Stated Meeting, June 13, 2024

Good morning, Councilmembers. Can you please raise your hand if you've ever been to Israel? You may have noticed how differently people are treated based on which passport they held, how only some people were allowed to walk on certain streets and other people were kept on strict calorie counts and even children inhalers were banned from crossing their borders. In Israeli exchange programs, our PPD trains with an army so violent that just yesterday the United Nations concluded that Israel has committed the crime of extermination in Gaza. This comes right after they added Israel to the list of perpetrators --

Ms. Perez, I'm sorry. You signed up to speak on the operating budget.

I'm so sorry. I'm going to change that to the Aid Workers bill.

Okay. Can you go back to the operating budget, which is what you signed up to speak about?

Okay.

Thank you.

So with our taxes, Israel kills about 10 children on average. They -sorry, not kills, they lose about one or both legs every day in Gaza. Now, Palestine holds the record for the country with the highest number of child amputees in the world. Our budget is funding the police workers but ignoring our aid workers. On April 30th --

Ms. Perez.

Yes?

You have to speak on the operating budget.

Okay.

That's what you signed up -- that's what you said you were here to speak about.

On April 30th, the UN reported that 254 aid workers have been assassinated since October 4th. I just wanted to honor some of them --

Ms. Perez. Ms. Perez.

Yes?

You have to -

Here we go. Freedom of speech (inaudible).

Councilman Jones, as you are aware, there is a --

(Inaudible) -

As you are aware --

(Inaudible) -(Applause.)

Councilman Jones, that's not accurate.

(Inaudible). I'd like to be recorded voting aye on all bills. I'm out.

Councilman Jones, as you're aware when folks sign up to speak on a certain topic, that is what we ask them to speak about. She said she wanted to speak on the operating budget so I'm asking her to keep your comments related the operating budget please.

Okay. The operating budget is allotting another extra about 30 million for the police while our schools are still underfunded, while our domestic workers are still begging for rights. All of this money is going towards funding the country that Israel reported has killed more than -- that the UN reported has killed more than 254 aid workers. I just wanted to honor the Palestinian Red Crescent Society whose ambulance was targeted and Youssef Zeino and Ahmed Al-Madhoun were killed during their rescue mission, their approved rescue mission for the 6-year-old Hind Rajab. Regular civilians have become aid workers as they dig through the rubbles to try to collect pieces of their neighbors. We have to talk about Palestine every chance we get to honor the martyrs and fight for the living. (Inaudible) said, getting used to genocide is the best way to ensure its completion. Free Palestine. (Applause.)

Aurora Munoz, Nina Huang, Madison Nardy. Then Erika Ford. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good morning. Hello again. My name is Aurora Munoz and I'm the Organizing Manager for the National Domestic Workers Alliance in Pennsylvania. We're here all of us united because we want to express our frustration and deep disappointment with the 2025 City budget. Since the beginning of the year, we asked for a $2.6 billion million budget for the Office of Workers Protection. You signed pledges, accepted our Valentine's. We testified, spoke to you in the halls of this building and sent letters of support for this budget. Week after week, very low-wage workers took off from work to speak with you about the need to fully fund their labor protections and their City let them down. Domestic workers face widespread labor abuse, like wage theft, retaliation, sexual and racial harassment, forced labor and even assault, and they've been systematically excluded from labor protections like the minimum wage and the right to unionize, even protections that include them are continuously violated. For example, wage theft which the Economic Policy Institute estimates to be up to $50 billion annually in the country. That's more than all robberies, car thefts and burglaries combined. We have seen victims of this theft be evicted, not be able to pay bills and then have to expose themselves to even more abuse by accepting exploitative jobs. This Administration says it cares about law enforcement and making the street safer for residents, but it is not enforcing laws that would make workplaces safer. And we asked for $2.6 million out of a budget of $5 billion so that we can start to pave a foundation for a city that truly respects all kinds of work. This is a minuscule amount compared to the severity of labor abuse and it was deemed too much. We will continue to fight for more because domestic workers deserve more and Philadelphia deserves more. In a few months, we will be introducing Anti-retaliation legislation to protect all workers. Our disappointment today will fuel our efforts to win. Thank you and see you in the fall. (Applause.)

Nina Huang.

Hi. My name is Nina Huang and I work at the National Domestic Workers Alliance as the Director of Operations. I am also a new resident of Philadelphia, and it is why I'm here today to express my disappointment that the City's budget has passed with significant cuts to the Office of Worker Protections. This office has never been fully funded and the additional cut of $469,000 significantly hinders the work that this office could do. I moved to Philly last November and in part chose the City as my new home because of its reputation for being workerfriendly and for passing pretty groundbreaking progressive laws, like the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, which protects nannies, house cleaners and caregivers. But it is one thing to have and to celebrate laws that protect workers and it's another to actually enforce those laws to make sure everyone can benefit from those protections. By cutting the Office of Worker Protections' budget even further, you are sending the clear message that you do not care about the workers that make the City run and that you do not value their work. The Administration wants City employees to come back to the office into this area, but what about the workers that care for your children while you are at work, who serve the food you eat and who make your morning and afternoon coffee pick-me-ups? Those workers are now even more vulnerable to exploitation from bad employers who can continue to steal their wages, deny them sick time and to threaten workers who advocate for their legallymandated rights and all with minimal repercussions. The City Council has the opportunity to let the workers of this City know that they are valued and that the City has their back by reinstating the funds that were originally cut from this office's budget and supporting legislation this fall to expand protections against employer retaliation. After the failure of this budget, you owe workers this protection. Thank you to the Councilmembers who have consistently stood with domestic workers and other low-wage workers, and for the opportunity to testify on this issue. I look forward to seeing your co-sponsorship of the new Anti-retaliation legislation this fall. Thank you. (Applause.)

Madison Nardy, Erika Ford, then Lorenzo Cannon-Umstead. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good morning, City Council and my comrades. My name is Madison Nardy, residing in South Philadelphia and I'm a longtime worker and community organizer. I started my organizing experience in high school fighting to end the School Reform Commission and then as a worker leader with One Pennsylvania fighting for a Fair Work Week. Today I stand before you as the Director of 215 People's Alliance, and I am proud to speak in support of honoring Maurice Mitchell. Maurice Mitchell, the National Director of the Working Families Party, has been a dedicated organizer for racial and economic justice. His efforts have championed Black and working-class communities in Philadelphia and nationwide, fighting for resources and against the privatization of public schools and so much more. Maurice's leadership began in his teenage years and continued to Howard University where he led efforts against police brutality and private prisons. His life took a pivotal turn after Hurricane Sandy and the tragic killing of Mike Brown, leading to support on-the-ground organizations in Ferguson. Under Maurice's leadership, the Pennsylvania Working Families Party has built a political home for multi-racial working-class people leading to the progressive victories like the election of Larry Krasner and Councilmember Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O'Rourke. Their efforts have resulted in significant achievements, including the now permanent Eviction Diversion Program and substantial rental assistance to keep people in their homes. Councilmember Kendra Brooks secured over 50 million for her plan for Philly families, supporting home repairs, Community College funding and various community programs. True leadership means listening to our communities and making decisions that improves lives, qualities Maurice truly embodies. And I urge this Council to follow the footsteps of powerful leaders like Maurice who tirelessly fight for working people. The workers in the City as well as the workers behind me deserve your support. Our community feels deeply disappointed and betrayed by this Council's failure to fully fund the Department of Labor, leaving our City workers unprotected. Additionally, I support Resolution 240598 condemning private school vouchers. As a product of public schools, someone who grew up in poverty, faced eviction and as a result struggles with PTSD into in my adulthood, I know firsthand that our schools need full funding. Kids in our schools endure hardships like I did every day and they deserve full resources that benefit all students, not just the ones that are cherry-picked to go to private schools with vouchers that do not even fulfill the bill. I got one sentence left. Thank you, Maurice, for your unwavering leadership which has achieved so much and inspires us to continue fighting for worker protections and fully-funded public schools so that we can all be liberated. Thank you. (Applause.)

Erika Ford. Then Lorenzo Cannon-Umstead and Briheem Douglas. Then Joana Diaz. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good morning. My name is Erika Ford. I am an educator. I am also a proud parent of three children, two previously attended public school and one who currently attends public school today. My two oldest children graduated from public school and my youngest daughter will be a sophomore in the fall. My children have been through private schools as well as charter schools and public schools. Far by the best experience they've been in public schools. Each of them have had traumatic experience in private as well as the charter schools. We cannot allow the private schools to operate without any accountability or oversight. And we cannot afford to defund our public schools which is what vouchers are about to do. Our regular City high schools have good staff and support our children, including mine. It doesn't make sense to put money into vouchers when our state could invest that same money into public education and give the children the basic necessities, extra resources and the support staff that they need. It will make our public schools, the ones that my children love, and my child who's currently in public school also love that much more successful. Thank you to our City Council, specifically my favorite City Councilmember Kendra Brooks, for leading this important resolution. The Pennsylvania state legislation needs to say no to school voucher expansion and needs to fully fund our public schools. Thank you. (Applause.)

Lorenzo Cannon-Umstead. Then Briheem Douglas, Joana Diaz. Then Julia Boyer. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good morning to my comrades, Council here, Council President, guests, workers and the people of the City of Philadelphia. Good morning. My name is Lorenzo P. Cannon-Umstead. I am the Northeast organizer of 215 People's Alliance. 215 People's Alliance is an organizational affiliate of the Working Families Party PA State Committee. WFPA has played a key role in wins for progressives across the Commonwealth which has captured the attention of Pennsylvanians and have shown them what the potential here could really be. The reason I'm here to speak today is in support of Mr. Maurice Mitchell, the National Director of the Working Families Party. Mr. Mitchell has been an impactful voice and an example for the working class in cities like Philadelphia for the working class, working endlessly around securing resources for our children and countering the current attempts to privatize their education. For me Mr. Mitchell has been an influence and inspiration to get involved with the more serious realities of the political landscape for marginalized people. In our city, something I have noticed growing older is that in cities like Philadelphia there can often be a playground in it for a culture of political and community misleadership if that makes sense, which I feel has had a hold on our city and other cities but especially our city and it's going back to the early 20th century. Misleadership as a concept can be defined as a maladaptive behavior that is usually formed by a person or people who in our society is usually marginalized but use forms such as the small business community and local government to bring forth selfish or opportunistic agendas, and these agendas are often weaponized against the rest of the marginalized community in the name of achievement based on identity while disguising all of this as a quest for personal ambition, excellence and success. People like Mr. Mitchell aren't misleaders but stewards of liberation and results where they are and where they work. People like Mr. Mitchell have an ambition for their people and a collective liberation for us more than personal ambition. Personal ambition isn't a bad thing, but for real progress under this society we must push aside personal ambition for the greatest collective ambition of our people and the collective ambition of our workers here also, who should be protected to the utmost. The collective ambition of our children also, their needs need to be considered and is taken as seriously as some of us take the ambition of billionaires and contractors here in our city and other cities in America. Today let's think of and raise up leaders like Maurice Mitchell in our cities and communities so the best results can be produced with decency. My name is Lorenzo P. Cannon-Umstead and I'm the Northeast organizer of 215 PA. Thank you. (Applause.)

Briheem Douglas. Then Joana Diaz, Julia Boyer and Shavon Almobovar. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Hello. My name is Briheem Douglas. I'm the Outreach Coordinator of the UNITE HERE Philadelphia Hospitality Academy and the Vice-president of UNITE HERE Local 274. (Applause.)

This is really simple for us. We are very proud of the work that we've been doing, the partnership with Working Families Party. We stand together for working-class people. I'm happy to be here to speak on behalf of Mr. Maurice Mitchell and all the great work that he has accomplished. For working people, check this out. Eviction Diversion Program, 19 million in rental assistance. If do more talk less was a person, it's Maurice Mitchell. With Working Families Party, we will continue to fight for working-class people, including stadium workers who are fighting for wages and health care as we speak. (Applause.)

Again, we support the Working Families Party. Let's pass this resolution on behalf of Maurice Mitchell. Thank you so much. (Applause.)

Joana Diaz.

Good morning, City Council. My name is Joana Diaz and I serve as the secretary of the Board of Taller Puertorriqueno, a nonprofit organization committed to the preservation and celebration of Puerto Rican arts and culture situated in the Fair Hills section of the City. This year marks our 50th anniversary of dedicated service to the Puerto Rican community that is dispersed all over the City of Philadelphia. We appreciate the opportunity to support the resolution brought by Councilwoman Lozada to recognize the community organizations that advocate for the needs of Puerto Ricans that often move back and forth between the island and Philadelphia. In 2017 as Hurricanes Maria and Irma approached, Taller Puertorriqueno joined the grassroots collaborative known as Unidos Pa'PR to offer relief in anticipation of the impending hurricanes. However, the extent of the devastation that unfolded on the island surpassed all expectations. Through the collaborative effort, over $400,000 was raised. Beneficiaries of this support included the donation of waterproof solar lanterns, the establishment of a mobile clinic and the restoration of several fishing peers. In 2022 Hurricane Fiona barreled into a still struggling Puerto Rico and once again Pa'PR stepped up to provide support. Funds were raised for three organizations, Abajo, a coalition of environmental and agricultural organizations to protect the natural heritage of the island; Taller Salud, dedicated to improving women's access to healthcare; and Comedores Sociales, an organization dedicated to combating hunger on the island. As the 2024 hurricane season approaches, Taller Puertorriqueno remains steadfast in its commitment to offering lifesaving support to the people of Puerto Rico in times of disaster, be it hurricanes, landslides, power outages or earthquakes that affect our beloved families and friends. We appreciate the continued support and recognition received from the Councilmember Lozada and all those involved with these crucial efforts. Gracias and I am a proud graduate of George Washington High School and employee of the School District of Philadelphia, so please fund our schools. (Applause.)

Julia Boyer. May Shavon Almobovar and Jazmine Taylor also make their way to the podium. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Hello. My name is Julia Boyer, and I was one of 33 peaceful protesters wrongfully arrested at the UPenn Gaza Solidarity Encampment on May 10th. I'm disgusted by the allocation of another $30 million to the police in this City's budget instead of anything that actually benefits our community. PPD waste taxpayer funds to violently suppress peaceful protests against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. At 5:30 a.m. on May 10th, I woke up to hundreds of police beginning to swarm us. As we sat on the Ben Franklin statue, I watched a huge parade of officers in riot gear wielding batons enter the encampment. Beforehand I had hoped the police would not come in the early morning since the overtime pay would be so expensive, but considering the extremely disproportionate number of officers relative to protesters, clearly PPD cares more about intimidation than not wasting City resources. PPD responded immediately with violence. Police exercised excessive use of force in the entirety of the sweep. Arrests began with an officer throwing a girl about my size face first into the concrete. They continued to drag multiple protesters from the statue and throw them to the ground resulting in head trauma for some. They kneed people in the face, dislocated shoulders, pulled people's hair and double-cuffed people indiscriminately resulting in loss of circulation. I had bruising afterward for weeks. At a follow-up protest on May 17th their use of force increased. An officer grabbed me by the neck and used that hand to push me over into a pole. They used tasers and batons and injured many of my fellow protesters. Please note the police departments all across the country, including ours train with Israel with the IOF through programs such as those offered by the ADL to exchange tactics of state violence like suppression of protests and racial profiling. Increased police funding does not keep us safe. This is not even mentioning the harm inflicted on communities of color by the PPD. PPD stifles our First Amendment right to protest against the genocide of Palestinians, not because of our conduct but our cause. As we speak, bombs rain down on Rafah. On June 8th, the IOF disguised themselves as humanitarian aides to begin their massacre on Nuseirat refugee camp where they murdered 274 Palestinians. Body parts cover the streets; 37,000 martyred; 17,000 children orphaned. I urge the Council to end its complicity in the ongoing genocide against Palestinians and call for a ceasefire and to pass a resolution honoring the aid workers and martyrs of Gaza. And I urge this Council to vote no on the budget which approves another $30 million for the police department which protects the genocidal project over our community. Free Palestine. (Applause.)

Shavon Almobovar, Jazmine Taylor and Stephanie Ridgeway. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good morning, City Council. My name is Shavon Almobovar. I live in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, District 5. I'm a constituent of Councilmember Young. I'm here to testify on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and I want to tell you how disappointed I am. I'm a parent advocate and I've been working for the last two years to encourage our City electeds to prioritize our children in their actions. I worked with the Kids Campaign last year, and this year I was here in March with other parents to begin our advocacy for kids. I've been following the budget process closely ever since. I'm reading in the news how the budget funds Mayor Parker's cleaner, greener and safer initiatives. It puts money in affordable housing, homelessness and drug treatment. I think all these things are good and needed for the City, but I'm disappointed that City Council didn't do anything beyond what the Mayor proposed to make our children's lives better. You say children need to get educated K through 12, but they don't have the adequate tools for their education and there is no clear pathway in the new budget to change that. I've been in this City all my life. And some problems that we have in the schools today are problems we had decades ago. Our children continue to suffer. It's tiring and it's things like this that contributed in my decision to move. Earlier this year my husband and I decided to pack up our bags and leave Philadelphia because it is too difficult to make it here. We have three sons that are growing up very quickly. They are 11, 10 and 5. We want them to have an opportunity to be safe and even to play outside here in the City. But in Philly all we are met with is struggle and lateral moves. I know I'm not the only family that has made this decision and I want City Council to know this: We all know that our children are our future so why didn't City Council do more to invest in them. (Applause.)

Jazmine Taylor. Then Stephanie Ridgeway and Andrea Blassingame.

How you doing, City Council. My name is Jazmine Taylor. I live in West Philly. I am testifying about the 240179, '25 City Council budget. I'm disappointed that y'all didn't decide to put money inside the schools. Our preschool kids start first. They need money for books, activities and more for education. Our preschoolers need help of activities and having more. Definitely for our preschoolers, they need things like devices and things to help them out. I'm angry and upset and disappointed that everyone going inside the schools telling our children and taking pictures with them, but no one has time to put money inside the schools. (Applause.)

Putting money inside the schools will help out our autism children, help out our children and teachers. Instead of them taking money out of their pockets for our kids, they will have more money for our children, definitely for our children, for food, nasty food that our kids have to eat. That's not going to help them grow their education. They can't think smart if they don't eat smart. Our children have to have an education to have the power to do things. Y'all want our kids to do something in the community, but they can't because they have nowhere to go to. Our kids go to Cecil B. Moore and do the dumbest things because they have nowhere to go to, no afterschool, no programs, no things for our kids to do. And our children have started small at things that -being a small mother like I am having an autism child, my child has nowhere to go to because there's no programs for them to go to. So something needs to be changed and it starts with us and the City Council. Thank you. (Applause.)

Stephanie Ridgeway. Andrea Blassingame and Steve Grosswald. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good morning, City Council. My name is Stephanie Ridgeway. I am the Lower North Philadelphia CDC President. We are a nonprofit operating out of Lower North Philadelphia. Today I'm here to speak on the resolution or the bill 240379. How many City Councilmembers have had the support of nonprofits to help them get to where they are? Probably everybody in this room. If this bill is passed, it will make it more difficult for nonprofits to move forward and more paperwork. Meaning, that those that are the boots-on-the-ground in the community will not be able to do the work that they're doing now. The suggestion that I have is that perhaps we create some type of oversight or working group that can assist the nonprofits but making it more difficult to work through problems to receive funding and to work with the City that often takes a long time to distribute its funds to nonprofits is not a good idea. Our nonprofits are actually those that work in communities on a regular basis on a shoestring profit and they don't do it because they're looking to make money. They do it because they're concerned about their residents and their neighbors. So if you're sitting on City Council now and you've received help from nonprofits to get where you are, this is not the time to pass that bill. It is more likely that it would be better for us to look at ways to help nonprofits grow. Thank you. (Applause.)

Andrea Blassingame, Steve Grosswald, Darenha Arce and then Carmencita Maria Pedro.

Good morning, City Council. Hi. My name is Andrea Blassingame. I am a Philadelphian, West Philadelphian in Jamie Gauthier's District. I am here to talk about and testify for Bill 240179, the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. I must tell you that I am a champion for literacy. I am a proud Reading Captain. I volunteer with WePAC and Philly Reading Coaches. I am also a single mom of one son Andrew who is 15, pause for my heart attack, and the auntie of a now 17-month-old and we are all Philadelphians proud here. But I am here to tell you how disappointed and frustrated I am about this budget. So I know that as a literacy coach that this budget affects us because you guys didn't really do more and I think you could have done more. So I know there's a state budget. I was in Harrisburg. Trust me, I was there. And we're waiting on more decisions. And of course that's going to help us when it's passed. But you guys have the opportunity to do more now right here in Philadelphia. And it's very sad and heartbreaking that you didn't do more than what was already asked. So my issue is I grew up here and now I'm a mom, and it seems hard that my kids may have less than what I had. When I was in school, I had a library. You had a library when you were in school, right, but most of our schools don't have that. And it's foreign to me that that's okay. It's not okay. It's just not -- it's just to say it out loud in English is really hard. It's not okay. And I want you guys to feel that. As a mom, I want to crack your knuckles and I want to pop your fingers because you could have did so much better. As a mom, I'm going tell you I love you and I'm praying for each and every one of you, but you could have done so much more. And I want you to keep that and I want you to do more from now on because you can do more. You can do better. These are basic necessities. Principals should not have to decide between hiring a counselor and a police staff and food staff and get resources and things fixed at the same time. They need it all and --

Thank you, ma'am.

-there's more of them now, so it takes more. My --

Thank you. Thank -

-- time is up so I'm out of here. But I love y'all.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Steve Grosswald, Darenha Arce and then Carmencita Maria Pedro, Rory Durgin and Emily Cordero. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

City Council, my name is Steve Grosswald. I'm the Executive Director and founder of Mission Philadelphia. Our vision is ending hunger and homelessness --

Could you speak into the microphone, sir, please.

Hello. Is that better?

Yes, much better. Absolutely.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

My name is Steve Grosswald. I'm the Executive Director and Founder of Mission Philadelphia. Our vision is ending hunger and homelessness in Philadelphia by July 4, 2026. And this is Zoro, my service animal. I want to congratulate the Mayor and City Council for being on the precipice of passing a $6.37 billion budget, an increase I believe of 2.8 percent, an additional $178 million. How about a round of applause for the City Council. That's it? (Applause.)

Well, I'm not either. Okay. But two things can be true simultaneously. The Council can do a great job, but the Council can be criticized incredibly for not funding a program of 32 years of your predecessors in this Council of passing, and that's SSP. The Mayor said we cannot afford the City of Philadelphia to appropriate our very scarce resources to do it. On a $6.37 billion budget not to fund $900,000 that started with Mayor Rendell is two things: It's, A, fiscally irresponsible and, B, it's morally reprehensible. The program saves $250 million a year so to not spend $900,000 but to spend 250 -- now, granted that's not all out of City budgets. That could be state, federal budgets, et cetera, private insurance, fiscally irresponsible and morally reprehensible. But we met with Adam Thiel and Deputy Gates -(Geer.)

Okay. And we asked them to find alternative funding to City Council and the Mayor if you're not going to fund a no-brainer, at least find partners, Penn, Drexel, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, someone else can fund this thing, $900,000. You know what the cost of AIDS treatment is a year, $94,000. Hepatitis treatment, $84,000. You don't have to have too many people getting AIDS and hepatitis to hit $900,000.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Darenha Arce, Carmencita Maria Pedro and then Rory Durgin.

Good afternoon. First, I'd like to give honor to God for being here today and be able to give my testimony or my statement. I'm here to oppose Bill 240379 only to ask that the Council get more information and seek discussions with community partners about this bill to oversee the nonprofits. The nonprofits already are burdened with paperwork not getting paid on time. We do want a fairer and a more quicker process for being paid, but I think that more information needs to be sent out to the public about this bill because we just -- I just received it two days ago. And while it talks about exemptions, what exemptions are they talking about? What nonprofit did you even speak to see if this is something that the nonprofits want to do? We're just asking that this bill not be voted on today. We need more information. We need to know what the processes are, who's going to be involved. I know it comes from the Finance Committee, but we want to be -- this is supposed to be a more diverse, equitable and inclusion so where was the inclusion? What nonprofits were a part of this decision? What community partners were a part of this decision? What residents? So we're asking that you do not vote on this bill today, 240379. Thank you.

Carmencita Maria Pedro. Then Rory Durgin, Emily Cordero and Rafael Alvarez Febo. (Witnesses approached the podium.) Mr. DURGIN: Hello. Good morning, City Council. And thank you for letting my voice be heard today. My name is Rory and I am a 6th grader in Philadelphia public schools and I am here to encourage you all to keep vouchers out of our school. You could give me a voucher to go to a different school, maybe a newer or nicer building with more staff, but that would only help me and it would only maybe help me. I would rather help hundreds of my classmates by funding the school so we all have everything we need to thrive. Please support this resolution so that anyone at the Capital who is trying to take away from our school knows where Philly stands. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Emily Cordero, Rafael Alvarez Febo. Then Reverend Ruben Ortiz.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Emily Cordero, Director of Communications for Association Puertorriquenos en Marcha, also known as APM. We're a nonprofit agency serving Philadelphia residents. We have over 15 centers in the City and we are very proud to be here today. Thank you so much Councilwoman Lozada for presenting our resolution today for honoring people and agencies who have helped victims of hurricanes in Puerto Rico. Philadelphia is deeply connected to Puerto Rico. It has the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in one area. When Hurricane Maria struck, many families sought refuge here in Philadelphia. Collaborating with numerous Latino organizations, government agencies and nonprofits like Lutheran, APM was part of this group spearheading the Greater Philadelphia Long-term Recovery Committee, a groundbreaking initiative to eight evacuees despite disaster not occurring locally. This united effort supported over 2,000 families, 2,000, with housing, essential supplies and comprehensive assistance. APM's dedicated team augmented by partnerships with organizations like PHA facilitated housing, clothing and furniture for over 200 families. Additionally, PHA provided crucial emergency vouchers showcasing the collective commitment to restoring stability to vulnerable families. The collaboration across governmental and nonprofit sectors from city to state levels exemplified unity and action, transcending differences for the greater good. Witnessing the solidarity unfolds was a source of immense pride for APM and all involved. I personally had my father over there in Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria hit, didn't hear from him for 10 days. Lost my grandmother over there. So it's great to see that Councilwoman Lozada is presenting this and honoring people who have fought for relief efforts of Puerto Rico. So thanks so much for hearing us today. On behalf of APM's President, thank you so much.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Rafael Alvarez Febo. Then Reverend Ruben Ortiz and Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac.

Good morning, Mr. President and members of City Council. My name is Rafael Alvarez Febo. I am the Vicepresident for Advocacy and Community Development for Esperanza. This is my first time addressing this body after working here on and off since 2008. What is colloquially known as the last day of school for many Councilmembers and staff and honored guests, I'm here to speak about Councilmember Lozada's resolution honoring, recognizing the humanitarian efforts of the Puerto Rican community who rally to protect family, friends and the island of Puerto Rico during cataclysmic hurricanes, earthquakes and any major disasters that strike. In the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Puerto Rican community in Philadelphia and across the country rallied to help the nearly 3.5 million people on the archipelago impacted by these climate disasters. This is a climate resolution, very important. These hurricanes were some of the most costliest natural disasters in history, damaging more than $90 billion worth of property and infrastructure. This is 15 times more than Philadelphia's annual operating budget, just to put that into perspective. But worse was the humanitarian toll. There were 4,645 people who died. Many died waiting for medical attention. They died gasping for air as their oxygen tanks ran out -- excuse me, did not expect that. This is important stuff, guys. They died from hunger and lack of basic medical care. You guys know me. I don't do this, so I really, really apologize. Puerto Rico's lush vegetation was completely stripped, leaving the island almost unrecognizable. Seeing this tragedy unfold and the callous and unforgivable lack of response from the Trump Administration, the Puerto Rican people sprung into action. Everyone added to the collection efforts, from the humblest can of soup to larger donations of generators, supplies and funds. Councilwoman Lozada went to Puerto Rico two weeks after this tragedy, and I know she's very humble and she won't talk about it, but she was feeding people. She was there surveying the damage. She was there part of the initial response from the Salvation Army. Reverend Bonnie Camarda who you guys know was helping organize that. Here in Philadelphia under the leadership of many community organizations and my mentor, former Councilwoman Maria QuinonesSanchez, we started Unidos Pa Puerto Rico. It means to collect resources and funds to distribute those to people the most in need in Puerto Rico. This organization collected thousands of dollars and helped countless people who could not rely on their federal government to meet these needs, as outlined in this resolution. These climate events are forecast to become more frequent and stronger. Just last night Puerto Rico's inadequate power grid led by a for-profit -- not people -- company left nearly 350,000 people without electricity, not a raindrop, not wind, nothing. A regular day in Puerto Rico under a heat wave, 350,000 Americans are without power. The advocacy for sustainable and thriving Puerto Rico must continue and I am certain we are ready to lead that change. Thank you.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Reverend Ruben Ortiz. Then Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac and Phyllis Coppinger. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good morning --

Excuse me one second, sir. Council will be at ease while Councilman Jones is recognized. (Council at ease.)

Thank you, Mr. President. I'm requesting leave of absence to do business outside the building. But before I go, I'd like to put on the record an official apology to the Deputy Majority Whip, Ms. Cindy Bass, member, and I hope still friend.

Yes.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Mr. Jones, would you like to be recorded voting aye on all bills and resolutions?

Yes, Mr. President. Thank you.

You're welcome. Noted. Go ahead, sir.

Good morning, Council President Johnson, Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada who is introducing this resolution that I'm supporting and all City Councilmembers in this beautiful city of Philadelphia. I am Reverend Ruben Ortiz, a Puerto Rican born and raised here in Philadelphia. I serve as Executive Director of Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphian Vicinity. I am here to express Hispanic Clergy support of the resolution to honor and recognize the humanitarian efforts of the Puerto Rican community, particularly during major disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. I spent my entire childhood, my teenage and adult years here. I was educated through our public school system, attended college and seminary here in Philadelphia as well. My parents were very intentional about raising me and my nine siblings in a righteous way. They spoke Spanish at home, raised us in Spanish-speaking churches and did their best to integrate us into the rest of American culture. They would also send us to Puerto Rico during the summers where I met my cousins, aunts and uncles, some of whom worked for companies such as Hanes Clothing and AT&T and some were military veterans. Although being exposed to el campo or the country, meaning the farmland, was not familiar to me as a city boy. The trips were formative to my identity, my culture and my people. Over many trips as a child and later as an adult, I learned that if they had their true desires fulfilled, they would rather earn a living at their homeland, whether in the campo or in the pueblo, a city, to earn a living, raise families and contribute to the community and to our country. I continue to visit Puerto Rico almost every year and sometimes several times a year. My adult children, although they are third generation, they love the island. They enjoy time with family, the people and as they would say the vibe. This story is reflective and very similar to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of other Puerto Ricans across the United States of America. I'm going to close all these statements just to say we're in support of this resolution not only on behalf of our fellow citizens on the island but also needs to happen for the sake of our own integrity here in Philadelphia as the founding city of the United States of America. We must honor and recognize the people of faith who prayed for the well-being of Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico and also honor and recognize those who continue to pray and those who to this day are still supporting the recovery efforts of Puerto Rico. Thank you and God bless you. (Applause.)

Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac. Then Phyllis Coppinger and Dina Portnoy. (Witnesses approached the podium.) REV.

Honorable Councilmembers, my name is Munther Isaac and I am a Palestinian Pastor and Theologian. I bring you greetings from Bethlehem, the real one, not the one in Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. I am truly honored to be here. I have a special affinity to the City of Philadelphia having attended seminary here in the early 2000s. And I'm proud to say that I am the biggest Eagles fan in Palestine. (Applause.) REV.

I'm truly honored to be here. I'm truly honored by the resolution for my recognition. I wish it was in different circumstances to be honest. I wish I was not here -- I wish I was not in the United States to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza to stop the genocide in Gaza. So the acknowledgement is not for me but should be for the people of Gaza, for the people of Palestine. And I'm particularly grateful for the resolution to honor the aid workers of Gaza, many of whom sacrifice their lives to save lives. In fact, some were killed in torture. They work across the hour nonstop. They are the ones who deserve our recognition. The Bible speaks of them, the world is not worthy of them. Councilmembers it is hell on earth in Gaza literally. A genocide has been normalized. I ask how is the world okay with the killing of 15,000 children and the orphaning of 17,000 children. We need moral courage to stop this madness and this is how we honor those workers. In Christmas, I said Gaza has become a moral compass to our world. So it is a moral and ethical obligation to stop this war, which came after 16 years of brutal siege let's not forget. The streets have spoken. Many people of faith have spoken. The students have spoken and it is time decision-makers act with moral integrity. Your support to bringing an end to this is appreciated. And I know I am a guest but please accept my candid remark. I am aware that the City Council granted $24 million from federal tax money to Israel. This is money that is used for war and revenge. This is not how we honor those heroes of Gaza, the aid workers. And let us be clear what is happening in Gaza is a vengeance campaign. War crimes are taking place and we are all accountable before God for how we spend and invest our talents. Honorable City members invest in peace, not apartheid. Invest in people, education and transformation, not in war and segregation. This is how you can actually contribute to peace and justice. This is how sympathy and empathy translates into active, effective solidarity. So thank you again for this recognition. Thank you for particularly recognizing the aid workers serving the least of these as Jesus said. And I want to conclude with the words of Nelson Mandela who recognizing that South Africa and Palestine are facing the same ideology of apartheid, declared South Africans won't be free until Palestinians are free. Thank you and God bless you. (Applause.)

Phyllis Coppinger.

The Chair -- Council will be at ease. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Thomas. (Council at ease.)

Thank you, Council President. I apologize, but I have to attend to other Council business. I would like to be recorded as aye on all bills, resolutions as well as amendments that we'll be voting on today. Thank you, Council President.

Grant is leave -- leave is granted. Thank you very much. Thank you, Phyllis. Just go ahead and begin your presentation.

So good afternoon, Council. First and foremost, I want to thank Councilman Anthony Phillips for finally hearing the concerns of the residents on my block. I live in Oxford Circle. I've lived in Philadelphia my whole entire life and raised my three kids here. I've lived on Marcella Street for 30 years. For 20 of those 30 years, I've had to look at this tree that is in front. Thank you, Councilman, for making these pictures available. These encroaching trees are destroying properties, and I'm here today -- I had this all written because Councilman's office did it for me, but I'm going to speak out of this, right, because some of you are familiar. I have worked with Councilwoman Tasco, I have worked with Councilwoman Parker, and the only person who moved forward was Councilman Anthony Phillips, okay, and I'm very grateful and as are all my neighbors. When this tree falls, there will be property damage. People will be hurt or killed. And guess who will be standing out there saying I have asked for help? I will be there, right. Many of you I'd like to believe are my friends. I'm active in the community. I work for an elected official. I'm a committee woman. I am passionate about my community and I'm just imploring to move forward -- let me get the Bill No. 240371 regarding encroaching trees. And again, I want to thank Councilman Phillips and all the other Councilmembers who gave me their number and I reached out to them and I asked for their support. Thank you.

You're welcome. (Applause.)

Dina Portnoy. Catrice Chetton and Sam Kuttab also make their way to the podium.

Good morning. My name is Dina Portnoy and I'm a retired Philadelphia School District teacher living in Germantown. But today I've come to talk about the importance of the Palestine/Gaza, Israel issue and the resolutions that are before you. As a Jewish American, I have been grieving ever since the initial events of October 7th. And over these many months as the war goes on, my grief continues. Especially as the destruction of Gaza and its inhabitants is done in my name with my and your tax dollars. I really believe that we are all connected in our humanity or should be, and that City Council can and should take a stand on this issue. I believe we all need to pay attention to it, including in classrooms whereas a retired teacher I feel it's so important to encourage young people to have open and civil discourse about some of the most important and difficult questions. But I have a very particular story to tell and from that story, I hope will emerge some hope and some promise and some understanding. In August 1948, my mother and father and their new baby, me, traveled to the new country of Israel established in May of 1948. My parents met in the '30s responding then and later to the anti-Semitism that propelled the Holocaust and looking for a Jewish home, though they were secular and did not actually believe in a Jewish state. They married when my father returned from fighting fascism in Europe and we settled in Kibbutz Sasa in the north of Israel. But I now know that this Kibbutz replaced a Palestinian village also named Sasa. I realized this and took my mother back in 2011 where she said for the first time, I'm not sure we should have done this. Before we got there, that village was viciously attacked. It had been a village that was started in 1596, that I think is the background or some of the background of the current events and the catastrophe that continues in Gaza and in the West Bank. And it's why I think it's important for us all to take a stand. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Catrice Chetton, Sam Kuttab. Then Lisa Sharon Harper. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Hi. Can you hear me?

Yes.

My name is Catrice Chetton. I'm a spiritual advocate here born and raised in Philadelphia along with my brother. I'm here about 240604 regarding Office of Homeless Services and contracted service providers trying to collect pregnancy status data at intake. Me and my brother have been unhoused for about a yearand-a-half now off and on. We went into the shelter system. It was quite traumatic. We had the exit for our own safety and well-being, and the data was used that we gave them in ways that were not conducive to helping us get a home for ourselves. It was very abusively used, so I'm quite concerned when you want to collect data on women and particularly for respecting babies in that type of environment. It's a quite traumatic, stressful environment, very underfunded. And I'm going to go here. I'm a person of God. Many of the staff, they are people of evil. They maybe pray to Satan or other entities that are not of God or the light so we come into contact with them. I don't feel comfortable with any type of evolution that will allow a pregnant woman to have to tell or person that's pregnant to have to tell that they're pregnant in those type of circumstances and that environment was not safe spiritually or physically for most people in that environment. That's been my lived experience and my brother's. So I oppose that resolution. (Applause.)

Sam Kuttab. Can Lisa Sharon Harper, Shane Clayborne and Sharif Ahmed also make their way to the podium.

Sam Kuttab had to go and Shane Clayborne is no longer here. I'm Lisa Sharon Harper. I'm the President and Founder of Freedom Road. I am here to support the resolutions being introduced today to support aid workers in Gaza and to support the resolution to recognize the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac. The Honorable Kenyatta Johnson and Honorable Councilmembers, as of April 30th the UN reported that 254 aid workers had been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. According to the Human Rights Watch, Israeli forces have carried out at least eight strikes on aid workers, convoys and premises in Gaza since October 2023 even though those aid groups had provided their coordinates to the Israeli authorities to ensure their own protection. This is a direct breach of International war law -International laws of war, which prohibit the targeting of aid workers. Those same laws prohibit the targeting of homes. They prohibit the targeting of hospitals. They prohibit the targeting of sources of sustenance like food and water and electricity. And all of these laws of war have been breached since day 2 of the conflict in Gaza, furthering the increased need and valor of these aid workers, working within the context of Gaza and the West Bank. We are the City of Brotherly Love. We are the City of Sisterly Affection. We are the birthplace of democracy, the sacred system of governance that recognizes the inherent dignity of all human beings within its jurisdiction, including the 10,000 Palestinians who live within this jurisdiction who have family members and friends who have died at the hands of this lawless crisis in Gaza and the West Bank. Faithfulness to our own heritage demands that we stand in the gap for those aid workers in Gaza. The front line of democracy in a lawless conflict that the UN, the International Court of Justice, and every single reputable humanitarian agency operating in Gaza has recognized as a plausible genocide. Likewise, faithfulness to our heritage as the birthplace of democracy would lead us to recognize and champion the life and legacy of theologian and educator Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, a champion of true democracy in Palestine and Israel. Amen. (Applause.)

Sharif Ahmed. Can Nikki Grant and Ogbonna Hagins also make their way to the podium.

As-salamu alaykum, peace be upon you all. I'm going to talk about the bill that is to recognize the Palestinian aid worker. First, I want to say a few things. Over 100 cities throughout the United States ceasefire bill, but what's going on with this City Hall here? The man in charge of this City Hall is quiet. He's an African American. African American brothers and sisters was genocide 400 years and they're still suffering from that, but guess what. He's not saying a word. What are you afraid of, sir? If you need money, go to Kensington. Do not sell the Philadelphia. This is the birthplace of freedom. Stop this nonsense. These people here, the Councilmember, we've been speaking to them for nine months. That's because they're afraid of you.

Could you stay focused on your message, sir. You have the opportunity to speak on the bill and the aides. So talk about supporting the aid workers in Palestine.

Yes. You know, letting us speak. You see, every time we want to speak, it's all about you. People are afraid of you. Can you address that?

No one's afraid of you, sir.

People does not need to be afraid of anybody.

I'm going to ask you one more time or I'm going to cut your time off. You're going to speak on the bill or not.

I am talking.

Either you're going to speak on the bill or you're not.

I'm talking about the bill. If you only stay quiet, I can talk.

Say something else. You either going to speak on the bill or you not.

I am talking about the bill.

All right then. Stick with the bill.

Okay. So one more thing, we're going to go back to the genocide, okay, because that's what's going on in Palestine. There was a genocide in Bangladesh, 1971. Sister Nina Ahmad, her family was victim of it. And she herself being a Bengali does not recognize the Palestinian ceasefire, does not even mention the word ceasefire. So shame on her. (Inaudible). Okay. Thank you so much. Resign (inaudible).

Next speaker, Liz.

Nikki Grant. May Ogbonna Hagins and Reverend Bonnie Camarda also make their way to the podium. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

I just want to remind -- oh, Ogbonna Hagins, unseated council president, fourth generation chattel slavery survivor. I want to just remind everybody who's speaking up for everybody else, you got to stand up for the American Freedmen who saved this nation to make it possible for you to come here in the first place. I am in favor of naming Allegheny Avenue between 25th and 26th Street Cut Master Butter Way, but -- I'm sorry Councilman Jones left -- I would be very careful of honoring entertainers, case in point, the City of Philadelphia gave Jay-Z keys to the City when accommodating his Made in America festival and now --

Mr. Ogbonna Hagins, excuse me, sir. The bill you're speaking on is 240180 -

I know. I --

Slow down. Amending code to reapportion real estate taxes. That's the actual bill that you're reading on.

What I'm saying is that they got it wrong. I'm speaking about the changing of the --

Street renaming?

Yes.

Proceed, sir.

Council President, you see what I'm talking about and you know that it's on the bill so you can obviously see that I'm switching what I'm talking about.

Proceed, sir.

And now, this same person has come back to bite the hand that feeds him, I'm talking about Jay-Z. This is what happens when you invest in social climbers and not freedom fighters. A man who rapped about doing anything to reach billionaire status has the City Council wondering how could he be so heartless and undermine the education of the poor. When people tell you who they are, you better believe them. What is also strange is that the same people who refuse to address my structural racism Bill 2024 after months of me lobbying and presenting bills and referendums, the same people went to Harrisburg to ask for assistance in stopping Jay-Z and Jeff Yass from destroying the public school system. But you never stood up for structural racism. You never stood up for the bill that would eliminate a Jeff Yass and a Jay-Z. So what's the deal, Council? See the problem is you're under the Moynihan Report, ignore the Negro and pay attention to the immigrants. And that's what this whole Council session was about, ignoring the American Freedmen and paying attention to the people who needed us to save this country to even be able to come here and speak. And, Council President, you ought to be ashamed.

Thank you, sir. Could the next person proceed for comment please.

Reverend Bonnie Camarda. May Robert Previdi, Jeremy Blatstein and Ahmad Ibrahim also make their way to the podium. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good afternoon, Councilmembers. I'm here to support the resolution of honoring and recognizing the humanitarian effort of the Puerto Rican community in the City of Philadelphia. I know that two of the colleagues have spoken and I'm not going to take much of your time. But I want to tell you that the City of Philadelphia rally under Unidos Pa Puerto Rico where Quetcy co-chair a part of that. And Councilwoman Lozada was two weeks in Puerto Rico sleeping in a bunk to help all the communities in Puerto Rico. The humanitarian effort that came from Philadelphia to the island of Puerto Rico was amazing. Dollar-by-dollar we were able to send over $350,000 to help the people in Puerto Rico. And when I give -- I went to the -Councilwoman, you were amazing. It's another person in this place, that is Mr. Bill Ryan from Einstein, who when we saw (inaudible) to Puerto Rico with Councilwoman and I, and drove the crazy women around little towns that didn't have a road to deliver the supply that the people need. Thank you, Councilwoman, and I -(Applause.)

Thank you, Reverend Bonnie.

Robert Previdi, Jeremy Blatstein, Ahmad Ibrahim and Mary Beth Brownlee. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Bob, you can begin your public comment.

Thank you very much, Council President. I'm Robert Previdi of the Save the Train Coalition and I'd like to introduce our friends here, but I'm going to start with Joanne Winter.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jo Winter and I am the Executive Director of West Mt. Airy Neighbors and the Campaign Manager for the Save the Train Coalition. I'm joined today by my friends and representatives at the Chestnut Hill Community Association, Chestnut Hill Conservancy, East Mt. Airy Neighbors, High Point Cafe and West Central Germantown Neighbors, just a few of our many partners. Thank you, Councilwoman Bass, so much for recognizing the efforts of this outstanding Coalition. In January, we began hearing rumblings that the Chestnut Hill West Line was in danger of being cut along with significant cuts to the Chestnut Hill East Line and the 23 bus. Over the past several months we have formed a Coalition of 70 Northwest organizations, including RCOs, houses of worship, developers, environmental groups, educational institutions, small businesses as well as nine elected officials. This effort represents an unprecedented level of collaboration and we look forward to continuing to work together on this and future issues that are critical to our community. We understand from our legislators in Harrisburg that we need to keep up this intense level of pressure. And so, we're also here today to rally for more support not only for public transit across the Northwest but across the City. We want to be sure to not only save the train but secure full funding for SEPTA. We have a couple more -- we have a few more remarks from some of our team members. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Hi. Thank you, Cindy Bass, you're a wonderful person, and President Kenyatta for allowing us to come today. I just want to speak about my personal experience today because I missed the train to come down with my comrades. And if the schedule was back to where it was, I could have waited for about 20 minutes and got down here on time. But instead I had to go drive in horrific traffic to come down here and park in the underground garage to pay I don't know how much for the day. However, I want you to think about that we do not connect the dots when we pass bills and we support different situations. We pass bills to support development around public transportation, but now that same public transportation is in jeopardy. Now, we have our Mayor mandating people to come back into the City to work and we already have horrific traffic jams now. What will it be like in September if we do not support public transportation, increase the scheduling and make this a mobile and moving prosperous, progressive city. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you. That's it?

When I heard that -- my name is Suzanne Ponsen. I'm president of West Central Germantown Neighbors. When I heard in January that the Chestnut Hill West and 23 and the Chestnut Hill East lines were going to face severe cuts and probably closure, I made the point of gathering our neighbors together creating a coalition, which Jo mentioned some of the people that are involved in that organization. We just want to ensure that we have safe, reliable public transportation for the whole city. We started out with the Save the Train, but our goal is saving SEPTA and make us into a 21st century public transportation system. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. MS. McNIFF: I'm going to be really, really quick. My name is Ann --

You got to be super brief because only one person signed up to speak, ma'am. MS. McNIFF: My name is Ann McNiff. I'm the Executive Director of the Chestnut Hill Community Association along with my other civic organizations here with us today from Chestnut Hill. I want to thank Councilwoman Bass and let everyone know that we look forward to working with this City Council going forward to make sure that public transportation is what it should be here in Philadelphia. (Applause.)

Thank you for your advocacy.

Jeremy Blatstein. May Ahmad Ibrahim, Mary Beth Brownlee and Khalif Alexander also make their way to the podium.

Good afternoon. Two weeks in a row, City Council President Johnson.

My batting average is still pretty -

I know, but hey, it's still better than your predecessor. So first off, I would like to say job well done I think for the first six months of this year, you've done a very good job of overseeing this Council, so thank you.

Thank you. (Applause.)

I am Jeremy Blatstein. Some of you may know me from my Twitter account, Next Philly Mayor. Unfortunately my videos aren't as fire as Council President Johnson's videos. But today you're voting to confirm seven members to the Zoning Board of Adjustments. On May 24, 2024, the Commonwealth Court ruled that City Council did not have standing appealing a ZBA ruling. Do not waste taxpayer dollars appealing ZBA rulings or figuring out whether or not this body even has standing -- do not waste taxpayer dollars appealing ZBA rulings or figuring out whether or not this body even has standings to appeal ZBA rulings. Please appoint people that you trust. Trust them to do their jobs and allow the ZBA to operate as it's intended. Additionally, regarding the Homestead Exemption there was a lot of discussion regarding ending the 10-year tax abatement a couple years ago. That was going to bring an additional $120 million to the Philadelphia School District over 10 years. That just got wiped out times two, right. The increase of the Homestead Exemption is an unnecessary tax cut that applies to every single homeowner. The last piece I will say and I really want to make this clear is thank you for introducing the Aid Worker bill today, Councilmember O'Rourke, honoring the aid workers who are helping the people recover from the horrific attacks of October 7th. Hamas still has over 100 hostages. The aid workers who are -(Unidentified speaker yelling.)

Excuse, ma'am. Could he be respected and give his time just like everybody else that's speaking on this topic is coming to give their time. Go ahead, sir.

I am speaking on -(Unidentified speaker yelling.)

I am using the words of the bill that was introduced today by Councilmember O'Rourke honoring the aid workers, so thank you. Thank you very much. And I would like to make it clear that I believe in a ceasefire now. Bring them home, bring the hostages home. There is a ceasefire now agreement on the table that Hamas is refusing to accept, so I would like to just make it clear as we move forward that this is a very nuanced topic and this body should not be addressing it. It is a topic that should be addressed on the national level and this is the type of thing -(Unidentified speaker yelling.)

-- that we can have the conversation, but thank you, Council President Johnson, for allowing me to have the time to understand this but -(Unidentified speaker yelling.)

Excuse me, ma'am. Excuse me, ma'am. (Unidentified speaker yelling.)

All right. So at this point in time, Sergeant-at-Arms, if anyone decides to disrupt moving forward, I'm going to ask you to remove them. It's real simple.

Ahmad --

Next person, come on up. Ahmad.

Ahmad Ibrahim. May Mary Beth Brownlee, Khalif Alexander and Michael Gibson also make their way to the podium. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

In the name of God, the most compassionate, the most merciful, the God of justice God of peace, God of love. I'm here -- first of all, I want to thank Councilman Nicolas O'Rourke for introducing this resolution and I also want to thank him for honoring my great hero Rev. Dr. Isaac Munther. He is the (inaudible) of what heroism is, so I thank you for that. I'm here as a health care worker. I am from West Philadelphia and I just want to recognize this resolution. And again, I want to thank everyone who's going to support this resolution. As a health care worker, I could only imagine putting myself in the shoes of those health care workers who have sacrificed their lives so that others can live. I could not have done so as a health care worker. I could not have made that sacrifice. Those are the heroes and we are here to recognize them, and I just want to highlight the numbers of health care workers that have been killed by the apartheid settler colonial murderous genocidal regime. For more than 500, imagine the numbers, 500 health care workers that have been killed. More than 258 workers have been killed indiscriminately, and this is happening in front of our very eyes and we are choosing to remain silent for what, because we're afraid of the lobbyist. We are afraid of the big money donors that we cannot speak to save lives. At the end I want to say shame on all the City Councilmembers. We know who you are. We know who you serve. We want to say shame on you for failing to formulate, adopt and pass a resolution for ceasefire, a minimum ceasefire so that lives can be saved, the children's lives can be saved. I am a father of two children.

Thank you, sir.

My heart beats every day every night --

Thank you, Ibrahim Ahmad. Thank you, sir. Will the Clerk please call the next person for public comment.

Mary Beth Brownlee, Khalif Alexander, Michael Gibson. Then Nadira Griffin. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

So good afternoon, everyone. My name is Khalif Alexander and I am here to speak on Bill 240494, and I'm actually in support of this bill. In fact, I believe that it is important for the City of Philadelphia to apply and to rebuild the City in better conditions for our citizens. In fact, the City of Philadelphia is one of those cities that have had many great leaders and citizens, such as Absalom Jones, Richard Allen, Octavius Catto, Sadie Alexander, Leon Sullivan, Cecil B. Moore and many more. Now, the question you may ask is why am I saying these individuals names? Because these individuals are what we call American Negro, American Freedmen, Black American, various things of that nature. Now, the City of Philadelphia was historically built by Black Americans, and this weekend is Juneteenth weekend and next week is Juneteenth. I have not heard anything about Juneteenth this entire City Council meeting since I've been here, which I find not only disrespectful but I'm also disappointed in many of you all. Now, with that being said I'm requesting that City Council begin to look at various different things. Shout-out to Councilwoman Gauthier by the way for setting up the Reparations Task Force. You know we appreciate you for that. And moving forward with the Reparations Task Force, one of the things that we're looking to do is to create an Office for Freedmen Affairs, a remnant of what we had during the Reconstruction era. Now, why am I connecting these pieces like this? Because Juneteenth was our Emancipation Day, which is our freedom day which is our independence day. And with that being said, the first thing that we wanted to get out of emancipation was economic sovereignty, economic opportunity. We do not have proper economic opportunity not only in this City or not only in this state, but in this country as Black Americans. And I'm up here demanding that we look into creating this office immediately. Now, last thing, if you are a descendant of slaves and your folks come from the South, can you raise your hand for me? Raise your hand if you are a descendant of a slave and your people was emancipated in 1870? We got a lot of our people in here, right. So that's what we need to stand on. We need to stand on that and we need to stand on economic opportunity and advancement for Black Americans. My name is Khalif Alexander and thank you very much. Also, real quick before I leave, make sure you come out to Juneteenth this weekend in Southwest. (Applause.)

Michael Gibson, Nadira Griffin. Can Salaah Muhammad and Yvette Young also make their way to the podium. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Hello, everyone. My name is Michael Gibson. I'm a 74-year-old disabled senior and I lived in Philadelphia for just about all my life. I'm here today because I want to address that resolution that the new Councilman Young, I want to welcome him, and I'm in favor of naming that part of Cecil B. Moore, that resolution of College Avenue -- between College Avenue and Ridge Avenue as Freedom Fighters Way. I'm kind of like a freedom fighter because I'm here and I represent people of color in the City and there has been a lot of racial discrimination and abuse of power by the Philadelphia Police Department and Police Internal Affairs. Recently I was just assaulted in the 22nd Police District for exerting my right to file a criminal complaint. I wake up in pain every day, every morning, when I go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning. This has to be addressed. The new Mayor Cherelle Parker needs to know about this. The District Attorney Krasner needs to know about this. I have the evidence. And Internal Affairs stated that they don't have the video and they did have the video. Being a person that's fighting for your freedom and fighting for your rights, people of color should not have to go through this, not in 2024. We should still have to stand up and fight for our rights this way. I'm now in Federal Court and now District Attorney Brett Zakeosian is saying that he's going to dispute everything I said after I turned it over to the DA's Office. But yet and still he's refusing, and I know DA Krasner doesn't have that information and I'm going to make sure he gets it. They're trying all they can do to stop me from testifying and I'm not going to bite my tongue this time. I'm going to tell everything about all the corruption and all the systemic discrimination in different agencies in the City of Philadelphia. There has been attorneys that sabotaged the complaint, and they did so deliberately to keep me from testifying. I have been assaulted, attacked and intimidated to keep me from testifying in a court of law and I'm going to do that.

Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.

Have a good day.

You're welcome.

Salaah Muhammad and Yvette Young, Nadira Griffin. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Good afternoon, Councilmen and women. My name is Nadira Griffin. I am the Philadelphia ambassador for all 10 Councilmanic Districts on behalf of the people. I speak on Ordinance 240332. We are in support of the bill. This is for urban development, what we want in our communities. There are in our urban communities we know that our nanas and our papas, our abuelas and abuelos, our titis, madres, padres, mothers and fathers. We kept Philadelphia up, especially in the 5th Councilmanic District where we melanated original kings and queens, kept Philadelphia up. And we know that the urban communities, we are the foundation of Philadelphia. We spend the most money and we keep Philadelphia up. So what we need in Philadelphia at the Strawberry Shopping Center right over there on Girard Avenue, right there at 26th and 27th and Girard Avenue on Germantown and Lehigh, we have Foodway and Integrity Meat Market, we had Shopping Bag right there on Girard Avenue around the 2600. We have over there in Strawberry Shopping Center, we have old food that's outdated, obsolete buildings, obscure regentrification. We know that our grandmothers and pops kept Philadelphia up in these stores, so what we want is a grocery store that our grandparents can go to. We want stores that depict us and foods that depict us with good dated food that keeps us having a quality of life, and we also want to make sure that when you have these urban developments that you keep our moms and pops and our -- our mom-and-pop stores because these are the stores where we went and everybody knew our names. When we were short on funds, we can actually go there and get credit, where we can sustain our families until we have enough money. So what we want in our communities is grocery stores that depict us and depict the foods that we have quality food just like you have in the suburbs. Thank you. (Applause.)

Salaah Muhammad and Yvette Young. (Witnesses approached the podium.)

Yvette Young. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm speaking on Resolution 240598. My last year working at the School District of Philadelphia as the Assistant Director of Facilities, we closed 27 schools and that year was full of empty seats, hysteria and rightsizing messaging. That was very damaging to the School District. Dozens of schools were closed without adding counselors or nurses with no regard to the merging of students from different neighborhoods, without considering the impact to different neighborhoods and the businesses that were supported by the students and the faculty at those schools, which decimated a lot of communities. Class sizes went from an average of 22 to 25 to even beyond 32 which is what it's supposed to be and beyond, so basically now there are a lot of overcrowded classes because they closed too many schools. Many displaced students were placed into low-achieving schools without any resources being added or any consideration for the added burden of traveling longer distances to get to school. Displaced students had more absences and received more suspensions after their original schools closed. Studies have found that the farther students had to travel to reach their new schools the more they struggled. One of the key lessons that is concentrating disadvantage into the same school is not good for any student. That quote was made by Matthew Steinberg in a 2019 article by Avi Wolfman-Arent. After 10 years of deferred maintenance at the School District and over $7 billion in incomplete capital projects and improvements, Philadelphia schools have been left in dangerous conditions full of asbestos and lead. Many of our students are suffering from lead exposure and they have gone untested and untreated, which is a shame. Before we take public 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING dollars to go to private schools and stadiums, we have to address structural racism, reverse structural racism and invest into our neighborhood schools. Thank you so much.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Council President, there are no further names for public comment.

Thank you. We will now consider today's resolution consent agenda. Council will be at ease for a second. Majority Leader, may I speak to you for a second. (Council at ease.)

I will ask the Clerk to read the titles of all the resolutions on the consent agenda. After each title is read, any member may 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING object to the inclusion of the resolution on the consent agenda. Upon such an objection and without debate, the resolution will be immediately removed from the consent agenda and placed on our regular Final Passage Calendar. The Clerk will now read the titles of the resolutions on the consent agenda.

Resolution 240168, a resolution appointing Madison McCarron to the Board of Directors of the City Avenue Special Services District of Philadelphia Lower Merion. Resolution 240487, a resolution appointing Cari Feiler Bender to the Board of Directors for Old City Special Services District. 240535, a resolution confirming the appointment of Michael Johns to serve on the 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Zoning Board of Adjustment. 240536, a resolution confirming the appointment of Tya Wynn to serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. 240537, a resolution confirming the appointment of Tonetta Graham to serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. 240538, a resolution confirming the re-appointment of James Snell to serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. 240539, resolution confirming the re-appointment of William Bergman to serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. 240540, resolution confirming the re-appointment of Ismail Shahid to serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. 240541, a resolution confirming the appointment of Cheryl Gatson to serve on the 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Zoning Board of Adjustment. 240552, a resolution appointing Briana Wilkins to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District. 240584, resolution confirming the appointment of Tumar Alexander as Regional Trustee for the City of Philadelphia in connection with the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust. 240585, a resolution authorizing the Council President to initiate appeals by City Council of decisions of the Zoning Board of Adjustment in certain circumstances and to retain legal counsel in connection with such appeals. Resolution 240586, a resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to modify the development plans previously approved by Council Resolutions 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING 220757, 220823 and 230503 and memorialized in a Purchase and Development Agreement between the Land Bank and West NoMa Revitalization Group to include only one renovated property, located at 4041 Cambridge Street in the 3rd Councilmanic District, and to permit West NoMa Revitalization Group to return the properties located at 759, 761, 763, 773 and 783 Pallas Street in the 3rd Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Land Bank in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code; and Resolution 240589, a resolution naming West Allegheny Avenue between 25th and 26th Street as "Thomas 'Cut Master Butter' Muldrow Way," in honor of the life and legacy of WDAS radio personality Thomas "Cut Master 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Butter" Muldrow. 240594, a resolution also naming Master Street between Broad Street and Carlisle Street as "Erika Alexander Way." 240595, a resolution naming N. College Avenue between West College Avenue and Ridge Avenue as "Freedom Fighters Way." And 240602, a resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Land Bank deeds conveying title to various properties located in the 8th Councilmanic District including on the following streets: Wakefield Street, Collom Street and East Wister Street, pursuant to the requirements of the Commonwealth Land Bank.

The Chair recognizes Councilmember Gilmore Richardson for a motion to 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING adopt each of the resolutions on the resolution consent agenda.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of each of the resolutions on the resolution consent agenda. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that each of the resolutions on the resolution consent agenda be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Those opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it and each of the resolutions on the resolution consent agenda has been adopted. 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING We will now consider today's bill consent agenda. I will ask the Clerk to read the titles of all the bills on the consent agenda. After each title is read, any member may object to the inclusion of the bill on the consent agenda. Upon such an objection and without debate, the bill will immediately be removed from the consent agenda and placed on our regular Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars. The Clerk will now read the titles of the bills on the consent agenda.

Bill No. 240332, an ordinance approving the sixth amendment of the Redevelopment proposal for the American Street Industrial Corridor Urban Renewal Area, being the area being generally bounded by Lehigh Avenue, Berks Street and Montgomery 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Avenue on the north, by Second Street and Philip Street on the east, by Girard Avenue, Oxford Street and Jefferson Street on the south and by Germantown Avenue, 6th Street and 3rd Street on the west, including the sixth amendment to the urban renewal plan, which provides for changes that would make it consistent with the North Philadelphia Redevelopment Area Plan and generally consistent with the most recent Comprehensive Plan approved by City Planning Commission of the City of Philadelphia; and Bill 240385, an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Snyder Avenue, 6th Street, Cantrell Street and 7th Street. Bill No. 240415, an 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Island Avenue, the Delaware Expressway and Bartrum Avenue. Bill No. 240421, an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Valley Avenue, Domino Lane, Ridge Avenue, Paoli Avenue, Pechin Street, Ridge Avenue, Hermit Street and Henry Avenue, and to amend Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code by adding Section 14-541, Ridge Avenue Neighborhoods Overlay, and making other related changes, all under certain terms and conditions; and Bill No. 240426, an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Roosevelt Boulevard, Adams Avenue, Ramona Street, Wyoming Avenue and Whitaker Avenue. Just one minute. And Bill No. 240305, an ordinance authorizing encroachments in the nature of a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 795 North 24th Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19130, under certain terms and conditions. 240380, an ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Farmers Markets," by adding permissible location on South 52nd Street between Pine Street and Osage Avenue, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240382, an ordinance authorizing the installation, ownership and maintenance of various 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING encroachments in the vicinity of 4432 Main Street, 4436-42 Main Street and 4436R Main Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19127, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240384, an ordinance authorizing encroachments in the nature of a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 944 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19123, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240418, an ordinance establishing a parking regulation on Addison Street between South 54th Street and South 53rd Street, Baltimore Avenue between South 43rd Street and South 44th Street, Irving Street between 51st Street and South 50th Street, Springfield Avenue between South 51st Street and South 52nd Street, Washington Avenue between South 56th Street and South 57th Street, South 46th Street between Locust 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Street and Spruce Street, Pine Street between South 62nd Street and South 63rd Street, Melville Street between Spruce Street and Locust Street and South 54th Street between Greenway Avenue and Woodland Avenue.

240419, an ordinance establishing a parking regulation on Irving Street between South 59th Street and South 60th Street; South 49th Street between Regent Street and Chester Avenue; South 46th Street between Linmore Avenue and Woodland Avenue; Walnut Street between South 61st Street and South 62nd Street; Webster Street between South 51st Street and South 52nd Street; Sansom Street between South 61st Street and South 62nd Street; Walton Street between South 49th Street and South 50th Street; Locust Street between South 59th Street and South 60th Street; 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Locust Street between South 49th Street and South 50th Street. 240420, an ordinance establishing a parking regulation on Ellsworth Street between South 60th Street and South 61st Street; Ruby Street between Springfield Avenue and Chester Avenue; Sansom Street between South 60th Street and South 61st Street; Webster Street between South 60th Street and South 61st Street; Rodman Street between South 56th Street and South 57th Street; Willows Avenue between South 53rd Street and South 45th Street; Cobbs Creek Parkway between Spruce Street and Locust Street; South 52nd Street between Chester Avenue and Springfield Avenue. 240424, an ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Farmers Markets," by adding a 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING permissible location in the 4th District Container Village located at 48627 Parkside Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa 19131. 240469, an ordinance granting permission to University City Eruv Corporation in order to demarcate the boundaries of University City Eruv District to construct and maintain a clear nylon cord and/or plastic tubes and other ancillary facilities, including a maximum of 10 poles along, over and in certain public rights-of-way in City streets and/or to attach such demarcation facilities to existing facilities owned by other entities authorized by other City ordinances, subject to such owner's consent, all under certain terms and conditions. 240473, ordinance authorizing encroachments in the nature of a sidewalk café in the 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING vicinity of 3743 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa 19129, under certain terms and conditions. 240475, an ordinance amending Chapter 12-900, ("Parking Regulations and Penalties") and Chapter 12-2800 ("Administrative Adjudication of Parking Violations") of The Philadelphia Code, to add prohibitions, and penalties related to parking certain large vehicles, including boats, motor homes, house coaches, house trailers, truck campers, recreational cargo trailers, and recreational trailers, under certain terms and conditions. 240493, an ordinance authorizing encroachments in the nature of a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 1532 Snyder Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa 19145, under certain terms and conditions. 240495, an ordinance 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING authorizing the vacating of Beaumont Street from 54th Street to its terminus southwestwardly therefrom. 240496, an ordinance authorizing encroachments in the nature of a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 6249 Catherine Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19143, under certain terms and conditions. 240497, an ordinance authorizing encroachments in the nature of a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 5013 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa 19143, under certain terms and conditions. 240414, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Services and Other Business," by adding a new section regulating the hours of operation of certain establishments and providing for penalties within an area bounded by 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Ogontz Avenue between Haines Street and Cheltenham Avenue, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No.

240468, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Services and Other Business," by adding a new section regulating the hours of operation of certain establishments and providing for penalties within an area bounded by Ogontz Avenue between Haines Street and 66th Avenue, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240474, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Services and Other Businesses," by adding a new section regulating the hours of operation of certain establishments and providing for penalties within an area bounded by East Allegheny Avenue, Kensington Avenue, Torresdale Avenue and 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Frankford Avenue, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240476, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Service and Other Businesses," by adding a new section regulating the hours of operation of certain establishments and providing for penalties within the vicinity of an area bounded by North Broad Street, North Park Avenue and West Chew Avenue and West Tabor Avenue in the vicinity of Wagner Avenue between North Broad Street and Old York Road, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240498, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Services and Other Businesses," by adding various locations to the section regulating the hours of operation of certain establishments 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING and providing for penalties within those various locations, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240429, an ordinance authorizing the Procurement Commissioner and the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Aviation, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into an amendment to a concession agreement for the development, operation and maintenance of an airport advertising program at Philadelphia International Airport, all under certain terms and conditions; and Bill 240433, an ordinance authorizing the Procurement Commissioner on behalf of the City to enter into a lease and concession agreement with Aero Center Northeast Philadelphia, LLC in connection with certain property at Northeast Philadelphia Airport 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING to facilitate the development and operation of a new fixed-based operator, all under certain terms and conditions.

These bills have been read on two different days, the question for each bill now is shall the bill pass finally. The Clerk shall call the roll. And upon being called, each Councilmember shall vote aye on each of the bills, nay on each of the bills or indicate those bills for which the member is voting aye and those bills for which the member is voting nay. Would the Clerk please call the roll.

Councilmember Phillips.

Aye on all bills.

Councilmember 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Gilmore Richardson.

Aye on all bills.

Councilmember Gauthier.

Aye on all bills.

Councilmember Thomas was aye. Councilmember Jones was aye. Councilmember Landau.

Aye on all bills.