COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, April 10, 2014 10:30 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN JAMES KENNEY COUNCILMAN DENNIS O'BRIEN COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO MICHAEL A. DECKER,
Good morning, everyone. (Good morning.)
We're going to start now. I'd ask all guests and visitors to please retire behind the rail and members will take their seats. We will start. Thank you very much. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Dr. Philip D.W. Krey of the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia. He is here today as the guest of Councilwoman Cindy Bass. I would ask all guests and visitors to please rise. (Members and guests rise.)
In the Lutheran tradition, we value and respect good the good government in this city, the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia has been able to invest $40 million in its campus and regularly contributes about to million to Northwest Philadelphia. And we're thankful for good government, this City Council, which is a proof that the honorable Cherelle Parker, who is our Representative, Cindy Bass, who is our Councilwoman. And personally before I pray, I just wanted to say that my wife and I have five children. All five have gone to Philadelphia public schools, and all of them are doing well. (Applause.)
Let us pray. Gracious God, we give you thanks for this glorious day, signs of renewal after a long winter, signs of hope for a renewed city, a city we love. We ask your blessings upon our Mayor, the President of this Council, this City Council, and all who lead this We pray that you protect all those who stand in harm's way for our safety, especially our police and firefighters. We also pray that this great Council deliberates with justice and fairly for this city. May their decisions be especially helpful for the children of our public schools and the vulnerable for whom you care. I give you thanks for each and every member of this city's leadership for their dedication and service. May they know that we love them and we honor them and respect them for all they do. We pray this in your holy name. Amen. (Amen.)
Thank you so much for those inspiring words. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you so much. The next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, April 3rd, 2014. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, April 3rd, 2014 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of April 3rd, 2014 stand approved. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the Journal is of business is requests for leaves of absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the majority, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. On behalf of the republicans, there is no request for leaves of absence.
Thank you very much. Folks, could I ask your voices be lowered a little bit, please. Thank you. We're trying to conduct business. At this time, I will dispense with the regular order of business and I would like to welcome and thank everyone here today to witness their government in action. We hope that your stay here today is a pleasurable one and an educational one, and we hope that you really enjoy yourself so much that you come back again. So, again, thank you for coming down this morning. Before we recognize our presentations, I would like for us to recognize with a moment of silence for a true patron, a great citizen of the City of Philadelphia, a person that we've all grown up reading. We'd like to give a moment of silence for Chuck Stone, if we can. Can we all please rise. (Moment of silence.)
Thank you all very much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco, who will present a resolution congratulating Marlene Trice on receiving the Pennsylvania AARP Andrus Award for Community Service. Would Ms. Trice and join the Councilwoman at the podium. And we also have a very special guest, our good friend, State Representative Parker and the Philadelphia delegation leader who has been extremely helpful to us over the years. Thank you for being here, Representative.
One day I was reading my AARP Magazine and I turned to one of the sections and there was my good friend and constituent in a large story about her receiving the Pennsylvania Andrus Award, which is named in honor of the founder of AARP, and I got so excited and certainly wanted to make sure that we recognize her for the work that she does, not only in the food bank that she runs out of State Representative Cherelle Parker's office, wonderful other work she does in the community helping our constituents not only in the 50th Ward but all over the Northwest and beyond, because she's a loving mother and a good christian and she loves the work that she does. So I am just so pleased that we are able to be here today to recognize and congratulate Marlene Trice on receiving the Pennsylvania AARP Andrus Award for Community Service. Whereas, Marlene Trice is the founder of the Kitchen of Love Distribution Center which, monthly, provides free nutritious groceries, including fresh meats, vegetables and fruits to more than 500 residents of Philadelphia, and for more than three decades, Mrs. Trice has dedicated much of her time to ensure that those in need have access to the precious necessities of life; and Whereas, the AARP Andrus Award founder Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus and the award recognizes outstanding individuals who are making their communities better in ways that are consistent with AARP's mission, vision and commitment to volunteer service and who inspire others to volunteer; and Whereas, through her work, Mrs. Trice exemplifies the spirit of Dr. Andrus in the AARP mission by her tireless commitment to providing a helping hand to the community by catering countless neighborhood events, including all of mine, grocery shopping for elderly residents (including trips to medical appointments), organizing soup kitchens for the homeless and toy drives for the underprivileged children, all while juggling the responsibilities of her job and family; and Whereas, annually, Mrs. Trice organizes a Thanksgiving Dinner, sponsored by State Representative Cherelle L. Parker, where numerous people South Jersey come together to feast over a true homemade meal, and she is an active member of Taylor Memorial Church, a Block Captain on Forrest Avenue for over 34 years and the wife of Mr. Clarence Trice for more than 30 years, where their union has blessed her as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother; and Whereas, AARP's commitment to volunteer service can be traced back to Dr. Andrus' founding vision and motto, quote, "to serve, not to be served," end of quote, and according to AARP Pennsylvania State President Jim Palmquist, Marlene's tireless commitment to her community serves as an inspiration to others and makes her a particularly worthy recipient of this award; now, therefore, be it Resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that we hereby honor Marlene Trice on receiving the Pennsylvania AARP Andrus Award for resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Marlene Trice as evidence of the sincere sentiment of this legislative body. It is introduced by Marian Tasco and supported by all members of City Council. And we want to sincerely thank Marlene for all the hard work she does for us in the community, and she does a great job in providing us our lunches for Election Day, I'm sure to the consternation of Committee of Seventy, who thinks that we're buying votes by feeding people. But she does a great job, and we love her and she really keeps the community well fed and helps people throughout the community. So, Marlene, thank you so much. I've been waiting a long time to do this because the article -- she got the award last year, but problems intervened and we couldn't get it done.
always say thank you for the good work that you do in this city and particularly in the Northwest. Thank you, my dear. )
The Chair recognizes Ms. Trice -Representative Parker, please give us some remarks. REPRESENTATIVE PARKER: Good morning, everyone. I just want to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly say thank you to Ms. Marlene Trice for the work that she does. You know, there is a misnomer about Northwest Philadelphia, and, that is, if you live in zip code 19150, no members of that community are in need of assistance. It goes to show you that many of the cuts that we've seen nationally, statewide, and even here on the local level are actually getting to the pocketbooks of regular people across the City, and Marlene makes sure that the people throughout Northwest Philadelphia fruits, vegetables, and all kinds of meats that you can think of, particularly during their time of need. So today we pay homage to her. And thank you, Councilwoman Tasco, Council President Clarke, and all members of Council for this opportunity today.
Good morning. First I'd like to give honor to God, who is first in my life. Thank you, Council President Clarke. I humbly thank Councilwoman Marian Tasco for honoring me and the Kitchen of Love with this resolution. For almost 20 years, I, along with a host of dedicated volunteers, have been serving families in need through the City. We moved our program to the and to the district office of State Representative Cherelle Parker. Through this partnership, we have been able to serve more than 500 families a week with nutritious food and produce distribution. As a result of this union, our site has become a one-stop shop for families in need. The Kitchen of Love addresses the rising issue of hunger among the residents, while upstairs in Representative Parker's front office, residents have access to valuable resources and easier things to accomplish with things listed to do from issues with DPW to the housing and quality of life concerns. I am blessed to have this opportunity to help others gain access to their basic needs, some of which we often take for granted. I thank my husband, Clarence Trice, my children, Tahava Trice, my grandchildren, Donny Caldwell and Dante Lowery. And I also thank my volunteers who arrive early on Mondays and Thursdays and Fridays to help me carry out my mission of Kitchen of Love. As a child of God, I wait my awards in heaven. Today I am truly here to help those who may not otherwise know where to turn. I truly appreciate this recognition. Thank y'all very much. (Applause.)
Thank you. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien, who will present a resolution recognizing April 2014 as Autism Awareness Month. Would Terri Matthews and those accompanying her please join the Councilman at the podium. And joining Councilman O'Brien, Greenlee, Councilwoman Bass, and Councilman Jones and also Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. Last Friday we recognized a real leader not only in autism but health and human services at the School District of Philadelphia, Estelle Richman, and she was given the School District's Autism Award. And I'd just like to also recognize her efforts in creating the Bureau of Autism Services, and we also have with us Nina Wall, who is the Director of the Bureau of Autism Services in the back. Estelle provided great leadership in making Pennsylvania the leader in autism research and translating that research into programmatic responses, and I can literally say that we are at least ten years ahead of everybody in the United States. And while everyone else is focusing on children living with autism, we have to spend 80 percent of their lives as adults, and the programs that we're creating in Pennsylvania deal with individuals on the autism spectrum across all ages. And I'm excited to announce that yesterday we had the leadership meeting for the Philadelphia Autism Project, and I'd like to recognize that Terri Matthews is here. She's going to serve -- you'll hear from her in a little while -- on the Autism Project. You have the Drexel Institute for Autism, who is going to drive this engine both from a research standpoint and from an epidemiology standpoint, and all the other leaders that comprise this powerful engine that is going to attack autism are all going to be part of this wonderful conversation. It's never been done on a municipal level before, and we are very excited about this. And there was so much energy coming out of that room, I'm surprised that William Penn didn't do a 360 on top of the dome. an opportunity, the Drexel Institute Mobile REACH van is on the north side of City Hall, and it is symbolic as well as a substantive approach to recognizing and addressing the underserved families in the City of Philadelphia. It will provide identification, assessments, and supports for individuals living with autism in all neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia. And, finally, the facilitator at yesterday's meeting recognized an article, periodical that identified Philadelphia as one of the top five cities in the United States to live if you have a family member living with autism. The exciting thing is that as powerful as that recognition is, we are going to build on that success and we are going to turn the autism conversation upside down, as Terri Matthews is doing with Jaden's Voice. So I'm thrilled with that opportunity, and I'd like to present a citation recognizing Autism Awareness Month here in City Council and present it to Terri Matthews at Jaden's Voice. And I'll begin: Whereas, April is National Autism Awareness Month. Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, describes a group of brain disorders that affect social interactions, communication and other behaviors; and
Whereas, in 2014, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1 in every 68 children, that is 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls, in the United States are on the Autism Spectrum; and Whereas, the CDC's findings, demonstrating a significant increase in the prevalence of autism, echoes the findings of the Pennsylvania Autism Census Project led by the ASERT Collaborative at Drexel University, which found that the number of Pennsylvanians nearly tripled from 2005 to 2011; and Whereas, the Pennsylvania Autism Census Project found that, in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia alone, the number of individuals receiving services has more than doubled and statewide individuals with autism are experiencing alarming rates of contact with the justice system. Of additional concern is despite increased awareness, many adults with autism remain mis- or un-diagnosed; and
Whereas, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been an international leader in the fight for individuals with autism. Under the Department of Public Welfare, the Office of Developmental Programs was created along with the Bureau of Autism Services; and Whereas, Philadelphia has been recognized as one of the top five cities in America to live for people who have home of cutting-edge research, experimental studies that identify best practices and inclusive approaches to support individuals living with autism and expand their mainstream opportunities, contributing to an enhanced quality of life for individuals with autism and their families; and
Whereas, Terri Matthews, a mother of a son with autism, and founder and CEO of Jaden's Voice, a Philadelphia based non-profit designed to meet the needs of underserved families impacted by autism in the Philadelphia area, is dedicated to improving access and quality of services and supports for families impacted by autism; and Whereas, Jaden's Voice is comprised of two distinct programs: Jaden Cares Program addresses the physical and support service needs for children and families living with autism and Jaden's Family Care Program provides for families through the support groups and educational opportunities for parents and caregivers; and
Whereas, Dr. Craig Newschaffer, Lindsay Shea, Dr. James Connell and Dr. Jennifer Plumb of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University, through support from the Lurie Foundation and the Philadelphia Eagles, have demonstrated their commitment to improving access to information and services via their Mobile Resources and Education for Autism and Community Health (REACH) van, which will provide mobile outreach specifically targeting individuals and families in underserved and underrepresented communities; and Whereas, Drexel University's Professor Diana Nicholas and her team of students, Maureen McMenamin, Miguel Vargas, Faye Leff, Grace Lamb, Alexis Siriani and Yoshi Takeo from the Media and Design, ensured the Mobile REACH van accounted for special interests, sensitivities and needs of individuals living with autism, with necessary storage space for outreach materials and the capacity to allow clinicians to conduct assessments; now, therefore, be it
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Philadelphia recognize April 2014 as Autism Awareness Month in honor of individuals living with autism, their families and those working to improve the quality of life for the entire autism community. And be it further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Terri Matthews of Jaden's Voice as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. (Applause.)
I would just have one more comment on the census that was created by the Bureau of Autism Services. I'd like to recognize that only in Pennsylvania are we creating that census data, because at some point when we were walking through the halls of Harrisburg, legislators said, Well, how many people are there in Pennsylvania living with autism? And you just heard the national statistic, that it's 1 in 68, but let me give you a powerful visual, because as I said, we tend to focus on children living with autism, but as I said, individual children grow up to be adults and they spend 80 percent of the lives as adults. By the year 2017 when all the school buses stop and all the services disappear, there's going to be 25,000 adults living with autism with no services in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 25,000. There are also 2,000 individuals living with autism that have touches with the criminal justice system in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that never should have happened. These numbers reflect the incidents across the United States. This issue has to be recognized not only in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania but nationally. These individuals need the services, and the infrastructure that's represented behind me here, infrastructure is people, we have the most creative minds on the planet here in the City of Philadelphia. And with this Philadelphia Autism Project, we are going to continue to make a difference. And I give you Terri Matthews.
First and foremost, I want to give honor to God for this opportunity to work and operate in my purpose. It is a great honor to be standing before you to talk about something that touches not only the City United States. I'm Terri Matthews, as you've heard. I'm the CEO and founder and mom of Jaden, which is the birth of Jaden's Voice. I work to enhance the lives of all children that are impacted by autism, but specifically our underserved communities. We are in need, serious need, of resources. You've heard all the stats that Councilman O'Brien has given you, but it is a sincere need that we have to act and do something now. I want to thank Councilman O'Brien for taking today to honor and recognize Jaden's Voice and all of the fellow Councilmen and women who have supported me in our efforts and all of the events and organizational things that we've done throughout the City. Jaden's Voice is just one voice, but we're the voice of many, and I wouldn't be able to stand here before you -- I don't do this work alone -- Dr. Daniel Lee, who is on (Applause.)
Give him a round of applause. He has been awesome, supportive, instrumental in helping develop the programs that we can deliver to families that are impacted by autism. I also want to thank my partner Danielle in the back who handles my everything, Maxwell Brown. More importantly too, my folks here at Drexel who handles our research. Our new partners now are Apple, the Apple folks here in the City of Philadelphia. And our mission at Jaden's Voice is to improve, create, develop, deliver innovative programs that will make a real change or real difference right now. I respect all of the research that's going on, but today our kids need improvement. Today they need speech. Today they need behavior. Today our families need to be motivated. Today. It's a right-now thing. So, again, I'm honored to stand before you. Underserved does not necessarily mean someone is on public assistance. Underserved just means they're not receiving services or resources or they might not have the additional funding that I was fortunate enough to pay for and get for Jaden. I joke and say he's going to get a Harvard T-shirt because at this point, Jaden is 7 and he's now speaking, but it took Harvard dollars, almost sending him almost it felt like through college to get him to this point. And no family, no child should be able to go without in a country that we have so many resources available and free resources available that our children should not be touched, no matter their ethnicity, nationality, where they live, who they know, what job titles their parents may or may not have. So we're here to make a difference and we're developing programs not only for the City of Philadelphia but We have something called Jaden's Buddy where we want to continue to create autism-friendly spaces, churches, daycares, the Art Museum. We just had a great conversation today about that. Anything and everything, because as Mr. O'Brien said, Jaden is autistic. There is no cure for autism, and one day we will be an adult and one day mommy won't be able to be his voice. So I hope that I call each and every one of you to action today, school districts, political officials, any and everybody who has an opportunity to help support us through funding, coming to our events. I ask you today to just stand up and help us reach our goal to impact as many children and families as we possibly can. Thank you again for this opportunity. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez, who will present a resolution recognizing April 2014 as Child Abuse and Prevention Awareness Month. Would Ms. Vickie Melvin and those accompanying her please join the Councilwoman at the podium. And joining the Councilwoman, we also have Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Good morning. I want to thank everyone, many of my colleagues who recently participated in our legislative session at PCA, Councilman Oh, our soon-to-be-Councilman Neilsen, Councilwoman Tasco, and other offices who were present as we hosted elected officials in this very state-of-the-art, unique, best practices facility in the 7th Councilmanic District. recognize the Philadelphia Children's Alliance for their commitment to promoting healing and justice for victims of child sexual abuse in Philadelphia and declaring April 2014 to be Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in the City of Philadelphia. Whereas, over the past 20 years, the Philadelphia Children's Alliance has advocated for a team-based approach, built cooperative relationships, introduced efficiencies into a system to provide rapid response and effectively change how abused children are served and cared for in Philadelphia; and Whereas, the Philadelphia Children's Alliance became a full member of the National Children's Alliance in 1992 and was accredited by NCA in 2001. Today, PCA not only meets all of the NCA standards, but is a national best standards model for peer agencies nationwide; and Whereas, the Philadelphia Children's Alliance exists to create a more effective and caring response to children who have been sexually abused, and is dedicated to providing justice and healing for sexually abused children, working to protect victims, ending the cycle of abuse and improving the quality of life of abuse investigations -- the quality of abuse investigations; Whereas, recently, PCA relocated to the Philadelphia Safety Collaborative within the Seventh District along with the Department of Human Services, the Special Victims Unit and the District Attorney's Office. This facility allows for a more streamlined investigation and a less traumatic experience for the children; and
Whereas, this year PCA is on target to see approximately 2,400 cases, giving victims an opportunity to go to a safe place, story, receive support services and begin the process of healing; and Whereas, April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and PCA recognizes this month by providing increased knowledge of the resources available to parents and caregivers to prevent child maltreatment and promote self-being; and Whereas, the Philadelphia Children's Alliance is the only primary intervention organization in Philadelphia working with child victims of sexual abuse and this mandate to increase capacity is driven by a critical need for PCA's services to help protect the children and their families they serve so that children can quickly get the help they need to live safe, fulfilling lives; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the City of Philadelphia, we hereby recognize, honor and celebrate the their commitment in promoting healing and justice for victims of child abuse in Philadelphia and declaring 2014 as Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in the City. We extend our sincere respect and admiration. This resolution was introduced by me and sponsored by all members of City Council. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Molly Lynyak and I'm the Manager of Intake for the Philadelphia Children's Alliance, and with me is Vickie Melvin, the Manager of Victim Support Services. I'd like to thank Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez for introducing this resolution and helping us bring awareness about our important work and the problem of child sexual abuse. Awareness and Prevention Month. So we greatly appreciate receiving your resolution at this time. Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez has been a champion for PCA, especially as we looked for a location to co-locate, and since, we moved into our new facility this summer. We would like to really thank you for your support and constant recognition of our work. The Philadelphia Children's Alliance is a non-profit organization that aims to provide healing and justice to child victims of sexual abuse by conducting state-of-the-art forensic interviews, providing victim support services, collaborating with other agencies, and leading the development of an integrated response. In August, the Children's Alliance finally co-located to a facility where we are housed with our partner agencies, the Philadelphia Special Unit, the Department of Human Services Sex Abuse Unit, and the DA's Office. We also have mental health services on site and will soon open a medical clinic en suite. This new building known as the Philadelphia Safety Collaborative has improved our working relationships and has allowed all agencies that intervene in child sexual abuse cases to provide a more immediate response to alleged cases of abuse. Relocating to this facility with DHS, SVU, and the DA's Office was a dream come true for PCA. We have been able to increase our capacity, and this year we're on target to serve 2,400 children. As the only non-profit in the Philadelphia Safety Collaborative, PCA is proud of all that we have accomplished and the partnerships with DHS and the Police Department. We could not have done this without the support of the City Council, Mayor Nutter, and DHS Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose, who all importance of bringing justice and healing to sexually abused children in Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you so much. The next order of business is communications. The Chair requests that the Sergeant-Of-Arms delivers the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Mr. Decker, please read those messages.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am pleased to advise you that on April 4, 2014, I signed all the bills that were passed by Council at its session on April 3, 2014, and that on April 9, 2014, I signed all of the bills Council at its session on March 27, 2014; and I am transmitting herewith for the introduction and consideration of your honorable body a resolution appointing Richard Goldberg to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District; and A resolution appointing Dan King to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District; and An ordinance authorizing the Commissioners of the Department of Public Property and the Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into a license agreement between PECO Energy Company as licensor and the City of Philadelphia as licensee for a certain strip of land located along the east side of the Schuylkill River between Christian Street and a point approximately six hundred and twelve feet northeast of Christian Street to be used for an extension of the Schuylkill River Recreational Trail; and Commissioner of Public Property to enter into a sublease with the Philadelphia Municipal Authority, for use by the City of a portion of the premises located at 1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard; and An ordinance authorizing the appropriate officials of the City of Philadelphia to convey substantially all of the City's assets known as the Philadelphia Gas Works, together with associated liabilities, and a connection therewith supplementing and amending certain legislation concerning the Philadelphia Gas Works; authorizing the City to enter into other agreements and take other actions, including but not limited to entering into an asset purchase agreement, execution of ownership documents and certain other instruments and documents, termination of the City's existing management agreement with the Philadelphia Facilities Management Corporation, defeasance of payment of related obligations, and entering into a service agreement with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development to provide that proceeds of the asset sale effect the continuing reduction or elimination of existing or future pension fund unfunded actuarial accrued liability; and Also an ordinance amending Section 3-207 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Sale of Fuel Oil," by deleting current Code requirements and providing for future criteria for the sale and combustion of fuel oil to be established by the Air Pollution Control Board by regulation, all under certain terms and conditions.
Mr. Decker, do you have any other communications?
Thank you very much, sir. The next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of myself, Councilmember Brown, Squilla, and Councilman O'Neill, I offer one resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing and honoring Wawa on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first Wawa convenience store and for Wawa's many investments in the Philadelphia area.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar. And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'm not introducing any resolutions or bills today.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. On your behalf, I offer one bill and one resolution.
An ordinance amending Title 12 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Traffic Code," by revising Section 12-1117, entitled "Physically Handicapped and Disabled or Severely Disabled Veteran Parking," by allowing certain persons who transport a disabled veteran to apply for a reserved on-street parking space.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Sixteenth Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
That resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Council President. I introduce one bill on your behalf.
An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to enter into a sublease agreement with the Philadelphia Municipal Authority, for use by the City of a portion of the premises located at 1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
That bill will be referred to committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one bill and one privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the landmark United States Supreme Court decision Brown versus Board of Education.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar. Change that. That will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar at the request of the Councilperson.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Thirty-Sixth Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
And that resolution will also be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I got one bill and one non-privileged resolution.
An ordinance amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Lehigh Avenue, Fairhill Street, Huntingdon Street, and 5th Street.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Nineteenth and Forty-Third Wards of the City of Philadelphia.
And that resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one bill and one resolution.
An ordinance amending Chapter 17-1500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Annual Disparity Study and Participation Goals," by specifying the principal formulas to be used in calculating (1) the percentage of contracts awarded to Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women Business Enterprises (WBEs), and Disabled Business Enterprises (DSBEs) (collectively known as M/W/DSBEs); and (2) participation goals for future contracts to be awarded to M/W/DSBEs.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution honoring the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity on the occasion of its 110th anniversary.
And that resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one bill this morning.
An ordinance amending Section 3-207 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Sale of Fuel Oil," by deleting current code requirements and providing for future criteria for the sale and combustion of fuel oil to be established by the Air Pollution Control Board by regulation.
And that bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one bill and one non-privileged resolution today.
An ordinance authorizing the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Property to construct, own and maintain an accessible ramp and step encroachment located at 1201 North 61st Street.
And a non-privileged resolution also naming the unit block of Lock Street from the intersection of Main Street as "Kay Sykora Way" at the entrance into Venice Island in recognition of the dedicated service and tireless effort undertaken by Ms. Kay Sykora to improve communities along the Schuylkill waterfront in Philadelphia.
That resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution in solemn recognition of the week of April 27 through May 3, 2014 as the annual remembrance of the Six Million Jewish Martyrs, who perished during the Holocaust.
That resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one bill, five resolutions, one co-sponsored by yourself and two co-sponsored by Councilman Kenney.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by 7th Street, Arch Street, 13th Street, and Callowhill Street.
And a privileged resolution honoring and congratulating the Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls Varsity Bowling Team on their back to back Catholic League Championships.
And that resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution congratulating the Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti 2013-2014 Boys Basketball Team on winning the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship, District 12 Class AAA City Title, and the PIAA Division AAA State Championship.
That resolution will also be on this week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution Honoring and Congratulating The Constitution High School Boys Basketball Team, The Generals, on winning the 2014 PIAA AA State Championship and The District 12 City Title for the AA Classification.
That resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution appointing Richard Goldberg to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
And that resolution will be referred to committee.
And a resolution appointing Dan King to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
That resolution will also be referred to committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I offer one privileged resolution co-sponsored by Councilmembers Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Jannie Blackwell, Cindy Bass, Mark Squilla, Jim Kenney, Curtis Jones, Jr., and Blondell Reynolds Brown and signed by all members of Council.
A privileged resolution authorizing City Council's Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings concerning college admission and tuition policies of local colleges and universities for undocumented youth in Philadelphia.
That resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. And that concludes our introduction of bills and resolutions. The next order of business is reports from committee, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a report from the Committee of Streets and Services.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Streets and Services reports 12 bills with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. Mr. Decker, will you please read that report.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Streets and Services, to which was referred Bill No. 130529, entitled "An ordinance authorizing Brandywine Cira Post Office to construct, own and maintain various 2970 Market Street"; and Bill No. 130952, entitled "An ordinance establishing a one-way regulation on Marion Street, from Hansberry Street to West Queen Lane, northbound"; and Bill No. 130954, entitled "An ordinance establishing a one-way regulation on Conlyn Street, from North 21st Street to Kemble Avenue, eastbound"; and Bill No. 140016, entitled "An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 271 by striking from the City Plan and vacating an irregularly shaped portion of Laurel Street, from Canal Street to Delaware Avenue, by relocating the southwesterly houseline of said Laurel Street a variable distance northeastwardly"; and Bill No. 140018, entitled "An ordinance authorizing and directing the of Wishart Street, from Seventeenth Street westwardly and northwestwardly to Allegheny Avenue, to Lippincott Street"; and Bill No. 140074, entitled "An ordinance authorizing Richard Ley to construct, own and maintain a private pole, electrical appurtenances and aerial wire over, on and under the south footway of the 3800 block of Powelton Avenue for supplying electric service to his vendor truck"; and Bill No. 140077, entitled "An ordinance authorizing Vuthea Vin to construct, own and maintain a private pole, electrical appurtenances and aerial wire over, on and under the south footway of the 3800 block of Powelton Avenue for supplying electric service to his vendor truck"; and Bill No. 140097, entitled "An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 307 by striking from the City sub-surface portions of Fifteenth Street between Arch Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Sixteenth Street between Arch Street and Cuthbert Street, and Arch Street from Sixteenth Street to a point east of Fifteenth Street"; and Bill No. 140102, entitled "An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 308 by striking from the City Plan and vacating Cypress Street from Broad Street to Watts Street"; and Bill No. 140179, entitled "An ordinance establishing a no truck parking regulation on Midvale Avenue, between Conrad Street and a point 1,000 feet west thereof, on both sides of the street"; and Bill No. 140208, entitled "An ordinance legalizing an existing fence encroaching on the public right-of-way at 3301 Lester Road"; and Bill No. 140210, entitled "An regulation on 16th Street, east side, Olney Avenue to Chew Avenue," respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. The Chair again recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the first reading this day of the 12 bills that were just read into the record. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to allow first reading with suspension this day of Bills No. 130529, 130952, 130954, 140016, 140018, 140074, 140077, 140097, 140102, 140179, 140208, and 140210. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and these bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. The next order of business is the consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills just -- the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to be excused to take care of Council business. I'd like to leave my vote yes on all bills and resolutions.
Okay, Councilwoman. It shall be noted. The next order of business is the consideration of the Calendar. I note that all the bills just reported 4/10/14 - STATED - 1ST READING from committee with suspension of the rules have been deemed to have had a first reading, and these bills will be placed on our Second and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. Mr. Decker, please read any other bills on the Calendar today.
Bill No. 130955, entitled "An ordinance continuing the Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District in the area that generally includes both sides of Germantown Avenue from 7640 to 8705, certain blocks of streets that intersect that portion of Germantown Avenue, and both sides of Bethlehem Pike from 10 to 105; approving an extension to the boundaries of the District, and continuing Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District, Inc., a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, as the neighborhood business improvement district management association for the District.
2ND READING Thank you. The Chair agrees, and this bill will be placed on our Second and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Jones for the purpose of calling up resolutions and bills on our Final Passage Calendar.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up for Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today: Nos. 140286, 140287, 140288, 140289, 140292, 140293, 140294, 130411, 130768, and 140053. All other resolutions and bills are being held.
Thank you very much. Before considering these resolutions and bills on the Final Passage Calendar, we will have our public comment session. It will go as follows: If you wish to testify on a bill or resolution that is on the Final Passage Calendar for today, I'd ask that you sign up, if you haven't already done so, to the table to my left. When your name is called, you will go to the podium in the middle of the Council. There's a device. It has a light. When that light turns green, it will be your time to speak. When it turns yellow, you have 30 seconds to conclude your remarks. When it turns red, we ask that you please conclude your remarks and adhere to the guidelines. You will have three minutes for your testimony. Thank you very much. Mr. Decker, please call the name of the first individual.
Clarc King, commenting on 140286. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning, Mr. President of City Council and good morning Councilmembers. I'd just like to thank Councilmember Blackwell on Resolution 140286 on the inequality. It has become an issue of the national security. One hundred million Americans live in poverty caused by the Wall Street money system. One hundred million Americans, working-age Americans, will not have a full-time job. National production facilities throughout the nation are in severe decline. I can't even speak to farm and food production. Ten million families have been thrown from their homes by a horrible foreclosure process. These people, over a hundred million, are no longer in the national discussion. Every day the sequester Congress operates the Wall Street policy and enables the feds' unrelenting unemployment, unlimited bailout system to operate the collapse of the national economy is the national security crisis. I ask the City Council to create the resolution urging Congress to rectify unrelenting unemployment and the accelerating collapse of the economy and that national banking fund the redevelopment of North America, activate the full employment policy as a national priority, as this is the only way to gain the stabilization of this great nation, the United States. Thank you.
Jihad Ali, commenting on 140286. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning, Council President and all the other distinguished members of City Council. My name is Jihad Ali. I'm here to give testimony on Bill 140286 and I'd just like to read that bill. It says the resolution calling on the City Council of Philadelphia to declare the need for all peoples of the United States of America to have equal access to opportunities and accept the responsibility to attempt to rectify the unequal obstacles that exist for various populations across this great nation. The question I have for you members of Council, does this bill apply to me? And I ask that because I've been down to this Council numerous times. What this bill is saying, I've lived my life, my adult life, fighting for people from my community, particularly African American men. When I've come to this Council, most of the time I do get respect. And it's not just a black and white issue. I can count on respect from Councilman Henon, from Councilman Kenney, from O'Brien, all the other Councilmen. I can count on respect. My Councilman, Councilman Jones, he has my back a thousand percent. You, Council President, you have always respected me. You've never used your power to suppress me. You've never said anything or threw an intermediary to get back to me about anything that you didn't like the position that I've taken. You've always let me be a citizen. But reading this bill, now there's -- the number of you is supposed to be 16. Now, I understand that 17, there's one missing, but there's an 18th Councilman walking around in this city. He's a Councilman that used to be in one of these districts. He waited a year, and now he's back as a Councilman lobbyist, and I had -- you know, my mother used to say if you wait on God enough, he'll take care of you. Well, God took care of me today. He took care of me today because he gave me this bill to speak on. Because what happened to me yesterday, I went to oppose a bill for some citizens in Philadelphia who couldn't go downtown. So I went down there and I spoke on their behalf. But this 18th Councilman, he takes the position to say that I can't speak for people. Now, he's a paid lobbyist now. He goes up to Tioga. When he was up at Tioga -- thank you, Councilwoman Bass, for stepping up for me. When he tried to go up there in her district and say, Well, Jihad Ali is a troublemaker because he stands up for black men and black women, he's a troublemaker, well, Councilwoman Bass stood up for me, and I thank all you to stand up. But that's what this bill is about, guys and women like me, guys just like me that stand up. And, look, I get it that this bar separates the leaders. You are the elected leaders, but this side is the people, and I'm a person that stands up. And I thank you, Council President and all the rest of you that understand where I'm coming from. But this bill, this is all about people like me. 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you.
There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. This concludes our public comment session, and we will now move to our Calendar. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 140286.
A resolution calling on the City Council of the City of Philadelphia to declare the need for all peoples of the United States of America to have equal access to opportunities and accept the responsibility to attempt to rectify the unequal obstacles that exist for various populations across this great nation.
And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 140286 has been adopted. Mr. Decker, 140287.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Model Cities Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1233 Germantown Avenue. 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 140287 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 140288.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the North Philadelphia Redevelopment Area, identified by house number and street address as 2554 North Thirtieth Street. 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 140288 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 140289.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Model Cities Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 3126 Page Street. 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you again, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 140289 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 140292.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Point Breeze Urban Renewal Area, identified by house numbers and street addresses as 2325 through 35 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING Cross Street and 2330 through 36 Greenwich Street.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 140292 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 140293.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Point Breeze Urban 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1721 Tasker Street.
And the Chair again recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 140293 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 140294.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING of a portion of the American Street Industrial Corridor Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1702 North Third Street.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and 140294 is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 130411.
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by revising parking requirements for the Main Street/Manayunk and Venice Island Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District and requiring the submission of a parking plan to the Registered Community Organization in certain circumstances.
Thank you. This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 130768.
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by revising certain provisions relating to definitions of certain industrial use categories and regulations.
This bill has also been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll. 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 140053.
An ordinance to 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Springfield Avenue (extended), 58th Street, Lindbergh Boulevard, 60th Street, Elmwood Avenue, 77th Street (extended), and Cobbs Creek.
This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution recognizing and honoring Wawa, Inc. on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first Wawa convenience store and for Wawa's many investments in the Philadelphia area, introduced by Councilman Kenney.
Thank you. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity on the occasion of its 110th anniversary, introduced by Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.) 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution in solemn recognition of the week of April 27 through May 3, 2014 as the annual remembrance of the Six Million Jewish Martyrs, who perished during the Holocaust, introduced by Councilman O'Neill.
Yes, Mr. President. I'd ask for a standing vote in honor of the victims of the Holocaust.
Thank you. Will the members please stand. (All members standing.)
And 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and congratulating the Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls Varsity Bowling Team on their back to back Catholic League Championships, introduced by Councilman Squilla for Council President Clarke.
Thank you. I have to say, Councilman Squilla, quite a productive day. It seems like teams in your district have won every championship in the City of Philadelphia. With that, I call on you for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'm honored that all these great champions are in there. So it's a pleasure, and I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution congratulating the Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti 2013-2014 Boys Basketball Team on winning the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship, District 12 Class AAA City Title, and the PIAA Division AAA State Championship, introduced by Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution Honoring and Congratulating The Constitution High School Boys Basketball Team, The Generals, on winning the 2014 PIAA AA State Championship and The District 12 City Title for the AA Classification, introduced by Councilman Squilla.
Thank you. And the Chair again recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. 4/10/14 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and again another champion is adopted.
And a resolution authorizing City Council's Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings concerning college admission and tuition policies of local colleges and universities for undocumented youth in Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. That concludes our Calendar for today. Are there any speeches on the part of the minority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I would like to that we passed today, and that has to do with undocumented youth in Philadelphia and the opportunity for them to go on to college. There are approximately 1.8 million undocumented youth in the United States. About 65,000 will graduate from college each year, but 50 percent will drop out of high school. And of the ones that graduate, only between 5 and 10 percent will actually even apply and attend college. We don't know how many will make it through. This is in large part because of two reasons. One is because many of these students, even if they're valedictorians and high school honor students, they don't think they can go to college, so they don't bother to try. The second thing is for those few that do find that they can go to college, they are, in most cases, charged a very high tuition rate. For example, of public education for the university, that tuition is about $6,400, but if you are an undocumented youth, despite having lived your entire life in Pennsylvania, even if you are in county, in state, you will be charged an international rate, which is between $9,600 and $16,000. Thereby prohibiting many of these youth to go to college. I'd like to adopt the slogan of the United Negro College Fund: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. And I think it is one of the issues that we face today that if these youth do not know that they can go to college, they don't try to go to college, but they remain with us, less productive than they would be, and I think it is a loss for our city. The issue that we face now is there's about 105 universities and colleges in and around Philadelphia, but for those in Philadelphia, we'd like to these youth, will you provide them a fair tuition rate. I have in my prior life as an attorney involved with free legal services taken young people to Community College, and there, depending on who we meet, they may be accepted. The problem with that is, it's an opaque situation. Unless you know someone, you can't get the opportunity to be considered for college. And if you know someone, then you still are subject to the international rate. You may not be able to apply -- to be able to pay it. So I think it is a critical issue for us at this point in time as a growing city, a city that is full and welcoming of all sorts of people, that we deal with this issue and try to come up with a policy for these private and public institutions. Thank you very much.
Just a couple announcements. First and foremost, I want to thank all my colleagues for supporting on final passage an overlay for South Philadelphia -- an overlay for the 2nd District, specifically South Philadelphia, but in this particular case Southwest Philadelphia that regulates how we go about opening up auto mechanic and junkyards. There's been a proliferation of auto mechanic shops and junkyards throughout Southwest Philadelphia, and the constituents in that part of my district have been advocating to make sure that, one, that there's a balanced approach and also a level of accountability in these shops opening up. to thank all my colleagues for voting in favor of that particular overlay. But also on this Saturday, in Point Breeze we will be having a Point Breeze 5K Run and Walk to bring awareness to those who are victims of pancreatic cancer, but also raising funds for the University of Pennsylvania to find research to find a cure for those who suffer from pancreatic cancer. That's going to take place at 8:00 a.m. at Wharton Square Park. So I encourage everyone to come out, participate, get a team, come out. And we're also going to be doing a health fair as a part of it as well. But also I introduced a legislation that we will be voting on in the upcoming weeks commemorating the anniversary of Brown versus the Board of Education. And so as we look at the state of education here not only in our nation but also more particularly in the Philadelphia, this evening I will be joined by Dr. Hite, Chairwoman of Education Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, State Representative Jordan Harris, and a variety of different community leaders from the Southwest Philadelphia area in a call to action town hall meeting at John Bartram High School at 6 o'clock. We have seen the various instances that have been taking place in the news recently regarding John Bartram High School, and so at least tonight will be an opportunity for the leaders, the working partnership with those who represent the Philadelphia School District but, most importantly, the community. I also believe the community has a role to play in regulating the outside environment and being supportive of our young people when they're coming to and from school. And so we're going to have the discussion, but also put together a plan evening, again, at John Bartram High School, 6:00 p.m. I just want to thank you for the opportunity to say a few remarks. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. On my way home I had an opportunity to hear on 103.9 the town hall meeting that was conducted by 103.9 Lady B, Senator Williams, Representative Harris, and our own Councilman Kenyatta Johnson as they struggled with crime and the breaking of the weather and what to anticipate for the summer, and I heard a lot of good ideas about what people could do, how they could engage, and I started to put my mind around what was the one thing that we could all do. And I want everybody that's listening in the sound of my voice to pick up a pen right now. with -- you can be a good coach, you can teach your kids to pray, you can teach kids in school, but there's one common thing that we all can do to help curb the violence to provide assistance to law enforcement this summer, and it is simply to join Town Watch. I don't care what neighborhood you're in, from Chestnut Hill to the deepest part of Eastwick, Wynnefield, wherever. You can become involved, engaged in Town Watch, and by not -- and, again, I don't expect anybody to put a cape on and tackle drug dealers or assailants trying to victimize women with pocketbooks, but you can safely be an extra pair of eyes and ears to law enforcement to enable them to do their job. And they've made it easy for us, Mr. President. They've given us -- you ever see those T-shirts where it says "no snitching"? Well, I'm at the age at the MAC machine, if I see it, I'm telling. now. And they've given us convenient ways to do it. You can tweet information anonymously through Twitter.com Philadelphia Police. You can Facebook your information to Facebook.com Philadelphia Police. You can YouTube your information without putting your name out there through YouTube. You can text it. You can tweet. If you are old school and have a rotary phone, you can call in 686-TIPS. You can do it on the web. You can do it in the car. It's almost like Green Eggs and Ham. There's faceless ways to do this. And I would suggest that all of us consider joining Town Watch Integrated Services, and they're located at 1441 Sansom Street, Suite 200. If you want to call on that rotary phone, it's 215-686-1453. 215-686-1453. As the weather breaks, we can't keep our kids in the house, but we can do our best to keep them safe. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. As you know, over the past number of weeks, we've been dealing with this issue of custodial arrests for the possession of small amount of marijuana, and as you also know, there's a bill that's pending on Final Passage that I've agreed to hold as a result of meeting with CJAB, the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, at the request of Judge Woods-Skipper, who has began to put together a group, a small subcommittee, to deal, administratively, hopefully deal with this issue. But today in the City Paper, just published today, I want to quote: "For years, getting caught cracking open a beer on the streets of Philadelphia was an arrestable offense. In fact, it was the only place in Pennsylvania where by law to detain those who had committed very low-level crimes, sometimes for hours, just to issue a citation and a small fine. " God forbid. "What once involved a trip to a local district station is now handled on the street in a matter of minutes, like a parking ticket. "The change came in 2009, after the state Supreme Court reviewed Philadelphia's non-traffic summary citation procedures at the urging of Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. " This is a quote from Police Lieutenant Kevin Long: "'These are the crimes we're looking to address immediately out on the street,' said Police Lieutenant Kevin Long. '" It seems to me that the technical problems that have been quoted in the reason why we still need to take a person with two marijuana joints in their pocket into custody, put them in handcuffs, fingerprint them, photograph them, and put them in a jail cell for a period of time, only to have the District Attorney decide to divert that individual to a diversionary program, the arguments that the technology doesn't exist for us to do this seems to fall quite flat based the police, with the concurrence of the Supreme Court, decided to make an arrestable offense that was required by state law at the time to a summary or a citation, without taking the police off the street. And I'm not suggesting that anyone get a red plastic cup and go out and drink in public nor am I suggesting that anyone stand on the street corner and smoke a marijuana joint. However, why is one different than the other? If we can issue a summary citation for an open container of alcohol, which happens, I will say, much more than the ingestion or possession of marijuana, we can do it for that particular offense that was once required to arrest someone, what is the problem with doing it for those who are stopped, frisked, and discovered to have less than an ounce of marijuana on their possession? To me, my hope is that Judge Woods-Skipper will continue her due done, but since 2009, we've been able to do it with people drinking in public. I see no reason why we can't do it with people either possessing or smoking marijuana in public. So I would urge that committee to continue to move as fast as possible to ensure that our young people do not have another opportunity to receive an arrest indication on their record, which precludes them from getting a job, getting into school, and having a productive life over this simple knuckle-headed opportunity to go smoke a joint. I think that alcohol, public drinking of alcohol, and the possession of a small amount of marijuana is basically the same and they should be treated the same. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman
Yeah, Council President. I just want to follow up on my colleague's comments, and I'm not really thoroughly knowledgeable about the particular bill, but I do understand from the District Attorney's perspective they don't want to lock people up with small amounts of marijuana, which I do understand, because a significant population of young African American males receive records as a result of them having a dime bag of weed in their pocket or so forth. But I also want to make sure as we explore this type of legislation and we move forward, that we have a conversation regarding drug and alcohol abuse amongst African American young men and young people just in general. Oftentimes beyond smoking weed, some of these young men engage in smoking something in the street known as wet, which is embalming fluid, and when you look at some of the crimes that take place, the wet is intertwined with the marijuana. And so when you look at some of these shootings, some of these young men be bugged out of their mind based upon them engaging in the level of drug use. And so even as we move forward as a city and we definitely don't want to have the young men getting felonies for something that is non-violent, but also we want to pay attention to the other side that's a real issue, which is drug use amongst young people. And that has a significant impact on the shootings and the violence that we see, because the majority of young people who do engage in rather it's smoking weed or smoking wet wind up somehow in some cases, at least from personal knowledge and knowing some of the young guys in the street that engage in these type of activities, is a result of them being high and bugged out of their mind. So as we move forward, you know, we take a comprehensive look at how we approach it, and if the bill does pass and young people are allowed to get high on the streets, then we also have a contingency plan to look at, okay, the treatment that falls in line with the actual use. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. In response to my colleague Councilman Johnson, I totally agree. No one is suggesting that anyone be urged to smoke marijuana on the sidewalk or on the street or to use it at all, as a matter of fact. But I will tell you that it is harder to get drug treatment and to get yourself straight if in fact you have an arrest record on top of you trying to get yourself right. I will also tell you through my issue, there is a wide, wide, wide disparity between the use of alcohol and violence and the use of marijuana and violence. From my conversations with many, many people in the know, people who are involved in domestic violence are generally involved in alcohol, not marijuana. Most of the crimes and fights and other types of situations that result in the overimbibing of alcohol creates a violent situation. If it's marijuana, generally it's not. Whether someone is smoking wet or whatever, there are other drugs. Now, that begins to now ramp up. So if you're using something that's other than marijuana, that's a different story. But I will tell you that you cannot move ahead, get a job, get yourself straight, get drug treatment, be educated if you have an arrest record on top of the other things you're dealing with as a 20-year-old in the City of Philadelphia, whether you're black, white, Asian, Hispanic. So my point is, if we're going to treat alcohol the way we treat it and we're going to glorify it at the Super Bowl and we're going to glorify it at sporting events and we're going to make it available everywhere, I don't think people should be getting arrested for a small possession of marijuana that's just marijuana. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair again recognizes Councilman Johnson.
And thank you, Council President. And I do agree. You know, again, my position is that we definitely don't want to see young people receiving records as a result of them having a small amount of marijuana. I just want to make sure as we move forward, again, that the mental health component is a part of this overall discussion as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. And with that, I recognize Councilwoman Reynolds Brown for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, April the 24th, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that Council stand adjourned. All those in favor? (Aye.)
m. Thank you all very much. ) CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. MICHELE L. ) A actions 40:18 aerial 58:9,17 amending 40:14 appreciate 16:11 AA 54:2,3 90:15 activate 66:6 affect 20:10 41:10 43:13 36:4 90:16 active 11:4 affirmative 80:12 47:8 48:21 50:3 approach 19:6 AAA 53:16,17 activities 108:22 82:22 85:10 77:25 80:16 32:13 96:24 89:14,15 actual 109:8 African 67:15 America 21:25 109:3 AARP 7:24 8:15 actuarial 41:9 107:12,19 66:6 67:3 70:19 approached 8:20 9:12,25 additional 21:11 age 100:24 American 67:16 64:20 66:16 10:2,11 11:15 29:8 85:13 agencies 32:25 77:2 107:12,19 approaches 22:5 11:25 address 71:24 36:20,25 37:10 Americans 65:6,9 appropriate 40:9 AARP's 10:6 72:24 73:25 ages 18:6 65:9 43:22 47:15 11:11 76:3 77:5 104:6 ago 15:2 amount 102:10 49:10 50:12 able 3:5 9:10 15:5 addresses 15:11 agree 109:17 106:19 111:23 approval 5:1,5 27:23 29:16 22:22 74:25 111:19 amounts 107:10 approved 5:12,18 30:11 37:15 addressing 19:6 agreed 102:13 Andrus 7:24 8:19 6:2 95:14,15 106:3 adhere 64:13 agreement 39:17 9:12,25 10:3,11 approving 62:17 absence 6:4,9,17 adjourn 112:10 40:20,23 41:4 11:13,25 71:19 72:19 abuse 31:9 32:5,7 adjourned 112:13 44:24 and/or 114:22 73:20 74:20 33:10,11,12 112:19 113:2,5 agreements 40:17 Anne 37:25 75:22 76:23 34:5,16 35:4,6 ADJOURNME...