Now good evening.

Happy Monday.

Happy Monday, everybody.

We would like to call the Durham City Council meeting to order for this the 20th day of December 2021 at 7 p.m.

We certainly want to welcome all of you.

I am here in your beautiful city hall in attendance.

And we want to welcome please join me in a moment of silent meditation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And now I'd like to recognize Councilwoman Didriana Freeman, who will lead us in the pledge of allegiance.

Thank you.

And just asking you all to join us as I lead in the pledge.

Pledge allegiance to the flag.

The United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, this evening.

Madam Clerk, if you will please call the role and welcome this evening.

Thank you.

Mayor O'Neill.

I am present.

Thank you.

Mayor Pro Tem Middleton.

I'm here.

Councilmember Caballero here.

Councilmember Freeman present.

Councilmember Johnson here.

Councilmember Reese.

Here.

Thank you.

And Councilmember Williams.

I'm here.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

We are all present and accounted for.

And so I'd like to recognize my colleagues for any announcements or comments that you may have.

I see Councilman Charlie Reese, who's raised his hand.

And so I'd like to recognize him at this time.

Happy Monday.

Happy Monday, Mayor Neil.

I just wanted to say uh hello to my colleagues and uh city staff who are on the on the meeting and folks watching from the comfort of their own homes.

I know we'd all prefer to be in our chambers tonight, as we have been for the last couple of weeks, but uh our situation was overtaken by events, and uh that was the first thing I wanted to announce is that the Omicron variant has officially arrived in Durham.

Uh the our county public health department announced this morning that uh a number of cases of the Umcron variant to the coronavirus have been identified in Durham County.

Um just this evening indicates that the Omicron variant is now the dominant strain of uh COVID here in the United States, something in the neighborhood of over 70 percent of all sequenced cases are believed to have been uh are believed to be the Omicron variant in New York City, it's somewhere north of 90 percent.

So this is obviously come upon us very, very quickly.

Uh that's why uh Mayor Neil, I want to thank you uh for the display of leadership that you showed in getting us back in the virtual format for the next little while while we all try to take care of ourselves and take care of our community.

Uh, just wanted to encourage everyone uh who is eligible to get a booster shot to schedule that immediately.

Um, the the what we have learned about the Omicron variant is that folks who have been fully vaccinated plus a booster shot are far less likely to have serious illness or need hospitalization.

And so that is the very best thing that we can do, along with continuing the social distance and wear masks uh indoors.

Uh so I just wanted to thank you, uh Mayor O'Neill, for your leadership in getting us to where we need to be uh here in Durham today.

And I know there's going to be um additional there, and I know that we're gonna have to continue to be vigilant uh as this uh particular season wears on.

Uh the other announcement I wanted to make, uh, Mayor O'Neill is um I'm angry tonight.

I don't get angry a lot.

I try to live my life a pretty even keel, uh more or less.

Um, but tonight I'm very angry.

Uh I joined a couple of my colleagues tonight, uh, Councilmember Cabier and Councilmember Williams at the intersection of Buchanan and Inglewood this afternoon for a press conference um organized by community members who are rallying in support of tenants who live at the Braswell properties that are located at that intersection.

As I'm sure you know, Mayor O'Neill, uh, late last month uh tenants were uh alerted to the fact that their uh property uh at which many of the at which many of whom have resided for in the neighborhood of 20, 30, 40, uh almost 50 years, uh, had been sold out from under them from their law by their longtime landlord.

And the new owner and the new property manager uh wrote to the residents telling them that they needed to vacate their homes by the end of this year.

Obviously, that is very short notice in under any circumstances, but especially in a community like Durham with our soaring housing costs and at a time of year when folks should be gathered around with their families celebrating the holiday season and not suffering from the stress and strain of trying to find a new place to live here in our city.