Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, September 26, 2019 10:47 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN ALLAN DOMB COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILWOMAN HELEN GYM COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN CHERELLE L. PARKER COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN AL TAUBENBERGER MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
There you go. Thank you for being here. We're going to get started. If the visitors and the guests will retire behind the rail, the members take their seat, we'll get going. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Rabbi Uram, Executive Director and Campus Rabbi of Penn Hillel. He is here today as the guest of Councilman Domb. I would ask all members, guests, and visitors to please rise. (Councilmembers, guests, and visitors rise.)
We live in times today that often feel like dark times, with massive political divisions, mental Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 crises, mass shootings, hate and discrimination against people of color, Jews, and other minorities, and in moments of darkness like this, we ask what do we do, and Jewish tradition offers some wisdom. There's a story told about Adam and Eve as the first winter approaches. As the birds are flying south, as the leaves are falling off the trees, Adam and Eve come to the conclusion that the world must be coming to an end. And so they huddle together, they pray, and they lament the darkness in their lives. And at the darkest day of the year, they respond by kindling lights. This is an old story about the origins of holidays like Hanukkah and Christmas, but the message here is that in a moment of darkness, it is okay to pray and it is okay to lament our circumstances, but then we need to go and begin by kindling light, bringing light into the world. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 of life, we ask your blessing today to give us the strength and the wisdom to be those kindlers of light to bring greater light and warmth into our world. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Rabbi. We genuinely appreciate that. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you. And, again, Rabbi, thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it. Our next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 19, 2019, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 19th, 2019 be approved. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 19, 2019 stand approved. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and our Journal is approved. Our next order of business is requests for leaves of absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the majority, a leave of absence is requested for Councilman Green.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. Leave shall be granted. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President. On behalf of the minority, there are no requests for leave of absence.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. At this time, I would like to dispense with our regular order of business and I would like to welcome and I want to thank everyone for coming down today to witness their government in action. We genuinely appreciate you being here. We hope your stay here is a pleasurable one and a knowledge one. So, again, thank you so much for being here today. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, who will present a resolution to Deirdre Childress Hopkins. Would Ms. Hopkins and those accompanying her please join the Councilwoman at the podium. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.)
And we also have Councilman Greenlee, I believe Councilwoman Parker, Councilwoman Bass, Councilman Jones, Councilwoman Blackwell, and Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning. (Good morning.)
What an absolute thrill it is to announce that another glass ceiling has been broken after only 75 years. (Applause.)
What a thrill it is to report that a woman who looks like me, a professional in every way, has been recognized by her peers, and she has earned, earned the opportunity to represent this amazing organization. It's a thrill for me, and congratulations. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Hopkins on her election as the first African American President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association. Let me seize the moment now to say thank you to my former staffer, Jason Lewis, who understands diversity and inclusion and pulled my coattail to say, Councilwoman, we need to do this. Thank you, Jason. A resolution congratulating Deirdre Childress Hopkins on her election as the first African American woman President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association.
Whereas, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association; that is, PPRA, is the leading association for public relations professionals in the Greater Philadelphia area. PPRA was founded in 1945 and is among the oldest and largest private public relations associations in Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 nation; and
Whereas, PPRA's mission is to advance the skills, networks, and careers of communication professionals at all levels in the Greater Philadelphia region and to inspire and empower members to succeed by providing valuable connections, growth and learning opportunities, and professional development resources; and
Whereas, Deirdre Childress Hopkins is the first person of color to serve as President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association. As President, Deirdre is responsible for initiatives related to member education, social programs, membership growth and strategic appliances. Before her historic election, Deirdre served as PPRA's Vice President of Programs, Hall of Fame Co-Chair, Awards Committee Co-Chair and member of the College Relations Committee; and Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
Let a woman speak. Whereas, Deirdre earned a Bachelor's Degree in English and Fine Arts from Colgate University, where she received the President's Award upon graduation. During her career, Deirdre has also studied at The Poynter Institute, the University of California at Los Angeles and London University; and Whereas, Deirdre is the Director of Public Relations for Visit Philadelphia, the official leisure visitor organization for Philadelphia with travel and tourism information including hotels, restaurants, events, things to do, history, museums and attractions for visitors. She was the communications lead for diverse markets including the African American; LGBTQ; Latinx; and Canada, Visit Philadelphia's largest international partner; and Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
Whereas, Deirdre previously served as the strategic Communications Manager for the Pennsylvania Convention Center; the entertainment, city desk, sports, and suburban editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer; executive director of Funtimes magazine, which celebrates the African diaspora; and as a journalist at The Washington Post; the Los Angeles Daily News; United Press International; the Syracuse Post-Standard and The Los Angeles Times; and
They have me playing Maria. You make a better Maria. Whereas, Deirdre served as the 2014 and 2015 Convention and Career Fair Program Chair, the 2009 through 2011 Vice President of Print, and as the 2007-2009 National Secretary for the National Association of Black Journalists. She received the Bring It Home Award in 2010 from the former Multicultural Congress of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Bureau, and served on the 2015 Communications and Marketing Committee for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and the 2016 Philadelphia Democratic National Convention Communications Working Group; and
Whereas, Deirdre is a proven leader, and we know that leaders are like eagles. They don't flock. You have to find them one at a time. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to the highest levels of excellence, which can never be compromised, as a public relations and communications exceptional professional. The City of Philadelphia is a better place to live, work and play because of her extraordinary devoted efforts; now, therefore, be it Resolved, that this Council of the City of Philadelphia hereby congratulates, recognizes, salutes, celebrates and says thank you for breaking the glass ceiling, Ms. Deirdre, Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 the first African American President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association. Let's salute and lift up Deirdre Childress Hopkins. (Applause.)
And the Chair recognizes Ms. Hopkins for remarks.
Thank you so much. That was like my resume, wasn't it? As the Rabbi said, I want to first thank God for always guiding me and reminding me that my work helps keep people in their jobs. I'm inspired to stand here and think of my mom, who is unable to be here today because she's 86 year old, but she still sparkles, and my late father, who is in heaven, and I think he's really proud of me today. I'm especially happy that my daughter, a UPenn Master's Degree daughter, Karen Thomas, is with me today. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 (Applause.)
My brother, John Childress, the former Executive Director of the African American Chamber of Commerce for Philadelphia. (Applause.)
And my always patient husband, "Big" Al Hopkins in the back there. (Applause.)
I would like to thank the Philadelphia City Council, Council President Darrell Clarke. Thank you, Council, for your tireless work in making Philadelphia a great city. I want to applaud all of you for the leadership that enriches the lives of the people who live and work in our region. I applaud you for every enhancement that you have made to make people want to visit Philadelphia to experience our arts, our culture, our history, and our fabulous food. You can tell I enjoy the Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 food, right? I want to give a special thanks to the inspiring Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. She brought this resolution before us today, and I want to thank her for her dedication as an advocate for the achievements of women and people of color. For the last 20 years, she has been the only African American woman representing our entire city. She's also been a longtime advocate for hospitality and tourism, my loves. And communications about our region's hospitality efforts are why I'm here today. I'm very proud of my Philadelphia Public Relations Association family, because their unconditional support has brought me before you. They embraced me when I left journalism and came over to public relations. This is Bonnie Squires. She is a Hall of Fame member. She started with Pete Liacouras up at Temple. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 year?
A hundred years ago. And I'm also flanked by another one of the Bonnies, who is a Hall of Famer that you might know, Bonnie Grant. She works at CVB. She helped me and encouraged me to join this organization. You also probably know her from the Philadelphia Eagles. I owe my membership in this organization, to a very great extent, to Bonnie Grant, and I want to thank her personally and publicly right now for that. Our organization was established in 1945 by a group of friends. I am very honored to serve as its 41st President and the first person of color. That is not lost on me. (Applause.)
We got started back at the Bellevue Hotel in 1945, and Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 back there in January to celebrate our 75th anniversary with a big gala. I hope you all can come. It's already been an amazing year for me, as I started as President this month. We had a great tour of PHL17. We had a standing-room-only media mingle earlier this week at Harper's Garden. We took over the place. And we'll have a special salute on October 15th to Derrick Pitts, the chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute. None of this would have been possible without everyone here today, and I especially want to thank my boss at Visit Philadelphia for all of his efforts in diversity, and that's Jeff Guaracino. (Applause.)
He was like, I need some diversity, and he texted me, we talked, and this is just a great fit for me, because I love travel and I love our city. So I want to make sure that I thank Jeff today. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 to thank everybody, because today I am really happy to be in the city that loves you back. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you, and congratulations. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones, who will present a resolution for MED Week. Would Iola Harper and those accompanying her please join the Councilman at the podium. (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.)
Joining Councilman Jones, we have Councilwoman Blackwell, Councilwoman Parker, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, Councilman Johnson, and Councilwoman Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 and Councilwoman Gym and Bass, and last but not least, Councilman Taubenberger.
So there are very few things that republicans and democrats cross the aisle and can agree on. Capitalism and entrepreneurship is one of them. People understand it's not about being a red state. It's not about a blue state. It is about the state of green and shared prosperity for all. That comes through diversity. I've heard many people talk about the issue, but one comes to mind is that why would you leave your best players on the bench if you're playing a game of world competition in economics? Why would you put some of your best players in the back row? Well, you wouldn't. But I want to just tell you that I'm thankful to Ms. Harper for taking on this through the Economic Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 department, and Alice Dungee James, who has spent most of her life trying to balance the playing field, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the late great Lu Blackwell who fought for this, John Macklin who fought for this, Wilson Goode, Sr. who implemented this, and these are pioneers who could have ignored the disparity issue of less than one half of one percent going to female and minority companies, but took that task on -- one-tenth, I'm sorry, I stand corrected, of one percent. One-tenth of one percent of City contracts that amounted in the billions over time. So here we are today, and this is the 34th year -- 35th. Time flies when you're making a difference. 35th year of MED Week, which was started nationally in '84 -- no; '83 and then implemented here one year later in '84. I had an opportunity to, as a young man, be the head of the Minority Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Council, thanks to the late great Lucien Blackwell, and I appreciate that. So without further adieu, supporting the National Minority Business Development Agency and recognizing October 7th, 2019 through October 11th, 2019 as Philadelphia Minority Enterprise Development Week, known as MED Week, which provides critical information, resources and opportunities and inspiration to the minority business and female community; and
Whereas, since 1983, the U.S. President has proclaimed a National MED Week observance to recognize the outstanding achievements of minority business enterprises and to honor those corporations and financial institutions that support minority business development. Annual regional conferences and activities are organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency in Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Small Business Administration Office of Government Contracting and Business Development; and
Whereas, the MED Week celebration was started locally in Philadelphia in 1984 to honor and promote minority-owned businesses in the Philadelphia area. The organizers of the first MED Week activities were Barbara Daniel Cox, former Director of Mayor W. Wilson Goode's Women's Commission, and Bilal Abdul Qayyum, former Assistant Deputy Director of the City Commerce Department;
Whereas, the 35th Anniversary of Philadelphia MED Week is sponsored by corporations, local colleges, universities and hospitals, local and regional government agencies and organizations that are committed to supporting opportunities for minority businesses including co-chairs the African American Chamber of Commerce, Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the City of Philadelphia Commerce Department, the MBDA Business Center of Pennsylvania and the Women's Business Development Center; and
Whereas, it's during MED Week that the City of Philadelphia also recognizes the critical role of OEO Officers and assisting departments in meeting their broad responsibilities for developing policy, programs, practices and strategies to achieve its goals regarding M/W/DSBE participation on City contracts; and
Whereas, small businesses in Philadelphia and across the country are the cornerstone of economic growth, creating two-thirds of net new jobs in the country and comprising 50 percent of America's employment; and
Whereas, Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 capital, technical resources, and contracting opportunities are essential to the development, growth, and prosperity of minority businesses and MED Week will host some of the most prominent contracting organizations and resource providers that stand for the success of the small business community; and
Whereas, Philadelphia MED Week has grown exponentially since its inception and this year will include over 40 sponsors offering more than 30 workshops, seminars, and networking opportunities across the region including: "City of Philadelphia Open for Business Expo," "Meet the Lender Event," "Launch your Digital Marketing Strategy," "Network with the Philadelphia Gas Company," "PHL Airport 2019 Annual Business Opportunity Forum" and many more; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 City of Philadelphia, that it hereby supports the National Minority Business Development Agency and recognizes October 7th through October 11th, 2019 as Philadelphia Minority Enterprise Development Week which provides critical information, resources, opportunities and inspiration to the minority business community. And further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Philadelphia MED Week Committee as evidence of the strong support, sincere sentiments and great appreciation of this legislative body. Congratulations. (Applause.)
And the Chair recognizes Ms. Harper for remarks.
I'd like to thank Councilman Jones and the entire body for Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Week. This is a week that honors minority-owned, women-owned, and disabled-owned businesses and connects them to information and resources that they need. It's no secret that women and minority-owned businesses have their share of challenges, but it's my hope that this week will connect them to some of the challenges that they need to grow and thrive. I'd like to thank my Co-Chairs, the African American Chamber, the Women's Business Development Center, the Hispanic Chamber, the Asian Chamber, and the Minority Business Development Agency and the 30-plus technical assistance agencies, non-profits, universities, and business associations for partnering with us. This is a monumental effort, and it wouldn't be possible if it were not for our partners. Finally, I'd like to invite Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 kick-off breakfast. There, each of our Co-Chairs will honor a minority business, and OEO will honor their advocate and champion of the year. This year's advocate is Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown and the champion is Earl Harvey, publisher of The Professional News and producer of events for black professional networks. Immediately following the breakfast will be an Open for Business event where Philadelphia departments will connect with minority business owners. So if you're interested in signing up for the breakfast, there are flyers on the tables, and Dhamana has flyers. If not, you can go online at phila.gov/med-week. Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)
Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 and, again, congratulations to our honorees today. And our next order of business is communications, and the Chair requests that the Sergeant-of-Arms delivers the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Mr. Decker, please read those messages.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am pleased to advise you that on September 25, 2019, I signed all of the remaining bills which were passed by Council at its session on September 12, 2019, and I am submitting herewith for the consideration of your honorable body an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property and the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to acquire from the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority fee simple title or a lesser interest in real estate to Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 all or a portion of a parcel of land located in and about the area bounded by Montrose Street, Carpenter Street, South 17th Street and South 18th Street, with any improvements thereon, all under certain terms and conditions.
Mr. Decker, do you have any additional communications?
Thank you very much. Those communications and messages will be printed in today's Journal. Our next order of business is introduction of bills and resolutions, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I introduce one resolution celebrating one of Philadelphia's finest.
Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Thank you, Councilwoman.
A privileged resolution recognizing Leslie Odom for his Extraordinary Accomplishments on the Occasion of the Launch of the Philadanco 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Today's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I introduce two privileged resolutions and one bill.
An ordinance officially naming and designating the Cobbs Creek Recreation Center located at Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 280 Cobbs Creek Parkway, in the City of Philadelphia, as "Johnny Sample Recreation Center."
Today's Calendar -- that will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring Intercultural Family Services for all the work they have been doing in immigrant and refugee communities in Philadelphia for the past 40 years.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring State Representative Al Dumas on a lifetime of public service and fighting for the community.
Also on today's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 you, Mr. President. Today I offer two resolutions, one of them on your behalf.
A privileged resolution celebrating J. Russell Peltz and the 50th Anniversary of Peltz Boxing Promotions, Incorporated.
And a privileged resolution declaring October as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month."
And that will also be on today's Calendar. Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Mr. President. One resolution on my behalf and three ordinances on behalf of Councilman Johnson.
An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: South 15th Street from Morris Street to Mifflin Street; South 16th Street and Morris Street; South 16th Street and Ritner Street; Bancroft Street and McKean Street; Ellsworth Street and South 23rd Street; Watkins Street and South 18th Street; and An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property and the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to acquire from the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority fee simple title or a lesser interest in real estate to all or a portion of a parcel of land located in and about the area bounded by Montrose Street, Carpenter Street, South Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 17th Street and South 18th Street, with any improvements thereon; and An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: South 17th Street and Passyunk Avenue; 17th Street and McKean Street; Carlisle Street and Moore Street; McKean Street and South 15th Street; South 24th Street and Snyder Avenue; Hicks Street from Ritner Street to Jackson Street.
Those three bills read by the Chief Clerk will be referred to the appropriate committees.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the First Judicial District's Mental Health Court, one of Pennsylvania's most significant reentry programs, on the occasion of the program's 10th Anniversary.
Today's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Good morning, Council President. No bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Domb.
Good morning, Council President. I have one bill co-sponsored by Councilmember Sanchez and Councilmember Blackwell and one privileged resolution sponsored by all members of Council, and I'd like to be heard after the Clerk reads the bill.
Thank you, Councilman. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
An ordinance amending Section 19-1508 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Refunds and Forgiveness for Poverty Income," to revise the tax rate.
Thank you, Council President. Our city's poverty rate has been at the forefront of almost every discussion in this Chamber, and I know you're leading the effort this year to really address poverty, which is great. It impacts every decision we make, and we've recently been provided with positive news that came out, I think, in today's newspapers and over the media that our poverty rate actually dropped to about 24.5 percent and last year's numbers weren't totally accurate, which is good news. And while we're making strong headway, we should recognize those efforts made by many of my colleagues in this building to reduce Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 that rate. We're still the largest city with the highest poverty rate, but here's an important fact: Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 50 states, District of Columbia, the City of Philadelphia, according to a recent analysis, taxes those in poverty the highest, which makes no sense. We tax people who make less than 25,000 a year 18.1 percent. Everyone else is, one is at 16, a lot of people at 10, 11, and 12. And it is the City wage tax that stands out as the biggest portion of why the taxes are so high. People who make less than 25,000 can barely put food on the table. It makes no sense for us to be charging them wage tax. So the bill I'm introducing today will continue this progress by allowing almost 60,000 households in poverty to receive a wage tax refund. It would amend the current reimbursement of about a half a percent and increase it, Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 starting next year, to 2.36 percent, which is the City's portion of the wage tax. This would allow a family of four earning an income of $34,250 to receive about $810 annually. By Fiscal 2024, if the PICA portion of the wage tax is removed, the total reimbursement rate would be increased, allowing that same family of four to be reimbursed more than $1,300 a year. In order to help those in poverty, we also need to expand the tax base so we can help those in poverty. My colleagues are in support of reducing poverty in our city. We already have the framework in place to take full advantage of this initiative. This is just another tool to move our efforts forward. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and help our city gain significant traction to help moving families out of poverty and making us not number one in taxing those who make Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 25,000 or less the highest. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution honoring and congratulating Dick Vermeil on his receipt of the 2019 Musser Award for Excellence in Leadership from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
Today's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gym.
Good morning, Council President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Taubenberger.
Good morning, Council President and Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 colleagues. I have one bill, and I'd like to be heard after the reading of the title.
An ordinance amending Sections 19-1303(2), 19-1303(3) and 19-1303(4) of The Philadelphia Code, related to Exemption from Real Estate Taxes on Improvements and New Construction of Real Estate, by requiring construction work be performed by licensed contractors and requiring accurate reporting of wage taxes by prohibiting improper classification of employees as independent contractors.
Thank you very much, and that bill was co-sponsored by Councilman Henon and myself. Today I'm introducing a much-needed amendment to the City's Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 ten-year property tax abatement. While this legislative body continues to debate whether the ten-year tax abatement still makes sense as currently configurated, we need to correct a flaw in the law that is costing the City millions in uncollected tax revenue each year. Currently the only disqualifying factor in the ten-year tax abatement is being delinquent on property taxes. The flaw says nothing regarding disqualifying developers who cheat the City out of taxes and other revenue. Philadelphia is still a very hot market for residential developers, many of whom are out of state. They often willfully neglect to pull the necessary construction permits and licenses, and they misclassify their workers as 1099 independent contractors to avoid payroll taxes and pay workers in cash to avoid tax implications. These unethical practices cheat the City out of significant tax revenue and are Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 tantamount to being tax delinquent. These violations should disqualify developers from being rewarded for gaming the system by receiving a ten-year tax abatement. With so many competing budget needs to our City programs and services, Philadelphia cannot afford to forego the collection of millions of dollars rightfully owed by developers. This amendment closes the loophole once and for all. Mr. President, thank you very much.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Council President. I want to commend Councilman Taubenberger for taking on this issue as well. While the conversation on the ten-year tax abatement continues, this Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 comes down to the underground economy, the tens of millions of dollars that the City is being defrauded. It's being short on collecting the revenues because they're not being reported at all. People are paying cash. There are no such things as 1099's on construction sites. And, by the way, we've had, with the uptick of the global warming and the increase of our rain that we've been having over the past five to ten years, it's having a huge, huge safety impact on our neighborhoods as our neighborhoods are developing. So people aren't paying taxes. The City has no idea who is licensed. People don't know who is on the job sites. People aren't sure if they're properly trained or OSHA trained, and we do not have the proper staff at our L&I department, Department of L&I, to ensure that their caseload because they are understaffed and overworked, especially in the City that has all this development Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 with the uptick of permits, that our people who are pulling permits, that do pay taxes, the congestion is an issue. I don't know how an individual can get around to formally go and inspect properties for people's safety, public safety, and their property's safety. Our city is in danger. We need an increase in our L&I staff to help alleviate the burden and make sure that Revenue has the opportunity to collect the revenue that is owed to the City in the tens of millions of dollars. That is what is right. That's what we deserve as a first class city, and that will put people to work. And I look forward to working with the Councilman and this body as we move forward addressing the underground economy. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one bill and one privileged resolution.
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," to require separation between marijuana dispensaries.
And a privileged resolution honoring and congratulating PhillyCAM on their 10th anniversary. PhillyCAM is the community media center Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 that trains Philadelphians in broadcast production and airs original content on Philadelphia's public access television station and WPPM 106.5 FM.
And that will be on today's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one bill on your behalf as the co-sponsor, and I'd like to be heard after the title is read.
An ordinance establishing the "Safe Haven Law" by amending Title 10 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Regulation of Individual Conduct and Activity," by adding a new section prohibiting the possession of weapons at City Recreation Facilities.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President, and I want to thank you for your leadership on the introduction of this critical piece of legislation, which is designed to keep all of us safe from gun violence, but particularly aimed at our most vulnerable asset and resource, our children. This bill has the potential to truly make a difference and remove the fear that many feel of gun violence in our communities. We've made a difference by adding cameras to our rec centers and playgrounds, but this preventive measure has the potential to be a real game changer for our city, and I thank you. Recognizing that Harrisburg obviously has a say in this matter, I am optimistic that conversations will take place to help us help ourselves here in the City of Philadelphia and keep everyone safe, and I say this as the Chair of Parks and Recreation where we've Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 seen an uptick in violence and particularly gun violence in our rec centers in our neighborhoods and as the Chair of Health and Human Services, and we know that gun violence is a health issue. And so, again, I just wanted to thank you for your leadership on this very important issue, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilwoman. That bill will be referred to committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President. I offer one privileged resolution, one bill. Privileged resolution co-sponsored by Councilmembers Squilla and Gym and the bill co-sponsored by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
An ordinance amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Finance, Taxes and Collections," Chapter 19-1300, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," by adding a new Section 19-1310, entitled "Providing for a Tax Credit for Lead Paint and Other Hazards Remediation."
And a privileged resolution recognizing October 2019 as Filipino American History Month in the City of Philadelphia.
And that will be on today's Calendar. That concludes our introduction of bills and resolutions, and we will now move to our reports from committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee for a report from the Committee of Law and Government.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Law Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 bills with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. Mr. Decker, please read that report.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Law and Government, to which was referred Bill No. 190558, entitled "An ordinance amending Chapter 9-1100 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Fair Practices Ordinance: Protections Against Unlawful Discrimination,' by adding a new Section 9-1133 to require that institutions or organizations that serve youth adopt and make known policy guidelines providing for non-discriminatory treatment of transgender and gender non-conforming youth"; and Bill No. 190559, entitled "An ordinance amending Section 16-104 of The Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Code, entitled 'Gender-Neutral Bathrooms,' to impose additional requirements regarding installation of gender-neutral bathrooms in City buildings"; and Bill No. 190608, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 21 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Miscellaneous,' by adding a new Chapter 21-3100, entitled 'Reporting of Settlements of Civil Actions,' to establish a system of quarterly reporting and evaluation of means to reduce future liability"; and Bill No. 190651, entitled "An ordinance amending Chapter 9-1100 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Fair Practices Ordinance: Protections Against Unlawful Discrimination,' by revising the definitions of gender identity and sexual orientation," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded that the -- I'm sorry. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill Nos. 190558, 190559, 190608, and 190651. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has now been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bills No. 190558, 190559, 190608, and 190651. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and these bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 2ND READING today. Our next order of business is the consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills just reported from committee with a suspension of the rules have been deemed to have had a first reading. They will be placed on our Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. As there are no additional bills on our First Reading Calendar, the Chair recognizes Councilman Henon for the purpose of calling up bills and resolutions that are on our Final Passage Calendar today.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up for the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today. They are Bill Nos. 190726, 190728, 190232, 180936-A, 160026, and 190505. All other bills and resolutions are being held.
Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Thank you. A lot of distractions up here today. Before considering these resolutions and bills, we will consider public comment as follows: Your public comment must pertain to bills and resolutions that are on our Final Passage today. If you are interested in testifying on a bill or resolution that is on the Final Passage today, you may sign up at the table to my left. When your name is called, you will go to the middle of the Council Chambers to the podium. There's a device on that podium. When the light turns green, it will be your time to speak. When the light turns yellow, you will have 30 seconds to conclude your remarks. When the light turns red, we'd ask that you please adhere to our guidelines and conclude your remarks. Normally you will be given three minutes to testify, but I have to Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 make a command decision. We have a significant number of individuals on the list to testify today. So rather than asking us to pare that list back, I will ask if you keep your comments to two minutes. That will allow us to get everyone who has signed in to testify. So, again, if you want to alter your testimony, you will be given two minutes to speak on a bill or resolution that's on today's Calendar. Thank you very much for your anticipated cooperation. Mr. Decker, please call the first name on the list.
Tim Gibbon, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Tim Gibbon and I would like to speak in support of the lead bill. For me, this issue is personal. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Four years ago my then one-year-old daughter, Rose, was diagnosed with a dangerously elevated lead level. The cause was exposure to chipping lead paint in our rented South Philadelphia row home. When we tested the house, we realized that the remnants of lead paint were everywhere that Rose was crawling. We urged our landlord to resolve the issue, but the cursory paint-over that they eventually performed was insufficient, and our lease precluded us from remediating ourselves. Fortunately, we had the means to move out and purchase our own home, and we made sure that there were no lead hazards in our new place. Rose's lead level did eventually drop down because she was no longer being exposed to lead hazards. Yet the science clearly shows that there is no safe lead level of -level of lead in a child's body. For many Philadelphia residents Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 and their children, purchasing a new home to escape lead poisoning isn't an option. I urge you to pass the lead bill today for Rose and all of Philadelphia's children. Thank you. (Applause.)
George Gould, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is George Gould and I am an attorney at Community Legal Services, and today I speak in strong support of Bill No. 180936-A, which will make important changes to the lead-safe certification ordinance, which includes requiring landlords to give the certification at the time of leasing to all tenants, not just to those of children six or under. This will correct the difficulties of Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 enforcement that the Department of Public Health has had and that the discrimination exists because it encourages landlords not to rent to families with children six or under. We praise Councilwoman Reynolds Brown and her staff, especially Julian Thompson, who has worked diligently on this bill for almost two years. I have been involved in drafting and working on this bill for the last two years. However, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that an amendment was showed to us last week when we walked into Council that changed the time to obtain a new lead-safe certification from three to four years. This is problematic, as in a four-year period paint can deteriorate and dangerous lead dust from friction surfaces can accumulate, causing children to be lead poisoned. It's important to note that the Department of Public Health states that Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 the cost of a lead inspection is $150, and for three years this would be only $50 a year. I've also sent statements to each of you from a certified lead inspector and the National Center for Healthy Homes which says that this change to four years is not appropriate and can cause children to be lead poisoned. While we have concerns about this issue, we urge you to approve this bill now, as this bill has taken a long time, and address this issue later. Thank you all for your efforts on this most important bill. Thank you.
Rue Landau, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning, Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Council. I'm Rue Landau, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and the Fair Housing Commission, and I'm here to just take a minute to talk to you also about the lead bill. I was sitting in this room in 2011 when you first passed the bill that Councilmember Reynolds Brown put forward so courageously and I was disheartened to see that there was an amendment put on it in order to get it passed. There was an amendment put on it that you would only need to ensure that residences were lead safe or lead free if they were going to -- if landlords were going to rent to families age six and under. In my world in enforcing the anti-discrimination law in the City and also working closely with HUD as it enforces the federal law, that language just incentivized landlords to discriminate against families with young children, which is clearly illegal in our Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 local law, our state law, and our federal law, and to me, that language was then a barrier for families with children in order to find housing. We've heard anecdotal stories over the years of people having trouble finding places to live, and I cannot thank Councilmember Reynolds Brown enough and all of the support of her staff to push forth a bill that finally removes that language that has been a barrier to families with children looking for housing. This is going to make every single rental property in the City lead safe or lead free, and that is the best thing for the health of all families in Philadelphia and that is the best thing for us to fight discrimination in the City. Thank you so much. I look forward to continuing to work with you so we can reduce times that -- the time limit for when we are going to do this testing, but I think this is fantastic. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Thank you for your bravery and your commitment to Philadelphia. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Clerk, would you please read our next speaker.
Phil Lord, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Thank you very much. My name is Phil Lord. I'm the Executive Director of the Tenant Union Representative Network, or TURN, and I'm very happy today to be here to celebrate the consideration of this bill for remedying the situation with lead paint. My team was around in 2011 and I was very disappointed with the restriction on this bill that limited it to children under seven, and this modification is going to mean a lot to people in the City of Philadelphia. I'm particularly grateful for Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 the persistence of Councilwoman Brown in pushing this forward. I want to remind us that this situation in terms of lead paint doesn't just affect children. It affects all of us, and I'm grateful for the chance to recognize that this burden should not be placed on families with children alone. Adults as well can be poisoned by lead paint. We all are affected. And so as a result of this change, we'll be able to have a safer city for everybody. I'm grateful for this opportunity. Brain damage is irreversible. We have to make sure to make our city safe and healthy for everyone. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
George Donnelly, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.) Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
Good morning, Council. My name is George Donnelly. I'm an attorney at the Public Interest Law Center here in Philadelphia, and what you see today with this great crew of folks that we have behind us is, we recognize the moral obligation to protect our children from the dangers of lead poisoning. I mean, we can't listen to some -(Applause.)
We can't listen to Tim Gibbon's story and turn a blind eye, right? And today Philadelphia is about to become a national leader in preventing lead poisoning in children, and that is something that we should celebrate. (Applause.)
As you heard from George and Phil, the old bill was not enforceable. Advocates on the ground will tell you this when they are representing tenants against their Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 landlords. It wasn't enforceable. It didn't work. This bill is uniform, universal, and automatic in its enforcement mechanisms, and it's going to ensure that landlords throughout the City are complying with the lead-safe ordinance that we already have on the books, and the new one is just going to improve the enforcement mechanism and it's going to lead to less stories like you heard from Mr. Gibbon about children being poisoned. I want to thank Councilmember Reynolds Brown for taking the time to get the bill right and to work with all stakeholders and all the work that she's done over the past two years. (Applause.)
And the leadership that she's shown. And for those of you voting in favor of the bill today, thank you. There are generations of Philadelphia Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 children who had their futures robbed by the scourge of lead poisoning, and we're looking forward and making sure that our future children don't have those same disasters happen to them. And for those of you still on the fence, I urge you to consider those kids that have, like I said, had their futures robbed by lead poisoning. There's no safe level of lead in a child's bloodstream. And so today I urge us, hopefully in a unanimous vote, vote in favor of the lead ordinance. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Thank you. Mr. Decker, name of our next speaker, please.
Jana Curtis, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. This is the third time I've stood before you asking you to pass the lead-safe Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 rental bill, and I'm tired today. I'm tired because my daughter didn't sleep last night. Sleep disturbance is a well-documented result of lead poisoning even at low levels. And I can count on my fingers the number of times she's slept through the night, and she's about to turn six. But we're here today because of the impact lead has on whole communities, how it holds them down, not just for one family. In my advocacy, people often show me the lead poisoning map of Philadelphia, and I can't unsee the bright red triangle around McPherson Square indicating rampant lead poisoning or the colors of flames across North Philly, and I think they think it's going to make me sit down, go back to mopping to protect my kids, but it's only emboldened me. This bill should have passed 40 years ago. It shouldn't be 2011 or six Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 months ago or last week when I was here. (Applause.)
We've known this problem for 40 years, and today Council has a chance to step forward to take a historic step towards the future where kids aren't robbed of their futures. It's taken a broad coalition of folks to get us to today, including landlords like Shift Capital and Philly Office Retail, who joined -- people who spent their entire careers fighting for this moment. And I want to thank Councilwoman Reynolds Brown for not getting tired, for continuing to fight through it. Parents are fighting through it for their children, and we know that we have a leader in you, and we hope that all of Council today will make that unanimous vote to make us move towards the future to protect all of Philly's children. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Mr. Decker, the name of our next speaker, please.
Joseph Vaincoeur, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Joseph Vaincoeur and I'm a small business real estate rental to low-income people. I'm not against the health of the children, but the problem I have is that is the City going to help us get the lead paint out? Because myself personally, I have a tenant with $485 a month. I cannot increase their rent so I can get the lead paint removed in my property. Is the City going to help us as low-income real estate to help us to get the lead paint out? That's the only point that I have.
Thank you for your testimony. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Mr. Decker, would you please read the name of our next speaker.
Susan Donato, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Thank you. I am a landlord and I rent to middle-income, low-income people in the City, and I feel the current law already provides safety for children living in rental housing. Let's put all that money towards enforcement of the bill. This new law, it merely reduces the quality and the amount of affordable housing. It's not making it better. As landlords, we'll not be able to operate in the City and we will not be able to afford to keep the housing in good repair. This money just lines the pockets of the contractors who are going to get to perform all of these tests. Wouldn't it be great if we could take this money and use it to truly make sure that we have effective Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 lead-free playgrounds and places to live? I think it will be much more -- this is not the way to provide for our kids to have lead-free communities. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. Mr. Decker, would you please read the name of our next speaker.
Sherrie Cohen, commenting on 180936-A. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Sherrie Cohen. I'm an independent candidate running for City Council at-large on November 5th, 2019. Whether I will be on the ballot is now up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. I'm a tenant rights attorney having worked for TURN, the Tenant Union Representative Network, and the Lead Law Project of the Brodie and Rubinsky Law Firm. I was honored to work with other attorneys to suggest proposed updates to Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 our City's lead law. My work to enforce the lead law in court on behalf of families with young children suffering from lead poisoning was often frustrated by inadequacies in the current law. Since the law only requires lead inspections for new tenants with children under the age of seven, landlords would claim in court that they did not know that the family had young children. Landlords would say this, even when parents testified that when they signed the rental lease, they had a baby on their lap or when their landlord showed them the apartment, their toddlers were by their side. Too often judges would find the landlords' testimony more credible than that of tenants. As a result, families were denied justice and the City's lead law was circumvented. Without proper and timely inspections in every rental unit, lead screening relies on detection through Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 children, using them as biological monitors for environmental lead or the proverbial canaries in the coal mine where inspection of a child's home is only undertaken after a child develops lead poisoning. This is inhumane. Though the legislation before you today requires lead inspections only every four years instead of every two years, as experts recommend, this glaring weakness in the bill remains a battle for another day. Today by voting to make Philadelphia's lead law universal, City Council will take a giant step forward to prevent the dangers of lead exposure and help create a lead-free Philadelphia. Thank you, everybody. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Mr. Decker, would you please read the name of our next speaker.
Judy Stepanaskie, commenting on 190728. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 (Witness approached podium.)
Are you talking about the 100 percent clean energy bill? Maybe I wrote the wrong number on the -- hi. I'm not talking about the lead bill. I'm here to talk about the clean energy bill.
You may proceed with your testimony. That's quite all right. It's on the agenda.
Oh, okay. Thank you. Yes. My name is Judy Stepanaskie and I support clean energy. I support the conversion to clean energy as rapidly as is environmentally safe to do so. My concerns -- and I do support this bill. My concerns are that there are no provisions to ensure that the conversion to clean energy is done in an environmentally safe manner. All renewable energy is not environmentally safe. For one big example we have heard recently in the Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 news about the drastic decline in bird populations, estimated three billion birds have been killed. One reason for a bird population decline is the siting of wind turbines on mountaintops, mountain ridges, and in bird migration pathways. The Audubon Society supports wind energy as long as it is sited properly to ensure that birds and other wildlife are not harmed during the siting and the use of this clean energy. In addition to -- my concern with this bill is that there is nothing in here to guarantee that we ensure environmental safeguards in the types of clean energy that we choose. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. Mr. Decker, would you please read the name of our next speaker.
Emily Davis, commenting on 190728. (Witness approached podium.) Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
I ask you to pass -- excuse me. I am Emily Davis and I'm a citizen of Philadelphia. I ask you to pass Resolution 190728, a resolution that urges the City to move toward 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 or sooner. The climate crisis is real. This is only a resolution that must be used to guide all future decisions. The time to move is now. The future quality of life of our children depends on it. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Mr. Decker, can you please read the name of our next speaker.
Meenal Raval, commenting on 190728. (Witness approached podium.)
Yeah. Hi. I'm Meenal Raval, a resident of Mount Airy and an active member of Sierra Club's Southeastern PA group pushing the Ready Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 for 100 agenda in all five counties. I'd like to thank Councilmember Sanchez for leading on the Ready for 100 Resolution No. 190728. I'm here to say that this resolution will have us rethink every single decision we make going forward. Once we pledge we're going to transition to 100 percent renewable energy, we must no longer invest in any new fossil fuel project. We seek to transition not only our buildings, but also our transportation, our electricity source, and our relationship to single-use plastics to renewable and reusable alternatives. In buildings, we currently use oil or gas, both fossil fuels, for heating. In transportation, we currently use gasoline or diesel, also fossil fuels, for moving us and our stuff around. Our electricity comes from a mix of coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 renewables. And the single-use plastics we rarely think about, the check-out bags, the water bottles, the disposable cutlery, the Styrofoam coffee cups, the plastic straws, are all made from fossil fuels. Now, sit back and think about the many policies we'll get to work together. I'd like to remind you that youth across the world went on strike last Friday. That's correct. They didn't go to school. Instead they were outside local government buildings all over the world expressing their concerns for their own futures and demanding a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. About 2,500 youth were outside this City Hall. Their demands ask for a much faster timeline than ours. So I implore you to sit up and get ready to work with us. An e-mail just this morning from Philly-based organization Call to Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 the Bar stated, lawyers should stand with Greta and the Youth Climate Movement. Think on that. In closing, I'd like to thank all of you for your support of the Sierra Club's Ready for 100 resolution, and prepare to look at each future decision with a climate lens. You know I will. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Mr. Decker, would you please read the name of our next speaker.
Bridget Powell, commenting on 170408. (Witness approached podium.)
Good day. As a school nurse for 23 years and a school nurse at Powel Elementary for 13 years, I would like to ask for City Council to address the real underlining problem that causes children to struggle behaviorally in school and cause them to get suspended. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 We have an increasing number of children who are in foster care that attend our schools. The solution isn't to pass 170408. The solution is to address Resolution 190346. (Applause.)
I would like to address the concerns of the DHS Oversight Board. In May, we were here asking for one. Councilwoman Helen Gym blocked Councilman at-large David Oh and Cindy Bass, saying that we had a resolution, but we didn't. We have been asking and Alicia Dorsey attended the youth placement meeting last week that was hosted by CBH. There was no mention of DHS Task Force, because the force doesn't exist. We're asking that you address the real issue of the kids who are being suspended in schools. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Mr. Decker, please read the name of our next speaker.
April McBride, commenting on 170408. (Witness approached podium.) MS. McBRIDE: Good morning. I'm here to speak on Resolution 170408, a resolution in regards to the children getting suspended from the age first through fifth grade. Resolution 170408 will be very beneficial to elementary-aged students as well as higher grade students. Children that are suspended not only miss out on learning, but at times coming to school is the only meal some children may have, period. There are a lot of children in foster care in the City of Philadelphia, and it's not all children that are bad, just like all parents aren't bad, but there are systems set up in place to fail children and families, and it's no secret about it. It's just a conspiracy of Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 silence from people in Council to turn a blind eye and railroad resolutions that can end the evils of these systems that's tearing children down. We've called -- me and several parents was attending the meetings, supposedly a meeting, at the library, the City of Philadelphia's library on Vine Street in regards to the Task Force that was supposed to be set in place for issues such as this, and come to find out there were no Task Force even in existence for what we need the oversight for DHS. And also we went to the office of Helen Gym, which supposed to be over this Task Force, and we spoke to Charlene Samuels, and she told us there's nothing that the Councilwoman can do for us, that when we do make these complaints about DHS, they just go call DHS and tell them that there's an issue. So there's a problem here, and Resolution 170408 needs to be addressed as well as the resolution for the Task Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 Force for DHS. (Applause.)
Thank you. Mr. Decker, the name of our next speaker, please.
Yolanda Bryant, commenting on 170408. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon. Good morning. My name Yolanda Bryant. I'm here to speak on Resolution 170408, an issue that concerns child's education and the welfare of a child. I agree that children should not be suspended from school. There are several issues that arise in the suspension of children that affect the parents as well, like unexcused absence, what the Board of Education will recognize as unexcused. On September the 20th, 2019, Helen Gym lead hundreds of underage children in the Philadelphia School District to take on a school day for the Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 climate control. Helen Gym gave out hundreds of excused absence. If this was a parent that had did this, they would be considered a bad parent and they would be considered by DHS not in the child's best interest. On May the 16th, David Oh and Cindy Bass had made a resolution to help investigate the separation of child removals. This was turned down by Helen Gym. On August the 6th to 7th, 2007 [sic], about 80 mothers attended the library to attend a meeting that was supposed to be for this resolution, the separation and investigation. There was no one there, and they said that we could not be there because Helen Gym didn't have no resolution or no reform for child separation. Darrell Parks said himself that this was an issue that needed to be addressed that never been addressed. I addressed it on May the 16th, and I have Stated Meeting September 26, 2019 a transcript in front of me that shows that Helen Gym had said that she had a resolution with Councilman Kenyatta that was on child separation also. This is not a fact. We talked to several members from her office. We have also -- we have reports that show that this is only on the school reform. This is nothing to do with the Task Force. And we want to address this issue on children. That's important for their education too with children being taken away. (Applause.)
And we would like not Helen Gym to run this, Councilman Oh, because she's not in our best interest or the children best interest. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Mr. Decker, would you please read the name of our next speaker.
Angela Williams. (No response.) Stated Meeting September 26, 2019
Can you state your name for the record as you approach.