Okay.

I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of January 27, 2026.

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Deputy Mayor Bushnell.

Present.

Councilmember Diaz.

Councilmember Hines.

Councilmember Palmer.

Councilmember Rumbaugh.

Here.

Councilmember Sidalgay.

Here.

Councilmember Scott.

Here.

Councilmember Walker.

Oh, here.

And Mayor Ibsen.

Here.

Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Deputy Mayor Bushnell, followed by a moment of silence for John Douglas Rake.

Tonight we dedicate our moment of silence to John Douglas Rake, co-founder of the Tacoma Musical Playhouse, who passed away on December 30th.

John was a visionary artist, a mentor to generations, and a builder of community whose impact reached far beyond the stage.

He was well regarded and well recognized for his impact, including delivering a City of Destiny Award in 2024.

His commitment to creativity, inclusion, and belonging help shape Tacoma's cultural identity.

Please join me in a moment of silence to honor John Rake and his lasting legacy in our city.

We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Pulit people where they make their home and speak the Lashut Seed language.

Please stand for the flag salute and remain standing for a moment of silence.

Are there any modifications to the agenda this evening?

Seeing none, we'll move on to the consent agenda.

Is there a motion?

I move to adopt the consent agenda, including resolutions number 41845 and 41846.

Move and second.

Are there any questions, comments, or corrections?

Deputy Mayor.

That's okay.

Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Those opposed signify by saying nay.

Ayes have it.

The consent agenda is declared passed.

Moving on to proclamations, recognitions, presentations, and announcements.

Whereas the International Association of Firefighters and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network have supported recognitions and built awareness of firefighter cancer impacts, and whereas Tacoma firefighters serve our community by placing the safety of others above their own.

And whereas research shows firefighters face a significantly higher risk of cancer diagnosis and cancer-related death than the general population, making occupational cancer the leading cause of line of duty deaths.

And whereas studies demonstrate a direct link between on-the-job chemical exposures and increased cancer risk, leading all 50 states to recognize cancer as a presumptive occupational illness for firefighters, and whereas early cancer detection through routine screening improves treatment outcomes and survival.

Now therefore, I, Andrews Ibsen, Mayor of the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim January 2026 as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month in the City of Tacoma, and encourage all residents to join us in building awareness of the occupational impacts of the firefighters who keep us safe.

Please say a few woods.

On behalf of the many members of the Tacoma Fire Department, we are honored to accept this proclamation.

Cancer has touched every corner of our department.

Some members are currently battling this disease, and tragically, many have lost their lives to it.

These are not abstract statistics.

These are our co-workers, our friends, our family.

Firefighters face a well-documented increased risk of occupational cancer due to repeated exposures to carcinogens in the line of duty.

While this risk is inherent to our profession, there are many meaningful steps we can take to reduce it.

Protecting our firefighters from occupational cancer is both a moral responsibility and a sound investment in public safety.

We appreciate your recognition today and urge continued action to ensure those who serve the city can do so with the protection and peace of mind.

Thank you for your time and thank you for your support.

Thank you, Chief.

Council and Mayor, I thank you for this proclamation.

This is our safety chief, uh Steve Proper, and unfortunately, Matt Frank couldn't make it tonight, otherwise he would have been here.

Thank you all very much.

Are there any uh comments from the city council?

Councilman Roman.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Um, I saw this article um in our news clips about, and Matt Frank was in the article talking about cancer amongst um someone we we care a lot about, which is our Tacoma Firefighters, and I want to appreciate what it means for you to do this job and how dangerous it has been.

And I don't have this exact statistics in front of me, but it's higher for firefighters and for the general population as far as cancer goes.

And I want to say we appreciate you, we honor you, and I want to thank you for being here tonight.

I know there are people who don't want to come out and tell people that they have cancer because it maybe makes you feel less than, but I wanted you to know that being here says a lot about who you are.

And um, I want to send that message to every firefighter who is struggling with this um with this kind of um ailment and their family and what it means to everyone and doing that job and and getting back to your jobs because I know you love what you do.

So thank you so much, and thank you, Chief, for being here.

Appreciate you so much.

Thank you.

Please come forward and accept the uh proclamation, and please join me in a round of applause.

There we go, Chief.

One more for us.

There you go.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thanks for being here.

Of course.

All right, everybody.

There you go.

One, two, three.

Thank you all so much.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chief.

Uh not too shadow.

We'll get a sale.

Mr.

Corey up.

Thank you, appreciate it.

Of course.

All right, thank you all so much, and thank you for your service.

Next item we'll have will be a PowerPoint presentation for the City Manager Recruitment Update presentation.

I'd like to invite Cheryl Biddleman, Assistant Director of Human Resources to the podium to begin the presentation.

Please note that we'll be taking comments after this presentation separately from the regular public comment period.

Cheryl Good evening, Mayor Ibsen and Council members.

Um, as you know, I'm Cheryl Bidelman, Assistant Director of Human Resources, and I'm here to provide an update on the city manager recruitment.

So today's presentation will include an overview of the planning expertise supporting the process, council engagement, community engagement, and the recruitment timeline.

The operational strategy and administrative committee, also known as OSAC, was tasked with working in partnership with the City of Tacoma Human Resources staff to design the recruitment process.

As part of the effort, the council selected the executive recruiting firm Profman to conduct the recruitment and perform the initial evaluation of the candidates.

The page can be accessed at Tacoma.gov/slash CM recruitment, or by scanning um the QR code.

Oh, sorry, next slide, Allison, or by scanning the QR code that you see on the screen.

There are also signs in the lobby that have the QR code on it if you want to get information about the process.

Community members and city staff were provided a six-week window to complete an online stakeholder survey, and feedback from the survey helped inform and refine the desired competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities used in the recruitment and selection process.

Um to date, Profman has overseen the recruitment and initial evaluation of candidates.

As the process moves into the final stages of candidate evaluation, we're expanding opportunities for continued community involvement.

So we are currently forming two community interview panels with panelists recommended by members of city council.

These panels will participate in interviews on February 26th.

And later that day, members of the community will be invited to attend candidate presentations, participate in question and answer sessions, and meet each final candidate and provide feedback.

The community input will be shared with city council and considered as part of the final candidate selection process.

In my next and final slide, I'll walk you through the next steps in the recruitment process.

So City Council is scheduled to conduct the first round of interviews during the week of February 9th, and final interviews are anticipated to take place on February 26th.

These interviews will be conducted by four panels comprised of uh city council members, city leadership, and then two community panels.

Council is expected to select a preferred candidate by March 3rd with formal confirmation anticipated at the March 17th council meeting.

The selected candidate is expected to begin employment in early April through May of 2026.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Cheryl.

Are there any other uh council comments?

Seeing none, we're uh moving on to public comment here.

Um if you wish to speak about the city manager recruitment, press the raise hand button near the bottom of your Zoom window or uh star nine on your phone now, so we can see the number of people wishing to testify this evening.

If you're speaking in person, please sign up at the back of the room on this particular topic if you've not done so already.

Your name or the last four digits of your phone number will be called out when is your turn to speak.

So, with that, there are three people who sign in on this particular topic pertaining to the city manager recruitment.

Uh Michelle Reich, followed by Tyler Daniels Michelle Reich.

Yeah, I um I've been attending meetings to almost on a regular basis.

And uh I've seen the performance of the city managers that are here.

And I believe that even though you have to go through a recruitment process to, you know, uh to select some person, uh you should uh really uh give credit to the person that's been doing the job right now.

And uh that's all I have to say on that subject there.

Uh if he's performing perfectly well, uh that old saying if it's not broken, why trying to fix it?

You know, thank you, Michelle.

Our next speaker is Tyler Daniels, followed by Jordan Rashad.

Hello, my name is Tyler Daniels, licensed professional civil engineer, and for the city manager position that you are looking to recruit for, they must be aware of the toxicity of the past of Tacoma.

The polluted air, water, food, and soil of our community that have taken place from a sarco's pollution is still present and will not go away unless an area-wide cleanup is done and a full-scale evaluation of the impacts to our human health have taken place.

My ancestors speak through me as me.

I am a poisoned youth of this community from the inaction that has taken place by the City of Tacoma government.

When I see firefighters in a toxic environment, I am concerned.

A Sarko's lumber is within housing structures, ready to poison the humans that are in it.

As new children are born into this land who do not know this information or are unaware of the actual impacts.

Fluoride in our water that calcify our pineal gland, neurotoxins from that, leading to things like Alzheimer's and classified diagnoses that are not actually a root cause, other than the toxicity that exists in our land.

May that individual be ready to change.

Thank you, Tyler.

Appreciate your customer uh your testimony.

Our next speaker is Jordan Rash, followed by Dr.

Janice Clark.

My name is Jordan Rash.

I'm a resident of District One as well as a representative from the district on the Tacoma Planning Commission.

As some of you may recall, when I applied for the role on the commission, I was asked if there was one thing I would like to accomplish during my tenure.

Uh what would that one thing be?

And I said the building of more affordable housing uh and making that easier if possible.

I hope we've done some of that during my tenure thus far, yet, of course, there's still so much work yet to be done.

Times are challenging, resources are stretched thin while demand for our services continues to rise.

And when it comes to housing, we know that there's just simply isn't enough to go around.

Uh it takes follow excuse me, it in times like these, we need bold action from our city leadership.

Uh, we must be creative to take risks if we are going to meet the demands of our community.

It takes follow-through in relationships uh beyond our city limits.

We need a city manager who can manage a large bureaucracy while simultaneously fostering leadership from within the ranks of our civil servants and maintain the city's narrative when pitching the values and amenities that make Tacoma a warm and vibrant community to potential partners from around the world.

And we need a city manager who can be a partner with you all, uh helping to develop your vision for the future as well as to adeptly implement the the decisions that you make.

It's a hard ask, but this is the unicorn we need to help implement the council mayor's vision for Tacoma.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the values of your constituents and for all that you do for the city.

Thank you, Mr.

Rash.

Dr.

Clark.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor, City Council Deputy Mayor.

I am Janice Clark.

I'm a certified minority woman business owner here in Tacoma, actually in 39 counties in Washington State.

I rise in support of our current interim city manager to, and I know it's a competitive process.

I have more degrees than a thermometer, and I get that, but I would ask that you strongly consider in your interview process that he has been doing an outstanding job, and I would cast my 17,665 votes to Mr.

Kim.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Dr.

Clark.

Uh does not look like we have anyone else signed up or any other online participants.

So with that, I'm going to close public comment on this topic.

Moving on to the generic public comment.

On tonight's agenda, there are two additional opportunities for people to comment.

Under public comment, you can speak about motions, resolutions, and ordinances on tonight's agenda, besides the last topic.

Under community forum, which is held at the end of this meeting, you can speak about items over which the city council has jurisdiction.

These forums are intended to give speakers the opportunity to share their viewpoints and feedback with the city council to aid in our decision making and is not meant to be a back and forth dialogue.

Your remarks should be directed to the city council and not individual staff members.

If you want to speak under the public comment period, please click the raise hand button near the bottom of your Zoom window or star nine on your phone now, so we can see the number of people wishing to testify this evening.

If you're speaking in person, please sign up at the back of the room if you have not done so already.

Your name or the last four digits of your phone number will be called out when it is your turn to speak.

Clerk, please read.

This is the time set aside for public comment.

Speakers are asked to identify the specific legislation they wish to address.

Okay.

I'd like to remind everyone to please keep your comments respectful, relevant, focused, and on topic.

We strive to provide a comment period where people can feel respected while sharing a wide variety of viewpoints and acknowledge that we may hear comments that conflict with our values.

To ensure all speakers can express their First Amendment constitutional rights, we ask that you please refrain from clapping, cheering, booing, or otherwise being disrupted.

You'll have 90 seconds to make your remarks, so please be mindful of the time frame.

As always, you are not required to use all of your time to make your point.

If you cannot remain on topic, you'll be given two warnings.

If you remain off topic, we'll have to move on and we'll end your time.

Clerk, have we received any written comments?

No written comments for this public comment period.

Okay, so with that, we're gonna move on to our first speakers, starting with Ms.

Rochelle Reich, followed by Tyler Daniels.

Yes, uh Michelle Reich.

I'm speaking to the firefighters cancer proclamation.

And um the hazards of their work is that in a modern uh technicological society, that almost everything we experience in our household is carcinogenic at some point.

And when those items start getting fire, uh that leaves uh a poison gas that uh essentially uh causes cancers and many other things.

So uh the best protection for the firefighters is to give them the best equipment uh such as uh self-contained breathing apparatus so they they don't have to breathe all those toxic and cancerous fumes and die of cancer down the road.

Uh and uh uh and their problem is similar to what the veterans had in uh Iraq with the burn pits.

The burn pants are essentially a fire with carcinogenic uh items in it there, and many soldiers uh uh were uh diagnosed with cancer from the burn pits, and uh essentially that's what the firefighters go through every day is burn pits.

So uh uh give them the protective gear that they need to minimize uh their uh hazardous intake of chemicals.

Thank you.

Thank you, Michelle.

Moving on to Tyler Daniels, followed by Kit Burns.

Hello, I will be speaking about the uh multifamily housing development.

Um, as someone who worked in planning and development services for over 10 years, I know that the impacts to our environment are substantial because we continue as a collective to overlook the reality of what's underground, that we are polluted with lead and arsenic in our groundwater and our soil.

And if you continue to allow for the disruption of this soil and pave over without collective remediation, you are perpetuating the toxicity, and we are going to poison ourselves.

It is happening, it is the reality, and Mayor Ibsen, you were on council when Point Rustin was developed, and I confirm that it was not developed to standards for their remediation.

I know for a fact that the CAP was not correct, that they did not go to plans, and that it is a risk to the individuals who live there and anyone who comes into contact with it.

It is problematic to continue to allow these investments to sandwich us in to such a dense reality that we continue to look elsewhere for the root of our health conditions when it's right under our feet, raining down on us, and what we are ingesting in our waters.

I hope that you are able to understand when you work with a future city manager to collectively change this reality for us all.

Thank you, Tyler.

Appreciate your comments.

Moving on to Kit Burns, followed by Margaret Trace Costrel.

Good evening, Mayor Ibsen.

I have a question uh that I'd like to ask the council.

It's on um multifamily tax exemption item number 41847.

Um I was reading this and reading what it's on the city's website and says this.

Project eligibility.

Eight-year projects with less than 20 units must be built exclusively for home ownership.

I didn't see anything about this resolution having home ownership involved.

So that's a concern, but I'm sure somebody can answer that.

The other thing is that it says under application process.

Applications must be submitted and approved before building permits are issued.

I've been at the site.

I think the building permits have been issued, and I looked at looked at uh the permit log on uh the city's site, and so I think it also does not comply there.

So I just want to raise those points.

I think there may be an issue of concern.

I have other multifamily tax exemption concerns, but I won't share them tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you, Kit.

Moving on to Ms.

Marcross Costrel, followed by Pat McGillagott.

Hello, uh Mayor and Council.

Today, as we proclaim January as firefighter cancer awareness month, I want to honor specifically the life and legacy of Bo Sheimer, a Tacoma firefighter who died on January 29th, 2023 from work-related cancer.

Bo's death is a painful reminder of the hidden cost of service and of what firefighters are exposed to every day in the line of duty.

Firefighters run toward danger.

They absorb smoke, toxins, and carcinogens, the rest of us can be safe.

But they don't just leave it there, they bring it back with them.

Um I served on the City of Tacoma uh uh Tacoma um facility advisory committee in 2023, and one of our clearest priorities was the urgent need to modernize Tacoma's fire stations.

It's not fair that in North Tacoma, they have negative pressure hoods that can absorb those toxins and make sure it doesn't leak into the living quarters of our South and Tacoma firefighters.

That the fact that our South and Tacoma firefighters are living and working in stations that were built for horse-drawn carriages over a hundred years ago, and literally they are five feet away from where they park their station, park their engines is five feet away from where they have dinner every night.

And so work-related cancer is not only when they go out, but also where they spend most of their time eating, breathing, and living uh in those facilities.

That is not sustainable, it is not safe, and it is not worthy of those who protect our city.

Honoring Bo means more than remembering his name.

It means acting to protect the firefighters still serving the city of Tacoma today.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Pat McEllicott.

Uh Pat Miguel again's Como Firefires local 31 vice president.

Uh thank you, Council, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, for recognizing Firefire Cancer Awareness Month and the proclamation.

Uh, I didn't catch her name, but spot on.

Thank you so much.

Uh that was literally kind of what I came here to talk about.

Uh Councilmember Rumbaugh brought up uh the statistics, right?

Like we don't, there's a lot of people who don't report right now.

Uh one out of every three firefighters uh is across the country reports uh having line of duty cancer.

Um that's one of three that report.

Uh there are several states across the country that do not have as supportive labor law or labor relations as we do, and so we know that there is a vast number in certain states that aren't reporting they have cancer for fear of losing their jobs.

Um so uh that's that's a big that's a big number.

Um we ride three people on a fire engine, and that means statistically, one of us is going to get cancer.

And when it comes from our gear and from our stations, that's a tough pill to swallow.

Our job is inherently dangerous.

We accept that fact, we love that fact, that's one of the reasons we do it.

But when the thing that's going to kill you is coming from your gear or from your house, that is uh that's a tough pill to swallow.

Um, also I wanted to say uh so in my time as a Tacoma firefighter, uh Phil Farrell, Ted Wold, Ray Proper, Kurt Mueller, and my classmate, the person that I was hired with, Bo Schemer, have all passed away from line of duty cancer.

And I did want to make sure that all their names were said uh and read to the record uh because I think it's very important, and they were all excellent people.

And uh I just want to be uh thank you again for your time and I appreciate you guys.

Thank you.

Thank you, Pat.

Appreciate it.

So it appears that uh there's one person who's raised their hand.

Looks like uh Mr.

Levi Levane.

Yes, thank you.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

All right, thank you.

This is public comment on the agenda, correct?

90 seconds.

Yes.

Okay, I had a little uh short speecher I want to talk about.

Today is national or I guess worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Day.

We're told that six million Jews were systematically murdered, mostly in gas chambers.

I've read the books, watched the films, I've heard survivors.

Uh more looking sir, I sorry, we can't hear you clearly.

And can you specify what topic on tonight's agenda you're speaking to?

This is not on the not on the agenda.

Well, sir, uh, if you're interested in speaking about something the city has jurisdiction over, community forum is is just a little bit away.

Uh this particular public comment is limited solely to things on tonight's agenda.

So we'd love to hear from you if you have something over which we have jurisdiction, but that'll be for community forum, okay.

So can I speak about I'm asking for the city to pass a resolution?

Yeah, if if there's something on tonight's agenda that you want to speak to, then you can go ahead.

Otherwise, uh you're welcome to speak at community forum.

Okay, is there something on tonight's agenda?

I said I'll wait.

You're saying you're saying that I have to wait until if I want to ask a question.

Yeah, and uh this isn't QA.

Uh, these are for receiving comments, but you're also able to email us anytime too if you want to have more detailed information.

Uh so with that, it looks like there's no one else signed in.

So I'm going to close public comments and move on to our regular agenda.

Item number 12.

This item will have a PowerPoint presentation.

Clerk, we please read resolutions.

Resolution 41847 is a resolution authorizing the execution of a multifamily housing eight-year limited property tax exemption agreement with 634 South Steel Street LLC for the development of 12 multi-family market rate rental housing units located at 634 South Steel Street and the Sixth Ave Mixed Use Center.

I move to adopt resolution number 41847.

Moving second, I'd like to call on uh Mr.

Paul Backer in person.

Good evening, Mayor Ibsen and City Council.

I'm Paul Bacher with Community and Economic Development.

Uh tonight I'll be presenting resolution 41847.

And do we have the slides, Alison?

Thank you.

We can go to the next slide.

So for this resolution, 634 South Steel Street LLC is proposing to develop 12 new market rate rental units in the Sixth Avenue Mixed Use Center.

I want to note at the outset that back in November, Council approved a code amendment that requires eight-year projects under 20 units to be owner-occupied units.

This project applied in October of 2025, so they were allowed to move forward under the prior code, which allowed for eight-year rental projects under 20 units.

I just wanted to make that clear.

Here's a breakdown of the units, and as noted, since this is a eight-year project, uh, these will be market rate units.

Next slide.

So you can see a map of where this project is located.

Uh project costs are estimated at 1.9 million dollars and will provide an estimated 8,900 labor hours of employment.

And next slide.

And this uh slide shows the fiscal implications.

The total of taxes to be generated for the city over the life of this project is estimated at 107,000.

The projected property taxes to be exempted by the city are 27,000, uh, leaving this project to provide a net positive impact to the city of $80,000.

And when the exemption is over, uh full property taxes will be assessed annually.

And that concludes my presentation.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Are there any uh council comments or questions?

Councilmember Hines, followed by Councilmember Palmer.

Oh, uh thank you, Mayor.

Uh Paul, my question would be you know, so we pass the update to the policy that doesn't allow eight-year MFDs below 20 units, less for home ownership.

Um, how many more projects do we have in the pipeline that are gonna fall under that criteria before the rules take effect?

Uh thank you, Councilmember Hines.

I am not aware of any more.

I believe this is the last one.

Uh Debbie Bingham is welcome to correct me if I'm wrong.

Okay.

I'd imagine that was what the answer was.

So thank you very much for clarifying.

Of course.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Palmer.

Yeah, I just thank you for the presentation.

I wanted to just signify that I'm probably gonna just abstain from this one.

Um staff did an amazing job of answering my questions when it came to why this is um why this might qualify under the MFTE um program.

But I I I guess I still question as far as like a 400 square foot unit being 1,400.

It uh whether that's um makes it eligible for for some kind of tax break when it's weighing uh the benefit to the community.

So thank you for your comments.

Uh seeing no further comments or questions from the council, all those in favor of adopting resolution number four one eight four-seven, please signify by saying aye.

All those opposed say no.

Resolution is declared adopted.

And abstention, and one abstention.

Yes.

Uh moving on to unfinished business.

Is there any unfinished business?

Seeing none, we're gonna move on to community forum, during which you may speak about items over which the city council has jurisdiction.

As a reminder, these forums are intended to give speakers the opportunity to share their viewpoints and feedback with the city council to aid in our decision making and is not meant to be a back and forth dialogue.

Your remarks should be directed to the city council as a whole and not at individual staff members or individual council members.

Uh at this time, I'd like to ask attendees if you want to speak under community forum, please press the raise hand button near the bottom of your Zoom window or star nine on your phone now so we can see the number of people wishing to testify this evening.

If you're speaking in person, please sign up at the back of the room if you have not done so already.

Your name or the last four digits of your phone number will be called out when is your time to speak.

Before I call on the clerk, um Councilmember Soldagi would like to have a few words.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

I wanted to um acknowledge some of the the feedback and and commentary that was provided in uh community forum two weeks ago, especially around uh immigration as it relates to the city Tacoma as well as what's happening on the national level.

It uh was wonderful to see so many community members concerned.

Um we have a hand we have a few handouts that are available for um community members that are concerned about uh immigration and its effects on on the city.

Uh one of those handouts is actual um has a lot of information around uh I think I counted 17 different pieces of legislation that is being considered right now this week in Olympia.

Okay.

Five of those, from what I could tell, have some say over uh the Northwest Detention Center.

The city, we've done quite a few things to try uh to regulate that.

We've been thwarted in the courts.

The state has a lot more, has way broader legal authority.

Uh I'm in support of every one of them, and I hope that people here uh that are concerned will take that to the state legislature.

The state legislature does not meet very long.

They're done March 12th.

They started in January.

This is a short session.

The more uh uh uh commentary they get from from regular residents um that they want these uh pieces of legislation passed, the better.

Another uh piece uh so that's this document has the list on the other side, it tells you how to get in contact with your state legislators.

Uh we've we had also um directed the city manager to put together a resource page um and then to have an intentional plan intentional plan on how to get this in the hands of those that are living in fear and anxiety right now.

And we have a resource page over here with a QR code with a lot of the community resources that are available to individuals.

Um I highly encourage people that are uh here for that to take that uh information and and and make your voices heard.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Sidalga.

What I will say also, and thank you for your summary and and for your uh work on um frontloading these uh these really important resources is there's a list of bills currently in consideration in the legislative session right now in Olympia um that actually have direct bearing on our situation that frankly are going to give us the ability to do things that we are not able to do right now legally.

So some of these examples include, and I'll defer to staff on this, but this would include uh a ban on private masks, for example, for law enforcement.

This is things like the right of private action against any kind of federal official who violates your federal rights, uh a myriad of other things that that frankly we need in our tool bills.

As a supplement to that, what I'll also say is that I myself, Councilman Soldagi, and others uh will be testifying in support of these bills directly on behalf of the city.

So it's not enough for just to simply say that these are bills that we support.

Uh we are literally putting our money where our mouth is, and we are going down there and uh either in person or virtually to tell our legislative delegation that this is Tacoma's position on these things.

So stay tuned for more steps, but uh to Councilman Sidagi's point, um, we definitely hear you.

Uh we are definitely doing the best we can to make as many inroads as we can.

Uh stay tuned for more updates on this, but we're just uh trying to be as responsive as we can.

Uh, we're also currently in the process of scheduling FaceTime with uh immigrant uh community leaders who've approached us, so we're currently working our way through that too.

So with that, um why don't we uh have our clerk please read.

The purpose of community forum is to assist the city council in making policy decisions.

Items of discussion will be limited to matters over which the city council has jurisdiction.

Arguments should not be made in support of or opposition to any matter on the week's this week's agenda.

Each person may address the city council one time only during this forum.

Community forum, we've been limited to a total of 60 minutes, and each speaker will have 90 seconds to make your remarks.

Please be mindful of the time frame.

As always, you're not required to use all your time to make your point.

If you cannot remain on topic, you will have you'll be given two warnings.

If you remain off topic, we will have to move on and end your time.

Clerk, have we received any written comments?

We receive five for community forum, one on potholes, one about traffic safety, and three about immigration and customs enforcement.

Okay, very good.

So we're going to start uh by moving on to our first speaker, Mr.

Mike Collier, followed by Florentine Hamm.

Good evening, honorable mayor, honorable counsel.

My name is Michael Collier.

I'm an immigrant and a naturalized citizen.

I want to share just quickly a story about a little girl in Germany.

She um was living in Frankfurt during the war.

Uh it was bombed repeatedly.

Hitler made the children move out of the cities.

She walked for 46 days with other children into an orphanage in Austria through the Bavarian Mountains through the winter of 42.

That gave her frostbite when she was um pregnant.

It uh turned into gangrene.

She had to have her left leg amputated.

And in order to save the life of her baby.

That woman was my mother all my life.

She taught, taught to me, talked to me about what to watch out for when politicians do certain things, say certain things.

And my friends, we are there now.

We need to be vigilant.

Well, last year when I was in Frankfurt, Germany, I saw the stars of those people that were disappeared.

Let us not get to that point.

Let us stand up as a city, make our voice heard, make us be active, vigilant.

I asked the council to be that way also.

I ask you, I implore you to be on the right side of history.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mike.

We're gonna move on and uh just as a friendly reminder, folks, there are a lot of people here.

We have a very limited time span.

We want to hear from as many people as possible.

So um I get it, this is a super emotionally charged topic.

We are on the same page here.

But if we can just, if you wouldn't mind keeping everything from applause, booze, years to a minimum, just so we can hear from as many people tonight as possible.

Uh Florentine, followed by Julie Bury.

Hi, Florentine Hamm.

I live in Northeast Tacoma.

I do want to thank you.

When I first came in, I was very angry.

I appreciate what you said and what you are trying to do and how you're gonna support things in Olympia, and thank you for bringing it to our attention so that we can also do that.

We just said the Pledge of Allegiance, justice, and freedom for all, and that's not what we're doing across our nation.

But we have to start here with our own neighbors, and we need to look out for each other.

We don't want children being afraid to go to school.

So please, what is in your jurisdiction at the schools?

Could you please do that for the children?

The parents are being, the children are being debate, and then they go after, and then you don't hear about them.

You don't know where they are.

There's got to be some rule that they have to tell you who's in the detention center and what's happening to them.

They can't just disappear.

We can't let that happen.

And I agree with him.

My heritage is from Germany.

I believe it is happening again.

It is.

Thank you.

I appreciate your comments, Florentine.

We're gonna move on to Julie Bury, followed by Michelle.

It looks like um DE.

I'm sorry, I can't read that clearly.

Uh Julie Bury.

Julie Berry, last chance.

Michelle Rush.

Uh Michelle Reich, okay, sorry.

Are you here, Michelle?

Please step forward.

Followed by G Omco.

Michelle Reich.

I have a background at the local, state, and federal level in law enforcement.

And at the federal level, the use of force and uh the rules of engagement are entirely different from Tacoma PT.

For example, when I was at McCord guarding nuclear weapons, we have a restricted area, use of daily forts authorized.

As someone jumped the fence, I had two things I had to say.

Halt, do not move or I will shoot.

And that was it.

And the person did not have to have a weapon or not.

He trespassed, he was in a restricted area.

This is the reality of the federal level of law enforcement.

So the officers uh doing their duty, they're dressed to kill.

And that's what they will do if they have the opportunity.

And I have a suggestion to prevent that in Tacoma.

It's be in your inbox tomorrow, is that whenever there's an eye sweep here, is to have a little separation, like a 300-foot safety cordon, so that if there's First Amendment demonstrators demonstrating, and some on protesting by throwing things, that 300 foot there will not cause a confrontation, and the officers will not have to pop tear gas or use pepper spray or deadly force or other force on the demonstrators.

And that's in your inbox.

Thank you, Michelle.

And that's my suggestion from experience.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Moving on to uh G Omco, followed by Tyler Daniels.

Hi, my name is Hisela Demko.

Um I am a Tacoma resident in District 3 and a business owner.

Um I have to say we need to be thinking outside the box.

I know you all are capable of that because I look at this council and I see people who have had to think outside the box to get to here.

Because the system wasn't made for you.

We need a city council with that, we might get arrested energy.

I don't want to hear from another elected official that our hands are tied.

Let's see how to use that point one percent sales tax revenue to support our most vulnerable by hiring or consulting with attorneys to support our immigrant population, especially those being detained and abused in our city.

I am sure we can find a way to fit this request into the parameters laid out in the guidelines of how to use that point one percent sales tax.

I have heard what we're going through compared to the Gestapo, the slave patrols, the KKK, the internment camps, the boarding schools, and the answer is D, all of the above.

There are no guidelines, rules, or precedent for this.

So please continue to think outside the box and seek counsel.

Matisse would often say that a city is only doing as well as its most vulnerable.

Well, she's dead from a broken heart due to the lack of support from this city.

She gave her whole heart to this city.

We can do better.

I appreciate your comments.

And like I said, just to reserve as much time as possible for other speakers.

Moving on to Tyler Daniels, followed by Lear Montage.

I am Tyler Daniels, metaphysician.

My gift is to be able to see into your energy field and see what the root of your health condition is.

For me, I have healed my own thyroid.

What was going to be cancer from the suppression of my truth.

And in that termination from this organization, I have opened in my gift of the ability to bring forward true and authentic healing for all.

Whether it's a firefighter who's at the hilltop substation at the pinnacle of radiation and EMF, sitting there and microwaving, leading to this distortion, or those who are sitting behind the desk, locked away, and unable to speak their truth about what is going on, such as the point rest and development.

When I was in Councilmember Rumbaugh's spin class at the Y, I did not have this gift.

I was on a healing journey.

I have shed over a hundred and thirty pounds of inflammation, and I see it in all of you.

I see the potential.

That's what I see in you.

I have my card, studio lit.com.

I'm available for any and all healing within your entire organization because what I can tell, just as my mother who works here, if they do not take action, the energetics of this organization will take them.

I see it.

It happened in my line, and it was going to happen to me.

Thank you for the comments.

Okay.

Our next speaker is Leah Montage, followed by Simone Marinus.

Good evening.

My name is Leah Montang.

I'm in District 3.

And I am here to talk about the Northwest Immigration Processing Center, the Northwest Detention Center.

It's near the end of its contract.

That contract will expire on March 27th, 2026.

What will happen on March 28th?

We know that ICE is soliciting a new larger contract for more beds.

We know that the detention center, due to the actions of the Tacoma City Council, thank you, is a nonconforming land use.

So my question is what will this city attorney's office and this city council do?

We we know that they're not emptying the detention center out.

They would have started already.

They intend to keep it open.

We know that ICE is looking for a larger contract.

What will you do?

So that's my question for you all, and I know that you don't respond right now, so I'm putting that out there.

Thank you.

Thank you, Leah.

Our next speaker is Simone Marinus, followed by Doug Erner.

Hello, it's Simone Marinus.

Hello, Tacoma City Council.

We at Pierce County Immigration Alliance came before you two weeks ago on January 13th to present our demands for the safety of all members of our community, regardless of citizenship status.

We are here again tonight, as we said we would, and we will continue to be until this resolution is passed and our demands are met.

We know there are many of you who recognize the truly dire situation we face in this present moment, but recognition alone is not enough.

It is action that we need, and it's needed now.

Another legal observer was murdered by ice in the street.

We are seeing ice infiltrate our community more each day.

They grow bolder with every raid, and so must we.

That is what we came here to ask of you.

Stand with your constituents, with your community, and to be bold in defending the safety of everyone who calls Tacoma home.

It is in days like these that we make history.

We can either let our racist pass repeat itself, or we can redefine Tacoma as a place that fights for its people no matter where they come from.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

And just to clarify that that is actually the group that uh my office is in touch with trying to arrange a face-to-face meeting.

So stay tuned on that.

Thanks for your patience.

Um, moving on to Doug Erner, followed by Kelly Cloudsdale.

I'm Doug Erner.

Um, we're sure that you've been following the news of ICE's actions in Minneapolis and around the country.

Um, in 2025, massed ICE agents took a thousand people every single day.

If that trend is continuing now, 23,000 people have been taken since the last time we were here, including many from our own community.

And if I is living up to its own numbers, it's more than that.

Vice President JD Vance stated that ICE agents have absolute immunity if they shoot or kill as they carry out the president's agenda.

While legal experts assure us that this is not true, without states and cities pushing back, it's the de facto law.

Um around the country, hundreds of thousands of people are multiplicing to say that these terrorists are not welcome in our communities and are demanding them out.

And we're here to ask you to do the same.

Some of our members' earliest memories were the civil rights structures of the 60s.

When the federal government acted to protect people of color as they were attacked by state and police forces when they demanded their rights.

Today, the situation is flipped, and as the federal government is attacking.

Umused as an instrument of terror to brutalize, to repress, and sometimes to murder.

This is another moment of national reckoning.

And it is on us to protect our communities against the lawless federal government.

I ask you for your help.

Thank you, Doug.

Moving on to Kelly Cloudsdale, followed by Britt Cloudsdale.

Hello, Council.

Thank you for your time.

The killing of Alex Predi, who by eyewitness accounts had hands over his head when he was shot by ICE agents, acting a legal observer and attempting to assist a woman that they had knocked to the ground is just one more example of the impunity in which ICE operates.

And this impunity is clearly defended at the highest levels by the Trump administration.

But as we said before, the citizen observers who have been murdered by ICE are not the first victims.

At least 35 people are known to have died in ICE custody in 2025 alone.

We have heard reports of more, including members of our own community who died shortly after their deportation following medical neglect.

ICE believes it can hide its crimes and avoid accountability by shipping people out of the U.S.'s jurisdiction.

But what they clearly don't realize is that our community ties have no borders, and we do not forget the value of someone's life just because they no longer stand on U.S.

soil.

Across the country, we've seen how ICE responds to the solidarity and strength of our community with chemical weapons and lethal force.

Thank you so much, Kelly.

Moving on to Britt Cloudsdale, followed by Jamie Cortez.

Hi, Council.

Here in Tacoma and in Pierce County, Estan Cassando.

They, ICE are hunting.

This is the phrase we heard from a community member this week when a volunteer rapid responder from Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network went out to verify ICE activity at a home depot here in Pierce Count.

Many of us are on the ground daily dealing with the impacts of ICE enforcement because ICE is already here.

Here is what we have seen.

At a strip mall in South Tacoma, small businesses are struggling with two successive visits from ICE, drove away clientele.

At a Tacoma elementary school, students walk to school alone because their parents can no longer leave the house.

Their educators try to make sure those families still have groceries.

We drive out to verify first hand reports of ICE arrests at Home Depot and of ICE stalking shoppers out of Glowe's parking lot.

But they're usually already gone long before we can arrive at the scene, disappearing with a person from our community in their grasp.

We hear from nurses and patients about panic and confusion at St.

Joseph's Hospital after ICE reportedly entered the building.

ICE is active in our city, and the fear and tension are escalating.

ICE's largest anchor to Tacoma is the port, the Northwest Detention Center.

The NWDC is owned and operated by private prison company GEO group and behalf and on behalf of ICE.

NWDC imprisons people that ICE hunts down from their communities in Tacoma, Pierce County, and all of Washington.

This is the institution of racist authoritative violence.

It is a blight on our city.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Moving on to Jamie Cortez, followed by Shauna Ortiz.

I'm Jamie with Climate Alliance of the South Sound.

The detention center is also a public health problem, as the city has repeatedly acknowledged.

Even though there are reports of foul food, Department of Health inspections are not allowed inside.

Two people died in the detention center in 2024.

Charles Leo Daniel and Jose Sanchez Manuel Castro.

911 records reveal dozens of suicide and tempt attempts inside.

In 2020, Tacoma City Council passed resolution 40636 condemning the public health issues at the detention center.

Issues that have not gone away, they have increased.

On top of everything, the detention center is located on a super fund site, meaning forever toxic chemicals are there in a heavy industrial area.

Our city should have never allowed it there.

Tacoma no longer permits detention facilities in the Seaport Core Manufacturing District where it is currently located.

That makes NWDC a non-conforming land use.

There is something the city can do about it, though.

GEO Group's current contract for NWDC expires in late March.

ICE is soliciting that they would like a new larger contract for detention to increase their profits.

According to the Tacoma's municipal code, expansion of bed capacity of a non-conforming land use is strictly prohibited.

Even still, the city must take additional measures to ensure there is no way for GEO to respond to the new and bigger contract that ICE is soliciting and investigate whether GEO's business activities can legally qualify for a business license in Tacoma at all.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate it.

Our next speaker is Shauna Ortiz, followed by June Hockstetter.

I'm speaking for Shauna.

The national and local situations have intensified dramatically since the last time we came before you.

People who are kidnapped off the streets in our community are rarely, if ever given officers' identification as required by law, and are being taken into unmarked vehicles by masked men, a situation that is completely indistinguishable from an armed kidnapping to the affected person and to the community.

Four, we demand a condemnation of the Northwest Detention Center and a promise from Tacoma City Council that all opportunities to cease its operations in our city will be pursued.

Five, we demand clarity on the city's policies around employees' collaboration with ICE and that these include firm and required disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Six, we demand a timeline be provided for the plan reference and resolution number 41817 and that this plan be made public.

And seven, we demand that the city be swift in its response to these crimes against our community.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Our next speaker is Janae Hookstetter, followed by Tanya Ramirez.

We heard from council at the previous meeting about actions you are taking, including legal action that cannot be discussed publicly.

Twenty-five thousand in funds for legal assistance for immigrants and for additional web page redirecting affected community members towards other resources.

We say resoundingly, this is not enough.

The administration orchestrating these ICE raids does not care what the courts say about the legality of its actions.

Twenty-five thousand would not even guarantee the full legal fees and bond payment of one immigrant in the Northwest Detention Center, which houses over 1,575 human beings.

Resources for this community are vastly oversubscribed, and ICE routinely violates the legal rights of those it detains.

For decades now, the council has pledged action on the Northwest Detention Center, and it still operates in all our backyards.

We understand that the council is limited by real legal, regulatory, and financial constraints.

However, we are not demanding anything that we believe is outside your means as a city government.

Council members in Aurora, Colorado, another town with geodetention center, just passed similar resolution language condemning ICE on January 12th.

It can be done.

It's up to you to do it.

We are demanding action that can be taken and that must be taken if this city is to live up to its values and protect its residents.

Thank you so much for your comments.

Tanya Ramirez, followed by Riley Guro, Guerrero, excuse me.

Thank you.

Again, we understand the resolution put before you last meeting may need to be rephrased to be passable by this party.

We remain at the table for discussion.

Since our last common, our resolution has been endorsed by the Tacoma Commission for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.

The International Migrants Alliance, the Clame Alliance of the South Town, and is currently before those and other unions, community organization, and grassroots groups pending endorsement.

However, our demands are what we want to submit.

And any changes this council needs to make to languish or other actions this council would take to satisfy these demands is welcome news to us.

And we have some additional recommendations in light of recent developments.

As mentioned earlier, ICEMs intend to expand its operations here in Tacoma.

We know this is impermissible on the current zoning for the NWDC and expect the city to be opposed to any proposed expansion to these grounds.

We understand the city cannot have ICE from soliciting these proposals anyways.

We also understand that the City Dos Net Record does not recognize itself as having any contractional relationship with the NWDC or GEO.

However, the city and only the city and only the city does have the at least one option at its disposal.

We are asking you to act.

And if you can act, we sign.

All right, thank you, Tanya.

Moving on to Riley Guerrero, followed by uh Prolace Spencer.

Geo Group holds City of Tacoma business license number 500050108 and 500050189.

A business cannot legally operate in the city of Tacoma without a license.

Pursuant to Tacoma Municipal Code 6B 10146, the City of Tacoma Finance Director has the power and the authority to suspend or revoke any business license on the ground of a threat to public health, safety, or welfare by means of the violation of local, state, or federal law.

In the state of Washington and the city of Tacoma, due process and a right to safe sanitary conditions while in detention are the law.

In 2017, then Mayor Marilyn Strickland threatened GEO's business license with revocation based on the reports coming out of the NWDC.

Reports that have not stopped in the last nine years and have only gotten more horrific in recent months.

As it stands today, the city is currently authorizing this business's activity to continue by not enforcing the regulations that are already on our books, regulations that were designed to protect Tacomans against this exact model of predatory and inhumane profiteering.

Councillors, this camp of horrors is not out of your hands.

It is directly under your jurisdiction and licensed by your finance department.

This council and its director of finance can shut down the NWDC by revoking GEO's license to kill.

Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker is Proleys Spencer, followed by Lauren.

Um can't read this.

Go ahead.

Again, we, the proletariats behind me, thank the council for listening to our statement, and we hope that you take swift action.

Otherwise, you should expect to hear our demands again at the next community forum and expect to face the community on this issue again for as long as it takes.

We will not stop until our demands are met because the time for action is now, right now.

ICE is killing our neighbors, kidnapping them, brutalizing them.

The NWDC is just a few miles away, and right now people are facing horrific conditions there that have led to suffering of countless people and the murder of two people just last year.

Do not sit there and tell us that you can do nothing or point fingers elsewhere, acknowledging and officially condemning ICE actions is the first step, and we are here to ask you to join us in standing against this reign of terror.

Do more because we know that you can.

Take the bold action this community deserves.

Shut down the NWDC, get ICE out of Tacoma.

No justice, no peace.

All right, thank you very much.

Our next speaker is Lauren Bisenhoff, followed by Kelly Stolt.

My name is Lauren Bisplinghoff.

I am a uh Unitarian Universalist Church leader.

I am also a singer, songwriter, and frontwoman from the band Petricorps that's a local Tacoma band.

I come here to speak because this last week ICE was in our uh neighborhoods and I kept my preschooler home from school because I did not want her to see our friends who are illegal immigrants.

I'm sorry, no one is illegal on stolen land.

Their parents would have been at school that day, and I did not want them to have to go through this, and I didn't want my daughter to be traumatized by it.

So I speak today on indigenous land, the ancestral land of the coastal Salish peoples, including the Pialps tribe.

I let me be clear about safety.

If someone commits rape, armed robbery, murder, or attempts these crimes, whether they are a U.S.

citizen or not, they should be apprehended and held accountable.

No exceptions.

Our communities deserve protection from this, from the real harm.

But that is not what we are witnessing.

What we are seeing is armored policing and aggressive immigration enforcement that criminalizes communities rather than protect them.

When fear replaces due process and force replaces accountability, democratic trust collapses.

And you're welcome to submit the rest of your comments to the clerk, too.

We'd love to read it.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kelly Stolt, followed by Bard Loopholt.

Hi, I'm here to tell you that the terror ICE has on our community is also a matter of public health, and I hope that you take this to Olympia if you are genuine in expressing those concerns there as well.

I have a great appreciation for the trust my clients extend to me in the safety of my office as a mental health clinician myself.

The need for accessible and effective treatment in Washington is already really high, and providing that care can be very challenging.

ICE's continued presence in medical facilities damages the sacred trust that providers form with the people they care for.

Providers of all areas of specialty have to work harder to address client needs as the barriers that are created because of this violence pile up.

Rapport takes longer to build.

It's more difficult to get information and client history because of the fear of where that information is going to go.

Um protective factors that can prevent greater health complications decrease, and treatment shifts away from recovery and object minimizing harm.

I personally have had to pause the delicate nature of this work in order to support clients through active trauma around them.

People are preventing from people being prevented from getting better, and instead they have to focus on surviving day to day.

On all fronts and regarding public health, the lasting consequences of allowing ice in the in Tacoma will reach far beyond immigration policy.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments.

Moving on to Bard Loopold, followed by Carl Jolly Boyce.

Thank you, Council members.

I'm a 20-year Tacoma resident, property owner.

My wife is right back there, has lived here a lot longer.

I ask, are we investigating and regulating Northwest Detention Center to the maximum extent possible?

In January 2025, um, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that Geo Group needed to pay our minimum wage to workers working at their facility.

In 2017, state of Washington had sued them for forcing detained uh immigrants to work and paying them in chips.

Are they paying Tacoma's minimum wage right now?

Or are they still stealing wages from these immigrant workers and jobs from local Tacoma Union workers?

In 2023, Washington passed HB 17 or 1470 to properly regulate health and safety there.

GEO sued.

Washington won again in August of this year in the Ninth Circuit.

The court said that there was no violation of immunity and that the state could regulate uh the Northwest Detention Center.

Do we know if the state is regulating them and what the results of those inspections are?

I understand that there are legal limits to what Tacoma can do.

However, our Office of Equity and Human Rights regulates our minimum wage for businesses that are operating in our city.

Is GEO paying our minimum wage or stealing wages from our workers?

Let's use all the tools at our disposal to replace this lawless, oppressive wage-stealing enterprise with something in our port that can help our community.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Bart.

I appreciate that.

Moving on to Kyle Jolly Boys, followed by Eugenia Clay.

Good evening, Council.

Mayor, I like to say congratulations.

I voted for you.

Appreciate that.

And I'd like to say congratulations to Bush now.

He's a family member on being the deputy mayor.

I'm rooting for you.

I was born in Tacoma.

I went to high school in Oklahoma.

And um, I got married.

My wife took my child and left me and went to Pennsylvania.

I left Tacoma in 2004 to go to Pennsylvania to be a father.

We didn't have an ICE facility then.

I came back in 2007, we did.

What's worse than ICE or as bad as ICE, I should say.

Are the people that support them.

And I have a gentleman I went to high school with.

His name's James.

And he's a rich man.

And he's an African American man.

And he supports white Christian nationalism.

And he put something in my DM today.

It says, How do you think ICE is doing in Minnesota?

Says pretty good.

And it's a picture of Alex and Renee next to each other.

The two people that were killed.

I find that's vile.

I'm shaken because of the anger I have.

Thank you, Cosm.

Anders, you we can do better here.

I appreciate your comments.

Thank you.

And if there's anything further, feel free to email us too.

Moving on to our next speaker, Eugenia C, followed by Tallison Crosby.

Oh my God.

Hello.

I'm here again today because so much has happened since my last public comment in this in this room.

Dozens more of my countrymen have been kidnapped for the crime of existing on the wrong side of an arbitrary border for existing without a paper in a country that has everything it stole from ours.

This week, Wiseman volunteers in King County doing rapid response arrived at the scene of a father who was being abducted in front of the frightened eyes of his two-year-old baby.

ICE contacted the mother to pick up the child, but the fearful mother could not go to the scene for her baby, not nor could she see her husband, perhaps for the last time.

The child was left in the care of a father's work supervisor, a person the boy never met before.

A toy, a bag of sliced apples, and a juice box served as a cruel reminder of what life was like before this kidnapping.

You see, this administration wants you to think that we're all criminals, but ironically, it's the ICE agents that are breaking the law, violating constitutional rights, breaking into homes and vehicles without warrants, even murdering people on the streets.

I know we have a lot of allies in this body, but please don't let the undignified language, the dehumanization of our people make you think that this is not the emergency that it is.

Think of your own families, your parents, your children.

If your children were in danger, how much time would you want counsel to take to determine if action is needed?

Our people are being disappeared, and there are no amber alerts for us.

There are no detectives investigating our kidnappings, and there are no billboards with our brown faces on them.

Thank you for your comments.

Thank you.

Moving on to our next speaker, Tallison Crosby, followed by Nicole Aidsmo.

Good evening, Council.

My name's Tallison Crosby.

I'm a Tacoma homeowner.

I'm a proud union member.

And as of the last time I was here giving comments, I'm also now a parent.

You can clap for that, it's fine.

I I want to take my time actually to uh honor a a moment of silence for Alex and Renee and Keith Porter and all of the names that we don't know who have died because of ICE violence.

And during this moment of silence, I implore you, council, to think hard and deeply about uh the type of action that this city needs to keep us and our neighbors safe.

So if you'll join me in a moment of silence do the right thing.

Pass the resolution.

Thank you.

Thank you, Tellison.

Moving on to Nicole Eidsmo, followed by Carol Kint.

Hi, I know you said this isn't QA.

I just I have questions.

I don't expect answers, but I will also email them.

Um I was wondering if you all want the ICE detention facility regulated or if you want it out of our city.

I also recognize that this has been talked about, but with the current permitting of it being a non it being a non-conforming permit, um, and the recent news that ICE wants or the federal government wants to expand the ICE facility here.

I'm hoping to know what pre-what actions are being taken to stop that preemptively.

Um because the detention facility has refused to allow inspectors in, that in both Tacoma and Washington is a code violation in and of itself, and code violations are a reason to revoke non-confirming non-conforming permits in Washington or in Tacoma.

So I was wondering if steps have ever been taken to do that.

The city council also has the authority to seek judicial subpoenas, and I'm wondering why that hasn't been done to question or to seek the ability to question members of the geo group to answer to the wrongdoings that they're partaking in.

Um I'm wondering if there has been any legal attempt by the city council to pierce the corporate veil so that the geo group can be held accountable rather than the subsidiary CSC that they made exclusively to obfuscate financial responsibility.

Okay, thank you.

We look forward to that email.

So our next speaker is Carol Kind, followed by Des Chaufant.

Good evening.

My name is Carol Kennt, and there's not much I'm gonna say that hasn't already been said, but I will ask you, please, please look at the regulations which govern the Northwest Detention Center.

I know you said last week that you have no business license with them, but apparently you do.

Um and if you're looking at expansion or if the geo group actually is looking at expansion, I've heard a rumor, I haven't substantiated it.

I don't know if it's true or not, but I've heard that the Fred Meyer recently closed on Pacific and 72nd is being considered by the geo group for another detention center, and we want to be proactive in preventing that before it ever comes into being.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Des Chaffant, followed by Alicia Sands.

Hello.

Pity the Republic that builds cages where harbors once stood, calling itself chosen while choosing who may breathe.

Pity the republic that fears the poor more than it fears its own reflection.

Once a torch was lifted, not as a warning, but as a promise, not to scorch the tired, but to guide them home.

Now the light is replaced by flood lamps.

Mercy, a question at gunpoint.

Pity the republic that breeds federal guns on city streets where the watchmen become wolves and humbled citizens bleed.

Pity the Republic that deputizes cruelty, dresses violence and paperwork, calling obedience, peace.

If this is law, then it is a law without love.

If this is order, it is built on trembling hands.

And if this is the nation, then the nation is sick.

Yet still they come.

The tired, the brave, the unbroken, carrying not threat but hope, folded carefully in their ribs.

They are not an invasion.

They are a prayer in motion.

Yet let not this republic be remembered as a nation that turned its face from pain.

And let this land rise not on cold statues, but on the warmth of hands joined for justice.

Let the torch be carried, not by enforcers' jears, but by every mourner in the street, every chance out with fear and every heart says, give me your tired, your brave, your grieving, who refuse to be silent in the face of tyranny.

Thank you for your.

And one of them is police uh policy.

This is a golden age for predators.

If you wanted to snatch someone off the streets, you could have a little ice cosplay, a face mask, grab whoever you want.

Nobody um nobody can do anything about it.

Um I think the police need to be given specific policy instructions that they it's their job to intervene and verify whether it's a kidnapping or whether it's an it's an authorized legal um arrest.

The city council can do something about that.

Um and then sorry, a little nervous.

I'm not much of a public speaker, but I moved to be here because it's so important.

Um as far as GEO goes, um Kansas City just passed a law, and Kansas City is in the liberal hotbed.

That's it's an extremely conservative city, and they just um passed legislation in their city to prevent an ICE facility from being built.

There was a I think billion dollar facility that was going to go up, and they said no.

So the city council with through um business licensing and so many legislative tools is able to do the same here.

It's a little bit embarrassing that Tacoma won't stand up and do what Kansas City would do.

Thank you.

Thank you, Alicia.

Moving on to our next speaker, Jasmine Hatt, followed by Bobby Bruce.

Is Jasmine Hatt available Jasmine Hatt.

Okay, Bobby Bruce, followed by Gemini Knoll.

Hi, I'm Mayor Ibsen and uh City Council.

It's nice to see some of your faces that I've voted for this last election, and um I can't wait to vote again for the next election.

Um I'm born and raised here in Tacoma.

I've raised a couple daughters here who went to college at uh University of Washington and TCC, and uh they're doing great, and uh you know they they can't stand what's going on in the world.

I can't stand what's going on in our country.

Um I've always been proud to be an American, but uh it's like I'm embarrassed to to live in this country with with all the uh lying and and just blatantly breaking laws and stomping all over the constitution.

It's so upsetting.

I don't know what to do about it, but um I just hope that you people that I voted for will do all that you can to uh make a difference and be on the right side of this thing when it when it goes down.

And thank you very much for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

Gemini Knoll, followed by Josiah.

I spoke for Shauna, you can just give me to it.

Okay, appreciate it.

Uh Josiah, followed by um Alexa, looks like Cologne.

Oh Owen?

Owen, excuse me.

Josiah.

Hi Don.

My name's Josiah, I live in the Hilltop.

I decided to move out here from Minnesota because I was proud of this place.

And I remain proud of this place.

I left my home in Minneapolis to come here because I believed that the people would stand up and fight should something happen.

I had to do that in 2020 and 2021.

My therapist would be very proud of me for saying this.

But unfortunately, I watched a fellow protester get mowed down in a car, Diana Marie when protesting the death of Winston Smith.

I've seen firsthand what can happen when some people stand up for what's right against law enforcement who do what is clearly wrong.

And beyond all of the legislation that we're asking that you pass the different things that we ask for you to repeal.

What I wonder and what I ask of you.

Thank you, Desiaya.

Moving on to Alexa Owen, followed by Matthew Carras.

Alexa Owen.

Followed by Matthew Carras.

Sorry, Alexa Allen.

Alan, excuse me.

Uh my father was a Navy chief who served for 26 years, and he passed away in 21 from COVID.

He every day in his retirement worked in his office still typing away on legislature, lobbying in Washington, continued every year to keep fighting for his people.

He would fly to Washington and with the NARF Association was still lobbying until the last years of his life on fighting for better help from this administration for veterans, for the poor, for the people that he took he staked his life on the line for.

This is serious.

You will see me back here.

This issue is too important.

Thank you for using the voices that you have in the way that we want them to be heard in Washington.

Keep talking to your people as well.

Your voices are just as important as every single one of these people here speaking to you as well.

Remember that.

Thank you, Alexa.

Appreciate it, and thank you for your voice too.

Our next speaker is Matthew Carras, followed by Wendy Pantoha.

Uh thank you.

Um my name is uh Matthew Karas.

Um, so we're here today for one unified message to keep ICE and out of our communities.

ICE has been around since 2004.

In 2004, I was 10 years old.

I've it amazes me because I feel like I've been fighting this battle since my start in high school.

And that was back in 2009.

And um the situation has not gotten much better, to be honest with you.

Since um ICE or since Northwest Detention Center's creation, there have been four who have um died under your care.

And many have um had medical maltreatment and have uh had malnourishment from GEO by serving rotten food.

You guys know this already.

We demand that the Tacoma City Council pass a resolution that does not recognize the authority of ICE to operate within the city.

We demand that a Tacoma City Council make additional resources available that materially support to promise that we are a welcoming city.

We demand that these ice abductions be declared unlawful.

We demand a condemnation of the Northwest Detention Center and a promise at Tacoma City Council that they will not be operated anymore.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Wendy Pintoha, followed by David Rose.

Hi, thank you.

Good evening.

My name is Wendy Pantoja.

I'm I here to talk about how it is affecting our communities, in especially over Portland Avenue, who is connected with the detention center.

That road is important.

We have some rights in departments.

Um about the case when a guy who was taking, he was with the wife, and the wife don't know how to read and write.

They was with that 13 years old and other eight years old.

Um take the father and leave the family in the street.

The 13 years old old, take the car, drive to the school and report it to the to the teacher.

So over McKill Street, uh, we have, you know, our many church and is the Latino community, and also over 72nd Street.

So this is last year and then last month was uh a kid 14 years old who was killed.

And this kid is uh have a Latino heritage.

So we don't know if he's was Rachel, but it's interesting to check all over McKealy Street over 72, who are the some some part of the limits of the city of Tacoma, are not cameras on things who can to record activities in there.

But this is really important for us because this 14 years old was a student of the Tacoma Public Schools and Stewart.

Thank you, Wendy.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is David Rose, followed by B.

Rosmid.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor, members of the council.

Uh I don't believe I need to tell you that Tacoma has a long and storied history at the forefront of America's reprehensible immigration policy.

And as much as we would like to think that we have grown as a city, that we've moved past our racist inclinations, that we have overcome the mistakes of our past and learn from them.

The fact of the matter is today in 2026, we are still at the forefront of America's reprehensible immigration policies by providing a base of operations and a safe haven to the most dangerous, violent, one of the most dangerous violent and racist institutions in the United States of America and our federal government.

The good news is, as you can tell by the commotion that's been going on outside, the people of Tacoma reject ICE's place in our community.

And I appreciate your support for the legislation passing through our state legislature right now.

But I'm here to ask you, please do not approach this issue passively.

Please do not wait until ICE has executed or is executing the citizens of Tacoma on our streets for you to take decisive action.

I have every bit of faith in you to act creatively and aggressively to address this issue, to not wait for Olympia to handle Tacoma's business.

Thank you.

Please show me that you have the will.

Okay, David, I appreciate your comments.

Our last in-person speaker is B.

Rosmond.

Hi.

I apologize I didn't prepare a statement.

Also, if my voice wavers, um I have the privilege of working in a business where I get to talk to people about their lives for hours or more.

And I am it has come up so many times that the people in this city are afraid for their family members and their friends because of the way that ICE is taking people from the streets in our immigration policies.

That people who have been here for 30 years are being taken away from their families.

So I ask you to please ask act aggressively and make moves.

I know that it is not an easy thing to do to get ICE out of our city, but you should work decisively, come up with creative solutions.

This should be one of your number one concerns because of the fear of that I hear from the people that I work with every day.

People who tell me that their co-workers have almost gone blind because ICE decided to denied their medication.

People whose husbands called them during our appointments to ask if they were okay because ICE was spotted in their neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments.

Nikki.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good evening, Council.

Um Erebson.

Congratulations.

Um, I just I haven't been here in so long to speak.

Um, I just want to uh voice my concerns about the um the lack of concern that we see.

I I see you guys speaking, you know, about um supporting what's going on, you know, the people of Minnesota and everything.

But we need you to understand, we need bold, swift action from each of you.

You cannot fight a rogue without going rogue.

And these rogues out there, we need you guys on our side with bold swift action.

If we're gonna make the changes in the city that the city needs from each of you.

So I I agree with with the person that I don't remember who it was that said that we need to see you in the streets.

We need to see you in the streets with us.

If you believe in this, the way these people believe in this in the city, we need to see you guys out there in the streets with us.

We really really need that from you.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Now we have uh some people who've logged in online.

We have uh Dre F followed by APCC programs.

Good evening to the count to the mayor and to the council, and it's real quick.

I want to say uh I stand in solidarity with the people who have spoken and to my fellow healthcare worker that was slain by the ICE umantee or please however you want to call them.

I go up my heart goes to that family.

I'm wanted to talk about um, I just was able to purchase a home in South Tacoma, and I am very proud about that, and thank God that it was able to happen.

But the road that I live on off of 60th Street near the Great Middle School is considered an alley, but when you look up a definition of an alley, that street does not does not stand up to that definition.

So we have about five houses that face the street.

So it's an alley is a street that is behind houses and used for access vehicles.

That is not what I live off of.

And so we have we do it is a slope of rocks.

And so when so if you don't have enough momentum, you get stuck and you sp and then your car is now spitting out rocks in people's neighborhoods and people's lawns, and I think my window got cracked because of a truck doing that.

Also, we have people who walk up and down the street with their pets and and things like that, who is unsafe for them.

So I am have gone to 311 multiple times and requesting that this area gets looked at so that this can be addressed as if it needs to be paved or something done so it is better for access for people who are driving up and down.

Uh so houses don't get rocks done into their yards or hit their windows and things like that.

Thank you for your comment straight.

Thank you.

And uh uh briefly, while we still have you on the line, uh, from the city manager's offices.

Uh, can you give guidance on the appropriate web page to submit a constituent response that goes to the city council?

Yeah, just to be responsive.

Um I think an email would be pertinent, city manager at uh Tacoma.gov.

Okay, yeah, yeah.

Feel free to send it.

You're also welcome to CC mayor at Tacoma.gov, and we'll see what we can do for you.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next uh speaker is APCC programs, followed by Levi Levine.

Hi there, apologies.

Uh, this is actually Mary Chris Castro.

Um, good evening, Mayor and Council members.

I'm speaking tonight on behalf of the Tacoma Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.

Yesterday, the Pierce County Immigration Alliance approached our commission regarding the ISO Tacoma resolution.

And after discussion, I want to be clear on the record that Sierra stands united and in full support of this resolution.

In Filipino culture, we believe in Kappa that our humanity is shared.

What harms one family harms us all, and we believe in Bayonihan that in moments of crisis, leaders step forward to protect their people.

Our immigrant and refugee communities are living in fear, not because they have done something wrong, but because enforcement practices are happening without transparency, without humanity, and in ways that feel indistinguishable from abduction.

Tacoma has declared itself a welcoming city, but welcome is not a slogan.

It is measured by whether parents feel safe walking their children to school, whether elders feel safe seeking care, and whether workers feel safe going to their jobs.

We understand the limits of local authority, but leadership is not only about jurisdiction, it is about moral clarity.

It is about setting the tone for our city and drawing a clear line around what we will not tolerate.

Immigrants and refugees are not outsiders, they are neighbors, caregivers, elders, and children.

They're part of Tacoma.

And so I close where I began.

Sierra stands in solidarity with the Pierce County Immigration Alliance and in full support of the ISO Tacoma resolution.

In this moment, we ask you to lead with Bainihan, choose humanity, and make it clear that ICE is not welcome to harm our community in Tacoma.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Appreciate your comments.

All right.

We got 10 more to go.

Thanks for your patience, guys.

Uh next is Levi Levine, and it looks like there's not a name there, but it's a 732-8879 number after lead off.

Thank you.

Can you hear me?

Go ahead.

Great.

Sorry about that earlier.

You're good.

Uh I have a speech here, 90 seconds.

I want to thank you for allowing me to speak and respecting free speech.

Tonight I stand here before you as a proud American, unapologetically pro-white, pro-law enforcement, pro-ICE.

A great nation was built by the hard work and values of white Europeans who forged this land into the beacon of freedom once was.

But today that heritage is under siege.

From waves of illegal aliens who drain our resources, commit crimes and erode our culture.

Let's be clear.

Ice is the thin blue line protecting us from this chaos.

They risk their lives to me enforce all the workers.

And keep our community safe.

We've seen their violence firsthand, antifa thugs riding in the streets, smashing windows, assaulting patriots.

All while the police stand by and shield these criminal leftists.

Why?

Because officials.

I know.

And speaking of consequences, let's have a good laugh at Renee Good.

This fool tried to play here by charging at ice agents with a murderous intent.

Only to get popped like a balloon at a kids' party.

Talk about natural selection.

If you're dumb enough to attack armed federal agents, enforcing the law, don't cry when Darwin gives you an award.

It's hilarious how these virtue signaling clowns think they're inincible until reality hits back, literally.

It's time to wake up.

Our country is no sanctuary for lawbreakers.

I call the city council to partner fully with ICE.

Share their information.

Support every single third world invader.

Okay, your time is up.

Thank you.

We're gonna move on to our next speaker.

It looks like there's a three seven three two eight eight seven nine number, followed by David Lane.

Are you available?

Go on once.

Oh, yeah, go ahead.

Yes, hello.

Yes.

Thank you, uh, mayor and city council of Tacoma.

My name is Miss Irons, and I'm a former govern government agent or under Governor Locke's administration.

Uh I do apologize.

I uh feel the need that I have to speak, although I have semi-retired.

I am still active in uh the city of Tacoma and Pierce County, uh helping those families that are in need.

Uh I would like to remind you that under our administration and leadership of Governor Locke, we did not have uh this homeless situation that we have currently uh here uh in the state of Washington.

I want to remind everyone and each and every one of you that we have over five billion illegal immigrants here now in the United States of America.

So that means that we have uh people here that uh obviously uh need some kind of assistance.

Uh and in order for us to manage our overall budget for the state of Washington, Governor Locke had to monitor uh our budget.

Uh and unfortunately, that does mean that we do have to make sometimes uh some tough uh decisions uh it within our leadership with regards to maintaining our our budget.

We cannot charge uh two thousand dollars for a one bedroom apartment because the uh ma'am, uh we really appreciate your comments.

We have uh several other people lined up.

You're welcome to send in your comments to the city clerk, and you're also welcome to email us, and we we'd love to hear from you.

Our next speaker is David Lane, followed by Jude Gray.

Yes, am I coming through all right?

Go ahead.

All right, great.

Um, yes, uh sorry, uh, I have a little bit of a blitzkrieg tonight.

There's so much to talk about.

But uh first, I would like to start with a moment of consideration for Eddie Nitschke.

Um, this is of course the man who was attacked, him and his dog were attacked just for being white Christians in America, uh Muslims stabbed them because uh let's um yeah, so and what I would like to say um, you know, again, a moment of consideration for him, but this leads into the whole the whole point of uh diversity and everything and um living in multicultural places and and the dangers therein.

Um what I find funny is I hear a bunch of I heard a council member whose last name I can't or full name I can't pronounce, the mayor and a bunch of unattractive overweight women talking about how they need the federal.

All right, sir.

Can you please keep your comments respectful?

Okay, um, you guys need the federal rights to pursue what your agenda, but then you don't want to abide by the federal laws.

This is the law, you know.

We this nation is set up as a lawful land, and um I would like to see more ice.

I would like to see uh armed kidnappings, but um, I'd also like to push back on the people saying that this is stolen land to begin with, because when we showed up here, the white Europeans that's that founded this nation, um, there's a bunch of disparate savages that were killing each other for sport.

So there was no nation here, and actually, um, a Native American is the white European because there is no America without the white Europeans.

Like I said, it was savages killing each other for sport.

Um, all right, that's if you know anything, all right.

If you know all right, all right, all right.

Sir, your comments are over.

We're gonna move on to the next speaker.

So, with that with that, our next speaker um is Jude Gray, followed by Teresa Evans.

Oh man, all right.

The Nazis are out and forests on the phones tonight.

I see.

Um, and I just want to say, as someone who's been coming here for years, like when they use slurs like Savage, you can actually cut them off.

I've been cut off many times for saying things like fuck ice.

Um that's something I'm going to reiterate with the rest of the people who've spoken tonight.

Um, I would like to that that's something also that uh New York City just got to hear from their new mayor, Zoran, that I would like to coma to hear from you, Mayor.

Um, you know, it's been years since we've been asking y'all to do more about the detention center.

I found out today that y'all actually do have jurisdiction over the business license that I would like really uh gone after because we've been asking you for almost a decade now to do something about this.

And I know a lot of you are new here, but we are not.

We've been doing this part-time, full-time, whatever for years unpaid.

And um, yeah, I appreciate the resolution.

But if you guys have more jurisdiction than the past administrations have gone after for the Northwest Detention Center, it is on your legacy to go ahead and uh enforce that now.

Um thank you for what you've done so far.

I hope I can continue to thank you and fuck these fucking Nazis.

Right.

All right, so moving on.

Our next speaker is Therese Evans, followed by Judy Lauser.

Hello, thank thank you, Mayor.

Um Ibsen and um Bushnell and um uh my um district for Santa Sadalke and all you guys.

And um I wanted to say I wanted to talk today for actually interesting reason because I was uh approaching conversation one time, and somebody said who's on first.

And I'm like, oh, that reminds me of how to say a number.

Uh, who is on Heta Deakin is today.

Um the 27th of Yang Mary or Yanwa in Hungarian.

So I wanted to say that.

And the also other part was uh your firefighters when I was taking my back right today.

Um there the firefighter, there's a firefighter truck and behind the the dumb trucks on one of my uh cross paths on fossil.

So I just want to let you guys know that and have a wonderful day, and thank you for your work for for Tacoma.

Thank you for your comments.

Judy Lauser, followed by Bethany Halcombe.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay, cool.

Thanks for letting people speak.

And um, there was a woman before who said um fuck ice, and so that seems to be permissible.

Um, in general, I would like to make some comments and be given the same liberal sort of uh flexibility with my language as well.

Well, there's a lot of just to be abundantly clear.

I mean, I understand this is a passionate topic, and if if I missed shutting down someone, let's make sure he has this full time.

We can restart the clock.

Uh if if I missed someone using a racial slur that is on me, and I apologize.

If I did not shut them down, I will make sure to be more attentive to that.

So I understand that there's some atrocious stuff going on to the best extent we can, mostly just so that everyone has a chance to speak.

Let's try to keep our top our comments as respectful as we can.

We definitely hear you.

We're feeling the exact same anger and passion as you.

Um, we're not fans either, but let's let's just keep our topic, our our presentation as respectful as we can.

Uh with that, we're gonna restart your full time so we can hear from you.

Please resume.

All right, can you hear me?

Yes, absolutely.

Okay, good.

And um, she she said the um fuck ice.

And there's people who would say the fuck the Jews and fuck Israel right now because of the genocide on in gone.

Let's let's let's move on to your point, sir.

Go ahead.

Okay, yes, thank you.

Um, so to make a point, um, you're not allowed to differentiate that way.

That's called viewpoint discrimination.

So when you interrupt the speaker um to interject in your in this kind of thing with me when you did it with someone else, and you allow people to call people with different points of views, Nazis for their point of view.

But I wonder um if you will let me call her an equal name of a dike or something like that.

You know, don't let's keep all right, all right.

All right.

We won't do that.

Okay, okay.

Let's let's let's uh freeze his time please here.

Let's let him finish and then we'll move on, okay.

Okay, let's I would like to abbreviate if you don't mind.

I won't say the words, but I have proven that there's inflexibility with my okay.

Okay, let's let's let's not turn this into a shouting match.

Please continue your comments and we'll move on to the next speaker.

Sir, please move ahead.

Okay.

Thank you.

You do have um the you do have the responsibility to control the crowd with um you do not have a heckler's veto, which is what you're allowing your crowd to do by silencing my free speech.

Um what I'm saying that you've had some speakers here that are correct, and because they are white and they're sticking up for themselves, you give them a different sort of um, you know, treatment.

And we hear you saying to your own crowd there, oh, we don't really like this guy, or we don't stand for what he's saying.

Um, can't wait till it's over.

But you let these other hateful young girls and um spoiled brats and homosexual men and spat boomer say whatever they want.

Um, and that's a difference.

So we need law enforcement, and um, we need it especially from these deviants in your crowd as long as as the age of homosexuals would seem to run your city.

Thank you.

Okay, your time is up, sir.

We're gonna move on to the next speaker, Bethany Helcombe, followed by Glor followed by Gloria.

And to be sure, I can't hear things if there's a lot of yelling, okay?

So they're very well maybe something.

I am this is not a debate.

We're gonna move on to the next speaker.

Bethany, followed by Gloria.

Go ahead, Bethany.

Oh, okay.

Can you hear me?

Yes, go ahead.

Hello?

Oh, wonderful.

Um, thank you.

Uh I am a little startled um after hearing that person because I am a a queer Jewish uh Tacoma resident for Palestine.

So I'm a little shaked up, but I are shook up, but I do have uh a statement prepared.

I am an elementary teacher, and well, there are many things that I would like to say, and there are many questions that I'd like to ask.

I wanted to just take this time that I have to share some some comments and some questions, some some anxieties that I've heard students express just in the last week.

Um, I've heard multiple iterations of questions such as what is ice?

Do you know about ice?

Have you seen the news?

What do you think about ice?

I've had a student say, um, or I've heard a student say um that they don't know what to do about ice if they can't find their parents if they're at school.

Um I've had students uh question the lockdowns in Seattle and uh ask if I is gonna come to school our school because they've read that ICE is gonna come to schools in Washington.

Uh and I've heard a lot of iterations of should I be scared?

And as an educator in a public school, I'm really limited in the way that I can answer these questions.

And I um certainly have worked with my district and my principal to make sure I'm following uh policy, but I I would just love the council to maybe help find a way for us to answer those questions for kids.

Yes, thank you.

And if you have further comment, we'd love to hear from you via email or you can send it to the clerk.

Our next speaker is Gloria, followed by Ovinat Ovinayo, excuse me.

Hello, yeah, can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay, yeah, this is Gloria.

I live in District One.

I'm a paraedu educator in um in Tacoma, and I wanted to speak up in support of the resolution that PCIA or Pierce County Immigration Alliance is bringing to the Tacoma City Council.

Um, and I also want to say that was really disturbing that you let um people say slurs against um racial slurs and also slurs against the LGBTQ community.

Um I also wanna say that um I've done a lot of visits to people inside the Northwest Detention Center.

And I really support the resolution against ICE because I see what's happening to people when they are put in detention.

People are losing body parts, people are nearing death, and at the very last moment before they die, that's when ICE decides to deport them.

That's when ICE decides to deport them or release them so that they don't even die in the detention center so that they die, and it's not on their um it's not on their like um people don't realize that's because of ice, or because it's so that it's not on their watch, but it is because of them.

I've seen people lose their toes, and people being detained by ice um get injured sometimes.

So I really support this, and I think that you should too.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments, Gloria.

Um followed by Jacob Hunter.

Hello.

Well, all right.

So the Black Panther Party stands in full solidarity with our migrant neighbors and indigenous First Nation peoples.

They are our neighbors, not our enemies.

Revolutionary intercommunalism teaches us that oppressed peoples are bound together across the borders, languages, and imposed categories facing a shared system of exploitation and control.

Let's begin with the truth.

We are standing on stolen land, the land of the stainless peoples, indigenous First Nations whose sovereignty predates this city, this state, and this nation.

This country did not begin with law or consent, it began with dispossession enforced by violence and later justified by policy.

The wealth of this country was not built by whiteness, it was built by stolen labor, by enslaved Africans, by exploited migrants, by workers denied wages, safety, and dignity, while others claimed ownership of the prophet.

Black Slaw Dictionary defines theft as the unlawful taking of another's property with intent to deprive them of it permanently.

By that definition, this nation was built through theft of land from indigenous First Nations and labor from black and migrant communities.

Revolutionary intercommunalism teaches us that these harms are not isolated histories, they are connected realities.

ICE is a modern expression of the same systems, a tool used to police labor, fracture families, and maintain inequality through fear.

Black Law Dictionary defines liberty as freedom from arbitrary or despotic control.

Thank you for your comments.

You're welcome to send the rest of it via email to the council or to the clerk.

Thank you so much.

Jacob Hunter, followed by Mordecai Levy.

Jacob, are you there?

I am.

Can you hear me now?

Yes.

Sorry, I'm coming to you from my car.

My name is Jacob Hunter.

I live in City Council District 2.

I am also serving on your charter with the county charter review commission.

Want to thank the county, or the county.

I want to thank the council for all of your hard work and being creative in this to resist ICE.

And I would like to request that you continue to be creative and dig as deep as you can to resist this.

Honorable Perez, Montufa, Luis Sanchez Perez, James Thomas Hill, Quan, Hugh Lee, Jose Freddie, Guyan Vega, Fernando, Sabonger, Garcia, Priano, Chavez, Alvarez, Romeo Anjali, Anthony Jones, Breddy, and good also.

And I'd like to uh ask if anybody's ever wondered what they would have been doing in the 1930s in Germany.

Um, and you don't have to wonder anymore.

Because you're doing it right now.

And we have heard from people tonight who understand what they would have been doing in the 1930s, and I think that we should recognize how dire our situation is and take that to heart.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jacob.

Our next speakers are Mordecai Levy, followed by George Lance.

Yes, good evening, Council.

Uh my name is Mordecai Levy.

I'm a member of the Pierce County Bad Lubovich Center.

Um first, I would like to say that I stand with ICE.

Um everybody knows they see how Israel deals with the others.

Uh, so I stand up.

Okay, sir.

If you can please keep your comments respectful, please continue.

Oh, oh, my apologies.

Uh the reason why I'm calling is today is the uh Holocaust Remembrance Day.

And um I'm kind of disappointed in the council for not uh having brought this up already.

Um I feel like I mean, what immigrant population is more important than the Jewish one.

All right, sir.

Again, if you can please keep your comments respectful.

Do you have a topic that the city has jurisdiction over you'd like to speak to?

Yes, uh, I'd like I'd like you to make a proclamation that the Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Uh it I'd like it to be on it.

I don't know if that's a resolution, maybe, but it should be on the calendar.

And we should remember that Auschwitz had a swimming pool and an orchestra and a theater.

All right, sir.

Are there are there things over which the council has jurisdiction you'd like to speak to?

And I also would like to remind you to keep your comments respectful.

Yeah, I've been respectful the whole time.

Uh the maternity ward had three thousand birthday.

Sir, you've been given two warnings.

Is there anything else that you'd like to speak to?

All right, sir.

The time is up.

We're gonna move on to the next speaker, Mr.

George Lance.

George Lance, can you hear us?

People can hear me.

No, last one.

No.

Can you hear me?

Yes, go for it.

Okay, great.

Um, I was calling back to say the Black Panthers guy.

Sounded like he was able to say whatever he wanted about his race of crime.

Sir, are you the same speaker?

Uh no, I did not speak before.

I am calling from a total different place.

All right, sir.

Is there something over which the city has jurisdiction you would like to speak to?

Yeah, I would like to speak to your restricting people from speaking based on them being white, and you obviously are mayor.

Okay, there's a there's a point of order from the deputy mayor.

Uh, only one person is allowed to speak during community forum.

If this is persons the same individual, I do believe we should cut them off.

Yes, uh, I believe um I believe we're gonna cut this speaker short.

With that, we have no further people signed in.

Community forum is declared closed.

So we're going to move on to reports from the city manager.

Mr.

Inram City Manager, do we have a report?

Thank you, Mayor Epson.

Uh, as this is a committee forum night, I do not have a report for you tonight.

All right, we have um under comments and committee reports from the city council.

Before we call on CVS committee, I thank you for indulging me, Chair Rumbaugh.

Uh, Councilmember Saldaghia, would you like to comment?

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Um, I do want to remind everyone we do have a resource page for a lot of legislations on the state level that we need help with, and based on some of the comments over here, we really need support on the state level for some of this um uh legislation.

I also want to point out, you know.

I appreciate every single person that comes in here and and and talks about the fear and anxiety that's going around in this community.

I am a foreign-born immigrant.

I get that also in whispers.

So this is really important.

I want to point out this is really important.

In Pierce County, there's 106,000 foreign-born individuals.

The City of Tacoma has 29,000 of them, and approximately 77,000 live outside of Tacova in Pierce County, mostly in Parkland and Spanaway.

Those are jurisdictions that is covered by the sheriff.

The only individual, the only law enforcement individual that I know of that actually wants to uh work with the Federal Immigration Forces.

I implore you, come here too, but go to the Pierce County Council, go to our neighboring councils and ask them to do the same thing.

Because you're talking to a council up here that unanimously agrees with you in action that we've done.

Um I just wanted to say that.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Uh, Councilman Soldagi.

Uh, we're gonna move on, and there'll be further opportunities for comments on this or any other topic.

Uh but it looks like we have a committee report from uh Chair Rumbaugh on the community vitality and safety committee.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um CVS committee has convened twice since the last report.

The CVS committee met on January 22nd, 2026 with the election subcommittee chair and vice chair 2025.

Your end report was read, and the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority Board interviews.

The committee also planned to interview applicants for the community's police advisory committee.

However, do the applicants availability, we agreed to hold the interviews another day.

The committee met on December 11th with an agenda featuring one item.

At this meeting, CVS interviewed interested parties to fill seats on the community police advisory committee.

Our next meeting will be on February 12th, 2026.

The committee plans to review the homeless strategy objectives and conduct interviews for the Human Rights Commission and Human Services Commission.

That meeting will occur in room 243 of the Tacoma Municipal Building.

Virtual attendance options will be available for the public.

Mayor Ipson, that concludes my report.

Thank you so much.

Are there further comments or questions from the City Council?

Um briefly, and uh actually, Councilmember Palmer, and then I have some comments pertaining to uh some of the bills being being heard currently.

Councilmember Palmer.

Yeah, I just I wanted to thank um community.

I know a lot of you were out there on Saturday at the rally.

Um I was there listening and um walking with y'all.

And so um it's very important that you all continue to speak up and you know this, you're here, you're saying what you need to say.

Um so thank you uh for doing that work and being visible and putting yourselves out there uh to do that.

Um so hopefully I get the opportunity to continue to be out there with you.

Thanks.

Thank you.

All right, and a brief update to uh Councilman Soldagi's point.

Um we're still fleshing out the community resources page, but one of the big parts that frankly we're gonna need a lot of your help on, probably even more pertinently just because there's a bill hearing on two of them tomorrow, uh, is with the legislature because they can really give us significantly more tools to be much more responsive to these community concerns.

Uh the one one of which is actually gonna be immediately tomorrow in crack of dawn, eight eight in the morning.

Uh there are virtual uh testimony options available, so you don't have to drive down to Olympia at 7:30.

Um the uh bill in question, and uh forgive me if I'm getting the bill number wrong, it's on the sheet is a House Bill 2597.

And uh there is another bill, the number escapes me, it's not on my notes.

I apologize.

I believe that the hearing is 4 p.m.

Um you can look these up online tomorrow.

Uh if I have any uh um additional pieces of information, you're welcome to call uh to contact the city council.

Uh we are gonna be working on refining the resources page to make opportunities for public testimony a little bit more accessible.

So it's a work in progress, but we're doing the best we can to be as speedy as we can.

Um but uh that's the most immediate bill.

So if you feel like being a politico early in the morning, uh we'd love to see you there.

I'll I myself will be there and uh other members of the council may chime in as their schedules allowed too.

Um so with that, uh Councilmember Rumbaugh.

Thank you, Mayor.

I just wanted to say if you haven't written to Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell asking them not to fund ice, that's something that you can actually do that will make I really believe will make a difference.

I also want to say that there's a lot of other things happening that just because people aren't marching in the streets doesn't mean they're not doing things.

We we need everyone to do the part that they can do.

I want to say there are people bringing people um food who can't leave their houses.

That's important.

There are other people that are not in this room who are doing things, is what I'm saying.

So I want to thank you all for coming, but I want you to know that there are people doing a lot of different things, and I want to appreciate everyone who came here, but I don't want to put people down just because they're not out in the street.

I was at the Human Rights Commission meeting, their retreat on Saturday, and this is a great group of people who are doing a lot of good work, and I want to honor the people who serve on our commissions and committees and boards for the work they're doing.

Um they were out, they weren't able to go to a march because they were having their retreat, but they care about the issues that you're talking about as well.

So I want to say thank you to them as well.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Any further comments or questions from the council?

All right, seeing none, are there any final qu uh council comments?

Last chance, going once.

Okay, no uh council member who needs to be excused.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

I move to adjourn.

Second.

Move and second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed to say no, we are adjourned.

Thank you so much, everyone.