears what uh took place was uh officers operating outside of what was uh acceptable uh in terms of policy.

Um talk to us a bit about how officers are uh provided that information, those directives, as well as reinforce because now again we have two incidents uh within a fairly recent period of time.

Uh, what's being done to ensure that officers are very clear, employees staff um of DPD are very clear on the directives of the chief.

Sure.

Yeah, yeah, you know, we like to think of DPD we do things right 100% of the time.

Unfortunately, it's just not realistic.

But last year alone, with 192 traffic, 192,000 traffic stops.

We answered over 330 calls for service.

That's over a half a million contacts just last year in 2025.

And unfortunately, we got it wrong once.

This year, we're already at two.

Mind you, we've got thousands of traffic stops already, and over 43,000 calls for service we've answered.

But to kind of hammer the point home to our members, we not only just put out a policy, we put out a policy where they have to scan a QR code, and in the QR code, they have to acknowledge they've received the policy, read the policy, understand the policy.

Uh, but then we also have something called mass, it's our management awareness system, where the same thing, they have to recognize there's a policy, accept it, read through it, and say they understand it.

So we're trying to reinforce it in two different levels as well.

To further clarify last week, we called in our uh we had an all-command meeting with all the commanders, captains and above um, to specify that we don't want there to be any confusion at all.

The Office of Homeland Security from the federal level has many, many different offices under it.

We don't want there to be confusion that I can't call ICE, but I can call border patrol.

We don't call anyone.

We don't call the Office of Trade, which falls under there, and we reiterated that as well.

We don't call FEMA, we will not call the Coast Guard, and again, these are all, and I'm I'm not trying to be funny, but we're not calling any of them for whether it's interpretation, any kind of immigration status, nothing.

It's not our business.

We just do not do it.

If you have something there's a violation there, you take that person to our Detroit detention facility for whatever the charge is, and then that person's it's out of our hands at that point.

If there's a federal judicial warrant that comes through, there's a detainer that comes through, it's out of our hands.

We're doing what we need to do.

We're not doing immigration.

Okay, thank you.

Uh gentleman wanted to know if you had anything you wanted to add, ACDC.

Okay.

I'll open up for any questions from colleagues.

I'll start with Member Santiago Romero, followed by uh member um McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Three good afternoon.

Um and thank you for working with us in our office and some documented members to make sure that we have policies in place and that they're being enforced.

One of the biggest concerns is DPD working with ICE.

And we talked about uh a hotline with the mayor, having a hotline where people can call in if they are concerned that they are seeing DPD or they see DPD working with ICE.

Where are we in the process of establishing that hotline?

Do you know?

I do not know, Jim.

No, no, unfortunately, ma'am, not aware of it at this point.

Okay, so I want to lift that up to the administration.

I know that they're listening as a thing that we need, because I think I I appreciate you and I see you, and I appreciate the cause of what's happening and how we're going to try to correct these wrongs.

Um, but unfortunately, it's a very big police force now.

We have a lot of new people, and I think that we need these opportunities to be able to do more accountability.

So the hotline needs to be established as quickly as possible as we continue to make sure that we have policies that protect.

Um, we need to have accountability.

So just a flag for the administration that we please work on that hotline.

I know that the AG has a one for federal agents.

Uh we need one here in the city for for police as well for us to be able to report.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Uh member McCampbell, followed by Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President, and and good afternoon.

Um, I just had a question on, and I know it's open investigations and we have some information go by of what was reported.

Um, but it was concerning for me that um one, the one instance was caught by a body camera audit, and then the other instance and what has been reported was after a free press reporter saw this interaction.

I'm just wondering if there has been any conversation internally um with the force on how do we make sure that if this is if that wasn't caught by those um instances, that it still doesn't happen, right?

That officers know that the folks over there on the sink or their partners can't be doing this, and and that internal mechanism as well.

So you can you talk on that about those conversations that if there aren't members of public seeing this, that it'll still be held accountable or do a body cam um audit.

Yeah, absolutely, sir.

Um, and we do we applaud the sergeant who caught on the body worn camera footage.

Uh we also uh short of the the the free press article that came out.

That incident was caught that night by the command.

So uh they are we're we're going over and above to review uh you know our policies.

You do one body worn camera review per day per supervisor.

We've ramped that up.

We're going to increase those.

Um we're doing everything in our power to to truly go back and audit uh and hold folks accountable that step outside of our policy.

I appreciate that.

I I um I just I hope that as the work that you the important work that you are doing to make sure that this is that folks know that they would be held accountable that also like our our folks, uh our officers are making sure that this is this should not be a part of the culture that we are um calling homeless security.

So thank you.

Yeah, certainly, and part of the investigation too is that it's not just the person that made the call that that started this whole thing.

You know, officers have a duty to intervene.

They've got a duty to uh um do what's right based on what our policies and procedures are.

So those two individuals will get wrapped up in this investigation.

It's not just one person, and then we'll hold all parties account.

All right, thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

President.

Thank you.

Member Johnson followed by Pro Tim U.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, good afternoon.

Thank you for sharing this information.

Can you share with us and the general public?

Um, what is the process?

Not trying to make assumptions about the um conclusion of the investigation, but what's the um process to relieve an officer of their duties if they have in fact violated uh the department's policies?

For something like this, and I could let our uh attorney talk about it, but it is a uh based on bias-based policing.

This is up and to include termination.

Uh it's an extremely serious matter, and that's how we take it.

So that's why when the chief says what he says, he's completely within his right to do so.

Okay, so for the record, there's two processes in place.

One is in regards to the duty status change, and the other is a disciplinary process.

The first is a duty status change in regards to what the chief has by virtue of the fact that he's police officer, he can put the individual on admin, admin no gun, suspended, and the extreme would be administrative leave without paper with medical benefits.

However, that would require the board of police commissioners to make a decision, which the chief has submitted to the board to make it that decision.

The other is the disciplinary process, which first assistant chief uh Fitzgerald has already discussed.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Pro Tim Young.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

President.

Always good to see you guys, gentlemen.

Good to see you.

I just want to ask you do you guys share any data?

You share any metadata?

Do you share any uh weapons?

You share body armor, do you share any training?

Do you share the same jiu-jitsu or mixed martial arts instructors?

Are they required to use your facilities at all?

Do you share vehicles at all?

Do you do you share de-escalation training?

Do you share any sort of services with them or data at all?

Any any algorithms, anything at all.

Do you share with ICE?

No, sir.

Okay.

You're not you don't share gems with them or anything of that nature either.

You need no any facilities, any any technology at all.

You don't share drones at all.

You don't share tanks at all.

There's no relationship there.

It's a complete wall between you and immigration's customers force.

And I understand that they're federal requirements that you have to do things.

I'm not blaming you.

I just want to make sure I understand from my understanding that it's a complete wall between you and them in terms of data or policing or tactics or techniques or training or you know, or non-lethal weaponry, you know, it could be bolo wraps, you know, it could be uh direct energy weapons or pulse weapons or tasers or tear gas.

There's nothing that you share with them at all.

Period.

None of those, sir.

We do participate in three federal task forces.

Okay.

Violent crimes, violent gangs, and DFAT, which is our fugitive apprehension team.

Uh, and there are members of federal agencies on there.

Uh and there is a border patrol agent and a uh U.S.

customs agent on the other.

Uh, but that is it.

We don't do we do not do immigration.

Those are like I said, violent crime, violent gang and marshal.

Those are fugitive teams.

And when you talk about violent crime and violent gang, what are you talking about?

You're talking about people that are part of like major terrorist criminal networks.

So what we talk about, like uh the cartels, we talk about trendy of Wagua.

What exactly are we are we talking about?

And when you do, do you are do you also participate or do you look out after they make certain arrests?

And you know what the percentages of people with violent criminal records are because nationally, I think it's 14%.

You know what I'm saying?

According to CNA reporting, so say it's less than that.

We'll say it's five percent.

But do you do you participate in that at all?

Do you all you do provide overwatch or any communication services at all?

Yeah, we don't, sir.

Uh both ages, both violent crimes, violent gang are held out of the uh federal bureau investigation.

It's an FBI task force.

Uh the other one through DFAP is a Marshall's U.S.

Marshals Task Force.

Okay.

Uh and when I say violent crime, they handle uh police impersonators running into a house, bank robberies, uh, carjackings of weapons, uh, they handle uh RICO cases, bigger organizational cases.

Uh they handle those cases.

Violent gangs is very, very similar.

It's large-scale uh multiple jurisdictional cases, drug cases, gun cases, uh, and marshals.

Uh they do all of our uh tier one and tier two fugitive apprehension.

Okay, no, no, I I appreciate that.

And I just want to ask you this as well.

Um, do they have to warn you or let you know that they are doing these raids or these events just in order to ask you about crowd control or things that nature?

Because yeah, I know sometimes they they're doing these things in schools, in parks, churches.

I know sometimes we have people who are going to the trying to go through the legal process of um asylum, and they're getting, you know, and they're pulling them over there.

So I just want to say this, I think the big difference between I'm not necessarily defending um previous administration's records on this, but I think the big difference here is that the previous administrations primarily were about going after people who are coming into the country.

So it was the God of ways.

You might have too many contacts with three million people actually got into the country and they were catching and releasing them.

This administration is universal.

They're going after Godways, they're going to people that's been here 10, 20, 30 years.

You know, anybody except children.

And so I just want to know do they warn you about these things?

It would happen, because you have to deal with the aftermath of that.

Yeah, no, sir.

Oh, they do not, and they have no legal.

Or they're required to.

They are not required at all.

Yeah, they are not.

So unfortunately, we we clean up the aftermath in some situations.

There was one not too long ago where they took a uh uh a person into custody and they called us to try to go check on the children that were home alone.

Uh and those situations we do.

We will check on those children, we'll find because that's our duty now, and we will check on them and we will find family members, relatives that could keep the children.

Um we're not gonna not do that when someone's safety is involved.

Well, that we will do.

Okay.

Um, Mr.

President, if he's not here, I understand.

But my understanding is uh Conrad Mallet from Corporation Council came in here.

I don't know, yeah.

It may I ask him that's okay.

Sure, yeah.

Okay, we may have some other questions for him as well.

Yeah.

Thank you.

I appreciate you.

It is regarding this particular issue.

Yes, yes.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Conrad Mallard, corporation council.

Corporation council is good to see you.

So I just wanted to ask, thank you, Mr.

President.

Oh, sorry, I got to a side there.

Um, do we have any legal recourse at all for these types of things that are happening to the city, the costs of the city, the things that happen afterwards, the fact that you have children that be separated from their parents, and vice versa.

Is there anything that we could do?

The struction of neighborhoods, destruction of stable families, the violence of crime that takes place after that.

So uh through the chair, we distributed to all of the city council members a uh uh memo directly related to those particular questions as it relates to the uh legislative body's ability to deal with directly the federal government.

The way I think it's important to think about the issue is that what is under the control of the Detroit City Council, we can control it would be unnecessary, but it would certainly be appropriate if the Detroit City Council were to say it is the job of a city employee to protect private spaces that are within public uh uh uh entities.

Think of Northwest Detroit, uh Northwest Activity Center.

So you go in, there's a private office suite of private suite of offices off to the left where the art uh is hung on the wall.

That's a private space.

If I were to come into Northwest Activity Center, they could stand in the lobby.

They could not go in the private space.

If the Detroit City Council felt it was appropriate and necessary, although there has been a directive issued by the administration that ICE is not allowed in private spaces, it can be reiterated, it can be reinforced by this legislative body.

Uh, if the Detroit City Council wanted it, wanted to say series of questions, Mr.

President Pro 10 that you ask AC Fitzgerald.

You could pass a resolution that said or an ordinance that said City of Detroit, vehicles, hardware, software could not be used by the federal government in association with ICE activities.

You could dictate that their cars could not be used for support of ICE activities.

AC Fitzgerald has already said that that is the policy of the Detroit Police Department not to do that.

So as you think about the issues that confront this body, what you can control, you can regulate behavior that you have legitimate expectations because these are Detroit City employees providing the service, you can legislate.

So I that that is the way Mr.

President Pro 10 that I would suggest that you think about it.

So that it's not that the legislative body represented here is powerless.

The power is limited to those activities and those resources that are under your uh authority and control.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman Dunn.

Thank you.

Thank you, George.

And I know that I spoke to uh a colleague uh Santiago Romero earlier.

There was some conversation about that particular uh opinion that was provided.

Uh and I'll turn over to uh member Santiago Romero for the floor.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Yes, I am looking now for the line item with the memos that were uh submitted by both the law department and LPD.

Uh, because they were submitted as privilege and confidential, we need to vote as a body to remove the confidentiality.

I review the documents.

There's nothing here that we don't know.

Um, and frankly, I think it's important that we talk about these things together.

Um, because there are a lot of things the city's already doing, there are things that we can do.

Um, and I want to be very clear about how we can um hold DPD and the city accountable.

Um to the clerk's office.

I'm just trying to see.

Would you happen to know which line item the memos are in?

I'm looking at this now.

Mr.

President through you to member, Santiago Remember, are you speaking of a referral item?

Are you speaking on something to be voted on today?

They are the memos with responses to the responses to our memos, and they should be those may be under new business.

They're in committee right now, so we need to pull them from committee.

See you coming up to the mic.

Mr.

President, yes, sir.

I did hear the discussion in public health and safety yesterday, and in response, we prepared resolutions to lift both the privilege of the law department's opinion as well as the LPD's opinion, and we will circulate that now if you would like.

Yes, I would like for us to circulate that at this moment, please.

Okay.

Thank you, Dr.

Power.

So, Mr.

Presidents, uh, there's a resolution being sent uh around that was prepared by LPD.

I'll give folks a minute to review.

Uh, but when we are ready, I motion to approve the resolution.

No.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Just so everyone knows, uh, one of the documents uh is uh referred reference.

This is member of Santiago Romero requesting the legislative policy division to draft a resolution waiving the attorney client privilege for uh the February 3rd memorandum uh from LPD entitled ICE Operations and Local Policy.

And then the second one I have here uh is a again request from uh council member Santiago Romero and requested the legislative policy division to draft the resolution waive the attorney client privilege for the February 3rd memorandum uh from the law department entitled DPD interaction with ICE and law department immigration and customs uh opinion enforcement opinion.

Uh the resolutions are attached, colleagues, uh, to both of these documents that you have before.

Any discussion on these particular items before we move forward with any potential motions.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Motion, Mr.

President, to add the resolutions to new business.

As a motion to add these two particular items that I just mentioned, these resolutions to new business.

Any objections?

Seeing none, these two items shall be added to new business.

Uh seeing that we're here at this moment, I think it would be appropriate to take action.

Um, or uh if colleagues would like to further refer it.

But want to make sure that we have an opportunity to discuss it at this moment since everybody's here.

And I will start with pro temo.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

If folks are ready now, I motion to approve both resolutions.

It's a motion to approve both resolutions that have come before us, colleagues.

I have them just mentioned early.

Any objections?

Seeing none, then action shall be taken.

Thank you.

Umember Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, now that we removed this, uh just really want to briefly share um with everyone what is in front of us.

Um things have been really terrible.

We have been asked from the very beginning that we make the city a sanctuary city, that we do all that we can to prevent ice from being in the city.

There are limitations that we have as a city council.

I think it's important that we do political education, that we do this process together.

So I've asked for opinions from both the law department and LPD on what we can do.

And essentially, these are the things that we can or cannot do, things that Conrad has already shared.

Um, we have power to control what we can within the buildings that are city-owned properties, um, within our DPD departments, not really utilizing any resources based on the reports.

We do not use any resources for any ICE immigration.

And they also do talk about what the training looks like.

We had a meeting with the administration and DPD, the chief, I believe last week or two weeks.

Um, and there was a reaffirming of doing more trainings quarterly with DPD so that these incidences don't continue to happen.

Um, but as Conrad mentions, the administration has already stated their stance on private property and ICE not being allowed.

Um, I will move forward with having that be something that city council also takes action on.

Um quite frankly, the conversations that I'm having with undocumented immigrants, and this is a uh a note for folks that are asking for sanctuary city.

Um, and I have met with Cassandra and I asked that we work together for at least six months to go through the ordinance that was uh sent to us for approval because the ordinance is not something that we can enforce.

The Office of Immigration Affairs does not enforce the the kind of policies that are being asked of us.

So I've asked that we work together to look at what we can and can't do, and that we listen to Detroiters and undocumented immigrants.

As we heard today, this is a uh a pretty split issue.

Detroiters are not asking for sanctuary city, they are worried about the targeting and losing federal funds, which is very real.

It is on the reports that that is uh being shown today.

Undocumented immigrants are asking for legal aid.

They're asking for mutual aid, they're asking for funds, they're asking for DPD accountability.

So those are the things that we're working on.

Um I ask everyone to please review the reports and the policies and what we can and can't do.

We will move forward on doing what we can.

Member Waters, thank you for moving forward in your interest in mask or unmasking agents who are doing federal immigration enforcement in the city.

I I support you in that.

I know that member McCampbell is very interested in making sure that we're not sharing data, um, any city data, and and I'm grateful for those efforts.

And thank you, President uh pro uh President.

No, that is so funny.

President Tates, I know four years.

Somebody called uh council president Sheffield's council president, she's the mayor now.

Um, but thank you, President Teaks, um, for making sure that we are holding DPD accountable.

Um I share all this to say where we are in this moment, the work that we've done, the work that we will continue to do, um, and ask that we please work together, folks.

Um, I do not believe that we are perfect.

I do believe that we are trying, and I do believe that we have more that we can do.

Uh, so thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Colleagues, any further on this particular item.

See none.

I want to thank you all for for being here, uh, being transparent about the process, what's taking place, and to your point, uh, we have men and women in the Detroit police department, they do a fine job.

They do a tremendous job every day.

Um, but we always have to make sure that we have levers of accountability for those who go outside of what is put in front of them.

Uh so again, thank you for for that as well.

Thank you.

We have another another item on the uh agenda here uh that many of the folks from the community brought before us, and that is the Leland House um situation is taking place over there, as well as some of the other heard some of the other um multifamily um apartments that were uh brought to our attention.

We can have uh law department and BC uh coming forward.

I know there's litigation, but there's been some public things that have been said and public movement.

We want to make sure that any public information that is available uh is provided to the residents in the community, especially those who are I mean, my heart's broken when you start talking about folks who can't get into their uh units, had to move hastily and now don't have the ability to obtain those items.

We heard about medication, we heard about you know, valuable property, may have been heirlooms handed down.

Um, heartbreaking without a doubt.

Um I remember my wife, we we had our house broken into, and she had some of those precious heirlooms that her dad who's no longer here, um, taking and I know how it impacted her.

Uh so uh want to you know walk through uh again, understanding this is under litigation, so there's typically whenever that happens, things we can say and can't say.

I want to preface that to the public.

Uh, but I would like for us to uh provide the information that we have that we can share on where we are in this process.

Number one of of course allowing people to get back in and get their their precious property, but then two, uh the condition of the the space, the building, uh, and what comes next.

And so I will uh open up to I know we have uh individuals that have joined us.

We have uh on the screen of uh two individuals if you can introduce yourself, and then we also have corporation counsel mallet who's joined us in person.

Uh gentlemen, please introduce yourselves on for the record on the screen.

Morning, Council President Jason Harrison, City of Detroit Law Department.

Afternoon.

Arthur Russian, uh City of Detroit, uh BC, Chief Enforcement Officer.

Good afternoon.

So just wanted to get uh first the understanding of you know what what's the next step, latest step, what are the conversations uh as it relates to allowing the residents to retrieve their items.

I believe I read something that indicated the courts gave the uh the building as well as the city, a certain time frame to work something out.

Uh want to know where we stand with that uh and where things are.

Mr.

President Conrad Meller Corporation Council.

I want to make sure that this legislative body is aware of how hard the city of Detroit has worked as an entity to be sure that the tenants' rights had been protected.

Three years ago, not three weeks, Mr.

President, not three months, three years ago, BC, Arthur Russian and his team came to the law department and said, conditions at the Leland House are unsafe.

We want there to be a lawsuit filed by the law department against the owners to bring that building in compliance, and that's what we did.

We entered into a consent agreement.

Now, Mr.

President, members of the Choice City Council, it's important to understand why we entered into a consent agreement.

Why because there were people living there.

We did not want to displace the current tenants.

The owners said that they had the capability to bring the building into compliance with our city code.

That is essentially what the consent agreement said, and that was signed and approved by the court.

We monitored their progress.

And when it became, when it became clear to us a year later, that they were not making the kind of progress that was important, we went back into court.

Now that's a laborious process because we were starting the lawsuit all over again.

We then became aware that there was water in the basement, standing water.

Now, all of you don't need any education to know that standing water in the building of that size and significance is a dangerous circumstance, number one, and a direct impact on public health, number two.

BC is checking on them regularly and doing what they can by issuing tickets.

We are informing the court through the good offices of Jason Harrison that conditions are deteriorating.

We get to the point where Detroit Edison then says publicly, we are going to have to uh uh uh suspend uh uh electricity to the Leland House because they have not been paying their bills.

No one else, except the city of Detroit, through the good offices of HRD, called Detroit Eds and said, don't do that.

They backed away.

They said, yes, we will cooperate with you.

At the time, DTE said that we will not cut the power off.

Lord knows it had nothing to do with anybody associated with the city of Detroit.

Then the transformer uh uh breaks in the basement where the water is, and now fixing the transformer has nothing to do with DTE cutting off the power.

Now there is no electricity in the building, no electricity means no lights, no electricity means no elevators.

Fire marshal then comes and says, pursuant to their ordinance responsibilities, this is a dangerous uh building, it has to be closed, the tenants have to move.

HRD uh uh under the leadership of uh Judy Schneider, Julie Schneider, and Chelsea Neblet, who is the director of uh the the home the the the uh tenant relocation process that we have here in the city of Journey, who does a fabulous job immediately contacts the tenants, and we we we you the city of Detroit moves people to alternative housing.

Now, the question that's important to be asked here is where's ownership?

Why is this the city of Detroit's responsibility?

It's our moral obligation, but legally, this is the owner's responsibility.

They're the ones responsible.

What when we say to them, listen, every dime that we are spending on behalf of these tenants to make sure that they are properly and safely housed, that we are getting them fed, that we are providing them resources, and in some instances making sure that their kids are getting to school, these are costs that you are incurring for which we expect to be reimbursed.

Chelsea and her team then is doing uh uh in-depth job of of giving really uh high, as you all know, high-quality case management to each of the families affected by uh this particular horrible circumstance, and in the midst of that, then the Leland House then declares bankruptcy and moves the action that we have in state court to federal bankruptcy court.

At that point, the owners say, and this is this this will will really, I think, bring it home.

At that point, the owners say we have 77,000.

77,000 for a 25 floor building.

Uh, I don't really uh uh maybe Jason could tell us how many square feet, Mr.

President actually is, but you know what the building is over on Bagley, it's an entire block, it's a huge space.

77,000, come on.

Is that really what you have available for the massive amount of uh rehabilitation that building requires.

At that point, I think that the representation made by the ownership of 77,000 is to impress upon the bankruptcy court.

We're bankrupt.

We we we are making available to the bankruptcy court in terms of showing on our ledger all of the money that we have available.

It is true, Mr.

President, and members of the Detroit City Council that the tenants were removed on an emergency basis and did not have time to get their belongings.

That's 100% true.

We have always been aware of it, and we have always been concerned about it.

Now, in the bankruptcy court, the judge made the determination based on our request that those funds that were available, quote, for repair be used to retrieve the tenants' belongings.

So the idea was that we would go to each of the department uh apartments, and we're talking about 40 to 50 of them, pack up their materials, and then take them to a public storage facility where they at their leisure could come and retrieve their belongings, recognizing that what Chelsea's team was doing was trying to relocate people first into temporary housing, but at the end of the day, into permanent housing.

These were costs, this was support that the city of Detroit was providing the tenants.

This was supposed to go forward, and then the tenants union uh intervened into the case and said that the tenants should be allowed to retrieve their belongings.

The building has no uh electricity, there are no lights.

We're gonna you're gonna be using daylight power.

People are on the 21st, 22nd floor.

The circumstance is no less dangerous today than it was when the fire marshal made uh uh his decision.

And the fire marshal, as you all know, is a very, very deeply well-trained gentleman that we are lucky to have who enforces the ordinance with the kind of ferociousness that frankly we want the fire marshal to do their job.

In this particular case, we could get a we could get a moving company to go in.

First of all, you got to walk up 21 flights of stairs.

Who's doing that?

Okay.

The the with the moving company going up the stairs, packing the belongings, uh, and moving them out.

The tenants union indicated that they wanted an opportunity to have the uh uh uh tenants do that themselves.

Fire marshal said no.

Now, the fire marshal says, How are you gonna get that done?

The difference between the professional moving company is the presence of insurance, the presence of workers' workers' compensation, and the fact that the moving company is signing a waiver, uh absolving the city of Detroit of any uh uh any and all liability associated with the removal of the belongings.

Now, during the time that we have, there's another hearing coming up, Jason, on the 24th.

On the 24th, where we go back in.

One of the one of the thoughts that Mr.

Harrison had, because the tenants quite rightly want to be uh have uh have obviously have a personal interest in how their belongings are managed.

The fire marshals gonna have two inspectors present to be sure that things are being uh being done in a safe manner, and the idea that Mr.

Harrison had that I fully support is that we could have one or two members of the tenants union present to be sure that the process is working, that everything that is being done is being done uh in a in an in an appropriate and respectful manner.

What we don't have, Mr.

President, is a solution that will allow the tenants to re-enter the building until the transformer is fixed and the lights are turned on because it's a physical impossibility to move all of those things out if you don't have the requisite personnel uh and the equipment.

We are where we are, not because anything that city of Detroit did.

City of Detroit, the Detroit City Council can take, I think, some degree of pride in the way that the bureaucracy of which you are the governors have responded.

HRD has done a good job in providing uh housing relocation and case management.

The law department started this process against this ownership group three years ago.

We weren't late to the party.

We had we had the uh concerns of the tenants' health and safety forefront.

B seed has been omnipresent in dealing with the issues associated with the uh a lack of accountability and the lack of a compliance associated with the owners of the Leland House.

The owners of the Leland House are the ones who created this issue.

It is the city of Detroit who has responded vigorously.

If there was a way that would satisfy the fire marshal in terms of the tenant safety to retrieve their belongings.

Remember, retrieval, the the belongings have to be packed, they have to be put in boxes.

This is a process.

This is not not something and that that it would happen quickly with the presence of a professional moving company with all of the requisite uh resources available.

I we think we think that it could be done in an organized manner.

Uh uh, this is the insurance company would be bonded, uh or is bonded, excuse me.

The moving company is bonded.

Uh, people will be able to uh make claims should there be any damage to their property.

Uh the the major thing is getting the tenants their property back, getting the tenants relocated into permanent housing, and causing these owners to bring this building into compliance.

And if it's not, if they're not going to bring it into compliance, then they have to sell it.

They have to do something uh in order to bring the building into compliance.

And if they're not going to do anything, then we have an ordinance related to uh how you maintain a vacant building.

They at least have to do that.

It sounds like they haven't even reached that at this point.

That's why I'm sorry.

It sounds like they haven't reached that point.

That's why we have them in court, if I'm not mistaken.

They have not been able to do that.

Well, they declare they declared bankruptcy, and and so and they're telling the judge that they want permission to sell the property.

The conditions of the property obviously will not change just because you get a new owner.

And so then, under that point, you still have court supervision to oversee.

Well, what is the new plan?

So I I guess the question, I mean, trying to take a long answer and truncated a bit.

Um, DTE, and then they're not here today.

It sounds like the transformer uh piece is what really took everything over there.

Yes, sir.

What has been, I know that we on the front end we talked to DTE and said, hey, you know, stall us out a bit.

Let's let the community uh let us try to figure out you know how to rectify this.

Um and they stood down.

That's right.

How long has it been now since that transformer's been out?

And is that still a push from us to get DTE to at least allow the transformer to be repaired?

Because the transformer really shouldn't be the property owners, it should be the infrastructure.

Is the ownership uh issue?

Oh, the transformer is ownership as well.

That's right.

That's right.

Okay.

That's right.

All right.

So I guess the the question just to summarize it for folks.

What pathway are uh all parties taking?

I mean, uh again, commend law department, commend HRD, commend BC uh at this point.

If we're talking about especially talking about a three-year process, not to take anything away from the three entities, city entities in in particular.

Um, but now we have residents who have concerns about their property.

And it sounds like we as a city are trying to figure that out.

Yes, sir.

Part of the challenge that we have is that level of communication on what that looks like.

Um, folks are coming to us constantly asking for answers that we cannot provide.

So, in a in a in a truncated version, what should folks expect in terms of movement um to allow for the residents to retrieve their property again, understanding that we are limited.

We don't have a magic line we can just wave.

We don't want to have folks in uh jeopardize their their health and safety in the building that is unfit for them to walk in.

But just looking for a time frame to now try to see where we can advance this particular issue, uh, knowing again, we don't have at this point the legal obligation, but a moral obligation to make sure that we communicate to our residents and do everything we can uh to uh make sure that they are as whole as possible in the situation.

Well give us a little short version of what they should expect and a potential timeline.

And Mr.

President, we meet with the court on February the 24th.

We hope to get the court's permission to cause the move to move, the move to occur.

And then Mr.

Harrison, how many of how many of the tenants have signed off and given us permission to enter their space?

We've been told by through the chair, we've been told by HRD approximately 20.

And out of how many?

Out of 31.

So we have we have permission, Mr.

President, of 20 persons to enter their space to pack their belongings, secure them, and deliver them to a public storage facility where they can at their leisure uh retrieve their belongings.

So for the record, uh it sounds like Mr.

Harrison, attorney Harrison has the information.

Are we for those remaining individuals that have not signed off?

Is it a situation where they have either refused or we just have not been able to locate them to fill out a particular form of of um uh approval?

No, we know where all 31 tenants are, uh uh, Mr.

President.

Uh so far, uh, the 11 have not have not given us permission to enter their space.

We need them to give us their permission to enter the space.

All right, colleagues.

Any additional, I'll start with member Milk, followed by Pro Tim, followed by a member waters.

Corporation council, you said you guys weren't late to the party.

It sounded like you didn't show up at all to me.

This is three years.

Three years, and it took a year.

You've had a consent agreement.

The building was deteriorating long before that, but again, we're talking about low income residents, but people sometimes don't care about.

This building just did not become unsafe to live in.

They've had many maintenance failures, health and safety issues with mold and water damage and pest if infestation.

This is not new.

The code enforcement action made it not livable a long time ago.

We have a department here called B seed.

You say it's not our responsibility, but it is our responsibility.

That's why we have building safety engineering.

We have to make the tough decisions, not when it's an emergency, but long before it becomes an emergency.

You have to show up so you don't have to get up to last minute.

When that building started deteriorating, our job was to shut it down.

Here we are three years later.

Three years later, and we're still saying to these residents, they can't get their things in that first of all.

I don't want anyone touching my stuff.

I might have my great grandmother's urlim somewhere.

I may have my deceased child's photos somewhere.

People packing your stuff, we know what that looks like.

We get it every day when we get stuff in the package in the mail that's torn up and broken.

We had ample time to take those residents in there to gather their things because we knew three years ago the building was deteriorating.

We knew that we should have not waited for DTE to alarm the city.

Thank God for DTE, because they had they not informed the city, it would have been even worse.

And this is in the worst of temperatures.

Our residents came here today upset.

So I guess the 20 that signed off, the other 11 or 12 must didn't, because they were here today speaking.

It's an embarrassment for me to hear my heart palpitating to hear residents that are dislocated because we could have done a better job.

We have a we have things in place, and that's why we have inspections regularly.

I have asked the department of BC to provide with me some of those numbers that I'm still waiting for.

It is not right for us to stand here and say we've done the best that we could when we did not, because our best was not good enough.

It's not good enough for me.

That's not good enough for our residents.

And I am in district five every day.

I'm going out, I'm knocking on business, I'm knocking on doors, and I'm talking to residents because they're calling me.

And do you know I have been in buildings where I have been unbarded where I see no residents because the office people want to hide them from me?

I know what's going on.

I was at a building and my staff was told they could not even enter the building.

I was told I couldn't even enter a building.

And when I had a roach in my hair that our EP unit had to knock out for me because the ceiling was open.

It was unsanitary.

We have failed a lot of our senior buildings in the city.

Just our a lot of our buildings period we have failed them.

And it's not right to act like we don't have a responsibility when we know three years is too long three years when they were out they've been on television what before the holidays if someone can go in there and get those things someone can escort them people in there to get their belongings sure they can be escorted just because it's their place and when they're paying their rent those those landlords took their rent they got their money and that is not right to take their money and then all of a sudden you just imagine giving your last dollar to pay your rent and then you're put in the street in 15 days where are they to go some of them don't have family they may not have children it is not right to sit here because and sit here and talk about these landlords as if yeah you said they're the lowest scum of the earth that's taking their money and then running off with it.

I don't care how much they had it's not right and we need to call it exactly what it is we need our law department to stand up we need the BC to own up because it's not right and I am so disappointed even just being a newly elected person my phone is ringing right now I'm calling to a meeting because I am going into the buildings what I'm not about to stop I'm going every single time they call they want to stop me from taking pictures too because we've done a poor job anytime you have 7000 landlords they have not been compliant in the city of Detroit that's a problem with the leadership and a leadership need to be removed thank you thank you Ms.

President I just want to ask you do you think that this was um negligence or do you think this was in and do you think this was gross negligence and the reason why I'm asking that is because if you do from my understanding this would qualify for treble damages and if it did I think that not only could the city recoup for the costs but also we can provide money you'll talk hypothetically here but also we can provide money for the residents who lost these property access and lost their housing so Mr President Pro Tem through the chair that's one of the reasons that I'm fairly positive that the ownership went into bankruptcy court through the state court process you're right trouble damages would have been uh possible should we have prevailed in the case in bankruptcy court we the city of Detroit is a creditor just like everybody else yeah and and I'm not a law expert or a bankruptcy expert but I'm assuming even they're going for that process their assets that this company holds I don't know about their portfolio but I'm assuming they hold assets they can sell to be able to pay for or the or liquidate through that bankruptcy process for the purpose of being able to pay out which is why Mr.

President Pro Tem they're seeking permission from the court to sell the building they want to sell the building so they can pay their creditors okay but but when but in terms of paying the creditors like like you're saying that's just that's just paying people at cost and we're not talking about treble damage.

That's right correct yes sir because I because I I understand what you're saying and why you're doing that I just think that what happened was so incredibly egregious the way in which the not just the residents retreat but the fact that they were negligent they knew that these the power wasn't working they knew about the water in the basement they knew that these things happen it didn't do anything I just think that that is a classic case of travel damages people have been harmed here the city is spending money it should not be seen taxpayers are having to carry this weight and harmed as well so I think not only should the city be compensated for that but I think the people who have suffered from this should also be compensated and I think triple damages is the best way to be able to do that legally.

And so I I you know I understand you know you have to go through the process and again I'm not a lawyer and I'm not going to sit up here trying to lecture uh former Supreme Court justice on the law but I I just I I do think that this was such a classic case of just gross negligence.

So thank you I appreciate Waters followed by member McCampbell followed by member of Santiago Romero.

Thank you.

Tenants' rights so that buildings can could organize, could form their own tenant rights council within their buildings.

The compliance ordinance, which would allow them to place their rent in escrow, uh, so that if in fact all those things that will happen at the Leave a building, they didn't have to pay their rent.

So I heard today that even in spite of those conditions in the buildings, some of the tenants, if not all of them, went back and gave the owners, the Leland apartment building monies that were in a rear.

That is absolutely reckless for them to do that, especially under those types of conditions.

So I think that there's an education piece here that we absolutely must do, and we've been trying to do this.

Team Waters has been trying to go around to the various buildings, help them to organize so that they understand they don't have to take this stuff.

Organize, put your rent in escrow.

Don't pay a single penny until your needs are met.

And that's where we want to take our residents who lives in these buildings, Mr.

Corp Council.

That's what we we need to do, educate people, empower people.

The purpose of those ordinances was to empower the residents who who uh who live who rent space.

So how soon um can how soon does the law allow you all to shut down a a uh facility when it's not in compliance?

How soon?

And then um number two, is there a way that we can just take this building ourselves?

I you know, I I know it's a private owner, but I I've got to tell you, they don't deserve to own this building.

And and I know you're saying that perhaps they're gonna sell it, but but they they're not even worthy of any type of of commission, any sale at all based on the way they've treated these residents.

So uh member water, as it relates to the legislation that you're describing, yeah.

I the the we've been working uh, and I do know that my colleague uh Diamond Conley has been working very diligently with Team Waters to get the tenants' rights commission up and running.

Uh we are we are close to having that fully functional.

Uh, and I think that will be a huge step uh in the right direction.

Uh, as it relates to uh shutting the building down, that would occur with us going to court and getting permission from the judge, uh shutting it down, and that's going to be for the judges member waters going to be a uh uh uh uh last ditch uh effort.

They are really gonna try to order and figure out with the owner how soon they can in fact come into compliance.

Uh, they are not interested uh uh in displacing the tenants, and so if they are if the tenants are living in a circumstance that's been deemed either by the health department, by BC or the fire marshal as being a danger to public health andor safety, that's the basis for us to go to court.

Uh, and then it really is a determination for the judge to determine whether or not we have represented the facts that they can make a decision.

The issue is always going to be does the owner have the resources to bring the building in compliance.

Does the judge accept the uh compliance plan that they're gonna uh put forward?

And if the judge doesn't and and shuts the building down, then housing relocation through HRD then has the huge responsibility of moving the tenants into appropriate housing.

Uh, and you know that that that is that is not always, as you know, an easy task.

Yeah, I know.

I I know that some of my staff members were engaged in trying to help relocate some people uh from the uh Leland uh building.

Um residents' belongings.

Um is there a way when when people go in to pack up, can they notify that resident of that particular apartment that hey, we're gonna be here on this date at that time to pack your things.

Um, and I know they can't necessarily go up in the building because the elevators and nothing else are working, but can they can it be outside?

Can it be somewhere so that they can kind of in some way have the dignity of overseeing what's being removed uh from their apartment?

So I remember actually I think that's a good idea.

Uh and I'm glad Jason is on the call.

Uh we can we can we can figure out whether or not we can do something like that.

Um and if it's not the tenant per se, maybe it is a tenant representative, maybe there's more than one, maybe there's a way for us to do that.

Uh, we will try to figure out a way with the fire marshal's cooperation to get as much involvement with the tenants in the in some way to supervise uh the packing of their belongings.

Yeah.

Um, I don't think that's an impossible request.

Uh we just have to figure out what is going to be the safe way uh that the fire marshal will accept us doing.

Okay, all right.

Well, good.

I I'd like to know, because I want to make sure that we do all that we can to ensure that that the tenants are present in some way, uh taking participating and and the packing and so forth, make so that we can ensure where their belongings are going, they need to be able to help supervise that in some way.

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

The chair, can I have one um one comment to that question, court counsel and through the chair?

Yes.

Yes, just FYI for the for the city council members and for you, council member waters.

HRD has worked with uh many of the tenants.

I don't have the number I defer to HRD, and they do have an inspection checklist where they've taken down what they think the tenant thinks they have in their property, so that HRD would know that.

So I just want to make sure the body knew uh that we have worked with them in that regard.

I defer to HRD for a specific report on how many tenants that includes, but they have done that.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Mr.

President.

We're gonna stand over to member McCamp.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and good afternoon.

Um I just want to touch on a few things.

I first understand that this is a large undertaking, um, especially for a building and to have um 30 uh 30 families that have to relocate and move out.

Uh I'm 43.

Okay, gotcha.

Uh what I what I'm still here sitting really with a lot of disappointment, and we knew that there was issues with Leland.

We were in a consent agreement.

It doesn't sound like conditions improve dramatically, and then um disintegrated.

And I'm just concerned about week after week here at City Council, we've had folks, tenants at senior buildings, uh buildings come to us and say that their conditions are deplorable.

And also, but then when we go to dangerous buildings, we see action taken on homes that may be missing a window on the second floor.

So I'm just it's disappointing in what I perceive as an imbalance of enforcement here.

And I'm I'm I want to give the benefit of the doubt to the new administration that we'll get this right.

Um, but as we're working to get this right, we're still having families that are displaced and living in the political condition.

So I'm I say that to say that we have to do something immediately to fix this.

Um because I know again it's a large undertaking, but day after day that folks have to be without their things, they have to be re uh relocated.

That is not something that sits well with me, and it's not something that we can be um proud of or happy about.

And so I just want to say that to you, corporation council and the folks that are here at BC that we have to see a difference in the enforcement here with um landlords that do not care about our families.

It is very clear that these landlords of Leland did not care.

Um it's very clear the folks that are coming down to us that they do not care, and we have to hold them accountable in that way.

Uh, but I have a question on this as we're talking about folks' belongings.

Um, and as, and I again I'm not a lawyer uh either, um, and I'm not electrician, but if the transformer is the problem here and we have the owners in court, could we ask the court to get the owners to fix their transformer so folks can go into that building?

So uh through the chair, uh uh uh council person mcampbell at one point the available dollars were supposed to go for the uh transformer.

Uh and and but then the uh uh that then not would that that wouldn't have given uh uh the necessary dollars to take care of the other what according to the fire marshal were other public health and safety uh issues.

So I mean if the the one of the things that we can do, although I don't know whether or not it's going to work.

I mean, if we went back to the judge and said to her, okay, now we've changed our minds, instead of moving, instead of securing the tenants' properties, we want to turn the transformer back on, and then have the tenants be responsible for moving the property out themselves.

What what I don't know, council person is that's not gonna be a uh the cost of moving is not gonna be free, and how much time are we going to give people?

I uh what I what I what I think is that the idea put forward by council person waters that we would find a way to have the tenants themselves involved in the supervision of the removal of the property would get us closer to where I think the fire marshal would want us to be.

So on that, right now, with the cost, if we were getting if for professional movers to move the things out, what who is covering that cost initially?

City of Detroit.

The city of Detroit.

So and I so I understand what you're saying in that way of going, I don't see this as an either or what I meant is that even once the things are moved out, we're still gonna have to that building's gonna get have to get up to code.

Yeah, and part of that is fixing the transformer.

Yeah.

So for me, I don't trust that once we get these things moved out, that the owners will then miraculously or the folks that they sell it to will work hard to get it up to code.

So I also to my to my colleagues' point of asking about taking over this building, I honestly think we're gonna get to a point where the city isn't ownership of this building.

And I feel that we should move quickly on that.

But my question is in trying to get it up to a place to be in code, that I think we should attempt to do both, that we are attempting to get the the folks stuff out in a professional way in a way that is not a cost prohibitive or costly to the residents there, and we should make sure that we're holding the owners accountable to get that transformer fixed to at least get electricians in the building.

So I know again that you all are in court, but I hope you all would consider that.

Um to because I think that will solve what folks are down here asking for.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Any reflections on that at all?

So I mean, I I think that the uh uh we're gonna have to get with the owner's council, uh have to get with HRD, Mr.

President.

I mean, the uh um we had we there was not necessarily a budget associated with this move.

Um, but there are costs being incurred.

Uh at a certain point, HRD is gonna have to make a decision uh how the dollars that they have available are going to be allocated.

Um I don't know.

I mean, if if and even if if if we I don't know, we get the transform transformer back on, that's gonna be the cost that we are aware of.

We know there's a cost, but do we know what that cost is?

No, I care that transformer?

Yeah, I don't so the um uh if that so you but you get the transformer turned back on, um DTE provides the electricity, um then we have to make a determination um and arrange with the tenants how they get their belongings out.

I mean, I think you know, Mr.

President, we just have to put it all on the table and and figure out whether or not the uh the additional cost is worth the uh um the national cost as in potentially the 75,000 dollars?

Plus, plus the cost of moving all the material out and everything else.

I mean, it's it's we were planning that anyway at this point, right?

I'm sorry, we were already planning that at this point.

But it was an either or well, I mean, again, 75,000 on on topic.

So right now right now, according to what uh member McCaml just mentioned is essentially a 75,000 dollar additional lift.

Well, that's what it sounds like, and maybe on all yeah, okay.

Yeah, okay.

So I mean uh assuming that's correct.

Yeah, it's it's it would be whatever the cost is of moving the tenants' property out of the out of the building where it is into public stores where they have easy access, plus the 75,000.

So we still in order to make sure that this happens uh in an appropriate manner, we'd have to get the transformer back on, have the electricity turned back on, so that the tenants could then individually oversee the packing, the packing and the removal uh of their material, and so all the those costs then would be what we would have to decide we're gonna spend.

Okay.

So we're not gonna solve the issue right now, but we and I know we still have members who were in queue.

Um, but I am very interested in having a conversation.

It sounds like other members are as well after uh this session wraps up at some point so that we can have uh there's a lot of ideas that are now put on the table that sounds like it may take us to a point where we may have to spend additional funding, um, but at least provide a temporary relief, hopefully long-term relief for our residents.

So I'm looking forward to that conversation.

We're gonna go down the road here.

Uh I'm no, no, no, no, no.

I'm chairing.

I'm chairing trust me, I got you.

And we're gonna wrap this conversation up because everybody had an opportunity to ask questions after we get through this round because we still have a whole agenda that we have to address.

Okay.

Next up is Member Santiago Romero, followed by Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Just want to say thank you to Leland residents for being down here and for really amplifying this issue.

We have been working with residents, and quite frankly, these ideas are not new.

We have been asking that we be creative, that we replace the transformer, that we put the power on, that we get people their stuff back.

That is what we've been asking, and I'm grateful that it's here now that we're all collectively asking for this, because I've spoken with the other party of potential new owners, um, and and still trying to sell the property.

And when they tell me what it costs to replace uh the the transformer, and uh that is something that I believe they can they can pay for.

The biggest issue here from what I can see is not being allowed to go into the building because of the lack of power given the fire marshal's order.

So we need to be creative.

Somebody needs to pay the cost, and that whether that be previous new or the city, it's what we have to do.

We need to make sure that people get their stuff.

That is the basic, and I that is what we've been asking for since the beginning.

I think the question is is who's gonna pay for it because someone has to pay for it, and how we get people back into the building and the conversation with the fire marshal.

I understand safety.

I understand that we don't want people going up 20 flights of stairs without power, but I do believe money exists.

We can find it.

Someone has to be responsible to pay that bill.

People need to go back up there to get their things.

We have been sharing this forever.

People have lost jobs.

People are struggling now to find housing because of their lack of important documents.

This is really taking way too long.

And what needs to happen is someone has to pay the bill, the power needs to be back on, and residents need to get their stuff, period, as quickly as possible.

So these creative ideas are not new, but we need to something needs to happen.

There just needs to be action.

Um, because we've been having these conversations.

I've called the fire marshal, I've talked to potential sellers and and and the current owners.

I think we're we're we're dancing around the who's gonna pay the bill, and when are we gonna turn the power back on so people can get back into the property?

That's what we have to do.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Next, uh Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I think Member Santiago Romero just stated everything that I was about to articulate.

Um, but let me just say, okay, the current owner pays the $75,000 for the transformer.

The city is already providing financial support to or financial resources to provide shelter for the families that were displaced.

Why not take those dollars, make a phone call to DTE because we know we have a relationship with them to get the power back back on for 48 hours, whatever it is to allow the the residents to go and get their belongings and we move on.

Well I I don't understand why we're still here in this position.

So uh Member Johnson, as you well know, the law department doesn't control HRD's budget.

Um we've we've had these discussions and there is a finite uh amount of dollars.

I will go back to uh all of my partners uh uh in the administration and indicate to them that perhaps we have reached the point where the dollars that people didn't say they have, they're gonna have to find because we because there's not this there doesn't appear to be uh another way forward.

The the the dollars are there, the the dollars are being used today, right?

To provide assistance.

They got to be so excuse me.

Yeah, uh member Johnson, you know this process a jillion times better than me.

Uh HRD has X amount of dollars for housing relocation.

They're spending those dollars now as we speak, and at the end of the day, there would they they will have spent the money down.

It's it, and so if what we're saying, and I'm sure they're listening, that uh it is certainly the expectation of I believe it's safe to say, a majority of the Detroit City Council, uh, that the we spend the dollars necessary to allow the tenants to retrieve their belongings, which may mean then uh getting the transfer uh transformer repaired, getting the electricity turned back on, getting the elevators back working, and then supervising a program so that tenants can retrieve their belongings, and that is a cost that HRD is going to be required to bear.

That's the message that is being delivered today emphatically by believe a uh majority of the Detroit City Council, and I'm sure HRD is listening, uh, and they're gonna have to internalize it.

And and as President Tate said, he wants to hear a plan back from all of us collectively as to what we're going to do.

So we will certainly take the message back.

Thank you for that.

And I'm I'm going to add to council president's request that this be provided within 48 hours.

It just doesn't seem like it needs to take us another week before we go to court to figure out how to address this issue.

Um, so certainly look forward to hearing that.

Now, the one I want to echo something that member Miller talked about as it relates to BC.

So when I do the the quick man, this building was 87% unoccupied.

Did this building have a certificate of occupancy?

A certificate of compliance?

How do we have 40 units of a 340-unit building that is still occupied, and we as a city have not shut the building down?

What's going on with the rest of the building that it's habitable for residents to still be there?

That's a great challenge.

I think that's something that BC needs to be more proactive in, making sure that these buildings do not get to such a state of disrepair that we end up in this situation.

And we know that we've heard time and time again that we have multi-unit complexes, multiple stories that the elevator has gone out, this is gone out, and it it just continues to add up.

We have to get in front of the issue, especially as we know we're facing housing challenges.

If we have to relocate folks, we can't relocate them in the city of Detroit.

That is a significant problem that we have to get in front of.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

And I know we have uh Mr.

Russian on online would like to give you an opportunity to uh provide any commentary on Mr.

Rushman, Ms.

Russian No, thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, so uh I hear everything that's um that's been said.

Um and we do actively uh do enforcement uh with problem properties, but I think what needs to be uh uh stated is that uh for the past three years uh that this property has been out of compliance.

Um the property had not deteriorated to a point to where um we felt that it needed to be vacated.

The property had electricity, the property had uh heat, property had hot and cold running water, and so because of property uh did not fall into a uh state where it was uh deemed uninhabitable, um we didn't want to displace those tenants.

And so that's the reason why um that that building was not vacated.

Uh but we did reach out to the law department because of the history of noncompliance to try to help uh move uh move this owner uh closer to compliance with a consent agreement.

Mr.

Chairman, if I may just add um something to the conversation.

I think there are many times when BC is looking for the mechanics in the building to be functioning to indicate that that is a habitable property.

I think we need to be reaching out to the health department as well, because if the building has water in the basement, we already know, and I I don't even need to mention anything that's happened in district four as to how hazardous that is for residents, particularly children and our seniors.

So um I'm not sure whose responsibility that is, but I think the health department needs to be involved in these conversations to make sure that we are all mindful of the health and safety of all of our residents throughout the city.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

And I know that we're uh approaching the budget uh period, if you will.

As we get closer to the end of the year, that now creates that opportunity for us to figure out what reprogramming of dollars and departments that may not have been able to use those funds can in fact serve as reprogramming to also go to something uh such of this uh nature.

Um, we're going to wrap C Ms.

Nebling, you came up because you have something you want to add, and we're gonna allow you to uh add your commentary, then we're gonna go to member waters and we're gonna wrap it up because we're gonna get to the rest of our agenda.

Her first and me.

She's gonna go first for last.

Um, good afternoon to this honorable body.

My name is Chelsea Neblett.

I'm the chief of housing solutions and supportive services in the housing and revitalization department.

I just wanted to note um that I did come up late.

I heard the request and speaking with um Madam Mayor, we are committed in HRD to work with the law department and the fire department on a creative solution to ensure that residents receive their belongings.

We understand the hardship.

We have been supporting through case management and heard um in terms of the direction to get an expedited resolution.

So just wanted to state that for the record and and thank you for the conversation.

Thank you.

Member Waters with the final word.

Um thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I just want to ask that HRD also present this body with the with a budget in terms of what it's gonna cost of everything that you would be doing.

Um through the charity member waters understood, and we we can work on that.

Yes.

All right, thank you.

Now, for corporation council, the land bank closes that take people properly all the time under nuisance abatement.

Let's take this one using nuisance abatement.

I think because it meets all of the requirements.

Am I correct?

Yeah.

I mean, the the law department does not direct the activity of the Detroit Land Bank.

Well, I understand, but I'm talking about nuisance abatement.

I mean, anybody can can do that.

The city can do it, probably BC can do it, land bank has been doing it, taking property that they should never have done in the first place.

So I'm I'm talking about using news abatements to take this Leland property.

I mean, it's a nuisance.

Can we do that, Corp Council?

That's that that's gonna be an administrative decision.

Uh they can't do it without law.

No, no, no, they can't do it, right?

But but but remember the a decision of that consequence is gonna necessarily have to involve the administration.

I mean, you're talking about taking a building that occupies an entire city block and saying that we are going to manage all the costs associated therewith.

And you know, the administration is gonna have to weigh in and give the direction to the law department to in fact initiate that particular lawsuit.

Okay, all right.

I understand.

I understand that okay, we have the administration to weigh in, but I'm talking about the law.

The law allows us to do that.

Am I correct?

The law allows us to bring an action for nuisance abatement.

And the idea that we would take over a multi-family entity of this consequence.

It is probably legally possible.

Yeah.

Uh is certainly going to have to be managed in conjunction with uh the administrators decision about how they want to spend the resource.

Sure, I get that court casting.

I just wanted to make sure that we can legally do it if we choose to do so.

Yes, ma'am.

Um thank you.

Thank you.

As I mentioned, we won't solve it all here, uh, but there will be an opportunity.

There is going to be an opportunity uh following this meeting, not necessarily today, uh, but uh we're gonna try to reach that 24 hour or 48 hour deadline that my colleague just uh put on the table as well, which is definitely needed and worthy.

So thank you.

Um quick, it's quick.

You did not go yet.

So member Callaway Matt shall close out this discussion, ladies and gentlemen.

I just could member Calloway.

Just a real quick question.

Can we place the lien on the property since it's still privately owned?

Yes, maybe place a lien on the property.

The the the when the court hearing out of the uh bankruptcy or the court hearing out of state court, uh as soon as there's a judgment, yes, we can place it.

Okay, I'm respectfully requesting through the chair that a law department do whatever it takes to put a place a lien on the property.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

And if the member Callaway, just to make sure it's solidified, if you put that in writing, we can all ensure that we follow uh that particular uh line.

Thank you again.

We appreciate it.

We are definitely going to be back in touch.

Okay, as we try to resolve this issue ASAP for the residents.

Thank you all for coming out as well.

We appreciate you um keeping us aware and abreast of what's going on, and hopefully you see we're not just playing with this.

This is it's complicated.

It's a lot of different entanglements that we have to go through to get this done, but we hear you and we're working with you.

And thank you again.

Appreciate you, all right.

All right, madam clerk.

Understanding committee reports from the budget finance and audit standing committee from the office of city clerk, city planning commission.

Council member McCampbell, a resolution line item 16.1.

All right, thank you so much, Member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Motion to approve.

It's a motion to approve line item 16.1 with discussion, please.

With discussion, please.

Discussion.

Thank you so much.

Um Chair I can't motion.

Uh so I was trying to figure out uh, and maybe there's somebody available from uh the department uh from uh CPC, rather, that will be able to explain why any Z for this one and not any Z and R.

Because this is a new build as opposed to a uh rehab.

It's a total new new bill.

Mr.

Gulak, I see you on the screen.

Please introduce yourself for the record.

Uh good afternoon, President Tate.

Uh Chris Gulak, uh CPC staff.

Yes, sir.

Hear the question.

I'm sorry, I missed it while I was logging out.

Okay, apologize.

So why why uh why are we going uh with the straight up NEZ on this particular item and not an NE Z NR, which would uh constitute uh well the eligibility for my understanding is for a new bill, and that's what this is the president uh yeah, the NEZ state state act is really designed to uh support new housing as well as rehab, and and um this area has an NEZ on it, I think since the early 2000s.

So um uh the council has approved uh several NAZs for new housing in this area in the last couple years.

Um but you traditionally the um new housing um goes applies for the NEZ rather than the homestead.

I believe the homestead is just for already housing that was already built, I think before 19 uh 68, if I recall.

Um so this is the uh tax breaks uh that they should apply for if they want to.

Yeah.

Okay.

And so I know that we a number of years ago we reconfigured the NEZ boundaries, if you will, in the city of Detroit, uh for for homestead.

This this is not one of those areas that it falls into, and if so, why would it have to come this way to us?

Because if there's a uh individual who lives in a home within the NEZ uh approved boundaries, they don't have to go through city council approval, just goes through um you know various departments.

Uh uh to the chair, uh yeah, the um the NEZ homestead was was implemented, you know, about 10 or 15 years ago for mostly for an established uh neighborhoods, um such as university district, uh it's spread throughout the city.

Usually you have to have a concentration of established homes.

And um so I don't think this is a homestead area, but I can double check okay.

Uh I I would I would like if we could move this to the end of the agenda so that you give you an opportunity, unless you already have the information, you can pull it up quickly.

Uh yeah, I'll need a few minutes.

Okay.

Colleagues, can we uh move this item uh to the end of the agenda to allow Mr.

Goodlack to find that information, please?

Motion to move it to the end of the agenda.

Thank you so much.

There's a motion to move line item 16.1 to the end of the agenda to allow Mr.

Gulak to provide the information.

And if you have it, just let us know.

We'll we'll come back to you.

We'll come back to you.

Thank you so much, Member McCampbell, Mr.

Chair.

All right, from uh the internal operations standing committee from the mayor's office, madam clerk.

Councilmember Whitfield Callaway, three resolutions, line item 17.1 through 17.3.

Member Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um line item 17.1 is a reappointment of appointment of Sherry Jackson to the Human Rights Commission.

Um line item 17.2 is uh Dr.

Eric Carter.

It's a reappointment to the human rights commission.

And then lastly, um line item 17.3 is the uh resolution of filing the proposed um EOP.

Um motion to approve.

Thank you so much.

There's a motion to approve line items 17.1 through 17.3, noting that line item 17.3.

I believe there's the a public hearing that's being uh scheduled for February 25th.

That is correct.

Thank you so much.

Yep.

Colleagues, any objections?

Seeing none, then action shall be taken.

Mr.

President.

Uh Madam Clerk.

Yes, through you that public hearing also is scheduled for 1020 a.m.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you so much.

Um, from the law department, madam clerk.

Councilmember Whitfield Callaway, nine resolutions, line items 17.4 through 17.12.

Member Callaway, line item 17.4 through 17.12.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

These are various uh lawsuits and settlements.

Motion to approve.

As a motion to approve line item 17.4 through 17.12, colleagues.

Any objections?

Uh objection to 17.12.

Unless member McCampbell, Madam Clerk.

Clerk will so note, Mr.

President.

Thank you so much.

Any further seeing none, those actions shall be approved.

Those items should be approved, excuse me.

From the law department, madam clerk.

Council President Pro Tim Young in introduction of an ordinance, line item 17.13.

Uh pro Tim Young.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Mr.

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

Colleagues, any objections for line item 17.13.

See none, that action shall be taken.

Uh from the law department, madam clerk.

Council President Pro Tim Young, a resolution set in the public hearing.

Line item 17.14.

Oh, town.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Move to approve line item 17.14.

There's a motion to approve line item 17.14.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

From the historic designation advisory board.

Council member withfield Callaway, two resolutions, line items 17.15 and 17.16.

Callah.

Um, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

This is reappointment of William Warton to the historic designation advisory board and um the reappointment of Sharon Sexton to the historic designation advisory board.

Motion to approve.

Thank you so much.

This motion to approve line items 17.15 and 17.16.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

Mr.

Chair.

Um member called, yes, ma'am.

Mr.

Chair, um, like to request a waiver on line items 17.1 and 17.2.

There's a request for waiver on both line items 17.1 and 17.2.

Colleagues, any objections?

Seeing none, waiver should be attached.

Mr.

Chair.

Um, member McCampbell.

Also request waivers on the actions we took on the resolutions under new business.

Oh, uh the new business items, the memos.

Yes.

Uh there's a motion to um to put a waiver waiver on the items that were approved in new business.

Uh the two memo reports that we were released the privilege.

Now, which one are we the you want to put the waiver on the privilege being released?

Yes.

Okay.

There's a motion for the privilege being released.

Um there's a motion for waiver uh for the release of the privilege.

Any objections?

See none, then action shall be taken.

All right.

Madam Clerk under resolutions.

Council member Santiago Romero, a resolution, line item 17.17.

Thank you so much.

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

This is the resolution in support of local democracy.

Uh, want to say thank you so much for the partners that stopped by today uh to uh encourage us to support this uh motion to approve.

It's a motion to approve line item 17.17.

Colleagues, any objections?

See none, then action shall be taken.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Request a waiver.

There's a request for a waiver on line item 17.17.

Any objections?

Seeing none, a waiver should be attached.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Under resolutions, madam clerk.

Council member with field calloway or resolution line item 17.18.

Uh member Callaway, line item 17.18.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

This is the appointment of Miss Maya Campbell to represent City Council District 3 on the board of zoning appeals for the term beginning December 31st, 2028.

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line item 17.18.

Colleagues, any objection.

Action shall be taken for the planning and economic development standing committee from the city planning commission.

Council member Johnson and introduction of an ordinance line item 18.1.

Member Johnson, line item 18.1.

Thank you, miss.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

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

There's a motion, colleagues, for an approval for line item 18.1.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

Uh from the city planning commission, madam clerk.

Council member Johnson, a resolution setting the public hearing, line item 18.2.

Member Johnson, line item 18.2.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Move for approval to set the public hearing for a date to be determined.

There's a motion, colleagues, to set the public hearing for the date to be determined for line item 18.2.

Any objections?

See none.

Then action shall be taken.

From the housing and revitalization department.

Councilmember Johnson, a resolution, line item 18.3.

Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Move for approval line item 18.3 is the awarding of annual home and CDBG revised awards.

There's a motion to approve colleagues of line item 18.3.

Any objections?

See none, then action shall be taken.

Mr.

Chair, I'd like to request a waiver on line item 18.3.

There's a request for a waiver on line item 18.3.

Colleagues, any objections?

Seeing none, a waiver should be attached.

Councilmember Johnson, a resolution, noting that this line item was postponed from last week's formal session agenda.

Line item 18.4.

Uh member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Move for approval with discussion.

This is the property sale at 7001 Finco Avenue.

Thank you.

There's a motion for approval with discussion.

Colleagues, uh Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I'm not sure if uh member Callaway had any additional questions or concerns.

I know she um requested the postponement from last week.

Calloway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and thank you.

Um member Johnson, we had an opportunity to talk to the um the purchaser of the property.

We're excited about what's going to take place on Finkel at 7001.

I believe Miss Barner is going to be very, very happy.

So thank you so much for postponing for a week, but our questions have been answered.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

There's a motion for approval line item 18.4.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

Request a waiver, sir.

There's a waiver requested for line item 18.4.

Any objections?

See none.

A waiver should be attached.

For the public health and safety standing committee from the Office of Contracting and Procurement, Madam Clerk.

Council Member Santiago Romero for resolutions, noting that line item 19.1 was postponed from last week.

Formal session agenda.

Contract number 6007602, 100% grant funding to provide six lactation pods, contractor space works, total contract amount 149,000.

That's for health.

Contract number 600420-83.

100% major street funding.

Amendment three to provide extension of time only for the Rosa Park Street Scape Project.

Contractor Major Contracting Group Incorporated Total Contract Amount 8,841, 4612.

That is for public works.

Contract number 6007598, 100% city funding to provide small aqueous parts cleaning machine lease and services.

Contractor Safety Clean Systems Incorporated Total Contract Amount 55,000.

That's for transportation and contract number 6007623, 100% grant funding to furnish and install paint booths, contract or spray booth products.

Total contract amount 1,799,999.

That's for transportation.

Councilmember Santiago Romero for resolutions.

Thank you so much.

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President's motion to discuss 19.1.

There's a motion to discuss line item 19.1.

Member Santiago.

Thank you.

We brought this back from last week.

There's a lot of discussion around where these six lactation pads or pods will be located.

Just want to share the criteria that was shared with us for the locations.

It was based on the number of breastfeeding women in the district or in the neighborhood in the area.

Space requirement to accommodate the pod structure.

Ability to maintain and upkeep the pod in number of childbearing age residents in the areas.

The locations that have been identified so far are Brilliant Detroits in 48210 in District 6 at Brilliant Detroit in 4217 in District 6 at the Fair Rail Recreation Center in District 3.

At the Samaritan Center in District 4, at the Henry Ford Medical Center in D5, and the Northwest Activity Center in D2.

Just wanted to share that as updates that we received.

Welcome any other discussion if needed for 19.1.

Thank you.

And I thought I heard last week that there was some hesitancy for uh these pods to be placed at um hospital sites uh due to the fact that they probably should have uh that that ability to provide that service.

Uh was there any additional conversations uh about that at all?

I know I think member Johnson raised that particular issue last week.

Anyone who may be able to respond, Mr.

President, yes, we did bring that up.

Um I we don't have any updates on that.

So to the administration, anyone that might have an answer to that question, that would be great because we did bring that up.

Um, if we believe hospitals or if other entities have the means to provide these pods that they should, and that we should put the resources into um local partners, rec centers, um spaces like those.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I see Mr.

Washington has joined us.

Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon through the chair.

Um, could we please promote Shirley Gray as well as Dr.

Iris Taylor?

All right, we shall do so.

Raise their hand being ported over now chair.

This is Iris uh Taylor speaking.

Taylor, if you can please the camera on, that'll be helpful.

That'll be helpful.

Thank you for drawing this.

Thank you.

Uh uh to the chair.

Uh, the site uh the new center is an outpatient area that has several um private tailor.

If you turn your turn your camera on, that'll be helpful for us.

Ah, I thought I turned it on.

Okay, something's wrong with the system because on my end the cameras on.

Okay, you may proceed.

I'm sorry.

Yeah, it says uh uh version may proceed.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um, the new center is uh an outpatient facility.

It the name of the building is the Henry Ford News Center, but there are several um uh private facilities inside organizations inside that facility.

It is not uh a hospital sponsored uh area.

I know I hijacked the question and I know that member Johnson asked it uh last week.

Member Johnson does it satisfy your concern.

The floor is thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I'm not um keenly aware of the facility.

I would I would yield to uh member miller.

I'm not sure if she is aware of that facility.

Um the district four facility at the Samaritan Center is is okay with me.

I say okay.

Um, because I know that there are a number of different organizations in that building that provide services to um families.

Um, and I also recognize that the health department has a satellite facility there or center there as well.

So thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Any further colleagues?

Um member Miller.

I'm gonna be totally honest.

I was surprised about the rec centers.

I have been in rec centers my entire life, and really most times children are dropped off.

You really see adults there doing playtime or uh sports.

So I was really surprised about the plate about the rec centers.

Um it would have been nice to have, I mean, to be able to give some suggestions.

I don't believe it's itched to stone, but I was really surprised, and I know member Johnson had a friend who had an issue there, but um being in and out of recentness.

I recently I'm at the boys and girls club quite often over in uh Russell Woods.

And I just don't see that there.

Um, but I guess it's good to have a need.

And I know we're trying to stay away from uh private places.

Like I would see parents, and I'm gonna be honest, it's like DIA Science Center, things like that, but I guess we are not allowed to fund those type of places.

That's where I would see places in the weekend where you have multiple children and you're trying to send some time with your family out.

But I was I just want to say I just wanted to I was surprised about the rec centers.

Thank you.

Uh member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and and thank you, Dr.

Taylor.

I uh looking at the list, uh there I talked about this last week of um the lack of rec centers in district seven.

Um, but as looking at the list, the most west location would be on Myers.

So that leaves out both district one and district seven um of having a uh uh uh lactation station in the area.

Um so I just was wondering that was Adams Bustle or um Corwell or or anything um more closer considered on these sites um because I know district seven does have the second highest amount of children.

I don't know if that directly correlates to um mothers who are breastfeeding, but just wanted to inquire about that.

Dr.

Taylor the uh driver and the criteria uh first of all was to look at geographically where we have breastfeeding mothers or those women bearing children or people or individuals who were expecting to deliver sometime within the next six to nine months, and that was all done through people's enrollment into the WIC program as one of our databases.

So the the driver then was once that criteria was selected was to look at what community-based organization or rec center uh was in that geographical area.