My name is Peter Lyde, L-Y-D-E, and I want to start by saying, and still heavyweight champion of the world, Smokin' Joe Frazier. I want to thank the City of Philadelphia, Councilman Johnson, and the President of Council and all that you guys have been doing to recognize Joe Frazier and his great accomplishment 50 years later with him and Muhammad Ali, who was one of the greatest sports members in history and he was from Philadelphia. So that's what makes it so good that we have a Philadelphian, a real champion here in Philadelphia. Fifty years later, we're still excited about Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 it. Joe Frazier, as you guys know, had a gym at 2917 North Broad Street for 50 years, and he was one of the guys who provided a safe haven for people who had nowhere else to go. He spent his money out of his own pocket. You know, he didn't make any money out at that gym. There was moneys from the government. There was no endowment or anything like that. It was all his money. And he lived here. He spent his money here. He died here. He raised his children here. He raised people inside and outside the ring as champions, physically and mentally, and this is what we're missing today. We miss those kind of situations now. We just want to thank again the City of Philadelphia for all the different things you're doing in the City of Philadelphia, statues and murals and all those things. And I just have to say that, you know, champions come and go, Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 but legends never die. And for the Council President Clarke, I have one question for you. What do you call the man who beat the greatest? Smokin' Joe Frazier. Thank you.
Well, if he beat the greatest, then he's the greatest.
Thank you guys very much. Any time someone can do something for Joe Frazier, his legacy, it's a good thing, no matter who does it. So thank you guys so very much. I appreciate you.
The next speaker Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 is Mark Frazier.
Good afternoon. I want to thank the City Council and all the officers for giving us an opportunity to represent Smokin' Joe Frazier and honoring him for being the champion he was, inside the ring and outside the ring. He was definitely a pillar to the City of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia was definitely a pillar to Smokin' Joe Frazier as well. Being the champion that he was, you know, he always loved working with the youth and helping out those who couldn't help themselves, but mainly he liked to work with the youth and he tried to do something by presenting that gymnasium there in North Philadelphia so they could have something to do, keep them out of trouble, keep them out of the way. And he did that for over 40, 45, 50 years. And now it no longer stands, but then again, I mean, we do appreciate that, God, he's being remembered for all Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 the good works he's doing. I just want to thank the Council and everybody for, you know, remembering Joe Frazier as well.
Thank you, Mark. Mark, just state your name for the record.
Hi. My name is Steven Machiejewski and I'm speaking in favor of Bill 210210, Lights Out Philadelphia. I'm a longtime resident of Philadelphia and a retired emergency social worker for the City of Philadelphia. I've rescued many people who were dying in their homes and unfortunately found several dead people, but none of those disturbing scenes prepared me for what I encountered on Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 Friday, October 2nd, 2020. I was the first to witness the scene in Center City on October 2nd on my routine bird monitoring run, but something was very different that day, and when I ran out of supplies, I called Keith Russell, Urban Conservation, Mid-Atlantic Audubon. Birds were dying everywhere. I could not keep up and bag each individual bird. People, strangers on the streets were asking me what was happening. A woman told me she walked from City Hall to 18th Street and said the streets were covered with dead and dying birds. Another woman showed me a smartphone photo of a common confused yellowthroat that landed on her handbag. A Stack member, Jose Martinez of Comcast Technical Center, dumped 75 dead birds from his dustpan in front of me. I separated the injured from the dead, and made that iconic picture showing a large number of colorful dead birds on the streets of Philadelphia. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 That photo, that image of massive death went viral in newspapers around the world, from Philly to Canada, South America, UK, Europe, China, Indonesia, Australia, Nigeria. My life has been forever changed by that catastrophic mass casualty event. Please take this first step in dealing with the universal problem of bird window strikes. Pass the Lights Out resolution and show the world that Philadelphia is not only the City of Brotherly and Sisterly Affection but is also bird-friendly. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.
Thank you for the invitation to speak. I too am speaking on behalf of Resolution 210210. My name is Robert Peck. I'm a lifelong resident Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 of Philadelphia and I'm Senior Fellow at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Since 1812, scientists associated with the Academy have been studying birds and other subjects relating to the natural world. Since the end of the 19th century, we have detected the devastating effect nighttime lights can have on migrating birds. As you know, each year tens of millions of birds pass through Philadelphia during their spring and fall migration between their breeding and wintering grounds. We have bird specimens in our collection at the Academy that were killed when they collided with the newly illuminated windows of City Hall as far back as 1896. As part of the Lights Out Philly program that was announced last week, property managers and their tenants are being asked to voluntarily switch off unnecessary lights, both inside and Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 outside of their buildings, between midnight and 6:00 a.m. during the birds' spring and fall migration. This will not only help protect the birds, but will save energy, reduce individual building costs, and reduce our carbon footprint as a city. Comcast, which owns the two tallest buildings in the City, Brandywine Realty Trust, the City's largest landlord, and a dozen other building operators and owners have already pledged their support of this effort. This is not a political issue and it is certainly not a partisan one. It's about doing the right thing for life on earth, helping to reduce our carbon footprint, and saving countless thousands of migrating birds each year. As a lifelong Philadelphian, represented by Councilmember Cindy Bass, and as a representative of Drexel University, I would like to thank Councilmembers Richardson and Kenyatta Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 Johnson for introducing this resolution in support of Lights Out initiative for our city, and I hope that we'll receive your unanimous support. Please vote in favor of Lights Out Philly, Resolution 210210. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your testimony. Appreciate it.
Good afternoon. State your name for the record and proceed with your testimony, please.
Okay. Thank you. My name is John Rowden. I am the Senior Director for Bird-Friendly Communities at Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 the National Audubon Society and I oversee all of our bird-friendly communities activities, including our Lights Out program. Audubon was recently part of a group that published information that demonstrated that over the past 50 years, we've lost three billion birds from the number of birds that we have in North America, and additional research indicates that up to one billion birds per year are killed by collisions with buildings and the human-built infrastructure around the country. And because of those two pieces of information, it just adds additional context to what Steve saw last October in Philadelphia and what Bob Peck has just talked about. And so what we are asking cities across the country to do, including Philadelphia, is to join us in creating better solutions in our cities that help birds during migration and Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 during their daily lives as well, and the Resolution 210210 is an excellent first step for Philadelphia to take to recognize and correct the problem of artificial light at night and to make Philadelphia safer for birds during migration. So I urge the Council to unanimously support Resolution 210210. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your testimony. We appreciate it.
Hello. This is Monica. I'm the Director of Programs for the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, and I wanted to talk about the resolution put forth by Councilperson Bass to declare March Brain Injury Awareness Month and to thank Councilperson Bass for doing so. I just wanted to bring up a few Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 points to add to what's in the resolution and, that is, that brain injury is a chronic condition. It's not something that occurs and you recover from and it's over. In the case of more mild brain injuries like concussions, that happens in the vast majority of cases, although there are a percentage of who don't recover fully. But for people with more moderate to severe brain injuries, this is expected to be a lifelong condition that will require support for many years. There is no one face of brain injury. You can't look at a person always and see it. It is considered an invisible injury. And in most cases, it's sudden and the person has to adjust to a major change in who they are, how their brain works, what they can do, what roles they used to have that they might get back to and the ones that they can't. And so it is a huge adjustment issue and a lot of support is needed. I just wanted to bring to Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 awareness two other issues related to brain injury that might be less known, and one is that non-fatal drug overdoses result in brain injury. We think of those as drug conditions, as substance abuse disorders, and with rescue drugs like Narcan, a person's life can be saved, but when they're brought back and they start breathing again, there was almost always a period of time where the brain was not getting oxygen, and after two to three minutes without oxygen, there is brain damage. I wanted to let everyone know that this is a growing area of awareness. And one other is that we're seeing more and more reports of central nervous system effects of COVID-19 and starting to see some individuals needing cognitive rehabilitation as a result. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you so much for your testimony. We Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 appreciate it.
The next speaker is Dr. Lane Brown. COUNCIL SUPPORT: Dr. Brown is not on the line.
I'm Melody Keim, Executive Director with the Coalition Against Hunger, and I'd like to thank Councilwoman Bass for sponsoring the resolution recognizing March as National Nutrition Month and recognizing our work as a coalition. Thank you also to all members of City Council for listening to our input this afternoon about this incredibly important issue. As the Coalition, we take a holistic approach to our work and hunger in the Philadelphia region. We provide Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 immediate relief through emergency-approved referrals and provide support for local food pantries and food kitchens. Research has shown that food pantries improve the food security, diet quality, and nutritional habits of their clients while helping to minimize waste in the food system. We also provide short-term relief to our SNAP hotline where we help nearly 3,500 households annually navigate and secure SNAP benefits. SNAP education has been shown to increase cardiovascular health among children, improve food resource management and diet quality among adults, and has the potential to have a positive impact on a wide variety of other health outcomes. And, lastly, we work for long-term solutions by promoting systemic change for advocacy efforts. For example, right now we're working in Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 partnership with allies across the Pennsylvania region to improve nutrition for infants and toddlers as well as their mothers by working to improve enrollment, retention, and modernization of the WIC program. Unfortunately, we all know that access to nutritious food was a challenge for so many of our residents in Philly prior to COVID, and the current crisis has only served to exacerbate hunger, particularly for communities of color and families with children. I cannot stress strongly enough that we need to continue to work together, supported by some of the City's American Recovery Plan dollars, to increase access to nutritious food, not just for our time during the pandemic but also years to come as families work together to get back on their feet. We continue to do this work, and we look forward to working with you. Thank you so much. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021
Thank you so much for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Jon Roesser. COUNCIL SUPPORT: He is not on the line.
I am the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Black Women's Health Alliance. I'd like to thank Councilwoman Cindy Bass for allowing me to testify on this important issue. We at the Black Women's Health Alliance support this Resolution 210220 recognizing March as National Nutrition Month. This resolution directly supports our mission to improve health outcomes Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 and eliminate and/or reduce health disparities of women of color, their families through advocacy, education, research, support activities programs and services. The resolution directly intersects with the goals and objectives of our organization's evidence-based wellness support group, the Prime Time Sister Circle Program. The following statistically significant findings in health improvements resulted for more than 300 women between 40 and above participating in the program: Weight loss 79 percent; 48 percent decrease in hypertension. COVID pulled back the curtain not only on the heightened vulnerability of the African American community due to health disparate conditions, but also to food and nutrition issues. According to Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Tufts University, food is the number one cause of poor health in America. We must leverage food as medicine. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 I have attached a very informative "Food and nutrition are critical to the current and post-COVID-19 response" info-graph to my testimony. BWHA wholeheartedly supports this resolution and calls upon City Councilmembers as a whole to support this resolution not only during National Nutrition Month but throughout the year. Thank you for this opportunity.
Thank you. Just state your name for the record, please.
Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I'm Laury Jones. I serve as CEO of Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 Philabundance. Thank you, Councilmember Bass and Council President Clarke, for this opportunity. I'm here to testify in support of Resolution 210220, which recognizes March as National Nutrition Month. Philabundance is a hunger relief organization serving Philadelphia and the surrounding region. Nutritious food is key to a person's health and well-being. For children, this is particularly true. And accessing nutritious food, which is often more expensive than less healthier choices, can be challenging in neighborhoods without grocery stores. Philabundance seeks to fill the gap by distributing healthy food, especially fresh produce, which is distributed with the City during COVID, but also through our ongoing Healthy Pantry Initiative, which provides nutrition training, information about diet-related chronic diseases, and recipe Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 cards through agencies across the City. Philabundance will continue to source and purchase healthy food for the people we serve, and we appreciate Council taking the time to acknowledge our work. Thank you again, Councilmember Bass, Council President Clarke, and to all members of City Council for this opportunity.
Thank you. Thank you so much for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Deneya Barboer. COUNCIL SUPPORT: The next are not on the list. The next speaker up should be Patrice.
Good afternoon. My name is Patrice Lanier, and I am supporting the Bill 210122, and my testament will be today, a year ago because of the pandemic I took time off without any pay. Now again I'm going Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 through the same thing without any pay. I'm a security officer. I'm a front-line worker, and I just desperately need to have pay during sick time. I have children, I have grandchildren, and I'm a pretty nice person. I just want something that I feel as though in our society, if you're a hard worker, you should have some type of restitution that could take care of you so that you don't have to put yourself into a financial strain at the end of the time. What else is there to do? Basically that is all basically that I do have to say. I thank you guys for listening to me.
Thank you. Thank you so much for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Glenn Mullins. COUNCIL SUPPORT: No other callers are on the line. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Okay. I know we had a number of speakers to testify in support of this bill, but unfortunately because of the technology glitch, they did not reconnect. So just for the record, there were -- I think we had probably as many as ten, maybe more in support of that particular bill, just for the record, prior to the technology glitch. Okay. That concludes our public comment session for today. We will now consider the bills and resolutions on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar. I want to ask Mr. Decker to please read the title of Resolution No. 210209.
A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1331 North 8th Street, located Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING in the 5th Councilmanic District, in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. On your behalf, I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor of said resolution say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 210210. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution supporting a City of Philadelphia "Lights Out" Campaign and recognizing and honoring the Bird Safe Philly Coalition, the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, and the Building Owners and Managers Association Philadelphia in their collaborative effort to protect the migratory bird population.
The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to thank all those affiliated with the Lights Out Philly Campaign, and on behalf of Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson and myself, I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, 210211.
A resolution urging U.S. Senators Casey and Toomey, and the U.S. Senate to pass House Resolution 1/Senate Resolution 1, "For the People Act."
The Chair one more time recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of Councilmember Quinones-Sanchez and I, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING seconded. All those in favor of said resolution say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 210212.
A resolution recognizing and supporting working women and mothers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in honor of Women's History Month and calling for a robust federal response to our nation's first "She-cession."
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of all Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING working women and working mothers who get the job done every single day, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution 210213.
A resolution honoring Amanda Gorman, the first national youth poet laureate, for becoming the youngest poet to ever speak at a U.S. presidential inauguration.
The Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. In honor of Women's History Month, I enthusiastically move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and enthusiastically introduced and seconded. All those in favor of said resolution? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 210214.
A resolution honoring the life and legacy of Philadelphia's own "Smokin'" Joe Frazier on the 50th Anniversary of his Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING heavyweight championship win over Muhammad Ali in the "Fight of the Century."
And the Chair again recognizes Councilman Johnson for a motion.
Council President, I again enthusiastically move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and seconded and the bell has been rung. All those in favor of said resolution say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 210216. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution commemorating the life and legacy of community activist Shawn W. Wilson, whose tireless advocacy against gun violence and racial injustice advanced community safety and expanded a powerful model of neighborhood engagement for former first responders and veterans in the City of Philadelphia.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brooks for a motion.
Thank you, Council President. In honor of Shawn Wilson and loving on purpose, I move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and seconded in honor of all of those, as Councilwoman said. All those in favor of the resolution say aye. (Aye.)
Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Those opposed? (No response.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, 210217.
A resolution honoring and congratulating the Father Judge High School Wrestling Team for their second consecutive win of the Philadelphia Catholic League Wrestling Championship in their 2019-2020 season.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Thomas for a motion.
Thank you, Council President, and congratulations to those young people, the families as well as the adults, and I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING All those in favor of the resolution indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 210219.
A resolution recognizing March 2021 as Brain Injury Awareness Month to increase understanding of chronic brain injury, reduce stigma, showcase the diversity of injury across demographics, and improve care and support.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of this very important resolution. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and this very important resolution has been adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 210220.
A resolution recognizing March 2021 as National Nutrition Month to educate Philadelphians on how to make informed food choices, and develop healthy eating and physical activity habits, while raising awareness of the need for accessible, nutritious food.
And Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of this very important resolution as well. (Duly seconded.)
One more time on this very important resolution, it's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, will you please read the title of Bill No. 210122-A.
An ordinance amending Section 9-4116 of The Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Philadelphia Code, entitled "Public Health Emergency Leave," to establish leave time for public health emergencies, and modify existing provisions concerning the paid sick leave, and make technical changes.
Thank you. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, will you please call the roll.
Councilwoman Gauthier is voting aye. Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Squilla.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 200628.
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by revising and clarifying certain provisions and making technical changes.
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. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilwoman Gauthier is voting aye. Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Aye. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, 210075.
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by revising and clarifying certain provisions and making technical changes.
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 is voting aye. Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Aye. Stated Meeting March 18, 2021 3/18/21 - STATED - 2ND READING