I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of June 16th, 2026.

Clark, please call the roll.

Deputy Mayor Blushnell.

President.

Councilmember Diaz.

Here.

Councilmember Hyans?

Councilmember Palmer?

Councilmember Rumba here.

Council Member Sidalgay?

Here.

Councilmember Scott.

Here.

Councilmember Walker.

Here.

Mayor Ibsen.

Here.

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

We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Puellet people where they make their home and speak the Lachutseed 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.

I move to adopt the consent agenda, including resolutions number four one nine three four through four one nine three six.

Move and second, are there any questions, comments, or corrections?

Seeing unless in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

I was supposed to say no, consent agenda is approved.

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

Uh, we have three tonight.

Um, our first is proclaiming Friday, June 19th as Juneteenth.

Uh, for Juneteenth, I'd like to invite J.

D.

Davis, founder of Way Out Kids to the podium as I read the proclamation.

Whereas Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19th, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger led Union soldiers into Galveston, Texas, bringing news that the Civil War had ended and that the emancipation proclamation had declared all enslaved people free nearly two and a half years earlier.

And whereas Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Cell Liberation, and Juneteenth, Independence Day, all marking the 160th commemoration of Juneteenth.

And whereas the Washington State Legislature approved Juneteenth as an official state holiday on April 9th, 2021, which was then signed into law by Governor Jay Ansley.

And whereas July 4th, 1776 represents the birth of the United States of America and commemorates our country's independence from British rule, but it did not offer independence and freedom to enslaved people.

And whereas Juneteenth commemorates the strength and resolve of black and African Americans throughout our history, and serves as an opportunity to celebrate the rich and numerous contributions of black and African Americans with events and celebrations across the city and region, and whereas Juneteenth is an individual and collective call to self-education, exploration, and reflection on the personal significance of this historical event and an invitation to form a deeper understanding of our nation as a home for the broadest and most inclusive notions of freedom.

Now, therefore, I Andrews Ibsen, mayor of the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim Friday, June 19th, 2026, as Juneteenth in the City of Tacoma, and encourage our residents to reflect on the themes of black liberation, healing, and transformation in our city and in our nation, and invite the community to join as we celebrate Juneteenth.

Please say a few words.

Well, first off, I want to say just thank you to the mayor and the council.

Tacoma has really stood up for this event.

And because of all the support, we are now the largest in the state.

I've heard some in in the city brag that we may be the largest on the west coast.

Um, but that is because of things like this and the recognition uh that we get in everyone sharing it.

Juneteenth, uh, a road to economic freedom is something special to me and to us, I believe, because we all look at the date of eighteen sixty-five and that time, and rarely do we talk about what happened afterwards.

But what happened afterwards is people were not able to get jobs, they weren't able to support their families.

Jim Crow law set in and all types of things.

So Juneteenth, a role to economic freedom is specifically that.

It is a role to economic freedom.

So we have over 160 small businesses there.

There uh resources from Health Department, uh, from Healthcare, Multicare, and Kaiser, uh, the banks are there, Columbia Bank, BECU, housing, the Trades.

Everyone is there to kind of come out and support that event.

Then what we do is we put in a huge cloud of entertainment over it and bring in national recording artists to perform alongside our local artists, which brings out over 20,000 people to the event to support our community.

So I just want to say thank you.

And then of course, to end it June 19th this Friday.

Make sure you come out because we are moving.

We will be at LeMay Car Museum, the Hobb Family Field from 12 to 6 p.m.

We will also be in the Tacoma Dome Parking Lot A with a car show.

And we have over 40 or 50 food trucks.