I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of February 10th, 2026.

Clerk, will we please call the roll?

Deputy Mayor Bushnell.

Present.

Councilmember Diaz.

Councilmember Heinz.

Councilmember Palmer.

Councilmember Rumba.

Here.

Councilmember Sadalgay?

Here.

Councilmember Scott.

Absent Councilmember Walker here.

Mayor Ibsen?

Here.

Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Councilmember Hines, followed by a moment of silence.

We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest in the traditional lands of the Piala people where they make their home and speak the Lashutsi language.

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence.

Under God and municipal with liberty and justice problem.

Are there any modifications to the agenda this evening?

Seeing none, we will move on to the consent agenda.

I move to adopt the consent agenda.

Second.

Moved and seconded.

Are there any questions, comments, or corrections?

All those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye.

All those opposed signify by saying nay.

Consent agenda is declared adopted.

We have one ceremonial tonight for the lunar new year proclamation.

As I read the proclamation.

Welcome.

Whereas uh Lunar New Year is celebrated by millions of people globally and begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice, and whereas in 2026, the lunar new year begins on Tuesday, February 17 and marks the beginning of the year of the horse.

And whereas this milestone is celebrated by diverse cultures in many different ways, but often includes the lighting of fireworks, lanterns, and candles to banish the symbolic darkness of night.

And whereas Lunar New Year is also celebrated as the spring festival in many cultures, and is Chunji in Chinese communities, Techwindan in Vietnamese communities, and Silal in the Korean communities, and whereas at a time of rising divisions and hatred in the world, Lunar New Year represents an opportunity to come together, share food, light lanterns, and organize cultural programs and create more opportunities for community to gather and celebrate.

And whereas this year marks the 36th annual Lincoln District Lunar New Year Festival, where the streets are closed for a day of lion dancers, firecrackers, food, and family fun.

And whereas the Asia Pacific Cultural Center celebrates the Lunar New Year with their largest event, the annual Asia Pacific New Year Celebration, a community-based arts and culture exhibition, which this year features Cambodia.

Now, therefore, I, Andrews Ibsen, Mayor for the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, to hereby proclaim today Tuesday, February 17th, 2026, as Lunar New Year in the City of Tacoma, and invite our residents to recognize this cherished celebration that contributes to our diverse and thriving communities.

We join in shared hope for good fortune and prosperity for everyone who lives, works, and plays in the City of Tacoma.

Please say a few words.

Honorable Mayor Ibsen, respected members of the Council.

I am Lua Pritchard, Executive Director of Asia Pacific Cultural Center, and the chair of the Asian Pacific Island Coalition of Pierce County.

I have here with me our many different leaders of our community of Asian Pacific Islander countries who wanted to be with me here today to accept this proclamation.

Thank you for this wonderful and important gesture in honor of our Asian Pacific Islander community in City of Tacoma.

AANHPI make up over 10% of the City of Tacoma population and still growing.

Many businesses in the City of Tacoma are owned by our AA and HPI people.

Our people pay taxes.

Those of us who live in Tacoma are proud residents of Tacoma.

And we are also very so proud of so many we know who are Asians or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders who work for this city, who make this city good.

And we also want to count uh call out Deputy Mayor Bushnell, City Council Sadagi, and also our city manager Kim, who's not here today.

We are very proud of our people.

Thank you so much for the services you provide for our people as a city every day.

And thank you for being our partners to help others.

Thank you for this proclamation today.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Are there any other uh comments from the members of the city council?

Thank you.

Deputy Mayor.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Uh, just want to say thank you all so much for everything you do out in the community.

Um, you know, uh people look at the ANHPI communities of monolith, uh, but we recognize that um we have a lot of shared values, but we're also have unique cultures, languages, and um and you guys are doing such a great job of making sure that our cultures, our languages, our communities are being heard, being seen, and invisible, and especially in this time uh of our country where hate is has been on the rise.

It's more important than ever that we are are present and we're educating, uh, but we're also showing that we are here and we're here to stay.

Um so thank you so much for everything you guys do.

And really, I'm looking forward to the lunar new year celebrations, and I appreciate all the hard work that everybody's gone into creating these New Year's celebrations is now no easy task.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, uh, Deputy Mayor.

Councilmember Seldauge.

Uh uh thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Deputy Mayor.

You actually covered everything.

Um, I just want to express my sincere appreciation for each and every one of you.

Um, I see you in community.

Representation matters, it matters up on this diet, it also matters out in community, and to be who we are out in community.

And that means a lot to me.

Um, so I just want to sincerely thank you for being here and to be in a city that that where we can do this.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Please step forward to accept the uh proclamation and let's give them a big round of applause.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right.

Moving on to public comment on tonight's agenda.

There are two opportunities for people to comment.

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

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 and to aid in our decision making and is not made meant to be a back and forth dialogue.

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

If you want to speak under public comment, period, and you're attending virtually, 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 unless your turn to speak.

This is a time set aside for public comment.

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

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

To ensure that all speakers can express their First Amendment constitutional rights, we ask that you refrain from disruptive activity like clapping, cheering, booing, or otherwise distracting the public meeting.

You will have 90 seconds to make your remarks.

Please be mindful of the time frame.

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

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

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

So with that, we have two speakers signed in.

We have Michelle Reich and Kit Burns.

Michelle Reich.

I'm speaking to the lunar new year.

And for Vietnam veterans, the lunar new year reminds us of the 68 defenses on the lunar new year.

During that offensive, which was the largest offensive of the Vietnam War.

We won that war.

We won that battle, but we lost the war in that lunar new year intensity.

Because first of all, uh Beykong cadres were destroyed by exposing themselves in the salt.

And also uh after that, our leadership decided that the war is not winnable.

Before that, they were telling everybody in the public that we're gonna win the Vietnam War.

Well, the lunar new year TED defense they've told them that it's not gonna happen.

And it demoralized our soldiers too.

Uh we lost thousands of casualties on that one offensive day uh that killed.

Uh they took over this city away and massacred thousands of South Vietnamese civilians are massacred and mass grapes, and some of our fire bases and stuff were overrun.

The first floor of the U.S.

Embassy was uh taken over, and uh it was a real uh rememorable event for the Vietnam War, it's a watershed win.

And after that, uh we know that the war would not win, but the war lasted for another seven years.

And uh it's unfortunate for the thousands of people that died.

Thank you.

And thank you for your service too.

Our next speaker is Kit Burns.

Thank you, Mayor Ebsen, Deputy Mayor Dan Bushnell and uh City Council.

I just want to comment on the multifamily tax exemption.

Uh I've commented on these before.

One of the things that always bothers me is the city uses a 70% for affordable rate.

And my question is why?

So I'll have to ask the council that and try and get an answer on that.

Um the Tacoma Housing Authority has 60% as the affordable rate.

And then also the Tacoma Housing Fund has uh 60% AMI for affordable rates.

So I would like to ask the council in whole, why is Tacoma at 70%?

It used to be 80%.

The other thing is it's my understanding that these uh tax exemptions are supposed to be applied for in advance.

I went down to uh Warner and looked at the project there, and it's actually almost complete.

So I don't know if the website is in air, but I'll have to contact the city attorney and ask why that is.

Uh, there seems to be a conflict there.

Um, I'll say we're talking about building affordable housing.

What I do is I take the number given on these applications and I find out what is the cost per unit.

Two weeks ago, uh it came before you you had the units or 158,000 per unit for 12 units.

Now we have eight units, they're 1807,000 per unit, and then the four units are 206,000 per unit.

So thank you, Kit.

They're all rentals.

I appreciate your testimony.

Thank you.

We have one uh speaker who has logged in virtually.

It's uh Ms.

Kathy Irwin Kirk.

Hello, my name is Kathy Irwin, um, South Tacoma residents.

I wanted to speak and share update and concerns I have with resolution number 41853, which is the property at 4508 South Warner Street.

As Kit had already mentioned, this property is almost fully developed.

Um, all four buildings are in place, and if you look at the property, I'm even questioning the safety of where the buildings are placed in relation to the buildings that are on the adjacent property.

They appear to be less than three feet apart, even I'm concerned about the fire situation.

If one of them catches on fire, they all will.

I'm wondering if anybody has even looked at that property to see what has been developed before you go ahead and approve this.

So, what is being presented on the least written material so far?

The next thing is that the property doesn't even look like it's been developed.

If you look at the map and the pictures, it looks like oh no, it hasn't been developed.

But are we signing off as a city on properties?

It could be unsafe.

Especially in context of their placed on properties.

Is anybody looking at that to make sure that we're hanging on as the next there?

That's to find out the stage of develop.

Okay, thank you.

Our um our next, and you're welcome to email the city council as well.

Our uh final speaker who's logged in virtually is Mr.

David Rose.

Uh good evening, uh, Mr.

Mayor and members of council.

I am also speaking on the uh property tax uh exemption um item.

Um I just wanted to bring to your attention and the attention of the council um that I have I became aware when I first moved to Tacoma of an exemption that was issued on um North Eighth Street at Oaks for a 44 unit development that was supposed to go up.

Um they were issued an eight-year uh property tax exemption for that, and as of now, it is still two vacant houses that are boarded up as a blight right at the edge of the 6th Street corridor.

Um, I decided to take it upon myself to research um other tax exemptions that were issued in 2020.

That that one was issued January 28th, 2020.

Out of 18 total exemptions that were issued in 2020.

Uh Mike, I found out 40 percent of the exemptions that were issued have not been acted upon.

Uh sir.

I'm sorry to interrupt.

Is this pertaining to these particular proposals for exemptions?

It is pertaining to the the type of exemption that you have to do.

Oh, sure.

Um sir, just just to to be uh perfectly transparent.

Public comment is uh specifically for things on tonight's agenda.

If you want if you want to speak at community forum about the MFTE program in general, you're welcome to do that.

But if you're speaking of public comment, it has to be about specific items on the agenda tonight.

Uh is your comment about items number nine or ten specifically, like those particular parcels.

No, sir, it's not.

Okay, well, you're you're welcome to comment at uh community forum if you have thoughts on the MFT program as a whole, okay?

Okay.

Thank you for your time.

All right, so it looks like there's no additional persons signed up, so I'm gonna close public comment and move on to the regular agenda, item number seven.

We have a motion before us for consideration.

I move to Ford Hun Kim as a finalist to be interviewed for the position of city manager.

Second.

Move and seconded.

Are there any council questions or comments?

Okay, seeing none, all those in favor of adopting the uh resolution, please signify by saying aye.

Motion aye.

All supposed to say no.

Motion is declared adopted.

Are there any other uh council motions?

I move to forward Yolanda Lewis as a finalist to be interviewed for the position of city manager.

Second.

Move and second it.

Any further uh council comments or questions?

Seeing no, uh, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

I was supposed to say no.

Motion is declared adopted.

Are there any other council motions?

Seeing none, um, congratulations to our two finalists who've been moving forward.

And uh there'll be further follow-up from the city about the city manager hiring process.

Thank you.

Moving on to item number eight, clerk, please read.

Resolution 41852, a resolution reappointing individuals to the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority Board.

I move to adopt resolution number four one eight five two.

Second.

Move and second, I'd like to call on Councilmember Rumbaugh.

Councilmember Wolf.

Okay, thank you.

Yes.

Um, at the January 22nd, 2026 Community Vitality and Safety Committee, the committee conducted reviews and recommended the reappointment of the following individuals to the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority Board.

Andrew Kwan, Ryan Dutley, Terry Scott, Lacey Barker, and Jermaine Ogden.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair Rombar.

Are there any other council questions or comments?

See none.

Those in favor of adopting resolution number 41852, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Those opposed to say no.

Resolution is declared adopted.

Are there any TCRA appointees in the audience?

All right, well, thank you for stepping up if you're watching.

Moving on to resolutions.

Item number nine, this item will have a PowerPoint presentation.

We'll also cover item number 10.

Clerk, please read.

Resolution 41853, a resolution authorizing the execution of a multifamily housing 12-year limited property tax exemption agreement for the development of eight multifamily market and regulated rate rental housing units located at 4508 South Warner Street.

Is there a motion?

I move to adopt resolution number 41853.

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

Paul Backer.

Good evening, Mayor Ibsen and City Council.

I'm Paul Bacher with Community and Economic Development.

Tonight I'll be presenting resolutions number 41853 and 41854.

Can we go to the next slide, please, Allison?

Thank you.

So for resolution 41853, 4508 Warner Street LLC is proposing to develop eight new market rate and affordable units in the Tacoma Mall Growth Center.

Next slide, please.

The project will consist of two market rate units and two regulated rate units as shown in the table above.

For the regulated rate units, I want to note that the 1520 is inclusive of the 174 utility allowance.

Go to the next slide, please.

Here's a map of the location.

And the project will include four parking spaces.

Next slide, please.

The uh total tax to be generated for the city over the life of this project is estimated at 102,000.

Projected property taxes to be exempted by the city are $31,000.

I want to note here that on the council action memo, these terms were expressed in annual values rather than total values.

Uh we'll submit the corrected CAM to the clerk's office following tonight's meeting, but I wanted to explain that the discrepancies resolved by multiplying the values by 12, which is how you get to the numbers you see on the slide here.

Uh with that said, the project would provide a net positive impact to the city of 71,000.

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

Um that brings us to resolution 41854.

Um for this uh for this project, Meetum Development LLC is proposing to develop four new market rate and affordable rental units in the downtown regional growth center.

Next slide, please.

The project will consist of three market rate units and one affordable unit as outlined in the table above.

Next slide, please.

Uh here's a map of the location.

Construction costs are estimated at $825,000 and will provide approximately 3,800 labor hours of employment.

The project will also provide two parking spaces.

Next slide, please.

The total taxes to be generated for the city over the life of the project is estimated at $52,000.

Projected property taxes to be exempted by the city are $18,000, leaving this project to provide a net positive impact to the city of $34,000.

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

Um next slide, please.

And that concludes my presentation.

Happy to answer any questions.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Bacher.

Are there any council questions?

All right, um, Councilmember Hines.

Ooh.

Thank you.

Uh just uh a couple questions in response to public to the questions from the public.

Paul, at what point, how how far in the development process can a project come through and ask for an MFT, a multifamily tax exemption.

Um my understanding is that the best practice, or thank you for the question, Councilmember Heinz.

The best practice is for them to apply before they apply for their building permits, but the RCW does not require that, so they are allowed to apply afterwards.

Yeah, no, uh thank you for explaining.

I I know in my six years I've been here, I we have actually given MFTs for projects that were fully constructed that just had not gone to occupancy yet.

So I know there is a flexibility with that purpose.

Um, just the comment uh the the comment for the public of why 70 percent.

I would just uh say that the reason we landed on 70 percent was in 2021 when Council Mr.

Walker and I took on updating the multifamily tax exemption, we moved it from 80 percent to 70 percent of Pierce County AMI.

There's no magic number requiring what that has to be.

It just cannot exceed 115 percent of AMI.

So it could be lower, but that number we landed on at 70 percent was after a deliberative process through the government forwards finance and council committee in 2021.

So I just want to answer uh the question that was asked about why 70 percent.

Uh with that, that's all my questions and comments.

Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you, Councilmember Heinz.

Councilmember Rumbach.

Hi, I want to thank you for the presentation.

And um, I just wanted to know.

So this is a program that of the state of Washington, and then we adopted the program, right?

As a city.

So we adopted, yeah, as a council council.

So um could you just explain to me in the Tacoma Mall Regional Growth Center?

Aren't um if are they just getting around having to do a lot of the requirements because they're doing less units than they're supposed to do to get like that?

Isn't the growth area supposed to be, aren't there certain things they're supposed to be doing as far as in that area?

Um I'm gonna phone a friend Debbie Bingham can speak to the requirements of that area.

Excuse me, that's thank you, Councilmember Rumba.

So um the developers developing the MFTE have to file all have to follow all building and land use requirements, so any special requirements of a certain area of the city or the density requirements have to be followed.

If you build under 14 units, though, isn't that is it 15 units or 14 units?

They don't have to follow the percentage.

Is that oh you're talking about in the Madison?

Yeah, the inclusionary, yeah.

I'm actually not sure if this is in the MASE.

Oh, okay.

That might be what the question is.

Okay, thank you for explaining.

Thank you.

Thank you for your questions.

Any further questions from the council?

Seeing none, uh, all those in favor of adopting resolution number 41853, please take my by saying aye.

Aye.

All those supposed to say no.

Resolution is declared adopted.

Uh we've already seen the presentation for this item.

So are there any additional council comments or questions on item 10?

Oh, apologies, got too ahead of myself.

Um Resolution 41854, a resolution authorizing the execution of a multifamily housing 12-year limited property tax exemption agreement with Meacham Development LLC for the development of four multifamily market and regulated rate rental housing units located at 312 South 28th Street.

This item's just presented.

Uh, are there additional council questions or comments?

I have to I have to move it first.

Oh, I am I move to adopt resolution number 41854.

Second.

Moving second, I just have this motion on the brain, I guess.

Now are there any council questions or comments?

Um due to the uh appearance of a potential for a conflict of interest, I'll actually be refusing from this.

Um the principal here uh I have no commercial relationship with, but he he is a broker at my office, and so even though I have no financial interest in this potential uh transaction, uh just due to appearance's sake, I'll be abstaining.

So with that, um seeing no other further council questions or comments, all those in favor of adopting resolution number uh 41854, please take and five by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All those supposed to say no and one abstention.

Okay, moving on to first reading of ordinances, item number 11.

Clerk, please read.

Ordinance 29092, an ordinance amending subtitle 6a of the municipal code relating to the tax code to update utility tax rates from 7.5 percent to 6 percent by amending various sections effective March 1st, 2026, and by amending section 6a.90.040 effective July 1st, 2026.

I'd like to call on Danielle Larson.

And council members, I'm Danielle Larson, the tax and license division manager.

Um ordinance two nine zero nine two includes required amendments to update the city's utility tax rates that are currently seven point five percent to six percent.

The required amendments were presented to the government performance finance committee on February third and recommended to full council for consideration.

The streets initiative that was passed by voters in November of 2015 included a 1.5 percent rate increase on natural gas power and telephone services for a period of 10 years.

The 10-year period for natural gas power and telephone tax rates, which is collected by the city expires on February 28th, 2026.

The 10-year period for natural gas use tax collected by the Department of Revenue on the city's behalf expires on June 30th, 2026, as the Department of Revenue has only certain days of the year that can implement a rate change.

The decrease in rates have been planned for in the 2026 budget, and the affected utility tax companies have been notified of the rate change.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Danielle.

Are there any uh questions or comments from the council?

Seeing none, this ordinance will be set over for final reading on February 24th, 2026.

Moving on, is there any unfinished business?

See none.

Moving on to community forum.

So community forum, uh, during which uh you you may uh have the option of speaking about any items over which the city council has jurisdiction.

As a reminder, these forums are intended to give speakers the opportunity to share their feedback and viewpoints 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.

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've not done so already.

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

Now that we're at the community forum section, click please read.

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

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

Arguments shall not be made in support of or opposition to any matters on this week's agenda, and each person may address the council only one time during this forum.

Community forum would be limited to a total of 60 minutes in the aggregate, and each speaker will have up to 90 seconds to make your remarks.

So please be uh mindful of the time frame.

As always, you're 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 will have to move on and we'll end your time.

So, with that, um, we have a fair amount of people who've signed in, so just to be mindful of what's going on here.

We want to hear from as many people as possible.

There are a lot of people who signed in, and we have a total of just one hour for this.

So we're asking respectfully that this is a very passionate topic.

We absolutely hear where you're coming from.

We share a lot of similar concerns uh as representatives of the community.

So if you can please do your best to refrain from disruptive behavior like booing, clapping, cheering, just so we can hear from as many people as possible.

So with that, I'm gonna call for people um to sign up uh who've signed up to line up right now, starting with Lauren uh Bisplungov, followed by Michael Colliery, hello, Mayor Isbun and Council members.

My name is Lauren Bisplinghoff.

I'm here because of what is happening in Tacoma is unnecessary and traumatic.

Last week I was given contact information for Stephanie.

Her husband was taken by ice the same morning that uh a raid happened in my apartment complex.

He has lived here for 20 years.

He had a green card, but it was revoked, and he has traveled when he traveled to Venezuela to care for his dying father when he returned home.

They confiscated his green card and his passport.

He was picked up Wednesday morning.

He is not a criminal, he's a victim of a broken system.

Elaine Fernando Salas leaves behind his seven-month-old baby and a grieving wife.

Because he is Venezuelan, he is set up for deportation immediately.

He has lived here for 20 years and is the breadwinner of his family.

The same morning I was woke up from loud explosions, flash grenades at approximately 50 officers at our apartment complex right by Cheney Stadium.

Some were state troopers, some were DHS, some in unmarked vehicles, storming into an apartment.

Many officers wore Kevlar vests under civilian clothing.

Apartment J 13 had children living there.

All the surrounding apartments have children living in there.

The excessive force that they used was inexcusable.

There's no reason.

Thank you.

I have a lot more to say.

I'll turn it in when I'm done.

Of course, you're welcome.

Thank you.

We'd love to hear from you.

Thank you, Lauren.

Our next speaker is Michael Collier, followed by Tina Ramirez.

Good evening, honorable mayor, honorable council.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to uh come before you.

I was here not too long ago with more of a broad-based uh uh statement.

Tonight I want to be specific.

I ask for three things.

One is that we declare ourselves a sanctuary city.

Two that that we declare ourselves and our motto as a city is ice out.

Three, that we take the positive and and progressive steps to make sure that we are protecting our community citizens, whether they're uh citizens, native-born, immigrants.

Do not, I ask you, do not, as a council, let the stain of the cruelty that is going on, do not let it happen here in the city of Tacoma.

Let us be progressive, let us be on the right side of history.

Let us show that we care for our citizens, that we care for our community members, and let us be a shining light as an example to other cities.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Michael.

And and like I said, let's let's just make sure that we can make as much room for people to speak as possible.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Tanya Ramirez, followed by Harold Johnson.

Hello.

Thank you, members of council, for allowing me to address you today.

My name is Tania Ramenez.

I'm a US citizen and a proud Puerto Rican.

An army US veteran wife and an army U.S.

veteran mother.

Also the granddaughter of Arcadio Medina, a man who fought on the streets of Puerto Rico.

I'm on Governor Luis Munoz Marín in 1952 for us to become a commonwealth and get out on their decolonization that was imposed upon the Puerto Rican people.

He fought to preserve the right to exist in his own land.

And today the story repeats itself.

I'm standing before you trying to exist, because no one is illegal on Stolinland.

Now I want to address some of you.

Since I can address you guys individually, some of you I want to thank you for your courage and for standing with us.

I you know who you are.

I know others members of council.

You also know who you are.

The ones that said that can do nothing to help us, that refused to say no more ice.

You said that you couldn't.

That you couldn't help us.

Your lack and for bad your value for human life is absolute.

You compare a building of the new detention center as the same as building a restaurant.

You saying you said it wouldn't be fair.

I have a lot more to say, and I will inter to council.

Thank you, Tonya.

Our next speaker is Harold Johnson, followed by Doug Werner.

Hello, Tacoma City Council.

We are facing an unprecedented abuse of power from the Trump administration.

It is imperative we protect our citizens from Trump's the Epstein classes Gestapo and prevent our neighbors from being abducted, abused mentally, physically, and sexually, and murdered by this unaccountable cowardice currently infesting Tacoma streets.

This is a time to be proactive instead of reactive to ensure you uphold your duties and an act of powers granted to you in order to protect your constituents and our neighbors.

We are demanding the coordination of the city council to enact the following safeguard personnel, personal information of our citizens from DHS and ICE, direct and empower Tacoma police and city services to protect citizens against ICE.

ICE and federal agents cannot enter public city control buildings, including schools, hospitals, shelters, immigration hearings without a judicial warrant.

Implement a know your rights campaign to inform vulnerable residents their legal rights when interacting with federal agents.

Implementation of a no-tolerance policy for facial coverings for federal agents with clear identification, which is to be enforced by Tacoma police.

Failure to enact and enforce these kinds of orders will inevitably lead to more bloodshed and abuse at the hands of the unaccountable pedophilia protectorate currently running this country.

Do not obey in advance and always and forever fuck ice.

All right.

All right, look again.

Thank you again.

Really appreciate your testimony.

Um Doug Werner, followed by Jeanette Hartspark.

Good evening, Council.

My name's Doug Erner, and I stand here tonight as a representative of the Tacoma community at large and of Pierre County Immigration Alliance.

We promised that we would keep coming back and showing up until our demands were met.

And tonight we're here to keep that promise.

The fact that you are up there also means that you have made a promise, a promise to serve every member, every resident of Tacoma, no matter their citizenship status, and we are here to hold you accountable to that promise.

We're asking you to stand up with the several cities that have been bold in calling for ice out.

We have asked that you get creative with how our demands could be met, and thus far you have refused.

When you released a statement that condemned the killing of Renee Good.

You refused, you failed to call for ICE out of Tacoma.

However, you did say that the council will continue to expand protections for immigrants and refugees who call Tacoma home.

It is time for the council to put their money where their mouth is.

Get creative and be bold.

The time for action is now.

We cannot simultaneously celebrate the contribution of immigrants and refugee neighbors while refusing to defend them.

Thank you, Doug.

Our next thank you for for calming down here.

As this council is aware, we met with selected representatives of your body last week.

Since we didn't get much of a chance to speak during the meeting, we will deliver our response from uh in commentary here in community forum.

Our first demand is to pass a resolution demanding ice out.

You say you cannot do this as a resolution.

You did, however, confirm that you can say this from the dais as a statement, and you point blank refuse to do so.

We tell you again, this is unacceptable.

Cities and their elected officials are able to make firm stances.

Aurora Colorado, which also has a GEO facility, has passed a resolution that they quote stand with the twin cities in their call for ICE to leave their community immediately, and that they oppose lawlessness and overreach by ICE agents.

The mayor of Portland has used a statement to call for ICE out of the city and for ICE agents to resign.

You can do the same.

The January 13th statement you released condemning the murder of one legal observer and ICE tactics as related to that killing is not strong enough.

We demand not only justice for Renee Good, but also justice for our neighbors who are abducted, brutalized, and detained under ICE's business as usual.

You are making a choice not to act to the fullest extent of your power.

You can and you must call for ICE out now.

Thank you so much.

We're gonna move on to our next speaker, Sybil Lancer, followed by Jessica.

Our second demand was to confirm that armed abductions of our neighbors without proof of law enforcement identification and a judicial warrant is unlawful and will be responded to by local law enforcement.

You told us you didn't know if you could mandate this legally, as it might interfere with federal operations and you'd look into it.

But Seattle has already put requirements that meet this demand forward as an executive order.

This city again has the power to act in the form of a tool to verify, document, and keep the community informed about ICE activity, and is again failing to mobilize its systems in defense of its community.

One has to ask why.

Why is the city not treating this as an emergency?

Why does the city not take the daily campaign of terror against our brown and black neighbors as seriously as it would if dozens of unverified abductions were being carried out against white citizens?

We apologize for repeating ourselves, but we do not know how many ways we can say it.

People are being blitzed and dragged from car windows and home depot parking lots, have masked men going door to door in their apartment buildings, have family members who have disappeared.

What separates us today from the great atrocity of history is that we don't know yet the full scope of our government's brutality.

The people of Germany and the world at large did not know the horrors of the Holocaust until the camps were freed by people like you and I who took initiative to do the right thing.

You have seen the shoes of the murdered in Auschwitz.

Someday soon we will hear.

And we ask the city to stand up and bring solutions now.

Thank you.

Our next comment.

And again, I I get it.

We are all very passionate about this.

Let's make sure we're making as met as much room as possible for other speakers.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jessica, followed by Gage.

Our town is the home of the Northwest Attention Center.

As we and our allies have demanded for years, we demand the city council condemn the reported human rights abuses in the NWDC and take every possible opportunity to curtail or cease its operations.

The city said it didn't have any options.

We were shocked and appalled when a council member added that even if it did have the power, he didn't think that he would shut it down.

There seemed to be some confusion about why we're demanding this point, so let us clarify.

This is about decades of reports of staff abuse, assault, slavery, medical neglect, and conditions of abject filth.

This is an issue of basic humanity.

No oversight is being exercised here.

ICE and GEO run their camp how they see fit.

Every responsible body points fingers toward another or says the court has it tied its hands.

We charge cowardice.

As the city shirks from even the possibility of a legal battle, three men who GEO attempted to beat into submission are taking their fight for justice to the courts.

The city of Portland is finding their ICE facility and fighting their ability to operate using land use violations.

Under Chapter 6B 10140, clause nine of the municipal code, the finance director has the ability to revoke business licenses even for the reasonable belief of dishonesty or legality of the business's operations or dangers to public health and safety.

Tacoma has given no compelling reason why the expansive power given to the finance director applies to all businesses besides ICE collaborators.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Gate's Gage, followed by Maggie.

We spoke to you about material support for immigrant communities, and some of our suggestions to that end sourced from our community partners, have been sent to you.

We invite the council to consider this list very deeply non-exhaustive and to solicit further suggestions beyond our body.

The council has shared with us that the city's budget is tight.

But as you could make good on two separate multimillion dollar contracts to sweep our neighbors last week, we're sure you can make some extra squeeze.

Find some extra fucking change between the couch cushions.

We also demand clarity to the city's policies and procedures regarding both the plan it empowered the city manager to make in resolution 41817.

And the consequences of city employee collaborating with ICE against the policy outlined in resolution 41627.

In both instances, we were directed to immigration resource web page.

This web page only contained the resolutions, not the plans or policy clarifications we were requesting.

We don't think it's unreliable unreasonable to ask a timeline for this facility plan so we can understand what steps are being taken to ensure it's forced.

We also don't think unreason unreasonable to ask for verification of the policy that that would collaborate to the city.

Sir, you're we are disturbed that the country's comments are supposed to address these questions.

Can you please sit down?

We're going to move on to the next speaker.

Thank you so much.

Maggie, followed by Janae.

Again, if we can please show respect for other speakers, we're trying to make as much time as possible for as many people to be heard.

Please respect the time limits.

Our next speaker is Maggie, followed by Janae.

So the council said repeatedly in the meeting that it wants us to go to higher bodies.

As we sat down at the table in good faith, we say we hear you.

We've modified our same demands to be brought to the Pierce County Council.

If the city is serious, that the reason it can't be in this fight is because it's an improper body to ask, and we should broaden our fight.

We ask you to then sign on to these demands for the county as our first endorser.

One, we demand that the county executive or the county council issue a statement calling for ice out of Pierce County.

Two, we demand that the county direct the verification of all reported ICE sightings for both law enforcement identification and judicial warrants and create frameworks under which the county and its constituent municipalities will enforce ICE anti-masking laws.

Three, we demand the county condemn the reported human rights abuses at the NWDC and pursue all available opportunities to curtail or cease its operations.

We further demand the county ensure that I'm sorry to interrupt.

Is this pertaining to a matter the city has jurisdiction over?

You're mentioning Pierce County.

They're asking you to endorse this.

Yes, we're asking you to endorse this.

We're told in our meeting to go to the county, and so we're saying we're bringing this to the county, and we're asking you to endorse this.

So we further demand that the county ensures that everything within its power is done to ensure no new immigration detention facilities are constructed here.

So we demand additional material resources be made available in support of our immigrant community to make good on this county's declaration of a sanctuary district with consideration of the ongoing harm of ICE activities that NWDC being located within our county.

So we eagerly await your signature onto these resolutions.

Thank you, Maggie.

Our next speaker is Janae, followed by um looks like Madeline Henyon.

Your support cannot come soon enough.

While this council flip-flops saying one thing publicly and then backtracking in private, refusing to take decisive action, our community suffers.

Right now, Geo Group is facing yet another lawsuit for allowing sexual assaults, brutal beatings, and not performing legitimate investigations into conditions or treatment of the people being held at the facility.

This, all while the Tacoma police department continually ignores requests for external investigation, opting instead to allow Geo Group the freedom to absolve themselves of what would be criminal wrongdoing for anyone else.

You are scared to face lawsuits from ICE while most our most impacted neighbors step up to take them on in the courts.

Inaction in times of injustice is complicity.

Seattle has now outstepped Tacoma in taking action against ICE, not only making it illegal for ICE to stage on city property, but also requiring police officers to respond to calls of ICE sightings, to document them with video footage to confirm their identities with official ID verification and to secure the scene where unlawful actions are suspected.

They have also encouraged private property owners to prohibit ICE activity on their property through the Stand Together Seattle initiative and put forward four million dollars to invest in immigrant legal defense community support and long-term needs.

While Tacoma City Council continues to twiddle their thumbs, putting up a couple signs and updating a website, shame.

Our next speaker is Madeline Henyon, followed by Riley Guerrero.

Our youth, the generation to whom we give the world, and who can see the injustice in their elders have grown to accept, are rising up.

Hundreds, if not thousands of students from all over Tacoma have organized over the past two weeks to demand that we get ICE out of our city.

Hundreds more from all around the county and thousands in Seattle have taken to the streets to demand justice.

Students from Silas High School Stadium and Annie Wright have all organized their own walkout protests.

Today, students at Lincoln and Mountahoma also rose up and walked out.

They won't accept business as usual, and neither should you.

When this period of history is written, one shaping up to be more and more the equal of the historic watershed moments of the Freedom Riders and Siddins of the Chicano Moratorium and the peace protests.

The once teenagers in our town will be able to stand proud when they're asked by the young people of tomorrow, what did they do during these times of oppression?

And tear, they are learning it about in their history books.

Today's students will be able to answer honestly.

I did everything I could possibly do to stop this injustice.

I put my comfort, my safety, my future, and my body on the line to stand for my neighbors.

And honestly, counsel, can you say in your heart of hearts that you're actually doing the same?

I see my last seven seconds for people to clap.

Thank you.

All right.

All right, point of order.

Before we move on, Deputy Mayor.

Point of order, Mayor.

Um, per our council rules, we are not to clap, cheer, or boo during community forum.

That's correct.

And we want to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to have a fairly fairly speak in our chambers.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right, so let's move on.

We have a fair amount of speakers signed up.

We want to make sure we hear from as many people as possible.

We want to make sure that we can minimize disruption while hearing from you.

So we're gonna move on to our next speaker.

It's Riley Guerrero, followed by Ari Pablo Diuris.

Go ahead.

Guerrero.

Uh, we firmly believe that this city has options to be a stronger ally, and we are not satisfied with the contradictory non-answers we received.

Or, frankly, the way that our organizers were repeatedly talked down to, talked over, and brushed off in the meeting this council allegedly put together to have a good faith conversation.

To this point, we've been respectful of the county's time or the city's time.

We've organized through proper channels.

We've spoken during community forum and public comment when allowed, and we haven't meaningfully interrupted regular business.

PCIA waited three weeks for the mayor's office to schedule its promised meeting with us only to be sat down and told there was nothing you were willing to do.

Given the severity of the issue we're speaking on, we have been exceptionally patient and reasonable.

We are not going to go away just because you stonewall us, and we're also not going to keep repeating ourselves in ways that evidently aren't powerful enough to convince you to stand up for your constituents.

We've told you twice since our first action on 113, we're coming back to the next community forum to reiterate our demands.

Today, we tell you that we're coming back to reiterate our demands, but it may not be during the one hour every two weeks you've set aside for us to speak on the abuse of our neighbors and then do nothing afterwards.

It's going to be in the time, place, and format of our choosing.

We thank you for your time.

We'll see you again soon.

Our next All right, so just to repeat what we said, just to be abundantly clear, passion is absolutely welcome.

We also have to be respectful of other people.

If we cannot do this, we will recess.

If we will continue not having respectful decorum, then we will move on past community forum.

We have to make sure that we're hearing from everyone.

We're gonna move on to our next speaker, which is Ari Parabotus, followed by Marilyn Kimmerling.

Please go ahead.

Hello, I am Ari Pahandis.

Last week, students organizing a walkout as Pierce County Immigration Alliance to support them.

Me and money, others with PCIA, have now supported with several of the walkouts in Tacoma.

These students don't just see the injustice in Tacoma, they have a deep understanding of it because they live it.

They are out here in the hundreds because ice affects them.

We should listen and learn from them.

Here are some of the things students told me when asked why they walked out.

A student who helped organize a walkout said, I'm sick and tired of coming to school every day and hearing my friends talk about how they cry themselves to sleep at night, afraid that their families will be taken away from them.

Another student named Jocelyn said, My mom is a dreamer.

She came here for a better opportunity in life.

Two days ago, she was stopped by migration because she looked different.

Liliani said, it's sad that we have to do this instead of the adults.

It's sad that this generation now has to do this because the people who were supposed to protect us failed us.

Addison said, we chose to walk out today because we see the injustice that's been happening, and we want to say ice off our streets.

Please listen to the students and kick ice out of Tacoma.

Our next speaker.

Our next speaker is Marilyn Kammerling, followed by Michelle Reich.

Good evening, Council.

I'm Marilyn Kimmerling.

I keep thinking of a song that's really important to me.

And the song says, Laws are made by men and people, and people can be wrong.

When a law or an ordinance or whatever you want to call it is unjust, we have an obligation to stand up and fight back and resist and change the law.

You tell us that you don't have authority to do what we want.

And we are saying, have courage, stand up.

This is about humanity.

People are dying.

People are being separated.

It could be any one of us or any one of you.

It starts with one population.

We know how a fascist sweep works.

Our lives depend on it.

Stand up, fight with us.

Join us.

Thank you, Marilyn.

Our next speaker is Michelle Reich, followed by Dez.

Y'all are immigrants too.

Michelle Reich.

I told you all two years ago to close that Northwest Detention Center, but you get a lot of money from, so you leave it open.

But I'm gonna tell you all a story in here.

I'm from San Antonio, and years ago, um our grandchildren, my first born in our family.

He was 19 years old.

Uh, and Mr.

King Gaines invaded his house a few blocks from the Alamo, and he had a baby that was two weeks old, Zach.

His wife, Adrian, was put in another room while in the living room.

He was tortured uh by gang members, and then uh he was taken in his truck and put on the Port Tin Lupa San Antonio and cremated by these people.

Now I don't feel any remorse for border protection and making this border secure so these people don't come called criminals.

I'm not talking about other people.

And he had a daughter that was yet unborn.

Uh he had a girlfriend that's undocumented, and uh, her name's Allie and Laredo, and his daughter Kimberly was born as a love child, and she's uh a dreamer.

But anyway, I need strong borders and pick up the criminals, but everything else, it's a problem because all the politicians, Democrats, Republicans didn't take care of this years ago and kick the can down the road, and that's why we're at this point now.

Thank you, Michelle.

We're gonna move on to our next slide.

Des followed by Melissa Knott.

Des, are you available?

Followed by Melissa Knott.

Hello, I'm Des.

I keep hearing this council say our hands are tied, but tied by whom and tied to what?

Because hands are not tied when this city cooperates with federal enforcement, hands are not tied when silence protects violence, and then hands are not tied while the Northwest Attention Center operates in our region, detaining immigrants in an end for profit cage while families and communities are torn apart.

Let's be clear.

It's about a long American tradition of deciding which people are disposable.

This land was stolen from indigenous nations whose sovereignty is still denied, their plant medicines, sources of healing for thousands of years, were criminalized to erase indigenous knowledge and maintain colonial power.

This country was built on the enslavement of black people.

That system did not disappear, it evolved from plantations to prisons from slave patrols to ice.

The logic is the same surveillance, punish, extract, and disappear.

When asylum seekers are caged at the Northwest Attention Center, this city does not get to pretend it has no role.

When you say your hands are tied, what you are really saying is that you choose compliance over courage.

If the law is unjust, challenge it.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every day.

Thank you, Des.

Our next speaker is Melissa Knott, followed by Chris Paritas.

I would like to thank a certain councilwoman, who I cannot speak and say it her name, for showing up and saying that you're respecting care our community by staying the entire time during the Senko meeting this month.

Some of us have been at this activism stuff for a long time.

The girls have grown up in the struggle.

He was forged in the flames.

It was only a few weeks old when he attended his first protest.

The silent protest for Manny Ellis.

Alton is an elder in this community.

When Alton asked for tangible action against ice, not just a letter.

And some maybe, but for others, we want to be taken seriously.

Former counsel would see us coming and to talk about the LNG, the detention center, the trees.

They'd say, Oh, hi, Marilyn.

And when we were done, you'd say, See you next Tuesday.

Oh, hi, Kyle.

See you next Tuesday.

Hello, Robert.

See you next Tuesday.

How are you?

If you have further comments, you're welcome to email the city council.

We have to respect no ma'am.

No, ma'am.

Against allowing to continue to terrorize our city.

Ma'am, that we're going to move on to the next speaker.

Council will recess for five minutes.

Another bunch of drugs.

See you next Tuesday.

Recess is adjourned, we're resuming community forum.

Our next before we move on, let's just be abundantly clear.

We want to make sure we hear from everyone.

We have twenty two minutes left to hear from a variety of people who signed in.

If people cannot conduct the meeting respectfully and continue being disruptive, we will close community forum and adjourn.

So just making sure that we hear from as many people as possible.

However, um, you probably have heard the news that Tacoma Arts Live will be closing.

Now we're losing this organization.

And we'd love to hear from you more if you have further written comments for the city council.

Our next speaker is Eugenia, followed by Cassandra.

It's Ohenia.

Hello.

I'm a member of PCIA, and most importantly, a member of a community that's being persecuted and hunted.

Your inaction has brought me here today.

I, like many here, feel a moral obligation to stand before you in place of all those who can't be here.

I need to make sure you don't forget about all of those that are suffering and scared in the city of Tacoma under your watch.

I'm also here to call you out.

PCIA presented a resolution that should have been a no-brainer for you to adopt.

I can only assume that you didn't because you're scared.

You're afraid to take action, but yet my people are showing courage every day by just showing up to work, by trying to live their lives while under siege.

Right now, there are literal children that are showing more assertiveness and courage, meeting this moment than you are.

You who were elected to serve and protect our communities, you who have immense amount of privilege compared to the folks that are being persecuted, compared to the kids that are showing you up.

You have a choice.

You can be cowardly, yes, but you don't get to be cowardly in peace.

Tacoma demands ice out.

We will be here to remind you.

Kids will continue to walk out of class to teach the adults lessons they shouldn't have to.

But we will continue to show up to your meetings, and the Tacoma citizens will continue to vote accordingly.

Thank you so much for speaking.

Our next speaker is Cassandra, followed by Dylan.

Hi, my name is Cassandra.

I'm part of the International Migrants Alliance and a Tacoma resident.

And I come myself, but alongside many migrants and allies in the community to really raise the call for ice out of Tacoma.

Um I honestly don't understand why you, as the city's council, are not taking immediate action.

Uh what are you exactly waiting for?

Uh a six-year-old migrants uh in Tacoma residents uh will miss school this Friday to go to immigration court.

That is shameful.

At the same time, her parents and family are facing eviction here in Tacoma.

That is shameful.

All of this while ICE is kidnapping people like them and putting them in places like the Northwest Attention Center, where they are in immense, where they face immense abuse and human rights violations.

Shut it down.

We endorse the demands that PCAA has brought forward, and I bring our demands here for services, not surveillance, not sweeps, as your budget is trying to support and defend Victoria.

Stop family separation, take action and get ice out of Tacoma.

Thank you so much.

Our next speaker is Dylan, followed by Mason.

Hello, my name is Dylan.

I'm part of the Philippine US Solidarity Organization in the Defend Migrants Alliance.

Um I'm here to echo the calls from the previous speaker.

Um we really need to see uh services for our community members.

That's what the community is here asking for, rather than uh, you know, you we've we've heard from people that you know there's not enough money in the budget to um, you know, get these get ice out for whatever reason.

But you know, we we know that there is.

We know that there's more that you can be doing, and I think if you look inside, you can really see that there is more that you can be doing.

Um so that's what we're asking for.

Um we're asking for like support for our community members.

We're asking for ice out of Tacoma, we're asking for ice out of hospitals.

We have ICE at St.

Joseph Medical Center terrorizing the healthcare workers and professionals there.

Um the uh Northwest Detention Center has a contract with uh St.

Joseph Medical Center that allows ICE agents to uh accompany detainees to the uh to the hospital where they are leaving loaded weapons in the bathrooms of the hospital, which puts patients, other Tacomans, um healthcare workers and professionals at risk.

Um so we're looking for for more definitive action.

I think you know that there's more that you can do.

Um but please pressure St.

Joseph to junk the contract, support ordinances that get ice out and support efforts to shut down the Northwest Detention Center.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Dylan.

Our next speaker is Mason Williams, followed by Mez Schrid.

I think every single one of you understands the situation you're in.

You are complicit.

And I bear witness against you in the name of God.

You will answer for all of this to God himself in the life to come.

And all of these people will stand together to provide for their own needs.

We have the power.

We will protect each other.

You will answer in the next life, and we will be sure that you will have no peace in this one.

And for all this, you say that we're not allowed to clap, to cheer, to speak, to say our whole peace.

We will not be fooled by that.

We speak and you will hear.

This country, this state, this county, this city is in a state of crisis.

And when there's an emergency at my job, I work overtime.

I expect you all to do the same.

You think you're above us.

You think you don't have to do the work?

Well, we're doing this.

We're speaking, whether you hear it, we're acting, whether you see it.

It doesn't matter if you walk out of this room.

It doesn't matter if you drag us out of it.

We will not be stopped.

We will protect our home.

And whether or not you join us decides whether you will have a place in it.

That's all.

Thank you, Mason.

Our next speaker is Mez Schreed, followed by Holden.

Hi, Council members.

I want to know that this is a passionate topic because protection from ICE is an emergency.

The following is a text message from my high schooler.

I'm scared, mom.

I mean, I know that I have privilege when it comes to ICE and what's happening because I'm white, but that doesn't mean I can't get hurt and I'm scared for my friends.

She wrote that text or sent that text before Renee Good was murdered.

Every day our children go to school wondering if they will be gunned down by school shooters, and now they are being terrorized by our federal government.

We are a developed nation using our resources to traumatize our children daily with terror and violence instead of educating them in peace and safety.

It is wildly shameful, diabolical even.

And as you and you, as our local government have some power to take more action and better protect the children of Tacoma.

Please do what is right.

It is the obligation of local governments to do whatever they can to protect the people when the federal government goes rogue.

I yield my time.

Thank you very much.

Our next speaker is Holden, followed by Shauna Ortiz.

I'm Holden from the Defend Migrants Alliance in Malaya Tacoma, and we're in full support of PCIA's resolution.

The Northwest Detention Center, owned by the Geo Group Corporation, has a documented history of human rights abuses that allow detainees like Kuya Gee, who you know about, uh, to languish in detention without proper medical care.

The Northwest Detention Center routinely denies treatment of detainees, barring medical professionals from visiting and even refusing hospital visits for those who face life-threatening illnesses, which are often brought about by the very inhumane conditions that they face in the detention center.

Even when the community pressures ICE to admit detainees to the hospital, the abuse does not end because the contracts between St.

Joseph Medical Center and Geo Group allow ice agents into the hospitals to terrorize and intimidate the healthcare workers to isolate detainees and chain them to the bed.

You've seen the news that an ICE officer left a loaded firearm in the restroom for hours, seven hours.

These agents and their weapons have no place in our hospitals.

ICE does not belong there.

We are demanding that so uh Tacoma City Council protect our most vulnerable citizens by exercising your power as elected officials to one, pressure St.

Joseph Medical Center and common spirit to junk the contract between ICE and Geo Group and St.

Joseph's.

Support the ordinances, state and federal bills that will remove ICE.

Thank you, Holdoma.

Support efforts to shut down your whole Northwest attorney to move on to our next speaker.

Do something.

You're welcome to send any further comments to the council.

We'd love to hear from you.

Our next speaker is Shauna Ortiz.

Hello.

Welcome.

I heard you say follow the rules.

I would like you to know that my family followed the rules.

My husband took all of the steps to be here legally and start the legal process.

And still, I spent nine horrible weeks without my husband at home.

My children spent nine horrible weeks without their dad.

Horrible.

Could you imagine your kids coming home from school?

And your wife had to tell them, or your husband had to tell them their father was detained.

Working.

My husband drove to Lowe's to pick up material for the day.

Ice agents were waiting in the parking lot after my husband loaded his things in the vehicle and drove down the street.

They detained him.

They forcefully removed him from his vehicle.

He was treated horribly.

For hours, I had to look and search to try to find my husband.

My children came home from school, and I had to tell them, I'm so sorry your daddy's not coming home tonight.

It's horrible.

I'm here, so you can see the face of people who are suffering.

My family is still suffering.

My husband has finally been able to return home because we had to prove that he was here rightfully.

But for nine weeks, my kids wouldn't sleep in their own bedrooms.

They came home from school depressed.

They had to speak with counselors.

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Our next speaker who signed up virtually is April Smith, followed by Jeff Peel.

Hello, Council.

I attended the Economic Development Committee meeting this morning and wanted to state how impressed I was with how Chair Diaz spoke to the community following public comment.

Thank you for speaking genuinely and hearing the community.

It is appreciated.

That meeting should be used as the gold standard.

All should strive to during public meetings.

Thank you so much for how you are with community.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Jeff Peel, followed by Tyler Daniels.

Hi, yeah.

My name is Jeff Peel.

I'm a proud Tacoma resident from the South End, District 5, a place where seven seconds of clapping does not disturb us.

I'm gonna try not to use all of my time.

I have a few things to say.

First thing I want to say is it's my recollection that two weeks ago, last time we went through this exercise.

There were some gentlemen who called in who could charitably be described as white supremacists.

And I believe those gentlemen were not from Marfair City.

And I would like to suggest that when the clerk reads the little spiel at the beginning to give people instructions for what to do when they call in.

Maybe they should ask people to specify whether they are residents of Tacoma and what district they're in, or if they're not.

I realize non-residents have a right to speak.

A lot of big money people come in here and talk that way.

But I think they should have to go on record as saying they ain't from here.

Okay, that's thing one.

Second thing, I support everything PCIA has said for you guys to do, and I think you should do it.

Every inch of it, every bit of it, right now, today.

And in fact, I think you should go further and find a way to ban chemical weapons.

That's dangerous stuff.

Second, the third thing.

The Northwest Detention Center is a moral injury to this community.

It's not a scar, it's an open wound.

The crowd will chant, shut it down.

That's only half the problem.

Shut it down, yes, and then tear it down.

Those white supremacists were upset that they couldn't pronounce your names.

They want you in there.

None of us are safe while that infrastructure of fascism stands.

Thank you for your comments, sir.

Our next speaker is Tyler Daniels.

Greetings.

This is Tyler Michael Daniels, licensed civil and professional engineer.

And everything that Jeff just communicated about the concerns for ICE and the Northwest Detention Center, I view as a microcosm to the macrocosm of Tacoma and the impacts that have happened from the Sarko's smelter plume.

I was born in the epicenter of the toxins on North Winifred.

And it isn't moral injustice that this council and the individuals who work there, as I was one of them for the past decade, looked the other way, did not test the soil, and continued to allow for development.

Blowing toxic soil of arsenic and lead, which are heavy metals and neurotoxins.

So for all of those individuals who live in Tacoma, I ask you to wake up.

Wake up to your power.

You, if you have moved here recently and are unaware, do your research.

We live in a super fun site.

The entire extent of the city of Tacoma and the greater Puget Sound reason region is toxic.

And those toxins get passed down through conception generation to generation.

Individuals under the age of seven are the most vulnerable to autism and all of the other impacts of lymphoma that will come from the toxic heavy meadows that continue to be suppressed for the almighty dollar for development.

Thank you for your testimony.

With that, so that was our last speaker.

So we are going to declare community forum closed, and there are no planned reports from community forum nights.

Is there a report from the city manager's office?

Thank you, Mayor.

No report on community forum evenings.

Okay, so moving on to comments and committee reports of the city council.

I'd like to first call on Councilmember Walker, Chair of the Infrastructure Planning and Sustainability Committee.

Thank you, Mayor.

The infrastructure planning and sustainability committee has met twice since our last report out.

December uh since December 24th and January 14th, meetings were canceled.

IPS wrapped up 2025 on December 10th by voting to recommend candidates to serve in the landmarks preservation commission and hearing an update on Tacoma Powers progress towards implementing mandatory clean energy targets established by state law and previewing our 2026 schedule.

We kicked off 2026 on January 28th.

Our first order of business electing IPS chair and vice chair for the year.

My colleagues and I voted to re-elect re-elect myself and new vice chair, Councilmember Sidalgate.

The rest of the January 28th meeting focused on trees.

We had an overview of the feedback community members shared over the course of the outreach I conducted as part of phase one of the urban forestry priority action plan.

And that uh plan is in your inboxes and up on the city's website as of today.

And then we got a presentation on the urban wood reuse report, which is an analysis exploring how we can promote a healthy tree canopy and divert waste from landfills together.

The next meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 11th, and we will discuss the outcomes of a pilot studying PFAS removal and destruction of the city's uh at the city's central tranval and destruction of PFAS at the city's central treatment plant.

Mayor, that concludes my report.

Thank you, Chair Walker.

Are there other comments from the council?

Seeing none, I'd like to remind everyone that the February 17th, 2026 City Council study session and business meeting and the government performance and finance committee meeting have been canceled due to the President's Day holiday.

With that, is there a motion to adjourn?

I move to adjourn.

Movement second, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those both say no.

Motion is declared adjourned.