Scott Benz and I'm a Renata Miller.

Madam Chair, you have a quorum president.

Just to set the tone for the day.

I'm gonna read from the devotional from the Royal Oak First United Methodist devotional book that's always provided by Peter Rose.

Peter Rose, can you raise your hand?

He provides that every Wednesday.

And um, it looks like we're gonna have Member Miller here this morning.

God help us to live beyond the moments that overwhelm us.

Help us to be forgiving of everyone in our lives, including ourselves when the journey gets tough.

Help us to look again at the final designation and long to be in your house with you and the whole family of faith.

Help us to enjoy this journey.

Let us feel your presence along the way.

Let's go places together in Jesus' name.

Amen.

All righty.

Is there a motion for the approval of the minutes?

There's a motion for the approval of the minutes, hearing no objection, that action shall be taken.

There are zero chair remarks.

We will have um public comment.

Is there anyone here in the audience who would like to make public comment?

Seeing no hands raised, um, we will cut off public comment in one minute, which means it'll end at 10.03.

And welcome, member Miller.

So good to see you.

So glad you're here.

Okay, so um, Miss JC, we're gonna cut off comment public comment in one minute.

We have no one here in the audience.

Who's our first caller?

We have six hands raised for public comment.

The first caller is William M.

Davis.

Good morning, Mr.

Davis.

You have two minutes, sir.

Good morning.

Uh good morning.

Can I be heard?

You can be heard.

Okay, great.

I just want any of my city of Detroit retirees is listening to know that uh the Detroit bankruptcy uh is ended.

Um they found they filed the final decree yesterday.

There was going to be a hearing today on John Quinn's um motion and uh about the bankruptcy, but everything was signed off yesterday.

Uh so that gives the city a little bit greater flexibility to assist and help the Detroit retirees because far too often in the last 12 years, over 4,000 of us have passed on the top of just general fund retirees.

Uh this whole recovery has been on and continues to be on our back because the city was diverting at least 100 million dollars, anywhere from 75 to 150 million dollars every year that normally would be going to our pension fund was going to enrich millionaires and billionaires, basically.

You know, the city does look better than it did at the start of the bankruptcy, but it's been basically on the back of the city of Detroit retirees.

So hopefully the city of Detroit, the city council, and the mayor will have a more favorable heart and be willing to help those that this recovery has been on our backs.

So I look forward to uh moving up and doing more things to assist us.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

The next caller is the next caller is owner papa.

Owner Popper, you have two minutes, ma'am.

Miss Owner Popper, you have two minutes.

Uh good morning, and through the chair.

May I be heard?

I can be heard.

Thank you.

Uh, yes, let's keep it in the name of Jesus.

Let's operate and um in the spirit of Jesus.

Right.

The spirit of Jesus says that the least of these you must care about you're not listening to a word I'm saying, honey.

I think you guys are retarded.

Okay.

I don't have anything else to say.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Marguerite Maddox.

If you could start the clock back to two minutes.

Okay.

Miss Maddox, you have two minutes this morning.

Yes.

Thank you.

Um

We we need to think out of the way.

That we all can.

He can be a putt of sending him.

He is what it was.

Needs to be redone over.

Because it is his safety is good.

Thank you, Miss Maddox.

No, thank you.

Thank you, Miss Maddox.

The next caller.

The next caller is Betty A.

Varner.

Ms.

Barner, you have two minutes and good morning.

Good morning, madam chair, and to all within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Barner, president of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association.

Uh sharing information in regards to Wayne Metro, uh, who provide services for the Wayne Metro area.

They have a unit now.

They calling it Wayne Metro on the go mobile unit.

And they are looking for communities and people who are interested in having the um unit, mobile unit, come to their uh neighborhood to provide and give information regarding the services that they offer.

There's a survey that they uh have sent out asking for uh people to fill them out and uh send them in regards to providing zip codes that they think that the uh mobile unit would be a good place to go.

And so you would contact a Mr.

Mohammed Otman.

I don't know if I'm pronouncing the last name correctly, but it's spelled O T H M A N.

Again, O T H M A N telephone number 313-388-979.

313-388-9799.

That is the uh main number for Wayne Metro, and you would ask to speak to him, or you can uh send an email to community outreach at Wayne Metro.org.

Community outreach at Wayne Metro.org and ask for the survey to be sent to you.

And if you are a city resident or in the Wayne Metro area, you can call that number and just ask for information regarding the services that they provide and see if you're eligible.

Thank you.

No, thank you, Miss Varner.

Thank you.

The next caller is the next caller is number ending in 534.

The number ending in 534, you have two minutes.

Good morning, may I be heard?

You can be heard.

Okay, thank you.

So I would like to speak against Matt Walters, coming town for the downtown development authority.

Um for the longest time, his mother was on the board of the Detroit Land Bank, and nobody knew that.

Well, he was the top negotiator for deals with uh the mayor or whatever, so he probably was involved in the secretive planning of North End Landing.

He also is the one after we caught the shady deal of the city taking out four nine in Peterborough uh to give to Midtown Inc.

for less than three thousand dollars, and then Cindy went down and offered 25,000 for it, and he was involved in that little deal, and then Arthur Jameson said they they would they we Cindy filed an OIG report that they dilly-dallied on for two and a half years.

Arthur Jameson said they wouldn't sell the land, they turned around and did anyway.

They should have given Cindy 10 feet.

She took care of that lot for a long, long, long, long time.

But oh, then they give it to hooked up Sue Mosey, who then flipped it for $150,000, and God knows what they're doing with it right now, and then they go in and they go after Cindy, cut her trees down, do all this stuff.

Why was Matt Walter so secretive about his mother, Carol Walters being on the board of the land bank?

I say no.

Let him keep on with his own business.

We don't need any more Matt Walters.

At least he would like talk to me, unlike some of Mary Sheffield staff persons at the time.

Actually, no, he did have a harder time talking to me.

At least Steve Ogden would talk to me.

Anyway, say no to that guy.

He was involved in a bunch of secretive planning.

We should have all known that his mother was on the board of the land bank for years.

Well, they he told me they sat down and talked about development deals at their home.

So too much of this insight stuff.

Get rid of the Duganates.

We're tired of it.

We're tired of it.

We didn't get much new with Mary Shatter's except thank you, Miss Warwick.

The next caller is the next caller is Mr.

Foster.

Mr.

William Foster, you have two minutes.

It's Mr.

Ronald Foster.

Mr.

Ronald Foster, forgive me.

Yes, ma'am, no worries.

I um agree with uh my previous call, this uh Matthew Don't research with Mr.

Walters.

I understand that he's from the Detroit River Park Services Group.

I know that's a big group there.

However, we make a new strides.

We have to take to account for the million dollars that came up.

And then people want to take positions and being in a position of authority and have oversight, and they also have to take accountability, whether they was in it or not, and it had to be able to articulate how they plan on moving with a better eye and accountability for the taxpayers dollars or for any dollars for that matter.

And so um that's that look forward to the interview.

I hope you guys ask tough questions.

Secondly, uh respectfully asking all.

I know everybody's a little familiar with each other.

A lot of these appointments and things are recycled.

They appear to be uh partisan based, right?

You know, and agenda.

I just asked you all to start looking at things from a non-partisan perspective.

Don't look at people and names and all of those things.

They don't have any value.

You have to be able to look at their results.

If we all start adding names to things, then show me the results of the last 30 years.

Show me the results of your resume.

It's not just that you held a position or that you've been there.

Let me see the progress articulate to the people in the community, the actual progress that you have done, right?

And so those are things like when I asked when I asked you guys to ask tough questions, hold people accountable.

You have to turn your blind eye to people that you may be familiar with, people that may be favorite, and just really listen to the content of people, and then see how we can move forward in a more positive manner and make better decisions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Foster.

Who's next?

The next caller is number ending in 669.

Number ending in 669.

You have two minutes.

Number ending in 669, you have two minutes.

Hello.

Well if you can introduce if you can introduce yourself for the record number ending in 669.

Can you hear me, Brother Cunningham?

Mr.

Cunningham, we can hear you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Shout outs to Mr.

Peter Rhodes.

Uh, when I'm out and about giving out the bus tickets and the uh lawns on housing lists and the fair transit, I have a bullhorn so I don't have to repeat myself.

And so the people can hear.

And Mr.

Rose was shopping at at uh a at a store, and he heard the bullhorn.

And sometimes it was a thankless effort, uh, thankless situation.

He stopped, said hello, and gave me some ice cream.

It was pretty high hot that day.

So I appreciate the uh the uh love and kindness of Mr.

Rose.

Uh sometimes it's a rough, rough day.

Um, I'm asking folks to continue to pray for D Dot.

I'll pray for myself, my mom show my reliance.

And there's a lot going on.

I can go into uh a uh uh detail, but God will make a way, and I want you all to pray in the Holy Spirit, call my name out in the above here.

I've been doing it periodically.

You know, folks don't understand, that's fine.

But I'm gonna finish off doing that, and I'm gonna continue to do it periodically for the next few days.

Thank you, Mr.

Cuttingham.

The next caller.

The final caller before you cut off public comment at 100 free is Nini's friend.

You have two minutes, Miss Friend.

Hey, Andrew Lucalaway.

It ain't Mr.

Fred is Ruben J.

Crowley Jr.

Nini's friend.

Now, I'm also Robert Bob Carmax.

NYG G A MYG G A.

You can spell, you know what that means.

And yo, million dollar office budget.

Um Mr.

Crowley, um Jay Lane, if you if you could cut him off, are there any other callers?

We are not gonna tolerate you spelling or saying it.

It's unacceptable.

We have a room full of wonderful guests, and you have to call here spelling derogatory words.

So, are there any other callers after this caller?

Or was he the last caller?

Madam Chair, that was the final caller.

That was the final caller.

Please um forgive that caller.

He knows not what he does, and that's on a daily basis.

We're not gonna tolerate it.

That being said, I'm gonna gavel in the two interviews that we have.

One is a continuation from last week of Peggy Goodwin, and the next one is for Matthew D.

Waters.

I'm gonna recess them both to the call of the chair because we have a huge presentation this morning.

I'm going to turn this over to my colleague, member Scott Benson.

And I know that the clerk did acknowledge the presence of Member Miller.

Is that correct?

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Member Benson.

Madam Chair, number one, thank you for uh continuing to bring order and a level of uh dignity and decorum to this body.

Uh good morning, everybody.

Uh today we are for the tenth time uh hosting our annual tech new awards in city council chambers to honor our global music legacy, and for 10 years, I've been privileged to share this stage with a true icon of our music community, DJ John Collins.

So if you would all please welcome our longtime co-presenter, the honorable DJ John Collins, who's also our Detroit Entertainment Commissioner, if I'm not mistaken, the chair of the entertainment commission, who has who was a brainchild behind this and has helped support us over 10 years to make this happen.

Entertainment commissioner DJ John Collins.

And today we have 10 awards to present, and we are heavy on our testimonial resolutions.

In addition, we have someone who at one time was awarded Spirit of Detroit, but just due to their resume and the level of support and growth in this genre, we'll be receiving a testimonial resolution today.

So DJ John Collins, uh, and madam chair, I'd like to first call up our first Spear Detroit Award winner, presentee, which will be the Detroit House Collective.

And this is the Detroit Music Center, and it was created by John Spears, Katia Wright, Rachel Parker, and Miss Tatanisha Spears.

And I hope that I'm pronouncing all of those correctly.

We don't have enough manager.

If we can have yep, we got one more there.

Do we have a fourth member?

Okay.

All right.

And so, and this is presented to the Detroit House Collective for transforming house music into a living expression of community, belonging, and Detroit creativity.

Founded by four friends with a shared love for music and people, Detroit House Collective has become a cultural meeting ground where sound, fellowship, and neighborhood spirit come together.

And it's signature Summer House Sundays has grown into one of the city's most vibrant seasonal gatherings, regularly welcoming more than 1,500 attendees who come to dance, connect, and experience the warmth of Detroit's house music tradition.

And this is in a city known for shaping the future of music.

Detroit House Collective continues that legacy by creating an atmosphere where joy is intentional, inclusion is practiced, and culture is shared across generations.

The Detroit House Collective.

And so if you just press the red color on the base of the microphone there, it'll turn green.

That means your microphone is on.

We can hear you.

Good morning.

I am partner of the Detroit House Collective.

We all were individual DJs in the city who enjoyed bringing people together.

And I saw a vision of us growing our um experience because we had started the congregation in Detroit where uh it was a popular fellowship of friends dancing, and uh I was seeing beyond the music because a lot of people uh come to get away from their normal seas of the day with uh politics and religions and the work uh uh ethics to drain them.

So they just want an escape and something to get away from.

So uh at that time we get together, I make sure everybody hug it out and enjoy each other, and uh as we collaborated as a group, we saw a vision of expanding it to a much larger platform.

And though a lot of people didn't see how big it could become, I knew that we could go there because so many people are looking for the same escape on the daily basis, and the music lets you release yourself and be the best version of yourself anyway.

So, what better place to do it with people that you love?

You can bring your children.

Um, you can come as you want to.

We have roller skaters, we have hula hoopers, everything you could possibly do to express yourself in that short window, and look forward to it a following week.

So I wish it could be year-round, but due to the expansion of the amount of people, we could only do it through the summer.

But thank you, and I appreciate this, and I love my fellow comrades and everyone who's in the community of music for making us grow to the expansion that we have become.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

Thank y'all.

You're welcome.

Commissioner, any addition?

I just wanted to add um that I'm very very impressed with Detroit House Collective.

Uh, the sense of community that they bring, as he stated, um, you know, all ages, families, children.

Uh, every Sunday.

When does it start?

So, very soon.

And starting from maybe 200 people to nearly 2,000 people dancing, no issues whatsoever.

That's house music.

Thank you.

So, can you just talk about where it actually occurs?

I don't think people who, if you're not in this space, we may not know where this occurs on Sundays.

We uh uh perform every Sunday on the Daquinder Cut at the um Freight Yard, which is a little bar with games, uh they have food trucks, um, and it's very close to Eastern America.

So every Sunday we are waiting for our start date for this summer, but it's from three to seven.

Yes, three to seven every Sunday.

All right, thank you.

And then I I had my anecdote is I was riding my bike on the De Quinter Cut at around five o'clock one day, and I was surprised to see there are about two thousand people out on the Quinter Cut listening to live uh House and Techno uh on the pathway, and then I was also surprised the number of Detroit directors who are also enjoying the free uh music on the De Quinder cut.

And so it's it's a fantastic event, and thank you all for doing this and cultivating this right here in the city of Detroit.

Thank you.

Excuse me, excuse me.

Um like to say something.

Good morning, thanks for joining us today.

I don't know how old you are, but I know I'm 57 years old, and house music came about in my era, but you guys look fairly young to really know about house music.

So um, I would like to be one of your guests because I enjoyed house music all along St.

Alban at the warehouse club, the tangerine room.

You guys might know about those places if you were uh raised in the 80s and some of I see some smiles around here and waves.

So do you have people with my age there?

Um, or this like a younger new generation, the Detroit Collective, because you didn't leave us out, did you?

It's truly all ages, and I this is my own opinion.

I think we've had a sweet spot of Gen Xers in particular because I'm a Gen Xer.

Uh, I don't always want to be out until two in the morning, but I love house music and I want to dance.

So 3 p.m.

in the afternoon.

So when is the oldie bagie night?

I got an old timers night or something.

Three to seven Sundays, and you're and you will let us know when you start.

Because I would really, I believe this is in my area that the printer cut is in District 5, and I would like to come and bring a group of people.

They're gonna be uh older now to enjoy your house music.

The older the better, the younger the better, bring whoever, and you're gonna have food.

Yes, okay.

All right, thank you for joining us.

Uh thank you, uh Member Benson for bringing us and to the knowledge of the Detroit Collective.

I am truly honored to know that they're in our district and they're going back into our art, the culture of house music.

House music is defined Detroit just like uh techno, you know, we that came from Detroit.

So as we have our entertainment commission or the music commission, it's wonderful to know that there's different genres actually being identified right here in Detroit.

So thank you for joining us today.

Yes.

Can I add it?

Uh house music was started in Chicago.

Yes, technomusic from Detroit.

Um and I just wanted to add that it's all ages, so it's not an oldies with goodies part.

Everybody's together.

Sounds good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And John, that's a great segue.

Can we just so we've been doing this for 10 years now, and we have transitioned from the founders to now recognize we've done over a hundred awards for people who have moved the genre along.

Today we've we're doing a little bit of a transition today.

John, can you just talk about that?

What we're doing today, and then the demographic of who's being recognized.

So traditionally we have we have uh microphone.

I'm sorry.

Uh we have awarded the founders who created technomusic and all other uh companies, booking agents, record labels who contributed to uh technomusic.

Uh and so those are a lot of older people, and and they needed to be recognized for this genre music that went all around the world.

So we're also now recognizing up and coming DJs, producers who are also doing the work.

And to your point, there are a lot of up and coming young DJs, men, women, uh, who are in this industry, and it's continuing because it's up to us to you know that the future we gotta bring the future up.

So that's why we're doing that today.

All right, thank you.

Thank you all.

Great house collective.

Thank you.

All right, next we're gonna have homie hangs, disc jockey organization.

Okay, and today Detroit City Council proudly celebrates Homie Hangs for its outstanding contributions as part of the Trumboplex microcommunity, founded more than two years ago by Francis Roby, Elisandra Rosario, and Maya Filan.

I hope I'm pronouncing those correctly.

If not, please correct me so we can get that correct in the future.

Homie hangs has become a powerful symbol of Detroit spirit through his dedication to mentoring aspiring DJs and honoring the city's rich electronic music culture.

Homie Hangs has collaborated with legendary Detroit artists and innovators, including Remarkable, Don Q, Gary Chandler, Nick Speed, DJ Fingers, DJ Jungle, and Dez Andres.

Homies hangs.

Ladies, who would like to speak.

Hi, everybody.

My name is Francis Roby.

Everybody calls me Ember.

Um, I'm one of the founders of Homie Haynes, and we started in an apartment, a one bedroom apartment.

Me and Medusa, that's Ellie Sandra down there.

And we came together and we realized just like the Detroit House Collective, more people needed community, and they wanted to come together and skillshare and just be one.

So it grew bigger and bigger, and we've now started people that never knew how to DJ.

They're playing festivals and all types of things now.

So we come together every Monday and we practice together and we commune together.

We've collaborated with the African World Fest and the City of Detroit at the People Mover and all types of things.

So we look forward to continuing what we're doing.

I'll add that um although I'm sorry, I'm Ali Sandra.

I also go by Medusa.

Everybody knows me as Medusa, Doosa, Docey, all of those names.

I'm a Chicago native, so house is like in my blood.

I have house head parents.

My dad was a bouncer at a club.

I grew up listening to like DJ mixes in the car with my dad, so it's kind of embedded in my my blood and my system.

But although we're the founders, Homie Hangs is definitely a collective that's run by the community, and um we wouldn't be able to do it without people that are constantly showing up and showing up for each other.

Shout out to DJ Stacks in the back and DJ the River Boy in the back.

Um yeah, without everybody putting their hands in the pot, it wouldn't be what it is today.

So I just also want to shout out the community that helps us continue to vibe out.

I want to add that we do everything with donated equipment or borrowed equipment.

We don't own anything, we don't have any of our own resources but the community.

So we've been running this program solely just with ourselves.

So just to put that out there that everybody know.

Hi, I'm Maya Filan.

Um, I just uh I think I come from the background of resource sharing.

For context, I'm the only one of us that's not a DJ.

And when we came together, um, I was actively trying to establish a program where underground DJs had access to industry standard equipment in the space.

So it was just all very aligned, and I'm very grateful for the both of them that we've been able to come together and create something that has sustained for years now.

Um, and I just think in Detroit in general, especially with times changing, but from the past to now, we've always been a city that is about resource sharing and building together and being a part of the place like the Trumboplex Micro community uh that is centered on sharing resources and bringing people together, but I think sometimes um we feel we go unrecognized or we're not necessarily seen as um as important as some of the more mainstream programs that exist.

So I think I speak for all of us um when I say we were not expecting this, and it really does mean a lot to know that you guys um even see it as something that supports uh the city and represents the spirit of Detroit.

So thank you, everyone here, and thank you, John always, and uh Underground Resistance uh and everybody from the Boulevard for being great mentors to us and a lot of people in the audience too.

Um, like Stacey and Remarkable, uh Maureen and Chuck from Paxahau.

Um, a lot of people here, and I'm probably missing some people too, but a lot of people here are people who have actively supported us um in our journeys um as individuals and as in homie hangs.

So thank you, everybody here.

Thank you.

Thank you, homie hangs.

John, anything else?

Yeah, I have a question.

Madam Chair.

May I?

Yeah, madam chair.

The name homie hays.

Where did that come from?

Homies hanging.

It's homie hangs.

Yeah.

Oh like a homie hangs, like you my homie, and we hang it.

We hang.

Hang with the homies.

Yeah, okay.

I was just homie hangs.

Oh, when you put uh now, I understand.

Uh-huh.

Okay.

So homie is hanging.

Yeah-huh.

All right.

Thank you so much.

Um, member Vincent.

Uh, through yourself, madam chair to uh DJ John Collins, your honorable.

Um there's not much more I can ask.

She she really handled it very well.

But I'm just very, very proud of what Homie Hangs is doing, and I just feel that very, very important to recognize them for the work that they're doing.

Once again, congratulations.

Thank you.

Member Miller.

Member Miller.

I want to say I am excited to see a female group of DJers here in the house.

I know a lot of DJs.

I'm sure you know I've been in a lot of different places.

I am familiar with DJ Stacks, DJ Fingers, of course, in my age group, DJ BJ, who I grew up with helping come up out of Southfield.

And I am have hosted and been at some of the events.

And I want to say a shout out to you because music, especially during the pandemic.

You save lives during the pandemic.

Those DJ events that happen and all my friends I can see commenting on every weekend.

That kept us alive during the pandemic.

If you are a music person.

But I want to say shout out to Homie Hangs.

I look forward to uh coming to one of your events as well, and maybe partnering with something on the female level to bring out I want to see you do this, and you got multiple tables and stuff, right?

Or do you just do everything on the on the computers?

I mean, do you do the show stop and stuff?

We we try to incorporate all the elements of genres and everything.

So thank you for joining us.

I am excited to um um hear about another group here.

This is I'm new, so to hear about this industry and to see how far it expands to our youth, because I do consider you to be youth.

Um, that this is exciting, and maybe some of our youth throughout the city can uh tap in and maybe join.

Do you have like a membership or something?

Can someone else join up with you?

So uh homie hangs is actually all ages, and we do have people that come to learn to DJ that run the gamut of ages.

Um we teach on because you asked about equipment.

We teach on uh vinyl.

Uh shout out to Tech Troy for coming through, DJ uh Roach and Moses that come through every week.

Um, or and once a month specifically to teach people vinyl.

We have CDJs, we will teach people on controllers, their laptop, whatever you want to use.

Um the lovely people on the side of me will help you learn that in Stacks and River in the back.

Um, and it's every Monday, 7 p.m.

to 3 a.m.

at the Trumboleplex.

7 p.m.

to 3.

Yep, 7 p.m.

to 3 a.m.

We turn the music down and we keep going.

So anybody can come, and we do plan on having some time.

So folks still get up and go to work.

Absolutely.

That's on Trumble and Home.

What is the address?

Trumble near uh 4210 Trumbull Street, 4210 Trumbull Street.

And is there a phone number, website, email that because people are listening?

Yes, so share it on Instagram.

We're at homie hangs.

H-O-M-I-E-H-A-N-G-Z and that same homie hangs at gmail.com.

Okay.

So you may mention that you didn't have your own equipment.

Do you need equipment?

Yeah, you're looking for equipment.

So everybody comes and bring their own equipment.

But you need equipment.

Do you hear that, Detroit?

They need equipment.

Homie hangs.

So we can bring more people into this uh musical uh technology here.

And um, thank you for joining us.

I will definitely, someone from my staff will stop you before you go out.

All right, thank you.

And I have another question.

Okay, so I spelled homie hangs.

Let me tell you how I spelled it.

This is what I heard.

H O M E Y H A N G S.

How did you spell it?

Because if I were to put this in, it wouldn't come up.

So what should I be putting in again?

H-O-M-I-E H A N G Z.

So you put a Z on the end of the instead of an S.

Yeah, and our acronym is H H Z like Hertz.

Okay.

Frequency Benders.

Okay.

And it's free.

Come learn how to DJ.

It doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are, come learn.

That's wonderful.

So proud.

Age.

Anything else on this one?

Ladies, thank you very much.

Thank you.

And thank you for all that you all do for the genre.

Thank you so much.

Next, we're gonna go into our testimony resolutions, and we're gonna start with John Dixon.

Forever Forward founder.

John Dixon was born June 1984 in the city of Detroit as a prodigy raised in the city that gave the world the sounds of Motown and Techno.

He embraced the rich musical legacy that surrounded him from an early age.

By the age of four, he was already playing music by ear.

To further develop his extraordinary God-given talents, he studied classical piano at the high school for the performing arts, where he also studied jazz under tutelage of Edward Quick.

And John Dixon is a shining example of musical brilliance and artistic excellence.

He has devoted his life to captivating audiences and innovative sounds that masterfully blend techno, jazz, and hip hop, leaving a lasting impact on Detroit's wrist rich musical legacy and inspiring generations of artists and music lovers alike.

Welcome, John Dixon.

Sure, I just want to thank John Collins, the city of Detroit, everyone that's also here getting an award.

I thought about something as I was just kind of sitting there.

The one thing that every person, every creed, color, nationality, race, gender, the one, the two things that we all have in common that we need to survive, whether we know it or not, is food and music.

Regardless of what country where you're at on earth, every culture can identify with music.

And I think one of the amazing things about the city of Detroit is that we've always been at the forefront of every genre.

Uh going back to the 60s from Motown, Garage, punk, jazz, hip hop, uh, electronic techno, Detroit techno, uh, ghetto tech, and all of the future genres that we will continue to create uh as we move forward.

And I also want to give a special shout out to the two brothers, Sam and Mike.

Um for music therapy.

One of the things that we were taught is to always make sure that you offer clients or patients who you're working with the highest audio quality possible so that the music can do what it does best.

And from the Jazz Fest to the Movement Fest, I think everyone has been down to the movement festival or the Detroit Jazz Fest, you can truly appreciate uh the brilliance of the musicians and the artists performing only because you have such an amazing sound team.

So I just want to give a special shout out to Sam and Mike as well.

We love you too, John.

Yes.

Well, John.

So John Dixon through Underground Resistance.

When he first came to Underground Resistance, which some of you may not know is an international techno label out of Detroit, based out of Detroit, um, as a keyboard player, he's a brilliant keyboard player.

He's also taught classes at Mission State University extension here in Detroit.

Um, his first gig was a Montreal Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

Right?

Thank you for the very first time.

And I think this was learned from Berlin.

He was in Berlin this last week.

Yeah, and uh very, very accomplished musician, one of the best guys I know.

I also collaborated with him on one of his tracks in the in the past.

Um, and just thank you for all that you've done and your contributions to Underground Resistance, the city of Detroit, and the world.

I'm just blown away.

I go to the Jazz Festival, and we're hoping to honor Ron Carter.

You know Ron Carter from Ferndale, lived in Detroit a little bit and hasn't been honored yet.

He's 80-something years old, just celebrated a birthday earlier in May, living in New York, but he's going to be here at the Jazz Festival.

Will you be there?

I will, yes.

I'll be there as well.

So I'm gonna be looking for you.

Um I'm proud of you.

What year did you come out of um DSA?

I graduated in 2002.

2002.

That's amazing.

Um, I have a uh um one of my kids, one of my uh daughters graduated from DSA, and um it was an amazing school, it still is.

Dr.

Cotton was the principal.

Is that your principal?

Um, I'm proud of you.

I don't have the words to to tell you how proud I am of you.

I was just listening to the testimony resolution, classical, trained by ear.

You are amazing.

I'm hoping, hopefully, um, somebody can do a documentary on you if it hasn't already been done, um, or a film.

Um, you're amazing.

And um, you're young, and you still got a lot to give in the music industry in the world of music, and I'm gonna start following you.

Um I'm just proud of you, sir.

And you are a true son of the music industry here in Detroit.

Um, and uh I'm just glad I'm here today and to listening to um member Benson acknowledge you.

And it's this is great, the TR, but we gotta do much more.

You deserve a key to the city, you're young.

We don't have to wait till somebody is growing.

I don't have I'm gray, but I'm not trying to wait till you're gray.

We need to acknowledge more in a in a broader way, in a broader way, because you're young and you deserve all of the accolades while you're young.

You don't have to wait until you're older and gray to get them.

And that's what we have a tendency to do, right?

Uh we were acknowledging a 94 old 94-year-old yesterday, and she could barely hear the acknowledgement.

But while you still have your hearing, hear from me.

I respect you, I applaud you, I acknowledge you, and I'm so proud of you.

And I'm hoping we can do something even greater.

Member Benson, I don't know what that something is.

I don't know if he can get a proclamation from the city.

I don't know.

You've been up in this line of business longer than me.

So whatever you need me to do to support you, I shall do that.

But these are the flowers from me to you.

I'm very proud of you.

You've made me proud.

I have two artists in my own family.

Um, and I just know growing up with music in my household, my dad would bring um a 45 home.

I don't even know if you know what a 45.

I do.

And I asked every week when he got paid, he would bring me, and I had an old record player, I lift the top and put it on there.

You had to have the yellow disc.

Now they're wearing the disc ass earrings.

People, I asked this young lady, I asked this young lady, I said, Do you know what these are?

She said, Oh, yeah, these are earrings.

I said, Do you know what they originally were?

She had no clue.

But the yellow disc was for the inside of a 45 record, so you can put it on the spindle so it can spin.

And you put the arm down and you spin it.

I was in Bay City over the weekend.

I would ask you to go there, all of you.

Go to Bay City, go to go to their historical museum.

Two dollars.

They just like they have John R.

books down here, nothing but books, nothing but albums, organized.

Organized by genre.

I could not believe it.

Classical, jazz, RB.

And then they had the um the headstone from Frankie Lyman.

Oh, wow.

And the teenagers.

How they got it from New Jersey, I couldn't tell you.

Marvel.

It's a long story, but it's there.

So I encourage everyone to go to base city and go to the historical museum for two dollars and go up to the second level, and you will your mind will be blown.

I couldn't believe it.

I I said I'm gonna spend 30 minutes here.

I was there for two and a half hours.

Nothing but albums and records, all of it.

Organized, organized.

You all call it vinyl.

We call them albums.

Okay, that's enough for me.

But thank you so much for doing all that you're doing, impacting older people's lives and younger people's lives.

Thank you, sir, and God bless you.

Remember, Miller.

Well, Mr.

Dixon, I am truly impressed by what I've heard.

Classical music, jazz.

What is your favorite?

Anything that sounds good.

You don't have one that you kind of resonate with.

Probably high-tech jazz, which is a genre that I call that I make, which is anything that's just musical that gets people up and dancing and moving.

Okay.

So you're two gentlemen that's sitting here with you today.

Um, would you Sam and Mike.

Sam and Mike.

Sam.

Do you have anything you want to say today?

Mike?

Oh, well, I mean, we're actually receiving uh.

Oh, a separate separate award.

Okay, all right.

Well thank you.

Well, thank you for joining us.

That's all excited.

Oh, you did?

I thought they were like a we thought they were agents.

Okay, well, we said music together a lot.

I said, I mean, you saw that.

I mean, you came and then they said, Oh, these are the agents.

Well, Mr.

Dinson, thank you for joining us today.

I am truly um admiring your portfolio alone, just with your age.

And it's obviously in you, and I look forward to uh hearing more about you in Detroit.

And if you have any performances coming up, please always send us some information to council so maybe we can support or encourage our residents to come out.

Which which district do you do you live in?

Uh you better say the right one.

48205, so I'm not sure which district.

Third district, baby.

Okay.

All right, okay.

All right, so born and raised?

Born and raised, yes.

And what high school did you go to?

You said DSA.

Okay, but that's because you had this talent, right?

Okay.

Old DSA.

Oh, NSA no longer stands.

Yes, which is longer.

No longer.

It was with Dr.

Cotton.

But thank you, sir, for joining us today.

May I say something else?

Yes, you can.

I went to St.

Louis to the Scott Joplin House, right?

Have you been there?

I haven't, no.

You gotta go there.

They have his piano there and all the sheep music, and he was incredible.

And you so I'm just feeling that vibration, you so remind me of Scott Joplin and um all that he did with the piano and the music and just writing, no formal education, right?

Just doing his thing.

So keep doing your thing, and I'm proud of you.

Quick question.

Do you do um do you come into homes and do um entertainment?

I do, yes.

Okay.

I'm an uh a member of the I'm an opera ambassador for the Detroit Opera House.

So sometimes they have music in the homes.

So actually, they've come to my house, they go to different places, and they do performances for local residents to uh become aware of actually what the opera does.

But I was wondering if you were had an invitation from maybe like a home viewing or home show, would you would you consider?

Yes.

All right, thank you.

My staff received you before you leave.

Um my staff will see you before you leave.

Okay, thank you.

Amazing.

Thank you, sir.

Is there anything else you want to add?

Wow, that's amazing.

So I gotta say, this is fantastic.

And so this is we do this once a year, and this is an opportunity to recognize the genre, which oftentimes goes overlooked.

But if you just quantify the value of house technomusic to the city of Detroit, it brings in tens of millions of dollars annually.

And we have the FOTUS brothers up next, and we'll dive a little deeper into that.

But just what you're seeing here is just the tip of the iceberg about how deep and how important this genre of music is to the city of Detroit because all these DJs entertained producers, they represent Detroit internationally.

And this is one of our greatest exports that we have right now coming out of the city of Detroit is our music and house music, just as we said, is on the stages around the world, playing to hundreds of thousands of people at a time.

So it's just it's the tip of the iceberg.

This is deep.

But also, we've got six more of these to do.

So we spent too much time on this.

Just saying, madam chair, we got six more to do.

I'm sorry, I got care.

We got carried away.

This is also for our honorable entertainment commissioner John Collins to recognize how important this is and what type of emotions it elicits, and what type of support we can get from this table to support our entertainment commission in continuing to elevate this genre.

Mr.

Dixon, thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Dixon.

All right, the next we have the FOTUS Brothers.

Hey.

All right.

So we've got Mr.

Michael Fotis, president and founder of Audio Rescue Team.

And Michael was born on April 2nd, 1968, to the union of George, and I'm gonna try this.

Maripi.

Morope FOTUS.

She he comes from a family deeply rooted in education service and Detroit history.

A graduate of Notre Dame High School and former National Honor Society member, Notre Dame High School on Kelly.

Yes.

Right on, right across the street from my house.

They wrecked it down.

That's how old I am.

He was inspired by parents who devoted their lives to teaching and public service.

Their dedication combined with Detroit's rich musical heritage helped shape the work ethic and passion that defines his remarkable career today.

Michael built his expertise during Detroit's explosive house music era, learning firsthand in legendary venues like Heaven and Taboo.

Remember Miller, any experience there?

Okay.

In a time before formal production training existed, he immersed himself in the city's thriving music scene and refined his craft alongside pioneering artists and performers.

That hands-on experience shaped him into one of Detroit's most respective audio professionals, Mr.

Michael Fotis.

And then while we have Sam here of one of the FOTUS brothers, I believe there's more than two, I'm not correct.

No, it's just us.

Okay.

That's all right.

That's enough.

Sam was born on June 1, 1973 in Detroit, Michigan, to the union of George and Meropee.

FOTUS.

He is a proud graduate of Cass Technical High School.

I knew that would get a round of applause.

And Western Michigan University, carrying forward a strong family legacy rooted in education, military service, and public dedication, inspired by his parents' lifelong commitment to Detroit public schools and community service, he continues to make a lasting impact on the city through culture, music, and large-scale event productions.

Sam has led operations for many of Detroit's premier cultural events, including the Movement Music Festival, which is very timely, the Detroit Jazz Festival, Madam Chair, the Outdoor Portion of Detroit Auto Show, Afro Nation and Afro Future.

His work continues to strengthen Detroit's reputation as a global destination for music, arts, and entertainment.

And then what was not said in this in the bio for Sam, that he's also an avid cyclist.

And you can catch his vignettes on Instagram from his rise along Lakeshore Drive at about 5:30 in the morning in the winter.

Sam is a year-round committed, dedicated cyclist.

And we used to work together this is close to 20 years ago now, at Warren Connor Development Coalition.

That's where I first got a chance to meet Sam.

And I first learned about the financial obligations of putting on a festival the size of music of movement when he would talk about the revenues coming in and then the revenues immediately going out.

As you move large amounts of equipment, paid staff and personnel, and what it means to put on a professional annual event of this size, which brings in hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the globe into the city of Detroit and top name house and techno talent that play on that stage.

Well, not mistaken, John Collins, DJ John Collins will be there again this year.

And I had the chance to uh hang out backstage with John He was spinning one day and his late father as well at one of the movement festival um tents.

And so just having this level of talent is is huge, and we don't do this very often.

And so, madam chair, I see you beaming.

You have every right to being today because we are putting on a show for everybody about what we have here in the city of Detroit and how this is how we recognize and honor this genre.

Um, the FOTUS Brothers.

Thank thank you very much, Councilman Benson.

And I I do remember that day 20 years ago when I was working with you at Warren Connor and community development, and um we had taken over the festival.

That was the first year.

So it's incredibly symbolic right now to be sitting in front of you and and accepting this award in regards to the cycle of life and everybody's paths.

So I'd also like to say that although the award has has come to my brother and I individually, who I'm very fortunate to be working with over the last 28 years, um there are an army of people behind us in our office.

There's over 200 people at the plaza right now working.

We've been there since last Monday building the show.

And you know, I would like to accept the award on behalf of all of them as well over the last 20 years that put their passion and their determination and their skill set uh you know into motion every year to help us uh act as a conduit of uh cultural expression to welcome tens of thousands of people from all over the world to the uh home of techno to uh celebrate a modern genre of music in the city that it was created.

I don't think there's any other festival in the world uh that can tout that, celebrating a uh contemporary genre of music in the place where it was created every year.

And um I have to say that every single person on that site right now, whether they're electricians or stage hands or ops, you know, people all have the same passion and um reverence for what they're building and and uh creating a safe environment for all those people to come every year.

So uh we are incredibly honored to our organization, uh, all the people on the team were incredibly honored to carry that flag and to uh have that responsibility of uh representing our beautiful city um in such a you know incredible manner uh to support not only the legacy artists that come out of the city that exists in the city, but as you've seen earlier in the presentation here to support and nurture uh the growth and um engagement of the of the newer generations of artists that are constantly coming up within the city.

That is a fundamental principle of our organization that we feel responsible to engage in year-round through our other events that we do in nightclubs and and other venues and stuff.

So I'm very honored uh for this.

Uh typically, people in my position uh don't get awards like this.

Um, so it's a little rattling and stuff, but um, you know, it's I I could not do it with all of the people that are that are there to support me and and and work on the event.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Michael, um scooching in a little bit.

Um I'm not as good as finding my eloquence as my brother is, but I'm going to do my best.

Uh again, uh, thank you so much for this opportunity to be here, and and most certainly as a person that came up in our city as a technical person and not a performer or producer of music, if you will.

I've traveled all over the world and applied my craft, and and I don't want to become emotional seeing this, but it is very emotional for me that I've always had this place in my heart when I go to other places and do work, and always knew that I was standing on the smooth ashlar that is our city in regard to how we're respected all over the world.

And after all those travels and coming here knowing and this validating it, that I am so proud to receive this award on behalf of not just myself but all of our colleagues that have put us in this position and me personally to be doing my life's work with people that I love here at home in our city.

And that's about what I have to say about it today.

So I thank you so much for this auspicious award, and again accepting it not on behalf of myself alone, but all of my teammates that love the movement festival and the Detroit Jazz Festival and are working hard to make sure that we give the best safest experience for everybody for our artists and patrons.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

I think you did just fine.

I think you did just fine.

You do have a uh a DJ type of news reporter type of voice.

I work for I work for WLLZ years ago.

I don't know if you anybody's familiar.

I was the only African American on the sales force.

I sold rock and roll radio advertising for a living.

Yes.

So you all know wheels, right?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

And what was the other its competitor was what?

Um it was the Riff.

W R I F.

You all that should have spilled right out.

But W R W R I F was W L L Z competitor.

Oh, WJZZ was always my but WJ-Z, and but and what was her name?

Um Roletta Hinesetta Hines.

Rosetta Hines.

And what was the name of the um the night the midnight show, whatever she did?

What was it called?

Something with the rose.

Remember that?

Yeah.

So those of you who don't know WJZ, you know it, Mr.

Dixon.

He's shaking his young head.

Okay.

Anyway, Rosetta Hines and Mojo, and we just have wonderful music, and we're still having it.

So I'm glad that I grew up in Detroit, and I know all about the different music.

I know all about the DJs, and that's been my experience and my experience at WLLZ selling uh rock and roll radio.

And and some of you don't understand it was hard to do, but I was very successful financially.

So it was wonderful experience.

But member Miller, if you have anything to add, I just want to say uh thank you, Member Benson, for recognizing the behind the scenes gentlemen that bring these to for fruit fruition.

People don't recognize a lot of times not about the artists.

I had two, I have two daughters, one used to perform, and one was part of the tech crew.

And without them, you have no show.

You have you don't have the wherewithal to even have the whole thing come into play.

So they're often not recognized.

So Mr.

Benson, thank you for that for bringing them.

But you may have the inside track.

Do you know if they're gonna bring they're not on the counter?

They have the African, what is it?

The Afro beats, the Afro Nation.

Are they coming to Detroit?

Because I didn't see them on the city.

I don't I don't think it's gonna return this year.

Um Bedrock was our was our client on that one.

So um, but I'll keep you posted.

Yeah, so so what do we do to call Bed Rock and because that was like a really big thing.

Is that as that nation afro beats after that?

Is that Jared Fleischer over there ahead of Bed Rock?

I think we have a new so Jared Fleischer.

If you are listening, you're being summoned, sir.

Did you say bed rock?

Well, no.

We didn't hear it from it.

Okay, no, no, no, no, I had to ask because they're gonna know.

Inquiring minds want to know, but I had to ask because that is one of the largest, the largest takeaways from the whole Afro scene in Detroit.

Yeah, Afro Beats, Afro Nation.

Yeah, we I mean, I cannot begin to tell you.

My kids will say, We're going downtown.

And then with the African World Festival, those are things that are hit home for Detroiters.

That's why you came so often.

And I just sent the text to my staff and said they're gonna showcase in Portugal this year uh for the Afro Nation.

But no, we want those things to come to Detroit as well.

And that's why I love the commission.

I am new, and we use utilize our commissioners to get out in the neighborhoods and see what do we want to hear.

We want that Afro Nation back here in Detroit.

They had a small venue out of it at North End.

North Ann had a um a big thing last summer where they had some of the Afro artists coming up there, and I was invited.

Amazing event, everyone was dancing, even if you couldn't dance, they were dancing.

But just to that the music itself just gets you going, and so I am excited about uh even the tech portion of it.

And maybe um those dates we can work something out here, Mr.

Benson, the commissioner there, phone numbers, yes.

Yes, okay.

But that is one of the that's one of the biggest events that we haven't had.

And I just would I would love to see uh the Afro, what is it, Afro Beats?

Um Afro Future, all those things that we have in Detroit.

We would like to continue that tradition.

Thank you very much.

And may I add, member Miller, and money, resources should never be an issue.

It should never be an issue.

Um we need we have a lot of um benefactors.

We have a lot of folks in this city who have the resources who can um make things happen.

And I don't know if they're listening or not, but if they are, we deserve all of this, and then some.

We we deserve Afro Nation, Afro Beats, and everything that we want in this city, because a lot of people benefit from doing business in the city, and we're going to continue to encourage them to give back, to give back, especially for our youth, so they can have exposure to what you are providing, and money and resources and lack of funding should never be a reason why those experiences should not be ex should not be in our city, should not be provided.

Money should never be the reason why we don't do anything, right?

It should be the not having it should be the reason why we do it.

So we can show people how you can do things and not have resources.

And I believe people are continuing to step up.

So hopefully, those who are listening to us, Member Miller and Member Benson, um, next year we should have it back, okay?

I agree.

I agree.

That's great.

Probeats.

Afro beats and Afro Nation.

So just a few more anecdotes here.

Number one, I want to recognize that we have a decision maker in the room today from the administration, Ms.

Lau, our chief operating officer for the city of Detroit.

So she, I would believe, is also a fan of house music, technomusic, which is why she is here today, just kind of watching what's going on.

I'm just one I'm glad that she's hearing this though.

And so this is also how we bring, and I'll say it again, revenues and grow our general fund in the city of Detroit.

And what I don't know if you all realize is that you all movement festival is a direct is one of the catalysts behind our investment in the city of Detroit in rejuvenating Heart Plaza.

And so when I started this job, I and I'm a fan, I go to um movement every year.

And so we used to the fountain didn't work, the tiles were broken.

It was a bit embarrassing.

And we had close to a million people coming in to visit our famous historic Heart Plaza, and it was not in good shape.

We finally made those improvements, and as you all know, having been doing this for about 20 years now, how the tiles have now changed, the fountain now has 19 phases, I believe, again.

It's working again.

It's back in splendor, but that takes money, that takes resources.

And so just want to make sure we all hear that.

We have to continue to invest in our assets.

And the fact that you all bring about a million people into the city of Detroit annually based on that festival, helped with the conversation to prioritize a reinvestment in that city asset.

So thank you all for doing that.

And I'm not sure if anybody's ever talked to you about that before, but that's a significant piece of that.

The Jazz Festival, movement festival, the festival we have all year, all summer long at Heart Plaza.

That's all part of it.

And so you all are a big, big part of it.

And I think the largest of our festivals that we have here, and when we talk about people not wanting to hang out to three or six a.m.

That's not for everybody anymore.

But when you have movement, there are 24-7 parties outside of Heart Plaza.

And you all end at a at a at a very pedestrian time.

I believe the law states around midnight, although I advocate for more.

But as been told to me by Sam, does that sound reverberates off the uh the structures here that goes right across to Windsor?

And they also have something to say about 2 a.m.

parties in Hart Plaza.

But they move into the neighborhoods, they move into the city, and there is still lots of activity and lots of money and lots of money to be made and spent right here in the city of Detroit.

And so when we talk about culture and how important it is, and this is for everybody in the audience today in the gallery, this is huge when it comes to the city of Detroit and what we are as a city and how we represent internationally, and you are a part of it.

And there is lots of money to be made in this space.

And so when people talk about artists, oh you're gonna be a starving artist.

I would disagree.

Hone your craft, and what was the word, the SAT word we use?

The Ashler, which is Ashler to stand on, which is a construction block that is perfectly huge and smooth, prepared for construction.

Good SAT word, everybody, but having that type of support and the ability to feed your family.

And I don't want to give away, but but Sam doesn't ride a pedestrian bicycle.

I'll just say that.

So there are opportunities here and a lot of space for families and young people to join.

So I just want to say again, thank you all.

And you all are even what you don't know, you are impacting the city of Detroit.

And since you're decision makers here, I want them to hear how important it is to invest into our assets, especially our cultural assets, which are money makers and help grow our general fund.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Don't leave.

Thank you, Member Benson.

And I was just sitting here thinking, Member Miller and Member Benson.

Um, the greatest asset in our city are our young people, and they're trying to get our attention by any means necessary.

Um, and I was just thinking, um, starving artists, I don't like that.

Thriving artists, I like because we can help our artists, our young homie hangs.

Um, nobody should have to worry about where they're going to sleep.

Nobody should have to worry about where they're going to rehearse, play, um, create.

We have about five DPS schools that are about to close July the first.

And I understand the rumor is it's going to be demolished.

Why not have one of those for your space for thriving emerging artists so they'll have a place to lay their heads if they don't want to catch the bus or drive home so they can have a place to create.

We have a lot of vacant apartment buildings in this city.

Why can't we have an artist complex, an artist campus?

Some folks don't want to go to um Wayne State or U a D.

Some folks want to create, and they're the best artists.

Some don't have to get all that education.

It's already in them.

It just needs to be developed, and a space needs to be provided for them to thrive and emerge.

You all you understand what I'm saying?

So I'm hoping somebody's listening.

Nobody should be homeless.

Nobody should have to put their creativity on hold because they got to go come downtown and wash dishes and then catch two buses back to the community because they definitely can't afford to live downtown.

That's that's just over.

That's over.

Well, hopefully we'll change that.

So I'm hoping somebody is listening from VD's team.

Those four to five schools do not have to be um demolished.

We have folks in this room who want to have a place to create and live, right?

You and and work, and then all, and then I like to see um, and I love the arts, as you can tell.

I'd like to see an academy or a clinic prior to the performances, a clinic for our young people, free of charge.

A clinic where they can I'm interested in DJ, and I'm interested in this, a place where they can start creating right then and there on the spot clinic.

You all you understand what I'm saying?

So one of these buildings should be in your possession, free of charge.

We gave we we gave Hudson's to somebody for a dollar.

The Hudson site.

We gave um Durfee for a dollar.

I'm hoping I'm hoping that one of those buildings, if you're interested, should be given to this group right here.

You manage it how you want to manage, you pay the bills on it.

That's your that's that's on you.

But it should be given to you for a dollar.

We give everything else for a dollar.

So I'm hoping somebody is listening, taking notes.

I'm going to start advocating, Member Benson, that you get one of those buildings if you want it.

We can go, we can get in one of these city vans and go on a field trip and go and look at all those buildings.

Greenfield Union, J.R.

Clark on the east side.

We have um Catherine Blackwell, we have Ann Arbor Trail, and now recently announced last week, Thurgood Marshall.

How many schools is that?

And I was told they're about to be demolished.

It's unacceptable.

So I'll continue to do my advocacy part.

Please call my office at 224-4535 if you're interested in working with me to save those buildings.

Okay, thank you.

Member Miller, did you have anything?

I just love working with this councilwoman here.

Don't you can't give her a round of applause?

Love that.

As she was talking, all I could think of was the building, uh, the movie Fame.

You familiar with that?

Where they had something on every floor.

Years ago, I used to work for the summer youth employment program.

I lived on the east side, and I caught the bus at 1415 and 16 all the way to Northwestern High School.

And they had a program where you could take have dance.

You got paid to dance, act, tech uh behind the scenes.

You could do uh public speaking, you could do modeling, and this is we did all day.

And we were paid to do this in the morning from nine to four four o'clock at Northwestern High School.

And I caught the bus to go to work.

And we ended up at the end of the summer, we had a big performance at Heart Plaza.

And they rolled it out of Hart Plaza, and you would have all the people that went into the dance, everybody that did singing, and local people picked up some of these artists.

And this is how they rose up in the city because they didn't have agents, but they were recognized in our city at Heart Plaza.

So there's some truth to what she's saying that can be done to actually push our artists forward because everybody don't have to starve.

You don't have to be broke just trying to develop a passion that you have a guy, I call it a guy giving talent that you have in you.

So let's find a building.

Okay, so let's see if we can do it ourselves.

Let's give our number.

So my number is 224.

I don't see anybody writing.

Maybe you're putting it in false.

I see.

Okay.

I see Homie Hangs writing it down.

Homie Hangs, since you're interested in getting the building, it's 224, 4535.

This is serious.

This is serious, y'all.

We don't want them demolishing those buildings.

We don't want it when we can put them to good use, like all this use in here.

And can you imagine driving past member Miller and hearing music coming out of those windows, seeing children with backpacks have on t-shirts?

We'll know that they belong in this building, like City Year, wear those red jackets.

You understand?

So we'll know that these kids belong in this building at this time.

I think we can do it.

So 224, 4535.

Let's claim one of those buildings.

Member Miller, you want to give your number because it sounds like you're gonna be my partner.

I don't know if Miss Member Benson is interested.

You brought all this before us, but member Miller, you want to give your number?

2243505.

And let's meet over at one of those spaces.

Let's look at all five of them, and let's see which one we want.

And let's see which one we're gonna go after.

And um, Superintendent Nikola Vitti, Nicolai Vitti.

I hope you're listening.

I hope somebody from DPS C D is listening.

And I am DPS C D.

Yeah.

All right.

Member Benson.

I can't hardly follow that one.

We're gonna get something started.

I like it.

And so thank you all.

And just one last aside, one metric that I really like to bring attention to.

A million pounds of equipment get offloaded and onloaded for this weekend right there at Heart Plaza for the Movement Festival.

Which starts this Saturday.

Yep, Saturday.

As we gotta go.

Starts this Saturday.

Yeah.

Gentlemen, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

This is a tough one.

And I know we still have to uh we we have line items to have to be addressed today.

But this is also something we get to do once a year.

We can madam chair.

We're gonna do something bigger than this next year.

I've got some ideas, and we've been talking about it.

And maybe some of these settlements we can just move to the next week.

And we are there we go.

And we are going to have a conversation about that offline.

How we're gonna partner on this next year.

Okay.

All right, Miss Maria Elena Garcia.

Up the chair.

Stacy Hotwax.

Um, the entertainment commission would like to work with you on this venture.

Okay, on getting one of those buildings.

Okay, that will be myself and member Miller.

Um, we have the list of the locations.

I have memorized them, and um, we can move from there.

So we'll talk before the end of the day, and um, I'm just not talking.

All right.

Talk is cheap, action is hard and expensive, and the chair understands that and works hard.

All right, so we have now Miss Maria Elena Garcia and Stacy Hale, who is better known as DJ Stacy Hotwax Hale.

Maria Elena Garcia, disc jockey, producer, vocalist, songwriter, educator, and clear, was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Detroit, Michigan.

Two cities whose rich musical traditions helped shape her artistic voice and creative vision.

Ms.

Garcia's journey began in the Pentecostal church, where she developed spiritual discipline, a deep connection to gospel music, and an early understanding of the power of sound.

During her childhood summers, she was exposed to the vibrant music scenes of both Detroit and Chicago, absorbing the rhythms and language of techno, house, hip-hop, and soul.

Through these influences, she came to understand music more than words or melody, but as a powerful form of transmission, memory, and human connection.

Miss Garcia has dedicated nearly three decades to music, performance, education, and cultural innovation, establishing herself as an artist whose work reflects purpose, originality, and an enduring commitment to creative excellence.

Round of applause.

Well, next I'm gonna go to Stacy Hotwax Hale, Detroit's first female house music disc jockey.

I want to recognize that we go go ahead.

Yeah, yep.

That we celebrate diversity here.

We celebrate it.

And so over the years, we make sure that everybody is represented, including our first female house music disjockey.

Stacy Hill is celebrated worldwide as Detroit's first female house music disjockey and a groundbreaking force in the electronic music culture, known as Hot Wax and the godmother of house music.

She built a signature sound that fuses house and techno with funk, hip-hop, orchestral influences, and classic Motown sound.

Her electrifying performances have inspired generations of artists and music lovers around the globe.

And Madam Chair, I remember the radio station WEFUNK, better known as We Funk or Deeper Steel, the mothership connection.

Stacy Hale played a major role in strengthening Detroit's music community through leadership and mentorship.

Alongside John Collins, our entertainment commissioner, she co-founded the Detroit Regional Music Conference, creating opportunities for emerging artists and expanding the city's electronic music network.

She continues to connect audiences through radio programs, international residencies, and performances at iconic venues such as Panorama Bar, Stacy Hot Wax Hell.

Who like to go first?

Miss Garcia.

Hello, thank you so much for this beautiful, beautiful honor.

I'm actually very speechless.

And I'm very grateful for the influence and the upbringing in Detroit and how it has uh traveled with me as I've gone all over the world with my music and my artistry.

And I'm just super proud to receive this award and super proud to be here.

And um I I do want to mention um a huge influence on me is this honoree right here, Stacey Hot Wax Hale.

Um being a uh person growing up in Detroit, sometimes all we had was the radio.

We couldn't go to the club, and hearing her on the radio and um being uh uh a beacon of of light and um um um just a guide on my path um entering the field of um being a DJ and musician, um just you know I would listen to her on my way to my gig, and when I first started in 1997, there weren't very many women DJing at all.

It was it was still very rare, and um hearing her um just was inspiring and it gave me wind um beneath my wings, if you will.

Um so I do want to recognize her, and I'm I'm super grateful and honored to be receiving this award with her as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You want to elaborate, John?

Or are we gonna wait?

It's hot wax hail.

Hello?

Can it come through?

Green.

There you go.

Green, yep.

Oh, the sis to me it's not it's not coming through.

So I just flew back in this morning from Berlin.

What I turned the phone off, but I don't know how to turn my watch off.

Um just a little uh I think I'm okay, but I'm a little jet lag, I guess.

Just some.

And um and I'm happy um to receive this award.

And what makes me even more happy is because um half of the people that are in here with us now, how I've somehow touch touch them some kind of way throughout through this journey, and to know that more than half of them that we all will be entertaining um together with uh Detroit DJs versus everybody.

Was it the first time that this is happening?

And it's a bringing awareness of Detroit-based DJs making music across genres, and we have different ages, different, you know, we have a ghetto tech, our techno in our house and stuff, of course, and so I'm real happy um to be at the helm and have people help me like uh like John, you know, we'd had photo choose the the collective man just you know just just great.

So that's what makes me happy seeing the results of whatever that we do, passing the fruits on to people to make it live.

And that's why I think John and I both stay into the game because it's important for us to have like our young ones to be able to pick that up and to exude the energy of the music that we call house music, and we play it to make people happy.

That's the point.

You know, recognition is fine, but the ultimate goal is to keep you smiling, have great memories.

You may have a bad day.

You can come into our room at any time, and we'll take away that emotion that's sad and make it something happy.

That's all I got to say.

Thank you both.

Um and um I'm proud of you.

Um black woman and black women, and I hope that you all will help us in this fight to get one of those buildings or a space.

Um when I was in Bay City, Little Bay City, but they got that historical museum where they felt their history was enough or important enough in their small way to capture it, display it, and open the it's just red brick building.

And I think the same should be done for this music.

It's not about the Motown music, it's about everything else that's spun out of that.

This is spinning out of that.

So this is the spin-off or spin out of Motown music, right?

Um, and I'm hoping that we'll get one of those buildings, member Miller and Member Benson, and it will be historical in nature.

You have to capture this, you have to put pictures up.

A lot of people are visual.

When they walk in through the doors, they should see the person who started it and how it has evolved.

So this could be the evolution of a historical museum for this body of work instead of talking about it.

People need young people need to be able to take a field trip to this museum, or we can call it whatever we want to call it, but I think it's so important that we begin to, you know, not keep talking about it, but actually start capturing the pictures and displaying them and copies of these awards and pictures of you doing what you do and pictures of you in Berlin and you know the um Sam and Mike, right?

And the classical musician, um, Mr.

Dixon, we have to be able to tell our story, or somebody else will tell it for you through their lens.

We have to be able to do it right now while we have pictures and we can chronicle it.

You all understand what I'm saying?

It's so important, and you have to have a brick and border, you have to have a brick and mortar so people can come in, right?

And maybe have a cup of cappuccino or whatever, and hear music or hear somebody on the third floor creating, see somebody over here performing.

I don't know, but I I have the vision in my head, and I'm hoping my staff is listening.

Maybe somebody is, I guess this is recorded.

Okay, so I can go back to hear what I said.

Um, so I'm hoping that you all will work with us to get a building, a brick and mortar, and turn it into something that can capture all that you're doing, going all the way back to day one, and just um a timeline.

So people who come from around the world will be able to come into a space instead of hearing captions and vignettes, right?

They'll have something that they can see and and touch and push a button and have interactive engagement for the children, right?

And if somebody wants to hear classical jazz, they push a button, they can hear that.

Somebody wants to hear somebody DJing, they can push that and hear that.

Because I don't know all the distinctions to techno and I don't know that, and a lot of kids don't, but um, let's work on that together, and thank you so much to to both of you, okay?

Thank you so much.

Amber Miller.

We um just a little word, both of us we are educators, and I've actually taught in some of the buildings that you're talking about.

Um, Greenfield Union comes up to my mind.

Um, that especially and um so we are already our innovators and like moving into that space.

I'm happy to know that these things are available, and this will not take long for us to go in action with this real fast.

We already have the the base.

Well, I'm a former educator with DPS CD.

Um, did my student teaching in Atlanta at Spelman and um retired, DPS about three years ago.

So we have that in common.

So, member Miller.

I just want to say to Miss Garcia, you were so gracious and humble when you spoke.

I just want to know do your music transcend that same spirit that you just gave us today.

Um yes.

I mean I I like to uh if I if I may expand on your ear to answer your question.

Um I often well my approach to my my work is to um make sure that people feel better than the way that they came in.

And I know that influence definitely comes from uh the tradition of of growing up in church and and having that notion of walking in somewhere and laying your burdens down and being able to walk out and feel uplifted.

Um and so that is my approach to the work that I do, um, be it me making music, performing music, or teaching music, um I really emphasize that that portion of it.

Um this music is a spiritual conduit, and we have to involve that when we're working with it, and it needs to be acknowledged, and so yes.

Hot Wax Hell and when someone's a legend and I'm saying to you you're obviously a legend who's gonna leave a legacy behind how does that make you feel to see all these young people here and I don't I don't know if you're gonna don't cry because I'll cry I will do I will I'll cry a minute just I cry easily and people think it has something to do with um it's just a thing that comes on me but don't go cry but you are uh obviously a legend and to have a generation to come up behind you to follow in those footsteps it has to be probably the most rewarding thing you've ever had to deal with even in your teachings at school because this is a generation here it is right that's why I said that was the first because I didn't know who was going to be here you know I came in John didn't tell me and it didn't matter I was you know just like okay I'm here I didn't really get it I mean I understood but for me to see who was in here instantly you know my sister took off work she's she's your sister raise her hand there she is when I told my niece and I was on my way over here she she called me and I and I said well you know you should be said well if you would have told me that's I'm trying to get home you know then I get caught in the traffic jab I called John to say like I'm really you know on target just because I'm you know just honored to be there but to one of the biggest things um is the teacher for girls rock Detroit and it started in 2015 in the in the Detroit area and I didn't even realize it was worldwide I didn't know I'm just happy to teach the kids and we the young girls and we have one week one week five girls and I gotta teach them how to DJ the challenge of that and so for me to succeed to get them out there and on stage to be able to do that and then Banzo a lot of other things that went with it and when I see they get it that's what makes me happy I it's not about me at all it's the results of the fruits whatever I do that makes me happy.

I was gonna say thank you for your journey and thank you for the legacy that you're leaving behind because there's young people everybody do not want to go to college everybody did not want to go into a trade but they have a passion that they want to expound on and to grow yeah for that we need avenues for that alone.

So so you know like part of that you know like that's important but education to me is still important it is I went to Lawrence Tech so I come from engineering background and to be an artist and out there you know the first time you know they sit they see the lights the colors you know maybe to maybe not get money but you know this thing but it's still important for them to be educated.

So even if they do get that money they know what to do with it.

Absolutely you know invest into the building to be able to create something so member Mill you're done say thank you very much and um speaking of that when we get our building we'll have a financial literacy component so when you start making money then you know you'll be able to read contracts know how to hire know how to secure services right you'll you'll be able to handle your business from a business perspective instead of somebody taking advantage of you because you didn't read right and um you know just being um conscientious about the business art is great but it also comes with business.

Yes you gotta have some business accuracy yeah art a and art without business yes ma'am I I just wanted to interject uh just to piggyback on what you're saying um I want to since the city is listening um I want to shout out um the Underground Music Academy oh yeah um on West Brendan Boulevard in Detroit um that is actually a couple of doors down from the techno museum so you already have this right we have a techno museum we have a techno museum and we have the underground music academy founded by um the Detroit natives wajed and Mike Banks um what's the address the address is 2990 okay and 3000 East Grand Boulevard um East Grand Boulevard.

Um, and this institution is groundbreaking in the city, and um they bring in legendary instructors, um, they give out scholarships, they have a partnership with movement festival, um, where some of the the participants and recipients get to perform for the first time at our city's um beloved festival.

And um there's a powerful, powerful um thing that is happening over there.

Um the education is is top tier.

I teach a class called the business, the alchemy of the DJ, the business of DJing, because um so many of us get into this field thinking is fun and games, but um you can blow up really fast and crash, and I teach about longevity.

So I um I want the city to uh do some some some diving and and check out that space and as well as the techno museum.

Thank you.

Oh, go ahead, member.

Um it's right on the um right off of Woodward, I think, uh, between Brush.

It's at the corner of Brush and East Grand.

District five, I'll be paying you guys a visit.

Okay, perfect.

Yes, please.

We would love that.

I think WJZ um was over there.

It was right there, yeah.

It's right there in between because I can see the that's in between the two buildings.

Yep, yeah.

So WJZZ is between your two buildings, yes.

So has it been declared historic?

Because WJZZ, do we know that?

I don't know if it's too clear.

Okay, so I'll check, I'll do my due diligence.

It has not been this incurred historically.

Yeah, okay, but it is there.

JJ Z.

Yeah.

But the building I think was recently sold.

I think.

Okay, I didn't know that.

So we know exactly where it is.

Yep, and I just want to um say that the Underground Music Academy is housed in the former NAACP headquarters right there in the corner of Brush and East Grand.

So we're doing some big things in the city.

So you already have a building, but we could get a building for we need more.

We need more.

We need more.

This is a big city.

Okay, and everybody have to get around, you know, and to to have more and to spread out.

You know, transportation is not always the best, but you know, we kind of like going somewhere closer, you know.

That that's great.

The academy is there because it's kind of for me, that's like right down the middle.

Well, I can't I can't get all your numbers, but you certainly have my number.

Yes, you have member Miller's number, but of course, Member Benson.

John has them.

So we're gonna do a round table.

That'd be great in June.

We're just gonna do a round table.

Maybe we'll come to your um your one of the museums or the school and just have a round table, member Benson.

We're not trying to take over.

Member Miller and I are not.

We're trying to support them.

The merrier, more the merrier.

All right, but thank you.

Member Benson.

Well, no, that that's it.

I just John.

I just wanted to be able to do it.

No, you know, green.

I'm colorblind, so forget me.

Um I just want to say once again to congratulate Remarco and Stacy Hill.

Um, two standout DJs, performers, educators, known all around the world, working with they produced many records, work with record labels.

I've known Stacy forever.

We've DJed at every you mentioned the warehouse.

We both DJed at the DJs at the warehouse in the river rock.

The River Rock's cheeks, uh that's what we were cheeks.

Uh yeah.

Um Larry.

Oh, but I mean Larry Omershall.

You you said Harold.

Daryl.

I think it was name.

Okay.

I just wanted to add that the techno museum, located at 3,000 East Grand Boulevard, which is between Russian John R.

No.

Yep.

John Grand.

Whatever.

Yeah.

But that area.

This is the first techno museum in the world, which has been around for 20 plus years.

And we get international travel throughout the year.

From every country you can imagine.

And people from overseas have already started arriving in Detroit for movement festival.

Okay, so I have a question.

Um Member Benson and Member Miller.

Okay, so um, we have Visit Detroit, right?

And I got a um, I got one of their maps last week.

All they do, all um hopefully somebody from Visit Detroit is listening.

And I I've been complaining about this for um since I've been on this council.

They only on the map on Visa Detroit, you go to the airport, you go anywhere, and they'll have the brochure there for places to visit when you come to Detroit, you're getting off the airport, you know, getting off your off your flight.

It does not move outside of Corktown, midtown in Detroit.

And your museum is not on there.

The Avenue Fashion is not in there.

So we need to fix that.

Yes.

We need to let people know who are traveling to our city for the first time.

That Detroit is just not downtown.

Right.

It's just not Corktown and Midtown, but that's all that's on that map.

And I've been complaining since 2022 to my colleagues that visit Detroit should expand that map or have a QR code.

So if people want to go and shop, Avenue of Fashion.

If they want to do other things, we have more than what's downtown.

And it's just not fair.

So I'm hoping somebody is listening.

And I'll continue to um you know complain about that until something um changes.

But those museums and that academy should be on that map.

And I just wanted to add this visit Detroit, which we should be on that map.

But they have contacted us.

They've been through before and have brought uh visitors from other places, and they're bringing a group to the museum this week.

However, I agree with you.

It should be on the map.

Yes.

So we should have um, and I've seen it in different cities to my colleagues and to the guests that when you open up um the brochure to visit, like Philly, they'll have all the um the museums listed, all of them.

And they'll they'll tell you where you can go throughout the city outside of Detroit if you want to go outside of Detroit.

All of the shopping, all of it's categorized.

So we got to do a better job of promoting all of Detroit and not just some of Detroit.

It's select parts that are being, and it's intentional.

Select parts of Detroit are being promoted to the exclusion of the neighborhoods.

So we'll fix it.

We'll get it fixed.

We'll keep working on it.

Anything else from my colleagues?

Member Benson said, What have you started?

You pulled up the movers.

See, we we done we talk about it, but we move and we boot we're we're bleepy about it.

We just, you know.

My phone has not rang the whole time I was here to make it.

And this is why you are here today.

I can't believe this.

And thank you, John Collins, for and John curates this list every year for us.

And so this is all about our honorable entertainment commissioner, who's also the chair.

So thank you all.

We have two more left.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any last words, John?

Oh my god.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, real quick, real quick.

I just want to, because it wasn't mentioned loud enough.

I want to tell the city my artist's name is Remarkable and Remarkable spelled with an I, not an E.

R-I-M-A-R-K-A-B-L-E.

Thank you so much.

And she is I can reach my mic.

Sandra Mike has to do.

What about pictures?

Okay.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you.

Member Benson.

And this is has been reminded to me by the chair.

If people could please stay, we're gonna be taking photos afterwards with all the award winners and the council members, and so please stay.

And we have two more left.

Okay.

Thank you.

Our last two are Jason Hoover and Tony Peoples.

Anyway, see and Jason Hoover from Paxahau, which I'm sure he also has a uh million pounds of equipment being offloaded across the street right now.

Was born in November 1973, and was raised in Richmond, Michigan by his parents, Dick Hoover and Joan Nemo.

Their encouragement and support helped shape the determination and work ethic that fueled his remarkable career.

Today he stands as one of Detroit's most influential figures in music, culture, and live entertainment production.

Jason has played a defining role in the success of the Movement Music Festival, serving as festival director since 2006.

Under his leadership, the festival has become one of the world's premier electronic music events and celebrated Memorial Day weekend tradition in Detroit.

His dedication to quality production and authentic cultural representation has earned worldwide recognition.

Mr.

Hoover.

Then last but not least, we have Mr.

Tony Peoples, a respected diss jockey.

Tony was born and raised on the west side of Detroit, Michigan.

He matriculated through the Detroit public school system where he attended Paul Robinson Elementary, guest middle school, and graduated from Cooley High School.

Mr.

Peoples broke into the spotlight when he became a dancer on the scene, hosted by Nate Morris in 1987.

From there, he went on to appear on the New Dance Show by RJ Watkins.

After these appearances, Tony's profile began to grow.

And by the age of 19, he obtained his first DJ residency at Grand Quarters.

Going into this amazing opportunity, he had the influence of Jeff Mills, Wolfman Jack, Melvin Hill, and Ken Collier.

Mr.

Peoples has carried a torch of ambition, dedication, and passion for music for over 40 years.

He has been a true revolutionary in Detroit music scene and continues this legacy proudly.

Thank you.

And these are our last two.

Can we give him a round of applause, please?

Donnie, any additional items on this on these two award recipients.

Well, I just wanted to add uh Stony Peoples and everybody familiar with the scene.

I'm sorry.

The scene and the new dance show was he was one of the major dancers there.

Um great great DJ and has has uh performed in many clubs around the city.

Um in particular, I like to also point out his his contributions to the LGBTQ community in Detroit as well.

Um congratulations, Tony.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Mr.

Tumar, Jason Hoover.

Um congratulations on 20 years for movement festival.

Uh to me, he is movement festival.

Um the festival is one of the premier festivals in the world.

So I mean, people come as we said before from all around the world too, and they're already here today.

So congratulations, Mr.

Hubar.

Mr.

Hoover, any words.

Yes, thank you.

Um, and thank you for recognizing my parents.

They were really, really big part of my life.

And um, growing up in a small town, uh, there wasn't a whole lot of resources when it came to exploring music culture.

Um my first memories of dance music and hip hop were driving to my local high school uh to listen to The Wizard because I couldn't um hear him at my house because we were too far away, he had no reception.

So um that always made for uh for an interesting thing to look forward to, and and over time I just became you know more and more obsessed with music and um discovered, you know, early on that everything I was becoming more obsessed with was coming out of the city of Detroit.

So I was fortunate um in in my in my early years to meet a lot of supportive people um that that um understood that you know what I was kind of interested in and and going through may have not been very relatable to a lot of uh people around me or or my peers, but it was something that uh couldn't stop thinking about and um couldn't stop collecting and consuming and listening and memorizing.

And um I just um I was very fortunate to to meet uh and a young basketball player uh at the time um named uh John Sally, who uh recognized that I had the ear, so to speak, and invited me to a party that he was producing at the palace and uh at the Bishop's Mansion.

And that was my first exposure to sort of behind the scenes and music.

Um I I rubbed elbows with some of the producers I had been listening to for years, and from that day forward I knew there was really nothing else I could focus on, and I haven't.

Um so uh through school and all my different um, you know, uh music genre explorations.

I've met some of the greatest people in the world, and and and I've listened to some of the best records uh in the world.

And um I uh finally was um able to move to Capitol Park in the early 90s and um we did it with 23 of us in one building uh on Griswold, and from there on we just started to do events every single weekend.

And uh fast forward to today, it is unbelievable uh what has happened in the in the Detroit techno community.

Uh our first shows had, you know, you could count how many people were on the dance floor.

Uh now you can count how many people you actually know personally compared to a huge dance floor.

The popularity has has just really really grown, and um it's very humbling to be uh considered a part of that and considered a part of the team that's really put together a lot of things here and uh worked with so many artists and and you know uh been through so many different chapters of uh popularity and permissions.

Uh if I could say that.

And um partnering now directly with the city of Detroit is probably the greatest gift in our lives, and still being able to do uh what we love to do and um and being recognized for it on days like today is just is is really a blessing and humbling for all of us.

And um I just want to say thank you very much for your support and partnership and um you know uh here's to another 20 years, and uh um that's all I got right now.

Well, I lit up when um you said Cooley High School grad.

I'm a Cooley High School grad, and Cooley is still there.

It closed in 20 um 2010, but they're going to repurpose it.

So I'm grateful that they will not tear down um the entire structure because it's one of the most beautiful buildings, um high schools in our city.

And um, if one if you have not seen it, it's it's beautiful.

Um the inside has been destroyed, but they're um through the um partnership with um DPSCD and some other partners, they're gonna try to preserve it and turn it into an athletic complex for competitions and some other uses for our young people.

So I'm proud of you.

And then when you said Bishop Mansion, um John Sally's former home, um, it's the largest mansion in the city of Detroit, and um has 11 bedrooms, and that's in my district, so I know a little bit about it.

So when you said that, I I lit up as well.

So thank you for all that you've done.

Are you still on the Griswall or Capitol Park area or have you moved outside of the city of Detroit?

I moved outside of downtown.

I I go by the building a lot.

I mean, it was a it was a huge part of Detroit Techno history, and and that's where I met Carl and Kevin and Mike Banks and and all the all the other artists and promoters who who inspired me.

And now I it's luxury lofts.

Uh it's quite different.

But the exterior uh is still there, the spirit's still there, the the park which um wasn't wasn't really cleaned up the way it is today, is still there in the same shape.

So I I always get a really special feeling walking through Capitol Park.

That was just um it was just really special time.

Yeah.

Thank you so much.

And of course, everybody remembered the scene.

Um I don't know if it was Channel 62, I can't remember.

Was it Channel 62?

We all would couldn't wait to get home from school.

For those of you who don't live in Detroit, if you're not from here, oh well, um, you you don't remember this.

You don't remember it, but we do.

We're from here.

So uh and we remember leaving school as soon as you get out of high school, you would go home and turn on the T.

We probably saw, you know, I saw some of my classmates on the scene.

I saw you on the scene yesterday, but anyway, um, congratulations to you both.

Thank you for all that you do.

Thank you for performing um from the heart.

And um, member Miller.

I'll start with Mr.

Uh Tony.

Last name, I'm sorry, what's your last name again?

Army, last one.

People, people, just I can hardly imagine you dancing on the scene.

You look so young.

All of the dances were young.

You know, because I I've only danced on there one time.

I danced on there one time and did not like how I looked on TV.

And I wanted to be on one of those platforms so bad, just to see you to be recognized and be next to Fast Freddy, of course, who was a legendary scene dancer in Detroit.

Um, but I just wanted to say to go from dancer to DJ to an icon in Detroit in the techno scene.

That's a great transition.

Uh for even your your age.

And I want to give you a shout out for all that you're doing in the city of Detroit, and you continue to have young people follow you.

You have a long, a long history here uh to be young and look so young.

My goodness.

But they can identify with everything that I said because they were in the back clapping, so you're not far from me, obviously.

But I just want to say continue doing what you're doing.

I look forward to seeing you all.

Thank you, Scott, again for bringing this to us uh for our days of celebration.

And for Mr.

Um Mr.

Jason, 20 years.

And what resonated with me the most was that John Sally said you had an ear for music.

Not that you were professional, not that you already had a career stemming from it, but that he thought you had an ear for music, and here you are today.

It's not about what you know, it's a lot of times who you know.

Yeah, sometimes when I think about it, um, the chain of events that that allowed me to keep exploring music and keep working with music and and musicians in Detroit was really really special.

And I try not to forget that, and I I try not to take it for granted.

I try to remember that I committed, you know, myself to this town and this culture in a moment of clarity, and uh and I and I and I do really respect uh everybody else that I've worked with and is and is inspired us along the way.

It's really it's really special town, it's really special time.

I just hope that's inspiring for everyone that's listening that we can all be advocates for someone that has a gift if we just take a little time to invest or get the knowledge about what their passion is because just think 20 years now, and you have one of the largest movements in the city of Detroit.

I we cannot get down Jefferson because of that movement festival.

There's nowhere to park, everybody get tickets because they're out searching for people that's illegally parked.

But your movement is one of the biggest.

And and I am just excited.

I the music is loud at my age now.

But um but I enjoy seeing young people actually, even of all cultures and ages, just to come in and um entertain.

We need to keep our plaza going.

We need to keep bringing uh quality acts there, quality um uh events to our heart plaza.

It was built for a reason.

And so on weekends when I was growing up, it was something there every single weekend.

And I'll tell you because even being in a going to high school in the suburbs, my mom made me sell balloons on the corner by the army hotel then.

We would blow balloons up, and she had a she was a vendor for the city, and she made me stand there and sell heart balloons to say I love you.

And I was like at that time, maybe 13, 14, 15, and I had to go there and watch everybody go to Heart Plaza.

And I'm blowing balloons.

They're like, hey, man, are you selling balloons today?

Because my family do we we hustle, we had businesses, but we don't have that today, where Heart Plaza is being utilized to how it was.

And it was for even the Arab American Festival.

We need to have all those come back to Heart Plaza, what it was designed for.

Every time I go past it, I see the arches that remind us that this is a union town.

This is where working families come, and this is probably some of the cheapest entertainment, although the tickets for techno has really uh gone up.

It has become a real I know how much are those tickets.

They're they're really expensive.

So um maybe one day in the future we can have like some youth packages or maybe some sponsorships because a lot of youth do want to go.

And some of our seniors around this area, believe it or not, they like music as well.

They're in those uh apartment complexes.

We have 25 in District 5 who probably would love an opportunity to have some entertainment.

And just the food alone, the vendors, just as a day out.

But as people come into our city, believe me, it is one of one of the biggest tourist attractions in Metro Detroit.

And I just want to say thank you again for being steady and having longevity with the movement.

And um thank John Sally for just hearing the ear and uh advocating for someone young to be that now.

You're you're like a legend in Detroit.

I looked you up as I was sitting here because I did not know we were doing this today, and I have been thoroughly entertained and amused and everything else educated from Mr.

Vincent.

Uh Mitson, thank you very much for bringing this today.

And I just want to say to this is our last caller to all the people that want to call in and be negative.

I hope you find this to be educational today, where we can all support our upcoming youth.

And we can call in and say thank you for bringing something to us today, opposed to some of the snart remarks.

And I I want to apologize for some of the things that you heard today, everyone in here, because I'm not retarded.

And neither am I.

And and I find some things that when we have guests in house, some of the most strangest things are said, and we have so many youth here today, and it is my desire to serve to I I ran to serve.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I am a servant in District 5.

And it's my job to bring things like this to our district.

And most of you are in my district.

Thank you, Mr.

Benson.

So I just want to say thank you for joining us today as we sign off.

Um it has been thoroughly uh a blessing to hear today from all of you and who spent your time.

And if you parked here today, my staff will give some of you some parking tickets for the young people who may have had to park somewhere today.

I know it was hard with the Grand Prix setting up, and our staff will gladly do that for um people who struggle to get here today, just to um thank you, sir, to uh participate.

And thank you again.

And and to that point, Member Miller, that's so thoughtful of you.

I'll support her in that regard.

And if any of you got a ticket, we hope that you didn't call 224 4535 and we will help you with that ticket.

Hopefully, you did not get a ticket, but if you did, um I will help you personally um cover that ticket.

224, 4535.

One last item, Madam Chair.

We hadn't heard from Mr.

Peoples.

If we can Mr.

Peoples and his and his dancing at for age of 14.

Yeah, Mr.

Peoples on TV.

Well, I had a lot of family that danced on there, and uh I wanted to, but they say you're not old enough, you're not old enough.

But they finally took me on at 14, and from there I started.

Um I wanna thank I want to thank my partner and husband for 30 years, though.

Before we go.

This is my inspiration, my number one fan when I'm DJing.

He's he's gonna be pumping up my floor at all times.

And we've been together uh more than most straight folks, so I want so just want to put that out there.

Nothing to aspire to.

What's your name, sir?

Oh, Clinton Peoples.

Clinton Peoples.

It's wonderful.

You look familiar, it's for axe.

Um he was also a dancer on um the show as well, and I skated on so long wheels throughout my entire childhood from 10 years old to like 21, 22.

And the dance show and so long wheels came on back to back.

So we came on at six o'clock.

They came on at 6:30.

Did you ever skate at Royal Skate Land?

Yes.

Wednesday night, nine to one in the morning.

Yes.

How did you know?

Nights, nine to one in the morning to skate land.

They made the movie deeper head.

Yes.

Wow.

Anything else, Colleague John?

I just wanted to add that scene videos, new dance show videos are online, and people from all around the world know about the same.

And then the dash show and Tony Peoples, because he puts a lot of those videos up.

So and also back then they were dancing to house and technomusic as well.

Thanks for joining us.

Hot wax.

Hot wax, why don't you just get to the microphone?

Miss Hale Miss Hale, DJ, hot wax.

We got a protocol when it comes to security.

If you could just stay either in the gallery or thank you.

Anything else?

Yeah.

Thank you.

That's it.

All right, so at this point, we this has been a fantastic.

I think we may have found a new home for the uh house techno awards that we do annually at the city council.

I think this has found a very welcoming space.

Um but we do need to take photos, and we do have business to get to, and we do have another uh committee coming up, and we have a couple of interviews and people are starting to join.

And we have a very important line item when it comes to increasing our minimum wage here at the city of Detroit, which needs to be taken up.

But did we lose our photographer?

Yes, we did, so but we're still gonna take photos.

So madam chair photographer come back.

Did you all put a ma'am chair?

Absolutely.

All right, take pictures.

Thank you.

So everybody who is an award recipient, and then we'll do one with a war recipients, and then we'll do one with families.

Okay.

Oops.

This would be one of those pictures that go into our youth space.

It's a pleasure.

Thank you so much.

It's a pleasure.

Mr.

People stop.

It's a pleasure.

I don't know how member Benson wants us to make this.

Okay, how are we gonna do this?

Okay, I don't know where he went.

No, we know where Number Vincent went.

He's on his way back.

Okay.

Yeah, I'm gonna do a video all the way around.

I don't know.

And then we're gonna take some photos.

You guys get the stirk first.

Okay.

Well, Mr.

Vincent isn't here yet.

Oh, that's okay.

We'll we'll get back to him.

Oh my gosh.

So you want two rows, or how do you want us to do that?

Yeah, I think we should do two rows because this is upstairs.

Yes, could you come in?

Shorty's up front, the Charlie's at the back.

The Talies in the back, the shortcut.

Bring it in.

Come on, bring it in.

Detroit House Collective.

Could y'all come this way a little?

Okay.

Okay, now are we gonna have the award hidden?

Okay.

Okay.

All right, I can see everyone right here.

Okay.

Okay, three, two, one, one more.

Hold it.

Thank you.

And then anybody else who wants to.

Thank you.

He has my time.

Get my number from Member Ben's sake.

I won't have it in person.

Okay.

Okay.

Scrap job.

Okay, y'all.

Thank you.

Okay.

I'm not just gonna put it back.

We'll take care of that.

Okay.

That's okay.

How was Berlin?

Germany.

Oh, it's fine.

I have a sort of resident there.

You know, I went out there one time and they played it four or five times a year, but now I'm doing festivals.

Okay.

I'm gonna get your number from um what's the man's name?

John.

John Collins.

310.

9902.

I'll call you and leave all my contacts.

Yeah, just put the hot wax or stage.

Hot wax.

Stacy.

Hot wax.

I love the tie-in and just stuff like that makes it makes me happy.

Okay.

I take cannot lessons from John.

That's amazing.

John, the the keyboard is the classical John Dixon.

John Dixon just had it.

And then I ran into a member in Lynn.

I happen to be going to see another DJ.

He was on the ticket.

I love it.

I broke my neck getting to him.

Are you allowing these people to come in?

Um we just shift over a little bit to our own.

Thank you.

That was wonderful.

Thank you.

Wow.

Yep.

Okay.

All right.

We're going to bring the meeting to order.

We're going to bring the meeting back to order.

Thank you all so much for being here.

This is wonderful.

Thank you, Member Benson.

Lots of energy.

Good energy.

Okay.

Should have.

So I think the next thing on the agenda is our first interview.

Do I need to gavel in the meeting?

Gabble in the interview, Madam Parliamentarian.

We're going to call the interview for um Peggy Goodwin to order.

Is that correct?

And um there's no really no continuation of it.

Is there a motion to move this particular because we've already interviewed her?

But there were some questions.

We've gotten those questions answered.

So is there a motion to move forward with this nomination to formal session with a recommendation?

Member Miller?

Motion.

There's a recommendation to move line item seven to formal with a recommendation to approve.

And before we do that, is there a attached resolution?

Mr.

King from LPD.

Good afternoon, Edward King, legislative policy division.

We will draft the appropriate resolution and have it ready for formal session.

Okay, thank you so much.

The resolution will be prepared and ready on Tuesday during formal session.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item seven, the appointment of Peggy Goodwin will be moved to formal with a recommendation for approval.

Then we will now call um to order our interview for the DP D D, the Detroit Downtown Development Authority, Mr.

Matthew D.

Waters.

If you could please come forward, sir.

Mr.

Walters, you'll take the middle seat and you'll hit the the button and the microphone will turn green when it's active.

Okay, if you give it to our police, there should be an um license in there, and we'll make sure we get in touch with that individual.

They may just come back and get it, Mr.

Waters.

I think it's the guy Tony Peoples.

He was Tony Peoples.

And um they have on a red sweatshirt.

And then one has on a black sweatshirt.

Okay, good morning, Mr.

Walters, and welcome.

You are um being considered for an appointment to serve on the Detroit Downtown Development Authority.

Would you like to introduce yourself, please, and tell us your interest in serving.

And we do have your resume in front of us, so thank you so much for providing that earlier.

Of course.

Thank you so much for having me this morning.

This afternoon, sorry.

Uh good morning, council members.

My name is Matt Walters, and I am honored to sit in front of you this afternoon.

I take this proposed DDA appointment very seriously and appreciate this body for the consideration.

Um I have a history of having worked for the city of Detroit and focusing in on the economic development space when working for the city.

Um I am happy to bring this experience to the DDA if this appointment is approved in a transparent and accountable fashion.

I was formerly the chair of the Detroit Brownfield Authority, another economic development agency that promotes uh responsible growth in the city of Detroit.

And I'm excited to work on initiatives and projects uh that put Detroiters first and think of creative solutions to get the DDA more involved in Detroit's neighborhoods.

Working throughout the entire city will continue to grow small businesses, which are the backbone of the city of Detroit that will employ Detroiters and bring amenities uh to the commercial corridors.

Um that's all for now, but again, just thank you very much for the consideration and having me today.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Walters.

Are you a resident of the city of Detroit?

I'm no longer a resident of the city of Detroit.

I was for nine amazing years, uh, but recently moved out of the city.

Okay.

Um I'm gonna ask the law department LPD is there a requirement to serve on the DDA as a resident?

No, no requirement.

Okay.

I I just wanted to know.

Um, do you have any pardon me?

I'm embarrassed that I've been embarrassed what I don't work that live in the city of Detroit.

So um well, you have opportunities to move back.

That's right.

I will move back.

Yeah, we have plenty of housing stock.

That's right, I will move back.

New use and improved um in all um areas across the city, so we would welcome you back.

But um, do you see any conflicts with you serving on the DDA?

Um, according to one of the residents um um um caller 669 earlier.

I'm sure you heard her comments.

Um, did you want to you don't have to at all, but I did write them down.

Um, her concerns, and she is a resident and taxpayer.

Um, if you heard her concerns, you you're welcome to address them or not.

There's no requirement.

Um, but do you foresee any conflicts?

Because she did mention your mother serving on um, I don't know if it was the Brownfield or the Detroit Land Bank.

So do you see any um any conflicts?

Uh through the chair, no ma'am.

I respect Miss Warwick.

I I had many conversations with her when I used to work for the city of Detroit.

Um my mom did serve at a certain point as uh on the board as a state appointee on the land bank, uh no longer does.

Um but no, I don't see any conflicts.

Okay.

Okay, and you're interested in serving on this um on this authority.

Uh my interest is to serve.

Um my interest is to is to help the city of Detroit residents in any way that I can.

Um, especially small business growth.

That's one area of of focus that I've always had because I think any major metropolitan area, any city, urban space in this in the United States, anywhere in the world, the backbone is small business.

So that's gonna be my number one priority.

Um Detroiters obviously uh being hired and and working uh uh and part of that growth, obviously it all goes hand in hand.

So um that those are my main focuses and priorities, if appointed.

Okay, all right.

Um, do my colleagues have any questions for Mr.

Matthew D.

Walters?

He's an um here for an appointment on the Detroit Downtown Development Authority.

Hi, Mr.

Walters, how are you today?

Hello, Councilmember.

Member Miller for joining us to be chairman, so sorry.

It I would like to know what uh whose appointment is this.

Um Mr.

Walters, who um selected you to be appointed to the authority?

Uh the mayoral administration.

Okay.

This a mural appointment.

Yes.

Obviously, you served in various capacities, and we have a new mayor.

And she is going in her own direction.

She is confident about what she's doing.

I do support her going forward.

It's a big transition from our previous administration.

So for me, I believe that I have a sometimes I have a problem with challenging um appointments, but after reading what I've read and what the downtrend Detroit development does, my only question is how do you see this responsibility transitioning to the neighborhoods?

I know she's going in the direction of bringing um awareness to the neighborhoods, uh, small businesses, um, home ownership.

How do you see this downtown?

Because it's focusing on downtown.

Our downtown is amazing, but now it's time to refocus or bring some attention, resources, finances to the neighborhoods.

Do you how do you foresee that happening?

Uh through the chair, uh Councilmember Miller, I couldn't agree more.

Um to your point, the DDA is focused, it's a downtown development authority, its legal boundaries are generally the CBD.

However, um I would like to bring my expertise to this authority uh to figure out if there are creative ways to finance to somehow support development on the commer in the neighborhood commercial corridors, uh particularly in for small businesses, but also for development and what the market would bear and absorb.

So my last question is when it comes to transparency, when uh our residents hear the word authority, they think of um their rights being taken away.

Everything's in Detroit's authority now.

Below became an authority, uh Cobalt Hall was an authority.

We've lost everything.

So our residents um they react to those type of words, and they want transparency.

So for me, when there's questions that that come up, I have to answer.

Can I pick up the phone and call you and say, hey, Mr.

Walters, my residents have a question about this that's going that's going on in our district.

Are you will you be available?

Will you be able to meet and or even come out to some of our events or our neighborhood um meetings or coffee hours just to give a word or an update on what we're actually doing when it comes to support for our neighborhoods and our residents?

That is the biggest component for me.

Yes, ma'am, through the chair.

Um I started working for the city of Detroit when I was 24 years old, and I worked for this amazing city government for six years, and I because that was my first major job in my career.

I will always wear that hat.

So I will always be a public servant.

Both my parents worked in government, they are public servants.

So I take this very seriously.

I would take this appointment very seriously.

Um stated.

Um I I you know when I work for city government, I didn't have two phones.

I gave myself out to everybody.

So I'm a very to get a hold of.

I am a very transparent and open person, uh, happy to have a dialogue with anybody, happy to meet with anybody at any time.

So I was happy to hear that you mentioned.

I'm very proud of it.

I was happy to hear that you have had discussions with Joanne Orwick, who is one of our biggest supporters in District 5.

A lot of times she's actually on point.

I think she's brilliant at times.

Yes.

Um, often overlooked or uh not heard.

Um she knows she can be really on spot and at the same time.

We've we've we we've talked about her delivery, we've talked about people taking you for uh serious because I take her serious seriously.

I I was not there then when the things that she spoke about um was happening, and I know there's two sides to every story, but I just want to know these are the people that I do answer to, and I just wanted to make it clear to everyone that comes before me.

I have to answer to the residents, and um she'll be the first one.

I know I probably have a call going back in the back right now.

So I just wanted to let you know that I I will probably be uh following up with some of the things that she talked about.

Um, but as far as the mayor's appointment to this position, she feels that you would be the the greatest person or asset to the downtown downtown development authority.

So I would support her um her nomination.

I would absolutely anything else, member um Miller?

No.

Okay.

Um are you still serving on the board for Rack It Up Detroit?

Yeah, yes, ma'am.

I love rack it up.

Rack it up's the best.

Um, if anyone has not had an opportunity to go over there on West Outer Drive, it's across the street from Flicks and Renaissance High School.

It's an amazing um space for our young people.

So for all the young people and your parents, if you're listening, please go to rack it up.

If you're bored, you don't have anything to do.

They um offered um um wraparound services, um, teach you.

You don't have to have anything, you don't have to have any of the equipment, you don't have to even have the gym shoes, you don't even have to have the the ball and the pad.

Is that what you call it?

Ma'am, squash.

Okay, squash.

And um is and they have senior citizen evening on Thursday still.

Okay, so I've been promising to get over there, but I would um invite everyone to go over.

There's a beautiful space.

We had a coffee and conversation there just a few months back, and it was amazing.

They were very accommodating.

So I'm glad to see that you're serving on that board that is in district two.

And then how's that wine making going?

Uh-huh.

Yes, I love the research.

Um, I was in the wine industry before I worked for the city of Detroit.

Um, it was a lot of fun.

Yeah, did you go to South Africa to learn how to make the wine or I I did, yes, ma'am.

I lived in Stellenbosch for about six months in South Africa.

It was a lot of great experience.

Awesome.

Awesome.

You have a wonderful resume, and um, I'm hoping that we can establish a CDA or uh NDA neighborhood development authority.

Love it or a community development authority, because we we do we just we deserve whatever's happening in the um downtown, it needs to happen in our community, and maybe our student, our young people will um have opportunities that are being denied them right now, and they're letting us know that.

But anyway, do you have anything else you want to leave us with, Mr.

Walters?

Uh no, ma'am, just thank you very much for having me.

I appreciate it.

Thank you so much for your willingness to continue to serve.

And um, is there a motion on um line item?

Let's see here.

Line item eight.

No.

Line item six.

Okay, there's a motion for um to move line item six, which is the appointment of Matthew D.

Walters to the Detroit Downtown Development Authority.

And is there an resolution attached?

I think there is.

What line item, Mr.

King from LPD?

The resolution is attached to item 9.1.

Okay, so we are going to combine line item six with line item 9.1, which the which is the um correspond corresponding resolution for this appointment of Matthew D.

Waters to the Detroit Downtown Development Authority hearing, no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line items six and nine point one will be moved to formal session with the recommendation for approval.

Anything else, Mr.

Walters?

Uh no, ma'am.

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

All right.

Okay, we got 35 minutes, and I think we can do it.

Okay.

All right.

Unfinished business line item 8.1, which is the appointment appointment of Catherine Richardson.

Um, can we have a motion for discussion?

Discussion.

Okay, this was moved from formal yesterday back to um committee for further discussion.

So is there a motion to um bring this back date to be determined?

Line item 8.1.

Motion, a discussion.

Discussion.

Um member Miller.

I have no problem with Catherine Richardson whatsoever.

She has served over 15 or 17 years at a facility that has um got her support.

And I not understanding why we continue to wait on this.

I do support we had already moved forward and now we're bringing it back.

Um so I trust that we will probably um if anyone has any say they should join us and come with an explanation why we're here again.

Okay.

Is the um Miss Sullivan?

Is there anyone on for um from the mayor's office or from the administration who would like to speak to um Catherine Richardson's appointment to the tenants' rights commission administration?

Because this was their request.

We would like to request a one-week bring back, and I can follow up with having the speaker present.

Thank you.

Is there a motion to bring line item eight point back in one week per the administration?

Uh motion.

Okay.

That's okay.

Hearing no objections that um Mr.

Anderson from the law department.

Through the chair just pointing out it'll be two weeks because of that next week.

Okay.

So is there a motion to bring line item eight point one?

Understanding that next week we'll be at Mackinac, some of us, and won't have a quorum.

So is there a motion to bring line item eight point one back in two weeks?

Okay.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

We will go as quickly as we can.

Line item eight point two, legal representation and indemnification for TEO Jason Green and lawsuit of Devin Patton versus the City of Detroit.

This is a um, I do believe a D dot case.

Is this D dot?

Yeah, it's D dot.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

Okay.

Um there's a motion to bring no, there's a motion to move line item 8.2 to formal with the recommendation for approval.

Any objections?

No.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.3 settlement in the lawsuit of Wesley Bush versus the City of Detroit, um, Department of Public Works.

Is there in this is a workers' compensation case?

Is there a motion?

Motion.

There's a motion to move line item 8.3 to formal with a recommendation for approval here hearing no objections that action shall be taken.

8.4 settlement in the lawsuit of Anderson Quinnetta versus the City of Detroit and Jacob Goodman.

Is there a motion to um bring this back in two weeks for further discussion?

Member Miller.

Motion.

There's a motion to bring line item 8.4 back in two weeks.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, Member Miller.

Line item 8.5 status of council member Benson's memorandum regarding city council media services.

Um is there a motion for discussion?

Discussion.

LPD, madam chair.

Can we have this item brought back in three weeks, please?

There's a motion to bring line item 8.5 back in three weeks.

Motion.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, Mr.

King.

Line item 8.6 status of Scott Benson, member Benson's memorandum relative to estate planning program income eligibility requirements.

Um is there a motion for discussion?

Discussion.

Mr.

King.

Madam Chair, this item was directed to the law department.

Mr.

Anderson through the chair, I'd ask for a two-week bring back on this item.

Okay, there's a motion to bring line item 8.6 back in two weeks.

Motion.

Hearing not hearing no objections that action shall be taken.

Thank you both.

Um now we are at line item 8.7.

Um is there a motion for discussion?

Discussion.

Um Mr.

King.

Madam Chair, can we have three weeks on this item, please?

Okay, there's a motion to bring this back in three weeks.

Line item 8.7.

And this is a request for report concerning the Judge Gilmore list.

We may have that report already.

I'm not sure, but we will certainly bring it back in three weeks.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item nine, new business, mayor's office submitting a resolution authorizing the appointment of Matthew Walters.

We've already taken action earlier.

No action will be required on line item 9.1.

We've already taken that action.

Line item 9.2, Office of Contracting and Procurement, submitting a resolution authorizing um contract list was submitted on April the 8th, 2026 for the city council agenda for April the 14th, and has been amended as follows.

Contract number 6007639.

This is 100% grant funding.

And I think it said something different.

So this is just um some changes in how this is being funded.

Is there a motion for discussion on line item um 9.2?

Um Mr.

Anderson, because I know we are bringing the we brought this back because I think uh there was an error in terms of how what department was listed earlier.

It was listed as transportation, now it's listed as law.

Mr.

Anderson.

Through the chair, that's my understanding.

That was the error that needed to be corrected as well.

I'm not sure if anyone from OCP is on to make sure I'm correct, but that was my understanding.

Okay.

So contract number 6007639 was listed as a transportation contract when it should have been listed as a law department um contract.

So um any other discussion on this is just a correction in terms of the department.

No.

Hearing no further discussion or any objections.

None.

There's a motion to move it to formal.

Motion.

There's a motion to move to formal line item 9.2 with a recommendation for approval.

Hearing objections, that action shall be taken.

Madam Parliamentarian.

As amended.

As amended as amended.

Thank you, Madam Parti Materia.

Law Department 9.3.

Settlement in the lawsuit of Taveras Hernandez Germania versus the city of Detroit for $9500 in full payment for any claims that she may have against the city.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

Motion to move line item 9.3 to former with a recommendation for approval.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 9.4 settlement in the lawsuit of Julia Quezon versus the City of Detroit in the amount of 45,000 dollars.

This is a D dot matter.

Is there any discussion or is there a motion?

Motion.

There's a motion to move line item 9.4 to former with a recommendation for approval.

Any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 9.5 settlement in the lawsuit of Falconer versus the City of Detroit, Jamon Jones and Progressive Michigan Insurance Company in the amount of 45,000 dollars.

This is against the police department.

Is there a motion or discussion?

Discussion.

There's a motion for discussion.

A member Miller.

I was wondering this is for the law department.

Have they identified any operational training or risk management considerations arising from this incident that may reduce similar claims?

Because through the chair.

Mr.

Anderson.

Through the chair, that's a wonderful question.

I would defer to DPD if they have any response to that about any particular training.

This is to the administration.

Is anyone on from the police department who can answer questions about line item 9.5?

Is anybody at work today?

Miss Sullivan.

Mr.

Washington.

Hello?

Madam Chair, I prompted uh the administration to unmute.

I don't know if she's uh by her computer.

Okay, is there a motion to bring line item 9.5 back to the end of the agenda?

Member Miller.

Motion, I'm sorry.

That's okay.

We're there's a motion to bring line item 9.5 back to the um end of the agenda.

Hearing no objections to action shall be taken.

Thank you, Member Miller.

We are now at line item 9.6.

Settlement in the lawsuit of Denwittle, Janisha Denwittle versus the City of Detroit.

D dot matter in the amount of 16,500 and full payment for all claims.

Is there a motion?

There's a motion to move line item 9.6 to formal with a recommendation for approval.

Any objections?

That action shall be taken.

We are now at line item 9.7.

Settlement in the lawsuit of Bevel Medical Equipment and Supplies, LLC versus the City of Detroit.

And this is another transportation.

Settlement $2900.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

There's a motion to move line item 9.7 to formal with a recommendation for approval.

Any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

We are now at line item 9.8.

And this is from human resources classification and compensation administration.

A request to amend the official compensation schedule.

And is there a motion for discussion?

Discussion.

And uh I'm seeing that there is a request to bring this back in two weeks.

I think this has to do with the city changing the pay rate for our employees to 21 dollars and 45 cents an hour.

We'll get more clarification.

Um so there's a motion to bring this back in two weeks.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Okay, let's see.

Is anybody here on from the administration for the line item that we just motioned to bring back?

That would be line item 9.5.

Is anyone available?

Miss Sullivan.

Through the chair, apologies for the technical difficulties.

I was unable to unmute.

Um, but we do not currently have a representative from police.

Um, can we bring this item back one week?

We'll bring it back in two weeks.

Most folks will be um on Mackinac next Wednesday.

So is there a motion to bring line item 9.5 back in two weeks?

Okay, without objection, that action shall be taken.

We are now at members' reports.

Member Miller.

Thank you to the chair.

I would like to make an announcement that we're having a coffee hour on Friday, May 22nd, District 5 from 1 to 3 p.m.

at Cafe Noir at 9405 John R.

That's our coffee hour.

Cafe Naror John R.

This is in the North End at 9405.

John R on uh that's Friday, this coming Friday, May 22nd.

Also, tonight is skilled trades, and I am a member of Mary Waters um Task Force, and we will be held that tonight at Farwell Recreational Center.

That is today, Wednesday, May 20th from 4 to 6.

Once again, we will be at the Farwell Recreation Center for anyone that's interested in the skill trades task force.

That is my report.

Thank you, Member Miller.

Um, Oak Grove AME is offering a free six-week summer discovery program for students entering ninth and tenth grade.

You just simply have to reside in Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb County.

The program includes cultural experiences, financial literacy, and field trips.

For more information, please call my office at 224 4535.

And if you have a ninth grade, um rising ninth grader or rising tenth grader, they will qualify if they simply reside in Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb County.

It's six weeks of fun and activities.

And I think it's from nine to five for you parents who are listening.

Because I knew some parents are saying how long all day long, five days a week.

And on the Friday, they get to go on fun field trips.

So it's free of charge.

Six-week program, summer program 224 4535.

The Department of Transportation will host a hybrid community input meeting tomorrow, Thursday, May the 21st at 5 p.m.

Residents are invited to attend in person at the Rosa Parks Transit Center, located at 1310 Cass Avenue.

Enjoy pizza before the meeting.

This hybrid meeting provides writers with an opportunity to share their opinions, comments, and concerns directly with D Dot executives and staff.

That is tomorrow at 5 p.m.

at the Rosa Parks Transit Center at 1310 Cass Avenue.

Please join.

Please plan to attend the men's mental health awareness panel hosted by District 2 Board of Police Commissioner Lavish T.

Williams on Saturday, May the 23rd, from 11 to 2 p.m.

at the Northwest Activity Center, located at 18100 Myers Road.

The guest speakers will include Director Jade Mathis, Dr.

Marvin Cotton Jr., and Judge Kenneth King and others.

Again, that is the men's mental health awareness panel hosted by our very own district two Board of Police Commissioner Lavish T.

Williams this Saturday at 11 a.m.

at the Northwest Activity Center.

And then lastly, the City Health Department offers free lead testing to reduce toxic lead weights lead exposure among Detroiters, particularly our children.

For more information, call 313-8760133.

That completes my members' report.

Is there if there's nothing else to come before this body?

Is there a motion to I'm sorry?

Mr.

King from LPD.

Madam Chair, we have a representative from HR that would like to speak on the um item 9.8, the compensation schedule.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

King.

Before you go.

Before I gavble out, we have someone from HR to speak on line item 9.8 regarding the official compensation schedule.

If you're available, oh, you're here in person.

Yes, ma'am.

You can take the middle seat.

You can hit the base of the microphone, it'll turn green, and you can share.

And thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh good afternoon, madam chair.

I apologize.

I didn't speak up.

I didn't want to be out of order.

Um, but I just wanted to make sure we did not request an adjournment.

Uh, we are on a very, very tight timeline.

So we were hoping we would be able to present to you or answer any questions that you might have.

I'm not sure what who that request may have come from.

Well, we've already um what's the I'm sorry, what's the what's the tight timeline?

Because if we get we're getting it today, we're not gonna be here next week.

What is the type time?

What is the tight timeline?

Yes, ma'am.

And we don't like to you know operate under tight timelines, neither do we.

I never got a request from anyone in HR prior to this morning because I could have been prepared for you.

You would have been on our agenda.

Yes, ma'am.

Uh, so Denise was on vacation, just got back yesterday, so that might have been some miscommunication.

Uh, so I do apologize.

The tight timeline is that uh pursuant to the mayor's executive order, she would like for this to occur the first pay in July.

to you know operate under tight timelines neither do we I never got a request from anyone in HR prior to this morning because I could have been prepared for you you would have been on our agenda yes ma'am uh so Denise was on vacation just got back yesterday so that might have been some miscommunication uh so I do apologize the tight timeline is that uh pursuant to the mayor's executive order she would like for this to occur the first pay in July and because there are approximately 1300 employees impacted and over 500 classifications impacted we have a very small window to actually process that so um we were aware that the uh this uh committee would be out of um on recess next week due to the conference and uh we were hoping that if there were any questions we can answer them today so that it could go on the committee of the whole next week and then we could start the work so that is the tight timeline and I do apologize for putting you and this committee in this situation um no we'll be at Mackinac okay so um this is very important and we're talking about um 1300 employees 500 classifications and we don't want to be the reason why they don't get their increase which our um mayor promised them and the city council um agreed so I'm gonna defer to madam parliamentarian since we have already gone over it and said we would bring it back in two weeks what action should be taken now to move it to formal with the recommendation okay so there's a is there a motion to reconsider our vote on line item 9.8 reversing our vote to bring it back in two weeks motion okay there's a motion to reverse our vote on line item 9.8 instead of bringing it back in two weeks would we bring it back for formal session next Tuesday as if you did not have that first motion just treat it as if it's brand new okay all right thank you so much so um line item 9.8 there's a motion to reconsider our vote and um hearing no objections that action shall be taken all righty is there a motion to move line item 9.8 to formal with the recommendation for approval discussion discussion mad um member miller okay I was trying to understand this this was the part that was amended um right here we're on line item 9.8 yes you can and and ma'am she has a question for you was amended uh amended yeah I just put that down that was what was saying we brought it back for two weeks it was very reasonable so this is this is a new request uh this is the first time we're making this request and uh we have had uh discussions and meetings with all of the unions impacted we have signed um mous with those unions so they have um committed and agreed to the increase we have provided also a list of titles there is an amendment um I apologize there was one union that came through last night which was the building trades council and so we were adding those titles to the list that we provided in East Gribe last week but other than that um we're just trying to enact what the MOUs have agreed to and and give my staff enough time to try to process all of these but you have to come to a consensus with the unions absolutely yes ma'am no further questions thank you thank you member miller um hearing no um other questions um line item 9.8 is being moved to formal with a recommendation for approval hearing no objections that action shall be taken so much I appreciate the reconsideration thank you all right member report we are adjourned nothing else is coming before the body you all have a wonderful wonderful um holiday and weekend