Roll call for the city council meeting of Wednesday, July 1st, 2026 at 9 a.m.

Councilmember Titus.

Here.

Councilmember Brzezinski is absent.

Flores here.

Tor Horton.

Hole.

Here.

Shaw.

Here.

Choop.

At this time, we will stand for a moment of silence and the pledge of allegiance.

There are a few individuals that we would like to acknowledge.

Stephen Polarius, the owner of New York Lunch East Ave had has passed away.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Marcello Woodard's death.

I don't know.

There's also two retired firefighters that passed away this week.

Who was a longtime employee?

And Norm Vote.

They both passed away this week.

Both good gentlemen.

I knew them personally.

And just want to put sympathies out to their families and the firefighters.

I have a motion to accept the minutes from the Wednesday June 17th, 2026 City Council meeting and bills for payment on July 3rd and July 10th.

Council members Flores Horton, Paul Shaw, Troop, Titus.

Yes.

All right.

Just so you give a brief overview for because things are a little bit out of order this morning.

We do have a presentation that will happen this morning.

And so we'll we'll go into that next.

But then we will also have public hearings today at uh 9 30.

Prior to going into public comment, we will have an executive session.

And so it's gonna look a little bit different than it usually looks this morning.

So we'll have our presentation and then we will go into executive session.

Then we'll have we might get one or two public comments before we have to go into the public hearing, and then we'll pause the public comment.

Go into the public hearing and then come back.

Just so everyone understands the flow of what will happen this morning.

So we'll go ahead and go into the presentation that we're gonna have this morning from uh Dr.

Marcia Farrell at uh who's the executive director of best about a project that they have at 6th and Parade.

Thank you, Dr.

Titus, and thank you, Council and Mayor Devlin.

Um I'm here today to talk about a project that really came out of the Infinite Erie Housing Needs Assessment Study that started last year.

Uh so as I was talking with Wyatt Schrader uh from Infinite Erie about the housing needs assessment, one of the things that we talked about is the need for more housing in Erie, and best owns a lot of green space.

So one of the things that we talked about was why not build something for Erie on that green space.

So in particular, we were talking, or we were looking at the block at Sixth and Parade.

And I sent this to Dr.

Titus to send all of you.

All of the, and I'll turn around so everybody can see.

The orange with the exception of this tiny parcel here, best owns on that block of Sixth and Parade.

Um that parcel we are currently talking to Erie Insurance about purchasing.

And we thought after working with Infinite Erie, which has been one of the most productive um partnerships we've had, I think, in a long time.

So I want to thank them.

That that would be a really great parcel, or that whole block would be really fantastic if we could do some workforce housing on both corners at Six and Parade and Sixth and Wallace.

And then because we own a lot of parcels on East 5th, maybe phase two would be some houses for home ownership.

Um so that's really what we're looking at is how can we ramp up housing and workforce housing?

Best has always paid its property taxes.

This would allow us to pay more in taxes.

It would bring in more revenue for the city, it would bring more population back to the city.

It would be a really great thing for our neighborhood.

We are in very preliminary stages.

Just so you know.

This is what we're looking at.

These are conceptual drawings that Infinity Erie had union architecture out of Philadelphia come up with.

Ben Willis, the lead architect is originally from Erie, so he knows the area very well.

What we're looking at is a very large building, a multi-unit uh building with one and two bedrooms on the corner of Sixth and Parade with maybe some commercial space underneath.

That would be about 42 units.

And then on Sixth and Wallace, we're looking at a smaller building.

Um it would be about 10 to 12 units.

There it would be the possibility for some commercial space underneath.

Um so we're looking at like about a total of roughly 52 units of space.

And I know that there is green space that would be taken away.

Because Vest owns a lot of green space throughout the neighborhood.

We've already talked about activating more pocket orchards and some of that green space as pocket parks for the neighbors.

So they still have recreation space.

It wouldn't be taken away from them.

Um we were looking at parking sort of in the back, uh, so that the big building would be an L-shaped building, but it wouldn't take away any of the green space for parking on East Fifth.

It would all be in the back.

Access would be through the alleyway.

Um but we also know, and we have talked with planning.

Um, we've talked to the planning commission, we've talked to zoning.

One of the challenges that we're facing is that where the armory is is zoned commercial across the street on six or the south side of sixth street is zoned RLB.

That block that we're looking at is zoned, I think R2.

Uh so we need some zoning work to make high density zoning and to have some limited business there.

Um we are very, very early in the process.

Uh we have done a little bit of outreach to the neighbors.

Uh we had a luncheon with the neighbors who live right next to where we want to build.

Um, they are very supportive.

Uh we have mentioned it at a neighborhood meeting.

Um we've talked to other nonprofits that we partner with.

Um I did mention it to Councilman Horton, uh, who lives in our neighborhood.

Uh we talked a bit about it.

Uh so far we've had very positive responses from the neighbors.

They like the idea that we would have increased safety, some sidewalk works, some streetscaping, more people in the neighborhood.

Um we recently sent out an RFQ last week to see if we could find a co-developer to work with us because we are looking uh to pursue LITEC dollars for the bulk of the capital stack.

Um, and we we don't have the capacity to apply for LITEC on our own.

Um but I can also show you what the Sixth and Wallace building or conception would look like.

Um that would have, and I'll turn around for people too.

Uh the idea that we were thinking about conceptually is that it would also have like outdoor balcony and porch space for everybody to bring back really a porch culture for that neighborhood.

Um so that's that's about where we are.

I wanted to give you a heads up if you have any questions.

I'm willing to answer.

Um I just have comments.

I grew up on Fifth and Wallace, so the fact that uh we're looking to possibly rebuild the neighborhood.

Um I remember all the neighbors and all the houses that used to be there.

So to be able to say that you know, we might be taking some of the green space, but that green space used to be housing.

So I love the idea that some of this green space is going to be rebuilt into housing, whether you know it's one or two bedrooms that neighborhood needs to have neighbors, we need to have community members.

So I'm happy to see that something's gonna be built.

It might not be in the next year or two, but you know, things moving forward is what our city needs, and the investment is what our city needs, and if we can continue to see neighborhoods that used to thrive start to be rebuilt, I think that the hope will start to rejoin our community.

So I'm very happy to see that there are plans, things are moving forward.

I know that the neighbors that are still in those neighborhoods work hard every day.

So they need investment, and this is great investment for them.

So I'm happy to see this plan coming forward.

Thank you.

Council Horwin.

Thank you.

It's good to see you again.

Thank you for meeting with me presenting a project which I out preface my remarks by saying I'd wholeheartedly support.

But I I just feel that I have to say that kind of it's kind of what responsible land ownership looks like.

Because if you take it down, you should put it back.

And when I look at all of the homes that have been for the sake of progress, whether it's 150, 200 homes to drop Gannon's football field in the middle of a neighborhood that doesn't pay taxes, those come off the tax row or the Bayfront Highway, where they've called the SAC and took maybe five, six hundred houses that were on our tax rows.

And so I I do support this project, and I look for ways to be more supportive of it from where I sit here in the zoning.

I think that throughout the city, the way that we're going to fix our housing is it's going to require that it's going to require some zoning changes in other neighborhoods as well.

And so eerie insurance has been a great benefactor.

I look at the boards and stuff, and so I know who the boards are on best.

And so again, if you take it down, you're supposed to put it back.

So thank you again, though.

Thank you.

Council Shaw.

Thank you.

I met you at the Planning Commission.

I fully support this project.

My uh mother grew up on Fifth and Ash, the Northeast Corner, and I got to live in the neighborhood for a couple of years as well.

And uh I fully support this plan.

I think it would be awesome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Just to echo what my colleagues have shared.

Um I also what I love hearing uh is how how you've engaged the public so quickly, right?

You're you're the neighbor the neighborhood is is building this plan alongside of you, and you're not waiting until everything's already been, you know, we've you're in the the preliminary stages in the neighborhood has already been activated to be a part of this.

So I think kudos to you.

Uh and this is the kind of work that we love to see, and that we really would love to have others to follow.

So thank you for for being a leader in the in that.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Can you tell me what workforce housing was that?

I mean, I hear I'm hearing that term.

What is what does that mean?

Does that mean that you're gonna citizens are going to be able to work on that project?

Or is that people who are working, or what is it really, I think what does that mean?

What we were talking about in terms of workforce housing is if we look at affordable housing, workforce housing would be sort of our target population because we're thinking who would want to live there.

Okay, I got you.

Yeah, so it would be more like you know, people who are working in the city who want to walk to work, um, or even people who want to or empty nesters and want to retire uh.

I just asked because that's a pretty brandish name.

And when you start talking workforce, most people think, well, me, I I'm I count money.

Most people think uh workforce dollars.

Right, you know, when you st I automatically go to capital stack, how are you gonna pay for it?

So when you say workforce is that yeah, probably a more it's kind of you I think the term before used to be uh uh not yuppies but young young professionals.

Uh so but and that's like a drastic change from that.

But I think you're talking the same demographic.

Yeah, I would say, yeah, probably young professionals, empty nesters, because we were really trying to look at who would want to live there.

Um who would benefit the most from being able, like I said, to walk to work.

Um, and it is right on the bus line too, uh, which is nice.

And and to your to your point in our discussion, I think a unique distinction about it is that there will be different levels of of uh cost for housing.

So it won't just be for the young professional, but there'll be some affordable housing attached to that.

And you stop me if I'm speaking out of sorts, but I I think that those distinctions need to be made because you're fundamentally changing a whole neighborhood and a whole culture.

Right.

And and and it's not just any neighborhood, it's the oldest neighborhood in the city.

And so I just want to be, you know, I would be remiss if I didn't point those things out.

Right, Father Simon.

Two points, Mr.

Horton.

Um, Father Stephen Simon, the chair of Best Long Term.

First of all, Best over the years has been very dedicated primarily to acquiring properties and rehabilitating them.

So it has not been buying properties and knocking them down.

We've only knocked them down when they were really beyond saving.

For example, one of those properties that are now part of this parcel.

We had Tom Hagen, Jeff Kidder, and Mike Glass come through it and say to them, can we rehabilitate it?

And they went it's just beyond rehabilitating.

So we have been very careful not to simply knock down and not rebuild as we've indicated when we need to.

The second point I really think is important is from the inception of BEST.

It was always our idea that we were fortunate enough to have institutions and the waterfront.

So if any neighborhood could kind of turn it around, that neighborhood ought to be able to do it.

But we recognized other neighborhoods did not have those advantages.

And our idea always had been if we can really do things in this neighborhood and creep up to that area right around our borders in 6th Street.

Hopefully, then what happens is those areas south of 6th Street can begin to feel the advantage.

And certainly the Renaissance group on Parade Street, this is going to be of great value to them because it's right not only in our neighborhood, but certainly on Parade Street where they're going.

So this really fits in every possible way of what we're looking to do.

And our reason for coming before you, I agree with Marsh, of course, that it's preliminary, but we're looking in the next 18 months or so.

This is not five years down the road.

And we're going to need rezoning along the way.

So we wanted to come before you now so you would, and if you have any questions about the project, please come and see us because we think it's great, and we want you to feel the same way about it, even if it does require rezoning.

Thanks very much.

And I might still add uh uh that I I'm um I'm aware, very much aware of when Bess was founded, and Jeremy and I we work close and I used to attend the meetings when I had time.

So uh I I don't believe I said they only tore down.

I said that when you tear down, you have a responsibility to put back.

And so the rehabbing down there, it's been wonderful.

Uh I remember Dale Burt, so I I know the history, uh but I I live down there, I live in a house that we've had a hundred years, uh, and so I'm I'm acutely aware of it, as I am acutely aware of who the board is and where the money came from.

And it's not a bad thing, uh, but I like sunlight.

I just mean people be honest about it.

You know, and at one point uh there wasn't a lot of engagement with citizens on the other side of Wallace Street, uh, which they're starting to be more now on the end that I live, and it tended to look like a moat was being built around Erie Insurance for blocks as they bought a property as well as they should.

They've been a great partner.

Uh uh the same goes for the East Side Renaissance.

I just like sunlight.

And so I'm not going to sit here and act like I don't know either.

Uh the whole infinite eerie thing and this city planning, and you know, we're we're we're in the face of government.

Uh with the authorities and the boards and the commissions pretty much run this stuff.

Uh and in the movers of Shakers and Big Business and the Landholder Associations.

And so I don't want to anybody be offended by my comments, but I'm well I'm fully aware of how best was founded, started, uh, and what it looks like even today.

Thank you.

Um any other comments or questions.

All right.

Thank you so much for for coming in.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

At this point, we will ask if anyone is here on a repository sale.

Is anyone here on a repository sale?

Is anyone here on a repository sale?

I think we've timed this.

Not to jinx us pretty perfectly for us to now break into executive session and come back in time for the public hearing.

So at this point, we will um go into executive session to discuss uh sale of property and potential real estate.

Thank you.

City council resumes the meeting at 9 30 a.m.

Going into the public hearing upon the recommendation of planning commission and the proper legal advertising, pursuant to official ordinance 80 2005 as amended, known and cited as the revised zoning ordinance of the city of Erie.

City Council is holding a public hearing to consider testimony regarding a request to designate the following as historic buildings.

The first one is the former Foreman block located at 1013, 1015 straight state.

Anyone that wants to give testimony, please stand and raise your right hand.

I do affirm Mr.

Facco.

Members of council, uh I am Matthew Falcone.

I'm the cultural resource manager for the City of Erie.

Earlier this year, we received a nomination for the Foreman block.

This nomination was initiated by the owner, and as a reminder, comes at no cost to the city.

Pictured here is the Foreman block, which is two buildings that kind of visually serve as one.

It's going to be a very long day.

Would you?

It's on.

It's just not functional.

It is triple A.

In the interest of time, I'm going to go to that computer and continue on.

I believe that mic right there.

You should be able to turn on it.

Oh, this is a much nicer view.

No offense.

This is the Foreman block, a picture from the 1970s.

You can see that it served, and we'll talk about this in just a moment, as the home to several prominent businesses here in Erie.

To date, this was looked at by the Historic Review Commission on May the 4th, who determined both that there is reasonable cause for this to be considered a historic landmark, and also they provided a positive recommendation to you, Council.

There was also a public hearing before the Planning Commission, also in May.

And they, as you'll see, also provided a positive recommendation.

That brings us here today to the public hearing.

The property is located at 1013 and 1015 State Street in Erie, and that is in an overlapping neighborhood district.

Thank you.

With both the Erie Downtown Partnership and the Erie Downtown Development Corporation.

Both organizations were notified of the nomination and provided their support.

A few site photos.

This is the view from State Street.

A few details of the primary facade, as well as the side of the building, which actually still has the original ghost sign when of the Foreman Dry Goods Company that constructed the building.

This photograph we think is uh early 1900s.

A little bit about the building itself.

As I mentioned, it was constructed by the Foreman brothers.

It was originally envisioned as uh kind of three different functions on each floor.

The first floor was all uh store space, and so people would be able to go in and buy goods.

Uh the second floor was meant as a temporary office space.

So much like we have today, people and organizations would be able to rent office space on the second floor and kind of come and go as they needed.

And then the third floor was actually a boutique hotel.

Uh, there were several rooms that people from uh permanently out of town that were either working with those businesses or just wanted space that was outside of a formal hotel would be able to rent.

Um in 1911, the building was acquired by the Winter family who were the uh proprietors and owners of the Winter Piano Company.

They were the longest um owners of the building.

They uh held it until 1981, in which it was acquired by uh divided ownership and then acquired by several other members.

Uh today it is owned by uh uh one person.

Uh you'll see here that over time the piano company continued to maintain uh the original function of the building.

So they sold pianos on the first floor.

Uh the second floor, as you'll see, they used actually as radio space, and so they would have uh concert recitals on their pianos that were broadcast to folks in Erie.

People would be able to listen to these piano recitals on their radios and go and buy a piano if they wanted to from their store.

Um after that, uh its function changed several times.

It was uh it was eventually became a furniture sales store.

Um, and then today uh it's primarily a restaurant.

Uh here you'll see a couple different images of the storefront and how it's changed over time.

Uh the Winter Piano Company functioned primarily on the southern side of the building, and you'll see had a uh really ornate art deco facade.

Um it was interesting that in one of the commissions uh there was uh public testimony that people remember the facade of that building and the kind of water feature that was built into it, um, which was interesting bit of history.

We weren't able to capture the research.

Uh in the architectural survey that the city conducted in 2025, this resource was recommended to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, uh, primarily for its architecture.

And here you'll see the inside of the building.

Uh what we have is a view of the second floor.

Uh so these would have been the office spaces.

Uh, although uh it looks uh very kind of turnkey, as if someone had closed the door and uh it it kind of largely looks like it would have upon original construction.

It's fairly rare to have this kind of uh what we call historic integrity.

Um I know that there is work that needs to be done, especially with plaster.

Uh the owner is very committed to its restoration and rehabilitation uh and use of the second and third floor of that building.

Uh again, the HRC found that there was reasonable cause for the Foreman block to meet the qualifications to become a city landmark.

They believe it conveyed significance under criterion C, which is its architectural design.

It is an example of Romanesque architecture and the only remaining example downtown.

Uh also the Planning Commission found that it is consistent, its listing would be consistent with the city's comprehensive plan, the established neighborhood plan, and the historic preservation plan.

Uh what was particularly interesting is that while we were going through all these different plans, there was an image of a resource that no longer exists on the pavement.

What you'll see up in the right-hand corner, the Winter Piano Company was tiled in, has since been lost.

So it was uh very interesting to see that part of our plan actually has part of this resource in it and captured and will be integrated into the nomination itself.

Uh and that is all I have for you for the Foreman block.

I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Council, do we have any questions?

No questions.

Thank you for all you do.

I've been going to the meetings.

Thank you.

Well done in Tara.

Thank you.

And I didn't see anybody else raise their hand to provide testimony if I'm if I'm correct, so I think we're okay.

So if you want to close out that particular public hearing, because I do think we have another public hearing on another historic property.

I can start that then.

And then Matthew can remain sworn in from the previous hearing.

And if there's anyone else who wants to testify about this building, I probably should ask.

This current one before we close.

Yeah, for the Spencer House.

Um we're closing this this part of the hearing is closing to the second part of the hearing.

Okay, so if anybody then would like to be sworn in for the second, we're gonna be moving into the second hearing.

Um, and then I will stop talking and let those who know how to do this properly talking.

Okay, the former William and Mary Spencer House, located at 519 West 6th Street, is a subject of the second public hearing.

If anyone would like to offer testimony, please stand and raise your right hand to take the oath.

I didn't work more technical issues, so I will remain seated for this one as well.

Council people.

Uh again, we received uh the city received a nomination for the former William and Mary Spencer House earlier this year.

Uh pictured here are the original blueprints for the building, which date to the late 1800s.

Uh they are courtesy of the owner.

Uh again, this nomination was heard before the Historic Review Commission in May.

Uh, they both found that there was reasonable cause and provided a positive recommendation for the building's listing.

Uh, there was another public hearing before the planning commission also in May.

Uh, they too, by unanimous vote found that there was uh or provided a positive recommendation to city council for its listing.

That brings us today to this public hearing.

Uh the resource is located at 519 West 6th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania.

This is in the R West Bayfront neighborhood.

They were provided um both a nomination and uh provided their support for its designation.

You'll see here that the resource is bounded in red and faces West 6th Street.

I think some images of the resource, which is fairly iconic within the city.

A bit of history about this building.

It is connected to one of the oldest families here within the city.

The Spencer family who were instrumental in founding the first National Bank of Erie.

It was actually his son.

So pictured here is Judah Colt Spencer.

He was the one who built this house for his son as a kind of wedding present.

The wedding didn't turn out as he had imagined.

And so the house was constructed in 1871, but William was not married until 1880.

So William and William Spencer married Mary Dupree, and they were the first and kind of original inhabitants of the house.

They made some changes to it upon moving in.

In 1885, Judea Colt Spencer passed away.

And then William assumed the head of the bank.

He was also a bit of a technocrat.

He was involved in lots of different businesses and industries here within the city was very much, I think, how we look at kind of business processes.

That was his interest.

Both were very prominent members of their church, the Presbyterian church down the street.

They often used this house for church functions and socials, and the lawn was you'll see in kind of the social pages that they would invite members of the church in for coffee.

And she was also very prominent in founding different aid societies.

And so she would uh invite women's clubs and women's group to her house.

And during World War I, they were very instrumental in uh in providing needlework.

So they would um they would knit pillows, they would knit blankets, and send them over to primarily French cities that had been devastated during World War I.

Several of their sons also served in the war.

Um she was noted uh for driving around town in an electric car.

Uh and this was 1914, which I know sounds a bit kind of peculiar.

Uh, but at that time uh it was seen as a kind of mark of independence for women, that they were able to start the car themselves, they were able to have kind of agency in moving about town.

Uh, she was also very instrumental in the early uh suffrage movement here in Erie, uh, inviting and using her house as a kind of platform for speakers to come and talk about women's suffrage.

Um she uh outlived her husband.

William passed away in 1920, she passed away in 1930.

Um most of that time she spent traveling, and so we see lots of different uh track and her travel logs, her going to different places around the country and inviting people in again to her house.

The house stayed within the family, um and it was their descendants that lived in the house until 1991, or I'm sorry, late 80s.

Uh in 1991, the house was purchased by Keith and Patricia Hagenbush, who converted it into a bed and breakfast.

Uh it was sold to the current owners in August of 2018, and they are the ones responsible for bringing this nomination to us today.

Uh their apologies for not being able to make it.

They're running a business.

Uh they uh wanted to reiterate that this is not only Erie's only bed and breakfast, but the oldest.

Um here you'll see there's uh related to this property.

Um, the image on left is a view of State Street.

Um State Street was redeveloped in the 1960s, we lost a lot of architecture.

But this uh the Spencer family was responsible for taking the facade of their bank, which is kind of on left, and then moving it over to what you'll see here.

I think it's behind 20, is it 23rd Street?

Um they wanted to basically save what their family had worked to.

So we have some a building that was basically on State Street that was moved to another part of town.

Um I know in this uh this past year, we've all kind of marveled at moving historic buildings in the city.

I thought it was particularly interesting that we have a long history of that.

Um in our architectural survey that was done in 2025.

Um, this building was identified as being important and uh also being part of a larger historic district that exists on the National Register.

And uh to go back to the HRC, um, they found that there is reasonable cause that the William and Mary Spencer House meets the qualifications to become a city of Erie Historic Landmark under significance for criteria B and C.

Uh B and C is that it was related to people who were significant to Erie's past.

So in this case William and Mary Spencer, and that also it uh embodies a specific architectural style.

Um Second Empire with uh with uh stick finishes.

Um at Planning Commission, uh they found that the sorry we're double slides here, planning commission.

Um found that the uh rec or they recommended that building be listed because it's consistent with the city's comprehensive plan, established neighborhood plan and historic preservation plan.

Uh it's a very complex history.

I don't think as much as the nomination itself tries to capture all of these different components of the family and people in the house, there's a bigger story to tell here.

Uh but I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, and thank you for your time.

Any questions from anyone on council?

Yeah.

Thank you, Mr.

Falcon.

Um we're getting ready to celebrate US 250.

So every time we start talking about historical stuff and historical buildings and historical landmarks, whether they're a school, uh something in the cemetery, or in this case a historical house, I'd be asking, wanting to know, because you gave us a lot of information on them as it pertains to the house.

And you said they fought in the war.

I don't know what side of the war they fought in.

Um I have no interest in honoring, and and I know we're just talking about the house and the integrity of it and the historical.

But I have no interest in honoring any civil war, any slaveholders or anyone affiliated with it.

And so when we bring these historical things, because I'm sitting up here Googling trying to see what the what it would be nice if y'all include that information as well so that everyone can make an informed decision, including myself.

Uh I don't know much about William Spencer outside of and I I don't want to celebrate anybody who uh never met my people or people who look like me any good.

Uh I don't think there's a place in my society to honor those.

And I think they want those type of uh buildings or monuments, then they should take it back down to Richmond or South Carolina, wherever they put it.

I don't I don't even think it belongs there.

Uh because we won the war.

Although it started again.

But I uh would that be an issue?

Was that asking, is that an overreach?

Or is that something that I need to do on my own?

I think that's a request we can make before we vote on it to have that information provided to us.

Since we won't be voting today, that if that information could be provided to council, um I don't think that that's an overreach.

I think that's a that's a fair question to ask.

Yeah, because my first and my first response would be to ask the table with that information.

And we won't have to vote on anything today.

So just now we're in that information.

So I think before we get to the point where we are voting, if we can have that information.

Well, um if I may intervene.

Um so today you were giving the the presentation for the public hearing, and then also down on your agenda today is the resolution, if you so approve it for the solicitor's office to do the ordinance for the historic overlay.

So technically this is a zoning, like a rezoning of a parts of property for historic purposes.

Um you would be voting on the resolution today.

So if you want more information, probably what I would suggest is for the resolution part, if you want to like table that move it to the next agenda, uh, that might be um to to focus on what council councilperson, council member Horton has requested.

Um I just know I think historically this is that the Jude Colt was originally from Connecticut, and so this is his nephew.

So this family is from Connecticut.

It's after the battle of Cut and Timbers.

He could have run the Underground Railroad for all I know.

But uh I think that's pertinent information as well.

And I would want to know that too, if it's associated with those structures.

So my suggestion would be procedurally if you want to table that resolution for next time.

Okay, so when it comes up, I will uh I will request that not only uh I would like to table it today, but I would ask that going forward uh uh, especially while we're seeing uh other history dismantled in real time.

Uh I don't think I think it's appropriate.

I don't think it's inappropriate for us to consider uh uh that vein of uh of that variable or that line of information as well.

I'm happy to conduct some additional research and provide you with additional information.

Thank you.

Any other comments from council?

Okay.

I think we're okay to go ahead and close this portion unless there's somebody else who wants to testify.

Probably just confirm that there's no one else who wants to offer any testimony.

And then if that is a no, then you can close off the public hearing, I would say.

Okay.

At this point, is there anybody else who has not sworn in previously we would need to be sworn in now that would like to offer testimony?

Okay, seeing none, then we'll go ahead and move to close this this part.

Are we okay to go ahead and move forward?

So the co-reporter, you're you're free to go, and I think we can go into the next section, which I believe is public comment.

Yes.

Okay.

So at this point we will move into public comments.

Um I do want to acknowledge that I know that there are just the comments and and I think outreach that we have received, that sometimes it does appear to be very disjointed with how a meeting flows.

Umfortunately, this is still the only opportunity we have to conduct all the business parts of it, and hearings have to be held, and we have to public the um, you know, publish those.

And so I know that there is very heavy topics we need to bring up today.

Um and this is the platform in which we do it.

It's also the platform which we still have to conduct the city business.

So I just wanted before we go in there to acknowledge that it does feel disjointed, and I know it will feel disjointed from what we're going to hear with from the public today.

Um, and I just wanted to acknowledge that.

So at this point, though, when the public if when you come up, there will be a sign-in sheet that's over here by the monitor.

We've moved it so you can sign up, make sure you're you you get signed in, you're writing your name, and then you're clearly stating your name for the record in the municipality, and you will have five minutes to speak, uh, and that will be timed by the clerk.

And so once you hear that timer, if you could please be mindful so that we can acknowledge uh and get to everyone here.

And at this point, whoever would like to come up and we will begin the public comment section.

Yes, I'm Nick Pilato, P-A-L-L-O-T-T-O.

Um, no relationship to the Pennsylvania Lotto, it's an extra L in there, and no money.

So uh I'm here to ask uh that the council uh draft a letter uh to uh the three the two senators we have and a congressman in relationship to the uh petition that I've started to reopen South Erie uh post office.

Uh it's currently closed, it's been closed uh since October.

They took the glass out of the front of the building, and as I talk with the workers, they say there's no contract to put it back.

Uh and as you go online, you find out uh that there's no contract to refurbish the inside of the building.

And so the the petition I I have is to get the uh post office reopened, and I would ask that in the letter that you send uh to the two senators and the congressmen, uh and maybe the postmaster general, you include that the mail for Erie uh should be uh sorted here in Erie, not transported down to Pittsburgh and sorted in Pittsburgh and then brought back up.

That day down, day there, and maybe two or three days to sort has taken us all out of whack.

We have a post office on the north side here at State Street, we have a post office in 38th Street, we have a post office at Legion on the West side.

We're missing the post office on the South side.

Uh the elderly that are there, the veterans that are there, the people that walk over to do their mail are being denied.

It's a service we're being denied.

And I would ask that the uh council uh draft a letter uh to these gentlemen indicating that we would like the uh very eerie south South Erie Post Office reopened with the sorting equipment that brings the sorting of mail back to Erie.

And if you would like me to to work with the clerk or someone on on the council to draft that letter, I I'm available.

So any any questions that you have, um I'd be willing to answer here or separately.

So we don't at this point, this is more of your opportunity to share information, so we typically don't ask questions back to keep it that that form, but thank you.

Okay, but I'm available for after your meeting.

I have a petition in the audience that's being filled out.

Uh what happened with the first two that I got filled, and I took to the senators' offices and the congressmen and said to them, this is gonna continue.

We want this open, the citizens.

But I think if the council gets involved in that, that's another thing that's gonna gain the attention of these representatives, and they're gonna have to say, oh, we've got to do something.

No contracts have been re uh uh put out for refurbishing the inside.

The roof was damaged, it's been repaired, it had mold, the water damage that went in, did extensive damage to the inside.

I haven't seen it.

That's what the iPad, that's what the computer says.

So it's gonna take time to refurbish it.

Why not do it right?

Get our get our equipment that was taken out in 2020 that sorted the Erie mail.

Get it back here in Erie.

So I I'd ask for those two items in the letter.

And thank you very much.

Thank you.

Good morning, counsel.

Good to see you.

Good morning, Mayor.

Scott McDowell, I'm the corporate news director for Lily Broadcasting and Erie News now.

I didn't think I'd have to be here today.

I really didn't.

But in the political landscape that we live in, it's okay to call reporters pigs, dummies, idiots.

Just didn't see it would devolve to a point where it happened here.

And I'm kind of disappointed that there's an empty seat at your council this morning, but I'm hopeful that he's watching in.

I had a reporter step into my office.

Actually, it was a phone call after your last council meeting.

And I see Mr.

Horton there shaking his head, and a lot of you know exactly what happened.

And I won't go into all of the sordid details.

But to have a reporter that embarrassed, embarrassed, she's embarrassed to do her job, to hold the powerful accountable, to ask the tough questions, and she's embarrassed in my office.

Something's got to change.

And I see a lot of heads nodding, but I need your help.

Because I don't want to have to be here to police the reporters I have to make sure that they're safe after coming out of a council meeting.

A council meeting.

Are you kidding me?

I I've taken the time to really think this through.

And I called your counselor, councilman, who had no recollection of saying anything.

But let me turn around and show you Amanda Post, our news director, Philip Ward.

These aren't little girls, they're polished professionals that come here to do their job.

And it might not be okay in Washington because you get your credential revoked or whatever else to say anything if you're called an idiot or a pig or anything else.

But you'd be damn sure here I will.

But treating treating our people that way.

Guys, I need your help.

I need your help.

I'm gonna have a staff meeting this afternoon.

You know the one the one recourse I have.

I've got a lot of young journalists.

And the one thing they're going to be taught and trained to do, I've done this long time.

I record everything.

So now you're in the uncomfortable position of our reporters telling you nothing's on the record.

Because we're going to record everything, every step, everything out of this building, all the way through.

It's left me no choice.

And then I asked for an apology.

And you should have heard that ham-handed mess, which brought me here again to this point.

So I'm asking.

I'm happy to help you write a code of conduct.

I've worked in Buffalo.

I've worked in Birmingham, Alabama.

I've never had to do this.

I'm happy to help you write a code of conduct.

Our gentlemen at the end here will get our cease and desist letter from ever talking to a reporter like that again.

To know that they have to question themselves and how they look.

Are you kidding me?

That's gotta stop, guys.

That's gotta stop.

And my message here is for every other media member that comes in too.

Step in, say something, don't let it sit on the sidelines.

You see something like that happen for all of you that did, I appreciate you.

Bottom of my heart, I appreciate you for doing that.

But come on.

That's the same problem we have at the highest level all the way down through.

Everybody's afraid of getting your credential ripped up, or they won't talk to me, or they won't say anything.

Go ahead.

I'll visit you at your house.

I'm old school.

Come on.

I need some help here, guys.

Please.

Dr.

Titus, you and I've talked a little bit.

I know the struggles that you face all the way across with this.

There's anything that I can do, you guys let me know.

This is a great place.

We're a locally owned company with some really great people.

I am so proud of these guys that do their job every day.

She's not gonna change her clothes.

Neither is Amanda or any other reporter.

And the the I I think the biggest stick in the eye was being refused the interview.

Refuse to talk.

There's an obligation to your constituents.

And we're here to hold the powerful accountable.

If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.

I appreciate your time today, guys.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Michelle Dovishaw, Erie, Pennsylvania.

Justice Fricello.

Um, before I do my speech, I just want to say I really don't think you need to release this money.

I talked to a county councilman last week when I asked him if it was going under the public defender's umbrella.

He said, We're not sure where we're putting it or if it's going to be a standalone in the county.

If they don't know where they're putting it, then obviously they're not ready to receive your money.

Good morning.

I stand before you today because silence has never changed history.

Silence did not end segregation, silence did not secure voting rights, silence did not dismantle discrimination, and silence will not build trust between our community and the institutions that serve it.

For far too long, members of the BIPOC community have carried the burden of wondering whether justice will be administered equally, whether their voices will be heard, and whether their children will be treated with the same dignity and respect as everyone else.

No community should have to wonder if justice applies to them.

And when they do, what do we need to do?

Do we investigate thoroughly?

Do we acknowledge failures honestly?

Do we hold people accountable?

Or do we protect systems instead of protecting people?

Let me be absolutely clear.

This is not about anti-law enforcement.

I have law enforcement in my family.

This is about pro-constitution, pro-accountability, pro-transparency, pro-community, and above all, pro-justice.

These principles should unite every one of us.

Every badge is supposed to represent public trust.

Every elected official represents public trust.

Every judge, prosecutor, and public servant represents public trust.

And public trust is not permanent.

It must be earned, it must be protected.

And when it is broken, it must be restored through action, not empty promises.

Training alone, however, is not enough.

Public confidence grows when standards are applied consistently and fairly.

To the members of the BIPOC community listening tonight.

Never allow anyone to convince you that your voice is too loud.

Never allow anyone to convince you that demanding fairness is asking for too much.

Never allow anyone to convince you that equality should be postponed until another day.

History has shown us that progress comes because ordinary people refuse to accept extraordinary injustice.

I am speaking for my children, my grandchildren, my nieces and my nephews when I say the BIPOC community is not asking for privilege.

They are demanding equal protection under the law.

They are demanding equal dignity, equal opportunity, equal respect, equal justice, because equality is not negotiable.

Representation matters.

And see leaders who reflect the diversity of the community, not as a symbolic gesture, but as because diverse leadership leads to stronger institutions, broader perspectives, and better decision making.

A government that truly represents its people is stronger because of that representation.

Today I'm asking this council, our law enforcement leaders, and every public official to remember one truth.

Power is not granted to protect itself.

Power is granted to serve the people.

Every decision you make should strengthen public confidence, not weaken it.

Every action you take should move us closer to justice, not further away from it.

Every policy should affirm that every resident, regardless of race, ethnicity, neighborhood, income, or background, is entitled to equal protection, equal respect, and equal opportunity.

Because when one community loses confidence in the justice system, the entire community is affected.

Justice cannot have two standards.

Accountability cannot have two standards.

Respect cannot have two standards.

If we truly believe that people are created equal, then our institutions must demonstrate that belief every day.

Thank you.

As a black man in Erie, Pennsylvania, I've seen over the years how the Erie Police Department polices our community in the inner city.

I'm a 53-year-old man.

So to see that video, it done something to me, especially it happening the week of us going into celebrating Cello's life.

We have to find a better way to police the inner city.

We would not see that happen anywhere above 38th Street.

But when you come into predominantly all black neighborhoods, and almost run around, you didn't almost, you ran a man over.

First instincts is to run.

So I don't want to hear why he ran and all of that.

Officers getting over him, punching him as if he isn't a man, did something to me.

We hire these police officers, they come into Erie, they don't know a thing about Erie, and then they are just tackling us, talking crazy to us as a man.

I will not let any man talk to me crazy.

That's just a normal fact.

I don't care if you got on a police uniform or if you are my father.

I'm a grown man to see that video and act as if that was not wrong when something is wrong with that video.

We gotta do better.

I'm willing to work with any police officer to help bridge this gap because a regular diversity program is not gonna help.

Y'all need real black men, real white men from the inner city speaking to these police officers before they even go out into the community to police.

We need people to police to police at this point.

I have grown men's sons.

If they were to do that to one of my sons, I don't know what I would do.

For his mom to be sick in the hospital and have to watch her son go through that is wrong.

This isn't a black thing, this ain't a white thing, this is a moral thing.

You do not police people this way.

We are not on plantations.

I don't know any other way that I can say it.

I'm frustrated because yes, I've reached out.

When I reach out, nobody is reaching back.

But then we get instances like this, and you see us on social media going off, and I'm gonna keep posting this until we get this right.

Those officers did not have the right to treat him like that.

We don't even know what his injuries are, and I I know those officers won't be charged with a crime.

Let's just throw that out there.

We've seen two people killed by police officers driving vehicles.

They're still patrolling these streets.

We need to do better as human beings in this city.

We have to protect this city.

We have to protect our young men in this city from being arrested this way.

That is not the correct way to arrest somebody.

Especially probably over some petty warrants.

Those warrants had to be petty.

They can't warrant that type of arrest.

What he died.

What was the excuse gonna be for this one?

We gotta do better.

And again, I am willing to sit down with anybody who is willing to talk to me, Malcolm Pooleum, about how we can make relationships better within the inner city and the Erie police department.

Period.

They cannot continue to come into those neighborhoods and treat those people this type of way.

I'm sorry.

If you're not from the inner city, you won't understand it.

We are police different.

Again, we are not living on a plantation.

To me, that looked like they was hunting that man.

This is not a movie.

This is serious.

Until we get this right, I'm gonna be on, I'm gonna continue coming to these meetings.

I'm gonna continue voicing my opinion.

I don't care if you don't like the way I say it, I mean what I say, and I'm gonna continue standing on business.

Thank you.

I would like to say Justice Forcello.

It's been a one, it's been one year since many of us have been coming uh to these meetings.

And I would like to say, Mayor Devlin, we had some progress on the review board, but then we were told to kind of drop it, and I haven't heard you talk about it since you've taken office.

So will you start to do that and help us, or is it gonna be kind of like thrown under the rug type thing?

Will you do it?

So the the review board would be under the under counsel's purview.

That would be the but could you advocate.

I'll be happy to have a conversation with you separately.

Not gonna engage in conversation here, but happy to discuss it.

And I've tried to have conversations with you, I've emailed you, I've called, so I've been unsuccessful.

So I would I would have it in the public eye.

I'm not afraid.

Anything I say, I can say it in front of anyone.

I would like to say something positive though.

Uh, the energy in this room is notably quite better with an empty chair right there.

Quite better.

I heard a lot of good questions being asked, and no one had a problem with it.

No one was reprimanded for doing their council duties, so thank you.

I hope that chair remains empty.

And what that news director said, that I wasn't even gonna talk how I'm gonna talk now because I was gonna talk about what was on Facebook, but I've actually been through a lot myself.

Uh side note, if you if the news is not scared to talk about things now, can we please have them look into Bob Merske.org.

I repeat, that is Bob Merske dot O R G.

Everyone pull up their phones and look at that, including all the media members here.

That's some great reading that our state representative is involved in.

Okay.

So I'm trying to stay off Facebook because it's negative, and my family says to get off it because I go on little tangents on it, but I pull it up and I see an eerie uh police officer beating up a uh African American.

And me personally, I didn't believe in the concept of white privilege until like a year ago.

I thought like we're all equal, but what I've seen, I can say that I don't think that's the case.

There is like two different sets of laws.

Um my grandfather was actually a captain in the Erie police department, so I respect law enforcement.

Um he actually had an incident early in his career where he uh assaulted a student, an African American college student, and he I don't know the story, like I don't know all the details.

I've tried to find out, but everyone who could tell me are is deceased now, so I literally can't get details.

It happened in the 40s, but he got a disorderly conduct for severely beating up a uh student.

And I was thinking to myself, like my father was born a couple years after that, like if he would have got charged more uh severely, I might not even have been born.

So I'm here due to white privilege, and I'm not um ashamed to admit that.

So I'm kind of like emotional now.

Oh, also, I was in Erie County prison from April 18th to May 20th.

I was falsely charged with assaulting an officer, a Mill Creek police officer.

I did not touch the officer.

I was abused in jail.

A counselor named Dan Grokolinski threatened sexual assault on me.

He said, and I quote, it is me, you and my body camera.

So you have cops beating people up, and then they take them to jail, and then the counselors are threatening to rape them in jail.

And then they're feeded, they're fed inhumane food.

I lost 25 pounds in jail because I refuse to eat the slop food.

Did you know it comes in bags that says not for human consumption?

Did you know that the staff gets a different set of food than the inmates?

Does anyone think that's humane?

Does anyone think it's humane that they steal commissary?

I don't think that is.

So we need to look at this systematically.

So, Mayor Devlin, if you could advocate a little bit harder and get a little more pep in your step, I'd really appreciate that.

And thank you.

Thank you.

I live in Erie.

I live on West 10th Street.

Um, I really came to support um the black community after everything that has been going on.

I wasn't really even sure I was gonna speak.

I don't really think um I would be able to say anything that isn't already known.

Um but I I do want to say something, I'm sorry, not to you, counsel, but to the people that I absolutely know are watching at home.

Um I I know that it is a work day, I know that it is in the morning, and people have to make a living, but I'm pretty disappointed in my community, the queer community that did show up in droves.

Um at the last meeting, I really really would have expected there to be a line around the block today.

Um I also had hoped that I would see a lot more of those folks at the Juneteenth celebration, and so really I'm talking to us.

Um we cannot expect to be able to build trust this way.

Um there's a thing called solidarity, and uh we need to have it.

We need to have it.

We need to be here right now to show up for um all marginalized groups.

This is slightly I I'm I was a little bit uh I I want to humbly say that I don't understand everything that we talked about today's meeting.

I'm interested to continue learning more.

Um some of the things I heard about the development that was going to be happening on uh was it fifth and parade?

Um some of the things I again I'm I I liked some of the questions that were asked.

I think they were going in a direction that made sense to me.

I just want to warn that one of the things that I heard in the presentation was that hopefully the benefits would trickle down into um you know the higher number streets.

I don't believe in trickle down.

And I think that if you look at our neighbor, Pittsburgh, they are in a horrible deficit as a city as well.

And 10 years ago thought that uh building housing that was going to bring in working, was that what we said working for workforce people?

You're absolutely right.

Yuppies, that's what we're talking about.

And it ended up displacing and putting a lot of people in those neighborhoods out of uh pricing them out of their neighborhoods and displacing those folks.

So I I would be remiss if I didn't say that.

Um thank you for the opportunity to speak, and and again, I just really hope we start showing up better for these folks.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Good morning, Susanna Faulkner, City of Erie.

Um, I've got four issues I want to bring up today, and all of them are connected in the end.

Firstly, as we know from stepping outside, we are deeply within the climate crisis.

And while I am grateful we have the cooling stations and the quickness of setting that up, we have to do more.

We need air conditioned spaces, we need to be able to plan for this every single summer.

This summer is the coolest summer of the rest of our lives, and that's going to be every summer moving on.

We've seen in France alone over a thousand people have died in a week from a heat wave.

We we have we simply have to be more prepared.

So I'm asking council, mayor, you have an environmental advisory council, use them, make sure you have the experts on that council that they are vetted.

There are people eager to give feedback and to be a part of this.

Um please, please use them because this has to be the last summer where we're reactive.

It just it has to be, or we're people will die.

Citizens and neighbors will die.

So, firstly, climate crisis.

Second, housing crisis.

Um, I'm standing here in support of the rental ordinance that is up for second reading today.

Um, there has been so much work over the last few years to really address rental housing.

We are a city of disproportionate renters, um, disproportionately low income and folks in poverty.

Um of my great mentors uh taught me that policy is either racist or anti-racist.

And we have a history, a deep history of redlining in our city, and extensive policy reform is needed to address the generations of systemic harm that exists.

I think we are, and this is mostly thanks to Erie's Black Wall Street, where now up to three percent of homeowners are black family black individuals and families.

It is so disproportionate.

And so please continue forward, but also engage everyone in those conversations, make things public, have the study sessions, even around an ordinance.

The only way we can move forward is together and by engaging the landlords, the renters, folks who have experienced uh homelessness, not just the nonprofit workers who serve people who are homeless, actual impacted people.

Third, police violence.

We are simply lucky to be sitting here today with Mr.

Sparks alive.

Lucky, lucky.

The treatment of black men by law enforcement in our community and around the country is a daily reminder of the depths of racism and hate that persists every single day.

It has been four years of advocates that I know of because I only moved back five and a half years ago, that advocates have been demanding the city to simply adopt the Department of Justice excessive force policy.

It's it's already there.

You don't have to do the work of putting something together.

There's already a national policy that is a template for municipalities to adopt.

It's right there.

Please move forward.

Of course, civilian review board, every like there is so much that needs to happen here, but just whatever higher power you believe in, just thank them that Mr.

Sparks is alive.

Because if that had happened this week on the one-year anniversary of Marcello Wooder being murdered, I can't imagine.

I can't imagine what things would look like right now.

So do more, reach out to the family, support them, do more.

Forty percent of our city budget goes to police.

If we're in a budget crisis, maybe look at that.

Lastly, public discrimination and accountability.

Unfortunately, our one council member is not here today.

But I'm wondering what the recourse is.

Because if there is no recourse, who's safe?

Are any of us safe?

I am so grateful for uh the the media owner to come down and speak.

Um having someone stand up like that, especially as a woman who has faced uh sexual harassment from that council member.

I'm very grateful for him.

Um what's the recourse?

I I know Pennsylvania election law is so backwards.

We have no recall measure um in our state law, and we are not a home rule city, so we can't, there's not a lot we can do, but there's gotta be something because this is not sustainable.

All four of these issues are part of the intersectionality that we think of, and us advocates talk about every single day.

You are the legislators of the city of Erie, the fifth largest city in the fifth largest state in the United States of America.

We have problems, and we need to hear what you are working on.

Your committee reports are meant to be your opportunity to share that, not just give an event announcements.

Do more, work on policy reform and do better.

Thank you.

Good morning, Jerry Roberts, lifelong resident of Erie, Pennsylvania.

Um a hold on in another jurisdiction, a warrant for child support, a charge of theft by unlawful taking, theft and trespassing, five bench warrants, two of which have been dropped, a county parole violation and being held on a $10,000 bond does not warrant the attempted murder that I saw on video of Kevin Spark.

What I saw in the video was a young man, and I'm not saying whatever he did, I don't know if he did it.

If he did do it, I'm not justifying any of his actions prior to that, but there is a way to pursue people.

There is a way to arrest people and using a city SUV with a big bumper that's used to ram other vehicles in a hot pursuit.

To use that to an individual on a bike is dead wrong.

To hit him and not come to a complete stop until after the fact he was hit to watch him get up and run 10 yards.

I'm pretty sure his body was in shock.

And if you watch the video, he immediately collapsed and didn't budge.

Two officers then proceeded to run and jump on top of him and punch him at least three to four times.

Unnecessary.

We talk about we as black people need to do better, the police need to do better.

Not all officers are bad.

There's some good cops, there are some bad cops.

Nothing and no one is ever going to be perfect.

But what I saw is totally unnecessary.

What I saw was attempted murder.

What I saw was an aggravated simple assault.

Had that been me or anyone else sitting behind me, we would have been arrested immediately.

The sad part is his family sits behind us.

They have yet to hear from Kevin.

They don't know how he's doing, they don't know the extent of his injuries.

We have to do better.

What I saw in that video seems to me that it's still open season on a black man.

And I think we gotta do justice right by this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Michael Pascal and Erie.

Um I invite our current city council and the mayor to listen to how I describe the institution of police in its current form and then share their support of the institution, or perhaps disagree with anything that is said.

The current institution of police we are dealing with now was formed by racist capital owners, white supremacists, and came directly from slave patrols.

The police exists as a means to protect capital owners, landowners, private property corporations, while also patrolling and oppressing who they define as an underclass that, if united, would threaten their power structure.

In this case, the black community in Erie.

And the police are well funded, unaccountable, given military tools, and possess their own corrupt unions as a consequence.

The media apparatus takes them at their word.

They're tools of the powerful to oppress minorities and poor people.

That's firmly what I believe.

And it's not like I just formed this thought as a white man one day and said decided, hey, I'm gonna speak on it.

That's what decades of prison abolitionists believe.

That's what political prisoners believe.

That's what many black and brown and indigenous revolutionaries believe.

I've talked to people in this community.

Highlighting the voice of those oppressed people should be the goal of every privileged person in Erie right now.

Now, are we just going to ignore this discussion and promote the PAL, or are we going to focus on the facts regarding the institution and allow more videos of police brutality to come out over time because nothing will change under the current system?

And whatever you decide to do, do you think such a powerful and militarized force is going to be able to be just be given a slap on the wrist as they terrorize the black community?

I'd argue these videos we are seeing of police brutality, show them doing what the powerful want them to do.

Politicians took the mass protests stemming from the Black Lives Matter movement, beat people down in the streets, co-opted the messaging, which resulted in more funding, more surveillance tech, and more training of the police when the police are trained by the same IDF forces that are committing genocide in Palestine.

Many reforms enacted across the country have resulted in even worse results.

A democratic community-led movement to take back the reins from armed patrollers who regularly create confrontations with and commit violence against black people here in Erie can be envisioned.

How much of the budget is dedicated to policing while we have some of the poorest neighborhoods imaginable?

Another thing no one talks about raising the material conditions of a community is the best way to alleviate crime.

And this doesn't even go into what crime is defined under a racist white supremacist mass incarceration system and justice system.

Has anyone gone to the Walmart on Elm Street?

Parking there, you see tower cameras, similar to the ones our tech companies train facial recognition on at this more than 900 apartheid military checkpoints in Palestine, and then export to our police forces here.

Upon entering, you can immediately see at least three, sometimes four officers standing at attention.

This is distinct imagery of apartheid being enacted on the black community, and these conditions need to be remedied immediately.

A couple things from the mayor's response on Go Erie.

One, the police cannot be trusted to investigate themselves.

This is well documented and an unfactual statement.

As the mayor of the city, false statements like this function as a form of propaganda.

Show the community data and historical precedent showing the police can accurately investigate themselves and stand on these statements if you truly believe them.

Two, the charges, Mr.

Sparks have absolutely nothing to do with the actions that took place.

They were barbaric.

Bringing up the charges opens up the door to racist naysayers who see police brutality enacted upon black community members and say they deserved it, or they should they shouldn't have broken the law.

Charges or past involvements with police are routinely used to dehumanize victims of police brutality.

They did it to George Floyd and recently to Marcello Woodard.

Three, if you want to talk about what is and what isn't over the line, I encourage you to talk about and respond to what I stated earlier about the racist history of policing in this country and how police are used as a show of force and oppression against subjugated communities.

Two end, the community needs to be able to trust the city council and the mayor.

The trust is not there.

We have limited time before militarized AI, once again trained on Palestinians, current during the current genocide, is further rolled out to ice in our police forces.

It's already here.

Google, Microsoft, Palantir.

We need a city council who is educated about these issues, issues that have allowed to form will create an apartheid like scenario in our black community in the near future and work hand in hand with the community to ensure their protection and survival.

And that's why I'm proud to stand with the people here today who came to support with the black community and for every minority and indigenous person who is oppressed no matter where they are, and I'll continue to show up and hold this body to account.

Thank you.

Good morning.

My name is Danielle Randall, and I'm a lifelong Erie resident and the mother of three black boys.

I run a program for young adults, young people who are trying to build a future, trying to become stable, confident, successful adults.

Every day I encourage them to grow here, to invest their talents here, to believe that Erie is a place worth staying, worth building a life in, worth raising a family in.

But lately I find myself asking, how can I keep telling them that Erie is a great place to grow when they're telling me they don't feel safe here?

I teach financial literacy, I teach life skills, I teach them how to navigate adulthood.

Do you want to know what they've asked me to teach them?

They've asked me to teach them how they can keep themselves safe from the police.

The same people who are sworn to protect and serve their community.

And I want to be clear.

Because in this conversation, it's irrelevant.

It's irrelevant because police officers are trained professionals.

They are trained to de-escalate.

They are trained to use the least amount of force necessary.

They are trained to protect life.

That is not what I saw in those videos.

What I saw was someone abandoning their training and in any other profession and any other job, when someone ignores their training and causes harm, that's grounds for termination.

And if ignoring that training leads to bodily injury, that person would be facing charges.

We all know that.

We all live by that, and we all teach our children that.

We deserve better.

Our young people deserve better, and Erie deserves better.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Bishop John Crosby.

I'm a pastor of Bethel Apostolic Church here on 16th and Division.

I've been here 66 years, born and raised here.

And I've always, in my mind, never got into politics because I always thought they're going to do what they're going to do anyway.

No matter what we say or what we do.

We've been hearing about this here stuff for years, and nothing has really been done.

So I was always quiet.

I watch Facebook and I look at police officers cussing people out, beating them, stepping on them, and I can't even watch it.

I just have to turn.

I can't look at it anymore.

But when I look the other day, that was my nephew.

That's my sister's son, who's laying in the hospital, can't hardly move.

And now we got people sending her videos of her son being run over, chased down, and beat.

And I see an officer with his knee come down on his back.

While I was in line, Kevin just called me from the prison.

And he was telling me what was happening.

Tell me how he took off running, and all of a sudden he tripped.

An officer jumped on him and started beating him.

Twisted his arm behind his back, beating him on his back, and then they stunned him.

He said, Uncle John, I was just laying there.

I was not resisting anything that they were saying.

But they jumped on me on the ground, as you can see in the video, and start beating me, and then they tased me while I was on the ground.

So myself, I've been in Erie all my life.

I worked for Penn Electric Company for 33 years, and I retired 11 years ago.

And I always tell people they ask me about Erie, I said, Erie is prejudice.

They've been prejudiced for 66 years of my life.

People on my job would do things, they would just pat them on the back and just say, All right.

I would do things, I'm called in the office, I'm given days off, and the co-worker did far worse than I did, and they didn't say anything to them.

So I got to the point I said, I'm leaving Erie.

I can't stay here anymore.

It's prejudice.

We're going to get the low end of the stick every time.

And I never thought about what the gentleman said about Walmart.

I've been to all the Walmarks.

None of them have police on the office at the door, like over on Elm Street.

I said, that's amazing.

There's probably more stuff going on out there than it is in the city.

But to talk about this to me seemed redundant because what's going to happen?

We're just talking.

We get done, it's going to just be swept under the rug and wait till the next person get beat down and then we come back again.

So is the city hall, is there anything that can actually be done instead of heard?

Is there anything going to change instead of just listening to people complain?

I can imagine in your position, I'm a pastor.

I hear people complain all the time.

So it's nothing new to you to hear a complaint.

But is it something that's going to change?

Is it anything that can happen or be said that can say we got to get together and we got to do this?

The worst thing that happened to me was he's not going to be charged.

When I heard that, it just cringed me on the inside.

No matter what he has done, run over the sidewalk, hit him, knocks him off of, that's arrest.

That's justice.

That I can be walking down the street and a police officer can just run me over and then chase me down and tase me and beat me while I'm laying there.

I'm not resisting.

All they got to do is put the handcuffs on me and take me down.

But instead, they tase them and they beat them.

Where is the justice?

I'm a pastor, I've been in church all my life, just about.

I can't imagine if that was my son being run down like that, how I would feel.

And I always have to hold back my real feelings about police officers.

I'm not saying everyone, there's bad pastors, there's good pastors, there's bad.

Everybody is always a real and there's always a fate.

But to see somebody do something like that, and you investigate it, and you're looking at it the same way I'm looking at it, and get done and say, oh, this was justice.

And let him go on about his business.

As if he didn't do anything.

You cannot by no means say this is justice.

You can't by no means say this is probable cause to do what he has done.

You have to look at it and say, this man needs to be punished for what he's done.

Thank you.

Hi, Aaron Meisner, uh Lower East Side.

Couple things today.

Happy uh disability pride month.

Um Kevin Sparks, uh, I don't expect anything to come to the current investigation, reading over the Erie city police policies.

There's nothing in there that they did that uh broke the policies.

I was here two weeks ago.

I asked you to adopt the GAOJ use of forced policy at a minimum.

I'm asking for that again.

Uh I emailed you all a research report from Stanford Law on the Center for Racial Justice on a model for use of force policies.

Um you have talked about a community policing board.

Please use it.

Hire more black and brown officers and more non-man officers.

I said this two weeks ago, I'll come back here and say this every two weeks till something changes.

ECR SSA, please not fund this without getting all your questions answered about how this program came to be under the county without any of the normal processes.

Um, an excerpt from the Erie News Now, The Insider with Lisa Adams on June 26th.

Ms.

Adams, why the change to Erie County from the YMCA?

Mr.

Bob Hess, ECR SSA program manager.

So sustainability is the reason for the change.

We don't necessarily have to change grants around anymore.

We're funded.

That's the main reason for the switch for the YMCA to Erie County.

Three minutes later in the interview, Mr.

Hess, we have recently requested funding from them, the PCCD run by the city.

We're patiently waiting for the response with that.

Ms.

Adams, so that is something that the city has helped support going all the way back to 23, 2013, but you have to ask for it every year.

Mr.

Hess, for my understanding, correct.

Ms.

Adams, so is that grant money the city somehow gets as a city?

This is not going to be impaired by their general fund budget issues that they're dealing with right now.

Mr.

Hess, I'm not 100% sure.

Ms.

Adams, all right, but you're hoping for a positive answer so they can continue to fund some of these positions.

Mr.

Hess, correct.

Ten minutes later, Mr.

Hess, if it's another social service agency that has funding or anything available to us, we'd certainly like to look at that.

Okay, so the program was moved because it was funded, and it wouldn't be chasing grants, except it isn't funded, and they will have to chase Erie City grants every year.

And they'd like to investigate working with other social service agencies for more funding.

Make that make sense.

I worry that the way this new ECR SSA is started, people are falling through the cracks.

And I don't know if the city county NDA's office can fix what was broken when they abruptly shut down the program at the Y in May.

Um I had my apartment inspected three months ago uh for renters.

The inspector checked all the smoke detectors.

That's all he did.

He didn't walk into the kitchen to see the mold on the ceiling from bathroom leak before I moved in.

He didn't check the bathroom fan, which turns up but doesn't work.

I could literally had dripping water from the ceiling in the kitchen, and he wouldn't know because he didn't walk in there.

Please move the housing inspectors and rental registration under the city's purview for transparency and continuity moving forward.

Lastly, a woman in Kansas was cited for driving with a valid license last month after the officer did not believe her ID, which stated mail in accordance with the new Kansas state law that your birth sex must be listed on your driver's license.

After international attention, the case was dismissed.

Cruelty is the only point for this.

That is why trans people need respect from and representation in our elected officials.

Like other marginalized communities, we will continue to fight for ourselves and each other until freedom comes for us all.

I'll leave you with a poem, Where Do All the Sad Girls Go by Alak Vid Menon?

Where do all of the sad girls go in this world that requires us to write poems about the people who have their hands wrapped around our necks for the very people who have their hands wrapped around our necks to recognize that they have indeed have their hands wrapped around our necks?

Thank you.

Thank you.

How many of you have heard about weathering?

You can just nod your head.

Have you ever heard the term weathering?

It's the idea or the thought that marginalized people, be it black, woman, indigenous, whomever.

The systems of abuse, a lifetime of abuse, a lifetime of neglect, a lifetime of not only experiencing abuse, but watching it happen to other people, puts a lot of stress on your body, and it ends up killing us younger.

It gives us high blood pressure, gives us cancer, it exacerbates MS systems.

So I try my best to be stoic when I come up here, but I'm gonna let myself feel what I feel.

It is exhausting to live in such an abusive system that is city government.

We what happened to Mr.

Sparks happened to be caught on camera, but we all well know that things like this happen all the time.

I got emotional listening to Mr.

Malcolm, who's 53, I'm 33, he's 20 years older than me.

If I am this tired at my age, I can only imagine and listening to the minister too, how exhausted people are seeing this happen to themselves, seeing this happen to their family, seeing this happen statewide and nationally.

And I don't necessarily personally fear being punched in the face by a police officer.

But since I've been here, I've seen two cases where officers have ran red lights and killed people, and there'd be no kind of accountability.

That's my awesome fear that I would be T-boned and that would be it, and there would be no justice.

And this all ties into also what happened with Mr.

Brzezinski.

We the public don't have any kind of trust that when things go wrong or when people do harm, that they will be brought to justice, or there will be some sort of accountability.

We are expected just take it and take it while we get sick and tired.

Though Mr.

Sparks was not killed, he's in the hospital.

Who's paying for those medical bills?

Whether it's the state or the people, we know how the medical industry works here.

That can ruin someone's life facing that much medical debt.

And that was done to him by public law enforcement.

It's not right.

We are all tired of advocating for ourselves locally, statewide, nationally for black Americans to be treated with human dignity.

Because I know when they did that to that gentleman, they did not see him as a problem.

They saw him as a problem that they could do anything to.

Running red lights and killing people, you can speed around the city and not worry about the accountability of if you kill some someone, something will be done to you.

This is abuse.

This is abuse from city council people being able to sexually assault people historically.

Listening to Susanna say that she was sexually harassed and to see that he did it again just a couple weeks ago.

Something needs to be done.

Why are we expected to take this abuse time and time again?

It is killing us, it's stressing me.

I know stressing everyone else is making us sick.

And you know, people are asking you to adopt the abuse of force.

I've advocated that people need to be mandated to live in the city to work for law enforcement, whatever it is, something needs to be done about abusive personalities and archetypes being empowered.

They need to be removed.

That's all I have to say.

Good morning.

My name is Deontay Cooley, lifelong eerie resident.

Um here today to speak to some similar.

Everything everybody else is talking about is the incident with the police officer, um, hitting Kevin Sparks and then tackling him and then jumping on top of him and beating him.

And I have a couple of things to say about that, and a lot of these that I'm gonna say are gonna be very unfavorable because like I've built a relationship to where I've been able to work with some of the officers in the police athletically to be able to serve some of the young people, to be able to work with or build some of those relationships with police and community members.

Um, and I remember a time and I'm looking at it, I posted a status on Facebook, and it said, one thing I learned after working two days with the POW program is them kids be telling the police all their parents all their parents' personal business, y'all better tighten up.

And I have two laughing laughing faces emojis.

After that status got posted, I got a phone call from the president of the organization that I was working for, and he said he received a phone call from the police asking, hey, what's up with your guy?

He's saying these things, or whatever the case may be.

And then I also was pulled to the side by a police officer to say to me, hey, what's up with the uh Facebook post?

Because I knew a couple people on the team, they're a little concerned and they're saying is that's your boy.

And I'm pretty sure me saying this now, there may not be another opportunity for me to work with Powell, which is fine because I have no problem with working in my community because I also asked to be involved with some of the summer programs and exchange my email information with um one of the police officers, and I had not heard anything.

But the reason why I bring all this information to the attention is because a Facebook post that I made called for the company I was working for as president to be called, as well as for a police officer to pull me to a side.

There was a police officer who hit a man with a car, got out of the car, tackled him, and then they attacked him.

So I'm curious to know if any of those officers had a conversation with that officer to say, hey, you can't be doing that, you shouldn't be doing that.

Even just outside of, you know, we got a way forward investigation, all of that.

We talk about being humans.

We talk about like having morals like we're not condemning that behavior, we're condoning that behavior.

But in on that same day, 20 minutes prior to the incident taking place.

I was leaving country fair, and the police pulled up on me aggressively.

I didn't know they were pulling up on me, parked back in my spot, ran up on my car, where's your ID?

Where's your ID?

You got out there.

I'm like, whoa, what was going on?

Other people were noticing, coming over, they telling me pull my phone up.

I'm like, I don't have my ID.

We're looking for it.

They ask me a name.

That's not me.

Well, you look like the guy where's your ID?

That's not me.

I pulled my phone out, and I said, listen, I'm gonna show you my Facebook.

You might I said to him, you might not want to do this.

Do you want to take cooley?

He said, Oh, let me and he left and he got out of the way.

I get on Facebook 20 minutes later and I see the incident with Kevin Sparks, and this is what I'm gonna say.

And I don't what it looked like to me, because another police officer came and another police officer came as I was pulling off, they were swarming the book.

Block.

And a lot of you are not gonna understand what I'm gonna say, and a lot of you are.

That day, the Erie Police Department was hunting niggas.

That's what they were doing.

That's exactly what they were doing because you see it all day.

They swarm around in these trucks.

We're paying for these vehicles.

We pay for it, so we talk about tax dollars and we talk about being in a deficit.

I hope this family sues this officer because we're gonna continue to.

I mean, sues the police station, sue's the Erie Erie City.

We're in a 12 million dollar deficit, but yet this officer may still be working, maybe because of Mr.

Union or whatever the case may be.

A crime was committed.

A crime was committed.

And then even if we say, oh, well, he tried to stop it because he was fleeing on a bike, so he hit him with a car.

Okay, you got him there, he was fleeing.

And then he tried to get up and he runs, so we tackled him.

Okay, you got him there, you tackled him.

But then when you get on top of a man and you start beating him and you taste him to arrest him, that is inhumane.

That is inhumane, that is use of excessive force, that is a crime.

A crime was committed, and this is what I will say, and I'm only saying it because I'm sitting in front of you two gentlemen.

I'm pretty sure you two do not understand the feeling that comes in the pit of your stomach as a black man when you see a police vehicle behind you.

You guys do not understand how that man could have been in fear for his life.

So he got hit by a car, then he was tackled, and then he was beat.

If he would have fought for his life, he would have been killed because uh tomorrow, a year ago, tomorrow, a man was killed by his parole agent, and nothing has happened.

So we are frustrated.

And I understand, Darren, I reached out to you.

I pray for you because I know this is not your part.

This is not your fault.

It is your responsibility.

I know you inherited a bunch of a messing administration.

I prayed for you last night and this morning because I know that this is not going to be easy, but the tough decision needs to be made.

We can't fund people who think that this type of behavior is acceptable.

I'm not exactly sure what the police department is gonna do.

I'm not sure if it's gonna be a conflict with their union, but he needs to be fired.

Because again, I'm telling you, as a black man, what it looked like and what it felt like.

And I know that I do my duties in the city of Erie, and I'm a very responsible person.

The police should not approach me in a minute, they approach me because I've done nothing wrong, but they were hunting niggas that day.

And you don't have to like it, but that's what it feels like.

So when I say that and it makes everybody in this room uncomfortable, that is how we feel when we see police.

We feel like niggas is being hunted.

And I and I and I'm not care if I offend somebody, this is what it feels like, and it hurts.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, Cindy Triver, uh, born and raised in Erie, live in Edinburgh.

Um, briefly just want to um address ECRSSA before we talk about the ridiculous awfulness that's happening again.

Um we were told at last meeting that there would not be a study session done because the program was going to be moved in location to public defenders, and that seemed to kind of quell the concern at a department of human resources meeting.

Uh, I was personally told that that has not been decided yet.

Rock Copeland has also said that has not been decided yet.

So if that has not been decided yet, and that is what you based your decision on, I would like to see revisit that study session.

Um we gather here today on this ridiculously hot week.

Um I want to apply to everybody that has been involved in the welcoming city initiative of traveling up and down the east coast.

Uh I wonder what the corresponding action that we have in developing task forces within the Erie Police Department to be more cognizant of those relationships in new with new Americans.

Um I would also like someone to explain the continuous promotion of racial inadequacies, both pertaining to Erie Pennsylvania or Erie Police Department representation and treatment of community members that has continued over 52 years.

This does not feel welcoming to the people who live here.

Not even talking about new Americans.

How about the ones that live here that build America?

We talk about that.

The policies seem to be ineffective.

The people in positions of power seem to be perverted.

And this is clearly not a priority.

We've had issues with Erie policing and mayors since uh 1973.

I looked up my year of birth to see if we were still having issues then.

And Consulman Horton, I think you have talked about this.

Um the racial segregation and discrimination that was so severe that the state actually threatened the city due to its negligent representation of black citizens on the police force.

And what came out of that was a ratio that was supposed to exist that we are currently 52 years later, significantly under.

Like we had three then and we have seven now.

It's 52 years.

How are we not like barely doubled?

We barely doubled.

And there's case law that we're supposed to be going by that talks about how many we're supposed to have.

So are are we in violation of that?

Because it certainly seems like we should be.

Officers are admonished at all times to preserve the rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States.

If that does not scream somebody's more important than another, I don't know what does.

Why would this even be included?

I I mean, I can't even the the lack of intellect for this to be in a public policy is insane.

I want to talk again also about the policy and how flawed it is.

Impact weapons may be authorized for carry or maybe environmental or readily available to the immediate immediate needs of these officers.

Paraphrasing, this could include a brick you see on the ground, it could include a fixed object, it can include a construction cone, an uh automobile, um an item that may be thrown at the car or to the strike the subject.

Just basically pick up whatever you can and throw it at somebody or hit them.

That's our policy.

That's our policy.

We don't have a use of force continuum of de-escalation, verbal, baton, hands.

We don't have that, it's not in there.

I have 12 policies now.

I feel like I have a memorized.

To say that we have a problem in Erie is a gross underestimation.

And I believe at some point there was an intent to help move towards transparency and accountability accountability, but I do not see that anymore.

Our city allocates over 40% of spending to policing, according to national nonprofits task the data collection of scoring over 16,000 city municipal and county police departments.

We have 270 civilian complaints from 2013 to 2021, with only eight being per 8% being ruled in favor of civilians.

Erie PD uses more, less lethal force than 81% of other departments.

Erie PD arrests 4.7 times the number of black people that they do white, black homicide victims and their families are less than half likely to receive justice.

The policies need to be changed.

Thank you.

And the people who have promised that they would be need to uphold that.

Those conversations took place in December.

Good morning, everybody.

My name's Deanna Chatfield.

Now, oh, I'm from Erie P.

Now I've come because I'm very, very disappointed in what I've been seeing.

Not only with the police officer, but with the empty chair that we see in the room today.

And I'm not talking about Jasmine Flores, because I know she just left the room.

I don't sorry.

Just want to make that clear.

I am a female in a dom in a male-dominated sport, which means I have been sexualizing that sport more times than I can count on my hand.

To see him say that to that reporter makes me highly emotional because he had he has a platform in this room.

He has authority in this room.

And for him to be able to make those comments is highly disrespectful.

And let me just say, I I have a strong pass and passion, and I know hate is a very strong word, but I have a strong passion to hate people who are disrespectful.

And in my eyes, I don't like him because that was a very disrespectful comment.

I know what it feels like to be in a room full of males.

I've been in a wrestling room full of males.

I've been the only female in a wrestling room.

You may not know where I'm coming from, but a lot of female wrestlers do know where I'm coming from.

We need to have something done about him.

Most importantly, we need to show the city of Erie and the men in this in the men in this area that it is not okay to go around making comments like that.

Especially to people who are here to record meetings and here to share out to the public of what we're talking about.

They shouldn't be disrespected like that.

In school, I will get detention for breaking one stress code for showing one of my shoulders.

I could get detention.

But this man has his whole public viewing him.

He makes a comment like that, and he's still his name is still there.

I understand that you guys may not be able to do anything about it, but we need to speak about it.

Because letting him sit here and have this authority on everybody in this room is showing men that they are able to make comments about women's bodies.

And they're able to disrespect them.

They're able to go out and groom them and rape them.

And I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth.

If we look online and if you look up cases about this, nothing ever gets solved.

Nothing gets done.

And we need to stop it today in this room.

Again, I'm highly disappointed in this man.

I'm 17 years old.

I shouldn't have to come here and talk about topics like this.

I should be worried about what I'm gonna do tomorrow for summer.

I should be worried about what I want to learn in school.

I shouldn't be worried about coming here and getting comments made to me.

I shouldn't be worried about going on the streets and getting comments made to me.

We need to focus on who who's in this room.

We need to do research on who's in this room and what they have said previously.

It's highly, highly disappointing, especially coming from a 17-year-old.

I'm gonna highlight that part because I'm not even an adult yet.

I'll be adult in not even a year.

And I have to sit here and speak up because I know other women in this room and other women in the city are scared to speak up because they don't know what's gonna happen to them.

They don't know if they're gonna be assaulted just because I said one thing here.

A lot of women are scared to speak up when uh rape or sexual assault happens to them, and it's the truth.

But I'm going to speak up for every woman in here when I say that man is disrespectful and he deserves to have his platform taken away.

I understand that we voted him in, but we need to vote him out.

And the comments that he made towards Dr.

Titus is not okay either.

This man has caused more hate on this board than he ever has caused loved.

I don't see any comments coming from the rest of the people on this board at all.

It's highly disappointing.

And for the police officer that hit that man, I'm not gonna say much about it because I feel like I'm too in an emotional state to say anything about it.

But I will say that I hope justice is taken care of him.

It's highly disappointing to see police police officers doing that.

Coming coming from the young youth black community, should I be scared to walk the streets?

Should I be scared to go outside tomorrow?

Should I be scared that I'm gonna get hit by a city-owned vehicle?

We just need to look more and deeper into these things and see how other people in our community are feeling, and not just how the men in the room are feeling.

Because I feel like that's what a lot of people are talking about.

And we need to focus on the women in the room.

Because you may think that the women in the room don't have voices, but I promise you we do.

And they speak louder than anyone else can.

We have been fighting for respect in rooms like this.

Fighting for respect.

And it is not fair that we do not get those respect, the respect that we give.

Thank you very much for listening.

Hi, uh, my name is Julia Jacobs, and um I live on the east side of Erie.

Um, so I'm gonna be all over the place because I didn't have something prepared ahead of time.

I just want to kind of echo what everybody has come to advocate for.

Um, to start, I think somebody mentioned earlier, I believe it was Kate, um, the lack of representation in this room, um, which of course, honestly, I was not surprised by based on many protests and things that I've been to.

I've seen how um unfortunately the rest of the community has not really stood up for uh Justice Farcello and stood by the black community in their demands.

And that is very disappointing to see because intersectionality is such a core part of progress in really making any any change or reform come to be.

And also pride originally, I mean it was formed as a protest, still is a protest, and is really not possible without the black community.

Um individuals, uh figures like Marsha P.

Johnson, for example, were at the front lines um of historic events like Stonewall.

Um and so that that just kind of shows that these issues are inherently tied together, and I am very disappointed to not see more uh queer people here to advocate as well.

Um I also did want to mention um Father's Day was not this last weekend, but the weekend before.

Um and as somebody that has lost my own father, um, although he was not murdered, um, I spent the majority of Father's Day thinking about Marcello's family.

And I hope that many of you did the same.

Um, regardless of whether you had a father to celebrate or not.

Um last Father's Day, Cello was here to spend, spend it with his family.

This year, um, they were forced to mourn a loss that should never have happened.

Um there also, although I um unlike many other people in this room know that painful aching loss of losing a parent.

I've never had to fight for that.

Um that hurt to be validated.

I've never had to claw my way to justice.

Um for people to see that my father didn't deserve to die.

So um I did just want to highlight that.

I feel um I think we should all be thinking of his family on any holiday, but especially ones like those.

Um specifically what we saw with um Kevin Sparks more recently also just highlighted even more that we need, like many of us have been talking about, um, systemic reform.

Um I just want to highlight also what uh Miss Cindy mentioned the Constitution, and I'd I'd been thinking about that as listening to people because a lot of our founding documents for this country or even the systems um right here in Erie that that um originally were designed to keep black people and women from having any representation from having a voice.

And until those systems are deliberately deconstructed in a way that welcomes these people, it is going to keep um perpetuating the same discrimination and disparities.

Um there are many, many statistics to say um across the state, across the county, across the city that there are uh more racial disparities, specifically in PA there are more racial disparities among policing than 68% of other states.

Also in Pennsylvania, this was uh between 2013 and 2023.

Uh homicides of black victims are three times less likely to be solved.

So again, I think that highlights the importance of why we need all hands on deck, all eyes paying attention to cases like these because they are much more likely to be swept under the rug and invalidated.

Also, um a 22 2022 report um showed that people of color are more likely to be subject to citations, um arrests and searches more than um white peers, also more likely to be stopped and searched.

Um and again, somebody else mentioned as well the um context of of the situation.

I personally, I don't I don't care what what the man did, what his previous crimes were, I saw what I saw.

I personally work in behavioral health.

I'm trained extensively on de-escalation, um, even restraints, although we are also trained to not you know use restraints if something can be verbally de-escalated or in another way.

Um but I've actually done quite a bit of research on the type of training that police officers, especially here in Erie County receive, and it does not include um de-escalation or um that kind of um I can't think of the word, but just in general uh behavioral specialization that um police could use before excessive force.

So this is kind of reform that we need to push for, and I hope that it'll be um made a priority by all of you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else here for public comment?

Anyone else here for public comment?

Anyone else here for public comment?

I just want to take a minute.

Um rightfully so very heavy.

There was a lot that we needed to hear, and there's a lot that's before us.

And I don't want to just immediately jump into the business before I we just take a minute to acknowledge.

Uh thank you.

And again, apologize for for those who've had to again put their trauma on display for for everyone to hopefully create some reform.

But I wanted to acknowledge uh before we're moving to the next part.

And so as we move into the next part, um we'll go into our liaisons on reports where we're able to respond to everything that we just heard.

Dr.

Titus?

Yes.

Are we missing our counselors for the rest of the meeting?

Are we going to be able to do that?

Yes, we have.

We do still have majority.

We are down to four councilors, so nobody else is permitted to leave.

Um, but yes, we are down three three members uh are now absent.

Thank you.

So if I leave you can't vote on anything today, disable it all.

Please don't do that.

Ordinances for final passage.

Council file number 16618, official ordinance 39, 2026, an ordinance appropriating the sum of 4,237 and 21 cents of program income generated through the community development block block grant for the following CDBG CD 24 project sponsored by council member Shaw, seconded by councilmember Troop.

The council file ordinance 16618 and now known as official file ordinance 39 2026 be finally passed by city council members Horton, yes, poll, yes, Shaw, yes, Titus, yes, City Council pass official file ordinance 39 2026 finally by YAS4 nay zero council file number sixteen six nineteen, an ordinance uh official ordinance forty twenty twenty-six, an ordinance amending and supplementing Article 330 landlord and rental of the codified ordinances of the city of Erie by amending existing sections, adding new provisions, and updated rent updating rental registration requirements, procedures, and related regulations applicable within the city of Erie.

Sponsored by Councilmember Schaff, seconded by councilmember Troop.

The council file ordinance 16619, and now known as official file ordinance 40 2026, be finally passed by city council as amended.

Members Horton, yes, poll, yes, Shaw, yes, Titus.

Yes.

An ordinance amending and supplementing the codified ordinances of the city of Erie, namely Article 1503.5, enforcement of noncompliance specifically to amend and or add sections that update the policies and procedures, rental housing in the city of Erie, in particular the rights under federal, state, and local laws that apply to the landlord-tenant relationship.

Sponsored by Councilmember Schaft, seconded by councilmember True.

The council file ordinance bill number 16620, and now known as official file ordinance 412026, be finally passed by city council.

Members Horton.

Discussion, please.

Yes.

Yeah, I am I said it in caucus.

Uh, but I want to make sure that it's it's recorded from the dais.

Um how very pleased I am with what appears to be unprecedented dialogue and communication.

Uh between BIU and uh in the city through our mayor and our solicitor.

And I want to publicly thank you because this isn't a small undertaking.

Uh this is major stuff we're getting ready to do in the citizens of asked for uh we're trying to enact it, but I don't want to take the effort for granted.

This just doesn't happen because we say it here.

Somebody actually has to go out and do that work.

And you all have done the work, yes.

I I appreciate it.

And finally, like I said now, the the some of the advocacy groups uh they have requests and they've looked at it and I just you know in a good deal, like I said, nobody gets everything they want, but someone gets everything, and I I believe on its face value that this is a really really good deal for the city, the citizens, uh, and our partners uh with BIU.

Thank you.

Any other discussion?

We'll go ahead and call for the vote.

Member Horton?

Member Horton, yes, poll?

Yes.

Shaw?

Yes.

Titus.

Yes.

City Council pass official file ordinance 41, 2026, finally by Years for Nay Zero.

Councilfile number 16 621.

This is first reading.

An ordinance appropriating a sum of 189,868 dollars from unappropriated and anticipated revenue and providing for the expenditure thereof.

This is the 2026 insurance fraud prevention authority grant, sponsored by councilmember Flores, seconded by Councilmember Poll.

The Council File Ordinance 16621 have been read as hereby adopted on first reading by City Council.

Members Horton, yes, poll, yes, Shaw, yes, Titus.

Yes.

City Council pass read and adopt Council File Ordinance 16621, finally, or at first reading by YAS4NAY Zero.

Councilfile number 1662, an ordinance appropriating the sum of 405,000 899 cents, 405,899 dollars from unappropriated and anticipated revenue and providing for the expenditure thereof for the 2026-2027 auto theft prevention authority grant.

Sponsored by Councilmember Flores, seconded by Councilmember Pole, that Councilfile Ordinance 1662 have been read as hereby adopted on first reading by City Council.

Members Horton, yes, poll, yes, Shaw, yes, Titus.

Yes.

City Council read and adopt Council File Ordinance 16, 622 by Years 4NA Zero.

Council file numbers 16623.

An ordinance appropriating some 500,000 from unappropriated and unanticipated revenue for the expenditure thereof for upgrades to the Erie Center for Arts and Technology, which is ECAT to be completed as a subgrantee.

Pass-through funding is provided from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program RAC P grant.

Sponsored by Councilmember Titus, seconded by Councilmember Shaw.

The councilfile ordinance 16623 have been read as hereby adopted on first reading by City Council.

Members Horton?

Yes.

Yes.

Shaw.

Yes.

Titus.

Yes.

City Council Red and Adopt.

Councilfile Ordinance 16623 by Yeast 4 Nay Zero on first reading.

Council President, this takes us to new business.

I would ask for a motion to move.

Move balance.

Motion.

Second.

Any separations?

I believe we'd like to um I'd like to separate number three.

Um, and I believe that Mr.

Horton uh would like to separate number seven.

Um polls number one.

Sure.

Is that number three, number one?

Number seven, number seven.

Any other resolutions to separate?

No.

Moving the balance of the agenda.

Members Horton.

Yes.

Poll.

Yes.

Shaw.

Yes.

And Titus.

Yes.

Uh resolution passes Yay's four nay zero.

Going to number one.

Sponsored by Councilmember Poll, seconded by Councilmember Shaw.

A resolution of the City Council, the City of Erie commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America and recognizing Erie's role in the nation's history.

Whereas July 4th, 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States of America.

And whereas the America 250 initiative encourages communities across the nation to commemorate the nation's past, celebrate its present, and inspire its future.

And whereas the City of Erie and the Erie region have played a significant role in American history, including contributions during the French and Indian War, the War of 1812, and the development of commerce, transportation, industry, and democracy on the Great Lakes.

And whereas Erie is home to historic landmarks, cultural institutions, and community organizations that preserve and promote the stories of those who have shaped our nation.

And whereas the City of Erie recognizes the importance of reflecting on the nation's achievements and challenges while fostering civic engagement, unity, and service among all residents, and encourages our community to participate in local America 250 activities and programs that celebrate the history, diversity, and shared values of our nation.

And now therefore be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Erie hereby joins communities throughout Pennsylvania and United States in commemorating America's 250th anniversary and recognizes and supports local events and educational initiatives that highlight Erie's unique contributions to the American story.

Happy birthday, America.

I just want to comment real quick.

But I remember all the excitement and bringing the communities together, bringing the United States together as one, you know, from special coins, just um just a lot of camaraderie with all walks of life.

Like I said, in not only in the city, but in the whole country.

And we'll get back to that.

I I uh I pray every day that we get back to um being together again.

Um we're going through a rough spot right now, but I have hope.

And uh we'll we'll continue to pray.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ooh, it's a lot to take in.

Uh someone came down and talked about the uh founding and formation of the nation's first police department and referenced it to what it really actually was, and they were slave patrols.

And uh to hear that young man sit here with some of the language that he impassioned that he voice I sometimes it does, as an African-American male.

Sometimes they do look like an occupying force, uh not there to protect and serve.

Uh but that said, uh U.S.

250.

I'm not excited about it.

I don't personally celebrate the Fourth of July.

Many of my friends and neighbors don't as well.

Uh 250 years ago wasn't really, you know, like I said, we're not actually sitting here celebrating, wishing we were back in Dixie.

And uh that coupled with the national politics and state politics and the uh continued destruction uh uh of American history, which is black history, is American history, but to have parts of it decapitated from our nation's highest office.

It's hypocrisy.

I won't celebrate anything, any document, any time period that said people like me weren't were three-fifths of a man.

I do enough of that when I pledge to the flag.

Um I'm not excited about America 250.

Erie certainly has rich culture.

Uh and you know we're not dis I mean, we're not gonna sit here and act like Erie didn't have some of those problems either.

So we do have a lot of rich diversity going forward, but the document this is just reading all the whereas is it it doesn't align with my spirit, it doesn't align with my moral conviction, and uh I won't be supporting this resolution today.

I applaud my colleagues for putting it forth in the spirit in what they put it forth because I know that their hearts are pure.

Uh and I know that it's a you know it's a good thing that some things need to be celebrated, uh, but that's not one that black people particularly get up about while we're seeing uh laws being uh the heart won fought battles in the civil rights being overturned while we're watching uh the Smithsonian institute and uh uh black history, American history being taken off the walls literally as we speak, and it's okay.

As we erect, we're seeing uh I I think they're erecting uh civil war statues again.

And so not no but hell no, I'm not celebrating United States 250, and that's probably not too popular.

I don't know about that I'm anti-American either, because I fought for this country.

Uh I mean I signed I served for this country.

I shouldn't say I fought.

I fought this country for my rights, but I served this country that everybody could have their own rights.

And I took the pledge that I would defend the constitution, the constitution that says that we're not even people, treat us like chattel, but I swore to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic, and I upheld my service, and I still serve here, and I'm still excited about what that flag aspires to be.

But the aspirational dream looks like it's going backwards, and somebody ought to say something.

And we ought not to act like this country is uh the country that we know, and we ought not to act like uh this is business as usual, because it's not in the black community in this country, it's not in the black community in this state, and it's not in the black community in this city.

We got some issues that we really need to talk about.

We're poors to talk about it.

Uh but we don't want to do a we don't want to do a local apartheid type thing.

The population has changed.

I think everyone who has a mind or half a brain knows that the population and the Democrats graphics have changed.

And you'll see it up here.

You see it up here now.

So there have been some really, really wonderful things that happened in the last 250 years.

And I mean the fact that we have War of 1812 out here in this Bay, and that one-fourth of the crew were black uh speaks volumes.

Uh but I can't support this today.

Thank you.

Council Shaw.

Thank you.

Um so I in a good uh thing is that the FIFA uh soccer World Cup tournaments is going on in America, and my husband had the YouTube channel on the other day, and people from all different countries um were on it speaking that where they were from, they always got a bad rep of the United States.

But so many people spoke up about how they were so glad that they were here in the United States, and people um from all over were being kind to them, um, were telling stories of them.

Uh just it was all over, and I don't know the channel or anything to get people to say, hey, watch this, because I was just in the room while my husband had this on, but it it really was uh a great thing.

And uh my um soon to become law.

Son in law, thank you, um, was able to witness it uh in Philadelphia and sent me a picture of the stadium that was completely packed, was you know, this is happening all over the United States.

So there are some um goodness, and we are here for 250 years still rebuilding, restructuring, but we're still here.

Thank you.

Um I'm in full transparency, and I'm quite moved by um all the dialogue that we heard today, uh but up here and and want to just commend my colleagues for bringing this resolution forward and also acknowledge that after um just pausing um just a moment uh and and kind of taking in what councillor Horton's words and what many of our um constituents came in and talked to spoke on today that I I'm not in a position to support, and and I don't want to discourage um my colleagues from bringing anything forward in in the future, but on on this one, I just don't feel like I can in good faith um vote in affirmation, and so I just I just wanted to acknowledge that.

Mr.

Ms.

I'm Dr.

Titus Yes.

I I have no I have so much respect and I have so much admiration for my colleague who has brought this forward.

I I I uh I need to say them things from the dais uh but I do understand uh uh what this resolution means uh to so many other people uh but I wanted it on the record how I felt and I do not want to see this resolution fail.

And so uh I was gonna register my vote as a protest vote.

Uh but I I but I'll vote for this.

Can we get clarification on if there's there's four of us?

So if one person votes no, what happens?

It fails.

It would have to be everyone because there's four of you, it has to be majority vote for it to pass.

So three to one is passing, two to two is not majority vote, that means it fails.

Correct.

And so in light of your your commitment to that, uh like I say I have no desire to see this fail.

But some of them things actually have to be said or need to be said, and I have such respect for Maryland.

I how uh I'll change my vote.

Uh, but that's how black people feel, in case you wonder.

Uh and it's not in a vacuum or bag either.

We could care less about the American the 250 years of white America having their foot on our neck and lynching us and castrating us and feeding our babies the gators after church selling raffle tickets at church for the lynching.

And so we it in the same way that the Jewish community wants to talk about the Holocaust, and it's tough stuff.

Let's face it, none of us were slaveholders, and I certainly uh wasn't a slave, although some of the uh Tim Crow laws still affect me, and some of the slave stuff still affects me and scars our community, real deep scars.

Uh but if we don't talk about this stuff, if Nelson Mandela in South Africa could stop talk about it, Erie ought to be able to talk about it too in real terms, and and and we should talk about it and uh and be prepared to make solutions about it because black community didn't get like this over just because of their shortcomings, because they don't know nothing, because they're lazy and shiftless.

Something happened here, something was done here.

They were disinvested, they were not financed, uh, they were redlined, they were pushed into poor neighborhoods.

She just told our life expectancy depends on all these laws.

And that happened right here in Erie, where Bo Blade owned 400 acres and 18 something blacks in Erie collectively don't own 400 acres now.

Something was done here.

And I I'm blessed and fortunate enough to be up here and sit here uh and be able to have these this this discourse in this conversation in a way that my peers, uh, some of my coworkers or some of the professionals who who work may not be able to.

Uh but I will always highlight those things because I don't believe that you can fix a problem with the same mindset they created it.

So thank you.

I'll be supporting it, ma'am.

Any more discussion?

No, let's call for the vote.

Voting on the resolution, Mr.

Horton.

Yes.

Councilmember poll.

Yes.

Shaw, yes, Titus, no.

Resolution passes, yes three, nays one.

Moving to number three.

So the the reason I had this and asked for this one to be separated is we've seen this uh a lot of discussion um and a lot of discussion has been brought to us.

Um but I just need to clarify a few things.

At this point where we are with an ordinance that was passed by county council uh and what is before us.

Um what we what we as council are voting on is the distribution of funding that was already allocated in 2024.

Um and so we are not guaranteeing future funding, we are not guaranteeing um what this program can and cannot be in the future, but we are at a point right now where it we are in 2026.

This funding has to be allocated, and I believe if we don't um vote this affirmation and put this resolution forward, uh, that we are not only at at risk of sending this money back, um, but we're harming the program that's already to the residents who need it right now because we can't control what program is in place.

So what is before us right now um is allocating funding from 2024.

And so this again to reiterate does not guarantee future funding, and there's many more conversations that should be and need to be uh had.

Um, but that the reason I separated that was just so I could speak on that briefly.

As anybody else on council have any discussion?

Yes, I'm glad you separated because I have a lot of friends on both sides of that issue.

Uh and I've had conversations with both of them.

Uh having weighed it and sit here.

Uh I know that there are very specific restrictions that we have to have this money spent in the way that we spend it.

And I think personally I've spent uh I spent an abnormal amount of time uh to discuss sixty-five thousand dollars when there's another twelve million dollars that we really should be discussing.

And I'm prepared to vote to support this because really it's a reallocation.

And Ms.

Smith and her office, they do do such a fine work uh job.

And it's a reallocation.

We the rubber's got to hit the road, it's got to be spent somewhere.

Uh I appreciate your comments that this doesn't guarantee future funding because this never really was a few uh funding thing.

Uh we try to do a good thing any time that we help those coming back home.

Uh regardless of the administrators have their differences, uh they can figure that stuff out.

That's not mine to figure out mine's is to say, hey, here's the 65,000 dollars.

Use it on the use of the program.

Use it for the people who actually need it.

Uh not so much who's administering it.

Um the conversations were all good.

I learned a lot.

Uh I'll continue to learn a lot.

I'll just say this is shut up.

Uh I thought the I voted against the re-entry.

Uh the day reporting center.

It's a two million dollar year boondoggle.

So I uh it turned out to be everything I said it was gonna be when county council uh voted to buy that purchase that building.

And finally, this don't have anything to do with the vote, and I know that we're talking about it, but it has everything to do with the intersectionality of it all, to uh try to wrap it all up, even with the police stuff.

There were a bunch of uh reports generated by Mercy Hearst Civics Institute, and one of those reports was from uh a uh police officer, a retired chief from Oakland, and he came here and he did a study uh on the on the um police to see if there was some disparities, and it came back that yes, there's some disparities, and we have seen that report since.

I'd really like to see that report again uh because when you talk about best practices, don't just give us some of the best practices, give it all to us.

Thank you.

Uh any other discussion?

Are we okay to call for the vote?

I'm just gonna read it.

Uh resolution that the mayor and the other appropriate city officials are authorized to execute an agreement between the City of Erie Erie County re-entry support services agency, ECR SSA, whereby the city will make available community development block block grant, CDBG funding in the amount of sixty-five thousand dollars to carry out the designated activity outlined in the amended FY24 CDBG plan.

Member Horton?

Yes.

Poll?

Yes.

Shaw?

Yes.

Titus.

Yes.

Resolution passes, yes for na zero.

Moving on to number seven.

A resolution pursuant to Article 7 of the revised zoning ordinance 80 2005 in a public hearing held by Erie City Council on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026.

At 9 30 a.m.

the City Council Chambers, municipal building Erie PA, the request to designate the former William and Mary Spencer House located at 519 West 6th Street, 16507 as a historic building, be hereby approved, and the city solicitor is authorized and directed to prepare an ordinance to amend the zoning map to reflect such designation.

I moved to have that table.

Do we have a second?

Do we have a second?

I'll second motion to table.

Councilmember Horton.

Yes.

Poll?

Yes.

Shoff?

Yes.

Titus.

Yes.

Resolution tabled four to zero.

This takes us to our liaison reports.

Um go ahead.

Council Paul go ahead and start as here.

Okay.

Um I attended on uh June 23rd the uh Owen E pension meeting.

Um those are usually pretty quick, but it's good to keep up on what's going on, uh, who's leaving, who's coming in to the city.

Uh the Port Authority had a meeting last week um on Wednesday.

And um they're continuing to do a lot with the Bayfront and looking for um as the mayor said we have um two new members to the board and um they they have a lot going on down there um especially with what's going on not only on the bay front as the um the roads going in um we have the uh brig coming back this week which is very exciting for everyone and everything that is pretty much going on is right along the bayfront this year so um that was very uplifting uh meeting to be at um beginning of the week um I attended the SPCP meeting with uh some of my colleagues and uh the mayor's office along with um some of the police and the current board of the SPCP.

Um I really didn't know much about it before um and I think it's learning about it um I think it's the next best thing right now we have to um a citizen review committee um and hopefully for some reason um it got put off to the side uh over the years and we need that back uh we need some accountability and we need private citizens from that board to give us some guidance uh not as only as a council but is from the administration from the police um so hopefully we can build that board back up and continue doing some good that they started doing um what ten years ago or whatever maybe a little longer um and uh you know even though um with our um with what's been going on with one of our counselors and you know um I feel for you for what you've been through um I feel for all the people that have come up to speak in the past few weeks about that um and then with um the TV stations station here uh and the people coming to speak about that um I'm embarrassed um because I was very excited beginning of the year to be on this council to uh help our citizens um and um it's not starting out it's only been six months and it's not start it's not starting out um the way I thought and hoped it would be uh there's been a lot of bad decisions over the past years um monetarily with the city that brings us into the deficit that we have right now and I want to be on board to fix that uh not myself but with with the community involvement with the administration with the council and um from what uh our colleague colleagues' actions have been in the past um it's taken us away from that and um till that's till something happens with whatever way it goes we can't focus on on what needs to be focused on um I haven't dealt with what you know the one community has been um but um as far as the reporter which she dealt with I have dealt with that personally from you know as I'm thinking about it um from the time I was 14 years old and into my you know adulthood and I was always you know told to I mean I was raised you know you just sit back you you um respect your elders you you know just push things aside it'll go away and um I respect the the women that came to speak today and I respect the women that are speaking out now against that um because it has been pushed aside for a long time so um that I'll I'll stop thank you counselor Horton sure um I attended the housing authority study commission last Thursday and the um two Thursdays ago and I followed up with their general board meeting um it's one of the first times I really had to engage with the

So that I'll I'll stop.

Thank you.

Councilor Horton.

Sure.

Um I attended the housing authority study commission last Thursday and the and the uh two Thursdays ago, and I followed up with their general board meeting.

Um it's one of the first times I really had to engage with the full board.

They have some things going on.

I was able to discuss with them, get their feelings on the uh best uh property situation, which I I also met with Bess uh and they went over the uh plans like they did here today, only with a little bit more detail.

Um have a problem sharing any of that.

I would ask her that any PowerPoint that she has that she will share with us through our through her uh our clerk.

Um, as far as the uh Sparks incident, uh I reached out to the mayor and I spoke with Chief Laura.

Um first thing I did was pledge my you know, offer my support uh to allow them to do the investigation.

Um having donned the uniform before and uh worked in other capacities where I in double ACP investigating.

I find this uh it's best to allow those things to kind of play off and some of the reactionary passion to kind of burn off so that everyone's not reacting, but perhaps being more responsive instead.

Um not looking for I got you moment.

Um I'm I am the liaison to the police authority.

I I've worn a lot of hats over the years that caused me to be at odds with the police authority, you know.

Uh well, we're teammate.

We're all working over here at City Hall.

We all want accountability, we want sunshine.

I would ask that the mayor and and the police issue a full report uh of their findings.

Um I just feel that uh if that kid had a uniform and you hit him on in and you hit him, it it would be uh attempted murder.

If you Renee Good turned her wheels away and got shot inside of her head.

Uh they ought to have some de-escalation since.

And that's not anything, I mean, it should be policy, but that's not anything anyone should have to tell you, uh, especially if someone hits you, you're you're the first one saying you're trying to kill me.

Uh and he wasn't going five mile an hour when he hit that kid.

He could have maimed that kid for life.

And unless that kid's fleeing from a gun accident, uh incident, where it's an active shooter, there's no justification for that, whether we have a policy or not.

And last thing I would say is when we have these incidents, whether it's uh vehicle fatalities on Sassafras Street, or these type incidents, that we uh this the community has a right to know how many of these offenses that each of those officers are involved in.

And if there's a trend, we need to talk about how much money the city is sued, lost in lawsuits, but certainly we can't have frequent flyers.

And we already know that we do have frequent flyers out here.

So the same cops doing the same shit, excuse me, doing the same stuff.

And there ought to be a chart or record of how many of these offenses you're involved in.

I don't care what the union says.

Um if it's their child, one of their childs they want, they'd want they'd want uh, they'd want answers.

No justification for it.

Uh the last meeting, I think the blighting, the last blighted property review that I was going to attend, I believe it was canceled.

Uh I met with Erie Insurance just to follow up and clean up some uh residual and preserve those relationships.

Uh my comments earlier, it's like I I don't throw the rock and hide my hand while there's and we're really really really grateful for the to have a steward in our city like that, Fortune 500 company.

I'm not kidding myself about who's on these boards.

I'm not kidding myself about who's on Erie Black Wall Street board.

I'm not kidding myself on who's on best board.

I'm not kidding myself about the Erie Refocus Plan.

And is not saying anything negative about who's on there or that they're doing anything that runs amok.

I'm just saying for the sake of sunshine.

People should know.

And so you when these decisions are being made by these autonomous authorities, boards, commissions, entities, agencies, organizations.

You need to know who the decision makers are.

That's all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Shaw.

Thank you, Dr.

Titus.

For my committee report, I've been doing some things.

I thank my counselors who have spoken.

I thank the people who have talked today, and it does make a difference.

But I do want to talk first about how easy it is to fall through the cracks.

And I uh have been trying to help the homeless and people who have been down and out for several years now.

But I'm going to talk about what happened to me yesterday.

So I needed a birth certificate.

And I also have a homeless friend who needs a birth certificate very badly.

And he's been homeless for three months.

And it broke my heart when I heard him say that he doesn't have shelter when I knew he didn't have shelter, but he didn't say how long.

And he lost his job because of a stroke, and he couldn't live in the place or work anymore because he is physically unable to do that because of the stroke.

But because of the government regulations with Social Security, he needs to reaffirm his identity and reaffirm who he is.

And according to this application, it is from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Because he has no ID, I thought for sure, since I've known him for eight years, I could be his person since I am an elected city government official.

And I know his story, like we're friends as far as I know.

So he goes to fill it out, and I'm right there, and I'm saying, as a city official, Erie City Council, I would like to affirm that this person is who he is.

So I was on a time frame, amount of time frame, and I said, okay, you know, we're together until quarter to one because I had some other business to take care of.

And uh he said, well, maybe he could go to the city mission.

Well, here we are going down there.

He's he didn't want to go because he's been trying to do this for so long, and homeless people, they need support, they need professional support.

And um we went down to the city mission during their lunchtime, which is not the time to go trying to do business, but I assured all the people waiting in line that we were not there to eat, we were there on a mission.

So we did get in.

Um we were able to uh wait for a little while.

Uh the person said, you know, this is not the time to come, and I'm like, I know I apologize for that, but thank God for that person who spoke to us because he did direct us to Erie County Care Management, which I have had things with them before, but you know, sometimes you know you're not thinking clearly.

Um but because he handed me the phone at the city mission with a direct um social worker um experienced person who was able to meet us, and she happened to be an outreach uh person for the homeless.

We were able to sit down at that moment when we got up there and fill out the information, so hopefully he would be able to um you know have it eventually ASAP.

So after that, um I was able to drop him off back downtown, and I um went to Wayne Park to uh give out water to people, which was a success there.

And um Miss Faulkner spoke about people needing a better situation with air conditioning, and um in the past I used to tell homeless people that they could come in to City Hall at least to use the restroom, sit in the orange chairs for a little bit to cool off and to go about their day.

We have now a lot of homeless people more than anything, and so I am asking any business, but to tell you the truth, um, why not city hall?

We are in an air conditioning space right now, and there's how many chairs in front of us where people could come in, use the restroom and sit down for a little bit before they feel up to going outside since the weather is so nice.

Um I've been to uh Bath, Maine, and they had opened their city hall for a function in the evening because a public building is a public building.

Maybe we could um you know just do it here.

Um Mr.

Pilates, I will write a letter and take care of it.

Thank you for coming and thank you for everyone for coming.

Let's see what else I wanted to talk to you about.

Um I was at the John Horan Garden Apartments invited by the housing authority.

Um they uh with the help of community partners, the Erie Community Foundation, the Housing Authority, ECRA, I hope I'm not missing anyone, um, the City of Erie.

Um we were uh able to witness the open house of uh great commercial kitchen there at the Garden Center, community center, and um because of work um that uh Jennifer Denahay does there, and she um was asking the people um for um a re-life and things there too.

They were able to do a floor, new floor, but um they received um able to do the walls around it and um a newer artist um to do um some public work, a Nicholas Cardell Gore who I met, he did the walls of the gymnasium with diverse uh caricature type of people that was absolutely awesome and amazing, and he also has done uh 250 bell that is um on French Street next to the children's museum.

And he also has done uh 250 bell that is um on French Street next to the children's museum.

So I thank all these talented artists who uh give back to the community, and um I want also to thank an officer Daniel Post.

And um Daniel's mother is no longer living.

Her name was Debbie Post, and she was a friend of mine that I met in 1981 or so, and um I've known her family, went to her wedding.

Um Daniel is an officer who uh gave part of his liver to his future father-in-law, just happen you know how those things just sort of happen to you, don't know if you're a match or whatever.

But um, I just wanna um say how awesome and amazing that is because there's a whole lot more in the story of how that came to be and that, but anyways, thank you.

Have a great day.

Thank you.

Um there's a lot to to cover.

Um I want to start by acknowledging what has transpired between last meeting, well, actually, it's been the past two meetings to to where we are right now.

Um, specifically with some conduct that we've seen um by our colleagues.

Uh the current rules of counsel lay out um that we follow Robert's rules of orders, and that is what we what we utilize.

Um in about uh, well, actually, three minutes ago, um, because I timed this before I I came out, um, my colleagues all received a recommendation on amending some of the ordinance of 112, which outlines the decorum and then uh the accountability measures that we as council members can take should any other elected on this governing body um you know break decorum specifically out of Robert's rules of order.

Uh we we are within limits because they are elected officials, and the state does not permit us to unseat anybody to actually take away the right to vote on any measures because that is granted to them by their elected capacity.

We are able to do things like censor um and remove from liaisons on positions.

The liaison positions are assigned by the the chair, whoever is elected president by the colleagues then assigns the liaisons positions.

After the last meeting, based on the decorum that was had, I made the decision to remove uh my colleague from all of his liaison positions uh and I reassigned them to myself.

Um so with that that is where it stands.

I heard the the ask and the request to be transparent.

I did not do those things publicly because I did not want it to seem that it was retaliatory or make a show of it.

Uh those needed to be done privately, and that is what was done, but I wanted the the the public to know that we did hear uh and action was taken, um and those are the steps that we that we did take.

That going with with that being said, I'm gonna do my liaison reports um at now.

Um the uh convention center uh had a meeting, uh, but it was rescheduled to last week, and unfortunately, I was out of town um at a conference last week for welcoming city with uh one of the mayor's staff, which was a phenomenal training, learned quite a bit.

Uh and also they were also aware because they have media lead uh media alerts uh on our council, some of the the behaviors that arose, and it did put our status as a welcoming city.

Um they wanted to know what we were going to do because uh when a elected official speaks out um or speaks disparagingly, not only to their colleagues, or it is about a marginalized community member that goes against the ordinance that we just passed.

And so that had to be addressed.

Thankfully, we were able to address this there with them and show that things were being um handled.

And so that that came about.

So I did miss while we're doing that, I did miss the convention center uh meeting, but I will catch up and I will have a report out by our next meeting.

The airport authority also met this past week, but I did get a report out from them, uh and I wanted to share that there is construction of the taxiway expansion that was budgeted this year, is expected to be completed in July, meaning that they are making the taxiway where the plans come in safer because um just the way it was expanded.

Additionally, a federal grant uh was awarded to them and construction will begin on that same project and was awarded to McCormick Construction, so they're gonna continue building on this project to make that runway safer.

They are in partnership with U.S.

Customs and Border Protection to host a global entry interview at the airport airport terminal August 11th through the 13th.

All of the information on that interview process um and what those are for will be on their website.

The EV charging station project should be done within the next two weeks.

Um and for public knowledge is the FFAA had restrictions on how many flights were permitted to go out from an airport to a a certain uh another airport.

Uh those are being lifted in October, so more flights to Chicago will be added uh the end of October from our airport, which I think is is great news for for us travelers.

Um the other things I wanted to touch on um is everything that everyone came here to sp to speak on today.

I am gonna start with I am I am a little disappointed uh as a member of the queer community.

Um yesterday we saw a ruling come out from the Supreme Court that was very disparaging for young trans people, and we also that same day saw the NAACP release a statement of solidarity saying that they did not approve of uh what the Supreme Court issued.

And then to to come today and to see so few who who had shown up as they should at the last meeting, not show up for today.

Um I am a little disheartened.

And that is my that is my call to action for those of us who are in the queer community that it's this our movement was led, was led by black people, and it will continue to be at the forefront in solidarity in lockstep with black people.

So we do need to do better there.

We do need to do better.

Um additionally, the videos that we saw.

These are these are the most recent videos that we saw.

We've seen many videos shared with us, not just as the administration, but as council.

This but these are the most recent.

And I don't know the full context of what unfolded.

Um but transparently I don't think it'll change my opinion much.

Uh and I think we're all aware, including the the consensus from the last meeting that we were at where it wasn't a full SBCP meeting, but there was an awareness that things needed to change and that there is new um there's new leadership um with a new chief of police, and there is a desire to do better and to rebuild the the connections and to make sure that the lived experiences are being centered as we move this forward.

Um and so I was I was I think I'm excited for for what can be um and I think what will come.

And it's not just an opportunity, it's it's definitely an imperative call to action that we're partnering again with those with those lived experiences to make sure that they're at the table as we're revamping any policy and we're looking forward to things.

Uh in closing, I do I do want to say that it's tomorrow is one year since the murder and death of Marcella Woodard.

And at that time, at that meeting, I I made a a very public comment about how um I was gonna have an ordinance and how I was gonna put things forward.

And quite frankly, I I failed.

I haven't brought that forward.

It has been in the works, it's been in inboxes, it's been being reviewed.

Um, but uh that will be in my colleagues' inboxes by the end of this month for everyone to review and to give feedback on uh in partnership with the the commission that the the mayor is and her administration is putting together so that they're working in tandem.

Um that I haven't lost sight, but I am taking accountability of of I haven't pushed it hard enough.

Um and so that will be again to acknowledge what Mr.

Horton said, not so it's reactionary, but so that it's intentional and it's purposeful.

Um because we are definitely at that point where we're beyond the point where where change needs to happen and we need to be doing it intentionally uh so that we're not we're not doing it on the heels of of of another death.

Um and with that I will wrap my report and I will pass it over to the the mayor.

Uh real just real quick.

Um as a history person, we're celebrating this year the 250th anniversary release of the Declaration of Independence.

It's when the United States said, We're rebounding.

And that's that's a fact.

Um but I just want to point out that we talk about the Constitution.

The Constitution wasn't the first form of government.

First, there was the war government during the Revolutionary War, Articles of Confederation.

And then in 1788, they had a convention.

So a couple things didn't work before we got to our current form of government.

The Constitution essentially is a long series of compromises.

The Bill of Rights as we know them started out as 12 amendments.

Only 10 were actually approved.

And now, you know, up through the 1970s, we have like I think 28 amendments total.

So we're built on compromise, talking, discussing, and I think just talking about the Constitution will be 250 years actually in 2039.

So just to throw that out there.

Sorry.

Thank you, solicitor.

Uh I like Dr.

Titus will give a report and then comment on uh today's conversation.

So first I want to thank council for working with us uh on the changes to their rental registration.

We do feel this is a step in the right direction for our residents and what they have been asking for.

So we thank you for your good questions and working with us on that.

Also want to thank the members of the apartment association that came to meet with me last week that helped us with some kind of final details, understanding that we're moving forward with bringing this program in house, but wanting to listen to all of our stakeholders.

So we're happy that we have reached this point.

We look forward to the implementation.

Councilor Horton, you're right, there's a lot of work to do.

So we'll that's what comes next.

Um, because I think sometimes things go by and we stop talking about them.

I want to let council know that uh phase one of the emergency operations center, the Miller Brothers project is just about complete.

That's the fire mechanics portion of that project.

Um we expect that to be complete in August to be able to move our fire mechanics out of Marsh Street, which has been deemed to be fairly unsafe for them.

And we are just about to choose uh an architect for the design of the phase two, which is the emergency operations center.

So, you know, at this moment in time, I'm not sure this is the right time to be talking about this, but on the other hand, in the interest of transparency, I think we need to report on what's happening.

So want council to be aware.

Um I want to note that as was mentioned at the beginning, the death of Stephen Polaris, the owner of New York Lunch.

Um, I had just been over to give um Stephen the greetings of the city for his 90th birthday a couple of weeks ago.

So um passed very quickly.

I was at the viewing yesterday and spoke with his wife Nina.

They've been married for over 60 years.

Um she's very sad, as you can imagine, as is the family, but he had a wonderful life, leaves a wonderful legacy, and just ask everyone to keep that family in your prayers.

I want to acknowledge we've had a lot of uh incidents on the waterfront uh over the past few weeks and particularly weekends, safety on Dobbins Landing, a lot of complaints from business owners.

So there will be an increased presence uh on the weekends down there.

This is in reaction to business owners expressing concern about speeding down there, about people using uh State Street and Dobbins Landing as a racetrack, obviously not what it's intended for.

So, in order to keep our residents and guests safe, we need to enforce uh the the parking, the speeding and the kind of noise ordinances down there.

So I just want people to be aware um that that is happening, and that is at the request of the Port Authority, Erie Events, and the business owners, particularly.

They keep sending us some fairly concerning videos, and we need to take some action.

I want to thank uh the team led by Alan Clark, our emergency management coordinator for the cooling centers that have been set up.

I want to acknowledge Ms.

Faulkner's comments.

We agree this is the last summer that we can be reactionary.

Um to be quite frank, uh, you know, at least this summer we felt like we had pulled the team together two weeks ago to begin talking about this.

The heat we knew was coming, it came, we reacted, but Ms.

Faulkner's right, we need to have a more comprehensive approach here.

Um, you know, Councilor Schaff, I want to acknowledge your point about air conditioning.

We agree.

Figuring that out where we can go and where we can welcome our unhoused and vulnerable neighbors is something we need to look at.

So I want to thank the team for what they're doing and also say at the same time we agree it's not enough, and we will be working on that.

As we head into uh the July 4th celebration, I want to remind everyone of the traffic changes.

Um, July 3rd, uh State Street and East Front Street will be closed from 6 p.m.

from Holland Street to Sassafras Street.

That is gonna impact traffic.

It's gonna impact people that are going down to visit our businesses and view the fireworks and see the concert.

So please make a plan.

EMTA has been a wonderful partner in making sure that we have buses running.

So please, if you're going down, I really recommend you park downtown and you take the bus down.

It will be the easiest way.

But our businesses are open, so please frequent them, support them, celebrate down there, just plan ahead as you're heading down there.

And again, East Front Street there only closed from Holland to Sass from 6 p.m.

on the 3rd, and it will reopen when the fireworks are open.

I want to thank those that participated in the one Bayfront open house last week.

I know uh members of city council were there.

We are very pleased with the turnout of the people that came.

We had a lot of good conversation about waterfront development and planning.

Um my staff then hosted a lunch here on Friday with some of those who attended to really get their thoughts and dig in as we continue to move this forward.

So we want to thank uh my staff particularly for their hard work in turning out folks to get to that.

This is an important initiative as we lead our community forward and make sure the community is heard on future development.

Um I also want to recognize uh that we had a cleanup in the um in the neighborhood over by Second Baptist Church, which was uh culminated in a celebration, a Love Your Block celebration this past Saturday.

I want to publicly thank Charlise Moore, who really led the charge there to clean up, going door to door asking neighbors if they needed help, cleaning up their yards, helping them keep that neighborhood strong and safe, certainly under the leadership of Pastor Darrell Cook.

I was glad to be there at their celebration and honor their work.

We'll be continuing those events throughout the summer.

Two points of clarification I want to provide.

On the issue of the best development, I do want to just be clear, workforce housing is intended to be housing for people that are working.

And really people that are working in kind of lower wage jobs.

So that is not intended to be luxury housing.

It's not intended to be high, I would say high-end housing.

It's intended to be housing for people that are working in jobs that you know have a lower wage, certainly for nurses and teachers and for people in in kind of the hospitality industry.

So I just want to clarify that that is traditionally what's known as workforce housing and make sure that that's heard.

Also, I want to clarify, and this goes to kind of what we heard today.

Um there was, and I'll use Dr.

Titus's word, heaviness in this room, which we expected and knew was coming.

I want to thank the people who spoke passionately and clearly and let us know what they feel and what they need.

Um I I want to address Councillor Poles' comments about the SPCP and be very clear.

When I came to office, we discussed rejuvenating the SPCP.

That's the strengthening police and community partnership.

When we tried to relaunch it, we, I did it poorly, and I take responsibility for that.

As a result, we paused the work to make sure that we are hearing from our residents and really talking about what the community needed.

Was the SBCP the actual right tool for the moment we find ourselves in?

So, in order to help us make that decision, we convened the old SPCP board this week.

And I want to be really clear because I don't want there to be a message in the community that the mayor's gotten the SBCP back together and no one was told that is not the case.

We convened the old board, the old group to say what worked, what didn't, is this the right tool?

What should we be thinking about?

There were about six people, community members from the original SBCP who came.

They shared their comments.

We had members of city council there.

They spoke passionately about what the SBCP was and wasn't.

We talked about using it as a room where we review police investigations.

We talked about using it as a space where body cam footage would be reviewed and investigations would be reviewed and shared and policies reviewed.

So that is one bit of information gathering that we are doing.

We now will go back with that and understand is that the correct tool?

We understand something has to be done.

And we are working to try to make sure it is the right thing for this moment in time.

Not 10 years ago, not 2020, for 2026, where we find ourselves, that is the work that's happening.

So I want to be very, very clear about that.

Um I hear the urgency.

We pledged different.

We are trying to be more transparent.

I hope that is what's coming across, updating the community, letting them know what's happening.

From the time this incident happened on Sunday, I was in touch with the chief of police multiple times throughout the day.

We in we initiated an investigation before a complaint was filed by Mr.

Sparks' mother because we felt so it was so important for us to do that.

That investigation does take some time.

I promise you, it's not gonna be months of time, but we need to review all the information, we need to get all the statements, and that is what is happening.

We are committed to that.

And Counselor Horton, when I met with the police chief yesterday, I told him, what is your expectation?

Because mine is that we will release a report when we are done.

We are committed to that.

Now, will we release every bit of evidence?

No, we won't, and no, we can't because we're gonna have personnel issues and also because there's legal issues happening.

But we are going to say whether there is discipline handed out.

We are going to say whether policies will or have been changed.

We are going to provide that level of transparency.

You can count on us for that, but I agree we need more of a way to do this rather than just reacting every time we have a crisis.

It is not our intent.

And lastly, I do want to share Bishop Crosby was here today.

He is the uncle of Mr.

Sparks.

He came to City Hall yesterday asking for updates on his nephew because they had not heard from him.

I want to be clear, our understanding is not that Mr.

Sparks is in the hospital.

He is in, he is incarcerated right now.

We I came down from my office, I spoke with Bishop Crosby, gave him my cell phone number, told him our understanding where he needed to go, and I told him if he didn't get answers at the Erie County prison to come back.

So I just again that's all things we should be doing.

So I'm I'm just letting everyone know that as we're getting those questions, we're doing our best to provide the information that we can.

And finally, of course, in light of all of this, we all recognize that tomorrow is the one year anniversary of um Marteller Woodard's death.

Uh I will be taking part tomorrow in the celebration of his life at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Um I believe I'll be speaking at about five o'clock.

I know that right now there are things that will and need to be said, and I will do my best.

I will fall short, of course.

Um, but this is a moment to stand and to say and to be transparent and to pledge better.

And and I recognize we have to show, but I pledge to do that, and we are working through it.

I never want anyone to think that we just brushing things under the rug or we're waiting for the next.

We are not.

This is painful and heavy, of course, mostly in those neighborhoods and for those families.

So we have much work to do, as I say all the time, council, and I appreciate doing it with you and alongside you, and that concludes my report.

Question Do you want to hit your mic?

The officer's status.

Is he still working?

Patrolling.

Is he still patrolling those neighborhoods?

Can he be reassigned until because he got an issue on the east side, that particular officer.

Yeah.

In uh reassigning him to a different zone might not be a bad idea.

Yeah, thank you, Councillor Horton.

Um after we finish today, I I hope all of you noticed the chief of police was here, he was here for comment, he heard, and and just as we did, um he was present for that.

I uh let him know I'd like a meeting with him and the command staff tomorrow so we can continue to discuss this.

I will pass on that suggestion.

I do not know.

I will tell you that from my understanding is he has not been suspended because there is investigation happening, and that is standard operating procedure.

But your suggestion certainly I will pass that along to him.

Yeah, or maybe even reassigned death duty depending on how many incidents he's had.

But I I spoke with the chief, I believe in the chief.

Uh, but those conversations I didn't have those conversations with the chief, but people are asking uh what that guy's status is.

Uh will he still be patrolling our neighborhood while this is being investigated, and will he be assigned to death study?

But I don't want I didn't have those answers.

And I and I will pass that on.

As I said, I do have the answer that he has not been suspended.

I will say that.

But as far as is he been reassigned or what's possible, I don't know.

I will find that out.

And I guess just because there's been talk, the DOJ use of force policy.

Um, I I've heard that, I hear it very loud and clear.

You know, Dr.

Titus asked where our use of force policy is.

It is on our website, it is under the Office of Professional Standards, probably not as uh much in the forefront of the website as it could be.

We're gonna make that change.

We're gonna review that use of force policy against the DOJ policy and understand again.

I'm coming to this fairly new, need to probably revisit them some things that have been discussed, but committed to do that and understand that policy, as Ms.

Faulkner said, is where we make the changes, and that's the work that we will continue to do.

Well, the DOJ isn't what it used to be under this administration.

Uh but uh maybe we ought to um I will suggest that someone from the community invite the DOJ in uh to look at it because it is starting to be a little too frequent.

Yeah, I I just hearing the best practice we want to review um and make sure.

But you're you're right, and I we have to find the best practices for our community, and that's what I'm committed to.

And I don't have those answers right now, and I'm sorry to say that it but we are I'm committed to finding them.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

All right.

Any other report solicitor or click?

All right, then we give Brooks report.

Yes.

Um, and our other counselors too had to leave to go back to work.

Um so I did want to relay that.

And at that point, then we will go ahead and end today's council meeting.

City council adjourns at 12 26 p.m.

Members Titus, Horton, Paul, and Shaw.