The Detroit City Council convened on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, following a summer recess. The meeting opened with a tornado cleanup update from the mayor's office, followed by public testimony on tenant protections, and concluded with votes on an emergency declaration extension, suicide prevention resolutions, and a postponed land bank appointment.
The kids a clap in as they were coming in, one of our charter schools in District One, whether you're Detroit Public School, traditional public or charter, they are all of our students, all of our kids, and we gotta do what we can to love on. So bear with me today. Give me a little bit of grace, if you will. I'm probably gonna be a little rusty as we go through the motions as well. So just letting you know in advance. Um head not to heart, as they say. Um the regular session of the Madam Clerk, will you please call the role? The regular session of today's. I told you the regular session of today, Tuesday, September 8, 2026 will come to order. Uh, Madam Clerk, will you please call the role? Councilmember Scott Benson. Scott Vincent. Councilman Letitia Johnson, present. Councilman Magin Cell McCampbell. Present. Councilman Renata Miller. Councilmember Gabby Santiago Mero. Present. Councilmember Mary Walters, present. Councilmember NCW Callaway. Council President Pro Tim Coleman A. Young II. And Council President James Tate. Here. You have a quorum president, Mr. President. Thank you. We have a quorum present, which means we're now back in session again. Welcome back, colleagues. Welcome back to the community as well. We are going to have a brief um communication from the mayor's office. Chief of Staff Bowser will be coming by to give. I want just an update on where we stand with the storm cleanup. As we know, uh we've had a tornado touchdown for the first time since 1997 here in the city of Detroit in District 5. Um, and we're going to go through, we're going to provide uh Chief of Staff Bowser an opportunity to provide that update to the body to the public uh very momentarily. And as we begin now the collection of public comment cards, uh, for those who would like to speak, please raise your hand. Uh if you're in person, if you like to speak, if you have not gotten one of those uh uh communication cards, I see a hand up front. We have not gotten a communication. If you haven't gotten a card to provide your name and information on it, uh please raise your hand and someone from the team will come by and provide that to you. Uh we will be cutting off the collection of public comment cards very shortly. If you're at home, conversely, raise your hand so we can put you in the queue as well. Okay. Uh, we will now go to this morning's invocation and providing this morning's invocation. Uh, we have none other uh joining us that joining us, we have none other than student minister Troy Mohammed, local representative of the honorable Minister Lewis Firecon and the leader of the Mohammed's mosque number one, located in City Council District number one at 1916 Evergreen Road. Uh, Detroit holds a very special place in the history of the Nation of Islam as the city where the movement began nearly a century ago. Uh, student minister Mohammed uh also has a very personal and powerful story. After experiencing significant challenges as a young man and serving 13 years in prison, he transformed his life and has since dedicated himself to helping others find a better pathway. We rightfully recognize that our certified uh community violence intervention organizations and of course our law enforcement officials uh for their their very important role that they play in reducing gun violence, but they're those people doing very critical work every day uh outside of those entities and student minister Troy Mohammed is absolutely one of them. Uh, through his leadership, uh young youth outreach, excuse me, uh violence intervention and gladiator school of motivation and training. Uh, he reaches people at some of their most difficult moments in their lives.