City Council Regular Meeting Transcript – 06/11/2020 Title: City of Austin Channel: 6 - COAUS Recorded On: 6/11/2020 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 6/11/2020 Transcript Generated by SnapStream ================================== Please note that the following transcript is for reference purposes and does not constitute the official record of actions taken during the meeting. For the official record of actions of the meeting, please refer to the Approved Minutes. [10:04:06 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Are we ready? Tech people, are we ready to go? >> Mayor Adler: We're going to go ahead and call to order today's city council meeting. It is June 11, 2020. The time is 10:04. This is the regular called city council meeting. It's taking place virtually. I'm going to call roll real fast. Councilmember harper-madison >> Harper-madison: Here. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Mayor pro tem? >> Garza: Here. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Renteria? [Inaudible] Councilmember [10:05:06 AM] Casar? [Inaudible] Councilmember kitchen is here. Councilmember Flannigan is here councilmember pool is here. Councilmember Ellis. >> Ellis: I'm here. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember tovo? >> Tovo: Present. Here. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Hear you, can't see you. And councilmember alter. >> Tovo: Good morning. >> Mayor Adler: Good morning. Colleagues, I'm going to read the changes and corrections. Items 2, 10 and 43 are recommended by the water and wastewater commission. Commissioner partton off the dais. Item 3 recommended by the same commission on 9-0 vote, commissioner fisher absent. Item number 19 concerns the south congress preservation [10:06:06 AM] and improvement district. Misnamed on the posted document. Item number 21 has been withdrawn and replaced by addendum item 88. 22 is withdrawn. 28 is withdrawn. 29 recommended by the electric utility commission on a vote of 7-0 with commissioners ray absent, stole and wellgren off the dais. 37 postponed to July 30, 2020. Item 43 on June 8, 2020. Recommended by the electric utility commission with a 6-1 vote. Stone and we wouldon off the dais. Recommended also by the water and wastewater commission, 8-0 vote. Commissioner fisher absent. Ab number 50 as well as item 93, 94, 95 and 96 should be [10:07:11 AM] shown with all 11 of us as sponsors. Item number 51 is to approve a resolution. Item 52 withdrawn and replaced by item 93. Item 61 July 30, 2020. Item 76, that is in district 9. Item 103 is to authorize revocation of a contract in the amount not to exceed $1,144,000. One pulled item, item number 30, pulled by councilmember harper-madison. Is it your intent to just move to postpone an item? If there is not an objection to expecting, then we can leave it on the consent agenda unless people want to talk about it. [10:08:11 AM] Councilmember harper-madison, should we see if there's objection to postpone? Do you want to pull it if there's agreement to postpone? >> Harper-madison: My home is there's agreement to postpone. If anybody is curious, we have the opportunity to talk to the folks over at pard and the Austin community development corporation, we're all in agreement the item should be postponed to allow the city auditor to have the opportunity to present their findings from the audit that we missioned last year. >> Mayor Adler: Without objection, the consent agenda will keep item 30 on it, but the action on 30 will be to postpone to come back after the audit report. Late bum number on 3, 19, 25, 29, 31, 35, 45, 50, 51, 58, 61, 64, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 91, 93, 94, 95, # 6, and the Austin [10:09:15 AM] housing finance corporation item 2, all late filed backup. Colleagues, we have some speakers today that have signed up on some of the consent items also on agenda items. And I'm going to call those speakers. I think there were roughly 30 speakers, maybe 33 speakers. I don't know how many of them actually ended up calling in this morning, but it's my intent to call those speakers. Those speakers will all have three minutes to speak and they can speak on everything they may have signed up on in that period of time. When we're done with those speakers, then we will begin to call the speakers that [10:10:16 AM] have signed up on the five police department-related matters. The first 20 are going to get three minutes. Thereafter they will get one minute. Before those speakers start, as we did before, we're going to give everyone on the council the chance to address those five items in a couple minutes for each of us, each of us speaking one time, then we'll go to those speakers. I intend for us to break about 12:00 for lunch so that we get a lunch break. And at -- we'll decide what time we're going to come back so we can finish listening to speakers. We have 312 speakers signed up on those five items. That gives us roughly about six hours of speakers associated with that, assuming everybody who signed up clues -- chooses [10:11:17 AM] to speak. At 2:00, it's my intent to kind of recess wherever we are, somewhere around 2:00, to be able to take the zoning speakers. I think there's just five of them that have signed up. We can quickly do the consent agenda on zoning. I think there is just one discussion item. So we'll hold that. So after the speakers have had a chance to speak, we will go back to and finish and complete the speakers that have signed up on the five police department items. And then we'll do the executive session on the November 2020 election probably at the end of our day. Any questions or discussions? Yes, councilmember alter. [10:12:18 AM] >> Alter: You may have said it at the beginning, but are we -- we're taking testimony on the items that are on consent and then voting on those? >> Mayor Adler: We're going to take speakers on everything other than zoning and those five items. So it would be the speakers speaking on consent or on the non-consent, non-zoning, non-police items. >> Alter: And then after that we will vote on consent before taking up other speakers and before giving our remarks? >> Mayor Adler: Correct. We'll vote on the consent agenda. After we voted on the consent agenda, I don't know, we don't have any pulled items at this point. We could quickly vote on the non-consent items, 58, 59, 60 and 61. Which I think will happen real rapidly. And then we'll be able to [10:13:20 AM] finish the speakers. >> Alter: Thank you for the clarification. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. All right. So we're going to start then with the speakers that are signed up to speak on the non-zoning, non-police items. I would remind everybody that if there's a speaker speaking and you want to have them held because you want to talk to them or ask them further questions, make sure you raise your hand and maybe wave it so that the facilitators can see that and then they will try to make sure that you have that opportunity to do that. All right, so do we have the folks helping us here with speakers this morning? >> Yes, mayor, we're ready. I would like to make one note for all the speakers in queue, if you can't already, press zero tore admitted to the call. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. How many people do we have [10:14:21 AM] signed up in this first group? >> Currently waiting are 19. >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry? >> 19. >> Mayor Adler: 19 people have called in. By the way, I'll just note that we have one speaker on the police items that needs a translator. It's a one-minute speaker. I'm going to take that speaker first so that the translator can be here and translate. We'll extend it to two minutes because it's a translated speaker. All right, staff, if you'll help us call those 19 people. >> First speaker is Adrian donjes. >> Hi, I think that I'm not sure, am I in the right queue to speak on the police matters or is this the wrong queue? >> Mayor Adler: Did you sign up to speak on the police matters and something else? >> No, just the police matters. I think I'm in the wrong queue. [10:15:21 AM] >> Mayor Adler: You are in the wrong queue, but -- but I think that given our system, I don't know that it's easy for us to transfer you. So why don't you go ahead and take a minute to speak on the police item. >> Okay, so just to speak on the police item, I am located in district 5. And I've not heard anything back from you regardless of phone calls, anything like that as far as the police brutality goes, things of that nature. And what I wanted to speak more directly on was the reallocation of the budget. I think the police community as brutal as they've been to the protesters spend the majority of their time with our homeless population. If we can reallocate part of that budget to helping the homelessness community, you are going to be able to not only get rid of something that a lot of people see as an issue but also cut down on a really overwhelming police force within our [10:16:21 AM] community. So I really just wanted to say that. I think in addition that removing chief Manley is a fantastic way to go about this. He's not only shown with his actions over the past year that he is not the right leader for this community, and I think that needs to be taken more seriously. So thank you all for hearing me and hopefully in the future I can get more feedback from my representative when I reach out, but thank you all. >> Kitchen: Ma'am? Please don't hang up. I didn't hear your name. What is your name? >> Adrien. >> Kitchen: I'm sorry? >> D-o-n-g-e-s. >> Kitchen: I sent out, I tweeted a statement a couple of days ago and also sent out on minus letter list and [10:17:26 AM] response in my email, so I will look and make sure you get that information and respond. >> Thank you, I appreciate that. >> Kitchen: Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Next speaker is Mickey doss. >> Hi, can you guys hear me right now? >> Yes. >> Hello? Okay. Hi, yeah. My name is Mickey doss. I wanted to be in the queue to speak on police matters. The [inaudible] Is unclear. Can I make a brief statement on that? >> Mayor Adler: You can take one minute now. >> Mickey doss. I'm a resident of district 9 and I've lived in Austin, Texas for the past seven years. I just wanted to thank you the council for the opportunity to speak. I'm hear today asking you to fund APD as a person of [10:18:27 AM] color living in the city. I've seen APD use excessive force multiple times and this is heighten reality [inaudible] People against non-white. Time and time again here and all over the country we've seen the police not keep us safe. We need to -- what keeps us safe is affordable housing, food security, health care for all and mental health resources, especially that last part because I know there's a lot of people in Austin who could use that. Our city budget needs to reflect this reality and need to immediately defund APD by at least a hundred million. Only 35 million of that budget can effectively combat homelessness here in Austin. My main thing would be to reallocate the funding to community resources, specifically for our diminishing black communities. I love this city, I'm from Texas, I love the people [10:19:28 AM] here. Please listen to us and defund APD. Thank you, I appreciate it. >> Next speaker is Eric brown. Eric brown. Be sure to unmute. Next speaker the Jeannie freedman. [10:20:29 AM] >> Hi, can you hear me okay? >> Yes. >> Hi. Thank you so much. My name is Jeannie freedman. I've lived here for about 12 years. I live in district 3, and I've been a social worker -- I have my master's in social work and worked for integral care for about four years. I currently work at [indiscernible]. I wanted to talk about specific funds towards trauma-related care. I believe because I worked in integral care and I saw in the community, I was a community social worker, but I was also a clinic social worker. And I taught yoga in the community and I saw a significant decrease in the need for psychiatric hospitalizations, less panic attacks, which I wanted to bring up that point specifically because I think it would prevent not only [10:21:29 AM] the need for calling emergency psychiatric care which could save a lot of money in the long run, but it could be a preventive measure for a lot of things. For example, mind/body medicine is a preventive measure. It can actually prevent a lot of the symptoms that people are having that could mimic ascribing -- a describing need. Thank you for letting me talk. I would like to request increasing the budget for integral care for this need and it would also decrease the need for not only calling police but calling hospitals, which is huge. Thank you. >> The next caller is Tracy Witt. [10:22:32 AM] >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Good morning, mayor and council. This is Tracy Witt, thank you for the opportunity to speak on item 25 on behalf of the organization [inaudible] Neighborhoods. Item 25 is integral to promoting resiliency for the residents, bits, institutions and cultural fabric of historic east Austin neighborhoods. They comprise a large portion of the African- American culture district. We rely on support for the urban renewal board in I would abouting and preserving a piece of a city having taken great care to honor and sustain and advance. For that reason we urge you to extend your agreement to implement the urban renewal plan for [inaudible] Until at least September 30, 20201. We also urge you to consider urging options for [inaudible]. By reeye lining them with the fiscal year and allow the commissioners to focus [10:23:33 AM] on achieving the ambitious plans. Until covid-19 struck in March, the board had been meeting to review a complex set to changes to the urban renewal plan on east 11th street and as well as analyze scoring material. These involve extensive public engagements. Given the uncertainty and challenges the pandemic continues to present to the public process action more time rather than less optimizes the board's ability to do its work well. Extension of the agreement with the urban renewal board to September 2021 with options for annual renewal would signal openness to honoring the commitment to the community and urban renewal plan December 2018. You extended the plan for ten years to allow the board sufficient time to disclose [inaudible] Parcels and work with the community toward revitalization of dozens of underutilized blocks along east 12th street from ih-35 to paquito street. [10:24:36 AM] This portion still needs to be accountable and council supported oversight to exceed the vision for existing and new and local businesses, inspections and meant to [inaudible] Also the city at large. That is all the more true in the face of covid and its impact on the positive development outcome. Thank you for your service and support in our urban renewal plan area. >> Next speaker is [indiscernible]. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Okay. I didn't think I was going to be called because I'm speaking on APD issues, the items related to that. >> Mayor Adler: Why don't you go ahead and speak on them. You have one minute to do [10:25:36 AM] that. >> Good morning. I'm Monica Guzman, policy director for [indiscernible]. Speaking on items 50 and 296. Gava is a -- who are most of continue's communities of color live. We are a multi-racial coalition that includes [inaudible] And we know how important these relationships are. The police department budget is more than one-third of the city's budget, larger than the Austin public library, parks and recreation and ems combined. We also know it's more cost effective to fund and address social determinative issues upstream compared to paying millions of dollars downstream. Installing light, raising canopies and trimming bushes and -- reducing crime more cost effectively than paying for sworn officers including possible overtime [10:26:37 AM] downstream. Programming through the Austin public library, parks and recreation more cost effective than paying for downstream measures. The city of Austin is at a pivotal point in history. We are urging you to reallocate funding from APD in order to invest in social upstream programming and services. Increase funding for the Austin public library, Austin public health, parks and recreation, housing, food access as well as community health paramedics. Thank you. >> Next speaker is Jessica Moreno. >> Yeah, can you all hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Okay. Hello everyone and thank you for your time. Similar to everyone else, I'm speaking on the police issues today. My name is Jessica Moreno and I am a licensed clinical [10:27:37 AM] social worker who has worked for non-profits across this great city for many years, particularly focusing around the issues of domestic and sexual violence prevention. In this work I've had the opportunity to work and train alongside the police department and really work with communities most impacted by violence and frankly policing here in Austin. And the issues our clients are facing are absolutely intertwined with notionalized racism and failuress to invest in our community. I also noticed clients aren't necessarily made safer by more policing. And I recently learned that APD is one of the [inaudible] Police departments per capita in Texas which was really sad to read. We all know and we've had many city council hearings about this that our mental health calls we've seen more fatalities at the hands of the police department than in most places in the country. This is not the Austin I want to live in and throwing [10:28:38 AM] more resources at APD does not yield safer communities. I've been following ccu over the communities of color united's work for many years and I'm pretty sure you are familiar with them because they show up and enroll at all of these meetings and they've been trying to advise the city on how to support the community especially those most marginalized since well B these protests have come to a head. And so I really urge you to hear us and hear them now because it's been frustrating to come to these meetings and have these solutions presented with no real change or impact. So I hope that you hear us today and instead of funding APD really invest in what we're calling real solutions, which are investments in the rise funds, investments in the equity office, investments in Austin public health and members in low- income housing. Let's please make the Austin that we all want to live in [10:29:39 AM] safely. I know we can't yield time, but if I could I would yield it to ccu members and thank you for hearing me today. >> Next speaker is Chris Riley. >> Good morning, council. Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Okay. Council, this is Chris Riley. I'm calling as president of the board of bike Austin and I really wanted to -- I'm calling about 51 related to the placement of protected bike lanes on congress avenue north of Riverside drive. I really want to thank councilmember tovo and her colleagues for bringing this item forward in this critical step forward especially at this time. I also want to call your attention to the petition that you should have received [indiscernible] Petition yesterday afternoon. In just over a week it attracted the signatures of -- yesterday it was about [10:30:40 AM] 1400, now it's closer to 1500 signatures. And I want to point out that the petition specifically mentions the importance of extending those bike lanes all the way to 11th street. That is really critical to provide connectivity all the way to the capitol and not stop short of it. And I really encourage you to take a look, go into the spread sheet and look at the comments people have made that have submitted at the time they signed the petition. You will see downtown workers saying they really would like to be able to take their a bikes to downtown but they don't feel safe doing so. You'll see people saying they would like to be able to support downtown businesses without driving into downtown. You'll see people saying they no longer feel safe using public transit so they would like to be able to ride their bikes instead of taking cars downtown. This is an impressive list all focused on extending those lanes all the way to the capitol. [10:31:40 AM] Which, by the way, would provide great access to this great public forum. It would be great if even people who don't have access to cars would be able to access that forum. And to be able to eventually continue north of the capitol where the state has already closed those lanes as far as for the four blocks north of 15th street. Finally I would note as a board member of the downtown Austin neighborhood association, both the policy committee and the full board have supported extending bike lines to 11th street. Thank you for bringing this item forward. I look forward to working with staff and other stakeholders to make sure we get those bike lanes extended all the way to 11th street. Thanks so much. >> Next speaker is Jay [10:32:42 AM] Crosley. >> This is Jay Crosley. I live in d4 and I'm executive director of a non-profit called [inaudible] And city. And we do a lot of work supporting the city of Austin vision zero program to end traffic deaths. And I'm calling in today to support item 45, the comprehensive speed management proposal. I'm very excited to support this. Traffic deaths are an ongoing epidemic in the city and this is perhaps the most serious step the city has taken to address this problem. I do want to start my comments by saying black lives matter and the epidemic of traffic violence is in many ways related to the issues of police enforcement and we must solve these issues together. And I spend much of my time [10:33:45 AM] working with central Texas for safe streets who are family members who have lost loved ones in this crisis who do not want others to suffer the way they have. Much like the -- many of the people working on black lives matter. And so we know that changing speed limits saves lives. And just changing speed limits will prevent some amount of crashes and some amount of terrible crashes. But I hope you will strongly support this and then strongly support making the physical changes in our streets to make it the comfortable, safe, normallal option to drive at a safe speed as opposed to our current streets which encourage all of us, sort of a system of entrapment that the street is designed to make you feel you have to drive fast and then we ask the police to fix that problem. We need to figures the streets and make it comfortable to be safe. And so I want to bring your [10:34:47 AM] attention to things like the red bud bridge line proposal which clearly would not leave a modern speed standards and needs to be fixed. And the corridors project, which is our best opportunity to solve this issue across the city. But then I think you need to do more and we need to invest in fixing our streets across the city and across neighborhoods. And so I hope you will fund speed design changes to our streets. And finally, I hope the city of Austin will aggressively support legislative changes to -- in speed management as you have above. Previously the city supported the streets bill to change speed limits statewide to 25 and it's very important that the city of Austin is asking [10:35:47 AM] legislators to do 20 miles per hour. [Buzzer [buzzer sounding] Thank you very much. >> Next speaker is Mary castle. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> All right. Good morning. My name is Mary Elizabeth castle, policy advisor or Texas value action, the largest organization in the state of Texas that stands for state, family and freedom. I'm also an Austin resident from district 6. I oppose item number 44 that approves a contract up to $150,000 to James due process. Again the city council has chosen to exercise political posturing to see how far they can go before they can break the law that bans contracts between government entities and abortion [10:36:48 AM] providers. At a time when many lives are being lost to covid-19 and people are losing jobs due to the financial crisis, the city of Austin chooses to give money to an organization that persuades little girls to end life and to get abortions behind their parents' backs. Not only is the funding of abortion assistance questionable, but I consider it legally questionable that an organization finds a way to manipulate judicial bypass rules in order to assist girls in an act that is illegal under Texas law. Getting an abortion under the age of 18 without parental notification or consent. Austin residents need this $150,000 to support their families and to open the many businesses that have closed during the covid-19 crisis and we've all had to face financial hardships. Austin residents do not want to see tax dollars used to promote abortion, therefore I oppose item 44 on the consent agenda. Thank you. [10:37:50 AM] >> Next speaker is Nora Hansel. >> Hi, I might also be in the wrong queue. I signed up to speak on the police things matter. I'll go ahead and do that. I am born and raised here. I've seen a lot of changes and frankly I'm just wondering what kind of people you have to deal with to listen to that many hours of testimony from people on what they experienced last week, including the sibling of a 16-year-old boy and vote to give more funding to the police like are you kidding me? You think it's lost on us which one of you all voted? Like almost all the white people. I'm at a loss for most words so I'm going to read a quote that I think sums it up by [10:38:50 AM] Alicia Garza, founder of black lives matter. We're asking police to be domestic violence counselors, we're asking police to be therapists, police to deal with people in crisis in terms of mental health and police are not trained to do that. In effect we could spend a bunch of time training people with badges and guns but we have people whose profession is -- [buzzer sounding] Ridiculous. And you all need to understand the connection between that and the lack of social services how this is going on right now. Thank you. >> Next speaker is Erin rounder. >> Thank you, councilmembers and thank you mayor. My name is Erin rounder from district 1 and I'm speaking to you today on item 25 [10:39:52 AM] regarding the urban renewal board. Our current climate today focuses on reappropriating funds to address systemic racism. Systemic racism is also manifested in gentrification and white watching of historically black spaces and neighborhoods. We must halt the erasure of our African-American cultural district with the same intensity that council seeks to stop the whole say closure of red river by the music district due to covid. The urban renewal board has been charged with important work. The board should be kept on and empowered to be the oversight for the district as written. This morning rereading the mayor's task force report on institutional racism and systemic inequities, I noticed mayor Adler cites the common themes in the report. Institutional racism and [10:40:54 AM] systemic inequities are not myths. Evidence of their impact exists in each of the five sector areas. Real estate and education are included in these five sectors. The African-American cultural district represents two of five sectors. In mayor Adler's report, he -- on page 2, made a beautiful quote. Much of my life I have recognized race as a force in my own life and society. While racism is not the only [inaudible] To the diminished capacity of all people and especially people of color, it is the factor with so many people of power and authority fail to effectively recognize, understand and/or address. In this moment council is the authority. Please do not fail to effectively recognize, understand or address our need to empower the [10:41:56 AM] [inaudible] To do their important work. Please extend the agreement. Thank you very much. >> Next speaker is Tom walled. Tom walled, be sure to unmute. >> Oh, hi. >> Go ahead. >> Hi, yeah. Yeah, there was a data glitch. I didn't hear anything for a second. Thank you, mayor and city councilmembers. My name is Tom walled, I'm speaking on my own behalf. [10:42:59 AM] I'm a native [inaudible] And I've been living many years in Austin now. I'm speaking on two sets of items. First of all is the transportation item. I believe also on consent agenda. Those are 4, 9, 55, 51. Support our transportation goals and they also provide more opportunity to experience our city on trails. And then I also want to speak on -- for racial justice items before the court, 50, 93, 95 and 96. I want to start off by making clear black lives matter. And these steps today are only the next few in a long journey. This effort will take the continued work of councilmembers, our public safety professionals, community leaders and every other person in our community. And I'm thankful that we have the transformative opportunity, but frankly a leader -- sustain this effort for years to achieve [10:43:59 AM] the goals that we all share. I shouldn't say we all share, but I would hope we all share and it's the equality, racial justice and freedom for all people. I do not believe chief Manley can be a part of this in his current role. His response to the recent protests, the death of Mike Ramos, and his negligible activity to eliminate police brutality against black and Mexican people all indicate he is not the leader our community needs. I support defunding the police as we know it and expect redirecting funds toward more appropriate public response and services. The role of armed response needs to be re-examined and reduce understand more appropriate scale to serve our communities of value. Thank you and yield the remainder of my time. [10:45:07 AM] >> [Indiscernible] Is the next speaker. >> Good morning, Mr. Mayor and council. I'm here to speak on item 25. And more specifically to speak in praise of the chair of the urban renewal board Manuel Escobar. The last nine months I've had the privilege to have been part of the urb, I would just like to start by saying my experience leads me to applaud your and other councilmembers' well placed confidence. It's a group that's very quickly mobilized to find common ground and redouble efforts. Redouble, I mean redouble as the number of meetings since I joined in September doubled, and each meeting is accompanied by corresponding work session that happens at two-week increments. The whole efforts to achieve [10:46:09 AM] the -- mandated by council last September. I'd like to note also that I'm inspired by the chemistry that's rapidly developed across the board demonstrated by by the unanimous vote [inaudible]. Just before I was given the privilege to serve on this board, Mr. Mayor, there was substantial revamping of the membership that just occurred and picked up quite a substantial amount of dust in the engaged community. The settling of that dust was quickly fostered by the work inspired by community of color and minority communities. From the outset chair Escobar has quickly sized up the task of harmonizing the renewal plan. Revisiting hundreds of diagrams, definitions, philosophical expansions of [10:47:09 AM] framers' intent through the lens of all tiers of stakeholders. Likely a distinguished record of professional work and community service and legal background surely this board approving orientation around action that's developed in even-handed judiciousness. One that clearly grasped the technical nuances associated with our works to improve understanding of those items while they may be unclear. Consider all stakeholders equally including residents, community organizers and development and staff. And all concerns and feedback are processed in the same paradigm. I -- you know, moved to -- in his work and I wanted to point out that -- I believe the memo released earlier this week that is sort of a summary report on the work that the board has done [10:48:10 AM] doesn't quite necessarily visit the nuance of how much the board has achieved. [Buzzer sounding] In this short period. Specifically would like to point out that the deliverables which were already sort of on a very aggressive time scale were likely to have been met were it not for the covid crisis. I don't know the report necessarily points that out. I believe that the meeting that we would have had in March would have occurred, that at least two of the three deliverables would have been voted on and approved in that time frame showing that Chaires core Escobar chaired -- thank you for permitting me to serve on that board alongside the fantastic leadership of [10:49:12 AM] chair Escobar. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Frances Mcclean. >> Hi, can you hear me? >> Yes. Please proceed. >> Hi, I was actually calling in regards to I wanted to talk about the police brutality. Is that all right? >> Mayor Adler: It is, you have one minute. Go ahead. >> All right. I want to start off by thanking a few councilmembers. I want to thank Natasha harp ma'am, Jimmy Flannigan, Dell I can't Garza and Greg Casar. I don't know what your stance was on black lives matter was two weeks ago, but last week when all of you did not support the increase of police budge he had and called for man Lee or some of you called for chief Manley to step down, I was inspired by what you did. I wanted to opponent out mayor Adler you have done a [10:50:13 AM] great job leading this city if you are white and rich. You have failed the city over the last few weeks. When I think about your direction and leadership, I cry. I'm a white man and I'm very privileged, but what you have done to the people of the social city, the message you send is disgusting. People like Kathie tovo, she doesn't post anything about this, it's obvious, but you are the moderate white. You are a martin Luther king Jr. -- [buzzer sounding] -- Warned against. You have privilege and you do not use it. You do not help people. And I think that you and chief Manley should step down immediately if you want the city to have a safe place for all people of color. Thank you. >> Next speaker is Jules Jules Kane. >> This is Jules. I'm here for item 97 if [10:51:14 AM] needed. I don't think that needs to be spoken on now. >> I'm sorry, what was that? >> I'm only on the line for item 97. As needed. >> Okay. Thank you. Next speaker is Tom walled. >> Hi there. I also made the same mistake of trying to sign up for the five police agenda items. >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead and speak. >> Thank you. I will be quick. Good afternoon, mayor Adler [10:52:16 AM] and city councilmembers. Thank you for being here today and giving us the opportunity to share thoughts with you. Before I share my experience with police, I would like to point out a few things. It's been 48 days since unarmed Mike Ramos was shot and killed in his car. Secondly, city of Austin general fund on police and .7% for housing and community development. On may 31st, after passing out food downtown to the homeless community, I joined the March in downtown Austin and was shot twice in the upper body with rubber bullets. When the officer shot me I was explaining both hands in the irrelevant and pleading with them not to shoot at protesters behind me who were throwing water bottles. [Buzzer sounding] I would like to speak on [10:53:18 AM] method of crowd control used on that day and other days. Rubber bullets have been linked to devastating eye injuries, brain injuries and organ injuries. The a recent report recommended that they only be used in addressing imminent threats and only directed to the lower half of the body by being skipped off the ground and not aimed at the head, face or neck. Unfortunately that was not the case for our own Justin Howell who like me with a fellow protester throwing water bottle. One officer fired a beep bag round at a demonstrator but scrubbing Justin in the head. Google Justin's go fund me and make a donation. Tear gas is banned -- the military is banned to use it plus please with use it at home. Folks protesting for equal treatment under the law and racial justice are the perfect candidates. [10:54:18 AM] Especially during the covid-19 pandemic can which disproportionately affects the black community. I was also downtown passing out food with Alex Jones and others stood together in a crowd mask free and well within the six-foot social distancing zone allowed to walk into the capitol grounds and complain about not being able to get a hair cut or go to their watering hole. I witnessed no rubber bullets and no lines of cops -- [buzzer sounding] -- Looking like they were going to war. Fighting systemic racism, let's make sure we break out the million -- military style tactics. If you would like to convince people you aren't racist and guilty of using excessive force probably not to do racist things on TV or social media. Just because you aren't saying racist things doesn't mean your actions speak louder than your seemingly [10:55:20 AM] benign words. What we're here to talk about is policing and police accountability is one leg in a round leg of systemic racism that Americans have been dying at for hundreds of years. Kicking this leg from out under the table through citizen review boards, other policies found and the agenda items being discussed today are small but necessary start down the road to a more just society. Defunding the police doesn't necessarily mean getting rid of all law enforcement. I would like to quell those sorts of discussions. It's about refocusing state and city budgets noted to make police intervention less necessary -- >> Mayor? The speaker's time has ended. >> And investing in communities. [Buzzer sounding] -- Like stable housing, mental health services. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you for your testimony. >> Is it all right if I close? I just have two last things. >> Mayor Adler: You have [10:56:21 AM] five seconds to close. You've gone sufficiently over the one minute. It's not fair to other people, but take a quick second to close. >> He's no longer on the line. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thanks. Next speaker. >> The next caller is Christina aguilov. >> Hi, can you guys hear me? >> Yes, proceed. >> Hi, Christina Aguilar, district 10 and I will be speaking about item 96 today. So looking from the outside, one might see that Austin, Texas is a city of progress, right? Theirs steel beams going up, on the stadium being built, the universal city and streets constantly filled with tourists. But those who are African-American, Mexican and other minorities experience a different type [10:57:21 AM] of Austin, Texas. They experience a city with lack of affordable housing, little job opportunities, [inaudible] Communities, to critical services like mental health and education. That is when it's so important for us to use some of the funds that the Austin police department is privileged to and spread them out to the other emergency services that will actually help empower the minority community. It doesn't matter what your skin color is or your race, everybody deserves to see the same Austin, Texas. My advice to you guys is to use your platform and educate people on the difference between defunding and dismantling the police force. I thank you very much for your time and hope you all have a great day. >> Victor Martinez. >> Can you hear me okay? >> Yes, please proceed. [10:58:23 AM] >> Thank you, mayor Adler, mayor pro tem Garza, councilmembers. My name is Victor Martinez and I have the privilege of searching at the chair of the lgbtq advisory commission in support of item 42, for a quality of life study for our communities here in Austin. But I would like to comment on the role boards and commissions have regarding procurement selections. The city council relies on boards and commissions to make recommendations. We are considered subject matter experts and representatives of various communities. When staff selected a vendor for this particular contract, they did not provide our commission with any relevant information to allow us to make an informed decision. All we were given were the scores each proposal but nothing more. No summaries or any information regarding the various proposals evaluated by staff. Our commission voted in favor of awarding the contract but for the first time since this commission was formed three years ago the vote was not unanimous. [10:59:25 AM] Three of us abstained because we felt we did not have enough information to vote one way or the other. It was not that we didn't trust the stuff, they do a good job. If council is relying on the boards and commissions to recommend for our against procurement choices, then we must have more information in order to make a proper member education to council. -- Recommendation to council. It's not what we are supposed to do. Thank you very much for your time and your service. >> The last speaker is Austin Hess. >> Hello? Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Okay, great. So in the last -- item 87 today, there is a provision to give about $920,000 to Austin resource recovery apparently to provide, [11:00:27 AM] quote, cleanup services for homeless encampments. So what is -- what are these cleanups for those who don't know they are illegal [inaudible] By which is organization that's purchasing them, in this case Austin resource recovery defines quote, unquote, work zone and use that distinction to threaten all the unhoused people living in 245 area to either leave or abandon shelters to be collected and destroyed by either a contractor or the city department itself or else they will be threatened with arrest for criminal trespassing. So on a day today when many people are speaking out against a measure of -- against the size of the APD coming in needless contact with people threatening safety, I would like to point out these so-called cleanups are an incredibley [11:01:28 AM] potent way of increasing police violence against unhoused people in Austin. Basically people have to choose between resisting their shelters being taken away and resisting their potentially medically necessary items being taken away or having direct police confrontation. Now that these sweeps are restarting under a different city department this week that they will be more humane. This seems to only be based on the fact that people are allowed to keep store-bought tents. In fact, any other sort of shelter such as a tarp-based tent, is being taken no matter if it's the person's only shelter. So what does that mean on days when it is having a high of over 90° in the afternoons, contractors have been filmed yesterday taking and destroying people's drinking water, taking and destroying people's only means of shade and in one [11:02:29 AM] case threatening to throw away someone's walker until someone who -- a local activist called them out on that. So the demand here is that the only expansion of programs is for voluntary cleanups. Not expanding this idea of work zone forced cleanup into Austin resource recovery. If that part of item 87 is not struck today, it will be blood on all of your hands when someone dies from heat stroke from not having shelter. It will be blood on all of your hands when someone dies of dehydration when someone destroys water, when contractors spread covid-19 -- [buzzer sounding] -- For invading personal pace to take down tents and blood on all of your hands when someone gets hits by a care being forced to carry belongings across the state [11:03:30 AM] in a pointless effort to save them. Once again, the demand is there be no expansion of involuntary cleanups and only an expansion of voluntary purple bag placement. That is all. Thank you. >> Mayor? Mayor? For the last speaker, if you would send on the information that you just shared. You know, the council had a pretty lengthy conversation about this program and it's my understanding before we implemented it and it's my understanding that they are -- those who are out on the sites are being respectful of personal belongings and as you may be aware it's been a real priority of the city as we [11:04:31 AM] face covid-19 to really make sure that individuals who are experiencing homelessness, our neighbors in encampments throughout the city have access to water, hand washing stations, have access to temporary restrooms. To the extent that we -- that there are instances going on such as the ones you described, we absolutely want to be aware of them. So if you would follow up with I would say the entire council and provide us with some more details about what you are describing. But I'm really -- I have to give a shout out for continued work to make sure resources are from food to sanitary items to education about how to keep safe, I think our public health department in partnership with other departments have really, really made extraordinary efforts in reaching out to individuals [11:05:32 AM] experiencing homelessness and make sure that they have as much as -- as many of the resources as they need to stay healthy through this unprecedented time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Is there an address that I can send that documentation of the -- policies not being followed? >> Tovo: Go to city of Austin website, you will see addresses of councilmembers, but the general framework of how those email addresses work are first name, dot, last name at Austin, Texas got.gov. >> Mayor Adler: [11:06:32 AM] Colleagues, those are all the speakers except policing matters and zoning matters. Let me try something so we can let some people good. To consent agenda 1 through 58, 87 through 98 and 102 to 104. As concerns the consent agenda, I think we might be able to pass it quickly. Councilmember tovo, you have item number 51 which deals -- thank you for your leadership on that. I think that's a really good resolution about making new uses of roads and I appreciate that. Would you have any objection, would it be friendly to include in your resolve clause also the opportunity for the city manager to include temporary art in public places in that same right-of-way? There have been some requests, for example, to do street art or other art that [11:07:35 AM] relates to the movement that we're now all working in and I think that staff would appreciate having that specific authority. >> Tovo: Absolutely I would consider that friendly, and I think it's very support -- it's not just supportive of and in concert with this resolution, but we have a series of previous resolutions that our council and early councils have passed supporting that including, you know, actions that councilmember Riley, who spoke before us on consent agenda have sponsored. I think our staff certainly have the latitude to explore those kinds of projects and this makes it absolutely clear. So yeah, thank you, I welcome that amendment. >> Mayor Adler: And councilmember harper-madison and her staff are also working on this. Add the words so it would read, city council directs the city manager to work [11:08:36 AM] with downtown businesses and stakeholders to quickly establish temporary northbound and southbound projected bike lanes congress avenue north of Riverside drive to the extent possible considering the safety and needs of all users, comma, then inserting these words, the opportunity to include temporary art in public places, comma, continuing on with your resolution. Without objection that will be added to number 51 and that will stay on the consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Items 1-17, 87 to 98, 102 to 104, but 50, 93, 94, 95 and 96. >> Pool: Mayor, I would make that motion. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a second? Councilmember harper-madison seconds. Any discussion? Councilmember Flannigan. >> Flannigan: Thank you, mayor. We have a big decision to make today that we will make later, but there's also some [11:09:36 AM] pretty cool stuff on the consent agenda and I know councilmember alter and I both are probably going to make comments about it, but item 103 approves the contract with the better business bureau to begin the disbursement of the clear and anchor funds. We are still in a global pandemic and if you read any other news stories you know it's getting worse not better. We have to get these supportive funds out to our small businesses and non-profits as quickly as efficiently as we did with the mayor pro tem's rise program. I'm so excited to see the staff move quickly and bring this item for council approval today. It was such a huge collective effort between not just myself and councilmember alter and councilmember harper-madison and councilmember Ellis, all of whom did some amazing work pulling this together, but all the outside organizations, chambers of commerce, non-profits, local businesses, finance organizations to help us [11:10:37 AM] craft a program that I think is going to get the money out and will do it in a way that provides some really much needed transparency when you are talking about a program of this scale. For the media and others who are looking at the agenda item and they see a number that looks like one million, understand that that is not the total amount of the program, that is merely the administrative fee that we are paying because the program itself is so significant. We are going to be disbursing millions of dollars into this community to help folks survive and I hope in this moment and I'm sure the mayor will repeat these comments later, everyone is renewing their resolve to wearing a mask and maintaining their physical done and doing everything we can to survive this global pandemic that we are in. Thanks for my colleagues and council for keeping this on consent. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for making those points and since you've raised it here, I want to report to my [11:11:37 AM] colleagues and community, Dr. Escott had a press conference this morning. You recall when he briefed us, he said when we got to seven days of hospitalizations of 20 or month, at that point we were on a path on overwhelm our hospitals. I want you to know the number of new hospitalizations in our city went up to 24. The seven-day average is at 13. But obviously going up to 24 is gravely concerning. The 13 number puts us in the middle of that yellow range. A range between five and 19. But it's of great concern. The last three days are the first time we've had three days in a row with triple-digit new cases in Austin. Actually had 161 new cases two days ago, yesterday it was 130 new cases. Those number of cases are increasing at a more rapid rate than our number of new [11:12:40 AM] tests. Those new cases that we're looking at are probably more the result of memorial day and changed behaviors as we began to open up than they are of the demonstrations and protests. If that's going to have an impact, we haven't seen that yet. Everybody wants to try to keep the economy opening. We have to do a better job of social distancing and wearing face coverings or we -- you are going to compromise our ability to be able to do that. And the last point I would share with you that Dr. Escott made was there's been some suggestion in some quarters that we should just -- that cases going up is inevitable, they will just go up, but that's okay because we will surge to create more hospital beds than we have right now. That is not a good answer because to the degree that we are surging hospital beds, in other words putting people out in the hallways [11:13:41 AM] in hospitals or even opening up field hospitals, the care is diminished, which means that anybody that's going into an emergency room for covid or for a car accident or for a heart attack is going to get compromised care. You cannot surge hospital beds in a way that provides the same kind of care that our hospitals do. A really big yell he blinking light our -- yellow blinking light our community has now. Councilmember alter. >> Alter: Thank you. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Alter: Thank you. Good morning, first I would just like to ask the clerk to note me as abstaining for item number 2. And then I also want to previously speak to items 102 and 103 -- briefly speak. And as councilmember Flannigan mentioned, both of these follow from an April [11:14:43 AM] resolution I co-sponsored with councilmember Flannigan, Ellis and harper-madison and Adler supported by the covid-19 response. And I want to reiterate what the mayor and councilmember Flannigan have noted which is we are still operating under a pandemic and we still have to be careful and as a community we are still navigating how we manage through the pandemic and how we make sure that our institutions and the people in our community are able to be resilient in this time. Item 102 approves a contract with United Way of greater Austin to administer the child care fund grant program, to disburse emergency funds to child care facilities in need of relief as a result of covid-19. This is really a very critical investment in our local economy and in the lives of austinites. We are investing in quality child care facilities and helping them through these [11:15:43 AM] very difficult financial times, helping them to get their ppe, helping them to set up what they need to set up up in order for our children to receive daily care in a safe manner. I want to express my appreciation to staff for moving this forward quickly and I want to thank the United Way for agreeing to be the agent disbursing these funds. For the United Way, this effort builds on their long standing work to improve the lives of children in our community and we all reap the benefits. We know that quality child care provides people the freedom to join the workforce, to earn money that they need to provide for their families. It's also really important for peace of mind and quality of life and I know that for all of you who are parents watching or on the dais you are parents, you know access to quality child care allows you to rest assured your children are in good hands and that allows your children to focus on the business of learning because they are in a safe place. As we're operating with covid, having safe child care also means we are in a [11:16:44 AM] better position to reopen or to operate more normally. On item 103, this is the item that gives a contract to the better business bureau to administer the clear and the anchor grants to help us with our small and local businesses and our non-profits to help them keep alive. I really want to thank staff for the heavy lift here of getting this program off the ground. And I'm very excited about the partnership that's being forged with the better business bureau. I think there are huge opportunities for this collaboration above and beyond this particular item, but I'm also really proud of Austin for taking the lead on this. It's my understanding that the better business bureau is going to take this model that this council set forth in April and try and replicate it in many cities in Texas and across the country. And because our city has been so focused on equity, [11:17:47 AM] they have innovated some equity elements into the process that they are now going to be adopting more broadly for the better business bureau. And I think it's really important that Austin is leading on this not just to help our businesses and non-profits but provide an opportunity across the country to have mechanisms to get relief to small local businesses and non-profits with an equity lens. So I just want to say thank you to staff and the better business bureau for really stepping up in this case. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Anything before we take a vote on the consent? Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I wanted to speak to a couple of things. First I would like to speak to item number 45. I want to thank the efforts of our staff and our transportation department staff as well as our vision zero advocates who have been [11:18:49 AM] working for quite some time on lowering speed limits. As we heard testimony earlier, lowering speed limits saves lives and so this is a -- this is a very important step for our city to be able to lower these speed limits, so I want to thank them for their efforts. I also want to echo what my colleagues have said with regard to 103, which is the funding related to the clear fund and the anchor fund, and I appreciate the work that my colleagues have done, councilmember alter, councilmember Flannigan and others that sponsored this initial effort. Machine funds for our small businesses -- emergency funds for our small businesses and our non-profits is absolutely critical in this time. You know our city is one of the very special things about our city is the number and types and variety of small businesses that we have. And it is so critical that [11:19:49 AM] we do what we can to help them sustain through this crisis. I would echo the statements that councilmember alter said with regard to the child care fund, recognizing that the importance of that fund for families. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Councilmember Ellis. >> Ellis: Thank you. I also wanted to speak briefly to item 87, which is the clean community fee. And we've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes with staff to look at this item, and it covers a few things. Some of which is supposed to be covered by the clean creeks initiative. That was passed in January and as we've been working through with staff and with legal, we've been having conversations about how best appropriate that money and it looks like the best conversation is going to happen during this next budget cycle. I wanted people to know we were watching that very closely and asking questions [11:20:49 AM] about the programming for litter abatement like leave no trace and park rangers and a couple of other things that are happening with that line item. It also increases street sweeping and buys vehicles to do the street sweeping, you know, like on sixth street. And so we just wanted people to know we were continuing to work on this and best in line with litter abatement and clean creeks programming. Stay tuned for our conversations in the budget cycle, but very much appreciate the even put that last caller had and with more information, if you have it, I want you to be our eyes and ears if there's something we need to be looking at, but I know our resource recovery department has also looked at ways to make sure as they are cleaning up litter that they are not throwing away personal belongings. All of your concerns are [11:21:52 AM] valid and aappreciate you being out there making sure people stay safe. >> Mayor Adler: Ann? >> Kitchen: I would like to let you know something. I think you got an email on item 46 recently from Riley, but this is the sidewalk solicitation item. We've postponed it a couple of times because the disappointed bidder, unity contractor services, filed a lawsuit against the city after they were not awarded the contract. We had a temporary restaining order hearing just day before yesterday and the plead of the jurisdiction, the city reveiled. We got the decision last night. I got a letter from the lawyer representing the disappointed bidder wanting you all not to move forward. It's been delayed a couple of times. We feel like you can act, but I wand to let you know that is out there. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [11:22:53 AM] Anyone else to speak on the consent agenda? Councilmember pool. >> Pool: Thanks, mayor. I just wanted to echo councilmember kitchen's comments on item 45. Lower speed limits throughout the city has been something I have worked on for the time I've been on the council and it's difficult to do. There were a lot of intrinsic obstacles in order to overcome, so I really applaud the city staff's efforts here. I'm glad they brought this forward. Appreciate that there was legislation at the statehouse and I really do hope that it will allow us to make some pretty big strides towards our vision zero goals. And then also -- so I'm really happy about item 45. And then 51 is, the temporary bike lane to congress. I was working on pulling [11:23:54 AM] together an initiative along these lines and reached out to councilmember tovo because of course congress avenue is in her district to see if she would like to join me in this effort and turned out she was well on her way to doing that very thing and more elegantly than I ever could as far as putting the words together on paper. So it was kind of fun to see that congruence of effort happening literally at the same time across the city. So thanks to everybody who is supporting that idea. To those who brought the idea in the past many times and the [inaudible] We've done on congress and all the rest. Thank you to those two items to the folks bringing them forward. Appreciate all that work. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, councilmember alter. >> Tovo: I wanted to thank councilmember Ellis for continuing the work on the [11:24:58 AM] clean community and my office has been working closely with your office and I'll look forward to continuing to do that with you through the budget process. I think there's some really important opportunities here to be deploying these funds in appropriate ways. I look forward to working with you on it. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Anything else? The consent agenda is items 1 through 57, 87 to 98, 102 and 104, we're pulling 50 and 93 through 96. It's been moved and seconded. Those in favor of the consent agenda, please raise your hand. Those opposed? Unanimous on the agenda passes. We can quickly take care of the non-consent items that we have. There are just a few of them. Item number 59 being a [11:25:59 AM] non-consent condemnation motion, authorize use of eminent domain and described for the current meeting for the public described therein. I need a motion. Councilmember alter makes a motion. Is there a second? Councilmember Renteria seconds. Discussion? Those in favor? Those on positive? It's unanimous on the dais. On the -- I'm sorry, on the non-consent agenda is item 58, the audit and finance municipal civil service. Councilmember alter, do you want to fill in the two names? >> Alter: Sure. As noted in the backup, we are making two appointments to a municipal civil service commission. These were recommended by the audit and finance committee and we conducted [11:27:00 AM] interviews for the open position. So we would like to reappoint Pamela Lancaster as chair and for her reappointment and we would like to appoint Erika cane for the balance of the open term. I want to thank both of them for their willingness to serve and my colleagues who helped with the interviews as well as the many applicants that we had, particularly those that we interviewed. We are very fortunate in our city to have residents with skills and expertise who are willing to step up and volunteer considerable hours to help our city function well. The municipal civil service commission is something that our city has set up to make sure that we addressed employee complaints in an appropriate manner and it's very important work, but it is very time consuming. [11:28:01 AM] These folks are devoting two full days a month volunteering to help with this process. So I really thank them and those who volunteered for joining us. I want to thank my colleagues councilmember pool, tovo, Flannigan and mayor Adler for being part of the interview process through that and finance committee. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a second to the motion? Councilmember pool seconds. Any discussion? Those in favor -- councilmember Flannigan. >> Flannigan: I'm not sure if you missed it, but councilmember harper-madison participated in the interviews as well. >> Alter: Oh, yes, I'm sorry. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. >> Alter: Thank you, councilmember harper-madison. >> Mayor Adler: Those in favor? Those opposed? Unanimous on the dais. That item passes. Is there any objection to postponing item number 61 null July 30th? Hearing no objection, item number 61 is postponed to July 30th. [11:29:02 AM] I'm now going to recess the Austin city council meeting here at 11:29 -- yes, councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: Before you do that, if I could. Just a little bit earlier we passed item 45 and I too applaud our transportation department and community members who advocated for that change. We did in the last few weeks get suggestions about additional streets that people wanted considered for lowered speed limits. And so in light of everything going on, we just couldn't bring forward those suggestions in a really organized way, but I wondered if my council colleagues would support me in providing direction to the staff that there be a process for neighborhoods to suggest streets they believe should also be considered for those lower of speed limits. And if there are no concerns about that, I would just provide that as direction to our staff that we allow for [11:30:02 AM] those additional street names to come to our staff for consideration. >> Mayor Adler: Does anybody have objection to that direction going to staff to entertain requests for neighborhoods? Two people raised hands. Councilmember kitchen and then councilmember alter. >> Kitchen: I don't have any objection. Councilmember tovo, I think that was anticipated as part of atd's process. The briefing at the mobility committee, so thank you for making that more specific so people can understand that. I believe that is the intent. >> Tovo: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember >> Alter: My comments are similar to council member kitchen's. If you look closely at the item and the presentation the other day, there was some additional work that was done in the urban core, and we had a number of conversations that we wanted that work expanded beyond the urban core. [11:31:03 AM] I don't know if that applies for the questions in your district, but this was supposed to be a first step, and then they were going to be examining some additional streets outside of the urban core as well. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Tovo: [Indiscernible] That detail, I would just ask our staff to let communities know how best to funnel those recommendations. But I didn't want the moment to go by without -- without those individuals who had suggested particular streets that were not included today to think that that was the end of the conversation. >> Mayor Adler: So without objection, if the clerk then would please note the direction in the minutes. All right. I'm going to recess the city council meeting here at 11:31. I'm going to convene the Austin housing finance corporation meeting here on June 11th. Good enough. June 11th. It is 11:31. [11:32:05 AM] The full board of directors is present. Colleagues, the consent agenda today is to approve the minutes, which is item number 1, and wills to approve a resolution for an allocation, which is item number 2. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Mayor pro tem makes the motion. Council member harper-madison seconds. Any discussion? Those in favor of the consent agenda, please raise your hand. Those opposed? Thank you. It's unanimous on the board of directors. With that that's all of our business, so at 11:32, the Austin housing finance corporation meeting is adjourned. Now going to reconvene the Austin city council meeting here at 11:32. Colleagues, what we have left are the zoning cases, which we can't raise until 2:00. We'll call for speakers at that point. Before we call the public [11:33:06 AM] speakers on the five police matters that have been pulled, we're going to go around and let everybody on the council give a real brief opening statement if they want to. The clerk has asked us to take a ten- minute recess. My question is, after the council speaks -- it's 11:33 right now -- my guess is that after the council speaks, it may be real close to noon and we could take a break and then just start taking speakers, come back from lunch and take speakers at -- take an hour break for lunch and come back at 1:00, and then start hearing speakers, if that would work for council. So, clerk, do you need for us to take ten-minute recess if we're not going to be taking speakers yet? >> No, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. So in that case then I'm going to give everybody on the council a chance to speak, and then we'll move forward. >> Mayor? [11:34:07 AM] Very quickly -- this is Myrna. Can I make a quick announcement for all of the speakers? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> First and foremost, do not hang up or you will lose your spot in line. Also, if you are currently on the line, please press 0 to be admitted to the call. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Again, if you're on the line, don't hang up, and if you're there, press -- what was is? -- What wait? 0 that you wanted them to press? >> Yes, 0. >> Mayor Adler: Let's give council members a chance to speak, then real take an hour lunch from whatever time it is we stop, then we'll start taking speakers from the public. Council member harper- madison, do you want to start us off? >> Harper-madison: Yes. Thank you. So in my year and a half on this council, I've never seen a public response to any issue before like what we're seeing right now. [11:35:09 AM] That's saying something, obviously, really intense interest and controversy for a number of reasons, from LBC to our approach to homelessness -- [indiscernible] I can try again. I think it's gone, whatever hiccup that was. I'll pick back up at controversial things that we've gone through, including our response to racism in the top ranks of APD, but this time it's completely different, it's been overwhelming in several senses of the word. Thousands and thousands [11:36:09 AM] of speakers speaking, hundreds of speakers signing up to speak at multiple meetings. My office alone has seen more than 10,000 emails this week. My phones have been lighting up. The message has been almost unanimous. Support these items, we are bringing before us. Our residents are demanding change. I'm happy to use whatever power or ability I may have to help start making that happen. One other thing I'm hearing, and all the public comment, a lot of people are saying that this is their first time engaging with the -- their city government, and that part is super -- truly exciting for me. I want all of them to know that not too long ago, I was saying the same exact thing, that it was my first time, too. Municipal government isn't something we spend a lot of time learning about in school. Schoolhouse rock told us how a bill becomes a law but not how a board or commission sends up a [11:37:10 AM] direction that we turn into direction that city staff brings back for our consideration at an ordinance. This stuff is kind of wonky and can feel intimidating, but it shouldn't be. And it's not always as sexy as what we're considering today. Sometimes this is, you know, really relatively complex subject matter. But it's so vitally important to everyone's everyday lives, and it's so much closer to you than the state or the federal government, the work that we do here at the municipal level. Your involvement has so much more weight and influence, and I hope that everyone can see that in this current process. So I want to encourage everyone to say -- to stay, rather, involved, and stay engaged with us on other issues. If you have any questions about the process, reach out to my office, that's district 1 at austintexas.gov. Democracy works so much better when it actually reflects the diversity of our community. So thank you for your [11:38:12 AM] participation. Thank you for your voice. And thank you for your commitment to our community. >> Mayor, this is Myrna from the clerk's office. Can we have two minutes, please? We're trying to get the audio correct and for everyone to be able to hear. Just two minutes. >> Mayor Adler: Council meeting is going to be in recess here for two minutes. [Recess] [11:40:35 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Colleague S, we're reconvening the city council meeting here at 11:40. Next speaker, mayor pro tem. >> Garza: Thank you, mayor. It was heartening to see how united we were on Tuesday. But I want to make sure the public knows this is no victory at all, there's still so much work to do, and, in fact, the harder work is way ahead of us. We have to hold ourselves accountable. And that's where I believe item 50 comes into play, in that it sets the zero disparities in use of force, et cetera. I only have about six more months on this dais but I want to be able to look back in two to three years to see what those numbers look like and ask that council why we haven't gone closer to those. [11:41:35 AM] We have this important Mont that demands that we absolutely change the way we do things in our city. And as I mentioned on Tuesday, we all -- we don't come -- nobody comes to this with clean hands. We've all made mistakes. But it's important to recognize in this moment that we can right those wrongs. I know that in meetings with particularly organizations like communities of color united, ccu, they have been -- they have been -- you know, along with many of us, fighting for changes in our budget. And I remember, you know, listening to them and saying I support everything you're saying, but. You know, there was always a but. There was always a reason why we couldn't do something, because of some system in place. So it's time for his, and -- time for us, I recognize that more than ever, to stop doing the "But" part. I believe that we don't ever a crime problem in [11:42:35 AM] our city, our in this country. We have a public health crisis, we have a housing crisis, and all too often, we respond to those emergencies with sending a police officer. I appreciated the quote, I was not aware of the quote by Alicia Garza that one of the speakers made by the co-founder of black lives matter, it was very similar to what I was going to say. Police officers aren't trained -- they're not trained to deal with things like years of childhood trauma or addiction that may come with years of childhood trauma, they're handled to keep themselves and their team safe. And it is because of that, I do support the reduction in a hundred million dollars in the APD's budget. And for me, this is not taking away anything from anybody. This is about right-sizing our response to a public health, a mental health housing crisis. It's about admitting that we have to change the way we see the role of our public safety. [11:43:36 AM] Lastly, I'd like to say, as -- I've moved a lot in my positions, particularly because of my former career as a -- I don't know if you can call it a career, it was six years, my former work as an Austin firefighter. And you can talk to any firefighter and probably any police officer, and they can tell you a day's worth of stories of responses they made that was not a fire call or a medical call. I could tell you stories about the responses that A.F.D. Made. I remember there was a cat hanging from the 290 flyover, over by mopac, and they sent fire because who else are they going to send. In so many ways, we respond to things, no offense to small towns, but in a small town kind of way. So, you know, our animal people can't reach the cat, so let's send our fire because they have the big ladder. And we just have to rethink the way that we're responding -- we're a big city, we have [11:44:37 AM] resources, we can change the way we respond to public safety. We have to be courageous to reimagine this. That just -- and that starts today and that starts with making tough votes during the budget. So thank you. >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry. Anybody else want to speak? Council member Flannigan? >> Flannigan: Yeah, I just want to note, I'll make more comments at the end, but I'm really excited to hear the testimony from the public today. I'm really thankful of the work that we did on Tuesday from all of my colleagues on the dais. I, of course, want to honor and thank the work of council member harper-madison for the heavy lift she has to take, more than one person should have to take in this moment, how much I love and respect the work that she does [11:45:38 AM] for her district and for our city. And to the mayor pro tem and council member Casar, the heavy work you have to do as well, and it has been my honor to join the four of you on the judicial committee, and thanks to council member pool for having served on that committee as well, as we move forward through these items. And for the public, you know, I know the three-minute and one-minute thing is confusing. I worked with the clerk to post on the council message board, Austin council forum.org, you can go and see who the three-minute speakers are so that if you have prepared remarks for three minutes, that you're not on that list, you'll have a little bit of time to reframe your thoughts appropriate for a one-minute speaking slot. >> Mayor Adler: Council member kitchen. >> Kitchen: Thank you, and I wanted to make [11:46:40 AM] some -- some remarks right now, and then I'll speak more, particularly to mental health issues later. And let me just -- let me just start by saying that I want to -- I want to express my thanks to council member harper-madison for her leadership and for her words. I think that she has done an excellent job in speaking to the public and also to speaking to all of us and helping us all get to a place where we're moving forward together. As council member Flannigan mentioned, Tuesday was a very important statement that we all made in signing on as co-sponsors and stating our support for these items. So I also want to say to everyone who has reached out to us, by phone, by email, by talking today, and I really so [11:47:40 AM] appreciate the opportunity to hear everyone's perspectives. And as council member harper-madison mentioned, we are hearing you. I am hearing you. I am listening. I hear the demands for change. And I also hear that this is the first time that many of you have been involved. So I wanted to say that, as the mayor pro tem said, there's much, much more work to be done after today. We are talking about a fundamental shift that our society, as a whole, in many ways, has failed our community. We do not invest like we should in mental health care, in health care, in housing, in the whole range of services that are necessary for people to have a good life. And so the work is well beyond what happens at council. We -- we will need your [11:48:40 AM] help with our city staff, our city departments, and with the community to make real change as we move forward. So I want to make a few other comments. I want everyone to know I put out a statement, and I'll read a little bit from that because there's a few things that I want to be sure to say here. I am -- I want to express that I am saddened and I'm frustrated at what has been clearly visible and systemic lack of justice across the nation. And we all know that that disproportionately and egregiously impacts the black community and communities of color. This systemic injustice and police violence in our country -- this is almost not strong enough, it's been allowed to continue for tool, and we've seen the result in [11:49:40 AM] injury, death, and fundamental civil rights. I remain committed to achieving the change that is necessary, that protects the civil rights of all austinites and holds people accountable when those rights are violated. I also want to say that, you know, what we're really talking about is a transformational shift in culture that's needed for policing in our country, and that addresses the implicit racial bias that we've seen and prioritizes deescalation strategies. I am committed to demilitarizing and reenvisioning a department that's better aligned with our city's values of inclusiveness and equality. We need new principles of action for our police department. It's time to accelerate the changes that we've directed in the past that haven't been fully realized, such as police training and mental health response. And I want to say that -- [11:50:41 AM] I want to say to our officers that by holding everyone accountable, we are supporting our officers. And we're better enabling them to meet the highest standards we all expect and they expect of their department. We must hold our officers accountable for their actions. That's something that we all know. And as I said a minute ago, our community has -- our community and communities all across the country and our nation as a whole has not sufficiently addressed systemic, institutional issues of racism and economic hardship. The mayor pro tem said that very well. We have to shift and reimagine and rethink what we do with our investment, and we need to invest in people. I also want to say that I recognize that policing is a very difficult job, and we are asking our officers to resolve situations they're not [11:51:41 AM] trained for and it's not their job. These are situations that are better addressed by investment in harm prevention and social supports. I have been a champion for a while, my background, for those of you who don't know, my background is in social service, and specifically in health care and mental health care. And so I want to say that, just -- you know, our country has failed people who have mental health illness and mental health -- and mental health crisis. So helping people in a mental health crisis should be addressed by mental health professionals and the health care system. So just a last few words, you know, the kinds of changes we need, I'm very proud to support what's in front of us today. We have additional work to do after today, both in making those real and in looking at other items, too. We need to address use of [11:52:42 AM] force, adopting the eight can't wait policies recommended by campaign zero. As I've been saying, we need to invest in people, prevention, and social service. We need to address particularly mental health and substance use treatment. A number of speakers have mentioned homelessness, which is a key issue for us. We need to institute no tolerance for racism and support a culture of diversity. That means cultural changes we've identified in things like the Tatum report, community policing recommendations and matrix report, composition and diversity in all of our decisions, and we need to require accountability. And some of those things that we need to have hard conversations again with our departments relate to things like the 180-day rules for complaints and other things like that. So I'm proud to have added my name as a co-sponsor to items 50, 93, 94, 95, and 96, and [11:53:44 AM] I'm proud to be part of a council that indicated their support for those items on Tuesday. I'm proud to have sponsored full funding for the mental health diversion initiative, along with council member pool. And so I remain committed to taking action that's real action and carries this through, all the way to implementation. We need these changes to address public safety, and I want everyone in our community that I stand with the black community and with our entire community for transformational, lasting change. The last thing I want to say is, I have spoken to my expectations for leadership. I have spoken to my expectations that the -- with the city manager, that the city manager provides the leadership for transformation and holds APD and all city departments accountable for swift and effective [11:54:45 AM] change. These -- this is a change that occurs across our city, across all departments, and that who leadership needs to come from our city manager. And I trust that he will provide that, and I know that he understands and we all understand as a council that that leadership needs to happen. So thank you. I will be talking more later with regard particularly to mental health issues. And I want to say to everyone who is -- is coming out for the first time, or people who have been involved before, I hope you will stay with us throughout this whole process. We have much work to do, not just in our budget process coming up in August, but continuing after that. We need everyone's help to make this -- these fundamental changes. Thank you. [11:55:55 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Sorry. The clerk is doing a really good job, they keep muting me. Council member Casar. >> Casar: Thank you, mayor. Overpolicing and mass incarceration have been pitched over decades as a method to keep us safe, but the effect has too often been the opposite of safety. We heard that in our testimony, person after person, last week. We heard cries from the community where people did not feel safe or were even directly harmed or injured. We've been told that things like tear gas or lead pellet guns are to protect us. But as we've seen the impact of some of these tools in Austin, it's clear that the things that are supposedly meant to keep us safe are, in fact, hurting so many of us too often. That same principle, I think, applies to our budget. Till recently, the Texas economy was booming. Even before the pandemic, so many folks felt like they were left out of the [11:56:56 AM] benefits of our strong economy. Sure, a big part of that has to do with the federal government and the state government and they are regressive policies about sharing the benefits of growth, but we can't point at them without looking at ourselves. So much of Austin's prosperity from the last decade has been sucked up into one place: The police budget. All the while, we've experienced the defunding this decade of our public education system in Texas, defunding of housing and had you been transportation, the defunding of mental health services. Systemic disinvestment from community services has been a defunding of community safety. It's been happening for decades. I'll never forget the first budget that I worked on, on council. My top priority was to make sure that the most immigrant neighborhoods neighborhood with the most young kids in our city who didn't have a park, would finally have a park, and [11:57:56 AM] it's taken us six years, we're about to get it open. I remember we didn't have a sign for our neighborhood pool. We struggled to find dollars to replace the light bulbs and copper in the outdoor lights near the elementary school at St. John. We were working at that same school and others to make sure social workers wouldn't get laid off. It made no sense that in a city with a tax base like ours, we would have to be struggling for such basic, little things for our communities, and especially for low- income people. Over the last five years on council, several of us have asked to reduce the policing budget a little here or a little there in order to bring more services and other forms of safety and support to low-income communities. Sometimes those attempts succeeded; sometimes they failed. But they've never been enough, and our community is calling on us now to be transformative. We've been called to completely reevaluate the way that we define public safety and the way that we think about our budget. So I agree with advocates that we should do [11:58:56 AM] everything we can to try to move that hundred million dollars from policing as our primary response to social problems over to other forms of community support and emergency response and community safety. That means a renewed commitment to invest in homelessness prevention, violence intervention, family violence shelter, treatment for addiction, affordable housing, mental health. Today we take immediate action to start setting that path forward for ourselves. Today with take action to ban tear gas, to ban choke holds and strangle holds, to ban shooting lead pellets at protesters, ban shooting at people fleeing arrest, and that's just a start. Today is the beginning and I am so appreciative of being on a council dais where we are listening and learning and trying, and I think we can earn the community's trust if we show not just a commitment today but the continued work ahead into the future. Thank you. [11:59:58 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Council member Ellis. Then council member tovo. >> Ellis: Thank you, mayor. Over the last few weeks, we've seen our community send a very clear and powerful message that enough is enough. And as city leaders, we must commit to facing these issues, no matter how difficult. We're facing many issues right now, but one that clearly stands out is an urgent and imperative need for action and reform of our police department. There's an urgent need to fund public health, medical services, other community needs such as parks, libraries, housing, and so much more. Right now, we rely on the police to take care of these services, and, in fact, our city's funding reflects this misplaced reliance. As city council members, we have the ability to do something about it, and so we must do something about it. Council member harper-madison proposed a resolution last December [12:00:59 PM] to improve recruitment of our new cadets. It is strengthened by direction to divert unused and unnecessary funds toward improved training for trauma-informed response. It also includes allocating resources for community health services, such as the community health paramedics and the first responder mental health calls for service program. Supporting and improving our community's mental and emotional health is one of the greatest investments we can make for the overall well-being of our city. From thousands of voices that reached out to me over the last few weeks, and I, along with a lot of this council, need to do a better job as a community to listen, respond, and give power to the voices of our people. I have heard you. This is just the beginning. Today we will continue the hard work to reach the necessary answers. That will attain through our budget session that begins in July. And that process will depend on us, but it also depends on you, the [12:02:00 PM] people of Austin, to drive meaningful change and lasting solutions with us. I know that the people of Austin are committed to making this city a better place, and you have my commitment to join you in that effort. We can build a stronger Austin here at council, but much like the recent pandemic, council alone cannot do it. We need individual societal and all governmental levels involved. And we must have the courage to face these issues head-on, no matter how difficult they are, moving forward to do what we can to solve these issues. Our community rightfully is joining together and we are here to respond to you, and I really appreciate so many people coming out and saying exactly what you want to see. And I'm here for you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Council member tovo. >> Tovo: Thank you. [12:03:01 PM] I'm going to reserve my comments primarily for later, but I just wanted to say to those who are on the call participating, I just want to reiterate what I indicated on Tuesday, which is that I'm in full support of these resolutions, and I appreciate the opportunity for all of us to co-sponsor. I want to especially recognize the leadership of those who brought the resolutions forward, council member harper- madison, thank you for your leadership, council member Casar, mayor pro tem Garza, and council member Flannigan. I want to also -- you know, not just express my support of the resolutions and my intent to vote, but more important, as other colleagues have said, I want to express to speakers my time to participate in the hard work ahead of us, as we work with the community, with our management, to really institute that transformational change [12:04:01 PM] and reenvisioning the city. You have my commitment not just to vote today, but to be here to do the hard work ahead. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Council member Renteria. >> Renteria: Council member Renteria. >> Renteria: I was just trying to [indiscernible] Remote. You know, mayor, I grew up in Austin, in a segregated cit and it was very difficult for me. You know, the first day that I went into a real integrated school, at Stephen F. Austin, I went into my world history class, and the first thing out of this teacher that was very upset and was mad that she had to teach minority students in a remedial class environment, and the first thing out of her mouth was saying, if our forefather wasn't so stupid and brought y'all people over here, we wouldn't be having the problem we're having now [12:05:02 PM] it was during the civil rights -- and I walked out of that class, and only one other young black lady walked out with me. The rest of them stayed in there. I could not believe what I was hearing. And from then on, you know, I grew up and went -- and during my 20s, I heard -- there were killings going on all over the state, especially brown minorities that had spoke out, either harmed themself in jail or they found them passed out in the railroad track, cut in half. We protest here in Austin, San Antonio, Laredo, McAllen -- I mean, Midland, Houston, Dallas, Lubbock, it was going all over the state, where police were just rounding up young activists and killing them, you know, and getting away with it. We came back and we [12:06:03 PM] started working real hard, and we commanded community policing, in my neighborhood. And it worked. You know, we saved 210 young kids and got them through high school, and are being productive now. And I want to join the council to implement community policing. These reforms that we're going to do today, it's really great. It's long overdue. But, you know, when we hired -- during the '80s, when we demanded more minority police officers and they hired hispanic police officers, they turned out to be worse than the officers that, you know, we had -- white officers who were killing, you know? And that's what came to my attention, is that, you know, the big problem is our police union. You know? We need to really reform our police union. [12:07:04 PM] I mean, we get the bad cops, we fire them, and they get reinstated, and not only reinstated, but with their pay back and their record expunged. You know, those are the kind of problems that we're facing in this city today. And, you know, I hate to say this because, you know, I have some really good friends in the police department. But we need to get rid of this union. And I sure hope that we'll start working on finding a way to dismantle the union and then to do our hiring back the right way, the way that we need to do it so that this city can be safe. >> Mayor Adler: Any further discussion? Council member pool. >> Pool: Thanks, mayor. Today, collectively as a body and as a city, strongly unified, today as we agree and move to [12:08:07 PM] next necessary steps of reform, I want to say something specifically about the violence we witnessed in may. What we all saw was shocking and abhorrent. None of us ever want to see that or hear about those kinds of actions, ever again. Protesters and observers, citizens all, have a fundamental right to speak their minds, and they sure shouldn't be harmed while doing so. Realize, demonstrations, and protests are traditional outlets to voice opinions. I've participated in more realize and protests over the years than I care to count. And never once did I fear for my own or my friend's safety, and it's appalling and heart-breaking to me that here, in this beloved city, in 2020, protesters were so grievously harmed. They, and we, felt fear. [12:09:09 PM] The violence visited upon the protesters was flat-out wrong. Using excessive force to address the anger and pain being expressed about excessive and -- andunjust force is wrong. There has to be a better way. That better way includes demilitarizing the training of our police, changing our approach to responding to our community, relearning and establishing our community connections. We've long assigned responsibilities to our law enforcement officers that really should have been assigned to others. Today we begin to rewrite our procedures, and I'm heartened and hopeful for swift and transformational changes ahead because every single person in our city needs to feel safe. That's our job, really, [12:10:09 PM] as a council and a city, to ensure, to protect, to health and safety of our citizens. Everyone should feel protected and never feel policed, and they sure shouldn't fear. So thank you to all in advance, to all of you who will speak to us today and into the evening, I appreciate your taking the time to come speak to us. I'll have more to say when we're done about the specific actions that we're going to take, later tonight. So thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Anyone else want to speak? Council member alter. >> Alter: Thank you, mayor. I want to start by first thanking my colleagues who have brought these five items that we're going to be approaching today, and I want to especially thank the thousands of community members who have called, [12:11:11 PM] written, shared, and marched over the last few weeks to stand against racism and violence against communities of color. I want you to know that I'm listening and I'm reviewing your thoughts and your emails as fast as I can. We need to recognize that we are engaging in critical and difficult conversations about policing and public safety in our community. This began long ago, and they will continue. And we also have to note that to truly effectuate change, we, as a community, must make these changes together. I shared some thoughts earlier this week with my colleagues in work session, but I also want to share with everyone who's tuning in today. I truly believe we must reimagine policing in Austin. And I believe the first step is admitting that we have a problem that goes deeper than the symptoms we are seeing in this [12:12:12 PM] moment. Cultural and structural change to our public safety system. And to create transformational change, we need our public safety leadership to fully recognize the longstanding systemic problems, and we need their complete buy-in and desire for change. I have great respect city manager cronk has decided to lead, however, I believe we need different leadership, with the challenges we face today, committed to lead the change the community is rightly demanding. We simply need a new vision of what public safety looks like in our city and how we can achieve it. I want to speak to those writing me to express concern and worry for safety in the future. I want to be really clear. We are working to improve the standards of safety for everyone. Our goal is to better [12:13:13 PM] ensure the delivery of services that the city so far has trouble to administer. As my colleagues have noted today, this is an ever growing list. Restructuring our public safety does not mean we are spending less on public safety, it means we are reimagining how these services are delivered and shifting responsibilities to the professionals who are best suited to carry them out. I'm very hopeful that today's votes, like Tuesday's work session, will show a unified approach to reform. I am proud to be part of a council that recognizes that we have a longstanding problem and is working to fix it. As has been noted by several of my colleagues, today does not signify the end of our work. We will not be judged by what we do today, but what comes after. We have a lot of important decisions today and I encourage everyone in the public to engage [12:14:13 PM] with us and help shape the future of our city in the weeks and months to come. Black lives matter. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Does anyone else want to speak? I'll go last, then we'll take the lunch break. Why is it so important that we do this and we do this today? It's because black lives matter. It's because no one should be afraid when a police car pulls up behind them. Because living on the east side should not mean a lower life expectancy than someone who lives on the west side, because there's no death penalty for traffic offenses, or suspicious behavior, or for matching a description. Because homelessness is not a crime. Because protesting in support of social justice should not put an [12:15:13 PM] austinite in the hospital. Because institutional racism has made covid-19 a burden carried disproportionately by our black and Latin neighbors. It's not fair, right, or just that black and brown people are more likely to be essential and ordered back to work, while also being more likely to die of the disease, after generations of unequal access to health care resources. Because minority per capita wealth and income will reflect the worth and value of their contributions and labor, not the circumstances of their birth. Because when white people succeed, it should be because of their merit and not the lead they were born into at the beginning of the race. Because of this, because of these and so many [12:16:13 PM] other answers to the question "Why" the council, I believe, is prepared to act unanimously today to contribute to the change that we need. To be clear, this movement, this moment, to me, is not just about policing. Institutional racism and systemic inequities are in everything. Access to capital. Health care. Education. Housing. Jobs. Salary. Wealth cumulation. Covid-19 susceptibility. To be clear, this moment and this movement, to me, is not a call that all police officers are racists, or all bankers, or all teachers, or all nurses, or all doctors, or all business owners. But it is a recognition [12:17:16 PM] that people who are not racists are all part of systems that don't give everyone an equal shot at the beginning. That's a good thing. A good thing for all of us because it means that each of us can change our part of the world. I want to speak directly to the city of Austin police officers. I want you to know that this council and I and this community recognize how important is the work that you do. But I remember really well, just a couple years ago, when [indiscernible] Was in his car and everybody was waiting for the protection here to arrive, for him to start pulling out of the parking lot he was in, and without a moment's hesitation, recognizing that there would be no [12:18:18 PM] time for that defensive gear for our police officers to swarm toward that car, to have it blow up as -- as it had a good chance of doing, have one of our officers blown back because of the explosion. Our police officers put themselves at risk for this community, and in that position every day. We need police to keep this community safe. Know that this council and I and this community recognize and need real work and want to do everything that we can do to make sure that you are supported and that you are safe. But no one should believe Apa leaders when they suggest that the council is going to defund the police. [12:19:19 PM] Or that this council is calling all police officers racists. No one has said those things. And it is not true. We will not compromise safety of this community. Period. But the suspicion of petty crime should not end up in a response that ends up in death. The all too frequent disproportionate responses here and around the country, combined with the racial bias that has been laid bare, result of a system of justice and public safety that does not work. Indeed, it puts some in mortal danger. This council is not calling to abolish or to defund the police. We are asking the manager to give us a budget that shows the budget [12:20:20 PM] possibilities, how critical and important functions can continue in a reimagined way. Which functions might be better served by potentially being handled elsewhere. I believe that millions of dollars might be able to be redirected to important services for people and neighborhoods, and it's time for us to determine if that possibility exists, to determine what possibilities exist. Calls for a hundred million dollars express a real call for direct action, but also a statement of the scale of the systemic and institutional change that is necessary. A statement about the size of our existing police budget. A statement that too many have been waiting too long. The manager in July and August is going to give us the data to evaluate such propositions. [12:21:20 PM] But all of those statements that I just said are true. Budgets are moral documents and we believe our values and our priorities by what we fund. But I'm also aware that considered in sound bites, the resolutions that we consider today are going to be used as political tools. Remember the wise. Very few would disagree that we need to act and we need to act in a big way. This is a once in a generation, maybe a once in a century, maybe a once in a 400-year history, an opportunity to fix institutions and systems to bring about systemic change. We must be up to this [12:22:20 PM] moment. The challenge of a systemic and institutional racism is great, and so needs to be our response. Colleagues, it is 12:22. We're going to take a recess for one hour. We'll come back at 1:20. When we come back, we'll start taking the speakers from the public. I'll give you a count as we start the day. It doesn't appear as if everybody has logged into the phone, so I'll have that number as we begin. Council member alter? >> Alter: Would it be possible for us to get some [indiscernible] On the base motion that may be offered? >> Mayor Adler: I think -- I don't -- I don't know how to answer [12:23:22 PM] that question. My sense would be best, let's come back, and as we start the day, we'll have the base motions laid out in front of us. >> Alter: That's fine. I just wanted to -- it didn't have to be right now, I just wanted to make sure that we would have sufficient -- >> Mayor Adler: We'll do that before we take citizens. >> Alter: Working from the same page. >> Mayor Adler: We'll make sure we do that as we begin the discussion. >> Alter: Great. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: We'll now stand in recess until 1:20. [City council is in recess until 1:20] [1:27:52 PM] >>> >>> >> City council. >>> >> >>> >> [1:30:14 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Are we ready? It's 1:30, I'm going to reconvene the Austin city council meeting here on June 11th. This is our virtual meeting. We have a quorum present back with us. Before we go to public speakers, I thought we would give each of the authors of the resolutions to describe what it is that -- that they intend to bring in front of us, just so that the dais knows and so that the -- so that the speakers know. Mayor pro tem, do you want to talk to us about number 50? >> Garza: Yes, actually before I talk specifically about 50, I just wanted to make the general statement [1:31:14 PM] about we've had a couple of speakers comment on -- on whether we're paying attention or, you know, maybe our cameras are off for a little bit. I just wanted to -- this is no excuse of any sort. Just to state some real simple, I guess, facts. Many -- I come to you from the bedroom and let me tell you, when -- when you are on the dais and it is such a beautiful thing when you come out and you're on the dais and you see this -- this chamber full of people and you are able to feed off that energy and that -- and that is, you know -- that's -- I'm really missing that right now. Feeding off the energy, feeding off the energy of your colleagues. There are times we step off the dais because our staff needs to talk to us about another possible amendment. All kinds of things. And now we're having to do that from our -- for me, [1:32:15 PM] from my bedroom. So I just wanted to give those words to explain that we're really listening, but if we are looking down sometimes it's a text from our staff, specific to the issue that we are or an advocate or somebody that we are trying to address people's concerns and doing all kinds of business as we are staring into the computer camera. So anyway, with regards to 50, we've been working on this for a couple of weeks, before these latest events happened, it's just the continued work the judicial committee had been doing on police reform, criminal justice reform. Sets the baseline in the strategic direction of 2823 that provides goals, metrics, indicators of the things this council considers priorities. This will be on arrest [1:33:15 PM] disparities, arrests, use of force. We need that to set the accountability for the other measures that are coming forward and it also adds -- we have revised language that includes discussion of, excuse me, a no-call list. So that -- so that our local prosecuting entities have a list where it can be made available, where it's non-confidential information of officers with a history of bad conduct, a history of -- of using racist language, that those lists will be made by the opo available to the prosecutes entities to know that there are some officers we should not be calling to testify in court for certain issues. And then it also asks the city manager, in our next labor contract negotiation, to see what we can do to broaden the ability to put information on that list. [1:34:16 PM] So those are just generally -- that's generally item 50. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. Generally what about item 93? >> Kitchen: Mayor, I have a quick question. I'm just wanting to make sure I know which one we are looking at. It posted as version 3, right? Is that the one we should be looking at? >> Garza: I believe so, but let me confirm. I'll -- I can comment in a second. >> Kitchen: Okay, thanks. >> Mayor Adler: While mayor pro tem is looking, let's go on general description of 93. >> Flannigan: Item 93 converts the judicial committee into the public safety committee, expanding its purview to go beyond the municipal court and to cover our public safety agencies, not just police, but fire and ems and code enforcement. In addition to the court. [1:35:17 PM] And as the mayor pro tem described, we have been doing a lot of important work on the judicial committee and I had the honor to chair that work. Starting with our pretty substantial reforms of the bench, when it was councilmember Casar's, [indiscernible], mayor pro tem and councilmember pool and councilmember harper-madison harper- madison finding out why people end up in the municipal court. We can take the other items adopted today and follow their implementation, provide oversight on how these policies are going to be interpreted, and ultimately do the type of council, grind it out work, that it takes to really good stuff down in a council manager form of government. I continue to be honored by [1:36:18 PM] the trust of my colleagues, especially those who serve on the committee, to remain as chair in this most critical time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. 9 -- 94. >> Harper-madison: Thank you, mayor. So 94 is about fair chance housing. Ultimately what we're attempting to do here is shift some of the policies in the selection of tenants for some consideration around people with prior convictions. And/or evictions. And so my hope is that we'll -- we'll get this item passed today and we address howing justice in -- housing justice in a way that includes everyone, regardless of their past. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. And what about 95? >> Casar: Thanks, mayor. Item no. 95 brings forward a variety of important reforms [1:37:20 PM] and it lists right at the beginning in no way is this a comprehensive list of the change that we need. But this is immediate action to -- to make sure that we learn from what has happened in the last few weeks, that we show the community that we're ready to start making immediate change, so it does a variety of thing. As I mentioned at the work session, a prior version of this said we would be voting to prohibit the use of tear gas for those exercising their amendment rights. As we've had time to research the topic, tear gas is banned by the Geneva convention, we should not be using it anywhere in our community, because it can be so indiscriminate in the people that it affects. So it bans, the stated policy of the city, that we will be strictly prohibiting [1:38:21 PM] the use of tear gas. It is prohibiting the use of deadly force against people who are fleeing. And creates a community process for an updated use of force policy and a review, also, of how often we are actually investigating folks for investigating officers for lack of intervening, failing to intervene when it's their duty to do so. It also prohibits -- makes it so that it's a strict and stated policy of the city that -- that choke holds and strangle holds should be explicitly prohibited. The next section has the city manager inventorying all existing military equipment and to do whatever is necessary to start ensuring that a lot of this needless military equipment be properly disposed or [1:39:21 PM] returned as required. It severely restricts some [indiscernible] And also makes it a stated policy of the city that facial recognition technology will not be used by us for criminal investigation purposes law enforcement or surveillance purposes and that that technology won't be used either by private corporations on city property for those sorts of things. There's some additional language under the facial recognition section to recognize that at the airport there are significant federal rules and regulations. We sort of run the airport, but the federal government also sort of runs it. So the goal is to make sure that we do everything take we can to the greatest extent allowable under the law for us to not be using facial recognition technology anywhere by the city, at the airport, to the greatest extent that we can. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. 96? >> Harper-madison: Thanks, [1:40:22 PM] mayor. So this item more or less is recognizing that our charter grant is the final decision and authority over the budget to -- to -- excuse me -- to the council, I'm sorry to the manager. For a lot of folks who don't read the resolutions, they maybe don't know what all the be it resolveds are, so I will read a couple of those. Be it resolved by the city council of the city of Austin, I'm sorry, dah-dah-dah, affirms its commitment to reimagining public safety and law enforcement in our community. Be it further resolved the manager is directed to bring forward a baseline budget, multiple bullets. We are trying to make certain that we have taken the opportunity to fortify our training expectations and that the curriculum is [1:41:23 PM] appropriate. And that the folks that are going through training in our -- being taught about trauma- informed response and substance abuses, victim responses and victim services counselors, who I think we all recognize throughout the course of our varying remarks, the need to reimagine how we do public safety and I think -- I think at the end of the day, the hope is that -- that fewer and fewer times our law enforcement professionals will have to do jobs that they're not trained to do, but the truth of the matter is, they -- they should be trained for when that situation does occur. It also is -- is moving us in the direction of exploring options for reallocating positions that are already -- currently assigned to the police department that could be managed by other departments. But not -- including but not limited to code enforcement, [1:42:23 PM] Austin transportation department, Austin public health, Austin fire department, parks and recreation. So moving down, I think it -- it mirrors item no. 95 in that -- in that we would like to see the fy 2021 budget not include tear gas or rubble bullets or beanbags, beanbag rounds. So I think those are adjacent and compliment one another in that way. Then all disciplinary records held by the Austin police department along with providing recommendations on staffing needed to build data systems designed to measure and track the implementation of new force guidelines and equity outcomes and recommendations to establish practices that are a scoring mechanism for disproportionnal behavior to identify at risk officers, to assign appropriate interventions and to use the [1:43:24 PM] determination of promote -- and use in the determination of promotions. So much like the item that we passed back in December, it's addressing training, we're addressing the budget, and -- in a way that -- that -- in a way that -- I think somebody said earlier about our -- our budget being, you know, a moral document. So I -- we want very much for our budget and the allocation of funds to reflect our values as a community. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. So as best I can tell from this, I think you posted this under the message board, I think for yours and for everybody else's, I think what we have in front of us are the documents that we had on Tuesday with the changes that people articulated on Tuesday. >> Harper-madison: In which case it's helpful -- the document that I posted to the message board today, it is -- you know, just after having continuous [1:44:24 PM] conversations with my colleagues and co-sponsors and my staff and just recognizing that there was room for improvement, so we are looking -- what you should be looking at now is version 3 and that includes the contribution from my colleagues who offered what I considered friendly amendments. >> >> Mayor Adler: Okay, to the document that we saw on Tuesday. Thank you for that. Councilmember Casar you have your document on Tuesday with the changes that you articulated at the work session, correct? >> Casar: Correct. While everything else was not significant -- a change that was particularly substantive, other than the change to just banning tear gas overall. I think in my summary I also missed two things that I have gotten questions about them, wondering whether they are out. My resolution also built off of the work from [1:45:24 PM] councilmember harper-madison's earlier action that says we will not start the next cadet class until the changes in training that have been described by so many community members and former cadets, we feel that those have gone into effect appropriately. And as I mentioned on Tuesday, we will have a council vote on when we feel comfortable with that, rather than delegating that to a volunteer group. Also, obviously as councilmember harper-madison mentioned, we have learned and seen how these so- called beanbag rounds which really are full of lead can be lethal or close to it. And so it bans their use against those exercising their first amendment rights and says that we should have policies that restrict their use to the most serious of instances. So generally -- generally the same thing as Tuesday, just with the tear gas added. >> Mayor Adler: Got it. I think that you actually mentioned that on Tuesday in the conversation we had [1:46:25 PM] about heading that way. Is there anything else before we hear from speakers? Mayor pro tem? >> Garza: I did -- I wanted to confirm that it is version 3 and the changes are adding the mayor's -- I think there was an amendment to include the work that -- I'm sorry, I have a fruit fly -- and then specifically the changes for the no call list on line 140, it's for the purposes of accountability and compliance with the goal set in the resolution, the opo will create, maintain and publish a publicly available list of all officers with a non-confidential or publicly available history of misconduct, discriminatory or racist comments or behavior or making false statements and talks about that list will be given to the prosecuting entities. Basically like 140 through 150. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. All right, colleagues, I'm going to go ahead and call through the list. Before we do, councilmember alter? >> Alter: Thank you. [1:47:27 PM] It looks like, I just wanted to flag for the record, that the version 3 also includes a couple amendments to my amendments that my office had spoken with legal about. It looks like they are all in there, but I just wanted to flag that. And I have asked the clerk to post my amendments from Tuesday, also, in the -- in the backup for the record as councilmember kitchen's and councilmember pool's mental health amendment is as well. I'm looking forward to hearing from the public and I want to thank the co- sponsors again and I look forward to reviewing the changes that councilmember Casar mentioned. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember kitchen? >> Kitchen: Yes. Thank you, [indiscernible] Said the amendment that councilmember pool and I brought [indiscernible] To funding the full scale with the mental health diversion initiatives. That was accepted as a friendly amendment and it's [1:48:29 PM] in the [indiscernible] That councilmember harper-madison flagged for us earlier. >> Mayor Adler: Includes yours, alter's and tovo's. All right. Before we get to speakers -- [audio issues] >> I wanted to make sure in every instance on 50, [indiscernible], 96, where the public safety commission is normally considered because of its mandate as part of its review, to offer recommendations and support to council per the mandate that they are included. That commission is -- is specifically asking that they be -- should they be included. On 50 it would be lines 121 to 22 [overlapping speakers] Public safety commission. So they can provide recommendations, also lines 142 and 3 and so forth. I will just leave it at that. But I think we're all in agreement that the public safety commission is providing us good support and recommendations and they are asking to be recognized [1:49:30 PM] as part of the effort. For improvement. >> Mayor Adler: When that comes back to us after the speakers you can make that amendment to -- to make what change. >> Pool: Okay. >> Mayor Adler: Mayor pro tem you made the comment about looking down and the like for people. When we're all sitting here working, the only way for me -- [ ♪ music playing ♪♪ ] >> We're trying to figure out where that's coming from, mayor. [ ♪ Music playing ♪♪ ] >> Mayor Adler: Somebody on a phone on hold. [ Music playing ] >> Mayor, you could talk louder and in sync with the music. [Laughter]. >> Mayor Adler: That -- in order for us as we sit here to -- to look like we're looking at people, I have to [1:50:33 PM] stare at that dot and there is just a limited amount of time that I can stare at that lighted dot on my computer. So there's also that issue if I actually look at the people that are speaking, it looks like I'm looking down, but I'm actually looking at the people on my computer. All right. With that said, then I'm going to turn it over to -- to our assistant here. Who will call first some three minute speakers. When we are done with the three minute speakers, then one minute speakers. I think we have 161 people on the phone, so -- so we have a little over 3 hours worth of -- of testimony. Please go ahead and start us off. >> Okay. Mayor, we have one Spanish speaker registered and in the queue, so will the interpreter please unmute so that we can begin? >> Mayor Adler: One minute plus an additional minute, for a total of two minutes. [1:51:34 PM] >> Okay. And then everyone else on the line, if you haven't already, please press zero. Also, [speaking in Spanish]. >> I'm going to call the first speaker, are you there? >> I'm here, thank you. >> Thank you. >> The first speaker is ... Flavia [indiscernible]. [Poor sound quality]. [Background noises]. >> Hello? >> [Speaking in Spanish]. Go ahead, Jacquelyn. [1:52:36 PM] [Speaking in Spanish] >> Good afternoon, my name is [indiscernible] I'm here representing my family. [Indiscernible] People. [Speaking in Spanish]. Hello? [Speaking in Spanish] I'm the leader of labor [1:53:37 PM] defense. [Speaking in Spanish] And resident of district number 3. An association based on membership -- to defend the labor rights of immigrants like myself. [Speaking in Spanish] >> For my organization, we wanted all of the people -- people of color, they all have their place in the [1:54:39 PM] community. We are against the white supremacy and racism. [ Buzzer sounding] [Speaking in Spanish] >> Today I'm calling for the ordinance 95 and 96. [Speaking in Spanish] These ordinances are important because they allow certain things -- [speaking in Spanish] -- [indiscernible] Police to treat people with brutality. [1:55:41 PM] [Speaking in Spanish] People that are specifically protesting a couple of weeks ago. [Overlapping speakers]. To the police -- [speaking in Spanish] -- [indiscernible] In the community. [Very poor sound quality]. [Speaking in Spanish] >> [Indiscernible] Social circle [indiscernible] [1:56:45 PM] [Speaking in Spanish] Like any other [indiscernible] [Speaking in Spanish] [ Buzzer sounding] [Multiple voices] >> Our communities are affected in a different way -- [speaking in Spanish] And [indiscernible] Other foundations that have been given -- [speaking in Spanish] Racism and white supremacy. [Speaking in Spanish] [Overlapping speakers] [ Buzzer sounding] [Indiscernible] Change. [1:57:45 PM] [Speaking in Spanish] >> As a member of the -- [indiscernible] [Speaking in Spanish] We are. [ Buzzer sounding] [Indiscernible] Organization -- [ buzzer sounding] [Speaking in Spanish] -- [indiscernible] Of this movement -- [speaking in Spanish] [Indiscernible] Justice and racism in a peaceful way. >> Mayor Adler: Conclude your thoughts. [Speaking in Spanish] [Indiscernible] >> Mayor Adler: Would you thank the speaker please for participating. Her time is up. [Speaking in Spanish] [1:58:49 PM] >> Thank you, council, for letting me speak today. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, gracias. Next speaker >> Mayor Adler: Okay.the next speaker then? >> Thank you, Jacqueline. The next speaker is chas Moore. >> Hello? Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: You're a little muffled. >> All right. Wait, wait. I think you can hear me now. >> Mayor Adler: Yes. That's good. Thank you. >> All right. I won't be long because this is -- this is a very interesting way to be on a city council meeting, and I commend you all for braving through. So I'll be quick. First I just want to thank councilwoman Natasha harper-madison for carrying such a heavy load and really just [1:59:49 PM] being a leader and doing what she has to do and doing it how she has to do it to make sure things get done. I wish we could have talked a little bit before yesterday, but all the things work out. I really want to thank you all. I think you all understand that this is a time in history where we can undo the legacy of white supremacy, we can undo the legacy of racism, we can start looking at a better tomorrow and a future where we really live up to equity and justice for all. And I with -- I really just commend you all for that. I want to shout out to the people who have committed to the hundred-million-dollar or at least the hundred-million-dollar benchmark, and talk about about -- talk about funds to alternative ways of public safety. I want to shout out to council member tovo and the mayor, those are the only persons I've heard of so I'm not at the city [2:00:50 PM] council meetings, maybe I've missed something. I also just want to leave you all for a couple of smiles. Thank you, Jimmy for the awesome background. You have the background of the day award. I think Pio wins the most relaxed award. He's just chilling on his couch. And just thank you all for really understanding that this is a moment where we can make Austin one step closer to becoming the first equitable city in America. It's these hard decisions, these hard conversations that we have to have and hold your hand as we walk through them. And as we get creative, thinking about what alternative public safety really means, but the fact that you all are stepping out on faith and courage is something that I hope you all go home and hold your head high. I know the Twitter trolls and Facebook trolls will be out, but I guarantee there's a community that is as abundant and as large and is going to pat you on the back. At least at this moment. [2:01:51 PM] We'll beat you up with something else later, but in this horizontal we'll wrap our arms around you and pat you on the back. This is what Austin is about, about being courageous enough to take these steps, and I just really commend you all. Yeah, I'm not -- I do not envy any one of you for having to be on this call for the next three or four hours, so I'm going to log off and drink a beer in each of you all's honor. Keep Austin safe, keep Austin weird, and keep Austin equitable, and I think you all are doing just that, soaking it up. >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead and call the next speaker. >> The next speaker is Kathleen Mitchell. >> Hi. Can you all hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. I am here today presenting a letter from [2:02:52 PM] [indiscernible] Because they had signed up that they didn't do it right and had trouble changing it and ended up not being able to be part of this group for technical reasons. So I have been asked to simply read some testimony from measure, and I hope that you will attend to me as if I were them. So...dear mayor and councilmembers, my name is rocky. Obviously I'm not, I'm Cathy Mitch. I'm here as chief of measure. We're here in solidarity for Austin urban league, communities of color united. We ask that you do three things, number one, pass proposed items 50, 93, 94, 95, and 96. We know there's already unanimous support around these items. Thank you for that. I implore you to ensure that there's no [2:03:52 PM] subjective language as these items are implemented. As gray area makes it difficult to ensure accurate data collection. That accurate data collection and reporting, there can be no measurement. Without measurement, there can't be accountability or valuation. Without accountability and evaluation, there can't be progress. And without progress, institutional racism perpetuated within APD will persist. Two: Get new leadership at APD. This includes not adding any new officers at this time. Deaths under Manley's leadership include Leslie Salazar, [indiscernible] Valenzuela and Mike Ramos, all of these deaths have been black and brown austinites and all have involved unnecessary level of force on the APD. In 2019 we at measure pushed through a measure that require APD to [2:04:54 PM] publish regular use of force reports. Unfortunately this is one of the many, quote-unquote, reform steps that have proven ineffective. Due to lack of accountability and enforcement of that resolution, chief Manley has not collected or transparently reported use of force data as it relates to his officers. Use of force, duty to intervene, or even racial disparate in stops. In a publicly circulating article, we have outlined 14 reasons why chief Manley should be removed from his position of power, all predating the protests and rallies and the events that have taken place this month. How many more reasons do you need? Three: We invest a hundred million from APD's budget on real solutions, pushed by our siblings in this fight at community united. We believe current policing programs are expensive, ineffective and harmful to our community. [Buzzer sounding] [2:05:54 PM] We implore you to take a hundred million and reallocate -- is that really over? Is that my buzzer? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> We implore -- wow. Okay. Well, what I am going to do, because there's some really good stuff in the rest of this letter from measure, I'm going to send it to you by email. >> Mayor Adler: Great. Thank you very much for that. >> All right. Thank you. >> Okay. The next speaker is Emily garrick. >> Thank you. Yes. Thank you, mayor and city council. My name is Emily garrick and I'm an attorney at [indiscernible], speaking in favor of items 50, 95, and 96. I'm really glad that Austin is taking these steps, which are all very common sense. I'm especially glad that you're committing to real indicating significant funding from the police and into programs that are actually helping people prevent -- in [2:06:55 PM] preventing violence, instead of what we've been seeing. Like many others, I believe we have to start by real indicating at least one hundred million dollars from the Austin police department. The reason that we have to do this is because Austin police department is severely overfunded and overmilitarized. They have a $2.6 million explosive budget, for civilian police officer. None of what we're seeing in the news [indiscernible]. Austin police department trains its officers to have a war mentality toward policing. [Indiscernible] Everything looks like a nail and to a warrior, everything looks like a potential enemy. Unfortunately, what they're seeing is [indiscernible]. I'm so glad that we're changing these policies to common sense because of course Austin police department shouldn't have tear gas which was banned in war Zones and of course they shouldn't be able to shoot people with leith ammunitions when those people don't pose a [2:07:56 PM] threat to bodily harm. Unfortunately, changing policies is not the same thing as accountability. When officers break policies, it's oh page. Thanks to policing contract, as council member Renteria said, there being never be an independent investigation of police misconduct unless the police chief calls for one. When police are charged with investigating themselves, especially under current leadership, which I'm so glad there's going to me [indiscernible], we rarely get justice. As far as we know, there has never been a disciplinary action to intervene, and because the process is such a black box, the chief has given no information at this point about disciplinary process. On our protesters or even Mike Ramos which happened months ago. We can't change the disciplinary problem in this process, but we can invest in departments that prevent violence and have really [2:08:56 PM] accountability to unright armed residents. Thank you. >> The next speaker is Matthew molica. >> Mayor Adler: And Mr. Matthew starts, colleagues, we're going to go through the three-minute speakers then we're going to call the zoning speakers at that time, then we'll hit the balance of these speakers. Mr. Molica, go ahead. >> Thank you, mayor and council. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Great. Thank you for the time today to speak on behalf of these very important items. I think we're all aware of the devastating relationship between racism and homelessness in our community and across the country. We know that disproportionate policing in areas -- in communities of black and brown community members restrict access to basic human rights such as housing and health care, and item 94 helps to account for that disproportionate policing, and I appreciate that item 94 [2:09:57 PM] being up for vote today. It'll work towards help reducing barriers for people experiencing homelessness to access housing in our community. We know [indiscernible] That one in three people counted were black, and we know that one in ten people in our population here is black. We know that 38% of people experiencing homelessness in Austin are black, and we know that 8% of our city population is black. The one hundred million dollars investment in housing for people experiencing homelessness will get us about 3,500 permanent supportive housing beds. That's housing and rental assistance for 3,500 households in our community, access to mental health services, employment services, health care services for 3,500 families in our community here. We know that -- we know that many people on council have stated over [2:10:58 PM] and over again that homelessness is your number one priority. A wise person once said don't tell me what you value, show me your budget and I'll tell you what you value. I think now is the time to make a real commitment to homelessness in this community. Thank you for your time. >> Next speaker is [indiscernible] Lane. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Hi. My name is Mariela lane. I'm an internal medicine physician at a clinic. I work in primary care and the last few months I've also started working with covid-19 patients, diagnosing and treating them. And I'm here just to add a voice of a health care provider in support of banning use of tear gas in our city. As many have already said, tear gas is a chemical weapon, it is not harmless, it is not safe, and it can cause [2:11:59 PM] physical injury, permanent disability and even death. As others have said, this is abandoned and should abandoned -- in war and should have no role against civilians. You can't control it and it's inacceptable, you can't distinguish between the young and old and sick and healthy. The danger is magnified in the middle of a global pandemic where we're seeing that any underlying compromise of a respiratory system could weaken the body's ability to fight covid-19. [Indiscernible] It's spread through droplets, through coughing, and with tear gas you're forcing people to cough and run into each other, they can't socially distance and you're compromising their respiratory tract, they can develop complications. In conclusion, I'm just adding my voice of support, please stop using tear gas. There's no [indiscernible]. Thank you. [2:13:00 PM] >> Next speaker is Chris Harris. >> Hi. This is Chris Harris. I'm calling in today in support of item 50, particularly provision to demilitarize police, and item 96, to make a confirm commitment to the [indiscernible] By APD, this upcoming budget cycle. During the last week plus, despite desperate [indiscernible] To co-op these protests, you've heard from the community to [indiscernible] By APD. University a call to fire police leadership and to defund the police department. This call is based on recognition that in spite repeated attempts at reforming the police, as Angela Davis says, quote, there is an unbroken line [2:14:03 PM] of police violence in the U.S. That takes us all the way back to days of slavery. Unquote. This call is based on recognition that much of what the state considers crime often doesn't equate to harm, much that causes harm isn't addressed well or at all by policing. And policing in the criminal punishment system into which it feeds people often cause more harm, especially to communities of color and black people, most of all. Finally, this call is based on a desire to prevent harm, to respond to the needs of our communities with approaches that risk more harm and to provide with sources to communities whose needs for housing, health care, education, and opportunity have too often been met with motivation [indiscernible] Causes generational harm. I want to thank those of you that have called on the police chief and other police leadership to resign. I want to thank those of you returning police [2:15:03 PM] contributions and I'm inspired to dismantle police union which has been a constant source of fear and [indiscernible] In this community and impediment to justice in the black lives matter movement. I also want to thank those of you that have indicated a firm commitment to at least one hundred million dollars to APD, investment in health, housing, non-police emergency response, those in need to the pandemic, and other approaches to public safety. Finally, to those of you that have worked to limit those commitments today, despite your comments today and on Tuesday, as well as to those of you that continue to stand behind police leadership that's overseen so much unaccountable police violence and shown such a complete unwillingness to confront the overt racism in this department, your words and symbolic gestures, expressing support for black lives, remain hollow, and are not going away. [2:16:06 PM] >> Next speaker is Ken casaday. >> Good afternoon. People call for a nation to face unprecedented challenges and experiences the past few months of 2020. Community unrest and public outrage is tremendous. The men and women of Austin police department strongly express their condemnation for [indiscernible] They are humans with personal experiences [indiscernible] Impact of negative policing and institutional racism. We are one of the first governmental agencies that embrace [indiscernible] Training. We have a course in our academy requiring to best explain the knowledge of our cultures and community groups. We took the leadership positions in actively recruiting and retaining extremely diverse workforce to reflect the community we serve. The last-minute agenda items being rushed today are not voters over districts want. [2:17:08 PM] The Austin police department increased an awareness resulting in response from voters in each of your districts of the city. Constituents across Austin do not want to eliminate police positions, push off a police academy class or [indiscernible] Police department. Council member Alison alter has taken credit to cut almost 40 million from the police department in 2018. Money was reallocated to projects across the city and in the meantime the homeless issue has created to grow understand a not get better. If you don't believe me, drive around your own district. Some of the same marginalized communities and backgrounds that you're accusing them mistreat. Join the ranks of the police department to make changes and be part of the Progressive, professional department, instead of encouraging them and support, [indiscernible] Making public appearances, peaceful protests and making sure voices are able to be heard instead of rocks, bottles, fireworks, even cocktails [2:18:13 PM] being launched. Lines 19 and 24 of your resolution, 95, cut all options other than deadly force, so that needs to be reviewed. Pio Renteria's comments earlier, the union does not hire hiring. Chief Manley controls 100% of the hiring process. We're not blocking good people from being hired. Thank you for your time. >> Next speaker is Joel Mcnew. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Please proceed. Yes. Please proceed. >> I'm speaking against defunding public safety. Defunding public safety and not moving forward with the July cadet class and eliminating officers is going to negatively impact crime in Austin and quality of life for everyone. In reference to your antipolicing agenda, the current city of Austin example that I wanted to [2:19:16 PM] bring up is the 2016 post team pilot program. That pilot program was created out of that APD budget. This includes Austin police, social workers, [indiscernible] Care and emts working Monday through Friday. This program showed success and was approved. The program moved out of the APD budget and control asses it should, but it still includes law enforcement, officers on the team, and it should. What is the homeless population in Austin now? Recently more funding was approved, but still we only have one host team serving the entire population. When I reached out to members of the community to discuss collaborations to support creating more host teams, the response was a liability, band width, and manpower. Now you are proposing to eliminate funding for public safety, eliminate officer positions, and use social workers to [2:20:17 PM] serve many different levels of calls. Do you have these social workers currently on staff? Are they trained? Who's responsible for their liability and their safety? What is the timeline to enact these trauma teams being discussed? Mayor Adler, this morning you said that the city did not have enough code enforcers to address the pandemic calls. How are you going to handle 911 calls defunding you be safety? --Defunding public safety? Mr. Cronk, last night when I sawgrass roots sharing a Facebook post of communities of color outside your family's home, I was so sad. I am so sick of this becoming the Austin way. In my 29 years, I don't believe this is the Austin way. I've been involved with city matters the last five years. Why is it acceptable to use intimidation? In 2017, the same advocates that you all partner with, that you give the seat at the [2:21:17 PM] table to in our community, heckled to an APD officer's wife, that "I hope your husband gets killed." I was disrupted after waiting 13 hours from advocates coming up behind me with signs, heckling me, and there there were no comments from the dais about any of this behavior. Last June, those speaking in support of public safety were heckled, yelled at, intimidated. Student who said she feared for her life at being assaulted from her own experience was heckled and yelled that she probably deserved it. My daughter and I were physically intimated at that meeting and attempted to be sideswiped in our car when we left city hall that night. [Buzzer sounding] Do we need to do this? Is this how you get a seat at the table? How many voices are wanting to be heard? All those voices shut down the intimidation, the name calling, the hate speech, when you see it, please lead by example and truly come together, bringing Austin [2:22:19 PM] together. I ask that you please do not move forward with defunding public safety until you've had time to create an action plan and resources in place. Thank you. >> Next speaker is Cary Roberts. >> Good afternoon. Mayor, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Good afternoon, mayor, council, and manager. This is Cary Roberts. I'm executive director of the greater Austin crime commission. I wish I had time to talk about all the provisions that we support in items 95 and 96, but we don't, and we're not all together. Symbolic acts to cut cops don't solve our inequity, poverty, and racism problems. You know, making the community less safe doesn't fix the failures in affordable housing or education and public health. [2:23:20 PM] And so like public camping last summer, the city council considered policy changes out input and knowing consequences. I'm asking, please make evidence-based decisions, where changes need to be made, but also acknowledges the police department's progress. You know, during the council work session, the mayor pro tem says she regretted, you know, false choices, part of what's being proposed in item 96 is a false choice, that cutting cops makes anyone safer. I mean, when your satisfying study said we were falling further behind on fourth street, we supported the efforts to implement a meaningful but modest plan. The matrix study in 2016, we supported the efforts to address 76 community policing recommendations, and the departments completed nearly all of those, 66. And how can you cut cops that support community policing when officers need more time to build relationships in the neighborhoods they serve? And then again, just look at the evidence. Last year the department had less than the minimum national standard of 35% [2:24:21 PM] community policing time, well below. In fact, it's only ever been as high as 32% in 2009. And here's how arbitrary the proposed cuts are. If you take the interfund transfers out, 92% of the police budget it personnel so it's a myth that they're large scale wasted resources. You had the office of police oversight represent what can be accomplished when community groups work together, but I haven't heard much about their role in recent weeks, maybe because the data doesn't fit the narrative. Last we're the Austin police department had 517,621 calls for service. That's more than half a million interactions with residents and visitors that resulted in 155 opo complaints referred to internal affairs. That's .03%. And while I agree that number is likely underreported, how much larger does it have to be to represent systemic problems? Twice that? .6? Three times? I really struggle with [2:25:21 PM] recognizing the police department I've been hearing about the past several weeks with the police department I know. Explain cutting cops to the 32 murder victims last year, 513 rape victims, 1063 robbery victims, 2,267 victims of aggravated assault, and the 35,744 victims of property crime. We look forward to having the evidence-based discussion with you during the budget process, and I promise you, we'll be prepared, we'll have the results of public opinion surveys and [indiscernible] In your disict. [Buzzer sounding] I'll finish with some more indisputable evidence for you. With very few exceptions, the nearly 1800 officers that show up every day and risk their lives to protect us are compassionate, dedicated, and professional. And the legacy of George Floyd's life is a reminder every day that change must happen. And we're committed to that change, just as we've been committed for the past 23 years to keep every neighborhood safe. [2:26:22 PM] Thank you. >> Next speaker is Kate Graziani. >> [Indiscernible] >> Mayor Adler: Do we have Kate graziana? You're on mute? Do we have any more of the three-minute speakers? >> Yes, mayor. The next speaker is Vicky Deweese. >> Hi. This is Vicky Deweese. [2:27:23 PM] [Indiscernible]. I just wanted to say that when the press announces unanimous support of agenda items, it kind of discourages people from getting involved because it appears your mind is made up and that's before public comment [indiscernible]. The other thing I would ask is please start using the word reallocate instead of defunding. I have elderly people in my neighborhood and it's actually scaring them. They're afraid they're going to call 911 and nobody is going to come. I also wanted to say -- to commend council member alter for how professional she is on her social media posts. Everybody can take a lesson from her because sometimes I've seen on some other of her colleagues where there's, I don't know, fighting. I wanted to also make some specific recommendations to decrease the size of large police sectors, to build more substations, would those substations [2:28:23 PM] have mental health care workers present, it would keep officers from racing place to place. It could help with community policing. I would hope that it would. I would like chief Manley to be given specific, reasonable, attainable goals. I watched him at a press conference a minute ago with an organization called just america.org with black lives matter, that looks like it's going to be interesting. I would suggest that every council member, the mayor, and city manager, if you haven't already, to go on a ride-along with the police. I would ask that you not delay the next police cadet class, that you would increase the number of officers so you can have more substations to have community policing. I would also ask that when you're considering redistricting, I know that's a different topic, but consider adding a couple of at- large positions to the council districts. I think that would make people feel really good. I certainly want you to hold bad apples [2:29:25 PM] accountable. I have been the victim of police [indiscernible] Years ago and it doesn't feel good. Thank you very much for letting me speak. >> The next speaker is Isa Catina. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> All right. Good afternoon, mayor and council. Some of you might remember me, as I was a member of mayor Adler's security detail for approximately two years. However, I've since promoted and am now dedicate assigned to the sex crimes unit of the Austin police department. Today I'm going to direct reaction to the council's recent events, particularly 95 and 96. I support the current protests against both murder of George Floyd and highlighting of racial injustice. I support the pursuit of [2:30:26 PM] eradicating that injustice. The number of predatory politicians has maximized the difference between people and minimized similarities. 24 news cycle drives the behavior of politicians which amplifies perception of events and demands quick action, without encouragement to fully research and understand all sides of the issue. In this age of trump there's rarely meaningful discussion or debate. Merely the way it is, opponents to trump double down on their position to seek facts, discuss issues or work towards a goal of Mueller compromise. Use of force is a complex issue that general public and elected officials for that matter typically don't fully understand and don't want to understand. It's usually just easier to arbitrarily form an opinion about whether forces are believed to be accessible or not and commit to that opinion. The first step in understanding the use of force is to quantify it, and start working towards a general understanding and potential solution. Public safety demands that any change should happen after time and careful consideration. [2:31:27 PM] Unfortunately these rushed resolutions before the council are designed to perpetuate what the council fears most, an understaffed, overworked, underappreciated police department that will be ill equipped to protect the citizens of Austin. 96 is fueled by rage rather than practicality. The long [indiscernible] Addresses no unique issues and plays to political base rather than working to address the interest of the full community. To compound the issue, they don't seem to want to earn and understand what seems to be a punitive resolution rather than a productive one. This council is thought to be prerogative council, to go beyond politics for the betterment of the community as a whole. Embrace the police department as an ally, not an enemy, directly or by implication. Furthermore, [indiscernible] And hashtags have no place in this community. We need the focus to be on the overall community, [2:32:27 PM] not the loudest voices from the periphery. I understand [indiscernible] Is unanimously approved by the council. It is what it is. Going forward, I want you to engage in more mindful, thoughtful, and deliberately problem-solving as it pertains to the police department. Public safety and residents of Austin demand and deserve no less. Thank you. >> Next speaker is Tatiana martizano. Tatiana martizano, unmute your phone, please. [2:33:32 PM] Michael -- >> Michael Fossum, please unmute your phone. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes, we can hear you. >> My name is Michael fossu murr and I live in --I'm opposed to 50, 95, 96. I support chief Manley and APD in response to antifa rights in Austin. It's eliminate to eliminate APD through budget cuts, elevating quality outcome over public safety. For example, item 50, [2:34:36 PM] achieve racial equality Andreas, social workers acting as police will have to arrest more white people, inventing more crimes to do so, and possibly ignoring crimes, to chief a quality of arrest outcomes. That does not improve public safety. The solution to poor policing is to institute better training and more transparency, not defund and dismantle the department. The claim that the police are inherently racist and just want to kill blacks is false and has been disproven by numerous studies of police shootings. More white people are killed by police each year than black people, crime reports, other white people matter protests. Implementing these policies will result in decreased and poorer police response, giving criminals a free hand to prey on Austin residents. Violent crime will rise. This will particularly affect poor and minority residents because they are more likely to be crime victims. The larger study on crime, using data from every county, researchers found that two things [2:35:36 PM] reduce violent crime, more and better policing and more people carrying concealed handguns. You can see the study yourself, the crime research.org. You may believe that eliminating APD will not result in more crime. Reality is that in the real world, that is exactly what happens. In Los Angeles, for the week of 5-31 to 6-6, homicides went up 250% and victims shot went up 56%, compared to the previous week. In Chicago, may 31st, the deadliest 24-hour period in 60 years with 18 people killed. The police department in these cities was not able to deter or respond to crime because they were responding to lieutenanters and reuters. It on -- reuters. A strong police force is necessary. Cs will not stop being criminals simply because you send socially workers to poor minority neighborhoods. If you pass these items, you will harm the poor minority people that you profess to care so much about. In my opinion, that makes [2:36:36 PM] you more racist than the allegedly racist police that you hate so much. If you pass these items, I would advise people that are listening to do two things. First get a concealed carry permit and weapon so you can protect your home, family, yourself, and your business. Second, work hard to vote out this entire city council as soon as possible. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: I think we may have skipped some names of people that are trying to get on. I think we may have skipped corby jastro and I don't know if we skipped -- >> Mayor, they were on the line and they hung up, and they have not reconnected. >> Mayor Adler: We got an email that said corby jastro thinks he's on the line. >> We'll check that. For now, I call the next speaker. And also, speakers, please remember to hit 0. [2:37:37 PM] Next speaker is Joan rulo. >> Mayor Adler: And while Joan is coming up, if you could tell me how we're going to handle corby jastro, or if you can text [indiscernible], that would be helpful. >> Hello. My name is [indiscernible]. My husband and I have a son on the police force. Our family are very proud. Our family have lived in Austin for 47 years, and we live in district 7. I don't work for any organization looking for funding. I'm calling in, in support of our police department and of chief Manley. Thank you for allowing me to speak. I also want to commend the previous few callers who -- with whom I also agree. I was pleased to hear the care and compassion in [2:38:38 PM] your voices this morning as some of you spoke about our city and the plans you wish to implement and how difficult it would be. You really did seem to care. I agree we have a serious problem, but I don't call it racism, I call it sin. We are all born into it, and only Jesus can save us from it. Until he returns, we'll have to deal with it in each other and do our best to keep our city safe. I hope you keep the force as large as it needs to be in order that they can patrol and keep safe a city of this size. I'm not sure if social workers will be able to do the job of a police officer, and I hope you will take all the time needed to implement a plan that will work effectively to provide for the safety of our community. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Have we called all the [2:39:39 PM] three-minute speakers at this point? >> We have three more. Joy rucrer is the next speaker. >> Hi. Thank you, council members, for your time and attention today. My name is joy Rucker, I'm the executive director of the Texas [indiscernible] Reduction alliance. And we're here to talk about real indicating funds to community- based programs instead of large institutional, traditional models of mental health and substance abuse providers. I also want to point out that within these institutions, there is also structural racism that impacts the most marginalized people in our community. If you don't have [2:40:40 PM] resources, if you don't have anybody to protect for you, you're stuck on a waiting list for six months, six to nine months for medicated assistance treatment programs. We are able to provide and navigate services for those people while they're waiting on those long waiting lists. And I think that if you're going to reallocate money, I would -- I would ask you not to refund the same old traditional large agencies that have been funded in the past and really look at community services that provide peer recovery services and that have a much closer outreach when [2:41:41 PM] larger -- larger mental health and substance abuse entities that are currently funded and have these huge waiting lists. Thank you. >> Next speaker is corby jastro. >> Mayor, can you hear me? Mayor, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: You're faint. >> This is corby. Can you hear me all right? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. That's good. We had you there for a second. You sounded really strong. [2:42:48 PM] Sounds like we lost him. I'm sure he'll call back in are there any other three-minute speakers? >> Mayor, there were two, corby being one of them, and Kate graziana, who are trying to reconnect, that were three minutes. So just let us know how you'd like to proceed. >> Mayor Adler: We have those two then, corby who we had for a second and then lost, and Kate. How about if they continue to try to get back on the line, let's go to the five zoning speakers. And let's see if you can have Kate and corby at the end of the five zoning speakers. Does that work? >> Sure. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's do that. >> Okay. Let me switch dashboards. One second. >> Mayor Adler: Do corby [2:43:49 PM] and Kate have a phone number they know to call back in with? >> Yes, sir. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Give us a second, please. [2:45:07 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Jerry, are you on the line, while they're doing this? >> Yes, mayor, I am. >> Mayor Adler: Do you anticipate that -- there's only one discussion zoning case? Is that correct? >> Actually, mayor, one person that we anticipated signing up for that item is not on the call, so I was going to offer that for consent. So I was going to offer everything for consent or postponement. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Mayor, it's going to take us a few minutes to queue up the code speakers. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. I didn't know going back and forth would result in -- >> Any callers on the line for code, you need to hit zero to be entered into the queue. [2:46:07 PM] Please hit zero now if you're on the line to speak for zoning. >> You might tell them it's zoning. They may not know "Code." >> They heard you. >> Okay. Okay. The first zoning speaker is Erin ronder. >> Thank you, mayor, thank you, councilmembers. My name is Erin [indiscernible], again from the [indiscernible] Neighborhood association in district 1. I am a member of the [indiscernible] Contact team. I must clarify that I support all six conditions desired by the neighbors and the contact team. But, I reserve support for the rezoning and [indiscernible] Change until all negotiations with the applicant have been finalized. I appreciate and expect that the applicant will follow through on all the promises made so far in [2:47:08 PM] his communications with the neighbors and the contact team, and I hope to return to council in late July with a very successful collaboration all wrapped up. I urge council to pass on first reading only [indiscernible] With the six conditions with the applicant's representative, Mr. Thrower, which Mr. Thrower sent to you all yesterday. Please keep the public hearings open as requested and desired by both applicant and the community stakeholders. Thank you very much for hearing case number 85. >> Okay, mayor. That was the only speaker wishing to speak. All the others are applicants, should you all have questions, just call their name and we'll try to get them on. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Jerry, you want to take us through the consent agenda on zoning? >> Sure, mayor. First item is item 64, case c14-2019-0169. This is indefinite postponement request by the applicant. [2:48:12 PM] 65, case c14-2019-0152, this is a postponement request till July 30th by the applicant. Next case, item 66, case npa-2018-0005.01, postponement request to July 30th by the staff. Related item is case item 67, case c14-2019-0029, this is also a staff postponement request to July 30th. These two are related to item 61, postponed earlier today. Item 68 is case npa-2020-0031, this case I can offer for approval on all three readings. Related case, 69, c14-2020-0013, I can offer this case for consent approval on all three readings with additional of one co that the applicant is in agreement to, to prohibit adult-oriented businesses. 70 is case c14-2020-0037, I can offer this case for consent approval on 5:00 three readings. [2:49:14 PM] 71, case c14-2020-0040. This is a postponement request till July 30 C by the applicant. Item 72 is case c14-2020-0046. I can offer for this case for consent approval on first reading only. However, I would like to note that while the applicant and the staff are in agreement on the three zonings, the zoning and planning commission failed to reach a recommendation. It was a tie vote. Item 73 is case c14-2020- 0010. I can offer this for consent approval on all three readings. Item 74, case c14-2020-0032, also for consent removal on all three readings. Item 75, case c14-2020-0045, consent approval on all three readings. 76, case c14h-2020-0033, consent approval on all three readings. 77, npa-2019-0003.01, postponed till [2:50:14 PM] July 30th. Case npa-2016-0014, postponed till July 30th, 79, case c14-2017-0010, also postponement request till July 30th. Case -- item 80, case npa, 20170121.01, this is a postponement request till July 30 by the applicant. 81, case c14-2019-0167, this is also a postponement request till July 30th by the applicant. Npa-2019-0016.01, postponement request till July 30th by the staff, 83, c14-2019-0098, postponement request by staff till July 30th. Item 84, case npa- -- npa-2019-0015.02, this one is offered for consent on first reading only. Related item is a zoning [2:51:15 PM] case, item 85, case c14-2019-0164, this is the case that the speaker spoke of that has the six conditions, and I'm going to read those in as quickly as I can, but I am required to read them in. The first condition would be that [indiscernible] Prohibited all vehicular [indiscernible] To the property shall be from other adjacent public streets, other adjacent property, development of the site is restricted to a maximum of 25 units, [indiscernible] Impervious cover of 45%. 35-foot set back shall be applied to the property's better than border, [indiscernible] Within this set back, a buffer shall be installed at least a minimum of one shade tree planted for every 30 feet. [Indiscernible] Improvements within the buffer zone [indiscernible]. Other improvements which may otherwise be required by the city of Austin or authorized by the ordinance. And finally, any building [2:52:16 PM] or structure instructed on the property [indiscernible] Within 75 feet of the western property line and 35 feet of height from ground level. Those are the conditions of the applicant and the east mlk neighborhood have agreed to. I would like to add just briefly that the specific restrictions on the buffer is something that we're going to have to work out. I don't think we can add all those things, the level of detail into this. And finally, the condition that the property have no access to pecan springs road, the transportation department disagrees with that condition, so we're going to try and work on that between now and July 30th and we're going to leave the public hearing open on this case and it is likely that Austin transportation department would like to address issues too but they've agreed to wait till second reading, we'll do our first reading only. 86, case c14-2020-0007, [2:53:17 PM] this is postponed till July 30th. 100, c14-2020-003 -- sh, till July 30th. Finally, item 101, c14-2019-0129, this is a postponement request by staff till July 30th, and I would like to note on this case, mayor, that we will continue to work with the applicant and the neighborhood to try to come up with a solution. This case does have [indiscernible] But we also commit to having all the legal documents ready by July 30th if the council wants to take the item up then, we'll have the ordinance ready to go. That concludes. >> Mayor Adler: 64 to 86, also 100 and 101, with the direction that [indiscernible] -- Jerry, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? [Indiscernible] Makes the [2:54:18 PM] motion. Is there a second? Mayor pro tem seconds it. Any discussion? Council member kitchen. >> Kitchen: I just wanted to add my words to 101. I will continue to work with the applicant and the neighbors and with our staff to reach -- reach a resolution by July 30th, so I just wanted to add my words to that. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Council member alter? >> Alter: So I wanted to say that I'm okay with first reading on item 72. There was some confusion, though, likely I'm guessing today with the different kind of testimony with folks who have concerns, feeling comfortable, being able to have had the time to speak. So I'm looking forward to being able to sit down with the applicant and the neighbors before we hear that case again, but I'm fine with it going forward on first reading. And then for 84 and 85, [2:55:19 PM] it's my sense that the neighborhood and the applicant are getting close to an agreement. I'm going to vote yes at this point, but I'm mindful that there's a petition and we'll will he looking to see where -- we'll be looking to see where we get in the interim. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. Those in favor of the consent agenda, please raise your hand. Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais. Takes care of zoning. That gets us into the speakers speaking on the public safety measures, those five items. We're now to the one-minute speakers. If you would start calling the speakers. >> >> Okay. I'm switching over to the other dashboard. Please give me a minute. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. [2:56:35 PM] >> Okay. The next speaker is Kate Graziani. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Okay. So I guess there were some technical difficulties and I'm sorry, I was supposed to be one of the three-minute speakers but my name is Kate, with the harm reduction alliance. >> Mayor Adler: Kate, you have three minutes. You have three minutes. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. So thra, we operate an overdose prevention center in district 1 for people who use drugs, people who are unhoused, people that have been arrested over and over again by APD. I really appreciate the direction this council is moving, and I appreciate the leadership of council member harper-madison in particular. And I want to encourage [2:57:35 PM] y'all to go further because this is a moment to be bold. The harm reduction approach is, by necessity, an alternative to police. Because of the war on drugs, people who use, especially black and brown people, have been criminalized, stigmatized, brutalized and murdered. We come from a tradition of creating alternatives to these harmful systems, people who can't or don't call 911. We also come from a tradition, as joy said, of being alternative to the public health and behavioral health system because racism and discrimination is also rampant there. But through our work as a movement, we can see a future where cops do not hold this power, do not wield this violence. Little tangible for us and for many communities who instinctively take care of each other because they know the police are not there to keep them safe. And so that's why it's so important now and over the next few months as we discuss the budget that this process really meets [2:58:38 PM] input and driven by black and other impacted communities who have been building thos we've been building it at a time when we've been told there's no money, there's no services, a a long waiting list while four million goes to APD. So to get there we need to shift our budget priorities and we need to be bold. We need to remove APD leadership. We need to move at least 100 million from the police budget and we need to end the war on drugs from the criminalization of black and brown dies. And then imagine what we could do as we reinvest these much needed funds into community programs we also need to be bold. We know that reforms that simply repackage police will lead us right back here. Because we know the formation of the police force and it was how the white elite repackaged slavery. Now we have some current reforms that are more of the [2:59:38 PM] same. We have things like drug court, community policing and surveillance. Specialty mental health jails and dockets. Travis county is moving to invest almost 100 million into a women's jail. A jail system to better cage women. So we really need to shift as a society and as a city away from this [indiscernible] State within we need leadership that will commit on a shift and our budgets priorities, we need a commitment from y'all to not repackage police. I think if we can do that -- [buzzer sounds] -- We can really make that shift. We can make Austin safer. We can make it safer for Mike Ramos and Heather and Javier because black lives matter. Thank you. >> Okay. That concludes the three-minute speakers. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. If you would start calling speakers for one minute. [3:00:44 PM] >> Next speaker is Dorothy mckinish. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Thank you. My name is Dorothy and I'm a constituent from district 9. I am here to speak in favor of item 96, the did he funding of the Austin willed. -- Defunding of the Austin police department. The police already talks up 40% of the city budget. That's approximately $34.48 million. A city [indiscernible] Of the echo shows that eight percent of this budget could end homelessness in Austin. Let me be clear, you have the power to reallocate funding to end homelessness in this city. But instead in a vote on June fourth on item 7 voted to increase funding for the police department, a police department that on may 31st at approximately 11:00 P.M. Shot 20-year- old Justin howl in the head with [3:01:45 PM] a so-called Ben bag, giving him a skull fracture and brain damage. After shooting this man, the medics carried Justin and they fired on the medics. [Buzzer sounds] The Austin police department has a long history of violence and brutality, particularly against the black community. Defunding the Austin police department is necessary both to reallocate the community programs that actually benefit and keep Austin citizens safe and healthy unlike the police department and also to keep the current members of the city council to fall into disfavor with their constituents. Any decision that does not defund the Austin police department will be remembered when it is time again to elect our representatives. Thank you. >> The next speaker is Salvador sim esosa. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes. [3:02:50 PM] >> Hello. To all in the city council. I'm currently a resident out of city council district number one. And I want to thank you in appreciation for -- and thank anybody who is coming up to speak for the first time because this incident has inspired many to do so. I've heard a lot more reactionary elements come up and try to list statistics and facts from who knows where trying to speak against proposition 95 and 96, of which I'm on for, and believe everyone here, everyone in our city should be for. Believing that we're being emotional is not understanding the fact or what we're doing or why we're doing it. [Buzzer sounds] I think it speaks more to how much they're unaware [3:03:51 PM] that we've been thinking of this for a long time. That we know precisely what we're speaking of. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. That's your one minute. Thank you. Thank you very much. I know it's a short time, the one minute, and I apologize for that, but thank you for being with us. >> Alter: Councilmember alter. >> Alter: I saw that Zenobia Joseph was trying to speak on zoning, and she was having trouble with the line. I don't know if the clerk's office can look into that so we can hear from her. I think there was some trouble last week with her being able to speak as well. >> Mayor Adler: That would be good if the folks are able to get her back on the line, we'll certainly hear from her. >> Zoning has closed so the most she could do is call back on the APD. But I can't identify her because she will not give me her telephone number so I [3:04:51 PM] don't know what number she's calling from. So I captain move her up in the -- I can't move her up in the line because I don't know which she is. >> Mayor Adler: Because you don't know her. >> Tovo: Mayor, I was going to suggest it sounds as if councilmember alter, she may have corresponded with you. I didn't see that she emailed us all, but maybe she could be asked to email back and let you know her last four digits or something like that so that the clerk could find her. >> Alter: I will ask her if she's willing to do that. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Councilmember kitchen? >> Kitchen: Mayor, it may be helpful if we call three names in a row so that people are prepared that they're going to be the next speaker, just a suggestion. I know we do that when people are speaking to us in public. >> Mayor Adler: We do and [3:05:52 PM] they can interview -- they can queue up. We can try that. I don't know if it works the same way on the telephone. >> Flannigan: Yeah. I would appreciate letting the chair run the meeting because it's too complicated enough. >> Mayor Adler: That's okay. >> Kitchen: That was a request from someone who emailed me. I was just passing it along. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Go ahead and call the next speaker. >> The next speaker is Eric Perez. >> Hi, I'm an Austin native from district 5 and I want to ask that you all join me in asking for the resignation of Brian Manley. I would also like to defund the police by 100 million and use that for food, medical care. [3:06:53 PM] I want to rethink what it means to keep our community safe. Thank you for your time today. All right, bye. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Next speaker is Brenda Ramos. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Yes. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> Okay. My name is Brenda Ramos. My son Mike, my only child, was shot and killed by officer Taylor 47 days ago. As well he has killed two more people before, making my son the third person. In the past 47 days have been the worst of my life. I have cried everyday, I am [3:07:54 PM] heartbroken by the loss of my only child. He was my everything. It was known, we can all see the video, my son was shot while he had his hands in the air. There was no gun. The police department has had 47 days to prepare a defense. I have not been allowed to see the videos. How is that fair. My fear keeps me awake at night. My fear is that chief Manley will be defend the sensible killing of my son. [Buzzer sounds] He will make it look like my son needed to be shot by that. My son did not deserve a death sentence, no way. The violence by the police must stop while my son is dead. I'm asking you to pass these reforms and replace chief Manley. Thank you for listening. [3:08:55 PM] >> Ms. Ramos, thank you. Please know that you and your family are in our prayers. >> Casar: Mayor, I'd like to -- Ms. Ramos, thank you for testifying. No mother should have to testify in this way, but you -- but your son should be alive and should be with us. >> They left him terribly, which I wouldn't be able to see him all the way from his head down to his back and they [indiscernible] In order for me and my family to see him and I have to live with that for the rest of my life, and it hurts. [3:09:57 PM] Thank you for listening. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Ramos, thank you for being with us. Councilmember harper-madison. >> Thank you. [Crying] >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember harper-madison, did you raise your hand? Ms. Ramos, thank you. All right. Let's go to the next speaker. I'm sorry, councilmember harper-madison. >> Harper-madison: I was just going to ask would you mind giving us about five minutes, give everybody about five minutes before we take the next speaker? Would that be okay? >> Mayor Adler: I think that would be fine. Do you want to take a five minute break. You do that and we'll be back here at 3:15. [3:16:59 PM] >> Mayor Adler: It 3:15. We're going to go ahead and continue. Will you please call the next speaker? >> Zenobia Joseph. >> Mayor Adler: Zenobia has three minutes because she's a zoning speaker. >> Ms. Joseph, please unmute. >> Mayor Adler: Do we think we might not have her? >> She's on the line. Otherwise she would have [3:18:01 PM] disconnected or fallen off the queue. >> Mayor Adler: Well, we can't hear her. Ms. Joseph, you need to unmute if you're trying to speak. >> I pressed zero. Can you hear me, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: We can hear you now, thank you. >> Did I just mute myself? >> Mayor Adler: No, go ahead and talk. You have three minutes. >> Thank you, mayor, councilmembers. My name is Zenobia Joseph. Let me thank councilmember Alison alter for reading her email during the meeting. My comments are specifically related to item 73, which was the liquor store for craigwood. And I just wanted to really ask a technical question. The sign-up for planning commission was actually on memorial day and that deadline to sign up to speak should have been the next day. My concern is that the [3:19:01 PM] neighborhood is perhaps unaware that a liquor store is coming to the entrance. If you're not familiar with this site it's at fm 969 craigwood. And as you talk about black lives matter, I just want to call to your attention specifically that same area is about 0.8 miles from the frequent bus route 18, which goes to councilmember alter's area at O. Henry middle school. And I would just ask that you extend that bus as you're looking at what to do with your $100 million, extend that .08 miles so it can serve the black community to get them to downtown frequently. The other case ted to bring your case to is 84 and 85, that's 3500 pecan springs. It's on consent agenda first reading. The other lady spoke about it as well. I did meet with the members in that community. They invited me to their zoom call on Saturday. One of the things that is promising is that part 3b of [3:20:03 PM] their conditional overlay does specify 24 units with 10% being affordable housing. My charge and my request to council, however, is for you to recognize your disparate impact policy. Specifically I want you to understand that even if you paid $40,000 on the down payment for 80% area median family income that's a person who earns approximately $52,000. That's condos or townhomes will be placed at 380,000 to $425,000. So I would ask you to look at the monies that you're trying to take from Austin police department and figure out whether it's councilmember tovo working on this our the housing trust fund. I know she often talks about the neighborhood housing trust fund. If there's a way for you to actually increase the amount of funds that you pay on the the down payment so that an individual who makes that 80% area median family income can live in the neighborhood. I want to call your attention to that area specifically, touch stone and Springdale, it's .08 miles to the reserve at [3:21:05 PM] Springdale which is near Natasha harper-madison's mother's home. So our councilmember should take a look at this area as well. Fifty-first street is the dividing line and this is an 2021 for you to integrate the neighborhood or to continue to gentrify it. 0.8 miles to the 292 units down the street. I want you to understand that they are using the 300 route bus stop to sell this neighborhood to you to say this is why you should change it so they can have more density. [Buzzer sounds] But the mid block stop doesn't even have a pedestrian hybrid beacon and that's something that the staff has not looked at yet. I want you to understand too that my other concern is it's in the floodplain and I wanted you to know if the detention pond was enough to ensure that they could build these 24 units. I do want you to recognize as well that as it relates to the culture and the area that this particular property is located, it still says not applicable. But I brought to your attention that this is an historically black area and that pecan springs elementary is in fact one of [3:22:07 PM] the 100-year-old schools in Travis county. And I want you to understand specifically that as it relates to this area, if you don't intervene it will gentrify. Right at east 51st street you have the 400,000-dollar home. I want you to understand that that capital metro eliminated the bus stop through the housing authority of the city of Austin properties, .08 miles away and that there's an empty shelter that sits there $7,000 right now for future land use. And future development as opposed to serving the community in its entirety. So I just want you to understand that as you talk about black lives matter -- [buzzer sounds] -- It is important for you to recognize that housing matters too. And that right now although you voted yesterday for project connect. I just have to tell you that project connect will segregate Austin for centuries. This is one property, one area that can actually serve as a model for the city if you are truly willing to invest in the black [3:23:08 PM] community. [Buzzer sounds] And minorities as well. So I would just call to your attention that African-Americans make approximately $50,000, the hispanics make about 43,000. The Asians make about 101,000 and the whites make about $98,000. So unless you intervene the disparate impact is going to have an unintended consequence. [Buzzer sounds] Those are my comments, but I would ask you, mayor, to pull that item with the liquor store going to the black community and please give the black community the opportunity to weigh in because it's an incompatible use it with the neighborhood. I don't think any of you want a liquor store right in the entrance of your neighborhood. And it's -- [buzzer sounds] So please do more than simply say, you know, George Floyd and black lives matter. Do something about these two cases. I thank you for interrupting the meeting to allow me to make my comments. And yes, just on a tech [3:24:08 PM] Alty, this new join such procedure that you have requires a phone number and it you to understand -- [buzzer sounds] Homeless people and people in group homes who may not have a home number and they will not be able to call in for your meetings so please allow another way for them to call in as well. Thank you so much and if you have any questions I'll gladly answer them at this time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Councilmember alter? >> Alter: Ms. Joseph, I wanted to thank you for being persistent and I wanted you to note you had a very good header on my email and notification, which was I was on the line to speak and that's what I saw. So thank you. >> I thank you, councilmember alter. Please look at route 18. It's within your hands and I think you can impact it. You spoke on your first day in office and remember January 9th, 2017. Thank you so much. >> Mayor Adler: Let's get the next speaker now. >> Mayor, we have corby [3:25:11 PM] gastrell on the line and he was one of the three minute speakers who dropped off. >> Sounds good. Thank you. >> Good afternoon, mayor, council and manager. This is corby, president of the greater Austin crime commission. Nothing is more important than keeping our families, friends and neighborhoods safe. Even before the pandemic chief Brian Manley and the Austin police department faced daunting challenges. Aggravated assaults, property crimes and robberies were up last year. Violent and [indiscernible] Crime also increased in downtown and in our entertainment district. Response times were slower and traffic fatalities increased. The staffing strain is evident in community policing that again fell below national standards. Also the police department is undergoing a comprehensive training audit responding to the issues raised in the recent independent inquiry into bias and racism and investigating a fatal [3:26:12 PM] officer-involved shooting. Concerning these problems and making significant reforms is what the community expects and what the department is doing. Greater Austin crime commission supports item 50 and many of the recommendations in items 95 and 96, such as reducing racial disparity and traffic enforcement, using deescalation tactics instead of deadly force, increased mental health response and training for the use of narcon for overdose response. However, positive police changes are overshadowed by parts that put the community at risk. You cannot solve a public safety crisis by creating another. Thank you for let meg talk today and I apologize about the technical difficulties getting in. [3:27:16 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Glad you got in. Next speaker. >> Next speaker is James Casey. James Casey, be sure to unmute. James Casey? >> Hello? >> Go ahead. >> You have one minute. >> Thank you. I'm a [indiscernible] And having lived in the city for 40 years, currently living in district 5 and I'm an organizer of white supremacy Austin. Thank you for taking the baby steps to start building real public safety. And sincerely thanking you, [3:28:19 PM] especially councilmember harper-madison, you've been -- APD will consider these resolutions so much noise and the business of violence will go on as usual until you get rid of them. None of these resolutions directly prevent police from inflicting violence on the bodies of people living in your city. Mayor, you said this morning that the police keep this community safe. I'm sure this is sure for the community you live in if it doesn't mean downtown. I'm sure that [indiscernible] In the greater Austin crime commission who send their representatives to speak earlier as voices for the one percent. This is certainly not true for brown bodied and black bodied people who live here for whom the police are a daily menace and a threat. To stop the violence requires defunding the organization that you have supported for your entire life. [Buzzer sounds] An organization that operates with complete impugnty is a law unto itself and the violence to protect E comfort of rich [3:29:19 PM] people by continuously threatening the lives of non-white bodied people while maintaining a long- standing occupation of the community. Thank you for taking the first baby steps for real public safety today. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Seneca Savoy. >> Hi H this is Seneca. This is unfortunately one of many times that I've spoken on policing in Austin. I really just want to highlight today the opportunity to speak before the council in incredibly dire circumstances. We know from the pattern of hospitalizations that we are very likely to have a wave of infections and deaths in this coming fall along with a wave of evictions, the [3:30:21 PM] highest unemployment rates we've seen in this city's history. And the flexibility that we have to deal with that is going to come down on to very hard budget decisions. And we ultimately have to decide whether or not the stress that that puts on our society and on our city is going to come in the form of depression or going to come in the form of aid. The 100-million-dollar starting point that [indiscernible] And others have put forward is exactly where I would start because with that we can address -- [buzzer sounds] And deliver services that people desperately need to survive. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Tim carmac. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, go ahead. [3:31:25 PM] >> Howdy. My name is Tim. I'm a resident and I just wanted to say a few things. A lot of city councilmembers have vocalized their support for change in the police department, but failed to comment on the changes we need to do now to hold the Austin police department accountable. Police officers involved in the attempted murders of peaceful protesters Brad and Justin and all the officers who violently attacked the crowd of protesters must be immediately prosecuted to the full state representative of the law. And -- the full extent of the law. No justice, no peace. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Keenan murtag. >> I'm here. >> Go ahead. >> Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, go ahead. >> Okay. Hi. I originally had a three minute thing but now I don't. The main thing is I notice that most of the people talking felt like not making any changes, talking about [3:32:26 PM] going slowly, going piece by piece. To me it's a classic sign of what we call softest try, which is basically to make persuasion as more important than the truth and a classic example is when you take a big structural problem and bring it down to very tiny particulars. This always privileges people with power and the status quo and in this case that means white dominated arm of violence, the police. So we clearly need a new status quo, a radical break of how things are or we'll continue the sequence that led from slavery to Jim crow in the 20s and 30s where there was record membership of kkk, the Watts riots, king riots and George Floyd. The American society cannot survive a continuation of the racist structural logic that these events clearly demonstrate. [Buzzer sounds] So don't miss the forest for the trees. Don't mistake a system that needs to be rebuilt in an [3:33:28 PM] actively racist way for a sequence of quantitative adjustments. [Indiscernible]. Is irresponsible, inhumane and a slap in the face to all of us who try to commit to a better future. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> James Donnelly. >> Yes, hello. So I prepared for three minutes and I believe that's what I was allotted. So I'll just speak. >> Mayor Adler: What's your name. >> Until I'm cut off. >> Mayor Adler: What's your name? What's your name? >> My name is James donnellly. My name is James donnellly. I'm a native district 1 voter who organizes with the -- I'm sorry? >> Mayor Adler: You have one minute. That's what the speakers are getting today. Go ahead. >> I'm a native 1 district voter who organizes with the [3:34:29 PM] industrial workers of the world. After eight hours of testimony and discussion from your respective constituents, once being a harrowing 15 minute call from Edwin Sanchez on behalf of his brother Brad, weeks of video evidence of police provocation and horrific violence, many innocents either being maimed or murdered, I honestly shouldn't have to be calling this morning to explain to my supposedly discerning representatives by continuing to increase the abjectly, morally wasteful budget and utilizing less lethal munition is a physical and existential threat to the well-being of Austin. I humbly call on a discussion between Hayward burns [indiscernible] And in which they analyze the horrors of state sanctioned violence at Kent state,. [Buzzer sounds] With the way that agent [3:35:31 PM] proceed contact tenures are being viewed, he says you get a full impact just how lawless these officials are. In addition, this -- in addition, while the -- >> Mayor Adler: Did we lose the speaker? >> No, he's still there. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. We've lost you if you need to unmute. Okay. Go ahead and call the next speaker. >> Francis Tom Sare. >> Hello, everyone. My name is Frances. Spencer cronk, I offer a few [3:36:31 PM] amendments to the resolutions regarding [indiscernible], military grade equipment and choke hold use. And councilmember Casar's proposal number 95. There are indeed viable alternatives for bruteish police and our leaders to indulge and engage in. While I do not condone violence, please feel free to enlist in the military or better yet, the olympic games offer archery, wrestling, boxing, judo, karate, weight lifting, fencing and at last, shooting. Pick one. Please choose another blood sport because your aggression against us will not stand. Every person's job has an expiration date, including police chief, city manager and mayor. Every person's job has an expiration date. So please know we will lie in wait while we continue to advocate. That's all. [Buzzer sounds] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [3:37:32 PM] Next speaker. >> Next speaker is Dorothy Doolittle. Dorothy, be sure to unmute your phone. >> Okay. Hello. >> Yes, go ahead. Ms. Doolittle are you there? >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Go to the next speaker. [3:38:32 PM] >> Warren Berkeley. Warren Berkeley, be sure to unmute. Mayor, can you give us a minute, please? We've lost the bridge. >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. [3:39:56 PM] >> Garza: Mayor? Can we use this time to maybe discuss some he -- maybe to possibly save some time? But I don't see councilmember harper-madison. I've just gotten a -- my office has gotten a couple of concerns about -- we don't have to address it now. We can do it later in the discussion, but just as a head's up about some of the language in I think it's councilmember harper-madison's, about -- concerns about whether certain things flag additional funding for APD and some of those have been mentions of community policing or mentions of the host team. So anyone offering an amendment on host or that has community owe mention of community policing, I just want to be prepared to have [3:40:56 PM] that discussion at the end. My understanding is that not to increase any more funding for APD in those areas, but more to increase the capacity of our ability to do things like host. But anyway, I-up wanted to put -- I just wanted to put that on everyone's radar. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Councilmember harper-madison? >> Harper-madison: Thank you, mayor pro tem, for flagging that. And I appreciate that was your understanding because you're absolutely right, to be very, very clear, explicitly clear, there's no intention whatsoever in the language that currently exists in the resolution to apply any other funding to that capacity. >> Casar: And mayor, when we get to the discussion portion I would want to hear from the manager if he reads it that way or if we need to add those five words at the bottom. We can talk about it then. [3:42:04 PM] >> Alter: Is there a particular line that you're referring to? >> >> Garza: The line I was told was 74 on page 4. Some are reading -- it starts on 73. Not the sentence, but the full phrase of what I'm referencing, a 45 and community informed community policing standard. I too do read that as a community informed some kind of standard. I just -- I want to make sure that we are correctly explaining that that does not include additional funding for community policing. We can talk about community policing later. >> Casar: I think the question is is the host amendment to be read as the non-policing aspects of host or would it include APD dollars? And if the sense as [3:43:05 PM] councilmember harper-madison noted and the manager understands that, we don't need to add language or we need to add or clarify clank. >> Garza: Yeah, I just wanted to daylight those for the discussion later to try to save time. >> Mayor Adler: Are our assistants still speaking on the -- spell working on the speakers? >> I think we're ready. Lauren Berkeley? Warren Berkeley, please be sure to unmute. [3:44:10 PM] Kevin Welch. Mayor, we have -- we can hear him, but we're not able to hear him come across the audio. So we're trying to figure that out. One second. [3:46:53 PM] >> Mayor, could we go ahead and take a recess for maybe 15 minutes while we work out the architect kel difficulties with the sound -- the technical difficulties with the sound in chambers? You're muted, sir. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Colleagues, it's 3:45. We'll take a 15-minute recess until 4:00 and then come back. [4:03:18 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's go ahead. It's 4:03. We're going to reconvene the Austin city council meeting. Why don't you go ahead and call the next speaker. >> Okay. Kevin Welch. >> Okay. Can you hear me this time? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. >> My name is Kevin Welch. I'm district 8 homeowner and [indiscernible] -- I'm here to talk about 50, 93, 94, 95, 96, I strongly believe we need to shift city funding away from APD and on to other programs and services that can more effectively serve our citizens. The vast majority of incidents police respond to already happened and doesn't require someone with a gun to show up, a party doesn't require someone with a gun to show up, or mental health crisis, much less someone who isn't a social worker with the proper training to address the mental [4:04:18 PM] health crisis. I think what council member Flannigan and others have proposed is a great place to start for a safer community. We'll be watching council and city's implementation of these proposals over the coming month. [Buzzer sounding] If the city is backing away from these commitments, no longer paying attention, that will be a reelection line, I will do everything in my power to make sure we have a new city council to take the reforms seriously. I want to reiterate my praise for all of you for doing the right thing today and continue to do the right thing forward by the city and citizens of Austin. Especially citizens of color. Thank you for listening to the citizens. I look forward to a new chapter starting today. Thank you for your time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Next speaker is Jacqueline horner. >> Hi. Can you guys hear me? >> Yes. [4:05:18 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead, please. >> Hi. I'm Jacqueline horn and I am a long-term Austin resident and homeowner in district 4. I am for 95 and 96. I think you owe us more than that after what I saw day two of the protest. I went out there despite ajc canceling the official March because I heard about police misconduct and as a former journalist, I thought it was my responsibility to go as a peaceful observer. And what I witnessed was tear gas getting thrown at unarmed civilians who trust, trusted our law enforcement to not hurt us. A lot of us thought it was counter protesters shooting at us. It sounded like gunshot. I grabbed my friend Pam and ran out of the crowd for safety because I thought we were getting shot at. When I got over the [4:06:20 PM] initial shock, I walked around, I had made birthday [indiscernible] At home, I saw a girl not even 18 years old, debilitated, I tended to her wounds with home made tear gas solutions,. [Buzzer sounding] This was in front of Austin city hall, not even APD, this is a complete different scenario of violence this first weekend of protests. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Next speaker. >> Next speaker is Dorothy Doolittle. >> Hi name is Dorothy Doolittle from St. David's episcopal church. We value the city council's efforts to respond to the public outcry on police use of force against communities [4:07:21 PM] of color. We command the goal of eliminating racial disparate in the policing. We require -- this requires training to address institutional racism and more effective recruitment of officers from communities of color. We strongly support the office of police oversight and any measures today needs to strengthen its functioning. We need major investments in housing, employment, mental health services. They are the real determinants of community policing. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Mya [indiscernible] >> Can you hear me? [4:08:22 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. >> My name is Mya pilgrim. I'm in district 4 and I'm with communities of color united. We've been acting year after year and thankful for your broad support. We need the council and city manager to respect as mayor pro tem has on their choices and votes at this time. This town was built on stolen land with forced labor and with centuries of violence to black, brown, and native communities, and land theft continues to happen through gentrification. If this city is struggling with homelessness, substance abuse problems, mental health problems, it's because we have a trauma problem, and we've met that trauma with increased oppression, displacement, and violence. You have allowed rampant gentrification to entitlements, variances, people of restrictions, and the loss of existing low-income housing that then call police on black and brown residents, and on Riverside, even called police [indiscernible] On [4:09:24 PM] Riverside, despite report after report and recommendation. Look at your own actions -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next witness. Next testifier. >> Debbie Russell. Debbie Russell, be sure to unmute. >> Yes. I'm sorry. >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> Debbie Russell, district 3. [Indiscernible] Increase their power, numbers, influence on elections and the budget, manage to turn themselves into more than they want to be or should be. We must decide not how police do their jobs but%-@what their jobs should%-@be.%-@they're two to three%-@times more likely to%-@abuse drugs and three to%-@four times more likely to%-@have perpetuated domestic%-@violence than the general%-@population.%-@austin has the highest%-@per capita rate of mental%-@health related police%-@sho otings.%-@we spent the last 20 to%-@30 years jacking up apd's%-@budget by starving out%-@essential services.%-@tire have stayed stagnant%-@or increase.%-@from 2000 to 2008, apd's%-@budget increased over [4:10:36 PM] %-@40%.%-@[indiscernible]%-@eight-year reign%-@increased another 610th!!!!!%-@610th% which far%-@outpaced population%-@growth.%-@new York City budget is 8%-@and a half of their%-@entire city budget.%-@lapd, 7%, San antonio%-@5 1/2%, Austin is 11%.%-@we must get rid of manley%- @now.%-@[buzzer sounding]%-@he's an obstacle, not a%-@change agent.%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Thank you%-@very much.%-@next speaker?%-@> > David king.%-@>> Yes.%-@can you hear me?%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Yes.%-@go ahead.%-@>> Thank you, mayor.%-@my name is David king and%-@I'm calling in to ask you%-@to support item 50 , item%- @93, 94, 95, and 96.%-@and I'm just going to%-@zoom in on a couple of%-@the highlights.%-@I think it's important%-@that we defund austin%-@police department by at%-@least $100 million and%-@fire APD chief Manley [4:11:39 PM] for%-@recurring police%-@killings, brutality,%-@oppression and systemic%-@racism.%-@and these actions today%-@are transformative so I'm%-@proud of the council for%-@moving the ball forward.%- @I hope you all%-@unanimously approve all%-@of these items today, and%-@don't back down to the%-@backlash that's going to%-@come from those who want%-@to preserve white%-@privilege and perpetuate%-@racism because they%-@benefit from it.%-@I hope that your actions%-@today is just the%-@beginning of fundamental%-@and transformative %-@changes to daylight and%-@eliminate systemic%-@inequities and racism in%-@all city departments.%-@thank you very much.%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Thank%-@you.%-@next speaker.%-@>> Christa Erickson col%-@liens.%-@>> Hello.%-@my name is%-@[indiscernible] Collins.%-@thank you for your%-@courage and leadership.%-@you made good strides%-@today by passing 50, 93%-@through 96.%-@it is [4:12:41 PM] a good beginning to%-@divert at least a hundred%-@million dollars from apd%-@towards public health,%-@low-income housing and%-@mental health.%-@robustly allocating to%-@the lpo and equity%-@offices are vital.%-@we need all of you to%-@publicly demand immediate%-@change in the leadership%-@of ap D now.%-@city manager cronk, there%-@has been ample time for%-@reform.%- @chief Manley has blocked%-@progressive steps, stalls%-@and has reverted to%-@regressive policy.%- @it is not an issue of%-@whether chief Manley is a%-@nice man.%-@it is an issue of his%-@fitness to change th e%-@racist, warrior culture%-@of APD and the academy.%-@you must bring in someone%- @who will.%-@the entire city council%-@must demand the%-@resignation of chief%-@manley, chief of staff,%-@assistant manager%-@arellano. %-@Thank you.%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Thank%-@you.%-@next speaker.%-@>> Sam hall.%-@>> Mayor?%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Go ahead.%- [4:13:42 PM] @>> Mayor pro tem,%-@council.%-@my name is Sammy hall.%-@I'm [indiscernible] --%-@P>> Mayor Adler: Can you%-@get closer to the%-@microphone?%-@>> Yes, I can.%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Good.%- @>> Can we call on city%-@council%-@[indiscernible] -- We%-@call on the city council%-@to support a community%-@policing model, like the%-@one we developed over the%-@past three years, over a%- @hundred leaders from our%-@east side congregation%-@and others met with tnac d%-@officers and commanders%-@to tell their stories of%-@their interactions with%-@police.%-@community policing is%-@when residents and police%-@engage in active,%-@sustained dialogue an d%-@real partnerships to%-@achieve a cultural shift.%-@a cultural shift to%-@improve the trust and%-@present crime.%- @we say black lives matter%-@with our voices, but now%-@we must say black lives%-@matter with [4:14:46 PM] our policies%-@and procedures and strong%-@enforcement.%-@thank you all for%-@listening.%- @p>> Mayor Adler: Thank you%-@ver Y much.%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Next%-@speaker?%-@>> Drew paskung.%-@>> Can you hear me?%- @p>> Mayor Adler: Yes.%-@go ahead, please.%-@you have one minute.% -@>> Okay.%-@>> I want to let you know%-@[indiscernible] Response%-@demand radical change%- @with [indiscernible].%-@please protect private%-@property and billionaire%-@cos, not us , preserve%-@slavery, oppression,%-@that's exactly what it%-@continues to do.%-@[indiscernible] Making%-@the marginalized fear for%-@their lives, family, and%-@community,%-@[indiscernible] We you%-@value [4:15:48 PM] white comfort more%-@than the lives of%-@minorities.%-@if you're still in love%-@with your military and%-@industrial complex%-@[indiscernible] -- Looks%-@like Yo U can rest%-@[indiscernible] We got%-@it.%-@[indiscernible] Slavery%-@with you too.%-@oppression was an%-@integral and necessary%-@part of the function.%-@we can [indiscernible] --%-@[Buzzer sounding] %-@We're with people of%-@color, queer people,%-@homelessness speaker,%-@we're protesters, we're%-@people [indiscernible]%-@people that the police%-@brutalized.%-@we're the people of%-@austin.%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Thank you%-@so much.%-@thanks for joining us%-@today [4:16:49 PM] .%-@appreciate it.%-@go ahead.%-@the next speaker, please?%-@>> Okay.%-@the next speaker is %- @Tatiana M artizano.%-@>> Can you hear me?%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Yes.%-@please go ahead.%-@you have one minute.%-@>> Hi.%-@my name is Tatiana, a%-@resident of district 3.%-@I would like to redirect%-@the money from APD into%-@social services program.%-@a couple of years ago the%- @aisd budgets was cut.%-@I'd like to put it back%-@into education and other%-@programs that can help%-@the city, not care it%-@down like you see it%-@going on right now.%-@thank you for your time.%-@p>> Mayor Adler: Thank you%-@very much.%-@next speaker.%-@>> Yasmine Smith. [4:17:58 PM] %-@>> Born and raids%-@austinite, I stand in%-@solidarity of leadership%-@of the Austin polic e%- @department.,, >> Mayor Adler: We've lost you if you're speaking. >> If you're on a cell phone, please go back to where you were originally standing. Your connection is bad. Next speaker is Lauren Berkeley. >> I'm Warren Berkeley with Austin justice coalition district 5, I want to speak in support of item 94. It's good to see council [4:18:59 PM] finally investing in the communities they serve. We need -- we need housing -- we need -- there are problems with homelessness. Let's find them homes. >> Kitchen: Mayor, could I ask a question? What was the name of the last speaker? Do you know? >> Warren Berkeley. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Joanna baker -- Becker, sorry. >> I'm a native austinite and I support items 93 through 96. Despite claims of unanimous support, we will continue to hold y'all accountable, [4:20:01 PM] especially the seven recently voted to increase police funding after pretending to be sympathetic to many speakers is found to be frankly disgusting. I urge you to amend item 95 to include acoustic devices that can cause permanent damage to hearing. I do not support reform initiatives or restorative justice measures but instead transformative justice. APD and chief Manley have proven to be utterly incompetent and we need new leadership and to dismantle the police unions. Austin is apparently an abusive relationship with police, we're done listening to apologies, promises, white black and brown people continue to be targeted and murdered. I urge you to amend 96, allocate funds for medical bills, people injured in the protests, and toward free counseling for anyone experiencing PTSD. A hundred million dollars in defunding does not go far enough. We should go to the example of Minneapolis and Seattle, reducing the police by a minimum of 25% -- [buzzer sounding] -- And redirect the funds into programs that [4:21:02 PM] actually help the community [indiscernible] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker? >> Yasmine Smith. >> Hi, guys. I'm back. Born understand a raised austinite. I stand in solidarity with the reallocation of funds. We need to make sure that there's follow-up on the [indiscernible]. Council, you have the ability to require that all today. Resolution tells the manager to look at services, entities, which are important, but this could be strengthened by asking the manager to document which [indiscernible] To be shifted or not and explaining rationale for each. Likewise, because the council has no competence to implement these policies, the council could direct the APD that they must partner with other departments on each of these initiatives, that there is an [4:22:06 PM] sb-independent set of eyes on each. You should require the city manager to submit a summary of his confidence in the police leadership he's or kept, at the same time, the council considers his performance evaluation. Thank you. Have a wonderful day. >> Thank you. Next speaker. >> Eliza Epstein. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. >> Thank you. My name is eleza Epstein and I live in district 5. Thank you council person harper-madison for being the [indiscernible], programs really affordable housing, equity. Your decision to unanimously adopt these measures reads to me not as a [indiscernible] [4:23:07 PM] Response to recommend but an attempt to soften your institution so that it is not in the face of radical opposition -- [baby crying] -- You're letting up the slack so no one [indiscernible]. If change is linear, your votes might read as progress, maybe it is, maybe it's [indiscernible] Of your institution and the police department. Maybe you both got a little stronger by touching violence a little bit looser. A safer community is more quickly achieved by challenging the legitimacy of policing, recognizing the way that racism is woven into the fabric of existence and instead of pulling at threads, [indiscernible] System, something new. Rape victims don't -- [buzzer sounding] They need something with a working and lending hand. I get it, it's scary and embracing radical hope rather than radical fear. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. We appreciate you speaking. Next speaker. >> Grace Hanson. [4:24:14 PM] >> Hi. My name is grace Hanson and I'm a constituent, calling to speak in favor of item 96. I was informed to speak directly to the issue of budget because over the last month I've watched APD forcefully arrest a neighbor in my apartment complex who seems to be suffering from a health crisis, not once twice. I can only imagine how traumatizing these experiences have been for him and how different his life would be right now if he'd been assisted by trained mental health professionals rather than having the apartment door busted in by APD. The city desperately needs investment in mental health and affordable housing. I fully support the council's effort to [indiscernible] The budget of APD. However, I want to urge councilmembers not to stop there. Item 96 and other policing related items are positive first step but they're only a first step. These items cannot be the end of a long, difficult, critical process of abolishing policing. Eight can't wait and similar policies will not be sufficient in the [4:25:15 PM] brutality and racism perpetuated by policing. Furthermore, I echo [indiscernible] Saying we will not replicate the same racist structures that communities of color grapple with today. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for being with us today. Thank you. Next speaking. >> Hannah Alexander. >> Hello snow. >> Mayor Adler: Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. You have one minute. >> My name is Hannah Alexander, I'm a district 9 resident. I'm speaking in support of policing matters, item 96. We can't wait any more to create a more just, equitable [indiscernible]. Oversight items, they [4:26:16 PM] will work, including eight can't wait. [Indiscernible] Are already illegal. We've invested in training and body cams and nothing has changed. Must divest from APD and invest in the community. The system of policing is not working. Even if it were working without any racial disparities or excessive force, if you're calling 911, it's too late. The crime has happened, it's happening or is extremely imminent. We can create a city where everyone thrives and also prevent crime. Based on passed [indiscernible] Current leadership within APD and the city manager and acm level, we'll earnestly implement these reforms. They must go. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Laura dorgenson. Laura, please be sure to unmute. [4:27:29 PM] Paul tardy. Yeah. Paul tardy. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. You have one minute. >> Okay. On June 6th, a long range acoustic device was positioned above peaceful protesters at APD headquarters, also known as sound Canons, the function and Krause dispersion, due to the pain they can induce by channeling sound at high decibels, can cause permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, migraines, vision disruption, nausea, and disorientations. The [indiscernible] Have been confirmed publicly. On Saturday night, they used it on the crowd on [4:28:32 PM] I-35, only used the public announcement system for people who break laws. We saw how they [indiscernible] At people's faces. The difference is that when a person has been injured by sound Canon, the wound is not externally visible. I'm asking that the city council obtain a full inventory of APD equipment and investigate the maximum potential for harm that each device may cause within and outside of intended use. [Buzzer sounding] APD's response [indiscernible] Provides an example of how they will down play the role of their more dangerous items that need to be discontinued from use. Putting a crowd in front of this weaponized loud speaker is reckless. Allowing the same department to control it is monstrous. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Next speaker. >> Frank [indiscernible] >> Hi. My name is frank, and I'm calling today in support of items number 50, 94, 95, 96, to abolish [4:29:33 PM] [indiscernible] Within APD. I'm also asking that we remove leadership [indiscernible], that's of course police chief Brian Manley and [indiscernible] Gay, rey Arellano and city manager cronk, who [indiscernible] In administration before he came to Austin and part of the Greenburg administration. Thank you for your time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Shane Johnson. >> Hello? Can y'all hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. You have one minute. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. You have one minute. Go ahead. >> I'm Shane Johnson, with the [indiscernible] Ajc, [indiscernible] Management commissioner. I've spoken a few times. Many of y'all know who I am, but you may not know I'm about [indiscernible], so [4:30:34 PM] listening to Brenda Ramos earlier, I could feel the physical symptoms of the anxiety, you know, almost like a hand was crushing my throat. Council member alter said this is a dose of truth, council member kitchen said it earlier today, that this has been allowed to continue for too long. I have to express my frustration as a black man that -- and call out that this is your legacy and this has gone on too long under your leadership. This is past due but I'm glad y'all are suddenly waking up from these many years of overfunding APD. [Buzzer sounding] And right now, this is about values and visions and not policies [indiscernible]. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> We need to defund at least a hundred million dollars. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker. [4:31:38 PM] >> Diana sayer. >> Thank you. [Indiscernible] Reform, increase forms of training both in Austin have proved to be inadequate and ineffective in increasing [indiscernible]. Cities like Minneapolis to defund their police department shows that action is possible. We don't need police officers to respond to significant percentage of situations they are currently called to. Crisis counselors, nurses, social workers, [indiscernible] All these can better meet these needs without the increased risk of violence. If it was possible to reform the current police system to prevent police brutality, it would have already happened. We have to shift from talking about the police as individuals and [indiscernible] -- Many vulnerable demographics [4:32:39 PM] don't feel safe to call the police. Only a small percentage of domestic violence or sexual assault are reported because victims are afraid of the police. [Indiscernible] Illustrated by APD at recent protests shows the militarization puts people in danger. [Buzzer sounding] [Indiscernible] People of color experiencing systemic violence. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker. >> Alex Meade. >> Thank you, mayor and council, Alex Meade. I'm speaking on my own behalf and in a few weeks I'll be on behalf of district 9. I am here supporting resolutions 50 and 93 through 96. I'm glad that you all are supporting those as well. But those resolutions will be meaningless if they're not followed up by thoroughly rethinking [4:33:39 PM] the role that APD plays in our society and the funds they have to play that role. So it's far past time that there's no time right now to be throwing more money at APD in blind pursuit of progress. We need to take away the money that APD is using to patrol our streets with weapons of terror. We need to reinvest that money into social programs that will diminish the need for the police in the first place. I continue to stand with those who are demanding the dismissal or resignation of chief Manley, but until that happens, even after it happens, it will be up to council to assure that apted is held accountable to the power of the purse and politics. [Buzzer sounding] [Indiscernible] Key elements of making sure the first resolution [indiscernible]. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker? >> Kathleen Houlihan. [4:34:40 PM] >> I had to unmute myself. This is Kathleen who will man. I'm a white native austinite in district 9 speaking in favor of item 50, 93, 94, 95, and 96. I know y'all have committed to support these items. Forget my doubtfulness because last week I watched a majority of y'all, including my own rep, vote to increase funding to the police, despite hours of painful community testimony to the contrary. [Indiscernible] End policing and the article confessions of a former bastard cop, justification from for real systemic change. Today is our first step. Go further and end qualified [indiscernible]. We can limit the power of our policing but she'd police from responsibility, we can require police to carry malpractice insurance, we can defund, demilitarize and disarm the police. Since [indiscernible] Percent call no armed response, police [indiscernible] Illusion created by decades of propaganda. Let's spend money to hire people who are better [4:35:40 PM] trained and don't need guns for conflict resolution, to put the money back into the community and solve racial disparities that cause harm. I'm here to support members of black and brown races and defund APD and [indiscernible] The community. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Mayor, I don't know what y'all were doing with that buzzer before, but now it is rattling the inside of my brain, it is so loud. So just a note. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Kiki Avila. >> Mayor Adler: Council member harper-madison. >> Harper-madison: I was going to say, to the contrary, that is really loud, but I am finding that a lot of the speakers are very low. And I don't know if that's just me, if we could just encourage everybody to speak up or get closer to your phone, make sure you're in a spot with good cell representation. I'm sure [indiscernible] Hear a lot of speakers. >> Mayor Adler: All right. Next speaker. >> Kiki avilas. [4:36:44 PM] >> Hi. >> Mayor Adler: If you can't hear, council member harper-madison, raise your hand and I'll get that speaker to move closer. >> Hi. Yes, it looks like the clerk's office is obviously having a hard time doing their job today. I've waited over five hours and officially confirmed for three minutes. My family member was killed by APD, so with all due respect, city council, I'm speaking for more than a minute. Item 95 is well-intentioned and a good start, we simply can't trust the police. This eight can't wait initiative has been implemented and other police departments around the country to no avail. As a native austinite, I have mad love for this city and pride in Texas, but real talk, this state is red as hell. Texas has a lot of racism and with Austin being the capital, we need to lead by example. Police have betrayed our trust over and over again. As I previously stated, I have a family member killed by APD. [4:37:45 PM] We just heard Mike Ramos's mother speak about the loss of her only child to APD. These didn't need to be killed. The system has failed them. The last weekend in may -- [buzzer sounding] -- Went out to protest against people of color and APD responded [indiscernible] Brutality. None of the officers involved have been held accountable. Spencer cronk, we demand you to fire [indiscernible], Leslie pool, Paige Ellis, you can talk big talk but you voted to get more funding to APD after testimony of people who pleaded for justice against the police. It's an suffered. We can't wait to vote you out. [Indiscernible] I'll get to you in a minute, sir. The system is broken, especially when police unions allow fired officers to return to the force. We must end the cycle of systematic abuse. We need to begin defunding the police and abolishing it. [4:38:45 PM] It is morally wrong that half of the city's budget goes to APD when we have hundreds of homeless people out on the street. Crime is highly correlated with people not being able to meet their basic needs. Research it. Use the facts. Abolishing the police force sounds radical but so did abolishing slavery because it argued the economy would collapse. Slavery was a huge business in the U.S. It's sad that money was the biggest concern and not the evil ability of enslaving humans and torture. They felt it was natural and necessary. Mr. Renteria, you spoke about your segregation experience in Austin. With all due respect, sir, you should be the first of defunding police. As a person of color you've seen and experienced its white supremacy over and over in your lifetime. We need to leave a better ticket for our grandkids, nephews, nieces, and all children. We can't support what was routed and founded on racism. [4:39:45 PM] Abolishing the police isn't radical, it's necessary. Defunding the police is a major first step and it's what we need to focus on now. We must use the funds to [indiscernible] Our black and brown communities. Start by consulting with experts in the mental health and social work field to come up with an effective -- with an effective plan that doesn't use violence and intimidation, fear, to supposedly serve and protect its residents. This can help improve the social conditions of this community. I support [indiscernible] All way and it's time for the city to do the same. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Brian corlusky. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. You have one minute. >> All right. I'm calling in in favor of supporting the abolition as well, defunding the police, demilitarizing our community, moving the police from schools, [4:40:46 PM] bring people from jails and prisons, killing laws that criminalize survival, investing in community self- government, providing safe housing for everyone, and investing in care, not cops. Black lives matter. Abolish the police. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Colleagues -- council member, mayor pro tem, I don't know if you have language for the amendment that you were going to offer, but if you could post that, that would be helpful for people to take a look at it. I don't know if anyone else anticipates any other amendments. If you do, if you could post those, that might help us here at the back end of the day, so people have a chance to look to them. Let's go ahead with the next speaker. >> Richard krenweld. >> Okay. Right here. I participated in a protest both at the capitol and at H-E-B. I work in public schools as a behavior teacher in the Austin area, and my [4:41:47 PM] students are 90-plus percent people of color. On the 29th, my partner and I were outside APD. People shot into the crowd across the road. The crowd that was not in close proximity and they were not behaving violently. I recall two or three household water bottles being thrown. On the 30th, three people were seriously injured by rounds alongside the access road, while I was present, one of which was Brad Ayala. One woman I can't say knocked unconscious. A man couldn't move out of the fetal position after being shot in the abdomen. One police shot below, and one in a wheelchair, continued to shoot at him. The next day Justin Howell was shot, the medic attending him and the pregnant woman. Lots of bases in fact, non-violent deescalation tactics should come first. I asked myself as a behavioral teacher -- [buzzer sounding] -- How is it that I can verbally deescalate angry people, groups of them, [4:42:47 PM] sometimes armed with weapons far more dangerous than a half filled water bottle and I don't feel the need to shoot them in the head. The police seem incapable of this, but if I can do it for a living for almost ten years now, then so can APD. To all my present and future black students out there listening, and I know you are, your life matters, black lives matter, and they not only matter, they're essential. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Patrick fenna. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Thank you. My name's Patrick fenno. I reside in district 1. I'm wholeheartedly in favor of items 50 and 93-96. Austin is long overdue, real indicating resources from APD to social programs including, but not limited to, easy access to social workers, crisis training, [4:43:49 PM] deescalation, planned apparent who had, safe [indiscernible] Night classes, affordable health care and low-income housing for the homeless. Instead of trying to fix it by beating them to the ground, we should be making steps toward preventing the problem in the first place. Mr. Is have their place, we can't be naive but we can't be delusional and think this more cops and weapons on the street are answers to the struggle. Equality approach will continue to be an unmitigated failure if we don't making radical change now. Fire chief Manley, [indiscernible] The police, black lives matter. >> Mayor Adler: Next witness. >> Chivas Watson. >> Hello. >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. You have one minute. >> I'm chivas -- resident of district 10 and [4:44:50 PM] representative of d1, support of items 50, 93 through 96 to get closer to community needs but aware if council continues kneeing that often policing -- having contributed to -- but to racial disparities and fatal shootings, we must have continued to deny a clear result of APD discretion that leads to systemic impacts in our Austin communities. We can't rely upon a [indiscernible] Process [indiscernible] Housing still need to be enforced. The reference is to allowing [indiscernible], those with prior convictions who can achieve quality of life that also deserve housing to remain on successful paths of reentering into society. Chronologically, a lack of housing determines into entering cycles of recidivism. I recommend if council is observing this item through the next fiscal quarter, both you all and Spencer determine [indiscernible] Allies that I share, because truly in the scheme of it all, I am one of the few who actually has [4:45:50 PM] firsthand experience that re-entry happens. [Buzzer sounding] I think an immediate 100-million-dollar [indiscernible] Other than that of ahdc, similar to Houston. When you have a prior quirks it costs the same as a month's rent to even apply existing programs. I'm in favor of item 94 but firmly believe there should be revisions to the resolution. There are several ways to create fair housing opportunities that aren't being considered right now. I am in support of items 95 and 96, but I'm also directly impacted by APD's military culture and racist outcomes. I stood against the police union contract and [indiscernible] To choose Manley as chief. I don't think it includes [indiscernible] Calling for the removal of the police chief's office in providing prima fascia evidence as to why. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, sir, for participating with us today. [4:46:50 PM] Next speaker. >> Melissa Miller. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. You have one minute. >> I'm sharing my experience in deescalation of the fight for unarmed master level social worker. I received a call about a person in distress who felt physically threatened. Let's call him John. I know about John's schizophrenia and mental history. I showed up with a chemical dependency counselor and don't consider calling APD. We help him with medication because he trusts us, the fear of calling APD is reinforcement looking at a 2019 report which shows Austin has the highest per capita relate of police shootings during mental health calls of the 15 largest cities in the U.S. Imagine living in a community where we cater our public safety interventions to an individual's needs and connect them to appropriate treatment options. You don't have to imagine. [4:47:51 PM] These services already exist and are underfunded which is a constant barrier to community outreach. Mental health and substance use are complex health issues that are criminalized and require years of training to assess and intervene, specifically four to six years of training -- [buzzer sounding] -- We are getting funds from APD and other community programs, public safety, public health, and save lives. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> I support items 95 and 96. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much for being with us today. Next speaker. >> Ursula barker. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. You have one minute. >> Hi. I'm from district 9. I'm for items 95 and 96. I want to speak on the police response to protests. As a white person, I've not been subjected to violence from the police. I'm privileged in that way. In the week and a half I've opened my eyes to brutality of the police. [4:48:52 PM] Not throwing water bottles, wearing protective gear, not acting on their right to protest, even if they're block [indiscernible]. It's carrying guns of any kind. Violence is using non-leith rounds. Violence is using tear gas on civilians. Violence is placing a sonic weapon on the roof of APD to threaten the the crowd of protesters, theout full of musicians, sense of hearing, whose work the city makes over a billion dollars off of every year. This is just what I've seen from police during protests, not even the violence of black and brown every day at the hands of APD. Chief Manley needs to be fired. Fire all of APD. Reallocate all of APD's budget to other programs. Do better. Shame on those of you who [indiscernible] -- That includes you, Mr. Mayor. Better serve the community. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Marcus Wilson. [4:50:01 PM] Marcus Wilson. Don't forget to unmute. >> Sorry. >> Go ahead. >> I just wanted to thank you guys for putting together the revisions for 95 and -- ooh, I'm so excited -- for 95 and 96, and thank you for item 94. And I'm super happy, excited for item 44. Thanks for putting that through. And just anyway, thanks. Local government, I just wanted to call in and voice support for those items. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Ashley Hamilton. [4:51:04 PM] >> Yes. My name is Ashley Hamilton. I was a long-time constituent of d1 before gentrification took place. I would like to ask the mayor and city council to adopt resolutions 50, 93, 94, 95, and 96. However, I would like some revisions to be made. As a black female, furthermore, as a black female of two African American children, I'd ask that you [indiscernible] Additional work of racism black people face from police. These resolutions were developed based on input and guidance from leaders in the black community. We developed this in the best course forward for Austin's black community and our community as a whole. First we must start with the unanimous vote of no confidence for APD chief Brian Manley. His leadership has demonstrated gross incompetence in handling protests in Austin last weekend. We ask for Manley to resign effective immediately. Secondly, we believe and it's critical to defund [4:52:10 PM] [indiscernible] For public safety. [Buzzer sounding] The resolution before you continue Progressive comments and data driven solutions for public safety, including shifting funds to public health and mental health, services to respond to residents' needs like the rice fund, providing access to people's incarcerations to allow them to get back into the world and sustain a quality inquality of life others have accepted as well. Policies for officers to intervene when they witness police brutality and stop using military equipment on our protesters. Expanding the scope of the city council judicial system to effectively oversee these reforms. Lastly, holding APD to also already established equity goals set by the city's equity office. We believe in firmly in holding the city manager and APD accountable to these reforms. We call for open data and how these changes are implemented. We ask for unanimous vote on items 50, 93, 94, 95, [4:53:11 PM] and 96. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> With revisions that better reflect the black community. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Black lives matter. Thank you for your time today. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Colleagues, we have about 90 speakers that are left. It's my intent to continue to call the speakers, when the speakers are done, then we'll break for dinner, and then we can come back and vote on these five items and then go into executive session. If we're still in the executive session, we might not be doing that today. >> That's correct, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> We'll withdraw that. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. We'll finish the speakers and decide, colleagues, what you want to do. Continue on with the speakers, please. >> Catie jacket. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. You have one minute. >> Hello. >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. You have one minute. >> Okay. One second. All right. [4:54:11 PM] Items 95, 50, 93 and 96 do not fully protect people of color. Item 95 says less lethal force shall be limited to death or serious harm. How many thought [indiscernible] When they weren't, what about tear gas, peacefully protesting? Cops will use a loopholed, justice for Mike Ramos, speak up if you really believe black lives matter. Defund APD by at least a hundred million dollars. 41% of murders by APD between 2013 to 2019 were people with mental health issues. Fund mental health, education, the arts and affordable housing. Nourish this city, and Natasha Madison for mayor. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Emily sawyer. [4:55:13 PM] Emily sawyer. >> Hello! Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. You have one minute. >> Okay. I'm Emily sawyer. I live in district 4. I'm speaking today in favor of items 50 and 93 through 96. And I thank you for approving those but I also have a challenge for each of you on the virtual dais. You don't get to declare yourself a champion. You show people what you are. It's too bad that your reimagining couldn't have begun before seven of you voted to accept the police funding grant last week. We heard one of our fellow citizens on that call tell you, quote, I would rather you throw that money in a dumpster because a dumpster won't kill me or my son. End quote. And yet all but four of you voted to accept that money, continuing to allocate local funds via the match, and functionally increasing the police budget based on the outside funds. I know that's only one small action, but listening to you all poetic today about how [4:56:13 PM] you're listening and making a commitment is hard to stomach. Do better. Fire Manley and other police leadership. Fire dangerous murderous cops. [Buzzer sounding] Defund police and invest in our communities. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Charles hill. >> Hi there. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. You have one minute. >> All right. I made it. I feel like I hit the lottery. Hey, good afternoon, my names is Charles, I'm a district 5. Today I request councilmembers vote in favor of these five items. I also have a request for Austin city manager Spencer cronk. Please remove chief Manley, the police protesting is just another example of the behavior that goes against the values of this city. If you don't remove Mr. Manley, we'll pressure city council to remove you and if city council will not remove you, we will remove them. I'm in favor of defunding APD. There are other professions that can do better. I want to thank [4:57:13 PM] you all for your time and effort. You aren't super humans, we recognize that, you seem to be trying your best. It's clear police chief Manley is noted looking out for our interests want. We've had challenges with him, nothing as bad as this. He's got to go. The changes today are necessary but not sufficient so please remember that, we want to keep on pushing, please vote in favor of those things today, this item. Please remove police chief Manley. Please know that this reform is not enough, and I really thank you for your time. I know that summer break is come up but we won't be [indiscernible] Buckle up, thank you again. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Buzzer sounding] >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Jessica >> Jessica Wolfe? >> Good afternoon, mayor and council. My name is Jessica Wolfe, deputy policy director for workers defense and I'm in support of today's item. We appreciate council bringing these forward and also know we need more [4:58:14 PM] action. We specifically want to say that it's paramount to have funds for public safety strategies and invest in more staff like mental health first responders. Tanya silvers', our member's 21-year-old daughter was arrested last year after her family called 911 when she had a mental health crisis. Instead of taking her to the hospital, the family reported the police hit her, arrested her and charged we are with assault on a public servant. She spent two weeks in jail while we tried to get her to a specialized hospital. This is another story of APD's ability to protect our city and our community is demanding change. We stand with black led organizations that have been at the foreif front of this movement for many years. We need leadership that will take transformative action to insure police accountability,. [Bell ringing]. Thank you for your time. [Buzzer sounds] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Miriam Connor. [4:59:22 PM] Miriam Connor, please be sure to unmute your phone. >> Miriam Connor, vice-chair of the African-American resource advisory commission, speaking as a community organizer and member. I am for 50, 93, 94, 95, 96 as they are great [indiscernible]. We need to revise our thinking in order to reimagine public safety. If APD stays we need to fire Brian Manley, defund at least $100 million to go to black and brown communities, period. We also need to rethink and redo the whole training program of APD, the community way. Also within our tiny black population I don't know who just America organization is and I've talked to multiple other poc's in our community and they do not represent our community. The community can speak for ourselves. We are in this space and between stimulus and [5:00:22 PM] response and we have the potential and the power to grow and build our [indiscernible]. The freedoms from the white patriarchal system that override what we know is best for ourselves -- [buzzer sounds] Best for our community. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Austin Dell. >> Give me one second. Okay. My name is Austin. I'm a resident of district 4. A member of dsa. I'm talking to you for -- in favor of items 95, 96 in terms of defunding the police. APD received 141 million and I can't understand why. I certainly don't feel any safer, my wife doesn't. [Indiscernible]. Last night I reported four APD officers harassing [indiscernible] Because his [5:01:23 PM] car didn't have a license plate. Why the hell are we paying three out of four of the officers [indiscernible]. Instead of protecting or serving the community it's bullying them out of boredom and need for power. I know the system is doing exactly what it was designed to do ever since the abolishment of slavery. Keep polar of color down and watch. Not only his Manley shown disrespect, but the officers under him. The amount of snickering, belittling and eagerness to beat and [indiscernible] Citizens is an insane abuse of authority. Truly the system needs to be abolished -- [buzzer]. >> Elizabeth valet. >> Good afternoon, thank you for opportunity to speak. My name is Natalie. I live in district 1 and representing myself and here to support in support of [5:02:25 PM] resolution 50 and 93 through 96. I'm a current graduate nursing student at the university of Texas and as a health care professional I would like to say the behavior displayed by the APD is inexcusable and unacceptable. I speak to you today to demand the defunding and restructuring of the APD to demand reallocation of resources from the militarization of our police into mental health and social services. I speak to you today to demand the sacking of chief Manley, to demand that police and its leadership be held accountable for the murder of Mike Ramos. We must root out the white supremacy that is engrained in the police. Enough is enough. We are paying attention and will hold you all accountable. We are all keenly aware of our place in history at this moment, so I call on you, our leaders, to show this city and the rest of the country that you recognize this moment as such. Black lives matter. [Buzzer sounds] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. [5:03:25 PM] >> Kristopher Stanton. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. You have one minute. >> Thank you. Good afternoon, mayor and councilmembers. Thank you for your time. My name is Kristopher Stanton, the founder and director of cycling [indiscernible] Initiative. I have been a resident of district 1 over 20 years after moving from Houston to attend UT. I am proud to be represented by councilmember harper-madison and see the exhausting painful work she is having to continue to under take because so little has been done. Support all requests made by Austin justice coalition, ajc, grassroots for leadership, the naacp, measure and gave. I'm here to support enactment of items 95 and 96. I support reallocating the maximum amount of money from APD and defunding APD. Increase positive impact, community-based services through aph. Ems, housing support and community development, community development and the rise fund. [5:04:25 PM] Also please remove APD leadership who have shown an inability to show changes in the department and a complete lack of patrol during the -- lack of control in the recent protests. [Buzzer sounds] The community has had to put it's zest is the risk from covid-19 to fight white supremacy and the behavior of APD. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for being with us. [Multiple voices] Thank you. Next speaker. >> Sonia Kelly. Be sure to unmute your phone, please. [5:05:29 PM] Jacob Smith? Jacob Smith, be sure to unmute your phone, please? Jessica Johnson. >> Hello, my name is Jessica and I'm a resident of district 9, an attorney with [indiscernible] Defense project and a proud black woman. I support items 50, 95 and 96 and investing at least 100 -- die vesting at least $100 million from APD as the first big steps that must be taken to dismantle a racist department. A previous speaker mentioned that city council should [5:06:29 PM] wait for more evidence before cutting. The evidence is thousands of people taking to the streets to say they don't feel our police force is protecting people of color. This is not a fringe group or simply the loudest voices. This is the people of Austin. The Austin I know and love speaking up. The people who know that diversity brings beauty to our city. The evidence of Mike Ramos's mother sobbing at the loss of her son and the police brutality against protesters in our city. The evidence is promoting officers who use racial slurs and exhibit openly racist behavior. The events of the last few weeks have made it abundantly clear that APD has lost the trust of this community. And die vesting at least $100 million from APD [buzzer] -- Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker? >> Olivia Trevino? [5:07:32 PM] >> Can you hear me? >> You have one minute. >> I'm here to support the defunding of the APD. While I'm grateful for today's resolution I'm imploring you to do more. Or city is in need of so many ways and the general fund that's set to go to the APD is misguided. Can anyone of us look at that pie chart with a straight face. It's embarrassing. If you want change in Austin your vote today should reflect in a. I know a statement of support sounds nice, but if you don't back it up with continued action, then I don't believe it. It's hard to see today as anything more than the same broken propositions and empty words -- broken promises and empty words. Feel free to prove me wrong. I want to make it safe for black and brown people to simply exist in Austin. If you truly believe that black lives matter, prove it. >> Next speaker. [5:08:38 PM] [Buzzer]. >> Kevin Percival. >> Hello. My name is Kevin, district 5. I worked as a behavior support teacher. Thank you for your unanimous support of item 50 and 93 through 96. I would like to speak on 96, specifically on policing and mental health. When I worked in housing and with individuals with mental illness, the safety of our clients was a real source of fear, especially our clients of color. Now I work with young students and fear what happens when they are old enough to be viewed as a threat by police. If you see interactions with people with mental illness increasingly by the police. Ed APD is not built to annual these matters. At least 25% of encounters with police involve someone with a mental illness. Using police as such is irresponsible. Thank you to those who have supported die vesting $100 million from the department. I support the steps of no confidence in police leadership. I will leave it to others to [5:09:38 PM] share their experience of racism from law enforcement, but it should be evident that the bias is. [Buzzer sounds] Is refusal to be held accountable. There needs to be a fundamental change in how Austin keeps people safe. Those who have called and concerns that changes are missing something. For many Austin has never been safe. These are not rushed resolutions. People have been asking the city to take action for a long time. Please continue to take action. Thank you for this time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Mahala geese gavera. Be sure to unmute your phone. >> Hello. My name is Mahala and I'm an Austin resident and the city of district 4. [5:10:41 PM] Soon the Austin city council will vote to address the repeated violence against civilians and systemic racism by the Austin police department. We knee know that you will move to make reforms. I have so much appreciation that each of you have already made it clear that you understand the urgency and the moral imperative of this moment. But instead of just hearing about what reforms you are committing to, we need to hear about what outcomes you will commit to. How many incidents of police violence are acceptable? How much racial disparity and health outcomes is acceptable? How much homelessness is acceptable? How many injuries to or murders of unarmed systems are acceptable? There will be dissent on message to let there be clarity on outcomes. I'm asking each of you to put your own careers on the line, to publicly comment and not -- [buzzer]. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [5:11:43 PM] >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Sonia Kelly. >> Hi, yes, can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. You have one minute. >> I'm Sonia Kelly from district 1 in support of items 93 therein 96. APD has an inflated budget. Austin deserves health care and emergency response teams that are not police to rush to the scene for cases like drug overdoses, mental health crisis and homelessness. We need emergency response programs that don't brutalize and kill people. Police are proving that they are not fit to play this role. It's no secret that the APD has highly ranking official who are racist and homophobic. This hateful culture is insidious and the ways our officers have behaved is a disgrace. The department is compromised and we need to do better. I'm asking you today to be [5:12:44 PM] bold in your decisions and participate in abolishing the police as we know it. Americans are desperately crying out for change. This motion to defund the police is a small step in the right direction, but it won't be enough. [Buzzer] I also insist that we move forward to demilitarize [indiscernible] [Buzzer sounds] I am committed to doing the work -- [bell ringing] You have the power to effect change. We're depending on you to prioritize our health and safety. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker. >> Luna husanni. >> Hello. I'm a resident of district 10 and I've been in Austin for 20 years. I'm on the board of [indiscernible], interfaith action of central Texas and engage. And I'm here in support of Austin justice coalition and ask you all to show us your [5:13:44 PM] commitment that black lives matter. During these protests we've been witness to the violence that peaceful protesters were facing in public when cameras were rolling. You must acknowledge the reality of what happens when cameras are not rolling. And the margalization and brutal lightization of black and brown bodies have gone on too long. Police officers have long enjoyed impunity. The protesting from these past days are the places where pain and harm are visible. Our issues go much deeper and are not about individual officers, the problems start much further upstream, but the change starts with supporting proposals 50, 93 through 96, which I emphatically support. And the change starts with reallocating that 100-million-dollar benchmark -- [buzzer]. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Christian gavallero. [5:14:45 PM] >> Hi, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. You have one minute. >> Okay. I'm with Texas [indiscernible]. I also seven on the human rights admission and I'm a resident in district 2. I not only echo the reforms that need to be made to the police department city budget, but the need to support the community during this time of public health, economic and social crisis. I'm support of items 50, 93, 94, 95, 96. It's critical that the council makes investment in public health and policing alternatives with a goal at least 100 million in [indiscernible] Be cut from the Austin police department and into other forms of community support. As council gets ready to vote on this new budget it's time for the city to begin die vesting from the police that is not working and transfer that into the community and services that need it most. Therefore I urge council to make immediate changes to the police budget and reallocate funding to the following community needs, including but not limiting to mental health and [5:15:50 PM] substance abuse, affordable housing, homeless shelters. [Buzzer sounds] Including, but not limited to people of color, especially the black community, undocumented immigrants, people who are unemployed, people who have been evicted. People experiencing homelessness, people who have been previously incarcerated and youth supporting themselves or their families -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thanks for being with us today. Thank you. Next speaker. >> Fred talifu. >> Hi. This is Fred. I've been a resident of Austin for seven years and I live in district 9. I'm calling in support of resolution 50, 95 and 96 and any other policy measures that will support black people in Austin, Texas. And move significant funds away from Austin police department to community led initiatives that we're seeking, starting with at [5:16:54 PM] least $100 million. Austin has rested on the reputation of being the most liberal city in a politically conservative state for quite awhile. It's time to actually match that with action. Austin uses that coverage to systematically push people out of the city via gentrification, primarily black and brown individuals and maintains a culture that prioritized tech start-ups over families, yearly festivals over people experiencing homelessness and green washed environmental causes over real anti-capitalist change. I know that we are expecting you all to support these resolutions today and appreciate that. I hope that everybody has heard all these testimonies and the ones from last week that this is just a start -- [bell ringing] Thank you for your time today. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> [Indiscernible]. Zapata. [5:17:55 PM] >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, go ahead, you have one minute. >> I'm a fourth generation austinite from east Austin who grew up in the shadow of institutions like APD that defined the lines of race and segregation in our town. I live in district 5 and like a previous caller, I wrote councilmember kitchen last week about police violence that I experienced at the protest on may 30th and 31st. I haven't heard back, but I would very much like to. What I want to say is that everything is a nail to ha hammer and when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem you encounter looks like a nail. I'm a circle cor, also a -- social worker, former marine and former military police officer. I mention that to tell you as a social worker I'm intimately familiar with the especially tanglement of trauma, poverty and crime. Also social workers work with hostile, intoxicated and belligerent clients everyday, so more frequently than police and we emergency not to shoot or maim any of [5:18:55 PM] on you are clients. As a former marine and military police officers -- [buzzer sounds] I'm familiar with the culture of punishment in creating order by any means necessary and seeing every problem as a nail that that is instilled in you from day one. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Kitchen: Mayor, mayor? I'd like to make sure -- I'm having a difficult time hearing the names of folks. Can you tell me the previous caller's name? >> Janie zapata. Jamie. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Eric Galloway. >> Hi. I am a district 2 resident. I live in Riverside and [indiscernible]. Can you hear me? [5:19:55 PM] I live in Riverside. I'm a little exhausted by the excessive force and use of swot gear that I see used on a more regular basis than needs to be clearly on people in this neighborhood. I witnessed police brutality this year in January or February of 2020 coming home from downtown. Took the bus home, got off, was walking back to my apartment, past a a parking lot where there were police cars with their lights on and about six officers in a circle. From my vantage point there wasn't any struggle. They seemed to have the situation under control. And suddenly another patrol car came speeding up, sipped into the parking lot, the officer jumped out of his car, ran towards the circle and immediately without any hesitation started kicking whoever was on the ground in between these officers. [Buzzer sounds] , As hard as he could and the other officers didn't do anything about it. [5:20:57 PM] I felt fear in that moment fa that if I tried to do anything or intervene or film that the officers would react negatively to me. And I just think it's unacceptable that anyone -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> I think it's unacceptable that anyone would experience that kind of fear. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much for being with us. Next speaker. >> Leticia walker. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. You have one minute. >> Awesome, thank you. Thank you for having me. My name is Leticia. I'm a pflugerville resident. I was born and raised in Austin. And I am calling with regard to the approval of all of items 94, 95 and 96. This is a systemic racism that has plagued Austin as well as the entire nation. [5:21:58 PM] People of color are disproportionately affected by being incarcerated at a higher than the caucasian rate. We are asking that those funds, $100 million, be created for people of color to have affordable housing instead of sleeping in camps that are swelling under the bridges of 35. And also that we immediately ask chief Manley to be transparent with regards to Mike Ramos' death. [Buzzer] For 40 days, and we still do not know what has happened to Mike Ramos. I heard his mother crying, and you did too. And we need to know what the hell happened to that man. Why he was murdered. Why has no one been held accountable? And this is another reason for my call. I may not be a constituent in Austin, but I have -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> I have very much concerns with why people are being murdered in -- >> Mayor Adler: Thanks for participating with us today. [5:23:00 PM] Next speaker. >> Lindsey la grange. >> Thank you. I want to update you on the petition I referenced last week calling for the removal of Brian Manley that has gained 76,000 zoning districts in five days. I support these items, but it is a first step. We have more to go. Other cities have done this and we could be next. We have the money. To the crime commission caller who used race victims to further his pro police stance earlier, Austin police department let rape kits the city, some for 25 years. As a rape survivor how dare you use our trauma to push your agenda when APD's arrest rate is 17 police. Police don't event rape and they rarely solve them. [5:24:00 PM] Ken Cassaday police stop sending texts under the guys of your neighbor Justin. This isn't 2005, hashtag catfishing people. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Helen Benton. >> Hi. My name is Helen and I'm a homeowner in district 7 and most importantly a high school special education teacher. My classroom I spend a great deal of time teaching my students about personal and community safety. I cannot teach my students to rely on police officers as sources of safety and support because I know that my students' atypical social behavior or inability to comply with officer's demands puts them at risk of traumaization, violence or death. I worry most about my black students for whom the risk is exponentially higher. APD failed us, but it failed our future. My students' opportunity for a life of Independence, empowerment and dignity [5:25:00 PM] relies on a future in which they are safe and supported. Black lives matter. Black disabled lives matter. I urge you to consider the passage of these resolutions a a first step in creating not only a more justice and equitable city, but a more accessible city for all. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Cara morwan. >> Mayor Adler: Mayor pro tem, I'm going to go to the restroom if you would take the chair. Thank you. >> Yay, that's me. I'm on the phone today to press my support of items 50, 93, 94, 95 and 96. Police supposedly exist to protect and serve the public and I feel neither protected on are served when they can use such violent measures against citizens, especially citizens of color. ' Please end the use of tear gas and other weapons in policing matters and the use of military equipment, facial recognition [5:26:01 PM] technology and no knock warrants. I believe it would be the best course of action to reallocate APD's budgets in the amount of $100 million and invest those funds in a community of critically needed public health and social service matters. This is an urgent matter and we need to address it as soon as we possibly can. Thank you and have a great day. >> Ellen stone. >> I'm Ellen stone. Sorry about that. My name is Ellen stone and I'm a resident of district 5. I'm calling to support defunding the Austin police department and would usually the council to commit defunding the police by at least $100 million and [5:27:02 PM] reinvest those funds back into the community, particularly for programs supporting those experiencing homelessness, housing, food, mental health services and community funds like rise. I'll keep it short and simple. Thank you. >> Karen cash-up. >> Hello. So these items are a good start, but they are just that, a start. This past -- [inaudible]. I have felt terrorized as those who are supposed to protect and serve us have quite literally caused blood to run in our streets. I called to say that this item must not be the end. These items must not be the end. The problem we are faced with is the fraternity of colleagues who cover for each other, often act with impunity and perpetuate a [5:28:03 PM] culture that is rotten to its core. This department cannot be trusted to audit or reform itself. However, just these items will not stop the rampant abuses of power we so regularly see from this police department. Make no mistake, Manley needs to go. Any officer that has maimed someone this past week needs to go. The the semi lethal sounds and weapons needs to go. This entire culture needs to go. I impell all the members of this council to support the increased measures and to defund our police department by at least $100 million. Thank you for your time. >> Joshua rila. >> Hi. This is Joshua from district 3. Councilmembers who voted for the funding a last week we saw and the people have made [5:29:06 PM] note. The items 93 through 96 are a small step? The right direction. Please [indiscernible]. The APD's current 402-million-dollar budgets minussed the proposed $100 million is still a huge amount. This is to take away some of the brutal weapons that are [indiscernible], mostly being peaceful people of color. We need to create positions that should be occupied by qualified people to take on many of the roles currently occupied by the police such as mental health calls, domestic violence calls, noise complaints, etcetera. I hope you aren't thinking or being convinced that we're calling for mayhem or bedlam in the streets. We're calling for an uprooting of the system and to redesign what public safety looks like, one that does not need policing. Look for other cities on guidance on how to execute this. We need to remove Manley, give justice to Mike Ramos' family for his wrongly murder. Black lives matter. I yield my time. >> Alexander kudolous. [5:30:20 PM] Alexander? >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Good afternoon. I'm calling in support of item 96. However, as it stands the proposals brought forth by the council today are each insufficient half measures. The city manager needs to defund no less than $100 million from the APD in this next budget. Anything less is an insult and reformation efforts which actually increase police funding are are a slap in the face. This must be accompanied with firm commitment to continue to substantially divest from APD and reinvest those funds in school, health care and housing services, especially in people of color. -- In communities of color. Additionally chief Manley needs to be fired immediately, not allowed to resign, fired. His responses to questions regarding the behavior of his officers when faced with peaceful protesters were out right con temporariable. Blaming, quote unquote, antifa groups for his officers firing into a crowd. Is that a joke? Because if so it's honestly [5:31:20 PM] pretty funny, but not ha-ha funny. [Buzzer sounds] The officers [indiscernible] Need to be fired and charged and Kristopher Taylor needs to be charged for the cold blooded murder of Mike Ramos. Finally, each of you on this council who have accepted so-called campaign donations from police unions need to pledge to discontinue and immediately return all quote, unquote, donations previously accepted. No justice, no peace, black lives matter. I yield the remainder of my time. >> Laura [indiscernible]. >> I'd like to say is I agree with most people on agenda item 96, defund the police, fire chief Manley. My friend went to the protest and he was running away from the cops after [5:32:22 PM] peacefully protesting a and they shot him in the hand and he will never be able to use it the same again. I think it's a disgrace to even consider to consider funding them after they do that. I think you should completely defund them. Not to mention that there are going to be kids after this whose parents have told them what's going on and they will have to sit in their classrooms while police are sitting right there. Imagine what the black kids will have ting to go through when police are sitting right outside their classrooms. They will be terrified. I hope you redirect this funding towards libraries and low income housing. Thank you. >> Anthony camburlas. >> Hello. As Anthony calling from wells branch. Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Thank you. I'll keep it quick. I don't think this is just a staffing issue. It's also a [indiscernible] [5:33:22 PM] Issue in terms of where money is spent. Social workers and those who take care of the community deserve more pay and it's an opportunity to reassign those budgets. They should find the way to move money to jobs in mental health and education, reduce crimes and reduce the scope of the police so its mission is less of themselves and to the public. I don't believe the police are overindexed and don't have a clear mission. The sign-up to be a police officer thinking you will be gi Joe and your job is to help the homeless people on the street corner, go to an old person's house for a wellness check or for kids with mental health issues. You might gi Joe the out of them. >> Good evening, mayor and councilmembers. >> I'm an assistant manager for an affordable housing as well as the board member of a homeless shelter here in the city. I'm speaking in regards to number 94. [5:34:22 PM] Daily I come in contact with those seeking housing and before they even complete an application they're already asking about their criminal record or past eviction. This lets me know it's real. Once a person serves their time. Why should they serve an additional seven to 10 years before being able to seek stable housing. That's a long recovery process, plus if they are [indiscernible] Serving the crime twice. Why not create systems that help instead of hinder or create housing specifically for those with a criminal record? There is housing for seniors, long-term physical therapy, dementia, Alzheimer's and many more, but there's no housing that said we are giving you a chance and going to prove it to you. More and more companies are hiring individuals with convictions, however, the stable housing and [indiscernible], and how can an individual [indiscernible] [Buzzer sounds] Individuals can't live around parks or schools. What communities don't have parks and schools. If those areas exist in a neighborhood that's not affordable for the majority. My question to you is [5:35:24 PM] experiencing homelessness consider stable housing, meaning many who have a criminal record tend to experience homelessness for years, which is not stable how housing, but that's what these policies are creating. Thank you for the opportunity and you guys have a great evening. >> Matt Wallace. >> Hi. It's Matt Wallace, black resident of district 3. Thank you, councilmember harper-madison, mayor pro tem, the mayor, councilmember Casar and Flannigan. I am for the items 50, 93, 94, 95 and 96. But I still want to urge everyone else on the dais to reconsider aligning with our demands to replace APD's leadership. Our social justice community leaders have left the table with APD after two years of inaction from the current [5:36:26 PM] leadership. It's also clear that APD's leadership inaction conflicts with this council's vision of public safety after hearing y'all's comments before lunch. I want to say justice for Mike Ramos. Good-bye. >> Jay king Blackwell verposa. >> Hello. I have a question for Delia Garza. On the creation of a public safety committee that has the capability of declaring a public emergency. The ordinance is very vague as to what that is. Also, it seems to be a law, Texas government code 418, so that ordinance would not survive trial court scrutiny or apple lat review. As a licensed attorney you would think that Delia would know that. Excuse me. [5:37:27 PM] Secondly, I don't believe the city council has informed any of the public that Brian Manley is not going anywhere. The Austin police union and a court with jurisdiction will reinstate him if there was ever a decision to terminate his employment. Thank you. >> Craig nuzar. >> Hello? Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. Go ahead. >> Hello. My name is Craig Nazar. I'm the conservation chair [5:38:27 PM] of the lone star chapter of the Sierra club. I support the Austin Sierra club statement supporting items 50, 94, 95 and 96. Here is a personal observation from a white guy with very little historic contact with the police. I recently witnessed two random clear incidents of Austin police racism, both incidents arose from the idea that the most important job of the police is to quickly get criminals off the streets. Unfortunately these supposed criminals were identified before any investigation. A citizen was identified as a criminal by the color of their skin, coupled with some other minor action that caused suspicion. The citizens were in fact innocent of any crime. It was an attempt baiting of the suspect to try to trigger them into doing something that could be considered resisting arrest and then arresting them for that offense. And sort it all out later. This is referred to as contempt of cop and can easily escalate into more serious charges. Once people of color realize they could be treated in this way -- [buzzer]. [5:39:31 PM] These tactics must be addressed. Thanks for the opportunity to share this observation with you. >> Roy Martinez. >> Hello. Can everyone hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Wonderful. Hello, my name is Rudy Martinez, resident of district 10. I am a dsa member and what I'm calling for is in support of resolutions 50 and items 90 through 96. But furthermore we need to go further. The truth is that the time for reforms for milk and toast small changes and things like eight can't wait, that passed, that passed the moment George Floyd was murdered. It passed the moment officers Mitchell, [indiscernible] And Christopher Taylor murdered Mike Ramos Mike Ramos. It ended when others were shot in the head. What we need to do is prosecute those two. We need to fire Manley and [5:40:32 PM] force him as cronk can do into the lowest position possible. Furthermore we need to actually defund the police completely and work on a slow structural change to create an abolition, new police department that is no longer violent. In essence, we must abolish the police. [Buzzer sounds] Nothing else will be enough. The time for these reforms is over. If the city council does not move further they will see incredible changes and incredible unrest. The truth of the matter is people are tired. I yield my time. >> Ida Winkleman -- Ellie Winkleman man. >> This is Ellie. I graduated from Westlake high school. I'm currently a resident in district 9 and I run a business in district 3. And I've been protesting everyday. [5:41:32 PM] And out of all my experiences with the officers, because I've been talking to a lot of them, I've had negative and positive experiences. The smallest negative experience I had was when an officer referred to the protest as playing. And that is obviously not an appropriate word to use for this. And it took at least an hour and a half for anyone from APD to take responsibility for that tiny, tiny, tiny mistake and say I'm sorry. And if they can't even manage to deal with -- I mean, everyone uses its wrong words. Someone chose the word play and it was either rude or stupid. But that's fine. It takes an hour and a half to apologize for that? How can they be expected to take responsibility for things that are so much more significant. I also want to point out that people deliberately didn't go to protests at the end of may because they were scared of the police. [5:42:33 PM] They did not exercise a constitutional rights specifically because they were scared not of protesters, but of police, who are supposed to be guarding our constitutional rights. >> Paige cannon.. P.G.A.,. >> Yes, thank you, I live in district 8, I support items 50 and 93 through 96 as starting steps. I'm a teacher and much like teachers, police officers have become a catch all for society's problems and it does not support the officers and it does not serve our citizens, [5:43:33 PM] especially people of color. I support the initiative to reallocate police funding to other social services such as mental health, affordable healthcare, childcare, addiction recovery and centers fighting domestic violence and homelessness. The reallocation will resolve issues while they are still upstream where people can be served by experts. Police will not be a catch all of services, enabling them to better serve their community. For police to do so, I also support additional training in diversity, racial disparity and compassion. The funding that remains for police should not go towards mill tarization, our police officers are not in a war zone, their education, recruitment, mentality and equipment should reflect their position of service. Thank you for this time. S. >> Jeffrey Hannah. [5:44:34 PM] >> Hi there. I'm Jeffrey Hannah, can you hear me? Hello? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Okay. There was -- I want to direct this specifically to the white members on the city council. There was something that mayor Adler said right before the break for lunch that I think I noted as the reason why a lot of people are very wary about how committed you are to this. He said that we are not saying that all cops are racist. And that to me misses the point of what so many people have been saying. The point is that we live in a nation that was built on racism. And that growing up in that from the moment we are born shapes us. And we become part of that system whether we want to be or not. If are not building institutions that are -- they are -- people with [5:45:35 PM] power need to be building -- [ buzzer sounding] >> I yield the rest of my time. >> Lisa Knapp. Lisa Knapp, be sure to unmute. Shannon weidmeyer. >> Can you all hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hello? Okay. Cool. Um I'm in district 1, talking in regards to reform [5:46:35 PM] number 95. First and foremost, I want to talk about the use of deadly force. What is deadly force? There has been more than enough evidence that tear gas, military weapons, rubber bullets and beanbag bullets can be lethal. Anger and expression of power is a deadly force and should be taught about. Police bodies are dangerous. Military grade equipment. [Indiscernible] Sonic weapons. Working in the music industries this was a very scary thing to see. What was even scarier was the fact that police officers had no idea what was going on. They were oblivious what was happening on top of their own building. Lastly I wanted to inquire about protocols for the U.S.S. Of body cameras, we should be able to police you. Step-by-step -- [ buzzer sounding] -- To be available to the public. [Indiscernible] This conversation. I saw multiple officers and the excuse that I heard was it ran out of batteries. [5:47:38 PM] Absolutely unacceptable. Have backup batteries. It's a sad excuse. I also appreciate the amendment of banning tear gas altogether. It can be a lethal weapon. [Indiscernible] A.P.D. And which chief Manley. Thank you. >> Sarah rum Rumbolt. Janine garrick. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. [5:48:39 PM] >> Hi name is Garick Janine, district 5, on the board of the Austin cooperative business association. I want to thank council for their supports of items 95 and 96 and the rest of the public safety items up today. I think they are a good first step to solving the problems that Austin police present in our community. I want to emphasize first steps. As you may be aware, the city of Minneapolis is moving to completely defund and disband their police department. I encourage us in Austin to do the same. I know many will ask what about safety, but I must ask are we safe now when our black and brown neighbors are afraid for their lives at things like routine traffic stops? Can you reform that? We have tried as a society to make police less brutal and less murderous for decades. All evidence says it has not worked. We need to reimagine what public safety means in Austin, safety comes from things like having roofs over our heads or have good paying jobs that keep [indiscernible] Community and not from occupying a force that so many in our community are afraid of. Thanks for your time. [5:49:43 PM] >> Tye -- excuse me, tye ovanki. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hello? Thank you. I'm tye, from the etj. I would like to remind everyone of the bigger picture beyond policing. Issues that have been affecting Austin like covid, gentrification, rising housing prices will worsen, widening the gaps between the have and have not. Having police with military equipment won't fix the consequences of those issues, police are a band-aid for those problems. So this is our chance to reshape the budget in a way that actually addresses the roots of inequality in our city. Initiatives that this $100 million can spend would go much further towards making Austin safer and a prosperous place to live for all of its residents. [5:50:44 PM] This is our chance for the city to live up to its Progressive ideals. Thank you. >> Kathryn Gonzalez. >> First, my thanks to Myrna, you are an amazing public servant. I'm kit Lynn Gonzalez, I serve as the vice chair of the lgbtq advisory commission. We passed a resolution with two sessions, urgent steps to reform A.P.D. Including committing to the Austin justice coalitions [indiscernible] To the Austin city council, declaring police brutality a public health crisis in Austin, issuing a unanimously co-sponsored proclamation that black lives matter, directing the city manager to send a [indiscernible] Police contract, directing the city manager to inventory and destroy all military equipment obtained by A.P.D. [5:51:47 PM] Through the 1033 program. And immediately stop using the term less lethal to describe weapons and ammunition that has proven to be lethal. The bullets are still bullets. Mandating an alternative to criminalization and incarceration of minors arrested during the protests. And directing the city manager to immediately revise a.p.d.'s policies. [ Buzzer sounding] >> Shooting moving vehicles. Thank you. >> Sarah black. >> Hi, can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> I am a black woman and I support item 50, [indiscernible] Racial disparity. There is one Austin. That's what I [indiscernible] Officer [indiscernible] When I met him on December [indiscernible] He was [5:52:47 PM] working his second job for capital metro and he was harassing a black woman. He was [indiscernible]. Those are the type of focused targets and focused incidents, interactions that I've also had with capital metro that's been happening with Austin police for the past 17 years that -- [indiscernible] Because of my race, they think I've done something wrong because of my race and I haven't. So I was not able to -- [ buzzer sounding] -- overcome the [indiscernible] I would like to see the city of Austin [indiscernible] For the [indiscernible] For everybody in the city. Because -- [indiscernible] Also I would like to see a.p.d.'s program give black student scholarships and outreach to our community [5:53:48 PM] like they have for [indiscernible]. And [indiscernible] Racial bias, the [indiscernible] President Mike Sheffield [indiscernible]. [Poor sound quality]. That's all that I have to say today, thank you. >> Hays Morrison. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> I'm calling today in support of item 96 and push for the defunding of A.P.D. Not budget cuts, but a step to abolition. Police did not become will violent just a week ago. Never pulled over for a traffic stop without witnesses, always find a badge number. A white child in a interracial family I could never put my sister in danger. When I was beat ten and -- [5:54:51 PM] the -- Michael cast style I don't saying call the cops they can't unrape you. My pain will never compare totter or black citizens are -- [rapid speech] They are not catching rapists, they are the rapists, they are not citing terrorists, they are the terrorists, it is not just chief Manley. It all has to stop. I yield my time. >> Dan Margolis? >> Thank you. I'm jenn Margolis from district 1. Thank you for my representative councilmember harper- madison and to all [indiscernible] Forward. Let your votes today be a start to the bold acts of creativity and care our city so desperately needs. Divesting from policing and investing in our community. [5:55:52 PM] Investing 40% of our general fund in policing leaves less than 10% for public health, 1% for housing. Our equity office is chronically underfunded. Police reform is essential, but not enough. At least 19 people killed by A.P.D. [Indiscernible] 2001 testified in their absence. Even now, nearly [indiscernible] Director of the office of police monitor said publicly that A.P.D. Investigators actively obstruct oversight staff. Please cast these resolutions today to stop the bleeding, the literal bleeding. But please don't stop there. Vote no confidence in police leadership, establish zero tolerance for police misconduct. Keep defunding the system and keep going to build an anti-racist system for public safety and community well-being. One that doesn't need your roll call of black death and [indiscernible] 20 years is not a rush. Now is the time to make big moves to end systemic racism [5:56:52 PM] in Austin. So reimagine what public safety and violence prevention truly means. Another city is possible if we commit to it. Thank you. >> Theo love. >> Oh, my god, I'm live! It's me! Where's my Mike? Can you all hear me. >> Yes, go ahead, Theo. >> I'm in district 35, I've been on the line since 10:00 A.M. I challenge you guys honestly to abolish racism, that starts with the police. The schools, the pipeline, all of the [indiscernible] Before me have fled. I need you to listen to [5:57:53 PM] them. Dearly. We are bleeding, we are dying, you have the power. I need you to take the chance, the opportunity. This is ringing around the world for the first time, mayor Adler. You don't [indiscernible] You must empower, you want to be in the history books, show up on the right side. And -- I'm sorry -- all policy written that is not aggressively anti-racist is inherently racist. So policies add up to that. [ Buzzer sounding] -- Not shooting. >> Kendra Garrett. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Perfect. Hi, my name is Kendra Garrett with the Austin justice coalition. [5:58:54 PM] I support 50 and items 93 through 96, but I speak today on item 94, I want to thank the mayor and council for supporting the resolution and a particular appreciation to councilmember harper-madison's office to reached out and kept us in the loop. It supports homelessness, barriers to housing and enforcing a mechanism to hold them more accountable moves in the right direction [indiscernible] As we are having discussions around what public safety could look like in the future, you should not only include the front end policing, but also must include the whole process. Reforming the system or better yet a world without prison and how we treat folks returning to society. If we truly believe in rehabilitation in that people can change, then we must act accordingly ensuring that our policies and resources are going towards their ability to fully reengage in society. [ Buzzer sounding] With all of the rights afforded [indiscernible] Towards a better that better society. [5:59:55 PM] Thank you. >> Councilmember harper-madison. >>> [Indiscernible]. >> I'm with -- with prisoner support or pen pals to prisoners organization. As with my colleague before me, I speak in affirmative on all of those numbered resolutions. However, I would like to add through my work as a pen pal, I ended up meeting my husband and having to live outside of Austin city limits because unfortunately the complex where I represented would not rent to someone. So I was placed in a situation where I had to secure housing. I was fortunately in the position to be able to purchase a home, but obviously -- was -- unable to do so within city limits. [6:00:55 PM] And, therefore, I'm no longer a constituent. So I ask you to please vote no confidence in the current chief to ban -- ban the beanbags, defund the police, works towards abolition of police and work towards prison abolition. But I also wants you to recognize that when the city of Austin. [ Buzzer sounding] Next to impossible for a person who has a felony to find housing, that just doesn't impact the returning citizen, but also impacts their family members. I made a point to live within city limits because I really wanted to be able to be a constituent and I teach at Austin community college, I educate the young people of our community, yet I can no longer live within city limits because it would absolutely be impossible for me to secure housing for myself and my husband. A few years ago, I was trying to find housing for a non-violent felon and [indiscernible] Politically motivated [indiscernible] I [6:01:56 PM] spent weeks pulling every single person who claimed they rented to felons. Overwhelmingly what I was told is if the felony is less than 10 years recent that nobody will rent to them. I know people who have filled out application after application to apartment complexes, spent hundreds of dollars and either end up being homeless or being house precarious because the only information is to be inform lease or on somebody's couch. Please remember being without an address is a reason for somebody to find themselves [indiscernible]. In a situation where a person who is formerly incarcerated is unable to to secure housing, that increases the likelihood of that person returning to prison. That is not what we need our system to be doing. It's not good for the returning person, it's not good for their family members, it's not good for the rest of the community. These are people who are capable of contributing and their family members are capable of contributing and I strongly urge city [6:02:57 PM] council. [ Buzzer sounding] To do something in order to make sure that housing is able to be procured. I was fortunate. I have a full-time job. I have the money to be able to say, okay, I can't live in Austin and purchase a home. But I can go outside of the city limits and be able to purchase a home. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, thank you very much -- >> Not everyone is as fortunate. >> Thank you, next speaker. >> Kaitlynn [indiscernible]. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead, you have one minute. >> My name is Kaitlynn mc[indiscernible]. I'm a member of Austin justice coalition. I work at the university of Texas. And I live in district 4. I'm echoing support of items 50, 93 through 96, the [6:03:59 PM] police killed Michael Ramos and police violence response and police violence in general Austin needs a forward thinking and courageous leadership. If not -- it's not totally clear what item 96 will do without the commitment of councilmembers to decrease 100 million from the police department and invest in resources that keep us safe. Especially in black communities and other communities of color. I'm echoing many who have spoken before you in asking that councilmembers demand the resignation of cap metro, chief of staff Troy and assistant city manager rey Arellano. [ Buzzer sounding] 100 million in the fiscal year starting October 1st, 2020. I would also like to add my support for item 94, which acknowledges that formerly instance cars rated people are most 10 -- incarcerated 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public. Using the data driven reentry guidelines for. [6:05:00 PM] [ Buzzer sounding] -- The people who are formerly incarcerated and begins a much needed enforcement process to hold landlords accountable to giving a fair chance to citizens attempting to reintegrate into Austin, ultimately with the goal of establishing a civil rights office in the city. It is my hope that this revolution -- resolution will eventually. [ Buzzer sounding] -- housing. Like those of us who are not formerly incarcerated will have the ability to live closely to family and friends and the area in which our jobs are to live in. Thank you for your time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, next speaker. >> David Sonner. >> Mayor Adler: While this speaker is coming, colleagues we have about -- a little over 40 speakers to go, which would have us going another 40, 45 minutes or so. You want to keep going? You want to break here shortly for dinner? [6:06:04 PM] >> I for one am willing to keep going and muscle through to show respect to the take, who have been waiting so long to speak. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> I agree with that as well. >> I do, too. >> Mayor Adler: If a councilmember needs to -- to get dinner out for a child or something, certainly we would all understand leaving the dais to do that if they need to. Let's continue on with the speakers. >> David . >> Is that the one that you called? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hi, my name is David. I've been in Austin over 30 years, I currently live in district 10. I believe that defunding the police will mostly hurt those and the place of businesses in the community where there's the most crime and it would make the crime a lot worse. I think this policy would make Austin a much more unsafe and dangerous place [6:07:04 PM] to live. Those who visit the city for things like south-by-southwest and Austin city limits are likely to be impacted as the crime increases and this impact will even -- will even impact these festivals and may actually ruin Austin [indiscernible] Have them. Please stand up for our law abiding citizens and our tax paying citizens. I do agree with holding A.P.D. Accountable for policies, but when something against policy occurs, look into it. For example when a group of violent people happen to be around someone who was not part of their group -- [ buzzer sounding] -- And the non-violent person happens to get a reaction because he's right next to all of the violent people, that's an understandable result. It should be checked out. But it doesn't mean that it was intentionally evil. I thoroughly believe the number of officers should not be decreased, it should be increased. This plan to deallocate the police funding with such a [6:08:06 PM] vague explanation of where the money would go raises the questions, anything like this about reducing the funding about not saying where the funding is going is -- [ buzzer sounding] -- Not answering any questions. All the democratic -- Democrat and Republican residents that I know in the city of Austin don't believe that we should reduce our police coverage at all. Martin Luther king famously noted that violence destroys community. [ Buzzer sounding] -- And makes [indiscernible] Impossible. [Indiscernible] Mono log rather than dialogue. Reducing the police force with -- would cause that to happen. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Kelsey Oliver. >> Hello. >> Go ahead. >> Hello? Okay. Um hi, my name is Kelsey Oliver, I'm an Austin native [6:09:07 PM] and a resident of district 7 and I'm speaking in favor of agenda items 95 and 96. I have a strong stance on urging you to defund the Austin police department and specifically spread wealth into training and making accessible programs that already exist. Including mental health specialists, trauma informed crisis intervention specialists, social workers, community training on deescalation and disarming tactics, psychologists, psychiatrists, healthcare, education, and programmed efforts to end homelessness. The police need to be demilitarized and requires three years of training rather than the average 21 weeks. As examples of impact, Germany implements three years of training for their police and average nine deaths by police a year. [ Buzzer sounding] Norway and Finland also implement three years of police training and have averaged one or less deaths by police a year. [6:10:09 PM] The us requires approximately 21 weeks of police training and has had over 1,000 deaths caused by police in 2019 alone. That's an average of three deaths a day. [ Buzzer sounding] More police is not the answer. More weapons is not the answer. We need more training in deescalation tactics that prohibit lethal forces, more healthcare and mental health resources for our neighbors, especially in lower income communities. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much, thank you. Thanks for being with us. Next speaker. >> Arthur o'brien. >> Well, can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hello? My name is Arthur o'brien, I'm a district [indiscernible]. Living in Austin for roughly four years at this point. I was at the protest at [6:11:09 PM] Austin pd headquarters on may 30th and I'll tell you, myself and anyone else who was in attendance will tell you that the cops used excessive force on all of us. What I witnessed was like violence on a massive scale. Probably the most violent act that I have witnessed in my lifetime. Everyone there was frightened for their lives. What I really saw I attend to that was A.P.D. Basically firing off bullets, firing beanbags and using mace on high school students, more or less, children, more or less, and that's unacceptable. That's totally unacceptable. Myself and no one else who was there should have feared for their life whatsoever. If A.P.D. Think it's appropriate to conduct themselves like that, that's disgusting. This. [ Buzzer sounding] -- Did I in my life. That's all that I have to contribute. Thank you for your time. [6:12:09 PM] >> Mary [indiscernible]. >> Hi. Hi name is Mary [indiscernible] And reside in district 10. I'm registered to speak against resolutions 95 and 96. I'm opposed to removing any funding from A.P.D. At this time without an alternative remedy in place. Austin grows and continues to grow quickly, exhibiting more and more big city challenges and problems such as increased crime. I don't believe this is the time to defund the police. I support the rethinking, the reimagining of what our police force and public safety looks like and we do need to do that now as soon as possible. We need to have hard conversations with representatives of all stakeholders, so as to understand and appreciate the needs, the wants and the hopes of all of our citizens. I hope and trust that that will happen with the wide [indiscernible] Representation of our very diverse citizens. Until we have alternative resources and methods for policing in public safety, resources ready to hit our streets running, with [6:13:09 PM] policies and procedures in place, partners who have the manpower and expertise [indiscernible] Do not defund the Austin police department. As mayor Adler shared earlier this morning. [ Buzzer sounding] As far as these resolutions we need to act, we need to act in a big way, yes, we do. Right now let's [indiscernible] Plan for the new, including zero racial disparity, [indiscernible] Redefined use of force policies, deescalation, conflict prevention and more. But please don't defund A.P.D. Today. [ Buzzer sounding] Personal [indiscernible] New cadet. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker. >> Bobby Mac. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hi, my name is Bobbie Mac. [6:14:09 PM] I represent district 1. I was born and raised in Austin and I'm speaking on 94, 95 and 96. Item 94, lines 53 to 56 the [indiscernible] Should be eliminated unless you plan to allocate more funding to housing for those people with felonies and misdemeanors. The periods are too steep and we need additional funding for housing that participates similar to Houston's pep program. One people are released can be allocated from the A.P.D. Budget. The studies and data show that the racial profiling and overpolicing also perpetuates the prison reentry problem. Let me remind you that prior to slavery white people made up 80% of prison population, the pathing of the -- passing of the 13th amendment created the loophole to fuel the slave to prison pipeline. This caused the people of color to be arrested at much higher rates for petty crimes or no crime at all. This is still alive and well today. People of color only make up 13% of the population but [6:15:10 PM] make up over 40% of the prison population. Which continue to benefit private shareholders. Our eyes are open. Things must change swiftly. On item 95 quickly stating the use of deadly force should be used in self-defense. I fear there will also be a loophole. So that there are no [indiscernible] If not left up to individual perception or perspective for example the protesters that were injured, Michael Ramos shot with his hands in his area, an 11-year-old playing with a gun, tamir rice or -- qualified perpetuate the -- [indiscernible] Causing A.P.D. To spend millions in taxpayer -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [ Buzzer sounding] -- thanks for being with us. >> [Indiscernible] Tamir. [6:16:18 PM] >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Thank you for taking my call. First off I want to say that [indiscernible] Came in earlier using the mlk quote about violence, ought to be ashamed of himself. I want to start by saying that defunding the police doesn't necessarily mean defunding public safety. I think that gets glossed over. I believe it can be the [indiscernible] The aim is to improve public safety by means of reallocating these resources. I'm an academic, research psychologist by training, also a small business owner and a contract worker within the restaurant and hospitality care in Austin. Defunding the police is merely taking away a series -- it's a lot of money that can be better spent during a serious economic crisis thanks to covid. I want to finish off by addressing my district member. I'm in district 5. This is for councilmember Ann kitchen, I would also like to address the mayor. [6:17:21 PM] Frankly in regards to the mayor's sill key before the lunch recess earlier, as a person of color I'm. [ Buzzer sounding] -- It's important for me to hear from my elected official about what steps they're going to take in order to listen to the concerns of the citizens. I'm glad to hear the council and mayor are taking these resolutions, frankly they should have been done a long time ago. And Mr. Mayor, I think I might have misunderstood you earlier when you. [ Buzzer sounding] Spoke about [indiscernible] Some of these resolutions today but then address A.P.D. Later in the same sentence you said that you wouldn't defund them. These are mixed signals and I think demonstrated last year, you and the council decided to increase the A.P.D. Budget. [ Buzzer sounding] So I am unimpressed by what's happening today. But I am grateful for it. I don't trust the police. I don't trust you and I don't trust some of the council to get their actions where their words are. I believe you do recognize the importance of [indiscernible] And you are [6:18:21 PM] quite aware of your surroundings, but you lack the political boldness that many of us are desperately craving. [ Buzzer sounding] -- unsettling and morally shameful. I want to close by just saying black lives matter and to councilmember [indiscernible] If you run for mayor, I would not only canvas for you, but I would vote for you. Thank you. >> Next speaker. >> Carla avilas. >> Yes, I'm here. >> Go ahead. I am here, one moment, I apologize. So I am here in support of items 93, 95, 50 and 96, but [6:19:23 PM] I believe more needs to be done, more than 400 million of the Austin budget is contributed towards A.P.D. More than any other department. We need to reallocate our funds into non-police public health. There are many public health issues that police are dealing with today that they are not trained to handle. Moving to the mishandling of situations usually with violence. Drug addiction, homelessness, mental health, illness are so prominent in Austin, but we hardly focus on providing these individuals resources. This leads into trouble -- this leads them into trouble with the law. [ Buzzer sounding] -- Please lets put our money where we can actually make an impact and defund the A.P.D. By at least 100 million. Justice for Michael Ramos and fire chief Manley. Thank you. >> Consuelo. [Indiscernible]. [6:20:25 PM] >> Yes, I'm here. >> Go ahead. >> Hello? Thank you. It's been a long day. I'm going to pull over so I can speak to you. Good afternoon. City of Austin councilmembers and mayor. I am so grateful to you for standing together for the minority citizens of Austin. Let your example here today help working together be one that all elected officials can hear. And follow from the Texas state legislatures all the way to the governor of Texas. That will finally put people over profits. My name is consulea [indiscernible] I live in district 2. I support items 45, 50, 93, 94, 95 and 96. I, too, like many others, watched with horror the atrocities Austin police inflicted from the innocent [6:21:25 PM] protesters, especially those residents of color who were seriously injured. [ Buzzer sounding] I have lived in Austin long enough to remember the same Austin police department that brutally and savagely beat long time resident protester and activist in 1978. Other minority protester groups who also demonstrated during that time. Why is this still happening? This is my city, not a war on our people. I also ask for your help in arresting and bringing murder charges against the A.P.D. Officer and all of the officers involved who murdered Michael Ramos in our Riverside minority community. [ Buzzer sounding] Before too much time passes and evidence is lost and another live is forgotten. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much for being with us. Thank you. Thanks for being with us. Next speaker. >> Melissa tester. [6:22:30 PM] >> Go ahead. >> Okay. Well, hello, thank, mayor members of the council, city manager. For allowing me to speak today. I am calling in support of resolution 50, 93, 94, 95 and 96. I am a resident of district 9 and also a business owner in district 9. And most importantly to my concerns here, I'm also a licensed clinical psychologist and I work with children and families and I -- I am asking city council to -- to accept these resolutions but with revisions, we need to do much more, as you have heard many speak on today. We need to do much more for -- for our residents, our residents of color. And as a psychologist I'm deeply concerned that we don't have the community resources that we need to -- to reduce or to increase safety in our communities and as you heard from many [6:23:34 PM] speaking today. [ Buzzer sounding] I agree that putting money into the police force is not going to help. I am asking that you go further than you are going today and you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Thank you very much. >> One million from the A.P.D. Budget. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> David Peterson. >> Yes, can you hear me? >> Go ahead. >> Hello, can you hear me? My name is David Peterson. I live in district 1. I I was an assistants public defender for over 12 years, nine of those in Austin, I support items 50 and 93 through 96, I also agree with Chris Harris, grassroots leadership and communities of color united that these do not go far enough. Divestment from A.P.D. Is the only answer. Reforming A.P.D. As it exists will not work. The police union, Apa, must be disbanded, chief Manley [6:24:37 PM] should be and can be removed. And the words expressed by council today, must be turned into actions, to defund the police. In my position as a public defender, I saw firsthand the systemic devastation caused by unnecessary policing on poor black and brown members of our communities. I defended people within a system that dehumanized them. [ Buzzer sounding] Normalized [indiscernible] Racial disparity. I know firsthand that A.P.D. Can be defunded with a net benefit to public safety, particularly among the communities that they have -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thanks for being with us. Next witness. >> Elizabeth Jane Brad berry. >> Yes, can you hear me? >> Yes, we can. >> Hello? Thank you so much. [6:25:40 PM] [Indiscernible] I am a constituent in district 10, so for councilmember alter. First off, I actually have a point of order. I signed up to speak at the housing finance committee today. I never got that time. I would like to have that time added to my time now, please. >> Mayor Adler: You can go ahead and speak. >> Okay. So [indiscernible] Procured $100 million in external funding for A.P.D. And this week you come here and attend to appease all calls of justice with a proposal to eliminate $100 million from A.P.D. This is not defunding anything. I am disgusted and ashamed. You listened to days of heart wrenching and clearly your biggest concern was shutting us up [indiscernible] Anything at all, your constituents have been clear about what we want and what we want you to do and you try to defeat us [6:26:43 PM] with a bait and switch. This seems an easy thing to overlook. After all I'm the only one so far to bring it up. Some of you also fail to notice, at this point I expect immediate amendments to increase the proposal to $200 million in public funding. I would like it to you from you, councilmember alter. After all you failed your oath to represent your constituents. I know you know what your constituents want and I know that you know how. [ Buzzer sounding] [Indiscernible]. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Next speaker. >> Ronty farsa. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. I spoke last week of the atrocious civil rights violations of many A.P.D. Officers. I spoke of the terrible things that I have seen, [6:27:44 PM] beaten, maced and tear gassed for being peaceful. Shot out from behind, nearly being struck in the back of the head several times while I was [indiscernible] Aiming at volunteer medics who simply followed a.p.d.'s own orders. It felt like a slap in the face when council voted to approve the grant for A.P.D. I could be laying in a hospital bed, just like Brad Ayala and Justin Howell. You claimed the action taken last week didn't increase the budget a single penny. What do you call approving funds for A.P.D. That would not have otherwise been available to them. I know that you are a lawyer, but don't play semantic games with us to rectify your image. Own your mistake. Now today you thank council for such bold action. How tone deaf can you be. [ Buzzer sounding] Look at what is happening across this country. Look at Seattle, Minneapolis, are you really going to ignore the thousands of people who marched this last Sunday in [6:28:44 PM] Austin chanting defund A.P.D.? Are you really going to close your. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, thank you very much, sir, thanks for coming and speaking with us, thank you. Next speaker. >> Marsha retty. >> Hello. Hello. >> Hi, go ahead. >> I -- I am for resolutions 50, 93, 94, 95 and 96 because they address many of our community's grievances with policing and equity here in Austin and I appreciate the city council and mayor for support for these resolutions. I'm for these resolutions but we need to go further and defund A.P.D. So our city can fully invest those funds in programs, initiatives and infrastructure that address the needs of historically targeted communities. Continuing to fund A.P.D. Using punitive measures to deal with issues caused by systemic racism and economic [6:29:46 PM] violence is abusive. Please defund A.P.D. And spend all of those funds on bettering our communities of color. Thank you. >> Zoe wimberly.color clear. >> Hi. Can you all hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Can everyone hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Go ahead. >> Okay. So I'm also speaking to agree on all the resolutions being proposed, like many of the other callers, I agree that it does not go far enough. I will also say that we should allocate a lot of those funds towards medics and pickup health so we can have a system in the covid-19 crisis and that we can also put it into housing crisis so people can have that for [6:30:47 PM] them, and also have paid volunteers clean up the city. Also, I'm a bisexual trans woman. I want to say that I believe it's imperative to remember what my community had to go through and sacrifice over 50 years ago at New York's stonewall to eventually earn [indiscernible]. Black trans women and several other lgbtq members rising up and rioting against police brutality and discrimination. Marsha B. Johnson would be rolling in her grave knowing we're still fighting this. Now, Austin police made a commitment to stop protesters who came for what they believe in was tenacity, humility and fiery furry -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Next speaker. >> Elaise Azar. [6:31:53 PM] >> Hi. I serve on the [indiscernible] Committee and we support the passage of items 50, 92, 94, 95, and 96. We thank council member harper-madison in her sponsoring item 94 and working on that item with us and giving us the opportunity for feedback. [Indiscernible] Face a monumental challenge when they're trying to find affordable housing. A look back can become a major impediment to accessing housing. The direction laid out in this resolution will provide people with [indiscernible], a fair chance to access housing and minimize homelessness. There's no doubt this is also a racial disparity issue. According to a report by the national housing law project, a long history of [indiscernible], people of color and ethnic minorities present over 56% of the present population. Expanding access to housing for people with convictions is critical to addressing racial inequities in Austin. [6:32:53 PM] This is important first step in expanding access to affordable housing to. We look forward to working with [indiscernible] -- [buzzer sounding] -- On housing moving forward. I thank council for the leadership on this issue and other issues of policing and racial justice. Thank you. >> Caitlin Christensen. >> Yes. Hi. >> Go ahead. >> I'm Caitlin from district 8 and I support propositions 93 through 96. We're all exhausted. I know you are too. But you must fulfill your duty to the public. The decisions you make in the coming weeks are the most important decisions you will ever make. The decisions you make today, too, as city council members. APD has a history of documented racism and sexism, of coverups, of murdering unarmed people and has met protesters with violence and murder. Body cameras, additional training, investigations, these have all failed. As a white woman, I speak [6:33:53 PM] up because it's not the responsibility of black people to explain to their oppressors how they are being oppressed. I expect my city council could have the courage and convictions and sustain the effort to stop the police and defund them. I also encourage defunding APD entirely, firing chief Manley, removing police from aid, and demilitarizing them. They're not reactionary efforts. I support 93 through 96. Thank you and I yield my time. >> Julia [indiscernible] >> Hello. My name is Julia mullen. I live in district 7 and I'm calling in favor of agenda items 50 and 93 through 96. Mr. Cronk, chief Manley has lost the confidence [6:34:54 PM] of austinites and needs to step down or be removed. I also stand in favor of divestment from the police budget. $100 million is a start. We have seen here and other cities around the country that police accountability measures fail to protect communities of color. We need to define health and economic equity, not policing. I support Austin justice coalition, communities of color united, and undoing white supremacy Austin specific demand. Thank you. >> Steven fox. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Hi. >> Great. My name is Steven fox from district 9. I'm here representing myself in support of agenda item 96 and in support of abolishing the Austin police department. I'm going to talk about the report delivered to the council before the [6:35:56 PM] murder of Mike Ramos. A lot of officers know that APD had a racist culture but also found officers as a whole are afraid of participating in investigations because they will face retaliation and they know any investigation will be stonewalled as this one was. Measures imposed today are reasonable ideas that a reasonable department who wants to reform could do so, but these measures cannot reform an organization of a culture, beyond its racism is a mix of secrecy, recatalogs, and accountability and reform. Ken casaday who you heard from, told, focuses on hunting the snitch who brought these problems to public attention. [Indiscernible] APD's confidence around the Austin crime lab, but blatant fraud -- [buzzer sounding] -- On rape cases, extensive history of violence and killings, APD has demonstrated repeatedly and beyond any doubt they have no interest in reform or accountable, so I request you take all of the over $400 million of taxpayer money you give to this [6:36:58 PM] unaccountable, unreformable department and invest it instead in real solutions for audience, [indiscernible] Equity office, Austin pickup health and lower income public housing. Thank you very much. >> Pinake Gosch. >> Hi. Can everybody hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Hi. My name is pinake Gosch. I am a nth of D -- I am a resident of district 1. I support 93 through 96. The only interaction I had with police was in 2015 to 2016, when I was harassed by a kkk member in our neighborhood. Police came and he was also related to the police. The police came to my house 19 times, including [indiscernible], and finally when I went to [6:38:00 PM] court to get a deficient protective order, police went behind the back, without anybody's knowledge, to meet the judge. Not the prosecutor, but to meet the judge, to influence her. And this was communicated by the judge to the police commissioner, and that's only when I got help. So when Mr. Casaday -- [buzzer sounding] -- Is telling all these things, please understand the amount of correction [indiscernible] I came to understand when I was dealt that blow, so I understand what African Americans go through. And my heart goes out to them. So please take this action and defund this and put it in social action. Let's take a social offensive posture so that we can help people to invest in society and spending money in police is not investing in society for defensive posture. Thank you. I yield my time. >> Karen Hadden. [6:39:03 PM] >> Hi. This is Karen Hadden. I'm calling to support items 50 and 93 through 96. And I want to thank you for these good first steps and urge you to do more. Peaceful protesters should never again be attacked by [indiscernible] And grenades, I support your efforts to prohibit choke holds. I'm especially concerned about the lab, the long range acoustic devices. I'm shocked to hear that APD has at least two of them. These are weapons of war, and I'd like to see them publicly destroyed where we can verify that it happened and that there are no more. Please make people serious sick, they can kill people, they were used at U.S. Embassies when all of a sudden there were numerous people terribly sick. It's a war crime to use these on the people of Austin. I urge you to fire chief [6:40:04 PM] Manley and hold him responsible -- [buzzer sounding] -- And that you remove officers involved in the deaths of Michael Ramos, [indiscernible] And the shootings of Justin Howell, Brad Ayala and Nemo martin. Thank you so much. >> John [indiscernible] >> Hi. I live in district 1, community resilience trust, today I'm speaking on behalf of measure in my role as director of performance measurement. First, to chief Manley, do the honorable thing and resign. We need to move forward with leadership who have demonstrated a history of real reform. Councilmembers Madison, Garza, Flannigan, thank you for your work on 53, 54, 94 and 96, I support. The language in 95 simply [6:41:04 PM] says, whereas black lives matter, huge props for that. That said, we still have work, comprehensive [indiscernible], no shooting at moving vehicles, APD should investigate all complaints from the oversight [indiscernible], and the community and no more hiding disciplinary files behind a facade of [indiscernible]. The speaker implied advocates should be grateful for being given a seat at the table. I trust council to understand that this situation, we are rebuilding the table and in honor of -- [buzzer sounding] It is -- the strength of [indiscernible]. Thank you. Please reallocate as much funding as possible to -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. >> Callie Hibbs. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> My name is Callie, [6:42:05 PM] fourth generation longhorn and voter coming out of district 1. I'm in full support of 50, 93 through 96. I hear the communities of color that it's only a start and I look forward to their guidance on how we can continue to slowly crawl our way out of this 400-year-old mess. I have to address the well-intentioned white folks that have been coming to this meeting, advocating for increased sensitivity and deescalation training. Y'all, the Austin police department successfully deescalates unconscionable, unsafe situations with white people all the time. They have these techniques. They either choose to consciously or subconsciously, not when they are reacting with people of color, because people of color have been unjustifiably [indiscernible] By the community, therefore, their lives do not have as much value. We need to focus on defunding the program -- [buzzer sounding] -- And real indicating [6:43:06 PM] those resources to better address the needs and safety of communities of color. I went to the protest on four different occasions. I was met with a full [indiscernible], it's no joke -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> It was one of the most physically stressing moments of my life. >> Mayor Adler: Thanks nor participating with us. Thank you. >> Dustin Blanchard. Dustin Blanchard, please be sure to unmute. Benjamin Hirsch. >> Hello. This is Ben. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. [6:44:07 PM] >> I'm Ben. I live in district 9. I'm calling to support all the resolutions that have had overwhelming support on this call, but much more important, to say that we need to take serious steps to defunding the police, and I would follow the lead of ajc in suggesting that a hundred-million-dollar cut a good way to start. The idea that police take care of communities is ridiculous. The people who have called today, the activists, the organizers, the teachers, the medics, and the nurses, that's who takes care of our communities. City governments could do so much to improve lives, materially and spiritually, but they don't. Instead, they spend money on police and you all need to take responsibility for that and do the right thing right away and defund the police. You also need to require chief Manley to resign, and if the city manager can't do that, possibly him as well. Your duplicity is seen [6:45:07 PM] and heard, council member tovo and mayor Adler, it's time to -- [buzzer sounding] -- Especially marginalized people among us, we need to defund APD right away. Thanks so much. >> Jared woods. >> Hello? Can you hear me? >> Go ahead. >> Thank you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I live in district 1. I'm here to advocate for the significant meaningful reforms that the Austin justice coalition has outlined in their petition, which includes defunding APD, firing APD leadership, reinvesting funds into non-police-based public health and safety strategies. Austin's reputation as a liberal paradise is a facade for deeply routed history of racial injustice. As an elementary school teacher working in east Austin, I witness firsthand how this injustice impacts my students every day. The data shows that [6:46:09 PM] poverty, inadequate housing, public health services, insufficient employment and education are parents of crime, and funneling money into the police department serves to harm black and brown communities. I appreciate the direction that this council is moving, but I implore you to continue to listen to our city's leaders of color and don't stop now. Items 50 and 93 to 96 are great, but they're merely the beginning and cannot be -- [buzzer sounding] -- The end goal. We're at a turning point in history and this council has an opportunity to be an example of visionary leadership for our state and for the country. So I urge you to be that voice of visionary leadership. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Dustin Blanchard. >> I just spent hours listening to a community terrorized by hits police force, it's clear there's just no trust left in APD, they keep making things worse. Two weeks ago, they lied about firing tear gas on [6:47:12 PM] peaceful protesters. Last weekend they misled the public about something as trivial as thank you cards. And just today chief Manley held a press conference with a so-called activist group that nobody has heard of and appears to have been created just for his pr event. How could a jury ever return a verdict based on evidence that the department presents? How many people are in jail or carry the burden of a criminal record because of APD lies? I support the resolutions in cutting 100 million from the APD budget would be a good start, but it doesn't go nearly fair enough. APD must be abolished and new new department must be built on trust with officers who live in our community and without the Austin police association or any of the current leadership. Thank you. >> Jesse Pendergrass. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Thank you. [6:48:12 PM] I'm from district 7 and I'm a white man. I'm calling in support of items 50, 93 through 96. I urge the council to adopt these resolutions, to defund the APD and to fire chief Manley. The APD already receives 40% of the city budget, all to purchase military equipment and have punishment on our communities, particularly peaceful protesters and black and brown people. [Indiscernible] Local money, they want the whole budget the spend our tax dollars to make our community safe. 100 million fewer dollars [indiscernible] -- The problem [indiscernible]. [Buzzer sounding] >> Defunding the police. We must actively seek out [6:49:12 PM] inequities and eliminate them when we find them. Help us -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Thank you for being with us. Next speaker. >> Brenda Malick. Brenda Malick, be sure to unmute your phone, please. >> Am I unmuted? >> Yes, you are. >> Can you hear me? Okay. Thank you. I am so glad to be able to speak to you guys. I know it's hard for us out here, and you've still got some ways to go. But my name again is Brenda Malik. I'm a public servant and community activist. And I want to thank my representative council [6:50:14 PM] member, Natasha Madison for looking out for us. I appreciate your work. But I want to say off the top that I had a baby brother that was killed at the hands of local law enforcement. So I'm real sensitive to what's going on today. But I need to tell you that the policies, I'm so tired of hearing police say that our policemen followed policy. That means the policy is wrong. You need to cut that out. [Buzzer sounding] Resisting arrest doesn't mean that you can't ask questions or you can't get a breath in. That's wrong. You have to change the policy. You also have to deconstruct the police force and -- because training isn't working, evidently training is not the key. So you need to, as our former secretary of state said, go deeper. Look at the character of who you have in office. [6:51:17 PM] So I'm going to ask that if you redirect any monies, to the chief and police monitor's office, equity office, if we as visitors have to have three strikes and they're out, let those policemen have three strikes and they're out. [Buzzer sounding] I'm looking forward to you doing things much more boldly and consider the pain that's out here in the community. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> [Indiscernible] Bonilla. >> Good afternoon, y'all. My name is [indiscernible]. I'm calling in support to number dismantle the Austin police department. I understand you're all for change but we need more than that. I would like to point you to the eight to abolition website. It called for eight steps, one, defund the police, two, demilitarize [6:52:19 PM] communities, remove police from schools, four, free people from jails and prisons, five, repeal laws and -- repeal laws that criminalize survival, six, invest in community governance, seven housing for everyone, eight caring, not cause. Educate yourselves with these reforms. History is happening all around us and I want you all to know that your votes in apathy of last week will be remembered. I cannot believe y'all set around and heard Brad Ayala's testimony and did not call for that officer's removal and further charges. Seven -- 76,000 people -- [buzzer sounding] -- Want someone to be fired. Isn't that enough? Please remove chief Manley. Thank you. >> Gunter Gardner. >> Hello. [6:53:20 PM] Can everybody hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Hello, council, city manager, and mayor Adler. My name is hunter Gardner of district 7, speaking in favor of items 50, 93, 95, and 96. Today I want to talk to you about the funding that APD receives. Reading through the 800 page budget document, I can Garrett the million dollars of dollars in funding that APD receives is more than multiple city of Austin departments combined. A increase of 25% or $100 million in APD budget could be used to tackle a housing affordability crisis for people experiencing homelessness, as well as putting lower income residents, residents of color, against gentrification of their neighborhoods, access to affordable treatment and recovery for addics, and education system failing communities of color and so much more. Our recommendation to council is to make budget documents more digestible for Austin citizens, revisit the APD and contracts as you did in [6:54:21 PM] 2017 and 2018 and create more accountability measure for APD officers and police association and make those changes transparent. [Buzzer sounding] Increase APD funding and support the challenges mentioned previously. It is worth mentioning the challenge goes beyond real indicating these funds. I want to challenge council to -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Your time is up. [Overlapping speakers.] >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker. >> Laura Jorgenson. >> Hello. First and foremost, black lives matter. I'm a homeowner in district 7 and walking tour guide, I get to show visitors to our city, but I'm responsible for telling about the ugly parts, past and present, segregation, homelessness, and fact throughout Austin's history, our quality of life, culture have been built by black and brown members of our community [6:55:21 PM] who have been barred from benefiting from those. When people ask me how this history is being addressed and what has changed, I want to be able to give them an answer that I am proud of so I implore each one of you, especially the seven of you who did not do this last week, to be bold, courageous, and decisive in writing a new story, in which Austin acts as a role model for other cities in pioneering transformative community justice, by defunding APD, whenever and however possible, starting but not ending with these resolutions and the $100 million, and real indicating resources to housing, health care, education, emergency services, green spaces, supporting music and the arts, fire Manley, Taylor, and all killer cops. Thank you. >> Brian register. [Buzzer sounding] >> Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> So I'm here for the [6:56:23 PM] same reason as most other people. Resolution 95, I want to say that I like Brian Manley personally. I think he has a good heart but we need substantial rear-view mirror at APD and he has not brought it. The insane response to Mike Ramos, leading to his murder, was not the matter of three idiots happening to make the same horrific stake at the same moment, it was culture, and culture is leadership. No reasonable person can have confidence in chief Manley at this point. Resolution 96, one of the events that led to the American of revolution was the Boston massacre, leading to a police riot and slaughter. The first killed was a black man. We've seen exactly this oppressive American routine play out over the country in the past two weeks. You don't have to write a declaration of Independence to write a massacre. [6:57:23 PM] Just pass item [indiscernible], black lives matter. >> Henry Saenz. >> I am Enrique Saenz with our lady -- Enrique Saenz with -- hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. I'm sorry. >> Yes. I am Enrique Saenz with our lady of Guadalupe catholic church, and the last of three speakers from central Texas interfaith. We are over 50 faith communities, schools, urination and nonprofits. The killings of George Floyd and Mike Ramos and some of the aggressive actions of our police force during recent protests were an assault on the conscience and solidarity of our community. When our society fails to stop the taking of unarmed black lives, that soon stains us all. We feel outrage deep in [6:58:25 PM] our heart. Cti's east side African American church is founded our organization over 30 years ago, and we all stand together, determined to work together for real change. Thank you. >> Bob Hendricks. >> Mayor, city council, I'm Bob Hendricks with the Austin Sierra cb, which has over 4,000 members. You have seen our full official statement. Here's a one-minute version. Whereas black lives matter, whereas the Austin police department has repeatedly shown excessive force and racism in its practices, whereas Austin needs new processes to keep us all safe and healthy, whereas the Austin community has lost confidence in the current police leadership, and this new visionary, more Progressive leaders, the Sierra club is committed [6:59:26 PM] to finding a better society that does not include violent policing that targets people of color, ensures all people may thrive, regardless of color of their seen, we follow the lead of the Austin coalition and other black leaders to call for resignation of police leadership. We support items 50, 94, 95, 96, and we also support community-led calls for defunding of the Austin police department by approximately $100 million. We see these measures as a small but essential step towards our goal -- [buzzer sounding] -- Of achieving an equitable, just society. Thank you for all your work. >> Katie lane. Katie lane, be sure to unmute, please. [7:00:26 PM] >> Hi. Thank you. Sorry. I was having some technical difficulties. Wow, it's been a long day. I just want to say thank you to all the councilmembers who are on the call thus far. [Indiscernible] Solutions to these [indiscernible] Will require creativity and community participation but we're ready and excited to work with y'all to do this and will remain physically engaged. I want to especially say thanks to council member harper-madison. You're an angel and we must take these initial radical steps to begin the restructuring of our society. Unanimous support on this is five items, there's a much larger issue which policing only exacerbates. I would urge you to he had this -- to he had this to it bans [indiscernible]. The majority of calls for [7:01:27 PM] service require no [indiscernible] Response, when all you have is a gun [indiscernible]. I'm excited for the first -- [buzzer sounding] -- Possibility of having mental health professionals and social workers end cries for help. Thanks. Have a grit night. >> Cynthia Vasquez. >> Mayor Adler: 12 speakers left. >> Can y'all hear me? >> Yes. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> Cool. My name is Cynthia Vasquez. I'm a 78702 Austin native, but recently gentrified out of d2 to d3. Here I'm right in the path of the gentrification we all discussed at city hall many times last year. I'm here to speak for item 94 and the draft resolution pertaining to formerly incarcerated individuals. I was told by a father in district 2 who was recently released after 14 years of incarceration, and when I [7:02:28 PM] talked to him about the resolution, he laughed and said, this feels like a feel-good draft. He had many questions about how do we ensure this stuff actually happens and what if we need to make changes to this draft. In addition to resident concern of accountability is this resolution of formerly incarcerated community members find themselves in the pipeline from nowhere to homeless. If we're to consider black lives matter, we should keep that momentum and use it at its maximum strength in Travis county - - [buzzer sounding] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for your participation. Next speaker. >> Scott sternum. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. You have one minute. >> Okay. Thank you for -- I've been on the phone line since 10:00 this morning. [7:03:29 PM] I want to speak in favor of not defending defunding the police department. I would like you to look at the systematic through a different lens for a minute and look at how the police department is not accountable when it comes to the unions and the police association. They are the ones that block every time the chief or somebody tries to discipline somebody. They will come back with an arbitrator and a lawyer. I think you need to look at how to develop a new department that is not funded by a union and is funded by an H.R. Department, just like any other business, you can get the low fruit out and keep the good people in. [Buzzer sounding] I'm fortunate that we lost a lot -- it's [7:04:29 PM] unfortunate that we lost a lot of good policemen, Mr. Ott because he couldn't get a good contract. We were promised that by you, mayor, three years ago when we got a new person in, and nothing has been done. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> We come to this problem now because of -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for participating, sir. Next periodic. >> Ishank Aurora. >> Good evening. Can everyone hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Hello? Okay. Good evening. I thank you for listening to the members of the community who are hurting. I thank you for showing unanimous support today. I implore you to follow through on this long path. Be the change you say you are. Inspire us. Start the lead. Defund the city manager, free up money, defund the police. Instituting a culture of respect, respect for black people, for brown [7:05:30 PM] people, respect for minorities. Diversity I hope will follow. Mike Ramos, Florence parish, David Joseph, [indiscernible] Nathaniel [indiscernible] -- These are a few austinites I could find, but deaths by Austin police department over decades. Where was the innocent until proven guilty? Time and time again we see this in Austin. This needs to change. Thank you for starting this long journey. We need to defund the police. I'd like to point out desegregation to begin. [Buzzer sounding] [Indiscernible] Let's find something to fix that respect people, respect black people and respect brown people. I defund the police and invest in our community, our people and our children. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thank you for participating, sir. >> Amanda [indiscernible] >> Hi. My name is Amanda [7:06:30 PM] [indiscernible], I'm executive director of the [indiscernible] Project. Council member tovo in district 9. I'm testifying in support of 50, 95 and 96, request the council to defund APD by at least a hundred million dollars. [Indiscernible] End the criminalization of poverty in Texas. Our clients are low-income, most are black or people of color. They describe being harassed, degrated, in police interaction. The police hunt for people who have [indiscernible] Licenses, no insurance. They can't afford to pay tickets for insurance but they [indiscernible] To take care of their family, they're terrified of the police, being pulled over, arrested, separated from their family. Instead of police terrorizing neighbors, give cash assistance to people when a traffic ticket forces them to choose between paying rent or the ticket. The 2021 budget should be [7:07:31 PM] reduced by at least a hundred million to help our Austin community. [Buzzer sounding] The department continues to circumvent reform, time and time again, the council needs to -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thanks for coming and joining us. Thank you. >> Lydia Fortuna. >> Yes. Can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> Can y'all hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> Thank you. Steve Adler, Pio Renteria, Leslie pool, Ann kitchen, Paige Ellis, my very own Kathie tovo, and Alison alter, you have failed us. Do not for one second think that we did not notice you voted yes for item 7 last week. We already know, thanks to APD racial profiling data collected in 2018, that black and brown austinites are more likely to be stopped, arrested, and brutalized by APD. So when you decide to give them almost half a million additional dollars, you know exactly what's going to happen with that money. [7:08:33 PM] I saw that items 50 and 93 through 96 are unanimously sponsored, but this still isn't enough. I don't have to tell you how many times we pressured APD to change and how many years they failed to do so. Every day you're willing to wait for APD to improve is a way you're willing to let black and brown people in Austin die at their hands. Many callers have told you APD's use of devices against peaceful protesters can cause permanent hearing damage. I'm employed as an audio engineer and when I saw [indiscernible] Pointed at me Saturday night, I feared for my career and future. Please modify item 95 and 96 to include the lrad -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for your time. Appreciate your time. Thanks for joining us. Next speaker. >> Stephanie -- [indiscernible] >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. [7:09:35 PM] >> I'm calling today to support item 50, 93, 94, 95, and 96, and I want the city [indiscernible]. I live in district 2 [indiscernible]. I worked at Austin community college for seven years. [Indiscernible] Vibrant. [Poor audio] I was so proud to see she graduated magna cum Laude. Not far from my house, she was shot to death by the police by six bullets. There's nothing she could have done to deserve this. [Indiscernible] Trying to commit suicide by cop. Police were armed to use deadly force [indiscernible] Suicide by cop. [Indiscernible]. He said it was self-defense. [Buzzer sounding] [7:10:35 PM] [Indiscernible] I can't get my head around it. I think everyone is realizing it doesn't of to be this way. [Indiscernible] Don't just gun down people in the streets. We should be helping them, not using justification for shooting [indiscernible] -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Thanks for being with us. Time's up. Next speaker? >> Brent krosan. >> Hi. My name is Brent crosan. Not that I'm district 9 and I'm calling in support of items 50, 93 through 96. I want to make it clear that I think you're getting the picture that people are angry and they're going to come out and vote like they haven't before in a local election. I'm particularly disappointed with my own council member for voting for the over $400,000 for APD. APD -- this is a first step, and we're not just defunding, we're establishing [indiscernible] That's [7:11:36 PM] demolished between social services and policing. As far as some people who think they can have it both ways, mayor Adler says he can have it both ways, he said that he's not going to defund the police. And I don't know who made him king of Austin, but he's got another think coming when he's not going to get reelected. He's not a person with integrity if he says that. So we need leadership that has integrity, not just in the police force, but also of this city, and it's clear that the mayor does not have that based on his comments today. He cannot have it both ways. You can't speak nice words out of the side of your mouth and then -- [buzzer sounding] -- In the next step, have your friends in the police union defend them, defend a racist institution, and think that you're going to get away with it, and that voters aren't going to take note of that. We're taking note of how you all vote, we're taking note of what the mayor says and hypocrisy. So please consider that and that an election is coming. Thank you. >> Dustin Bryant. [7:12:37 PM] >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Thank you all for your steadfastness and patients today. I live at the border. Districts 7 and 9 and speaking in favor of items 50 and 93 through 96. I'd like to express my contempt for chief Manley and APD officers who have brutalized and murdered citizens. For our community to fulfill its promise for being a haven [indiscernible] That the city was built on. I moved here from new Orleans almost 40 years ago and where I landed did not live up to its reputation. We have a lot of work today. Passing these items are just the first step. It's [indiscernible] From a script department that will enrich the community, I encourage you to listen to the voices of young Progressives who will lead the future of Austin in our quest for equity, justice, and most important, community. Thank you again. >> [7:13:38 PM] >> Nora Hansel. >> Hi, can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> My name is Nora. I was born and raised here and I'm speaking in support of the actions -- the items limiting -- tired, it's been a long day. Thank y'all for doing this, but limiting police resources. And I really want to echo what people have been saying that reform is not going to do the trick. More resources to APD for increased sensitivity and deescalation training is not going to address the systemic issue. Please remember that the police originated out of robes of white men that were trying to watch runaway enslaved people. That's what it came from. Understand, this is a quote by -- understand that the call to abolish police is also a call to allocate adequate funds and resources [7:14:39 PM] to liveable wage, security and all other societal factors that facilitate the crimes we believe we need police protection from. These crimes will hardly exist if people were adequately provided for. [Buzzer sounds] >> Finally, the last quote by Alicia Garza, the end of the one I read earlier, she says and so if you actually limit what police do in our communities and how often they come into contact with our people and for what, that is actually the key to saving more lives. As long as you invest in the other side and making sure there is an abundance of resources that they won't be criminalized for accessing, but also no mistakes for a mental health crisis and you shoot someone, right? >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for coming. Thank you for participating. >> Sophia malgalnos. >> Hello, Mr. Mayor and [7:15:40 PM] councilmembers. I am Sophia. Austin native from district 3. I am in support of items 50, 93, 94, 95 and 96. I would ikelike to thank the councilmember for the proposals for historic change that will safeguard the Austin community against police brutality and excessive force in order to prioritize public safety that is truly [indiscernible]. I'm hopeful that the allocated funds can be used to address our city's affordable housing crisis. Please help fight against the gentrification of our neighborhoods. Especially the ones that I grew up. Thank you for your time, Mr. Mayor and councilmembers. >> Timothy o'brien. >> Hello, I am here in support of resolution 95 -- >> Mayor Adler: Can't hear you. Can you get closer to the microphone? >> [Indiscernible]. [7:16:40 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Could you get closer to your microphone? >> [Indiscernible]. Into accepting the status quo. Last week I witnessed and experienced firsthand civil activists being shot in close range with less lethal bullets and pepper sprayed and tear gassed to keep protesters from assembling in roadways. When asked for an explanation from a police officer, my friends and I were told that people were shot and teargassed for their own safety. I don't need to explain to you the absurdity of being shot by city employees to keep us safe. However you as the city managers owe the citizens a clear commandment of deescalation and police disarmment in order to show that you can do the bare minimum, which is to create a safe review refugee for our rights to assembly in order to the cries for transformative justice for your own community. I completely agree with [7:17:41 PM] resolution 96 and say that $100 million is just the beginning of this movement. Thank you very much for your time. >> Mayor, this is the last speaker, however, we don't have a name. So I'm going to call the last two digits of their numbers, which is 31. >> Hello? My name is [indiscernible]. I am -- can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, please go ahead. >> Hello? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, please go ahead. >> I am also in favor of defunding the police. I have been in Austin -- I have been an Austin citizen for the last four years and I have seen how homelessness have been increased in the city. Homelessness is not a crime, but it is a direct consequence of lacking of health care and affordable housing. Every time that the state [7:18:42 PM] decides to not fund the public services, they have committed a crime against humanity and against our community. This state terrorism that the police criminalize people for the color of their skin, nationality or social class. That's all I have to say. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. And thank you for your assistance with the speakers, and thank you, everyone, who participated today. I know it was a long time on the phone. We appreciate everybody's perseverance. Colleagues, that gets us to the dais. It is 7:20. Do you want to take a dinner break? It seems like the answer to that is yes. Do you want to come back here at 8:00? That would be 40 minutes from now. Is that sufficient? Okay. [7:19:44 PM] Then 7:20 -- yes, councilmember Ellis? >> Ellis: I just had one thing I wanted to clarify quickly. There seemed to be a speaker that was confused about some of the language on 93. And the declaration of emergency on that one is more about when it takes effect. It's different than the Texas government code 418, which is declaration of a local disaster. So I just wanted to make that clear so that when we come back from dinner break we could just really get to the resolutions themselves. >> Mayor Adler: That would be great. We'll come back at 8:00 to -- it's 7:20 right now. If anybody is going to bring any amendments if you could post those, that would be helpful. We are now in recess until 8:00. [8:02:34 PM] [Music]. [8:04:19 PM] >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to gandy reconvene the Austin city council here on June 11th, 2020. We're going to go through these in order. Have a motion, have debate and then vote. Alison? >> Mayor, do you mind if I have a point of personal privilege. >> Alter: I wanted to ask Mr. Cronk something anyway before we started, but I'll let him take his point of personal privilege first because he may answer his question with his comments. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Alter: Unless you want to do something different. I don't need to be calling on him before because I was going to ask him questions, which he may be addressing. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Before we get into the meeting, this is an important council meeting [8:05:19 PM] for lots of reasons, not -- and also real importantly is this is the last council meeting for somebody that has been just incredible support to this 10-1 new council system, and it's her last council meeting and I wanted to make sure that we said thank you to her before we ended this meeting tonight. Manager, did you want to may a except? >> Appreciate, mayor, council and community. Typically during around the dinner make we do have the opportunity to provide recognition and proclamations for individuals and groups that have done exemplary work for our opportunity. And in this new reality we haven't been able to do that, but we had to make one exception because our chief financial officer, Elaine hart, is retiring at the end of the month and this will be her last council meeting with us. [8:06:21 PM] So with your permission I just wanted to take a few moments to acknowledge Elaine and recognize the incredible work that she's done for our city. As you know, she has been serving as our chief financial officer since 2012, and most importantly during an incredibly pivotal time for our 10-1 system as you were looking for a new city manager she served as that interim city manager and she has welcomed me with open arms. She has shown that classic austinite reception to ensuring that we make this as successful of a transition as possible. I knew she was eyeing retirement, but I did ask her to stay on a little bit longer and serve as my deputy for over a year while we worked through the transition to get an executive team that would make sure we could fulfill the strategic direction that was asked by council. [8:07:21 PM] I just can't thank Elaine enough for her ability to bring our community together, to bring our council and the respect and support that she has within our city staff. As you know, the over 30-year career that she's had with the city of Austin has spent not only in our financial services departments, but with also Austin energy. And I think one of her greatest accomplishments is keeping a strong credit rating that we've had for the city over -- since fiscal year 2010. So maintaining that triple a rating has been a key accomplishment for her and we hope to continue that into the future. I just -- I know that Elaine's legacy will long live anything that we ever do because she has been here for so long and she has exemplified a true public servant within the city of Austin. She's been a pillar for our organization and for me [8:08:23 PM] personally. She's been a mentor and really allowing me to make sure that we know that we can move forward with the strategic direction and the way that we want to build a better Austin for tomorrow. So with that, we-- lane an intense amount of debt and gratitude for her public service and I just wanted to take this moment to thank her for what she has done for the city. >> Mayor Adler: Manager, thank you for doing that. From the council perspective, she was wonderful not only for the time that she spent with the city, she's somebody that knew where everything was. And given her position she knew a little bit about everything. And was such a wealth of knowledge and such a great mentor, I'm sure, to all of us, a teacher to all of us. And to step in during that period of time when he had to transition to lead into this city the way that she [8:09:23 PM] did with such incredible grace and really did start pulling all of us together. Elaine, wherever you are, I don't see you on here, but know that you're going to be incredibly missed by all of us and the city. >> I don't know if she was willing to say a few words, but I didn't want to put her on the spot either. >> I am on the phone. I don't know if you can hear me, but you've had 300 people ask can you hear me. >> Mayor Adler: We can hear you! >> Thank you all so much for your great support through my career. I've had an incredible journey with the city. It was a really difficult decision, but I really have superior, excellent, amazing employees and leaders in financial services, and I know that I leave you in their great hands. [8:10:24 PM] I also know I have three grand babies who are growing up very fast and who want their grandma to come live closer to them. But it has been so wonderful and a blessing to work for the city. I have -- I started in '75 as your independent auditor with mayor Friedman and I have worked under every mayor's term except for mayor Bruce Todd against then. So I do know where all the skeletons are, if you want to say it that way. I do have a lot of history and I do like sharing it, but it's just been a wonderful, wonderful experience, and lots of really good memories, lots of friends. And it is hard. It's not easy because I'm a [8:11:25 PM] junky and I'll be watching y'all on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I'll sign up and get my three minutes. [Laughter]. But it's just been a pleasure and just -- I have done so many things over the years. I've had so many opportunities that I just really cherish. And Spencer has been wonderful. I welcomed him, as I said, and I welcomed him with open arms because I was ready to give the reins over to him. [Laughter]. And I just appreciate every one of you. And my phone is pinging so I probably need to stop me. But thank you all for letting me share in your lives and your governance. I have appreciated your support and your leadership [8:12:26 PM] as councilmembers, and I wish all of you the best. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Elaine, thank you. All right, colleagues, let's go ahead and hit the agenda. But first Alison, did you have something you wanted to ask about first? >> Alter: I just have some questions for the city manager before we vote. I don't know when would be the most appropriate time. >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to call each of the items up and we'll make a motion and open it up for discussion. >> Alter: Okay, because my question sort of pertains to all of them, my questions. >> Mayor Adler: You can ask questions as it pertains to all. Let's get the first one up so we have something on the floor and then go ahead and ask your question. >> Alter: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Let's begin with item number 50. Mayor pro tem. >> Garza: I just wanted to make the motion on it. >> Mayor Adler: Mayor pro tem moves passage of item number 50. Is there a second to that? Councilmember Casar seconds that. Is there any discussion? [8:13:27 PM] Mayor pro tem. >> Garza: I just -- I'll keep this short. I think I've made most of the statements that I want to make, but just a couple of quick thanks to the staff that consulted with my office on this, including the opo, the equity office, the office of performance management, innovation, assistant city manager Arrellano and labor relations, as well as we consulted with Austin justice coalition, many styles of measure, Doug Smith from the criminal justice coalition and the Texas defense project. And I think this is needed. We needed this baseline. We now have a baseline to measure our projects. It also has metrics on other disparities, not just police arrests. And I think the no call is -- it will be a big win in this to -- I don't know - - I know there's tons of movies to watch about racial injustice, but we [8:14:27 PM] recently watched the innocence files and I would encourage you to watch it where it shows really sad police indiscretion and prosecutorial indiscretion and how all along the criminal justice system we have failed our black and brown community. And to I think this call list shows that prosecutors will have access to that and will not use those officers in court I think is another big win on this that we were able to get in here. Get in the version three. So thank you for everyone that helped work on this and for all my colleagues' support. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. Alison, did you want to ask a question before we took a vote? >> Alter: Unless anybody has more comments on this particular thing. I don't want to detract from the importance of this particular element, but my questions sort of pertain to the broader set of issues. So I'll just go ahead if nobody else has a comment on that. [8:15:29 PM] So city manager, I have a lot of respect for you and I deeply appreciate the work that you do, but I have to say that I'm disappointed with the way you've handled this situation so far. With all due respect, it has been two weeks since the protest happened. We have put some proposals together, but I do believe that as city manager you should have begun moving on some things before now. What you see before you tonight is the council's approach. Your responsibility to be on this before with actions and not just conversations, and your silence has been deafening to me. You are the leader of 13,000 employees and we do expect you to take initiative for critical issues, especially when the lives of citizens are in jeopardy. You are the leader of city of Austin employees. We provide you with direction, but nothing precludes you from taking action. A moment like this requires action, not just silence and waiting for someone else to take the lead. I really would like to know [8:16:32 PM] from you have you talked with the public safety leadership about the issues raised by councilmembers and in testimony today and in prior meetings? If no, why not? And if yes, what have you learned? >> Cronk: Councilmember, thank you for raising this and allowing me to speak to this point because I certainly take my responsibility as city manager incredibly seriously and the discussions we're having both as a community and that you're teeing up as council I take that incredibly to heart because that's exactly why I came to this city and that's what I know the responsibility that you entrust me to act on. Throughout this whole period of time for the last two weeks I've been in constant communication not only with our chief, but also our public safety leadership about both short-term and longer things that we can be doing, among knowing that there was a parallel conversation happening not just with our community, but with our council. And so there were some short-term decisions that [8:17:34 PM] were made, as you know immediately after the first weekend. There were decisions in the policies that the police chief had and then also there were also decisions that were announced today by the police chief. But the conversation is really about now that we have these resolutions and assuming -- depending on the council's vote today we will quickly be able to adjust our own expectations and the priorities that you have outlined here. I really want to commend the council's leadership in taking that, but I do know that there is more that's needed and we're going to have to continue to get not only creative, but much more assertive in the way that we're reimagining and rethinking how we do public safety in Austin. >> Alter: City manager, I would really like to know what other ideas that you have about what we should be doing moving forward to move forward with transformational change? >> Cronk: One thing I've already started is a [8:18:34 PM] conversation among the executive team, and as you've pointed out and as many speakers have pointed out, this is beyond public safety, this is about public health, this is about our economic disparities. This is a real opportunity for our community to think about how these all intersect. And so I've brought this team together to start to outline what the framework is that we're going to be able to address not only in this budget that we're going to be presenting in a couple of weeks, but also for how to continue those important conversations with the community. So you will be hearing more from me next week on that front, but we wanted to let this important conversation happen first with council. >> Alter: And how are you going to report back to council or engage us in this process moving forward into budget? We are going on break. We don't have opportunities that are set up for us to engage as a group. [8:19:34 PM] And, you know, there's only very few ways for us to come together to have conversations with you on this. So how are you going to be communicating with us on next steps? >> Cronk: I'm in constant communication with each of you individually and then we have ways to send out either through official memos, but if we need have a special called meeting in the interim, I'm more than willing to talk to the mayor and others about making sure that we provide that, but I will just note that we are in the middle of developing the budget and that is a big responsibility and a very challenging task at this moment in time. We are in an economic recession. We have not experienced something like this in the last handful of decades. This is going to be both the most challenging budgets that we've ever put forward and that this council will be considering but what I also see is the budget with the most opportunity because this allows us to think very [8:20:34 PM] differently about how we've done things in the past. So I look forward to those conversations, but I do think that we as staff need some time to make sure that we can take the direction that was coming from this conversation and these resolutions and incorporate them into the budget. >> Alter: Would you be comfortable sharing a little bit about what you've discussed with chief Manley or with acm Arrellano? >> Cronk: I think as we've seen a national conversation about both different tactics that have been used in those protests ands things that we need to ensure we are doing to not only reflect the values of our community, but do things in a way that keep our community safe and make sure that we have a new way of thinking about public safety. So many of the different reforms that are not only part of a national conversation, whether it's the eight can't wait or the reforms that were outlined in the resolutions here, we [8:21:35 PM] have specifically talked about how we can continue to not only lean into them, but what else we can be doing as a community and as a department. >> Alter: Thank you. I mean, obviously we're going to have to keep continuing this conversation, but we do need to be hearing your voice and we need to be hearing that you're leading us forward to this transformation in very concrete ways. I look forward to continuing that conversation. You know, my constituents really do want to hear from you as well as the senior manager, so I think it's important that we hear specifics from you and I look forward to more of those coming forward. >> Cronk: Thank you, councilmember. >> Mayor Adler: Further comments on this issue? Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: City manager, you and I have talked about this and so -- and I want to clarify what I just heard [8:22:37 PM] from you. I think I heard you say that you were planning on providing some more concrete information for us next week. Did I hear that correctly? And if that is the case, can you speak to that about the scope of that, what you're planning to talk about next week? >> Cronk: Sure. As you've been witnessing, some of these resolutions and the direction from council has been evolving very quickly over the past week or longer. And even in those edits today. And so we are going to take what is passed and quickly pivot into what that action plan is because that is exactly what our community is expecting and demanding is to make sure that these are things that can be implemented. And so I have already -- with our deputy city manager, with our equity office, with our office of police oversight, again, with the senior team that encompasses things beyond public safety that many of the speakers today talked about a public health crisis. We have to be thinking [8:23:37 PM] differently about this. So some of the steps that we will be take will be outlined next week. >> Kitchen: Thank you, city manager. As we've talked about earlier, this is a city -- as I mentioned earlier, and you and I have talked about, this is a citywide issue. And leadership belongs in the city manager's office, so I'll be looking forward to hearing how you will be structuring that in terms of the leadership team you're putting together. And I think it was councilmember tovo that raised something the last time we talked in terms of a concrete operational plan for these transformative changes. And so I look forward to hearing more from you next week. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Councilmember Garza? Mayor pro tem. [8:24:37 PM] >> Garza: I wasn't -- I didn't know that we were going to go down this road, but since we're there, city manager cronk, I have great respect for you and I have appreciated the relationship that we have been able to build and your help in, you know, -- and your relationship building with all of us but we have heard hours and hours and hours of testimony specifically to APD leadership and council is prohibited from interfering with those personnel decisions. But on that vein, I think our community deserves some kind of response from you as to what you plan to do with that leadership specifically and reasons why. And so in-- if that's a memo to council, you've heard council's statements on this and we're about to take a vote on one of the [8:25:38 PM] resolutions that includes a whereas with no confidence in that leadership. So I would just ask that you provide some kind of reasoning to us and whatever you take on that decision. And to be responsive to the thousands -- I think my staff told me just to my inbox alone I've received 13,000 emails and that doesn't include the d2 inbox and doesn't include the calls we've been getting. And just to be responsive to the community I would ask you to provide that response, please. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Flannigan. >> Flannigan: I want to let my colleagues know to watch for the message board tomorrow. We will be posting information about the first public safety committee meeting that we intend to hold next week where we will be inviting everyone who is able. And if you are not that is [8:26:38 PM] perfectly fine because we are going to give the manager a week to settle his thoughts on what we are about to implement here and then we will be expecting some direction and some explanation and a path forward. And so I welcome all of you to keep watch on the message board when we post the date and time and the agenda for that meeting next week. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. All right, colleagues. We have a motion and a second on item 50. Ready to take a vote? Those in favor please raise your hand? Hose opposed? That item passes unanimously on the dais. That then brings up item number 93. Mr. Flannigan, I think that's yours. >> Flannigan: I move approval of 93. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a second? Councilmember harper-madison seconds that motion. Is there any discussion? Those in favor please raise your hand? Those opposed? [8:27:40 PM] Unanimous on the dais. That brings us then to item number 94. Councilmember harper-madison? >> Harper-madison: Mayor, I would like to move that we pass item number 94. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. And just for the record, on item number 50 we passed v3 as it appears in backup. On 93 we passed what has been edited as revised ordinance. We're now in 94, that's a revised resolution. It's been moved by councilmember harper-madison. Is there a second to this motion? Councilmember Ellis seconds this motion. Is there any discussion? Those in favor please raise your hand -- >> Harper-madison: Yes, discussion. Thank you. I've been having -- my mute button has been tricky today. So I was thinking about it as I listened to my [8:28:40 PM] colleagues, really recognize all of the advocates and all the people that helped us along the way and it reminded me that I need to make certain to do that. First off, I really sincerely want to thank the austin- travis county reentry round table for pushing the Austin city council to continue to fight for the rights of fair housing choice. The round table has been the main vehicle that's brought subject matter experts, community leaders and lifelong advocates into the city's housing policy making process. So special shout-out also to the Austin area urban league, Austin justice coalition, UT law, echo, Austin tenants' council, the Austin apartment association, Texas state affordable housing corporation, neighborhood housing and community development, the city manager's office, the city of Austin's law department. And all of our affordable housing developers for helping to move our city [8:29:41 PM] forward. So forgive me if I missed anybody because it's a lot. Housing is hard enough to find in this city. It's even harder if you don't have a ton of money. And then add that to a history of incarceration or eviction. As we heard from speakers today, you'll find yourself locked out of housing entirely, locked out of Austin, rather, entirely. In 2018 the reentry round table they recommended that conviction look back period to become a part of the tenant selection policy for rental housing development assistance program. What we are saying with this resolution, we expect that the recommendation to finally be adopted by the end of the year. We are also encouraging the neighborhood housing and community development department, the city manager and our stakeholders to really start discussing the look back periods for evictions. The data shows us that convictions and evictions are closely -- are close, rather, common denominators in people who experience homelessness. That's why these changes are so important and so very [8:30:42 PM] urgent. I look forward to continuing to work with staff, with the round table, our affordable housing developers, to really strengthen our policies and, you know, I'm certain that change doesn't always come fast. But implementing these recommendations from two years ago will help us get this right for good. I would like to thank again all of the stakeholders and all of our co-sponsors and the entire council for your support on this item. >> It's been moved and seconded. Those in favor of this recess solution please raise your hand. Those opposed, unanimous on the dais, thank you. That gets us to item no. 95. >> Mayor, sorry, I wanted to just offer a special thanks to the [indiscernible] Staff on that last item. It really has been a huge lift and, also, I wanted to -- I wanted to call out not just councilmember harper- madison's staff who worked really hard on it, but also Stephanie trin in [8:31:45 PM] councilmember Casar's office who has also been tremendously helpful. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Ashley Richardson in my office for all of her work on this issue as well. But I didn't want the moment to go by without especially thanking Stephanie. >> Mayor Adler: Item no. 95. Councilmember Casar? >> Casar: Move. >> Mayor Adler: Moves passage of item no. 95. Councilmember harper-madison seconds it. Any discussion in. Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: I think we've done -- we've laid out what's in the item. I had a few questions for whoever it is appropriate, be the manager or chief or other staff. Manager, you mentioned earlier that some changes had been announced this week. I'm interested in hearing what is new that was announced that would, you know, potentially reduce police use of force or [8:32:47 PM] otherwise reform the issues that we heard about today. What was announced that is beyond current policy. I think what we're laying out here is largely, I think, are important changes. I'm interested in hearing what was announced today that goes beyond what we have here and beyond current policy. >> Thank you, councilmember. I will let the chief time in as well. I think knowing that these were on the table for council consideration to move in that direction, both the clarification and things that are already policy within the police department, but more importantly, those things that may not be clear and we need to make sure that we are looking at each of the policies and procedures within the department to make those clarifications, crystal clear for the department and choke holds is one example from today, but I will turn it over to the chief if there's anything else. I think more broadly just [8:33:47 PM] knowing that these are the things that -- that the community and more importantly the council wants us to move towards. We will be working very quickly to update our policies and procedures as a result. I don't know if the chief wanted to add anything. >> Certainly. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. I'm not sure if my camera is working or not. As the manager said, there are several policies that we've been looking at. Particularly we spoke last week or shortly maybe before about the use of impact munitions and the policy changes that we've made in that area. Additionally, as we've looked at the eight can't wait policies, we've worked to update what we have here looking at each of those out. We have talked about before that the strangle, as it called in there, the choke hold or strangle hold, that is something that we have never taught nor approved. However it was never [8:34:47 PM] codified in policy. So we've taken that extra step now of making sure that that is codified in policy so that not only is it made aware through training, but that officers see that in policy and the community understands that. We've looked at the use of deescalation and we do believe that that's an area that we are compliant with the eight can't wait. We have looked at, I don't want to read each one of these to you, we've got a -- a memo that will be going out shortly. We do, I'm not sure if it's widely known, we do have a policy here on duty to intervene. That specifically states that officers who observe another officer using inappropriate force shall intercede to prevent further harm, that is something that we have addressed. Our use of force continuum does appear to be compliant with what 8 can't wait ask for, the dynamic response [8:35:49 PM] resistance model. We are looking at all of those policies and then additionally, I think some of the more transformational change that you will see in the department will come through the work that lies ahead that will be the result of some of these audits that are underway right now. Specifically some of the audits that you council directed regarding our training academy and upcoming cadet classes, but then reviews that we have also sought out as a result of the Tatum report and in particular a consultant that will begin coming into do a review of the culture here at A.P.D. As well. So I think we have things that we've already implemented and we've got a path forward that we are looking at now to address some of those longer standing issues. >> But as far as immediate policy change on these issues, it sounds like it's primarily the choke hold, strangle hold, being [8:36:49 PM] explicit like we are voting on tonight. Is there anything else that is new on that front beyond what it is that we are voting on tonight, beyond current policy? >> The other one would be the restriction in less lethal munitions in crowd situations like we've discussed. Those are the ones that we've done to this point. Again our policies are always under review. As we look at the eight can't wait, we are looking at those underlying policies as well. We had not updated. There's a website where you load your policies on. We had not updated our policies I don't think in several years. Our training commander is working to update that as well so we can ensure that we are following those Beth practices to the best of our abilities. >> Casar: I saw there was announcement about body cameras, did something change on the body camera policy? >> Nothing changed. What we were doing we were heighting the importance of body worn cameras. If you are talking about the [8:37:49 PM] press conference today, there's a group called just America that has been very involved in the local demonstrations and reached out to us and asked if we would participate with them. We have met with them to discuss policy issues and things that are important to them. One of those was body worn cameras. Through discussions it was important to highlight body cameras are only as good as their use and we do have a policy and will enforce that going forward as we have, that if there were to be an officer that intentionally deactivated their body worn camera during a critical incident, that would be subject to an indefinite suspension. And then on top of that, if we believed there was criminality in that, that would be reviewed by the district attorney's office. >> Casar: Good to know that has been standing policy and to broadcast that. Was it ever resolved because -- we've been so busy that I don't -- I didn't hear from the manager or the chief. I haven't checked in on. [8:38:51 PM] Was it ever resolved where the office of police oversight had a disagreement with recent policy changes as it related to body worn cameras, if I remember right the change would have created the possibility where if somebody's camera was turned off three times, it still may not have resulted in formal written discipline. Was that resolved? >> We are still in discussions on that policy. But specific to that policy, we have different levels of body worn camera violations, that was for the most minor. We obviously allow our officers the opportunity to turn off their body cameras at certain points such as taking a restroom break or something of that nature. So we do understand that there may be times when the officer forgets to activate that camera versus the most egregious that I was just talking about that, intentional act. So we have different levels of violences that we look at. But we are still in discussions with opo on a few issues to include that [8:39:52 PM] one. >> Casar: We also had testimony earlier about people being concerned, I understand their concern, given what happened, at the end of may, beginning the June, about the use of -- of sonic weapons. Lrad I think is one of the act -- acronyms. Seems like instances in other cities where those have been used against people in protests and it's caused permanent damage to people. Do we have policy or an intent not to use those military grade acoustic weapons on protests. >> Correctly. That is the intent, but we will firm up policy in that area. We do have long range acoustical device equipment but we use it solely as a public address hailing system, typically on tactical callout with the swat team where they are trying to make contact with the person in the home, giving them commands, giving them directions. That's how it was used over [8:40:52 PM] the weekend during the protests and that's how we have used it here, but we can absolutely firm up policy to state that is the purpose for that piece of equipment. >> Casar: For communication purposes? >> Yes. >> Casar: Understood. Mayor, I'm actually going to write that sentence down, if we could lay mine on the table, I will post it on the message board so everybody can see that. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. All right. Councilmember Flannigan? >> Flannigan: I just want to ask the city manager and the chief to be sure to attend the public safety committee meeting that we will be holding next week. Please make room in your schedule, watch the board for the final posting. I have a number of questions that I have for you chief, stuff that I have seen going on, stuff that I have seen on social media that has really caused me to scratch my head a little bit about what's been happening in the department that you run. Rather than drag my brain through it after this long day for all of us, I will [8:41:53 PM] save my questions for the committee meeting. Just wanted to give you a heads up. >> Certainly. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Ellis. >> Ellis: I wanted to ask you, first of all, I think that you said that you were in the middle of updating the policies online. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think during the press conference today there was a declaration made that the policies were already online. Can you tell me if they are available for the public to read through right now or if that is in process? >> So a couple of different things, the Austin police Austin police department's policy manual is accessible online and then updated periodically with any policy updates that have taken place since the previous update. The policies that we're discussing right now, I am in the final steps of clarifying the language whenever we do a policy change to these pillar policies, especially, we make sure that they are vetted through the city's legal department as well to make sure that they are worded appropriately. [8:42:53 PM] So the policies that I'm talking about specific to the choke hold and the less lethal munitions, those were going through the final language. The officers have already been instructed, however, of the restrictions on their use. We're just formalizing the policy right now. Once we do that, that will then go into the next release of the policy manual online, but it would be immediately distributed out to the officers as well. >> Could you tell me more about how the officers receive those updates? Because I remember when we decriminalized homelessness, we got a lot of phone calls because there was a disconnect between where the laws had changed and what was being implemented on the ground. That was something that happened about a year ago. People weren't paying attention and it seems like we even had to dig to figure out how were people updated about the new policies, what type of training is provided to make sure that they are being enforced, no matter who -- who implemented or [8:43:55 PM] who is on the receiving end of that. Seemed to be it was possible a PDF memo that went out that wasn't necessarily training. >> It depends on the policy itself. So we do put out training bulletins regularly to the officers. And when officers show up for duty, especially our patrol officers, they go to a preshift briefing. It's during those briefings they get updates on incidents occurring in their community, crime patterns in the community or in the case that you are bringing up, training bulletins that reflect either new policies or procedures and then additionally, as those new policies are rolled out, they get the -- the opportunity to go through training sessions on those, either in those showups, their supervisor may give them a briefing. It depends on the complexity of the policy sometimes, too. If it's just a simple modification versus a significant rewrite of a policy. >> That could be helpful information for us as we receive questions to make sure that we can tell our constituents how that [8:44:56 PM] conversation is taking place and how there is confidence that these new rules are being implemented correctly. I think it would be extremely helpful if our friends in the media who often report on the work that you are doing, that we are doing, could understand this as well. Sometimes there's where we change rules and it seems to kind of get lost in the conversation or there's just a lot of confusion about when the policies are taking place, how people are being trained to implement them and where the general public can go to find that information. Because they will be our eyes and ears on the ground and we want to make sure that everybody is understanding the expectations when we change ordinances. >> Okay. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, we will lay 95 on the table for just a moment. We will go to 96. Did you have something before we did that, councilmember alter? >> Alter: Yeah. I just wanted to give the chief a chance, I apologize [8:45:57 PM] if this was embedded in the other questions, but I didn't hear the answer. There were some significant changes to 95 between Tuesday and now. And I just wanted to ask if there were any elements that gave you concern that we should be aware of before we vote tonight? >> I understand the concerns that exist nationally and locally. With policing. And I think that as a profession, both on that national and local level, we are looking at ways to ensure that we are doing our best. I do have concerns with some of restrictions that are being posed, that they in fact will make things more dangerous in certain circumstances. In particular I know that the use of tear gas is very controversial. But when we have an [8:46:57 PM] individual, say a suspect from an armed robbery, aggravated assault that has taken a holdup inside a home and we end up in a swat call out, we are trying to bring that very violent person into custody, the most dangerous thing that you can ever do in that circumstance is send that swat team into the home to apprehend that individual because that person will know the layout of that house better most likely, they will have had opportunities to potentially booby trap or make a strong hold and you are forcing a confrontation potentially that right now we actually successfully address regularly through the use of these chemical munitions that create an environment that that suspect no longer wants to stay in, therefore, we are able to get them to come out and surrender to us. I'm greatly concern if there is an all out prohibition, that will make our officer's jobs much more difficult in that circumstance. >> Alter: Thank you. [8:47:57 PM] I didn't know, Mr. Casar, are you aware of those situations when you changed the language here? I don't know whether -- I'm just hearing this for the first time. You know, I want to make sure that we are moving forward with the eight can't wait. I want to make sure that we are not inadvertently creating problems that we are not aware of in our desire to move forward. >> Casar: You know it's really important for us to -- to think through and hear all of the issues and this issue was raised to us. I understand that we don't want anybody being put in an overtly dangerous situation. The real challenge is given that tear gas has generally been banned as a weapon that we would use in military conflict, I just cannot swear utilizing it in our [8:48:57 PM] own city. That's -- that's what it comes down to for me. Primarily the -- the primary thrust of this was its use on protests like we saw the weekend before last. Since I've laid this on the table, I want to make sure that we follow procedure and maybe get a chance to -- to go over to Natasha's item if we want to see owe because I'm finishing posting the lrad item, too. We can keep talking about it. Generally for me, as it all comes down to it, if this is banned essentially by the Geneva convention in international conflict, it's hard for me to square why we would continue with its use in our own city. Even in exceptional circumstances. I would be interested in what other means, methods that we have of safely getting somebody out of a house without resorting to [8:49:58 PM] chemical agents that have generally been frowned upon for a really long time even in warfare. >> Councilmember alter, if I may, I have another issue as well with the concern with the 1033 program where we get equipment that is donated through the military. It is unfortunate that we live in a day and age when people choose to attack us in some of our most vulnerable places. We don't have to look too far back to when schools were in session around this country prior to the covid outbreak that we were seeing school shooters, mass shooting events in public spaces, churches, movie theaters, malls and I absolutely understand the intent of a police department that is community focused and community centered and building on those relationships. But we also have to have that -- maintain that ability to keep our community safe, should we come under that type of attack. And that's why we need to have the equipment and the [8:50:58 PM] training that will allow us to perform in those circumstances so that if we ever find ourselves under such a horrible set of circumstances, we would be able to perform and we would have the equipment to perform. One of the department's helicopters also comes from the 1033 program as well. If we start looking at a process to return everything that we've received, I think there's probably some discussions that should take place on that before it is just an all-out ban or decision. Lastly -- I might think of something else. If I do, I will speak. The use of those impact munitions they still absolutely have a place in policing. I understand and obviously we learned a lot a few weekends ago that we have not seen before. But I do believe there is still an appropriate use for that tool because it allows us to engage with a suspect [8:51:59 PM] from a distance that we really don't have any other tool that would allow for. So -- so I -- I think those are probably my main concerns at this point. >> Casar: Mayor, for clarity on that those. On equipment that has been labeled comes from the federal government through that program or labeled military grade, this expresses our intent to try to reduce the militarization of the department within the city but allows for us to make decisions as a council if we want certain kinds of vests that we could approve those, if we need certain kinds of equipment that goes to [indiscernible] We could approve that. While determining that there are other things that we do not need. And so there's clear language here that says, you know, we want to reduce it to the extent that is possible and to the extent that makes sense. As it relates to impact munitions, to be clear this isn't a ban on impact [8:53:00 PM] munitions, it is a restriction on impact munitions saying we shouldn't be shooting those things at people just expressing their first amendment right. Nor should we be utilizing them against folks that aren't posing a threat to anyone. And so that's the -- that's the intent and I think that's the language, but I'm willing to see if there's language that is unclear on those. >> Mayor Adler: You know with respect to both of these, I hear the chief. I think that the intent and what we're trying to do, what I understand the intent of your resolution is to make the general rule that there are things that we're not using. And that becomes then the rule that we're adopting. If we were going to -- to open up and allow some of these uses, I would much rather the chief have to come back to us and say this is a -- this is a narrow exception that I think should be applied to that general rule. And certainly I would invite the chief or the manager to [8:54:00 PM] do that if they thought that was an appropriate thing to do. But I'm comfortable adopting the -- the general rules that are laid out in this resolution. So that the -- that the exception and the burden is on having to justify the exception to that general rule. Together with that invitation, if it's appropriate. Further discussion? Councilmember alter? >> Alter: Thank you. I believe that it does read on line 56 that it's the stated policy to reduce it to the greatest extent possible. So I think that -- that one could have a reasonable conversation about the helicopter situation. I did want to ask chief Manley about if we have examples of where the military equipment was actually used to save citizens here in Austin. I understand the [8:55:02 PM] hypothetical you shared. >> As far as using it to save citizens, I would go back to -- since it's probably where we use the largest amount, the military type equipment, although we didn't get it from the military, thing like our bear cat tactical vehicles that we use to handle some of these tactical situations. They allow us to afford our officers protection while they're engaged in these very dangerous sets of circumstances. So I think that that is one example. In the past, we've received pieces of equipment that have helped protect officers, whether they be ballistic helmets or other surplus items from the military. We've -- we've just found it to be a very -- very good source for equipment that we do need at times in the department. >> Alter: Councilmember Casar, am I reading it that as we've discussed there's opportunity to present [indiscernible] To keep it for a particular reason [8:56:03 PM] [indiscernible] Having a -- discussions for specific equipment? I don't have any way to evaluate specific equipment here tonight. >> Casar: Exactly. That's the purpose. If we recognize that we have -- that we have militarized police departments across the country, we recognize there's been an increase in military equipment within our own city and many others, then we should come up with -- if we think that's not a good thing, then we should come up with a path of what is it that we should be doing without. Because, of course, in every case, when -- when a council or the department brings equipment in, it's because it's with good intentions. Thinking that there are things that will make us more safe, but as we've found some of the things that we thought would make us more safe have in fact not turned out that way. This is really for us to re-evaluate that. To see what we can dispose of and to create a requirement if they are purchasing something new or [8:57:03 PM] intending on getting new equipment that we should have a conversation about it. So that's -- so councilmember alter, I think your read on that is -- I would say your read on that is my intent. >> Alter: Thank you for the -- [cutting out]. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Do you have an amendment or still lay it on the table. >> Casar: The amendment has been on the message board. But I would of course want to give folks time to read it so I'm okay with it okay the table and us coming back. >> Mayor Adler: Do you want to lay out what your amendment is? >> Casar: It is what -- what I just discussed here with the chief. It's at the bottom of the thread. On these items. And I can read it out loud to you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Casar: It says: It adds -- um the use of acoustic devices that can function as weapons, such as long- range acoustic devices or sound Canons shall only be used for communication purposes at a safe decibel level and use of a -- of it [8:58:06 PM] as a sonic weapon is prohibited. >> Mayor Adler: Anybody need any more time with that? The amendment has been offered. Any objection to that amendment being added? Hearing none, the amendment is added. I guess it's then to item no. 95. We will take a vote. Those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed? That one passes unanimously. That gets us up to our last item, which is item no. The the -- number the 6. >> Harper-madison: I would like to make a motion that we put forward item no. 96. >> Seconded by the mayor pro tem. Is there a -- is there any discussion on 96? Councilmember harper- madison? >> Harper-madison: So my team and I have bee. [8:59:07 PM] >> Harper-madison: My team and I have been working around the clock with their teams, working out the wrinkles on this resolution, certainly recognizing there have been multiple iterations. I appreciate everyone who recognized earlier what a housing for everyone lift this really was. It -- it's nice to have people recognize your hard work. So thank you to the callers who recognized that. And my colleagues who have recognized that as well. I really appreciate everyone who had -- everyone, who had a hand helping us get this before us today. It needs to be said that this is not a budget direction. Now is not the time for council to be giving budget direction, so that's not what this is. This resolution simply sets our expectations for the upcoming budget talks later this summer. It is just the first step in what we know will be a long journey away from our compromised public safety system. I fully intend to take a [9:00:08 PM] good, hard look at every single opportunity to transform our spending priorities so that they reflect our community and its values. I would also like to say that there was some problematic language that was used earlier today. And just to be clear, I've never heard anybody on this dais say that all police officers are racist. I've also never heard anybody from this dais call for the complete elimination of our police department. Those claims, frankly, are either grossly mistaken or intentional lies. So I felt like I had to say that out loud. I personally have said, time and time again, that I deeply appreciate the physical and dangerous work of our officers, who are truly committed to doing good work. And I agree with what some of the speakers said [9:01:08 PM] today; we are asking too much of them. They aren't social workers. They aren't mental health professionals, they aren't family counselors, yet they're doing all those jobs and more. So meanwhile, we have major issues in this city that we can't address because of a lack of resources. We have a homelessness crisis. We have neighborhoods that are missing sidewalks. Our libraries are acting as de facto after-school facilities. For decades, we've largely been taking the same approach to crime, which is more officers. More boots on the ground. And crime rates aren't any lower west of mopac because that's where we put the majority of our police officers. They're lower there because that's where we put the majority of our access to opportunity. It didn't happen in a vacuum. Decades of housing discrimination, decades of financial discrimination, decades of educational discrimination, it goes on and on, and we had, you know, upwards of 300 [9:02:09 PM] people, most of whom were recognizing this investment in the communities, that east-west divide is the deliberate result of deliberate lack of discriminatory disinvestment. The answer to that is not to send in an increasingly large militarized police force. We need to reallocate our limited resources and we're investing them in ways that [indiscernible] Property, that make people feel frankly helpless and pushes them in, you know, unfavorable directions. Item number 96 is a step in a positive direction. Like I said, we recognize it's only the first step. We still have much, much harder work ahead of us. And when we actually get into the budget process, I look forward to everyone watching us and joining us and helping us [9:03:09 PM] with that work as well. Your voice matters and it's a beautiful part of this course of change that I think we're all, you know, really appreciating and seeing the whole thing. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Further discussion on 96? Council member kitchen. >> Kitchen: I just wanted to speak briefly to the amendment that I brought there related to the mental health diversion initiative. I'll just -- we've all been talking about this, but as I said earlier, there's really a strong need to consider mental health crises and mental health issues as a health issue. And a health issue that mental health professionals need to be front and center responding to. So I appreciate the work that the existing program, the clinicians in the existing program and others in the [9:04:10 PM] existing program are doing right now, and I look forward to bringing that program fully to scale. So thank you, council member harper-madison, for accepting that amendment as our amendment. >> Mayor Adler: Furs discussion on item 96? Council member Casar. >> Casar: Manager, you heard earlier when we were taking a break during testimony, a question about whether any part of the resolution could be misinterpreted as adding to [indiscernible] Budgets. So I think it's clear that our intent is no directive in the resolution that was just moved is intended as an increase to the APD budget. Is that clear to you from the -- from the language? Because there are sections about training, there are sections about [indiscernible], but I think the intent with the item here is that no particular part should be a directive to increase budget. [9:05:10 PM] Is that your reading? >> That's generally my reading of the intent of looking at the overall budget and making sure that all these elements don't add to the increase in the increased budget. >> Casar: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Casar: I want to -- I want to take the microphone again and I want to wrap up here by thanking all the councilmembers for having worked on this, despite the misinformation that council members are calling today for there to be less public safety in the city, the fact of the matter is, I look at this resolution as us wanting to truly fund public safety, and public safety cannot be -- and I think most people understand that public safety cannot just be policing. We have to take this moment that we have to really reimagine what public safety is and means. On the last resolution, because I didn't quite have time to talk about it, I think it falls in line with those same [9:06:11 PM] principles, that while things like facial recognition technology or no-knock warrants or things like tear gas or munitions have always been pitched or thought of as something that make us more safe, it's -- it's clear, and testimony from last week, it's clear how those things can makes less safe. I want to thank Danielle Rojas, from my staff, who's been researching that, and those who worked on my public staff for so long, my chief of staff for five and a half years, isn't on staff anymore, so now we have Braden and Stephanie and Sylvia and everybody jumping and pitching in, so I appreciate all of you for your work across the council offices to get us to something really meaningful across all four or five of these resolutions, in a really short period of time. So I -- I think that hopefully this is one [9:07:11 PM] step that shows the community that we're serious about this work. >> Mayor Adler: Any further comments on this item 96? Council member alter. >> Alter: I just want to do clarify if we're going to make any remarks after the vote or if we should make them -- >> Mayor Adler: You should make them now. >> Alter: All right. If anyone wants to go first, I can go after. I wanted to clarify that first. >> Mayor Adler: I keep pointing it to you, best I can tell. >> Alter: I'll be happy to go. So I want to start by thanking everyone who spent their time today waiting and speaking to us and sharing their experiences and perspectives. Although it is emotional and difficult, I learned something new and gain new perspective every time we have testimony like this, and I really do deeply appreciate Austin's commitment to public participation engagement. I hope that when we return for budget, that we'll be able to be in chambers rather than virtual because there's a [9:08:11 PM] whole other feeling when we get to be engaged together. This moment requires leadership. This moment requires an openness to reimagine what public safety looks like in our city and how we can achieve it. To my colleagues, I want to again express my gratitude for being part of a council that stands united against racism, bigotry, discrimination, and violence, as we all know and has been said many times tonight, we have a lot of work ahead of us, and I continue to be committed to transformational change. We need to maximize our investments in public health, in policing alternatives, to provide community support, emergency response, and violence prevention that reflect our values as a city. I want to specially thank council member harper-madison and council member Casar for accepting my amendments to 95 and 96, among other things, these include direction to establish practices to identify at-risk officers, set aside funds to actually [9:09:12 PM] put into practice recommendations from existing and future audits, resolutions and reports, increased funding and staffing for police oversight and equity office, commensurate with tasks we've given them, and I want to thank those two offices for the tireless, critical work that they do. City manager, I'm also very much looking forward to what you bring back with respect to starting a zero-based and outcomes- based budget as per my amendments for 96. These resolutions are going to set us on a path not to defund public safety, but to rebuild Austin's public safety and public health systems. This work is going to help make our city safer. It will take another step towards dismantling broken systems and allow us to better deliver services our residents deserve. With these resolutions, we are fortifying our efforts to change the cultural and systemic issues we know exist, and ultimately this work will better set our officers up for success in the areas for which they are [9:10:14 PM] best suited. Those of you who have been in my office know that for over three years, in my window at city hall, I've displayed a sign created by the kindness project. It reads, in this house we believe black lives matter. Women's rights are human rights. No human is illegal. Science is real. Love is love. Kindness is everything. I placed it in my office to remind me every day of what should guide my choices and decisions as an elected official. Our votes today recognize that if our black and brown community feels unsafe on a daily basis when they leave their home, or their children leave their home, we are not safe as a community. All lives cannot matter until black lives matter. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Council member Flannigan. >> Flannigan: Thank you, [9:11:16 PM] mayor. This is a big moment. The world is watching. I'm really proud to be on this council. I'm proud of all my colleagues. Proud of this community. I am an old tech guy, and so I download extra software and I change my background, and no one has taken me up on the offer to teach you how to do it. I don't know why. >> Alter: You never offered. >> Flannigan: Well, there's your offer. (Laughing) I'll teach you how to do it. And for a long time, I just used a photo of the city, and that first week of the violence, I changed my background to black, and for this week, it has been a photo of the protests, and the March. A March that I attended. And it's not fair to ask everyone to attend those marches because there are very good reasons to stay [9:12:16 PM] at home right now. But I thought I was in a position to do so, and I did. I also attended a March on Friday night, the lgbtq March for black lives where I was very honored to get to speak. And I use this photo because I want to remember, for myself, the number of people that are standing over my shoulder as we do this work. And I want you all to remember because I know you do, and I want the public to remember because they were there. This is a moment in history. Communities are rising up all over the country, right here in Austin, demanding that we get to work. And it has been an honor to do that work, or more accurately, to start that work, with councilmembers harper-madison, Casar, and the mayor pro tem. And I want to thank the whole council for signing [9:13:17 PM] on. As council member tovo remarked on Tuesday, this co-sponsor thing is sometimes hard to explain to the public. But it is not something that is normally done in this way. And for the entire council to co- sponsor these items is not a small act. It's something that means something to me, and it means something, I think, to every member of this council. But today is just the beginning understand a a lot of this heavy lifting is going to come later and it's going to come when we start the budget process. It's right around the corner. As I've said multiple times, we're going to keep this working going in the public safety committee that will convene next week and we will continue to convene to ensure that the city manager and the chief of police, whoever sits in that seat, continues to abide by the direction provided by this council as is allowed in the city charter. But I want to speak a [9:14:18 PM] little bit to the folks that look like me, and the folks who are nervous about the process we are about to undertake. It's okay. There are parts of doing this work that feel like seeing through the matrix, and parts of it that for me are still a process. And if you are unsure or nervous or scared about how to do this work, come and do it with me. I will hold your hand. Our family has a problem. And the strongest families in any community help each other work through those problems. We don't have time. We don't have time for the conspiracy theories. We don't have time for the accusations of fake news. Because this work is real, and it's spectacular. If you are among the [9:15:18 PM] growing voices saying black lives matter blm as I am, and demanding change in our community, we hear you, we see you, I feel you over my shoulder. Your voices made this happen, are going to continue to make this happen, and you are the reason a change is coming to Austin. And I'm ready to get to work with this community. >> Mayor Adler: Council member Ellis. >> Ellis: Thank you. There is so much important work being approved today to address racial disparities found in the way officers decide who to interact with in this city, to expand the scope of the judicial committee to include more impact on public safety, to better allow austinites to qualify for housing, to demilitarize the police and to limit the use of [indiscernible], rubber bullets and tear gas on members of our very own [9:16:19 PM] community and to divest from APD north to invest that money in oner on -- another departments and services who are better trained like community health, paramedics and many other organizations. To people in Austin still watching tonight, I know this is going on a 12-hour meeting so I appreciate you being here with us, there will be much more work ahead of us as we deliberate next year's budget in July and August, and we will need your input then just as much as we need it now. We need to show that Austin's values and its finances show that black lives matter. >> Mayor Adler: Council member tovo. >> Tovo: Thank you, mayor. I want to start by appreciating the many community members and advocates who have come today to speak. Many of you were on the line for hours and hours. Thank you for [9:17:19 PM] participating, and also thank you to those of you who spoke last Thursday, and to the many thousands of others who have written and called our offices urging transformational reforms to public safety in our policing practices. Thank you for sharing your truths, for entrusting us with your personal and painful experiences of racism and discrimination, your pleas for immediate action have been heard, and a path to that change is being set in motion today. I don't speak from a lived experience of communities of color, from those impacted by police violence, by institutional racism and systemic inequities. Today I follow the lead of my colleagues who brought forward these critical resolutions and the activists of color have been on the front lines for years in supporting the transformative work they've called us to do around reenvisioning and reimagining public safety in this community. I want to echo a point that the mayor made earlier today. We are not going to compromise the safety of this community. And I'm committed to [9:18:20 PM] making sure that our police officers who serve our community can do their job safely. Reimagining and reenvisioning public safety for me means looking at the functions, at what functions are best handled by our public safety officers, and what work should be undertaken by other professionals who can better promote the public -- promote the health and safety and the wellness in our underserved communities. And I commit to continuing to think very carefully and thoughtfully about our spending priorities during our budget session and working to increase our investments, especially in public health and housing. As many of those speakers emphasized today, that path, for a change, may begin in policy, but policy alone will not bring about that change. And the change that the council directs today is not work our APD leaders can undertake alone. They need the support and the leadership of the city council. They need strong, creative, justice and results oriented leadership from city [9:19:22 PM] manager and city manager from your leadership team, and we all from our -- from APD to our city manager to the city council need to hold ourselves accountable and to hold each other accountable for implementing change. And it is absolutely critical that this work and that this process be done in collaboration with the community, with social justice advocates, with those most impacted by systemic racism, in collaboration with our public safety commission who have been actively working to improve our public safety model, with community members, with our business and our religious leaders. And though we're having really critical conversations right now about public safety and policing, it's important to acknowledge, as so many have who have come to testify, that our work can't just be focused here because institutional racism and systemic inequities exist throughout our society. I want to thank my colleagues who brought forward these resolutions and worked -- worked on them, council member harper-madison, mayor pro [9:20:22 PM] tem Garza, council member Casar, council member Flannigan. I want to thank you for your leadership. I also again just want to acknowledge thousands of Melissa and calls from our district and across the city, thank you for using your voices and your passion to advocate for transformational change. We have hard and wrenching but necessary work ahead. And I really just want to add where we began, where I began this morning, with my commitment to that work ahead. I come it to continuing to listen to the voices of our communities of color and to actively engage in the work be of undoing -- undoing a legacy of racism and when is white supremacy and building antiracism across the city of Austin because black lives matter. >> Mayor Adler: Council member Renteria. >> Renteria: Mayor. >> Flannigan: Mayor, I've just got to say one thing, I forgot to credit Chris Neely from community impact for taking the photo behind me, and he tweeted at me in two seconds, so I just [9:21:23 PM] want to thank him for taking the photo. >> Mayor Adler: Council member Renteria. >> Renteria: Thank you, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: You need to speak up, Pio. >> Renteria: I'm sorry, I didn't have my speaker there. I also want to thank my colleagues. You know, to me, these young leaders -- you know, I've been struggling and fighting for this to happen for decades and decades and decades, and we finally do 10-1, finally got it so that we could, and we did, and we are going to change the city. You know, when my great grandson was born, I was telling my son, I said, you're going to have to have that talk with him because he is one big, big young -- he was a big young baby. How he's three years old. But, you know, it just frightened me to know that there's a possibility of him growing up and getting killed by the police. [9:22:25 PM] It just -- it just scares me, you know. And -- and my son said, yes, he knows that he was going to have to have that talk with him, you know. And that's what I don't want to see. I don't want to -- I don't want to be part of a society that, you know, you have to have a talk to your child. You know, you have to have that warning that don't do this in front of police officers because they will, you know, shoot you or hurt you. And that is a total -- that's an injustice that -- I grew up here in Austin. I saw '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s, now 2020, it's still going on. You know, and I'm just so proud that, you know, we're finally taking this step that, you know, where -- I just hope [9:23:27 PM] that, you know, we can, you know, meet the dream of martin Luther king, you know, where everyone is holding hands as brothers and sisters, you know. And that's what I wish for. And I hope that -- that, you know, Austin just grows up, you know, it's time for y'all to just cut that cord of racism and join the rest of us as one big city of Austin. We have a lot of challenge coming down. I mean, this the coronavirus they're now predicting over 200,000 deaths by the end of summer. We see the numbers going up and up. And sickness and illness and death of our minority community keeps going up. We need to really concentrate on this, to prevent all these deaths. You know, as the mayor said, if we reach more than 20 people, you know, [9:24:27 PM] in the intensive care unit, we're going to be in trouble. I am -- that's what I really want to see. And, you know, but I'm sure that we're going to work on that. I just want want to say thank you to my colleagues. You know, you finally made something that I worked so hard come true. So thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Anybody else? Council member pool? >> Pool: Thanks, mayor. And thanks to all my colleagues. I just have a couple of notes that I wanted to pass along. There are moments that come once in a generation, and how we respond to them, how we listen for the call and rise to meet the moment define us as a generation. Those of us in a position to lead are called to do so for many reasons. But a driving force is the opportunity to truly [9:25:28 PM] serve our community and to affect real change in people's lives. I'm honored to be among this council in this moment when we're hearing the call from our community to take not just one or two steps to create a more just and equitable society, but to make big strides, and leaps toward the future we've all longed to see. I want to thank my colleagues for their leadership on these resolutions today that move us toward the change we need to see. In particular, I want to thank council member harper-madison for her strong leadership and for her courage and strength that's been a guiding force for all of us. As we step forward in this new direction, we will need agents of change. We need to reevaluate funding for APD and get it back to its core [9:26:28 PM] mission, but we also need to acknowledge the need for new leadership. We cannot move forward and heal without a change in leadership. The community is hurting. The African American community is especially hurting. They are angry, and rightfully so. I'm listening to my constituents and to the larger communities of color who are demanding new leadership. New leadership at APD that will join them and overturn longstanding injustices. I'm excited about this movement, and I'm proud that our community is calling us all to be the change that we want to see on any other day that's a platitude, but not now. Not today. I will never fully understand the lived [9:27:29 PM] experience of people of color and the lifetime of casually cruelty imposed on families in our black and brown communities over many, many generations. As I reflect on the past two weeks, I recognize that there is room for growth in me and in all of us. And I trust our communities to partner with us on this growth. I'm listening, and I'm humbled by the passionate voices of our community and their call to action for us to rise and lead. I'm listening. I hear you. All lives matter only when black lives matter. >> Mayor Adler: Thanks. Anybody else have any additional comments? Mayor pro. [9:28:30 PM] >> Garza: I'm very heartened by all these comments, but I feel in many ways we are -- these were easy votes compared to the ones coming. So I -- so we are about to go on what is traditionally called our break though most of us because of the pandemic will probably not be going anywhere. But I hope that we don't miss this moment. We are at a -- our community is at a boiling point. And I want so much to be hopeful, but it's really hard. And I don't remember what -- why we were having this special meeting at Austin energy one time and it was councilmember harper-madison's predecessor was there. And I don't remember the subject matter, but I [9:29:31 PM] remember her saying how she was mad, her community was mad because they were tired of the getting promises and getting these moments and there was mistrust because every time there was this turn that we thought -- that we thought there was this moment and then nothing would happen. And I remember agreeing with her and saying I felt the same way so much in this community here in Austin. There have been promises made, there have been moments and then it feels like nothing changes. So I want to be so hopeful in this moment. And I really do hope that we are that time, but we can't move past this without change, we cannot. I don't know how and I said it last council meeting. I don't know how we retain faith from the community in [9:30:31 PM] any leadership so thank you all for your comments. I will do my best to remain hopeful. We have some incredibly hard votes coming up during the budget discussion. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I wanted to say a few things. I spoke earlier so it's late and I don't want to use up a lot of people's times. But I just wanted to recommit, as I said earlier today, that I am listening. I am hearing and I am actually very -- actually very, very heartened and excited about the passion that we're hearing from people and the new people that are coming -- that are becoming involved, who have said to us that this may be their first involvement. As I said this morning or [9:31:35 PM] however many hours ago, it is -- this is a fundamental change that we are talking about in our community, and I hope across our nation, and it's not -- it's not about us, it's not even about the votes that we take. Because if we don't implement it, if we don't make the change effective and make it happen over time, then we won't get the fundamental change that we are wanting. So we have -- we here have a role to play in taking the votes, taking the hard votes and making our budget the moral document that it needs to be. But then we have a further commitment that we need to make, to continue to work with our whole city departments and with the community to make this actually happen and make it [9:32:36 PM] real. And following all the way through from initiating action all the way through to the end so that we actually see something on the ground change, that's what's important. And I am so excited and very, very heartened by hearing the passion from people who have come and talked to us and shared their hearts with us. We need you. Because this is a community-wide effort. It is an effort that's going to take awhile. And it's an effort that everybody needs to continue to work with. I know that our advocates have been working very hard for many years and this is a moment for them and us and everyone to seize. And make this turn into very real change. So I am committed, as I've said before, to continue to work with all of you as I've done in the past. [9:33:38 PM] APD I'm committed to continuing to take action. Brand I stand with the black community, I -- I stand with the black community, I stand with all our communities, and as others have said, because black lives matter. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: Just a quick question because I had asked it of the city manager, but the amendment was councilmember tovo's. Councilmember tovo, my assumption is that when you listed if we reduce some police positions and move it over into services like host that you mean a non-police aspects of host rather than moving a police position, frankly, just to another police position. Is that your meaning of those words? Sorry to bring this in so late. I was just thinking that I shouldn't ask the city manager to interpret words that you wrote. >> Tovo: And I think councilmember harper-madison spoke on that earlier as well that that was her [9:34:39 PM] intent in incorporating it. The homelessness outreach street team right now has eight out of its team members are not APD officers, though this is a program that really was an initiative of Austin police department. I think it's currently under ems' umbrella. Yes. The answer to your question is yes, but just for those listening, again, this was a program that was started by the Austin police department. There are 10 individuals on the team. They are ems workers, health care specialists and social workers. And I think it's an amazing program and has had really wonderful success. Just last year alone, for example, they diverted 84 individuals from incarceration, 101 people from the emergency room and 46 people from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. I will say I probably shouldn't have proposed it in the area where I did [9:35:39 PM] under mental health first response because it is sometimes a mental health first response, but not always. It really -- its intend is really to be a proactive approach to individuals, to working with individuals in homelessness and providing them with resources. >> Casar: Thank you for clarifying it. We have so many new folks watching and it's really helpful for folks to know. We've thanked so many people in this, but I also want to recognize the amount of advocacy and work that's happened over the years and how much community members of color have led on everything from fair chance hiring to our juvenile curfew to the police contract to the indigency protections at municipal court and the new judges. That's just been so much over the years and I really want to echo the mayor pro tem's words that we are coming to a point where we can really make a [9:36:40 PM] transformative difference rather than all those incremental pieces. We can make make all those incremental pieces add up to something, so I look forward to that work this summer. >> Mayor Adler: Anything else? All right, I'll conclude my saying I gave my statement 10 hours ago when we first started making statements on this, and I stand by that. It is wonderful and incredibly excite I think to see how many people who have never been engaged in municipal governance or policy or operations seem to have found their wings and their moment on this issue to get involved. For them and for others I want to repeat what councilmember harper-madison began with and what the mayor pro tem book ended with, and that's talking about what happens next because today's action only [9:37:42 PM] ensures that we get a budget or a pathway or more than one in August. And in August we make decisions. In August we look at trade-offs and that's when the work will be really hard. But that's also when we have a chance to make history. And in that respect, I just want to add the footnote that today's seven-day average of new hospitalizations has just come out and it's 14.8. The reason that it's gone to 14.8, getting dangerously close and inching its way toward 20 on the seven-day average, the reason we have gone up to 14.8 today is because the one day number for hospitalizations today is 23, which is our second day in a row with a one-day number above 20. I mention that because when we do -- when we really [9:38:46 PM] initiate transformative change in August, I want everybody to still be here: Masks, six feet, social distance. With that at 9:30, this -- >> Mayor, you still need to take a vote on this item. >> Mayor Adler: Oh, what the heck? Let's take a vote. [Laughter]. Those in favor of -- thank you. Those in favor -- everybody started going like this to me. Those in favor of item number 96, please raise your hand. Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais. It passes. Councilmember harper-madison. >> Harper-madison: Yeah. I'd actually like to close this out if you don't mind. I wanted to say we thought covid-19 was the worst that 2020 could do. We went through several months of some of the toughest lives of our toughest moments of our lives and the pandemic is [9:39:46 PM] still going strong, stronger than before. But the recent eruption of young from the killing of George Floyd added a whole new dimension to this year. Watching our own police department fire lead pellet bags and tear gas at peaceful protesters gave even more fuel to that fire of local anger at the killing of Mike Ramos last month. It was excruciating hearing from his mom today, but I'm so glad that she mustered the courage to call because we all needed to hear it. I don't want to belabor the point made so eloquently by so many of our speakers earlier today. I've already said, we've already said the time for talk it over. This week we listened. Today we acted. But again, it's only the beginning. I -- mayor pro tem pointed it out, this is our last meeting before mid July, but that doesn't mean we're on vacation. The pace might get a little slower than it has been in the past few [9:40:47 PM] days, but we're still going to be working hard to work towards policy solutions. And we all know that policy alone won't reverse centuries of racism. That's where all the people who are paying attention right now come in. A gentle reminder, it will take you to end white supremacy. It will require uncomfortable conversations and situations. But we're seeing across the country right now that more Americans than ever are ready to confront this country's original sin. And as I've said before, younger people are telling us they don't want to inherit these broken systems. So before it's all said and done, there are two things I'd like to say. It won't be just Elaine's last meeting today. The magnificent Neil whitstone is leaving us before we have another meeting. And if you have had the opportunity to work with [9:41:48 PM] this man, then you are as proud of him and as amazed by his energy and intellect as I am. And I just want to say thank you, Neil. I have appreciated your service and appreciated your enthusiasm and hard work. Maybe more than I'll ever be able to articulate. So thank you and thanks to all my colleagues. And black lives matter. >> Mayor Adler: 9:42 the meeting is adjourned.