I move to go into close session for city for city council to go into um close session pursuant to NCGS 143-318-11A4 economic development negotiations. >> All in favor please say I. Uh, did I get a second? I apologize. I should have had a crystal second. All right. Um, we shall return shortly. We certainly hope to be back by 5:30. Thank you. Guilford works on Try It Today. Hello everyone. I'm Jim Longworth and welcome to a special edition of Try It Today. Coming to you from the Kernersville Auto Museum as always. Um, yeah, I call it special because we're going to devote the entire half hour to the good work and the good folks of Guilford Works. And we'll tell you about that throughout the next 30 minutes. And we start out with Fred Henry, good friend of ours, has been on the show before, assistant director for Guilford Works. Good to see you again, sir. >> Good to see you. Thanks, Jim. >> Uh, Fred, what is Let's remind people what is Guilford Works and what's the mission? >> GIF Works is the uh workforce development board of GIF works. Uh we're one of 20 workforce development boards in North Carolina that provide oversight for the NC work career centers within our local area. Uh we serve both employers and job seekers. Our primary focus is on youth and most of the time probably about 75% of out of school youth but also those job seekers who may be uh dislocated workers or underemployed looking through transition. >> They just got laid off or something >> laid off >> or somebody wants to make a career change or >> Exactly. And then the employers because the employers without those employers we can't connect those job seekers to opportunities. >> Right. Now what uh what kind of give me some examples of programs that you offer to job seekers in Guilford County. Give me a couple examples. >> Sure. So uh we offer training and subsidies for job seekers. Uh a lot of times when folks who worked u jobs for a number of years sometimes their skills could be outdated. Uh so we provide scholarships for those uh job seekers to get in demand skills but also connect with our local opportunities uh with some of the needs of our manufacturing or other sector employers uh to make sure they're a good fit. >> Other resources that are offered maybe do you offer resources for for folks in this position? >> Yeah. So when we look to uh support individuals whether it's through training or job search uh we provide what we call wraparound services and these are services to assist individuals who may need transportation assistance or daycare or childcare assistance uh so they can complete training programs in a timely manner. >> Now who can access these resources? Is there a criteria for who can take advantage of the resources you're offering through Guilford works? Yeah, there is eligibility criteria for c certain programs. A lot of times with dislocated uh services, uh these individuals who have showed that they displaced due to no fault of their own, uh they can come in and u we work with those individuals where they're filing for unemployment insurance and so forth. Uh but also those individuals who may just need that extra hand holding to help them with career transitions that we can connect them to training whether it's through the local school or community college or other vendors. You know, people might be watching and say, "Well, that that's nice, Mr. Henry. You know, helping the people that want to they're job seekers, but what if somebody's watching who's a business person?" How do you support the business community? >> Yes. So, businesses, we look at as two primary employee uh customers. We look at our businesses and our job seekers, but that business been that primary customer. We help them with the recruitment needs, but also we provide subsidies when businesses are looking to upskill their incumbent workers. uh that could provide uh grants to support them to offset some of those costs. Uh when we look at some of our work-based learning programs, we provide subsidies to the businesses to offset some of their onboarding costs. >> And tell us tell us now what what we mean workbased. >> Work-based learning could be things like on the job training or what we call work experience or internships or apprenticeships uh that we work with businesses to customize those needs. And as we connect those job seekers, uh we hope to fill those opportunities by not only paying those applicants as they go through training, but also providing subsidies for those businesses. >> Yeah. And I think we hear stories about the fact that if somebody goes through this and work-based training or apprenticeships like you were talking, it introduces them to that industry and maybe they want to stick with that that industry and and uh and stay in the workforce. And that's important part of it, isn't it? Um just a few seconds left. who or what led you to a career and an interest in a career like this? >> Well, I think it started for me initially just coming out of high school and growing up in the Pont tri area. I wanted to get in something like a HR, but actually going to grad school and doing HR and then getting into my second practical into workforce development. I saw that workforce development, I got to wear a number of hats, not just be stuck in office, uh not only work with the employees but also work with community. I like our community and I like to see the benefit of these programs serving our community, not only for families, but uh the economic growth of the Puma, right? >> Well, and you do an excellent job with it, too. And and I'm glad of that that we have you as a resource. Uh gilfordworks.org is the website on screen. Guilfordworks.org. I invite you to check that out throughout the program as you meet more folks who work behind the scenes to make all this work for the community. Fred, thanks for coming. >> Thank you. >> All right, we'll be right back. Back now on a special edition of Try Today as we focus on the good works and the good folks behind the scenes that make Guilford Works do such a great job for so many people in this area. Our guest now is a returning visitor to the show, Thaddius Shores, one-stop operator for Guilford Works. Good to see you again, sir. Good to see you. >> Um, you sent me an email about a mobile career center. I want to learn about that. Now, what is that and what kind of resources it offer? >> Well, the mobile career center is like um our brick and mortar building on wheels. And what it actually does, it allows us to take all the services that we offer inside the brick and mortar building to the communities that need it the most. >> Okay. Now, what what kind of an example do you think? Let's look at community outreach programs. Give me an example of a community outreach program that maybe wouldn't be as effective without the mobile career center. >> Oh, without the mobile career center, our fresh start events wouldn't be as effective. Once a well, monthly we actually go to one of the local prisons and we work with those in the facility that will be leaving within the next 90 days and we provide them with career center services so that they can get a head start on their fresh start >> when they get out. >> Yes. uh how important are partnerships uh and with area organizations and and how do they enhance career services? Talk about the partnership angle. >> Oh, partnerships are very important. Uh Guilford works has a network of um nonprofit as well as faith-based organizations that we partner with. One of which is the hub for hope out of evangel fellowship and uh together we have hosted hiring events that have serviced over,200 uh job seekers. >> Wow. Is there any requirement that that people need to meet to be able to take advantage of what you're doing either in the the main office or the mobile career center or is it just for anybody and everybody or is there an age restriction? Sort of walk me through the kind of folks that can benefit from what you're doing. >> Oh, pretty much everybody can. Um from uh we have a NextG which is a youth uh department uh which is from ages 16 to 24 and then we also have the adult uh services that are provided as well. So anybody that ising seeking employment or wanting to improve their employment situation can come in and see us and we'll take care of >> of any age. >> Any age. >> All right. Now, what what measurable outcomes have resulted from having the mobile career center in area neighborhoods? Have you gotten any sense of how that's been going? >> Well, yes, it's been going very well. Uh on the average, uh for the past few years, the mobile career center has participated in over a hundred events uh annually in Guilford County. And just last year, I think we serviced on the mobile career center over 600 personnel. >> Wow. >> Job seekers. Yes. >> That's that's something. Now, what how would a community group when they watch this on TV, how would they say, "Hey, you know, I'd like to have the the mobile career center come out to our neighborhood or or for our community group, whatever. Now, how do they go about that?" Because there's only one mobile center, right? So, >> no, there there's actually two. >> There two. There's actually two. So, you got to cover a big area though. So, how the questions still remain the same. How do I get in touch and how do I how do I get to get you guys to come out? >> Okay, so the way to have access to the mobile center is to go to uh our website gilfordworks.org and then from there go to uh services and then click on mobile career center and it'll give you a a page where you can reserve it. >> Okay. Now, is there a let's say I've got a community group that wants to have you guys come out with a mobile career center. Is there a fee that I pay or is this free? >> Right now there is no fee. No. >> Okay. How about that? That's you can't get better than free when you're trying to help people get jobs and and uh especially people might have been laid off or want to start a new career or this kind of thing. >> It's been a while since you and I talked, so I'm going to ask you to repeat something for me. >> What What do you get in terms of satisfaction, gratification personally from doing what you do? >> Oh, I love what I do. You know, sometimes it's hard for me to believe that I actually get paid for what I do. Uh we are in the position in our office where we can actually change people's lives. Uh people that come in that are uh you know unemployed and we usually see people on their worst day you know they've lost a job got be laid off or something and we have the ability to change their lives. It's incredible. >> Yeah. And you do and and I can testify to that. I appreciate what you're doing. Up on screen as Satti has mentioned a little bit a while ago. Guilfordworks.org is the general website. Guilfordworks.org org and that will help people learn how they could get in touch to get the mobile career center to them as well. Right. >> That is correct. >> As well as, you know, taking advantage and benefiting from many of these services and the resources that we talked about, not just with Pattius, but we'll cover throughout this special halfhour program. Thanks for all you do, my friend. >> Thank you. >> All right, we'll be right back after this. Hi, I'm Jim Wong. Worth reminding you that Try It Today also airs on GTN Spectrum channel 13 and streams on WFMY Plus free on Roku and Amazon Fire. Back now on this special edition of Try Today as we salute the folks who do such great work for Guilford Works and helping people throughout the community. And in this particular segment, we're going to speak with a young lady who works with a special kind of grant program, Angelica Lynn, career advisor for Guilford Works. Good to see you. >> Good to see you as well. >> Um, what's the purpose of the Golden Leaf Foundation's grant program? Because you sent me an email about that one day and said, "We kind of want to focus on that." What's the purpose of that? >> Yeah. So, the purpose of the program is to cover the cost for different trainings and courses within specific industries of focus. And so individuals who are seeking new job opportunities um may be unemployed or just wanting to change their careers um they will seek out my programs because we can cover the cost for those training. >> Yeah. Because training can be expensive in some instances. Now you mentioned certain I think your words were certain industries. Let me put you on the spot. Give me two or three examples of the kind of industries that would be involved the focus would be on. >> Yeah. So um some of those industries include advanced manufacturing um industrial technology um skill trades such as HVAC, welding, plumbing, construction. So yeah, those are some of the industries. >> Well, now what about eligibility requirement for taking advantage of your services and getting hooked up with this foundation grant program, which is great, but there's got to be certain criteria, right? >> Yes, there is. Um, so the requirements is that you have to be 18 or older and have a high school diploma or GED. >> All right. >> Now, what kind of training have you previously What about for enrolled participants um maybe who've been in the program before or this kind of thing? Um, can they continue this kind of training or what? >> Yeah. So, some of those trainings that I've been able to connect people with include like construction um advanced manufacturing um um also some with HVAC and I know for our advanced manufacturing um individuals they were able to continue on with the trainings um because we're also offering a manufacturing technician training >> kind of lifelong learning type stuff is >> yeah now uh now let's say that somebody goes through the program the training uh they're fortunate enough to get a a really a good Huh. >> And I'm assuming that a lot of things you've been talking with me about are in demand jobs, right? >> It is. Yes. >> So, when you're helping people, you sort of feel I'm putting words in your mouth. Do you feel sort of confident that there's a there's a conduit for them to get some jobs? >> It definitely is. It is. >> Yeah. Now, let's say that they go through all this. Is is that the end of it? I mean, do you do you never speak to these people or is there any kind of afterward followup or or do you stay in touch? What happens? >> Yeah. Uh so I definitely try and stay in in touch with my clients um and so after they complete the trainings if they do not have any job opportunities aligned u we make can connect them with different work experiences or apprenticeships and also as their career advisor I can help them um with preparing their resume um doing mock interviews to prepare for job opportunities. I also like to connect them with um our NC work centers because we also have career advisors there that can assist them in their job search and um we also have things such as like wow Wednesdays which is an opportunity for um clients can come out and talk with different employers that are tableabling at our centers on Wednesdays. >> Is that every Wednesday? >> That is every Wednesday. Wow. And we alternate between our centers. >> Wow. Who maybe at a recent one get well let's just do some name dropping. what what would be an example of a business or industry that might have participated in in the Wednesday program. >> Yeah. So um one company that I think of is St. John's Packaging. Um we also uh when we had our career fair for veterans and um civilians as well, we had Lenovo there. Um and St. John's package was also great. They're great companies. I know I know you're talking about. Uh we just have a few seconds left. What what's gratifying to you about the work that you do? Yeah, seeing people's lives changed and being able to take part in that. Um, and also being able to just, you know, guide them in their um, career searching, >> right? >> Well, they're fortunate to have you and and and doing what you're doing on that. Up on screen, I want to share this with you. Works.org. We're going to mention this throughout the half hour special, but in each of our segments, we want to mention this and put up the website address. Guilfordworks.org. That's important because I'd like for you to visit that website. uh if you are uh wanting to change jobs or get a job and maybe uh for the folks in the business community as well. Angelica Lynn, thanks for everything you're doing. >> Thank you. >> All right, young lady. So much. >> Okay, we'll be right back after this. Back now on this special edition of Tri Today as we salute the folks and the good works of Guilford Works and talk to some of the folks behind the scenes that make such a difference throughout the community. With us now, first time visitor to the show, Enriker. He's career adviser for Guilford Works. Good to see you, sir. >> How you doing? >> Where were you born? >> Uh, I was born in Fedville, North Carolina. >> Where'd you go to school? I ended up going to school at Parkland High School. Then from there I went to Livingstone College. I received political science degree. From there went to Salem State mass communications degree and I'm currently at Morehouse College. >> All right. Now u you sent me an email about something called Connect Ed. Connect Ed. What is that? >> So Connect Ed is a program. It is housed in Guilford County. Um basically it reaches out to lowincome families. We support them in going back, you know, and enrolling in programs like CNA, CDL, uh, HVAC, uh, manufacturing, things like that, so they can get extra training so they can be in a better place in life. >> Right. Now, who's eligible for the connected program and are there certain criteria they have to meet? >> Yes, sir. So, we do look for you to at least have your high school diploma. Uh, you can only make 25,000 a year. So, if you make 25,000 and below, you qualify for that. And those are the people that we are trying to target and you know really help out. >> All right, let's talk about credentials and certifications because a lot of these things you're talking about you just about everything nowadays there's got to be some kind of a certification involved for you to do it become professional at it. Uh what kind of those credentials and certifications are offered through connected? So with connected, you can go, you can enroll in CNA class, you know, go through that training, become a certified nursing assistant, get a good job there. You can go and get your CDLs and then, you know, go and get a great truck driving job or even open up your own business. Uh you can get certifications in aviation, learn how to build planes, different things like that. So you know, we are there to help you get that done. >> I'm glad you mentioned that because the aerospace industry has just ballooned in this area lately. all the folks coming in, you know, Boom and Honda and everything. Um, aside from tuition support, what else does Connect Ed provide? >> So, also with that, you know, with the families that we target, you know, sometimes they may hit a rough spot. So, by them hitting a rough spot, you know, we will sit there, we'll guide you, we may be able to provide you with assistance as far as transportation getting there. So, we may offer you like a Uber gift card or something like that. There's also been times where we pay for uniforms, we pay for supplies, pay for books, div. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. >> That's neat. Now, what now? How much time is required to go through and complete like a credential program? >> So, typically with our programs, we try to get you in there and we try to say between six to nine weeks just to give a little bit of cushion so that way you get in there, you get what you need and we get you back out here and get you going. talk about participants expectations, uh, obligations for them. Um, is there support for them? And you already mentioned about the Uber thing. What kind of barriers can you knock down for them? >> Oh, so whenever it comes to like different type of barriers, like for instance, let's say that it's someone that they may have, you know, a issue as far as child care and everything like that, we may be able to sit there and assist you with that. we may be able to, you know, find some type of resource that may be able to help you as far as getting that type of care that you need while you do that class and while you're doing that class, you know, you're good to go. We got peace of mind. >> Yeah. We hear from moms of any age, especially young moms, saying, you know, I'm sort of down on my luck. I have a a young child, but child care is too expensive, >> but I really want to go after this certification in, you know, a field like you were talking about, and I I think it's so good what you're doing to knock down those barriers. One last thing I want to ask you and I'm trying to ask a lot of folks the same question. What's gratifying to you about your job and the work that you're doing? >> I would say the the biggest thing that I take from it is whenever I initially meet someone seeing where they are right then and then the transformation that has taken place in such a short time. You can see the confidence is there. You can see as far as their perspective on how life is is there. And you can also see they I have a go-getter and I can provide and that is the biggest thing whenever it comes to a person that can provide. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. Up on screen, gilfordworks.org as we're doing throughout the program trying to show you this website which is very important. You will hope you will navigate. It's very easy to go to gilfordworks.org and to great folks like all the folks we talked to so far and Henri uh I just applaud the work you're doing and thanks for helping so many people. >> Thank you sir. I appreciate you. >> All right, young man. >> Yes, sir. We'll be right back after this. Back now for the final segment in this special half hour of try today as we salute the good folks and the good work of Guilford Works. And our final guest of this half hour is Robert Carter Jr. He's veteran services with Guilford Works. Good to see you, sir. >> Yeah, great to see you, sir. >> All right. and and as you schooled me before we started the show that you were an army the only >> it's the only branch only branch but I do recognize our brother branches >> well I'm going to ask you about that in a second what is you sent me an email about something called the American Job Center what is that >> it's the uh all the employment service centers across the state across the country that they're called the American job centers um used to be called employment offices or anything like that but the real the original name is the American job center one of the things that you wrote to me about and I'm going to make sure I get this right. It was you said something about priority of service. >> Yes, sir. >> Now, what does that mean when it comes to veterans in the center? >> Well, any veteran in our American job centers like NC works of course receive priority of service. That means they are to go earlier or instead of non-co persons u when it comes to employment services. >> Yeah. Because there's a lot of different kinds of transition that somebody coming out of the military goes through that other people don't. Right. >> Yes. Yeah. Exactly. >> Um, tell me about this. Uh, you also mentioned something called jobs for veterans state grant. >> Yes, sir. >> Now, what is that all about and what's the purpose? >> Well, it's funded by the US Department of Labor and it's federal law that um funds that are given to the states across the country of course to hire dedicated individual staff meers members to service our veteran population, eligible persons and um of that nature. Right. When I knew you were coming over here today, one of the things I wanted to ask you, and I don't want you to tell me it's a stupid question, because maybe it is. How do you define who a veteran is? According to the American Job Centers, when they come into the service, we define our veteran population who have served at least 180 days of continuous service, not including basic training or school. >> Not including basic training. >> Not including basic training or school. or either those persons who may have been called up on orders for at least one day. So, uh for example, a National Guard or our reser if they are called up on orders to be deployed at least one day, they're considered a veteran. >> Now, describe the makeup of the staff at American Job Centers. Who are we talking about working there to help people? >> Well, in our American Job Centers, everybody's required to to service our veteran population, but we do have our dedicated staff, which is considered um of three u uh main people. Um the first is our veteran uh career advisors who works directly with the veteran population and getting them job ready, >> right? >> Um then we have our veteran business service representatives which is I that goes out and work with our employers to as an advocate to hire our veteran population and then we have what is called a hybrid kind of does both of both both sets of jobs. >> All right, let me circle back to the uh asking about definitions again. Is there a difference between eligible veterans and eligible persons? >> No. Eligible veterans u of course are veterans who served that 180 days but the eligible person is considered like magnet their spouse. >> Okay. Okay. That we also consider them um eligible for our veteran program. >> All right. So it helps families too. >> Yes. All right. I got you. Now, uh, final thing I want to go over with you is, um, since we were talking earlier about you being in the army, how many years did you serve? >> Six years. >> Six years. >> Yes, sir. >> Um, so what was your transition like coming out from the army? >> Um, my transition was pretty easy because I when I got out of the service, I went straight to college. So, I I had a pretty easy transition because I knew what I wanted to do coming out. So, I went directly to college with intentions of getting a degree and then actually going back into the service, but I unfortunately I did. >> So, so that gives you a unique perspective um in terms of your view on how these programs that you're working with now, how they really make a difference, right? >> Oh, it makes a tremendous difference to our veteran population or those who that recently gotten out or been out for a while um because we understand their language. A lot of veterans are intimidated or to go to these employers and because of the language barrier is different because we're using acronyms to talk and then from the other side the civilian world don't understand the language that we that we use in in the military. So it's it's a tremendous difference. >> Well I appreciate all you're doing Robert I appreciate really appreciate you for having me here. >> Up on screen as always as we close out the show guilfordworks.org is an important website I want you to take a look at and please do that. And I want to thank all the good folks, Fred and everybody with Guilford Works for making this such a special program because of all the great work they do for helping so many people. I'm Jim Longworth. We'll see you next week. Heat. Heat. I don't have speakers. Good evening. Good evening and welcome to the March 2nd, 2026 meeting of the Greensboro City Council. I would like a motion from council to return to open session. Moved by Mr. Holston, seconded by Miss Thurm. All in favor, please say I. >> Thank you. We are in the Katie Dorset CH council chambers. and let the record reflect that all council members are in attendance. We will begin the meeting with a moment of silence. >> Thank you. And please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Would you lead us? United States. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Please silence any and all electronic devices. The city of Greensboro strongly encourages input from all residents. The council chamber serve as a welcoming and safe environment for everyone. The council rules of procedure and decorum are posted on the city website under the city clerk tab and all speakers are expected to read and adhere to the rules when addressing the council during and speaking opportunity to address the council this evening. Participants must have completed speaker sign up by 5:30 p.m. pursuant to the rules prior to the council meeting. Those who registered online should confirm their attendance with m Mr. Canipino. All handouts must be given to the city clerk for distribution prior to the start of the council meeting. For public comment period, each speaker signed up to speak will get three minutes each to speak. If there are more than 25 speakers, the time may be reduced to two minutes per speaker. Speakers may address specific consent or business agenda items with the minutes allocated for remarks. All speakers are expected to adhere to established rules of decorum. Any inappropriate or disruptive conduct will result in immediate removal. A first removal carries a three-month suspension from inperson participation. A second violation results in a sixmonth suspension. And a third violation or any instance involving physical altercations will result in a 12-month suspension. Any violation of a state criminal law may also subject the individual to criminal charges. Those suspended from in-person participation will retain the ability to attend virtually via Zoom, ensuring their right to free speech. If the Zoom violates the rules of procedure, they will be muted. Speakers may have the count city IT team play videos that have already been sent into the city clerk for a security check. Any videos, media, or supplemental documents utilized by speakers during this meeting are that are not reviewed or verified for the city for accuracy, completeness, or authenticity. The city does not endorse or adopt the content and all opinions and expressed are solely those of the speaker. Speakers may not transfer their time to others and the mayor or presiding officer will determine the speaking order based on the number of speakers and the mayor may modify the time allotted to each individual approaching and approaching the dis is not permitted. Speakers may not address the audience nor employees of the city of Greensboro. The public comment period is for speakers to address council members only with their comments and an opportunity for council to listen and take notes. Any violation of this protocol and the speaker's time shall be surrendered. Zoom participants must refrain from speaking until they are recognized and called upon. State statute requires council members to vote on all matters unless a direct financial interest exists or if the council member serves on the board of a nonprofit organization that receives city funding. All motions will be moved and seconded and the presiding officer will announce the vote tally. The consent agenda covering items G1 through G8 consists of routine and non-controversial matters that are usually approved with a single vote. Any council member may request the removal of an item due to a conflict of interest or to vote in opposition. Items withdrawn for discussion will be carried forward to the next business meeting agenda. If an item is found to be timesensitive, the mayor may request that a vote be taken immediately. Closed captioning is provided for this meeting, and depending on the duration of proceedings, a brief recess is anticipated around 7:30 p.m. We will move on to our ceremonial and presentation items. And item number E1, recognizing public art and dedication presentation. And I am to call on Karen Is that Archia? I'm sorry, I mispronounced that. My name is Karen Archie and staff at Creative Greensboro, our city's office for arts and culture. And I'm here to share with you about a longstanding program and a new program to beautify our municipal spaces. Downtown Arts, now in its fifth year, works with a Greensboro artist to commission a new piece of art each year to display in the Melbourne Municipal Office Building here. Um it is right outside this council chamber wall enlarged 10 foot by 20 foot. Um and it will hang there for a year. The original artwork becomes part of the city's permanent collection. This year, Creative Greensboro worked in partnership with the community relations division to strengthen our commitment to beautifying and creating MMLB as a welcoming space and our commitment to local visual artists. Together, we launched art municipal spaces and brought a new series of commission paintings that celebrates the vibrancy, creativity, and leadership that our college students bring to the Greensboro community. Uh these new pieces are currently on display on the plaza level this evening before they hang in their new homes here in the MMO. We have the artists here today, most of them. So I'm going to call out their name and ask them to stand. Our downtown art special commission artist Carrington Gardner, the artist whose work was chosen for art municipal spaces, David Haynes, Deval EMTT, Alexis Lavine, Nas Lee, our who created our our special commission series that honors college students, Travis Hicks, And I think that is all of this evening. Let's give them a hand. We we we extend our sincerest thank yous to the artists and we're excited to share your work with the community. Thank you. >> If you didn't get a chance to see the artwork, I highly recommend it. It is a very very um not only good but also talks about Greensboro in the artwork. It's great. You can see on the screen All right, moving on to item number E2. Resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of Deep Roots Market. Council member Parker. resolution recognizing 50 years of Deep Roots Market. Whereas Deep Roots Market began in 1960s as a small vegetarian buying club in the basement of Guilford College dormatory created by local residents who believed in access to wholesome food and the power of cooperative economics. Whereas in 1976, the buying club was formally incorporated as Deep Roots Cooperative established a storefront business and marking the beginning of 50 years of service dedicated to the needs and goals of member owners, shoppers, and the greater Greensboro community. Whereas in 1990, the co-op relocated to Spring Garden Street, where for 23 years, it faithfully served the nutrition and wellness needs of Greensboro and the surrounding communities, operating with determination, volunteer spirit, and deep community support. Whereas in March 2013, Deep Roots Market moved to its current home at 600 North Eugene Street in downtown Greensboro, expanding to meet the needs of a growing membership and helping to strengthen the vitality and revitalization of the city city center. Whereas Deep Roots Market has flourished into a full-ervice grocery market and cafe with nearly 50 staff members and more than 5,500 member owners, remaining true to its roots as a 100% cooperatively owned, democratically governed, and communitydriven organization committed to doing business for good. Whereas Deep Roots Market has supported local farmers, producers, and small businesses for five decades, strengthening Greensboro's local food system and providing residents with natural, organic, and locally sourced products. Whereas the co-op living tree project designed by the Greensboro master sculptor Jim Galuchcci symbolizes the market's history and community spirit through the use of repurposed materials from Greensboro's last downtown grocery store, uniting past and present and rooting the cooperative in its center city home. Whereas the story of Deep Roots Market is one deeply rooted in community collaboration, creativity, and shared purpose, reflecting the values of inclusion, sustainability, and service to others. And now therefore, it be resolved by the city council of the city of Greensboro that the city of Greensboro proudly congratulates Deep Roots Markets on 50 years of service and expresses sincere appreciation for five decades of contributions to community health, local enterprise, and cooperative spirit. That this resolution is presented as an official expression of gratitude and best wishes for continued success in the years ahead. adopted this day, second day of March 2026. >> And you would like to make that motion, Councilwoman Parker? >> I'd love to make this motion. Um, thank you for Deep Roots for being a blessing to our city. Um, congratulations to both just District 3 and our city at large. I'd like to make a motion. >> Seconded by Mr. Holston. All in favor, please say I. >> I. >> And that passes nine to zero. >> All right. Is there someone here to accept the resolution? Yes. And if you'd like to say a few brief words. Super. >> Thank you very much, Madame Mayor, City Council, um, Council Member Parker. Thank you very much. Uh, my name is Matt Davis. I'm the current general manager of Deep Roots Market. Um, and I am uh very humbled to um stand here on behalf of our um staff members, our board of directors, and our um going on almost 6,000 member owners. Um we are so grateful to be a part of this community. um uh the the words that you said were were so meaningful and I we appreciate it. Um and we look forward to what the next 50 years brings for us and I our board president Drew Dixs would like to say thank you for for for having us here. Um my name is Drew Dixs, president of the board at Deep Roots Market and uh thank you Madame Mayor and and uh District 3 Councilwoman Parker. Thank you so much for that and all council members. Uh the board members uh here tonight uh represent over 5,000 co-op owners who yes are committed to local and democratic control over our thriving market. Um our growth from a few people uh on Guilford College campus to our beautiful full service market on Eugene Street would not have been possible without the principled vision uh of so many folks over the past five decades. We truly appreciate your support and mark today as a milestone to launch our next 50 years serving the Greensboro community. Thank you so much. Thank you and congratulations. Thank you. All right, moving on to item E3. Uh, and that E. Yes. Uh, E3 resolution recognizing March 2026 as the developmental disability and traumatic brain injury awareness month. I will be reading that resolution. Whereas a developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions that are due to mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Whereas the condition is likely to continue indefinitely and limits the individual in three or more of the following areas: self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. Whereas the condition creates the individual's need for a combination of special interdisciplinary services, individualized personal centered supports, and other forms of long-term assistance that are individually planned and coordinated. Whereas the disability experience is a natural part of life and is valued as a part of our rich diversity. Whereas disability is a social construct, the problem is not the medical condition that resides within the individual. But the problem is that society does not create welcoming, supporting and inclusive environments, policies and/or systems for all that promotes equality and acceptance in all areas of life, including schools, places of employment, and in our communities. Whereas the most effective way to increase awareness is through everyone's openness to learn and acknowledge that there are systemic barriers that reduce the likelihood of those with disabilities enjoying equitable experiences and living independent productive lives within their communities. Whereas policies must be developed, attitudes shaped, and equitable experiences be offered to all individuals, including those with developmental disabilities. Whereas residents should do all in their power to recognize the value of the disability experience in our lives and the valued role it has in our rich diversity and recognize the barriers presented to those with disabilities across all aspects of their lives. And we should create ways to include everyone especially those with developmental disabilities to be fully included in all aspects of life. Understand the losses financial, spiritual, human rights, contributions to community and otherwise when our communities segregate and create barriers for those with disabilities. And we should demand policymakers no longer invest in this segregation and should create inclusive, equitable policies and systems for all. Now therefore, be it resolved by the city council of the city of Greensboro, the city council recognizes March 2026 as Developmental Disabilities and Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month in Greensboro, North Carolina. Adopted this the second day of March, 2026. And I will move that resolution. Do I hear a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Mrs. Thurm. All in favor, please say I. That passes nine to zero. And yes. Would you like to go ahead and speak and give us your name, please? >> Good evening, everyone. My name is Charelle Gails. I'm the current chair of the Greensboro Mayor's Committee for Persons with Disabilities. We're so excited to have the adoption of the proclamations for developmental disability and traumatic brain injury awareness month. We continue to meet every first Thursday virtually via Zoom 8:30 to 10. So if anyone would like to join our meetings, our landing page is on the city of Greensboro website and we would love to have you integrated for inclusion and opportunities to create a barrier-free community. Thanks for having us. >> Thank you so much. I'll bring you the resolution. All right. With the uh presiding officer's prerogative, we have a very short consent agenda and I would like to go ahead and move to the consent agenda. We can get that out of the way and then have all the time we need for our speakers from the floor. So, um let's see. I would like to ask for a motion to adopt the consent agenda. >> Made by Mrs. Thurm, >> seconded by Miss Roth. Uh, council, please vote. And that carries nine to zero. Thank you all very much. We will go back to our public comment period. Now is the time for speakers from from the floor on non-aggenda items. This is an opportunity to hear from anyone wishing to speak and this is a time of listening for the council. The subject that you bring to us will be noted and if it requires action or a request, the city clerk or city manager will note as such and provide steps for any required response or after action. Please make sure your contact details with the co city clerk to facilitate communication. Now, it is the prerogative of the chair because we have so many speakers to bring it down to two minutes, but we will leave it at three minutes. We just ask that you um you know, if if you are going to not use the full three minutes, that is fine. We will hear what you have to say. So, um let me start with I will go with uh Mr. Tacoma Bo Bowen and I'm sorry if I mispronounced your name and you can come up to the podium after Miss Bowen you have Mr. Purdue micro micro and then Jerry Mills. And I do want to say just right before you speak, I know this is uh the group that is interested in the part about the taxes and I just want to let you know that we have not started our budget talks yet, but we are very well aware that a lot of people are very concerned about this as we are. So, just wanted to make that clear before everyone started their speaking. Go ahead. >> Um, I don't really have anything prepared because I didn't I kind of came up here on a whim to talk about the property taxes, but it's really because it's something that um will be directly affecting me and other young people as we age and decide to buy houses. There is already such an affordability struggle for young people wanting to buy houses and start families. Um, if they go through with raising the property taxes, uh, it'll be going up but from 50 to 60% depending on where you live. And >> you're fine. >> I'm sorry. Excuse me. >> You're fine. Um, I want to be able to buy a house and start a family, but this is going to affect my ability to afford rent, if I even want to rent an apartment, rent a house, and for people already in their homes, while our income has not increased, they're expecting us to give them more money. And all it really seems like to me is that it's just government greed wanting to pick our pockets for everything that they can get while completely disregarding the lives of the residents. So, uh, I know it's really the county's deal, but you guys do have a lot of influence over what the county does. That's all for me. >> Thank you. Mr. Purdue. Hello. My name is uh Mike Purdue, 500 Westgate City Boulevard, Greensboro. Uh city council members. Madame Mayor, thank you for your service. First of all, uh just so everyone knows that the uh city uh taxes in Charlotte is 27. Taxes in Wake County is 0.51. The city of Raleigh is 35. Taxes in Guilford County is 73. And the city of Greensboro is 67. The North Carolina 100 counties the average is 58. So, just to let everybody know where we stand with the numbers and obviously the numbers ultimately affect the uh what the out-ofpocket expense is that you're paying on your taxes where the city typically is about 45% of your tax bill and the county is about 55%. So now that the uh county obviously has uh revi revalued everyone's property and everybody's seeing somewhere between a 30 to 100 I've heard as much as 110% increase both in the city and the county is obviously going to need to drop their tax rate when they uh work on their budget this coming uh June. So on behalf of myself and thousands of taxpayer citizens in Greensboro, the same the same citizens that each of you asked for their vote a few months ago stood up and voted for each of you. These uh citizens are now standing up and asking that you make a commitment tonight that you will direct the uh city manager that when he brings you a budget in 26 27 budget that he'll bring you a budget that neutralizes the negative impact that any increase may have on property tax owners. Obviously, by lowering the tax rate in both this if both the city and county does not reduce the tax rate, it could be devastating for property owners and renters. We talk about affordable housing. Renters is getting affected by this, but if you own property when your property taxes go up, it's a pass through to your renters. So, we got to understand that the renters is going to be impacted by this. And talking to a lot of the renters or property owners that own rental property, they're talking that the rent could go up based on the numbers they received on their taxes as much as potentially could be as much as $2,400. That's $200 a month on renters. I mean, think about that. Property owners are seeing I've talked to a lot of property owners. They're seeing potentially, if the rates hold as they are, anywhere from $125 to $200 or more per month on property owners and renters. This is serious. We got a problem. And also, I've spoke with the county the uh county uh tax manager and the county, they haven't sent the commercial properties yet. And talking to them, the commercial properties are projected to go up anywhere from 100 to 300%. Folks, that's a problem. You're talking about seeing businesses closing downtown. This is going to go back to what I remember in 1975 when downtown was deserted and buildings built >> boarded up because Thank you for your time. >> Uhhuh. >> After Mr. Mills, uh, Fran Randolph Chris Meadows and I'll look to see if there's any more. Thank you. Yes, my name's Jerry Mills. I own several houses here in Guilford County. Um, I'm receiving these letters where property tax has gone through the roof. You know, I I mean, I try to rent houses at affordable prices, but y'all trying to make it work or the city's trying to make it work. I'm trying to run people out now. It's not fair, you know. Uh just went up three years ago. You know, now I got one house went up $80,000. Ain't nobody willing to buy it for half the price of what y'all saying it's worth. You know, I I just don't understand why y'all trying to run people out of Guilford County. I mean, that's a beautiful county. But you make cuz I got to go up on the renters. I mean, ain't no way I can I can survive it on my own or else sell the houses and ain't nobody gonna pay nowhere near what people saying the property taxes is now. You know, I mean, I think y'all could offset that some where make it fair where people could still afford rent. I I have to beg for my rent sometime, you know, just because I know they ain't got it, you know. It ain't because they blowing money. I mean, people struggling out here. I mean, I'm a disabled person. I don't work, you know. Only thing I could do, I mean, I got a guy over there painting a house right now. house cost me $3500, you know, just so I can get a house ready to rent again. Man, the people move because they said they couldn't afford to rent. Well, what are they going to say when I go up another $250? I mean, I guess I just sat there until I guess a foreclosure comes in or what? Banks want their money, you know? Uh I got to pay my bills. I'm sure all of y'all got to pay y'all's bill. And I really wish people would reconsider what's going on right here. I mean, this I've never been to this building before, but you got to stand up and show up, you know, and and hopefully y'all decide to do the same thing. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Mill. And I do want to say we have not set our property tax rate yet. So, um, that will come during our budget season. So, yeah. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Yes. I'm Fran. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um, this is about taxes, which are money, and anything that has to do with money. You need to follow the money. If our taxes do in fact explode, as my tax assessments indicate they're going to, where is all this money going? If this money is going for public services to help people who need public services, that's one thing. If this money is going to further the profit of giant corporations, you need to get our taxes down and just tell them no. I thank you for your time. Thank you so much, Mr. Meadows, followed by Aiden Lorent. Uh, is there anyone else who was signed up for taxes? That's what I want to ask first. Don't if they signed up. Okay. All right. Uh, Mr. Meadows, then Aiden Lurance, and then Jason Hicks on a different matter. Good evening. My name is Chris Meadows. Uh I am a native of Greensboro. I've been here uh 58 years. And um I love Greensboro. Uh it's a great city. Uh it does have potential to be even better. In my opinion, Guilford County is a uh a great county and we need to keep it that way. But raising our taxes um to the level to match the valuations is really going to hurt the overwhelming vast majority of the residents of Guilford County in Greensboro. Um the system, I don't know who put the system in place for the appraisals and the revaluations, but from what I can see and hear, it is highly flawed. My valuation went up 73%. My next door neighbor 74%. Across the street, 46% on the other side of me, 44%. Down the street, about a half a block, 36%. How can we all live on the same street in the same neighborhood and someone has 36% increase and someone else has a 74% increase? that there is no um good answer for that. I've heard as high as 100% 110% increase in valuations and some as low as about 20%. Can you explain that how that system works? Obviously, it is flawed. If um you're going to change the rate, I hope it goes back to a revenue neutral rate until the system is fixed because the appraisal system is highly flawed and you cannot tax people out of their homes, whether they're owners or renters or business uh people that are leasing property for their business. Uh someone mentioned earlier that um we're going to see businesses close. We've seen four or five restaurants in downtown Greensboro close. Part of that has to be the cost of doing business. It has to be. And if you raise their lease payment, every landlord in town is going to raise rent. Uh the chairman of the county commissioners who uh owns lots and lots of rental houses, has publicly said he's going to raise rent. I feel sorry for those people that rent his houses. If they all know their rent's going up and it doesn't need to, I would suggest that you um re-evaluate the budget and start cutting from the budget before you start raising uh taxes. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Aiden. Followed by Jason Hicks, followed by Angela Moore. Angie. Yeah, Angela Moore. And she is on Zoom. >> Well, hi everyone. Uh, my name is Aiden Lorettes. I live on 514 South Mendal Street and I haven't been here in a while and so I just want to say congratulations to all of the newly elected city councilors. Um, especially as a community organizer, seeing Irving and CeCe and April up here is incredible. And, uh, we need more folks like you to be representing people like us. Uh, I want to say that I am an environmental justice organizer. I've spoken with a lot of you about issues such as water quality and um, fracked gas pipelines that are uh, coming through North Carolina and the dangers that those pose for Greensboro specifically. Um, and back in the fall of last year, I, as well as many of us in this room, attended a SEMRAN NC organized town hall meeting, uh, now as an environmental justice organizer, I know that no justice comes without justice for all and intersectionality is incredibly important. And that's why I'm here today in my own official capacity. And as a member of Greensboro, um all of the city council at large and mayoral candidates, as well as many of you who were just there for funsies in the audience, made commitments to a public hearing on understanding federal impacts um especially on immigration. Uh a public report on these findings and uh declaring Greensboro a fourth amendment city following the path of Carbborough and Durham. CMRN NC has made themselves readily available to help support all of you to make these commitments. Um, and you know, Mayor Abusua, I do want to say specifically, you and I had a conversation right before that town hall that meant a lot to me and you mentioned how, you know, there is such fear, especially from you all as public elected officials, right? I mean, we are all fearful right now in these times, but um, I understand that you don't want to make Greensboro be more of a target. um or have any threat of retaliation, right? Um and I said that we need leaders who are going to be bold and brave in the face of fear. And later in that in that meeting, you said to everyone in your comments that I will be a mayor for every resident of Greensboro. And I know that meant a lot to me and a lot of other people in that room. So, I just want to encourage all of you to follow your word, to do the things that you committed to and to do them quickly because time is of the essence and even though it's scary, we're all scared and we need people to take action in the face of fear. Um, so, thank you all of you and uh you all should know where to reach me if you want to chat about environmental stuff. Um, but thanks so much. >> Thank you. Jason Hicks and then is Angela Moore on Zoom? >> She is. Okay. >> Good evening, council. Uh before I get started, I'm going to start with a Nancy Vaughn quote and say that I hope that the folks that are here talking about taxes will go across the plaza and talk to the county. Uh but anyways, at every turn when our community has called to end regulatory stops, we've been told to wait. Wait for more data, wait for more reports, wait for more studies. Decades have passed under that same refrain. Tonight, I'm here to ask you to act. Not tomorrow, not next year, but now for the safety, the dignity, and the soul of our city. When rumors surfaced about an ICE detention facility, we saw how fast government could move. The ACL memo went out on January 29th. By February 17th, the city council had amended its land development ordinance to block detention centers. That is how fast action can happen when there is the will. Yet, for decades, calls to reform how black people are policed have been met with minimal change. So I challenge I challenge the white people in this room, especially those who speak the language of justice to join this fight around policing. The most dangerous actor in this city, in my opinion, is not the open bigot. It is the progressive who perfects the language of justice while defending the systems that deny it. It is time to end regulatory stops. Stops that treat our neighbors as suspects for no reason and focus on what truly threatens lives. Speeding, reckless driving, and real safety hazards. As we're in the process of hiring a new police chief, I've asked the city manager several times now whether there will be community forums with the finalists and the the very forums we were promised during the input sessions for this process. I've yet to receive a response, but I want to name that I hope we will still have those forums as a community would like to be heard. This is a test of conscience, a test of courage. Let us not be the people who speak justice while maintaining injustice. Let us act. Let us be accountable. And let us make our city safe, fair, and just for everyone. Thank you. Angela Moore on Zoom, followed by Dell Stone, followed by Malik Huff. >> Um, good evening. >> Good evening. >> My name is um members of the city council. My name is Dr. Angela Moore. And I stand before you tonight, not only as a public servant, a nurse of more than 36 years, but as a mother, a wife who almost lost her life on December 31st. At around 10:20 p.m., I was um my life changed. Involved in a motor vehicle accident where the driver failed to yield the right away. I spent the first eight days of 2026 in the hospital. I had surgery January 1st, January 2nd. Both of those surgeries was to save my leg. Um I had surgery January 6th and then I had surgery again February 17th. Um that was my fourth and final surgery and I'm still no weight bearing. So, for the last 61 days, my foot has not hit the floor. Um, at this accident, the drivers were impaired. You could smell marijuana, alcohol, um, but there was no field party. The officers that came to the scene were very rude and they're very disrespectful. They threatened to arrest my husband. for no reason. Um, when one of the officers came, I was laying on the ground and I said, he was the first one to respond and I said, "Sir, please help me." I said, "Please don't let me die right here." He was flippant and said that help is on the way. Um, the the lead officer that came, India Lewis, not at any point did any officer at that scene ask me what happened. They f the right away. They were smoking weed and you can smell the alcohol, but no field soriety test. And just as you are, I'm an executive member of the North Carolina Board of Nursing. And I serve to protect the public just as you do. And I'm formally requesting that the officers that were at the scene be held accountable. I would like to review body cam footage. I need to understand why they did not do a field sobriety test. When I went to pick up my items from my vehicle, the gentleman that picked my car up from the tow company said that the car riaked of marijuana and smell like a brewery. Um, but this is about fairness, about me, and you want us to trust the police, but they were too lazy to to do a field sobriety test and then India Lewis the the officer came to the hospital who told him that we did not have insurance that was inac Thank you. Yes. Thank you, Miss Moore. >> Thank you. >> Yes. Staff has taken notes. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. >> All right. Um Dell Stone followed by Malik Hoff followed by Lewis Medina and then Jennifer Rogers. Hi Delstone. So last month I spoke about the flock cameras that are installed around our city. These systems are part of a broad fabric of surveillance that is of imminent concern to residents and visitors as they have been shown to be used by federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. I presented several inconsistencies in the Greensboro Police Department's public information on the use of these systems and I submitted questions to council. GPD then made quiet updates to their directives and some web pages, but city's Flock transparency portal online currently shows over 300,000 vehicles identified here by Flock in the last month. Today, I was told that GPD switched to a company called VRCA, quote, due to Flock cost increases. This is concerning. In the 10 years that this Verada company has existed, they have been hacked in a massive data breach, forced to fire employees who use their facial recognition system to harass female workers, and sued for violating federal law. Vera has been the subject of reports exposing lacks device security, excessive focus on profit, false positive facial recognition rates up to 85% and a complete lack of evidence that their use reduces crime. I was also told today, quote, as it relates to the real time intelligence center, we are not using that program for, in quotes, surveillance. In most instances, GPD is not interested in just watching live feed cameras. This is insulting. It shows an utter lack of respect for residents subject to these systems. Data collected is data that can be used. Residents deserve to know how, when, where, and to what extent they are being surveiled for basic privacy and due to the mounting threats of fascist persecution on the premise of immigration enforcement. Notably, I have still received no answer to the question, can GPD assure residents their personal data is not accessible to immigration enforcement. We know what this administration is doing under the ambit of immigration enforcement. It is not about public safety. It's not about law enforcement. The more the administration insists it, the more aggressively they pursue it, the more obvious the lie becomes. This is about control. It's about consolidation of power. It's about personal profit for a few, premised on the suffering of millions. Through the use of private surveillance systems, city government facilitates the machinery for the overpolicing and the persecution of vulnerable communities whose numbers continue to grow. While many around the country are standing up firmly against the expanding surveillance state, the best that we've gotten from this council so far are vague statements and coincidental zoning amendments that erect some extra hoops for the construction of immigration detention centers. We need more than tepid statements. We need more than speed bumps for fascism. The council should take the concerns of constituents seriously, hold meetings with community members, convene public hearings on the impacts of federal overreach, and make a firm commitment to fulfill the obligation of your office to protect those who elected you to serve them. Thank you. Malik Huff, followed by Lewis Medina, followed by Jennifer Rogers, followed by Ben Holder. Hello, city council members. As you look in front of you on your screens right now, I have AI system of me and what I'm bringing to downtown Greensboro to DGSO and downtown Greensboro for my homeless members because my homeless members and us have been getting together. We have been having a discussion. We have been talking and they want me to bring more beauty in the streets to downtown. I've been wanting to bring it. I want a new city council and I want to thank Crystal Black, Alvin Allen, CC Caul, and all the new city council members. I got more photos coming. And this is another one. This building right here. This is what I'm trying to take and turn into the beauty and the streets, homeless downtown, and trying to make it right there. Body, mental health, and the and everything together. I'm trying to bring all of it in one big building this time. I've been looking at this building for the longest and it's been sitting right by DSS and what about mental health and what police station. I'm trying to get this building because they need that and we want that because I want to turn that into my foundation, my headquarters, my office, my place where my people can come and stay and check in to get the mental health that they need. And I want I'm asking if y'all can look into it for the budget this year to either donate that to the program so that way my homeless members and I got something to show y'all that I've been working on this year. I've worked on it. This is a new one. I'm about to show you this clip right here. Y'all can see what I've been doing. This right here bring it all to you. >> This is what I did last year in 2025. I did this. I brought this together. >> CeCe, you came through. You see us there. >> This is why I want y'all to see what's been going on. What's behind the scenes? >> What I've been doing >> this right here, >> guys. I wanted y'all to see >> what I wanted y'all to see. That's right there is what I wanted y'all to see of what I've done. 2025 July. October 18, 2025, I did that. I brought that to the streets. I'm trying to bring my beauty in the streets out here. I done fed them. I done brought them enough. I need the city to come together and show some love back for my people cuz my homeless community, we tired of being out on the streets. They're tired. They've been coming asking me. They asking me to keep coming to city council and I'm keep bringing it and I'm going keep bringing it up and I want to see changes this year. We want to have better places so that where we can sleep at night. We want it all. Thank y'all. >> Thank you, Malik. Lewis Medina, followed by Jennifer Rogers, followed by Ben Holder. >> Lewis Medina. I've come today to ask y'all what kind of American you are because it dawned on me, you know, I've been born American. I'll probably if everything turns out well, I'll die American. But that it's um that there are two Americas, right? and that they are split. I don't mean right and left. I don't mean black and white. I don't mean man and woman. I mean that they're distinctly two Americas. And depending on which one you side with defines what kind of American you are. On one hand, there's the American, the working-class American who goes to work every day with the idea that they can bring back enough to take care of themselves and their loved ones. They're constantly rents going up, wages are stagnating. Um I heard a lot of people talk about uh taxes increasing, right? And then there's this other America, right? um that wants more the same America that has bombed eight countries this past year, the same America that has funded a genocide with our tax dollars, the same America that has appeared in those Epstein files, and the same America that is occupying Minneapolis and other cities in this country and locking children in cages, this other America. So I ask, when I ask you what kind of American you are, I mean that A lot of you were voted in um as progressives, right? Um some of you clearly were voted in just to keep something worse out. Um but some of you people believe in, right? But when I hear things like what is it? Uh that it is speculation that the people's the constituents concerns are just simply speculation that the possibility of of uh building a detention center in this city is just speculation. And I see some sort of swiveing to the side to avoid saying what you stand for and supporting the people who have asked you to support them. It makes me wonder what kind of American are you? Because the truth is it's not speculation. It's reality. The fascist takeover in this country is not speculation. Those children in concentration camps are not speculation. Those people who have been shot at US citizens are not speculation. None of it is speculation. Know a lot of us, we can see that Iran was bombed. We see it on social media and we can just go to work and pretend these things have consequences. So I ask you, I implore you to stand boldly with the people as you've just heard them, right? and take a side of a very specific American because what side, what sort of America you're willing to accept defines what kind of American you are? Is Jennifer Rogers here? followed by Ben Holder, followed by Brenda Barkstdale, followed by George Hartzman. Uh, she must not be here. She's not on Zoom, is she? All right, I'll go back to her then. Uh, Mr. Holder. My name is Ben Holder. I would like to play a video tonight. Clips were edited to bring a different view. Clips were edited to bring a different view. Different view. Different view. Clips were edited to bring a different view. Clips were edited to bring a different Clips were edited to bring a different view. Different view clips were edited to bring a different view. Different view clips were edited to bring a different viewpoint. Different view. >> So I hope we all know now that yeah, this podium was built for different viewpoints. 80 of y'all sat silent. Aren't you an attorney? and she said, "No, you can't play this video because of a different viewpoint. Viewpoints are absolutely allowed." And eight of you sat silent. Then today, all these people come to this meeting. Me, too. And keep in mind, on January 6th, you said I would not play a video because it was a personal attack. It wasn't at all. It was clips from a city council meeting. Several clips. Then you said that um I wouldn't play it because it brought a different viewpoint. There was a snow day. I played the video you forbade because attorney Cubbage saw how ridiculous your ruling was. Now today, I have absolutely played a video that could be seen as a personal attack that was edited. So you're just making rules up. I just overturned it. And when all these people came in, the security guards, that guy right there especially, man, they didn't want signs in here, no signs, no different viewpoints, no personal attacks. Look at your rules of decorum. Did you actually read them? They're wildly unconstitutional. State versus Barthol, North Carolina Court of Appeals 2025 says you can peacefully hold a sign. You're not disrupting the meeting. That's your only job is to keep it from being disrupted, not to censor my message. That's why I played that over and over and over and over and over again because you have no punishment when you violate my rights. My only punishment is humiliation. So, you're going to if I go get my sign, are these guys going to beat me up? Are they going to stop me? Am I going to jail? Or am I going to be able to hold it right back there? Because signs are a constitutionally protected activity, as is viewpoints, as is personal attacks. So, am I going to jail or you going to let me hold my son? >> Thank you, Mr. Holder. >> All right, I have Brenda Barksdale followed by George Hartzman. Is Mr. Hartzman here? Good evening. I'm Brenda Artist Parkdale. My resident is 308 Urban Street. And to our mayor, our new mayor. Thank you. Okay. And the city council members, Mr. Trey Davis, our city manager, and others. on behalf of Rand Monroe Communities Associations, Oak Gro Community Watch, which is Urban Street, and fellow citizens of Greensboro. Thanks to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Mr. Wright Archery and staff, the Greensboro Department of Transportation, our city manager, Mr. Trey Davis, former city council members, and especially to Sharon High Totower who helped us fight this battle for over 10 years. and to our new mayor. I reelected two city council members for getting left turning signals on Randomman Road in Mete where there has been six accident fatal accidents there. also a left turning yellow flashing light at Randomman Road and Florida Street to help to make these uh intersection more safer. The city of Greensboro want to see some positive changes. Just remember to do what's right, what's fair, and what's justice. This is more accepted to the Lord better than sacrifices. And you can find that at Proverbs 21:3. Also, we need to know the name of our new captain in district 2 on So Street for the police station. We do not have that information as uh the community. We appreciate it if y'all could get us that information. We thank you. Well, this is all I have really have to say and I just want to welcome the new uh city council members. God bless each one of you. have a blessed night and thank you so much for listening to us. >> Thank you. >> God bless. >> Okay, Mr. Hartzman is not here. I don't believe Allison Gutierrez followed by uh Yolanda Mitchell who is on Zoom, Cynthia Hoskins who is on Zoom. Yes. Good evening. I want to make it clear that I am here solely as a representative of the immigrant community. I stand before you with a heavy heart, witnessing the continued suffering of Latino and Chuco communities across the nation. Mass deportations of our working neighbors, indiscriminate ICE raids of local restaurants, and state sanctioned intimidation tactics have torn families apart and have left communities living in fear. Every single day, hardworking people that contribute to our economy, lift up our communities, and enrich our societies are being targeted, persecuted, and sent to detention camps where teenage girls are being kept se separate and hidden away. Detention camps where people are being killed without any consequence. Children are being separated from their parents and entire communities are being destabilized by actions that prioritize punishment over due process. We cannot ignore these human costs. Whole families are enduring emotional trauma and financial ruin. Studies have shown that these effects are long lasting and detrimental not only to immigrant families but to the overall health of our community, the safety and the economic well-being of our society as well. I am here to say that there is hope. Communities all over the nation are coming together to resist cruelty and protect their neighbors. Lawyers are providing free legal counsel. Volunteers are delivering food. Civic organizations have been working tirelessly to ensure human dignity and constitutional rights are being protected. We must stand together in solidarity. We must raise our voices and educate our local leaders to ensure that policies which threaten innocent lives are challenged peacefully and legally. Our strength lies in our unity, our commitment to justice, and in creating inclusive communities for all. Let us honor the courage to those fighting to protect our families. And let's commit to a future where no one is afraid to live, work, and thrive in this country we all call our home. Together, through peaceful advocacy, legal action, and community solidarity, we can push back against injustice. And here is a call to action for all of the city council members. Safety doesn't stop at the doors of AHA. If ice is coming into Greensboro, the priority should be making sure they never touch our city's perimeter, our neighborhoods, or our people. Fencing in one building while the rest of the city is left open to not pro for lack of protection is performative. Real safety is collective, proactive, and citywide. We demand the city to keep harm out of Greensboro entirely, not manage it once it's already here. The Brown Beretss are watching. The Black Panthers are listening. The Young Lords are organizing. Thank you. Thank you. I have Yolanda Mitchell on Zoom. Go ahead, Miss Mitchell. Are you there? You still muted? >> Okay. Are you able to hear me? >> Yes. Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. Cuz I've I was having a hard time hearing you all. Hi. Um to to the mayor and other constituents, I'm thankful to be able to speak on behalf of Willlet Street Apartments and uh Cynthia at Hoskins is not able to be with us and I thank CR Clark who has tirelessly helped us um with our endeavors. Um my name is Yolanda Mitchell and I am a native of Durham, North Carolina. I'm a member of the North Carolina Senate Union. I'm honored to share with the Greensboro City Council the strategies that we use to enforce stronger codes that our city previously had not been able to hold the landlords of D, North Carolina accountable for. There were certain violations that had incurred due to weak law enforcement of tenants rights. We have experienced a lot at Wither Street Apartments such as delays with fixing heat and air conditioning units and refrigerators and also the upkeep of the building which also included safety issues. We are forming our own tenant association at Willlet three departments as well. When we met with the city hall representatives here in Durham, we shared from various community uh communities in Durham the problems and mishaps that had occurred as a result of slumlords who had been negligent with repairs and safety issues. Since we were able to have the enforcement of codes, we have seen some immediate and profitable results. centers were able to get certain repairs within the 72-hour period indicated after the city responded to their request. Hopefully, this breakthrough will enhance our future endeavors and also will help prevent landlords from being negligent and irresponsible to tenants need. This ordinance that was passed uh will help keep buildings from falling apart and becoming irreparable and also to avoid serious safety concerns. Our building is practically new and we desire to keep a wholesome environment for those who are residents of Willlet Street Apartments. We appreciate the city of Durham for aiding us in this effort. I personally feel that this change will benefit Greensboro as well. I thank you for the opportunity to speak to you and as I say, we have been fighting for about three um three to four years now and we have seen results as a result of the city attorneys, the tenant association, other groups that been backing us and I just thank God for the opportunity to speak to you today and hopefully like I said it will benefit Greensboro to move forward in this area as well. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. I have Thank you, Cynthia Hoskins on Zoom. Then I have Leanne Graves and Casey Thomas. No, she's not on Zoom. Okay, we'll move on to uh Leanne Graves, Casey Thomas, and then Casey Thomas. And after Casey, we will go on to Laura Gonzalez. >> Hi, thank you. My name is Lean Graves. I am a renter here in Greensboro. Uh thank you for the opportunity to address the council. Um I've rented for many years from uh a gentleman who I could only label as a slum lord. I have begged and pleaded for him to fix hot water and heat. I've had to pay for the hot water to be fixed. Thousands of dollars out of my pocket trying to keep his house together. So I reached out to code enforcement and they came in a timely manner. They were very kind and very personable. They took their time to address my issues. They made a good list of everything that needed to be addressed because it was affecting my life and my health. There were no smoke alarms in that house. And the one that I do have today, I put it in. He put the smoke alarms outside of the house. Hung them up outside of my laundry room. He didn't install them. He hung them up. Code enforcement person comes back out. This guy came out and fixed maybe two or three things out of a list of about 10 or 15. Code enforcement. They come back out and they're sitting in the car waiting for him to come for the walkthrough. They said this time if he doesn't show up, he's going to get fined. We're going to really nail. So they wait for 30 minutes. They come back in and they say, "Where are the smoke alarms? We'll put them in." I was like, "So the city's going to eat a liability like that." So it was it was so disheartening. I just told him to leave. I just told them to leave. The smoke alarms are over there under my chair. I got them here today. So I just gave up. They wrote it off. I've never heard from them again. And I said, "So this is how we get to a building full of people who are homeless overnight. There is no enforcement." None. These people are nice and they're personable. They come in a timely manner. So it tells me that the language is there for the enforcement. The personnel is there to provide the service to the point where they'll do the maintenance for you. Where's the enforcement? Where's the enforcement without fear or favor? Because you don't understand how you have to walk the floor all night long and say, "Do I have do do I take this chance out of spending all this money out of my pocket and I have no heat? I have no hot water. Do I take this chance and say I'm going to reach up, pick that phone up, and call code enforcement, knowing that if they have to enforce this, they're going to take it out on me and I'll be bought out into eviction court where a judge will throw me out in the street without looking up in my face. So, what do I do? So, I take this chance and then there's no enforcement there. I'm in the same position I was before I picked that phone up. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Graves. Miss Thomas, followed by Laura Gonzalez. Hi. Um, Casey Thomas, 1041 South Josephine Board Street. And um a few years ago, we wound up having to pay $12,000 because we were living next to someone who had a hoarding disorder and she had a bunch of rats there. And um I'm sure Irving can tell you I do not like to call the law. It is not my uh mo. Um, it took us a long time, a year and change of not being able to sit outside on our front porch smelling things rotting from over there before we like called code compliance. And they came eventually they came. They didn't want to go in. They came eventually after a while they came in. And um when we got the pictures of what was going on, we learned that they had like way more dogs than we thought that were being hoarded in there and there was feces and urine that had soaked through to the floor, right? We also learned that they didn't have adequate heat. There was no heat there. Um and these are folks who are living with like serious mental health problems. It escalated into death threats. It escalated into like some very scary things. I was pregnant at the time and um we called code compliance and it just took forever and ever and there were so many chances and I understand that there the code compliance people didn't want to do a thing that was going to make them homeless and neither did I but we need to have a solution to these types of things that are high touch high compassion where people can get the things that they need but also where like working-class neighborhoods don't have people just like rotting in their homes and it's spreading everywhere else because like we didn't we wouldn't I don't know if they did that today we wouldn't have another 12 grand to be able to like put into our home behind these rats and insurance doesn't cover that kind of thing. Um, and so there's that. Also, um, please support the commercial stuff as well, the commercial, um, code in Glenwood. There were some kids dealing drugs out of a like a um, a storefront that had been boarded up forever. The feds came last year. There were bangs, flashes. Like, we got to do something. >> Yeah. Thank you, Katie. Laura, followed by Dan Daniel Bayer. Uh K Haramman, Alisio Rios. Good evening, Mayor Booder and city council members. My name is Laura Gonzalez. I've lived in North Carolina now for 30 years and 15 of those here in Greensboro. Last year, I got involved with make North Carolina work and the Sambernc movement to help protect our Fourth Amendment rights against lawless search and seizure. In my particular case, my husband is a naturalized citizen of the US. Although no one looks at me and wonders if I have legal status in this country, his physical appearance, his name, and his accent put him in jeopardy of being profiled, roughed up, accused, or detained. This is the stuff of my nightmares. And honestly, I don't think any family should have to live with these daily fears. I want all families in our community to feel safe enough to go to school or work, to shop for their groceries, to take a walk in their neighborhood, and to live their lives. I am prepared to defend our bas basic Fourth Amendment rights with all of my strength. A lot of people here tonight are concerned about the proposed detention center in our area. Greensboro has been an official refugee resettlement community for over 50 years and a place where newcomers can be welcomed and find their place in our city. We have a long history of courageous leadership here from General Green himself to the Quaker abolitionists to the North Carolina ENT4 and to many others whose names we do not even know. We're all here tonight because there's more that can be done about federal overreach. We were glad that the council was in agreement with the new zoning requirements and the administrative barriers to bringing a detention center to Greensboro. However, I know that it will take a more staunch approach to derail the lawless behavior of ICE and the Border Patrol. Even cities in red states like Kansas and Oklahoma have taken steps recently to push back against ICE acquisition of warehouse spaces for detention. And listen, I get the feeling of cautiousness when dealing with ICE, but I also want to encourage us to be proactive and strong in a way that shows that we are serious. When organizations and businesses have good Fourth Amendment policies and are ready to enforce them, we have seen ICE agents back down and look for easier targets. It's time to show our courage and conviction and to demonstrate that we are ready to protect and defend our community. A majority of this council told 250 of us gathered at the Congregational UCCC last October that you believed Greensboro should be the next Fourth Amendment city. We appreciated that willingness to take a stand to protect the people who live here. If the city of Greensboro can set the example for valuing and protecting its workforce, it will be easy for others to follow as Fourth Amendment workplaces. Five of you also made commitments to support public hearings about the other harmful federal policies that are now reaching our area. Anyone who relies on food assistance, financial aid for their education, or Obamacare and Medicaid for their health care is now experiencing jeopardy. We believe the city council has a powerful role to play. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bayer. Then, uh K Haramman, is she on Zoom? No. Uh Alicia Rios, Billy Belchure, and Geophie Paulo. >> Hello, my name is Dan Bear. I live on Elm Avenue in Greensboro. First of all, congratulations on everybody getting elected to the city council. There's a lot of hard work there. I also know that you will work hard to realize Greensboro's potential to include all of its residents in its prosperity and ensure a bright future for all the communities that make up our wonderful city. Unfortunately, along with joy at the new possibilities comes fear for what we see happening in other NC cities. In Charlotte, the Triangle last year, members of our state's immigrant communities were terrorized by ICE and the Border Patrol. Harmless people, including US citizens, are being seized off the street and denied due process. This campaign of oppression recalls some of the darkest moments in our nation's history. And our own beloved city could very well be one of the next targets. When I was in the scouts and working my way towards the rank of eagle, I was required to earn the citizenship of the nation merit badge. I learned how the Bill of Rights protects everyone in this nation, citizen or not, from abuses by our government and the necessity of such protections to prevent oppression and tyranny. Therefore, I encourage you to adopt the resolution naming Greensboro a fourth amendment city. Now, are those who are going to say that such an action would be provocative or even dangerous, but it should not be seen as radical to defend our Constitution and the rights that it enshrines for all of us. If we are afraid to stand up for the Fourth Amendment and our other constitutional rights, then we've reached a very dark time indeed. I know, however, that you share my outrage of what's happening in our state, and with your help, our community can protect itself and guarantee a future free from fear for all who reside within it. Thank you very much. Thank you, uh, Mr. Belchure. And then I'll go back and pick up Miss Haram. And she is on Zoom. Good evening. I'm Billy Belchure from HO, the Working Class and Houseless Organizing Alliance of Greensboro. There should be a lot of people here tonight asking their closest elected representatives for protection from ICE. They have a list of concrete actions you can take to begin that process. I would like to address a statement made by our city attorney uh because I assume it reflects an attitude as it held by her alone. Attorney Cubbage recently said in regard to ICE, and I will quote, "This city local government cannot regulate, interrupt, or interfere with any federal law enforcement action in any way." Now, I understand that point. It it says that you rank here and and the feds rank up here and if they give orders, you have to obey the orders. So if the Gestapo wants to shoot innocent people in the face like with Renee Good or if they want to shoot innocent people in the back like with Alex Pretty or if they want to kidnap innocent people off the streets and put them into a detention center where they will be tortured, killed and abused, you say yes sir, yes sir, yes sir. No. That that is that sounds a lot like the Nuremberg defense and the people who used it were tried for war crimes. Maybe the high-powered city attorney ain't got to worry about some white supremacists ripping her out of her car. Maybe she ain't got to worry about her kids being stolen from school, but a lot of people out here don't have that luxury. As I said, I bring this up because I fear that the attitude isn't just the attorneys. She does speak for the council after all. And this attitude ain't going to cut it. I would like to hear council members disavow such acquiescence before the white supremacist force that ICE has specifically recruited and molded and which is kidnapping and killing innocent people without regard for law or citizenship status or human rel. The city attorney said we mustn't interrupt and interfere. I say we must interrupt and interfere. That is exactly the moral obligation that has been placed upon us. If if our elected leaders will not act, then we as a community have to organize ourselves. To that end, WO is hosting an anti-ICE organizing forum on March 22nd at 5:00 PM at Back Table on South Elm Street. I hope all of you will join us because the threat against our community is real and people are going to have to fight back. I thank you. >> All right, let's thank you. Let's go back and pick up Miss Haramman. She is on Zoom. Uh then Mr. Rios, then Mr. Paulo. Yes. Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. Yes. Hi. Hello. >> We need your video on, please. >> Okay. Yes. Uh, give me one second. I apologize. Why is it not? I apologize. Okay, there we go. All right. Hello. Can you hear me? Can you see me? >> Okay, we can't see you though. >> Okay, it's it's dark out here. >> Oh, I see you now a little bit. >> Yes. Okay. Hi. Hello. Uh my name is Kay Herman. I'm here today to discuss my thoughts regarding ICE and any potential involvement from the city of Greensboro. About a month ago, there were documentations obtained by the ACLU of Virginia and Freeboro that there were considerations to buy and construct a detention center located at the former American Hebrew Academy. As we know, these detention centers are actually concentration camps used to hold not only immigrants, but US citizens who oppose the current government. The rumors of turning the former Jewish boarding school into a concentration camp is important enough as is, but to do so within a diverse community such as here in Greensboro is devastating. We are aware what of what goes down in I detention centers. The violence, the negligence, and the abuse their victims go through has been stated numerous of times. Greensboro released a statement that there were no current plans to convert the academy into a detention center. However, the language used was inconclusive. We citizens of Greensboro need a clear no and a consistent and concerted effort to oppose any attempt to build any detention centers. Furthermore, I would like to discuss any future involvement in Greensboro with ICE. We need to know if our rights will be overridden if we ever had to deal with ICE agents. Do they have the authority to detain us despite the fact that there are no they that they are border patrol and not official officers? Will the police aid ICE agents or will they protect the citizens of Greensboro during detainment? Should we fear any harassment, monitoring, and/or threats from any agents? And when we seek aid from the police, will we be turned away? Especially those of us who are visibly people of color. I hope moving forward Greensboro will say no to any involvement with ICE. I love my neighbors here in this city regardless of their status. No one should fear for their lives simply because they aren't what we deem to be an American. People are fleeing from terrifying situations back in their home countries and are seeking asylum here in America. And if not, they have gone through the proper method for residency. We have the resources to aid them. Yet, all of our taxes are used to fill the pockets of pedophilic elites who've done nothing but keep us in debt and send us out to fight multiple unnecessary wars. They've just bought a school for girls in Iran. 50 plus school girls are dead and are never going home to their families because of this government. And yet they want to convince us that immigrants are the problem here in America. The immigrants aren't and were never the problem. And I must remind you, there is no such thing as an illegal immigrant on stolen land. Greensboro is my home. Greensboro is your home. And it has a beautiful multicultural community and is imperative that we protect all within the future and progress of our city. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Alicia Rios, followed by Jeffrey Paulo, followed by Danny Giles. Um, we respectfully ask for additional time. I will be the interpreter. I will provide interpretation from Spanish to English. Yes. And that will take longer. >> Sure. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Good evening everyone. My name is I have lived in Greece for about eight years. A couple of years ago during the COVID pandemic, people like me were called essential workers. Things have changed since the new administration because how I look or my accent. I am a criminal. I'm an illegal alien who must be deported and sent back to my country of origin. During the times uh in the past I was very motivated to go out um from my house and go to work but now it's very different. only thinking about the detition center in Greensboro uh gives me fear and it makes me think of many things and um I have fear for myself and for my family. If there is this uh detention center here in Greensboro, um terrible things may happen to me and to many other people. We'll go out to work with the fear that we might not come back and see our families, our friends, or our neighbors again. only thinking about going out of my house and encountering people with hoots on and masks and arm. It fills me with fear. And this is why we're here. I'm accompanied by many people who are against the construction of the detentation center here in Greensboro. We are very grateful to the members of the council who have accepted to meet with us. >> Entreos host, April Parker, El Marque, and CCO. among them Holston, uh, Parker Crawford and the mayor. We are Samra and with Cambria we'll continue to organize and work together with you to make Greensboro a better city for all of us. >> Gracias. >> Thank you. Thank you. Um, let's see. Mr. Paulo, is that Yes. Good evening. Uh, my name is Jeffrey Paulo. I'm a resident of Greensboro District 4 and I'm here to speak in solidarity with those in our community uh across our state and across the country who are being targeted by illegal immigration enforcement actions of DHS. I like many others was somewhat encouraged last month uh by the ordinance that put some administrative roadblocks in the way of uh any attempts to open immigration detention facilities in Greensboro. But this can only be a first step in a concerted fight and on its own is not adequate to the task at hand. Many other cities uh Oakland, Philadelphia, even Oklahoma City, Minneapolis have passed stronger measures to restrict DHS activities. Uh some examples being ICE free zones on municipal property. Steps taken, promises made to prosecute federal agents who break state and local laws as they have been doing. uh and ending relationships with businesses and organizations that enter into contracts with ICE and CBP. Um and as the struggle against ICE develops, new and more creative strategies will develop as well in city councils and organizations across the country. And I sincerely hope this council will be part of that development. It's not enough to pass zoning ordinances that will hopefully plate your constituents while avoiding the attention of capriccious federal government. Uh because if we take the lessons of history, it's clear that those committed to caging undesirabs, uh suppressing disscent, terrorizing the population, uh they're not going to be appeased. You're not going to be able to fly under the radar forever. They have to be challenged before they become unchallengeable. And while that challenge will be led by ordinary people, the masses of people, uh elected officials such as yourselves do have a part to play. You can help create the train on which this battle against fascism will be waged. And I know that language to some may still sound bombastic or overblown, but this is not a temporary state of affairs. Things aren't going to go back to normal. There's been a fundamental shift in how this country is governed. And it's not going to be undone by elections or speeches or protests. We need to take concrete action, all of us, including the council. So, I hope you'll consider passing some of these measures that other cities have and that others have brought up and that you'll make it a priority to stay on the cutting edge of municipal resistance to federal overreach to ICE. It's what your constituents deserve and it's what we're going to continue to demand. Thank you. Thank you, Danny Giles, followed by Caitlyn Grindel and then Marilyn Lunza. Hope I've pronounced those correctly. If not, please correct. >> Thank you. >> I wanted to speak today about the report the ISIS detention facility is being sought in Greensboro and what the city council will do in response. I've lived in North Carolina for almost all of my life, but I only moved to Greensboro about a year and a half ago. In that time, I've kind of fallen in love with the city. So much of what I see here gives me hope for my future and my future within this community. The idea that we would allow a detention facility to be built in here is at odds with the values that I've seen and experienced here. And frankly, it kind of disgusts me. just even the idea we cannot sit quietly and let this happen. While I want to stop it everywhere, I'm know the realities of politics. I know that I can't change what happens in Raleigh or at the federal level just by myself. But I can speak strongly here in this city, the place that I call home, and try and really emphasize that we have to say no. We know we don't want to make it harder. We don't want to condemn with statements. We just say no. Not only is the ICE detention facility a moral question, it's a safety concern as well. Recently, reports from former ICE employees have come forward detailed a lack of adequate training being given to agents. Allowing a detention facility built here invites dangerously unqualified and heavily armed people into our city and into our community. And that's again the only response that we should have to that is no. It's not acceptable. So I call on the city council say no. Make it so that such a facility cannot be built. Not roadblocked not stymied in some way just no alto together. Then from that build on you know further. I was there at the at the Congressional United CC to pass, you know, and heard everybody somewhere in the crowd, somewhere on the stage commit to holding hearings and then taking actionable steps. And those actionable steps need to be made based on the promises there. I tried to drive out the people that I knew to get to vote to vote for the people who promised. And those are promises that I really hope and expect to be keep kept. And I guess lastly, this is a moral issue at this point. This isn't, you know, when you go back and you look at the pe various people throughout history and those who are on the sidelines, do you do you really want to be the person who said, "Yeah, I was there and I was in some sort of position of authority, even if it's not a big one." You know, you know, we don't have any illusions about how much the the council is able to actually shape, but do you really want to be tell kids, grandkids, historians that you just kind of sat there and did nothing? I just I know I would. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Caitlyn Grindell followed by Marilyn Lucunza, followed by Sydney S. My name is Kate and I'm here on behalf of the Piedmont Triad chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. I want to first thank the city council for taking swift action at the February 17th meeting by tightening up zoning requirements which would make it more difficult for ICE to erect detention centers in our community. But we urge you to do more. We ask for a complete ban on any future ICE detention centers in the city, no matter the location. We also ask that the Greensboro City Council swiftly pass a Fourth Amendment resolution, which would direct city staff to limit their cooperation with ICE to the fullest extent possible and require a judicial warrant for ICE to access any city facilities. This is well within the city's rights to do. Last September, the Durham City Council unanimously passed a Fourth Amendment resolution. Greensboro must do the same. There are no excuses. It will financially cost the city nothing to enact a Fourth Amendment resolution. But as we saw in Minneapolis earlier this year, we know the terrible cost of ICE invading local communities. ICE is a threat to everyone, no matter where we are from, and we cannot afford in action. The Pedmont Triad DSA has an important message, one that many have echoed today, but is worth repeating. Our immigrant neighbors are not our enemies. Regardless of where we're from, we all want the same things out of life. But politicians, not necessarily all, but some, some politicians and their billionaire donors will point the finger at immigrants to distract us while they defund our healthcare to enrich themselves by not paying their fair share of taxes. We must come together and reject their scapegoating. Join us to stand with our immigrant neighbors. Join us and say no to any ICE detention centers at any site. Join us and become Join us and say yes to becoming a Fourth Amendment city. Thank you. >> Marilyn, followed by Sydney S, followed by Kevin Rabel. Good evening, mayor and city council members. It is not enough to say that zoning is not enough. We need to do more as a collective. My name is Marilyn Medola and Tunis Lacuna de la Cruz and I'm here because I swore an oath to serve the Lord and his people. You served You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. That oath requires protecting civil liberties and ensuring city policies uphold the rights of every resident regardless of status. State law includes House Bill 370 requires county jails to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. This law is causing people to be deported for minor infractions like driving without a license. Many of these residents face separation from their families or avoid court entirely out of fear, resulting in arrest warrants. Outside detention, the city can implement a policy requiring judicial warrants before responding to federal immigration requests, reinforcing the fourth amendment and building trust between residents and city government. This can be done through city council ordinance or dep departmental policy. The city can strengthen family stability by creating our own or partnering with legal aid of North Carolina and university law clinics to provide regular immigration legal clinics. Study shows that families with legal re representation are three times more likely to avoid prolonged detention and family separation. These clinics can be hosted at the city facilities, coordinated with nonprofit partners, funded through existing grants, or the city's community service budget. multilingual public information campaigns, live interpretation at at meetings, including American Sign Language, and mandatory cultural competency and deescalation training for city staff and Greensboro Police Department. Strengthen civic participation, reduce complaints, and improve compliance within the city procedures. Implementation can leverage existing staff training, budgets, and partnerships with universities and nonprofits specializing in these programs. Supporting a municipal ID program like those run by Faith Action International House allows residents without state ID to safely access city services, libraries, banking, community resources, or even just picking up their children from schools. The city can provide official recognition, help with printing and distribution, and partner with nonprofits to expand enrollment. Cities with municipal ID see higher civic engagement and lower barriers barriers to essential services. Preventative health outreach through partnerships with Cone Health and Novant Health, including mobile clinics, reduces emergency room visits, improves health outcomes in underserved neighborhoods, and saves taxpayers dollars. The city can provide facilities logistical support or funding for supplemental while hospitals contribute through the community benefit programs. All of these steps are practical, constitutional, and fully achievable using existing city budgets, federal grants, and nonprofit partnerships. They protect family, strengthen public safety, and foster trust between residents and local government. Your oath to uphold the Constitution is the strongest weapon you have. Use it. Protect every family in Greensboro, regardless of status. Okay. Sydney S. Kevin, and I'm sorry, maybe Rabel. I'm not sure how to uh Luis Dio Dorio Lopez will be after them. Hello. I'm here because I love America and I hate ICE. Um there when I first came here, this is first meeting kind of nervous. But when I first came here, I thought it was like it was all the property tax people outside and they were like I thought I was in the wrong place because they're like, "We love ice. We love ice." I was like, "Oh, I don't think I'm in the right area. Um this is not my tribe." But um they all left right. Like you could literally tell they all left right after they were talking about the property taxes. They obviously only care about their own personal finance and not their communities. So I'd argue that I care about America more. Um I also thought that this was going to be more of a Q&A situation. Um, I didn't know it was like kind of just like speak your mind, but I am going to ask questions. Um, will you guys commit to never allowing detention without a judicial warrant in Greensboro? Yes or no? Do you all answer that? Okay. And then adding on to my questions, um, if a resident is wrongfully detained due to ICE cooperation, who takes responsibility, the federal or the state? And then what safeguards are going to ensure our police are not violating the fourth amendment. Yeah, let me let me know. >> Uh hello. Uh I am Kevin Rebel with WO the Working Class and Houseless Organizing Alliance. Um, I'm here tonight along with many others to raise concerns about the city's potential involvement with ICE moving forward. Uh, while I was grateful in a sense to see the additional zoning restrictions placed on the site of the former Hebrew Academy, I am not convinced that these measures will be enough to ensure that the city is prepared to protect its residents from state state sanctioned violence. Any presence from ICE in Greensboro needs to be understood as a promise of violence against all residents of Greensboro, but especially our immigrant neighbors. ICE exists in a lineage of so-called law enforcement agencies tasked with repressing and brutalizing whichever population is the popular scapegoat of the day. Any amount of cooperation between the city and ICE will open the door to see that repression and brutalization realized. And it is, or at least it should be, the responsibility of our elected officials to protect all of our people, regardless of race, class, immigration status, or any other aspect of identity, from the kinds of actions ICE has taken across the country. And to my fellow citizens, I want to take this time to remind you that while immigrants might be the popular scapegoat right now, it has been in the past and will become again in the future. any group which is inconvenient to those in power. And we need to remember that none of us is safe until all of us are safe. The treatment we accept towards immigrants, the unhoused, or any other vulnerable population will inevitably become the treatment that we receive once we are no longer considered part of the inroup. But by coming together in solidarity with the immigrant community, we can ensure that every one of us can be treated with the dignity and respect that we all deserve as human beings. Thank you. I have Luis Dodorio Lopez. Uh then I have Jonathan Wall. And then Terrell Dunie Dunie say Dunie We do give extra time for translation. >> Perfect. Thank you so much. Lopez. My name is Luis Lopez and I lived in Greensboro. Uh, and I've been here for 11 years. And I'm here to request the potential construction of the ice facility to be stopped. And to me, my family, my friends, this affects us directly. Because there's a great fear and anguish that we feel every time we go out because sometimes we think there's uh undercover ICE agents all around. And what we've seen through social media, the press and other types of uh forms of communication is that these uh agents do not respect uh anybody or anyone especially people who look like me and speak like me and also don't they don't also respect the immigration status of anybody I have three kids and every time I leave my home uh they seem to be very stressed. They always tell me to behave even though I always behave. And um they tell me to take all my documentation with me and to just uh view my best behavior. And I see a lot of my uh friends that also work in hospitality uh restaurants mostly and they're also seem to be very stressed and with a lot of anxiety. to stand. >> And as you know, in the majority of these uh jobs are uh taken by uh Hispanic population and they're also afraid that one day when they're working uh a crew of violence agents will come and raid the place and take everybody. And the owners of these restaurants are also concerned because if this were to happen, uh more than half of their workforce will be out and uh they will pretty pretty much have to close the place and the co-workers who are left will probably have to uh lose base of uh wages. >> Your last sentence please. Last couple of sentences we gave extra time. >> Yeah, I will try in English. Uh so I I thank you uh very much. Uh we are uh we are trying to get in to later with uh some of of you uh with uh Hug Hug Hol Holston, April Parker Parker uh with uh you uh Mayor Mar and uh Is he growful? >> Thank you so much. And uh yes, we've taken a lot of notes tonight. We have your information. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is is Jonathan Wall here? Jonathan Wall. Okay, Terrell Dunie. >> And that is the last speaker I have. If someone did sign up, please raise your hand. You signed up. >> You signed up at 5:30. >> That's okay. Next time. >> Go ahead. >> Hello. Um, back in December, we and myself and members of Keep Gase City House came in front of this new council with a call to action. For years, the city has needed to do more to combat negligent landlords that we are that are unresponsible to the city. We've heard cases of that earlier. Um I mean held during that meeting on December 16th, the city was rapidly responding to 160 families being displaced at the district due to um fire hazards. Uh for two years we've come before this the prior city council, excuse me, bringing tenants to share their conditions they were living in and requesting more be done to make these landlords take care of these properties. Myself and other volunteers have seen the conditions of these homes, the pests, the lack of appliances working, the sewage and litter just scound. Not to mention the just downright mean, nasty, rude behavior of these landlords in property management companies. Uh, it's challenging to live in, but even challenging to keep fighting and paying for these substender spaces. We were supposed to have two tenants come speak tonight, but they are currently prioritizing finding other accommodations as they've been fighting in court to get their repairs tended to and they've just had to leave. Um, I hope this uh we can't keep allowing the city to overlook this behavior of these landlords. I hope after the case with the district, the city now understands that having bad landlords cost all of us, especially when we're coming up on budgets that were already going to be stripped thin. I bet having to rehouse 160 families did nothing for the city. Uh, with that said, we've asked the council in December to look at doing more for tenants in our enforcement process. We want to hear what the council has been up to in the last two months that y'all have been meeting as a group. Uh could the council please shed some light on what has been moving around the conversations of code and moving uh uh in code compliance and what is counseling willing to do when it comes to listening to the experience of tenants more. Uh I know strong policy is great but what is lacking is a lack of investment in centering our renters and tenants who are the main consumers of our affordable housing. uh we need to make a con concerted effort to keep them at the table because we know the apartment association is are uh already probably at the table and already having that opportunity to speak to y'all which just puts that puts them at a bigger advantage to advocate for their needs over the tenants. Uh I would appreciate any response. I know you're not supposed to respond but any response you could give to me at any time I greatly appreciate that and good job council. Thank you. I just want to mention that we've taken a lot of notes. We have everyone's contact information and um we are looking at everything that has been discussed tonight. So, thank you all for that. Uh Mr. City Manager, I think you wanted to make a comment after the speaker's finished. >> Yes, Madame Mayor. Thank you very much. Um just one comment. I'm going to ask the city attorney to outline relevant to some of the questions surrounding tax. >> Good afternoon, Madame Mayor and members of council. I just want to make just a brief comment on the reevaluation and hopefully to give some explanation um to the citizens that were concerned um and then reiterate I know what some of you all have told your constituents. So, Guilford County has just completed a countywide property re-evaluation which is what everyone Well, what what some of the speakers came up and spoke about tonight, that process is done by the county tax assessor, not the city. By law, the counties periodically reassess property values to reflect current market conditions. Normally, by law, this would have happened in year 2027, but because of the market conditions, it is happening now. And the last re-evaluation um assessment was in 2022. The county also have um any choice in the matter. The law requires that revaluations are done. Um if homes if home values increase significantly, the new assessed value looks alarming, which is what we hear tonight. However, what we need to stay mindful of is an increase in value does not automatically mean that the city is raising taxes. Um the city has to go through a budget process where they will talk about whether or not they will raise the taxes. And the law requires the city to consider what we call a revenue neutral rate. That's the rate that would bring in roughly the same amount of revenue as last year even if the property values were increased by the county. So, if the residents agree, and I know they've seen that on their letter, but if they do disagree with the revaluation of their property, they have the right to appeal, but that appeal must go through the county. Um, it cannot go through the city because the city does by law doesn't have any means to do anything. Um, and so I just wanted to put that out there because I know that the residents are coming to the city council to speak about the reevaluation process, but I wanted to let them know that that the process is to appeal that, but the appeal must go through the county. So, it's not going to if it if they tried to bring an appeal through the city at this stage, it just has no effect because by law, that's a county um process. That's all. >> Is that all? Thank you. Um, moving on to our public hearing agenda. We have no items for this evening, nor do we have any items for our general business agenda. So, we will move on to boards and commission appointments. Uh, I will start down with Miss Parker. Do you have any? None. Mr. Marshall, Miss Crawford, Miss Roth? I don't have any. Miss Thurm, >> I have one. I would like to appoint Ray Refe to the redevelopment commission to take the place of um my appointee that has resigned. >> Okay. Do I hear a second? >> Seconded by Mr. Holston. All in favor, please say I. >> That passes unanimously. Mr. Holston. None. Mr. Allen. Miss Black. All right, we will go to council comments. I will start with Miss Black. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, I have several council comments tonight. Um, I wanted to give a shout out to our district 2 police precinct and the community connectors for hosting the annual Soup for the Soul community event. It was a really uh heartwarming event that we have annually in District 1. Uh, turned out to be really nice. Um, wanted to give another shout out to the human rights department for hosting another successful taste of the diaspora uh with the AAD committee. Uh, thank you council member Parker for joining me in attendance. Um, I also want to give a special thank you to city manager Trey Davis and to Maria Hicks who is with uh the human rights department for uh presenting an award to me. they snuck it in, but um they managed to get me there and get the award in and I appreciate that uh for uh the vision of AAD as well as the taste of the diaspora. So, thank you so much for that. It means a lot. I'd like to give a shout out to us. Uh council completed our first retreat and we made it through. I think that we did well. We learned a lot about each other and best practices on how we can continue healthy and viable collaborations. I'm excited to be a part of what we will do together and I feel confident that our city will be pleased with council's leadership and the direction we move in this city. Bingham Park, we are on our way to a full remediation. Uh we will meet again on March 5th and March 16th. If you're interested in finding out the pathway to that, I invite you to attend at 6 PM. I want to also personally thank council for your support and the way that you have rallied with me in getting a full remediation plan. Your dedication to uh bringing quality in all communities and districts in Greensboro is reflected in the way that you have championed with me. So, thank you. >> All right, Mr. Allen. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You said I'm I'm ready tonight. >> Um, I also want to acknowledge the great work that our city manager and city attorney have done with leading this new council. I want you to know that your leadership has been not only supportive, but your support has been wrapped in integrity and professionalism. You have my utmost trust and I would be remissed not to acknowledge the exceptional work that you do each day. Thank you. >> I'm done now. >> You're done. >> Thank you, Mr. Allen. >> I will be very brief. First, I want to thank uh the community for coming out and speaking to the issues that were uh very uh concerning to them uh and giving us the information that we need to be able to continue to do our work. Uh we're always grateful for the community's insight. Uh also want to stand on the backs of Councilman Black and and thank the city manager uh and the city attorney for their uh leadership in uh yeah just getting us acclimated to this uh whole process. also want to thank city staff for putting together an amazing retreat uh and uh getting us started on the right foot to be able to make uh some of the visionary steps that we see as necessary for the city to be successful. Uh and that will uh conclude my remarks. >> Super. Mr. Holston. >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. Uh I'll reiterate the council retreat that we uh just had last week was very informative and very helpful especially for us being a relatively new council with so many new members. um it was different from many of our previous sessions whereas a lot of the a lot of the lifting was done before the retreat and so therefore we had time to visionize and strategize and so I want to thank uh the city manager's office for pulling that together and then I want to thank my fellow council members for for holding it together during the entire event. It was wonderful. Um council member Parker I want to thank you for the downtown business walk. I was there in the 23rd. It was very uh vigorous and informative listening to the the small business owners talk about everything parking to safety uh to just making sure that that we keep our eye on the ball here in Greensboro. So, thank you for uh pulling that off so successfully. Council member Black, thank you for pulling together that Bingham Park uh conversation with the community. It was also very energetic. Um but many of th those who attended were very excited about the possibility of the possibility. Uh as was said then nothing is uh finalized. Steps phases one and two phases three through five have to still be worked on. But uh as we said keep hope alive with Bingham Park. Uh also I want to say that um uh last month was Black History Month. I had the opportunity to attend the Gateway Adaptive Black History Living Wax Museum and where the students uh dressed up in in living wax, so to speak, and historical characters uh African-American and folks of of color. It was uh very very exciting and and very um uh I would say emotional but uh to see the students engaged and engaging and the parents and the instructors it was a wonderful event. I also want to say that uh for those residents who did come out tonight speak about those topics that are on top of their mind. I want you to know that for each and every council member, they're also on top of our minds. Um code enforcement, property taxes, immigration. Uh those things are also on our mind and we'll be doing all that we possibly can. Uh we do have uh our our budget sessions coming up when it comes to the city of Greensboro separate from the county and you'll be hearing more of that uh from the city manager's office and also from council members. And I also want to say that uh I I appreciate the the work that our city manager and city attorney have put into helping to inform, educate, um provide the information to this new council with again so many new members. Uh they've done an outstanding job of of uh coalesing information, providing it in a form that with the previous council, it it wasn't necessarily as needed, but with this council getting off on the right foot, uh you've done the right thing and making sure that we have the information that we need to make the decisions that we need to make on a regular basis. And so, thank you so very much for that. And madame mayor, that completes my comments. >> Thank you, Miss Thurm. Thank you. Um, Mr. Holston mentioned the upcoming budget meetings. Um, the district 5 budget meeting is this Thursday, um, March 5th at six o'clock at the Griffin Rec Center. Um, I hope we'll have a good turnout for that. Please know that if you can't make your particular district meeting, you are welcome at any of the district meetings. So, if folks want to come out this Thursday and get a head start from other districts, we welcome you to that meeting. Um, look forward to seeing a good crowd there. Mr. city manager. Uh, a couple weeks ago I mentioned the um road challenges at David Caldwell and we were looking for some updates on that. I haven't received anything on that and I'm hoping that we can get some response for those folks that live in that neighborhood pretty quickly. >> Yes, ma'am. I'll go ahead and respond. I think we will have you something by in the morning. I did receive an update. Uh, that particular study is completed. So, we'll provide you a detailed update to all council tomorrow. >> That'll be great. Thank you so much. Um, I too need to say that I think this in my time on council that this retreat was the best we've had yet. Um, I think the focus on strategy was um warranted and was welcomed and I think that all of us felt really good about the two days we spent together. It was a long two days, but so well worth it. So, thank you all for everyone that worked on making that um retreat a reality for this council and for the city of Greensboro. Um I too will add my two cents worth about the orientation and all the work that staff has put in to on boarding not only the new council but updating the existing council with some of the meetings that we've had, some of the orientation, departmental orientations. um have been very very beneficial. Even if we heard it heard it four years ago or whatever, a lot's changed in four years, it's been great to get those updates. Um and I think that really has set the tone for the next four years. Um, I just want to say that I am very excited and was very energized after our retreat and as I've told a number of people, I think we're going to see really good things happening in the next four years and I'm very excited about that. So, thanks to staff, to the city manager, city attorney, and to all of you. I really appreciate the spirit with which we all came together at the retreat, and uh I think we've got a lot of really good work ahead of us. Thank you. >> Thank you. All right, Miss Roth, I'll go down that way. >> Okay. Thank you, Madame Mayor. I appreciate it. Um, first I want to say to the community members that came out tonight and that tuned in. Your comments and uh giving voice to the moments that we're facing right now are truly important across the board. I appreciate so many people coming out. Um but your input both whether online or the phone calls or emails and otherwise are very significant as we're taking our steps uh as we go into the budget as we're looking at uh various ordinances. So thank you very much for engaging uh it is an important part of what we do um in terms of representing our community and that is a collective sport that we all have to continue to engage in. Um, I too want to say thank you to my council colleagues and to the city staff for the city council retreat. It was truly robust. We've already seen followup uh in directions coming out of it. Um, I personally am very appreciative of the order and direction. I think we really uh came together in terms of the direction that council wants to take from a strategic standpoint. Staff heard that. We heard each other. Um, I think we will be stronger forward and we also are holding ourselves accountable. So, I I just look forward to what's next. Um, and honestly, it is been representative of our short time here on council. Um, the work that we've seen from the city manager and the city attorney and their collective staff. Um, the work that you're doing, I echo what my colleagues have said. Um, but it's also keeping up with the energetic nature of this council. uh there's been efforts to both look at new concepts or look at old concepts in different ways and you all have been truly truly responsive um and immediate in that response. It's actually um it's um it's exhausting to watch how you all are working and and I we appreciate it uh a great deal. Um I want to um uh so just let me make sure I just say that the work that you all are doing is very significant. Um and we applaud you. I I think I can speak for everyone in saying that. Um want to acknowledge that it is women's history month. Um and in particular uh Habitat for Humanity of Greensboro has a women's build. Our kickoff is actually this Saturday, March 7th. Um and some of my co council colleagues, if not maybe all of them and potentially staff will be participating in a women's build um on March 14th and uh just to put it in context uh one out of every 10 households in this city is led by women. Um the idea of creating home and giving space to uh individuals is not just for that family but it's creating community. So, I thank you all and encourage you all to come out or do something to honor the women in your lives um or to support those that are around you overall. But Habitat is uh going to be very active this month. So, I look forward to seeing you all. Thank you. >> All right, Miss Crawford. >> Thank you. Um I have to echo thank you to the community that showed up tonight to speak from taxes to uh immigration rights, civil rights, human rights. um as well as h uh our housing situation for uh many of our tenants. Um what I heard from that is a request for a tenant forum uh to hear from tenants around the ordinances that we are um actively working to uh bring to the city uh to help make sure that our rental properties, our communities, our commercial properties are uh not a blight in our community and that they are keeping each of us safe in our homes and in our communities. Um So, we'll look at uh how we can fit that in. And then uh also a forum for all of our neighbors uh across migrancy status. Um I know that we we were at a town hall where uh some of us did did make a commitment to an ask. Um and so I know that I sent my thoughts around what we could do about a forum uh with our neighbors. Um have spoken with April about that. Um, so we haven't forgotten our promises. Um, I just want to make sure that the community knows that we are behind them in every way that we can. Uh, we do have budget town halls coming up. Mine is on the 10th. Uh, we also have, um, a district 2 town hall on the 18th. Um, I do want to thank the city manager Davis and um, our city attorney Laura Cubage. uh you all have been extremely helpful in uh learning how to move policy from this side of the dis and I I greatly appreciate it. Also um to the city manager department, thank you for the retreat and the onboarding and everything that you've tried to do with the tours. Um it's a lot and we are trying to show up for all of it, but we we really do when we can't be everywhere. We appreciate that you've done that um to help us along uh around the taxes. We didn't do the reassessment um but I do know that the county is going to have five town hall meetings across the county uh and taxes is a large part of that. So I hope that folks will uh show up to those and get your questions answered. Um, also next Monday is the 135th Founders Day convocation and installation of the 13th chancellor, uh, Dr. James R. Martin II. Um, and that will be at Corbett Gym. So, I hope that folks will sign up for tickets. This is a really important day. And then, uh, also GSO CAN will have their next meeting on Thursday. Um it is 4:30 to 5:30. Uh please check our website for all of the information. Um and again, you know, I'm so glad that we kept the three minutes because even though we had so many speakers, we wanted to make sure to hear from each and every one of them. Uh and I also want to look at how we can do our um our work with community that needs translation, how we can do that better. Um even if it's from the dis and allowing for translation. If it is having someone here to help us with uh sign language or translation, um I'm open to any suggestions on how we can serve the community better. >> All right, Mr. Marshall. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. And I also want to echo thanking all of our speakers. Um we always appreciate the concern, the feedback and the comments. Um that's that kind of engagement with us is so important. Um the retreat last week was fantastic. I left so hopeful and energized from uh working with all of you and what we're going to be able to do together um and leading as a group towards some consistent and clear uh goals and projects. Uh, so I'm really excited to see where those things pan out. Uh, we did just finish the last of our three downtown walks. Um, really appreciate everybody from the community's uh, participation, for coming out, for walking with us. Thank you, uh, to Councilwoman Parker for organizing those. Um, and I want to let those folks know that the conversations are not over just because we've finished those walks. Um, and as we've been sitting up here tonight, um, it has even been announced that, uh, the surface and street parking is going to go from starting free at 6:00 p.m. to starting at 5:00 p.m. Uh, there are some other changes that that have been worked in there as well that I'm not going to read from up here, but I'm sure they are out and about already. Um but we are working to make some positive changes uh for uh regarding safety, regarding parking and so that folks can come to our downtown and feel uh safe, engaged, and so that our small business owners can uh operate and uh try to succeed a little bit uh better than than things are going right now. Um, I also want to express my support for city staff, uh, for our city manager, for our city attorney. You guys take a lot of blows in the media and social media like we do. Uh, want you to know we've got your backs just like you've got ours. We think you guys have been doing a phenomenal job and appreciate um, everything you've done for us. And because somebody will say you put us up to saying the all these things, no, you didn't. Um, just want to make all that very clear. We appreciate you. We see you and thank you. >> All right, Miss Parker. >> Yes. Just quickly, um, the council speaks my mind. I echo every sentiment. And I also just want to remind the city and the county that it's election day tomorrow. And I hope everybody can get out the vote because it's only because of an historic um mobilization of voters in our in our campaign last wave uh that I've been blessed to work beside for the last 90 days in office in a once-ina-lifetime council that has truly hit the ground running in partnership with management and staff. Um it is because of the rigor and the standard and everybody coming together um that we are now looking uh decades into the future and uh I just ask that everybody um go out and vote uh because it really does bring change. Thank you. >> Great. I'll go lust on the dis. Um, thank everybody for the retreat, staff, city manager, assistant city managers, everybody worked so hard on that. I just want all of you to know how much we appreciate. I think you've heard everyone say something and I learned a lot more about my colleagues. Uh, things that I didn't even know. So, that was that was great because uh we all work together and and we want to be a team. So with that, um, Saturday we buried officer Lucas Pierce. Uh, he unfortunately passed away February 24th. Um, very, very emotional day uh, for the family, five children. He was only 44. Um, so please keep his family and the police department family in your thoughts and prayers, please. Uh that afternoon Tammy and I attended the mother's memorial, Mother's Standing Against Gun Violence Memorial. Um you know, I would encourage council when you see these things uh happen in the community, these events, please, if you are able, please try to attend. I know we get a lot of invitations and I know it's impossible to go to everything, but it it means a lot to the community. Um, I had the pleasure and the excitement of being at North Guilford High School to hand a game basketball to Lena McDaniel, who is the highest allcore basketball player. Uh, and she's a junior at Northern Guilford High School. And this is really exciting because she's only a junior and she's already surpassed all of the records that are possible to be passed. So, we all need to watch out for her future because it's going to be and she's a 4.0 average for better. Uh downtown walks, of course, Bingham Park, of course, I'm not going to go through all of that, but I want to thank everyone and including the speakers this evening. Uh we all we take all of this to heart. So, I I want uh you know, sometimes I hate that comments are done at the very end when everyone has already left. So, I hope that some of them will watch it because we take it to heart and we do take notes and staff does have their information. So, uh, having said that, Mr. City Manager, >> thank you, Mayor, mayor, and council. Just for a quick moment, I want to say, uh, we return the thanks to you all because the retreat was all about you and you all did the hard work. You dug in. Uh, you enjoyed yourselves. You enjoyed each other and that's what it's all about. So, thank you. Uh that was the biggest thanks that I could receive is the way you all responded to the retreat, the way you responded to each other, and now it's time to work. So feel like every time I pull up and say get in the car and go, you're all ready to go. So uh just be ready some more. Uh one quick update I do have. I'm going to ask ACM Oliva to give an update. I think uh a um council member Marshall started talking about it a little bit, but you know, you all have leaned in. Um council member Parker um kind of threw the cast a net out and so some walks came from that. There have been tremendous responses from the community downtown um and and great coverage. So, I'm going to ask ACM Aliva to give an update on a few things and kind of give you a scale of what you'll see immediately and then uh in the in the next couple months. Thank you, city manager Davis, Tiffany Oliva, assistant city manager. Good evening, mayor and members of council. Um, of course, through the downtown business walks and ongoing conversations, which I think is really important to emphas emphasize that we'll continue listening, um, and having these conversations, uh, we've worked to develop some quick wins for our downtown community, and we hope these will impu improve clarity, access, and consistency around downtown parking. I also want to emphasize that we we heard and recognize that this is not the only area of concern downtown, but it is something that we can act very quickly on. And so together with the analysis that was done, thank you, Council Member Parker, um and to our community relations staff, we've developed these quick wins. And so there are six um that we're working on through midsummer and then another three that we're going to be working on now through um early fall um or even before then. So the sixth through midsummer are one um clarifying our parking rules uh by making the signage more clear and consistent across downtown. Uh number two, which council member Marshall already shared, we have changed the surface lot and on street um free after 6 p.m. to free after 5:00 pm. So now folks will get an additional hour free. And I also want to remind folks that our surface lots and on street parking remain free on weekends. And during city recognized holidays, um we're going to do some increased efforts around community engagement and communications on our social media platform, creating some informative videos and making sure folks are aware of these changes. Um number four, ensuring consistent enforcement. Um that way we have turnover in some of these spaces that often get held up downtown. Uh we're going to work on promoting some access to promoting access to the Park mobile um digital payment platform. So, we're rolling out a how-to video. Thank you again, Council Member Parker, for for suggesting that. And then we're The last one is that we're working to clarify and consolidate our loading loading zones um so that they can be used for both deliveries and then also for curbside pickups. And then the three midterm wins that we're working on is reviewing our outdoor patio dining that are located in on street spaces. And we'll be doing that in coordination with the lease holders over the next several months. And then the two most I think exciting ones and and we'll we'll see how all those program details shape up in coordination with you all is the program details for a downtown service employee parking program. And then the other is exploring some payment validation options for patrons that are visiting downtown. Um so again taken together these changes are intended to make parking easier for those who live, work and visit downtown and again really appreciate your leadership. Thank you, madame city attorney. >> Nothing nothing much. Um, madame mayor, just to say thank you to the city council for your kind words tonight. I can say from me and my staff and legal department is truly an honor to serve you. >> Thank you. Y'all do a great job. All right. Nothing else. I would accept a motion to adjourn. Moved by Miss Roth, >> second by Miss Black. All in favor, please say I. We are adjourned. Thank you.