Seattle City Council 2/14/2023

I can begin?

Yes, you can begin.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Today is Tuesday, February 14th.

This is the meeting of the Seattle City Council.

I am now calling it to order.

It is 2-0-1.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Nelson?

Present.

Council Member Peterson?

Present.

Council Member Sawant?

Council Member Strauss.

Present.

Council Member Herbold.

Here.

Council Member Lewis.

Present.

Council Member Morales.

Here.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Present.

And Council President Juarez.

Present.

Eight to present.

Thank you.

Before we move on to our agenda, I wanted to add a few notes for today.

We have a full agenda today.

We have six agenda items which compromise three resolutions and three council bills.

And we're also going to start today's agenda with the presentation for Mr. Robert Nellum's.

So the city knows that is no longer Valentine's day.

It's Robert Nellum's day.

And that will be presented by council member Lewis.

So with that, as I just shared, um, I'm going to hand it over to council member Lewis to present his proclamation, which we all signed yesterday, I believe.

And, um, Mr. Lewis, after you are done speaking.

then we will see if any of our colleagues want to add anything and then I will move to suspend the rules to allow our guest Mr. Nellams to speak.

So with that, Mr. I say Mr. Council Member Lewis, floor is yours.

Thank you so much Council President and it's a great honor today to be able to present this proclamation that we worked on collaboratively with the Mayor's Office to recognize the career of achievement to our community from Director Robert Nellems who is here in the Council Gallery with us this afternoon.

I read the words of the proclamation into the record during our council briefing when we provided our initial remarks.

So I'll just speak a little bit more generally and then gave colleagues the opportunity to do so as well.

It was a really great privilege yesterday evening to join a gathering of the Seattle community and city officials to spend an entire evening toasting and honoring Director Nellam's leadership.

And as he is quick to point out, the leadership of his team that he gets to work with every day to build the Seattle Center campus.

And I'm proud to say that his team is present in council galleries with us or a delegation of his team, I should say, for the department of the Seattle Center.

You know, as someone who's very familiar personally with the Seattle Center Campus, as someone who went to high school there at the Center School, and I dare say that myself and my colleagues lived up to the expectation that Director Nellems has as he stops people on the campus to ask if they're causing trouble today.

Because that's an important part of keeping that campus activated and interesting.

I can say that during the tenure of Director Nellam's leadership, that campus has undergone some of the most transformative change that it has since the World's Fair that incepted and initially laid out that campus.

This has been a period of leadership that has seen the complete overhaul of the key arena parcel to become Climate Pledge Arena.

This is leadership that has seen the complete overhaul and retrofitting of the monorail the installation of the Chihuly Glass Museum, a new permanent home for KEXP in the Northwest Rooms, for SIF.

I mean, we could just go down the list, culminating in coming up with a plan before Director Nellam's has gone on to his well-earned retirement.

to take the last part of the center campus that needs to be activated, Memorial Stadium, and plans to work collaboratively between the city, the school district, and the state of Washington to really rejuvenate that stadium to be an asset for the entire community for decades into the future.

So, you know, it's, It's great to be in a position to honor a legacy of great achievement and contribution to the community this afternoon at the beginning of our meeting.

And I'm very proud to give this proclamation from all of us on the council dais and from Mayor Harrell today in open session in council chambers to Director Nellum's, to wish Director Nellum's the best in his retirement.

and hope that we can continue in his retirement to take advantage of his guidance, his wisdom, his advice as we move forward in building a stronger city and a stronger Seattle Center campus.

So thank you so much for joining us, Director Nellems, and thank you so much for your leadership to our community.

Thank you, Council Member Lewis.

Are there any council members that would like to share comments regarding the proclamation?

My understanding is, okay, good.

Council Member Strauss, go ahead.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Council Member Lewis, for bringing this forward.

I know that you truncated all of Robert's accomplishments, because if you had not, we would be here for another 29 years, maybe 30 years.

Much like Council Member Lewis, I remember what Seattle Center was like 17 years ago, 20 years ago, and we had the same infrastructure for the most part.

I mean, you, hearing everything that Councilmember Lewis just said with Chihuly and etc.

You brought in so much more vibrance but then you also took what we already had and added that vibrancy to it.

You made it a place that is more welcoming and really to be our true central park of the city from folklife to Bumbershoot to a new arena.

to the remake of the Space Needle, it is where outsiders from Seattle think of when they think of Seattle.

And I know this might be a controversial topic, but you even expanded the boundaries with the Seascape restart over there on Broad.

I mean, this is the ability to take a decommissioned street and turn it into a place that is welcoming to all.

You've transformed our city.

Thank you for your service.

And it is so appropriate to be on Valentine's Day because forever you will be in Seattle's heart.

Oh, yeah.

Wow.

I don't think I can top that.

But does any of my colleagues have anything else to share before I speak?

Not seeing any.

Mr. Nelums, is Mr. Nelums present?

Yes.

Is he going to come up to the podium?

Thank you.

So I'm going to come on up, Mr. Nelums.

I'm going to make my comments, and then I think we're going to suspend the rules.

But first, Mr. Nelums, you took away Valentine's Day, so I hope you're happy with that.

Second of all, you're a dear friend, and I'm sorry I missed your party last night.

You're going away, but I see you all the time.

And today is Taco Tuesday, so I will see you at some point.

We have worked together for almost eight years and doing Climate Pledge Arena and all the other stuff we did with the NHL and I could go on and on and on.

You were a stalwart, you were such a supporter for the city of Seattle and the Seattle Center campus with all the different parties, profit and non-profit that we dealt with.

in getting it done across the finish line, getting it through committee.

And I really, as you know, value our friendship.

And you saw what I wrote on the proclamation.

I wrote big red letters.

Please don't go, but you're going anyway.

And well-deserved.

And I just want you to know how much you'd be missed.

And I know we will see more of you because you're not leaving the city.

So with that, I'm going to move to suspend the rules.

So if there's no objection, I will suspend the rules and allow our guest, Mr. Nellums, an opportunity to speak.

Mr. Nellums, you have the floor.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you to all of the council members It is my honor to be here today.

I gotta be honest with you.

Everybody's been so kind and saying so many nice things and so forth.

I feel like I died.

And I just want you to know that the most important thing from my perspective about a place like Seattle Center in our city is that you don't need a ticket to be there.

You don't need anything, you're welcome, you're honored to come.

And it gives you a sense that you belong.

And that's the most powerful thing that you can have is that you actually believe that you belong somewhere.

And that's what we try to do there.

And so I would just like to tell you that it's been an honor to work as a director of Seattle Center.

I so want to thank each and every one of you because even though I have the most fun job in the city, you might have the toughest job in the city.

And so I just want you to know that we recognize that and we really, really, really appreciate all the work and all the help and all the leadership and all the drive that you've given to us and to me to help us create such a wonderful gym for the citizens of Seattle.

And with that, I'd just like to thank each and every one of you.

And I hope, I hope I'll be able to see you again one day soon.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Nellums.

Yay.

All right.

OK, so now that it's still it's still not it's not Valentine's Day, it's Mr. Nelum's day.

We'll move on with our with our agenda to public comment.

So before we began, let me ask the clerk a question.

I have a few comments to make.

Madam Clerk, how many started to interrupt council president?

But Councilor Lewis is presenting the proclamation to Mr. Knowles.

I'm sorry, I did not see that.

I apologize.

Sorry, are we on camera with that?

And then if they would go into the camera view, they can.

That would be great.

I thought Council Member Lewis was coming down to the podium.

There we are.

Wonderful.

Congratulations.

Happy Robert Nellum's Day.

Happy Robert Nellum's Day.

I asked the Seattle Center staff if I can get a picture with the director and the proclamation.

Thank you so much.

Just for the clerks, they may want to turn that microphone on at the podium.

It is on, but I'll raise the volume.

Okay, thanks.

Just tell me when, Madam Clerk.

We may proceed, thank you.

Thank you.

So let me ask a few questions before I move forward.

How many folks do have remote have called in?

We have approximately 135 remote and Amelia can let you know how many in person.

We have three in person.

Okay.

So this is what we're going to do since we have over 130 callers.

Um, first of all, we will let the folks that are physically there go first.

We will do one hour of public comments.

I want to let the public to know that we are not voting on Council Bill 120511, the cast ordinance that Council Member Sawant has spoken to and we've talked about since I think January 18th.

It will be voted on next Tuesday, February 21st.

I'm hoping if we don't get to all the callers today, that those folks call back next Tuesday when this full council will be voting on that council ordinance.

Customers, I want you to have your hand up.

Thank you, President Warrens.

I just want to apologize for being late and let members of the public know that I'm here.

And then just secondly, thank you for accommodating as many as possible.

I would just on my end appeal that we listen to everybody.

Obviously, there will be people who oppose the ordinance also.

I welcome everybody to speak.

But specifically, the reason I'm asking that we listen to everyone today is because I know that there are many from oppressed caste communities who have signed up today.

For them, it is a huge deal that they're speaking up openly.

It's almost like coming out of the closet for the LGBTQ community because it carries a real social price for them to do this.

So they're showing a lot of courage.

So I hope we are, as a council, able to listen to them.

Although I know that they will be speaking next Tuesday as well, but I think we should hear them all today as well.

Thank you.

I think counts just what I should add that I do have a list of all the colors and their names have it printed out.

Each color will have one minute, and we'll see where we're at in one hour, madam clerk will let us know when we get close to one hour.

And with that, again, I just want to reiterate for folks, we are not voting on that today will be both day will be voting on that next Tuesday.

So with that, Madam Clerk, everyone gets one minute, and I will hand it over to you to give the instructions and then we will start the clock for one hour after the instructions.

Hello, Seattle.

We are the Emerald City, the City of Flowers and the City of Goodwill, built on indigenous land, the traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples.

The Seattle City Council welcomes remote public comment and is eager to hear from residents of our city.

If you would like to be a speaker and provide a verbal public comment, you may register two hours prior to the meeting via the Seattle City Council website.

Here's some information about the public comment proceedings.

Speakers are called upon in the order in which they registered on the council's website.

Each speaker must call in from the phone number provided when they registered online and used the meeting ID and passcode that was emailed upon confirmation.

If you did not receive an email confirmation, please check your spam or junk mail folders.

A reminder, the speaker meeting ID is different from the general listen line meeting ID provided on the agenda.

Once a speaker's name is called, the speaker's microphone will be unmuted and an automatic prompt will say, the host would like you to unmute your microphone.

That is your cue that it's your turn to speak.

At that time, you must press star six.

You will then hear a prompt of, you are unmuted.

Be sure your phone is unmuted on your end so that you will be heard.

As a speaker, you should begin by stating your name and the item that you are addressing.

A chime will sound when 10 seconds are left in your allotted time as a gentle reminder to wrap up your public comments.

At the end of the allotted time, your microphone will be muted.

and the next speaker registered will be called.

Once speakers have completed providing public comment, please disconnect from the public comment line and join us by following the meeting via Seattle Channel Broadcast or through the listening line option listed on the agenda.

The council reserves the right to eliminate public comment if the system is being abused or if the process impedes the council's ability to conduct its business on behalf of residents of the city.

Any offensive language that is disruptive to these proceedings or that is not focused on an appropriate topic as specified in Council rules may lead to the speaker being muted by the presiding officer.

Our hope is to provide an opportunity for productive discussions that will assist our orderly consideration of issues before the Council.

The public comment period is now open.

and we will begin with the first speaker on the list.

Please remember to press star six after you hear the prompt of, you have been unmuted.

Thank you, Seattle.

All right, everybody, one minute.

Please pay attention to that 10 minute ring or 10 second ring so we don't have to cut you off.

All right, let's go.

We will begin with the in-person public commenters.

The time is now 2.18 PM.

The first speaker is Marguerite Richard.

First of all, my name is Marguerite Richard.

And then second of all, I don't see my face.

And I guess it's irrelevant for us to even make comment that our faces don't appear before us anymore.

So maybe I need to change my profession and get me a camera going.

But I do wanna say something about this resolution for Mr. Devon Pickett.

junior way.

I'm saying something because I'm deeply saddened that he was assassinated.

He was murdered over there by his business in front of his business.

I never met him.

My nephew knew him.

Other people knew him.

And I went and took some flowers over there because that hurts when any of us drop like that.

I don't care if it's like that or the police killing us.

We suffer.

And I'm just really grief stricken behind that.

But if you say you wanna honor him, go ahead and honor him because I believe he must.

Our next speaker is Alex Zimmerman.

I want to speak about something that is involved.

Agenda number four.

This is very interesting for me.

Yeah.

Oh, I forgot.

You don't show my face so I can speak to Someone's right now, right, absolutely, you cut everybody, this happen exactly time.

You right now go home, you know what this mean?

Why you acting like a Nazi pig, huh?

I ask you, why we cannot speak like civilized people?

Someone's right, absolutely.

This not only about speech, this about everything that has come for last 10 months.

It's a nightmare.

No faces, no two minute.

Why are you doing this?

You're acting like a dirty Nazi pig.

It's exactly what I will speak right now at every meeting.

Thank you very much.

Our last in-person speaker is David Toledo.

Hi there.

My name is David Toledo.

I am addressing the public safety portion.

Sorry to ruin what should be a joyous occasion with Mr. Nellem's celebration.

But the reason that I came down here today is because last week a very close friend of mine lost her younger brother to fentanyl.

Sorry.

I know a few of you, some of you I haven't met personally, but some of you I have.

And my background is that I do work with a lot of youth programs.

I'll try to wrap this up quickly.

Basically, I just wanna say, I know that there's a lot of council members that are already active and trying to make a difference out there.

I also wanna say, I appreciate what Bruce, what Mayor Harrell is doing.

And I just wanna encourage you to work with him to make the differences.

that Seattle needs.

That's all.

Thank you so much.

All right, we'll now move into remote speakers.

And our first remote speaker is Mohamed, last initial A.

Hello, council members.

Thank you for the opportunity.

My name is Mohamed.

I'm calling in to support the ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination.

This legislation does not target the Salvation community, contrary to what you might be hearing.

Being Salvation myself, I can affirm that caste is present in the Salvation community in the U.S., and it impacts their day-to-day life.

The argument that this legislation will single out South Asians is as nonsensical as saying that religion protection is anti-Christian or that protection against Islamophobia targets non-Muslims as a whole and as absurd as stating that gender discrimination protection is anti-men.

People deserve to have equitable access to opportunities and to not have their name or familial background hold them back.

I urge this council next week to vote unanimously in support of this ordinance and to send a strong signal nationwide to those who, for some reason, are vehemently opposed to creating a level playing field.

Thank you again.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Yashika Doot.

Hi, everybody.

Thank you so much for the opportunity.

I'm Yashika Doot.

I'm a Dalit journalist and author of the seminal book on caste coming out as Dalit.

I was born in a lower caste, untouchable family, and I grew up hiding my caste for the fear of being discriminated.

When I moved to the US in 2014, I had hoped to find a caste-less utopia, where I would finally be free to live without hiding.

That wasn't the case.

Since I first came out as Dalit in 2016, I have faced immense hatred from dominant caste community, which makes up majority of the Indian American population.

From abuse to grave assault and violence, I have been the target of coordinated online attacks.

In absence of any laws, Dalit Americans are left vulnerable to caste discrimination they face in workplaces, places of worship, and especially within the communities that are supposed to be their own.

While well-funded campaigns from dominant caste individuals are set to prove that caste doesn't exist in the US, like how white supremacists allege that racism doesn't exist.

I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance banning caste discrimination.

It would be a historic win for all caste-oppressed people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alok Kumbahari.

Alok Kumbahari.

Hi, I'm Alok Kumbahari, a tech worker and a resident of Seattle.

I urge the council members to vote yes and ban caste discrimination in our city.

A two-time elected council member mentioned that caste is a very complex issue.

Just because something is complex is not a reason to deny people a life with dignity.

Just because Americans are unfamiliar with the concept of caste doesn't mean there should be no law on it.

In fact, what is complex is that people have to hide their identity to live a life of dignity.

Complex is that people have to suffer through discrimination for even the most basic rights.

Two or three decades ago, even people found LGBTQ issues complex.

Equality will come only when people are aware about their rights and duties.

As a Dalit caste member, I have faced discrimination in universities and at my workplace here in the US.

Exclusion and assumption of inferiority of a Dalit is a common practice among dominant caste members.

I urge you to pass this ordinance and take this historic step.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Prashant Nema.

Prashant?

Hello, my favorite council.

I strongly support the ordinance to ban caste discrimination in Seattle, and I urge you to vote unanimously next week.

Vote yes unanimously.

I heard a council member say the ordinance was too complex.

Let me tell you what is complex.

When someone comes to this country to escape caste discrimination in their homeland to live American dream, but is discriminated back to the same society because you denied the training and authority to the civil rights office, that's complex.

If the council member cannot understand that 1,000 emails in opposition to this ordinance represent 1,000 bigots out there, maybe we should replace the position with artificial intelligence.

Because even chat GPT is humanitarian enough to refuse to write a letter to oppose this ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ajinkya with the last initial P.

Ajinkya.

Yes, I urge all Seattle council members to vote yes to ban caste-based discrimination.

I migrated to America 10 years ago so that I could build a life in a progressive liberal society.

But I was quickly disappointed when I saw right-wing shakas and propagation of right-wing agenda in my university under the name of South Asian Student Council.

Caste-based discrimination is a pre-colonial, three millennia old system of social exclusion and co-opting whoever falls for it is part of right-wing agenda.

I urge respected council members known for passing progressive legislation in Seattle, Washington State, in spite of much formidable opposition, to look at this matter qualitatively and not just quantitatively, like numerical strength of email.

We cannot let justice be contingent on just numbers or the false order of negativity.

I will stop here by quoting Martin Luther King.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Manmeet Singh.

Good afternoon.

I'm one of the leaders from NACE, the National Academic Coalition for Caste Equity, and we're a network of students, staff, faculty, and unions across North America advocating for caste equity in higher education institutions.

I'm here today to urge you to vote yes on the ordinance to add caste as a protected category.

We recently executed a caste in higher education survey and found that four in five caste oppressed students, staff, and faculty experience caste discrimination.

Further, 75% of them did not report to their universities because CAS was not added as a protected category and their DEI departments lacked CAS competency due to a lack of provisions and training.

I must emphasize here that the members of NACE at the University of Washington have also reported discrimination and are a part of this data set.

So, it's your responsibility as a representative to move to protect them.

I urge you to not be distracted by those against civil rights.

as they're operating from a place of bigotry and disinformation, and we condemn their ongoing attacks on Dalit civil rights organizations.

As the National Academic Coalition for Caste Equity, we ask you to stand on the right side of history and vote.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Thinmosi Sandararajan.

Thinmosi?

Dear council, I urge you to vote yes on this caste ordinance.

My name is Sanmori Soundararajan, and I am director of Equality Labs, and we are part of a caste equity coalition of over 30 organizations representing thousands of Dalit Americans.

The data and the reports are clear.

Caste is in Seattle, and we must act to stop this grave discrimination.

Each of the speakers here from this coalition are braving rape and death threats, disinformation, gaslighting, and even our jobs to speak truth to power.

And we are doing this because we want no one else to experience the terribleness of this caste bigotry.

So let me make it very clear.

Adding caste only impacts those that want to discriminate.

If you are not a bigot, this policy will not harm you.

That is why we need you to act, or we can only heal from caste if we ban it.

And we ask you to stand on the side of history and all to vote yes.

Thank you.

Thank you, our next speaker is Karthik Arumugam.

Karthik.

Hello, council members.

I strongly support the ordinance to ban caste discrimination.

This ordinance will protect me and my family members as we belong to the oppressed caste community.

That was an instance in the workplace that I would like to speak about.

When one of our privileged caste colleague patted me in my back, I did not quite understand why he did that at that moment.

His way of treating me and collaborating with me on work have completely changed thereafter.

He was supposedly looking for the sacred thread.

As he did not find the thread on my back, he figured out my caste status and his attitude towards me changed for the worse.

I am sure each and every oppressed caste person working in any major tech firm would have gone through some level of supple or explicit discrimination.

I strongly urge this council to vote unanimously in support of this ordinance to protect me and my family.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Suri with the last initial A.

Suri.

Hi, my name is Suryan.

I graduated from Washington and now I'm in the Bay Area.

Once a friend of mine in university said that his caste people are a gift given by God and that so many people are unable to come to the U.S., half their people are unable to come to the U.S. because their seat is being taken away by the less deserving castes.

He is now a tech worker in Amazon and leads a team and hires for it in Seattle.

I am drained by birth, which is infamous for a militant form of vegetarianism.

To such an extent that everyone and everything that's deemed impure are ostracized and barred from being touched.

I am married to a Dalit woman.

My wife is not yet protected from my own family's discrimination because caste is not a protected category in the USA.

We need laws and policies to support oppressed castes.

I urge the people to vote yes unanimously to ban caste discrimination.

I yield the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Suresh Kumar.

Hello, my name is Suresh and I urge this council to pass this bill.

I have faced discrimination at workplace while working in Seattle due to my lower caste status.

I've been denied raises and promotions due to my lower caste status in Seattle.

Additionally, I play matchmaker for marriages in the South Asian community.

And I have seen over the last 15 years that I've been told by my clients repeatedly who are oppressor caste people that they want to find boys and girls to marry only of higher caste so that they can maintain their bloodline.

This is how disgusting this caste mindset is.

Please vote yes and protect the caste oppressed.

Remember, this bill does not target any religion, but it targets the discriminatory mindset.

The world is watching, council members, please be on the right side of the history.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Shakti Jayavalu.

Shakti?

Yeah.

Hi, council members.

I'm Shakti Jayavalu.

I'm an engineer working in the wastewater treatment industry.

I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance to ban cash-based discrimination in Seattle City.

I belong to the elite community formerly known as Untouchables.

I moved to USA to have a life free of cash discrimination.

where only hard work will matter for my success.

Unfortunately, even here, I have faced caste-based discrimination in all the places, including universities and workplace, that I had to share with oppressive caste people.

I was called derogatory caste-based slurs, and I've been shamed for activities as simple as eating meat in shared places.

Most of the companies have oppressive caste people in management positions.

As a result, there are unsaid policies and rules that are followed in professional places.

Caste-based preferences are given when it comes to promotions and workplace.

Therefore, a legal ban on cats will enable me to fight for my dignity and self-respect.

I urge all council members to outlaw cat-based discrimination in the county to continue to do this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Arul with the last initial P.

Dear council members, my name is Arul.

I'm a writer and a tech worker.

I would like to urge the council to vote yes for banning cat discrimination.

Being a woman of color, though I can claim I did not face racism or sexual assault personally in this country, but I think the laws that penalize the racial discrimination and sexual assault are important for everyone in the society.

I consider people who oppose those laws fair way to the aggressors.

It is the same way I urge you to make caste discrimination illegal and vote yes for the ordinance.

Please support the ordinance by unanimously voting yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Nikhil Damaraj.

Hello, my name is Nikhil, and I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by Council Member Savant to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle City.

I am a queer, dominant caste student raised in a Hindu family, and I know from my personal community experiences that casteism isn't just limited to tech companies and universities.

It impacts all South Asians, following them everywhere they go, including working-class folks in the city of Seattle.

South Asians are not a monolith and have vast diversity, and caste-oppressed communities have been historically disenfranchised.

I can say this is an intersectional issue.

It is simultaneously a labor, feminist, human rights, and queer problem.

This ban will help the city of Seattle stand for civil rights for all and empower caste-oppressed communities to have avenues for recourse and protection.

This is particularly important because of the very large South Asian population in the city of Seattle.

So please, please vote gas next week on this ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Anbu Ramayan.

Anbu?

Respected council members, I hope I'm audible.

I'm Anbu Ramayan calling in to support the ordinance to ban gas discrimination.

I'm currently based out of Atlanta, Georgia, hometown of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I head the IT consulting practice for the Americas for a leading technology giant.

For the last 22 years I have been in this country, I've been benefited by and thankfully appreciated the social justice, equal opportunity, and fair treatment of all my fellow citizens.

discrimination in any form, race, color, creed, and caste against humanity and will deter the well-being and growth of every individual and the society overall today and tomorrow.

I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by Council Member Sharma Sawant to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle City and make Seattle the point of such a historic resolution in support of all people oppressed by the caste level in the United States.

Thank you in advance for all your understanding and support.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Gautam Nagrare.

Dear council members, my name is Gautam Nagrare and I'm working as a software professional.

I urge all the council members to vote yes on the ordinance to ban cost discrimination.

I was discriminated for something that's beyond my control, my caste.

I was hated and discriminated because I'm a non-vegetarian.

Someone refused to eat food at my home last summer right here in the United States.

I'm so sad to see my own brothers and sisters oppose this ordinance when this ordinance is requesting just the equal right, a life with dignity.

Is it too much to ask for?

Dear council members, it is my humble request to each of you to help eradicate this inhuman practice of caste.

You are the first one to look into it with all your powers and our future depends on your decision.

Please do the right thing and unanimously pass ordinance to ban caste discrimination in the Seattle city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Paul Khanna Karash.

Hi, I am Paul Khanna.

Hi, I am Paul Kanakaraj, a Dalit Christian American, first generation college degree holder, working as IT architect.

I urge all council members to unanimously vote yes on the ordinance proposed by Council Member Sharma to ban caste discrimination in the great city of Seattle.

Though I left my country 20 plus years ago and migrated here, the caste discrimination and social exclusion still continuing in the city.

This is like a cancer keeps growing even after chemo, So it's painful, especially for my kids growing up in the city.

I often shy away from revealing my food habit and also whether I benefited from affirmative action to others because the fear of workplace harassment, bullying, and social exclusion.

The legal protection for me and my kids from the caste discrimination in the city will ensure our true freedom enjoyed like other people in this country.

I request all council members to outlaw this caste discrimination.

Thank you, and God bless America.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Anu Mandavili.

And we are on speaker number 19, Anu Mandavili.

Good afternoon.

My name is Anu Mandavili, and I'm speaking today as someone born into a government caste community, but is opposed to caste discrimination.

I'm asking council members to vote yes on the ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle.

I understand that the issue of caste-based discrimination might be new to many of you on the council.

Given this, I would like to urge council members to consider the fact that the constitution of India explicitly addresses the issue of caste and has banned caste-based discrimination.

Seattle is not a part of the Deep South and neither are we in the 1960s.

But make no mistake, the issue of discrimination is the same.

And a vote of yes, which is a vote against bigotry and discrimination, will have equally important consequences.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Arizagan Alafalan.

Sorry.

Yes.

Hello, my name is Arizagan.

I'm a software engineer from a reputed company.

I'm originally from South Asia.

I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed to ban caste-based discrimination.

Caste is different from religion.

Caste system is an integral, intrinsic part of the society in South Asia.

Some castes are hierarchically privileged and dominant, and some are not.

They are oppressed.

In the workplace, I have seen opportunities and promotions being given to employees from the dominant caste instead of oppressed caste.

Caste discrimination is a human rights issue, Adding caste as a protected category will support people all over the world, and let Seattle be the first one.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Madhavi Raj.

Hi.

Hi, I'm Madhavi, and I acknowledge Seattle City Council members to vote yes on the proposal to ban caste-based discrimination.

So I am a member of the dominant caste, and I've seen caste-based discrimination rise its ugly head in the US as well.

For example, a cousin of mine refuses to eat in outside restaurants because there may be food cooked by people of other castes, and she considers it impure.

Another acquaintance from a dominant caste once complained to me that there was at work also an Indian, despite being from the same dominant caste, gives them a lot of work to do.

So it's just scary to imagine if people like them would favor those from their caste, especially the dominant caste in leadership roles.

Also, I've heard several people from the dominant caste say that people of the dominant caste are naturally more intelligent and get into less fights than the so-called low caste people.

So all of these suggest that caste-based discrimination is manifesting in work as well as in the larger society in the US.

And I therefore urge the council to outlaw.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ankita Nikalja.

Ankita?

What number is that, Madam Clerk?

Ankita is number 23.

Okay.

Hello.

There she is.

Hello.

Yeah.

Hello.

My name is Ankita.

I urge all council members to please vote yes on the ordinance.

I am a caste marginalized tenure track faculty member and support the research work that is done by Equality Lab.

When talking about caste, then we really need to be centering and listening to Dalit and caste oppressed folks.

Just like white folks don't get to define race and racism, caste-based folks don't get to define what caste and casteism is.

Talking about caste is not anti-Hindu, in the same way talking about race is not anti-white, or talking about disability, anti-able bodies, or gender, anti-men, and so on.

The lived experiences of Dalit and caste-oppressed folks are the only testimony necessary to include caste as a protected category, erasing or denying our experiences, and it's self-reproducing caste violence.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Hannah Swoboda.

Hi, my name is Taylor Svoboda and I'm a voter in District 3. I'm also calling in to urge that the council pass council members who want to propose ordinance to outlaw caste-based discrimination in Seattle.

This is a very serious issue in the US.

I think all the comments today really speak to that.

In California, an appeals court allowed the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to proceed with a lawsuit alleging that a Dalit engineer at Cisco Systems, which is a multi-billion dollar tech conglomerate I think we're all familiar with, They were actively targeted by this dominant caste managers there and denied professional opportunities because of his caste background.

A New York Times columnist wrote about this, that the technology giant got away with ignoring the persistent caste discrimination because American laws don't yet recognize caste discrimination as a valid form of exclusion.

So I don't think we should pretend that we don't already know that the exact same thing is constantly happening in Seattle.

The experiences of everyone calling in today should be all the proof you need.

We can't allow this to continue in Seattle.

All council members, we're calling on you to vote yes on the proposed ordinance next week.

No excuses, no delays, stop caste discrimination now.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sanjay Sisale.

Hello, council members.

My name is Sanjay Sisale.

I strongly urge this council to say yes and support the ordinance to ban caste discrimination.

This ordinance will protect me and my family members as we belong to the oppressed caste community of South Asian origin.

Me and my wife work in IT.

Yes, I have faced caste discrimination.

Yes, I have been excluded from good valued work assignments, priority projects, and growth opportunities from South Asian bosses.

Yes, my wife left one project in the middle because of toxic caste culture at work.

Yes, I have suffered silently as caste exclusions was not in the company policy.

Yes, because of caste discrimination, I have been ridiculed for being meat eater on all days.

Yes, I have lost friends over caste identity.

Caste privilege officers are opposing the ordinance because there will be an accountability for caste discrimination.

No one is free until everyone is free.

Please extend equality to all.

So I urge all the council members to say yes and support the ordinance to ban caste discrimination.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Amit Sam.

My name is Amit.

I'm a scientist at a leading company in the US.

I urge all council members to vote to ban cars with discrimination in Saddle City to protect us and our children.

Race is a protected category because racial discrimination happens.

Therefore, cars must be a protected category because car discrimination happens.

It is that simple.

Reasons such as Hinduphobia, I don't use my cars or left my cars, Caste discrimination is a thing of the past.

My children don't know about caste.

Caste doesn't exist in the USA.

Caste will create division.

I'm a Dalit.

I do not face caste discrimination.

And so on must be outrightly rejected as they have no bearing on the person as me who experienced caste discrimination, which is traumatic, depressive, and fatal.

It's a global human rights issue and must be allowed address immediately.

Let all caste opulence have the dignity of being human, who carry equal intrinsic value by birth as all other humans do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ramya Parem.

Hi, I'm Ramya.

I'm a member of Ambekar King Study Circle and a senior engineering manager at a tech company.

I urge all Seattle City Council members to vote yes on the proposal to ban caste-based discrimination.

Being a member of a backward caste, I experienced firsthand discrimination from a dominant caste colleague when invited to their house for a puja.

After a meal, I observed that the kids and the elders of the household had rinsed their plates and left in the kitchen sink and ended up doing the same.

And I ended up doing the same.

And there was an awkwardness displayed by the colleague and a recommendation to use the guest washroom next time to wash my hands after the meal.

Similarly, when we as a family were looking for prospective grooms in the U.S., there was explicit specification in the profiles of the groom from upper caste living in the U.S. against entertaining prospects from other and backward castes.

Feels like protecting the lineages of utmost importance for these dominant castes, all of which is proof that caste-based discrimination exists in the U.S. and it's not a joke.

I urge the- Thank you.

Our next speaker is Rahav Kashyik.

I'm a tech worker working at Microsoft, and I would like to urge everyone to unanimously vote in support of the ordinance banning caste discrimination.

I want to rebut two opposing right-wing points.

One of the opposing points made is that the law is unenforceable because caste has no visible markers.

Well, characteristics such as religion and sexual orientation also don't have visible markers.

Those facing caste discrimination will need to rely on self-identification to expose what is taking place, much like victims of other forms of discrimination, such as religion and sexual orientation do.

The second point that I want to rebut is the allegation that the ordinance is based on suspect data from Ambedkar, King, Street Circle, and Equality Labs.

The same data certainly met the editorial bar of the Washington Post, the Seattle Times, and the New York Times.

Perhaps it doesn't meet the editorial bar of Northwest Asian Weekly.

City Council members who take the allegation of faulty data seriously need to decide which side they are on.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sonia Ponath.

Sonia?

Sonia, are you there?

We can come back if you'd like.

Yeah, let's come back to that one.

Thank you.

Oh, there she is.

I'm unmuted, I'm so sorry.

It's okay.

Go ahead.

Can I start?

Okay.

Yes.

Hi, I'm Sonia.

I'm calling in support of the CAS legislation and ask you pass it without any loopholes.

Next week, there's no shortage of data.

We know that it's a very serious issue.

One in four CAS-oppressed people face physical and verbal assault, and 67% face workplace discrimination.

Passing this would offer them basic protection.

And these studies have been heavily oriented towards the tech industry, where South Asians are employed in large numbers, and Seattle being a big one.

People are speaking in a really courageous way today to provide you more information to make your decision.

So I hope we're not going to have a study, because I don't think we need another study.

As for supposed lawsuits for the city, some people who do this kind of fear-mongering, they fail to tell you that they're the ones who are probably going to be the source of those lawsuits.

Now, several universities have already banned discrimination on their campuses.

This would be trendsetting.

If we pass this here, it will make Seattle the first jurisdiction to ban caste oppression.

That's a big deal.

Be a part of that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sriram Rajagopalan.

Hello, council members.

My name is Sriram.

I strongly support this ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination.

You may have heard that Caspian's discrimination does not happen in Seattle.

This argument is ludicrous.

Caspian's discrimination is rampant in India, so it's impossible that tens of thousands of South Asians in Seattle's tech sector have not imported it here.

Outlawing Caspian's discrimination is not about propagating hate against Hindus.

This ordinance isn't targeting one group.

It's about giving people protection under the law when they have been discriminated against.

While there are lots of voices speaking for and against it, this issue is not complex.

It's a simple matter of humanity and equity.

This council has time and again courageously stood in favor of eliminating discrimination against immigrants, against LGBTQ people, against women's bodies.

I am urging you to do so once again by voting yes on the ordinance to prohibit caste-based discrimination.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker is Deepa Dutta Dash.

Hello, my name is Das and I'm a man of color.

I was born in India and moved to the U.S. in 1996 and Seattle in 2001. Since then, I've been volunteering in the Seattle community.

I have never heard of any caste based discrimination while being in the U.S. for the last 22 years.

I'm shocked that there have been so many cooked up stories about India, its customs, its religion here in the U.S., right here.

And within six, seven years, our council members have come up with a new conspiracy theory, where we already have laws protecting all kinds of discrimination.

All the endorsements and the stories on the cover of the ordinance are not backed by evidence of oppression or discrimination by caste in the US.

My appeal to all council members is not to fall prey to the false narratives.

Please go by the facts.

Without solid proof, please vote no.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Maya Campbell.

Hi.

Hello.

I urge all council members.

Hi.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi.

I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by Council Member Saman to ban cash-based discrimination in Seattle City.

I come from CAST oppressed community and I'm a member of Ambedkar Association of North America.

I also work at Amazon.

This ordinance will give a push to companies like Amazon with 1.5 million employees to add CAST as a protected category.

Tech companies like Amazon have hundreds and thousands of South Asian employees and tech companies give a lot of power to the managers who decide to hire, promote or fire their subordinates.

I have experienced bias when I had a dominant cash manager working for another company.

That's why I don't disclose my true identity at my workplace.

Cash protections are very important for people from oppressed communities to thrive at workplace.

So I fully support the Seattle Cash Ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sari with the last initial C.

Sari?

Saree, are you there?

Okay, we can move on to the next speaker.

And don't forget to press star six.

Oh, there he is.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Hi, can you can you all hear me?

Yes, go ahead.

Hi, I'm C. Krishna and I'm a tech worker.

And I urge all the council members to vote no on this cast ordinance.

It It seems to me and a lot of people who are opposing this bill that the bill is being rushed.

And I don't see a need for it because my understanding is that many members in the council don't have enough background about caste, its origins, and South Asian religions to take an informed decision.

And rightfully so, because it's not a widespread problem among South Asian community in US, as Kshama Sarman wants us to believe.

There is no scientific evidence.

And the evidence that they have shown has been debunked by none other than Carnegie Endowment Research and Pew Research.

As per the Carnegie Endowment Research, recently, the vast majority of Hindus in the US don't identify themselves with any caste.

But if you bring this ordinance, you'll be forcing millions of South Asians who come to US in the hope of staying away from identity politics to identify and stick to a caste they are born in, unfortunately.

I urge council members to vote no on this bill without any further study.

Our next speaker is Poojit Hedge.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Poojit.

I'm a South Asian American college student born in a dominant caste community.

I've witnessed how prevalent caste discrimination is in many of the South Asian communities around me.

A council member mentioned the many emails against the proposed legislation and asked, where is the opposition coming from?

I will say that the opposition is coming from people like Mr. David Atadash, was here in this very council in February 2020 supporting the genocidal CAANRC which the council unanimously passed and the resolution condemning it.

If one is to talk to 100 bigoted people they may think that caste discrimination is not an issue but the reality is that the many caste-oppressed South Asians in Seattle have consistently describing how important this issue is.

I urge council members to side and vote yes to side with the caste-oppressed and not to support the right-wing bigots and trolls who oppose this measure.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kaylin Nicholson.

Kaylin.

Okay, we can come back to Kaylin if you'd like.

Okay.

Okay, well, next speaker.

Can you hear me?

Oh, yes.

Yes.

Hi, my name is Kaylin Nicholson.

I want to start by saying I think it's absolutely disgusting to refer to these courageous personal stories from Dalit community members as cooked up stories.

It's absolutely shameful.

And I certainly hope the Democratic council members will not align themselves with such offensive views.

The fact that American laws don't recognize caste discrimination means that companies and public officials can operate in willful ignorance of the brutal realities of caste oppression.

In fact, numerous studies, many of them oriented towards the tech sector, have confirmed the presence of caste discrimination in the US.

This ordinance has the support of over 50 organizations, including the Alphabet Workers Union, which is the union of Google workers, who recently said that the fight for the civil rights of caste-oppressed people is a workers' fight.

If Seattle becomes the first United States jurisdiction to ban caste oppression, it will be the first such law anywhere in the world outside of South Asia.

This would be an incredibly powerful step forward for the movement against caste oppression all across the world.

I'll be at city hall in person next Tuesday at noon for the rally and final vote on this ordinance.

And I hope to see many of today's callers there as well.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Deepa Sundaram.

Hi, my name is Deepa Sundaram.

I strongly endorse the Seattle City Council's proposed ordinance banning caste-based discrimination.

As a dominant caste Hindu and university professor, I hold several privileges, including those of class, caste, and profession.

Caste is a social, cultural, and political hierarchy rooted in pre-modern Hindu texts that continues to proliferate in many religious and cultural communities, both within and outside South Asia.

South Asians can reject caste-based practices and do so ethically by acknowledging their complicity in caste-based discrimination and seeking to build more inclusive communities.

Arguments that casteism is no longer prevalent in Hindu or South Asian communities are disingenuous, without merit, and negate the experiences of caste-oppressed people.

The protections against caste-based discrimination this ordinance provides don't harm Hindus specifically or South Asians in general.

Rather, they offer an important corrective to bring US civil rights protections in line with those already provided to other oppressed groups.

I urge the city council to vote yes on this ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jasmine with the last initial K.

Jasmine?

Hello, council members.

I urge you all to vote yes.

Can you hear me?

Yeah, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to interrupt you.

Go ahead.

Yes, go ahead.

Okay.

Hi, Council Members.

I urge you all to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by Shamma Sawant to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle City.

I am a Dalit, caste-depressive woman, and a member of the Equality Box.

I have experienced caste-based discrimination in the United States.

Most recently, I have experienced microaggressions at a tech startup I used to work at, who also has offices in Seattle.

My South Asian supervisor would constantly ask where in India my family was from, and that car isn't my real last name, but what my real last name was.

This question was deliberately asked to know my caste background.

As a caste-oppressed person, I felt very uncomfortable, and protections must be in place.

Over 30 people have emphasized their support on this call and shared their personal stories being caste-oppressed.

Cast is real, and it's here in the United States.

Passing this ordinance is long overdue, and the only people it affects are the bigoted.

Given that the caste oppression that Americans continue to face out in Seattle and nationally requires immediate redressal, please pass the ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Anshan Burns.

Anshan?

I don't see his or their title.

Okay, we will move on to the next speaker, which is Gorez Azhar.

Gorez Azhar?

Yes.

I see he's there, or they are there.

Gorez Azhar?

Star.

Six.

Six.

There you go.

Yeah.

Hi.

Yeah.

Hi.

I'm Dr. Gulrez Azhar.

I'm a physician researcher, and I support the ban on caste discrimination.

A culture, or rather a conspiracy of silence prevails regarding this issue.

It governs a fifth of this planet's population of 1,400 million Indians.

But most of the Indian diaspora in the US comes from supposedly high caste.

So at best, they keep silent because they haven't faced discrimination themselves, or maybe through their strategic silence and vocal opposition, they condone this disgusting practice.

Originating from caste-based lifestyle, ideas of ritual purity and graded hierarchy, they lead to abhorrent practice of untouchability, of housing discrimination, denial of education, denial of work opportunities, and even their basic humanity.

Every day, I read stories of violence, suicide, lynchings, and killings of the most marginalized and discriminated people.

This must not take root in the US.

Equality and individualism are the foundational ideas of this nation, and caste is the opposite of that.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Rajitha Nareddy.

Rajitha Nareddy.

I'm looking for the, see the tile there.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi, sorry.

My name is Rajita Nareddy and I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination, YADL.

I am a caste privileged Indian American and I was raised Christian.

I've seen firsthand that caste-based discrimination exists across religions, even those that claim to be casteless such as Christianity, both in India and in the United States.

Caste and caste markers are omnipresent in South Asian society, including in my last name and in many others' last names.

I urge you all to pass this simple but historical ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Trisha Srinivasan.

Trisha?

Hi my name is Tricia.

I am a medical student and a dominant caste Hindu and I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by Council Member Sutherland to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle.

Caste-based excuse me caste-privileged Indian-Americans may feel that we are rid from the caste system but we are the ones in privilege who don't feel its consequences and violence each day.

It is our responsibility to center the experiences of Dalit folks who are saying that this is a real fact.

and continue to face discrimination on university campuses, as it has been made explicitly clear to the various folks who have had to come here and out themselves as zealots and share their trauma.

Reinforcing stereotypes is not the goal.

However, protecting from future and current discrimination is.

This is a human rights issue, and I urge you all to vote yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Vidula Vajramusti.

Vidula?

Good afternoon.

My name is Vidula.

Can you hear me?

Go ahead.

Yes, go ahead.

Yeah, my name is Vidula Vajramushti.

And as a Hindu-American, I stand opposed to the proposed caste ordinance.

I do not have a Bhi Mambedkar army with equality labs and shamasavans standing with me.

This ordinance is unconstitutional, and it is potentially racist against Hindu-Americans and potentially all South Asians.

Shama Sawant continues to label anyone who does not agree with her as a right-wing Hindu fascist bigot.

But she cannot answer questions as to why the people who are claiming that they're discriminated at work, the same people are being hired by these so-called dominant upper-caste managers.

Does that make any logic?

At the same time, the whole group of people want to call out, this is a bloodline that needs to be kept pure.

And then they want to self-identify as a ballot.

How does that stand in a court of law?

Can someone please explain me?

I urge the council members to vote no on this ordinance.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Maya Woods Arthur.

Maya?

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes, thank you.

I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by Council Member Sawant to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle City.

This is not a complex issue.

Caste discrimination is happening and needs immediate relief in Seattle.

We stand behind Equality Labs data, which has been corroborated by major news outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, Bloomberg, and more.

The only people this ordinance would impact are the bigoted who want to preserve their right to discriminate.

Please stand for civil rights and ensure Seattle is a welcome city to all.

Please vote yes today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Amita Vempati.

Amita?

Can you hear me?

Yes.

My name is Amita Vempati.

I'm a South Asian American musician with the musical collective Brooklyn Rock Massive, and I urge council members to pass this historic ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle.

As a group of largely caste-privileged Hindu American classical musicians, We cannot and do not shy away from the fact that oppressor caste South Asian communities have duly relied on and erased the labor of caste-oppressed creators, tradition bearers, and innovators, including instrument makers, dancers, performers, actors, and craftsmen.

Caste discrimination has been weaponized for millennia in the forms of not only artistic appropriation, but physical violence, economic, and political disenfranchisement against caste-oppressed creators and communities.

For the sake of artistic liberation, community and equity in the United States and in the South Asian diaspora, we strongly advocate against caste discrimination to ensure safety and free expression for caste oppressed creators.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Manoj Malar.

Manoj Malar.

I see that he's not unmuted or they are not unmuted.

Menage.

Malar star six.

Yes, yes.

Hi, I support the city council's goal to make discrimination illegal.

I live in California for the past 13 years and I am tired of witnessing acts of discrimination.

and verbal harassment upon us Dalits and other upper caste by dominant caste Indians, influenced by the prejudices they hold and caste privileges they enjoyed back in India.

I want these caste supremacists to know there are consequences when doing the same here in USA, just like there are consequences when acting based on racial and religious prejudices.

So I plead and urge the city council to vote yes on the ordinance to ban caste discrimination.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Shreya with the last initial D.

Shreya.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Hello.

Yeah.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Shreya and I work in the IT industry.

I wholeheartedly support the Seattle Caste Ordinance as it will create a fair environment for people like me who are coming from the oppressed caste communities.

I have experienced caste discrimination from my upper caste neighbors at our local meetup.

At our first meetup they started the conversation mostly around trying to know my caste and when they visited my house they saw Dr. Ambedkar's and Buddha's pictures and learned that I'm not from their community.

They have stopped coming to my place after that incident, and it made me feel like I don't belong here.

I do not want my children or anyone to face this.

Hence, I urge all council members to please, please vote yes on the ordinance to ban the caste-based discrimination.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Oliver Wilson.

Oliver?

Hi, can you hear me?

We can.

Awesome.

Hi, my name is Oliver and I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by council members to want to ban caste-based discrimination in Seattle.

I am a white, trans, and queer person, and I'm also a tech worker.

And I want to speak to the disgusting attacks against Equality Labs and other adult civil rights groups for breaking the silence on caste.

We know that anytime there are battles for civil rights, opponents to equality will step forward.

These current attacks are no different than what workers face from management as they fight for safer and more equitable workplaces.

As a tech worker, I know that caste-based discrimination occurs in tech workplaces.

Caste is a workers' rights issue, and we urge the council to not undermine the work of the oppressed and to ensure the safety of everyone in Seattle.

It is clear that caste is in Seattle, and this discrimination needs to be urgently addressed.

Please support this ordinance by unanimously.

Thank you.

Oops.

Thank you.

Sorry about that.

I couldn't unmute.

My next speaker is Swati Raiasom.

Swati Raiasom?

Yep.

There they are.

Hi.

Hi.

Can you hear me?

Yep.

Hi.

Great.

Thank you.

My name is Swati Raism.

I am a dominant caste organizer based in the Bay Area.

And I'm giving comment on behalf of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, which is a Bay Area organization representing roughly 40 members and about 500 volunteers, the majority of which are Indian American and of Hindu descent, as well as from privileged caste background.

And many of our members and our leaders have community ties in Seattle.

I personally have about 16 family members in Seattle.

Our organization, Asata, was formed in January 2000 in response to charges against a local landlord in the city of Berkeley, Blacky Reddy Balireddy, who was convicted of bringing dozens of people from rural India to work for little or no pay in his restaurants and businesses.

These people were predominantly, if not absolutely, if not entirely comprised of low-caste workers.

And so as an organization founded and informed by zealous feminists, such as folks from Equality Lab, we urge you to unanimously.

Our next speaker is Gayatri Girijan.

Hi, Amit.

Hi, my name is Gayathri.

I urge all council members to pass the ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination.

I am a dominant caste person who was raised Hindu, and caste is a global issue that impacts people in South Asia, indentured communities in Fiji and the Caribbean, and across the global diaspora.

As such, we have to address it globally.

We can't let Hindu caste-privileged people, my community, uphold this red herring argument and withhold protection from caste-oppressed people.

who are from multiple religions like Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, and so on.

As someone raised Hindu, I can testify to how the community pretends casteism doesn't exist in the United States, which is what you are hearing from the opposition.

That is incorrect.

The reality is that it does exist.

It is deadly for caste-oppressed communities across the world, and it must be a core part of anti-discrimination protections across the world.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Obad Manwatkar.

Hi, my name is Umed Malhotkar and I am a caste opposition.

I urge council to vote yes on ordinance to ban caste discrimination.

I personally face discrimination against the hands of oppressor caste Christians, South Asians.

They discriminate against lower caste Christians.

Yes.

They discriminate.

Yes, caste exists.

Caste discrimination exists.

And look, who is opposing?

Where the opposition coming from?

The people from Mr. Devjata Das, who was here in the very council in February 2014, supporting CAA, NRC, who was in the Trump rally in 2019, when Prime Minister Modi visited here.

Your privilege stands on our dead bodies, sir.

Have some shame.

And to quote Apostle Paul, to speak truth in love.

We don't hate our people.

We love our people.

And we are ashamed that they have soiled this beautiful country by importing caste discrimination here.

So thank you so much.

Please, I urge council members to vote yes.

Thank you so much for giving me time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Aditya Namjashi.

Aditya Namjashi.

Hello, my name is Adi and I urge all council members to vote yes on the ordinance proposed by council member Sarbanes to ban task discrimination in Seattle City.

I want to speak to the disgusting attack.

I'm a dominant caste university student race Hindu, and I want to speak to the disgusting attack against equality labs and other Dalit civil rights groups for breaking the silence on caste.

We know that anytime there are battles for civil rights, opponents to equality will step forward.

These current attacks are no different than the white supremacists who are trying to ban black scholars like Kimberly Crenshaw and outlaw critical race theory.

We urge the council to not undermine the work of the oppressed and to ensure the safety of all in this democratic process.

It is clear caste is in Seattle and this discrimination needs to be urgently addressed.

Please support the ordinance by unanimously voting yes.

Thank you.

After this next speaker, council president, we will be at one hour.

So, um, That's correct.

So let me just add this.

So let's do this last caller for one minute, and then I'll make some comments and we'll go forward.

Go ahead.

OK, thank you.

So our last speaker is Gatika Talwar.

Hi.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Yes.

Hi.

My name is G and I'm a community clinical psychologist and I work.

I am a Hindu and a practicing Buddhist and I'm also a first generation immigrant from India.

I'm calling in support of the ordinance to ban caste based discrimination in Seattle.

It's very important to recognize that through years of work with the South Asian community, and as someone who's caste privileged myself, I've seen the indelible impact of caste oppression on Dalit folks, and I have known how upper caste communities continue to invalidate Dalit struggles.

And as a Seattle member, as a Seattle City person, I can speak very strongly about the importance of banning caste-based discrimination, beginning with the city of Seattle.

This will be historic, because we cannot allow Hindu nationalists or upper caste Hindus to allow the dangerous weaponization of our beautiful ancient scriptures.

Caste discrimination is a complete problem and it needs to be outlawed.

And I urge the council to vote in favor of banning caste-based discrimination in Seattle.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.

So we have reached, we had over 135 callers.

We got to 57 of them.

And we are going to end public comment at this point.

So I did want to share again, we are not voting on this today.

You have another opportunity to do two things.

You can you can keep sending emails that we've been getting.

And you can also call in on Tuesday, February 21st at two o'clock, in which full council will be voting on this legislation that has been proposed by council members.

So on.

So with that, we are ending public comment.

All right, moving on the agenda.

If there's a if there's no objection, I move to adopt the IRC, the introduction referral calendar, not hearing or seeing objection, the introduction referral calendar is adopted.

Moving on, if there's no objection, I move to adopt the agenda, not seeing or hearing an objection.

The agenda is adopted.

Moving on to our consent calendar.

Let's see, the items on the consent calendar today include the minutes of February 7th, 2023, payroll bill, council bill 120510, and five appointments to the Seattle Design Commission recommended by the Land Use Committee.

Are there any council members that would like to remove any of these items for the consent calendar to be considered separately at the end of the agenda?

Okay, I do not see anybody raising their hand.

Okay, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt the consent calendar.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the consent calendar?

Nelson?

Aye.

Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The consent calendar is adopted.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the minutes and the legislation on the consent calendar on my behalf.

Moving on in our agenda to committee reports, we have six matters on the agenda, three council bills and three resolutions.

And we are gonna start with Council Member Strauss, but before that, Madam Clerk, will you please read item one into the record?

The report of the city council, agenda item one, council bill 120487, an ordinance relating to floodplains, fourth extension of interim regulations established by ordinance 126113 and is amended by ordinance 126536 for a public hearing and possible vote.

Thank you.

Before I open the public hearing on this item, I'm gonna turn it over to Council Member Strauss who is the sponsor of the bill.

And then Council Member Strauss, can you please provide us with the introductory remarks?

And then I'll go back to as being the presiding officer to open it for public hearing.

So Council Member Strauss.

Thank you, Council President.

This is the fourth floodplain extension of interim regulations.

Federal regulations require local governments to update local floodplain regulations within six months of the FEMA update to ensure ongoing participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Participation in this program allows owners of property in FEMA-mapped flood zones to purchase federally backed flood insurance, which is required for federal loans.

Those interim development regulations have been extended several times while the Port of Seattle and the City of Seattle reach agreement about how some regulations may be applied.

I can tell you that they're at the outset of these conversations, it wasn't going so well and the reports that I'm receiving today is that The conversations are going very well, which makes me very happy because this is the fourth extension and I'm hoping the last extension of this interim floodplain regulation.

So Council Bill 120487 would extend the interim floodplain development regulations for another six months.

SDCI does anticipate transmitting permanent regulations this summer.

And I want to thank all of our friends at the port for coming into the conversation in collaboration.

And thank you to the folks at sdci for also coming to the conversation uh with the perspective of collaboration because it is in all of our best interests to work together mitigate our differences and pass final legislation thank you council president all right thank you uh council member straus um as presiding officer i'm now opening the public hearing on council bill one two zero four eight seven

As Council Member Strauss said, this is the fourth extension on the interim regulations established by Ordinance 126113 and as amended by Ordinance 126536 for an additional six months to allow individuals to rely on updated national flood insurance rate maps to obtain flood insurance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, FEMA's flood insurance program.

Madam Clerk, my understanding is that we had two people signed up, numbers 38 and 102, to speak to this matter.

Are they still available?

They're still available, but we'll also want to check with the clerk in chambers to see if we have anyone signed up in person.

OK, so I don't have the name of the first person, number 38, but I do have Mr. Mr. Melleth, who is number 102. So I will let you handle it from here.

Who's available to speak for public comment regarding this matter?

Okay, I will start with the two remote that I know that we have.

We need you to open, I believe we need to open the public hearing.

Did we do that?

I'm sorry.

Yes, I did.

Yes, I did.

I'll do it again, though.

I'll open it again.

Thank you very much.

I'm not all here today.

Okay, our first remote speaker for the public hearing, and again, this has to relate to the item at hand, is Excuse me.

Is it Maya?

Yes.

Thank you.

Maya Woods Arthur.

Yes.

Maya, you're on the line?

I don't see a tile, Madam Clerk.

She may have hung up after making her earlier public comment.

Okay.

The next, and I believe the only other remote public commenter for the public hearing we have is Thomas Melleth.

Thomas, are you still with us?

Do not see him.

He was number 102. Right.

Oh, yeah.

No, there he is.

Mr. Malath, we see your tile.

It's star six.

He's on the line.

I think he just needs to do star six.

We can wait.

Yeah, because he's been waiting a long time.

He's been waiting over an hour.

Mr. Malath, it's star six, sir.

And while we're waiting for Mr. Maleth, I'll ask the clerk in the chambers, do we have any in-person public commenters today for the public hearing?

We do not.

Okay, thank you.

Mr. Maleth, it's star six.

So how about we do this?

I do not see him unmuting himself.

No.

No, we can close the public hearing.

He's welcome to send in written comments.

Let's do that.

Mr. Maleth, it's star six.

It looks like you are having difficulty unmuting yourself or us getting to you.

So what we're going to ask is that you provide written comments and we're going to move forward on the agenda.

Does that sound okay, Madam Clerk?

At this point, yes.

Okay.

All right.

So that was our last speaker to present at this public We didn't have anybody else.

So I'm going to close this matter.

So the public hearing on Council Bill 120487, as described by Council Member Strauss, is now closed.

And with that, I move to pass Council Bill 120487.

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to pass the bill.

And Council Member Strauss, is there anything else you would like to add before we go to the vote?

Nothing further, Council President, thank you.

Thank you.

Will the clerk please call the vote on this matter?

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

And Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, the bill passes, the chair will sign it.

Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf.

Moving on in our agenda to item number two, it looks like Council Member Esqueda has a resolution for us.

Madam Clerk, will you please read item two and to the record.

Agenda item two, resolution 32081, a resolution providing an honorary designation of Union Street between 21st and 22nd Streets as Devon Pickett Jr.

Way.

Thank you, Councillor Mosqueda.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

Colleagues, this resolution is an opportunity for us to provide an honorary designation of Union Street between 21st and 22nd Streets as Devon Pickett Jr.

Way.

It has been an honor for me and my team to be able to work with Devon's family on this legislation in front of us.

I want to thank Devon's mother, Nikki Chappelle, and also Craig, First Rider, his brother.

I want to thank Dejanae Pickett, his sister, and all of the family who have been working with us and the mayor's office, in addition to the Department of Transportation, to come together to put forward this resolution in front of us.

As folks know, Devon Pickett Jr. was a pillar and a beloved member of our community.

He was a leader in the Central District and Seattle at large.

He was a father, a mentor, entrepreneur, and co-owner of the Postman, along with his wife, Kiana Pickett, and lifelong community member as well.

Devon was shot and killed outside of the Postman on October 19th, 2022, a devastating loss for the city, for this family, for all of his friends and the broader Seattle community.

Devon is survived by his wife, Kiana Rose Pickett, and his three children and his extended family.

He leaves behind many mourners in the Central District and across the city of Seattle.

By bringing forward this resolution today, it provides an honorary street name change.

And this is one way that we can continue to honor and remember the life and legacy of Devon Pickett Jr.

His contribution to the Central District and the Seattle community will continue to live on for generations to come.

And this is just one way that we will make sure that remains in our city.

I want to pull from a few experts from this resolution, which were drafted in partnership with Devon's family.

In the resolution, you see it says, whereas one of Devon's biggest accomplishments to date was opening the Postman back in August of 2018, named in commemoration of his great-grandfather, Jacque's Chapel, a retired individual from the U.S.

Postal Service after 37 plus years, a business that Devon had made into an essential center of the community within the Central District and the entire city of Seattle.

Whereas Devon embodied and internalized a belief that being heavy over over array of all other endeavors, particularly in his role as a family patriarch, as a mentor and a friend to almost everyone he encountered throughout his life, a sentiment he often uniquely expressed in the form of his favorite catchphrase, stop playing.

And whereas Devon Pickett Jr.' 's personal philosophy of life inspired his vision and commitment, which was a driving force in empowering the Central District and surrounding neighborhoods, as well as other cities in the United States and around the world, touched by his presence and his inspiration.

This legislation is being brought forward in partnership with Devon's family, and with support and feedback from Mayor Harrell, and is being co-sponsored by Councilmember Sawant.

There will be an unveiling ceremony of this street renaming at 21st and Union next week on February 22nd, where the resolution will be formally presented.

And we will have an opportunity to join with Devon's family, friends, and the broader Seattle community to honor him, his legacy, and his life's work next week.

Thank you, Madam President, for your support for bringing this forward today.

And for my colleagues, I hope you will join us in honoring Devon Pickett Jr. and his life and legacy.

Thank you, Councilor Mosqueda.

I made a mistake, Madam Clerk.

I should have moved to adopt it, but let me do that now and get a second.

So I move to adopt Resolution 32081. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you, Councilor Mosqueda.

Thank you very much for bringing forward this resolution.

And we all had a copy of it and read through it at this time.

You've already addressed it once.

I'm going to let you do our closing arguments, but I mean, closing statements.

But are there any other colleagues that would like to speak to this resolution honoring the honorary designation for Devon Pickett Jr.

Way from any of our other colleagues.

Okay, not seeing any.

Council Member Mosqueda, do you want to close this out before we move to a vote?

No.

Again, I just want to thank Devon Pickett Jr.' 's family, folks that we've been talking to today.

We know that they will be present with us next week and so I had encouraged them to hold their comments until the ceremony and we look forward to celebrating all that Devon brought to this community and to the Central District on the 22nd.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Council Member Mosqueda.

And with that, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Solant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

And Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Nine in favor and none opposed.

Thank you.

The resolution is adopted.

The chair will sign it.

And Madam Clerk, will you please affix my signature to the resolution on my behalf?

Thank you.

Moving on to item number three under the Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee, which is Council Member Peterson.

Madam Clerk, will you please read item number three into the record?

The report of the Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee, agenda item three, council bill 120506, an ordinance granting Dunn Lumber Company permission to construct, maintain, and operate a private communication conduit for a 15-year term, renewable for one successive 15-year term.

Specifying the conditions under which this permit is granted and providing for the acceptance of the permit and conditions, the committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Council Member Peterson is chair of the committee.

You are recognized.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, as I noted at Council briefing yesterday, Council Bill 120506 would grant final approval to Dunn Lumber Company for the construction, maintenance, and operation of a communication conduit under and across Latona Avenue Northeast using a 15-year term permit.

Last year, the council granted conditional approval for Dunn Lumber via Resolution 32053. That resolution directed SDOT to draft the ordinance that grants the final approval for the term permit.

The Seattle Department of Transportation and our City Council Center staff both determined that Dunn Lumber had met the conditions from the initial approval.

The term permit was recommended unanimously by the committee members present.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Peterson.

Are there any comments from any of our colleagues?

Not seeing any, and I'm guessing you don't have any closing remarks, Council Member Peterson?

Correct, thank you.

Thank you.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Solant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Agenda item for Council Bill 120507, an ordinance relating to city streets designating the name of a new street constructed as part of the Central Waterfront Project as Elliott Way.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Council Member Peterson.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, Council Bill 120507 would designate the name of a new street created as part of the central waterfront project between Bell Street and Pine Street as Elliott Way.

This designation was recommended unanimously by the committee.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any comments from my colleagues?

Not seeing any, let's move forward with the vote.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Swant.

Yes.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Musqueda.

Aye.

And Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, nine opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes.

The chair will sign it.

And again, Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf.

We've been on to item number five.

So this is a, oh, it's customer Peterson again, got a resolution here.

So with that, can you please read item number five into the record?

Agenda item five, resolution 32079, a resolution granting conceptual approval to construct, maintain, and operate a transformer and retaining wall at 63rd Avenue Southwest, intersecting with Beach Drive Southwest and Southwest Spokane Street to support the operation of the Alki Wet Weather Treatment Station Facility and 63rd Avenue Pump Station Facility in the West Seattle neighborhood as proposed by King County.

The committee recommends the resolution be adopted.

Thank you with that customer Peterson.

Thank you, Council President colleagues resolution 32079 would provide King County with our city's conceptual approval to construct maintain and operate an electrical transformer and retaining wall.

This is in West Seattle, as the title mentioned, the exact location.

After the council grants this initial approval, the Seattle Department of Transportation will negotiate the final approval later for a term permit, and then we'll see them back in committee for final approval.

So this is the initial conceptual approval via resolution.

Our committee, including our District 1 Council Member West Seattle, recommend an approval.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Peterson.

And let's see.

OK, I see this came out of committee.

Yes.

Unanimously.

OK, great.

Are there any comments before we move to a vote?

Nope, I don't see any, and I'm guessing you're okay, Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

There is one.

Oh, there is one.

Who?

I've got my real hand up instead of the virtual hand.

My apologies.

Oh, I can't see your...

Oh, there you are.

Sorry, your tile was not up.

I apologize.

Go ahead, Council Member Herbold.

I apologize.

I don't.

I closed out of the Zoom system, so I was relying on my actual physical hand, which I shouldn't do.

Just real quickly, thanks to Chair Peterson for reaching out to my office before the item was up in committee.

working with me on the timing of the vote.

I really appreciate that.

It gives me the opportunity to reach out to constituents in the area to find out a little bit more about their experiences with the project.

I also want to thank King County Department of Natural Resources, specifically the Racewater Treatment Division.

Their staff met with my office, answered questions about this project, and thanks, of course, as always, to Lishwish Whitson of Council Central staff for helping Noel Aldrich in my office to field a question from constituents.

So really, really appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are you going to stay on the screen Council Member Herbold?

Are we good?

We're good.

Okay.

So with that, Council Member Peterson, is there anything you want to add before we go to a vote?

No, thank you.

Okay, we're all good.

All right.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Solant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

And Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Nine in favor, nine opposed.

Thank you.

The resolution is adopted.

The chair will sign it and Madam Clerk again, please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf.

Item number six, I've been waiting for this one.

This is also Council Member Peterson.

Madam Clerk, will you please read item six into the record?

Agenda Item 6, Resolution 32080, a resolution providing an honorary designation of Alaskan Way between Dearborn and Pine Streets, and Elliott Way between Pine and Bell Street, as Dizzy Dzalich, the committee recommends the resolution be adopted.

Thank you.

Council Member Peterson, it's all you now.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, Resolution 32080 would designate an honorary street name near Seattle's central waterfront.

The primary stretch of Alaskan Way would be designated Stislalich, which means little crossing over place in the Coast Salish language, Lushootseed.

That legislation is co-sponsored by Council President Juarez and Council Member Lewis.

It was recommended unanimously by committee members.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I have a few comments, but I want to see if there's any of my colleagues that want to speak before I speak and then let Council Member Peterson close this out.

Okay, not seeing any.

Let's see, I have some prepared comments.

First of all, I'd like to recognize that the city has been working for more than a decade with tribal partners and leaders to elevate Coast Salish history and culture as part of the city's Waterfront Seattle program.

These efforts have resulted in a series of public art, programming, and interpretive elements that will be part of the new waterfront.

Through these discussions, the concept emerged of giving the newly rebuilt Alaskan Way a tribal place name and using the original language of the tribes of Lushootseed.

The honorary name, as Council Member Peterson laid out, Zizalelich, is another way of us to honor the lands and the shared waters of the Puget Sound Salish people and to recognize a history of our collective waterfront.

For thousands of years, or as we like to say, as for time immemorial, a village on Seattle's waterfront was the Center for Tribal Fishing and Trade, and again, was known as Zilla-Leylich.

I'm trying to work that in as much as I can.

Many thanks to the Suquamish and Muckleshoot Tribal Councils and Nation in Leadership, who provided guidance to the city, the Seattle Mayor's Office, the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects, the Seattle Department of Transportation SDOT during the process of selecting Zila Leilich as the honorary name.

There will be new street signs that will be installed along the roadway in the coming months to reflect this important acknowledgement.

It is crucial that we continue to look for opportunities to recognize Seattle's tribal history, culture, and representation in this city And also I would like to add to that is that we have the actual organic traditional history represented of the Coast Salish people.

I think that's important that the real art of the folks and people that have lived here for time immemorial is reflected in our architecture, in our art, our culture, our naming of places.

And we don't just find ourselves doing land acknowledgements.

So with that, is there anything else?

Just for Peterson.

You're good.

Thank you, Council President.

You don't want to say it one more time.

Cecil all itch.

All right.

So with that, Oh Councilmember Strauss go ahead.

I'm impressed I am with how many times Councilmember Peterson has said, I'm not going to even try it.

He's trying to.

No, I'm going to save my embarrassment.

It is just, I mean, as you just said, council president, this is the way we honor the land in which we stand on.

And it's just really impressive to see it said so many times.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And as a side note, as a native person, I just want to thank this council for being so open and all the city departments to recognizing that and, um, understanding the history and the culture and why it's important.

So when people come here, they know that they're in Coast Salish country, not a Plains Indian, not a Northwest tribal person, but actually Coastal Salish.

And that's a really good start.

So with that, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

And Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Nine in favor, nine opposed.

Thank you.

The resolution is adopted.

The chair will sign it.

And Madam Clerk, will you please affix my signature to the resolution on my behalf?

All right.

I think that concludes our committee reports.

And moving along on the agenda, there were no items removed from the consent calendar.

There are no resolutions for the introduction and adoption calendar or other resolutions I'm sorry today.

So moving on to other business customer mosquito I understand that.

you would like to rescind your absence from next week's February 21st City Council meeting.

Is that correct?

Well, I think there was confusion when I first asked for it.

I came back and tried to make sure that I had the right dates in the record a few weeks ago, but I will not be absent next week.

So I want to make sure that I am not noted as being gone on February 21st.

And in fact, I think my plans are to be here on March 21st as well.

So no need for an excuse.

So anything else you want to add to that about when you're going to be here, when you're not?

I'm going to be here.

OK, good.

Before we move on, I see Council Member Lewis has his hand up.

before I move to, I have to do there, wait, let me do this first Council Member Lewis, if you're gonna ask for, are you, okay, let me get this done so I have to do it right.

If there's no objection, Council Member Mosqueda's excused absence from February 21st will be rescinded.

Does anyone object Council Member Mosqueda not being here or being here?

No, nobody objects, great.

Let's move on, go ahead Council Member Lewis.

Yes, thank you Councilmember Juarez.

I have a personal conflict on our February 21st meeting so I'm doing the opposite.

I'm requesting to be excused for that session and I guess tag teaming out here with Councilmember Mosqueda.

So requesting to be excused for the 21st full council meeting.

And we'll swap Council Member Mosqueda back in and swap you out.

If there's an objection, Council Member Lewis will be absent February 21st.

That is next Tuesday.

Not seeing any objection, you are indeed excused, Council Member Lewis.

Now it's my turn.

I'm going to be out of town.

I'm going to be in Washington, D.C.

next week.

So I would like to excuse myself, which I think I said this before, but I'll say it again for next Tuesday, February 21st.

Council member Morales will be serving as council president pro tem and will preside over that meeting.

There's no objection.

I would like to excuse myself.

Is there any objection?

Okay.

Not hearing or seeing any objection.

I am excused from the council meeting next Tuesday.

Before I go to adjourn, is there any other business colleagues?

All right.

This does conclude the items of business on today's agenda.

The next regularly scheduled city council meeting will be held February 21 next Tuesday.

And with that, thank you all.

We are adjourned.

Well done, everybody.