Seattle City Council 6/8/2020

meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It is 2.01 p.m.

I'm Lorena Gonzalez, president of the Seattle City Council.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Mosqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Here.

Sawant?

Here.

Strauss?

Present.

Juarez?

Here.

Herbold?

Lewis?

Present.

Morales?

Council President Gonzalez?

Here.

Seven, present.

Thank you so much.

We are still waiting for our last two council members to join us, but we will go ahead and dig in and admonish them accordingly, colleagues.

I'm just kidding.

I am not aware of any presentations.

Approval of the minutes, the minutes of the city council meeting of June 1st, 2020 have been reviewed.

If there is no objection, the minutes will be signed.

Hearing no objection, the minutes are being signed.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the now approved minutes?

OK, folks, we are going to do adoption of the referral calendar just for the benefit of us as colleagues.

And for those people listening in, we have some procedural steps that we got to go through in order to adopt the referral calendar.

There will be an amendment that will need to be made by Councilmember Herbold, and then there will be an amendment that will need to be advanced by Councilmember Sawant related to the two bills you discussed.

and Council briefing.

Now, I still don't think we have Council Member Herbold on the line.

Oh, there she is.

She just looks like she is on with us now.

So I am going to go ahead and make sure that we can move through this as quickly as possible.

So again, right now, what we are going to consider is a couple of motions.

I will move to adopt the proposed introduction and referral calendar.

It has been moved and seconded.

Council Member Herbold, I understand that you are prepared to make your motion at this time.

So if you are on the line, I will yield the floor to you for that amendment.

Thank you.

I move to amend the introduction referral calendar by introducing council bill 119803 entitled an ordinance requiring that certain uniformed police officers do not cover with a morning ban the serial number that is engraved on their badge amending section 3.28.130 of the Seattle Municipal Code declaring an emergency and establishing an immediate effective date all by a three-fourths vote of the city council and by referring it to the City Council.

Is there a second?

Second.

Second.

Great.

It has been moved and seconded to amend the introduction and referral calendar.

Council Member Herbold, do you have any brief remarks on this amendment before we open it up for additional potential comment and then ultimately a roll call?

Thank you.

So here in Seattle, people that have participated in the recent rallies and demonstrations protesting the killing of George Floyd have indicated that they have often been unable to identify officers because they could not see a name tag and that the officer's badge serial number was covered with a mourning band.

This legislation would allow the continued use of mourning bands as long as they do not obscure the officer's badge number.

This fiscal note assumes that officers would continue to use the badges that they have already been issued by SPD, but would simply move the morning band away from the serial number.

Early last week, I announced my intent to introduce this legislation.

Subsequent to that, the police chief ordered officers to display badge numbers.

I appreciate her order, but want to enshrine this to city law so that it does not depend on the policy of this chief or a future chief.

bills off of legislation adopted in 2000 after the WTO protests, which required the display of names on uniforms.

This bill was sponsored by former council member Steinbrook, and this is an appropriate role for the council.

And I'm hoping that a vote can be held on this legislation next Monday at full council.

Thank you for those brief remarks.

Council Member Herbold, are there any other comments on the proposed amendment to the introduction and referral calendar?

I'm hearing none.

I would just add that Council Member Herbold, this is, not untraditional for us to pursue the strategy that you've just described.

We did it in the context, if you recall, around observer, like an observer bill of rights, which was usually policies that were memorialized in directives that you wisely put forward and legislated so that if the directive changes, you know, we have to be notified of that because there is an ordinance and a law in place that exists and that would preempt the directive that lives in the discretion of the department.

And we also did the same thing as it related to the bias-free policing ordinance that I co-sponsored with then Council President Bruce Harrell.

We did the same thing.

The Seattle Police Department has a bias-free policing policy in their standard operating procedure manual, but we felt it was really important to memorialize that in ordinance and in law.

So I appreciate you nonetheless bringing, even though there was a directive by the chief, I appreciate you nonetheless bringing this opportunity forward to memorialize it in code.

I think it's a prudent path to take.

Okay, if there are no other comments on the amendment, seeing none, I would ask that the clerk please call the roll on the amendment to the introduction and referral calendar.

Sawant.

Aye.

Strauss.

Aye.

Juarez.

Aye.

Herbold.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Morales.

Aye.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries and the bill is added to the introduction and referral calendar.

I'm now going to move over to Council Member Swatt, who I understand has two proposed bills that she would like to move for introduction and referral to the City Council that is not on the published introduction and referral calendar.

we have to take one quick little administrative procedural step.

to amend the introduction and referral calendar.

So if there is no objection, the council rule will be suspended to allow consideration of a bill for introduction and referral that was not distributed by 5 p.m.

on Friday.

Is there any objection?

hearing no objection, the council rule is suspended, and Council Member Salant is now going to proceed with proposing an amendment to the introduction and referral calendar.

Council Member Salant, the floor is yours.

Thank you, President Gonzalez.

I move to amend the proposed introduction and referral calendar to introduce Council Bills 119804 and 119805, and by referring the two bills to the City Council for consideration at the June 15th City Council meeting.

The bill titles are as follows, Council Bill 119804, an ordinance relating to the Seattle Police Department, prohibiting the use of chokeholds by officers, amending section 12A.04.200 of and adding a new section 3.28.145 to the Seattle Municipal Code, and Council Bill 119805, an ordinance relating to the Seattle Police Department banning the ownership, purchase, rent, storage, or use of crowd control weapons, and adding a new section 3.28.146 to the Seattle Municipal Code.

I have an explanation which I can offer if I can get a second.

Second.

Okay, great.

It has been moved and seconded to amend the introduction and referral calendar.

Council Member Sawant, the floor is yours to make some remarks on the amendment.

Thank you.

Following yet another night of police violence, I'm introducing legislation to ban police use of chemical weapons and other so-called crowd control weapons, as well as legislation banning chokeholds.

Seattle police are attacking peaceful protesters daily from young children to the elderly with chemical weapons that are internationally banned in warfare.

They have used chokeholds on protesters, including the same kind of chokehold that killed George Floyd.

Last night, I was part of a group of hundreds of activists protesting peacefully on Capitol Hill at 11th and Pine.

We were maced and gassed by Seattle police with no provocation.

The police had many officers fully donned in riot gear.

They had pads protecting their shoulders, arms, calves, and shins.

They had on bulletproof vests, face shields, body shields, gas masks, and they carried batons, rifles, and chemical weapons.

Our protest movement, on the other hand, has been completely unarmed except for our cell phones, our umbrellas, and our multiracial working class solidarity.

The police had come prepared to inflict violence without provocation.

Last Friday, my office distributed drafts of these two bills to council offices.

The first bill bans the city from owning and the police from using crowd-controlled weapons like tear gas, mace, blast balls, flashbangs, plastic bullets, and other weapons that are typically used indiscriminately on gatherings of protesters.

Some of these weapons, like tear gas, are banned from use in war by the Geneva Convention, yet the mayor and the Seattle police under her control have repeatedly, on a daily basis, used them on the people of Seattle.

I've heard reports from many community members, as have other council members, outraged that these weapons were even used against the protest's first aid tent.

Just to quickly read a small extract from the report from the attack on the first aid tent.

Quote, tonight my partner and I were treating a young woman in her 20s who had taken a police projectile to her chest.

We had her on a cot and she was struggling to breathe.

The police threw at least two and possibly as many as four flashbang grenades inside of the small area of our first aid center when we were trying to retreat.

The police are absolutely aware of the location of our first aid center, unquote.

And I shortened that because I can't read the whole report.

but they are facing daily attacks to their medic tent.

So if Seattle passes this legislation, it will be historic and it will be an inspiration for what movements around the country can win.

The second bill bans the use of chokeholds by the Seattle Police Department.

From Eric Garner to Manuel Ellis to George Floyd, we have all seen the devastating consequences of chokeholds.

Similar restrictions have been put in place by other cities, most recently in Minneapolis.

And finally, I want to invite members of the public who are listening to a public meeting with myself, with members of the Black community, and with members of the labor movement.

we will have a live stream tomorrow Tuesday, June 9 at 6 p.m.

at Cal Anderson Park.

If you can't join us in person, it will be live streamed as well.

Thank you.

Okay.

Well, I want to thank you again, Council Member Sawant, for bringing both of these bills forward.

I think we had a really good and interesting conversation during Council briefing this morning about both bills and about some of the additional work your office plans on doing before we consider this on next Monday.

So really, really, again, appreciate I appreciate you bringing forward these bills and look forward to being supportive of both of them on Monday.

So colleagues, oh, Councilmember Peterson, yes.

Yes, I just wanted to signal my support for Councilmember Sawant's bills as well as the one from Councilmember Herbold.

Great, thank you, Councilmember Peterson, appreciate that.

And looking forward to the next week worth of additional work on those, and looking forward to obviously the final vote on the bills on Monday.

So very, very timely and relevant bills.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the amendment to the introduction and referral calendar?

Mosqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Aye.

DeWant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Morales.

Aye.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries and the bills are added to the introduction and referral calendar.

Are there any other further comments on the amended introduction and referral calendar?

All right, hearing none, I would ask that the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the amended introduction and referral calendar.

Mosqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Aye.

DeWant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herbold?

Aye.

Lewis?

Aye.

Morales?

Aye.

President Gonzalez?

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries and the introduction and referral calendar as amended is adopted.

Okay, colleagues, we're going to move to the approval of the agenda.

We have one amendment from Council Member Lewis on the agenda.

So I will first move to adopt the agenda and after a second, we will go through the amendment I will move to adopt the agenda.

Is there a second?

Second.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt the agenda.

And I'm going to hand it over to Councilmember Lewis now to make his motion for an amendment to the agenda.

Thank you, Madam President.

I move to amend the agenda to add resolution 31948 entitled, a resolution condemning the use of military force in jurisdictions such as the city of Seattle that have not requested and do not intend to request federal interventions, and to place it for consideration under the adoption of other resolutions on the agenda.

Is there a second?

Second.

It's been moved and seconded to amend the agenda as described by Councilmember Lewis to add resolution 31948 for consideration under adoption of other resolutions.

That would be for consideration today.

So are there any comments on the amendment that you would like to make now, Councilmember Lewis, as opposed to when we consider the substantive resolution?

No, I'm at a present for now.

I will rest on my comments that I made a briefing.

I will certainly speak to the resolution more later.

Speaking directly to the amendment, I do believe it's prescient and that we should pass this resolution this afternoon, which is why I wanted to amend, add it on today.

So I would urge my colleagues to join me in voting to amend and put this forward for this afternoon.

Thank you, Councilmember Lewis.

Are there any questions or comments on the amendment as proposed by Councilmember Lewis?

Councilmember Peterson.

Yes.

Has the resolution been circulated already?

I believe it has been distributed by my staff to all council members.

If I'm mistaken on that, I can direct my staff to do that right now.

It is in the star and posted.

Okay.

Thank you.

I'll look there.

Great.

Thank you so much.

And are there any other questions or comments on the amendment?

Hearing and seeing none, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the amendment?

Mosqueda?

Mosqueda?

I'll come back.

Peterson?

Aye.

Zawad?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herbold?

Aye.

Lewis?

Aye.

Morales?

Aye.

Mosqueda?

President Gonzalez?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you so much.

The motion carries.

The amendment is adopted and resolution 31948 will be considered under adoption of other resolutions.

Are there any additional comments on the amended agenda?

And Council Member Lewis, I think you have an amendment here to hold a particular item, so I would go ahead and hand it over to you for that motion.

Yes, thank you, Madam President.

I move to hold Agenda Item 1, Council Bill 119799 until June 15, 2020.

Is there a second?

Great.

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

Are there any comments on the motion to hold the bill?

I'm going to turn it over to you, Mr. Chairman.

≫ Yes, just speaking briefly, as I alluded to at briefing this morning, there are some promising developments in talking to labor and platform stakeholders on a path forward on this.

And especially given all the other items that we are discussing this afternoon, we think those talks will be fruitful towards figuring out a way to move forward.

So that would warrant holding this for one more week.

Great, thank you so much, Council Member Lewis.

Any other comments or questions about this amendment?

Okay, hearing none, I would ask that the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the motion to hold the bill.

Peterson?

Aye.

Sawant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herboldt.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Morales.

Aye.

Mosqueda.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries and council bill 119799 is held until June 15th, 2020. Are there any further comments on the amended agenda?

Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the amended agenda?

Mosqueda?

Peterson?

Aye.

Sawant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herbold?

Aye.

Aye.

Lewis?

Aye.

Morales?

Aye.

President Gonzalez?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries and the agenda as amended is adopted.

Okay, colleagues, at this time, we are going to open up the remote public comment period for items on the city council agenda, introduction and referral calendar, and the council's 2020 work program.

I ask that everyone be patient with us as we continue to learn and operate this new system.

Even after a few weeks of putting it into practice, we still sometimes have little hiccups, so I appreciate both you all, colleagues, and your patience, and those who are on the listening line waiting to provide public testimony.

I appreciate your ongoing patience.

We are looking at ways to fine tune this process and continuously looking to add new features to allow for additional means of public participation in our council meetings.

It does remain our strong intent to continue to have public comment regularly included on meeting agendas, but of course, we will continue to reserve the right to end or eliminate these public comment periods at any point if we deem that the system is being abused or no longer suitable for allowing our meetings to be conducted efficiently.

and in a manner in which we are able to conduct our necessary business.

So I'm going to moderate the public comment period in the following manner.

The public comment period for this meeting on the published agenda is 20 minutes.

However, colleagues, we have, I think at last count, about 140 folks present.

public comment.

We have two minutes available to provide public testimony at today's meeting.

While we ordinarily give each speaker two minutes, I had proposed that we do one minute per speaker and that we I did hear from one council member that they would like to stick with the two minutes and allow for every speaker to be able to speak.

I do feel that it's important for us to get to the other items of important business on the agenda as well.

And I think to get through 140 people, if we did it at two minutes, that is, would put us well over two hours in public comment alone.

I do want to acknowledge that We will be able to have an opportunity to have a very long and fully dedicated session to public comment through councilmember Herbold's committee, public safety and I'm going to go ahead and stick with the earlier communication that I provided to you all that my intention is to allow public comment today for 60 minutes.

And to allow each speaker to have one minute of time to address the council with the purpose and intent of trying to hear from as many people who pre-registered today.

So with that being said, I'm going to call, again, for those listening, I'm going to call on each speaker by name and in the order in which they've registered on the council's website.

If you have not registered to speak yet but want to, you can do so by going to the council's website at Seattle.gov forward slash council.

That's C-O-U-N-C-I-L.

The public comment link is also listed on today's agenda for ease of reference.

Once I call a speaker's name, staff will unmute the appropriate microphone and an automatic prompt of you have been unmuted will be the speaker's cue that it is their turn to speak.

I ask that each speaker begin by stating their name and the item that they are addressing.

As a reminder, public comment should relate to an item on today's agenda.

the introduction referral calendar, or the council's 2020 work program.

Speakers are going to hear a little chime around 10 seconds.

And that chime means that you have exactly 10 seconds left of your time.

And once you hear that chime, we'd ask that you begin the process of wrapping up your public comment.

For speakers who do not end their comments at the end of the one minute, the speaker's microphone will be muted to allow us to call on the next speaker.

Once you've completed your public comment I would ask that you please disconnect from the line.

And if you plan to continue following this meeting I ask that you do so via Seattle Channel at SeattleChannel.org or on Channel 21 on TV.

You can also use any one of the listening options listed on the agenda.

And for those folks who are signed up for public comment and if we don't get to you you can still submit public comment to us.

We have a number of ways that you can reach us via e-mail at council, C-O-U-N-C-I-L at Seattle.gov.

Again, many of us, as I mentioned during council briefing, our voicemail is completely full, and many of us are working through dealing with that in our individual offices, so e-mailing us is by far the fastest and best way to submit to us any public comment you have on So with that being said, the public comment period is now going to be open, and we will begin with the first speaker on the list.

Again, it is about 2.30 p.m.

I'm going to say it's 2.30 p.m.

and say that we will take public comment until 3.30 p.m.

So that being said, I am going to go ahead and call on the first speaker.

The first speaker that we will hear from today, colleagues, is Sujatha Ramani.

Good afternoon.

My name is Sujatha.

I'm speaking on behalf of the Coalition of Seattle Indian Americans.

Our community strongly supports the Black Lives Matter movement and is opposed to the militarization and violent techniques used by the Seattle Police Department.

What we have witnessed in Seattle in the past week and what the Black community continues to face is state-sponsored terrorism.

The City Council must work with the Prosecutor's Office to press terrorism charges against Mayor Durkan, Police Chief Best, and the officers who were involved in the violent incident.

You must move immediately to defund the Police Department entirely, work on community-based safety programs, and provide reparative justice for all the innocent people and families that have been destroyed by such acts.

Any less and you will have failed as our elected representative.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in today.

Next up is Polly G. And then after Polly will be Myra Delaney.

Who killed Sean Furr?

We know a Seattle officer was the one who fired the shot that killed Sean.

But who were the accomplices in his murder?

The Seattle police may have hunted Sean like an animal.

but Mayor Jenny Durkin pulled the trigger.

So why, Mayor, was Sean killed with a silencer while he was holding his own baby child?

Why, Mayor, was that baby child covered in the blood of its own parents?

Only a morally bankrupt administration would pay lift service to the murder of George Floyd, a man killed by police over 1,600 miles away while remaining silent on police murders right here at home.

Only the failed ideology of the white establishment would invest in a militarized police to the tune of $400 million rather than the economic prosperity that would have prevented this crisis in the first place.

Next to Donald Trump, Mayor Durkin looks like a progressive hero, but the reality is Jenny Durkin is a fraud.

The best way to deescalate the city is for Mayor Durkin to resign or be removed from office.

Our next speaker is Mari Delaney, followed by Steven Ramos.

Hi there.

I am Mari Delaney.

I call upon the city council to completely defund Seattle Police Department, disband Seattle PD, and abolish policing in this city.

We have a historical opportunity to do so, and we must follow it through.

And we're watching y'all.

If any of y'all think that you can merely get by by just cutting off $100 million or just reforming, well, bless your hearts.

I yield my time.

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Stephen Ramos, followed by William Crocker.

My name is Stephen Ramos.

I first came to the city 10 years ago under my dead name, Stephanie White.

I would like to address the resignation or impeachment of Mayor Durkan.

As I mentioned at last week's meeting, I spent six hours hiding my shower after taping garbage bags and plastic to my windows out of fear my building would soon be next to the list of irresponsible damage caused by the SPD's used chemical weapons.

I'm sure I'm not alone in how I acted and felt last week.

If the working class behaved with the same irresponsibility and negligence as Mayor Durkin has in their own places of work, we would be removed and replaced within the week.

It is the city leader's job to represent all people within the city to see that they are able to meet their needs to be given opportunities and be able to express themselves to be given rights and respect as human beings.

It's your job to make a real and tangible impact on your community and a global pandemic is no excuse for inaction against racism and corruption.

If you cannot perform your job and you're here only for validation you should resign or be removed from office.

I would like to end my comments by listing community organizations that I think should be added to support including citywide planning and I'll

Okay our next speaker is William Crocker followed by Mark Taylor Canfield.

Hello.

My name is Cory Crocker a 30 year resident local small business owner in the U-District.

And before you vote to renew the U-District BIA it is critical to ask for accountability.

In a letter from April the chair of the U-District BIA challenged the need for term limits.

She acknowledged that they may sound like good governance.

Well, I believe it's because they are.

Legitimacy in the eyes of the community is in the eyes of the community and must be confirmed periodically, especially when an unelected board addresses the concerns of ratepayer constituents.

In the five years the BI has existed, it has yet to respond to concerns of our community council and small business association.

Regarding competitive bid process, the chair stated that the entire ratepayer roster is given the opportunity to vote for a program manager.

But this is not true.

Disenfranchised ratepayers who pay assessments through commercial leases or residential rents or condo dues do not have a vote.

The playing field is not level here.

Therefore I ask you to recognize the source of these challenges and question the inherent bias.

Please support adopting these reasonable amendments to the bill.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Mark Taylor Canfield.

My name is Mark Taylor Canfield.

I'm a journalist and musician living in Seattle.

I currently serve as Executive Director for Democracy Watch News, an international news service that specializes in covering pro-democracy movements around the world.

I was also a founding member of the Committee for Local Government Accountability, a citizens watchdog group that provided oversight of the city's investigation into police actions and civil rights violations during the WTO demonstrations.

The long-standing pattern for Seattle Police Department is to shut down peaceful protests by responding to the behavior of a small group of people by unloading on the entire crowd using chemical agents, flashbang, concussion grenades, pepper spray, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and other so-called non-lethal weapons, which can actually be lethal, especially when misused.

While covering protests in Seattle on May Day during the Occupy Wall Street movement and Black Lives Matter demonstrations, I've been gassed numerous times and struck by rubber bullets, pepper balls, flashbang grenades, et cetera.

Tear gas canisters and flash grenades are incendiary devices which burn at very high temperatures.

They're incredibly dangerous.

They should not be fired directly into any tightly packed crowd.

Thank you so much for calling in.

Our next speaker is Sriram Rajagopalan followed by Rick Jones.

My name is Sriram Rajagopalan.

I've lived in this area for over 30 years.

I strongly support the Black Lives Matter movement and I'm firmly against the violent response exhibited by the Seattle PD to the civil protest.

First, though, a moment of sadness to recognize the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and numerous other people of color at the hands of police officers around the country.

It's a deep irony that while we're peacefully protesting to change racism and aggression, we are victimized by the police force through use of overwhelming force.

We face flashbangs, tear gas, pepper spray.

Police personnel ride their aggressively advancing on us and chasing us down the street while we were peacefully protesting.

We call for the city council to ban the use of tear gas, blast balls, pepper spray, as well as shock and armed military techniques.

This kind of militarized and violent response that turns a city into a war zone does not belong on our streets, particularly as a response to predominantly peaceful protests.

As a resident of this area, I'm heartbroken to say that I do not feel safe in this city exercising my civil rights.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Rick Jones, followed by Howard Gale.

Hi, my name is Rick Jones.

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to comment.

I'm voicing support for the renewal of the University District Business Improvement Program.

I've worked and owned a business in this neighborhood for almost 25 years.

In that period of time, this neighborhood has been in a continuous state of dramatic change.

My business is the business home to about 80 separate small practices in the healing arts and the law, not for profit.

And I think it's time to focus on the things in the city that are working.

This is one of them to allow a little bit more opportunity to focus on the things that clearly aren't working.

And they've clogged the rules today.

So In summary, I think the UDBIA is working well and should be renewed.

Thanks for the opportunity.

Okay.

Thank you so much for calling in.

Next up is Howard Gale, followed by Maureen Ewing.

Hi, this is Howard Gale from Queen Anne.

And I was there at the protest last night, or actually it was 12 o'clock this morning.

And in the space of eight minutes, I really want to stress this.

In a space of eight minutes over less than a one block area, I counted over 100 explosive devices, blast balls and tear gas grenades that were thrown.

I gave up counting after that.

There were probably 300 that were unleashed.

I have never, even during WTO, seen anything like this.

20 years ago, we had an after report from WTO that told us exactly what we needed to do to police demonstrations.

And we fail to take any of those lessons into account.

Lastly, it's only been 10 days that these demonstrations have been happening.

And about 11, 12, 13 days ago, this city council and the mayor were proclaiming wonderful progress in policing.

I would like an explanation for what happened in 10 days to overturn that.

Thank you.

Next up is Maureen Ewing, excuse me, Ewing, followed by Jacob Bertram, and then we'll hear from Christopher Gritsch.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Maureen Ewing.

I support the renewal of the U District BIA.

I'm the U Heights Executive Director and the Ratepayer Board Chair.

Just last week, we had a security issue during preschool pickup.

Not only did the BIA's ambassadors provide support, their ED showed up and told ambassadors could arrive.

This is just one example of how the BIA supports our community.

Please support the ordinance as submitted to council, but please do not approve amendment number two.

Our elected board reviews the program manager annually in cooperation with the city.

We have mobilized across sectors, including small businesses.

We have worked hard to not only serve our community, but develop a system of accountability.

We are led by the neighborhood for the neighborhood, and we know our neighborhood.

This amendment takes away the community's authority to govern itself at a time when continuity of programs is critical to our small businesses struggling to survive.

It will waste precious resources that could be spent directly on programs.

We need more impact, not more process.

Thank you, Maureen, for calling in today.

Next up is Jacob Bertram, followed by Christopher.

Hello, this is Jacob Bertram from South Lake Union.

First, I applaud and acknowledge the council for the work today on the subject.

Imagine if I was pulled over and asked for my driver's license and I had the driver's license number covered.

No matter what my excuse was for covering it, it wouldn't be acceptable.

Jenny Durkin was allowing police officers to do that.

and she is not holding Cameron to account to provide performance feedback and supervisory instruction to police officers who are not having their body cameras on.

Defunding $100 million from the police department is extremely possible, and with smart leadership, I would even volunteer my services as a business professional to do it.

Subjecting the uniformed and civilian members of the police department to the same uncertainty of layoffs and furloughs as the rest of the city is only fair and reflective of the ongoing times, and they should not be immune to the economic impacts.

Change cannot happen with the current leadership all rising through the ranks of the Seattle Police Department.

And with members of the command staff having 20 years or more with the SPD, it's hard to have any impact when your career is in all in one place.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for calling in today.

Next up is Christopher followed by Anne Gillies.

Hi, my name is Christopher A. Gergich.

I live in First Hill.

I'd like to speak to the resolution condemning the use of military force on our streets.

For the past 10 days, my neighborhood has become a war zone perpetuated by SPD's violent response to peaceful protests.

I have experienced a shared trauma with all my neighbors, and this will have a lasting effect on our community.

The mayor and the police captain have only made this problem worse by trying to placate crowds with meaningless words and broken promises.

Over the last 11 days, I have seen umbrellas classified as weapons, and used as a reason to protect public safety by gassing and macing the crowds.

I have seen the police react to individuals throwing water bottles and pushing flimsy barricades with violence against the entire crowd.

And yet I have seen individuals try to drive vehicles into the crowd, pull weapons, and shoot peaceful protesters, and the cops stand by and do nothing.

Medics have taken dozens of rubber bullets while trying to protect each other and other injured protesters.

Currently, a 10-foot wall is being built to separate East and West Capitol Hill at 11th Avenue.

please defund and disband SPD, direct funds to community programs, and immediately release all prisoners.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next speaker is Anne, followed by Michael Sampson.

My name is Anne, and I've been a victim of the Black Lives Matter movement for the past week.

The Seattle Police Department has decided to declare the 11th of May as a war zone.

They, for some reason, absolutely must have defended all the costs.

The building was dropped by an arbitrary barrier.

They're drilling into the pavement.

All of this is to prevent protesters.

Cowardice and hypocrisy is the problem.

Police ask protesters to not push the barrier.

They ask the police, why is the barrier there?

What is the purpose?

Enough is enough.

Any allusion to the Seattle Police Department's community has been shattered.

They caused or escalated every sense of violence this week.

A gunman who dumped his car.

They didn't even stop him.

They calmly arrested him, showing no violence towards the man who carried a gun towards them.

Apparently, the police department is afraid of a gun.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Michael Sampson, followed by Sonnet Stockmer.

I just wanted to echo.

Hi, my name is Michael Sampson.

I just wanted to echo Council Member Swann's concerns about specifically, you know, all brutal police tactics being used in Capitol Hill right now, but specifically the targeting of medics and medical stations last night The incident that the council member brought up potentially cost the life of someone being treated in that station at the moment.

That is a direct result of police aggression and is not a moral issue.

It is not an issue of judgment.

Those places are clearly marked.

It's not a decision to make.

You don't touch those that is specifically stated under Geneva conventions and any sort of action to the difference of that is just deplorable and disgusting.

and for the city council to take any action they can to reconcile that as soon as you can.

That's an issue that will be pertinent tonight, tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future, and cannot be abided.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for calling in.

Our next speaker is Sonnet Stockmar, followed by Chad Reed.

Good afternoon.

My name is Sonnet Stockmar.

I'm a resident of District 2. We need an immediate ban on chemical and military grade weapons to prevent police violence, ensure the safety of our citizens, and to protect our fundamental right for peaceful protest.

Last night, I watched a white active shooter drive a car into peaceful protesters outside the East Precinct, shoot a black man in the arm, and then walk directly up to police where he was detained with what I can only describe as polite delicacy, given SPD's violent and disproportionate response to peaceful protesters with no provocation later in the evening.

I am absolutely disgusted by the use of chemical and military grade weapons against peaceful Seattle citizens and call for an immediate action to prevent their use by the Seattle Police Department.

Thank you.

I cede my seat.

Thank you so much for calling in today.

Our next speaker who is showing up as present on my list is Chad Reed followed by Benjamin Skinner.

Good afternoon.

Seattle's witnessed the unyielding wrath of SPD over and over again.

Flash bangs pepper balls rubber bullets and tear gas.

I watch Seattle Police use any and every excuse possible to perform violence against protesters and observe their dedication to skirting all mandates and restrictions placed upon them.

SPD cannot be reformed nor can it be contained.

This police force needs to be destroyed.

There will be no peace until there is justice and there will be no justice until there is no police.

Addressing Mayor Durkan and Chief Best, You have allowed this terrorism to be brought upon innocent people for far too long.

You too, along with your department of cronies, should be tried at the hog for war crime you committed against our citizens.

You are both cowards, and I demand your resignations immediately.

As for this council president, history is watching.

The people are watching.

We will not forget who's with us.

An injury to one is an injury to all.

Thank you so much for calling in.

Okay, I am looking at my list up above.

We have a speaker who is speaker number seven, who is now showing up as present, and that is Guy Oren.

Hello, city council members.

My name is Guy Oren.

I am a Seattle resident and member of the End the Deadly Exchange campaign.

I stand here in support of council member Shama Sawant's proposals to ban the use of chemical weapons flash bombs and chokeholds and other despicable practices employed by the SPD.

We join fellow community members in calling for the defunding of the police department and diverting resources to Black, Indigenous, and Brown communities.

We also call on the city council to put an end to all trainings between the SPD and Israel.

These trainings put Black, Indigenous, Brown, and Palestinian people's lives at risk, both in the U.S. and Palestine.

In these trainings, cops teach each other surveillance strategies and dehumanizing counterterrorism tactics, which lead to the demonization and policing of Black, Indigenous, people of color, and Muslim people.

End the deadly exchange.

Defund and dismantle the SPD.

Ban chemical weapons and chokeholds.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for calling in.

Our next speaker is Jordan Walsh.

I'm a resident of District 4. Law enforcement has turned our city into a war zone with tear gas pepper spray and flash bombs.

They have continuously instigated violence onto crowds of peaceful people.

I need you all to listen to Black people.

The fact that Black people are disproportionately impacted by COVID and crowds are being tear gassed and pepper sprayed is causing causing irreparable harm to our community members and continues to uphold a racist society.

It is clear that law enforcement is not something that can be fixed rather it is something that needs to be completely dismantled.

You've seen protests across the country and across the world for racial justice.

I demand the defunding of Seattle police.

These demands are not going away.

I refuse to be complicit in a racist society.

As a moral issue, you must demand change to these structures as well.

You were elected to listen and lead our community.

With the exception of council members to want, the rest of the city council and Mayor Durkan are not listening.

Your empty words are not enough.

We want changes that we can see.

Durkan's response to this has been abysmal.

Yesterday, a white supremacist shot a protester.

Thank you, Jordan.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Jordan.

Just a reminder for IT folks, if you could please help me by starting that timer when the speaker starts, that'd be great.

Our next speaker is Aislinn O'Brien.

Aislinn, please.

My name is Aislinn O'Brien and I'm here representing End the Deadly Exchange Seattle, a coalition that's working to end police exchanges between the Seattle Police Department and the Israeli military and police.

We unequivocally support defunding and dismantling the Seattle Police Department.

We also support the measures introduced by Council Member Sawant to ban the use of violent crowd control technologies.

Many of the tactics used by the Seattle Police, including the reliance on chemical warfare, rubber bullets, and chokeholds, are also used by the Israeli police and defense forces, and this is not a coincidence.

Thousands of U.S. police officers, including current Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best and other higher-ups within the police department, have participated in trainings with Israeli military and police in the last two decades.

We want to be clear that the anti-Blackness and racism intrinsic to the policing in the U.S. precedes the existence of the police exchanges, while these exchanges that train officers from the Minneapolis Police Department.

Seattle police are not responsible for the racial profiling and surveillance and extrajudicial killings of Black people perpetrated by the SPD.

Thank you so much for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Benjamin Skinner.

Yes.

Hello.

My name is.

My name is Ben Skinner.

I'm a Seattle resident of 10 years.

First, the police and the mayor have been lying about the use of force on protesters.

Protesters are not provocateurs.

The police are breaking because their temperament is so toxic and fragile and delicate that they cannot handle peaceful protest.

This is a problem with police culture, not protesters.

City Council needs to ban the use of gases, flashbangs, and other, quote, nonlethal devices for crowd control.

The mayor and the police chief are blatantly lying to paint the protesters as provocateurs.

Durkin's hiding behind police chief Best, who, although is a pawn and a shield for the mayor, is still complicit in the use of brutality against our residents.

Both need to resign.

We ask that Durkin call off the militarized army of police goons and resign.

Let's reallocate money from the police budget to form a citizen review board for officer-involved shootings and violence.

Let's expect that officers who commit that violence are charged and convicted if the board finds them guilty of wrongdoing.

Let's restructure the department, create specialized units to respond to specific types of crimes and crises rather than any cop with six months of training.

All right, let's make an effort.

So.

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Ivana Orlovitch.

Hi there.

My name is Ivana Orlovich.

I am representing Sugar and Spoon.

Sugar and Spoon is a woman-owned business in the U District.

I also recently graduated from the University of Washington Bosher School of Business in 2018. And I'm here today to speak in support of renewing the U District BIA.

We need the continued leadership of the U District Partnership to implement the BIA's programs.

The U District Partnership is the voice of our community.

They have built effective relationships with a huge portion of this neighborhood.

So please do not have an RFP process of less than five years.

And it's absolutely against the current needs of our small businesses and in no way represents the desires of this community.

We need continuity and focus.

We need a 12 year term and nothing shorter.

We need the U District partnership and this BIA.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Alton McDonald.

All right, good afternoon, Madam President.

I am the president of New Century Justice Network, calling on behalf of the citizens of this great city of Seattle and the state of Washington as it relates to police brutality, racism, and racial profiling.

Madam President, as you know, there is no statute of limitation on murder.

Therefore, our demand is that the chief of police, Chief Best, and the prosecuting attorney office, go back and look at every case where it consists of murder, where a citizen was murdered by the Seattle Police officers, that those cases be revisited and reopened to see whether or not those officers who commit such egregious conduct as related to those citizens' lives, to see if there's any possible charges against them for what they have done to those citizens by taking their life.

I hope and pray that The agency will be defunded and restructured, just like the New Jersey Police Department that was there.

Thank you for calling in today, Alton.

Our next speaker is Abram Thao, followed by Susan Samuelson.

Hi, my name is Abram Thao.

I'm a resident of Ballard.

And I just want to say the Seattle Police Department hasn't perpetrating violence on peaceful protesters using so-called less lethal things like tear gas and rubber bullets, which are still causing terrible injuries, including attacks on medic stations, which are preventing medics from attending the people who need medical attention.

It's atrocious.

It's atrocious on top of all the things that police departments across the country have done, causing violent deaths of Black people in particular.

But this also affects the whole community.

And basically, I feel the police department needs to be dissolved.

This has been very successful in places like Camden, New Jersey, where the Camden Police Department was dissolved and restarted as the Camden County Police Department, with a focus on helping the community and using any form of violence as an absolute last resort.

The police department needs to be dissolved, and Mayor Jenny Durkan needs to resign for her total loss.

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Susan Samuelson, and then we will hear from Jessa Timmer.

Hi my name is Susan Samuelson and I'm here today to speak in support of renewing the U District BIA.

I live just north of the U District and I'm co-chair of the board of directors of U Heights Center for the Community which as you know is a nonprofit center providing space in the UD for schools cultural activities and the arts.

We need your support of the ordinance to renew the.

the BIA as it exists today.

Renewal is critical to keeping up the work needed now more than ever and adding restrictions and unnecessary requirements is counterproductive.

In this difficult time for our city the U-District needs continued and expanded clean and safe programs which are now cleaning up more hazardous materials from our streets than ever before.

Small businesses in the UD needs to be able to focus on their mission and not moves the struggle.

Please renew the BIA for a 12 year term not shorter and don't have an RFP process of less than five years.

Thank you for calling in.

We will now hear from Timmer and then we will hear from Carl Halls.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment today.

I'm Jessica Timmer Deputy Director at the Alliance for Pioneer Square.

The Alliance is a non-profit organization that manages the Pioneer Square BIA and went through the renewal process in 2014. I'm here today to support the reauthorization of the U-District BIA.

I urge council to support the ordinance without the amendments calling for an RFQ process after one year and a term limit of 10 years.

Business improvement areas are grassroots efforts that take years of community building to authorize.

The ordinance without amendments is what the U-District neighborhood rallied around and overwhelmingly supported.

Imposing amendments now would be contrary to what was approved by petition signers.

A ratepayer advisory board already oversees annual work plans and the performance of the program manager.

A city-led RFQ process is at best redundant.

The U-District BIA should continue to be community-led without imposing unnecessary and cumbersome government processes like the amendments proposed.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Carl Pauls and then we will hear from former city council member Sally Clark.

Carl Pauls, District 3. I support the Seattle Police Department budget inquest and diverting those funds to community programs.

I see a pattern in SPD's use of force which intimidates citizen journalists and retaliates against their critics.

City attorneys should review TRO recently issued to the City of Denver, Civil Action 01616. SPD dispatched dozens of officers to Summit Street and deployed mace to apprehend a woman who live-streamed herself backing up toward bike-mounted officers allegedly assaulting them.

In comparison, Wednesday evening on Broadway between John and Roy, a man in black Audi Q5 repeatedly forced his vehicle through marchers while I was live streaming, assaulting dozens of pedestrians, including myself.

Refer to Washington State Patrol Report M0147321.

Will Seattle police knock on my door for jaywalking or obstructing traffic before the Audi driver is cited?

SPD must justify their application of force process for serving warrants related to incidents surrounding the George Floyd protests.

Thank you for calling in.

Next up is former City Council Member Sally Clark followed by Deepa Sivarajan.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Sally Clark and I work for the University of Washington.

I'm finishing up my term as co-chair of the U district partnership.

I'm asking your support today for renewing the U district BIA council bill 119779. I want to thank mayor Durkin for her support and also want to thank council member Peterson for his work to have this bill come before you.

The university supports the BIA with time and money because we've seen indisputable positive results and an unprecedented depth of collaboration across the neighborhood.

The university supports Amendment 1, but please do not adopt Amendment 2. Please do not reduce the duration of the BIA.

And please also do not adopt an RFQ at year one.

Both of these are processes that if they happen sooner, they take away from serving the community as we go through the human and economic disaster of COVID recovery time period.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today, and thank you for your work on COVID response.

I also want to note you serve in what can be truly called difficult, painful times.

We all think we serve at unique times.

I think you actually do.

You can help make this a transformational period for us as a city.

And I want to thank you for the service that you are performing at this time.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for calling in today, Sally.

Always good to hear your voice.

Next up is Deepa followed by Tom Malone.

My name is Deepa Sivarajan.

I'm a member of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission and the Parks District Oversight Committee, but today I'm not speaking for either of those groups and am instead representing the Coalition of Seattle Indian Americans.

We strongly support the Black Lives Matter movement, and in that solidarity, we demand that you disband the Seattle Police Department entirely and support the abolition of the carceral system, including pushing King County to repurpose the new youth jail in Seattle and other county jails for community purposes.

The history of Seattle policing and incarceration is one of lethal and racist violence against black and indigenous people, and it is not keeping our communities safe.

I urge you to go beyond just cutting SPD funds in half and come up with clear legislation and policies to create a system of true public safety that is led by communities of color, as well as pushing for restorative justice programs in place of jailing.

Secondly, we ask that Seattle City Council members bring forward articles of impeachment against Mayor Jenny Durkan since she has failed the people of Seattle.

Instead of being a strong voice supporting Black Lives Matter, Mayor Durkin has abused her power all in defense of big business and the status quo of racism and inequality.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in today.

Next up is Tom Malone followed by Lauren Rae Witt.

Good afternoon.

My name is Tom Malone and I'm calling in support of the reauthorization of the University BIA.

I am co-chair of the Ballard BIA, Ratepayer Advisory Board.

The Ballard BIA has had numerous opportunities to work cooperatively with the University BIA since our inception in 2017. Our experience is that the University BIA is an effective leader of its community and many of their programs serve as models which have been emulated by other BIAs throughout the city.

The Ballard BIA is told by one proposal There's a requirement for a request for proposal every five years for the selection of the program manager and that a city department select the manager.

The University BIA and a majority of the other BIAs already have a good process in place for the selection of a program manager.

For example, the Ballard PIA has an annual review and a selection process.

It's very important that the local community choose its own manager.

The program managers are familiar with the people and issues in the

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Lauren Ray Witt, followed by Zachary Jaffe.

Good afternoon.

My name is Lauren Witt.

On Saturday the 30th, a couple of friends and I were attacked by Seattle police.

There were 20 officers that lined up against us and brutally attacked the man next to me, gassing us with multiple rounds.

I'm shocked and appalled by the gross misuse of force by the Seattle Police Department as well as the negligence shown by community leaders like Jenny Durkin and I move for her immediate removal from office.

I also move to support Herboldt and Sawant's bold legislation that they've introduced today and I strongly believe that we need to adopt those into place much sooner rather than later and take a firm stand against the way that Seattle PD is treating its citizens.

I don't believe a minute is long enough to really express my true fear that without these movements in place that we are, I don't even know, I have no words.

I yield my time.

Okay, next up is Zachary Jaffe followed by Charles Hall.

Hi, my name is Zach Jaffe.

I live in Capitol Hill and I'm calling in support of Councilmember Sawant's amendment.

I recently experienced having COVID-19 and have had chronic breathing issues as a result.

And I live three blocks away from where the main demonstrations have been taking place.

And as a result, tear gas has been getting into my apartment and has been causing health issues.

In Columbus, Ohio, a 22-year-old girl died from exposure to CS gas and There are other elderly and children in this neighborhood who are probably also having CS gas leaked into their apartment.

And it is your moral duty as the council to, as rapidly as possible, make it so that no one ends up hospitalized or dies from exposure to these toxic chemical weapons.

Yesterday, I saw groups throwing up outside from exposure to these weapons.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Charles Paul followed by Sean Riccio.

Hello.

My name is Charles Paul.

A lot of the comments and legislation discussed today have centered on tear gas.

That's understandable.

Tear gas is horrific and has no place in our society.

But this misses the point.

As a White man my only antagonistic interaction with the Seattle Police Department was getting gassed at a protest.

We've all heard stories over the past week that our Black community lives in fear of a corrupt and racist police department and has for years.

We aren't out in the streets protesting tear gas.

We're out in the streets protesting police brutality.

Over the past decade the Seattle Police Department has murdered more than 30 people.

Was tear gas involved in any of these cases?

Were rubber bullets?

The change we demand isn't restricting the tools that police can use to brutalize us.

It's to fix the broken system that enables this dynamic in the first place.

I support defunding the SBD by at least 50 percent I support reinvesting our community.

I support taxing big tech businesses to aid in this effort.

And I believe Mayor Durkin needs to resign or be removed.

If the council is unable or unwilling to do this, we will organize an initiative and do it ourselves.

Thank you for calling in today.

Our next speaker is Sean followed by Jennifer Russell.

Hello, my name is Sean Ritchie when I'm addressing the Council and my fellow citizens regarding the ongoing rebellion, given the sadistic cowardly acts of the SPD and police in general, and the bravery of the people in its face, I believe it is now a mischaracterization called these movements protests.

We, the people are now an open defiance of the corrupt and illegitimate institution of the police and the collaborators and civic government.

The demand is simple and must be met.

The SPD must be defunded, disbanded, and never allowed to terrorize us again.

We must replace them with community safety and outreach agencies that will not treat us like enemy combatants in our own homes.

Until this demand is met, we will resist.

We will fight.

I call on the mayor to be recalled, the council to abolish the SPD, and the National Guard to be withdrawn.

To my fellow citizens, I say this is the hour of greatest need.

You have been taught all your life that rebellion is your history, your birthright.

Seize it.

Rise up to protect your black and indigenous neighbors, Protect yourselves.

Justice for Sean Furr, for Breonna Taylor, for George Floyd, and for all people.

Long live the George Floyd Rebellion.

I live my time.

Thank you so much.

Our next speaker is Jennifer Russell, followed by Natalie Schmidt.

And for our public commenters, I appreciate the fact that I'm only giving you a minute this afternoon.

I do believe that we are still using closed caption, our visually impaired So next up is Jennifer Russell followed by Natalie

My name is Jennifer Russell.

I'm a resident of Ballard for 12 years.

I'm a parent and tech worker.

I'm addressing the two bills from Savant.

Black Lives Matter.

Defund SPD.

Remove Durkin and Best from office.

I'm disgusted by the use of force by SPD on peaceful protesters in Seattle.

Over the last week I've watched numerous videos from protesters on the ground as well as overhead cameras.

wearing tear gas, pepper spray and flashbangs on protesters despite no actual risk to their own safety.

Throwing water bottles, use of umbrellas and standing near barriers did not mean any bodily harm to SPD who were in full riot gear.

I condemn the use of tear gas, pepper spray and flashbangs as well as weapon bullets and chokeholds against peaceful protesters.

Shame on the city of Seattle to allow this force against our citizens practicing their constitutional rights.

I yield my time.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next speaker is Natalie Schmidt, followed by Matthew Saunders.

My name is Natalie Schmidt, and I live in West Seattle.

Over the last 10 days, I've felt rage and grief as I've watched the officers of the Seattle Police Department terrorize protesters of racist police violence with more police violence, using chemical weapons that target the respiratory system during a respiratory pandemic.

I've also been appalled by Mayor Durkin's actions when she first attempted to use force to squash the protests and then failed to enforce her own stated ban on police use of gas last night.

We often hear in these meetings that other cities are looking to Seattle, but the events of the past week have made it clear that no one is looking to us anymore, except as a horrifying example of police brutality run amok.

I support Councilmember Sawant's proposed legislation banning the use of chemical weapons and chokeholds, and I urge you to adopt it, but I do not think it goes far enough.

I call on you, Councilmembers, to follow the example of the Minneapolis City Council's pledge to defund their police department.

I call on you to completely defund SPD in order to invest in community services and to impeach and remove Mayor Durkin, who proved last night that she cannot even control her own police force.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next speaker is Matthew Saunders, followed by Alicia Lewis.

Hi, my name is Matthew Saunders, resident of Rainier Beach, an educator in District 4. I'm calling to support the ban on all use and purchase of tear gas, pepper spray, mace, rubber bullets, stun grenades, and chokeholds by SPD and law enforcement.

They're illegal in warfare, and therefore, there's no excuse that should be used by law enforcement.

I'm also calling to support the King County Equity Now demands, Fire Station 6, It's a decommissioned fire station that serves no purpose other than for storage.

It sits on a crucial spot for community services.

Transfer this property immediately over to the Africatown Community Land Trust to allow for employment services and affordable housing.

Finally, tax Amazon for affordable housing and Green New Deal.

Black Lives Matter.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

The next speaker is Alicia Lewis, followed by Bipasha Mukherjee.

Hi, my name is Alicia Lewis.

I'm a member of Socialist Alternative, and I was one of the thousands of Seattle residents who was watching with horror a live stream of last night's events in Capitol Hill, where hundreds of peaceful demonstrators were brutally maced and gassed by the Seattle police.

It's absolutely shameful that the mayor and the city of Seattle would orchestrate such brutal repression against young, unarmed protesters demonstrating against the ongoing and well-documented racist police violence in Seattle.

It's more than apparent that the police are not making our community safer.

What would actually make our community safer would be immediately pass the council members who want two bans on crowd control weapons and chokeholds without watering them down to immediately cut the police budget in half and use that money for community-led restorative justice.

And finally, to combat the outrageous racist gentrification in the city by taxing Amazon to massively expand affordable housing.

Thank you to council members for your leadership on this issue.

To everyone who's listening, we're only going to win these demands by getting organized and keeping up the pressure of our movement on the streets.

Join the public meeting at Cal Anderson tomorrow at 6.

Next speaker is Bipasha, followed by Matt Thompson.

My name is Bipasha Mukherjee.

I have been working on the local crisis line over 23 years, serving residents of Seattle and King County.

I was at the protest last Monday and I'm still in shock trying to process what I experienced and honestly my own privilege that has sheltered me from what Black people in our country experience every day.

I am no longer blind.

Now I see.

We have ceased to have a police force.

They have turned into soldiers at war with their own citizens.

They should not be policed if they're afraid of water bottles umbrellas and candles and their response is chemical weapons during a pandemic.

and sound that could damage hearing.

Defund the police.

The PD needs to be demilitarized and completely made over.

The police should serve as protectors and guardians of our communities rather than armed enforcers who terrorize peaceful citizens.

I have lost confidence in Mayor Durkin, Chief Best, and FPOG President Stuckey and Board and ask for their resignation.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you for calling in today.

Next speaker is Matt Thompson, followed by Dom Rolando.

Hello, my name is Matt Thompson.

Hello, my name is Matt Thompson.

I am a Capitol Hill resident who now lives behind the police fortified barricades.

I wanted to start by voicing my support for the Black Lives Movement.

Mary Durkan must resign or be recalled.

I'm calling for her immediate resignation.

She lied to us about a 30-day ban on the use of gas Meanwhile, SPD SWAT were restocking the utility bags with pepper bombs and tear gas canisters to gas peaceful protesters in our neighborhood and our homes for the fourth night this week.

Under Mayor Durkin's watch, the Capitol Hill neighborhood has been transformed into a war zone.

She must resign or be recalled.

I'm also calling for the defunding of SPD.

With the militarized SPD, we've watched them march through the streets of our neighborhood with full riot gear, metal SWAT vehicles and gas masks, rifles on roofs, looking into our apartments, harassing us who live in the area, and even throwing pepper bombs down in what seemed to be an empty alley, seemingly just to intimidate residents.

Again, calling for their full defunding.

Additionally, I'd like to remind the city council, you do not answer to the mayor, you do not answer to SPD, Chief Best, or the police union.

You answer the citizens and the citizens that spoke in.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next speaker is Dom Rolando, followed by Michael Wolfe.

Hello, I'm Dom Rolando.

I reside in Capitol Hill, right by the East Precinct.

I would like to echo the horror of my fellow Seattleites about the vicious police attacks that were protested.

I would, however, like to bring up a related matter.

For those of us who live and work around Pine and 12 surrounding the East Precinct, our life has been turned into a nightmare.

I want to point out that this is nothing compared to what Black Americans have injured for years now, but I think it is an important point to make nonetheless.

For those of us who work and live in the area, we currently have to convince the police to let us through the barricade, which every day becomes more and more reinforced.

Residents of the area have been turned away and stopped from entering their own homes.

Sometimes, armed police in riot gear require they escort us to our homes.

This does not make us feel safe.

In fact, it is terrorizing us.

My wife will not allow me, as a biracial Black man, to step outside without her by my side, out of fear for my safety vis-a-vis the heavy police presence on our street.

My neighbor shakes as she unlocks her door.

I have seen children crying on the street.

Disband the police now.

This cannot continue.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next speaker is Michael Wolfe, followed by Mihir Patel.

Thank you, Council President.

I'm calling.

My name is Michael Wolfe.

I'm the Executive Director of Drive Forward Seattle.

I was calling originally on Council Bill 119799 about gig workers.

I just want to say that Drive Forward supports a deliberative, comprehensive process involving all stakeholders to find a minimum earning standard for gig workers, and we should move forward in that vein.

On a personal note, and this is personal testimony, I support defunding the Seattle Police Department.

I am a father of an African-American son, and I worry every day when he leaves the house as to what he might encounter if confronted by the Seattle Police Department.

This needs to end.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in, Michael.

Our next speaker is Mahir, followed by Louise Little.

Hi, I'm here.

I'm calling because, as we've all seen, SPD has been brutalizing my friends and neighbors for the past week, more than a week.

In all this time, I've been wondering where the mayor, who is the elected official most responsible for the fair and just application of the law, has been.

I am calling on the City Council to exercise its powers under Article 5, Section 10 of the Seattle City Charter, which authorizes you to remove the mayor of Seattle for willful violation of her duty.

or for conduct which constitutes an offense of moral turpitude.

I believe that by failing to protect the residents of Seattle and from their physical safety and their constitutional rights, Mayor Durkin has willfully violated her duty and that her constant lying and misleading to people about tear gas use, encouraging them to go to protest and assuring them that they will not be attacked with chemical weapons constitutes an offense of moral turpitude.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Louise Little followed by Shifa Alaskar.

Hello my name is Louise Little and I've worked at University Bookstore for 40 years.

I support the renewal of the U District BIA but not the amendments which are unreasonable and not required of other BIA's in the in the city.

The 12-year time frame is what petitioners want and is comparable to other BIA's.

Requiring an RFP or RFQ for program manager is unnecessary because this oversight is already a responsibility of the ratepayer board.

Both revisions would require the ratepayer board and the city to spend precious time on money on processes that aren't needed and could instead be directed toward the needs of the neighborhood while they will have a greater impact.

The BIA has made a significant difference here.

Don't let this expire.

I've seen this neighborhood undergo a transformation.

It has never been cleaner or felt safer.

Even my customers have noticed in common.

Please vote today and pass the legislation as it is written.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next speaker is Sheetal followed by Alex Epstein.

My name is Sheva Alaskar.

I'm a Seattle resident, and as many others have stated, SPD has attacked residents in Capitol Hill, both in the streets and in their homes, several times this week.

After days of violence, they are still covering badge numbers, still using chemical weapons, and still escalating.

This is an extremist position that glorifies violence above the public interest.

It is a blessing that the reckless use of tear gas hasn't killed any residents in their homes yet.

Who knows how long we will continue to be so lucky.

I urge you to act.

I'd like to take a moment also to speak to the less vocal members of our city council who have not committed to specific action on this issue and may be unsure of how far the public political will go goes in terms of defunding police and holding Merriam-Jurkin accountable.

As a woman of color I am deeply disgusted by the mayor's press conference which was the height of a white person talking to other white people about how to pass by Black and Brown people.

Is this the character of leadership you represent.

please distance yourself from this failure and support the residents of this city prioritizing their welfare.

Our next speaker is Alex followed by Aisling Cooney.

My name is Alex Epstein.

I live in East Lake Seattle.

I'm calling to support Black Lives Matter and defunding the Seattle Police Department as well as the support of Council Member Sawant's resolution to help immediately mitigate police violence.

To be honest those half measures are not enough.

Our society has lost all faith in the broken corrupt and murderous police state.

It must be abolished and rebuilt for the will of the people and the well-being of our communities.

Mayor Durkin has proved she does not have the best intentions for this community.

She has lied to us gassed us beaten and murdered us while supporting a murderous police system instead of the people of this city.

She must resign immediately.

If not I ask the city council to proceed with impeachment hearings and a vote on her removal of office immediately.

To perform at the bare minimum of your position you must outlaw the ownership and use of crowd control weapons chemical weapons and deadly force by the police.

But to bring peace back to our city you must disband and defund the police and release all protest prisoners and remove Mayor Durkin from office immediately.

Recognize the moment we are in and be the progressive leader Seattle pretends to be.

Thank you for calling in.

Our next speaker is Aisling followed by Connor Colbert.

Hi, I'm Aislinn Cooney.

I live in Lower Queen Anne.

Yesterday, a group of protesters was trampled by bike cops from one end, while cops and riot gear came at us from the other side through flashbangs.

And Pepper sprayed me so intensely, street medics took me to the hospital.

There is now a video of me on the internet becoming disoriented from a flashbang, trying to move away, when I am shoved twice by officers and then grabbed by one, spun around to face him, and Pepper sprayed from less than one foot away for multiple seconds.

When I got home from the emergency room I watched in horror as my fellow protesters were viciously attacked with endless flashbangs and even more gas.

The same day Chief Best posted a bouquet of flowers thanking the sender for encouragement with no comment on the brutality that occurred the night before or all of the previous nights.

That is extremely insulting.

While we were being hit by flashbangs and tear gas Mayor Durkin was having a press conference.

I demand that they both be removed immediately.

I demand you defund the SPD immediately.

They can't be trusted or salvaged.

Ban all corruption.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Connor, followed by Kevin Bryan.

Hi there.

I want to begin by acknowledging that while this moment is historic, the problem of police brutality against Black people in America is not a new problem.

It was acknowledged earlier by members of this city council that in the past, police reform has failed to generate substantial change here in Seattle and all around the country.

Why should we believe that any efforts to reform will bring about any change here and now when we cannot even hold SPD accountable to a tear gas man for 48 hours?

I want to say thank you to the members of this council, particularly Sawant and Makeda, who have announced their support for defunding the Seattle Police Department.

I call upon all the other members of this council to do the same.

This is a historic moment.

It demands historic action.

This council's actions will be remembered.

We are in the midst of the largest public health crisis of our lifetime, and we are allocating the largest portion of our city's budget to an occupying army.

Why?

We must defund and disband SPD and reallocate all funds into Black community resources.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

I yield my time.

Our next speaker is Kevin Bryan, followed by Keeley Hicks.

Hello, can you hear me?

My name is Kevin Brian.

I'm 1 of 20,000 people that live near Cal Anderson Park.

Our neighborhood has been so filled with chemical weapons that is seep through the walls and windows when we've been attacked by an active shooter.

The police have done nothing to stop it yet.

They respond to candles and umbrellas with lies, grenades and more chemical weapons.

Last night, police set off over 100 explosions near Cal Anderson Park, and they could be heard from Wallingford.

This isn't just an attack on the protesters.

This isn't just an attack on the press, but an attack on Seattle as a whole by our own police department.

Please defund and remove the mayor.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Keeley Hicks, followed by Logan Swan.

Hi, city council members.

Thanks for listening to me.

I'm here to discuss the Seattle Police Department's use of violent weapons on protesters like tear gas, flashbangs, rubber bullets, and chokeholds.

Seattle police should never be using these weapons on protesters and the general public.

I can't even believe this is a conversation that I have to have with you today.

All across the country, black people are fighting for their lives and doing so during a global health pandemic that disproportionately affects them.

The protests in Seattle have remained civil and peaceful until police escalate with violence.

They do so with tear gas and rubber bullets, which have been shown to seriously injure and or kill people.

There have been numerous reports across the country about the negative effects of tear gas on respiratory systems.

As if that weren't bad enough on its own, given the global health pandemic with COVID-19, the effects of tear gas are even more dangerous.

Rubber bullets are being shot at people's heads, leaving them permanently blind in one eye.

Again, I don't know why I even have to call to make a public comment like this.

The Seattle Police Department should never use these weapons.

If you don't do something about this, then shame on you.

Thank you for calling in today.

Let's see.

Our next speaker is Logan followed by Nicholas Maragos.

Put your your audience back Logan.

Yeah I'm my name's Logan Swan.

I'm a journeyman ironworker out of Seattle Local 86. Yeah I wanted to speak.

in favor of the legislation to ban the use of chemical weapons by the Seattle Police Department.

You know, I've been out at these protests and I've run into union members from the firefighters, longshoremen, you know, teachers, professors from AFT, SEA, SEIU, UFCW, other ironworkers, union electricians, just a bunch of, you know, these aren't just, you know, to try and characterize it as crowd control of some kind of unruly element.

These are my brothers and sisters who are getting tear gassed and assaulted by the Seattle Police Force.

And yeah I think on that basis to be banning the use of chemical weapons when they're being used on peaceful protesters.

And I support cutting the SPD budget in half instead of an austerity budget because there is a choice right.

Our next speaker is Nicholas followed by Devin O'Donnell and then Doug Campbell.

Hi, I'm Nicholas Maragos counting on Council Bill 119805. I live in Capitol Hill.

For the last week I've gone to bed listening to the Jones police helicopters in the air.

Last night there was a new noise on top of that which was flashbang grenades going off and I count myself lucky that was all I had to deal with because a few blocks away from the gas which Mayor Durkin promised us a 30-day moratorium on was seeping through the windows of residents in our neighborhood.

People on Capitol Hill don't even have to go to a demonstration to understand the fear that the Seattle Police Department instills in the city.

Yet our fear doesn't mean anything.

Our fear doesn't grant us any special rights.

When a police officer is afraid, they have license to do anything.

The magic words, I feared for my life, grant them immunity to any consequence of reprisal or prosecution.

And Mayor Durkin made sure that when she best is afraid, she has the power to ignore the temporary ban on gas.

I ask the city council to respond to the fear gripping its citizens and grant them what they need.

A defunded police force, a ban on pepper spray, gas, flash banks, and other weapons of war, and the removal of a mayor whose fear only equates to cowardice.

Thank you.

Thank you for calling in today.

Next speaker is Devin and then Doug Campbell.

My name is Devin O'Donnell.

I live in Northgate.

I appreciate council members who want motions but they must go further.

Seattle must take immediate action on the following steps.

1. Impeach war criminal Durkin.

2. Defund and abolish SPD.

Give the money to Black and Indigenous communities that have been subject to that harm.

3. Hold Durkin and SPD accountable.

4. Amnesty for protesters.

There's incredible grievances.

Durkin lied about the gas that's been used for the last two nights.

Acts of violence by the SPD are being compiled and documented.

2. SVD are targeting medicamps as our people have already spoken.

3. Seattle has continued to do homeless sweeps despite promising to do them during COVID not to do them during COVID-19.

4. 30 cops including one who claimed who was assaulted stormed and maced on a woman with a child in her car.

The alleged officer was on the scene.

This is not an act of justice.

This is an act of retaliation by an occupying force.

Mayor Durkin has empowered an occupying force continually escalating in violence against communities that live here.

She is not fit to serve, and SPD should be held accountable towards crimes.

Justice for John T. Williams, Sherlina Wiles, and all murdered by SPD.

Justice for Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, and all victims of the police.

Say, fuck SPD.

Hey, folks.

Thank you so much.

Our last speaker, we've been doing this for an hour now.

So our last speaker that I'm going to call on that pre-registered for public testimony is Doug Campbell.

Doug, please.

set on the district partnership.

Hi, I'm Doug Campbell, founder of Bulldog News.

I sat on the district partnership board for its first five years.

As you know, the UDP delivers all neighborhood BIA services, but you may not know that with its extensive staffing, the UDP also proposes the budgets and effectively frames the discussion of neighborhood priorities.

It is the UDP board, which over represents the private decision-making processes of the UW and UDPA, the local property owners association.

Unlike the BIA which elects itself to its board positions, the UDP's board is not subject to any community accountability in the selection of directors.

This board was to have term limits.

Instead, term limits have been abolished.

And as a neighborhood, we are saddled with the same unsuccessful stewardship we've had for decades.

The UDP is the extra layer of local governance which needs to be removed or reformed in the upcoming years.

Only the RFP process can raise these questions and open up the BIA to the larger community which loves its neighborhood and is dying to play a constructive role.

Please pass Councilman Peterson's RFP proposal.

Thank you so much for calling in.

Colleagues, again, we have been doing public comment for the promised 60 minutes.

So I'm going to go ahead and close out the period of public comment.

I do apologize to those speakers who preregistered and were hanging on the line for so long.

I tried to do my best.

Fuck you.

Fuck you.

Fuck you.

Okay.

I'm not sure how that particular speaker got through, but thank you to our IT department for muting the button.

Again, in the future, I wanna reiterate that public comment is not required of the city council and that kind of behavior that just occurred will not be tolerated by me or any of my other colleagues.

If that kind of behavior continues in the future, we will terminate the public comment tool as one available to the public.

I do not want to do that, but we will do that if there are occurrences like that in the future.

So I just want to make that very clear for members of the public and for my colleagues.

So again, I want to apologize to those of you who weren't able to give public comments today.

We do our best to prioritize time for public comment.

Again, Council Member Herbold will have a public hearing of her committee of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee that will be wholly dedicated to hearing directly from the public.

on issues related to policing.

Many of the folks who have registered for public testimony today were calling in for that particular matter.

We will also have an opportunity to hear more public testimony on some of the public safety bills and measures that were introduced by Councilmember Sawant and Councilmember Herbold that will be considered next week on Monday.

So I really appreciate everybody understanding the need for us to get through the rest of the items on our agenda.

So let's go ahead and move through payment of the bills.

If the clerk can please read the title into the record.

Council Bill 119801, appropriating money to pay starting claims for the week of May 25th, 2020 through May 29th, 2020 and ordering the payment thereof.

Colleagues, I will move to pass Council Bill 119801. Is there a second?

Second.

Okay, it's been moved and seconded to pass the bill.

Are there any comments on the bill?

Hearing no comments, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Mosqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Aye.

Sawant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herbold?

Aye.

Lewis?

Aye.

Morales?

Aye.

President Gonzalez?

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf.

Okay, let's go ahead and move into agenda item one, which has actually been held until June 15, 2020. So we'll go ahead and move to agenda item two.

Sorry about that, folks.

I'm multitasking, obviously.

Will the clerk please read the short title of item two into the record?

Agenda Item 2, Council Bill 119779, establishing a new university district parking and business improvement area, levying special assessments upon owners of commercial multifamily residential property and mixed-use property within the BIA.

Thank you so much.

I move to pass Council Bill 119779. Is there a second?

Second.

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

Councilor Morales, you're the primary sponsor of the bill, so I am going to recognize you in order to address this item.

Thank you.

I will be brief.

Just by way of background, colleagues, as I mentioned several weeks ago, we have the U District BIA before us.

The Community Economic Development Committee met on May 20th for an initial briefing and discussion of the bill, which would establish a new BIA.

of the new BIA, as well as central staff and the office of economic development presented to the committee to describe the background and intent of the proposal.

The legislation as transmitted does include a couple of changes to the way the BIA is structured.

It would have two additional business tenants who have triple net leases, as Councilmember Peterson mentioned earlier, so tenants who pay taxes, insurance, and maintenance.

It would also add one residential representative.

And I know we got an email recently asking about that.

So there is one residential representative in the new structure.

On May 27th, the committee held the required public hearing to discuss proposed amendments.

And then we had planned to vote on those amendments in committee this week.

Um, obviously because we have shifted things for the, um, budget discussions to begin, we are now considering the amendments today.

Um, so, uh, we've talked about this a little bit in briefing this morning.

Um, I will just give a quick summary of the, um, of the amendments and then, um, hand it back to the council president, um, amendment one, as we know is technical corrections and clarifications.

with the addition of holding the UW at its current number of five seats on the advisory board.

It also shifts contracting responsibility, which is an administrative change from FAS to OED.

They have agreed to this, and that was adopted in the BIA policies in 2016. Amendment two shortens the term of the BIA itself from 12 years to 10. and the interim program manager position from five years to one year.

As I said earlier this morning, the rationale for shortening the program manager contract is that other groups need the opportunity to bid.

But as I said before, to my mind, there's already a competitive bid process that anybody who is interested could engage in.

And if this passes, OED would have to bid out starting in a year.

And in my mind, there isn't a clear rationale for shortening the BIA term by two years.

So I will leave it there and turn it back to you, Council President.

Great, thank you so much.

So we are, I know there are the amendments as described and so I want to make sure that we move through the process of those amendments.

So this is what we're going to do.

I appreciate Council Member Morales, you addressing the underlying bill.

I know, again, that Councilmember Peterson discussed this morning that he has a couple of amendments, and so we're going to go through the process of that amendatory work.

So I believe there are a total of, oh, let's see here, two amendments, both by Councilmember Peterson.

So I'm going to go ahead and hand it over to Councilmember Peterson to walk us through those amendments, and my request would be that we take them one at a time, so let's do amendment one, and then we will have consideration and debate on amendment one, and then we will consider amendment two.

Council Member Peterson, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Council President Gonzalez, and thanks again to Chair Morales, who accurately and fairly describes the underlying legislation.

I really appreciate the collaboration with her throughout this process, and I appreciate the patience of my colleagues as we take a pause from the crises going around us here to renew or reauthorize this business improvement area.

There are 10 throughout the city.

This is one of them in the University District.

I would like to move to amend council bill 119779 by substituting version 2B for version 1F as presented on amendment one on today's agenda.

It's been moved and seconded.

So the motion is properly before us.

So Council Member Peterson, the floor is yours to address Amendment 1.

Thank you.

So this is full of technical corrections.

For example, changing the administrator from director of FAS to the director of Office of Economic Development.

It does have the non-controversial amendment in there about I'm happy to answer any questions about that.

The second amendment is where it gets more complex.

thinking that this morning was yesterday, which seems appropriate for this day and age in terms of how quickly time seems to fly beyond us.

So colleagues, any questions or comments on the proposed substitute?

Council Member Lewis, the floor is yours.

Thank you so much, Madam President.

I just want to really thank Council Member Gonzalez, sorry, Council Member Morales and Council Member Peterson for the work that they've done on this bill as a member of this committee.

I'm really glad that we were able to work in this critical reauthorization.

And without any hesitation, I'll say that on the matter of adopting 2B or not 2B, I side on voting yes for substitute 2B.

So thank you so much.

Great, thank you so much.

Any other comments or questions on the substitute bill?

Okay, hearing none, I would ask that the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the substitute.

Mosqueda?

Mosqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Aye.

Sawant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herbal.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Morales.

Aye.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries.

The substitute is adopted and version 2B of the bill is before the city council.

I understand that there is another amendment.

This is Amendment 2, which is, I think, described as a little trickier by Councilmember Peterson.

And so we will now hear from Councilmember Peterson as he formally moves consideration of Amendment 2.

Thank you, Council President.

I move to amend Council Bill 119779 as presented on Amendment 2 on the agenda.

Is there a second?

Second.

Okay, it's been moved and seconded to consider amendment two.

And Councilmember Peterson, I'll go ahead and hand it back over to you to address the proposed amendment.

Thank you.

And again, I want to echo the comments of Councilmember Morales in terms of You know what the status quo has been over the last five years with the business improvement area in the University District, the legislation that was developed, did have stakeholder engagement, and so there are there are already.

very important improvements in what we're voting on today.

So the bill and the substitute adds a prevention of economic displacement as part of the mission of the BIA.

That is new and important considering the rapid changes that have been going on in the university district to prevent displacement as part of the BIA's mission.

It also reinstitutes term limits.

on the members of the ratepayer advisory board and has a few other improvements as well to what the existing situation is.

Now, one of the changes, though, is that it moves from a five-year BIA to a 12-year BIA.

And the BIAs across the city have different lengths.

The 12-year BIA did raise some, by more than doubling it, it raised some concerns from some small business owners who wanted to not see it more than doubled.

So there is no magic to going, my proposal to go from 12 to 10 years.

It's just that we're doubling it.

It's consistent with 10 year term and some other BIAs in the city.

And it's some of the small businesses had wanted to reauthorize at only five years or seven years.

So the 10 year was I was viewing that as a compromise.

The other issue is I'm going to talk a little bit about how the program manager is selected to operate the clean and safety programs and economic development programs and prevention of displacement programs of the BIA.

Currently, the ratepayer advisory board looks at that every year and decides who that is.

I think there's agreement in general that competition can bring a healthy outcome and gets more stakeholders and community-driven organizations to get involved.

in potentially managing the BIA.

The request for proposal is a very thorough process.

It can become time-consuming.

So just in the last week, I changed this concept so that to start this in the first year, this competitive process is what this amendment is, is to speed it up, to start it sooner with only one year from now, to change it from an RFP to an RFQ, a request for qualifications.

So I've amended my amendment, it's already in there before you, as a request for qualifications in that first year so that the Office of Economic Development can do it in a more streamlined fashion.

There were concerns raised during public comment that even that is not what's wanted by a lot of folks out there.

But I believe that having this competitive process, giving the ability to community-based organizations to compete for that program manager position is important.

This amendment combines those two things, going from a 12-year to 10-year, and also having an RFQ process in year one.

Happy to answer questions.

Thank you so much.

Colleagues, are there any comments or questions on Amendment 2?

Okay, I'm not seeing or hearing anyone with any questions, so I'm, oh, Council Member Sawant, please.

Looks like you're still on mute, Council Member Sawant.

I want to say that I'm planning on voting yes on this amendment.

I appreciate it.

Council Member Herbold, we can hear your conversation in the background.

Thank you.

Go ahead, Councilor Solano.

Thank you.

I'm planning on voting yes on this amendment.

The thing is, the business improvement areas are very strange structure in Seattle.

They are funded by property taxes, only paid by commercial property.

And then the so-called democracy of the BIA gives the commercial property owners a vote roughly proportional to the amount of property that they own.

So the more you own, the more votes you get.

So it is reasonable that small businesses who have no meaningful say in the operations of the BIA would ask for changes and things like time limits.

I'm not convinced, my office is not convinced that this amendment will make a substantive difference, but I will support the request by the smaller businesses in the BIA and vote yes on it.

Thank you.

Any other questions or comments?

Council Member Mosqueda.

Thank you.

Councilmember Pedersen, I want to thank you for walking through with our staff, with my staff, the response to the questions that I sent, and Councilmember Morales, I was wondering if you had any additional thoughts about this amendment as well.

At this point, I know that we've heard significant concerns from community members with initiating an RFQ process one year after BIA authorization instead of five years, which is included in the base legislation.

I fully support the supplemental efforts that have been put forward.

but these concerns center around the critical need to provide folks on the ground to support small businesses in trying to weather the impacts of COVID, especially women and minority-owned businesses in the neighborhood.

So in addition, there's a desire to immediately initiate a hiring process for the executive director, which would have to be put on hold for one year should this amendment pass.

The BIA board and rate payers have agreed to a five-year RFP included in the base legislation, but there are concerns about an RFQ just one year later.

They are worried that this amendment will introduce uncertainty about who the BIA operator will be at a time when continuity is important for relationships built with small businesses as they grapple with how to sustain from the impacts of COVID.

for the last two years and waiting for reauthorization to search for a new executive director when your authorization would not allow the UDP to attract a candidate and would introduce even more uncertainty.

I just wanted to hear if there was any feedback on that.

Councilmember Perkins?

Councilmember Pedersen or Morales, any response to that?

Councilmember Morales is on mute.

I think for me, the part that I struggle with in Amendment 2 is really about shortening the term for the program manager, in part because if we are talking about increasing the responsibility at OED within a year when it is a fairly small department with a small budget and will be taxed even more during this budget crisis, The idea of setting that precedent of them moving so quickly when we have other BIAs that might also want to move in this direction, I am really worried about the capacity of the department to carry this out.

And just the question about, you know, the existing program manager I understand that, you know, other organizations might be interested in bidding to take that role, take on that role and those responsibilities.

But there is nothing preventing them from doing that now.

And so creating this process, this doesn't, it's just not, I just don't see a clear rationale for creating this extra process right now.

Thank you, Council Member Morales.

Any other questions or comments on Amendment 2?

Council Member Herbold, please.

Thank you.

So for many, many years, we've heard from businesses in the U District about their concerns about the structure of the BIA, the perception that the University of Washington has an outsized role.

as compared to other businesses.

So I really appreciate the fact that the bill addresses this.

And given that there have been you know, many years of concerns, um, that I've heard, uh, from, from businesses that don't feel, uh, well represented by the BIA.

Normally I would have been inclined to support, um, amendment two.

Um, the problem is, uh, and I acknowledge I may have missed some correspondence, but, um, I've looked in my, my, um, My emails, and there are about 5,000 in the inbox, but I have only found one email in support of this amendment.

working on legislation that is intended to sort of buck the status quo and address concerns that folks who don't feel represented have identified, I really need to hear from folks to just sort of confirm for myself that this is a problem that many people feel I am not inclined to vote in support of it.

I am not inclined to vote in support of it.

And so given the fact that there has only been one person that I can find that has written in support of amendment two I am not inclined to vote in support of it.

Okay.

Hearing none, I would just say that I am of the same mind as Councilmember Herbold on this one.

I have had an opportunity to dig through my inbox as well and have seen that an overwhelming number of people are expressing support for the BIA as a whole and with really specific requests to not support Amendment 2. And in particular, we have a letter from quite a number of nonprofit organizations in the U District who have expressed concerns about this.

Maureen Ewing called in today specifically for purposes of supporting the BIA, but expressing their collective concerns on this particular amendment.

So at this point, I don't feel that I can support amendment two.

And I also take to heart the comments made by Council Member Morales in terms of the additional burden this will place on OED.

in the context of a potentially restrictive budget that, you know, those resources are going to be a little bit more limited than usual for OED in terms of executing on the intent and purpose of the BIA.

I do appreciate the sponsor's interest in trying to sort of right-size this issue for smaller businesses.

and unfortunately for the reasons that I've just stated, I don't think that I can support this amendment at this juncture.

So with that being said, I'm happy to give you the last word, Council Member Peterson, if you have anything else that you'd like to add before I call the roll.

Thank you, Council President.

I just want to thank my colleagues for their comments and their valid points.

And certainly the situation with the interim executive director the need to make that permanent and COVID has created complications regarding this.

But I really hope that the public can see that even if this amendment doesn't pass, there are improvements, we have better representation, we have better governance built in, prevention of displacement.

and I hope the public can see here's a city council that is collaborating, that is focused on the basics when we can do that during these crises, and I just want to thank my colleagues for their grace during this.

Thank you, Council Member Peterson.

I appreciate those words and reminders to the general public.

Okay, so we're going to go ahead and close that debate on this particular amendment, so I'm going to ask that the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment 2. Mosqueda.

Mosqueda.

Aye.

I'm sorry.

No.

Peterson.

Aye.

Sawant.

Aye.

Strauss.

Nay.

Juarez.

No.

Herbold.

Nay.

Lewis.

Yes.

Morales.

President Gonzalez.

No.

Three in favor, six opposed.

The motion fails and the amendment is not adopted.

Colleagues, are there any other further comments on the bill as amended?

I'm sorry, this is a substitute bill, so it's not amended.

Is there any further comments on the bill?

Okay, hearing none, I would ask that the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill.

Mosqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Aye.

DeWant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herbold?

Aye.

Lewis?

Yes.

Morales?

Yes.

President Gonzales.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

And I'd ask that the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Okay, folks, adoption of other resolutions.

We're in the home stretch here.

So I am going to ask that the clerk please read item three into the record.

Agenda item three, resolution 31947, relating to committee structure membership meeting I move to adopt resolution 31947.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt the resolution.

Again, colleagues, as I mentioned this morning during council briefing, this resolution is designed to support the summer budget session that will be undergoing over the next at least six weeks under leadership of Chair Mosqueda.

The resolution is a standard resolution.

It's similar to the one that we would normally adopt during the fall budget season.

we are adopting it in this context for the summer since we know that there will be a longer and deeper dive into the rebalancing package that is going to be transmitted to us by the mayor's office later this week.

And I continue to believe that it's important for us to make sure that we are focusing all of our resources We have a lot of work ahead of us, including attention from Council Central staff and from our respective offices and from each other towards the efforts that will be before us in terms of the work that Councilmember Mosqueda outlined in Council briefing this morning as it relates to this budget opportunity.

have some exceptions to those rules, to the standard rule of no committee meetings.

I would ask that you, in those instances, if you have time sensitive legislation, I would ask that you reach out directly to my office to coordinate that work so that we can, again, make sure that we're fulfilling the intent of making sure that Council Central staff is able to focus on the many budget issues and questions that will be coming before us.

So happy to answer any questions and take any comments.

Council Member Herbold.

Thank you.

It would be helpful to get some guidance, if not now, later, on what bills you are okay with still moving directly to full council so that we can help.

It'll help us make that decision whether or not we're going to ask for a special dispensation on having a committee meeting or whether or not we should just continue the practice of moving the bill onto full council.

I appreciate that.

I think my staff has been working with Council Central staff on trying to pull together some of that language.

So we'll make sure to circle back with you all so that you all have clear guidance on that, or as clear as I can get it, to make sure that folks know what can be sent to full council and when special dispensation is going to be needed for potential committee work.

But I'm happy we're on it.

We're going to hear the request and I'll make sure to circulate that hopefully before the end of the week.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Any other questions or comments?

Council Member Mosqueda?

Thank you, Council President.

I just, I wanted to take a minute to thank you again for your strong support for both the process that we outlined this morning, looking at the substitute budget and also looking into the Seattle Police Department's budget line items and for the process that we'll go through.

I really appreciate all of the words that you shared this morning and for all of your staff's engagement as we think about lining up this process to be, I think, a new, I think we have a lot of work to do.

I think we need to make a new structural change in how we address the budget going forward.

I wanted to thank you for your words this morning and express my appreciation for your leadership.

Thank you, President Gonzalez.

I just wanted to reiterate some of my points from this morning for members of the public who are watching.

I announced midweek last week that I intend to bring forward legislation in support of the demand of the justice for George Floyd movement to cut the police department budget by 50 percent to defund police and to instead fund grassroots programs for restorative justice.

As I was mentioning earlier, this can be done, among other means, by ending the purchase of the so-called crowd control weapons.

But we will find other things to cut as well, and ending police violence against demonstrations.

Additionally, the idea of an austerity budget, which corporate mayor Durkin is bringing forward, that is cutting the funds of the city departments that support our communities, is totally unacceptable.

The COVID-19 crisis has created an economic crisis that is leaving over 100,000 Seattleites and tens of millions nationwide unemployed or with reduced hours.

We cannot have elected officials saying that Black Lives Matter and then turn around and represent big business and the wealthy in passing an austerity budget or in opposing a legislation like the Amazon tax, which my office has brought forward along with Council Member Morales and with our movement.

Austerity is not acceptable.

The Amazon tax is a modest tax on big business to expand publicly owned rent controlled social housing to begin to strike a blow against racist gentrification that working class communities of color have faced for decades.

It will also create decent jobs with priority hire and pre-apprenticeship programs.

This is one way, a concrete way in which the city council can put dollars to our words on the fact that black lives matter.

Throughout history, the greater the inequality in our society, the more militarized its policing needs to be for the ruling class to perpetuate and defend those inequities.

Sociologically speaking, we can predict that in the coming years, Seattle or any other city will either make massive new public investments in jobs programs, social housing, and other policies that regular people need, or we will see more and more violent policing.

I also wanted to remind members of the public that my socialist council office alongside our people's budget campaign has for years proposed defunding the police to fund housing, tiny house villages, and restorative justice, and proposed to end the inhumane and ineffective sweeps of homeless neighbors for years, and council after council, including current council members, have voted against defunding the police and against stopping the homeless sweeps.

On a majority people of color council, I was unfortunately the only no vote on a Seattle Police Officers Guild contract that rolled back hard-won accountability measures.

What we are seeing now is how When there are movements and actually an uprising on the streets, the same politicians will feel the pressure to do the right thing.

But our movements cannot relent.

We will not win defund police to cut the police budget by half if we do not build I urge community members to join me at Cal Anderson Park at 6 p.m.

where our movement will discuss our strategy to win defund police, to win the Amazon tax, and to actually have police accountability and end racist gentrification.

Thank you.

Okay, seeing none, I would ask that the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution.

Musqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Aye.

Sawant?

Aye.

Strauss?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

Herbold?

Aye.

Lewis?

Aye.

Morales?

Aye.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted and the chair will sign it and I'd ask that the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Okay folks, we have new item four, so I would ask that the clerk please read agenda item four into the record.

Agenda Item 4 Resolution 31948 condemning the use of military force in jurisdictions such as the City of Seattle that have not requested and do not intend to request federal intervention.

Thank you so much.

I will move to adopt Resolution 31948. Is there a second.

Second.

Okay, it's been moved and seconded to adopt resolution 31948. Council Member Lewis, you are the prime sponsor of this resolution and you are recognized in order to address this item.

The floor is yours.

Thank you so much, Madam President.

I'll be brief since I did speak to this during briefing this morning already.

I brought this forward because last Monday, we did have this announcement from the president stating his intent to potentially use, unconstitutionally use the Insurrection Act to dispatch United States military forces to disrupt peaceful demonstrations in American cities.

The Insurrection Act requires the jurisdictions that the federal government would use the Insurrection Act to respond to assent to military force being dispatched to the city in question or the state in question.

I just to be preemptive on this, especially since we know that this particular president's behavior can get more erratic and more unpredictable as he continues to get into a hole and to get more unpopular.

A CNN poll today showed him trailing his opponent by 14 points nationally.

And this is exactly the kind of place where one has learned to be concerned about the actions that this president might take since he has threatened this action and since You know, it's been proven time and time again that sometimes we have to take these threats seriously from this particular president.

I thought that it would be a pragmatic move for us to preemptively condemn this and make it clear we will not assent to this kind of military presence in our city and hope that other cities will follow suit in rejecting this threat that is being leveled by the federal government to use the United States military against American civilians.

So I'll just leave it at that.

And, you know, if anyone else has any comments, we can continue to talk about it.

Otherwise, I'm ready to vote any old time.

Thanks.

Thanks so much, Council Member Lewis.

Are there any comments on the resolution?

Okay.

Looks like nobody has any comments.

I want to, oh, there we go.

Council Member Sawant, please.

Thank you, President Gonzalez.

I will vote yes on this resolution, of course, because I agree with its main point, which is to oppose Donald Trump's threat to send federal National Guard troops into cities like Seattle to put down protests.

I did want to state for the record that I do not agree with many of the whereas clauses, which could imply – I don't know if that's the intent and I don't want to say that, but it's possible that it could imply that there's somehow something acceptable about Governor Inslee sending in the National Guard and the Federal National Guard troops are the only problem.

I don't know that that's the intent, but I just wanted to state that for the record, that I oppose both Federal and State National Guard troops being used against protest movements.

However, again, that is just an issue with the wording in the whereas clauses.

The main purpose of this resolution, which is in the Be It Resolved section, is opposing Trump's threats to send federal troops.

I absolutely agree with that, and I will vote yes.

And I can briefly respond, Madam President, if that's OK.

Of course.

Yeah, and Council Member Sawant, I appreciate you raising that.

That was more just to establish the historical record of what has happened.

Those whereas clauses are not intended as endorsements or to support some of those actions.

I mean, it also mentions in whereas clauses some of the curfews, which I know a number of us did not find advisable.

So those aren't to be put in there as endorsements of those policies, but merely to reflect kind of the city's actions that have led up to this and that certainly don't warrant adding on top of a federalized military presence that would not be warranted and would not help.

Great.

Thank you so much for the clarification.

I would echo those concerns.

I think many of us, at least from my viewing of many folks' social media accounts, it seems like many of us have taken a position that is unsupportive of continuing to have the presence of the National Guard here.

I can certainly speak for myself that I I don't think that it is necessary to have the National Guard here and think that it further creates an image of militarization of our streets.

And the reality is, is when people, ordinary people are out on the streets protesting and trying to exercise their First Amendment, they're not distinguishing between who's National Guard and who's SPD.

All they see is military on our streets.

I had the benefit of seeing video from a friend of our family who was coming back from the peninsula visiting her parents and on I-5 coming north, literally saw tank after tank after tank after tank of National Guard soldiers making their way into Seattle.

So it is, you know, the National Guard being present here is as problematic as as President Trump potentially triggering the Insurrection Act and the Common Thomas Act, and completely unacceptable in my mind.

So I couldn't agree more with the sentiments already being shared by the prime sponsor of the resolution and by Council Member Salant.

I appreciate her bringing that up.

Any other comments, colleagues?

All right, let's go ahead and take a vote.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Mosqueda.

Aye.

Peterson.

Aye.

Siwak.

Aye.

Strauss.

Aye.

Juarez.

Aye.

Herbold.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Morales.

Aye.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted, and the chair will sign it.

And I'd ask that the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Okay, other business.

We have a couple of letters for consideration here, as described by Councilmember Herbold during this morning's council briefing.

So I'm going to go ahead and call on Councilmember Herbold for signature on a on the two different letters she described during a council briefing this morning.

Thank you for talking very slowly so I could get to my mute button.

So, letter one is a letter to Mayor Durkin and Chief Best firmly requesting that they direct SPD to change tactics, take urgent and sustained action to deescalate police tactics used in daily protest and noting that tactics are currently placing constitutional rights at a risk.

The letter makes note that health risks are being exacerbated amidst a devastating respiratory epidemic and bringing emotional trauma and racial aggression.

And it notes that deploying police in riot gear to form a wall of officers positioned against peaceful protesters is not conducive to de-escalation and healing.

The letter identifies five recommendations, and not just recommendations, but those five items are pledged to work on these five things, to advance and support policies brought forward by community voices, particularly black-led movements, to, one, demilitarize the police, two, further restrict use of excessive or deadly force by police, three, increase accountability and transparency in police union contracts, four, give subpoena and other investigative powers to independent oversight boards, five, redirect police department's funding to community-based alternatives.

Though we all know we must do much more than those five priorities, I want to make a note of a few things that the council has been doing along these lines.

A few years ago, council members adopted legislation that I introduced to make it illegal for SPD to participate in any kind of federal program that transfers excess military equipment to civilian law enforcement agencies at reduced or no cost.

That's a signal from the council that we do not wish to have a militarized police department.

The council adopted a resolution on negotiations with the Police Guild that includes recommendations by the Community Police Commission, the Inspector General, and the Office of Police Accountability in support of greater accountability and greater transparency in the bargaining process.

in addition, subpoena power is included in the 2017 police accountability ordinance sponsored by Council President Lorena Gonzalez.

And it was identified in the SPOG contract as a reopener.

And as mentioned this morning, I'm currently working with the city attorney on potential ways to refine the process for this.

And I think it's also important to note that many of us on the council have worked for several years to get the community service officer program reestablished.

This was disbanded in 2009 in response to the recession then.

And many of us have been working really hard because of the recognition that not every public safety issue needs an officer to respond.

Not every public safety issue is well addressed when an officer responds.

And we need people who have I want to say thank you to all of the councilmembers for their subject area expertise to be responding to many of the things that the police department currently responds to.

And I just want to also before we do the roll call for signatures, I want to thank the fact that we have so far had four Morales and Councilmember Mosqueda, and a goodly number of King County Councilmembers and State Reps. And as I see the posts on Facebook to the letters that are out there, the list is growing.

and this is, I think, a really unprecedented show of solidarity that elected lawmakers have across the region on asking our mayor and chief to work with us to accomplish these goals.

Thank you, Councilmember Herbold, for that description.

Are there any questions on the letter just described by Councilmember Herbold, or any comments?

Council President, Council Member Juarez, I just have one comment about the letter.

Sure, please.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Herboldt.

And I know, Council President, you addressed some of the issues of why a particular Council Member signed the letter, the Open Public Meeting Act, and your concerns.

I would just ask in the future, I did not hear about the letter or see it, until the media on Twitter forwarded, I got four texts on Twitter of the letter, so apparently it was released to the media.

I didn't, and that was at 9.40 last night, I didn't see the original actual letter until later today.

So I would just ask as a courtesy, if you take the time to release letters and drafts to the media, that you at least take the time to forward drafts or concerns to your colleagues.

I have no problem signing the letter.

I'll be honest with you.

It's a little disconcerting when you have two media outlets and other electeds who are sending you Twitter screenshots and sending you copies of what's already out there, but your colleagues haven't shared anything with you.

So I'm just going to leave it there.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Juarez for those remarks.

And I just want to clarify that this was not an effort that was being led by Seattle City Council members.

It was actually an effort that was being led by other elected officials who approached some of us on the City Council.

So I don't want to leave you with the impression that those Seattle City Council members who signed the letter were the organizers.

I don't think that that's what we intended to insinuate, because that's not how the letters came about.

So I know Council Member Herbold wanted to add a little bit more to that, so I'll go ahead and hand it over to her.

I just, I appreciate Council President Gonzalez historical factual recitation of the events that led to our signatures on the letter.

I do want to take full responsibility though.

I did, I could have shared it with council members.

There was a point at which, A number of us were deciding that we were just going and not not just council members other other signers were Deciding we were just gonna start sharing it on social media.

I reached out to our comms director about Putting about the council members who had signed it putting out a press advisory Which would have meant that you had all received it but out of recognition that we were doing this at 6.30 on a Sunday night and the work that our comm staff has been doing, I kind of made the call not to have her put out a press advisory.

In doing so, I should have definitely shared the draft with the other five council members and I apologize for not doing so.

Thank you, Council Member Herbold.

All right, any other questions or comments on the letter?

Kate, hearing none, I'd ask that the clerk please call the roll.

Mosqueda?

Aye.

Peterson?

Aye.

Sawant?

Sorry, I was already on the letter.

We're still doing the roll call for open meeting, so.

Well, put your signature twice.

Sawant?

Aye.

Strouse.

Aye.

Juarez.

Aye.

Herbold.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Morales.

Aye.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Thank you so much.

Council Member Herbold, do you have another letter that you'd like for us to consider signing?

The floor is yours.

And this one did go out for circulation a couple times.

So this is a letter specifically requesting that the city attorney withdraw the City of Seattle's litigation seeking to block inquest reforms initiated by King County Executive Constantine.

There has been a public call on behalf of Executive Constantine, as well as activists and individuals who are aware of this city and other cities' lawsuits against the inquest reforms.

led by King County Executive Dow Constantine, were the result of about an eight-month process developed with the families of Tommy Lee, Che Taylor, John T. Williams, and Charlena Lyles, as well as community groups such as the CPC, the Community Police Commission, and others.

The reformed inquest process was supposed to be put in place in 2019. In 2018, Executive Constantine put all inquests on hold pending the review process.

The community police commission has taken a number of stances in support of inquest reforms, including participation in the inquest process review committee and a statement of support for the reforms.

The letter itself that we're circulating notes that the mayor mentioned during a meeting of the community police commission last week that she was unaware of the lawsuit, and the CPC indicated that despite the fact that they had taken positions in favor of the inquest reforms, they were not given any advance notice of the city filing challenges to those reforms.

For many years, the inquest system operated functionally to legitimize and immunize all deaths in public custody.

The bar is very easy for an officer to meet.

They, for the most part, simply have to testify that they were in fear of harm to themselves, to their body, and for their life.

The county executive convened a distinguished and balanced panel to lead a community-wide conversation about possible reforms to the inquest process, and some I've been talking to city attorney Holmes about this, the fact that this letter was coming, and we have learned that the city attorney and the county executive are in conversations.

But given that the mayor indicated that she did not seek the writ and was unaware of it, it does seem appropriate for the city attorney to immediately withdraw the litigation that was brought on behalf of the city of Seattle.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Herbold, for advancing this letter as well.

Are there any questions or comments from my colleagues?

Okay, I don't see any.

Again, I want to thank you for your leadership on bringing forward this letter.

I think it's really important.

Okay, if I can have the clerk please call the roll on adding Councilmember signatures to this letter, please.

Mosqueda.

Aye.

Peterson.

Aye.

Nwant.

Aye.

Strauss.

Aye.

Juarez.

Aye.

Herboldt.

Aye.

Lewis.

Aye.

Morales.

Aye.

President Gonzalez.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

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June 15th, 2020 at 2 p.m.

With that being said, I hope that you all have a wonderful evening and that you stay safe and healthy and let's hope for the best tonight.

As we know, people will continue to protest and rightly so.

So I'm sure that you will join me in publicly expressing that we continue to expect that that will be peaceful and that there will not be police violence directed at the protesters this evening.

There have been some announcements made by the Durkin administration since we have been in this call.

So I know that we are all eager to get off this Zoom call and catch up on what some of those announcements are.

But I look forward to seeing you all later this week.

And again, wishing you all a very safe evening.

At tonight, we are adjourned, colleagues.