You say -- you-all say -- you-all say -- CHAIRMAN JONES: So, I'll tell you what --
So that's what I was speaking on, right? That's what I wanted to speak on is the fact that how there are employers out here who aren't willing to take that risk. And so what this legislation would do is give them the opportunity to have those clear rules on what -- on how to take that risk on our citizens. So this wasn't necessarily something that was specific, right? This legislation impacts everybody in the entire city. And we need to hear stories like yours and others so we know what this bill really does and how this bill really impacts people in our community. You are not the only one from the streets, bro.
You are not the only one, right? So when it comes to --
You-all said a misdemeanor. You said a misdemeanor. You said a misdemeanor.
Ever since I've been sitting here -- I can listen. I hear. You-all never talked about people with felons. You-all said misdemeanor, bro. Misdemeanor and a felony is different. See, I'm going to get up and I'm going to leave. Because all I came here is for you-all to hear. You know what I'm saying? They're going to read off of papers and they're going to try to keep it professional for you. I'm not. Because I don't work for none of you. You-all work for me at the end of the day for real, for real because I'm the citizen. CHAIRMAN JONES: So --
You see what I mean? See -- CHAIRMAN JONES: No. You have the right to feel the way you feel, bro.
I'm not. This is how I feel at the end of the day. CHAIRMAN JONES: You have a right.
So I'm going to talk as a man and as a citizen. CHAIRMAN JONES: You have a right.
What do you mean? (Crosstalk.) CHAIRMAN JONES: You have a right to feel how you feel. And you have put it on the record. We have heard it.
And I know that's all you-all going to do. So I'm going to continue to talk how I talk. They trying to calm me down. They wanted me to read this. But it's hard. It's hard. It's really hard. And you-all keep talking. You-all keep talking. (Crosstalk.) CHAIRMAN JONES: So would you -- do you want us to pass this legislation? That's what we're asking.
So yes. So that's what we're up here doing and talking about.
Let me finish, sir. I let you talk. Let me finish, right? So I'll let you say, you know, you were talking about, you know, you getting your story off. And that is great for you to tell us your story.
And what we're saying is that your story, I know you -- it's -- you're up here. But we could bring a hundred other people.
But -- listen. Listen. What I'm saying is that there are hundreds of other people in the city that's dealing with the same thing that we talk to on a regular basis, right? We're not -- you're not the only one that's just, you know, in these situations in these neighborhoods. My neighbors, my friends, my cousins, everybody, we're going through this, bro. And what I'm trying to tell you is we understand. That's all I'm trying to tell you is that we feel you, right? We really feel what you're saying. And that's why this legislation right here is important for everybody in the city. Because one thing you said is that you had a job up in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, this legislation don't cover Hatfield, Pennsylvania. It only covers Philadelphia. And that was my point. We have to make sure that we hit the folks that really, really, you know, are going through this and make sure that it's just not just a Philadelphia thing, that people in our entire region, our state, understand the importance of having legislation like this. So it really affects everybody. CHAIRMAN JONES: So thank you for your testimony. I'm going to keep my quorum. And we're going to move to the next speaker. Who's next?
Hello. Mohammed Abdul-Heidi, founder of Down North Pizza, and I am in support of the bill that's trying to be passed. I just want to kind of reset the room to kind of help furthermore guide the conversation. Down North Pizza is in the heart of Strawberry Mansion. It's been named probably one of the best pizzerias in Philadelphia. And at Down North Pizza, we exclusively hire formerly incarcerated individuals and provide them with the various resources for survival post-incarceration. Very intentional about going to Strawberry Mansion, because as we all know, when we talk about crime, Strawberry Mansion is at the core of it. But since this is a public hearing, I'm going to talk about some numbers, because I know numbers shapes policy. Zero is the number I want to start at. We've been in Strawberry Mansion since 2020, and we've had zero public safety issues. We've been in Strawberry Mansion since 2020, and we've had zero employees go back to prison. We've been in Strawberry Mansion since 2020, and we've had zero employees have parole violations. And we also had employees get off of parole early. Not saying that I or the business had anything to do with it, but we provided the conduit to help them show who they really are. We've also been awarded New York Times' 50 Best Restaurants in America, Bon Appetite's Best 9 Restaurants in 2021. I've been 10 awarded a James Beard Leadership Foundation Award in 2024, and all attributed to the work behind Reducing Recidivism in Strawberry Mansion. I also want to say that if you want to improve the livelihood in neighborhoods, we need to invest in the people, not only the neighborhood. And I've learned that when you invest in the people, that's where you get the largest return. We were talking about risk a lot today, and I did exactly that. I took a risk on building out a restaurant in what people would say is the worst neighborhood in Philadelphia, hiring what some people would say are the worst people to hire, and putting forth one of the best products that come out of Philadelphia. And I only say this because at Down North Pizza, we're on an economic revolution. When you look at crime, at the core of crime is poverty. People need money. It's just that simple. And what we wanted to do to make sure we provided a fair, equitable rate of pay, and because I do own a building, we have apartments upstairs, so people would like to rent the space, because they need somewhere to stay, we have that option. We also have programs that will help them pay the rent. Homelessness and unemployment are at the core of recidivism. So we look to target those issues. And we just, you know, why other employees are struggling trying to hire people, we're struggling trying to find spaces for the various people who are formerly incarcerated. Recently, we just opened up a second restaurant called Out West, and we do the same thing. We exclusively hire formerly incarcerated individuals in this cafe space, and we're enlightening people on coffee and also premium breakfast sandwiches. This revolution that we're on is a huge risk. And honestly, I don't know everything about all the policies and political things that go into shaping laws, because for me, I found the lane in just doing the work, and that's what I want to do. And I took the risk. Took my own money, took my own buildings, and wanted to put forth and show people what could and would happen if you put some of the worst people together in a room to do some great things. And that's it. CHAIRMAN JONES: One of the -- so they're located in the 5th District across the street from the 4th District, but I see lines of people from the suburbs out in front of your store getting deep dish pizza. So thank you for what you've proven. We are trying to find him another location across the street, which is a city location which we are dealing with challenges on rehab. But thank you for what you do. MALE VOICE: Shoot your shot. Say the name, in case I missed it.
Down North Pizza, It's at 2804 West. CHAIRMAN JONES: Where's your second location?
5127 Walnut Street. CHAIRMAN JONES: Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Okay. Please state your name and begin your testimony.
Good afternoon, Chairman Jones. Thank you. Good afternoon, chairman Jones, Vice Chair Lozada and members of the Committee on Public Safety. My name is Ed Grose. I'm the Executive Director -- excuse me -- of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, also known as GPHA. GPHA represents approximately 100 hotels throughout the region and nearly all hotels in Center City. Philadelphia hotels employ over 10,500 people, over 80 percent of which are Philadelphia residents. This year, our membership will generate approximately $123 million in tax revenue for the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. GPHA sincerely appreciates the opportunity to testify on this matter. GPHA members are long-time champions of Fair Chance Hiring and actively participate in events and programs that promote inclusive hiring. I'm sure Council can appreciate laws that impact hotels, how hostelers review applicants, especially those who interact with guests, their families, and have access to hotel rooms must be done in a careful and considerate way. GPHA stands ready to work with Councilman Landau, this committee, and all the stakeholders and businesses who champion Fair Chance Hiring to deliver a win-win-win for all of Philadelphia. In closing, GPHA fully supports City Council's commitment on this issue, and we look forward to working with Councilmember Landau -- Landau, sorry -- on ways to update, refine, and improve our current fair criminal record screening standards law. Thank you very much. CHAIRMAN JONES: Thank you both for your testimony. Are there any others to testify on Bill No. 11 250373? Seeing none, this concludes our public hearing on the -- on the bills, and we will now open our public meeting. And with that, can you please -- Caroline, call the roll --
Present. CHAIRMAN JONES: With that, we have a quorum. And I now call on --
Vice Chair. CHAIRMAN JONES: -- the Vice Chair for a motion on the amendment to Bill No. 241057. Sorry.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that Bill No. 241057 be reported from this committee with a favorable recommendation and further move that the rules of council be suspended to permit first reading of this bill at our next session of council.
Second. CHAIRMAN JONES: It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor of supporting this bill say aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye. CHAIRMAN JONES: All those opposed? The ayes have it. This bill 241057 has been reported from this committee with a favorable recommendation and a request for the rules of council to be -- no, we don't need to do that until next. All right. Do we need to do that now? No, that's the amendment. So the amendment has been approved. I now ask you to call upon for a motion for two --
For the amendment. For the amendment. CHAIRMAN JONES: Yeah, we already did that, but -- we have an amendment for the second one?
Uh-huh. CHAIRMAN JONES: Oh. So I now call upon the Vice Chair for an amendment to 250373.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I offer an amendment to Bill No. 250373. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of this committee. I move that the amendment to Bill No. 250373 be approved.
Second. CHAIRMAN JONES: All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye. CHAIRMAN JONES: All those opposed? The ayes have it. We will now go back to a Bill No. 241057 as amended for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that Bill No. -- CHAIRMAN JONES: 241.
241057 as amended be reported from this committee with a favorable recommendation and further move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading of this bill at the next session of Council.
Second. CHAIRMAN JONES: It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye. CHAIRMAN JONES: All those opposed? The ayes have it that Bill 22 No. 241057 as amended be reported from this committee with a favorable recommendation and further move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading of this bill at our next session of Council.
Mr. Chairman, can I be recorded as of aye on the bill that I missed? I'm sorry. CHAIRMAN JONES: One second. One second. Okay. We don't do that on these kinds of votes. You actually have to be -- when we're At Large, you can do that. That's the rules. Chair again, recognizes Member Lozada. CHAIRMAN JONES: Okay. So correction.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay. There's a correction. Bill No. 20 241057 does not have an amendment. Bill No. 250373 -- CHAIRMAN JONES: Does.
I move that Bill No. 250373 as amended be reported from this committee with a favorable recommendation and move that the rules of counsel be suspended to permit first reading of this bill at the next session of Council.
Second. CHAIRMAN JONES: It has been moved and properly seconded that this bill be moved from the committee with a suspension of the rules. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye. CHAIRMAN JONES: All those opposed? The ayes have it. And --
Motion carries. CHAIRMAN JONES: -- motion carries. And now you can leave. This concludes the business of the committee of Public Safety on these following bills. Thank you all for your patience. (COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING concluded at.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence are contained fully and accurately in the notes taken by me of the above case, and this copy is a correct transcript of the same. _______________ Samanda J. Rios