It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution also naming 53rd Street, between Parrish Street and Westminster Avenue, "Ethel Hedgemon Lyle Way," in honor of Ethel Hedgemon Lyle, principal Founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the oldest Greek-letter organization for college-trained African American women in the United States of America, introduced today by Councilwoman Gauthier.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gauthier. STATED MEETING 149 2/9/2023 2/9/23 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Council President. I'd like to first thank the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., specifically the Omega Omega chapter of Philadelphia, for speaking in support of the resolution also naming 53rd Street for the Sorority's principal founder, Ethel Hedgemon Lyle. I also would like to welcome all the members of AKA who will be coming to the City for their regional conference in March. And I'd also like to thank our own Stephanie Marsh from the Managing Director's Office for her collaboration in drafting and introducing this resolution and for all of the hard work that she is undertaking to bring the AKAs here in March. And with that, Council President, I call for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's STATED MEETING 150 2/9/2023 seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you very much, Mr. Decker. That concludes our Calendar for today. And speeches on behalf of the minority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President, and I take no offense from my colleague Councilmember STATED MEETING 151 2/9/2023 you're saying, but I do want to respond, not in a personal way, because I think underlying that is that there's a detachment to understanding the plight of poor people and oppressed people if you are of my opinion. My opinion is not a privileged opinion. My opinion is a poor people's opinion, and I'd like to explain that. I take issue with the property tax. I take issue with the assessment on the poor. I take issue with the soda tax on the poor. I take issue with the disparity of education, not in the state, in this city. There's no greater disparity of education and unconstitutional, unlawful schools than in Philadelphia itself. We don't have to look at other school districts. I take issue with the lack of jobs and affordable housing. I take issue with the gentrification based on the improper assessment of properties and STATED MEETING 152 2/9/2023 poor. I take issue with all of these things, and I take issue with the failure to provide services to poor communities. You must serve. You must serve equally. There's no group of people more subject to murder, harm, violence and fear, a poor quality of life, an inability to go to the library, stand at the bus station, go to the playground, get on the trolley or get on the bus than the poor. I'm not from a privileged background. I went to Longstreth Elementary School. I went to Turner Middle School. I live at 58th and Thomas Avenue, as I always have. A young man was murdered on the corner of my street. His friend ran into my backyard. I was stabbed in front of my house. That's not the worst thing that happened to me. I had a choice to take his life or to take a step back. Because I have training and because I am calm, I take a step back. STATED MEETING 153 2/9/2023 to take a step back, because when you take a step back, you lose your opportunity to strike back. It is training and calmness and a willingness to put it in the hands of God that you take a step back and see what will happen. What happens might not be very good. I went to a Christian school because I could not go to public school. My friends in Longstreth and in Turner Middle School were in rival gangs. They murdered each other. So I'm quite familiar with that. I see them from time to time. They have spent a lot of time in jail. There are those who are drug addicted. We have every problem in this city on my block. I'm very familiar. I have -- I had guns pointed at me on many occasions. I've confronted people, because when you live in a neighborhood where you call the police and they don't come, either you're going to deal with the drug dealers or they're STATED MEETING 154 2/9/2023 your block, and that's the fact. There are a lot of people in this city that do not want to own guns, but they bought guns. The highest percentage of people buying guns are women, particularly Black women. Eleven thousand people applied for gun carry permits. That's before the pandemic. Now it's like 75,000. When the police do not respond, when people are afraid of the police, hey, maybe some of the reactions that we're getting is because people are afraid, and they should not be, on all sides. So my perspectives are simply not because they come from privilege. I have perspectives, and anyone who has a perspective, it doesn't mean they're rich or poor. What I will say is, my independence and my uniqueness in thought and idea, my accountability and transparency is because I come from a STATED MEETING 155 2/9/2023 community, because I come from a community of outcasts. I went to college. I went to law school. I served in the District Attorney's Office. I quit and joined the Army. Who does that?
I jumped out of airplanes. I did free legal services. I wanted to be a rich lawyer. I have not practiced law in 11 years to serve in this body. This body has great things that it can do. This is a great city, full of fantastic people. We have a wonderful opportunity to answer their needs. We have very different opinions about how we help people and what it means to be humane. I disagree with so much of this city. I look at Kensington Avenue as the most inhumane area of this city, but it is created by the policies of this Mayor and a lot of privileged, do-gooder rich people. Now, there's nothing more STATED MEETING 156 2/9/2023 Avenue, and it needs to be cleaned up, and if it were cleaned up, we would be saving so many more people. You know, I don't have a privileged background. I have a poor person's background, and I have rumbled for everything that I have, but my independence and my thoughts, they're not from being rich. They're just from being poor. Thank you.
Speeches on behalf of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Harrity.
Thank you, Council President. This week the Commonwealth STATED MEETING 157 2/9/2023 affirmed what we have already known, the funding for Philadelphia schools is unconstitutional. The system of funding our schools through property tax have left our students disadvantaged compared to other counties. On average, we spend about 12,000 per student in Philadelphia, but in Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties, that number is around 24. All that money has been used to continually benefit those students at the expense of our students. It is a line that every elected official from Philadelphia has said while in office. So I applaud the decision of Judge Jubelirer, because it finally gives our schools the chance to obtain the funding necessary to provide the best education possible for our students. As I know many of other -- as I know many other members of this body applaud the court's decision, it's STATED MEETING 158 2/9/2023 Judge Jubelirer said, and I quote, "It is now the obligation of the Legislature, the executive branch, and the educators to make the constitutional promise a reality in this Commonwealth." As elected officials, it's important that we remember that these court decisions are only effective as long as we advocate for them. It's up to us to ensure whoever is in power in Harrisburg remembers their constitutional duty to provide equal opportunity for all children of Philadelphia. So I was very happy to see that what I've been saying all along was true and that our kids are being cheated. I am so glad that now we can make a difference in these kids' lives and maybe give them the same opportunity that they're getting in other counties in Pennsylvania. Thank you, Council President.
STATED MEETING 159 2/9/2023 you, Councilman. (Applause.)
Great ruling from the Commonwealth Court. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I'd like to join my colleagues in praising the Commonwealth Court for declaring Pennsylvania's funding system unconstitutional. This ruling is a monumental victory for our young people. As a member of City Council's Education Committee and a mother, I've seen in painstaking detail the harm state lawmakers have caused by shortchanging our children out of their fair share of school resources. And as a City Council representative for many working-class Black and brown neighborhoods, I know how STATED MEETING 160 2/9/2023 forced public schools in already disadvantaged communities to endure conditions unimaginable in affluent areas. For instance, during the worst pandemic we've seen in over a century, Paul Robeson High School had no functional ventilation, and their electrical grid was so outdated it couldn't even handle window air conditioning units. After many of their peers passed out and had nosebleeds due to the blistering heat inside classrooms, students at Robeson took matters into their own hands. They successfully convinced the School District to update their electrical grid and install air conditioning, but there isn't enough money to fully renovate the school. And on MLK day this year, I visited Lea Elementary where parents, students, and school staff gave up their day off to beautify and repair their STATED MEETING 161 2/9/2023 themselves, soliciting money from the community for the necessary supplies. It should not be the responsibility of our students, parents, and teachers to ensure that their young people have a building where they can learn with dignity, but unfortunately Robeson and Lea are not outliers in West and Southwest Philadelphia. They're the norm. During a time when we're contending with both significant learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and historic levels of gun violence, we need fully staffed schools in good condition to keep our young people safe and put them on a path to success. And we need the financial resources to maintain and operate all School District assets, including non-traditional learning environments like the Sayre pool. But the unconstitutional underfunding of our schools by Harrisburg has made it incredibly challenging for STATED MEETING 162 2/9/2023 hire enough teachers, let alone keep extracurricular resources online, and as a result, Philadelphia's young people have fallen behind academically. In 2021, 36 percent of our city's public school students met state standards in reading, and in math this number dropped to one in five. 60. Every child deserves to go to a school where they will be able to propel forward in their lives, but due to unconstitutional underfunding, this has not been the case, so it's no wonder that across Philly and even within the Third District, parents fight over seats at magnet and high-performing schools. This is not sustainable and it is not just. Every student should have a desirable school right in their own neighborhood, because Philadelphia can't STATED MEETING 163 2/9/2023 a fraction of our children receive an adequate education. I am optimistic that this landmark victory for our children will help us to finally turn the tide. We owe it to our students to provide them with a high-quality education that pulls them out of poverty, because these young people are the future of our city, our Commonwealth, and our nation, and if we want Philadelphia to thrive, they must thrive. I call on state lawmakers to immediately give our public schools the money they deserve.
Harrisburg must also give us damages to make up for decades of underfunding so the School District isn't stuck playing catchup for the state's injustices, because this Commonwealth and nation has a history of denying the Black community the resources they deserve, preventing us from achieving our piece of the American dream. Thank you so much to the Public STATED MEETING 164 2/9/2023 Center, Education Law Center, PA Schools' work and many, many children and teachers and parents and activists whose years of hard work made this landmark court ruling possible. I look forward to working with my fellow Education Committee members and this entire body to hold the State Legislature accountable for the money our young people are owed. We will not let them cheat our children any longer. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. (Applause.)
Thank you, Council President. I join all of my colleagues in supporting more access and better opportunities for all of our kids. STATED MEETING 165 2/9/2023 safety incident at Elkins Elementary School this week. Elkins is in my district. I want to recognize the amazing work of Principal Charlotte Gillium, the Elkins teachers and staff, and Philly Police for handling it swiftly and smoothly under the circumstances. I have heard parents' concerns. I take these concerns seriously as a Councilwoman and also as a mother. No one should have to be afraid for their children's safety anywhere, especially not at school. Fortunately everyone was safe in this incident, but that could have turned out differently. I'm committed to working with school leadership, public safety officials, my colleague Councilman Isaiah Thomas as Chair of the Education Committee, and others to ensure that all children are safe. We will review the District's safety policies, including policies to protect children while at STATED MEETING 166 2/9/2023 to and from school, and also the District's family notification policies. Parents and family members, I ask you to engage in your kids' school safety process and to continue to connect with Councilmembers with any concerns. My staff and the staff at Elkins remain dedicated to serving you for fighting for the best outcomes for your children. Councilman Isaiah Thomas, I am extremely grateful for your presence and for immediately responding to the needs of Elkins. In the Seventh Council District, we've experienced public safety issues in three other schools. This is alarming. We need to respond. Access to education, equitable education, is extremely important, and so I appreciate all of your action as it relates to improving the quality of education for the children of the Seventh and of the City of Philadelphia. STATED MEETING 167 2/9/2023
Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Thomas.
Good afternoon at this point, Council President. I try not to do this when we have these longer Council sessions, but it's important that I just put a couple things on the record. First and foremost, thank you to Councilmember Driscoll for his remarks around the officer that was shot today. I know myself and this entire Council body are praying for that officer's healthy recovery as well as praying for the family and other officers and people who might have been traumatized by that incident. I want to echo the sentiments of my colleagues, Councilmember Harrity and Councilmember Gauthier. We as the Education Committee have already sent the first correspondence to our state STATED MEETING 168 2/9/2023 partners, and of course there will be more correspondence, because the time couldn't be any better to try to get the proper funding that we need as it relates to our schools. This week we had a number of incidents involving guns and children, and when these things take place, as elected officials I encourage us not to tweet about it, not to post about it, not to talk too much about it, but more or less show up and respond to it. And I want to commend the District Councilmembers. Councilmember Jones, he's a veteran. He's been doing this. So we're going to give you -- we thank you, Councilmember. But Councilmember Lozada, who just got into City Council and is hitting the ground running, I was thoroughly impressed with her team over at the Seventh District. Principal Charlotte was absolutely amazing, our law enforcement officers, the climate staff STATED MEETING 169 2/9/2023 Again, when these incidents take place, we don't post about it, we don't talk about it, we just show up, because at the end of the day, we need to make sure that we're there for our educators, our teachers, our administrators but, most importantly, our parents and our children. m. the day after the incident took place. And I have to also thank Mr. Bethel and his team as well too, because those parents, that community, and that District Councilmember, they responded, and they responded in a way where as though I believe that this negative incident and this traumatic experience is going to turn into a positive that is going to really enrich the children that attend that school. So, again, Councilmember Jones, thank you, but Councilmember Lozada, so STATED MEETING 170 2/9/2023 the way that you're hitting the ground running and the way that your team responded to that crisis this week. You should be commended. And we're going to continue to do the work, because at the end of the day, the number of children bringing guns to school is alarming. When we first came out of the pandemic, one of the main things that I pushed was for us to invest in prevention-based initiatives, and I'm going to continue to push us as the legislative body as well as the Administration to assure that our young people have as many positive experiences, as many options as possible to assure that they stay out of trouble. With that being said, adding to that list, February 25th we're having a huge gaming event. This is the first gaming event of its kind. When we think about Philadelphia, we think of us as a city of eds, meds, and beds. We have all STATED MEETING 171 2/9/2023 and music festivals, but at the end of the day, gaming and tech is a new industry. We see what's happened in Councilmember Gauthier's district as well as part of Councilmember Jones' with biotech and how medicine is taking off, and that's becoming the new attachment to the brand of Philadelphia being a city of eds, meds, and beds. Well, the next attachment to that is gaming.
We want gaming to be the place -- I mean, we want Philadelphia to be the place where folks who are into the gaming industry can come to and can excel in that profession, because it's more than just picking up a controller and playing with your friends. This is a multibillion-dollar industry that can put young people in the position to change their lives and the lives of their family. So Saturday, February 25th, we're having the first-ever gaming event STATED MEETING 172 2/9/2023 Philadelphia. The goal is to turn this into an annual festival where young people all across the country can come to Philadelphia, participate in gaming conferences, gaming competition, and learn what it means to be a professional in that industry. Thank you, Council President. Thank you, colleagues. Go Birds.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman, isn't that like international now? I recall seeing on TV they were showing that people from one country were playing people in another country, and it was like, wow, that's awesome.
The gaming is 100 percent an international industry, but I think, more importantly, when we understand gamers who are extremely successful, you know, Council President, they made more than all 17 of us combined, and that's the reality of it. STATED MEETING 173 2/9/2023 of the day, this is an industry that my 10-year-old son knows much more about than I do, but when you think about gaming, what city do you identify as the gaming city? Right now the market is still open. Why not Philadelphia? What city should be better than Philadelphia to be the gaming hub in the entire United States? Again, we're known for our eds, meds, and beds. We have great music and food festivals. It's time to now add gaming to that list, along with the biotech industry. Thank you, Council President.
Awesome. We'll be shortly having a conversation with the Administration on the FY24 budget, so I'm sure that will be a part of the conversation.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Vaughn. STATED MEETING 174 2/9/2023
Thank you, Council President. I want to commend Commissioner Danielle Outlaw on her leadership. While I don't want anyone to lose their job for good performance, I do believe that if you do bad things in your job, you should be dismissed, and I am grateful that the Inquirer reported that Captain Nashid Akil resigned as a result of his misconduct. And, lastly, I just want to say that politicians in diapers should be changed often for the same reason.
I'm going to say okay, like I did when that guy played -- that guy was playing the guitar last week. Okay. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Okay. I just want to go back to comments made by my colleagues about public education and the news that we have finally been STATED MEETING 175 2/9/2023 been cheated here in the City of Philadelphia, that a child in Overbrook, zip code 19131, gets a different education than the child one mile away at Lower Merion because of the inequity in funding. But I want to take a deeper dive into what this really means. For every generation that we allow that inequity to exist, you create an expressway from school-to-prison pipeline. Every time that they don't get the proper counseling, the proper after-school programming and tutoring, that that happens, by the time a kid does not read by the 4th grade, they know how many cells to build by the time they're 18. So I kind of endorse Member Gauthier's point of compensation for the burden of that inequity. I want to tell you too that some of our State House members have consistently fought for education. Member Johnson being up there once upon a STATED MEETING 176 2/9/2023 and others, they fought the good fight. They got overwhelmed by real republicans. But what we have to say is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but I will caution there was another landmark ruling that said desegregation with all deliberate speed, and that took maybe another 40 years before it ever was actualized. But I will reinforce one thing, our young people don't have that time. We introduced education resolutions on infrastructure, on discipline, on school to prison, on those things for that very reason. I heard the Superintendent say, and we're giving him a fair shot to get his legs under him, but he said, well, give me some time and let's take our time. Well, some of us in North Philly, in West Philly, in South Philly don't have the time. We need help right now -- STATED MEETING 177 2/9/2023 (Applause.)
-immediately to first stop the bleeding and then create the long-term cure. And we're going to, the Public Safety Committee along with the Education Committee, are going to be laser-beam focused, as Blondell Reynolds Brown used to say, on this issue, because if there was one issue that could change Philadelphia's condition, it is schools. (Applause.)
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. That concludes our speeches on behalf of the minority and the majority, and with that, the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion to adjourn. STATED MEETING 178 2/9/2023
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, February 16th at 10:00 a.m. tentatively. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. You know what, you got a point. Hopefully we will not be here on Thursday. (Applause.)
It's been moved and seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, February 16th, 2022. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. STATED MEETING 179 2/9/2023 Friday. ) STATED MEETING 180 2/9/2023 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. MICHELE L.