The ayes have it. Bill No. 220322-AA has been amended, and Bill No. 220322-AA, as amended, will be placed on our Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill 220742. STATED MEETING 83 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
An ordinance authorizing an increase in the non-electoral indebtedness of the City within the Pennsylvania constitutional limit; authorizing the Bond Committee to sell bonds at public or private negotiated sale, to provide funds toward various capital municipal purposes; providing for appropriations to the Sinking Fund Commission for the payment of such bonds; and authorizing agreements to provide credit or payment or liquidity sources for the bonds in connection with issuance of the bonds, and certain other actions.
Thank you. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. STATED MEETING 84 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman O'Neill. STATED MEETING 85 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title to Bill No. 220638.
An ordinance amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia STATED MEETING 86 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Code, entitled "The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code," by adopting the 2018 edition of the "International Residential Code" as published by the International Code Council, including maintenance of previously adopted amendments to the 2015 International Residential Code, as adopted under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act.
Thank you. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Councilwoman Gauthier. STATED MEETING 87 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman STATED MEETING 88 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Squilla.
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 220666.
An ordinance amending Chapter 9-3300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Use and Inspection of Tower and Mobile Cranes in Construction," to require breaks for operators.
STATED MEETING 89 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for an amendment to Bill No. 220666.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to offer an amendment to Bill No. 220666. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of Council. I move for the adoption of the amendment. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. All in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Bill No. 220666, as amended, will be placed on our Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. Mr. Decker, do you have any STATED MEETING 90 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING additional resolutions?
A resolution calling on the administration, along with the Philadelphia Parking Authority, to perform an audit of semitrailer and truck tractor parking across the City of Philadelphia, to investigate best practices in other jurisdictions, and to provide solutions to this growing problem in the City. Also authorizing the City Council Committee on Streets and Services to hold public hearings to assess the enforcement of semitrailer and truck tractor parking regulations, introduced today by Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying STATED MEETING 91 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING aye. (Aye.)
And a resolution honoring and congratulating Champion of the week, Jacob Beccles, for being the first basketball player from Philadelphia Public League to receive admission to an Ivy League university in 40 years, introduced today by Councilmember Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. STATED MEETING 92 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Councilman Johnson, you want to -- you missed, I think it was, three votes, just for the record.
Yes, Council President. For the record, I would like to be voted aye on all bills that I recently didn't have the opportunity to vote on, particularly Bill 220742.
Let the record reflect that Councilman Johnson voted aye on Bill -
And also STATED MEETING 93 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Bill No. 220638. Y'all did a lot while I was in the bathroom.
On behalf of the people, we keep it moving. Mr. Decker.
And a resolution authorizing the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings to examine the approach and expected impacts of SEPTA's Bus Revolution service reconfiguration, introduced today by Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. STATED MEETING 94 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution authorizing the Committee on Labor and Civil Service to hold hearings to examine the prevalence of workplace misclassification, also known as payroll fraud, introduced today by Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's STATED MEETING 95 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING 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 authorizing the Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to conduct a hearing to develop a comprehensive approach to supporting youth who are at risk of being involved in or are currently involved in gun violence, introduced today by Councilwoman Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) STATED MEETING 96 12/8/2022 12/8/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
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 recognizing and honoring Nicholas DeBenedictis for his 18 years of service as Chairman of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, introduced today by Councilman O'Neill.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying STATED MEETING 97 12/8/2022 (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion is adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh? Did you want to be recognized?
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you, sir. That concludes our Calendar for today, and we will now move to our speeches. On behalf of the minority, STATED MEETING 98 12/8/2022 Oh, did you want to -- the Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President. First, I'd like to join Councilmember Isaiah Thomas in welcoming Longstreth. I went to Longstreth kindergarten K through 6, and so I've been there recently, along with our former Councilmember Jannie Blackwell, a few times and always happy to see the children from the neighborhood here. I do have an announcement I'm going to roll into a comment that has to do with legislation, but first I'd like to just welcome everyone to PHL Live Center Stage Award Show. That is going to be on Tuesday, December the 20th at the World Cafe Live, and what that is for folks who don't know, it's a free platform where people get on and submit their original music, three-minute video, and they're reviewed by Grammy Award winners, music industry leaders in ten STATED MEETING 99 12/8/2022 categories, everything from hip-hop to classical to jazz to R&B, rock, and three judges pick five finalists and they perform in ten musical categories at different venues, and now we will have the award show where the five finalists are recognized. One winner will get $1,000, free studio recording time and other things like that. Really what it is is a platform for people with talent who want to move ahead in their pursuit of their talent and ability. It is very important to our city. It's very important to our efforts to deal with a lot of problems in our city, but we're going to really reflect on what young people want. There's a lot of things that are good for them. They're not interested. The creative arts economy is something they're very interested in, and they want the opportunities, and this is what that STATED MEETING 100 12/8/2022 criticism from that. 4 billion -- this is pre-COVID per year -- $920 million in household income per year, and $157 million in local taxes per year. It's not a waste of time. It's very important that we pursue this. And so I'm going to roll into my next comment, which is this: As a Councilman at-large, the greatest problem that I've faced is not having any money, and people are always surprised to find out that Councilpeople at-large don't have a budget, don't have funding, don't have funds. We got to operate pretty much -- I got to get the money from corporations and other entities. So I'd like to shout out Dunkin' Donuts and Laborers Local 57 for donating the funds to make the prizes available. But whatever work it is, and STATED MEETING 101 12/8/2022 all of our at-large Councilpeople, you know, we cover the whole City, and we don't have funds, and people come to us asking for money to support their work. We don't have any money to give them. I actually started a youth non-profit symposium where I bring foundations and corporations to give money to non-profits to serve children and youth. What I'm saying is, it's been raised a couple times, and perhaps not satisfactorily by me, why do Councilmembers at-large not have a fund, and I think they should. I think Councilmembers at-large should have a fund to support some of the work that they do for the community. And I know it's controversial, but I'm going to bring it up on behalf of my colleagues. They should have some funds. It's a lot of work to cover the whole City with no money, no resources, STATED MEETING 102 12/8/2022 things and help people. I intend to write a bill to allocate funds to members at-large so they have some level of money that they can engage with. What I was told, Council President, is Councilmembers at-large don't have money because the public doesn't want Councilmembers to have money, and I understand that. They don't want Councilmembers to have money. They don't want us to have resources. They don't want us to go outside of the City.
I understand all that, but for the better interest -- you know, I went to Korea, I had to pay for it myself, to meet with the Chairman of Korea Airlines, to meet with the Executive Vice President of Asiana Airlines, to meet with the Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group because we had a train manufacturer here in Philadelphia. I've been to Pathway Schools in New York. I go down to Washington to the STATED MEETING 103 12/8/2022 pay for that out of my pocket, which is okay, but traveling through the City with non-profits and community groups and everybody else who often times come to City Council, say we need some financial help, we need some help -- I'm looking for two laptop computers, by the way, because the Imam asked me, he needs two laptops. I'm calling. I'm looking for laptop computers. I get asked for things. I have no money. I can't give money. I'm just saying PHL Live or whatever work I do, isn't it a problem that I have to constantly beg corporations, constantly look for donations to do the government's work? There might be a conflict of interest. Somebody might say you're funding some of this with your campaign funds even though it's not a campaign here, but I got to pay for this somehow. With all of that said, I ask STATED MEETING 104 12/8/2022 you, my colleagues, to share your thoughts with me. Maybe I'm missing something. But there are seven at-large, you know, five of them democrats, two of them not, and for the not, we have a Working Families Party, we got a republican here. Who knows what the future will hold, but the at-larges I think should have some level of public funds to do their public work. Thank you very much. )
Thank you. Councilman, you know, I'm going to talk to City Council about that. It looks like you all are starting out with like six members here today. That's the conversation that we probably should have, but that all happened before we got here. But we'll have that conversation internally.
Thank you, sir. On behalf of the -- did Councilwoman Blackwell leave? I just wanted to apologize in not recognizing her earlier. I just wanted to recognize her. She was here. I apologize. On behalf of the majority, the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. Gil Scott Heron had a line that says the revolution will not be televised. Popular song in the '70s, one that I tapped my feet and nodded my head to a lot. But I tapped my feet and nodded my head this week because I did not understand how SEPTA could have a bus revolution and not have it thought out well. I want to thank my colleague Member Johnson for sponsoring a hearing that hopefully we can encourage the State STATED MEETING 106 12/8/2022 of. I want to thank my colleague Gilmore Richardson for being the alarmist to say this was going down and that out of the 118 routes, 105 of them are going to either be discontinued, altered, merged, or rerouted. Talk about a revolution. Member Johnson talks about, what is it, 7, 7 bus?
17 bus that he grew up on that goes through his district and travels throughout the City. In my area, the G bus from Woodland Avenue to City Avenue.
Hits South Philly too. All of these are going to be renamed, rerouted. For what? Under the emphasis of the efficiency that they said, and eventually STATED MEETING 107 12/8/2022 Roxborough, they admitted it was because of money. It was because of money. And they said that ridership was down. I would suggest to them that if you kept SEPTA clean, you'd increase ridership. If you kept SEPTA safe, you would increase ridership. If you kept SEPTA reliable, you would increase ridership. You don't cut services to increase ridership. We are experiencing in parts of our city unprecedented expansion, houses going up, cranes everywhere, new residents to the City of Philadelphia. You tried to sell us on let's ride automobiles less. Well, if we ride automobiles less, we should be riding buses more, and in so doing, have more options to be able to get from Point A to Point B. It is inconceivable that kids from Andorra have to now travel, add time to get to school, from getting up at 5:00 STATED MEETING 108 12/8/2022 have to get up at 4:00 in the morning. It is wrong for our senior citizens, who know their way to their doctor's office, to now have to recalculate their way to vital services they depend on. We should be considering merging of stops maybe, more efficient buses definitely, but we should not do any of that without listening to the community. So Gil Scott Heron said the revolution will not be televised. The counterrevolution will be publicized, and we're not going to sit by in this body, because it affects every one of the districts and, by the way, Member Oh, all of the at-larges in this body. So stay tuned, stay involved, and don't let this revolution, shots be fired and us not address those issues. Thank you, Mr. President.
STATED MEETING 109 12/8/2022 you, Councilman. (Applause.)
I did not see the State Rep Morgan Cephas behind the rail. Representative. I'd like to recognize State Representative Morgan Cephas. Thank you for being here today. (Applause.)
Thank you, Council President. I want to start by also acknowledging the students here from Longstreth, which is in the Third Councilmanic District. It's wonderful to see you all here this morning. Today I introduced two STATED MEETING 110 12/8/2022 resolutions, the first of which co-introduced with Councilmember Thomas honors the life and legacy of Cobbs Creek community leader Coach Gene Lett by renaming the 5500 block of Christian Street after him. Coach Gene was a lifelong resident of West Philadelphia and spent his entire life pouring his heart and soul into uplifting his community's youth. Coach Gene was more than just a coach to his basketball players. He was a role model and a mentor. He required excellence from his players, not only on the court but in the classroom as well. Through his Degree Chasing program, he constantly emphasized the student part of being a student-athlete. And as President of the Christy Rec Center Recreation Advisory Council and a dedicated volunteer at Christy for years, he led countless youth programs and community events, creating fun and STATED MEETING 111 12/8/2022 and adults alike. Coach Gene's sudden passing last month left a huge hole in the hearts of everyone who loved him, especially in the Cobbs Creek community that he called home. And I'd like to offer my sincere condolences to his wife, Andrea, his children, and grandchildren. I hope that renaming the 5500 block of Christian Street serves as a small token of the City and of Cobbs Creek's gratitude for Coach Gene's unwavering dedication to West Philly's young people. We miss him dearly, and Cobbs Creek will feel a lot emptier without him. I also co-introduced a resolution with Councilmember Johnson calling for a hearing on youth gun violence so the City can develop a more comprehensive, targeted, and proactive strategy to engage youth who are at risk of being involved in or who are already STATED MEETING 112 12/8/2022 I am gravely concerned that the victims and perpetrators of gun violence are becoming younger and younger and that small beefs are resulting in our children being injured or murdered. Children are shooting each other at football games, at supposed safe havens like parks and rec centers, and just steps away from their schools. Our city can't go on like this, and we cannot allow this to become normal, because these young people are Philadelphia's next generation of business leaders, community organization leaders, and City Councilmembers. As a city, we have a fundamental duty to make sure that they have the tools they need to remain safe and to thrive. And although the City already provides an extensive array of services for young people, I consistently hear from advocates and young people directly that we are not offering our STATED MEETING 113 12/8/2022 opportunities. Parents do not know where to go for help, and when they do connect with services, those services are often not delivered in time to save their children. Simply put, we are failing, and we cannot pretend otherwise. As I've said before, the gun violence epidemic in our city is a public health emergency, just like the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need to take the same multi-layered, collaborative approach to saving our children from gun violence. We know that we cannot use a one-size-fits-all prevention strategy across all age groups when it comes to addressing involvement with gun violence. This is why I introduced this resolution today calling for the Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to hold a hearing to explore the issue of youth gun violence, to identify service gaps, clarify what's working, and uncover budgetary policy and programmatic STATED MEETING 114 12/8/2022
Our youth are calling out, and we must help them. We can do more, and we must do more to solidify Philadelphia's long-term success by protecting and supporting our next generations of leaders. These children are our future, and they deserve nothing less than bold, targeted, quick, and impactful support from their local government. Thank you so much. And then, lastly, I just want to remind everyone that we have a briefing right across the hall in the Caucus Room for Councilmembers and staff on the 57 Blocks Initiative. I want to thank the members of the 57 Block coalition that came here to speak today, Reverend Holston and Reverend Davis. I also want to thank Ogbonna Hagins and also the other young man who spoke so poignantly about how Black neighborhoods have been disinvested in for decades and STATED MEETING 115 12/8/2022 that you can tie a direct line straight from that disinvestment to the gun violence that's happening now. 57 Blocks calls for targeted, bold investments in quality of life services and other interventions that can really help those neighborhoods to move forward. This is a proven strategy. It's been proven even by our own Dr. Eugenia South, a brilliant Black trauma surgeon who does work at Penn, who even looked at how the City's targeted Basic Systems Repair Program, if we target it correctly, can help to drop the level of shootings on particular blocks. And so I believe in this strategy very much, and I hope all my colleagues will come over to hear the briefing and to get some lunch too. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilwoman Blackwell, thank STATED MEETING 116 12/8/2022 recognize Councilwoman Blackwell. She's back in. Thank you, Councilwoman, for being here. (Applause.)
Thank you so much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Harrity.
Council President Clarke, today I rise to address the plight of the opioid and gun violence epidemic in our city. On November 28th, 2022, the day on which myself and our three newest colleagues took our oath of office to become members of this body, I drove to my home in Kensington, only to find that police officers were there at both ends of the block investigating a murder of a 17-year-old. STATED MEETING 117 12/8/2022 example of the type of violence that plagues all our communities. Sadly, there are no stories covering this shooting. The Inquirer wasn't there to report the details. Channel 6 did not send the news van. In this city, we have been too accustomed to single instances of murder, that only mass shootings make headlines. All other instances of crime can be seen as just a normal day in Philadelphia. This is unacceptable. While Philadelphia's 2022 homicide rate is approximately seven percent lower than the 2021, it is appalling that through the end of November, 53 of those arrests for homicide were juveniles. Most shockingly, 37 victims of homicide were also juveniles. We are failing our children when we take -- sorry. We are failing our children when they take to the streets to shoot each other. We are STATED MEETING 118 12/8/2022 they are pushing poison like Fentanyl on our streets and carrying guns to harm each other. We are failing our children when we do not give them the chance to have the same education and extracurricular activities that children in our counties have. At the same time, we are failing our children when we do not hold the individuals who commit these heinous crimes accountable. We need to send a clear message to those who commit violence in our city. We will make sure that you are found, fully punished to the full extent of the law. The critical component to this is equipping our law enforcement officers with the tools needed to investigate each and every one of these crimes, including more cameras in high-crime areas. While this body's Appropriations bill passed last week attempted to do some of that, it doesn't go far enough. STATED MEETING 119 12/8/2022 of the most pressing issues facing our Council today. We must prioritize the City's safety so that we can prevent another year like this year or last year. We can get our children back to what they're supposed to be doing, which is being kids. I'm tired of burying children. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Council President. A couple things real quick. First and foremost, I wanted to offer my condolences to the family of Gene Lett. Councilmember Gauthier spoke briefly about Gene's impact in the Third STATED MEETING 120 12/8/2022 District, specifically his work at Christy Rec Center, but I remember Gene when he was assistant coach at Lincoln University. Gene was somebody who I competed against. Some of my best friends and some of the people who are having a phenomenal impact on our children today played for Gene and was mentored by Gene, and because of the work he's done and the legacy that he's created, his life will continue to live on, not just through Gene Jr., who is a great young man who is also doing the work, but through all of the different adults now who he coached, who he mentored who are also now giving back and having a positive impact on young people all across the City of Philadelphia. So I just wanted to acknowledge Gene. And my heart is still broken for him and his family, as he actually passed away on his way to the hospital, but he was participating in an athletic activity, doing what he loved to do in STATED MEETING 121 12/8/2022 centers. So my thoughts and prayers go out to Gene, his wife, his children, and everybody that is hurt by Gene's passing. I also wanted to, like you, Council President, acknowledge my Philadelphia delegation chair, who I see walk in earlier, State Rep Morgan Cephas, as well as former Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who I personally appreciate, who actually still continues to mentor me and support me even while not being in Council. So, Councilwoman Blackwell, it's always an honor for you to be in our presence. If folks did not know, yesterday the PIAA voted to allow NIL, name, image, and likeness, for high school students all across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This is going to completely change what it means to participate in interscholastic athletics, and this Council body is STATED MEETING 122 12/8/2022 protections we need to take in order to support those young people. A few weeks back I introduced the NIL Youth Protection Act right here on this Council floor, and I talked about the importance of making sure that we have resources and legal advice available for young people so they don't become victims of predatory behavior. So while that bill has not been passed yet, I'm going to continue to work on my colleagues and continue to push the Administration to make sure that the funding and the dollars are allocated and are there to be able to make sure that young people have the support they need, especially if they come below a certain income level. Last, but not least, I'm having an event this weekend, the inaugural Councilman Isaiah Thomas Classic, where we're going to be inviting high school students from all over the area to STATED MEETING 123 12/8/2022 a level that will put them in a position to be able to show their skills off to not just the folks who are viewing the event this weekend but as well as the scouts and the college coaches who we're going to send the film out to. So I'm excited about that. And believe it or not, Councilmember Oh, I had to raise the money myself to be able to put this event on so it could put our young people in the position where we did not charge any of the teams and any of the youth who participate in the event. So if you want to come out this weekend and look at some highly competitive student-athletes who are now eligible for NIL deals, we will be having the event this Friday at Frankford High School, which is my alma mater, and this Saturday at MaST Charter School. Thank you, Council President, and thank you, colleagues, for your continued support. STATED MEETING 124 12/8/2022
Thank you. Thank you so much, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I simply wanted to -- this wasn't a part of my original remarks, but I simply wanted to say I really enjoyed listening to Councilmembers Curtis Jones and David Oh, Jim Harrity and Jamie Gauthier just now. Really it touched me. I just wanted to come forth and say thank you to this body for coming forth and supporting the resolution for us to review truck parking in the City of Philadelphia. I do want it to be known loud and clear that we have truck drivers who are residents in the City of Philadelphia, and it is important for us to find where they can park and how they can have a better experience of parking. STATED MEETING 125 12/8/2022 our neighborhoods are really concerned about that, and we have to come to a rightful compromise of some sort of how we're going to make sure truck parking is a situation that we can ensure that helps us with the quality of life in Philadelphia. And also truck parking, what I do know is that it's also a violence prevention measure in more ways than one, because when we have better quality of life, things are better. And then, lastly, I just want to say thank you all again, looking forward to working. The collaboration is key to me, and so I just want to say thanks to all the Councilmembers.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I too enjoy hearing all that my STATED MEETING 126 12/8/2022 and I think that it's very valuable information, so I want to thank them for all of their hard work throughout the City of Philadelphia. I did want to make just a really brief comment on Councilman Jones' and Councilman Johnson's work relating to SEPTA. As many know, I have a soft spot for SEPTA and often get information regarding what's happening, particularly in our subway system, and I just wanted to make note that these cutbacks, while at the same time planning expansion outside of the City of Philadelphia, expansion into the suburbs and up to King of Prussia, you know, which is well and fine, but cutting back in underserved neighborhoods is absolutely unacceptable while expanding at the same time to more affluent communities. It absolutely is unacceptable. I did want to publicly put out there that I have asked the General Manager of SEPTA on numerous occasions, STATED MEETING 127 12/8/2022 year now, to travel with me on the Broad Street Line and just check it out and to travel at very specific times, to travel during the morning rush hour and just see what's going on, travel in the evening or after school hours and into the early evening hours as commuters and, you know, students are traveling and just see what's going on, and then traveling late at night around the 10 o'clock hour and see what's going on, because we haven't been able to get that commitment out of the General Manager just yet. They've offered to ride at something like 11 o'clock in the afternoon, which is a very nice period of time probably to ride SEPTA, but if you really want to know what's going on and what's happening, before you start cutting services, inconveniencing folks, changing routes, all these kinds of things, you really need to know what's going on. So I say this on the record as STATED MEETING 128 12/8/2022 to take this ride and see what's going on. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you. I'm sure word will get to her. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Vaughn.
Thank you, Council President. Councilwoman Bass, I am not riding SEPTA with you at night, because I do know what's down there under ground, especially a lot of unbecoming things, but I do want to say I would like SEPTA to take into consideration that a lot of seniors are used to riding one mode of transportation, and then to try to change them to ride something else, along with their walkers and canes and the bags that they always seem to carry, it would cause an inconvenience. And by having that one mode of transportation opposed to getting off and catching the subway or train or, STATED MEETING 129 12/8/2022 know, those other vehicles, it puts them more at risk opposed to just getting on one place and getting off at another. So we really need to talk about that. And I'm with Councilman Oh. At-large Councilpeople definitely need an activity fund. We need some kind of income for all these requests that continue to come in for yearly events that happen in our city that it is expected of us to partake in. I think it might be a good idea for some of the District Councilpeople to just take those bills over for us, you know, because they have that money. You all didn't hear Councilwoman Bass just say "what?" But it is hard for us as at-large to be supportive of some of the activities that happen around the City of Philadelphia and, you know, especially those of us that have not had the opportunity to raise a lot of funds yet because we have just come into office, STATED MEETING 130 12/8/2022 to support activities that are going into the next year or forthcoming. So that is something I'm really going to hope that you look into, Council President. Thank you, David Oh, for bringing that up. It's a daily thing that -- daily challenge that we have to deal with and one that we could definitely use some help with.
Thank you, Councilwoman. It seems like a little coordination going on here today. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. Just a couple brief remarks. On Monday -- and I want to thank you for your leadership for the initiative with this body to pass the $400 million bond that will allow us to provide more than STATED MEETING 131 12/8/2022 1,000 affordable housing units here in the City of Philadelphia over the next several years. m. in my district, we were joined by you, myself, and other colleagues who would like to kick off the 1,000 affordable units that we will be providing and building here in the City of Philadelphia. We know some of our districts are dealing with the issue of gentrification, and, you know, I did learn if you don't have a gentrification problem, you have an even bigger problem in your district. And so we recognize that in the midst of development that we do see taking place, we want to make sure we have affordable units for individuals who live in the City of Philadelphia irregardless of their checkbook and/or their pocketbook. m. at 30th and Wharton Street, and I'm sure all STATED MEETING 132 12/8/2022 information from the Council President's office regarding the kickoff. Yesterday we hosted a Special Committee on Gun Violence hearing, and I thank all my colleagues who took time out of their schedule to participate, because when we host these hearings, they give us the opportunity to do a deeper dive with the Administration on how are we addressing the issue of gun violence here in the City of Philadelphia. One piece of information to me that was pretty interesting and an eye-opener is that the small strides but in this particular issue when it comes to gun violence, any accomplishments that we make should still be acknowledged, and the Philadelphia Police Department report from Commissioner Danielle Outlaw showed how we have reduced homicides, right, in some of the highest crime-ridden and violent-ridden police districts here in the City of Philadelphia. STATED MEETING 133 12/8/2022 I asked her what's your reasoning of why we're making progress on these particular areas, it's because some of the things we are doing are actually working. And so I attribute some of those accomplishments are based upon some of the work that this body has been doing. We've invested more than $250 million historically around this issue of gun violence prevention over the last two budget cycles. And so when you talk about making sure that you have crisis and trauma-informed responders coming out to address individuals with mental health and mental illnesses as opposed to police officers goes toward us addressing the issue of gun violence here in the City of Philadelphia. When you talk about us having a 1-800 hotline, resource hotline, that you established, Council President, for individuals who are looking for some type of resources and/or support around the STATED MEETING 134 12/8/2022 violence, that came from this body. When you talk about the issue of addressing victims and co-victims of gun violence, under my office we introduced legislation to create the Office of Victim Advocate where now individuals who lost a loved one to senseless gun violence has a place to go to to strictly support those who have been impacted by gun violence. But also making sure that we are strategically focusing on those individuals who are more than likely killed or be killed here in the City of Philadelphia plays a significant role on how we reduce the issue of gun violence. So I thank all my colleagues for participating. That particular piece of information I thought was very, very interesting, because homicides are down, shootings are up slightly, right, which is the issue that we have to address, but another issue we want to follow up on is STATED MEETING 135 12/8/2022 guns are coming from.
There are no gun factories in Strawberry Mansion. There are no gun factories in Point Breeze. And we are going to collect more than 6,000-plus, 6,000-plus illegal guns off the streets of Philadelphia. So that's a bigger issue that we have to address. That's the bigger issue that we have to question. I also tell my friends in the press, when you are covering this issue of gun violence, ask the bigger question, where these comes are coming from, who are flooding the streets of Philadelphia with illegal guns, right? Because they aren't just coming here from nowhere. Some way, somehow illegal guns are winding up in the hands of younger and younger young people. S. STATED MEETING 136 12/8/2022 Office, whoever our new Attorney General is going to be, and our District Attorney strictly around the issue of tracking down where the illegal guns are coming from, making sure they're not winding up in the hands of young people who we're trying to save in the first place, but while we're trying to save them, right, by providing them resources. At the end of the day, the accessibility to guns will allow them to resolve a conflict or beef with a handgun. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Looking forward to that groundbreaking on Monday, kick it off, sir. Thank you for the invitation to South Philadelphia.
Okay. That concludes our speeches on behalf of the minority and the majority. STATED MEETING 137 12/8/2022 time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, December 15th, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded Council stand adjourned until Thursday, December 15, 2022, 10:00 a.m. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Thank you all very much. Please be safe. ) STATED MEETING 139 12/8/2022 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. S 135:25 VAUGHN votes 92:11 23:14 25:7, 15 work 61:25 unable 58:15 1:17 15:13 voting 85:20 26:2, 8, 17, 24 100:25 101:6, <Z> unacceptable 85:13, 14 88:8, 88:15 27:19 28:4, 14, 19, 24 103:15, zero 85:19 117:13 126:19, 9 128:9, 10 23 19 104:11 88:14 vehicles 16:25 <W> welcome 30:4 115:13 120:3, Zoning 11:10, unbecoming 17:4 33:3 wait 57:18 92:21 98:17 10, 15 122:13 14, 18, 21, 24 128:15 50:6 129:2 walk 67:13 136:22 126:4, 8 133:8 12:3, 7 29:2, 3 uncover Vending 14:6 121:9 welcoming working 58:24 31:2, 10, 20 113:24 39:21 walked 66:12 98:7 61:4 104:7 32:6, 11, 19 underserved venues 99:6 walkers 128:21 well 105:22 113:24 125:16 126:18 vetoed 7:9 walking 50:9 107:18 110:17 133:6 understand Vice 102:19, 20 want 4:7, 18 121:10 123:6 workplace 18:8, 15 vicinity 37:22 15:9 16:8 126:17 24:16 94:14 102:11, 15 39:9, 14 60:6 18:7, 18 48:12 went 98:8 works 62:2 105:20 Victim 134:8 49:3 53:6, 10 102:16 World 98:20 unethical 56:5 victims 112:4 57:18 63:7 We're 2:3 wounds 71:7 Uniform 86:10 117:20 122:11 92:9 97:10 17:8 66:16 write 102:3 unique 69:14 134:5 98:2 99:13, 20, 99:19 108:17 wrong 108:4 units 131:2, 8, victorious 24 102:10, 12, 122:24 123:7 Wynnewood 62:10 13, 14 105:23 125:5 130:2 39:4 university video 98:23 106:3 109:20 133:3 135:24 20:23 71:16 viewing 123:5 114:14, 18, 22 136:8, 9 <Y> 91:14 120:5 violate 54:21 116:3 123:16 West 74:18 Y'all 93:2 unprecedented Violence 124:20 125:14, 80:14 110:9 year 27:8 107:14 25:19, 24 17 126:3, 6, 23 111:15 68:4 73:3 unwanted 51:15 60:13, 127:19 128:16 We've 2:4 100:7, 8, 9 16:24 18 61:5 63:8, 130:22 131:19 133:10 119:6 127:2 unwavering 9 65:16 66:6, 134:25 135:23 Wharton 130:4 111:14 15 68:11 wanted 105:7, 131:25 yearly 129:10 uplifting 69:12, 13, 14, 8 119:22 white 71:14 years 20:23 110:11 18, 24 71:2, 6, 120:20 121:6 wide 38:4 27:14 52:8