As I said last week, I fully support the knowledge of how to file taxes under 240087-A. I took it a step further that we should know where our taxes are going. As a city, we should question why 23 million of our federal tax dollars go straight to a foreign military. According to Biden's National Security Memorandum 20, the State Department is required to complete a report on Israel's use of weapons in 2023, which is already past due, meaning we have no idea where 300 billion of our tax dollars was spent on. Under Bill 240087-A, the Department of Revenue would provide information publicly regarding no cost tax services provided by the City and other legal aid services. I'm wondering if any anti-war tax workshops will be illustrated in these announcements, the kinds that teach people how to withhold their federal taxes in protest of our taxes directly funding Israel's bombing of Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon. This past Tuesday was the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, marking May 15th, 1948 as the day Israel forced the colonization of 78 Palestinians' homelands and mass ethnic cleansing of 80 percent of their people. Biden celebrated this by introducing an aid package of $700 million for tank ammunition, 500 million for tactical vehicles, and $60 million in mortar rounds to ensure the completion of Israel's colonial project. This is in the name of self-defense against a country that has no Army, no Navy, no Air Force, and half the population is made up of children. This comes after Biden said he would end all armed sales to Israel if they invaded the last safe zone of Rafah, which they did on May 6th, and have displaced more than 600,000 civilians, attacked three medical complexes and six UN schools in defiance of the Geneva conventions. The average age of a martyr in Gaza is five years old. Philadelphia political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal recently said if 80 percent of your targets are not members of Hamas, then either you don't know how to shoot or you intend to hit what you hit. CNN just released a report on the Palestinian hostages that are being tortured, starved, beaten, strapped to beds wearing diapers and having forced amputations following days of being zip-tied together. Israel is the only country that tried children in military court, with the youngest hostage in November coming home with half a skull at 13 years old. This is our sister city. We have to condemn the war bonds, condemn our taxes, condemn the weapon manufacturers in our city, shut down ghost robotics, halt the armed sales to Israel, condemn our ports being used to ship missiles, cut the sister city ties, call for ceasefire. (Applause.)
Madison Gray. Can Steve Kohalmi, Marlene Robinson, and Leslie Wolff also make their way to the podium. (Witness approached podium.)
Hi. My name is Madison Gray. I'm an attorney and Independence Fellow at the Public Interest Law Center, and we represent the Brith Sholom Tenants Council. I'm here in support of the resolutions and legislation introduced by Councilman Jones and because the City can and must save Brith Sholom House. The infrastructure and essential systems of the building have been degraded by years of neglect by the building's owner, and it is likely that without City intervention, the conditions will become increasingly hazardous. At this point, L&I -- at some point, L&I may have no choice but to order the tenants to vacate and make the elderly residents homeless. The majority of the tenants have nowhere else to go. This may sound bleak, but fortunately it does not have to be this way if we put to use the laws City Council passed in 2021 for this exact situation, the Necessary Urgent Repair Program. At Brith Sholom, private actors have ignored court orders directing them to repair hazardous conditions, and now they are using those very conditions as a rationale to push tenants out of the building. But with this law, L&I can be the circuit breaker by using the power this Council provided it to make the building safe and remove the immediate threat of displacement. After making the repairs, L&I can recover the funds used through a priority lien on the property. This takes the will and it takes the funding, which we have not seen so far. But making the repairs is not enough. Year after year, we've watched as affordable housing is sold off, buildings like Penn Wynne, University City Townhomes. Without City intervention, that is the future here, high-priced condos coming in and the seniors of our City scattered to the winds. It doesn't have to be this way. PHA has said it's ready to work with the City to get this property into its hands so that Brith Sholom can stay permanent affordable housing for seniors. That will take work across developments and a commitment to resources from our city and state, but it is worth every penny. The hundreds of affordable units that we will lose at Brith Sholom are the tip of the iceberg of a crisis that will see us potentially lose thousands of affordable housing units in the next decade. This can be a model. Thank you. (Applause.)
Ladies and gentlemen, I should have gone last. Everything that the young lady said. And I would like to thank Councilman Jones who spoke for us on Tuesday, and my understanding is that he's been extremely supportive, so I'm extremely grateful for that. I'm also grateful for this opportunity to address everyone here. Thank you. What can I say? You know, I've been homeless and I went through the shelter system here in Philadelphia. So if I get thrown out of my home, I can go back to the shelters. I know I'll survive. I survived it already once before. And the last time I looked, Philadelphia was like number six in the nation for their shelters taking care of the homeless. So you guys all should be proud of that. You're doing a really nice job. I guess you could do better, but, hey, what the hell. You know, you take what you get. If you look around, there aren't a whole lot of homeless people out there, you know. I mean, I saw somebody sleeping on a SEPTA bench yesterday, and there is one guy that I run into, his name is Steve also. It's the only reason why I remember his name. And he likes to hang out in front of the Wawa by Independence Hall, and he's a really nice guy. I got to hurry up. Anyway, the bottom line here is, I can survive the shelter system because I've done it, but there's a lot of other people, my neighbors, they're not going to do so well. So pretty please with sugar on top, please help us, whatever you can do. I would follow Councilman Jones. I think he's a good guy. I don't know who else is involved. So thank you, sir. Thank you very much for the opportunity. (Applause.)
Marlene Robinson, then Leslie Wolff and Marguerite Byrd. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Marlene Robinson and I am a resident of Brith Sholom. Being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother -- first I wanted to congratulate our resident, our -- no. I wanted to -- no. The young man who received his scholarship. I wanted to recognize him. I don't know if he's still here, but I wanted to recognize him today. (Applause.)
And congratulate him, knowing that -- and what he said, his mother got him to where he is. Well, I want to let him know, don't let your mother become a senior citizen in Philadelphia. Don't let your mother become a senior in Philadelphia. Go to Yale, but don't let your mom become a senior here in Philadelphia, because it's deplorable the way you want to treat us here at Brith Sholom. It's just unimaginable, unimaginable. I had a script, but I can't go through the script. You need to come see us. You have a wealth of education. I hear the people talking about the schools, the early education. You have young kids come and talk to any of the people at Brith Sholom and you have your history right there. They'll come walking out of Brith Sholom with knowledge, but you're trying to stifle us. We can't even sit in a communal area and just talk amongst ourselves. You can't -- it's just so -- it's terrible. It's terrible. Help us, see us. Come and see us. Get some knowledge from the older people. I look around here and I see some of you aren't going to have to go through this problem because you're not going to be blessed to be 75, 85, and 95 the way the people at Brith Sholom are, and 97. (Applause.)
Is that a blessing that you're not going to be able to see this age? Help us. Come to us. Keep us open. We need to stay open. We are a knowledge of education for the younger people. There's so many things we can tell you. So many people here, I know so many people of you don't know what good trouble is. You don't know what it is. Google it. You need to know. You need to know who said that. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Leslie Wolff, Marguerite Byrd, and John Hogan. (Witness approached podium.)
My name is Leslie Wolff and I made a statement the other day. I'm 85, and I'd like to thrive. And I've been a marketing consultant, and there's a client of mine here named Joe Frazier who lived in the City, and Joe had a phrase, there is no right way to do wrong, there's no wrong way to do right, and it's time management understood that, to do the right thing for the right people for the right reason, and then there would be no problem. That's it. (Applause.)
Marguerite Byrd, John Hogan, and Matteo Hintz. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. First of all, I want to thank you for allowing us to come to talk about our plight at Brith Sholom. I used to work at a prison, San Quentin Prison. I lived there, worked there, and I raised two children there. And I used to wonder why I didn't feel anything because these men have had their rights and freedom taken away, and I think it's because I wasn't a prisoner. I was just an employee. I could still come and go. Right now I'm a prisoner. I'm a prisoner at Brith Sholom. Okay? Even though I can come and go, I'm still a prisoner. Like Marlene said, we can't even sit in the lobby and converse with our neighbors. We've had privileges taken away from us. All the doors are locked. There's a push pad on the mailroom door. We used to be able to go in any time we wanted to pick up our mail. Now you can't do it. You have to pick it up between 9:00 and 5:00. If I worked every day and I had to leave before 9 o'clock and I didn't get home until after 5:00, I wouldn't be able to get my mail. And if I worked on the weekends, same thing. So when am I supposed to pick up my mail? We had a good time Fridays. We had the oldies but goodies night, and we would go in and dance, another form of communication, another form of socializing. It's been taken away from us because the doors are locked. Our wonderful Ms. Grace, she's one of the residents, she's 97, Ms. Grace is sick. Her doctor told her whatever she's doing, keep on doing it, and Ms. Grace was dancing. She doesn't dance anymore because it's locked up. Okay? The laundry room, I'm fortunate that I can still drive and I have a car. I take my laundry out. I don't go downstairs anymore to the laundry room. The pipes burst. It gets flooded down there. There's mice all over the building, and the washers break down, the dryers break down. So when are the people supposed to do their laundry? Plus there's a time limit on that. You can only do that between 9:00 and 5:00. After 5 o'clock, they have fixed it so the elevator won't even go down to the basement. Okay? Ladies and gentlemen, we are your precious commodity, seniors. We are your precious commodity. (Applause.)
We voted you in. We go to the polls. And it's not to say other people didn't vote you in, but we're your precious commodity, because we're going to make sure that we vote, because that's a privilege to be able to do that. So I'd appreciate it if some of you or all of you or whoever would come to Brith Sholom to help us out, because we do not want to lose our housing. (Applause.)
And before I finish, I want to give the 19th District kudos. They're always at Brith Sholom because of BS that goes on in the building. I want to thank those men and women for coming. They're there at least two, three, maybe four times a week. That shouldn't be. And I'm fortunate that I don't see police cars riding in our neighborhood. I live in Wynnefield Heights. The police barracks are right on Belmont Avenue. I don't even see them. So I'm going to assume that I live in a safe neighborhood. Okay? I want it to stay that way, please. (Applause.)
Thank you, Mr. President. I'll be brief. You see the residents that have come out here today, some of them 75 years old, some of them with disabilities. Some of them are veterans. Many of them are good voters. Let me say this: They are our Gray Panther activists. But Brith Sholom is not alone. This is the tip of the iceberg, that there are many facilities that started out under a HUD contract that had ceilings on rents. Thank God for Jamie Gauthier, who has been through this, was trying to coach me through it, but this is going to be coming to a neighborhood near you, and what will happen is that we need to have in place L&I's ability to come make repairs, because what happened was the owners literally just threw the keys and said, that's y'all problem, after taking out exorbitant loans and not doing repairs. They have begun the process of walking away. This is everywhere from Center City to Wynnefield Heights. And so as a municipality, I want to thank the Mayor for pulling together a team to be able to address this, because we need to create a blueprint on how to do it in South Philadelphia, Germantown, Frankford, Northeast, because it's coming. And so understand this part: There's a village in Italy where people live longer than anywhere on earth, and scientists and anthropologists wanted to know why. They said is it the water? Is it the food? No. It is the fact that this village values its seniors and they treat them as valuable members of the community, so they want to live longer. When you displace them, it's not just finding them new bricks. It's "I know on the second floor we do the pinochle party," "I know on the fifth floor I get my hair done," and "Ms. Smith over on the ninth floor makes a mean fried chicken on Fridays." These are familiar things that make your life worth living. So when you displace them, you shorten their life. So they're fighting life and death. So I want to thank my colleagues, because none of this gets done alone. You know, this ain't your first time up, Brith Sholom, Madam Leader, and I want to bring my at-larges to come see what they're talking about, see what they're talking about. (Applause.)
Thank you. Council will be at ease for a second. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. Twenty seconds. I just wanted to acknowledge Councilmember Curtis Jones and his constituents and their righteous fight for housing. And I also wanted to say that thanks to this Council, we did pass First Right of Refusal about a year ago. So that gives the City and affordable housing providers the right to purchase these critical affordable housing units, but, but there needs to be funding to do that. There needs to be funding to do that for Brith Sholom. There needs to be funding to do that for the -(Audience members yelling out.)
Right. There needs to be funding to do that for the University City Townhomes site. And it's this City's responsibility to ensure that families are not being kicked out on the streets, and I hope that we show up that way. (Applause.)
Will the Clerk call the next person for public comment.
John Hogan. Can Matteo Hintz and Sam Samore also make their way to the podium. (Witness approached podium.)
-- John Hogan. I live in East Mount Airy. I'm a recently retired member of AFSCME Local 590, which represents the Penn Library's support staff, has in fact represented them since 1969, and I'm here to speak in support of No. 240450. In our years, we have negotiated dozens of contracts with the University of Pennsylvania. We have always tried to share our wisdom and experience in collective bargaining with successive Penn administrations. Apparently it's not helping, so we welcome the efforts of our younger brothers and sisters in teaching Penn lessons about how they treat their workforce. We also welcome the support of Council. Thank you, Councilmember O'Rourke, for bringing this in. Thank you all of Council, and let's make sure all of Philly is a union town, all of Philly. Thank you. (Applause.)
Matteo Hintz, Sam Samore, and Kierra Felton. (Witness approached podium.)
Hi. I'm Matteo. I am the Chapter Chair for Penn Museum Workers United, AFSCME District Council 47, Local 397. I want to thank Councilmember O'Rourke and all the sponsors of Resolution 240450 for having our backs. It is such a privilege to have you on our side. As the largest employer of the City of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania has a responsibility to participate in good faith as its employees and community members fight for their democratic right to organize and bargain for fair pay and working conditions. I think that the sheer number of us organizing over the past couple of years should be a testament to how egregious the University's behavior really is. They tried to convince us that we're not deserving of liveable wages and robust protections on the job. Many of us struggle to get by while the University hoards the wealth that it bleeds from this city. This resolution holds their feet to the fire, and it tells them that the City does not condone this behavior. Together, we are not only changing the way that the University operates, but we're changing the culture on campus. Philly is a union town, and if the University wants to stay in all of our good graces, they need to reckon with that. Thank you. (Applause.) (Witness approached podium.)
Hello, City Council. My name is Sam Samore. I'm a Ph.D. student in the English department at Penn. I'm an instructor at Penn, and I'm a proud member of GETUP-UAW, the newly ratified graduate student worker union at Penn. So we're a union of grad students at Penn who do teaching and research work for the University. GETUP won our recent union election in a landslide victory with 95 percent of the votes cast in favor of forming a union. That huge margin is a sign. Graduate workers, along with all kinds of University employees at Penn and at other universities, want to claim our right to collective bargaining, but in order to win the kinds of truly transformative contracts that our university employees deserve, we need your help. That is why I urge you to pass Resolution 240450, and thanks to Councilmember O'Rourke for introducing this resolution. As the resolution states, graduate workers at Penn have been trying to unionize for about 20 years, with two previous campaigns that did not ultimately succeed. Those two campaigns failed in large part because of the lack of political support for the rights of graduate workers to form a union. In both 2003 and 2017, graduate workers at Penn tried to unionize, but the University administration collaborated with anti-labor NLRB members appointed by Presidents Bush and Trump to quash those efforts. This time, despite their attempts to delay our election and exclude workers from our bargaining unit, Penn couldn't stop us. But our fight is only just beginning. It's obvious based on the Penn administration's behavior during recent or ongoing contract negotiations with the Museum workers and the residential advisors and other unions, that if they are left to their own devices, they will do everything they can to delay negotiations and prevent change to the status quo. We need you to make it clear to the Penn administration that the kind of behavior they've been exhibiting won't be tolerated from Philadelphia's largest employer. Thanks for your time. (Applause.)
Kierra Felton, Shedrick Felton, and Lynn Landes. (Witness approached podium.)
Greetings, honorable members of the Philadelphia City Council. My name is Kierra Felton and I stand before you today with a heart full of gratitude, admiration as I advocate for the renaming of the street to honor my grandmother, the incomparable Lana Felton Ghee. (Applause.)
A beacon of strength, resilience, and a visionary leadership in the heart of our beloved city, Resolution 240444. Lana Felton Ghee's legacy is woven into the very fabric of our city, a testament to her unparalleled contributions as a business icon and trailblazer in our political landscape. Her unwavering commitment to empowering communities and driving economic growth has transformed Philadelphia into the beacon of opportunity for all of its residents. Growing up, my grandmother would have me sit in her corner office of the Wanamaker Building doing my homework and even dragged me along to meetings at City Hall. As she drove me to school at my beloved Girard Academic Music Program, I would hear her take phone meetings that left an indelible implant on my career today. I knew she was calling the shots, but at the time, I didn't comprehend the magnitude of her impact. Just this past December, across the hall we held a celebration for the 10th anniversary honoring the life and legacy of Lana Felton Ghee. Some of Philadelphia's political leaders and close family members attended the intimate celebration filled with gratitude and fond memories of her reign. The guest speaker list included Councilmember Cindy Bass, City Councilmember Jim Harrity, former City Councilmember Jannie Blackwell, State Rep Darisha Parker, State Rep Stephen Kinsey, and State Senator Sharif Street. Some of the powerful quotes from that day are: I was amazed to find out that in the early '70s she helped an icon get elected, and that was the late Honorable David P. , whose seat I sit in today. So we're talking about back in the '70s this lady was out there making sure that people who were doing great things had the opportunity to continue on. State Rep Stephen Kinsey. City Councilmember Jim Harrity almost shed a tear sharing stories of how she helped donate to his wife's campaign for Traffic Court, graciously remembering her saying, Jimmy, I'm going to take care of her, just like I take care of you. I'm calling all of my people and telling them to support your wife. Senator Sharif Street shared, the idea that we have a Black woman Mayor today who had a campaign run by another Black woman, well, the first woman to run a Mayoral campaign in Philadelphia was Lana Felton Ghee. As he explained the lineage of her impacts going beyond her era as the campaign leader for Mayor John F. Street, he continued, you don't get former Council President Darrell Clarke. He never hires Donna Bullock, who became the Chair of Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. You probably wouldn't have a Senator Sharif Street. If you don't have a Senator Sharif Street, I don't hire Jimmy, and you probably don't have Councilmember Jim Harrity. I can go on and on. If you go back to the first Black Mayor, Wilson Goode, there are so many ripples. Each of us is like a pebble thrown in the pond and the ripples go on long after you can no longer see us. I save this metaphor for very few people, but Lana Felton Ghee was a boulder thrown in the ocean, and the waves impacted all of our world. It is fitting that in this place where she had such a huge impact, City Hall, we are celebrating her legacy, because we're still basking in her love and warmth and we're still feeling the effects of the waves from the ripples of her life. There were so many profound things shared. State Rep Darisha Parker moved the room with resounding memories of how Lana Felton Ghee raised a lot of funding for a City program during her campaign. However, I'll share one last quote from Councilmember Cindy Bass. She passionately shared, here was this woman who was in a male-dominated business who was a powerhouse.
She wasn't a powerhouse who kept her power and authority to herself. She made sure to impart them particularly on young women like myself. We were the kids in the room and she was the mom in the room. You had someone who was supporting you, and like I mentioned, this was a male-dominated business and often Lana Felton Ghee was the only woman in the room. I'll move on to my final paragraph. But thank you, Councilmember. The City of Philadelphia as we know it today would not be without the work of Lana Felton Ghee. The resolutions highlight her accomplishments, but to revel at a few again, she was the first Black woman to run a Mayoral campaign for none other than our own Mayor John Street. She was instrumental in the campaigns of Mayor Wilson Goode, Governor Ed Rendell, and President Al Gore. She created the Welcome America 4th of July Celebration, which laid the foundation for Philadelphia to have festivals in the same spot, such as Made in America, which brings tremendous economic opportunities to our city. She did everything she could to provide productive opportunities to the youth of Philadelphia, such as the Year of the Child celebration, creating the citywide after-school program, and raising millions of dollars for my school, GAMP. She even had me and my cousins interning in City Council where I interned under Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez from 10th through 12th grade. She wanted to make it a program for the entire City for -- I mean, make it a program in the City with more students of Philadelphia, but at that time, her Lou Gehrig's disease had begun to take its toll. She was the co-owner of the hat shop at 29th and Girard, a beloved wife, mom, grandmother, family member, community leader, and so much more. As we honor her legacy, it would be our top honor to rename 29th and Girard to Lana Felton Ghee Way. )
Shedrick Felton, Lynn Landes, and then Naderah Griffin. (Witness approached podium.)
Council will be ease. The Chair recognizes two acknowledgments, first Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I just really wanted to thank Lana Felton Ghee's granddaughter for being here. I see her son Chief is here as well and her family. And as I was listening to the remarks, it reminded me of how much Lana Felton Ghee did for this city. But I remember her. I remember she was a powerhouse. She was a woman who was in control, in charge, and often she was, as the granddaughter just said, she was often the only woman in the room as significant political decisions were being made here in the City of Philadelphia. So I know she's smiling down on all of us and, listen, we keep her family in our prayers, and we thank you, thank you for your continued service and dedication. And to Chief, I see he's up there doing something. I don't know. Preparing for his speech. But thank you, Mr. President, and, most importantly, thank you to the family for being here as we recognize Lana Felton Ghee. She was something special. Thank you. (Applause.)
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I need to leave to take care of official Council business and I request to be recorded as aye on all bills and resolutions.
Leave is granted. Will the Chief Clerk please call the next person for public comment.
My good friend, they couldn't have chose a better President, brother. I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of this whole Council. My name is Shedrick Felton. They call me Chief. I'm Lana's son, her youngest son. And this is my sister, beautiful sister, Petra Felton here. I used to think that I was getting punished, because I just wanted to go play basketball, play football, do the things that young men do, and she was dragged and I was corralled to be born as a Philadelphia citizen and a grassroot legend in Philadelphia. I worked on Curtis's campaign. I worked with Cindy on her campaign. I helped Kenyatta on his campaign. I can go around the room. I just helped Mr. Phillips, the beautiful Ms. Gauthier. So I worked from being Lana's son to Philadelphia's first son, and I'll tell you a few stories. I was a Tindley Temple baby. My friends were Birdie Africa, John Africa, Milton, Sr. -- I mean Jr., TomTom, Jr., and when it came to organizing, coordinating, and strategizing, it was done at Tindley Temple. Georgie Woods, David Richardson, Curtis was a young man at that time, grassroot, and I see his growth and development. I'm so proud of you, Curtis. I am, brother. You overcame a whole bunch, and you deserve to be right here where you are. I'm going to get right to the point. My niece told me to get right to the point. We were just blessed to be embraced with the 29th Street Lana Felton Ghee Way, which we wanted to do on her 10th anniversary of death, and we needed 100 signatures. So they said we need 100 signatures in two days. So I thought I was going to go get a team and get these 100 signatures, take three people out with me. I went right to 29th and Girard. I went store to store from 29th to 27th, and within two hours, I had 100 signatures from that community, and it's just elating me. I was just elated like that these people still remember mom and the things that Lana done. There was a lady that owned a hat store. Her name was Miss Amy, and there was hundreds of people up to bid for that hat store, and Miss Amy said, I want Lana to have that store, because she embraced community. She embraced business. She was one of the starters with Ducky Birts and a couple other people that started UBBA, United Black Business Association. So when you called on Lana, you knew the job was going to get done. There's times this Council was head to head and they had to come to a resolution. They said, we need to call Lana. And you will go to her office and she'll say, Curtis, carry my bag, and by the time Curtis got to John Wanamaker Building, he had some resolution. Kenyatta when he was with David Fattah and the House of Umoja. So the great Lucien Blackwell, my Godfather, David Richardson. I can go on and on. I'm talking about Charlie Lou (ph) Barris. I'm talking about the Marshalls. I'm talking about the great Roxanne Jones. I'm talking about we went to Harrisburg, and we went room to room and we got that welfare rights thing coming. I'm talking about the charter change. And from there, I was a Charlie Bowser baby. And from there, I was a 1199C baby. So I was raised by the great Henry Nicholases, the David Richardsons, the Charlie Bowers, the Lucien Blackwells, and I can go on and on, but once we get the street and we can get everybody to come out on June 8th, we're going to put this program together, you can look at the legacy or you can Google the legacy of Lana Felton Ghee. (Applause.)
Thank everyone for your support, and I just love you all and I love the City of Philadelphia. And let me say my last thing. I moved to Atlanta about two years -about a year and a half ago, and I wanted to get away from Philadelphia. I thought I was done. And I looked at the news and it said Black men -- it was a story about Black men missing in their community and in their children's lives. I got on the next plane. I came back to Philly maybe two days later, and I have never been back to Atlanta since. (Applause.)
Thank you all. I'm a Philadelphian for life, and I'm about -- any time you guys need me in any kind of way, let me know, because you know I'm outside. (Applause.)
Good afternoon. I'm Lynn Landes of smallstreetsphilly.org. This Bill 240220 is an amendment to a zoning designation, and I hope the affected residents were aware of the change. It was an unpleasant surprise in my neighborhood of Washington Square West that we received a letter in March from the Philadelphia Historical Commission basically warning us that as of their upcoming June 14th meeting, they were going to designate us or may designate us a historic district, which means that almost everything we may want to change with the exterior of our houses will need their approval. Make no mistake, many of us support a ban on the destruction of historic buildings and treasures pending the Commission's approval, but it does not mean that we support giving the Historical Commission almost total control over the exterior of our homes. Did you know that if your house is historically designated and you want to change the color of your brick house, the Historical Commission will only approve the color of red brick. Or if you want an additional or enlarged windows, chances are the Historical Commission will not approve that if they can be seen from the street. Why weren't residents notified three years ago of these changes? Also, when these talks first commenced with Washington West Civic Association, which only represents 400 residents, but the main problem with the Historical Commission is, as with City Council, the Commission does not allow public comments on non-agenda items and, therefore, has shielded itself from public criticism by censoring the public. This is in violation of the First Amendment and the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act and should be finally rectified. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning, Councilmen and women. Thank you for allowing me to speak, and thank you for the work that you all are doing for the communities of Philadelphia. My name is Naderah Griffin. I am the Philadelphia Community Ambassador for all ten councilmanic districts. I'm speaking on behalf of the Resolution 240446. I am in support of the resolution. Also, on behalf of the community, we are asking that we are provided a parcel of land, a fee simple parcel of land, where I can conduct mental health treatment. We need more facilities, more small -- we need more small safe havens, mental health safe havens. I have community members reaching out for my expertise, and I'm providing free service to our community members, behavioral and mental health treatment. Because of the poverty that we're facing, because of regentrification here in Philadelphia, many members here in Philadelphia are experiencing mental health issues, and it's causing them to be homicidal, suicidal, experience homicidal and suicidal ideations, attempts, and actual homicides and suicides. I'm asking Council, there's 17 of you, I know you all have some land. We need for our community a piece of parcel of land that's fee simple so I can conduct these mental health therapies free of service to the people who need it so they can stop raping and killing, robbing and stealing. We need to bring back hope and humanity to our communities. They're dying. I'm born, raised, taught here in Philadelphia, and I have never seen so many people experience mental health issues before, and it's because of the poverty and the regentrification. We need help, and I'm asking you all, we prefer a piece of parcel of land fee simple in the Second and the Fifth Councilmanic District on Broad Street so all ten districts can reach it and it will be easy, accessible until we can get a piece of parcel of land where we can provide treatment in all ten councilmanic districts. We're asking you to provide this service for us and the land somewhere that I can provide treatment now. We don't need it tomorrow. We don't need it next year. All I'm asking is to give me somewhere where I can be safe instead of going to their homes. And if you don't give me the land, I'm still going to go to their homes, because they're crying out for help. We don't have enough doctors and therapists to provide treatment, so I have to provide this so it can bring them a sense of sanity and calm. Please do not cut that off, because we have people speaking that was not as relevant as this mental health and saving lives. Stop it. We're talking about lives here. We're talking about saving lives. And we're all impacted by some kind of trauma, whether it's past trauma, future trauma or current trauma. I'm impacted by trauma. My parents are impacted by trauma. We have lost three brothers and a sister to violence, and this is why I come down here every day. My parents have not been able to grieve for the four children that they've lost here on the streets of the City of Philadelphia to gun violence, and all of this stems from poverty and regentrification. And we want that lab too. (All power to the people.)
Ogbonna Hagins. Can Dee Dukes and William Hendricks also make their way to the podium. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. The people's chair recognizes me as the unseated Council President, and as the unseated President of Philadelphia City Council, I support the renaming of the 2300 block of Oakdale Street to Jill Scott Lane. I remember Jill Scott being featured in my publication, Philly Word Magazine, but I also remember her rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner recently where she basically indicated how structurally racist this country is. I'm a fourth-generation chattel slavery survivor. I come to you today to show my appreciation to Councilmember Young for introducing this resolution. In the spirit of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Thirteenth Amendment, I ask for an expansion, however, of this resolution to name June, I repeat, we want to name June in association with this renaming, we want June to be Structural Racist Prevention Month, Structural Racism Prevention Month, the month of June, Juneteenth, the Thirteenth Amendment. I submit this resolution as an interpretive statement that Philadelphia can and must implement immediate wealth transfer policies and assume a leading advocacy position to heal longstanding injuries of its citizens whose ancestors endured chattel slavery in Philadelphia as far back as 1639. So as your unseated Council President, June, I resolve, we resolve that June is Structural Racism Awareness Month, and we're going to let Philadelphia know exactly what structural racism is, because the Roadmap to Safer Communities said that the root cause of gun violence is structural racism, and the solution is large-scale investments in the areas of crime, violence, unemployment. So if structural racism is the root cause of gun violence, we have to be aware of what structural racism is to address it. Thank you.
Dee Dukes, William Hendricks, and Wick Savage and Hilary Langer. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, Council President, Councilmembers, and to everyone here. My name is Dee Dukes. I'm a Wynnefield community leader. I'm the President of the Wynnefield Community Neighborhood Association. I'm also the Vice Chair of the Philadelphia Crosstown Coalition. So I represent a lot of folks. Also sit on a Mastery Charter School Board. I'm here in support of Councilmember Jones's bill -- I don't have the number -- to support anything that we can do to support Brith Sholom. So being a community leader, I've been to that building. Some of you have not. So they're asking you to come. I've been to that building, and very recently I came with donations to try to give to the residents there, and there was no place to leave the donations. These folks are our parents. These are our elderly. My mother will be 80 years old this year. My grandmother, God rest her soul, was 94. I support seniors. I support people. We have to give them the funding that they need to be able to live. What is happening at Brith Sholom is disgraceful. If it was your parents, you would not want this. You would not stand by and allow this to happen. So, respectfully, the tenants are asking put Brith Sholom tenants in the negotiation room. Respectfully, Mayor Parker come and meet with the tenants. Number two, find the necessary and urgent repairs that are needed. Our homes need repairs, some of them, and they need repairs to be able to live. The disgracefulness that's happening in that building is horrible. And, lastly, allocate the funds for PHA to buy Brith Sholom. Please support these seniors. They need our help. Thank you. (Applause.)
William Hendricks, Wick Savage, and Hilary Langer. (Witness approached podium.)
William Hendricks. I didn't come here with a crowd of people, nor did I come with a script. I'm a radio personality. Is this the mic right here? Well, I'mma speak into it. Thank you, sir. I'm a radio personality and I'm a senior citizen. I'm 73 years old. Seventy-three years is a long, long time. I've been in the music and radio business for more than 54 years. Joe "Butterball" Tamburro is my family. He's my mentor. He trained me as a public servant. And I'm not the only one. WDAS is an institution for public service in this community, because WDAS has served this community for 75 years. I was there as Assistant Program Director for 54. Joe "Butterball" Tamburro was there for 50. I don't know what I'm going to say next, because usually when I speak, I speak freestyle. I speak the truth. I'm the most -- I'm one of the most honest men that you'll ever meet. I do what I say and I say what I'mma do. And I do what God and Jesus tell me. God tells me every day when I get up and in my sleep, he say, Bill, go over here. Bill, go over there. And I say, do I have to? He said, don't question me, just keep on going. And that's what I do. The bill that I'm to speak on is about street naming, and as I was coming over here, I was thinking, because I'm responsible for Joe Tamburro's legacy. And so many radio personalities from WDAS -- and I see the light on. Could you please allow me another couple seconds. I won't be long. And there's been many WDAS radio personalities who had street names after them, but Joe "Butterball" Tamburro hasn't. I would like for you, City Council, to consider naming a street after Joe "Butterball" Tamburro, and I'll tell you where and why. Edgley Road and Belmont where WDAS building, half of it, is still there. I'mma try and claim that building and remodel it, because I'm wealthy. I'm wealthy beyond your imagination, beyond my imagination, and I'mma tell you why I'm wealthy. Because when you see me, I'm not an African American. I'm not a Black man. I'm a person of color. I'm a North American Indian chief, and I say that proudly, Cherokee, but I'm not the only one. You're all kings and queens. This city belongs to you. It don't belong to Billy Penn. The Mayor, she came to my house one day on a Sunday. I was sitting by the window and I saw when she walked up. I'mma a wind up. But anyway, the Mayor, she walked up on my porch and I said, that's Cherelle Parker. I ain't planning on voting for her. So she knocked on the door, and I answered it, and when she spoke to me, I told her, I says, you know what, ma'am, you're going to be the next Mayor, because God chose you because women are God's favorite beings. All of you are queens. Dogs, cats are God's favorite beings. So in closing, I'mma say to you, City Council, when you leave your house every morning, think, say I'm going to be the best public servant. Serve the City of Philadelphia, because that's who you are. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)
Good afternoon, President of City Council and City Councilmembers. I first want to thank you, President of City Council, for being in such a support of Prep Charter, along with other Councilmembers in this body. I'm here to vote yes for Bill 240185. That's the bill to regulate hours along the Kensington Avenue corridor. If we don't start as a city taking care of the little things, the little crimes, the big crimes will be at your doorstep, as of this past Monday with Council President Kenyatta Johnson, three blocks away from his home. A man working for a living had two young ladies come in and murder him less than 300 feet from a police station. It is a serious matter to put this genie in check. If you commit crimes in the City of Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia, along with this Mayor that is doing a great job, will use every tool in its toolbox to apprehend you. Councilman Michael Driscoll started with the simple lawbreaking spinning in the middle of intersections to pass a bill, the simple bill of tenant windows, the simple bill of plates being hidden by some form of device. You break a window, you get punished. You commit a crime, you get punished. You murder someone, we are going to get you as the citizens of Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good afternoon, City Councilmembers. My name is Hilary Langer and I'm here to provisionally oppose Bill 240012, the rezoning of the reservoir at Queen Lane and Henry. I've been a resident of East Falls since 1982. I'm Chair of the East Falls Community Zoning Committee. I'm a registered architect and have worked as a lead project architect on very large projects, many in excess of the size of this reservoir. As a community, we have been in support of the rezoning to expedite the funding approval, planning, and reconstruction of the plan. The understanding was, we were to be given a binding commitment by the Water Department to accompany our support. All along we have wanted to be team players, as we have developed the protections the community has requested. Instead, when time is running out, our list of protections have been reviewed over months and months, filtered and then denied, while we have not been in the room to negotiate those points. We have requested four, five, six, seven times include us in the room, we want to meet, we want to get into the weeds. If you got a question, we can answer. We want to collaborate. That has not happened. So it's simple. This is all we want. We want you to agree to those protections -- I'm talking about the Water Department now -- that have already been provided and installed at a time when the plant was zoned residentially. We want to discuss further face-to-face those protections we believe can be added into the zoning bill. We appreciate Councilman Jones for getting the bill to this point, but there's a couple of other things we'd like to negotiate in that and we'd like a face-to-face in order to do that. We want to discuss face-to-face your resistance to a master plan review. There's four elements to the master plan. There's two ponds, filtration, sedimentation, some accessory uses. I think my cat could master plan this. We want to do this now, as your month-long reviews have brought us to the 11th hour. We can do this next week. We 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING can meet next week. We can get this done. So we're requesting that the bill is held until such time we can have a reworded zoning bill that incorporates negotiated simple protections, that we have a signed binding agreement commitment and agree to the review of a simple master plan. Thank you. (Applause.)
Council President, there are no other names for public comment.
We will now consider the bills and resolutions on Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar. Will the Clerk please read the title of Resolution 240444.
A resolution also naming the 2900 block of Girard Avenue as 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING "Lana Felton Ghee Way."
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Young for a motion regarding Resolution No. 240444.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution No. 240444 be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, the motion carries, and the resolution is adopted. Congratulations. (Applause.) 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
The Clerk will please read the title of Resolution No. 240445.
A resolution also naming the 2300 block of Oakdale Street as "Jill Scott Lane."
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Young for a motion regarding Resolution No. 240445.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution No. 240445 be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, the motion carries, and the 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution is adopted. The Clerk will please read the title of Resolution No. 240446.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 928 French Street in the Fifth Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Young for a motion regarding Resolution No. 240446.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Resolution No. 240446 be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, the motion carries, and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of Resolution No. 240450.
A resolution honoring the University of Pennsylvania workers whose organizing has resulted in a wave of labor victories and who are now represented by AFSCME DC 47, CIR-SEIU, OPEIU, and UAW, and calling upon the University of Pennsylvania to come to the bargaining table, without delay, and negotiate contracts in good faith with the workers.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember O'Rourke 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING for a motion regarding Resolution No. 240450.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of that resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution No. 240450 be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, the motion carries, and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of Bill No. 240012.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING area bounded by Queen Lane, Wissahickon Avenue, Roosevelt Boulevard (Extended), and Henry Avenue, and to amend Section 14-524 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "/FDO, Fourth District Overlay District," and make related changes, all under certain terms and conditions.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer an amendment, I think. Yeah, thank you. I offer an amendment to Bill No. 240012. A copy of that amendment has been circulated to all members of Council. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the amendment to Bill No. 240012 be adopted. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the bill has been amended. This bill will be placed on our Final Passage Calendar for the next session of Council. Will the Clerk please read the title of Bill No. 240247-A.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Kensington Avenue, Buckius Street, Frankford Avenue, and Tioga Street.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Will the Chief Clerk please call the roll. 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING 13. For the record, that's 13 and nays are zero. The record is corrected. Will the Clerk please read the title of Bill No. 240281.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Montgomery Avenue, 10th Street, Girard Avenue, and 13th Street.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Will the Chief Clerk please call the roll.
Councilmember 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Gauthier voted aye. Councilmember Thomas.
Aye. The ayes are 13; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Will the Clerk please read the title of Bill No. 240087-A. Yeah. I just counted that too, correct. For the record, that's 13 on Bill No. 240281 -- I'm sorry; 14 on Bill No. 240281. Will the Clerk please read the 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING title of Bill 240087-A.
An ordinance amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Service and Other Businesses", by adding a new section regulating the operation of establishments providing tax preparation services and providing for remedies, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Will the Chief Clerk please call the roll.
Councilmember Gauthier voted aye. Councilmember Thomas. 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. (Applause.)
Good job. The Clerk will please read any additional resolutions on today's Calendar.
A privileged 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution, introduced by Councilmember Thomas, recognizing and congratulating the Champion of the Week, Antoinette Ellis, a North Philadelphia native and student at Parkway Center City Middle College, on the occasion of being named as a Gates Scholar.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Thomas for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. Thank you, colleagues. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution, introduced by Councilmember Jones, authorizing the City Council Committee on Licenses and Inspection to hold public hearings to examine the progress of implementing Section 906 of the Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code entitled "Necessary Urgent Repair Program," to understand the impact it would have if fully funded, and further exploring partnerships and programs that could assist in successfully executing this initiative.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.) 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. (Applause.)
And a privileged resolution, introduced by Councilmember Jones, honoring, recognizing, and supporting the courage of the residents at Brith Sholom House located at 3939 Conshohocken Avenue in their pursuit of safe, fair, accessible, and affordable housing in the City of Philadelphia.
The 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Gray Panthers, I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. (Applause.)
Excuse me one second, Chief Clerk. The Chair recognizes 5/16/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember Jim Harrity.