Good evening and welcome to the city council, Norman Utilities Authority, Norman Municipal Authority, and Norman Tax Increment Finance Authority meeting of October 14th, 2025.

Councilmember Gandisberry.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation, individual authority, and justice for all.

All right.

I'm going to go over some meeting meeting decorum real quick before we get started.

Just so we're all on the same page here for everybody that's new to a council meeting here.

So unauthorized remarks, stamping feet, whistling, and similar similar demonstrations are prohibited during any count any meeting of council.

Furthermore, during any meeting of council, persons must not interrupt counsel's proceedings or the comments of any person recognized by the presiding officer in any manner.

Make obscene or slanderous remarks, behave in a disruptive manner, refuse to follow the instructions of the presiding officer or comply with these policies or any other rules governing the board's proceedings.

Direct comments to the council as a whole and not towards any one individual.

And the presiding officer may order the removal of any person engaged in behavior prohibited by our policies.

And these are rules that all the mayors before me have had to enforce, and I am prepared to enforce them so that everybody that's here to speak has the opportunity to do so and is not interrupted by anybody else, and that we can have a respectful professional meeting here tonight.

So with that, I will move on to the next item, which is approval of minutes.

Item number one, approval of various minutes of the city council conference, city council special meeting, city council Norman Utilities Authority, Norman Municipal Authority, and Norman Tax Increment Finance Authority regular meeting.

Motion.

Second.

Motion on the floor is to approve the minutes.

Council members, you may cast your votes.

All votes have been cast, and the motion to approve the minutes passes unanimously.

All right.

Item number two, proclamations.

We have a proclamation of the mayor of the city of Norman proclaiming the month of October 2025 as domestic violence awareness month in the City of Norman.

And I would ask for Jody Stewart and Stephanie Pennett to join me at the podium.

All right, yes.

We'll do a motion to acknowledge receipt of the proclamation first.

Motion.

The motion on the floor is to acknowledge receipt of the proclamation.

Council members, you may cast your votes.

All votes have been cast and the motion to acknowledge receipt passes unanimously.

All right, a proclamation of the mayor of the City of Norman, Oklahoma, proclaiming the month of October 2025 as domestic violence awareness month in the City of Norman.

Whereas domestic violence is a widespread and deeply harmful issue that affects millions of individuals and families of all communities, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or religion causing long-term trauma, and whereas domestic violence awareness month began with the day of unity in October 1981, established by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence to connect advocates across the country working to end violence in the home.

And whereas this month serves as a national call to raise awareness, support survivors, and honor those whose lives have been lost to acts of domestic violence.

And whereas domestic violence takes many forms, including physical, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse, and addressing it requires prevention, education, community involvement, and comprehensive support services.

And whereas within the city of Norman, organizations such as Abbott Mary Abbott Children's House and Women's Resource Center provide vital support services, and at the state level, the 211 helpline offers a free confidential crisis line available 24-7 to all Oklahomans.

And whereas the national domestic violence hotline number is 1800 799 safe and other offers confidential support 24 or 247 365.

And whereas we honor the resilience of survivors, the tireless efforts of advocates and service providers, and renew our commitment to creating community rooted in safety, dignity, and justice for all.

Now, therefore, I, Mayor of the City of Norman, Oklahoma, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2025 as domestic violence awareness month in the City of Norman and urge all residents to take action, speak out, and support efforts to end domestic violence in all of its forms.

Passed and approved this 14th day, October 2025.

One, two, got it.

Okay.

Good evening, Mayor Holman and City Council members.

On behalf of the Women's Resource Center, I am honored to accept this proclamation recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

This proclamation is more than a formality.

It's a powerful reminder that we stand together in acknowledging the devastating impact of domestic violence and our collective responsibility to address it.

Domestic violence affects people of every age, gender, race, and background.

It thrives in silence and secrecy, which is why awareness is so critical.

By bringing this issue into the light, we send a clear message.

Survivors are not alone, help is available, and abuse will not be tolerated in our communities.

We thank the mayor and the city council for this public commitment.

It strengthens efforts of advocates, service providers, and most importantly, survivors.

We also want to thank our community partners, including Norman PD, and other local agencies, for standing beside us in this work.

Ending violence in our community is a joint effort, and it takes all of us working together to make real change.

Let this proclamation be a catalyst for continued education, stronger support systems, and open dialogue, not just in October, but year-round.

Together, we can create a future rooted in safety, dignity, choice, and hope.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, up next we have council announcements, and I'll start in Ward 1.

Hello, everybody.

Thank you for coming out tonight.

Just a couple quick announcements.

I want to thank everybody from Ward 1 in the city that came out for a town hall I held on the third.

Um, was able to share some information, also gain some insight over what's important and what projects we could possibly work on together over Ward 1.

Want to thank everybody from uh the CPAN organization that that's the Police Academy Alumni Association.

We have adopted a street from 12 to 24th on Alameda.

I've now taken over that project for them, and we had a great turnout on the 11th for a cleanup of Alameda Street from 12 to 24.

So I want to thank them.

And lastly but not least, I want to thank Tiffany and all of our graduates from our Citizen of Norman Academy.

As a recent graduate of that myself and everything, it's great to see them want to go out and spend a night every week for how many weeks?

Eight to ten weeks, right?

14 weeks away from their family just to come learn different aspects of the city and how it runs and how it operates, and that's how we get more knowledgeable about who to hold accountable for what and what differences we might be able to make as a community.

So congratulations on y'all's graduation and two.

Yeah, I just also want to say congratulations to the Citizens Academy.

Um, you guys are now fully educated and are fully up to speed, so the real work begins.

Time to get involved.

So Ward 4.

Yes, Buenos No Chase, Ward 4 and City of Norman.

It's still Hispanic Heritage Month until tomorrow.

Also, I'd like to extend a congratulations to Citizens Academy.

I know it's not an insignificant amount of time to go tour all the departments and learn about how the city actually works.

So thank you for taking that time to really learn and bolster your civic IQ.

Real quick, I want to say we had an amazing art walk last Friday.

The main attraction was Resonators Institutes hosting Dennis McNett's Reclamation of the Wolves.

There was a partial street closure between Crawford and Porter on Maine, so that a live performance and procession could move freely.

I hear everyone asking for more street closures, partial or otherwise, and about feeling safer all around with less car traffic, uh conflicting with pedestrians.

I would like to say I think that will depend on the events being hosted and programmed and the weather.

So if you wish that you had seen that, follow the NAC and get their updates.

Nonetheless, enthusiastic support for such events is noted.

Last, we have the deadline for the City of Norman Human Rights Award.

Um the human rights award is given for exceptional achievement, innovation, and leadership, outstanding mission, and excellent service to promote human rights and equality in Norman.

You have to serve it as an example to all.

You can be an individual or a group, but you have to have lived in Norman in the last three years.

All nominations must be received by 1159 p.m.

on Wednesday, October 15th, 2025, to be considered.

And you can find the link and more information for that on Norman City of Norman's website.

Thank you.

Ward 5.

All right.

First off, I would also like to say uh congratulations to the Citizens Academy graduates.

Excellent work on that.

It's always a great thing whenever you get more people invite or involved in how the city works.

Now, on to the other announcements to my ward five citizens and the rest of Norman as well.

I would like to uh give a special shout out here to a Noblin beer.

He has taken it upon himself to clean up the lake, and he is doing a masterful job of it.

Uh, just I've reached out to him on Facebook, and he's I reached out to him on Facebook and spoke with him at length, and he's talked about how he just likes being out there in the wilderness, so to speak, and he found it dirty and decided to do something about it.

So he's pulled out multiple refrigerators out of the lake, out of it with his kayak.

I don't know how he did that, but uh easily a dozen tires and just tons of other trash.

And if anybody else would like to get in contact with him, he runs a Facebook group now called Thunder Trash.

So would love some support on that one.

And then one last thing for all my Ward 5 citizens specifically, and anybody else that would like to join.

Pike Off OTA will be at the Hollywood Corners this Friday night from 6 p.m.

to 11 p.m.

for both a fundraiser and to answer any and all questions that you might have.

This is a prime opportunity for face-to-face time with people that have been in this fight for at least over three years now.

So hope hope to see a bunch of you there.

Thank you.

Ward six.

Thank you.

Good evening, everyone.

I just wanted to remind everyone about the watershed cleanup event this Saturday at Sutton Wilderness, uh Saturday at 9 a.m.

The group will be meeting at the gazebo off of 12th Street.

So hope to see a bunch of people there.

And also want to extend congratulations to the Citizens Academy.

I know that's a big commitment for you guys, and I hope that your knowledge that you've gained from uh a master's class and municipal fun carries on and to see you guys in the future on committees and things like that with us.

So thank you again very much for taking time to do that.

Ward 7.

Uh hello, ward seven and all of Norman.

Um I just want to also say uh congratulations to the Citizens Academy.

Um that's a big deal, and maybe now some of you will run for city council.

Um, but other than that, that's all I got.

Ward eight.

Well, thank you very much.

Uh again, uh congrats to uh the Citizens Academy people.

Uh Tiffany Versca and Bryce are phenomenal.

Uh they put on a it's an excellent program.

I've done it.

Um thank you for doing it.

Um, it's a big commitment.

Um just want to mention uh a week or two ago we had monarchs in the park at Legacy Park over Ward 8.

Uh it was a great uh turnout, a lot of people there.

Uh just like everything, Michelle and her crew, the doers do.

Um it was phenomenal.

It was a ton of fun.

Got to learn a lot about the dwindling uh monarch population and what we can do to help them, and it's super easy.

Um just kind of plant pollinator gardens, uh, help them out best they can as they're making their way from Canada to uh Mexico and then Mexico back.

Um shout out to the Norman High volleyball team who won their game at 4.30 today.

Um if you hurry, you can catch them at 7 30 tonight.

Um if they win this next game, they get to go to state.

So big shout out to uh L Mormon and some of my buddies on the uh Norman High volleyball team.

And lastly, I'm sure some of you are wondering why is Scott wearing a yellow v-neck shirt.

Um and those of you don't know that I'm Scott, you're probably just wondering who's the big chubby bald guy in a V-neck yellow shirt.

Um it's from Farm Girl Fair.

It was last weekend.

Uh this year they were raising money for bridges.

Uh it's bridges is one of our absolute wonderful nonprofits in town.

Um they help support homeless high school kids, uh get them through high school, get them junior high, get them from wherever they're at through uh um thank you.

Thank you.

So I was able to be a teeny tiny small uh part of that, but uh Scott and Carl Bauman put on the farm girl fair every year, and um Kim Scott Freaks and a lot of other people, but um I just just wanted to just highlight bridges and they also will support them, I think for a year, maybe two years after high school if they go to college or a trade school.

Um but I met a guy there named Wally.

Um he has a great story.

Um I mean it was a tragic story with a really good ending.

He's got a really great job with Burlington Northern Bridges, Bridges, Bridges.

They're doing a great they're doing great things in the community.

So I just wanted to highlight them.

That's it for me.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Um just a couple things real quick.

I want to remind everybody to this Thursday at 4 p.m.

We have the finance committee meeting.

It is a public meeting that anybody's welcome to attend, but it's also broadcast on YouTube.

You can watch it live or you can watch the replay if you're interested in city finances.

Um that's an important one to watch.

And then uh next week is community planning and transportation committee next Thursday at four.

Same thing on YouTube.

If you're interested in public transit or street construction in Norman or anything like that, that is the committee where we discuss that every month.

And then um Oversight Committee was last week.

Uh, also available on YouTube if you want to uh get the update on our cleanup crew program and um other things that are going on in regard to homeless services, um city council policy changes, anything like that.

And then the first Thursday of the month, we have the business and community affairs committee.

Um one of the issues that came out of that recently was shopping carts or trying to deal with abandoned shopping carts, um things like that.

So the four committees that we have that are every Thursday, those are where a lot of the policy work happens.

So if you're really interested in how things um get done like that and the actual conversations that go into them, I encourage you to tune in to those meetings every Thursday.

And then also wanted to mention that this coming Monday, uh Monday evening, the Ward 3 selection committee will be interviewing Ward 3 candidates uh for city council.

There are five candidates that applied for that.

And um so Monday night we should have a recommendation that comes forward, and then ideally by our next meeting, we'll be able to appoint somebody to the ward three position.

Um, whoever is appointed will serve until an election is held in February.

Um if there's a runoff, that would be in April, and then whoever is elected in February or April would be sworn in at the very next council meeting, and then that person will serve the remaining term of former councilmember Montoya.

So there will be again a special election February for Ward 5 and Ward 3.

Um, and those will be to fill the remaining terms of council members who have resigned.

So uh for anybody wondering, that process for the committee starts on Monday, and we should have a recommendation back by Monday night.

Um also want to mention National Night Out is going on this evening in Norman at the mall.

Um outside the parking lot, they've got vendors set up and games and inflatables and a lot of stuff for kids, but uh the police and emergency services have uh booths set up.

Um if you're interested in talking to them about anything, um national night out is a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors and other people in the community, get to know people like police and firefighters and EMS.

And so uh if we make it out of here by nine o'clock tonight, um I encourage you to go stop by the mall and uh check some of that out.

And then also the last thing too, just wanted to uh thank the Citizens Academy uh for choosing to learn more about what goes on in city government.

And um, it's not really something that is taught in school.

Most people don't know about local government, how a council manager form of government works, um, what all goes into the daily operations of a city this size.

And so um I encourage everybody if you're interested in learning more about the day-to-day activities of a city like Norman and the different departments and the people that work in those departments.

Uh the Citizens Academy is a great opportunity to not only get more familiar with that, but also it's a great opportunity to get your foot in the door if you're thinking you want to have more involvement in local issues or city council or or whatever down the road.

Citizens Academy and the in any of our nearly 40 boards and commissions are where most council members get their first kind of taste of local government as serving on a border commission.

So if those are of interest to you, I definitely encourage you to check those out on the city website.

All right, let's move on to the consent docket.

This item is placed on the agenda so that the city council by unanimous consent can designate those routine item agenda items that they wish to be approved or acknowledged by one motion.

Staff recommends that item three through 34 be placed on the consent docket.

I'll entertain a motion to place items three through 34 on the consent docket.

Motion second.

The motion on the floor is to place items three through 34 on the consent docket.

Council members, you may cast your votes.

All votes have been cast, and the motion to place items three through 34 on the consent docket passes unanimously.

I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent docket.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Are there any comments from council regarding any item on the consent docket?

Seeing none.

The motion on the floor is to approve the consent docket.

Council members, you may cast your votes.

All votes have been cast, and the motion to approve the consent docket passes unanimously.

All right.

Oh, sorry.

Tonight we start with Dan Munson.

All right, Dan Munson Word 7.

I think our next major Norman Ford Art Project should be something that complements the Olympics in 2028, possibly an art piece that features women's softball.

Speaking of softball, I think we should consider having a girls' camp starting in 2026.

That features position camps and batting camps.

I believe this should be an annual camp that continues all the way through the Olympics in 2028.

This could be a fantastic draw for both U.S.

and international guests in Norman.

Norman's safety town this summer for ages five and six was fantastic.

Our SROs did an amazing job motivating and teaching the five and six-year-olds.

This program's been going on in Norman for 48 years.

Switching topics, I'd like to see a form-based code for the University North Park area.

There was a recent marquee that was uh built.

And if you look at the difference between these two, you'll see that there's no decorative brick.

And so I think we need to continue to have a uh the same look at University North Park.

Um speaking of University North Park, um I'm concerned about the maintenance there.

Um I drove through there and I saw a pothole that was 64 inches wide.

64 inches wide, about six inches deep.

And there was another pothole there that was about 40 inches wide, and this one was about three inches deep, and another pot hole that was 75 inches.

I I don't know if there's a guideline.

Um but I think 75 inches, that might be hitting the limit there.

You know, we're gonna have a lot of guests coming in for football games, for OU, graduations.

This is a place that they're gonna go shop.

The City of Norman propped up that area through a TIFF, which we funded Legacy Park, and through a Norman Forward project called the Wi Fac.

We've spent over 50 million dollars to make that area of town very valuable.

From my perspective, the landowners are not doing their job in maintaining it.

I am grateful that they did cut down the disease trees that I talked about in the last council meeting.

And there's some nice stumps there for everyone to look at.

That goes along with the trash and the unkept landscaping.

Here's a picture of the Sooner Mall.

This is 1978.

You're gonna see almost every parking spot taken.

If you go to the national night out tonight, you will not see this many cars.

That's my time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we have Gary Marksdale.

There you go.

Gary Barstale, Ward 8.

Um, I'm here tonight out of concern for the gross, unacceptable, and violent comments made by two of our city council members.

She used Title 21 as a veiled threat rather than to apologize for her violent rhetoric.

It's completely unacceptable.

She also spent most of her time last month advocating for somebody that's not even a city citizen of Norman, Dagney Benedict.

Not once did she address in her diatribe the issues or consider the citizens and students in the town she represents.

Please address the whole council.

Pardon?

We please address the whole thing.

Yes, sir.

It is repulsive that after the last month's meeting that Ward 7 councilwoman denigrated a grieving widow, and I hope that whenever she holds the hand of a dying spouse, that no one treats her in the same repulsive, unacceptable way.

Helen and Kim's violent rhetoric is typical.

I asked you to address the intelligence.

Okay, those two council members, rhetoric is typical of the violent left, celebrating the assassination of an innocent man who simply advocated for free speech.

More of a concern is for those of you on this council whom I consider normal, haven't had the decency or the courage to call out this reprehensible excrement that has been vomited out of these two women.

They deserve a public apology.

These people behind me Mr.

Mayor and Counsel deserve, they are they deserve the reasonable members of this council to refute this evil rhetoric.

The Lord says in Ezekiel, would I rejoice at the death of the evil man?

No.

Rather, I would rejoice at his repentance from his evil ways that he may live.

That's not death machine language.

So I will spend the remainder of my time in silent prayer for the evil to be removed from the hearts of these two councilwomen.

I pray for her children and for these courageous young men and women behind me.

I will not yield my time, and the council must respect it.

I will stand here in silent prayer for the remainder of my time.

Happy birthday, Charlie Kirk.

Next we have, and I apologize in advance.

I'm gonna butcher this last name.

Nathan Trapagineer.

Hello, City Council.

My name is Nathan Chapene, Ward Five.

I grew up in Norman.

Um, pretty nonpartisan.

I voted for Bernie Sanders.

I voted for Trump.

I voted for Biden, then I voted for Trump again.

I'm kind of all over the place, but I have very much been disturbed by the recent comments by City Council in Norman.

Um, as I would have come to know Norman, it's a peaceful place where people who disagree with each other can sit across and have coffee together and talk about politics, and this doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

Um I've come to find out that I'm a part of a death machine, which is deeply concerning to me and makes me wonder if I even want to raise my children here in this town.

Um, so I'm going to concede the rest of my time, which is a fair amount.

But um to Charlie Kirk's widow, um, congratulations on his presidential medal of freedom and his two young children who will never know the warmth of his touch because it was stolen from him by a violent leftist.

And I hope that never happens to any of us in my town.

I'm not going to yield the rest of my time, but I would like to have everybody pray silently for Charlie Kirk and his repose to heaven.

Thank you for your time.

God bless you.

Happy birthday, Charlie.

Next, we have Presley Gonzales.

Okay.

Moving on, John Ryan.

City Council, my name is John Ryan.

I'm from a little small town in Oklahoma, on Miami.

I'm here for school.

It really hurt me to be called part of a death machine.

At the young age of 18, a month at high school, I swore an oath to the state of Oklahoma and the United States to wear a badge and protect us on the law enforcement front.

Charlie was, in my opinion, ahead of his time.

He he went around to places and spoke the truth, and he reminded us that we the people still have a voice, no matter who tries to take it from us.

And I'd like to use the rest of this for a time of prayer and remembrance.

Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespassed against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Christ said to love one another as we as he has loved us.

God bless all of you.

Happy birthday, Charlie.

Stephen Ellis.

Uh that's important to understand regarding uh Councilmember Grant's uh discussion.

Her the comment here that seems to be drawing most of the ire was actually part of a dialogue with me on Facebook.

And uh council member uh Grant uh was clearly discussing.

Just address all of us, please.

Oh, I was just I was referring to the person.

So I know yes, this is this is for all of you.

Um so councilmember Grant uh was addressing gun violence.

That was the topic of her discussion.

And gun violence was actually the death machine that she was talking about.

The idea that she was claiming right wingers or anything like that was the death machine is just erroneous.

I beg you to go look at it.

It's on my Facebook page, which is open.

Um, and I think she was pretty clearly both sad that gun violence had claimed another life, and that the death that occurred was very, very unlikely to stop gun violence because of the positions of the person who was killed.

So I think that's actually a perfectly legitimate sentiment.

You may not agree with it, but that's a sentiment that I think is perfectly legitimate and should be one that no one should have problems with, which makes me suspect either that people didn't actually read the entire context.

I don't know if people realize that that was uh in a conversation and so had context.

Uh and I think that's the most important thing to remember.

I'm sorry if anybody feels like they were called the death machine, but that's not correct.

It's the system of gun violence in the United States that was the problem.

Um I don't think I'm going to cede over the rest of my time to prayer, but I do have a relevant uh uh biblical citation that I want to share with you.

So this is um Matthew 6 5 and 6.

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that others may see them.

Amen.

I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your father in secret.

And your father who sees in secret will repay you.

I think that's something that we all should pay attention to tonight.

But to use that view for political purposes strikes me as a perversion of the religious impulse that may be prompting it.

So I hope people will think of that as the night goes on.

Thanks.

May Amy Wendler.

Please, everyone holds hold your applause, no matter who the speaker is, if you agree with them or don't agree with them, hold any applause, no booze.

Just let everybody speak and say what they have to say and be respectful about it, please.

Hello, uh, Miami Windler Award 2.

Okay, so uh I watched the the oversight meeting the other day, and I was very impressed with the Opportunity Knox program.

That is fantastic.

That you know, we are cleaning up our you know, public places, the amount of trash that they've picked up in just a couple of months compared to last year, it's huge.

And then three people got jobs.

That is amazing.

And you know, please continue that.

Um the other thing is I'm wondering like what kind of statistics can we get from the um a friend's house about um how many people are going through, how many people are you know getting homes, and um I guess I would just like a little bit more transparency on that to see are we making progress?

Are we not making progress?

Um the opportunity knox program, that's progress, and that's amazing.

Um that's it.

Thank you.

Um Trenton Rippe.

Hi, sorry.

Thank you, council, for this opportunity to uh get to come up here and speak and express my First Amendment rights.

I think that's a beautiful thing about um America in general is that regardless if you're a conservative, liberal, socialist, or anarcho-capitalist, um, that you're able to come to the table, um, bring forth ideas and have a civil discussion without direct attacks, um, without any sort of uh violence.

And I've certainly seen that in my career.

Um I come today because I'm the South Regional Director for a partner organization of Turning Point USA.

Uh Young Americans for Liberty, um, we go on campus, similar to Turning Point, we talk about policy, we do community activism, whether that's uh political or community trash picking up all sorts of things.

Now, what troubles me with the whole situation and what I've seen, and I'm not just speaking in general to comments that have brought a lot of people here today, but we have a large rhetoric in the country right now, celebrating Mr.

Kirk's death, or in the words of some that he might have been uh a narcissistic grifter that spewed hateful rhetoric.

Um I'd like to provide a few examples of why I don't believe that's the case, um, and why I think that Charlie actually put a lot of effort to bring people closer together and to promote free speech.

Number one being um before I joined Yale, um I actually went to one of Turning Point's chapter leadership summits, and what really stuck out to me was variety of people that were there and the diversity of ideas that people that even on my side of the aisle, we still had a lot of really good conversations.

And Charlie made an effort to go around to all 50 states and shake every one of our hands and just get to know our story, which you don't see a lot of people do.

You don't really see a lot of folks go out and try to, you know, understand why people are here, which I think is important.

Um, as far as bringing other groups together, uh Mr.

Kirk has hosted and his organization hosts a number of different groups and events to bring folks together.

Uh, for instance, on uh you have Blexit, or you have the uh turning point actions um Latino group that brings people from minority communities such as myself, who is proudly a Mexican, uh, together to figure out how we can improve our communities and how we can get more people involved in the political process.

Mr.

Kirk has also hosted the young women's leadership summit where we've seen women from across the country, black, white, rich, poor, um, of all sorts of beliefs together just to, you know, come to the table and have a conversation.

Uh, Mr.

Kirk's organization also partners with a number of different groups that I would argue do not have hateful causes.

Uh, for instance, the American Conservation Coalition that I've done some work with, uh, where they go out, they do community cleanups, they fight to protect natural resources from groups that may seek to exploit the environment.

Uh, for instance, you could even look at a group like uh Students for Life that provides resources for pregnant women and single mothers.

Now, I don't think that it's hateful to support single moms or pregnant women.

I don't believe that it's hateful to care about your environment or to care about communities and try to bring people together.

Um we certainly didn't always agree on everything, um, but that's the beauty of everyone what that's what makes America America.

Um I'm proudly pursuing uh Orthodox based Christianity right now, trying to learn more, and there's people from all over the world that you know are persecuted for that, and they're not able to express themselves, so they come to America to express those ideals and to learn and to gain understanding of Christ's word and the gospel.

And uh, I just ask that we continue to uphold the First Amendment regardless of beliefs, and I don't wish violence or hate for anyone, regardless.

So thank you, Council, and uh God bless America.

Emily Griffith.

Hi, I'm Emma.

Um I in Matthew 5 it says, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

And as a conservative Christian woman, I feel like it is time to pray for those who've been persecuting me.

So I would ask that y'all all um bow your heads and pray with me.

Um God, I come before you knowing that we all hold different opinions in this room.

We all hold um different viewpoints and view this issue of Charlie Kirk's death with different regards, God, but I pray that we would all be joined together knowing that this is a life that we are dealing with, that this is someone who stood boldly for this country, if nothing else, God, um, that they stood for freedom and for freedom of speech, which is what you um desire for each of us, that we would be able to stand boldly for you and for this country, God.

I pray specifically for uh councilwoman uh Helen and Kimberly, God, I pray for uh that you would convict them of the evil that they have spoken over one of your saints and over your people.

I pray that you would bring about repentance and turn their heart and hearts to you, Lord.

Um, you alone are able to turn their hearts and change their minds.

So I pray that you would do that tonight, God.

I pray that you would um just soften their hearts, God, um, that you would call them to yourself and convict them.

I also pray for boldness of these other council members.

God, I know that some of them, I can see it in them, God, that they know what is right, that they know what is true.

Um, God, I pray that you would give them boldness to speak up and speak out.

Um, that they would not stay silent.

Silence is um agreement, God.

I pray that you would not allow them to agree with the evil and the hatred that is spread.

But God, that you would give them boldness to speak for you, that you would give them the boldness to speak for what is true, for what is good, what is right, what is um pure, God, that you would give them just boldness for you, Lord.

Um, I ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thank you for your time.

Diana, oh, excuse me, Christina Owen.

I didn't see her.

Diana Hudzel.

Good evening, council mayor.

Uh, Diane Hudzel Ward 5.

Um, although this item was pulled from tonight's agenda, as I understand to allow for further study, I'm here to speak in support of the proposed agreement with the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition or CCEDC.

This partnership is especially important now as Norman continues to face financial challenges.

I've raised this before, and it's also been discussed in recent finance and council meetings, but I believe it bears repeating.

Sales tax revenues last year fell 1.8 million dollars short, creating a deficit of 5.8 million for the city of Norman.

This year's forecast is even worse with an expected shortfall of 7.2 million.

Charts for the upcoming finance meeting this Thursday show sales tax revenues for the last month were down more than one percent below expectations.

And these figures do not yet reflect the likely impact of the ongoing federal government shutdown, which is about to start its third week with no end in sight.

These numbers make one thing clear.

We cannot rely on the status quo to sustain our city's needs.

Norman must strengthen its ability to grow, attract new employers, and expand our economic base.

That's not a reason to pull back, it's a reason to invest forward.

For roughly 130,000, the cost of the contract, about $1 per resident, this partnership gives Norman access to professional, regionally connected team with the expertise to attract jobs, support local businesses, and expand our tax base through focused business retention, recruitment, and strategic planning.

The Norman Economic Development Coalition, now expanded to Cleveland County has a proven team with a record of results for Norman.

Here are just a few examples for those who may not be aware.

$20 million in ARPA funding for the Oklahoma Aviation Academy right here in Norman, creating jaw creating a local talent pipeline for high wage aviation and aerospace jobs.

A $7 million quality jobs tax credit that helped bring advanced call center technologies to Norman, now our city's largest private employer, providing more than 1,500 local jobs.

And lastly, my last example a million dollar investment in Lake Thunderbird's mountain bike trails, enhancing Norman's tourism and recreation economy and making our community more attractive to skilled workers who value quality of life, outdoor recreation, and access to nature.

As the organization has evolved from the Norman Economic Development Coalition into the CCEDC, Norman gains even more, a broader regional network with greater access to funding, partnerships, and projects that cross city boundaries.

That's where economic growth is happening today across communities through collaboration.

Economic development is increasingly complex and competitive.

Norman needs a strong partner who can pursue opportunities, attract employers, and help grow our tax base.

The CCEDC provides that expertise and regional reach to give us and keep to keep us competitive.

Awarding this contract positions Norman to attract good employers, support small businesses, and compete effectively with neighboring cities that are aggressively pursuing the same opportunities as we are.

If we choose an action, we risk falling behind.

Other communities are competing for the same jobs, investments, and grants that could be shaping Norman's future.

For all these reasons, I respectfully urge you to approve the contract with CCEDC as a smart forward-looking investment in Norman's economic future.

Thank you for your time, and I would just like to add that I have no connections with that organization.

I urge you to seize this opportunity to invest in Norman's future and demonstrate confidence in our city's potential.

Thank you very much.

Have a good night.

Trey Kirby.

I didn't see him, but Heather Voss.

Good evening, Mayor and members of the council.

My name is Heather Boss, and I'm here tonight as a concerned citizen and follower of Jesus Christ.

One who believes in both the truth of Scripture and the rule of law under our Constitution.

Over the past several weeks, our communities have watched in disbelief as members of this council have used their public platforms to promote rhetoric that is not only unprofessional, but morally reprehensible.

Rhetoric that mocks the dead, degenerates the grieving, and excuses political violence as though it were inevitable.

That is not leadership.

That is moral decay, dress dressed up as progress.

Though I do not live within the city limits of Norman, I do live here in Cleveland County.

And I want you to know that Norman and Cleveland County are not alone in this political and spiritual fight.

There are many standing in the gap, both in the natural and in the spiritual, interceding for righteousness to be restored.

You can see it represented by the faces of those who have traveled from surrounding towns and counties to stand here tonight to publicly intercede on this city's behalf.

Scripture reminds us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities.

And what we are witnessing is not merely a political clash.

It is a spiritual battle for the moral soul of Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, and America.

When an elected official celebrates or rationalizes the death of a political opponent, or even implies it, that is not free speech.

That is the language of tyranny.

The First Amendment protects truth, not the glorification of hate or the desecration of human life.

Council members, you swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and to serve we the people of Norman, not just those who share your ideologies.

But when your words mock a widow's grief, when you use your position of power to amplify cruelty instead of compassion, you betray that oath and defile the very principles of public service.

The Bible says in Proverbs 6 that there are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him.

A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devised what devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Those words describe exactly what we have seen from these council women of Ward 4 and Ward 7.

Their public statements were not just poor judgment, they were pure evil.

And evil in leadership demands accountability.

Their conduct was incompatible with the honor of public office and the trust of we the people.

And to the rest of this council, your silence in the face of this behavior is complicity.

If you lack the courage to confront the wickedness in your own ranks, you have no business governing anyone else.

The prophet Isaiah warned, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, and put darkness for light and light for darkness.

That's not just ancient wisdom, it is a mirror being held up to our times.

Repentance is not weakness, it's wisdom.

Apology is not surrender, it is strength, and resignation when one's conscience is corrupted, is not disgrace.

It's the first step towards redemption.

This is still the United States of America, a nation founded on the belief that our rights come not from government from but but from God alone.

And as long as there are men and women willing to stand for truth, to speak righteousness, and to intercede for their cities, this light will not go out.

From Norman to Noble, from Moore to Midwest City, from Cleveland County to the Capitol, we are one nation under God, and righteousness will yet again be exalted in this land.

May God grant this council the humility to repent, the integrity to resign, and the courage to restore moral leadership in the city once again.

Justice Chandler.

Whenever you look back at the students behind me, I want you to think do not look at any do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech and conduct and love and faith and in purity.

But I feel as if I'm called to do my job as the state chair for young Americans for Liberty to hold legislators and elected officials accountable.

To the body of this to the council in this body, it's not often that you see a point of order come from the gallery, but whenever somebody's name that is in the council is spoken with a quote, etc., that is not always a comment to said person.

So I hope that you use that and you you build upon that.

And whenever you look at your parliamentary procedure, you you make adjustment.

Thank you.

Confront these actions, and we should uh look at our fellow men and women in the legislature and in government in general, and we should we should look at each other and hold each other accountable as well.

Um I'd like to just say that Charlie was a great human being.

Uh no matter what anybody said about him, no matter the hate that was spread after his sudden death, there is no absolutely zero way of framing that as a good thing that happened at all.

I believe that the death of anybody, no matter who you are, is not warranted in any circumstance.

Uh as a human being, as a believer in Christ, and as an American, we should all take all take up in arms together and realize that death is not something that should be celebrated.

And that's what disappoints me about this body.

Uh, we've forgotten that.

And it's time that we all come together and realize that there is nothing that you can say to make this man less of a human being.

There's nothing you can do to make this man less of a human being.

He was a father.

He was a loving husband.

And he was just like us.

And you know, working in the same industry as him and doing the exact same thing as him going to campuses and speaking to students.

That is like celebrating my death in front of you.

And that is deplorable.

As a human being and as a person, you should look into your heart and find that your actions are wrong and you should take accountability for your actions.

I'd like to just close off with a simple quote that disobedience to tyrants is obedience to God.

And that we need to bring back obedience to God.

Thank you.

Hello, I am the turning point USA chapter president at the University of Oklahoma.

And I would first like to start off by reading this quote actually by the board or the council member because there's people in this crowd who are saying or justifying the these heinous words.

So let's here we go.

I don't think he was just a grotesque cheerleader.

He was a definitely a cog in the gears of a much larger death machine.

Now he's out, and yet the death machine plows on.

Maybe it's more rickety, I don't know.

It is probably distabling to MAGA and to put politically adjacent groups to think someone could actually pop one of their own high-earning, highly visible talking heads.

But gun violence has been ridiculous out of hand.

It is in churches, schools, roads, homes, institutions, hospitals, etc.

So it was bound to happen.

I think he's even got a quote acknowledging that as it happens.

I think the biggest irony for a grifting narcissist like Kirk, who spewed whatever kind of hate would sell, is that ultimately he is replaceable.

He will be a footnote that gets buried under the next guy who has been growing an audience who then steps up to fill the void.

I just can't even believe this is happening.

So I want to start off.

Happy birthday, Charlie Kirk.

In honor of Charlie Kirk's legacy, we are making our voices heard and to be courageous in the volume values we hold.

And I would like to also say a few things because I have seen your Instagram page.

Two things to get out of the way, or a few things.

In honor, um yesterday was Columbus Day.

Happy Columbus Day.

There are two genders, abortion is murder, and all lives matter.

Um I would like to ask you whether you serve the entire city or just those who think like you.

You mentioned a death machine.

Let's talk about the millions of babies lost due to the due to ideology um uh Democrats support.

Abortion kills millions of babies.

And the idea that you can actually change your sex instead of getting the mental health you need kills people.

Um and I would also like to make a comment.

There is um somebody up here earlier, Professor Ellis.

Um is the very threat that faces our schools um today.

He yet he's actually on the professor watch list for Turning Point USA.

And to think, and to think that gun deaths is a right or a left issue is and to tie it into justifying the council members' words is disgusting.

Um professors like this need to be fired.

If you think verbiage like this is okay.

John Scamy Horn.

Thank you.

Okay.

I've already made it clear after the next speaker, whoever it is, if there is any applause, then this meeting will be adjourned and it'll be over.

Do we understand?

No applause for anybody, no matter if you agree with them or don't agree with them, or this meeting will be adjourned.

Hi, I'm John.

Dr.

John Scammyhorn.

I moved to Norman 44 years ago and I've lived in Ward 1 the entire time.

Um a little unfamiliar with this.

I usually type out my notes and then read them, but I find when I see it on YouTube later, that the camera angle all it does is catch the top of my head and the glare for my bald spot is blinding.

So I've I've been recommended that I go to a computer.

I am happy to see such great participation at this meeting.

It reminds me of the infamous all-night meeting when we were discussing defunding our marvelous police department about five years ago.

I don't know how many here were at that meeting, but it was memorable.

Before that, I was totally uninvolved in local politics, like many, not even voting in local elections.

There was good reason for my lack of effort.

As long as my garbage got picked up, I had reliable water service, the police would respond to calls, and the necessary functions of municipal government were occurring, I was happy to remain silent.

This coincided with the homelessness problem in Norman exploding at that time.

Since I've come to love Norman, I was deeply concerned about the direction of the city, and like many got involved.

Currently, I'm very concerned about city finances as we are running deficits every month with no signs of turning things around, as Diane had had talked about.

It seems like building a new homeless shelter and putting permanent supportive housing in healthy neighborhoods.

Sorry, is the priority for our city council.

As a senior citizen, I am concerned about the safety of elderly as evidenced by the proposed permanent supportive housing on Triad Villies Drive to be located right next to a senior housing complex.

Residents of the senior housing have spoken to this council about the terror they have of having chronically homeless as neighbors with their finely home skills at panhandling and harassment.

Some would say the senior housing unit would shut down if this happens.

This would displace seniors from their home when there is a shortage of senior housing in Norman.

What are we doing, making seniors who have worked and save their whole lives to have a comfortable retirement, potentially without housing, to satisfy some progressive vision.

Let's go back to basics.

Now the approximately 300 homeless individuals seem to be the driving force for city plans, not the 130,000 plus ordinary citizens who are building their lives and reading raising children in safety.

Let me be specific.

Don't put any permanent supportive housing in Ward 1 where I live.

Our city government is posing ruination on our neighborhood.

Thank you.

Sebastian Chan.

Caleb McGee.

Mr.

Mayor, I had a thing all written up and it was venomous and a little mean.

But I don't think that that's the right approach.

That has not gotten us anywhere.

I have been scrapping it out, yelling at people, arguing with people all the time for the last 10 years.

And all that it has done is make me more recalcitrant and them as well.

What I would like to ask that everyone take into consideration is that the same week that Charlie Kirk died, uh a Fox News host mentioned that he thought that the homeless should be euthanized.

Uh just kill them was how he tapped off his speech.

And then within 48 hours, 13 people in Minneapolis were dead at two separate mass shootings at homeless encampments.

Over and over again, we have seen the problem obviously be issue be addressed most forward by its visibility.

And this is not working.

We have been trying the same approach for over it come election come state election time.

Does have things gotten better in the last 16 years?

No, I was gonna be rude about some of the attendance, but I'm not gonna do that.

Instead, what I'm going to say is that over 30 years of school shootings that we as a nation have brushed off.

It is completely understandable why some young folks of that generation might see a a death of someone that they identified with correctly or incorrectly and personalized it.

And I do understand the reaction.

What I ask is that you ask yourselves that we all ask ourselves, what is my anger?

What are my emotions being weaponized for?

To what end am I fighting?

Am I looking to make the world a better place for everyone?

Or do I just want it better for me and the people like me?

If you would like to save lives, it starts with housing people who are on the streets.

It starts with taking care of our seniors and retired people.

A ton of the people at the shelter, when I worked there, a large percentage of people were seniors and disabled folks on social security, and they can't afford rent with what the landlord collusion via Zillow has turned housing prices in this town into.

I yield the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Lindsay Brule.

Thank you, everyone, for giving me this time.

I come, I grew up in Normand, and I've had a great childhood here.

I'm wearing my shirt.

That reading rainbow.

Take a look, it's in a book.

And I learned social and emotional development from Mr.

Rogers and how to love to read from LeVar Burton.

And I got something I think a lot of kids today don't have.

And that is empathy and care.

And I understand that the I'm hearing a lot of personal, they're personalizing a lot of things, and I think the previous speaker did a great job of addressing that, that they've seen a lot of violence against their own bodies.

And when someone they cared about was taken and they didn't see what they wanted, they personalized it.

The Bible matters very much to me, and I feel like the Lord's name was taken in vain, way too much tonight.

And I appreciate the man who wrote read about praying.

You need to pray on your own.

Go in and figure out who you are.

Find out your anger.

I don't know if anybody read the politico that was released today.

That is disturbing what our young Republicans are saying.

That's what I am concerned about.

And I'm I'll go with everybody.

Sure, we could all clean up our rhetoric and learn to care about each other a little better.

I do believe we'd need that.

I don't want any more accusations.

And using God as an excuse to treat people terribly and to make accusation about who did this when it's not even true.

This is not church, though.

This is a public space.

And if your faith cannot hold up without spouting the Bible and having to pray when people were not asked their permission to do that, then that's not a strong enough faith.

It matters very much to me.

Learn to talk to people.

I hear the pain, and I do care about that.

And I do want us to show up more for one another and to address all of us as a community collectively, because it matters to all of us, gun violence.

Every single one of us has been affected by it.

And we all grieve every life that is lost.

Thank you.

Mark Campbell.

Mark Campbell, War II, Mayor, Council audience, and those in the audience blind who refuse to see.

I'm so confused about teeny peen USA.

I thought they were four people having freedom of speech in public forums.

They are so full of it.

A council person does not relinquish their rights to free speech when they take an oath of office.

They do not pledge to hold one particular sex, one religion, one entitled worldview above all others, to the detriment of all others.

Oh, excuse me, Dane.

My grinder notifications keep going off.

Teeny peen, oh you.

Sorry, girl, please.

We need to pray for Erica Colt, I mean Kirk and her family in the name of all unholy, send them all of the money the poor people of Oklahoma do not have.

We need to refrain from language that leads to polarization.

Proud, profligate little peacocks.

Their souls have been warped.

Viva Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio.

Yo hago lo que quieta.

I do whatever I want.

What are y'all so mad about?

You control every house of government.

You own everything.

It must be something rotted in your soul.

To profess to be Christian while seeking unyielding popularity, public approval, vanity, screen time, get over yourself now before it's too late.

Thank you.

Jordan Cantrell.

Sorry, lost my spot.

Thank you, Mayor and Chair.

Um I don't uh even know what that was.

Um so I have a couple things to address, and then a couple lies I've been told, and then I just want to talk about what we're all here talking about today, mainly.

Um, the idea that Turning Point USA and what we're doing here today is anti-free speech is a little mind-boggling to me.

Um, people get to uh freely express their opinions, and then there could be backlash for bad opinions, and we try to, you know, have a good marketplace of ideas that elevates certain things to the top, and that's all that's happening right now.

No one is anti-free speech.

We're just pro-consequences for evil actions.

I I was lied to today that um a certain Bible verse means that people are only allowed to pray in private, and we should only pray in private.

If anyone really looks at the context of that verse and what we're really talking about, we're talking about a calling out of certain people who are on the street publicly exclaiming their faith uh faith for fame and using God's name in vain to get attention.

Nowhere are we told we cannot pray in public.

The whole point is that you're supposed to pray sincerely.

And I guarantee you everyone here today praying for Charlie Kirk, Erica, and ourselves is sincere about it.

I was also lied to that a certain council member did not say that Charlie Kirk was part of a cog and a death machine, and I know this was read, but I want to kind of go through it again.

Um the quote is he was definitely a cog in the gears of a much larger death machine.

Um I was told by someone here today that actually what we're only talking about is that gun violence is the death machine.

But when I read the quote, what we're actually seeing is that Charlie Kirk was part of a death machine greater than that of gun violence, so one that causes more harm or death than gun violence.

So that's pretty grave.

And not only was he a part of it, he was a cog in it.

And a cog is to be a necessary part of something.

So Charlie Kirk was a necessary part of a movement and a death machine that causes more death and harm than gun violence itself.

That is a despicable statement, and someone has the free speech to say that statement, but that just means you've put yourself in the limelight and the light of being called out for your horrible beliefs.

And the whole point of free speech is to be able to identify good and bad ideas, and what we're doing here to today is we've identified a bad idea.

And we want that bad idea gone.

We don't want it on our council members' minds.

We don't want it represented in our body, and we don't want people who represent us, fellow Republicans, conservatives, Christians, whatever it may be, to be seen as others.

And one thing I'll say is that if you're a council member here today and you're hearing everything that's being said and all the statements and you're trying to hide back a smile, again, this is completely hypothetical.

It'd be terrible if it was happening.

But if someone is trying to hide back a smile, avoid eye contact, then you know you're in the wrong.

And if you're still trying to hide back a smile, hypothetically, maybe it's time to leave.

Maybe it's time to step down, maybe it's time to at least apologize, to just grow up.

This is so immature and disgusting.

Like y'all are adults, you know.

Like, come on.

Um, it's absolutely ridiculous.

Um, hypothetically, if you're still smiling, that's even more ridiculous.

But um, I'd like to yield the rest of my time, and thank you.

Excuse me, Michael Blanc.

Michael Blunk Ward Six.

Can you all hear me?

All right.

Man, I have a lot of thoughts and a lot of feelings this evening.

And I have been thinking about how I wanted to discuss things tonight.

But I think what the first thing I'm gonna say is I love my town.

I love this town.

Norman's an incredible community.

It makes me proud to be in Oklahoma because it tells me everywhere I look that there are good, hardworking men and women who get up every day in this town to make it a better place.

And tonight I have heard time and time again statements about my community, about the people in it, the people who struggle in it, the people who live here, the people who work here, the people who make this town what it is.

And I've heard those things tonight.

And I don't normally get this heated.

This is not normally how I act, right?

Several of you have seen me up here.

Some of you have seen me up here since I was 18 years old, right?

And I'm frustrated.

And I appreciate previous speakers, appreciate Dan, Dan's great.

I appreciate Caleb.

I appreciate a lot of people in this town who've been here.

And Caleb, hey, you're a better man than me.

Because you were able to come up here and keep your emotions in check.

And that's that's powerful.

That speaks volumes.

Because I know that Caleb, like many other people in this room, have done work, so much real work to take care of their neighbors, to feed the people in their lives, to actually roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Just like many of the people on this council tonight.

And I have, I have never been so heated and frustrated.

I we we have had several hard conversations in this room.

I was there for our nice 14-hour discussion that some of us remember from a few years ago, right?

And yet, you know, somehow I didn't feel this incensed.

And I think the reason I am this upset is because I am tired of hearing the character of this community be assassinated, be brought into question.

When it's the same community that taught me the biggest values that are core to my beliefs.

Values of service, values of care.

I'm an Eagle Scout, figures, right?

You know.

Ended up getting a degree in public administration.

And along the way, I had a distinct pleasure and privilege of working through AmeriCorps.

We have several AmeriCorps Vista contracts of the regional food bank of Oklahoma.

I learned about the food insecurity of our state.

That one in seven of our fellow Oklahomans goes to bed at night not knowing where the food's gonna come from.

That number balloons to one in four for the children in this state.

Today I work in child welfare.

And I get to continue to work with the children and families of Cleveland County and the children family of Oklahoma.

And I love that I get to do that work.

I've also worked in our local shelters.

I have seen people struggling through withdrawals, through addiction.

I have seen what happens when our society turns our back on our most vulnerable.

This is a wonderful town.

This is a wonderful community, full of good, hardworking people.

And I will not hear that slandered.

It is we who have built these cities.

Marguerite Larson.

As I've said before, I will support this council 150%, whatever they decide to do, unless they vote against me, and I'm just joking.

Whatever you guys, you you put your faith out here, you do the best that you can, you are criticized, not compensated, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't have it any other way.

And I am very, very thankful that you all have the guts to stand up to people because what I see behind me is a group of people who are following a leader and have focused on idle idol, on them becoming Charlie Kirk's their idol, and I don't believe in worshiping idols.

So I have an issue with that.

I do believe in the separation of church and state.

I don't believe in the rhetoric of we can kill as many people as we want as long as we can keep our guns, and that is a quote.

So all that to say is I support you guys, and I think you all should stay in tech.

I think you're doing a good job.

Hey, uh, I'd like to say in advance, sorry about my voice.

I was at the game this weekend and I yelled a lot uh and it didn't do any good.

So uh thank you all city council for being here tonight.

I just want to say how much I appreciate you and the work that you do, just like Marguerite said, you put a lot of effort in for this city in ways that often go completely unnoticed.

And there are many of you that I've disagreed with on many occasions, but I still really appreciate everything that you do for the city of Norman.

And uh the way that you all handle things like, I mean, tonight's a tough one, right?

There's a lot of people with a lot of emotions in this building right now, and that's a hard thing to manage.

Uh and then every every day you have to get up and balance the needs of your constituents, of your wards, of the whole city, and of course, of your own moral compass.

And that's hard work.

I mean, that takes a lot of effort, and that takes a lot of balancing also with being a public figure in your own private lives and your own personal opinions.

And so I just say, I just want to come up here and say thank you, and how much I appreciate everything that you do.

John Cipola.

Sorry, I know I butchered that.

Hello, I'm John Cepola, Ward 4.

Um, I'll start off with I'm not a great public speaker.

I actually have a huge fear of speaking in front of people, so bear with me.

Um I also have never really been involved in politics.

Um, it wasn't until middle school where I saw Charlie Kirk talk for the first time, where I actually had an interest spark uh that I could be a part of something that was bigger than myself.

Um, like I said, I come to you as a resident of Ward 4.

Uh, I'm not in college, I'm graduating, I'm working, I love the city.

Um I'm someone who believes in God.

He's the creator and judge of all.

Um I'm someone who loves this country uh and who believes in the honest good faith debate of ideas.

Um I'm also someone who believes that the measure of a man or woman, any man or woman is far larger than any paragraph of a pithy post.

So when world events happen, I firmly believe that our responses should be measured and honest.

A grotesque cheerleader, a uh gritty or whatever that word was, um narcissist.

And after reading that and seeing you smirk after someone was on the verge of tears, really irked me.

Um I don't feel represented by you.

I've talked to numerous neighbors about your words and the council's words.

And none of them feel represented.

No one feels like you are for them, and it hurts.

It hurts your community that you are taking an oath to protect and serve.

You called Charlie Kirk a death machine.

Who did he kill?

Who did TPUSA kill?

No one.

Charlie was brutally and publicly assassinated.

I'm all for criticizing uh ideas you disagree with.

Yes, I hope that we continue to do that peacefully.

Um expose real wrong, if it exists with facts and context, but do not mutilate a man's humanity in the name of getting alike.

In the Declaration of Independence, it says that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed by the Creator by unalienable rights, uh, chief of which life.

Charlie had a right to life.

I have a right to life.

Council, you have a right to life.

Unborn children have a right to life.

Um Charlie committed his life to sharing the gospel using his energy and gifts to promote the need and utility of respectful civil discourse, especially to young people across this nation, to the city, and in your ward.

I couldn't be more upset with the words that have been uttered by a specific two members of this council, and I respectfully ask that you return to God in humility, ask for repentance, and let Christ change your life like he changed mine.

I'm a new person, born again Christian, and I love Jesus Christ, and I hope that he can change everyone's life in this room.

And to the people who talk about preaching in public.

The context of Matthew 6 is Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for praying in public, trying to appear pompous, overly righteous, extra holy.

Now we are earnest.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Serena Wilson.

First of all, I am Sarita Wilson.

I have sat in the seat.

I have been threatened with my life sitting in that seat.

Somebody was in this room right now, was going to take me out of the seat any by any means possible.

And so that's not lost on me.

Additionally, I would like to read a few things for you.

Let's see, hold on.

Fascism is an authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology that emphasizes the nation or race above the individual.

It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, a centralized government, and the forcible suppression of opposition.

The term originated with Benito Mussolini.

It's an old term, though.

It means something about gathering sticks or something.

But um, but Mussolini uh founded the fascist movement.

Now I want to talk about what is a one of the main characteristics of a fascist regime is ultra-conservatism.

Uh fascist regimes often promote traditional values and gender roles and exhibit nostalgia for perceived golden age.

I won't go any further into that.

You can Google some stuff on your own.

I know.

Um but I wanted to say, because of some of the things that were said here tonight, that I am well represented in my ward for that I am living in now.

But I wanted to say, because of some of the things that were said here tonight, that I am well represented in my ward for that I am living in now.

I feel very represented by our mayor, by council members that aren't my council member, by Kimberly Blodgett, who is amazing and uh tells us what's gonna happen on I might go check her page.

Um Step, always at every event, always at all the events he can be at, as well as Helen, Matthew Peacock, absolutely amazing human that you know, you're at the stuff.

You try.

Gansbury, I don't know you as well, but I think you're amazing as well.

Brandon's reached out to me.

I know it's the whole council.

I like Josh, I like Scott, I don't know you, but doesn't matter.

You're probably all right.

I do like the jacket, and I like the farm girl fair.

So there, I address the whole council and the council as a whole.

So maybe I got the terms wrong.

Um, but I do feel very represented in my community.

This is my community.

I served, like Brandon does, uh as the Word Five representative.

Did I do it right all the time?

No, but I made a hundred bucks doing it.

Did I do it right all the time?

No, I didn't, and it's okay.

Did I say things I shouldn't have said?

Probably.

You know, it happens.

I might say something tonight I shouldn't say.

It might happen tomorrow.

However, comma.

This is our community.

Um, we vote.

We voted for our council member, our mayor, the rest of you, I guess somebody voted for you.

But I appreciate that part of the process.

And I would like to just give my vote of support to my council member today.

That I think that we as council members, you as council members, myself, when I was a council member, should not be expected to, I don't know, um.

Oh, what I want to say.

Um be available 24-7 in a polished mode.

Not gonna happen.

It's not gonna happen.

I'll cede the rest of my 15 seconds to a moment of silence.

Lane Paul.

Good evening, uh, mayor and the city council.

Um my name's Lane Paul.

Um, the first thing I would like to say is I am here to show my support for not only Charlie's legacy, but his family, his wife, and his two daughters.

Um I am from a small town, Oklahoma.

Um moved around a lot my throughout my life, all the way up to the state of Idaho.

Um and back.

Uh I've been a student at the University of Oklahoma for the past four years, and I've lived in Norman for two of those years.

Um I love, I I absolutely love the city of Norman.

I love the people here.

It's everyone you know you meet around here is I think I want to believe they're all good people.

They seemed to um, however, I do want to say that I am incredibly disappointed with some of the things that I have read from some of our city council members here in Norman.

Um specifically about Charlie and some of our young Americans that are a part of TPUSA.

Um I myself was as been involved with TP USA, not only that, I am the current president of the uh OU chapter of Young Americans for Liberty.

Um I think that I want to end this off by saying that a lot of a lot of left-leaning people like to say that the right party is the party of hate.

Um and I I just can't understand where that's coming from, I suppose, because almost every conservative man woman that I met is a man or woman of God.

And I just want to read a little bit of scripture here.

This is Luke chapter 6, verses 27 to 31.

Jesus says, but to you who are listening, I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn them the other also.

If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

I just want to say with that.

Not only just share beliefs that are against my own, but those who outwardly show hate toward the people, these young Americans behind me here that are out here to show their support of a man who believed in freedom.

Thank you.

Riley Worley.

Riley Worley, Ward 1.

To the council and my community, good evening.

To those who are not from Norman, but have come here tonight because they felt called to despite having no stake in it.

I hope you guys enjoy our community for the few days that you're here.

I would like to start off real quick talking about just some uh point of order, some decorum stuff.

At the beginning of the council meeting, we talked about how you are not allowed to address one single council member specifically.

Earlier, we had one single person who spent two and a half minutes directing all of their comments towards one single council member and was allowed to continue for that entire duration without being cut off.

I want to point out that that should be that rule should be applied equally to everyone, um, regardless of what they're saying, regardless of who they are addressing it to.

But moving beyond that, I want to encourage all of this council to uh ignore a lot of what we heard tonight, and there's a very specific reason for this.

This reason is that all of these people who are talking about how uh they support free speech, all these people who are talking about how uh they're opposing negative comments made, they're making the exact same comments.

Where were these people who supported free speech when people were losing their visas over uh supporting specific causes, including the cause for Palestine?

Where were they whenever people were being violently arrested for protesting on college campuses?

Additionally, four years ago, um council member former council member Alexander Scott, after she made comments that were uh against the funding of the police, someone attempted to rape her.

To the people in the audience who are claiming that they are against political violence, would they have come today if that's if that had happened today?

I don't think so, because um this is not something that is about political violence, it's about a martyr.

What that tells us is that to these people there is an acceptable amount of political violence.

And for that reason, I think that you should not consider what they're saying because they're entirely hypocritical and none of their opinions are consistent.

I personally have received threats as a result of my advocacy, both inside the council chamber and on social media.

Again, would the people in this room right now stand up and oppose those exact threats that I've received, or would they be the ones making those threats?

I have seen the inside of the culture that has developed that has caused so many of these people to come to this room.

I grew up surrounded by this culture.

I know the kind of things that they are saying in private, and I know that they are significantly worse than any of the comments they have brought up today.

I do not think that we should be taking advice, taking uh input from people who are entirely uh hypocritical, people who are obviously not uh coherent in their beliefs at all, as well as people who are silently cheering on violence, silently supporting um the attacks on council members.

Again, after council former council member Alexander Scott was uh someone attempted to rape her, there's people who were trying to tell her that she deserved it.

In advanced people are telling her that they hope she never needs the police, um, which will arguably access thinly veiled threats and encourage people to take violence against her.

Practically speaking, also we're seeing that so many people from outside this community are coming here trying to influence our community when they have no stake in it.

I think this is not acceptable.

I think that people outside of our community should not be allowed to speak in front of the council, considering they are not residents here, they're not eligible to vote for council members, and they have no stake in it.

Thank you.

Evening, ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Philip Holzhauser, I'm a local pastor or preacher here in Oklahoma City, as well as an evangelist.

I'd like to thank you all for coming to this.

Um really big turnout, way more than I thought it would be.

Um I'd also like to give thanks to God that we're all breathing right now.

He's the very reason we have blood in our veins and breath in our lungs, and the very reason we're here to sit here is because of him.

Um so that's something I hope that uh everybody thinks about every single day.

Um I would like to read a passage from Matthew 5.

It's words of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount.

The liberals love this sermon.

They love it because it sounds sweet, but they never really actually pay attention to what it means.

And they never do heed the warnings given by our Savior.

Chapter 5, verse 21, it says, You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.

Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council, and whoever says you fool will be liable to the hell of fire.

Now, unfortunately, so many liberal churches have done away with hellfire.

They don't tell about the judgment of God anymore.

They don't warn people that if they die and their sins are gonna go to the very place that they should fear the most.

See, our God is an all-consuming fire.

A lot of people like to say, Oh, God, send the fire.

And you don't want the fire.

The fire is judgment, the fire is damnation.

The fire is what we all deserve as wicked, vile sinners standing before God.

And the only thing that keeps us from that fire is the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the only way to heaven.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man comes to the Father but by me.

But ladies and gentlemen, there's one thing that Christ said you must do.

You must repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repent means to turn from your sins, give them to Christ, renounce your wicked ways and believe on him to save you, not your self-righteousness.

The Bible says your self-righteousness is just filthy rags before God.

But doesn't God demand righteousness?

He says it's unless your righteousness exceeds those of the scribes and Pharisees, I'll have no part of you.

So how do you get this righteousness?

You can only get it through Jesus Christ.

So I implore every single person in this audience, council member or not, if you are not sure where you would go when you pass away from this earth, turn to Christ as soon as you can, because let me give you a very sobering statistic, ladies and gentlemen.

Every single day in these United States of America, 8700 people die.

8700 people every 24 hours pass away.

They go to bed thinking they're gonna wake up and they don't wake up.

They stand before God.

That's what the Bible says.

It's appointed once for man to die, and after this comes judgment.

Whose judgment?

Your judgment.

Every single one of us is gonna have to give an account to God when we die for the things we've done.

And none of our good works, whether it be charity or building wells or helping the homeless, is gonna make us ripe with the very God we've offended with our sin.

The only payment for sin can be found through Jesus Christ, and that's what I implore you to do today.

Turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.

Repent of your sins and believe on the one who died for sinners.

Romans 5 8 says God sent Christ to die for the ungodly while we were sinners.

So that's what I implore you to do is turn to Christ, because you may not have tomorrow.

And for the remaining time, I'd like for everyone to spend in silent prayer.

Next speaker is Audrey, Audrey Digua.

Good evening.

Uh Audrey DA, Ward 1.

Um, I am also uh junior at the University of Oklahoma.

Um I'd like to start today with a little education.

I heard some things that I knew to be wrong.

Um the first couple words of the Constitution are we the people, not God, not the government.

We do not derive our power from either.

We have the power because we are the people, and the government derives it from us.

On that note, I'd like to talk about voting.

Voting is not just a right we have.

I do not think people should choose not to vote because it is something that we can lose if we do not use it.

I think it is your responsibility to vote.

And I think that if you, if anybody in this community is disappointed in how their representation has been representing them, they should use that part of their freedom of speech and that right of theirs, their right to vote to change who represents them at the next election cycle.

Because the people on this council, excluding one, thank you for your service.

I know this is not an easy job.

But the people on this council were elected by their constituents, and when their constituents do not want them to serve anymore, they will vote them out.

So that they can know maybe who to address their comments to in the future.

Additionally, I like to beat the dead horse about the UNP TIFF.

I know there's nothing we can do about it, but should it occur, I'd like us to consider the sort of needs that will be there.

I found myself in the University of North Park on accident a couple weekends ago, and trying to get home was hellish.

There is not the roads are not suitable for that kind of traffic.

We've talked about just maintaining them, but also there are two lanes each direction.

If we want to put a basketball stadium there, we're gonna need to think about some of the work that needs to be done, in addition to servicing all of the people who will live there, um who will send their children to school there.

Um additionally, the fact that we already have some pretty severe problems in Norman, including homelessness.

Um I will say, as a part of the Norman community, I am a little bit ashamed about the way some of my peers and other people in my community have been speaking about members of the homeless community, especially given that we're talking about how everybody has the right to life and all people are equal, especially since so many of these people served our country and are now being failed by the system.

Um but overall, I'd like to say thank you to the entire council for being here for doing this job with basically no reward.

Um, and especially uh David Michael Jordan Gandisbury, my favorite ward member.

Um, no bias.

Thank you.

Cheryl Ann Dinzo.

Cheryl.

Cheryl and Denso will not have property in wards four and six.

And boy, howdy, this has been quite the uh revival.

Um I want to speak about um charter breaking.

Okay.

Um the charter's been consistently broken in the last couple of months by having a bunch of pontificating after miscellaneous comments.

On the agenda, it says adjourn, adjournment after miscellaneous comments.

It doesn't say the council members or mayors get to have their point of view spewed.

That is a break in charter.

No council member should speak after this time for the public.

And to do so breaks the rules for this governing body.

So quit doing it.

Okay.

Adjournment.

It's just that.

Adjournment.

That's the rule that we should be holding.

Kudos to Diana for paying attention to Norman's economic situation.

We all have to live within the budget.

Apparently, there are some people who think they can stretch the budget for years and years and years on the backs of our future generations.

That is called a TIF.

Thank you for paving 12th Street on the east side of Norman.

For years it has been horribly potholed.

And it's finally been fixed.

So thank you.

I appreciate that.

All of you son Norman appreciates that.

People have to drive back and forth to work.

Appreciate that.

And finally, there's no monopoly on compassion.

All right.

All of Norman are compassionate people.

It's just that some people think they do it better than others.

Okay.

Norman's got to be a lot better at being transparent with the public in all aspects.

This council must be more transparent.

Enough of the executive session.

Garbage.

We all wear big panties.

Let us see what you're talking about.

All right.

And don't be complacent with the issues at present.

Thank you.

Chelsea Gravel.

Good evening, Norman, Council, Mayor, and Chelsea Gravel, Ward 4.

I'd like to address some of the comments that were made this evening because council and mayor cannot do so after the meeting like they have been.

Potholes, there are no money.

Our council and mayor have used that for the homeless and taken money out of the general fund.

That is why our police and fire department are so short staffed and underfunded.

And we are waiting for your review on the audit that was done from out of state to hold you accountable.

Looking forward to hearing about that to see what we can do for our police and fire since it was said, how surprising we are doing as a city with such understaffed police.

And we can thank at least a few of you for that, right?

Because we know who's done that.

Trash was addressed.

We have some people in our city now that work for two weeks, and we'll come and pick up the bags of bag trash, our homeless work program.

They don't actually pick up trash, they pick up encampments that have been left and bags of trash that citizens have left on the side of the road.

I'd like to remind you that Norman cares.

Norman is watching you.

Norman sees what you do and what you say and what you have done for many terms.

I know she's doing a great job working with our police department to keep citizens informed since a lot of this has been hidden for the last 20 years.

I'm really disgusted with some of the stuff I've read in the files and the back data.

And I understand we're not in a court of law, and you guys can lie, and I've heard lies up here many times.

I know so much about you guys.

We all know that.

We know that I've researched everything there is online on each one of you.

I'm not gonna bring that up.

I do want to extend a welcome to our guests that have come tonight.

Um a lot of us may not agree with what they've said religiously, and I understand that they do, and what I've heard is passion and conviction, and I believe that you guys also feel that way when you speak, and I do hear that coming from you, even if those that are being addressed tonight 100% do not agree with the statements that were made.

You can still see some reason in good ethics, morals, values.

I know you agree with those things when it comes to your point of view.

If what was stated was stated about somebody else instead of a political figure, but it was stated about a husband, a child, or maybe even a brother that is mentally ill.

It would be felt differently.

This was not stated in a way that would make somebody feel bad whenever they are passionately proud of what they have said, they feel no sorrow.

This is not something that someone is ashamed of what they have said.

This is someone who is a proud activist for her city, for their city.

These are proud words of somebody who is actively trying to change and shape their city.

Should they be doing that from a government position from council?

Should any of you be fighting ethical problems within our city as an activist from where you stand?

No!

If you want to be an activist, get off a council.

Now I'm about to run out of time.

And I see that there was a lot of things tonight that were said.

And I just want to be so grateful and so thankful that we have a room full of people that are willing to come out and speak with you because that's not always the case.

I've been here many times when there was not a soul in this room.

So I am very grateful that somebody has listened and somebody cares.

Thank you for your time this evening.

Carlanda Gravel.

Spoke with City Attorney Catherine Walker a few times.

We've had a few meetings.

You all know what's going on.

And you've always known what's going on, because I told you.

And if you want to request open records, you can find those meetings.

Remember what he said?

Remember we became told what he said about us?

Do we say that publicly?

The clown show.

This is what we are.

We are the clown show.

And we need to find out how to stop this behavior.

This is completely inappropriate.

I am not represented.

There are many citizens in the city that are not Republicans that are not represented.

I am not represented.

If I were Republican, would I be represented?

If I were a Democrat, would I be represented?

That should have nothing to do with this.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

What's open records?

What are the laws for that?

Is this an open records violation because we don't have access to it?

City council members said we've got a mayor.

Comments from Mayor Stephen Talarum, excuse me.

And his regular page.

Do we have an official page for each of you?

All your little secrets that you stick around on Facebook and say.

Have you talked to your other council members?

Do you know what they've been saying?

Do you have any earthly idea what you've gotten yourself into?

Stay tuned for the clown show.

Cynthia Rogers.

And Russell, you're out in the lobby.

I see you out there, but you are next if you want to make your way in after Cynthia.

Good evening.

Cynthia Rogers, Ward 4.

Um, I really wanted to come talk about wonky city policy, city stuff.

Um, thank you for removing item 27 about the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition off of consent.

I'm still a little confused how it made it on consent, but um I'm glad that there will be discussions.

And um I think it's really hard to imagine how you how you could contemplate renewing a contract with an entity, even though it's a revised entity that has been in breach of contract since 2021.

We haven't, at least last time I asked, we haven't had the audits that are part of their contract with the city.

And I think particularly since the city's been willing to uh very aggressively audit other agencies that get money.

Fair's fair.

Everybody should be responsible if they're gonna get city muddy to show us how they're using it.

For instance, you know, there were a lot of shenanigans that went on related to the arena TIFF vote, like uh room full of students that apparently were paid.

Did that come from the NEDC?

I don't know.

Maybe an audit would show that, maybe an audit would show that it didn't.

Um there were a lot of text messages going on around during the referendum.

Who paid for those?

So I think I think part of getting public money is being accountable and transparent to how that money is spent.

Um and I would be absolutely against any contract with an entity that refuses to provide said audits.

And also I'm also against an entity that refuses to provide the city with slides that they presented at a city meeting.

Um if an organization wants to be private and not collaborate and help the city be transparent.

I think that's not an organization we should seriously consider giving public funds to.

As is as a Cleveland County resident, I would be double taxed because the county's contributing too.

So I think there's lots of questions about that contract and that entity.

Um that entity's role in the whole um team Norman events that went on.

So as an economist, I don't have a lot of confidence in an organization that did not point out to the city how bad the arena TIFF financing are, how that would crush the city budget.

We're already underwater, we're already having trouble, and giving up one to three million dollars in general fund growth a year.

How are we gonna pay the police and the fire department?

How are we gonna keep the staff employed?

So I guess I'll disagree with um one of the other city members who is like, yes, let's let's I think we should have experts, but I think we need independent third-party experts who don't really have um who aren't super influenced by um people that are trying to make a lot of money.

As for the other discussions that went on this evening, um, I think people should realize that um somebody you idolize might not be perceived the same way by other very reasonable people, and maybe have a discussion about that Russell Rice Russell Rice Word too.

Um Mayor Peacock, uh council.

Um I think we should do a TIFF on all blighted potholes.

We're gonna get serious about TIFS.

All right.

Listen, it's gonna require a supermajority if it's larger than a semi-truck.

You guys with me?

No.

What about some just potting soil and some weeds?

We gotta figure something out.

Anyways, uh James Garner extension.

Man, I love that thing, but God is it dangerous.

Like even the people with the stop signs don't stop.

Uh I don't know, does it need to be a roundabout?

Does we need like a someone traffic?

I don't know.

We need something.

Someone's gonna get killed there.

Uh also uh, real quick, I'm not that good at math, but I do know that we have like under 300 homeless people in this town and like 128,000 people.

So that would be like 0.23% of our population is homeless.

Is almost we should be able to help them just fine.

I don't see what the big deal is.

We're not talking about that much tonight.

Um also as a veteran, I feel uh that I signed up to fight for my country to ensure people can sit down, lay down, squat, run, swim, or do anything that they feel they want to do when the Pledge of Allegiance is being played.

Demanding somebody be patriotic by standing the way somebody else wants, or saying the things that somebody else thinks that they should say.

Demanding somebody be patriotic by standing the way somebody else wants, or saying the things that somebody else thinks that they should say is very controlling.

Yeah, that's it.

Thank you.

You'll have a good night.

Oh, thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you, Council.

Evan Dunn, Ward Seven.

You know I'm a book lover.

And this is a book that I think we would all probably benefit by reading a little bit.

This book analyzes the way that the big media conglomerates use their knowledge of what it is that triggers that anger.

What it is that creates that divide.

And they make more money.

They get higher ratings.

They can charge their advertisers even more because there are more eyes watching their program.

They're watching for longer.

And I mourn for his wife and his family and all of these people who all of these people whose lives have been touched by his work.

But I'm in disguise.

Just the title says it all.

This is Elizabeth Warren's book before she when she was running for president.

Look at the title.

This is our fight.

Testosterone and dominance.

That's what we want because we're a culture of spectacle.

Bread and circus.

Coziness.

Put on by some people who go to my church, which is Morningstar.

And I I invite everybody to come join us.

Sunday morning at the old library just west of Highland Dairy, 10 a.m.

There was a woman who is working with the prisons, working with the Cleveland County jail, and I want to nominate her right now.

Her name is Tori Rose.

And what she is doing to help people understand and reflect on what it was that made them commit that crime against this community code of conduct that we've all been born into unquantifiably valuable.

And I've heard the term the phrase reference that silence is complicity.

Silence is agreement.

Well, where were the people up in arms when Gazans were being starved?

Are Muslim children not as valuable as Americans?

I'm sick and tired of Americans fighting each other.

That's what's making the Chinese and the rest of the world laugh at us.

Some envy us.

That's true.

But for the wrong reasons, I yield back.

Jeanette Coker.

Jeanette.

Jeanette.

Jeanette.

Okay.

Um Lane Brown.

Good evening, Council.

It is so good to be back in Norman.

There's one thing that I would like to address.

Mayor Holman, you're not gonna bully me with your fake rules.

Um you're gonna interrupt me and tell me that I'm not allowed to address you.

That's fine.

Uh I don't care.

And uh for one, we we we brought a pre well, actually, let me start up by saying I heard some crazy comments actually.

Um separation of church and state does not exist.

It's not real.

Um that is a fake myth by the woke lift.

Uh and then someone mentioned gun deaths in our schools, um, children getting killed if we arm our teachers, you know, that would stop quickly.

Uh and actually we brought a present for Miss Helen Grant today.

It's actually the uh the Holy Bible.

Um we'll give it to you after the Mr.

Brown, if you mention a counselor by name one more time, the mic will be and that would be the end of your speaking time.

Okay, that's fine.

They're not gonna be able to do that.

Yeah, I don't care.

Okay.

Uh back to what I was saying.

Um you are you are done speaking here.

Thank you.

Your Mac is cut, and you can remove it yourself.

And when you become a resident of Norman, you are welcome to come back and speak.

I'll be back next week.

Okay.

You didn't understand what he said.

Ten minutes total, regardless of how many speakers.

So that's where we're at.

Please state your name for the record.

Roper.

Thank you for having all of us here today.

I understand that you all are not paid for what you're doing, and I appreciate your service as an American.

Without you all, government would not go through, we wouldn't get things done, we wouldn't have a city to live in, to shop in, to worship in, all of that.

Um I'd like to say you are all representative of this town.

I am a teacher, I'm a mom, and whatever I say reflects on my beliefs and on my family, and and it's and it's carries a weight to it.

And I don't take it lightly.

As council people, you all need to be very careful about what you say.

You can talk about policies in the official capacity of your job.

You can talk about what's going on in the city and your opinion on things.

That's why we elected you.

Why the Norman has elected you.

However, when you all, and free speech is a great thing, I am grateful for it.

My father, my brother, my relatives, they've all fought for freedom in the military.

For all of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, everything.

But when it is when it is not productive speech, and when it's tearing people down or dividing your city, our city, our state, our government, okay.

Um, so I've seen that.

And as a teacher, and I'm watching all of you, and I want to thank you so much for those who are listening and actively listening to everyone who came up here.

I appreciate that.

Because that to us communicates that you truly um value what your constituents think.

However, when a student in my classroom pouts and frowns or will not look and give you the respect that any human deserves, every human.

Um it is shameful and it's embarrassing.

Um as a minority and as an immigrant as well in my family.

Um I have taken on America with great pride.

My grandmother came during World War II, and she was born.

My mother is born in a relocation camp in Germany and a displaced persons camp, and they were told they could go to another country.

And my grandmother said, no, my granddaughters are going to be born in America because that's where they value women and they listen to us.

And you have people on your council, not many, who are not listening and are being disrespectful and do not value America like they should.

So people of Norman, I pray that you all are looking and you're watching what's going on right now.

Because you want people who represent you.

And I'm hearing there are some who are not being representative, represented whatever.

Wow.

Thank you so much for what you're doing.

And I do appreciate it.

We're all fighting for what we think is right.

And I pray we can do it in a way where our words are spoken with kindness and with intelligence and with wisdom.

Thank you.

Joe Love, Ward One.

You know, I was here last city council meeting, talk about this same thing, but it's kind of uh it's kind of hit me a little different tonight.

Um is supposed to be building an inclusive community.

And uh, you know, this kind of thing coming out is not inclusive uh as a as somebody who I feel would be labeled a MAGA Republican, MAGA or maggot by people who want to be disrespectful.

Um I feel like that when those kind of words or when those kind of ideas are coming out from my city council member, well, not my city council member, but my mom, my brothers, my uncles, my grandmas, they all live right there in Ward 4.

Uh I grew up there.

I have a heart for Ward 4.

And to see that my entire family might just be written off just because of what color hat they decide to wear, or whether what they said who they might support voting wise.

That to me is it feels the exact opposite of inclusive.

It really does feel like that if you want to wear a MAGA hat in Norman, uh, you're probably not gonna get listened to by your city councilman.

And I won't say I will say that that wasn't started now.

My former city councilwoman uh was known for you know turning her back on people and for much the same reason.

And so I uh I'm sick of seeing that kind of stuff.

You know, I would like for people to just I and I and I I will also say you can misspeak, and that's entirely fine.

Like I'm totally fine, but what I would like is when things are miss said, let's have a clarification.

Let's not send your supporters up here to come and talk for you and tell you what you really meant and how to read the tea leaves.

Come up and just tell us what you meant.

I mean, you can say it on your Facebook page, you can say it anywhere.

But uh I just think that you know, all of this stuff is is very divisive.

Uh, it's not very helpful.

We're spending a lot of time on talking on stuff that really has very little to do with city business.

It's it's only do it's only relevant to city business if I know that my opinion is not gonna count whenever I talk, because like I say, you can look up my political uh my political affiliation, you can see it.

And so if you want to listen to people or ignore people based off of that, then okay.

What I read and what I saw was dehumanizing.

Uh it was calling a whole group of people, and and we've seen even people come and respond tonight saying those people wouldn't help you if you were getting raped and you're on the other side.

That that's that's what it's creating.

It's creating people to divide up into these groups and think the other side is evil and your side's great, and we all just need to team up, and you know, we're seeing people behind me, you know, the same people are jeering at the other people, whatever.

It's just dividing up into groups where it was it was all started, I think the city council individuals said, and all that would have to happen is some clarification and maybe an apology for I didn't realize it would come off so hurtful.

I apologize.

That would go a long way.

But uh, you know, until I see that, I'm gonna just assume because we've told you our we've told you what we feel about what was said and how we feel on the receiving end of that.

Uh it's up to it's up to any of you to respond to that.

Uh, and if you will, then we can make some, you know, we can make some inroads the right direct go the right direction, but if nobody will clarify, we'll respond, will answer the calls that this whole community has.

Uh I don't know how we expect it to be better.

Thank you.

So I'm gonna let these two that are standing and these two that are standing.

I'll let you all speak, and then that'll be the end of this discussion.

My name is Vicky uh Garcia, and I'm out of Ward 4.

First of all, I'd like to say congratulations, because I haven't got to congratulate you to the mayor.

And I would like y'all to know that I know that y'all are trying your best to do what you can.

I didn't have a lot of faith in my council member.

Um whenever I came here before, and I realized that she listens, and it gave me a lot of influence to respect her better, and saying so.

I'd like to say I'm sorry for your loss.

Your person is probably gonna be as big as Martin Luther King.

And saying it like that, I think that they should go to the state with it.

Also, I think the city needs to talk to the state about other areas like Griffin Memorial.

Uh, you guys talk a lot about mental health, and this affects our community a lot.

And a lot of people are referring to Griffin Memorial Hospital as Griffin Hotel instead of a hospital because the funding is not there for them.

So people go on this day for three to six days, and they're back out, then they go check back in.

There's a lot of funds that could be spent in other areas if they didn't check in and out in and out and out.

So that's something that y'all should think about.

And I really think that it would help the community to think about that better, because there is a lot of mental health abilities that are available, but there's also a lot that have been cut off, and the funds have been not dealt with good.

So please talk to the state about getting money for that.

That's all.

My name is Kaylee Holzhauser.

I'm actually Philip Holzhauser's wife.

I initially was not going to speak today, but I think I will.

First off, I want to give you my testimony of how of what Jesus Christ had deliver me from.

You know, back in 2020, I used to be a member of Antifa.

I rioted, I did some really stupid things that should have been arrested for.

You know, I used to be a very violent person.

And I and I'll tell you this, you know, it it's it's a blessing of what Jesus Christ did for me.

You know, I also used to be uh a member of the LGBT.

I used to be uh a pro-abort uh person, and you know, I've even experienced homelessness, and you know, I I know I know what the other side is all about since I used to be part of it, and I just want to say that those of you that are part of the left, I am a living example that there is hope for you, uh, you know, to get saved and to to be my neighbor in heaven.

And I do want to say that is so so disappointing, so disheartening that uh an elected official would make the comments that she did about Charlie Kirk, you know.

I I'm gonna be honest.

Um, I love everyone in here.

I actually don't support Trump because I I don't agree on his position of abortion.

I think he needs to do an executive order to abolish human abortion and not just abolish it, but criminalize it, and you know, anybody, whether it's the mother, the doctor, you know, they it needs to be criminalized and they need to be thrown in jail.

And if you treated it like capital murder, and he is not doing that.

Um so that that's what I have against Donald Trump, you know, and I'd be happy to discuss with you know my fellow conservatives about that.

But um, I didn't agree with Charlie on everything, but I witnessed the up close video of him getting assassinated, and I immediately thought about his family, his wife, his children, and then these ugly comments online of people celebrating his murder, celebrating his death, you know, especially after I seen the blood come out of his carotid artery, and before anybody, you know, even uh announced that he was dead.

I knew he was dead right away.

It, you know, it hurts us, you know, and I know his wife and his, I mean, his children probably one day see it, they're too young to know, thank God.

But uh his wife, I know she sees these comments, and it's you know, I feel for her.

I don't know what I would do if I lost my husband, and I surely hope that any anybody in this room that has celebrated his death and made ugly comments.

I pray you're never in a position where uh you have to see your husband be publicly assassinated and for other people to make you know ugly public comments.

Um I'd like to uh have my last remaining seconds for uh prayer and a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk's family.

Hi, my name is Alex Kinesny.

I've been off and on lifeline uh lifelong resident of Ward 4.

I just want to very briefly speak to reiterate and second the comments that have made by those expressing their gratitude for the current city council for all that you do, uh, all that you have to put up with, sympathy for all that you often have to undeservedly put up with in order to do a very thankless but always necessary job.

That's all I name is Aishelle, I'm uh Ward 3 resident.

I'm also a human rights commissioner.

I think council members and mayor, uh, previous council members.

I know that no one ever agrees, no one sees eye to eye.

You guys do a wonderful job of a thankless um opportunity you have.

I don't know why you do it.

You guys have businesses, it impacts your daily life, your personal lives, your spouses probably hate you because you never come home on time.

Um it's not easy.

Your social media pages are your personal pages, it is your opinions, it is what you have your own respite.

Um not governed like teachers, our public school teachers, uh, a lot of universities, they do not allow those individuals to post things online.

I don't know if you knew that, but a lot of those, it was like 20 years ago when they were governed to not allow them to post anything on their social media pages because they um would get fired.

Um saying that I also do not condone death is death.

The loss of Charlie Kirk and his family is huge.

That is not something I took very lightly.

Um death, whether it's school or gun violence, it's not anything anyone should celebrate.

It's not anything you justify, it's not anything that anyone can communicate and discuss, and it does bring out emotions in groups, and it causes ramifications that we see here.

And slowly throughout this evening, I felt numb.

Is a prophet.

Anyone in this room knows who that prophet is.

He asked that the individuals in a community be allowed to throw the first stone to the prostitute who is sin-free.

As everyone was coming in and making judgment on either side, which was giving me anxiety because we were all citizens, all citizens of this community, of this state, of this county, of this nation, and we were choosing sides, and we were telling everyone you're on this side and you're on that side, and you are this and you are that.

And it was disheartening because I have gone to my parents' country and I have seen bloodshed bodies for people who try to vote.

And I have seen people gunned down, children gunned down, because those kids, families, try to vote.

And here we have a perfect society, and we have the ability to communicate and have discourse, and here we're choosing sides, and we're telling each other, and we're casting stones at each other.

And Isaam said, those who are sin free, and every time I pulled up your social media pages, guess what?

Everyone chastised the Muslim.

You guys made fun of Muslim, and I'm sitting back there, the Muslim in this community, and everyone hated me in your social media pages.

No one likes me.

None of you guys like me.

You guys like to make fun of me.

And I'm here trying to build this community.

So I'm offering you guys an opportunity to work together.

The very second person's head, let's find solutions, let's try to work.

Several people offered.

Let's build.

Do you guys know who Isaam is?

This Jesus.

He's Jesus.

That is his solution.

So many people don't understand.

Muslim women wear a headscarf because we practice to be merry.

She is the most chaste.

We are all the same.

We're fighting each other for no reason.

Whether it's this councilwoman, she made a mistake, whether it's out of context, whatever it is, we can all find solutions.

We're one community.

Other countries don't have the opportunities we all have.

Work together, that's all I ask.

This is a professional business meeting.

And so I again I welcome you all to come to City Hall and sign up to speak any time as long as you understand the rules of the meeting and are willing to follow them.

So again, continue to get active and stay involved in city issues, uh, especially the zoning and development stuff that we typically deal with in all of our meetings.

So, anyway, thank you all for coming here and expressing your opinions and being respectful of each other and