Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Via Microsoft Teams Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, March 25, 2021 10:15 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILMAN ALLAN DOMB COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILMAN DEREK S. GREEN 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 COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Thank you. Thank you so much, and good morning. We're going to get started. I'm going to start out with a little bit of housekeeping. I understand that the state law currently requires that the following announcement be made at the beginning of every remote Council session: Due to the current public health emergency, City Council is currently meeting remotely. We are using Microsoft Teams to make this remote meeting possible. Instructions for how the public may view the meeting and offer public comment are included in the Stated Meeting notice that was published in the Daily News, Inquirer, and Legal Intelligencer prior to the meeting, and can also be found on PHLCouncil.com. I now note that the hour has come. The Clerk will please call the roll to take attendance. Members that are in attendance will please indicate Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 present, or whatever you may so choose, to make sure that your screen and your image is displayed on the screen. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Good morning, Mr. President, colleagues, and all of Philadelphia. Good morning.
Good morning, Council President and colleagues and Philadelphia. Good morning.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Good morning to the public. Present.
Good morning, Council President, and good morning, colleagues.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Good morning, City of Philadelphia.
Good morning, colleagues. Good morning, Council President. I am present. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. I'd love to give a warm welcome to Pastor Tricia Neale, who is giving our Council invocation today. Thank you, Pastor Neale, for all the great work that you do serving the general public in Northeast Philadelphia. We're proud of you.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Always advocating for justice for all the young people that lost their lives to gun violence. Good to see everyone this morning.
Good morning, Mr. President. Good morning, colleagues. Good morning, viewing public.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues.
Good morning, Mr. President and colleagues and viewing public. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Buenos dias. Buenos dias, Mr. President and my colleagues.
Good morning, Council President and colleagues. Present.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Good morning to the listening public.
Good morning, Councilman. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Good morning, everyone. We have established our quorum. We will now come to order. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes the Reverend Tricia Neale of Saint John's Feast of Justice. She is here today as the guest of Councilman Henon. I would ask all members and guests to please bow your head for the invocation.
Good morning, Council President Clarke and all Council women and men, and thank you, Councilman Henon, for this invitation. During this year, our eyes were opened. In my organization, Feast of Justice, we saw how widespread the effects of the pandemic can be. We saw thousands of people who had been hanging on by a thread but were no longer able to Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 own as they waited in lines around the block for food, but we saw individuals who would volunteer putting themselves at risk by working on the front lines to serve their neighbor. We saw how racism and structural inequalities could continue to divide us even further, but we saw community organizations put aside differences and innovate together to do amazing things. We saw how desperation could lead to violent behavior and how isolation affected mental health, but we saw adaptability and flexibility like we never could have imagined possible. We saw how immigrant communities and communities of color were hit particularly hard, but we saw the generosity of individuals break down barriers and help us learn from one another. In all, we saw the grief of an entire neighborhood, but we saw the Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 city. I would venture to say that we all did see this. Our eyes were opened in similar ways across the City, and with that in mind, let us pray. Gracious Lord, this morning we are asking your blessing upon the people who are called to lead the communities in which we live and work and play. As all of our eyes have been opened this year, help all of us to remember that no matter what district we live in, no matter what language we speak, no matter what person we love or the land we have come from or the faith we practice, we all are neighbors. Let's remember your call to all of us to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with our God, and especially help these elected leaders with the responsibilities you have given them in their positions. Grant them wisdom to govern among the conflicting issues of these days. Give them a sense of the Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 our neighbors, especially providing a voice for the voiceless. Give them a thirst for justice and for righteousness. Give them humility, honesty, and make them trustworthy. Give them the ability to work together in harmony, and please give them joy in their tasks. Bless this Council that your love, your grace, and your promises might shine forth on this day. In your name, we pray. Amen.
Amen. Thank you, Reverend, so much for the invocation. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Our next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 18, 2021, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 18th, 2021 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 18, 2021 stand approved. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and our Journal is approved. And our next order of business is requests for leave of absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Council, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
The Chair thanks the Councilwoman. And our next order of business is communications. I'd ask Mr. Decker to please read the messages from the Mayor and any other communications that he may have in his possession.
From the Mayor to the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am transmitting for the consideration of your honorable body a resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon situate in the First Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Land Bank fee simple title to such property pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code; and A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon situate in the Eighth Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code; and A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 2001 North Orianna Street located in the Seventh Councilmanic District; and A resolution authorizing the Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon situate in the Fifth Councilman District of the City of Philadelphia and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code; and A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon situate in the Second Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia and further authorizing the Philadelphia Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code; and An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain portions of the land located within an area bounded by Delaware Expressway, Richmond Street, Lewis Street, Delaware Avenue, and Castor Avenue, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. That concludes our communications, and our next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions. And by way of a reminder, we are asking that all resolutions, including privileged resolutions, be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for the next session of Council, unless they are being referred to committee. In our Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 current remote environment, this procedure will provide an appropriate opportunity for public comment. I want to thank you very much for your anticipated cooperation. Mr. Decker, can you please read the titles of the legislation that is being offered today by our members.
Councilwoman Parker offers four resolutions, entitled a "Resolution honoring the life and legacy of Emma C. Chappell, and recognizing her leadership and advocacy in efforts to impact social justice, to improve racial and gender equity, and to foster real change." Mr. President, Councilwoman Parker would like to be recognized on this resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to ask for a suspension of the rules so that we can Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 have immediate consideration of the resolution today, Mr. President.
It's been moved and properly seconded that the rules be suspended to allow reading on today's session of said resolution. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. That resolution will be on today's Calendar.
And a resolution congratulating Esteban Vera Jr., on his appointment to SEPTA's board of directors, making him the first Latino person to serve on the transit agency's governing body. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
And a resolution recognizing and congratulating Marcia L. Fudge on her confirmation to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
And a resolution recognizing Philly Tech Sistas on their work to diversify the tech scene in Philadelphia, with special acknowledgment to Ashley Turner for leading the group and her dedication to this effort.
Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson offers two resolutions, entitled a "Resolution celebrating the selection of Jericho Brown's Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poems, The Tradition, for the 2021 'One Book, One Philadelphia' Program." Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
And a resolution recognizing and congratulating Folasade A. Olanipekun-Lewis on her election as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Councilman Henon offers one bill and two resolutions, entitled "An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain portions of the land located within an area bounded by Delaware Expressway, Richmond Street, Lewis Street, Delaware Avenue, and Castor Avenue."
And a resolution honoring the 150th Anniversary of the Philadelphia Fire Department.
Next Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 week's Calendar.
And a resolution honoring the 250th Anniversary of the Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick.
Councilman Jones offers one bill and three resolutions, entitled "An ordinance amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain area of land located within an area bounded by 63rd Street, Lansdowne Avenue, Felton Street, Haddington Lane, Edgewood Street, Lansdowne Avenue, 54th Street, Girard Avenue, 59th Street, and Callowhill Street.
And a resolution on Council President's behalf, entitled a "Resolution honoring and recognizing Fred Jenkins, Sr. for his work as a boxing Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 coach and youth mentor and his retirement from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation after 45 years of service."
And on his own behalf, a resolution honoring and congratulating Diane C. Medley on the occasion of her retirement following 25 years of relentless dedication and service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
And a resolution recognizing and honoring Herb Douglas, the oldest living African American Olympic medalist, for his many life achievements, on and off the track.
Councilman Johnson offers one bill and three resolutions, entitled "An ordinance Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a lease agreement with St. Agnes MOB, LLC, for use by the City, of a portion of the premises located at 1930 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."
And a resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon situate in the Second Councilmanic District.
And a resolution honoring the life and legacy of Charlie "Uncle Bip" Bernard, Dean of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, Political Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Director, Chief Moral Officer, and the Grandfather of the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee, for his lifelong dedication to Philadelphia politics.
And a resolution calling all social media companies to take a proactive role in fighting the Gun Violence epidemic nationwide by monitoring and removing inciting posts off platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez offers two resolutions, entitled a "Resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 2001 North Orianna Street located in the Seventh Councilmanic District."
Councilman -- sorry. Councilman Johnson, Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 did you want to be recognized after the reading of that -- I'm sorry.
Hold on, Mr. Decker. Councilman Johnson wanted to be recognized for the introduction of that resolution. Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President, and I'll be brief. Just, one, just taking a moment of silence for our good friend Charlie Bernard. If you've been around the political process, you will know that if you interacted with Democratic City Committee, he was a genuine, outgoing, and caring spirit and, most importantly, I call him a gentle giant, because he has consistently made sure that as public officials in the party, that we were moving in the direction of making sure that we were taking care of the things that we need to get done, especially if you were a ward leader, right, and the Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 way he would just give you a call and just talk gently to you about what you needed to get done in terms of us just moving our party forward. So he will definitely be missed, definitely is a good spirit, and just ask that if we can just take a moment just honoring his life, but dedicating his life around the issue of public service.
Thank you. A moment of silence, please. (Moment of silence.)
Thank you. And, Council President, so my next resolution deals with the matter at hand that all of us have been aggressively addressing, all of us are extremely concerned about, and that's the issue of gun violence here in the City of Philadelphia, but as we all take a look Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 at what's taking place across the country, we are seeing significant levels of senseless gun violence taking the lives of our young people. Most recently, the City of Philadelphia has recently surpassed 500 homicides for the year 2020, because a person who was shot last year officially died this year. And so we actually surpassed that number, and all of you already know that. If we're still on the path that we're on right now, we're going to surpass that number this year. But my resolution that deals with the issue around social media, right, we know our Police Commissioner talked about social media beefs as a result of some of the rising gun violence that we're seeing taking place, but also for myself just being an advocate on the ground. If you have your ears to the ground, you talk to any young person, right, you know that the majority of these shootings are a result of social Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 media beefs. And so we're just calling on social media platforms such as Instagram, such as Facebook, such as Twitter that they need to monitor and, most importantly, do not allow young people when they're putting guns inside their social media posts -- I know some of you may or may not know, another part of how young people from most social media beefs is that they post a homicide. They post the shootings, right? I talked to mothers who have had video, videos of their sons on the ground after a murder, after a homicide, right? And so I've seen people get banned on social media for less. I've seen people on Instagram being banned for 24, 48 hours just because they expressed an opinion that may not be popular to everyone else, but it's just an opinion and it's not incendiary, it's not disrespectful. It's just their opinion. So we have to make sure in this Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 particular sensitive environment, right, because so many of our young people live and express themselves on social media, that they have a responsibility to make sure that they're not promoting violence, and particularly because it's happening in black and brown communities in particular, right, and there's no -- I'm not even talking about censorship. I'm just talking about responsible monitoring just to make sure that we get a handle on this level of social media beefs as it relates to the issue of gun violence, that we're going to focus on making sure that they're held accountable. And my staff will be working towards reaching out to all the companies to see what they're going to do to be responsible to help us address this issue, because at the end of the day, it's a part of the culture that our young people follow and we want to make sure that it's not used as a platform to incite further gun violence, not only just here in the City Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 of Philadelphia, but I would just also say just across urban America just in general. So thank you very much, Council President.
Councilman, thank you. They banned the President of the United States for some of his incendiary remarks, so I don't know why they can't do something about that.
I appreciate you for bringing that up. For the record, Councilwoman Brooks is present. Just let the record reflect that. Mr. Decker, I'm sorry. You want to proceed?
Yes, Mr. President. Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez offers two resolutions, entitled a Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 "Resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 2001 North Orianna Street located in the Seventh Councilmanic District."
And also a resolution recognizing and honoring the Philadelphia Children's Alliance and the Philadelphia Department of Human Services for their collaborative commitment to bring healing and justice to victims of child sexual abuse in Philadelphia and declaring April 2021 to be Child Abuse Prevention Month in the City of Philadelphia.
Councilman Green offers one resolution, entitled a "Resolution honoring and congratulating Deb Haaland on the occasion of her becoming the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior and the first Native Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 American woman to lead a cabinet-level department, particularly one that is existential for Native tribes and people."
Councilwoman Brooks offers one bill, entitled "An ordinance amending various chapters of the Philadelphia Code to amend the definitions of certain terms, and provide protections for persons affected by coercive control, including in the context of employment discrimination, employment leave, and housing protections, and making technical changes."
Councilman Domb offers one resolution, entitled a "Resolution authorizing the Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation to hold a hearing examining Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 the use and impact of the stimulus dollars allocated for Philadelphia under President Biden's American Rescue Plan Act."
Thank you, Council President. I'd like to just speak briefly regarding this resolution and its importance at this moment in time. It's just about a year ago since this pandemic hit actually. Two weeks ago the President of the United States officially enacted a $1.9 trillion stimulus package named the American Rescue Plan. Philadelphia now stands to receive an estimated $1.4 billion in assistance in order to recover from the economic downturn and get the City back on track. The School District of Philadelphia stands to receive an additional 1.3 billion. That's a total of $2.7 billion. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 The federal dollars provided in the American Rescue Plan Act will arrive in Philadelphia incrementally, with the first half being disbursed before the end of this year's Fiscal Year 2021 and the second half arriving approximately 12 months later, which can be used for the City's Five Year Financial Plan. Careful planning will be needed to make the most of this influx of dollars. As stated in the resolution, this presents us a unique opportunity for the City to plan for its future and make significant investments in programs and policies that set Philadelphia on a new trajectory, the opportunity to make real investments toward reducing gun violence and dramatically draw down the tax burdens on businesses to ignite investments in long-term job growth that will reduce and combat entrenched systemic poverty. This is a big opportunity for Philadelphia, and conversations need to Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 start now. So I look forward to this hearing, and I hope to have the support of this body today. I want to thank my co-sponsors, Councilmembers Gilmore Richardson, Quinones-Sanchez, Parker, Jones, Green, Bass, and Brooks. I encourage everyone to put forward their best ideas, and I'm happy to work with any of you on generating some new and bolder ideas for the City of Philadelphia. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilman. That will be on today's Calendar.
Councilman Thomas offers one resolution, entitled a "Resolution honoring and congratulating Philadelphia's 2021 National Merit Scholarship Competition Program Semifinalists. Thirty-eight students from nine of Philadelphia's schools were named as Semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Competition Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Program, demonstrating a strong commitment to academic excellence."
Councilman O'Neill offers one bill, entitled "An ordinance establishing no truck parking and tow away zone regulations on Haldeman Avenue, from Clark Street to Red Lion Road, both sides; Tomlinson Road, from Bustleton Avenue to Lindsay Street, both sides; Brookmont Road, from Ferndale Street to Medway Road, both sides; Bridle Road, from Brookmont Road to Barlett Street, both sides; Chesworth Road, from Verree Road to Ferndale Street, both sides; Ferndale Street, from Jeans Street to Red Lion Road, both sides; Greymont Street, from Jeans Street to Ferndale Street, both sides."
Councilman Squilla offers one resolution, entitled a Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 "Resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon situate in the First Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia."
Mr. Decker, was that an ordinance? I'm sorry. I got distracted.
Councilwoman Bass offers three resolutions, entitled a "Resolution recognizing April 6, 2021 as National Library Workers Day to honor the commitment of library workers and the unique services they provide to local communities; and to support greater Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 compensation and equality in libraries."
And a resolution recognizing the week of April 5, 2021 to April 11, 2021 as National Public Health Week to celebrate public health, highlight issues critical to building healthier communities, and thank public health workers during an especially unique year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And a resolution recognizing March 31, 2021 as International Transgender Day of Visibility to celebrate transgender and gender non-conforming people around the world, raise awareness about the unique struggles and discrimination they face, and honor their resilience and success.
There are no Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 being introduced today by the members, Mr. President.
Thank you very much, Mr. Decker. That concludes the introduction of our bills and resolutions, and our next order of business is reports from committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Henon for a report from the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. (No response.)
Mr. President, on behalf of Councilman Henon, the Committee on Public Property and Public Works reports out one bill with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. Mr. Decker, please read that report. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Public Property and Public Works, to which was referred Bill No. 210079, entitled "An ordinance authorizing The Philadelphia Municipal Authority, and The Philadelphia Gas Works by Philadelphia Facilities Management Corporation (solely in its capacity as Operator and Manager of the City-owned Philadelphia Gas Works), to enter into certain transactions and contracts regarding release and license of portions of the premises located at 5000 Summerdale Avenue and 5501 Whitaker Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the use of The Philadelphia Gas Works," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Thank you, Mr. President. Again, on behalf of Councilman Henon, I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 210079. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill 210079. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and this bill will be placed on our First Reading Calendar today. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Thomas for a report from the Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Services.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Streets and Services reports out nine bills with a favorable recommendation.
The Committee on Streets and Services, to which was referred Bill No. 210001, entitled "An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: Dexter Street and Lyceum Avenue and Green Lane; Baker Street and Leverington Avenue; Apple Street and Shurs Lane; Boone Street and Markle Street and Roxborough Avenue; Conarroe Street and Pechin Street and Mitchell Street"; and Bill No. 210002, entitled "An ordinance amending Section 2 of an Ordinance (Bill No. 140902) approved March 4, 2015, entitled 'An ordinance Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 lines and grades on a portion of City Plan Nos. 224 and 232 by striking from the City Plan and vacating Cayuga Street from Whitaker Avenue to its terminus eastwardly therefrom,' by extending the period for compliance with the terms and conditions stated therein"; and Bill No. 210118, entitled "An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of Manton Street and South 18th Street and South 16th Street and South 21st Street; South 20th Street and Ellsworth Street; Carlisle Street and Wharton Street and Tasker Street; Titan Street and South 16th Street and South 18th Street"; and Bill No. 210119, entitled "An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of South 15th Street and Reed Street; South 19th Street and Reed Street; South 18th Street and Federal Street; South 18th Street and Morris Street; Wharton Street and South Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 22nd to South 17th Street; Ellsworth Street and South 22nd Street; Morris Street and South 17th Street"; and Bill No. 210135, entitled "An ordinance amending Chapter 9-208 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Sidewalk Cafes' and Title 4, Subcode 'A' of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Zoning and Use Registration Permits,' by adding new provisions allowing restaurants applying for a sidewalk cafe permit or a temporary lot uses permit to allow outdoor entertainment"; and Bill No. 210136, entitled "An ordinance authorizing the Procurement Commissioner to enter into a contract for the construction of a sewer and appurtenant work, required to provide public sewer service, in the unit block of Osborn Street"; and Bill No. 210178, entitled "An ordinance establishing a no truck parking regulation on both sides of Frontenac Street from Levick Street to Devereaux Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Avenue"; and Bill No. 210179, entitled "An ordinance establishing a no truck parking regulation on Hammond Avenue between East Nedro Avenue and Crescentville Road"; and Bill No. 210180, entitled "An ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Farmers' Markets,' by adding a permissible location," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. The Chair again recognizes Councilman Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the first reading this day of the nine bills that were just read into the record by the Clerk. (Duly seconded.) Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of the nine bills that were just read into the record by the Clerk. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and these bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar today. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Johnson for a report from the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. Mr. Decker, please read that report.
The Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities, to which was referred Bill No. 210137, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 22 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Public Employees Retirement Code,' by creating an early retirement program for certain employees working in or with the Department of Commerce, Aviation Division, and making certain technical changes," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair again recognizes Councilman Johnson. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading of this day of Bill No. 210137. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 210137. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and this bill will be placed on our First Reading Calendar today. That concludes our reports from committee, and our next order of business Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 2ND READING 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. These bills will be on our Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. As there are no additional bills on the First Reading Calendar, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker for the purpose of calling up bills and resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar today.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up from the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today. They are Nos. 210230, 210231, 210232, 210234, 210236, 210237, 210238, 210239, and 210241. All other resolutions and bills are being held, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Before we proceed, we will have our public comment session. We'll now take a brief five- to ten-minute recess to give our technology professionals some time to connect our speakers before we have our public comment session. (Pause.)
Thank you. Thank you, and thank you for your patience as we connected our speakers for today. Now that everyone is connected to the meeting and before considering the resolutions and bills we have before us today, we will consider public comment. It will go as follows: Public comment must concern matters on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars for the possible action at a session of Council. A speaker on any of those matters must sign up in order to testify. You must call 215-686-3406 by 3:00 p.m. the day before the session to sign up for public Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 comment. When you call, we will take your name, phone number, the number of the legislative item you are commenting on, and whether you are in support of or against the legislation, and we will add you to the list. We will telephone each person on the list during the Council session and invite them to our remote meeting. Under ideal circumstance, each speaker will have around three minutes to speak. However, we have a significant volume of individuals wishing to testify today, so today we will have two minutes. So please adjust your testimony to reflect a two-minute time limit. In order to be fair to all those wishing to speak, I intend to hold faithfully to the established time limit. Once invited to the meeting and asked to begin your testimony, a timer will be started. We will monitor your remaining time throughout your testimony, and when Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 there are 30 seconds remaining to your time, you will be reminded of this. Once your allotted time has passed, you will be asked to conclude your remarks and shortly thereafter you will be muted and disconnected from the remote meeting. I also reserve the right to limit the number of speakers where repetitious comments are being made on the same matter and to limit the scope of the testimony to only certain items on the agenda during the emergency, which could affect callbacks for the public comment at the meeting. Please be aware that the public meeting is being recorded. So because the meeting is public, participants and viewers have no reasonable expectation of privacy. So by continuing to be in this meeting, you are consenting to being recorded. I will now ask Mr. Decker to please read the first name on the list for our public comment today. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021
Yes, Mr. President. The first speaker is Bonnie Grant, commenting on 210239.
Good morning, the honorable City Council, and we are completely supportive of Councilwoman Bass's Bill 210239. My name is Bonnie Grant. I am the Executive Director -representing the Executive Director of Get Your Rear in Gear Philadelphia, because March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and Maria Grasso, who is the creator and founder of this organization, she created the largest colon cancer awareness event in Philadelphia, and this resolution will honor all who have been impacted by colon cancer, including patients, caregivers, the front-line doctors, researchers, nurses, and more, and we thank you for recognizing these efforts. This event was created in 2009, and since then, Maria Grasso has raised $3 million-plus to raise awareness and Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 give funds for education awareness and research. All funds raised in Philadelphia stay in Philadelphia. We are an amazing city with so many medical assets, including four NCI-designated cancer institutes, and our partners like the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Kimmel Cancer Center, Penn Abramson Cancer Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center and more, and the amazing Fairmount Park, who allowed this event. And of course it's been cancelled since the pandemic, but colon cancer is not cancelled, and more than 150 people die -- thousand people die. So thank you for this resolution, and please get screened, because more than 90 percent of a chance it's treatable if you get early screenings to find colon cancer. Thank you so much for this recognition.
Thank you very much for your testimony. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 We appreciate it.
-- Council President Clarke and other members of Council. I'm speaking regarding a resolution that calls for a citywide theme for violence in the City, to combat violence in the City of Philadelphia that we have -- as everyone well knows, everybody is trying to live these days. From the pandemic to the shootings in the City of Philadelphia, all Philadelphians are in a state of emergency. So we feel very strongly that having a unified message to the citizens of the City is very important. So I congratulate Councilman Jones for introducing this resolution calling for Live and Let Live to be the theme that everybody follows in the City Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 of Philadelphia to focus on reducing shootings and homicide in the City of Philadelphia. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is again Bilal Qayyum, commenting on Councilwoman Parker's resolution honoring the life of Emma Chappell introduced and will be adopted today.
Good morning. Thank you, Councilwoman Parker, for introducing this resolution. Emma Chappell and I go back to the '70s organizing. We worked together in PUSH. She was a key member of the organization as well as I. PUSH is a national organization. It was started by Reverend Jesse Jackson, and there was a local chapter in the City of Philadelphia, which we both were very active in. But also let me just say this Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 quickly. It's interesting, I tried to figure out my remarks today, but I thought about this morning that this is Women's History Month, and Emma was the epitome of a woman who overcame all kinds of obstacles. So it's interesting that she unfortunately passed this month under Women's History Month, but she is the woman that I think that all young girls and all young ladies should put as the image that they want to be like. Emma, as everyone know, was the founder of the first black bank in the City of Philadelphia, which was probably one of the major achievements of anybody could have done. So I am so proud that I knew Emma, and I pray that Allah blesses her. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Joann Bell, commenting on the Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 resolution honoring the life of Emma Chappell.
Good morning. State your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good morning. My name is Joann Bell. I'm the co-convener of Black Women's Leadership Council, and I'm speaking on the resolution for the life and the legacy of Emma Chappell. Thank you, Councilwoman Parker and Council President. Emma Chappell was a treasure to this city and to all of the members of City Council. She cared about each and every one of you. As you know, before the pandemic, she would come and take her seat in Council, and she had lots and lots of commentary. So after it was over, Emma and I share -- we broadcast every week on WURD, and we would have comment, and the comments were out of love, because she wanted the City to be a better city and she did everything that Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 she could to make sure that it would be. Unfortunately, sometimes the City of Philadelphia doesn't always recognize the treasures that they have until they pass. Emma was well known around the world, and I went places and traveled with Emma, and I'm not going to belabor this, but what I will tell you at the end, she would say, I'm just a girl from West Philly. And the other part of it is that all of you who knew her personally knew that she loved food and she would say that, I traveled around the world on my belly. I'm going to miss her dearly. This hurts me in ways that you cannot understand, but thank you all, each and every one of you, for honoring her legacy.
The next speaker is Rita Hill, also commenting on the resolution honoring the life of Emma Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Chappell.
Good morning. Just state your name for the record and please proceed with your testimony. COUNCIL SUPPORT: She is not on the line.
The next speaker is Wayne Walker, commenting on the resolution on Emma Chappell.
Good morning, President Clarke and members of City Council. My name is Wayne Walker. I am here to speak on the resolution honoring the life and legacy of Emma Chappell. I too thank Councilwoman Parker for sponsoring this resolution. Emma Chappell was a dear and good friend. She was caring, candid, loyal, straightforward, full of fun -- Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 God knows full of fun -- strategic, loving, and hard-working. Emma brought those same values in her lifelong commitment to leave Philadelphia better than how she found it, going door to door and overcoming one hurdle after another. To found the United Bank of Philadelphia is just one beaming example of Emma's desire to make this city stronger and richer by widening the door for economic participation, especially for those who were redlined or those who had credit hiccups. Emma's care for Philadelphia went far beyond finance. As Chairwoman of the African American Committee of the Democratic Party, Emma made sure, along with others, that Philadelphia's voice was heard and concerns were addressed. Emma was a shining example, not only because of her work in the Rainbow Coalition or on Reverend Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign or even her reach into President Bill Clinton's White Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 House. Emma was a most glaring model as a grandmother. Her unending love and care and doting on her grandson made her the epitome of what Nonna, Granny, Big Momma or Best Mom ought to be. Many emulated, no pun intended, for their own grandchildren how Emma treated Troy. Emma's soul is gone, but her legacy is still here. I ask Council to adopt this resolution in recognition of Emma Chappell, a global citizen and local champion. Thank you.
Good morning. State your name for the record and please proceed with your testimony.
Good morning. My name is Barbara Chavous-Pennock and I am here to speak on the resolution honoring the life and legacy of Emma Chappell. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Thank you so much, Councilwoman Parker and Council President Clarke. Many will speak today about Emma's accomplishments, and many of us know how accomplished she has been throughout the years, but I always go back to Emma as a friend, our sisterhood of laughter, lots of hard work, and great exchanges about solving problems and assignments through accomplished tasks and get the job done. Emma passionately invested her offer in equality, justice, and to make life better economically, socially, and politically. She was a friend to African Americans, the business community, women, children, all of us, this city and nation, and we benefited. Without giving credence to any movement or feminist campaign, Emma Chappell broke ceilings. Her powerful voice was heard above others commanding change. So that voice is now silent. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 The work will continue through the Black Women's Leadership Council, on which we serve and one of the institutions she co-founded. We will continue to champion the causes for which she led and the legacy she leaves. We look forward to the next generation of young women who seek the wisdom, knowledge, and courage of their ancestors, women who have been coached, mentored, and supported by our shero, Emma Chappell. She stayed the course. Her job was well done. Thank you for this resolution.
Thank you so much for your testimony. We appreciate it.
Good morning. State your name for the record and please proceed with your testimony.
I didn't hear. Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 Was my name called, George Burrell?
I'm sorry. I just got a beep. I'm sorry. This is George Burrell. I'm also speaking on the resolution honoring the life and legacy of Emma Chappell. Council President Clarke, good morning. Thank you to Councilwoman Parker for this resolution, and it is an honor to speak with respect to Emma Chappell, who is a great role model. And my greatest recollection of her is that we were not always allies, but we were always friends. Emma understood the difference between issues and relationships. I met Emma as a young lawyer back in the 1970s when she was breaking ground at Continental Bank and helped fund Ragan Henry, who became the owner of more black radio stations than any other in America and the first to own a network television station. And I say that not Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 to honor Ragan, but to recognize Emma as a young person who was always willing to do the right thing, and whether it was the Rainbow Coalition or PUSH or Reverend Sullivan or her extraordinary work with Joann Bell on behalf of women and the black community, she was willing to be the partner, and she didn't need recognition. She didn't need fanfare. She was just there to do the work. And the perfect picture I think of Emma is her work with Joann on WURD. When you listened to them week in and week out talk about the tough issues, she was perfectly comfortable to let Joann be the voice and to be the front person, but to make sure that she made the points that were relevant to be made. She is a great role model that I think all of us who have been in leadership and those in leadership for the future can learn from and follow, and her career goes all the way back to Continental Bank, which many don't Stated Meeting March 25, 2021 remember, but she has always been a strong advocate, a strong leader, and she's a great role model. My condolences go out to her family. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.