[0:00] including but not limited to speaking
[0:02] out of turn and making loud noises and
[0:04] loud utterances are in violation of the
[0:06] rules and interfere with the due conduct
[0:08] of this lawful meeting. Such disruptions
[0:11] may constitute a misdemeanor and a
[0:13] violation of section 605.04.
[0:17] Anyone who disrupts this lawful meeting
[0:18] is in violation of the codified
[0:20] ordinances, commits misdemeanors, and is
[0:23] subject to prosecution. The following is
[0:26] the first and only warning. If this
[0:28] meeting is disrupted, I will gavvel a
[0:31] halt to the proceedings and direct the
[0:32] assembled officers to escort any person
[0:35] participating in the disruption out of
[0:37] the chamber. Once persons participating
[0:39] in the disruption or out of the
[0:41] chambers, the officers will close the
[0:44] doors and the disruptors will be handled
[0:46] as directed by the director of public
[0:48] safety. The council proceedings will not
[0:51] begin again until that that those that
[0:54] participated in the disruption have left
[0:55] the chamber and the chamber doors are
[0:58] closed. Disruptors will not be allowed
[1:00] back in the chamber after the meeting
[1:02] resumes. Again, this is the first and
[1:04] only warning. Madame clerk, please
[1:07] dispense with the journal.
[1:12] by Council Member Shaw that the reading
[1:15] of the minutes of the last meeting be
[1:16] dispensed with the journal approved,
[1:18] seconded by Council Member Davis.
[1:21] Thank you. We will now move to public
[1:24] comment. Uh I want to remind all of the
[1:26] council members if you could turn around
[1:28] and acknowledge the speakers and I also
[1:30] will ask all of the speakers to
[1:32] acknowledge your three minute time
[1:34] limit. Once again, uh when you see the
[1:37] yellow light come up right in front of
[1:39] me, that means to wrap it up. And when
[1:41] you see the red that mean that your time
[1:43] is expired and we will be moving to the
[1:45] next speaker. We will go in the order of
[1:48] how everyone signed up. The first
[1:50] speaker that we have is St. James
[1:52] Singleton from Ward 9 to talk about
[1:54] community concerns. He is not
[1:56] representing anyone and is not being
[1:58] paid by anyone to comment. Uh Mr. St.
[2:00] James Singleton, uh you have the floor
[2:03] directly right here.
[2:14] I want to share with y'all
[2:17] from a pastor standpoint
[2:20] a allegory to paint a picture of what
[2:24] I'm feeling.
[2:27] I had this dream
[2:30] that I was driving in my neighborhood or
[2:33] nine. As I saw what appeared to be kids
[2:38] jumping on another kid, there was others
[2:41] watching, but they did nothing about the
[2:44] situation.
[2:46] I was so upset
[2:48] that I slammed on my brakes,
[2:51] jumped out of my car,
[2:53] and at first just to break up the fight.
[2:57] I grabbed what appeared to be one kid
[3:00] and pushed him out of the way as I
[3:02] grabbed another kid and pushed him to
[3:05] the side, allowing the kid who was being
[3:08] jumped to get free.
[3:10] The moment the kid who was getting
[3:12] jumped got free took off and left me to
[3:15] fight a fight that was never mine in the
[3:17] first place. I couldn't blame him. He
[3:21] was helpless.
[3:22] But now I'm surrounded in a fight that I
[3:26] voluntarily got myself into.
[3:28] Started off by asking, "Please move out
[3:32] of my way." They wouldn't move, so I
[3:34] began to push.
[3:37] Then one threw a punch that landed in my
[3:39] chest. I thought to myself, "It's now
[3:42] right to hit a kid." But when I looked
[3:45] up again, it was no longer kids I was
[3:48] fighting.
[3:50] It was a government.
[3:52] It was the citizens and it was the
[3:54] church. Now I'm fighting and I'm
[3:58] swinging with everything I got cuz now I
[4:01] realize I'm fighting for these babies
[4:04] this summer.
[4:06] Soon summer begin.
[4:08] I've opened up a program me and my team
[4:11] because moms got to work and nobody's
[4:14] helping them. If they leave their kids
[4:16] in the house and you catch them then
[4:18] they're going to have a case. SO ME AND
[4:20] MY STAFF volunteerly did a free daycare
[4:24] service from 8:00 9:00 in the morning to
[4:28] 9 8:00 at night for absolutely free with
[4:32] no assistance. The the families helped a
[4:35] little bit, but I'm trying to figure out
[4:37] NOT EVEN A GRANOLA BAR,
[4:40] BUT Y'ALL LOVE US. Aund kids
[4:44] AND NOT NOBODY COME THROUGH. I I GOT MY
[4:48] CAR REPOSSESSED BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS
[4:51] MORE IMPORTANT TO BUY SWIMMING POOLS
[4:53] than bouncy houses AND FEED THEM. I GOT
[4:54] IT BACK BECAUSE I KNOW HOW TO GET the
[4:56] money when I got to. BUT I'M TRYING TO
[4:58] FIGURE OUT, Y'ALL DON'T LOVE OUR KIDS,
[5:02] BUT WE GOT MONEY to put in the streets
[5:06] and TO BUILD PRISONS.
[5:08] WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT'S REALLY
[5:11] CARING ENOUGH TO FIGHT THIS fight that
[5:14] don't even got nothing to do with
[5:15] » Time? Thank you, sir. Thank you. Next we
[5:18] have
[5:25] Next we have Tyresa Thompson from W 9 to
[5:28] talk about community concerns. Uh Tyresa
[5:31] is not representing any organization and
[5:33] not being paid to comment.
[5:40] » Good evening. Back in May, I briefly
[5:43] stood before you in support of St.
[5:45] James, founder and visionary of the
[5:47] Build and Strong Individuals Youth
[5:49] Program. Our goal was simple, to let the
[5:52] city know what we were doing in the
[5:54] community and ask for assistance in
[5:56] funding it. This summer, we served
[5:59] approximately 100 children. Monday
[6:02] through Thursday, our doors were open
[6:03] from 9:00 a.m. until about 8:00 p.m.
[6:05] Even though tutoring ended at 6, some of
[6:09] these kids would literally kick and
[6:10] scream because they did not want to
[6:12] leave. And I thought about it. I can't
[6:15] remember any time or anywhere I wanted
[6:18] to stay that bad as a child besides a
[6:20] swimming pool. And so we got swimming
[6:23] pools, basketball hoops,
[6:26] art supplies. We went on field trips,
[6:28] offer activities, garden, tutoring, and
[6:31] multiple multiple meals throughout the
[6:34] day. Some of us bought things from our
[6:36] own homes. slushie machines, juicers,
[6:39] air fryers, cooking grles, deep
[6:41] freezers, whatever we had that could
[6:43] help us serve these children. Our
[6:46] program was also created to expose youth
[6:48] to hands-on skills like construction,
[6:50] painting, framing, basic electrical
[6:52] work, tool safety, and teamwork.
[6:56] We would have loved to operate in that
[6:58] portion at the capacity we did in 2025,
[7:01] but without funding, we simply could not
[7:03] afford the tools and supplies necessary.
[7:07] And yet, approximately eight unpaid
[7:09] volunteers kept showing up. By the grace
[7:13] of God, small organizations and
[7:15] community members saw what we were doing
[7:18] and gave. Some telling us they were
[7:20] giving their last because they wanted
[7:22] this mission to stay alive. The program
[7:25] was originally geared towards ages 10
[7:26] through 17, but when we saw a need, we
[7:28] adjusted. Families were struggling with
[7:30] food care, child care, simply being a
[7:34] unable to work during the summer. So, we
[7:36] opened our doors to children ages 5
[7:38] through 17. Not one dollar, not one
[7:41] bread scent came from city funding. Even
[7:44] on August 11th, St. James personally
[7:46] called Coun Councilman Conwell asking if
[7:48] he could contribute towards book bags
[7:50] and school supplies for the community.
[7:52] He directed us to submit a formal
[7:54] request through his assistant Ammani at
[7:56] 4:17 p.m. from rc city105@gmail.com.
[7:59] I sent a detailed email formally
[8:02] inviting him to partner with our back to
[8:03] school initiative. We never received a
[8:06] response and no contribution followed.
[8:08] So I'm forced to ask, what are we doing
[8:10] to save our youth? Our children are
[8:13] hungry to to learn to belong, hungry to
[8:15] be involved in something. And when
[8:17] healthy opportunities are hard to
[8:18] assess, unhealthy ones are standing
[8:20] right outside the door. Ask yourself,
[8:23] why are the recreation why aren't the
[8:25] recreation cities packed anymore? Why
[8:27] aren't the streets full of children
[8:28] riding bikes and playing? I want to see
[8:31] the neighborhood thriving, but I don't
[8:32] feel safe letting my children play
[8:34] outside. We live in a world where we
[8:36] can't do that anymore. That is what we
[8:38] tried to do. And I'm disappointed
[8:40] because the city did not show up.
[8:43] » Thank you.
[8:44] » Thank you. Next up is Daryl Houston.
[8:49] Daryl Houston is from Bedford Heights.
[8:51] He's here to talk about city issues.
[8:52] He's not representing any organization
[8:54] and not being paid to comment.
[8:56] » Um well, good evening everybody. Uh I
[9:00] would like to take a moment of silence
[9:02] for the juveniles that we just lost over
[9:03] the weekend. It seems that we had a busy
[9:06] weekend, but that's not what I came down
[9:08] here to talk about today, but I will
[9:09] acknowledge it. any child that's laying
[9:12] on the ground is a tragedy for everybody
[9:13] in this room. Okay. But what I'm down
[9:16] here to do is to talk directly to the
[9:18] mayor today because I had some concerns.
[9:20] Uh my mother's 75 years old. She had a
[9:24] tree placed in front of her lawn on one
[9:27] of her properties. The tree damaged the
[9:29] sidewalk. The tree roots damaged our
[9:31] sewer lines. And we had to pay about 7
[9:34] to$10,000 out of pocket. Right. She's
[9:38] emailed the law director, Mark Griffin.
[9:40] We've also emailed uh Marty Kaine.
[9:43] Right? And see, here's my thing, right?
[9:45] When you follow all the laws, all the
[9:47] policies, and all the procedures, and
[9:48] you do all of your due diligence, and it
[9:51] lands in the city hall desk, it goes
[9:53] unressed, and I'm tired of that. So, I'm
[9:56] looking for accountability. So what I
[9:58] did this summer is I just stood back and
[10:00] watched each and every last one of you
[10:02] departments and and tried to figure out
[10:04] who was actually working and who was
[10:06] actually kicking the can. So what I'm
[10:08] going to do is I'm going to dedicate
[10:11] seven Mondays. I'm going to single each
[10:13] and every last person out by name, by
[10:16] ward, by job title, and I'm going to ask
[10:19] some difficult questions. Not
[10:21] disrespectful questions, but
[10:23] accountability questions, right? because
[10:25] I am sick and tired of what I'm seeing
[10:27] take place within this city. There's a
[10:30] lot of nepotism downtown. There's a lot
[10:32] of people getting personal grants,
[10:35] right? There's a lot of things going on,
[10:37] right? There is a true complaint. 36
[10:41] months when you sign a contract with any
[10:44] grantee and it takes 36 months for you
[10:47] to get that, I suggest you go look up
[10:49] what a contract means. And I suggest you
[10:51] go look up when people spend their money
[10:53] upfront to get it back in 36 months. Oh,
[10:57] they deserve that interest that y'all
[10:59] collecting on that money that you guys
[11:00] don't report down here. Okay? See, I'm
[11:02] here to put the truth to the game. I
[11:04] don't have any enemies. I just want to
[11:06] speak truth to light. I just want people
[11:08] to be accountable. There's some six
[11:10] figure salaries down here that's not
[11:12] holding up to the game. I promise y'all.
[11:15] Guess what? My knowledge is not
[11:17] AIdriven. My knowledge doesn't come from
[11:20] chat. I'm 35 years in of studying the
[11:24] United States system, the charter in the
[11:26] city of Cleveland, the the the state
[11:28] system, and I'm ready for anything that
[11:30] you guys have to offer me, right? And
[11:33] I'm going to hold each and every last
[11:34] one of y'all accountable. And it's never
[11:37] personal because you can't sit a person
[11:39] like me in a bathroom for 16 years
[11:41] wrongfully in prison. And I come out
[11:43] here and do everything right in this
[11:45] city. and I put things in this city that
[11:48] this community needs and you guys sit
[11:51] here and act like we're not human. I'm
[11:54] not going for that no more. I'm not. And
[11:57] to my colleagues to sitting back here, I
[11:59] don't think they going for it either.
[12:00] See you next Monday.
[12:04] » Next, we have
[12:06] Mr. James Box from Ward 6. He's here to
[12:09] talk about city issues. He's with Black
[12:11] Guard and Truth Ministries and he is not
[12:15] being paid by anyone. Mr. Box, you have
[12:17] the floor. And once again, we have one
[12:19] speaker at a time.
[12:21] » Good evening, uh, President Griffin, uh,
[12:25] and Mayor Bib. What I got to say is
[12:27] going to be very uncomfortable and I I
[12:30] got a lot of emotion behind what I'm
[12:32] about to say. I want to know within the
[12:34] city of Cleveland how we have an
[12:36] individual that works for the city of
[12:38] Cleveland with knowledge of a homicide
[12:41] that took place. The disappearance and
[12:43] the homicide of Keshan Williams.
[12:46] Jockey Simmons that works in community
[12:49] relations has information about Keshan
[12:53] Williams disappearance and his
[12:55] subsequent death.
[12:58] We was in a meeting a year ago. Miss
[13:00] Woodson, myself and some of my
[13:02] constituents. And at the conclusion of
[13:05] this meeting at Friendly Inn, we walked
[13:06] outside and Jackie Simmon said, "Well,
[13:09] what y'all about to do?" I said, "Well,
[13:10] me and Rob about to go look for Keshan
[13:12] Williams cuz that's his cousin." He
[13:13] said, "Well, my cousin," well, he said,
[13:14] "My brother Black knows that area. He'll
[13:17] come out with you guys." I said, "Well,
[13:19] cool." Well, subsequently the next day,
[13:22] the US Marshalss called me Vinnie from
[13:24] works under Pete Elliot. He said, "Box,
[13:26] we looking for a guy by the name of
[13:28] Black." They said he got knowledge of
[13:29] Keshan Williams disappearance. I said,
[13:31] "That's crazy. A guy just told me
[13:33] yesterday that's his brother. He works
[13:35] in community relations. Maybe you should
[13:36] go down there and talk to him." That's
[13:37] the way I sent him down there
[13:39] innocently. Not with no malice, not with
[13:41] no garbage. So, a word come back to me
[13:44] through pastor Gates to Jakis said,
[13:46] "Don't call my [ __ ] car phone
[13:49] to for me, James Box." So, I'm like,
[13:52] "What?" So, long story short, the
[13:55] marshals came down there questioned him.
[13:57] He climbed up and got scared. Then he
[14:00] lawyered up. But then he said before he
[14:02] lawyered up, he said, "Well, it wasn't
[14:04] my cousins or brother subsequent cousin.
[14:07] It was a black on 40th that killed
[14:09] Keshan Will." Well, you a person that
[14:12] works in a position of trust for the
[14:14] city of Cleveland. You withheld
[14:16] information on a disappearance and a
[14:19] homicide of a young man we've been
[14:21] looking for for the last four years. You
[14:24] withheld that information. And if I'm
[14:26] correct me, uh, President Griffin, when
[14:28] I when you was the director of community
[14:30] relations and I worked up under you and
[14:32] if I had knowledge of a homicide, a
[14:34] rape, senior abuse, or child abuse, I
[14:36] had to report that. I couldn't withhold
[14:38] that information. So why is this negro
[14:41] allowed to withhold that information of
[14:44] this young man that we've been looking
[14:46] for? And I'm going to tell you something
[14:47] about me and the people that's with me.
[14:49] We don't play when it come to finding
[14:51] missing and exploited children or women.
[14:53] We get out there and we do this and
[14:55] we're not asking for no money because
[14:57] subsequently we had a little grant
[14:59] coming I guess out of community
[15:00] relations. They snatched the money
[15:02] because they said I sent the marshals
[15:04] down in community relations and the word
[15:06] I heard from Jesus and they said Miss
[15:08] Woodson they said you said it too that
[15:09] y'all don't [ __ ] with the police. So how
[15:11] you being community relations you work
[15:13] police community relations and you don't
[15:14] [ __ ] WITH THE POLICE. HOW IS THAT
[15:16] POSSIBLE? Can you explain that to me?
[15:18] because if you can't explain IT TO ME, I
[15:20] WILL go to the national media and make
[15:22] this known because I'm sick and tired of
[15:24] the BS
[15:25] » Time. Thank you, Mr. Fox. Thank you.
[15:34] I'm going to ask all of the speakers. We
[15:36] have children in the audience. We also
[15:39] have families in the audience. And I
[15:41] respect everybody's right to free
[15:43] speech, but can we please abstain from
[15:46] using profanity when we are at the mic.
[15:48] I'm going to ask all speakers if they
[15:50] could acknowledge that because once
[15:51] again, it's not just about you. I
[15:53] understand everybody's passionate and
[15:54] frustrated, but we do have children and
[15:57] others in the audience, and we want to
[15:58] be respectful of everybody. Thank you.
[16:01] Uh, next we have Matthew Strazzinski
[16:03] from Slavic Village. His topic is the
[16:06] police. He is not representing any
[16:08] organization and he is not being paid to
[16:10] comment. Mr. Stzinski, you had the
[16:12] floor.
[16:20] » Thank you. And uh welcome back everyone.
[16:23] First, it's not my main topic, but my
[16:28] goal, which I'm going to put on my
[16:29] refrigerator, and I would recommend that
[16:31] everybody puts it on the refrigerator.
[16:33] We want to see a million residents back
[16:36] into the city. We have 375 right now,
[16:40] and I want to see a million, especially
[16:42] through your administration. Mr. Bib,
[16:46] I don't think it's going to happen. And
[16:48] I want to see 33 council members back
[16:50] here like we originally are supposed to
[16:53] have here. Okay, that's our number one
[16:56] goal.
[16:58] Okay, now I want to ask everybody I want
[17:00] to ask everyone here this question.
[17:03] Okay,
[17:06] I got so much to say and I'm so
[17:08] flustered because I don't know where to
[17:11] start. I really don't. But I would like
[17:15] to know, maybe you can answer this for
[17:18] me.
[17:21] Of course, I lost it.
[17:25] Okay. Why do I have to smell marijuana
[17:29] coming from
[17:32] city employee water department work
[17:35] truck while the workers are in the
[17:40] truck?
[17:42] And I wanted to say maybe it was a car
[17:45] that was passing by. Okay. But then I
[17:49] noticed and I it was at another location
[17:52] where they were at and I smelled it even
[17:55] worse.
[17:56] Now this is unacceptable. And I also
[18:00] within the next day I observed
[18:04] a city worker sleeping in a vehicle city
[18:07] vehicle in front of my house.
[18:10] This is totally totally unacceptable.
[18:13] Mr. Mayor Bib, okay, you're going to
[18:16] really have to bear down on the police.
[18:19] I am a former Cleveland Police
[18:21] Dispatcher, former employee of the Kyog
[18:24] County Sheriff's Department. I am a
[18:25] former code enforcement officer
[18:29] and I don't think you understand. I
[18:31] really don't. I don't think you
[18:33] understand. Or maybe you're told by your
[18:36] adviserss not to put much emphasis on
[18:39] the police department.
[18:41] I experience waiting
[18:46] eight hours to get his own car. Okay.
[18:49] And this this this has been going on for
[18:51] 50 years. I'm a former Cleveland police
[18:53] dispatcher. This is what we experienced
[18:56] 50 years ago, 40 years ago, 30 years
[18:58] ago.
[19:00] This has to change. You have to get a
[19:02] hold of your department from the chiefs
[19:04] on down. And if you need help, I have
[19:07] enough training and I can train these
[19:09] people. If not, if they don't train, if
[19:11] they don't understand, you need to get
[19:12] rid of them once and for all. My time is
[19:16] up and I wish I could say more. Thank
[19:18] you.
[19:19] » Thank you.
[19:22] Next, we have Maestro Stevens. Uh
[19:25] Maestro Stevens is from Akran. He's here
[19:28] to talk about Kyhoga County Juvenile
[19:30] Court Local Rule 35 and the effect of
[19:34] administrative delay and conflicting
[19:36] court notices on parenting time
[19:39] enforcement. Sir, you have the floor.
[19:41] » Thank you. Good evening. My name is Mro
[19:44] Stevens and yes, that's my real name. A
[19:46] Cleveland area father, self
[19:48] representative litigant in Kyhoga County
[19:50] Juvenile Court. Case FA2374239.
[19:55] Council does not need to decide county
[19:57] cases, but Cleveland families live with
[19:58] the consequences when court delay
[20:00] consumes a parent childhood
[20:01] relationship. On September 3rd, I won
[20:04] both of my appeals against the court by
[20:06] myself. The 8th district vacated the
[20:08] custody judgment after finding that I
[20:09] was denied a meaningful opportunity to
[20:11] be heard. It was also reversed the child
[20:13] support calculation because the income
[20:15] assigned to me had no evidentary
[20:16] support. The court conditioned my
[20:18] parenting time on a negative hair
[20:19] follicle test. I submitted the negative
[20:21] test result twice. The court identified
[20:23] no defect. mother still refused to
[20:25] schedule. On January 6, I filed for
[20:28] contempt and restoration for our lost
[20:30] time. That motion is 251 days old
[20:32] tonight and has never received an
[20:34] evidentiary hearing. On March 3rd, I saw
[20:37] emergency enforcement. The court refused
[20:39] to hear it because of an appeal. No stay
[20:42] existed. It ordered redirected immediate
[20:44] danger concerns to police 696 kids
[20:47] without addressing the relationship
[20:48] harm. Then the explanation started
[20:51] changing. A July hearing was canceled
[20:53] because proceeding supposedly remained
[20:54] stayed. There was never a stay. After
[20:57] that false premise was exposed. The next
[20:59] notice said pre-trial. But then the
[21:01] hearing became an arraignment and
[21:02] council referral. I requested an
[21:04] evidentary date. The answer was no.
[21:07] After my August 14th challenge, the
[21:10] court canceled September 16th for
[21:11] unavailability. October 5th was the
[21:13] first notice as a pre-trial, then
[21:15] corrected the next morning to an
[21:16] enforcement trial. Then on September
[21:18] 9th, the judges signed the same date,
[21:20] time, and courtroom to custody and child
[21:22] support without saying what happens to
[21:24] enforcement. Two orders now claim the
[21:26] same slot. Research reports Ohio
[21:28] commonly awarded schedule for fathers
[21:30] 23.7%
[21:32] of total parenting time, 86.5 days, just
[21:35] below the 90day overnight child support
[21:37] threshold. At 90 days, court ordered
[21:40] overnights, Ohio law reduces the child
[21:42] support obligation by 10%. those
[21:44] measures differently, but the proximity
[21:46] differs scr des deserve scrutiny.
[21:49] Three times in five weeks, what a
[21:51] hearing was changed for after the notice
[21:54] went out. The case I filed in January,
[21:56] still no answer. Ohio law permits
[21:58] restored parenting time. House Bill 550
[22:00] would require it for covered will for
[22:03] violations, but has received no hearing.
[22:05] Senate Bill 174 preserves judicial
[22:08] discretion and received four House
[22:10] hearings. I use contempt, emergency
[22:12] enforcement, or corrective motions. I
[22:14] followed every available procedure. I'm
[22:16] just asking for a hearing, not an
[22:17] outcome. I ask officials and local media
[22:19] to demand transparent assignments,
[22:21] accurate hearing notices, dates certain
[22:23] that hold, and public reporting on how
[22:25] long parenting time enforcement motions
[22:26] wait for evidence. And my judge was
[22:28] Jezel Mali. Thank you for your time.
[22:38] And our last speaker is Juan Colado Diaz
[22:42] from Ward 12. And Juan is here to talk
[22:44] about artificial intelligence and data
[22:46] centers. He is not representing or any
[22:49] organization and not being paid by
[22:50] anyone. Mr. Collato Diaz, you had the
[22:52] floor.
[22:53] » Thank you, Council President. Good
[22:54] evening, everybody. Um, so you know,
[22:56] welcome back um to listening to us every
[22:59] week. I wanted to talk a little bit
[23:01] about the usage of AI in our city um and
[23:04] the data center crisis we're is facing
[23:05] not only Cleveland but Ohio and the
[23:07] whole world right now right um I woke up
[23:10] this week to two news articles that I
[23:12] was like whoa what the hell is going on
[23:14] in our planet and one of them was Elon
[23:17] Musk Elon Musk is the creator of Crock
[23:20] AI um currently owns Twitter and all
[23:22] this stuff right multi-millionaire
[23:24] billionaire whatever you want to call
[23:25] him at this point Elon Musk used AI to
[23:29] put child pornography into the system to
[23:31] trade it to how to develop it and put it
[23:34] out there. This is one of the uses that
[23:36] artificial intelligence now through his
[23:38] platform can do and this one of the uses
[23:40] that people are allowing without
[23:41] restrictions at a city, federal or state
[23:44] level in any way, shape or form. We're
[23:46] also seeing right now that two
[23:48] executives from the organization Claude,
[23:50] which is an AI company, have said that
[23:52] by 2035 they can see AI causing the
[23:55] exition of humanity. If any of you
[23:57] haven't, I recommend you to read the
[23:59] book series, The 100. Spoiler alert, the
[24:02] AI does kill humanity by causing a
[24:04] nuclear war. So, that is exactly what
[24:07] we're seeing over here. And sure, a lot
[24:08] of people say there's a lot of fear
[24:10] coming from AI. And I see it, too. But
[24:12] when you're generating those images, you
[24:14] are destroying bodies of water. As
[24:16] someone who comes from the island of
[24:18] Puerto Rico, came here to the United
[24:19] States and are seeing my people
[24:21] suffering every day without water in the
[24:23] island, I just ask myself, how can we
[24:26] generate an image and think it's okay to
[24:29] just generate that image, waste all that
[24:31] water because we have it. We have a
[24:33] beautiful lake that we're going to
[24:35] destroy if we keep allowing the usage of
[24:37] AI and the data centers to come around.
[24:39] AI is also connected to a lot of racial
[24:42] targeting as we can see with the flock
[24:44] cameras around the United States. Their
[24:46] AI usage with the flock cameras is
[24:48] literally targeting people of color and
[24:50] immigrants to follow them and let
[24:52] organizations like eyes know where
[24:54] people like me because we look Latino
[24:57] are at and we can be targeted. So I am
[24:59] asking every council member because I
[25:01] have emailed some of you about the usage
[25:03] of AI in your offices. Please stop it.
[25:05] AI is not a good tool. designers out
[25:08] here in the world are willing to do your
[25:10] designs. And if you need a design, I'm a
[25:12] graphic designer. I will literally do it
[25:14] for free rather than you using AI. I'm
[25:16] pointing that out right now. Stop the
[25:18] usage of AI. Please, you are literally
[25:20] killing humanity. You are killing our
[25:22] planet, our natural habitats. And we
[25:25] have one planet. That red one isn't
[25:27] going to be ours. We're not going to
[25:29] conquer Mars. It's not Earth. We have
[25:31] one planet and we're made for it. So,
[25:32] please stop using AI. I urge you all to
[25:35] also read and stop the data centers
[25:37] coming to our city and anywhere in Ohio
[25:39] if you can communicate with your
[25:41] colleagues at other cities and make sure
[25:42] that we do not have a destruction made
[25:44] by computers. Thank you.
[25:47] » Thank you.
[25:53] » Um I usually don't comment but Mr. Diaz,
[25:56] I would strongly recommend that we have
[25:58] three community meetings that will be
[26:00] coming up to deal with that topic. And
[26:02] please be on standby because uh
[26:04] Councilman Brian Kazy has done a a great
[26:06] job of really um tackling this
[26:09] conversation and um I really encourage
[26:12] anybody who has that concern to come to
[26:14] those community meetings when we have
[26:15] them. Okay. Thank you. All right. That
[26:18] concludes public comment. Uh Madame
[26:20] Clerk, please share communications.
[26:28] File num, [cough]
[26:30] [clears throat] excuse me. File numbers
[26:32] 101-2026
[26:36] and 103206
[26:38] from Larry Jones, Commissioner of
[26:41] Innovation and Technology Services,
[26:43] notification of utilization of the
[26:46] cooperative purchasing agreement with
[26:48] Dell Technology for the purpose of
[26:50] equipment. File number 1102206
[26:54] from council president Blaine Griffin
[26:57] designating without objection by council
[26:59] Mrs. Rachel Nigro Scalish to serve as
[27:02] clerk of council prom for all matters
[27:05] requiring the clerk's signature on
[27:07] August 31st to September 1st. File
[27:11] number 1104 2026 pursuant to ordinance
[27:15] 34 I'm sorry 341-91.
[27:22] The Department of Safety applied and
[27:24] accepted several small grants from the
[27:27] state of Ohio's Office of Criminal
[27:30] Justice Services for the Extradition
[27:33] Reimbursement Program from the Ohio
[27:36] Division of Liquor Control, file number
[27:38] 11052026
[27:40] regarding a transfer of location
[27:42] application at 4170 Lee Road, Ward 1.
[27:46] File number 1106206
[27:49] regarding a transfer of ownership
[27:51] application at 16826 Lakeshore
[27:55] Boulevard, Ward 10. File number 1107206
[28:00] regarding a new license application at
[28:02] 10207 Madison Avenue, Ward 12. File
[28:06] number 1108 2026 regarding a transfer of
[28:10] license application at 11025 Ashberry
[28:14] Avenue, Ward 9. File number 11:09 2026
[28:19] regarding a transfer of ownership
[28:20] application at 4227
[28:25] Fulton Road, Ward 11, file number 110 11
[28:30] 10 2026 regarding a transfer of
[28:33] ownership application at 4741
[28:37] West 130th Street, Ward 13, file number
[28:41] 1111 2026 regarding a transfer of
[28:45] license application at 3870 West 25th
[28:49] Street, Ward 14.
[28:53] » Thank you. Are there any condolence
[28:55] resolutions?
[28:58] Resolutions of condolence by Council
[29:00] Member Bishop for Lincoln Andre Perkins,
[29:03] by Council Member Jones for Lois Opel
[29:05] Smith, by Council Member Griffin for
[29:08] Elder James Lee Gates, by Council Member
[29:11] Jones for Dorothy M. Williams by council
[29:14] member Jones for Dela May Owens by
[29:16] council member Jones for Clarence E.
[29:19] Mloud III by council member Santana for
[29:22] Maria Magdalena Gomez by council member
[29:26] Star for
[29:31] Jerome Morgan
[29:34] by council member Jones for Dr. Barbara
[29:37] Blameo by C by Council Member Griffin
[29:41] for Elizabeth Walker by Council Member
[29:44] Griffin for Arlet L. Wright.
[29:49] Thank you. Uh I would like to also if I
[29:53] could send out a condolence resolution
[29:55] for Rory James Garrett II. Um, many of
[30:00] you may not know who Rory James II, uh,
[30:04] Rory James Garrett II is, but the coffee
[30:07] shop that's downstairs, the Unbar,
[30:09] that's a popular location in Larchmere,
[30:11] as well as, uh, the, uh, the Cafe Indigo
[30:14] on Shaker Square, uh, he was the young
[30:17] man that you might have seen operate all
[30:19] of those. So, he passed away suddenly
[30:20] yesterday, and, uh, really want to keep
[30:23] him and his family in our prayers. Are
[30:25] there any other condolence resolutions?
[30:28] Councilman Christopher Harsh.
[30:30] » Thank you, Mr. President. Can we hold
[30:31] out a number for Eugene Richard Okconor?
[30:34] » Duly noted. Do we have any other
[30:36] condolence resolutions? Any other
[30:38] condolence resolutions?
[30:40] Will all council members rise for a
[30:42] moment of silence?
[30:51] Thank you.
[30:55] Are any congratulatory resolutions?
[30:57] Resolutions
[31:01] of congratulations by council member
[31:03] Star for George Washington Carver School
[31:06] Court celebration by council member
[31:09] Santana on the third annual Reyes
[31:11] community baby shower by council member
[31:14] Griffin for Christy Groves by council
[31:16] member Conwell for Charles Layman on his
[31:20] 100th birthday by council member Santana
[31:23] for the arch at St. Michael's ribbon
[31:25] cutting by council member Griffin for
[31:27] Lisa Ray's retirement by council member
[31:30] Casey for Andy Burke on his retirement
[31:34] by council member Jones for asphalt art
[31:37] ribbon cutting
[31:40] by council member Star for United Black
[31:44] Fund of Greater Cleveland by Council
[31:46] Member Palencic for Jeremy A Peak by
[31:49] Council Member Star for Pastor Milton O
[31:51] and Lady Phyllis Bradford on their 40th
[31:54] anniversary iversary by council member
[31:56] starr for Alexander Fernandez.
[31:59] Resolutions of recognition by council
[32:01] member House Jones, Big Brothers and Big
[32:04] Sisters of Greater Cleveland 2026 for
[32:08] big and little award of the year by all
[32:11] members of council to Judge Anthony J.
[32:14] Russo by council member Griffin for
[32:18] Kimberly Roy Wilson by council member
[32:20] Santana for Joseé Torres Ramirez by
[32:24] council member Jones for Khaled Samad
[32:27] Greater CLLE activism award honore by
[32:31] council member Jones for Dolores Gray
[32:33] Greater CLLE activism award honore by
[32:38] council member Jones for Northeast Ohio
[32:40] coalition for the homeless greater
[32:42] Cleveland activism award award honore by
[32:46] council member Jones for Hank Davis
[32:49] icons. Greater CLLE activism award
[32:52] honore by council member Jones for day
[32:55] for days one by for the greater
[32:59] Cleveland activism award honore by
[33:02] council member Jones for Margaret Wong
[33:05] greater CLLE activism award honore by
[33:09] council member Jones for Dr. Charles
[33:11] Mlin, Greater CLLE Activism Award honore
[33:16] by Council Member Jones for Lois
[33:18] Goodman. Greater CLLE Activism Award
[33:21] Honore by Council Member Jones for
[33:24] Phyllis 7 Harris Greater Cleveland
[33:28] Greater CLLE Activism Award Honore
[33:32] Council. by Council Member Jones for
[33:34] Janice Contreres Greater Cleveland CLLE
[33:38] Activism Award honore by Council Member
[33:41] House Jones for graffiti he by council
[33:46] member House Jones for Eduardo Cobra by
[33:50] council member Conwell
[33:52] for Jeremy Johnson by council member
[33:54] Jones for Alfred Porter Jr. Greater CLLE
[33:58] Activism Award Honore by Council Member
[34:01] Jones,
[34:04] Michael D. Pencic. Greater CLLE Activism
[34:07] Award Honore by Council Member Jones.
[34:10] Anita Bradley, Greater CLLE Activism
[34:14] Award Honore by Council Member Jones.
[34:17] Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Greater
[34:19] CLLE Activism Award Honore by Council
[34:23] Member Jones. Laura Cowan, Greater CLLE
[34:26] Activism Award Honore by Council Member
[34:29] Jones for Carrie Gibbons. Greater CLLE
[34:33] Activism Award honore by Council Member
[34:36] Jones for Dr. Shireen uh Nasser Greater
[34:40] CLLE Activism Award Honore by Council
[34:44] Member Jones for Brandon Kstowski
[34:48] Greater Cleveland Activism Award Honore
[34:51] by Council Member Jones for Blaine A.
[34:53] Griffin, Greater CLLE Activism Award
[34:56] Honore by Council Member Jones for Ted
[35:00] Gin Senior Greater Cleveland Greater
[35:03] CLLE Activism Award Honore by Council
[35:07] Member Jones for Blackonblack Crime,
[35:09] Inc. Greater CLLE Activism Award Honore.
[35:13] Resolutions of welcome by Council Member
[35:15] Griffin for attorney Fred D. Gray,
[35:18] senior.
[35:22] » Thank you. We'll now have presentations
[35:25] and um I'm g ask that councilwoman
[35:27] Stephanie House Jones can join us up
[35:29] here and then I would also ask if you
[35:32] can open up the whale for her guest
[35:37] and if they could join her right here to
[35:39] the right.
[35:53] this way.
[35:55] » And I needed them to come closer so I
[35:58] can see the mentor Ignite.
[36:00] » Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
[36:01] » Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
[36:03] » Hello. How are you?
[36:05] » And please
[36:07] feel free to come to both of the
[36:09] platforms so you can get up on the
[36:10] platforms.
[36:12] » Well, good evening everyone. Happy
[36:15] Monday. Welcome back. Um, so over the
[36:19] summer, um, I was invited, uh, by Big
[36:22] Brothers Big Sisters of Greater
[36:23] Cleveland, um, to a summer picnic they
[36:26] were having in June. And you know how
[36:29] our schedule goes and I missed it. And
[36:31] then a little while later, uh, Morgan
[36:34] reached out to me and said, "Hey, um, we
[36:37] just wanted to let you know that the big
[36:40] and little of 2026, uh, the little is
[36:42] from W 8." AND I WAS LIKE, "OKAY, LET'S
[36:45] COME ON. LET'S talk about it. Um, and
[36:48] does anybody know what September is? I
[36:51] know you don't, but I'll tell you, it's
[36:53] Big Brother Big Sister Month. So, it
[36:55] also is coinciding with Big Brother Big
[36:56] Sister Month. Um, they have like just
[36:59] the cutest video of Kelly and Arya uh
[37:02] talking about their journey. Um,
[37:04] mentoring is something that I just hold
[37:07] in just high esteem. Um, I had the honor
[37:09] of running a girls leadership program in
[37:11] Thga Marshall Recreation Center for 12
[37:14] years. And uh, many of us know how
[37:17] important mentorship is in a young
[37:20] person's life. And just to know that
[37:22] they have had this budding relationship,
[37:25] familyship now over the last five years
[37:29] um, that has really materialized and now
[37:31] they have been recognized um, as big and
[37:35] little of the year. Um, so on behalf of
[37:37] the city of Cleveland, I want to
[37:38] congratulate you both, Kelly and Arya,
[37:41] for this wonderful partnership. Um, a a
[37:44] partnership that's really going to last
[37:46] a lifetime. Um, so without further ado,
[37:49] I want to introduce everybody to both
[37:51] Kelly and Arya so they can talk a little
[37:53] bit about their journey. Let's give them
[37:55] a round of applause.
[37:58] [applause]
[38:04] I just want to start by saying this one
[38:06] right here, I don't know, three-ish
[38:08] years ago, challenged a Cleveland Browns
[38:10] football player to a foot race.
[38:15] [laughter]
[38:19] Um, hi. Oh, I'm so sorry.
[38:23] » Hi everyone. Um, my my name is Arya.
[38:27] This is Kelly.
[38:30] Um, I don't know. What do you guys want
[38:32] to know?
[38:33] » How did you meet?
[38:35] » Well, I was Okay, so for Glennville, um,
[38:39] I wanted to try cheerleading. So, I did
[38:40] cheerleading for a little bit.
[38:42] » Cheerleading
[38:43] » For Glennville. Um, [laughter]
[38:51] » And so my um, Deja, she ended up talking
[38:57] to me and she was like, she was telling
[38:59] me about the um, program and she ended
[39:03] up matching me with Kelly. I got to meet
[39:05] her on the Glville parking lot.
[39:08] [laughter]
[39:09] And I was shy, really shy, but she was
[39:14] really outgoing and she was um
[39:17] I don't open Oh, like I'm trying to
[39:19] think of where I'm so sorry guys.
[39:21] [clears throat] She was
[39:22] » Pretty uh open book.
[39:24] » Yeah, pretty much. Yeah,
[39:26] » She's really nice though.
[39:28] And ever since we just been together,
[39:31] you know that one song um I can't think
[39:33] of the Oh, but I'll just sing it.
[39:35] Together forever is Linda and Heather.
[39:39] That's right. [laughter]
[39:42] » You should hear Arya comes honestly by
[39:44] her name. She can belt out any tune from
[39:48] Hamilton like no tomorrow. That's her
[39:50] favorite thing to listen to in the car
[39:53] together.
[39:55] » All right. Sorry. OKAY. GIVE HIM A ROUND
[39:58] OF APPLAUSE, Y'ALL.
[40:00] And if there is somebody uh to introduce
[40:02] the Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the
[40:03] Greater Cleveland team and just talk
[40:06] about just the need and how people can
[40:08] sign up to become a big or a little. Um
[40:11] anyone here from the team would like to
[40:13] come. All right, Jessica, take it away.
[40:17] » No, you're good. Stay right here. I'm
[40:19] Jessica Payne. I'm the president and CEO
[40:21] of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater
[40:22] Cleveland. I, like Arya, was a little
[40:25] sister. I was matched with my big sister
[40:28] in 1994.
[40:29] So, it's been a minute, over 30 years.
[40:32] Um, and I have the pleasure of leading
[40:33] the Big Brothers Big Sisters team and
[40:35] all the wonderful volunteers like Kelly
[40:38] who really are the ones that put in the
[40:40] work and they put in the time and they
[40:42] build the relationships with our kids.
[40:44] We serve around 200 kids in Kyhoga
[40:46] County per year. Around half those kids
[40:48] are residents of the city of Cleveland.
[40:50] Um, and we are always looking for
[40:52] volunteers to step up to be mentors. I
[40:56] can't guarantee that you're going to be
[40:58] as amazed by your little sister as as
[41:00] Kelly is by Arya, but I can guarantee
[41:03] you that as a volunteer would it's an
[41:05] experience that will change your life.
[41:07] Absolutely. So, we are our doors are
[41:10] open to people that might be interested
[41:13] in spending a little time. All it takes
[41:14] is a couple hours a month to become a
[41:18] big to become a mentor to a kid in your
[41:20] own community. It's a relationship that
[41:22] maybe you wouldn't have if you weren't a
[41:24] part of our program. You might not have
[41:25] met each other, but like I said, I can
[41:27] guarantee that it'll change your life.
[41:29] So, we're very grateful to the council
[41:31] for the invitation um and to the
[41:34] opportunity to recognize these two
[41:36] wonderful big and little of the year for
[41:37] 2026.
[41:42] [applause]
[41:57] One, two,
[42:03] education.
[42:32] All right, let's get him another round
[42:33] of applause if we could.
[42:39] » [applause]
[42:41] » That concludes presentations.
[42:44] Madame clerk, first reading, emergency
[42:46] ordinances referred for administrative
[42:48] review and committee review.
[42:52] Ordinance 10312026
[42:56] by council members Santana and Griffin
[42:58] by departmental request authorizing the
[43:00] directors of community development
[43:02] and/or finance as appropriate to enter
[43:05] into one or more agreements with the
[43:06] legal aid society as the lead partner
[43:09] organization to implement a program to
[43:11] provide access to legal services for
[43:14] covered individuals in eviction
[43:16] proceedings. Ordinance 1032 2026 by
[43:20] council members House Jones, Bishop,
[43:22] Santana, and Griffin by departmental
[43:24] request authorizing the director of
[43:27] capital projects to issue a permit to
[43:29] 1293 West 9th Street LLC to encroach
[43:33] into the public right ofway of West 9th
[43:35] Street by installing, using, and
[43:37] maintaining a new elevated concrete
[43:40] landing ramp and stairs. Ordinance 1033
[43:43] 2026 by council members Bishop and
[43:46] Griffin by departmental request
[43:48] authorizing the purchase by one or more
[43:50] standard and requirement contracts for
[43:52] the purchase lease or lease with option
[43:54] to purchase of various on-road vehicles,
[43:56] apparatus and off-road equipment, cabs,
[43:59] bodies and accessories, equipment and
[44:01] other aftermarket items necessary to
[44:04] equip the vehicles authorized for their
[44:06] intended purposes. Ordinance 1034 2026
[44:11] by council members Palencic, Santana,
[44:13] Bishop, and Griffin by departmental
[44:15] request authorizing the director of
[44:18] community development to lease the
[44:20] fivepoint building, also known as the
[44:22] Colinwood Community Center, to to
[44:24] Famikos Foundation to operate and
[44:27] provide a range of social
[44:30] services and to maintain the fivepoint
[44:32] building for a period of two years with
[44:35] one two-year option to renew Ordinance
[44:38] 10352026
[44:40] by council members Pinsic and Griffin by
[44:43] departmental request authorizing
[44:45] director of public safety to cause
[44:47] payment to Kyhoga County for for
[44:50] services rendered through the county
[44:52] medical examiner's office to reimburse
[44:56] the county for the city's share of the
[44:58] cost for maintaining and use of
[45:01] automated fingerprint identification
[45:03] system.
[45:05] Ordinance 10372026
[45:08] by council members KZ Bishop and Griffin
[45:10] by departmental request to amend section
[45:13] 129.22 22 of the codified ordinances
[45:16] relating to easement acquisition.
[45:19] Ordinance 1038 2026 by council members
[45:23] Kazy and Griffin by departmental request
[45:26] authorizing the purchase by one or more
[45:28] requirement contracts with various types
[45:30] for electrical test equipment and labor
[45:33] and materials necessary to maintain and
[45:36] repair electrical test equipment
[45:40] including training when necessary for
[45:42] the Division of Cleveland Public Power
[45:44] Department of Public Utilities.
[45:46] Ordinance 1039 2026 by council members
[45:50] Santana, Bishop Conwell, and Griffin by
[45:53] departmental request authorizing the
[45:55] directors of community development,
[45:57] public health, and public works to
[45:59] transfer various permanent parcels for
[46:02] the control, possession, and use of the
[46:04] department of development, industrial,
[46:06] commercial land bank for future
[46:08] development. Ordinance 1042 2026 by
[46:12] council members Slife and Griffin by
[46:15] departmental request authorizing the
[46:17] director of port control to enter into
[46:20] an amended lease agreement with EX
[46:22] center corporation or whollyowned
[46:25] subsidiary for successor and interest to
[46:28] incorporate a payroll credit provision
[46:31] into the original lease. Ordinance 1043
[46:35] 2026 by council members Bishop and
[46:38] Griffin by departmental request
[46:40] authorizing the director of parks and
[46:42] recreation, public works, andor finance
[46:45] to enter into one or more contracts with
[46:48] one or more temporary employment
[46:50] agencies to provide professional
[46:52] services to supply temporary andor
[46:55] seasonal personnel for the department of
[46:58] parks and recreation, parks, public
[47:00] works andor finance for the various
[47:02] division. divisions of city government.
[47:05] Ordinance 1044 2026 by council member
[47:08] Griffin by departmental request to
[47:11] supplement the codified ordinances by
[47:13] enacting new section 173.22
[47:17] relating to the fair employment wage
[47:19] board.
[47:22] » Thank you.
[47:23] First reading emergency ordinances to be
[47:26] passed. Ordinance 1036 2026 by Council
[47:30] Member Griffin by departmental request
[47:33] approving the collective bargaining
[47:34] agreement with Cleveland Policeman's
[47:36] Association Analyst and Specialist Unit
[47:39] and to amend section 59 of ordinance 194
[47:43] 2021 relating to compensation for
[47:46] various classifications.
[47:50] » Thank you. Read a motion to suspend the
[47:52] rules.
[47:56] by council member Shaw that the rules be
[47:59] suspended and the legislation just read
[48:01] be placed on final passage. Seconded by
[48:03] council member Davis.
[48:06] » Thank you. Call the role.
[48:07] » Griffin Bishop Conwell Davis Gray Harsh
[48:10] House Jones Hudson Jones Kazy Pensic
[48:13] Santana Shaw Slight Star
[48:16] 13 yays.
[48:18] » Thank you. Caught a roll on passage.
[48:20] Griffin Bishop Conwell Davis Gay Harsh
[48:22] House Jones Hudson Jones Kazy Palencic
[48:25] Santana Shaw Slip Star 13 yays.
[48:29] » Thank you. First reading emergency
[48:31] resolution referred for administrative
[48:32] review and committee review. Resolution
[48:36] 1029 2026 by Council Member Griffin by
[48:40] departmental request requesting the
[48:43] county fiscal officer to make advances
[48:45] during the during the year 2027 pursuant
[48:49] to section 321.34
[48:52] of the Ohio Revised Code resolution
[48:55] 10:30 2026 by Council Member Griffin by
[48:59] departmental request accepting the
[49:01] amounts and rates as determined by the
[49:03] Kyhoga County Budget Commission and
[49:06] authorizing the necessary tax levies
[49:08] pursuant to section 570534
[49:12] of the Ohio Revised Code and certifying
[49:15] them to the county fiscal officer.
[49:19] » Thank you. First reading emergency
[49:21] resolutions to be adopted.
[49:23] » Resolution 10226
[49:26] by Council Member Hudson. Withdrawing
[49:28] objection to a new C1 liquor permit at
[49:31] 6909 Clark Avenue and repealing
[49:34] resolution 5812026
[49:36] objecting to said permit. Resolution
[49:39] 1023 2026 by Council Member Pencic
[49:42] objecting to the transfer of ownership
[49:44] of of a D4 liquor permit to 15435 St.
[49:48] Clair Avenue. Resolution 103 1024
[49:52] 2026 by Council Member Jones objecting
[49:56] to the transfer of ownership of a C2C2X
[49:59] liquor permit to 15315 Barlet Avenue.
[50:03] Resolution
[50:05] 10252026
[50:07] by Council Member Gray objecting to the
[50:09] transfer of ownership of a C2C2X liquor
[50:12] permit to 7025 Fleet Avenue. Resolution
[50:17] 1026 2026 by Council Member Star
[50:21] withdrawing objection to a new D5 liquor
[50:23] permit at 24 Public Square and repealing
[50:27] resolution 580 2026 objecting to said
[50:30] permit. Resolution 1027206
[50:34] by Council Member Star, strongly
[50:36] supporting the continuation and
[50:38] preservation of the Cleveland State
[50:40] University UPass program with Greater
[50:43] Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and
[50:45] encouraging Cleveland State and Greater
[50:48] Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to
[50:50] work collaboratively to ensure students
[50:53] continue to have access to affordable
[50:56] and reliable public transportation.
[50:59] Resolution 1028 2026 by council members
[51:03] Conwell Gray and Palencic encouraging
[51:06] Cleveland Public Library to establish
[51:09] musical instrument lending at its main
[51:12] branch and various other branches.
[51:15] Resolution 1040 2026 by Council Member
[51:18] Bishop withdrawing objection to the
[51:21] transfer of ownership of a C1C2 liquor
[51:23] permit at 3750 Martin Luther King Jr.
[51:27] Boulevard and repealing resolution 244
[51:30] 2026 objecting to said permit.
[51:33] Resolution 10412026
[51:36] by Council Member Kazy calling upon the
[51:39] clerk of Cleveland Municipal Court to
[51:41] wave any automated red light and
[51:43] speeding camera citations issued prior
[51:46] to November 2014 and to immediately
[51:49] cease all collection efforts associated
[51:52] with such citations. Resolution 10452026
[51:58] by Council Member Bishop withdrawing
[52:00] objection to a new C1 liquor permit at
[52:03] 4166 East 71st Street and repealing
[52:07] resolution 338 2026 objecting to said
[52:10] permit. Resolution 1046, 2026 by Council
[52:14] Member Kazy, withdrawing objection to
[52:17] the transfer of ownership of a C1C2
[52:19] liquor permit at 4051 West 140th Street
[52:23] and repealing resolution 4126,
[52:27] objecting to said permit, resolution
[52:29] 1047 2026 by Council Member Harsh,
[52:33] renaming a portion of Lake Erie as the
[52:36] new Gulf of Cleveland now and forever.
[52:40] Resolution
[52:48] resolution 10 1073
[52:51] 2026 by council member Kazy declaring
[52:55] September 25th as Dolly Parton Day in
[52:58] the city of Cleveland to honor and
[53:00] celebrate her life and legacy along with
[53:03] the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
[53:05] Resolution 1112 2026 by Council Member
[53:09] House recognizing September 14th through
[53:12] the 20th, 2026 as National Diaper Need
[53:17] as National Diaper Need a Awareness Week
[53:20] in the City of Cleveland and expressing
[53:22] appreciation to the Diaper Bank of
[53:25] Greater Cleveland for its continued
[53:27] service to families throughout Kyhoga
[53:30] County.
[53:33] » Thank you. Read the motion to suspend
[53:35] the rules
[53:36] » By council member Shaw that the rules be
[53:39] suspended and the legislation just read
[53:41] be placed on final passage. Seconded by
[53:43] council member Davis.
[53:46] » Call the roll.
[53:47] » Griffin Bishop Conwell Davis Gray Harsh
[53:50] House Jones Hudson Jones Kazy Palencic
[53:53] Santana Shaw Slicear
[53:55] 14 yays
[53:57] » Call a roll on adoption. Griffin,
[53:59] Bishop, Conwell, Davis, Gay, Harsh,
[54:01] House Jones, Hudson Jones, Kazy
[54:03] Palencic, Santana Shaw, Slife, Star
[54:09] on 1047 2026, 13 yays, one nay on all
[54:14] others 14 yays.
[54:16] » Thank you.
[54:18] Second reading, emergency ordinances to
[54:20] be passed.
[54:27] Ordinance 9042026
[54:29] by Council Member Griffin by
[54:31] departmental request an emergency
[54:33] ordinance to make additional
[54:34] appropriations of 1,64,980
[54:39] to the general fund and $1,64,980
[54:44] to the special revenue fund. Ordinance
[54:47] 912 2026 by Council members Bishop and
[54:50] Griffin by departmental request
[54:52] authorizing the director of parks and
[54:54] recreation to enter into one or more
[54:56] concession agreements for the operation
[54:59] of a first class food and beverage
[55:01] service in the public auditorium and
[55:03] conference center for a period not to
[55:06] exceed 3 years.
[55:08] Ordinance 916 2026
[55:12] authorizing the issue and sale of bonds
[55:15] in the maximum principle amount of
[55:18] $2,885,000
[55:20] for the purpose of retiring outstanding
[55:23] bond anticipation notes that were issued
[55:26] to provide funds to acquire vehicles and
[55:30] equipment for performing functions of
[55:33] the city's departments, including the
[55:35] Department of Public Works and
[55:37] Department of public safety and
[55:39] authorizing related matters. Ordinance
[55:42] 917 2026 by Council Member Griffin by
[55:46] departmental request authorizing the
[55:49] issuance and sale of bonds in the
[55:51] maximum principal amount of $1,385,000
[55:56] for the purpose of retiring outstanding
[55:59] bond anticipation notes that were issued
[56:01] to provide funds to acquire heavy duty
[56:04] trucks and equipment for performing
[56:06] functions of the city's departments of
[56:08] public works and department of public
[56:11] safety. including the division of fire
[56:13] and authorizing related matters.
[56:17] Ordinance 918 2026 by Council Member
[56:21] Griffin by departmental request
[56:24] authorizing the issuance and sale of
[56:25] bonds in the maximum principal amount of
[56:28] $6,730,000
[56:31] for the purpose of retiring outstanding
[56:33] bond anticipation notes that were issued
[56:36] to provide funds to improve municipal
[56:39] parks and recreation facilities and
[56:42] authorizing related matters. Ordinance
[56:45] 919206
[56:47] by Council Member Griffin by
[56:49] departmental request authorizing the
[56:51] issuance and sale of bonds in the
[56:53] maximum principal amount of $13,650,000
[56:58] for the purpose of retiring outstanding
[57:01] bond bond anticipation notes that were
[57:04] issued to provide funds to improve
[57:06] buildings and structures and providing
[57:09] for the discharge of governmental
[57:11] functions and services otherwise
[57:13] benefiting
[57:14] public safety, health and welfare, and
[57:17] for the provision of necessary fixtures,
[57:19] furnishings, equipment, technology,
[57:22] appertinances, utilities, and site
[57:24] improvements for the purpose and
[57:26] authorizing related matters.
[57:29] Ordinance 920 2026 by Council Member
[57:33] Griffin by departmental request
[57:35] authorizing the issuance and sale of
[57:37] bonds in the maximum principal amount of
[57:40] $13,975,000
[57:43] for the purpose of retiring outstanding
[57:46] bond anticipation notes that were issued
[57:49] to provide funds to improve the
[57:51] municipal street system and related
[57:54] facilities and authorizing related
[57:56] matters. Ordinance 926 2026 as amended
[58:01] by council members Bishop and Griffin by
[58:04] departmental request authorizing the
[58:06] directors of capital projects and/or
[58:08] city planning to apply for and accept
[58:10] fund accept grants from the Ohio
[58:13] Department of Transportation for the
[58:15] 2024 pedestrian safety improvement
[58:18] program to implement safety improvements
[58:20] at various sites throughout the city to
[58:23] apply for and accept any gifts or grants
[58:25] and any public or private entity.
[58:27] giving consent of the city of Cleveland
[58:30] to the director of transportation of the
[58:32] state of Ohio to construct the safety
[58:35] improvements authorizing the director of
[58:37] capital projects to enter into any
[58:40] relative agreements and causing payment
[58:42] to the state for the city's share of the
[58:44] improvement.
[58:48] » Thank you. Read the motion to suspend
[58:50] the rules
[58:51] » By council member Shaw. That the rules
[58:53] be suspended and the legislation just
[58:55] read be placed on final passage.
[58:57] Seconded by council member Davis.
[59:00] » Call the role.
[59:01] » Griffin Bishop Conwell Davis Gray Harsh
[59:04] House Jones Hudson Jones Casey Palencic
[59:07] Santana Shaw Slife Star 14 yays.
[59:12] » Caught a roll on passage. Griffin,
[59:14] Bishop, Conwell, Davis, Gray, Harsh,
[59:16] House Jones, Hudson Jones, Casey,
[59:19] Pensic, Santana, Shaw, Slife, Star,
[59:23] 14 Yay.
[59:25] » Thank you. Second reading, emergency
[59:27] resolutions to be adopted. Resolution
[59:30] 956 2026 by council members star Griffin
[59:35] Bishop Conwell Harsh KZ Palencic Santana
[59:39] Slife urging United States Postal
[59:41] Service to establish an agefriendly male
[59:44] access initiative working committee in
[59:47] partnership with Cleveland City Council
[59:50] the administration's department of aging
[59:52] Kyhoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
[59:55] senior and affordable housing providers
[59:58] and property owners owners to provide
[1:00:00] secure and accessible outgoing mail
[1:00:02] collection services for residents living
[1:00:05] in senior high-rise and senior
[1:00:07] residential buildings throughout the
[1:00:09] city of Cleveland.
[1:00:12] » Read the motion to suspend the rules
[1:00:14] » By council member Shaw that the rules be
[1:00:16] suspended and the legislation just read
[1:00:18] be placed on final passage. Seconded by
[1:00:20] council member Davis.
[1:00:23] » Thank you. Call the role. Griffin,
[1:00:26] Bishop, Conwell, Davis, Gray, Harsh,
[1:00:28] House Jones, Hudson, Jones, Kazy,
[1:00:30] Pencic, Santana, Shaw, Slice, Star,
[1:00:34] » 14 Yays.
[1:00:36] » Caught a role on adoption.
[1:00:37] » Griffin, Bishop, Conwell, Davis, Gray,
[1:00:40] Harsh, House Jones, Hudson, Jones,
[1:00:42] Casey, Pencic, Santana Shaw, Slife, Star
[1:00:47] 14. Yay.
[1:00:51] » Thank you. We move the legislation to be
[1:00:54] tabled.
[1:00:56] Ordinance 12742024
[1:00:59] by council members Slife, Bishop, Kazy,
[1:01:02] and Griffin by departmental request
[1:01:05] determining the method of making the
[1:01:07] public improvement of both designing and
[1:01:09] installing an on-site solar photo
[1:01:13] photovalttaic
[1:01:18] and battery energy storage ready system
[1:01:22] at the Gunning Park Recreation Center.
[1:01:24] authorizing the director of capital
[1:01:26] projects on behalf of the office of
[1:01:29] sustainability to enter into one or more
[1:01:32] contracts with Ammeris
[1:01:34] Incorporated for the purpose and also
[1:01:37] for that purpose and also for operating
[1:01:40] and maintaining the system after
[1:01:42] installation and authorizing the
[1:01:45] purchase of materials, equipment,
[1:01:47] supplies and services to implement the
[1:01:49] improvement.
[1:01:52] » Thank you. Call the role on approval of
[1:01:54] tableabling.
[1:01:56] » Griffin Bishop Conwell Davis Gray Harsh
[1:01:59] House Jones Hudson Jones Kazy Palencic
[1:02:02] Santana Shaw Slifark
[1:02:05] 14 yays.
[1:02:07] » Thank you. We'll now move to
[1:02:09] introductions. And uh I first want to
[1:02:12] acknowledge uh I know you see a lot of
[1:02:14] these folks in the purple shirts and uh
[1:02:16] I want if he could stand Mr. Fred Ward
[1:02:20] along with all of the uh members that
[1:02:22] are with him today.
[1:02:25] Want to acknowledge this group. This is
[1:02:27] Building Freedom Ohio Partners.
[1:02:37] They have uh been collecting signatures
[1:02:40] to try to uh put together a protected
[1:02:42] class network. Um, many people don't
[1:02:45] know this, but when uh a lot of people
[1:02:47] who are restored citizens come back into
[1:02:49] our community, a lot of times they have
[1:02:52] barriers to housing as well as barriers
[1:02:54] to employment. Uh, I know when I was on
[1:02:56] the administration side and community
[1:02:58] relations board, we worked hard and we
[1:03:00] made sure that we had a ban the box
[1:03:02] effort. U, we also continue to work with
[1:03:05] the Greater Cleveland Partnership and
[1:03:06] others uh because restored citizens are
[1:03:09] valued citizens in our community. So, I
[1:03:11] commend you guys on all the work that
[1:03:13] you're doing. And in short order, I know
[1:03:15] that uh Mr. Ward has sent me some
[1:03:17] information uh with this council, we're
[1:03:19] going to be reviewing and seeing uh
[1:03:21] what's uh legally allowable as well as
[1:03:23] uh what we could do to be able to help
[1:03:25] ease some of those collateral sanctions
[1:03:27] that you guys have to deal with. So,
[1:03:29] hang in there and thank you all so much
[1:03:30] for the hard work you do.
[1:03:38] Uh, I also want to take a moment if I
[1:03:41] can to acknowledge Earl Savage. Earl
[1:03:44] Savage is the new Cleveland Teachers
[1:03:45] Union president. Mr. Savage, thank you.
[1:03:48] Let's give Mr. Savage a round of
[1:03:49] applause if we could.
[1:03:54] Earl and I got baptized by fire last
[1:03:56] week cuz there was uh car breakins at
[1:03:59] Sunbeam. And I want to, you know, thank
[1:04:01] Earl for taking me into the school. And
[1:04:04] I know that my children have been there.
[1:04:06] I live in that neighborhood. And um we
[1:04:08] talked with some of the teachers and
[1:04:10] heard some of their concerns and fears
[1:04:12] as well as I heard from several parents.
[1:04:14] And let's face it, at the end of the
[1:04:15] day, this individual uh that committed
[1:04:18] these acts uh caused mass panic. Um and
[1:04:22] definitely we're going to continue to
[1:04:24] collaborate as a community to hold
[1:04:26] people accountable whenever they cause
[1:04:27] mass panic in our community. So, Mr.
[1:04:30] Savage, thank you and thank you for
[1:04:31] being here today. Uh, I also always love
[1:04:34] when my residents come down. Ebony Boen,
[1:04:36] if she could please stand. Ebony Boen is
[1:04:39] a W six resident. She comes to all the
[1:04:42] meetings and she is just here to watch
[1:04:43] government in action. So, thank you so
[1:04:45] much for being here.
[1:04:49] [applause]
[1:04:50] Do we have any other introductions? Any
[1:04:53] other introductions? Any other
[1:04:55] introductions?
[1:04:57] I don't see anybody's mic going up.
[1:04:59] Therefore, any announcements? Any
[1:05:02] announcements? Any announcements?
[1:05:06] Okay, I don't see any announcements.
[1:05:07] Therefore, we'll move to miscellaneous
[1:05:09] and Councilman Christopher Harsh. Uh
[1:05:12] Kazy, did you want to make announcements
[1:05:13] or miscellaneous?
[1:05:15] » Announcements.
[1:05:15] » Okay. Uh Councilman Kazy, announcements
[1:05:17] and then we'll move to uh Councilman
[1:05:20] Harsh for uh miscellaneous.
[1:05:22] » Thank you, Council President. you had
[1:05:24] mentioned it earlier in the in the the
[1:05:26] meeting about data centers and um public
[1:05:30] meetings. So, we've been able to
[1:05:32] solidify those dates. Uh Thursday,
[1:05:35] September 24th at Columwood Rec Center
[1:05:37] from 6:00 to 8. Tuesday, September 29th
[1:05:41] here at city hall and council chambers
[1:05:43] and Wednesday uh October 7th at Gunning
[1:05:46] Rec from 6:00 to 8 uh is when the public
[1:05:49] meetings will be held in regards to data
[1:05:51] centers. Thank you. Thank you,
[1:05:53] Councilman, and thank you for all your
[1:05:54] hard work you put into that. I know a
[1:05:56] lot of people think that we just take
[1:05:58] the summers off, but uh all of us are
[1:06:00] out in the neighborhoods, and you also
[1:06:02] in addition to that been really uh
[1:06:03] working on this issue. So, thank you,
[1:06:05] sir. Uh Councilman Conwell,
[1:06:07] announcements or miscellaneous?
[1:06:09] » Okay. Councilman Christopher Harsh. Uh
[1:06:12] and then Councilwoman Hudson. Is this
[1:06:15] miscellaneous? Okay. So, I have Harsh
[1:06:17] Conwell Hudson. Okay.
[1:06:20] » All right. Uh thank you, Mr. President.
[1:06:22] Um, I rise tonight to thank my
[1:06:24] colleagues for passing uh resolution
[1:06:26] 1047 2026. Um, for too long in this
[1:06:29] country, we have bent the knee to the
[1:06:31] past, Mr. President, allowing dead men
[1:06:33] to name all of our stuff. But we don't
[1:06:36] serve dead people in Cleveland. We serve
[1:06:37] living people, and the time is now to
[1:06:39] claim our birthright. Uh, you will all
[1:06:41] recall that last year our dear orange
[1:06:42] leader in DC had the wherewithal to
[1:06:45] rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of
[1:06:47] America. And more recently, he's chosen
[1:06:49] to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.
[1:06:52] And even more recently, obliterating the
[1:06:55] concept of states, rights, and
[1:06:56] constitutions to rename the state New
[1:06:58] Mexico to New America, right? And thanks
[1:07:03] to him, this is a man who clearly isn't
[1:07:05] afraid to say what no one is thinking. I
[1:07:07] feel emboldened to take the
[1:07:08] extraordinary step of renaming Lake Erie
[1:07:10] as the Gulf of Cleveland today. Thank
[1:07:13] you.
[1:07:15] Keep in mind, there's a very real person
[1:07:17] in Pennsylvania right now who wants to
[1:07:19] rename it the Lake of Pennsylvania. We
[1:07:20] cannot as Ohioans let the Pennians get a
[1:07:23] jump on us. It's our lake.
[1:07:27] I would like to rename it Lake America
[1:07:28] as well, but I just can't do that. So,
[1:07:30] I'm no linguist, but I've heard that
[1:07:32] Eerie might be an Irish word. To my
[1:07:34] brothers and sisters in the fire
[1:07:35] department, I am sorry. But it also
[1:07:37] might be a Jamaican word. It might also
[1:07:39] be a native word. And to that, I say
[1:07:40] good. Good for us for not letting people
[1:07:43] who died hundreds or thousands of years
[1:07:45] ago dictate how we name our stuff. It's
[1:07:47] much better to name things after dead
[1:07:49] guys than let dead guys name things. In
[1:07:52] this case, we're naming it after Moses
[1:07:54] Cleveland, a man who knew how to part
[1:07:56] waters and cleave lands. He was
[1:07:58] bipartisan.
[1:08:01] I can already hear some of you commie
[1:08:03] pinko devil worshipp I mean developer
[1:08:05] worshipping corporate scum. You call me
[1:08:08] pinko corporate scum out there saying,
[1:08:10] "But Chris, it's not even a golf. It's a
[1:08:13] lake." And I say, "Who cares?" Listen to
[1:08:16] me very carefully and jot this down.
[1:08:19] Words don't matter.
[1:08:21] And from what I can tell from an online
[1:08:23] AI search, we didn't even need to pass a
[1:08:26] resolution. We could have just here.
[1:08:28] Look, look, I did this. I made a map.
[1:08:32] There it is. This is all it takes.
[1:08:36] Okay,
[1:08:38] you watch YouTube.
[1:08:40] It's now the Gulf of Cleveland.
[1:08:45] » And I do expect Google and Apple to
[1:08:47] recognize our sovereignty and show it as
[1:08:50] the Gulf of Cleveland on all maps,
[1:08:52] specifically when that search is done
[1:08:54] from within the city of Cleveland. Words
[1:08:56] don't matter, but the whims of powerful
[1:08:58] white men like me do.
[1:09:01] » Also, keep in mind this is good for
[1:09:03] tourism. People like to vacation in
[1:09:06] golfs. It's a big tourist thing. If the
[1:09:09] mayor gets his way, we'll have a golf
[1:09:10] course on the lake. Then you can golf in
[1:09:12] the golf,
[1:09:14] potentially setting up a driving range
[1:09:16] to golf, literally into the golf.
[1:09:22] So, it's a wonderful day when the city
[1:09:25] of Cleveland can finally remind the
[1:09:26] whole world that we're the only
[1:09:28] authorities on words and names and
[1:09:31] particularly on words that come from
[1:09:32] names. But join me in saluting the Gulf
[1:09:34] of Cleveland on your way home tonight.
[1:09:36] And for all the students, I know we just
[1:09:38] lost them, but for all the students, the
[1:09:40] pneumonic for the Great Lakes used to be
[1:09:41] homes, but now it's apparently turned
[1:09:44] into shame. And with this with uh
[1:09:46] Superior, Cleveland, Hiron, America, and
[1:09:49] and Michigan. It spells sham, which is a
[1:09:51] German word, and you can look it up. Uh,
[1:09:53] Mr. President, with that, I yield. Thank
[1:09:55] you for your attention to this matter.
[1:10:02] I think you may have just made Tik Tok
[1:10:04] and YouTube's top 10 this week with
[1:10:06] that. So, I look forward to seeing that.
[1:10:10] Uh, next we have Councilman Kevin
[1:10:13] Conwell. Councilman Kevin Conwell.
[1:10:22] » Could you speak into the mic? We can't
[1:10:24] hear you, sir.
[1:10:36] down to Columbus
[1:10:39] and
[1:10:43] govern
[1:10:56] the governor.
[1:10:59] and they do it all the time. Let me say
[1:11:04] my time now. It finally came on. Fred
[1:11:07] Ward, his group,
[1:11:09] they um they go down to Columbus
[1:11:12] constantly battling against collateral
[1:11:16] sanctions and they've been doing it
[1:11:17] forever and ever again to try to put
[1:11:20] people to work to cut down the barriers.
[1:11:23] and these collateral
[1:11:25] is hurting our people. So, he's down
[1:11:28] there. So, I want to give it up to you
[1:11:30] myself, um, Fred Ward, and you called me
[1:11:34] um, two weeks ago to come meet with you,
[1:11:37] but I was dealing with a family issue
[1:11:39] somewhere else, but um, you listen to me
[1:11:42] and I'll get
[1:11:45] you. you press you practice in your team
[1:11:48] manhood, fatherhood, um community
[1:11:51] activism, and that's very very
[1:11:53] important. There's another person when I
[1:11:56] walked in, they were saying something
[1:11:58] about me. I invited them to talk with
[1:12:01] Tony Tale. I did. I can't give them
[1:12:04] money and fill their paperwork out. I
[1:12:07] invited um the young lady um person St.
[1:12:11] James and people have called me, "Why
[1:12:12] you don't want to give St. James money?"
[1:12:14] I said he could come down and fill the
[1:12:16] paperwork out. I told Tony Tale because
[1:12:18] if you say no,
[1:12:21] you're a bad guy, then you're a bad guy.
[1:12:24] And I came from being an activist before
[1:12:26] I was a councilman. Matter of fact, I've
[1:12:28] sponsored at least 30. And I'm not
[1:12:30] putting down what they're doing. 30 of
[1:12:32] back to school events, job fairs, and
[1:12:34] any anything. I even helped to pioneer
[1:12:36] your harvest for hunger way back then.
[1:12:39] Took the fatherhood group to the
[1:12:40] national level. So I came in as an
[1:12:43] activist pushing and getting things done
[1:12:46] for the residents and that's what you
[1:12:48] got to do. So I didn't tell them no. I
[1:12:51] come in and and then they blasphe me.
[1:12:53] But it is what it is. And Tony Tail went
[1:12:55] back there to talk and said look come
[1:12:58] down and see us. We do what we do. It is
[1:13:00] what it is. But there's another and
[1:13:02] James St. James he's a great great
[1:13:04] activist. He's working with the
[1:13:06] children. He's teaching them um how to
[1:13:09] master their own destiny. He teaching uh
[1:13:12] young African-American males how to hang
[1:13:14] doors and fix windows and and do gutters
[1:13:18] and all those kind of things. He's
[1:13:20] trying to do away with idle hands. So,
[1:13:22] he's doing a good job, but I can't do
[1:13:24] the paperwork um for him. Let me move
[1:13:27] forward along.
[1:13:29] The mighty mighty mighty mighty top
[1:13:31] letters Glennville.
[1:13:33] When Ted Gillian left and he moved out,
[1:13:37] he started his own school. And a lot of
[1:13:41] people think it's football. Wasn't just
[1:13:43] football with him.
[1:13:45] He wanted to work with young men to
[1:13:47] teach them manhood and fatherhood. And
[1:13:50] that's very, very important to him. When
[1:13:53] Councilman Star called to tell me about
[1:13:55] what happened, I called him up and um I
[1:13:59] told him, I said, "Look, if you need me,
[1:14:01] I'll be there. I want these children to
[1:14:04] when they look back, they see that I'm
[1:14:06] looking right at them. I'll go down
[1:14:08] there with you. I won't meddle. I don't
[1:14:10] believe in meddling. And I will go down
[1:14:12] there. And the wife says she would go
[1:14:14] down also. So when the children look
[1:14:16] back,
[1:14:18] they see us looking at them. You They
[1:14:20] can't just see me when you bring them
[1:14:22] down to Cleveland City Hall and you
[1:14:24] honor them. They have to look up and
[1:14:26] they have to see that I'm looking at
[1:14:27] them. But let me say this also about Ted
[1:14:30] again. And you know this, you and I talk
[1:14:32] about it all the time, council member,
[1:14:34] Mr. Mayor Ted Gin needs more help than
[1:14:39] what you see in in the schools with the
[1:14:41] football coaches. He's been asking for
[1:14:44] help ever since Eugene Sanders was in
[1:14:48] there as CEO and it's like it's falling
[1:14:51] on deaf ears. He need help, a lot of
[1:14:54] help. And what I see what they're doing
[1:14:56] with the children over there. Now, I'm
[1:14:58] not saying what they did was right or
[1:15:00] anything like that. However, we as
[1:15:03] adults need to find out what help he
[1:15:06] needs. And I think by um putting
[1:15:10] sanctions on the children and punishing
[1:15:13] the kids, we got to find out the why.
[1:15:18] What really happened? And what is Ted
[1:15:20] Gin is talking about helping the
[1:15:23] children. That's who he's fighting for.
[1:15:26] the young African-American males. And we
[1:15:29] have to find out in the schools what's
[1:15:31] going on because if we don't,
[1:15:35] it will happen again. And what they do
[1:15:38] in society, especially with
[1:15:39] African-American males, they want to
[1:15:42] charge us right away. They push judicial
[1:15:45] inequality and they want to just lock us
[1:15:47] up. And if you do it again, it happened
[1:15:50] again and again and again. So, we need
[1:15:53] to listen to this coach. and he's more
[1:15:56] than a coach. He's a leader out there in
[1:15:58] the community and in the school system
[1:16:01] CMSD or the city of Cleveland, Mr.
[1:16:03] Mayor, you can go see him and find out
[1:16:06] what he need so that we can continue to
[1:16:09] help the children in the community. And
[1:16:12] that's all I have to say. Thank you very
[1:16:14] much.
[1:16:15] » Thank you,
[1:16:19] Councilwoman Nikki Hudson.
[1:16:23] » Thank you, Mr. President. Um,
[1:16:26] I would like to speak tonight about
[1:16:29] illegal dumping.
[1:16:31] I reached out to the mayor two weeks ago
[1:16:34] out of frustration because of a an
[1:16:37] ongoing situation with illegal dumping
[1:16:39] on a property
[1:16:42] on a privatelyowned vacant lot in Ward
[1:16:45] 11. I want to be clear that my
[1:16:48] frustration is not with any one person
[1:16:50] or department, but with the overall
[1:16:53] system
[1:16:55] and the general lack of enforcement of
[1:16:57] illegal dumping laws in the city of
[1:16:59] Cleveland
[1:17:00] and in getting sites cleaned up,
[1:17:04] particularly on private property.
[1:17:07] When illegal dumping happens in a
[1:17:09] neighborhood, everyone suffers. We
[1:17:12] cannot wait 30 days or however long
[1:17:18] for the owner, often an absentee or out
[1:17:22] ofstate property owner, to do the right
[1:17:25] thing. The stress that puts on the
[1:17:28] surrounding neighborhood is far too
[1:17:31] great.
[1:17:32] In the situation that I contacted the
[1:17:34] mayor about on Muriel Avenue in Ward 11,
[1:17:39] I ended up pulling together a crew from
[1:17:44] Metro West CDC, Westtown CDC, and then
[1:17:48] my office team, Jean and Paula, and
[1:17:51] myself, and we went out on a Friday
[1:17:53] afternoon, a rainy, muddy afternoon, and
[1:17:58] we removed 14,000 pounds of deb debris
[1:18:03] from this one vacant lot at 3801 Muriel.
[1:18:10] The CDC's created this program, this
[1:18:14] illegal dumping removal program out of
[1:18:16] necessity, and Metro West keeps a
[1:18:19] running tally of the garbage they
[1:18:22] removed.
[1:18:23] So far in 2026, they've removed 526
[1:18:30] 526,000
[1:18:32] lbs of debris, not from the entire city,
[1:18:36] just from this one part of the city
[1:18:39] that's in their service area. And I know
[1:18:42] that this is a citywide problem.
[1:18:46] So, what are we doing about it? What I
[1:18:49] want to know is what are we doing as a
[1:18:52] city to prevent illegal dumping from
[1:18:55] happening? This situation on Muriel,
[1:18:58] multiple people called the police when
[1:19:00] this was happening. People provided the
[1:19:02] license plate number. People provided
[1:19:05] videos with the license plate number of
[1:19:08] of the of the vehicles involved. Even
[1:19:12] when city departments without went out
[1:19:14] there, spoke with the individuals
[1:19:16] involved in the dumping. But still the
[1:19:19] situation persisted.
[1:19:21] Still now if if me and and my team
[1:19:24] hadn't gone out to clean this site up,
[1:19:26] it would still be exactly how it was two
[1:19:30] weeks ago. The and it's it's still it's
[1:19:33] not completely cleaned up. It's better,
[1:19:36] but it's it's not completely cleaned up.
[1:19:40] So why is this problem so huge? Why do
[1:19:44] why do businesses because this is what's
[1:19:47] happening. Businesses are disrespecting
[1:19:50] our neighborhoods. They are
[1:19:52] disrespecting our city because they feel
[1:19:55] like they can come and dump whatever
[1:19:58] they want in the middle of our
[1:19:59] neighborhoods in the middle of the day
[1:20:03] with no repercussions.
[1:20:05] So, I want to know why aren't we
[1:20:07] enforcing the laws on our books? And if
[1:20:10] the laws aren't strong enough, then we
[1:20:13] need to change them because this is if
[1:20:15] you want to talk about quality of life
[1:20:17] and you want to keep people from leaving
[1:20:19] the city, this problem needs to be
[1:20:22] solved. The situation you see on the
[1:20:25] news in East Cleveland, it's happening
[1:20:27] in Cleveland. It's happening at
[1:20:30] prominent intersections in in all of our
[1:20:33] neighborhoods. And if we don't if we
[1:20:35] can't tackle this, then what are we
[1:20:37] doing? Thank you.
[1:20:40] » Thank you. [applause]
[1:20:45] Thank you, Councilwoman. I don't see any
[1:20:48] other uh miscellaneous comments.
[1:20:52] Therefore, madame clerk, please excuse
[1:20:54] the absences.
[1:20:56] » By council member Shaw, that the absence
[1:20:58] of council member Santana is hereby
[1:21:01] excused, seconded by council member
[1:21:03] Davis.
[1:21:04] » Thank you. Uh council has adjourned to
[1:21:06] the call of the chair. The next meeting
[1:21:08] of council will be on Monday, September
[1:21:11] the 21st uh at 2026 at 7 p.m. Thank you.
[1:21:28] » [music]