[Music]
he
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
he
[Music]
before the start of the meeting I'd like
to turn the floor over to Mayor McCarthy
for the Ser meeting call to order the
connected the urban renewal agency and
I'll entertain a motion to adjourn the
agency to
5:30 Monday July 1st I'd like to make a
motion moved by Mr Mancini second by Mr
Farley all in
favor thank you thank you mayor I'd like
to call the city Caucus meeting to order
for Monday June
204th
2024 we have two public hearings this evening if the clerk would please
read public hearing number one regarding
the amendments to the city of SKC zoning
ordinance relating to the Hamilton Hill
Redevelopment plan also referred to as
the skty 40 project in the area of
Albany page State and SKC streets public
hearing number two public hearing number
two regarding amendments to the SKC city
code on proposed changes to the city of
SKC historic district ordinance and
related historic district and zoning
ordinances we have 15 items for original
consideration if the clerk would please
read item number one item number one for
final consideration an
ordinance regulating vape shops smoke
shops Vape lounges hookah lounges and
vape consumption
businesses discussed in committee with
objection on consent item number two for original
consideration a resolution accepting the
independent Auditor's report for 2023
discussed in committee without objection
on consent item number three item number
three for original consideration a
resolution approving the information
technology incident response plan
discussed in committee without objection
on consent item number four item number
four for original consideration a
resolution authorizing the mayor to
accept 1,
15694 N4 law enforcement technology
Grant from the New York State Department
of Criminal Justice Services discussed
in committee without objection on
consent item number five item number
five for original consideration a
resolution authorizing the mayor to
accept $
53,486 Grant award from the New York
State Department of Criminal Justice
Services discuss in committee without
objection on consent item number six for original
consideration a resolution declaring the
connected city council as lead Agency
for the Mohawk Harbor dock project this
discussed in committee without objection
on consent item number seven item number
seven for original consideration a
resolution declaring that the adoption
of the ordinance creating section
264-1111 of the code of ordinances is a
type two action and is not subject to
environmental review for the state
quality review act discussed in
committee without objection on consent
item number eight item number eight for
original consideration a resolution
authorizing the mayor to enter into
professional service contract with Dr
Kelly Tobin for services for members of
the SKC fire department discussed in
committee with objection on consent item
number nine item number nine for
original consideration a resolution
authorizing a sale of 463 huet Street
for
$60,000 discussing committee without
objection on consent item number 10 item
number 10 for original consideration a
resolution authorizing the sale of 629
Lang Street for
$47,500 discussed in committee without
discussed in committee on consent and
without cons on consent without
objection item number 11 item number 11
for original consideration a resolution
authorizing the sale of 1525 mvin Avenue
for
$180,000 discussing committee with
objection on consent item number 12 item
number 12 for original consideration a
resolution authorized in the sale of
1821 Linux Road for for
$150,900
discuss and committee with objection on
consent item number 13 item number 13
for original consideration a res
resolution authorizing the issuance of
revocable permit number 685 to social
Hospitality Group LLC DBA social on
state for a sign that will overhang the
city's RightWay at
447 State Street discuss the commit in
committee without objection on consent
item number 14 item number 14 for under
contract and Supply a resolution
awarding the bid and contract for the
north fa Street Pump House exterior
restoration rebid to Midstate Industries
Ltd in the amount of
$21,800 contract and Supply a resolution
awarding the bid and contract for the
simus lake wall restoration base bid and add alternate to G1 Construction
Incorporated in the amount of
$158,100 CL please read item 15a under
unanimous for unanimous consent a
resolution delaying the interest and
penalties for the 2023 2024 School tax
delinquencies I need a motion to place
15a on the
floor second second
yes unanimous consent is unanimous
consent of the members
present it's unanimous consent of the
members present
all in favor I yes we have a second by
Mr uh Williams or yes we have a second
is there any
discussion okay so all in favor I I okay
and um i' ask for a motion to um Place
item 15a on the consent agenda
so second second by Mr Mancini all in
favor
I it it's you may go ahead I'm I'm going
to move them to the agenda and then
we'll vote okay I need a motion to uh
for motion item number 15b to be placed
on the
floor I need a second second by Mr
Williams all in favor
I I ask for a motion to place 15b on the
consent
agenda second all in favor I thank
you if there's nothing more to come
before the city council caucus I ask for
a motion to
adjourn moveed by Miss Patrick second by
Mr Williams all those in favor we are
adjourned I'd like to call the city
council meeting to order for Monday June
24th
2024 and I'd like to call on re Reverend
Angela D west of the Union Missionary
Baptist Church for the prayer invocation
come on
up let us bow in prayer most gracious
wise and everlasting God we thank you
for this opportunity to come together
for the benefit of the people of
connecti Father we ask that you search
our hearts through and through so that
the work that is conducted here tonight
is done in decency and in order father
we pray that the decisions that are
being made on tonight would
benefit the young the old the poor the
rich the least of us Lord God so that
all people are included in the decisions
that are being forth on being put forth
on tonight we thank you for all those
who have come out who not sought it
robbery of their time to be a part of
the decisions being made for the city of
SKC we need you these are times Lord God
that are sometimes uncertain for
some but we know that you are a God of
all people so we pray that the work
being done is for all
people we thank you we love you we honor
you and we ask these things in your name
amen we ask I'd like Shane bargie to
lead us in the
pledge
States
andice thank
you I'd ask the clerk to please complete
the roll call Mr Toro is absent Mr
Farley here
Mr
Mancini here Mr
mam Miss Patrick here Mr
Williams Miss Porterfield here yes thank
you we have two public hearings
[Music]
tonight and I just want to remind
everyone that the uh the public comment
period is extended to four minutes and I
respectfully ask that each person only
speak to the
um subject relevant to the public
hearing itself public hearing number one
is regarding the amendments to the city
of skincity zoning ordinance related to
the Hamilton Hill Redevelopment plan
also known as connec 40
project in the area of Albany Street
Page Street State Street and and Sky
streets and I have no one signed up to
speak so I would declare this Public hearing number one
closed public hearing number two is
regarding amendments to the city code on
proposed changes to the City Historic
District ordinance and related historic
district district and zoning ordinances
I have two people signed up to
speak the first person is Gloria
kiston good evening and thank you for
this opportunity to comment on the
proposed changes to skc's Historic
District ordinance um I'm representing
skty Heritage Foundation which is a uh
501c3 uh
corporation that um advocates for
historic
preservation um there are a lot of very
positive changes that have been proposed
we think um there are a few things that
uh
we uh wish would uh not be changed and
at the top of that list is leaving the
number of Commissioners at 7 um we do
not support reducing that number to five
um with one alternate because um we know
that there are several applications uh
waiting uh to be reviewed um I guess by
the mayor's office to for people who do
want to serve on this commit
and uh when we first heard of this uh
proposal we did reach out to several of
the historic districts that are
organized and this is how these
applications came into City Hall so we
hope that you will retain that number
um we think that a three-person quorum
is really too small in order to deal
with some of these complicated and um
pertinent issues that come before that
commission um we're glad that a lot of
the language has been updated and
brought into this Century so to speak um
but um and we're also glad that um there
will be a proposal to list the historic
districts and landmarks on the city's
website so that it's available to
perspective buyers so they will know
right from get-go that certain rules
apply to buying
properties um we like the addition of
having review for telecomunication
equipment which has really severely
negatively impacted at least The
Stockade historic district
um the other um suggestion we would make
is to have um the historic district
commission whose name will change I hope
um
have the power to appoint Commissioners
and with the mayor's review because uh
we feel that the mayor has a lot more
important things to do with his time and
the historic commission is very famili
much more familiar with people within
the network of historic
preservation and we think that if they
initiate appointments to the commission
with the review of the mayor um perhaps
it would be an easier
process um so those are our suggestions
and we hope you take them into
consideration thank you thank you
Michael
Baron good evening so I am Michael Baron
and I reside in the GE realy plot I'm
also the vice president of our
neighborhood association and in August I
will been I will have been serving on
the historic commission as a
commissioner uh for one year and the
reason why I decided to come tonight is
because I'm also in agreement with
Gloria as far as not reducing the number
of Commissioners from 7 to 5 we're down
to um only four right now and we just
had recently had a resignation and so it
kind of makes it difficult sometimes to
uh have a quorum uh when somebody is
going to be out and um I just hope that
maybe everybody would reconsider I do
understand there are some applications
that are in right now with some
qualified people that would probably
benefit the commission very well my
experience or um expertise is not in
preservation but I'm passionate about
preserving the history of this
neighborhood and the five historic
districts that we have I think that we
have a gem or several gems here in the
city of skinc and they need to be
protected so thank you thank
you I have no El signed up to speak on
public hearing number two so I declare
this public hearing
closed I would ask for approval of the
minutes for June 10th
2024 move moved by Mr Williams second by
Mr Farley all in favor I if the clerk
could please read any Communications and
petitions Communications presented to
city council for Monday June 24th 2024
under official from the mayor a list of
appointments dated J June 24th
2024 under General from Michael zaper a
letter to the city clerk's office
thanking she and all her staff for
always addressing his issues and under
petitions from Jamaica miles a petition
uh dated June 10th 2024 of 108 printed
names from various zip codes requesting
AC
fire thank you I call on council members
to provide any committee reports
any committee
reports this time we'll have privilege
of the floor related to the legislative
agenda I have two people signed up to
speak and just a reminder you have three
minutes for for this particular portion
jenev Hart has an online submission
she's
here hello my name is Genevie Hart and I
lived in sked county for most of my life
as a high schooler I see the effects of
tobacco usage on youth on a daily basis
Vapes are a massive issue that school
districts and communities across the
area are facing in the last few years
the problem has gotten much worse during
every Locker break during Home Room
lunch and after school sports games and
even during class there are students
vaping in the bathroom the smell of
cotton candy or mango Vape smoke fills
the bathroom in the hallway outside even
after our school has spent countless
hours and resources on tackling this
issue it persists and vaping isn't just
a problem in the high school my brother
who's in e8th grade sees vaping in his
school on a regular basis as well
earlier this year I conducted interviews
with students teachers and faculty at my
school I learned that over half of
students in my school Vape Vapes are
known to be very damaging to a growing
brain and body School staff that I
interviewed reported that students
academic and athletic performance has
been noticeably impacted by Vape usage
students told me how their friends have
become addicted very quickly and become
apathetic towards school and life I've
seen this myself as well however among
all the information which I gathered
from these interviews the most important
thing that I learned was that Vapes are
terrifyingly except accessible Vapes to
youth every single person that I
interviewed agreed with this there is a
vape shop located in between the middle
and high school in my school district
within walking distance and located
along a hi traffic Road where many
students walk daily additionally many
students are able to get Vapes from
their older friends or siblings and they
sell them in the school bathrooms the
problem only continues to grow Des
efforts made by the school in order to
make our schools and our communities
safer for our youth local legislation
and enforcement must be implemented
thank you for your
time thank
you Judy W
Meer hello I'm Judy W Meer director for
tobacco free
communities um because there's a causal
relationship between exposure to Tobacco
marketing and promotion and Youth
initiation it makes sense to restrict
where vape and smoke shops can be
located keeping them distant from youth
friendly
places this proposed zoning change
appears to do that but the most recent
data we have indicates that there's 145
tobacco retailers in the city of
skincity and only 16 of them are the
smoke and vape shops that the ordinance
would address that means 129 tobacco
retailers can operate without any
restrictions regarding locations and as
we
demonstrated before these retailers are
also disproportionately located in high
poverty neighborhoods which also have
the highest rates of Youth and adult
tobacco use the more tobacco marketing
and promotion a young person sees the
more likely they are to start using the
more tobacco marketing and promotion
that adult smoker sees the less likely
they are to quit the 129 retailers that
aren't smok and vape shops can sell all
tobacco products including ecigarettes
and all the flavored tobacco products
including cigars cigaros chew and hookah
it's well established that flavored
tobacco products pose the greatest risk
to young people flavored tobacco
products attract Youth and flavored
tobacco products addict youth when
flavored cigarettes were made illegal in
2009 youth increased their use of the
cigars the flavored cigars and
cigaros when flavored eigs
arrived youth left behind those tobacco
products those cigarett cigars and
cigaros and went to
eigs and of course we saw that a third
of high school students in 201 18 were
using um were
vaping um certainly there are some
loopholes that need to be addressed on a
Statewide level for the flavored
electronic cigarettes that are still
being sold
illegally only 11% of the adult
population in New York smokes that
translates to about 7,7 00 adult smokers
in the city of skinc with 145 retailers
in the city that breaks down to one
tobacco retailer for every 53 smokers in
the
city um the purpose of this local law is
to protect the health safety and Welfare
of the community the families that live
in the neighborhoods with a
disproportionate tobacco retail presence
disproportionately High tobacco retail
presence would be better protected if
the presence of all tobacco retail
marketing and promotion was less visible
and prominent and certainly were
available to talk about various
evidence-based strategies that would
help make that more Equitable for
everyone in the city thank you very much
for your time thank
[Applause]
you I have no one else signed up to
speak so I declare the public comment on
the legislative agenda
closed at this time I'll entertain
approval of the legislative consent
agenda move by Mr M Baron second by Miss
Patrick all those in favor I
this time we'll have privilege of the
floor regarding General City
business and I have eight people uh
seven people signed up to speak first
person is FAA
ISAT good evening my name is Fatima ISAT
and I'm a resident of the city of
SKC five years ago my mother passed away
I received the news when I was on lunch
duty at a local school the news came as
a huge shock to me and I immediately
left the lunchroom and went to the
office to ask the staff to send another
teacher to take my place I then went to
the staff room within minutes the staff
room was filled with teachers consoling
and comforting me I can still see their
faces filled with concern and love soon
after as I left the school building a
few of my students stood at the glass
door and watched me get into my car and
drive away I can still see their faces
filled with concern and love as soon as
I got home my phone did not stop ringing
family members from all over the world
were calling me and offering me their
support and love I still remember those
conversations and the pain and shock in
their voices close friends in the
Capital District came to my house to
sympathize and show their concern and
love love I can still picture them
sitting with me at my dining room table
that evening a neighbor came showed up
at my door with a huge tray of food for
my family I still remember that rice and
chicken the next day teachers from the
school came in groups of two all day
long to sit with me and give me strength
I still remember the ones who came and
how their visits meant so much to me a
few days later a beautiful flower
arrangement was delivered to my house it
was sent to me by a nephew in Australia
I can still picture those flowers when I
returned to school 4 days later I was
given a box full of condolence cards
which had been made by my students I
still have those cards was it possible
that the love and concern of my
co-workers students friends neighbors
and family members would bring my mother
back no will I always remember and be
grateful for their support in my time of
overwhelming
grief yes mayor McCarthy Madame
President and members of the council for
the last nine months people all over the
world have been grieving over what is
taking place in Gaza would a ceasefire
resolution passed by you put an end to
the Bloodshed no but would it mean the
world to people like me yes well will I
ever forget your unwillingness to
respond favorably to our pleas no will I
continue to fight for justice in
Palestine yes thank
you thank you Claudia
kavanau good evening councelor mayor and
Marian I am so glad that you folks are
returning to City business um I'm
starting to think that maybe you should
have an addendum to the uh City Charter
saying that um you know from now on you
won't take any you know action as in
regard to International situations we
have a lot of things to do here in the
city and the Jewish residents of this
city is far back and I was born and
raised here and so are you we've eaten
the Jews Jewish Community has done more
for concy than any other ethnic group in
this entire city all of them put
together between the Golab Corporation
they fed us the waserman I remember when
I was little they own Grand cash Market
very generous people between their
philanthropy and the foundations the
music Haven up in Central
Park I'm I and I I'm I'm dismayed at
what's going on up in Saratoga they're
turning that town into a nightmare
with the black lives matter group up
there threatening white people it's a
racist disgusting organization and mayor
McCarthy I remember four years ago I
came down here stood in this very spot
and I said let's not take sides with
anybody let's let's not stand you know
let's not have that on the street of the
city that I own property in and that I
pay property
taxes and I think the time has come so
that we don't take sides with anyone to
show that we are an inclusive community
we always have
been and I and Carmel I'm glad you stood
up and spoke for yourself at the last
meeting I saw it online that you were
being threatened or felt threatened and
well you
should and I think that you have a right
to defend yourself and your family being
threatened and dman ever since you were
born ma'am the comments have to be made
to the chair I'm sorry um Maran I it's
Miss Porterfield if you don't mind oh
Miss Porterfield thank you I don't
mind um so there is a petition that is
being um started in the Jewish Community
to remove the black lives matter sign
off the front of the street of City Hall
this is the people's house and we
shouldn't show favoritism on any level
because we've never been that kind of
community so I think the time has
come and so maybe you you know you may
make a um addendum to your Charter so
that this these kind of situations don't
come up again and everyone lives here
and they shop it golop Corporation I
don't know where else you're going to
get your food from as far back as I can
remember Jewish people have owned Grand
cash Albany pork store which had the
best meat in town and Market
32 so let's try to put all that aside
and just be a city of we always have
been like we always have been and let's
not take sides so hopefully you'll make
a addendum to the city Charter so that
these kind of situations and
divisiveness do don't come up
again and and mayor when I get the
petition back I will deliver it to your
office and hopefully you know um
something you you'll you'll take the
proper action that I asked you to four
years ago thank you very much thank you
soib
shakima good
evening um I believe God's work still
shows in in this hall right here so the
Reverend who led the prayer earlier
reminded all of us that God is the God
of all and he doesn't have boundaries
he's not
selective and also as we try to pledge
the allegiance we also talk about
freedom and liberty for all yet here we
find ourselves thinking that peace is
when we actually turn a blind eye to a
group that continues to suffer for nine
months and you know I'm not going to
raise my voice today but I'm going to
start with a point that actually was
mentioned the first meeting
as the zionists came in and they said
we're here because we lost in Albany
we're not here because we lost we
strongly believe just like Martin Luther
King Malcolm X all these Fighters they
won they might have been killed but they
continue to live their names will
continue to be mentioned beyond my time
in your time and those politicians who
wanted them out we don't even know their
names let alone to remember them God
will preserve the names of those who
actually live through God not those who
claim to be God's people I'll tell you
this as a Muslim I knew people of
different Faith backgrounds but through
this fight I made friends with Jews and
Christians and atheists and you name it
because we understood that you know what
we had a common goal and that is to Pres
preserve life I preach but you know what
I know preaching is easy anyone can
stand and preach but walking the Walk of
God that he made it very clear to us
that's the difficult one and most people
will fail and actually in our Quran it
says this to our own Prophet which was
mentioned to Moses and
Jesus bleed not and weep not if they do
not come and support you for God did not
like the way that they came so God made
him sit because he doesn't want them to
be part of this Noble
fight the only losers for me and for the
Jews and the Christians and the atheist
who are on my side we know that we're
not losing I promise deep inside each
and every one of you those with
conscience you know you know you are on
the wrong side of History
you know it doesn't matter how many
guards you're building in front of you
it doesn't matter how many people you
try to actually bring into your inner
group to make you feel comfortable you
know when you go home at night you know
that you are on the wrong side of
history but are you ready to meet God
and say it was political because lives
God never put them as a political issue
they're humanitarian and a faith-based
issue and arrest my case thank you thank
you Valerie
torano good evening council members I'm
here as a resident connecti for 10 years
in support of a people's resolution of
connec for a permanent ceasefire as 261
days of the ethnic cleansing and
genocide of Palestinians by the aparted
state of Israel is inhumane I can
understand where the conso was coming
from was saying this doesn't affect us
at the local level as yall have no
jurisdiction over this however it is
still extremely important
to at least acknowledge how we're all
financially complicit through our taxes
and those who are New York state and
local retirement system Pension Plan
members uh
yeah funding the aparte state of
Israel's genocidal Collective punishment
of Palestinians uh Palestinians
SKC SKC citizens are mourning their lost
loved ones or worrying if they're even
alive even the United Nations has
officially recognized
through independent investigations that
the state of Israel has committed war
crimes in the intentional genocide of
Palestinians this is no longer a debate
Israel is committing a genocide the
United Nations has also added the state
of Israel to a blacklist of countries
that harms children in armed conflicts
I've seen videos of the most
psychological sadistic military tactics
by Israel's military using quadcopters
playing the sounds of crying babies and
shooting any Palestinians Who come out
to help what they believe is a child in
need I imagine having to listen
all night to the sounds of a crying baby
not knowing whether it's real or a trap
to kill you let's put our critical
thinking caps on and ask ourselves if
Israel isn't committing ethnic cleansing
then why won't Israel taken Palestinian
refugees or taken injured Palestinians
into their hospitals after bombing all
of gaza's hospitals Israel's claims all
Jews are Israeli does more harm to Jews
in the dispora as it's conflating that
all Jews are responsible for Israel's
genocidal actions which is absolutely
not true when there's anti-zionist Jews
speaking out that Zionism doesn't speak
for them to conclude silence is
complicity and Palestinians blood are
already on all of our hands thank you
for your time to listen to my
words thank
you Jamaica miles
short people
problems my name is Jama miles I I've
lived in this city for almost 50 years
born and raised here lived in
communities all across this Fair
City conflating criticism of the state
of Israel to Jewish hatred is
intellectually dishonest and morally
offensive our Focus has always been the
United States material support for the
Israeli government's shooting
bombardment and starvation of innocent
Palestinians people of varying faiths
races ethnicities within the city stand
in support of a ceasefire resolution
including those of Jewish faith and
culture this is a fact evidenced by
every city council meeting for the last
three months and the more than 1,000
names who signed the petition for a
ceasefire resolution names that some of
you choose to ignore City residents you
choose to ignore
at the last city council meeting as
anti- ceasefire speakers approached the
podium they were handed pre-printed
scripts much of it filled with red
herrings used to justify the more than
100,000 civilian Palestinian casualties
the starvation of millions and the
administrative detainment of thousands
held by Israel without due process no
one has the right to oppress and murder
others no one Netanyahu and his brutal
regime need to be held accountable and
there must be an end to the US support
of genocide there must be a
prioritization of funding in our local
communities not funding of warfare and
bombing babies this connected city
council has been unable to come together
to pass a ceasefire resolution for the
people of Gaza or for the people of
skinc so the people of skincity will the
people will pass a resolution proving
the power of the people and our
commitment to bend the ark towards
Justice the previous petition collected
as I mentioned over 1,000 signatures
calling for the city of skti to pass a
ceasefire resolution for an immediate
ceasefire to end civilian Bloodshed free
hostages and political prisoners and
ensure humanitarian Aid access to Gaza
the new
petition is very direct quite literal
and fully transparent with its language
it is the people's
resolution and we are sharing it with
the public the specific language of the
people's resolution ution and we will
continue to build upon the diverse
Community calling for freedom justice
and Liberation and for our
representatives to stand for that
freedom justice and Liberation for all
of us not just some of us thank you
thank
you sea Young
uh good evening Madam president mayor
City Council
Members tall people
problems
um you know I was sitting today thinking
about what I was going to say today when
I came um to speak to you all and speak
to our community that's watching now and
we'll be watching later and uh you know
I come to the conclusion that you all
have heard enough you've heard it all
you've heard about the death of children
women of uh you know children that lost
their parents parents that lost their
children you heard of the starvation the
maming the constant killing since the
two weeks since we were uh here before
there's been hundreds more killed and
thousands detained it's going on and on I don't know if I'm going to tell
you anything different I guess the
question I would have is what would be
enough what would be enough to compel
this body to act collectively for the
city of skincity in calling for a
resolution or calling for a ceasefire in
a what would be enough would it be
100,000 would it be 200,000 three um do
we need to see the starvation of the
entire population of Palestine before
people stand up and say hey this is
wrong I mean I don't know I think the
people's resolution makes a lot of sense
um for us to just collectively come
together as a body and say hey let's get
this thing out there let people air
their opinions have the voices heard and
have a way to channel that energy
because people are feeling
so horrible about what's happening I
mean I I heard some of our residents
here speak tonight about you know own
ethnic group doing more for the
community and and and I I I'm like
sitting in the back and I just couldn't
believe what I was hearing because all I
hear when I hear that is what justifies
what's happening there what justifies
our silence and I don't think that we as
a community stand for that I know some
of you all I've spoken to every single
one of you I know that you are good
people and I know that in your heart I
believe believe you know what the right
thing is to do in the situation that
understand it's complex for for a whole
host of reasons I'm here just to
continue to push you know I push the
voice of the community push my own voice
and have my voice heard here and to
example or model what it is to come up
and speak for what you know is right
Marth Luther King says it is always the
right time to do the right thing I have
now always lived by that in my own life
certainly but I've as I've grown older
I've come to really respect and cherish
words like that um as I live out my days
here in the city is connected my home
the place where I was born in it is
always the right time to do the right
thing I want to speak briefly just to
some comments about um what happened at
committee meeting um where what we saw
in our opinion was words or a conflation
of violence and criminality to what
these what was happening with people
coming out just simply speaking to what
they thought was just and right in the
world and there's a entire history of
about how that type of language is used
to suppress the voices of the people and
suppress what is right and I would say
that it is important that we recognize
that when we're speaking that there's
entire history and context to it um that
could be harmful the community that
you're speaking about thank you thank
you s
wakan short people
problems okay
good evening my name is sakon before I
start I just want to reaffirm that black
lives matter with or without a mural on
our
street I am so tired I don't want to be
standing up here anymore in fact it
makes me anxious but I have a
responsibility not just to my Humanity
but to my community that is continuously
slandered and harmed through this body
and the rhetoric we continue to hear
here every day I wake up to horror upon
horror I call my elected officials I
repost Bloodshed to my social media
Pages hoping it changes a heart I come
to City Council meetings I recognize if
the drippy tap was in Gaza and not my
kitchen precious drops of gold would be
going down the drain I pray I
acknowledge that the scraps of food I
just tossed is probably the most Gins
have gotten to eat today I pray I speak
Circles of disbelief and grief with my
family and friends I pray I sleep I wake
up it
repeats I unfortunately don't have
anyone to write a speech for me or hand
it to me on my way up here and my
exhaustion lays with the exhaustion of
everyone behind me so today I'm going to
start the little borous task of reading
the names of people killed by Israel
aided by our tax dollars to remind us
what not bringing a ceasefire deal to
the cheers and claps of our community
members to this body is the cost of this
list is from November I will start from
here and continue to remember each life
lost in future meetings
Ryan Abdullah zakariah Al estal less
than one years old man Yahya YF alal
less than one years old Salam Ahmed Al
estal less than one years old Zan alen
suan aler less than one years old Yasmin
RZ Abdullah Rak masri less than one
years old Maria Yasser camel al- masri
less than one years
old Aisha Jad Jalal shahen less than one
years
old rahima s Muhammad
shahim less than one years old Muhammad
MDU Muhammad Abu jazar less than one
years old Tia MDU Muhammad Abu jazar
less than one years old Baha Mustafa
Jamal Musa less than 1 years old Ran ham
Hussein Musa less than 1 years
old musk Mahmud ibraim hegazi less than
1 years
old Ahmed Muhammad Amon noal less than
one years old son of nabila Nasser
Muhammad nfal less than oneyear old muaz
hany Muhammad eliad less than one years
old Cas Eli Nabil
Eli less than 1 years
old I will continue next week May they
rest in peace our blood is on their hand
our their blood is on our hands you
thank
you Frank
Wicks okay the sceny council people
they're supporting a Siege fire are
doing the right thing for skaki they're
doing the right thing for the United
States they're doing the right thing for
the Palestinians they're doing the right
thing for Israel why are they doing the
right thing for Israel Israel's lost
control of itself uh Tom Freedman who's
the ulate the colist ultimate champion
of Israel he's calling for Seas fire
anyone that any every rational person
that sees what's going on is calling for
ceasefire we've dropped enough bombs on
Gaza uh correspond about five or six
hoshima bombs we've killed CI civilians
now they recognize that there's no
endgame so the best thing you can do
right now is to call for seize fire for
all concerned a final note is we have
the
uh uh the the is Israeli
Lobby uh there's one congressman
uh Bowman Jamal Bowman he calls for a
ceasefire uh you know what's happening
to
him $15 million from the Israeli Lobby
is going to defeat him in the primary
tomorrow uh is that that Israeli Lobby
should be illegal they don't represent
the United States they no longer
represent the interests of Israel it's
not clear who they who who they
represent with they're damaging to
connecting they're doing damage to the
United States they're doing damage to
the Palestinians and they're doing
they're ultimately damaging Israel no
confucious noted that anyone goes for
Revenge digs their own grave and Israel
is digging their own grave right
now thank
you I have no one else signed up to
speak so I declare the public comment of
City business
closed at this time any Miss mous
business of the
council Miss
Patrick I wanted to um talk about the
news the new swimming pool in Central
Park last week the schedule um was
published uh I appreciate that the boys
and girls club stepped up a little bit
earlier I I was out of town last week
but I appreciate that the mayor opened
the pool early because of the heat wave
last week so the hours at the new pool
are Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 9:00
a.m. there's an adult swim 12:30 to 6:30
there's an open swim 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
there's one lane open for an adult swim
and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to
6 it's an open swim um I also wanted to
mention that on the 4th of July uh there
will be a reading of the Declaration of
Independence um here on the steps of
City Hall at 10:00 a.m. and I hope folks
will come out for that um
and I also wanted to mention that there
is a food pantry being started as a
satellite Pantry at um it's a satellite
Pantry to the Daily Bread food pantry at
St Luke's it's going to be uh over at uh
10:40 Pearl Street at the Holy Name of
Jesus it'll be open on
Mondays um from 3: to 6:00 p.m. and
they're looking for volunteers they need
volunteers in the morning from 9: to 11:
on Monday mornings and they're going to
need volunteers from 2: to 4:00 p.m. and
4: to 6:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon so
if anyone's interested in volunteering
um that you'd be uh contacting a woman
named Jackie whose number is 518 836
5310 um or you can email her at sld
dailybread Food Pantry gmail.com thank
you thank you Mr Williams
thank
you I first wanted to take a moment to
just acknowledge all the voices and
comments that have made their positions
known at our council meeting tonight uh
there your words are not lost on me as
I've continuously taken notes not just
on this one topic but just throughout my
entire Council uh career I I don't know
what our our next move is as a community
but I always uh encourage um action
groups uh to to continue to mobilize
within yourselves uh regardless of where
you're at and and challenge uh uh those societal norms and and your best
intent and uh the one thing that I
always like to point out is that
continued dialogue is important and
required uh so as uh this conversation
continues uh apparently uh I just ask
that we we as a community just remain
open-minded and and and respective uh of
this of this
topic uh I also wanted to take a moment
to uh acknowledge a social media post
that I recognized uh for my wife uh she helped me see this um the sky fire
department as we are entering just a
heightened uh Fire season not just uh in
our community but just nationally um one
of the things I wanted to highlight and
just thank was uh CDTA and they're
making available uh buses so that as
firefighters who win U most of their
full attire and apparatuses which is
very very tasting and and daunting if
you can imagine in this heightened heat
um making available just their buses to
serve as air conditioning units uh and
then also providing those as as
harboring zones uh just for residents
who are being displaced uh so truly it
is a collaborative effort and from
myself to you as an organization I want
to say thank you um and then also I
wanted to take this moment to just do a
uh um a public announcement to our
residents uh who are experiencing fires
or just traumatic events that require
EMS but specifically firefighters to
respond to one of the things I was made
aware of uh by our local firefighters is
the difficulty with sometimes getting
people who are in adjacent buildings out
of their houses uh and from myself to
you I can understand how being put in
that position uh having that additional
con inconvenience levied upon yourself
is is is definitely a lot in some
moments uh but truly I would ask you to
just take a moment and move from beside
yourself and understand that these men
and women who are uh uh challenged to uh
save lives are doing so with the best
intent in mind and truly uh there
there's no uh ill will in their ass for
you to evacuate
and your assistance and cooperation
truly AIDS their attempts to make sure
that there are no lives lost in any of
these events uh so I just wanted to say
uh thank you to our local uh uh EMS
responders um the mayor continuously lws
not only uh these individuals but also
our Police Department for their efforts
uh but definitely as we enter just the
heighten firefight a heightened Fire
season just please be collaborative and
Cooperative thank you thank
you mayor
thank you Madame President uh appreciate
everyone coming out tonight and your
comments uh council member Patrick
talked about the swimming pool we had a
successful opening uh was delayed a
little bit because of construction
almost a year for Central Park but it's
clearly a uh great investment for the
community and want people to be able to
use it uh for many years to come quacken
Bush and Front Street are also opening
now uh uh today was a little bit cooler
uh I think we're going to get another
couple hot days down the road
so people uh be cautious drink fluids uh
and sometimes take a little bit of time
to check on some of your neighbors or
elderly senior citizens who uh might
also uh be in a situation that could be
compromised by uh the high heat thank
you madam president thank you mayor I'd
also like to thank everyone for coming
out tonight tonight um I appreciate you
know everything that you have to say and
know that I am listening and taking all
these things in consideration um I want
to know I want you to know for those of
you who are um supporting the ceasefire
I appreciate that you continue to do the
work and um and I'm actually glad to
hear that there's going to be a people's
resolution because I think the people
who are supportive should be able to to
participate in that way so um with that
I have nothing else and I'll ask for a
motion to adjourn
moved by Mr Williams second by Mr Farley
all those in favor we're adjourned have
a good evening
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