Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, September 20, 2018 11:10 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN ALLAN DOMB COUNCILMAN DEREK S. GREEN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILWOMAN HELEN GYM COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN CHERELLE L. PARKER COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN AL TAUBENBERGER MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK Stated Meeting September 20, 2018
Sorry to be late again. If I can have your attention, we're going to get started. So we've established a quorum. If the guests and visitors will retire behind the rail, we can start today. We're going to have our invocation, and to give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Pastor Omar Barlow of the New Covenant Church. Pastor Barlow is here today as the guest of Councilman Green. I would ask all guests, visitors, and members to please rise. (Councilmembers, guests, and visitors rise.)
Thank you. Let us look to the Lord. Father, as we govern for the sake of the City, may you give us wisdom. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 govern, may we make a commitment to fairness, justice, and equity. And may we remember the most vulnerable, the children, the elderly, the homeless, and the abused. And, finally, Father, we pray that as we govern, we pray for the peace of this City, that the glory would come in Philadelphia because you gave us your mind to seek the peace of this City. In your precious name, do we pray. Amen. (Amen.)
Thank you so much, Pastor. We appreciate it. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you so much. And, again, Pastor, thank you so much for those inspiring words. Our next order of business is Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 13th, 2018, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 13th, 2018 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 13th, 2018 stand approved. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the Journal is approved. And our next order of business is requests for leave of absence, and the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the majority, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the republicans, there are no requests for leave of absence.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. At this time, I would like to dispense with the regular order of business and I would just like to welcome and thank everyone who has taken time out of their busy day to come down to witness their government in action. We hope your stay here is a knowledgeable one but, more importantly, a pleasurable one, so much so that you come back again. So, Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 again, thank you for being here. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, who will present a resolution on my behalf to Girard College. Would Dr. Heather Wathington and those accompanying her please join the Councilwoman at the podium. (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.)
And joining Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, we have Councilman Greenlee, Councilman Green, and Councilwoman Blackwell also.
I want to say thank you very, very much to Council President for this special honor. On a personal note, my brother was an attendee, former student at Girard College many, many years ago, and I shared when we -- at the inaugural welcoming of the new President how he literally started climbing the walls there at Girard College, and my mother Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 take him out before he was booted out. And so Girard College holds a very, very special place in Angelo Reynolds' heart, because it did leave an imprint, as he too was a young man without a father who wanted a chance to excel in an environment that was nurturing. And so I thank you, Mr. President. Honoring, recognizing, and celebrating Girard College for the 50th Anniversary of its desegregation. Whereas, Girard College was founded and funded by Stephen Girard to house and educate the underserved, but was limited to "poor white male orphans," per Stephen Girard's will, and remained so, despite challenges well into the 20th Century;
Whereas, legal challenges were begun by African-American lawyer and then 5th District City Council Member Raymond Pace Alexander in the 1950's. As a legal Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Brown versus Board of Education case, Alexander likely anticipated a favorable Supreme Court ruling in that case, which would bode well for his campaign against Girard College's racial ban; Whereas, after making its way through the Courts, without hearing oral arguments, the United States Supreme Court unanimously reversed the ruling by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania upholding the Board of City Trust's decision to deny admission to two African-American boys, citing the guidelines codified in Stephen Girard's will. However, in an effort to circumvent the integration of Girard College following the Supreme Court's ruling, the Orphans' Court removed the Board of City Trusts as trustee of Stephen Girard's estate and appointed 13 new trustees for Girard College, effectively making the school a private institution; and Stated Meeting September 20, 2018
Whereas, in 1965, Cecil B. Moore, Esquire saw his election as President of the local NAACP as a mandate for direct action on civil rights and a militant desegregation program that included Girard College. Unnerved by the race riots that had consumed North Philadelphia the previous summer, Moore promised to "rededicate Philadelphia's civil rights campaign to improving the condition of African-Americans" and hoped to use the Girard College campaign as an outlet for the energy and frustrations of the black community; and Whereas, Cecil B. Moore, Esquire led seven months of protests with a group of teens and young adults known as the Freedom Fighters around Girard College's walls, which attracted national media attention and participation from outside civil rights figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., CORE's James Farmer, and National NAACP President Roy Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Wilkins; and
Whereas, ultimately through legal challenges filed by Cecil B. Moore, the Federal courts ruled that African-American students seeking admission to Girard College were denied equal protection under the 14th Amendment and concluded that they could not be denied admission to Girard College because of their race. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the ruling and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the Third Circuit Court ruling, thus paving the way for the integration of Girard College; and Whereas, brave young men Theodore Hicks, William Dade, Carl Riley, and Owen Gowans III personally took on the challenges of desegregating Girard College as its first students of color, and did so with considerable tenacity, strength, as well as grace. A special exhibit is on view in Founder's Hall for Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 2018-'19 school year commemorating this history;
Now, therefore, be it resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that we hereby honor, recognize, and celebrate Girard College on its 50 years of desegregation and those early students that braved the racism on that day. Be it further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Girard College's new President and all those assembled and those who fought tirelessly to desegregate the Girard College. This is introduced by myself on behalf of our President Darrell Clarke and sponsored by all the members of Philadelphia City Council. Bravo. (Applause.)
And the Chair recognizes Dr. Wathington for remarks, please.
On behalf of Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 College, we'd like to thank City Council and everyone assembled here and all of us who have been engaged in the struggle over the last 50 years to make sure that Girard College maintains its commitment to the City of Philadelphia. So we thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you and, again, congratulations. Our next order of business is communications, and the Chair requests that the Sergeant-of-Arms delivers the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Mr. Decker, please read those messages.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am pleased to advise you Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 that on September 14, 2018, I signed the following bill which was passed by Council at its session on September 13, 2018: Bill No. 180552; and that on September 19, 2018, I signed the following bills which were passed by Council at its session on September 13, 2018: Bill Nos. 180555 and 180603.
Those messages will be printed in the Journal. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional communications?
Thank you very much, sir. And our next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Good Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 morning.
A privileged resolution recognizing Le Chapeau Project and its artists on the occasion of their one-day art gallery showcasing international artists and challenging the negative narrative surrounding immigrants and individuals from Africa, Asia and the Americas.
And a privileged resolution authorizing the Committee on Children and Youth to hold public hearings examining the prevalence of child hunger in Philadelphia and evaluating the efficacy of existing programs addressing child hunger.
Today's Calendar. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I introduce one bill.
An ordinance amending Section 9-206 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Sidewalk Vendors in Neighborhood Business Districts," by adding a designated vendor location in the University City District.
Referred to committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I offer four bills and two resolutions. The bills and one of the resolutions are on your behalf. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018
An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: 20th and Brown Street; Bouvier Street and Montgomery Avenue; 28th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue; 23rd Street and Parrish Street; Mt. Vernon Street and 11th Street; Harper Street and 29th Street; Brown Street and 23rd Street; and An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: Thompson Street and Crease Street; Crease Street and Girard Avenue; Hancock Street and Girard Avenue; Marlborough Street and Wildey Street; Belgrade Street and Crease Street; Girard Avenue and Frankford Avenue; Day Street and Thompson Street; and An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: 16th Street and Oxford Street; Aspen Street and 25th Street; Aspen Street and Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 23rd Street; Aspen Street and 24th Street; and An ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in a Resolution approved by Council proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter relating to the mandatory establishment and hiring of a new class of employees within the civil service system to be designated as "Public Safety Enforcement Officers"; setting forth the duties of such employees; and authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election.
Those four bills just read by the Chief Clerk will be referred to the appropriate committees.
And a privileged resolution declaring October as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month." Stated Meeting September 20, 2018
And a non-privileged resolution proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter providing for the mandatory establishment and hiring of a new class of employees within the civil service system to be designated as "Public Safety Enforcement Officers."
And that will be referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Thank you, Councilman.
An ordinance legalizing an existing patio encroachment at 3749 through 51 Midvale Avenue.
Referred to committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I have two resolutions.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Diversified Community Services, on the 50th anniversary of its incorporation, for the organization's dedication to improving the South Philadelphia community through education and economic empowerment.
Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Today's Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution also naming the 2300 block of Ellsworth Street "Patty Jackson Way."
And that will be on next week's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Council President. I have one privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution declaring September 15, 2018 through October 15, 2018 as Hispanic Heritage Month here in the City of Philadelphia to honor the role that Hispanics have played and continue to play in the economic, cultural, and social development of our city and nation.
Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Today's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Council President. Before I introduce today's legislation, I would like to acknowledge some students from the City's best law school, Temple Law School. We have some students here from the Law and Public Policy Scholars Program, if they could rise. (Applause.)
Council President, I have one bill and one non-privileged resolution.
An ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to change certain gender specific references to gender neutral references, as approved by Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Resolution of the City Council.
And a non-privileged resolution proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to change certain gender specific references (such as "councilman," "councilmen," and "Councilmanic") to gender neutral references (such as "councilmember," "councilmembers," and "Council"); and providing for the submission of the proposed amendment to the electors of the City of Philadelphia.
Also referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one resolution co-sponsored by yourself along with members Greenlee, Jones, Reynolds Brown, and Domb.
Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Thank you, Councilwoman.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing the men and women of First Builders, Incorporated, for their commitment to building a new pathway to viable careers in the construction industry for the city of Philadelphia's next generation of working men and women and labor leaders.
That will be on today's Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Domb.
An ordinance amending Section 22-310 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Deferred Retirement Option Plan," with respect to eligibility of new employees.
And Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 that will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gym.
Good morning, Council President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Taubenberger.
Good morning, Council President. I have one bill today.
An ordinance amending Section 12-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Enforcement and Obedience to Traffic Regulations," by increasing the associated penalty for violating this section.
And that will be referred to committee. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
An ordinance authorizing Anthony Daloia to construct, own and maintain a proposed exterior stairway encroachment at 2573 Tulip Street; and An ordinance authorizing James Mahon to install, own and maintain an open air sidewalk cafe at 2546 East Lehigh Avenue; and An ordinance authorizing Fishtown Brewpub to install, own and maintain an open air sidewalk cafe at Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 1101 Frankford Avenue; and An ordinance authorizing PECO Energy Company to construct, own and maintain proposed non-standard bollard encroachments at 900 through 22 Lombard Street.
Those four bills just read by the Chief Clerk will be referred to the appropriate committees. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Council President. I offer one privileged resolution co-sponsored by Councilmembers Henon, Green, Taubenberger, and Squilla.
Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Thank you, Councilman.
A privileged resolution Recognizing and Celebrating the Band of Brothers Family Reunion in Philadelphia.
And that will be on this week's Calendar. That concludes our introduction of bills and resolutions. And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I neglected to introduce some young people from Penn who came to us as guests of Anjali Chainani, who works for the Mayor. You all remember Anjali. The Mayor and I were in her wedding here. She's working on her Ph.D. They're all Ph.D. students working on issues like public policy and planning, and I would appreciate you recognizing them at this time.
Thank you. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 (Applause.)
Thank you, Councilwoman. Welcome. Our next order of business is the reports from committee, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez for a report from the Committee of License and Inspection.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Licenses and Inspections reports one bill with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Mr. Decker, please read the report.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Licenses and Inspections, to which was referred Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 160151, entitled "An ordinance amending The Philadelphia Code by adding a new provision authorizing the City of Philadelphia to issue municipal identification cards to City residents, establishing standards, confidentiality provisions, and other related items regarding the cards," respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 160151. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 160151. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the bill will be placed on our First Reading Calendar today. And our next order of business is consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bill just reported from committee with suspension of the rules has been deemed to have had a first reading. This bill 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 today, the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee for the purpose of calling up the resolutions and bills on the Second Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 2ND READING Reading and Final Passage.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up from the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar today: Nos. 180756, 180761, 180763, 180764, 180768, 180769, 180775, 180776, 180784, 180600-A, 180077-A, 180498-A. All other resolutions and bills are being held.
Thank you. Before considering the bills and resolutions today that are on the Final Passage, we'll have to have our public comment session. It will go as follows: If you haven't already signed up for a bill or resolution that's on the Final Passage Calendar today, you may sign up at the table to my left. When your name is called, you will go to the middle of the Council Chambers. There's a podium. There's a Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 device on that podium. When the light turns green, it will be your time to speak. When the light turns yellow, you will have 30 seconds to conclude your remarks. When the light turns red, we'd ask that you please adhere to the guidelines and conclude your remarks. I believe the public comment may be somewhat lengthy today, so we're really asking you to cooperate with respect to those particular guidelines and take your three minutes. So, Mr. Decker, are we ready for the first name? You will have three minutes to conclude your remarks.
Kathleen McGettigan, commenting on 180100. (Witness approached podium.) MS. McGETTIGAN: Two things. I was very embarrassed last week at the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 first meeting of City Council after summer break. I'm really glad that Frederick Wiseman, the documentary filmmaker, wasn't here with his camera, because if he had been here and he had portrayed on film how City Council behaved, how they came in two hours late and they clowned around, posing for selfies, I think that there would be people on the banks of the Limpopo River in Africa, Siberian villages who after watching Boris Johnson's bad hair day would be laughing themselves silly at the antics of City Council. And I'm also very upset because I would like to see City Council introduce Bill, I believe, 180100 regarding the Alpha Center, because, I mean, stop trying to wear people down. If you're decent, vote it up or down. Finally -- excuse me. Have some intestinal fortitude. Finally, I would like to say that I believe it is one year now since Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, and as we all know, about a little less than 3,000 people died in 9/11. Well, it seems that the latest figures say that about 3,000 Puerto Ricans perished, some died slow, lingering, painful deaths due to cancer or drinking dirty water or not being able to get kidney dialysis. Well, since we have the second largest Puerto Rican population outside of Puerto Rico and since 8 percent of the Philadelphia population is Puerto Rican and since I saw City Council through things like memorizing Art Appreciation Week and memorizing athletes who have been dead for maybe 20 years last week, it seems that maybe we should have a moment of recognition for the Puerto Ricans who perished during Hurricane Maria. That's it.
Stanley Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Straughter. (Witness approached podium.)
Thank you. I hope that you will allow -- I know we have a few more people than perhaps we could have. This is such a special issue, and we have leaders from not only our city and state, but our country and abroad. So I hope that you will allow them and all of those who are here for Bill No. 180761 about the creating a Special Committee on 400 Years of African American History. I hope that they will now come forward and take a few minutes to say what they want to say.
Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Yeah. Mr. Lopez, can you help them, individuals who are speaking on that. (Witnesses approached podium.)
I would just briefly say thank you very much for this opportunity, both Council Lady Blackwell and all City Council endorsing the 400-year commemoration of free Africans being enslaved in the United States. And we have scholars and activists here, beginning with Dr. Molefi Asante, Dr. Diane Turner, the President of the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and many others that are here to speak in remarks. So thank you. I will yield my time to Dr. Asante.
Mr. President, members of the City Council, I rise in the name -
Just Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 state your name for the record, please, Doctor.
Chair of the Department of Africology at Temple University. I rise in the name of the 20 Africans who landed in Port Comfort, Virginia near Jamestown in 1619 to support the resolution for the Special Commission for the commemoration of 400 years of African presence here. I rise in the name of the more than 100 African ethnic groups and nations - Bamileke, Fulani, Efe, Asanti, Fanti, Wolof, Mandinka, Kongo, Ga - who came to this country not as slaves but as persons, as African people, who were later enslaved in America. I rise to support this resolution in the name of the African who Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 experienced the brutal dispossession and disempowerment that came with the enslavement itself and those who died on the slave ships and whose bodies were buried in the oceans to energize those oceans. I rise in their name and in the names of those who were resilient and who lived through the suffering of segregation and discrimination in America and, like my ancestors in Georgia, who picked cotton and worked in the tobacco fields. I rise in their names to support this Special Commission for 400 Years. And I rise also in the names of those who became scientists and ports because of the work that their ancestors have done, and I support this Special Resolution. And thank you very much.
Thank you, Doctor. (Applause.) PROFESSOR PALMER: Good morning, Mr. President and Council. My Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 name is Professor Walter Palmer.
Doctor, hold on one second, because we have a list here. Stan, are we going to go by the list or by -- Councilwoman, how -they're in a particular order. So should we ignore the order and just let those -just let the people that you've indicated are going to speak? Okay. I just didn't want to miss anybody. Good morning. PROFESSOR PALMER: Good morning, Mr. President and City Councilmembers, as well as the guests that are here. My name is Professor Walter Palmer, University of Pennsylvania where I teach American racism, a course I helped create 50 years ago. I think that this resolution is very important, and I think as it recognizes 40 years of slavery inside of America, we need to recognize the fact that Africans have helped to build Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 civilizations all across the world. Less than a dozen European nations kidnapped, robbed, and stole Africans and brought them to all parts of the world. They took them into the Caribbean and West Indies. They took them into Puerto Rico. They took them into Haiti, into Brazil. They took them into Mexico, into Peru. They were sent all over the world. And those Africans which are in Cuba and in Puerto Rico and in Mexico are the same as the Africans who are here. We're African Americans. They're African Brazilians, African Chileans, African Peruvians. And the reality is for us to really not only look at the work that Africans helped to build here in this nation and this economy, but the continued work that they've done all over the world, where America has segued into all these economies to further fasten America's hold on world economies. I think it's important for us to recognize the fact that the reason we Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 come this late, a hundred years later, to have this recognition lies largely because of the fact that many of us have benefited from the largesse of the African people and, at the same time, have never really stood up to fight for them. We have a division with inside of our own communities where African Americans for the most part have a disdain for poor black people and they have a disdain for African people. And until we start to close those gaps, we will never be able to make the change. And I hope that this Commission is more than show and tell, that it's more than artsy-craftsy, touchy-feely, that it really works towards trying to restore to the African not only his greatness but also the process of its economies. The idea just simply having show and tell is to me irrelevant unless we also build economies amongst the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 people in the country who will be of African descent, as well as those Africans who go on the continent. And I stand here for this august body to once again ask and require that you make sure there is teeth in such a commission.
Good morning. My name is Patricia Wilson Aden, and I'm the President and CEO of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. The African American Museum in Philadelphia brings diverse communities together in greater appreciation of the black experience through the combined narratives of art, history, and culture. Our museum was the first institution built by a major U.S. city to house and to celebrate in the work of African Americans. In the four decades since its creation, the African American Museum has become a premier destination within our Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 region's cultural landscape, serving over 80,000 visitors, including 20,000 school-age children. The Museum serves the community as a gathering place, an educational resource, and a steward of a vast collection of art and artifacts. Our audience gains a unique perspective on the art history and culture of African Americans in the African diaspora. On behalf of the Museum and the constituency we serve, I would like to applaud Councilwoman Blackwell for introducing the resolution to create the Special Committee on 400 Years of African American History. As the region's foremost cultural institution dedicated to the celebration of history and culture of African Americans and the African diaspora, the African American Museum supports the creation of the proposed Special Committee, and pledges our commitment to supporting its critical mission. Born from the unprecedented Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 tragedy of the slave trade, the story and presence of people of African descent on North American soil is yet one of triumph. Ours is a complex history of challenges and injustices interwoven with achievements of unequal consequence. From the moment that those 20-odd Negros arrived at Old Point Comfort in August of 1619, black people have influenced and informed the history and culture of this nation. The American story cannot and should not be told without reference to and acknowledgment of our presence and our role. Yet we know that our contributions, the hardships, and prejudice committed against us, coupled with our hard-won achievements, the bravery of our heroes, the leadership of our trailblazers, and the impact and influence of our innovators have too often been ignored, dismissed, and misinterpreted. It is only fitting that Philadelphia create a Special Committee tasked with Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies that would eventually become America. More important than the commemoration of this state is the Special Committee's charge to plan programs to acknowledge the impact of slavery, racial discrimination, and to coordinate and support scholarly research. This charge closely aligns with the work of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. We're eager to ensure that the work of the Federal Commission and the proposed Special Committee has meaningful impact and tangible outcomes. Thank you. (Applause.)
Councilwoman, did you want to -- you want to do it now?
Folks, if you will allow us to go a little off script. We just want to have, time specific, a recognition. The Chair recognizes -- and we'll come right back to the issue. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Yes. Thank you. And as an Afro-Latina, I want to not take away from the importance of the testimony that is here, but I'm going to ask my Council colleagues and this Council and all of the folks visiting us here today, at 11:50 across the world and in Puerto Rico, folks will be standing together in a moment of silence to grieve the 3,000 families, as some of our visitors have alluded today, in the one-year celebration of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I want to thank in particular all of the Philadelphians who in one way Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 or another helped us as we raised money and welcomed thousands of new Philadelphians who arrived from Puerto Rico since the storm. I particularly want to thank all of the agencies, Philadelphia Housing Authority and all of the non-profits organizations who stood together during this incredible time. We are all frustrated with the slow response of our federal government, and I hope that our fellow Americans in the Carolinas do not have to endure what Puerto Ricans and our friends in the U.S. Virgin Islands did during these Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. I want to thank all of my colleagues and everyone in the Philadelphia area who somehow fundraised, joined us at the many, many events. At 12:00 noon, Representative Cruz and other elected officials will be raising the ceremonial flag at Antonio Pantoja School. On Monday, as I have done in the last 11 years, we will be raising the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Puerto Rican flag, and I hope that my colleagues would join us. My young cousin in Puerto Rico said to me when I visited this summer about the storm and the effects afterwards, We have lost -- and I'll say it in Spanish first. (Councilwoman talking in Spanish.) We have lost so much that we have even lost the ability to fear. So I ask that all of you join me, stand in one moment of silence for all of the folks that we lost, the thousands of folks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Moment of silence.)
Thank you, Councilwoman. You can proceed. Thank you.
Diane Turner, curator. I bring you peace and freedom Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 from Mr. Charles Blockson, curator emeritus and the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, where we house more than 700,000 items about African American history and culture. The creation of a commission in this city is not only timely and important, but critical during these times. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of W.E.B. DuBois. On display in the Blockson Collection is an exhibit celebrating W.E.B. DuBois and the Philadelphia Negro. DuBois is one of our nation's most prolific and innovative scholars, but is little known to many and is often just a footnote in our classrooms. In his book, The Souls of Black Folk published in 1903, he writes, quote, "The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line," end quote. I stand before you today in the 21st century to say that this remains a problem that has not been resolved. We Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 need a commission. W.E.B. DuBois also states, quote, "Herein lies the tragedy of the age. Not that men are poor. All men know something about poverty. Not that men are wicked. Who is good? Not that men are ignorant. What is true? Nay, but that men knows so little of men." This is true about of African American history. We know so little, yet African American history is American history, and African Americans are among the oldest Americans. Next year marks 400 years of the African presence in English colonies, but there are scholarly studies that show that Africans were in America BC. We need a commission. In 2016, Mr. Blockson had the Pennsylvania slave trade state marker placed along the Delaware River near Independence Seaport Museum to commemorate the lives of enslaved Africans brought as early as 1639. His Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 commitment and dedication has resulted in markers throughout the City. In talking with Mr. Blockson, he stated the following: The year 2019 gives the City of Philadelphia a great opportunity to place a city marker to commemorate the enslavement of men, women, and children of African descent. He recommends that, quote, "The honorable members of City Hall and the Council unveil a city marker to commemorate the peculiar institution of enslavement in the so-called City of Philadelphia." So we strongly support this Commission, and we thank Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell for introducing it. Thank you.
Ma'am, just for the record, just state your name. We didn't get your name.
Oh, I did at the beginning. Diane Turner, curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018
My name is Youma Ba. I'm the President of Echoes of Africa, and also I'm a mother in the City of Philadelphia. I have a daughter who is ten years old who was born here. As African, we are more than 50,000 in the City of Philadelphia who come directly from Africa in the couple of years back to maybe 1980s, and also we all have almost kids in the City of Philadelphia. We thank the Councilwoman Blackwell to give us the opportunity to work with the community in the City of Philadelphia. We're supporting this committee because as we know as African descent, also we have a lot of issue in this country because sometime the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 misunderstanding, our kids who just got here maybe a couple of years and people who have been here more than 400 years ago who come. We want this committee to happen, to help all the community to be able to work together, to understand also together. We say thank you to the Councilwoman and hope so you are going to accept this committee. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. I'm Vanjessica Gladney and I'm representing the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Slavery Project. So our project started last year, and our university had come forward a few years ago saying that we had nothing to do with the slave trade here in Philadelphia, and the reason we are on semester number three is because Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 our university -- that turns out to be not true. And during our research, I realized that Pennsylvania and Philadelphia itself has a huge stake in American history, and I think it's really important for this committee to be based in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence was signed here -- or written, signed, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. This is where America was born. America was built by slavery. The American Revolution was paid for by slave labor. And if there's one city that's going to commemorate the 400th anniversary of slaves on this soil of our country, it should definitely be Philadelphia, and University of Pennsylvania is excited to support and be involved in all the things we want to see happen next year. So thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 for your testimony. Can you state your name for the record and you may -
Good morning. My name is Gwen Ragsdale. My husband, J. Justin Ragsdale, and I own and operate the Lest We Forget Slavery Museum. It's the only museum in Philadelphia with actual slavery artifacts that my husband has been collecting for the last 60 years. This is a middle passage shackle. This is what our people were forced to wear as they were brought from Africa to the Americas and other parts of the world. Depending on how many enslaved Africans they had would determine how the shackle would be used. One rung would come off and go around the ankle of one African. The other rung would go around the ankle of another African, and they would be shackled together for the duration. It took two to three months to get from the shores of Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 West Africa to the shores of South Carolina. It was a suffering trip. Those men who worked in those ships were former prisoners who had been let out of prison by the queen of England and told that they would get money at the end of the trip, that they could have access to any of the females while they were on that trip. Many of those women would be pregnant before they got to their final destination. The horrors didn't end there. It only began. It followed by hundreds of years of slavery. We must remember the legacy of slavery. We cannot forget it. It's important to understand that aspects of slavery are still with us today. We are so happy that Councilwoman Blackwell produced this resolution to commemorate this part of American history. This is not black history. This is American history, and it's important that we recognize that. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and you may proceed with your public comment.
My name is Duke (ph) Abdul Gafar and I'm the Chairman of the 400-year Coalition. And what we have done, we've come together to actually perpetuate this for a whole year next year. Most struggles have talked about the slavery movement, but we want to present how the shackles of slavery have been mental and the shackles have been on the minds of our people for 400 years, and that's because it was misinformation. It was misrepresentation. It was de-franchise of the African American. So our coalition will have one event every week next year for 52 weeks. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 So whether it be like black history where it's one month, we will have an event every week commemorating the 400-year struggle. (Applause.)
So when you see -we have a website. We have some information that we'll be passing up, a website, and we'd like you to put hashtag 400 years. We'd like to see that all over social media so that we will be represented in this struggle. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Can you please state your name for the record and you may proceed with your public comment.
I am J. Justin Ragsdale and I am chief curator for Lest We Forget the Black Holocaust Museum here in Philadelphia. I'm the other half. Gwen Ragsdale is my wife. I am her Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 husband. So we really don't have a name. But what it is, we really want this to happen. This is very, very important and we can't -- I can't say it enough. We say it forceful. We can go into anything we want to do, but we don't talk about the horrors of slavery, and that's very important that our children know it, because it's the fallout that's coming from this that's on them because they don't know what happened to us. We paid a heavy price to get here, and we got to let them know. It's very important. So that's all I can say. You know the rest.
My name is Michael Coard. I'm with a group called ATAC, A-T-A-C, Avenging the Ancestors Coalition. And I'm really not sure what I am going to say. I just hope that the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 enslaved ancestors guide the words I'm about to say for the next two minutes. And the first thing they told me to say is this: Imagine that right now as we're sitting here with our colleagues and maybe our spouses, maybe our children, that some martians come down from outer space and they take your co-worker, they take your wife, they take your husband, they take your son, they take your daughter, and they take you up to Mars. And when you're in Mars, they take away your English language. They take away your American nationality. They take away your Christian religion, your Muslim religion, your Judaic religion. They take away everything that made you what you were here on earth. So now you're in Mars. You're not a martian because you're not from Mars. You're no longer an earthling because you're not on earth anymore. For 246 years, from 1619 until 1865, that was the story of Africans in Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 America. But it didn't stop in 1865. Many people think that the 13th Amendment, quote/unquote, freed the slaves, ended slavery. It did not. The 13th Amendment doesn't say slavery and involuntary servitude are hereby abolished, period. It doesn't say slavery and involuntary servitude are hereby abolished, exclamation point. It says slavery and involuntary servitude are hereby abolished, comma, except following conviction for a crime. So after the slave codes came the black codes, and the black codes were laws to criminalize black people. The law of vagrancy today came out of that. Vagrancy in 1865 is the same legal definition as it is in 2018, being in public with no visible means of support. So black people enslaved for 246 years, here comes the 13th Amendment, they're so-called freed. The county sheriff comes along, pardon my language, and says, What are you niggers doing out Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 here? They say, We have no job, we have no real estate, we have nothing. Okay. You have nothing. You're a vagrant. They were convicted, and from that, we have mass incarceration today. Let me wrap this up in 30 seconds by saying this: I fully support what Councilwoman Blackwell is trying to do, because the story of slavery in America is not just America in general. It's Pennsylvania, beginning in 1684. The man on top of this building, William Penn, was a slaveholder, held three at his Pennsbury Manor. And in my final ten seconds, let me say this: In terms of the history right here in Philadelphia, not just at 6th and Market where George Washington enslaved black people, but at Front and Market, the London Coffee House, beginning in 1754, black men, women, and children were bought and sold. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 So the story of slavery is not just an American story. It's a Philadelphia story. Philadelphia helped to break it. Philadelphia got to help to fix it. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Clerk, could you read the name of our next speaker, or since we're a little bit out of order, is there anyone here who has signed up for public testimony and has not had the opportunity? Please approach the public comment podium. State your name for the record and you may proceed. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Okay. My name is Joseph Danihel. This is an official decree in writ of mandamus quo warranto and, as such, requires immediate action and remedy. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Every week Council, Mayor, and others transfer private property to the government, probably illegally. Ben Franklin stated, You have a republic if you can keep it. Founding fathers hated democracy, calling the mob rule or two wolves and a sheep voting on who is for dinner. The United States of America is a constitutional republic, which means agents and agencies are contractually bound to protect the rights of the people, as Governor, Senator, Mayor, Council, and others violated Constitution and law to wage war on the people. Violating the Constitution in the very place it was written is illegal. Is the Attorney General enabling criminal behavior as he has accused the Pope and others of? Why has the Attorney General refused his sworn duty? Government stealing private property was a major cause of the American Revolution. The people require Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 auditable proof from their representatives to prove consent of the government exists. The Constitution demands it. The constitutions require immediate remedy of this breach of law, breach of close, breach of fiduciary duty. Your oath of office requires you to act or face prison. 42 USC 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 18 USC 241, 242, 2381, 2384, PA Constitution, Article I, Sections 1 through 11, 26 PA CSA 703, 705, 708, 709, 712, 713, 716, and other laws listed in SCOTUS 15-8965, 14-1330, 14-4056 appear violated. I call for the federal and Commonwealth governments to perform their constitutional obligation to investigate and prosecute all involved in the theft and illegal deed transfer of my home, 1038 West Wyoming Avenue. The denial of God-given 42 USC 1982 property rights for 24 years is egregious, extraordinary, Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 oath-violating, and requires immediate remedy. A just government must obey the rule of law. This color of law government must have its Charter to government revoked until a constitutionally compliant government is installed. Public servants cannot refuse their sworn duty to act any more than a fireman can refuse to fight a fire. The sovereign people require oath, law, and constitutions be enforced, and jail is required for all who violate oath, constitution or law. I remind Council, it takes a lot of cooperation to create and allow monumental corruption.
Thank you for your testimony. You may state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment. Thank you.
Good afternoon. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 My name is Donna Cooper. I'm the Executive Director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, and I am here to urge Council at this point to vote not to approve the Keystone Opportunity Zone bill. That bill requires much more review by members of Council. This morning's Inquirer began with a story of our libraries cutting back hours. My library in my neighborhood will no longer have Saturday hours. Four blocks away a hotel is proposed by a millionaire, and that bill eliminates all taxes, sales, corporate, and property taxes, on that building for ten years. Your action today will make that possible, while the citizens of my neighborhood can no longer bring their children to the library on a Saturday. This morning's Inquirer included a letter from a parent who wondered why she can't send her child to her neighborhood elementary school because the kindergarten classes are Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 full. That bill today will enable my neighborhood in Fishtown to have millionaires who will get tax breaks on properties for ten years in a community with two Stephen Starr restaurants. This is not a blighted community. Developers are tripping over themselves from LA to New York to invest in Fishtown, to invest in North Philly. At 17th and Lehigh a property will get a ten-year tax break, corporate millionaires. (Applause.)
It is ironic that we began today's Council session with a pastor who asked us to think about equity and justice and we listened to nine people talk about the Blockson Collection on slavery, and we are about to give millionaires, 25 of them, ten years tax free, injuring our City services, injuring our children, and injuring our schools. So don't take my word for it. Hold the bill. You look at the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 properties. You look at the properties by Ikea that's being given a tax break. You look at the properties of the Arsenal Business Center where charter schools are getting paid by the School District for rent and the owners of those buildings are going to be tax free on their rent profits for the next ten years. Don't take my word for it. Just vote to hold the bill over, learn about the properties, and decide if they meet the state definition of blight, because the purpose of this Keystone Opportunity Zone is to stimulate development where it otherwise wouldn't happen. That isn't on Delaware Avenue in South Philly. That isn't in Fishtown. That isn't currently at 17th and Lehigh. And I bet you when you look a little bit deeper you'll agree with me that especially today given how this Council session began with that pastor calling us to fight for equity and justice, it's worthwhile to give this bill more review. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Thank you. (Applause.)
Great morning. My name is Ogbonna Hagins and I'm here to speak about 170408, which was introduced by Councilmembers Reynolds Brown and Councilwoman Gym. To permanently eliminate suspending children from the fifth grade below is really like a no-brainer. But one of the things that we need to do while we're not suspending them is to make sure that those fifth graders or those fourth graders are reading on grade level, because we know that 40-some-odd percent of our children are not reading on grade level. So now you don't suspend them, but you're also not providing them with what they need to survive in this world. And also on the education note, and particularly on the enslavement Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 issue, Christopher Columbus is still celebrated in our schools. Why is that tyrant, the boy that was lost, the one that is responsible for a lot of the things that happened to Africans and Afro-Americans, why is he still being celebrated in 2018 when we know that he was lost and what it did to us as African people in this country? So we need to also identify while we're keeping the kids at school, we need to identify those great students that are excelling that may not have an opportunity to go to college. We need to be able to support them. This city needs to be able to support them. I want to give an example with my son, who has done everything right. My son, Zaki Hagins, who is in the Netherlands right now studying music. We went to people on this Council to try to get funding to get my son what he needed, but we had to go all around the City leaders that should be identifying people from the City who Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 can build this city up, not just ignore them and say, okay, you know, well, they come from a poor family or a poor area. It's your responsibility to identify people in this community that can build this community up, not just to say you know what, let's keep them in school, let's do this. No. You got to do a lot more, and particularly the Afro-Americans in this Council, to always -- or to continue to celebrate Christopher Columbus when you know what Christopher Columbus was responsible for for our ancestors. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Our ancestors are spinning in their grave knowing that they died for the right to vote, and you're in office as Afro-Americans and you're not supporting the Afro-Americans in this city? Yo, y'all got to get it together. Y'all got to get it together. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony, sir. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Good afternoon.
Good afternoon. My name is Pam Africa and I'm dealing with Resolution 170675 introduced by Councilmember Jones and it's dealing with the ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designation to certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Woodbine Avenue, Upland Way, 59th Street, Lancaster Avenue, and 62nd Street. It also -- what I'm talking about is also dealing with a resolution. I don't know the name, but it fits right in here, and already talking about naming a street. Well, they done it, named the street after Wilson Goode, Wilson Goode's Way. I'm very opposed to that. I was here last week. And I got a lot more information that I found out now that I didn't have then. One of the things I'd like to say, two quotes by John Africa. No one has the right to do wrong. Second quote, just because it's Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 legal don't make it right. We had a meeting with Councilman Jones dealing with the fact that no one in my family was notified about him naming the street after Wilson Goode. No one in the Osage Avenue who homes was devastated and are, you know -and who has been suffering for over 30 years behind the act on May 13th, 1985. Also who wasn't notified was the people, the residents in the area where he was going to actually put the street. This has caused a lot of problems, and, you know, we came here looking for conflict resolution. And I went to different Councilpeople. They didn't remember signing any resolution, and I told Mr. Thomas -- I mean Mr. Jones that what he did was very devious and deceptive, and I went on to prove it. Because when you name a street after W. Wilson Goode, that is newsworthy. If the news media really had known that on June 21st a street was being named after W. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Wilson Goode, Wilson Goode's Way, then it would have been front page news. It would have been the talk of the media. And you know it would have been worldwide, because there's no way we would have stood by and allowed it. So I'm saying it was devious and deceptive because people didn't know, and Mr. Thomas came -- Jones came to a meeting last night that was pulled together by the community to deal with this. What he said was he was wrong for not contacting us. He was wrong for not allowing the residents in that area and all to be able to respond to this. He said he was wrong because he did the wrong thing throughout the whole thing, right, but Mr. Goode is a mentor of his. So this is a friendship thing dealing with a situation where it has caused such turmoil in this entire city. I have a document, a paper that was -- an article that was in the newspaper that was done by Attorney Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 Michael Coard who spoke here a few minutes ago, who talked about the devastation. I'd like to make sure everybody get a copy of it -
-- so they know what it is we're talking about. And when he said that he would not rescind this street despite the fact that the community stood up, Osage Avenue who suffered, my family who suffered, and the people within the area that he's putting the street at is suffering now. And, you know, he should not have the right to do that, and what he said is that he do have the right to put a sign up in somebody's neighborhood without contacting the people to find out how do you feel about this and, you know, how do we feel about this. You murdered my children. You murdered our family. How do -
Number one, I want that street rescinded and, you know, and then I think in all fairness, because no due process was done here whatsoever, there need to be a City Council hearing dealing with the naming of that street. The Osage neighbors should be here. We should be here.
Because we got a lot of people that want to speak on this issue. Thank you. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Milele Gailliard and I actually am a representative directly pertaining to the Overbrook Farms Association as well as the Wynnefield Residents Association, and so this is also in accordance with the introduction by Curtis Jones regarding 170675. And so I want everyone here to know, especially you, that I personally took the time to walk the streets and I communicated with 18 blocks worth of residents directly affecting where the Wilson Goode Way would take place of the name changing. Not one person that I communicated with, just as recently as this Saturday and also going back to just yesterday, were aware of it, and no one had any communication to talk with them. So what I need is for this to be immediately opposed when it even comes to a communication of zoning and mapping, because there is a lack of transparency with you and our community in relation to Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 how things are changing. We get the feel-good things. We know when Villanova helps to keep up our blocks. We know about the school giveaways and things of that nature, but it seems as if when it comes to the serious things that pertaining to, you know -- are you being confused and have something to do with maybe spot zoning, where it's like an immediate need for someone in the community have something changed personally with their actual residency. I also communicated with St. Joe's University, their public relations and community outreach. They too did not know. And the reason why I communicated with them is because I learned from reading on social media that potentially people will be in my neighborhood one block away from where I live and protesting, and there's students around there. I am an educator. I actually have students who attend St. Joseph's Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 University. I said they need to have an alert. So there literally is an alerting situation right now where things need to be halted immediately, because the Wynnefield Residents Association, who I also spoke with, their leadership, and Overbrook Farms, neither of them were made aware, not until I took the time out and additional people in my community block, my -- Jewish neighbors, they coming up to me on Yom Kippur yesterday asking me why is this happening. I'm going down my block, Channel 10 is asking me what's going on. So, therefore, there needs to be a little bit more outreach on your behalf outside of this room in relation to this. So, yes, you did come last night to Penn Memorial Church to talk with us. However, you lied. You said right then and there when one of our residents asked you is there some zoning getting ready to take place, is there Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 anything getting ready to transpire with changing the streets or anything of that nature, you gave us a look and you said no. So if there's anyone else who can attest to what I heard yesterday evening, I need you all to stand up. (Some audience members standing.)
So, therefore, like I said, I live on the block immediately that is going to be next door to what's happening with this name change, and this is what made me investigate further. So this is why I'm here today.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. (Applause.)
My name is Ruth Birchett. I'm here to speak on Council Bill 180100 in opposition to Temple University building an Alpha Center at 1301 Diamond Street. I'm addressing Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 today Councilmembers, some of whom are saying they have not heard about this until last week at all. This bill was voted out of the Rules Committee. It also -- Council rules were suspended on June 14th to allow for it to come now directly to a vote. On June 14th also, our Councilmember, Darrell Clarke, in holding this bill sent his staff throughout the audience to all of us who were signed up to testify, saying that if we would not testify, he would also hold a community meeting. That has not happened. And I say to you that last week on the testimony of Greg Bonaparte, who testified in behalf of Berean Presbyterian Church, also happens to be a 25-year employee of Temple University. Mr. Ali, who testified as well for the gang association, also happens to be a 30-year employee of Temple University. And then the young lady from the Philadelphia Housing Authority who Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 testified, in my view, brings irrelevance, because if indeed Temple University and the Housing Authority want to do something in collaboration around an early learning center and want to have their children experimented on and early diagnosed with psychology, its different psychological conditions, then let them have that to themselves, but not the children of our community. We do not need early diagnosis, as we stated before. Temple University was an EMO for five community schools, and after five years of sucking up the money, they did not turn those schools around, and now they're coming after our little babies, and we say no. No to the psychology students at Temple University and the education students at Temple University getting their Ph.D.'s and Master's on the backs of our children. No, they will not attend the psychology clinic. What elementary Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 school or what day care center in this city has a psychology clinic attached to it? Probably none. We say no.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. (Applause.)
Good afternoon. My name is Jacqueline Wiggins. I am here to talk about Bill 180100. It has been held again. How long can this be held? The things that the former speaker, Ruth Birchett, mentioned are real. And we also had discussion about the Special Committee on 400 Years of African American History. I think the thing that folks need to understand is that when African people came into the Americas, they came with skills, with trades. They came with things. And to have an outcome from a university, Temple Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 University, to have an outcome in North Central Philadelphia with Dunbar, after five years Dunbar, reading scores 18 percent, math 17 percent; Tanner Duckrey, reading 25 percent, math 32 percent; Elverson, Ferguson, John Wanamaker. This is criminal, and now Temple University wants our three- to five-year-olds. I should hope that with this delay, Councilmembers, that you are digging deep and doing the research that is called for with respect to no vote on 180100. Our children and our families do not need to be researched any further. Tuskegee was mentioned last week, Henrietta Lacks. What must we do to have you understand clearly? This is a wrong. Councilmembers, reach deep. Do your homework. Do the research and vote no, 180100.
Thank you for your testimony. (Applause.) Stated Meeting September 20, 2018
Hello. My name is Bianca Parker and I'm a resident, and I want to say no and urge my Councilmembers to reject and do not allow the passage of Bill No. 180100, which will authorize the furtherance of predatory encroachment of Temple University's campus footprint, extend SP-IN district, building of a research facility, and expansion of Temple police surveillance and subject our African American children to racial experiments. Camera surveillance is a common research method utilized in studies. Just as the Tuskegee experiments exploited African Americans for scholarly and scientific gain, Temple University plans the Alpha Center for research of African American North Philadelphia preschool children. The plan also competes with existing area day cares. Temple failed four schools during five years of the School District funding contract. Young African American Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 children will be subject to mental health treatment and study as staff, ungraded, Temple University students will be treatment providers at the psychology clinic. Patients of Temple University psychology clinic will be subject to research studies. Temple must abandon plans for Alpha Center to expand campus. Temple must abandon plans to subject African American children and African American adults to research studies, and Temple must abandon plans for dental clinic that already exists. I'm going to voice my opposition to this travesty. I'm going to speak up and out against Temple. And I urge my Councilmembers to vote no to early learning research and mental health labeling of African American preschool-age children in North Philadelphia and urge my Councilmembers to vote no to Bill No. 180100. Thank you. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 (Applause.)
Good morning, City Council, City Council President Darrell Clarke, who is our District Councilman. My name is Paula Peebles and I'm here today asking City Council and I'm hoping everybody is paying attention, because right now in the country they're talking about a blue wave in November, and in Philadelphia we're talking about a people's wave next year. And while we're talking about that, because all too often we come here to City Council about our community. As I indicated, I am an indigenous member of North Philadelphia. That means I was born and bred. And since I could remember, we have always had to fight -- and you know this, Mr. Clarke -- had to fight Temple University from encroaching on our community. Here we find ourselves now Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 having to protect our small children, our toddlers, and those yet unborn from being subjected to a research facility right there in the heart of North Philadelphia at 13th and Diamond. We keep coming here every week appealing to Council. Darrell Clarke has one vote. We're appealing to all the rest of you. You vote no against this. You talk about children, Norris Homes doesn't even exist now. I know they're going to say, oh, Paula, we're rebuilding Norris Home. But when they rebuilt public housing in North Philadelphia, it is depopulized, which means if it was 800 people in Norris Home, when they build back in favor of Temple, there are 300 families. That's what they're doing in our community. And so we are appealing to Council, and you're hearing it firsthand from Paula. I'm appealing on behalf of my people in North Philadelphia to rescind or vote down Bill 180100, because Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 it will totally decimate the young children coming up in North Philadelphia. We could use that land better. And as I often tell Councilman Darrell Clarke's staff, we need housing, affordable housing, in North Philadelphia. We don't need them to continue -(Applause.)
-- to build apartment buildings. They have closed out Freedom Theatre. My young daughter who lives in Los Angeles graduated from Freedom Theatre, but my 14-year-old grandson can't go to Freedom Theatre, because no longer exists. So they're pushing us out. They're pushing our culture out, Darrell. And what I'm saying to you -- President Clarke. And what I'm saying to you is that we can't stand for this any longer. And don't get mad at us, because November 7th starts next year's election. Don't get mad at us when we oppose you, because Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 you've opposed us for four years. (Applause.)
My name is Arnold Jones and I'm speaking on behalf of Bill 170765 in reference to the street naming for Wilson Goode. The opening prayer mentioned praying for children. So I just want to mention five children: 7-year-old Tomasa, 9-year-old Delitia, 10-year-old Phil, 11-year-old Netta, 13-year-old Tree, and 25-year-old Rhonda. Those names might not ring a bell to everybody, but they were five of the victims of the MOVE bombing. So my thing is, at this time when this occurred, I was 16 years old. I lived on 54th and Locust. My mother was flustered, frustrated, frightened. She didn't know what was going on. It took me almost 20 years to realize Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 actually what happened. So my thing is, with all the hard work that every one of you have to do, there's one thing we have to remember as men, as fathers, as African men, as black men, we must protect our children. We must stand for justice. (Applause.)
There's no way that anyone could possibly believe that the street should be -- any street should be named after Wilson Goode, because the reality is he was the Mayor, he was in control, and he was complicit in that crime. Those murders rest on the hands of the City of Philadelphia. We cannot have that happen. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. (Applause.) MR. McCLURE: Good afternoon, Council President, members of City Council. My name is Matt McClure. I'm Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 here today as a resident. I'm a zoning attorney, but I'm here to give comment on Bill No. 180295 introduced by Councilwoman Bass as well as Bill No. 180498 introduced by Councilwoman Blackwell. I'm here on behalf of the BIA and as a resident. Both pieces of legislation are very important and well intentioned. However, we have fears that there's going to be significant unintended consequences from both pieces of legislation. Bill No. 180295 makes many important changes to some highly technical provisions dealing with the Zoning Board of Adjustment, specifically changes to the One Year Rule. However, these changes to the One Year Rule we believe could frustrate developers' efforts to practically negotiate with RCOs and instead force them to hearings and contested hearings rather than to negotiate because of fear of the implication of the One Year Rule. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 There are also other important timing requirements in this legislation that are impossible for an applicant really to comply with, given the limited resources of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Regarding Bill No. 180498-A, this bill makes again some highly technical changes to the Zoning Board's ability to grant minor adjustments called administrative adjustments that take place many times a year or two after the actual zoning approval to deal with some technical changes that you find out from site conditions. Again, these changes sometimes happen close to the building permit phase and after financing actually has been secured for a project. We think the unintended consequence will be -- a lot of needless cases are going to go to the Zoning Board and also will really frustrate the building for projects to go forward at the last minute, even for some very minor Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 tech changes. So on behalf of the BIA and members of the zoning community, we ask that the legislation be held and amended following meetings with a working group of zoning attorneys, community members, and City officials. This is important legislation. It's important to get it right, and we have plenty of people who are willing to work to make sure this legislation gets done right. Thank you.
Good afternoon. My name is Hercules Grigos. I'm a zoning attorney in Philadelphia. I'm here to speak on Bills No. 180295 and 180498. While I'm usually here in my capacity representing a client, I come here today to respectfully request that these bills be held for additional comment. With regard to Councilwoman Blackwell's bill regarding the Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 administrative review process, I agree that the process is vague and needs to be better articulated with clear standards. However, the proposed timeframe does not allow enough time for architects, engineers, and City departments to review the fully designed building plans, which are much more detailed than the zoning schematics that go before the ZBA and RCOs. As currently written, this bill will create situations where necessary minor changes that come out of the building code, Streets Department, and Water Department review cannot be implemented without restarting the process and having the full RCO and ZBA process to widen a driveway, add a stair tower or reduce a unit. I think the City developers and the community would benefit from additional discussion to narrowly tailor these bills -- this bill and address only those minor changes. I thank you for your time. Stated Meeting September 20, 2018 I'll make myself available to you and your staff to continue the discussion. With regard to Councilwoman Bass's bill regarding the One Year Rule, I also think that this has unintended consequences. I think the City and developers would benefit from additional discussion on this bill. And I believe that anything that we can do to continue collaboration between developers, communities, and RCOs I think we can work on that, and I'd like to offer my time to work with Council on that. So thank you very much for your time.