Keep the gold. I'm sorry. Oh, I know you do. That's a Here we go. Here we go. It's my dude and you just share it with me. All right. Okay. You know who it is now. like Which Yeah. First move. Right. Fire. There's there's You still [Music] standing there probably five or six patients. years of service. So those people will cry out front when they're all by the time they get down. Yeah. I try to look at him coming in. Where? Oh there's right now. [Music] Good morning. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. I'm City Council President Doug Shipman calling to order this regularly scheduled meeting of the Atlanta City Council. It is Monday, December 2nd, 2024. I'd like to call on the clerk to call the opening role, please. Good afternoon, Mr. Mr. President and members of council. We have Council President Doug Shipman, present. Council member Michael Julian Bond, post one at large. Council member Matt West Morland, post two at large. Here. Council member Kesha Shawn Wade, post three at large. I'm sorry. Council member Jason H. Winston, District 1. Here, Council Member Areroi, District 2. Council member Byron D. Amos, District Three. Here. Council member Jason Doza, District 4. Present. I can't tell. Council member Lun Bakier, District 5. Council member Alex Juan, District 6. Council member Howard Shook, District 7. Council member Mary Norwood, District 8. Council member Dustin Hillis, District 9. Council member Andre El Boon, District 10. Council member Marcy Coler, Over Street, District 11. Council member Antonio Lewis, District 12, present. Mr. President, we do have a quorum of members present. Thank you, Mr. Armed. Thank you. Next, we'll move to the adoption of the agenda. Are there any changes or updates to the agenda that was set out before? If not, then I would entertain a motion to adopt. Moved by council member Juan, seconded by council member Shook. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt the agenda? We do this v unanimous consent. Without objection. Any objection to the motion to the adopt the agenda? Madame clerk, please sound the count on unanimous consent. 11 yay zero nay. 11 yay zero naysay. A motion to adopt. The agenda carries. Next we'll move to the uh invocation. We do not have a guest today. So before we take a moment of silence, I would ask if there are any remembrances that my colleagues want to bring forward. Council member Boone. Thank you, Mr. President. Today we would like to remember Miss Helen Brown Harden. Miss Harden was the visionary of Bankhead Seafood that opened in 1968. That vision has been broughten by the ownership of Clifford Ti Harris and Michael Killer Mike Render. She passed over the weekend and is a member of the Payton Chalet community. Today we would like to honor her. She's a She was a created individual, businesswoman, and visionary. Please remember Helen Brown Harden, owner of Bankhead Seafood. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any others? Well, for this one and those that remain unnamed, would you please join me in a moment? Thank you. Would you please join me in the pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Next, we will move to proclamations, commendations, and other special awards. First up, I would like to ask Council Member Alex Juan to come forward and all of those who are here to honor Charles H. Dillard, aka Mr. Charlie Brown, to join us up on the podium, please. Come on. Good afternoon everyone. As they are making their way up, I'm going to like to make a couple of comments before I present the proclamation. Um I have the distinct honor of presenting a proclamation in remembrance of um I think the words that have been used to describe this person have been leg come on up. Uh legendary icon. I mean all the uh um superlatives that one would use to describe someone who has been in the LGBTQ community for uh over you know multiple decades who unfortunately passed earlier this year. And I'm speaking of Charles H. Dillard who um our community knows more fondly as Mr. Charlie Brown. Now um my first encounter with Mr. Charlie Brown was uh and I'm going to spill a little tea on myself here. Um back in my party days uh at Backstreet. Um yeah, I know everyone's like, "Oh, Backstreet." Um and it's it's really something because the Charlie Brown Cabaret was up on the top floor and and um the shows didn't start until 11. So that tells you how late this form this council member um was out during his heyday. Um but but he had a really illustrious career as an entertainer and as a drag entertainer not just in Atlanta but also um in the south. Um, more importantly though, he was an esteemed and uh prolific activist uh within the AIDS community um helping raise awareness, helping raise funds um and just being an advocate for um those that were impacted with by or living with uh HIV. Um his tenure at Backstreet, I did not realize this, was from 1990 to 2004. Um which is pretty remarkable. um considering well I would judge considering how fickle the the gay community can be. Um that actually is a testament of how powerful and how important um his work there was. Um, now I do remember the times that I would go. Um, I was joking with uh his his friends earlier today that um if you've never been to a drag performance, um I will warn you the first time you go that drag performers can sniff out fresh meat faster than anything. Um and they will pick on you. Uh and they will in a in a loving kind of sarcastic and and brilliant way. Um, but so I would always try and hide in the back uh because I was just dazzled by kind of the creativity and the genius that is drag performance. Um, and then the other thing that um, if you're a group of straight women, especially women on bachelorette parties, y'all are easy target as well. So, my little uh, pieces of advice um, before I read this, um, want to acknowledge two things. Number one is that um Mayor Dickens had the foresight to prevent Mr. Charlie Brown with the the Phoenix Award in 2022. Um and then also I just want to acknowledge his husband Fred Weise who was up here with us um and their long-standing relationship. So I'm not going to read the entire thing um partly because there are a couple of cuss words in here. Very fitting for a proclamation for Mr. Charlie Brown. But um I'll I'll read some of it and then present it. So whereas Charles H. Diller, better known as Mr. Charlie Brown, was born on December 29, 1949 in West Morland, Tennessee into a loving missionary Baptist family, the youngest of three children to parents Charlie Ben Dillard and Velma Anne Sanders. Whereas as Mr. Charlie Brown, he traveled the nation um uniting the drag community and inspiring countless individuals with his talent, resilience, and authenticity while mentoring younger drag queens and leaving an indelible mark on the LGBTQ plus community. And whereas in the face of the AIDS epidemic, Mr. Charlie Brown became a tireless advocate raising funds, awareness, and hope for those affected by the disease, his efforts and earned him widespread recognition, including being named a grand marshal in Baltimore's gay pride parade and receiving the prestigious Aid Atlanta Founders Award. And whereas December 29, 2024 marks what would have been Mr. Charlie Brown's 75th birthday, a fitting occasion to honor his legacy, celebrate his contributions to Atlanta's culture, and acknowledge the power of his story to inspire future generations. Now, therefore, it be proclaimed that we, the members of the Atlanta City Council, on behalf of the residents of Atlanta, to hereby declare December 29, 2024 as Mr. Charlie Brown Day in the city of Atlanta in recognition of Mr. Charlie Brown's extraordinary life, his artistic achievements, his advocacy, and his enduring legacy in the LGBTQ plus and drag communities. And it's signed by Council President Doug Shipman and all members of council. So, before I invite um his husband to speak, is there anyone from council who would like to make any remarks? All right, Brad Fred, I got to turn it over to you. This will be very brief. Thank you. This is This is will be brief. My throat is very rough today. Uh just wanted to thank uh the mayor, uh the city council, uh the uh gay community of Atlanta, all the uh straight folks that enjoyed uh our our work during the years. And uh God bless America, God bless Atlanta, God bless all of you. Have a great day. Okay, with that, I'll invite my colleagues to take a photo. right here. [Music] [Applause] Thank you. Next, I'd like to invite council member Michael Julian Bond and all of those who are here in recognition of HelloFresh and Second Helpings to please join us up on the dis. Now, we had 200 people outside. I know you all came in. So, come on. Everybody who's ever been associated with Second Helpings Atlanta or HelloFresh has volunteered. And I think uh we need to bring uh we have some of the pastors over here on the side. We need to let them in through the side door because there wasn't enough room in here for everyone. You come stand right here, Vanessa. Hey, got everybody. Yeah. Mhm. No, you come on in. You stand up here next to me. You stand right here. You all come on up. We can squeeze in back here. No, you can come on up. Come on up. Come on. You know, this place is like a is like the church in the jail. There's always room for one more. Amen. Amen. Yeah, I think this is too small. I can't really see this. No, you can put them down here on the president's desk. You stand right there. You don't have to hold them. No, the president's desk right here, Clay. Either you stand you stand by them. Is that everybody? You need to come up here, Miss Nash. You need to come up front. Come on up, Kenny. Well, I want to say good afternoon to everyone. Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here today uh to present a proclamation to two organizations that have left an indelible print on the city of Atlanta that have ministered uh to the people of this city uh for the last four years and they have brought together a coalition of groups, churches, nonprofits and volunteers that have thought it not robbery to wash the feet of others here in the city of Atlanta. Beginning in the pandemic when we were at our lowest as a planet when people were suffering it through in isolation, poverty was highlighted, the economy was terrible despite what the uh president-elect might say. it. Things were bad uh across the globe and food insecurity that had already been an issue uh was exacerbated. I was uh brought into this ministry with these groups through my former chief of staff, Vanessa Manley, who had made a a contact with our good friends, the Alamies, who run Hosea Helps, the nonprofit that feeds thousands every day around this city. And it's a fitting, you know, as the mayor says, he makes uh Oh, thank you. large print. Thank you. Uh, as the mayor says, he draws circles. It was Elizabeth's father when I was in the district 3 seat, uh, Council Member Amos, and that first reached out to me to help feed the hungry in that little district when I was 27 years old. So th this is work that unfortunately has to go on, continues to go on and around the city by helping people have a little extra on their plate uh to make their ends meet. Now, I've got a list of dignitaries that we've put together, and I'm going to try to read through it really, really quickly. Uh, and I apologize if we haven't gotten everyone, but I tell we're we're represented here today by Mr. Kenny Morris, who is our on the ground coordinator. I've I've mentioned uh Mr. Manley, who we plan every week the uh where we're going to be and h how we're going to be. We have, and I'm going to ask you to raise your hands. We have volunteers from the solicitor's office, Reigns Carter, who was here. Y'all raise your hands. We have uh volunteers from the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. Please raise your hands. We have volunteers from the Atlanta Corrections Department. Please raise your hands. We have volunteers from the watershed department. Are they here? That's okay. You don't have to be scared of your boss. You can raise your hand. And of course, we had various other department uh departments that helped out. Uh principally the department of parks and recreation and of course uh the Atlanta Police Department. Plus, the Dicap County Sheriff's and the uh Fulton County Sheriff's Department may the mayor's office of immigration was a a constant partner uh with us every particular uh week. And of course, we had Fulton County Commissioners Rob Pittz, uh Marvin Arrington, Nat Natalie Hall, who who helped us out in addition to many other state representatives, state senators, and other local elected officials. But uh let me get these dignitaries out of the way. So we have Bruce Jordan with the Green Shades nonprofit, Reverend High Tower and Reverend Bird from Antioch Urban Ministries. Uh we have Elizabeth, I mentioned Elizabeth, Elizabeth and Aimo. We have the executive director Paul Clemics from Second Helpings. Where are you Paul? Okay, you stay right there. We have Corbana Nemo program partnership director at SE Second Helpings. Where are you? Okay, you you come up a little closer. We have Gloria Carter also from Second Helpings, Bob Gallagher, Dan uh Sterling from Second Helpings, uh Don uh Don Rivers from In the Action, Linda Jordan from the Association of Securityities, National Board member, and she's back. She's here. We've got folks from the Atlanta Fire Department, Chief Chief Hampton, where are you, Chief? Is Chief still up here? Okay. Well, Captain Isaac Robinson, uh, Lieutenant Jackson, Lieutenant Green, of course, Claudia Nash, who we mentioned, Veronica Davies, Shandra Mahoney, and we have I mentioned, uh, Kenneth Morris, who's our underground coordinator from Shaking, uh, Shaking the Nation's Ministry, and from the Department, where's Chief Dansby from the Department of Correction? Come on up a little closer chief. And we have de deputy chief quiller. And we have officer Baldwin, officer Lane, officer Malcolm Williams and Baker. And I know that I saw uh Reverend Greg Fan is here. And who who else? You know, my eyes aren't good, so I don't want to miss it. We have Pastor Daryl Elegan. Who else? Stephen Steven Muhamd from Vine City Civic Civic Association. Who was that? and re of course Reverend Tim McDonald who served the city. Come on up, Reverend McDonald. Can you y'all let Reverend McDonald's? Former city employee ran the constituent services office right under the Jackson administration. And of course, where are the volunteers that come come every week? I see you, Priscilla. Terry, there there's Terry Smith. If you ever listen to SOS band or uh Lakeside, Terry played the bass. Go here and wave wave at him, Terry. All right. Well, where where's Rob Wilson? Rob Wilson uh former WAK uh host and uh financial advisor the and members of the concerned black clergy. Can can members of this concerned black clergy wave their hands to be acknowledged? Shar Muhammad and and brother Shereek Muhammad. 10,000 and 10,000 Fearless Fearless Black Women's Lab. Black Women's Lab. Where are you? Okay. Okay. Good. All right. So, and we have many more whom I you know, you're part of my my heart and my eyes. I can't see you. I can't I can't hear you. Oh, the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Let's give them a round of applause for also being here, you know, and how this started, you know, four years ago under the pandemic, uh, Vanessa brought to my attention uh, the partnership potential with HelloFresh and Second Helpings Atlanta. Second Helpings Atlanta does not get the credit they deserve here inside the city of Atlanta. They divert more than three million pounds of food annually out of landfills, out of the garbage can, and get them in the hands of people and families in the city of Atlanta. Let's give them a round of applause for that. And where's where's my man from from uh HelloFresh USA? Where we got right behind you. Oh, okay. Yeah, you're right here. So, we've got our national officer from from HelloFresh here uh who flew into Atlanta to be here today. And so, unfortunately, as we have served uh over the the four-year period in this partnership, over 1 million a million.3 meals have been served inside of the city limits with this partnership. And so, oh, the who's the board chair? Dan Sterling. Oh, hello Dan. Chair, this is the chairman of the board. How you doing, Dan? It's good to see you. And so, let's give them a big round of applause because they do this work every day. That's right. And this our lady from the noon warehouse. This where they make the food for HelloFresh. And so, we're we're glad to see you though sad that unfortunately uh this is coming to a close because HelloFresh is leaving our market. And so, but with that, we thought it not robbery to stop and pause and thank you both for your contributions to the people of the city of Atlanta. Unfortunately, as Elizabeth can tell you, you know, I thought after the pandemic that lines would get shorter, that the need would absolve itself, that it would correct itself, but that that is not the case. we uh find that our lives are if not just as long if not longer and the the need is greater and you know it's not just people who you would be who you would consider to be economically challenged there are all kinds of people who come up in the line who walk up in the line who drive up in the line who come on behalf of others in the line and so even though this particular program is coming to an end the need the mission continues and so we wanted to pause today to recognize these two great organizations with proclamations uh to to both of them. And I will read the proclamation in pertinent part in honor of the meals with meaning program in Atlanta. Whereas in response to the global COVID 19 pandemic and the escalating rates of food insecurity, HelloFresh launched the Meals with Meaning program in 2020 with the mission to make fresh food accessible to individuals and families facing food insecurity. Whereas in July 2021, HelloFresh partnered with local company Pratt Industries and Second Helpings Atlanta to expand their national meals with meaning program. And whereas Second Helpings Atlanta has played a pivotal role in rescuing surplus food uh from HelloFresh's Nunan distribution center and has uh the expertise and volunteer network to assemble and distribute the meal kits. And whereas the Meals with Meaning Atlanta program collaborates with the Atlanta city council and the mayor's office of im immigration affairs to identify communities and recipients uh for the meal distributions ensuring equitable access to fresh nutritious food. And whereas through the robust distribution network that includes community centers, churches, parks, and apartment complexes, Meals with Meanings provides households with two ready to prepare HelloFresh meal kits containing fresh vegetables, protein, pantry staples, and cooking instructions along with a bag of fresh fruit. And whereas uh since its inception, the Meals with Meaning Atlanta program has provided over 1 3 million meals in Atlanta's most vulnerable communities, creating opportunities for families to connect over home-cooked meals. And whereas more than 5,000 dedicated volunteers have supported the program since 2021, packing and distributing meal kits to 37 organizations, significantly expanding the program's reach and impact. And whereas this collaboration could not have been possible without the generous contributions from the HelloFresh and Pratt industries whose weekly donations of food and and in and packaging have sustained the critical hunger relief initiative. And whereas we recognize the contributions of support from the city of Atlanta departmental and volunteers including the department of corrections planning, watershed ma management, parks and recreations, the office of city solid solicitor uh Atlanta department of uh police, Atlanta fire rescue department, Atlanta city council, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Alumni Chapter, the Concerned Black Clergy, Hosea Helps, Antioch Urban Ministries, Frontline line response, St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church, Fulton County Commission, Dicap County Commission, Fulton County Sheriff's Office, and the Dicap County Sheriff's Office, and various other community and civic organizations. And now therefore, we the original council on behalf of the citizen city of Atlanta hereby proclaim this day, December the 2nd, 2024, in commemoration of the Meals with Meaning program on behalf of HelloFresh and Second Helpings Atlanta in recognition of the program's ex extraordinary contributions and addressing the food and security and fostering community connections to service as a beacon for the type for thousands in the city of Atlanta and witness whereof, I have set my hand and have caused the seal of the city of Atlanta to be here into a fixed. Congratulations second helpings and hello fresh. Yes, your board chair Paul. Thank you so much. Okay, but like they say on late night television, but wait there's more. We have uh a couple of other awards now for our volunteers and other community partners, the CBC and Hosea Helps. We are going to do a volunteer appreciation uh dinner uh within the month of December for to hand out our awards for all of those who have come along. But I wanted to make sure that we gave special recognition to a couple of people who hold that one. a a a couple of recognition from my personal office because this is a partnership with the city of Atlanta and every single council district in the city of Atlanta has been touched by this program. And so one of the things we do in the post one office is that we have what's called the highest award that our office can provide is called the Prometheus award based on the Greek myth of the Titan Prometheus who sacrificed everything to bring the light of knowledge and wisdom to man at great cost to his personal self. And so we felt it appropriate that we present this uh Prometheus award to both uh Second Helpings Atlanta and HelloFresh for outstanding public service. It awarding it presented on behalf of a grateful city for meritorious uh contributions to the people of the city of Atlanta awarded this day December the 2nd 2024. Want to make sure we hand this off to uh second helping and Hello Fresh. All right, get them quick. But one of the things that goes on and uh Terry get ready. One of the things that goes on is that you have to have a location. You have to have a a place to go. And so even when we make reservations and plan our best, sometimes those locations fall through. But one place that was our cornerstone uh was the St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church. And so we want to thank Reverend uh Eric Thomas. Where where is Reverend Thomas? Did he slip out? Is he here? Reverend Thomas? He stepped out. Well, when you give me your $5, you can you can get your award. But so we want to thank Let's give uh St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church because we did it there most often and even at even at last notice at the 11th hour if we needed a location uh Reverend Thomas would be there for us. And so we have one other thing to do when you're on the ground and uh Mr. Morris will tell you that, you know, there during World War II, there was President Roosevelt who supervised, but you had to have a patent on the ground to storm through Germany to to to push uh to make that push towards victory on the ground, the ground troops. And so every week we had a general on the ground that helped to facilitate everything that we did out there whether uh it was you know amongst our regular citizen volunteers because we do have uh citizen volunteers who were not a part of you know the city of Atlanta but came on their own like like Mr. Smith and we're going to honor them at our dinner. But we wanted to make sure that we called out somebody who has really done an exemplary job. And you know, I I see you about to bust and blush. Miss Nash. So, let's give uh Terry, where are you? Let's give Miss Nash a big. She was that person every week. Blow blow the whistle. Blow the whistle. Now, there you go. Now, let's give her a big round of applause for everything that she's done. Now, we tried to partner at least every week with with the council members. So, let's get a quorum called. I know you're listening in the back. We'd like for you to come up and be a part of this picture, council members. So, we'd like to ask you to return to the chamber, please. And so, for those who are here, are there any comments for any council member that's here? Seeing none, we'll we'll allow our guest to assume the mic. Uh oh, I you know what? Thank you, Vanessa. But uh we do have in in recognition of the totality and the magnitude of what has transpired uh over this 4-year period, we do have a letter uh from Mayor Andre Dickens uh honoring both both of these organizations uh today. And so we want to acknowledge and thank the mayor for his letter and his communication. Unfortunately, the font is probably size 11. So I will not read the letter. And so we want to make this presentation to you. All right. You all can fight about that. It's only one. But you know if Paul my friend, you want to say something from from HelloFresh USA? Good afternoon or good morning. Um I'm Carl Gentles. I'm the head of government affairs and public policy North America for HelloFresh. And I have to tell you, this is quite the honor. We're very touched and pleased um to see this occurring. Um this partnership between the city of Atlanta, Second Helpings, and all of these amazing volunteers has just been incredible. And I'd like to just say a personal point of privilege and thank Council Member Bond for his extraordinary vision and his drive and his ask. Uh which of course when he calls and asks something you always say, "Well, of course, sir." Uh so here we are. Uh we really do appreciate the opportunity. And look, I I'm from the corporate office. Um, but the person that was here instrumental on the ground working with the city during this entire time is my colleague here, Ania Henard, which I'd like to just come up and say a few words because she was really here and really helping as council member Von said at the warehouse in Nunan um uh every single week making sure this um operation happened. And so um Ania, could you come up? Good afternoon. It is certainly an honor, a privilege, and a pleasure to be part of such a remarkable program. Um, speaking on behalf of, uh, HelloFresh, um, I would just like to say thank you, um, Mr. bond. Uh we appreciate you including us in this program, in this initiative, and giving us the opportunity to contribute in uh Metro Atlanta's success as it uh relates to uh eradicating food insecurity. So, thank you again. We appreciate it. It's been our pleasure. Oh, thank you. Where's my flowers? No. Well, good afternoon. Thank you. This is um certainly a privilege. Again, we there's two words that come to mind for me when I think about this program. One is impact. The other is gratitude. We've seen the impact here today. It took an entire community to pull this off from 5,000 volunteers to all the incredible people that you see here today. I want to call out Quabina from our team back here who is really our boots on the ground. We're coordinating with Vodessa and Councilman Bond staff to make sure that this U program was executed um so flawlessly. And gratitude for all of our donors, HelloFresh, Pratt Industries, the city of Atlanta for helping us to pull this off. And I'll leave you with this. I always say it only takes one meal to change a person's life. And that change in that person's life can ripple and make the world a better place. And I think after 1.3 million meals, we've changed Atlanta for the better. Now, I would be remiss if I did not allow the daughter of the former council member from district 5, former state representative uh from East Atlanta, the former Dicap County Commissioner who was elected from the Dicap County Jail to the Decap County Commission, the daughter of the great uh Dr. Reverend Hosea Williams, Miss Elizabeth Omalami. She's joined here by her husband, a female from Jose Elizabeth. Thank you. Well, I have flowers for second helpings. All right. And flowers to uh for you to take back where you're going at HelloFresh. I want to tell you that when we served during the pandemic and Hosea helps serves 51,000 people a year with food, we couldn't have done it without Helloellofresh. You don't understand how hard it is to get bulk food into our warehouse. HelloFresh was the reason that every Wednesday pe over 200 families got turkeys, they got chicken, and they got HelloFresh boxes that lasted that family several weeks. Mr. Bond is a visionary and I'm so thankful that uh we are on his long list. But I want to tell you, you can't preach the gospel to a hungry person. You you can't tell a hungry person they need to go get a job. You need you need to be uh you're lazy. All those are misnomers in this city. We are doing our best along with oh so many other organizations to to come to a zero hunger position, but we can't do it without the city. And so that partnership with uh Councilman Bond and his twin Vanessa Manley uh has meant children are eating, seniors are eating. We delivered food to five senior highrises on Thanksgiving. Thank you, Second Helpings, on behalf of Hosea Helps and his staff and board of directors for keeping this organization going for more than a year. And we want to say thank you to also to uh the pastor that used his church as ground zero and to all of you who know that a hungry belly is painful. We can do something about it. Thank you. All right. Now being mindful of the time there are other awardies a tremendous award will be presented after after this for what is probably one of the greatest uh humble public servants that Atlanta has seen in more than a generation. We're going to conclude here but I do want to acknowledge and just let let you in on how the process work very quickly. Uh Alicia and the folks from the warehouse would bring the food up to Second Helpings. Second Helpers would then subdivide the food, right? and they had hundreds of volunteers who worked at Second Helpings warehouse uh that subdivided the food and then they put it on a truck and they would bring it to some of the other food pantries and organizations that are some are represented up here but there are many more who are not here and then there are also uh we would when we got it on site we would distribute it again to the public you know with no prerequisite. We took people as as they came and as they said that there we tried to meet their need as as they as they came up. And I tell you this been really one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I've I've worked in the uh nonprofit volunteer. I've volunteered a lot of different organizations, but this has really been been meaningful and we've really got a real bond with the folks who came and volunteered every week. And we will continue uh to find a way to distribute food to the public. We're working on that. Uh right now we have three more uh HelloFreshes that will take place in the month of December. One on Wednesday that has yet to be announced, but I would suspect it would be back at St. Peter because we don't have a loc location pick, but uh we going to we're going to close at Jose Helps on December the 18th. So please keep that in mind. We're going to really try to blow it out on uh December uh the 18th. And so with that, we want to say a very very public thank you again to HelloFresh and Second Helpings and the Pratt because they funded uh the beginning. They gave half a million dollars. Pratt Industries, a a corrugated box company, seemingly completely unrelated to what what what we might do. Uh but we want to make sure that we acknowledge what they've done. And so with that, uh we would like everybody, I guess, to remain in place. I'm going to ask those who are height challenged to come to the front of the of the curve and we want to get the HelloFresh and and second help his team to move up uh so that we can do what Jim Maddox used to always say the council does best and that is take a picture. All right. So let's let's gather up. Oh yeah. squeeze in here. I mean, you try to Mhm. Turn your shoulder to the left. Right. Turn the right. All right, tell us where it look right there. One two three [Applause] Pleasure is mine. Oh my wonderful people. Ah okay. Oh yeah. Who can forget that? Who can forget it, right? Y thought I had time. your name, Vanessa. And for those who are here for other events, there's plenty of food in the atrium. There's food down on the lower level. There's uh eggnog and pound cake and I think what's the down on the first level. So, we got up early this morning, cooked all this food. bit. Watch. Huh? What did they take? [Music] just stay up here. Jesus Christ. That Thank you. Next, I'd like to ask Council Member Boone, Council Member Over Street to come forward, and all of those who are here for the recognition of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort, former Georgia State Senate District 39 to join us here on the dis Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you. Actually, we've got I'm sorry. We've got one slight adjustment. Sorry. My apologies. Um, if we could actually start with uh our proclamation for the service of Camille Russell Love first. We just need to accommodate everybody's schedule here. I think I'm going to do love. So, I'd like to ask council member Over Street to come forward and all of those for the legacy of Camille Russell Love and the recognition of the office of cultural affairs to come forward. Professor How you doing? I might Hey, I'm looking for you, Daryl. Keep killing it. And there's Oops. Snap. Pay attention to social media. Hey, Dr. Cherry. This is how I get to see my sister at work. Hey, girl. Hey. And if you're here for the 50th anniversary of the Office of Cultural Affairs, you can come up as well. It's probably all the same. Hey Frank, [Music] you see you at work. He gave me He gave me the out of the way. That made no sense. [Music] So, you said we can download the video from this channel? Yeah, there is a way to do that. Matter of fact, let me take a picture. You see Cory? Okay, I got it cuz I sure don't forget it. Okay. Come on, Truth. Hey, thank you. It's two. Yeah. I don't know why they would break the program and do that. So they went to go do that right now. Yeah. So four will be next. Oh okay. Okay. Okay. Let's get Okay, let's get this started. Can I turn this up? Can the microphone be turned up? We were doing a an encampment in front of you trying to get a community benefits agreement. Should we turn this up a little bit or no? Volunteered for the campaign. We're trying to get elected may be, you know, he's just been a young man coming up ever since. He's got good. He's a good kid, but he's a grown ass man. I can tell it's December. We're excited and we're just celebrating. Uh the excitement is in the room and we are here for something absolutely amazing. So this party could go on all day with all these selfies and everything because we have Camille Love in the house. So and the and the office of Yes. Let's that's a clap. And I'm kind of um I consider myself uh your age, but I know better. Um and I also consider myself her son's age, which is very weird. I know. So, I'm kind of in the middle of them, but I've always thought that she was just the best part of all of us, honestly. Uh so, I'm going to try to stay, you know, to the script, but this is so personal for me. When I look around, I see all of my friends, include my sister. She's here. But this is how I got to know Camille Love. It has nothing to do with the city of Atlanta. It has everything to do with quality of life and her as a mother and just the love that she shares between all of us, our friends and our family and um just the greatness that she's uh possessed throughout the city for on every level. Like even when I first decided that I was in love with art, you know, here she is. And and I had no idea that she had this role with the city when I fell in love with art when I knew that the Atlanta Jazz Festival was all of that and it was the largest um free art festival in all of the nation. Um, and I when I fell in love with the National Black Arts Festival, when I chaired it, I had no idea still no idea uh of all of the work that she had done in the city. I literally had to be on council before I realized, you know, who I knew. Uh, so, um, I've gotten to love her through her son, Craig Love. And, um, so here we are. And I am going to make sure that everyone that would like to speak is going to speak. I um and I don't even have a list like unfortunately when you're dealing with family you don't follow the protocol that you normally would. So um if I can get a little guidance with that. Do you know? Okay. So So guess what? That's right. Okay. So um why don't the speakers come forward? pretty nice. I'm correct. Do we have anyone I know we've celebrated you out in the community, but do we have anyone on council that would like to say a word or two? Okay, we'll start with President Shipman, speakers. Yes. Thank you. Well, I think that it is fair to say that being around politicians all day is hard, but being around artists all day may be harder than being around politicians. And anyone who sits in between those two individuals and communities for multiple years is truly special. Um, you can walk around this city and every major cultural institution that has been built in the last 25 plus years has Camille's fingerprints on it. Every artist who has come through this city has Camille's support behind them. We have all been touched by your incredible work. And I just want to say on behalf of all of those communities, thank you for having the patience of Job to be able to continue to do this work. and thank you for having the vision of what Atlanta could be before Atlanta actually reached that destination. You will be missed, but your legacy will remain strong. Thank you for all you've done. Good afternoon. Well, I'd just like to say that I have known Camille for now 20 plus years, just as the city has known her in this capacity for 25 plus years. And during that 20 year period that I've known her, I've been her plus one at most of the cultural events that she has attended. But I can surely say without hesitation that the city of Atlanta has been her plus one for 25 plus years. And I can say that unequivocally because from what I know about her is that she has never been off the clock. I mean she's home. She's on the clock. She's on the clock until 9 10 o'clock at night. Dedicated to this city. I'm so proud of her. all the work she's done and I'm sure that the city of Atlanta will live in her heart for the rest of her life. Thank you. We're going to also hear from Crystal and Craig. Um, oldest first. These are her babies. Okay. Hello. My name is Craig. Um, I'm not one for speeches, but uh I guess what I will say is that um I know so proud. I guess we came here in 72 74 74 became siblings. lived in Castilian Heights across from the waff across from the Motel 6 in the Waffle House. I know all about moved to Club Candlewood. Mhm. Went to Brookview Elementary School with you. And now we're here. And we just want to thank Atlanta for uh being great making us great. Absolutely. I don't know what else to say. I just you know that's beautiful. Hello. I'm Craig's sister. Um He is a man of not a lot of words. So what he was trying to say was that when he was four years old, him and my mom moved to Atlanta from Winston Salem, North Carolina. My mom knew absolutely no one here. It was just her and a four-year-old and she was a single mom. and they moved around a couple places and eventually uh she worked for a couple different places, worked for IBM, um started uh as an entrepreneur, opened her own art gallery, uh eventually came to the city and she's been with the city for 26 plus 26 and a half years. So, a single mom on her own and um it has been amazing to watch what she has done. Um, I like to say that I am her favorite child, but we all know that Craig is just the way she rubbed his back. Do you see her rubbing my back? No. Um, but my mom for 26 and a half years has given herself to this city. Um, and I personally, as her second favorite child, um, and her only daughter will be grateful to have her back. So, thank you so much. Suras. This is a very bittersweet moment. Um because as many of you all know I've been at the city for most of my adult life and Camille has been a part of that for uh the past 26 years. Uh she's the longest serving uh director of cultural affairs in the city. She has made an indelible impact on the arts in Atlanta. She has not favored one art form over the other. She has shepherded the Atlanta Jazz Festival to new heights. Um she has worked with theater companies, dance companies, visual artists, uh the public art program, the city galleries. Um the there are music, all kinds of music. Not we, you know, we we used to have the um Montro uh music festival which which celebrated a lot of different art forms, but but we uh uh in any event, she has impacted everything uh from from big band to hiphop to to uh um everything in between the public mural programs. They're just, you know, just everywhere you see art in Atlanta, you can see Camille's ham hand handprint. And I just want to say um quote a little bit of Maya Angelo uh because Camille is a phenomenal woman. It's in the click of my heels, the bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, the need for my care cuz I'm a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman. That's me. That's Camille. And with that, I'm going to read this proclamation and then I want to hear from you and then we're going to move on to the 50th anniversary of the Office of Cultural Affairs, which I think everyone is up here for that as well. Um, are you kidding? It says honoring. Let me get the font that I can actually read because again I we're about the same age. Whereas since 1998, Camille Love has faithfully served as the executive director of the city of Atlanta mayor's office of cultural affairs, also OCA, that's what we call it, dedicated over two decades of fostering and advancing the cultural and artistic vision of the city of Atlanta. And whereas under the her leadership, the OCA has cultivated and guided numerous cornerstone programs including Chastain Arts Center and Gallery, the city's public art program, Gallery 72, Elevate, the Cultural Experience Project, Municipal Support for the Arts, and the Atlanta Jazz Festival, which has become one of the nation's premier free jazz festivals. And whereas throughout her tenure, Camille Love has earned widespread recognition for her profound contributions, including the Inspired Cultural Excellence Award, the Community Impact Award, the Ford Freedom Unsung Award, the Cultural Warrior Award, among many others. And whereas she has served with distinction on the boards and numerous organizations including Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund, Apex Museum, Pedmont Park Conservancy, the National Black Arts Festival, and as a member of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation National Selection Committee, and the 1996 CO cultural Olympiad Committee. Now therefore, it be a proclaimed that we, the members of the Atlanta City Council, on behalf of the citizens and residents of Atlanta, do hereby recognize, honor, and commend Camille Love for her extraordinary contributions to the city of Atlanta, congratulate her on her well-earned retirement, and express our heartfelt gratitude for her enduring legacy and cultural experience. I actually think this is a good time for us to see the video while our mayor mayor walks up. I think this is a good time for us to actually see the video right before you mayor and then you. Okay. Can we cue the video? [Music] [Music] You know, when you put art out in the public domain, it becomes something that everyone has access to. [Music] It's evident in the offerings that a city has available for people to enjoy the architecture, theater, ballet, music festival. That all creates a atmosphere in a city that really supplies its soul. [Music] In my journey through life, I have always sought out culture as a way to understand other cultures. I try to just be a catalyst for creativity. I want to make sure that Atlanta stays interesting. Not long after I moved to Atlanta, the Naguchi was dedicated and it was just a perfect place for Atlantans to take their children and enjoy. Isama Naguchi was commissioned to do this by the High Museum of Art and it was made a gift to the city and it is an iconic piece of art in Atlanta's most favorite place. But over the years it was neglected and it really saddened me to see the deterioration [Music] and it really inspired me to do something about it. And so when I had the unique opportunity to become the person whose job it was to manage the cultural resources in Atlanta, the Naguchi was first on my plate of things that I wanted to save. I'm proud of that. My Atlanta is a symphony. Beautiful. Well, thank you, Mro. Uh, the mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens. [Applause] Well, I had to stop by Oh, am I on? There we go. I had to stop by here today uh to honor Camille Love. Uh now we've honored her previously this month or earlier last month. Uh but I wanted to make sure I came here because doing it right here in council chambers uh with council member Over Street and all the members of the city council is special. Uh Camille Love has been an institution in this city. uh somebody who has uh raised and uplifted the arts and culture of this whole city indeed and of the region um by you know just by her will to make sure that we all stay thoughtful and artful and she has brought a team along a whole dynamic team of the office of cultural affairs and there's some alum of those offices in here today and many people that uh have helped her be able to do this magnificent work. You have done a phenomenal job from everything to Elevate uh to the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the the largest longest running free jazz festival in the nation has been oversaw by this woman and her team and um and and so many other things. The uh arts education program with Atlanta public schools where the young folks get a chance to experience and learn art. to art school that we have during the summer uh where we uh train kids and pay them on how to be future artists to develop their talents. Uh and then all the grants that we give, the grants program that go out to the artists and arts organization all under this leadership. Uh it it it has really um uh grown our city in a a meaningful way and uh without Camille Love, where would we be? So, I had to come by here to honor you and to see your wonderful children and all of the folks that support you and your team. Uh, thank you, Camille. Thank you for sticking around for my administration. We've been at it for three years and I've learned so much. And, uh, while she's retiring, I want her to be around in an emmeritus status. Uh, so she's going to be able to nurture the next leader of this uh, Office of Cultural Affairs to be able to get them up to speed to take it to the next level. So, she'll be around on some special projects and making sure that we get this thing right and paved the way for the future. So, thank you. Love you. Love you. Camille love. Camille Russell love, guys. Thank you. Camille Russell love. Okay. Thank you, Mayor Dickens. Thank you, Council Member Over Street. Um, this is a bittersweet moment for me. Um, I'm here with my team, my friends, my family. Um, we're all getting used to the inevitable that, you know, I won't see their smiling faces every day. Emily, don't look like that. Um, it's it's going to be hard. It's going to be difficult because I really do love this city. Um I come from a a generation where my mother and father um really taught me uh discipline and commitment. My mother would always say there's only one way to do something and that's the right way. And my dad would say let the work I've done speak for me. you know, so I come I came to the city with that spirit um with that commitment. I try to I think I have instilled that in my team. Uh they are phenomenal. Um they take on every challenge that is put before us with the spirit of completion and excellence and I really appreciate that. So, I'm here, you know, getting the accolades, but they deserve these accolades as well because somebody's going to inherit the best team in the city. So, I want to congratulate them. And that's that's all I have to say. Um, it's, you know, it's, um, I'm the kind of person that when I go out of town, I want to come back and sit on the side of the plane where I can see Atlanta at the distance because it gives me goosebumps. You know, it's just been my favorite place for 50 years and it will remain my favorite place until I expire. Speak a little bit about the 50th anniversary. Okay. Yeah. [Laughter] I need I we'll we'll keep that between us. Um but I do need to acknowledge that my beautiful daughter who spoke and my oldest son is here. I have another son, but he's not here. Maybe he's out there somewhere. Uh I have uh beautiful grandchildren. Um, I have a partner who has been my plus one for over 20 years. Um, and he deserves an award as well and his family is here as well. Some of his family is here as well. And Cherry, uh, council member Over Street sister is like a daughter, uh, to me. Um, I have one of my very best friends from my career at IBM, Valerie, who who continues to work with me whenever I call her. We developed a relationship, oh my god, I don't know how many years ago, but um, she's still very helpful to me and I have members here of the Atlanta Jazz Society, Robin and Frank Sim. Um, oh no. Uh, and Daryl, he's one of my children too. Um, so, uh, Council Member Overreet has asked me to share something with you about the 50th anniversary of the Office of Cultural Affairs. When Mayor Jackson became mayor, he understood that it was very important for a city to have a cultural arm in order for it to grow and prosper. and he established the office of cultural affairs, office of cultural and international affairs uh 50 years ago. You want me to read this? No, you could. No, you could read it. I can't see. I'm sorry. Yeah. So, so again, as we're standing here, this is the team that has guided this office for the last some of them. Oh, Monica. Where is Monica? Right. Right behind you. Right behind me. This is my deputy. I need to bring her up and say that without her and where's Morgan? Morgan's over there. Without these two, I could not operate the office. You know, I mean, Monica makes sure that I cross my tees and dot my eyes, and Morgan makes sure that I stay on schedule, which is usually very extensive, but without the two of them, I really couldn't make it. Um, would you like to Okay, here's Morgan. Okay. And with that, we're going to read the proclamation for the recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Office of Cultural Affairs. It says, "In 1974, the city of Atlanta established the Office of Cultural Affairs, OCA, to encourage and support the city's cultural resources, fostering a vibrant arts community that enhances the social fabric and quality of life for its citizens and visitors. Whereas in 1990, the MA mayor Maynard Jackson envisioning Atlanta as a premier city of the arts convened over 500 leaders from the art community at the arts summit. The summit led to the creation of the Atlanta blueprint of the arts which became a transformative guide uh for the city's cultural development and collaboration with the established and emerging arts organizations. Whereas this vision coupled with the strategy uses resources and creative ingenuity has enabled Atlanta to emerge as a regional cultural center renowned for its vibrant arts and innovative cultural programs. Whereas under continued leadership of the office of cultural affairs, including the steadfast support of the mayor, Andre Dickens, Atlanta has become an international model for cultural excellence, inspiring creativity and collaboration while enhancing the city's reputation as a cultural destination. So now therefore be it proclaimed that we the members of the Atlanta City Council on behalf of the re residents of the city of Atlanta do hereby recognize and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the city of Atlanta's office of cultural affairs commend its valuable contributions its invaluable contributions to the cultural vi vitality of the city and express our deep appreciation for its dedication to enriching the lives of the Atlanta citizens and residents. That means it's time for us to take a picture. Thank you all so much. We're are going to go forward. Okay, I will. Thank you, Mayor. ma'am. Wrong way. That's what I wanted. I think she get ready to go now. Everyone, I forgot to tell you, we have dessert for you. Uh if you go into the um the the reception area for the council chambers, you know that area over there, uh the reception for a dessert table is there for you. Thank you. Enjoy. Thank you. Finally, today I would like to invite Council Member Boone and Council Member Over Street and all of those who are here for the recognition of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort to join us up on the diet. Will everyone please move swiftly to honor the honorable Vincent Dort? Please come forward to honor the honorable Vincent Dort. The moment we've all been waiting on. What a great man in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Vincent D for members and friends that are here to honor Vincent Dort, please come forward. What's up? Okay. Okay. Please move swiftly. We are here to honor Vincent the class. Come on up everybody. Right. Will you all please come on up over to this side? Yeah. Hey, boundless week, man. Thank you, bro. We got everybody in town today. Everybody's at city hall. Yeah. Yeah. You know what? We have some visitors that are trying to come up on this side on the left side. What a great day in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. We have the Reverend Eric Thomas here as well. Good afternoon, Atlanta. Good afternoon. What a great day to honor a warrior for the people of Atlanta, Vincent D. Fort. Today, today we are here to honor the people's champ. We have Rashad Taylor that flew in this morning. The head of the transition team of the Delaware governor. Where's Rashad Taylor? The right Reverend Gerald D. Durley, Senator Nan A or Bobby Khan, Mali Esquire, Davis, Michael H. Ross, Sandra Williams, and AFL CIO, the Honorable Derek Boseman, ASME, Susan J. Ross, the Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Bishop Greg Fan, Pastor Daryl Elegant, Pastor Timothy McDonald, Marshall Tagert from CAU is here, Pam Smith Hutman Jeff Dantis, George Anne Singfield, one of the longest serving state representatives in the history of Georgia. former council member Aaron Watson, Elizabeth and Oimi Omalami at this time. And we have so many more that are here. Thank you all for being here to honor this warrior at this time. We will see a short video. We also have the 61st mayor of the city of Atlanta, Andre Dickens. [Applause] [Music] What they did to Miss Carson, we would not allow them to do with a pistol. What they did it with a pen and paper. Oh yeah. What we're here today to do first and foremost is to tell Wakovia, "Stop the foreclosures, stop the evictions." Senator Vincent Fort's straight shooting, no holds barred approach to justice has earned him the ear of the powerful and the hearts of the masses. [Applause] This political science professor, community activist, and mentor represented Georgia's 39th district from 1996 to 2017. This father of three holds a bachelor of arts in American history from Central Connecticut State College and his masters from Atlanta University. He engaged every issue from hate crimes and prostitution to protecting public education and healthcare. His passion for people informing his every move. Former Atlanta City Council member Derek Boseman says he and Senator Fort became best friends as they fought together on behalf of the community. If you want to understand who Vincent Fort is, the man has saved more houses of senior citizens and people who got in bad deals, bad loans, predatory loans um by the dozens. We going to turn up the heat, but shame on you. Shame on. As I always tell people, if you see Vincent Fort fighting with a bear, uh, pray for the bear cuz fort going to be okay. Just to think that these seniors, almost always seniors, black and white, mostly old, but some young folk about to lose what's supposed to be a part of their American dream. That it ultimately saddened me. It, I'll be honest with you, infuriated me. That fury turned into legislative action as Fort became the first author of the Georgia Fair Lending Act, which sought to protect consumers from predatory lending practices which disproportionately affected minorities and seniors. Former Governor Roy Barnes signed that bill into law in 2002. If you were not trying to do right by our people, uh you became the bane of his existence. And so it has been his willing to be a bull in a china shop um that has endeared him to the people. As Atlanta, we are better city because Vincent Ford came this way. [Music] Reverend Angela Brown has known Senator Fort over three decades. She, like many others, benefited from his battle against these lenders following the purchase of her home in the West End. The mortgage company called the entire amount due. I didn't have, and at the time, I mean, now it sounds like a small amount of $43,000 and I didn't have it. Senator Fort stepped in to help. What they did is disrespect not just the people here, but all the PEOPLE THAT THEY'VE RIPPED OFF. NOT ONLY DID he save my house, and at the time it was $43,000, that same house today is valued at $650,000. Talk about the legacy. I am the result of what he has done in giving his life for these kinds of issues. Whatever accolades we can give to this brother, he needs them flowers now so that he can smell the flowers that we give because he is worthy of every last. We will begin to close the donut hole for Medicare prescription coverage. You tell the seniors in your district that that's socialism and they'll tell you, "No, it ain't socialism. It's the right thing to do. [Applause] Ladies and gentlemen, we do have a very long program. We will take some speakers here and then we will resume this program in the Atlanta City Council atrium. Please bear with us. This is a great day in the city of Atlanta. Our first speaker, Mr. Bobby Khan. [Applause] Well, uh, thank you. Uh, sorry, I was, uh, I was at the end of the line. That's where that's where Fort put puts me. Uh, I appreciate this. This is a great that was a great video. Um, I I first met Senator Ford uh at a uh breakfast at the governor's mansion in 1999 where we got some legislators together with Governor Barnes to talk about uh some education issues. And I thought it was going to be just a routine uh program. And uh he got up and started giving the governor, the new governor, all kinds of grief. And uh I, you know, I was naive back then. And and I went up to him afterwards and I said, "Hey, man." And he puts his arm around me and laughs and says, "How you doing?" And I said, "What the hell was that?" He said, "I'll come by to see you." and he did and we've been friends ever since. And uh that's when uh Vincent did uh worked on hate crimes and the biggest thing that I worked on him with was the predatory lending legislation which if that hadn't been reversed by Governor Bar's successor a lot more people would have their houses today. So, that is uh that that that that I I can't top what the reverend said about that $650,000 house, but that was a big deal. And it was just one of many things he's done. And uh I'm proud of you and I'm proud to be uh your friend. And I guess it was okay what you did back in 1999. Senator Nan Oro. We also have been joined by Charlie Fleming of Georgia AFL CIO, Kendra Sue Derby, and so many other friends that are here to honor Vincent Fort, Senator Nan orac at this time, [Applause] followed by Moali Davis, Esquire, and Michael H. Ross. Good afternoon fellow elected officials. We gathered here with masses of people that people have been waiting for this opportunity to stand and lift up the name of Senator Vincent Fort for all to know what he has done in his life. when he I guess we met when Vincent Fort was an activist professor over there working on straightening up uh some things that were going wrong on the campus and it was unusual to see a professor walk out and be a part of the activism at the place where he gets his paycheck that was Vincent Fort. I went well dog look at here now. So when and and and then we worked on landfills. He was a a counselor. He was a staffing a city council person and was night and day on land on the landfill legislation to stop this proliferation of stinking landfills in black and lowincome communities. Uh and that was a battle to the end because we got the bill passed. David Scott worked it. Senator Fort worked it from the outside. He wasn't in the legislature then. And when Zel Miller vetoed was preparing to veto the bill, we made another big push, made another big run, and his chief of staff told me, he said, "I never saw Zel Miller back down on what on when what he was going to veto something, but he backed down." Then Vincent, praise the Lord, came and joined us as a senator and moved mountains. Moved mountains. Never backed down. You could hear the chamber when he would get in the well. Huh? Come on. When he would get in the well, they were shaking in their boots because they knew he was going to tell it and tell it all. He was going to speak truth to power. He wasn't going to bite his tongue. He wasn't going to hold back. He was going to be there standing up for the people and that is who he is, who he what he has done. And and and honey, well, you've heard about the lending act. He battled the predatory lenders like nobody's business. And it got to where if they heard Vincent Fort was if he he could make a phone call to a bank, it got to they oh yeah, yes, sir. We gonna we're gonna get that one worked out. We got to we got to work that one out with that because and he not only spoke truth to power, but then he used the power he had as a senator and teamed up with Roy Barnes, governor and they passed God is my witness when that bill in the back room. The governor was talking to the lawyers and talking to Vincent and and said, "Well, y'all tell me now. What do you think about this bill? Is this the one we need? They said, "Governor, when you sign this bill, you will have signed into law the strongest fair lending act in the nation." And Senator Fort was there on that issue from day one, not just over at the Senate looking pretty, out in the streets raising hell. And that that's that's that's his his life has been dedicated to the betterment uh of everybody who needs somebody to stand up for him. I I am I treasure all the battles that we have been in together. I begged him, don't leave the Senate, honey. He's part of the brain trust. But he went on and continued to make history and make a difference. Uh that's who he is. uh a friend to all. Uh fearless unrelenting working night and day. No stops, no stopping, no holding back. Vincent Fort is a a model for all of us to emulate. And let's let's get busy electing some more people like Vincent Fort who'll stand up and stand up and hold up hold up what he's done and move it forward. We love you, Vincent. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. He's the one. He's the one to get the job done. [Applause] The 61st mayor of the city of Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens. [Applause] Unbossed. Hello. And unafraid. Vincent Fort, man of the people. Love you, brother. Man, it's always good to see you. And we talk weekly, if not weekly bi-weekly. Um, thank you, council members, for honoring my friend. A tremendous debt of gratitude is owed by everybody in Atlanta to the honorable Senator Vincent Fort. Amen. just a representation of all the people that are standing here today. Most of us are woven together by Senator Vesson for most of us share in common his ability to straighten you up without breaking you down all the way. Vincent Ford has the knack intact of, you know, he got a sharp sword that'll cut you and you be like, I think I just got cut and then he mens you back up and sends you back out there for service. as a good Reverend would. In my mind, this is a this is a preacher and his sermon is in his actions in his heart and his declarations and his proclamations, in his defense of others. Um, he loves Atlanta so much that he will protect Atlanta. Always has and always will. Um, everybody standing here ain't on the same side of all issues. There's a whole lot of opinion standing up here right now. As so a person like Vincent Ford is the one that can bring value in uh t in a in a in tense situations and um complex matters and he is a man of the people. He's got the heart of a lion. Uh he stood in some rooms and said some things and I know everybody walked out of there sweating. You could just see you just see it on their faces and on their bodies. I've been in them rooms and I've been one sweating too. Vincent Ford has been with me on all three of my elections and I'm thankful to have you in my corner, brother. I'm thankful that you work right now for the city of Atlanta. Vincent works in the office of constituent services right now helping people helping seniors with Greg Clay and them and Demetrius and the team Angela and all of them serving the people of Atlanta. He has worked for Atlanta in working for Atlanta. He works for the city but works for the people of Atlanta. So Vincent, thank you so much, brother, for all that you've done. Love you so much. Um, you're a powerful man. Powerful. Your words just resonate so well with so many of us that sit at your feet, right, DB? Right, Eldridge? All of us. We just soak it up all the time. Um, and so I I I you know, I thought it not robbery to make my my my words on paper u to make sure I honor you. I won't read them all, but you'll have this um for your family archives. Um, and uh, you know, this will let you know just how much we care for you here in the city of Atlanta. Um, and one of the last things I'll say is you love people that you love the labor movement and we got a lot of labor representatives in here. Oh, you know it. You know it. A full day's pay for a hard day's work. You down for the people. You've always been for the working person and for the communities. And um you know, brother, we stand with you on all issues that uplift the people of this city and uh stand on principal ground. So I I appreciate you and thank you, city council, for honoring my friend today, Senator Vincent Ford. Love you, brother. I'mma leave this up here. I got to run. I think y'all should take a picture. Okay, I'mma do that then. Marcy know what I'm supposed to be doing. Can you uh You got it. And come on. I'm good. You good? Got to run. Do some stuff. Go to work. Go to work. Mali Davis, Esquire. Power to the people. Power to the people. POWER TO THE PEOPLE. POWER TO THE PEOPLE. POWER TO THE PEOPLE. Wouldn't be right for us to honor Vincent Fort and not yell power to the people. Amen. There's no other elected official that I've ever met who has been as centered on the people, on the needs of the people, on the unhoused, the uninsured, the working class, the workers, the seniors, the seniors, all of us. That's Senator Vincent Fort. And so his name should be mentioned with Hosea Williams, with Adam Clayton Pal, with Shirley Chisum, with Bishop Henry McNeel Turner. From this DAY FORWARD, WE SHOULD LIFT UP HIS NAME in that same vein as an absolute revolutionary elected official. He was that and he knew how to get arrested. Yes, he did. between Senator Fort, Derek Boseman, and Michael Langford, one of them would give us a call and say, "We getting ready to go down here and give them some do good medicine." So that was our that was our cold for they were getting ready to go get arrested. And often times our clients, those who we represent, we teach them about their rights and what they're getting ready to go through and how we're going to represent them. But not with Vincent Fort. He had done this so many times. He had all of us on speed dial, me, Brian Spears, so many other lawyers, and he would teach us about what it is to be fully committed to the people, to sell out for the people, in their interest, for their cause. And so, it has been one of our greatest honors as a law firm to have been able to represent our brother in struggle. And so we call on more elected officials to follow his model to listen to the people to be a rebel in a space that we don't often get to hear the voices of those struggling masses that are yearning to be free. Yearning for self-determination. yearning to be able to just have a hot meal and a roof over their heads. And so for Senator Vincent for that was his sacred contract. Why I believe he came to this earth in this moment at this time to remind us OF WHO WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE for each other. I thank you for walking, brother, for us to be able to walk together. And I would be remiss if we did not lift them up one more time. LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF VINCENT FORT. LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF VINCENT FORT. LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF VINCENT FORT. A [Applause] Michael H. Ross Mr. President Davis, I'm not like Mal. I can't go just off the cuff like that. But I want to I want to call out some more names that uh in addition to who Mi talked about. Jose Williams, he talked about him. Arthur Langford, that's it. Uh Julian Bond, right? Um John Lewis, right? Andrew Young, Carolyn Long Banks, Tyrone Brooks, come on. Uh Marvin Arrington, right? Ly Watkins. All right. and the great able Mabel Thompson sitting right here. [Music] Now, I first met Vincent back in 1982 when he was going around the state with my father. They were doing an oral history project and they were going around and and just um they were interviewing a lot of older black uh Georgia citizens. and they uh and so I've known him a a long long time, Reverend. And I just want to say that um no other politician that I know of has the integrity, the passion and the conviction of Vincent Ford. All right. All right. He is a defender of people of color. Yes. He's a defender of poor people. Yes. He's a defender of the neglected, disrespected, and afflicted people that live in this city. He's always been on the front line. He's always been fighting for what was just and what was right. And so, brother, we just want to say that we love you. And as a black businessman, I want to say he's been on the forefront of that, too. Right. Over at the state, he's been a defender of minority business. And in a lot of ways, that's the straw that stirs the drink. in Atlanta, Georgia. So, I just want to commend you, brother. I want to tell you that we love you and uh we're just glad that you you're getting your flowers right now. Thank you very much. All right, Charlie Fleming, Georgia AFL CIO. Charlie Fleming. Come on, Charlie. Come on, Charlie. Labor in the house. Labor in the house. Come on, Charlie. Thank you. Uh, Councilwoman, uh, yeah, my name's Charlie Fleming. I'm the president ofmeritus of the Georgia AFL CIO. And I just want to I'm going to be real short, but uh, because I know many of our leaders are here, uh, not only individual leaders, but the head of the labor council is here with us, Sandra Williams, and Eric Richardson from the labor council and so many of the local uh, leaders. But I've been in the labor movement for 45 years. And I've known Vincent for over 25. And I know this that in all those years, I never knew a person that was more dedicated to workers and to to the poor and to what was right than Vincent Fort. Uh Vincent Fort never ever turned us down whenever we asked him for help. And anytime that we would have rallies and be in the street, even if he didn't we didn't even reach out to him, he was there. He's always there. And uh I'm just honored and and I feel privileged to have known him for that long. I've been to jail with him, which is, you know, it's not a bad deal. Uh he's he's Greg just said no, he's not going to jail. But but he's he's such a dedicated uh person and he's done so much for Atlanta and actually for the state of Georgia that that we're we in the labor room are just honored to call him our friend and we love him and we wish him nothing but the best. God bless Vincent Ford. Next we have Miss Sandra Williams. Sandra come on up. AFL CIO followed by the Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley. All right. Thank you. Come on, stand. Thank you. Good afternoon, family. And good afternoon, my friend. You know, as I was standing here and I really did not prepare anything to say because what I want to say is from my heart, there's several words that come to mind when I think about Vincent Ford, when I talk to him over the phone. He's always a motivation to us particularly in the labor movement because the change that we want to see is not always immediate. It takes time. The other thing I want to say is he's a change maker. Come on. There is nothing that you cannot do Vincent Ford and that you can't bring others with you because the fire that you speak about whatever it is inspires us all to follow you and we have followed you. But the one the last thing that I want to say to describe my friend is that he is authentic unlike a lot of people that we serve with on a day-to-day basis. and you look at them and say, "Is that the same person as it was last week?" And now I have to avert my eyes. I'm not looking at anybody intentionally. I'm just saying when you are authentic, you can be a change maker. When you are authentic, you can motivate others to do what that needs to be done. When you fight on behalf of the least of these, right? All the blessings will come to you. Amen. So I say to his children, his legacy will live in you. All right? You will never forget it and you will be inspired to do everything you saw your father do and more. It may not be the same way, but let him be an inspiration to you. God bless you and I love you. All right. All right. Authentic is what we're looking for. Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley. Come on, it's kind of tough. Vincent, I want to come and speak on behalf of all of us who started in the movement in 1959 and 1960. There was a man by the name of Jerry Butler who sang a song. Only the strong survive. Yeah, you are one of the strongest people I know. When I came to Atlanta and thought I could pastor, thought I could preach, thought I could march after all those years. You say, "Come here. Let me sit down and talk to you." I said, "Who is this little bitty man talking to me?" You said, "Let me talk to you straight." You sat me down and we talked right there in University John Hope Holmes. And we began to talk and you said, "Do this, do that." And I said, "Wait a minute. I only listen to God. Who do you?" He said, "Who do you think you talking to?" And I said, "Vincent." And we laughed. And I And from that day to now, it's always been about it's always been Sandre used the word authenticity. I want to use the word you are trustworthy because behind closed doors, you never sold anybody out. When Tim and everybody walked, you would say what we would say in the meeting and then you go in there and you stayed true. The other word that stands out to me about you, you're a man of impeccable integrity. Right? When you walk, when you talk, when you style, when you walked around, you were the person that we looked up to and could always depend upon. Mr. dependability. That's who you are. And finally, we sing a song in the church called I've said it many times, I'm on the battlefield. I tell people, stop singing that song. Folks, jump up. I'm on the battlefield. Wigs falling off, teeth falling off. I'm on the battlefield. Vincent, you didn't never do that. You said, "I'm in the battle." In the battle. There's a big difference between being on the battlefield. Some people been on the battlefield and never got a scratch, never had a debt, never had a debt, never got foot. You've been in the battle. AND BECAUSE YOU WERE in the battle, we all standing here today. I used to say to you, Mr. Pend, WE LOVE YOU. STAY STRONG. DON'T BACK UP. Don't bend. Don't bow. Don't break. Mr. Vincent Ford, Mr. Dependability. All right. All right. ALL RIGHT. WE also would like to recognize Pastor Shannon Jones who is here and Columbus Ward from the mayor's house. I've known him my entire life. Thank you Columbus for being here. The honorable Derek Bose Crawford may be even Vicky Crawford trying to get in on whoever she is. You know there's a saying that say if I have seen further it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants. Vincent Ford and my relationship goes back more than 30 years. Um, we met. He was walking one way, uh, coming down through the George High community and I was coming up the hill. That time we were trying to stop the live oak landfill. We had the audacity to believe that two little guys, one from Connecticut, the other one from South Atlanta, could stop a multi-billion dollar corporation. I did not believe it, but Vincent did. Uh and um he believed enough in the people. He said, "We just fight." I said, "If we fight, God will give us the strength." Uh Governor Barnes signed the legislation that closed the live oak landfill. Uh but before we did that, I said, "Vincent, we got to really jin up the press for this." So, I had this great idea. We were going to go to the Army Navy store to find a old gas bass. Luckily, my head was too small and Vincent was just right. And he put on this gas mask and showed up at a press conference. Reverend McDonald, he forgot to take the plate out. And so, the mask started fogging up inside. But on the front page of every paper, even national papers, was this senator standing out there with a fogged up gas mask. The landfill closed and Vincent almost closed too. Um, I have not had a closer friend than Michael Langford. Right behind that is Vincent Fort. That was long before he was elected, long before he had a daughter and his son was a little bitty fella. Um, when you talk about Vincent Fort, you're really talking about a standard bearer, right? Who suffered much to make sure that the people had everything that they needed. All right, he's been closer to me than a brother. All right. All right. Um we've shared many many miles, many many issues. I love him so much. Uh and he knows that. Uh and we have shared confidences that we both will take to our graves. But when you talk about somebody who is fearless, unrelenting, unbought, unbossed, and has suffered because he believed that if God be for you, who can be against you? And when I'll share this one thing and then I'm done. Vincent has traveled with me and you know every year I go to Africa. So Vincent decided this time he wanted to go to Egypt and Ethiopia I think with me fort if you know him he backs down from nothing and nobody. I have to remind him dude you're only just about 5'7. You can't. We're in the airport and I hear this woofing in behind me. We're trying to get through customs and he's woing. I hear this woofing and I said, "Man, is that for I had turned around slowly. Some guy done try to get in front of him in the passport process and Ford is giving him the business." I said, "Fort we are not in Fulton County. There's nobody I can call. The mayor can't be reached over here." But he said he jumped in front of me and two other ladies and I don't care what we are. I told Elders, "Go get him. Go get him. We going to jail over here." Um, predatory lending. There's so many issues we worked on. I will say this without equivocation. This man sitting here because of his unrelenting effort have saved more people houses than anything I've ever seen. I I'll share this one thing that I've done because in the 30 plus years we've known each other, we fought some mighty big battles. As I looked at Reverend Tim McDonald here and others, Vincent called me on a Thursday and said, "What are you doing? We need to fly to Washington DC tomorrow." I said, "Well, I'll be in Washington DC tomorrow. Then can you tell me where we're going? We're going to City Financial because he had about 12 loans that were going to be foreclosed on and sold on the courthouse steps on that Monday. We flew out there. The building didn't have no name, nothing on it." And we got in the meeting and the first thing they told these loans already been sold. There's nothing we can do. Thank y'all for coming. I looked at Vincent, he looked at me, and that was the signal. Hit the table hard. And I will tell you the short version is when we hit the he hit the table hard. We walked back with 12 people. One of them I'll never forget. 40-year teacher son had got her in a predatory loan. She had lost her house. It was going up for sale on the courthouse step on that Monday. When we left, we had 12 houses that had all of the dead counsel, over a million dollars worth of debt because of who this man was and his unwillingness to compromise. That's who Mansport is. Never did he come back and said, "Look at what I do done." He whooped the folks so bad they wanted to take him to a baseball game. He's a big baseball fan. I do not care for the baseball. He said, "You going to" I said, "No, man, but you go. You done beat him up so bad, you might as well take their free tickets, too." Um, but I love him so much. His family knows that. He knows that. There's nothing that I wouldn't do for him. Um, he deserves this and more, right? Um, Vincent Fort has been a champion for the underdog. He's fought the top dog. He didn't care whether it was governors, uh, bank industry leaders. We've been on more picking and protest than one could ever imagine. Um, but Vincent Fort, uh, deserves this kind of recognition. I will tell you, I know him well enough to know that he don't want it, but he deserves it. Amen. So, thank God for him and for his family and for his life and for his light. And I just thank God that we were walking the same street over in Southwest Atlanta over 30 years ago trying to get a landfill closed that in fact did close and remain closed to this very hour. Thank you so much, Senator. We appreciate you. And before we hear from the four children, Bishop Greg Fan, followed by the Reverend Timothy Macdonald. I'm going to be brief, very brief, and that's difficult for me, but I'm going to be very brief. I I just want to say this. I met Vincent. I was trying to get my church zone uh on Metropolitan Parkway, which was Stewart Avenue, whole stroke, and they were trying to kill me from getting a church. I didn't know Vincent for it. Vincent stood up in that meeting. They said, "Y'all got all these clubs here, all of these ho walking down here, and y'all don't want a church." And and when Vincent got through talking, they passed it. and my church is at 1362 Metropolitan Parkway because of Vincent Ford. Thank you so very much FOR [Applause] I would have said beware of any preacher that says I'll be brief but thank you Greg Fine. When I was 17, I came across a quote that said, "There's no limit to the good that a man can do. He doesn't care who gets the credit." I was 17 years old. Came across Vincent Ford before he ever went to the Senate when he was a professor. And I stand to share with you something that no one else has talked about but affects every one of us. healthcare. I don't care how much money you got, how many degrees you got, how big you are, what position, you could be mayor, the number one challenge you're going to face is your health. Several years ago, I told my wife, children, and the church, if anything happens to me, don't take me to great hospital. The last place I want you to take me is great hospital. I said that's several years ago. Great hospital was about to close down. It was in debt. Legislation has already passed. We formed the Grady Coalition. Vision Ford and I served as co-chairs. We went to everywhere there was a meeting about grad county and the cab county that the the cab children great authority health authority. I cannot tell you how many times Derry Boseman, Vincent Ford and I, members of concerned black clergy, the greedy coalition, the homeless task force, open door community went to jail. What I want you to know is that one of the greatest hospitals today anywhere in the United States of America is Grady Hospital. They are first in so many categories. But what you may not know is that the reason Grady Hospital is where it is now, they said they're going to close down. We got together and we said we going to get vans and buses and we going to find every homeless person we can find and we going to take them to North Side Hospital. We going to take them to all them hospital y'all got off 285 and we going to buck them up there. [Music] And the Grady Health Foundation said, "No, don't do that. Let's work together. We went to every meeting of the Grady Health Foundation, Derek Vincent, myself, others, Sharon Black Clergy, we got arrested. I just want us to know the reason why Grady Hospital is standing today is because of Vincent Ford. DISAPPOINT because he didn't care and he doesn't care who gets the credit. But Derek, he deserves it. God bless you, my friend. Vincent Forge, Dr. Richard Rhodess. Good afternoon. We don't have to repeat all the things Vincent Ford stood for, but I can tell you whenever he has called me, I have never not been there because I knew as I knew about two or three others that were mentioned here, Jose William, Joe Boon, I knew for him it was the people first. Right. And I guess he got away with it by assuming that the people were a part of his family and that's way he treated whatever he was whatever the issue was. It was about what was going to be good for the people. Not for Vincent, but what was good for the people. It's been an honor to know him, an honor to work beside him as I say, and I've been mentored by some of the best Jose Williams, Joe Boone. Uh, and it's been my privilege to work with Vincent Ford. Thank you. And now the four children. You're here. Thank you. Good afternoon everyone. Um, I just want to thank everybody for being here to celebrate such a man as Vincent Fort. Um, and glory be to God that we could all be here together for this momentous occasion. Um, like many of you have mentioned, I also find my dad to be trustworthy, dependable, integrous, honorable. Um, but most of all, I find him kind and warm and tenderhearted. Um, my mom tells me a story sometimes that my dad wanted my name to be Vincentina [Laughter] and uh that probably would have been fitting cuz we're just alike. Um, but I'm just so so grateful for today and so grateful to have my dad here. Um, to be a street soldier and a freedom fighter for people, but also just to be our dad. Thank you. much in the same way as many of the other people here today. Oh, my name is Xan. Nice nice to meet you everybody. Uh much in the same way that everybody else and most of the other people they um they spoke about my father. They spoke about his integrity and uh for me that that's one of the things that I always uh admired about you and I couldn't really put my finger on it. Um I do remember growing up in elementary school and middle school. I would want, you know, you know, the fancy shoes, you know, and all that good stuff, you know, the name brand. I had the Hakee Majans. Some of y'all know that struggle. Um, but with that said, you know, as my father began to get into his political career and and I knew about a lot of things he was doing, he would tell me about it and I'll be in some of his meetings, um, listening in, you know, sitting at the feet of, you know, Reverend McDonald and other labor leaders and, you know, um, you know, political leaders and so on and so forth. And so I was know I I was I had a pretty good idea in real time about the things that he was doing. You know, when predatory lending came around, I had an idea. I was out there with him knocking on doors in the middle of summer as uh you know, I don't know how old I was, but child labor laws. Somebody might want to look into that. um might have been with him when he was doing his uh the uh the the landfield deal and pretty much everything. So I say all that to say I saw how his career was progressing. And I still had Hakeimans. And I was like, you know what? I see on TV all these politicians out here, they have, you know, they take they have resources, but they have resources because of things that they do to the people that they are meant to represent. You know, I mean, they take a little here and give a little there, so on and so forth. Then one thing, dad, that I appreciate much more now than back then because, you know, I just wanted some Jordans. But I appreciate now that, you know, you never took a little, gave a little. You didn't give anything. You didn't give an inch to those people who not just stood against you, but stood against, you know, what you believed in um the community and this city and just people in general. Um, and I appreciate that because um, it's part of the reason I've, you know, been able to keep whatever moral center I have. Um, not going to, you know, brag on myself, but, you know, if I have a moral center, it's it's because of the of the integrity I saw that you uh, you've shown. And it's, you know, um it's leadership, you know, it's leadership as a father just as leadership as a um a leader when it comes to labor issues or down at the cap or, you know, raising some sand at city hall or whatever. I mean, I' I've saw it. I've witnessed it and it's made a a mark on me that can never be removed. And I appreciate you for that. I want to make sure you uh you hear that from me in front of all these nice people to come to celebrate what you've done. Okay? And I love you dearly. And now any members of the Atlanta City Council that would like to speak at this time. Also, um, attorney attorney Davis, the honorable Abel Mabel Thomas. [Laughter] [Applause] Okay, I can probably do it here. Okay, they say get back. This says fight back. And that's what it's about. Cuz right now, they're telling us in the world to get back. All right, this is spiritual warfare. Okay, at the end of the day, this is spiritual warfare. The fight is not black over white. The fight is right over wrong. There you go. Oh, y'all don't hear me. All right. First, giving giving honor to God. It's an honor to be with the great Vincent Fort. I have seen Vincent Ford do some stuff at the at the state house. Y'all ain't ready for it. Y'all not ready. I mean, I know you getting a piece of it, but y'all ain't ready for it. Go ahead. I've been in rooms where Vincent is standing up for the rights of people and a white guy will say, "You going to have to take that out of here or I'm going to get you locked up." Say, "Go ahead. Go ahead. Bring the police. Bring the police." You know, and if you can put me out, you put me out. Go ahead. I mean, that's the kind of talking he do. A beast. A beast. I'm talking when he get down to talking. But he said to me sometime. He said it the other day. We were talking. He said, "Well, what you do, baby, you you kind of punch him and then you might walk away, but after you punch him, I'm going to beat his ass up. Oh yeah, we was a we was a tag team." Now, y'all got to remember this Fort represented me all my years as state senator. All my years. So, I always had backup. I always had backup. It wasn't the time that I didn't call Vincent that he didn't show up. Now, do y'all remember the the shooting and murder of Katherine Johnson? Y'all forgot about that. Okay. I called Vincent and said, "Vincent, can you get the press?" Vincent knew how to get the press. Vincent got the press. We went door todo throughout English Avenue and V City specific. He had to Everybody showed up from all over the all over Atlanta and the cab for this particular uh march. I mean, for this rally at Lens Street Baptist Church. So, prior to the big marches that y'all see now on TV, the largest public safety march and rally was at Linds Street Baptist Church. Oh, that was the large. It was still to the brim. The mayor, all the political people, the person who's over the police department at the time was Pennington. And uh and and at that particular meeting, a girl went to the mic and she said, Carmarmac, her name is Carmichael. says, "Is that something?" Help me with this, uh, Derek, cuz he was here. Was it DC3 or DC6 that got took off the book where they can if DC6 is what was called a known drug area. So that means if you walking through the bluff for English Avenue or Vine City, police can walk up you say, "Get on the ground, search you, do anything they want to you, lock you up in there because you're in a known drug area." with the organization of Vincent Ford, Derek Boseman, myself and others that came off the book. All right. $5 million was given to the family of Katherine Johnson and she was 90 something years old. They give you money based on how many years you have to live and be productive. They gave 5 million. The red dog force was disbanded. Oh, y'all don't hear me. And then then P Vincent dug deeper and restarted the citizen review board used to be in place because I remember uh Jared Samples used to be a part of that from Perry Holmes that got reinstated and wait a minute all these cases y'all see throughout the country even now the police most trying to get away but if I'm not mistaken we sent about three police to jail. Three police went to jail back in what 2006 was it? 2006 206. Okay, you get what I'm saying? So both police was going to jail for being low down in Atlanta. We sent three police to jail, $5 million, uh review board. Um you know, I'm I'm just saying every what can be done, you got to have people with courage. leadership. Leadership and courage. And let me just give you another spin, y'all. Courage don't mean every time you jump out, you just can got the strength to do everything. Courage is you do it anyway. Even if you are afraid, go forth anyway. Because one thing Emma Darnell taught me is this. Right. Honorable Galileo said, "Mabel, the Lord didn't say you always was going to be victorious, but he does require you to be faithful." Oh, y'all don't hear me. This is spiritual warfare. And the Lord sent this on the valley for them for a reason. Because he was the example of what a black man can do of what I ain't talking about what you going through, how many races and all that going on. Bottom line, can do, but you got to have it inside to want to do. And this man here has inside of him to do, will do, not afraid to do. If he afraid, he go anywhere. He wear anyway. So we don't even know when he afraid because he going anyway. Okay. And he's helped a lot of people. That's right. You got to have more. And let me tell you, this was so good at what he did with predatory lending. Anybody will call me about anything that's been done wrong to people whether car been token or you got them some of them car deals be bad you get I call him and say this they don't took the thing the they they gave this boy a bad car deal he was a young guy about 20 years old say give me his name next thing you know the guy called me he say they gave me all my money back and everything I'm just telling you every which way he can touch your life power to the I love president the Honorable Marcy Car over street followed by the Honorable Michael Julian Bomb. Okay, I'll be brief because he is uh one of my handson residents in District 11. I definitely thank Council Member Boone for allowing me to, you know, co-host this with you. Thank you very much. because this one right here, for some reason, I have um something deep within me that wants him to uh give me uh a little bit of leeway at all times. It's important to me that you appreciate the work that I do in our district. And so much so that he has walked the district with me several times. He is a skin and a game kind of person. It is because of him that district 11 has sidewalks on Campton Road for the entire length of District 11. Um he came to me and said, "Listen, if you can fill in these gaps on Campbellton Road where I'm walking in the street where the bridges are, I'm going to know that you're here for the right reasons. And how about I'm like I will jump through that hoop. I'm going to get that funded and I'm going to get that done." And I did. and it is because of you that we have safety measures throughout the district. He has walked my district with me many times and that is who he is. Um, and I'm going to just leave it brief with that. It is always important to me that I am doing the work that he can be proud of. It really is. And when he joins me on anything, including not having a liquor license at a gas station, I know I can be loud and proud because he's going to show up and show out. So, thank you for allowing me to host with you today. Present today also was state representative Kim Kim Scofield and state representative Park Cannon, former council member Aaron Watson, and now the honorable Michael Julian Bond. I see her. Okay. Thank you, Councilwoman Boon. And I want to thank the Ford family uh for giving uh Senator Vincent Ford, our our friend, my friend, the kind of support that they need uh that he needed to do the work that he has done and has chosen to do in the past because it's not easy on families of people who have put themselves out in harm's way. So, let's give his family another round of applause. But I I'll be ve very very very brief. So much has been said today about the mighty uh Vincent Fort. I'm reminded of I I go to church sometimes, Reverend, but I remember hearing in church that when people pass away and from their physical form, they take off a corruptible body and put on incorruptibility. But I would say to you uh Vincent that you have worn your incorruptibility through life. All right. that the steps that you take, the challenges that you meet, the evil that you speak truth to, the power that you challenge that you have done so from your inner corrupt incorruptibility on behalf of those who have no power, who have no voice, who have no strength. Right. And you have done that successfully and you are the example for those of us who occupy elected office and we thank you. And I leave you with this. I'm I love mythology. And so in the great old English poem Demorte the Arthur when Arthur is at his lowest moment when he's facing all of his enemies and he's surrounded he's visited by his mentor Merlin in a dream and Merlin he says he hadn't seen Merlin in years because Merlin had been trapped and vanquished and away for him and so Merlin came to him and he said Merlin are you a dream are you gone from me. Where where can I find you? They say said so what what can you tell me to do as we beckon for you to tell us what to do? And Merlin responded. He said the Mar Oh, I'm sorry. Arthur said, "Are you just a dream now?" And he said, "No." He said, "I'm a dream to those who need to be inspired and I'm a nightmare for those who pervade evil." And so you Vincent are our Merlin. You are our inspiration, our incorruptible example of how to be a man, how to be a servant, how to be a leader. God bless you and thank you my friend. Senator Fort, thank you on behalf of the people of the city of Atlanta and beyond. in recognition of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort Georgia State Senator, District 39. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that we, the members of the Atlanta City Council, proclaim today, December 2nd, 2024, as Vincent D. Fort in the city of Atlanta Georgia. Y'all want to roll them over here to speak? Senator Ford today. Me, many members of your community are here from Barge Road Highrise. James Allen Highrise and all of the seniors in the city of Atlanta. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Thank you. [Applause] And now we're going to take an official photo with Senator Fort. Yes. Okay. Yes, I do. Let me tell you something. There three kinds of people I love. I love good. I love God. Two. I love God. that I love. I love God. that I love. That I love that I love my children. Yes sir. Zoe is a preacher. I love God. I love And I love I love And I love her cuz Zoe is going to be a doctor. I have three children. I love uh God because she wants to help people. Yes. I love and I I love the fact that she knows that. I love Clara of Faith. And hey I love Claire Faith who is my second daughter. She is a Claire Faith is going to be a Well, she already is. She's a she loves a she and she is going to be a meteorologist. She's already a very meteorologist. So pray for them. I love Z. I love Z. Who you got? Who are you? behind. She uh he she is I love Z. He's a wonderful person. He has integrity. Yes. Oh and I love what she does. So, I'm not going to leave him. Hello. [Applause] And then finally, [Applause] he is all of that. He is all of that. So please acknowledge them. And then finally, I'm going to talk about now I want to talk about the fact that I've got those three children. Yes, I cannot leave them out. And then I am I cannot go away from here from knowledging. Steve Henson, where are you? Steve, come over here. Steve, come over here. Steve, that man covers my back with in the cattle. My back. I love Stephen at the state capital. Uh say something to the people. Vincent is one of the greatest human beings I've ever met. I'm proud to know him. I'm honored and he has My name is Stephen Henson. I was minority leader. Vincent was elected whit when I got to be minority leader and he controlled our caucus. He helped lead us to many great things. They've talked about the landfill, the hate bill, but he put millions of dollars every year in the budget for his district to help with $45 million for Atlanta Metropolitan College, Atlanta Tech College, the health science center there. He put a bill helping uh minority children in the governor Barnes's education bill that instrumental in changing lives. He uh held our caucus together when we passed the increase for the transportation budget. So, we got millions of dollars for minority education, for engineers, uh, minority business enterprises to be conducted by a DOT that had never been done before. He's done just so much that you've never heard about and he's never taken credit for that. I'm just honored to know the man. [Applause] And now we would like for everyone after the official photo, please do not leave part two of Vincent D. Fort Day in the city hall atrium. And now our official photo and then we'll all go down to the city hall atrium. Official photo. Okay. The envelope, the padded envelope. One two three. Hey now. Hey. Yeah, this is hold. Finally got up Yeah, I couldn't. I think I think they do it quickly. I have talked to one of Everyone, please report to the city hall atrium swiftly. Please report to the city hall atrium swiftly. Hey, how's it going? How you been? Please move swiftly to the city hall atrium. Please move swiftly to the city hall atrium. Please move swiftly to the city hall atrium. It's been three hours. He told me he carry out something. [Music] Okay, thank you all. Yes sir. Thank you all very much. We will now move uh into the next part of the agenda which is uh public comment. Uh but before we do that, um Council Member Lewis, I believe you believe you have a comment. Council Lewis, uh my I just want to make sure that we let the community and let the public know that my office did hear the calls and did hear the cries. We did receive the emails. Uh we do understand that we've been able to work in a different way. Uh we read the mayor that the we read the the letter that the mayor's office came out with today and we're encouraged by the signs and the potential investment in this side. And I my office as a person who grew up in that area the past 37 years knowing how dangerous the area has been, knowing how the area has been hard to redevelop. My office is standing in solidarity with the mayor in his investment potential investment in the area. And so we encouraged we encouraged to file the paper today with the hopes that the mayor meets with the office, meets with the developers, meet with the community to everything that was said in that letter. So I just want to make sure that the people that new here came today that we love the letter that came out from the mayor. We've been trying to redevelop and fix the southwest side of Atlanta for a long time. I think we're about to get some investment. Sometimes we have to squeak and we got to be the squeaky wheel to get it. Thank you again. Thank you. We will now move to public comment. Um we have uh one elected official who has signed up. So we will start with them. Is representative Park Cannon still in the chamber? We'll wait Just a moment on Representative Cannon. She will not. All right. Oh, Representative Canon, uh, as elected official, you have up to 10 minutes to address the body and welcome. Hello everyone again and thank you all for being here today. I wanted to just come at and ahead of our legislative session coming up remind you that the impact that y'all have is statewide. We are the largest city, largest county. So the decisions that you are making, you already know they have statewide impact. I did want to specifically address the issues related to data centers. I would ask you not to vote in favor of that. Repres I just I'm sorry but per state law actually we can't have commentary about zoning papers directly. Thank you Mr. President and of course you know on a day like today where we have just honored the honorable Senator Vincent Fort and Abel Mabel Thomas. I ask you to stand strong. I ask you to be as progressive as you can possibly be in your policym because it has statewide impact. when you think maybe this issue won't really matter, maybe that issue won't really matter, maybe I can kind of hold back on listening to those who have progressive views, who are asking you to reach deeper, focus on diversity and inclusion, listen to transgender people, care about poor folks. It's really important. Um, and I hope that we can be partners in that. Many of you have been partners in that for me. Um but also as we go into this legislative session, it is a different type of legislating that will be taking place in our city, in our state, um and then in our country. And so if I have not ever been to your office or we have not had a meeting and you would like to, I want to reopen um my arms to you to ask you to be a part of the progressive group of policy makers in the state of Georgia who can have statewide impact. And then lastly, of course, I do want to just remind you that we are open um starting the second Monday in January. Typically, we do have an Atlanta delegation briefing. So you will hear from our chair and that chair will come and we'll you know ask what your legislative priorities are. But if you already do have some please do you know avail my office of those and please do come to speak with us. Come and visit with us. Come and sit with us. Please come and make yourselves as you are the closest lawmaking body to the state capital. you know, accessible because sometimes we go into these committee hearings and we are trying to say, well, this is what Atlanta did, you know, and they're like, well, can we speak with any of your officials? And so, sometimes it takes a little more work, but if y'all are available to come, my office is on the sixth floor. Um, our team would be happy to bring you in and to be a part of that. And if your staff just wants to come and join us, we would also like to have your staff there. I thank you again for this time and hope you have a great rest of your meeting. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Representative Cannon. Um, now we will move to remarks of the public. I would remind everyone that you will have up to two minutes unless you've been yielded time. I also would remind everyone that per state law uh and are and are following with it, we cannot take commentary around zoning matters that are before this body that the public comment has to be done in the zoning review board. Um, so with that we will start with Britney Morton. Brittney Morton. Jonathan Briggs. You'll have up to two minutes. Permission to approach council for just to hand out my Yes. Here you are. Yes, my name is Jonathan Briggs. I'm a California native. I'm 34 years of age. I am a commercial fisherman. I fish 230 265 days out of the year. I've been doing it for the last nine years out in the Gulf of Alaska based around Kodiak, Alaska. I'm taking the form of starting my own fishing market because I want to actually supply fresh domestic fresh fish to our nation first. 75% of the Alaskan catch is exported and in return processed throughout spoil throughout transit and then in return imported back into our stores into our markets. Um I'm just going to be real brief, real short. Um I'm just here to build relationships. Um, I would really like to start in Atlanta. It's a lot of history and I wasn't I didn't know what I was walking into today. It's a lot of history to follow and um I'm just here to build relationships. So, if anybody would like to work with me or would like to sit down and meet, my information is on those booklets. I wish y'all the best. Thank you for hearing me out. Thank you. Thank you. Next will be George Jackson. George Jackson. Next will be Henry Jordan. You'll have up to two minutes. Give now to spirit God everyone that's here. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord. Call upon his name. Make known his deeds among the people. Psalms 105 chapter first verse. Uh, I had a dream that the people was in a big bubble. They couldn't enjoy the trees to the land of the atmosphere. The Lord said the answers in the homeless is called on Jesus Christ as a business plan to deliver the people out of that situation. Also, I saw where the Lord wanted to use me to help fight sin in us, around us, and others. And the Lord was telling me, we ourselves got to see Christ first and see if I'm saying what I'm saying to you is of Christ. You got to talk to Jesus for yourself. Also, the it says the call to praise is unmistakable with its 11 imperative directive toward God's people. Give thanks, call upon, make known, sing, talk, and so on. Because you talk, you took the credit and glory for what Christ has done through me, the gift will not work on your job. And is it is Jesus will to work his way. When you hide what God has done through me, you are telling him you do not need desire for the gift to work in me or for it to be done. See, I had a dream that the people that was on a big but not the people but I saw a big round table where China, Russia and 911 and other countries which was plotting against America and the Lord showed me that the people are not going to believe what Christ is doing what he want to do through me and protecting the people as God says to protect them in his way and not your way cuz your way ain't going to do what Christ's way going to do. Next up will be Carlton Ham. Carlton Ham. Next will be Ronald Petty. You'll have up to two minutes. Um, President uh Shipman, can I hand this to you? Sure. Yeah. I'm trying to understand why my property sale involves so many highlevel officials, including you. Uh, I wanted to know if you knew why um your name was included on this email. No, I wanted to give it to him. Yes. So, basically, yes, I'm here today. I'm back. because basically um I just want to thank God that I was able to get my documents from watershed before they manipulated and falsified my documents. Okay. So, my case involves watershed. Um, and I was in the in the process of selling a property and thank goodness that I got my documents first and foremost before they I hired my attorney. And when my attorney requested the same information, the documents changed, the prices, the dates, everything. And it's up to you, councilman, to look deeper into my case. My case was just on the news on channel 2. And I've been getting so many emails from people with stories just like me. I'm not stopping. I got the money to fight. And I'm gonna fight because Watershed cannot continue to do this. Okay? I'm not standing for it. Uh Jason Winston, you're my councilman. I've been calling you repeatedly. I can't get you on the phone. I have another case. Okay. Separate from this one involving watershed again on another property that I own. You're going to have to pay attention to me. I'm Ronald Petty Jr. and you're going to see me. Thank you. Next is Terry Ross. Duty time. You have up to four minutes. Thank you. Good afternoon, council members. Um, my name is Terry Ross. I am here representing NPU. test is in terrific. Okay. And um I'm also a member of the city of Atlanta's license review board currently as well as parliamentarian for the western neighborhood development as well as Morehouse School of Medicine's community coalition board. And somebody asked me earlier today how many boards am I on? And I honestly can't say but most of you council members I've had interactions with over the years. It's good to see everyone here. According to state law, I won't speak about the things that I came to speak about today. However, I will say that I am a proud member of the walkable West End where I live and have lived for 16 years and I have earnestly been involved in the development of the West End and particularly the Weston station, the Weston Mall, transit oriented development, universityoriented development and um beltline oriented development. And I can earnestly say that anything that takes away from that development, we um are adamantly opposed to. Um my neighbors are in NPUV. They're just across the street literally. And that's the Adair Park neighborhood as well. And we are all in consensus and all in agreement that anything that takes that we find detrimental to the commercial corridor running between West End and Adair Park, we are adamantly and will be adamantly opposed to. Um, and I know I'm speaking cryptic here. I had a whole speech prepared and everything, but then ignorance is bliss, right? I didn't know anything about the state law. myself and I do want to be in compliance with the law. So, I just want to thank you for your time today and thank you for your consideration and um I'm actually happy I was here. I got a chance to see Senator Fort receive his flowers as well as Camille Love um receive her flowers as well. Now, one of the other things that I am an architect of is the Atlanta Community Engagement Playbook which was f which we designed in back in 2015 2016. And one of the things that we that we were so proud of is we created a framework in which residents could engage the city of Atlanta, the elected officials as well as the service providers. And on the other half of the book, it was how city officials and city service departments can engage residents for some genuine community engagement. And of course, we expect all you councilman members to use that book. Use that playbook. It is the Atlanta Community Engagement Playbook, and it will give you the framework how to engage your residents so that you can determine what it is that they would like to see. Now, like I said, I I am involved with the NPU. I am involved with the comprehensive development plan every five years. Um I was also a committee standing committee uh chairman for the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board for eight years as well. And so we understand how it works and we understand when it doesn't work. And so I just want to say that anything that take that we find detrimental to the development of Southwest Atlanta, regardless of what the initiative is or what the underlying intention is, we're going to be adamantly opposed to it. And so I I've hope I've made that clear to all the council members and I ask you to carefully consider the things that come before you today. And I thank you for your time. Thank you, Council Lewis. Mr. Ross, I appreciate you for coming in today. And anytime you you come in, you speak to legislation, I I heard you fully. I I'll never have a constituent come in and mention my name. And not even if you talk about something, if I know about it, I can speak on I always respond and I and I appreciate that, Councilman. And what you said prior to the legislative session beginning, I kind of confused me. I got you. I mean, I I I read the letter from the mayor as well today, but I I wasn't sure where you were standing. Yeah. Yeah. So, I the letter came out to all of us today. And so, I'm I'm super happy to see that kind of investment. As a person that grew up over there, you've been 37 years in that area. I understand that we've had three or four people buy the West End Mall and it always fall through so bad so that the city had to purchase it. I also understand that Murphy's, you know, the u when you think about the Met, I also understand that the Met is a place that we put Boys and Girls of Club of America. We put different organizations in and they've not been able to sustain themselves so much so that we had to help sell it. And so we know that the Met it didn't work for retail. So I'm extremely excited about the letter that we received from the M today because it shows intentional development in this area. I think we've never gotten this type of Look at at the southside. This is 10 acres. Typically typically we don't get this kind of attention. Correct. For for something for 10 acres. So, I'm super excited about and me myself as a long time, I'm not going nowhere. I'm I'm talked about great memorial today. I'm I was born there. Okay. You know what I mean? Mr. Fan said something today and I want to make sure I talk about it because Reverend Fan, the church on Metropolitan Parkway. Yes. When when this legislation was brought to me, he was a person who came to me and talked to me about it. And what he said was in his church, he once let a neighborhood organization have a meeting in his church. They had a zoning meeting, right? In that zoning meeting, they were reszoning his church from a church to some affordable housing. And you know what affordable housing means sometimes when we say in this area relative to location. Absolutely. And so Mr. Fan said in that meeting he had to get loud and say, "Hey, y'all not about to change my church." Right? I'm the pastor, right? And but so we when you look at the the business the organization that was already sitting there, they had certain authorities before we put forth the new legislation that we brought forth three months ago. Okay? And so that business actually came to me and similar to Mr. Fan and said, "Hey, you go how you going to resone my church?" Well, he came to me and said, "Hey, I when I purchased this property, when we purchased this property, when the city council created this exact specific zoning, when the city council created it in 2005, what they said was we would not impose arenous requirements on developers. What they said was it is very difficult to they said it's very difficult to develop at different stages in the life cycle for different portions of the city." And so 37 years in that community, you've been in the community, same time period. We see they not touching this park. And so this letter I got from the mayor today means they going to touch this park. And we know that the mayor was a city council person over this area for that 12 years he was a mayor. I mean city council person. So we know that they have not have been any attention right there. So we've seen the West Mall. We've seen that keep falling through. And so we want to make sure we're able to do some stuff. So, I appreciate you for coming down and we're going to file that legislation mean it's dead. I I it's dead. That's what that means today. That means it's dead. And I think that had we not had this not happened today, had this not happened, it' still be a dead area, right? One last thing, there's lead in the ground there. So, with the new administration, with the new federal administration, according to EPA and Georgia EPA guidelines, with the new federal administration, with the Trump administration, our goal, we're going to have to find some kind of way to get some federal money to clean this up to remeate that. I'm assuming that our with this letter that we got about this 10 acres, I'm assuming that we're going to get all the support that we need to go and get all the resources we need for us. Excellent. And I'm not moving. So, you know, I'm happy about this. So, if nothing else is publicity for our side of town, right? Oh, man. We going to get the stuff we need and we get a hospital right there. I know that we're not talking about out loud. We about to get a hospital, right? We're about to get a new Grady. I agree. 70 acres. Come on now. So, we're about to redevelop. Thanks again. So from transit oriented development, university oriented development. I want to see belt line rail and hospital oriented. I want to see belt line rail. I I think when you when you look at some of the stuff that's going on in that area, they the I want to see belt line real. Okay. Thank you again. Thank you, Mr. Russ. Thank you. Next will be Tracy Thornnehill. You'll have up to two minutes. My name is Tracy Thornnehill. I'm the executive director of Ask Me. I worked for the city for 33 years. 33 dedicated years. I know a little something about the city of Atlanta. Today I am joined by employees from Watershed, Parks and Recreation, Public Works. I've seen a lot in my 33 years. I have a great greater pulse on the city workers than the OIG from New York. City workers do not fear the mayor. They do not fear city council or the department heads. That's propaganda being fanned by the IG. What we fear is power-hungry IG seeking to score political points and make a name for theirelves. We fear wasting millions of tax dollars duplicating the functions of the law law department and human re resources in APD. Over the years with the city, I've seen intimidation and I've seen bullies and it looks like the OIG is a bully. We have a signed that requires notice and the right to representation at any investigation meeting of our members. This OIG knows it and has ignored it. She don't believe that she has to follow the rules. We need city council to protect the employees, its taxpayers. We need the administration to make sure procedures are in place and recommend that the task force and the moou are protected. I do have some paperwork for y'all to get right here. And on the note of leaving, I got 19 seconds. I want y'all to remember the name Theodore Wilson. Theodore Wilson, 30-year employee of the city of Atlanta. Two weeks ago, getting off the exit in the West End and was shot in the mouth by a water boy. This is a 33 year 30-year employee of the city of Atlanta. I know that we took on and said that we wanted the water bars to have a good make money, but if it's dangerous, we got to stop it. We got to do something. Thank you. Thank you. Next would be Ronald Petty. My name is on there early. Shakir. Uh, no, no, no, not yet. Mr. Shakir, you're you're you're coming. Uh, next will be Crystal Jeffrey. You have up to two minutes. Good afternoon, city council. I am Crystal Jeffrey, secretary treasure of ASME, representing more than 3,000 city employees grade 18 and below. ASME has over 1.6 million members across the country. And today, I speak on behalf of ASME. We wish to begin by commending the mayor and the council for your foresight in creating a task force to tackle these complex issues. Your leadership has helped to open doors for meaningful dialogue, ensuring that voices like ours are heard. We appreciate that this initiative has allowed us the opportunity to constructively engage on this issue. We all share a common goal, upholding fairness, integrity, and transparency within city operations. Our commitment as union leaders is to work collaboratively toward solutions that strengthen trust and respect. We believe it's critical to reaffirm the fundamental rights of unions to represent our members, especially on key issues like disciplinary actions and other employment concerns. We need insurance that these rights are not undermined by the practices of the office of the inspector general. We are seeking clearer guidelines on how the OIG interacts with unionized employees, particularly in cases where representation is necessary to protect their interests and ensure fairness. The speed and secret nature in which OIG investigations are conducted often leaves little room for due process. This can make it nearly impossible for unions to provide timely and effective representation for our members. The secrecy surrounding the OIG processes has created a culture of fear. Many members are hesitant to reach out to the city or even their unions, fearing retaliation or other further scrutiny. This lack of transparency is counterproductive and undermines trust in the OG. Clear protections must be established to ensure employees feel safe so they can reach out to their unions without fear of retaliation or adverse consequences. The OIG office is supposed to give confidence in process, transparency, and interrogical factf finding body. Unfortunately, because of its current leadership, there is an erosion of confidence. Time is expired. And the OIG is now viewed as nothing more than a political hack. We urge the council to adopt the findings of the task force. Thank you. Next will be Rayard Burrell. Duty yield a time. You have up to eight minutes. Can we ask someone to grab these, please? Good afternoon, members of the council. I'm Rainard Burrell. I'm the executive director of the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees. I represent over 2,000 members of the city and APS workers. Our members not only work here, many of them live here, too, and are part of the fabric of Atlanta. They work hard and they play by the rules. Most love their jobs and their communities. Two of our city members recently died. Dury Bright just a couple of months ago and Datarvis Cooper just a couple of weeks ago. Dury in his early 50s and Darvis in his early 30s. Dedicated city workers. It is part of my duty to deliver $50,000 union policies to both of their families as members of FPSC. I mentioned this because too often in these types of discussions, we forget the decisions that we make impact real people and sometimes we forget city workers are our most important resource. So when we talk about workers rights, it's more than just a policy question. It's a statement of our community values. I made remarks before the task force laying out some of our concerns. I emailed those remarks to city council earlier as well as giving you to pass out just now. But let me share a few of my concerns directly with the council. One significant concern we must address is the absence of publicly available standard operating procedures SOPs for the IG. This is troubling as other investig investig investigatory bodies both locally and nationally have their SOPs readily accessible for public review. Without clear SOPs, it becomes nearly impossible for FBSC employees or even the community to understand the rules of engagement or the scope of authority guiding the IG's actions. We cannot determine who really oversees the OIG. Does the OIG report to the governing board or is it really the other way around in practice? Does the governing board have a duty of loyalty to the business community that sponsored their appointment or do they owe it to the citizens of Atlanta? This lack of clarity raises questions about accountability, politics, and governance within the office of the IG. We must know the proper rules of engagement, including how investigations are conducted, how oversight functions to effectively represent our members, and for the OIG's office or its finding to have any credibility. I know the council is just receiving the task force recommendations today, but we urge the council to move deliberately speedy in improving the clarifying supplement of the OIG legislation. We ask that the administration take immediate action in implementing the operational portion of the IG's task force recommendation. We need some type of guide or bill of rights for city workers. This framework can improve the process by clearly defining the rights and responsibilities when interacting with the OIG. The guide should help clarify whether the individuals involved is subject to an investigation or a witness, ensuring their roles and rights are clearly understood. FPSC understands the importance of confidential investigations. We understand that true confidentiality is a challenge is challenging to maintain especially when workers are frequently summoned. We an employee when an employee is is repeatedly summoned to the office of the OIG. It can create a harmful environment of suspicion and speculation. Perception can damage an individual's reputation and mental well-being, which underscores the need for clear communication about the nature of their involvement. FPSC urges the city to ensure that investigations are conducted at city facilities rather than at workers' homes. As this practice respects workers privacy and dignity while maintaining professionalism conducting investigation in in personal spaces can cause undue stress, confusion, emotional harm, and feelings of intimidation even if the worker is not accused of wrongdoing. City facilities provide a neutral controlled environment where workers can have the support of represent representatives ensuring a fair process. Protecting workers rights and maintaining a respectful investigation process is essential for the overall health of the workplace and the integrity of the investigation. Let me conclude my remarks by acknowledging the professional critics of the city that loves to create chaos, point fingers, play gotcha, and engage in assassination by allegation. The truth is, if our city leaders were to walk on water, the critics would be at the council meeting complaining and yelling that they can't swim. I urge you to turn tune out the professional critics. Also be lerary of those seeking to score political points and those wishing to advance their political careers. Unfortunately, the OIG has made the process very political. She engaged a PR firm, has participated in a media bliss. Her office has leaked so-called confidential investigation information. This unelected bureaucrat has lambasted our elected leaders, demeaned the task force, thumbmed her nose at city workers, and even pranced into city council meeting to engage in propaganda and fearmongering. We urge the city council to prioritize implementing the legislative recommendations of the task force. We urge the mayor to move forth with and implementing the operational components. Thank you for the opportunity to be heard. Thank you. Next will be Dave Martis. You'll have up to two minutes. Thank you. Hey y'all. My name is Dave Martis. I live in the West End. Uh I'm a nurse at Hugh Spalding Children's Hospital. You hopefully you'll be seeing a little bit more of me trying to lean into community building and organizing and supporting and calling in. Um, I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you so much. I know it can be a real drain to listen to us come up here and we all have a lot to say. Uh, myself included. I'll be honest, my tone was going to be a little different earlier, but I'm feeling a little bit better now. And um, but no, even then I was going to say, you know, thank you. Even when I was going to say what I was going to say, I I was going to start by saying thank you. Well, well, no, no, no. There rules like Mr. Ross said, Mr. Ross, how about him? He's fabulous. Love him. Um, but yeah, no, I just want to say, um, about a year ago, got involved with my MPU cuz I read something on the Center for Civic Innovations website about like how wonderful they are for making sure we organize as a community and have our voices heard. Uh, and then I went to go see uh, Meditations on Maynard at the Herz Theater at the Alliance, which was fantastic. um Pearl Kle's play about kind of the origins of the movement that got Maynard uh Mayor Jackson elected and the empowering the people and you know letting our voices be heard. Um you know I think we hear a lot that Atlanta is a city where um it's kind of the developers versus the people and um I want to I want to prove that's not true. I want to prove that's not true. I want to prove that that this that this council and I believe it will will listen to the will of the people when the people at least when the people speak real clear when they make it really well known what they need and what they want I believe this council has it in them to do the right thing. Thank you so much. Thank you. Next will be Gerard Jackson. Oh, Cer Lewis, you wanted to comment? Yep. M Mr. For real, just making sure you know we heard you. Unlike with the public safety training facility, we we changed the stuff up here. We we actually hear you and we're willing to work and negotiate. One thing we we want to be known as as a count I want to be known as a person who's listening to everybody and we have people on both sides reaching out. So, thank you again, George Jackson. You have up to two minutes. Good morning, everyone. Good afternoon, uh, city council. My name is Gerard Antonio Jackson. I am a parks worker. I work for the city of Atlanta parks erect department for 23 years and I have lived in Atlanta for 39 years. I love my city. I love my job, but we had a few issues come by and that's why I'm here talking in front of you right now. I asked the council to adopt the recommendations of the task force to protect city workers, the integrity of the process and the credibility of the city. All all that employees really want is a fair process. Fear of political games, power struggles. We do not have faith in our IG or her policies. We do have faith in the city council, our mayor, and the communities that we serve. We want to do our jobs fear of intimidation, fear of interference and fear of threats. We want to ask you, we want to ask you to put it clear the rules that everyone can follow. Not only workers, but everyone. We want things fair and we want a fair chance to work. Thank you. Thank you. Next will be Vance McCoy. Vance McCoy. Next will be John Salverson, John Salverson, Sarah Newman, John Pavlin, Mike Robuk, Brian Alonzo, Dan and Burks, Louisa Reyes, Tiffany Tilman, Yule Hollowman, Wajib Sabri, Cassie Williams, Cassandra Alexander Green, Derek Fields, Vic Bolton. You'll have up to six minutes due to yielded time. Jordan. Good afternoon, President Shipman, members of the council. Thank you again for this time. Um, I've been before you before, so I won't bore you with the who I am details. Uh, I will say, as my my friend over there said, I do appreciate your service, and it's always a a point that I take to to say thank you for being willing to put up with us and all that comes with being a member of the city council. Um, I'm a native alien as well, born and raised here, Bankhead, Greenbryer, Southwest, SWAT, all of the the the stereotypes. I fit them all. Uh, I've traveled the country and lived in cities all over the US through corporate appointments that I've had over the years. And I was truly blessed to get promoted back here a little over 20 years ago and have been back in Atlanta and will not be leaving my hometown again. The reputation of our fair city is at stake here, y'all. Um, I'm here to talk about the train wreck that is our procurement department. And I know that you knew this was coming, so please bear with me for a second. I actually had the good fortune living in the city with an educator, mom and a lot of family connections to have met Mayor Jackson and Martin King and Andy Young and Joe Lowry and CT Vivian and Jose Williams and Ralph Abernathy and HJ Russell was a mentor of mine and a neighbor and I grew up with the Atlanta way and the concept of the city on the hill that we all like to refer to and you know even though the city was the epicenter of the civil rights movement and you know brought about so much change in that regard. We we have just as important a legacy on the economic side. Our economic equal business opportunity program rather has a 50-year track record of making millionaires in Atlanta. And we should not discount that 50 years of creating probably by now hundreds of millionaires through business opportunity in our city. So, I've been calling on you for almost 20 years. I've never had a city contract and I've never worked at the city. And I wanted to make that clear that my job is influence. I don't have any financial stake in things that go on with contracts down here other than advocating occasionally for clients of mine. But the process is broken. It smells funny to quote members of this body. It stinks. It's scary to use a word from the neighborhood. It's downright janky. There's a recent batch of airport procurements that are of grave concern. And I want to just briefly touch on some things and tell you that you can't proceed on the path that we're on. There have been blackout violations where people talk to folks they're not supposed to, where folks come before you and conveniently use the blackout as a reason not to talk about things or answer questions that you've asked them, but then when others reach for them, it is discovered that they have reached out to one another and done things like encourage someone to hire someone else's kid right in the middle of the blackout time frame. There have been disturbing findings by the IPRO reports from the OIG. And I want to make sure we don't throw the whole baby out with that particular batch of bath water because a function like that is needed. It needs to be adjusted, tweaked, rained in, whatever you guys decide to do. But a function like that is necessary to keep integrity in the operations of the city. There have been things that have been found to be unfavorable that have been been slid past us and and moved forward anyway. people that were parties to bids that were ineligible by RFP specifications that somehow were allowed to continue to participate. Um, there was one somebody that had been sued several times that was allowed to move move forward by the airport promising to mitigate the risk. And most troubling is this designation of vendors as non-responsive arbitrarily with allegations of Lord knows what. But people are alleging that they steer contracts in the direction of those that are desired or away from those that they don't. There's also a bit of an anti-incumbent bias that I've detected where for whatever reason some folks feel like we want someone else to have this work. Your your incumbents are your best informed, most knowledgeable competitors and they ought to always be competitive because they're doing the work now. So they know what the fuel costs are, the labor costs are, the equipment costs are. Your your incumbents should be very competitive. So one of those folks who has done this before and won the work, doesn't know how to respond to a bid. I would think you agree with me that smells funny. The So there have been open records requests. There have been conversations with people whose last name is Esquire. We've been in the media over and over. And I will submit to you that Mayor Jackson is rolling over in his grave. based on the way that procurement is being handled. Our city was once the beacon that cities all over the nation used to turn to when they wanted to start a supplier diversity program or they wanted to enhance the one that they had. They would say, "Get that document from Atlanta and let's build off of that." I was a part of a process that had to be bid four times in three years because of various inundry impropriies in that procurement department. Poor procure poor communication. Uh we were deemed unresponsive along with others and never notified of that fact until later. It was clear that they wanted someone else one time, but we just weren't going to sit by for that. You need to understand that all friendships and relationships are not conflicts. People in a city like Atlanta who are lobbying and working and trying to get work are going to come to meet and greets and they're going to know each of you individually. For you to be acquainted with someone or have them as a friend is not a problem for that friendship to influence the outcome of a contract is. So I want to make it clear that we're not trying to say that there should not be friends in this space because that exists. It's part of the process. So saw a historic committee vote last week where five members of the committee abstained and a piece of legislation came before you with one positive vote which I've never seen in 20 years of calling on you. I'm asking you to send those three pieces back so that they can be filed so that you can have an appropriate process that is fair and equitable and open to all of the right parties. And the unreadiness that members expressed in committee last week should keep you from moving those things forward. Thank you. Thank you. Next will be Nassier Warsama. Next will be Ken Robing. You'll have up to two minutes. Good afternoon, council members. Today is the last full council meeting of this very horrible year. After watching a heated discussion in the transportation committee the this week, I realize you are very involved with how may how the mayor and his assets management team are conducting business. This is a very good sign for the taxpayers of Atlanta. As I rode into downtown this morning, I noticed quite a few homeless people camped out on the street on MLK. I guess the mayor is having trouble finding a place for the homeless shelters that he wants to build. He might be waiting for a better time to do it. Keep watching for the legislation that will build these shelters. I am sure the mayor wants to get it done in the next year. Got another page here. Okay. Happy holidays and happy new year to you. and hopefully 2025 will be a better year than this one. Thank you. Thank you. Next will be Brooks Payne. Next will be Larry Anthony. Next will be Ron Shakur. Due to yielded time, you'll have up to six minutes. Thank you, Ron Shakir. Beautiful southwest Atlanta. my father moved um to Atlanta and we got the word from upstate in upstate New York that we were moving to Atlanta and the first place we landed was on um Hell Dane that's off of Payton Road and landing there I was like wow I haven't seen much suburban population with a high presence of African and Americans in these type of housing. So, Atlanta was always a special place. I family came up in a rural area of Alabama and my father was oldest of 12 children. So, we seen housing. We seen grandmama houses and great-grandmous housing. We know what they look like and we know what they housed and how they maintained. still owners of most of that property. But what gets me is the progress of Atlanta that my father saw and that we all saw and that a lot of people who came to Atlanta that made Atlanta the Mecca was um is somewhat discouraging now. Yeah, we saw the job and the businesses. We saw the airport. There was friends of mines who have retired, done well at some of these here corporate places. But we have also seen and I've heard it up here before I got here is a displacement of residents. is an Atlanta that I just heard about a couple of weeks ago when somebody painfully told me, tearfully told me that their one bed room that they were seeking to find was over $1,100 a month. Not only that, I made I made notice of that to someone just a couple days ago. They said $1,100 is much higher now. How do we get here? When I think about Mayor Jackson, when I think about Shirley Franklin, it was a progressive leadership that was shaping the country about Urbing and about African-American leadership and how that leadership was shaping a new horizon. Well, right now you can't hardly find a bedroom one-bedroom apartment in in some areas. Uh, a lot of areas that used to be African-Americans from Bankhead to Ben Hill. My father, I told you, I think I said that my mother retired from Kmart. Lovely, beautiful cashier. How she balanced that book every day. That balance that cash register. She loves her job. But the fact is is that our Atlanta now is shipping people and shaping people out of this city. And and we're going to call for a gentrification plan. We're going to call for a belt line. What the hell is a belt line? What does a belt line do for housing? What do a belt line do for residents in this city except make it unaffordable or gentrify it? would mean there's a higher income but present. But you know what's lacking? You know what's peeling from the presence? Elementary schools. 16 sixy old girls and boys going to elementary schools. The population is decreasing. There's not a there's not a lot of demand for public high elementary schools and no accommodation for much. People are moving here with no children across the street all over the place. Atlanta matters. Um, our communities matters. The idea that a person can go to a me elementary school in southwest Atlanta and finish go to a middle school and finish high school all within the same community. Well, it's not like that no more. Mothers are finding a hard place to rent $1,000 a month. Gentrification is not a beautiful thing. It's not a word that I heard some of my dear council persons or some of the friends I have up in here, they want to put gentri put gentrification in the name of a project. It's a shame of a project. Gentrification is pushing for put affordable housings out. Where can we live? Where's where you have got elected? Some of y'all, what's the future of those citizens and those mothers and fathers being able to have representation? Gentrification is beautiful. A gentrification trail, the belt line. What does the belt line bring to Atlanta? Except a reputation, a message that was said here on the news at this council that the belt line was the highest public project in America. Lord save us. The belt line is the highest economic project. We had other we had other barriers to cross. We had greater places to achieve of equity and right in housing before a belt line. It's the most shameful thing that you can tie your name to. The fact is that the residents of this city, the children of this city, the high school, the middle school, and the elementary school need stable housing. And we going to tear down public housing. At the time when people was cleaning them up and making them good, we're going to tear it down. Shame, the new Atlanta is a just Atlanta and not a gentrified Atlanta. Thank you. Next will be Abraham Khil, Tariq Cooper, Akquil Wilbourne, Kristen Konam, sorry I for pronounced that. Conan man John stop you have up to two minutes. Uh good afternoon. Uh Atlanta, Georgia. Uh the city too busy to hate. But are we so busy that we can't stop and acknowledge and correct what has been such an obvious example of wrongdoing? On October 4th, 2024, Council Member Liliana Baktiari assaulted an Oakland cemetery guard. She then used her influence to have him fired and barred from working on all City of Atlanta properties. This action is highly unethical and a clear abuse of power. I find this behavior appalling and unacceptable and I am calling on the council to censure Liliana Baktiari for her actions. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. On October 4th at the end of Martin Luther King Jr. drive southeast in Atlanta, Georgia. A police officer responded to Oakland Cemetery because a council woman got robbed. But a council woman wasn't robbed and it was Mr. Montford, the cemetery guard, who ended up being robbed of his dignity and livelihood. I am deeply troubled by the council's refusal to acknowledge Liliana Baktiari's wrongdoing in this matter and I sincerely hope that this behavior is not further condoned by silence and inaction. And with my remaining time, I passed one of her staff members on the way in. I've seen her acting like business as usual on on her Instagram account. The last time she was in that seat, we had a little back and forth and as far as I know, she's still on the job and I would like to see her back in here and and answer for the what happened that night. Thank you. Thank you. Next will be Jiad Hill. Next will be Sandra Lee Williams. You'll have up to two minutes. Thank you, President Shipman, and good afternoon, council people. Uh, I'm I stand here before you to talk just a little bit about the OIG's office and some of the implications. As you know, many of the city employees for Atlanta are represented by our labor affiliates. The concern to me is when you have an inspector general that comes about or comes across and doesn't allow for that representation. That's concerning and it should be concerning for all of you because that is a protection that our relationship with the city is afforded to employees. The second part of my comments have to do with while I respect the integrity and transparency in city government and feel that the IG may have a very good place in some aspects of our city government. I believe that the charter needs to be reviewed and where necessary changes need to be made to have specific impact on what's going on. Now, right now, it seems as if the guard rails are off and that there is no specific intent, but that there is a free wielding. I go and I ask and I do whatever I need to do, but to what intent? Once you have employees that are afraid that their cell phones are being monitored, there is no representation with them and they have labor representation. Um, it's concerning. So again, I ask that you look at the charter because there are many charters within our charter. There are many different things that have been appealed, have been modified over the years. I don't say that this is a bad issue. I do say it requires change and I thank you for your time. Thank you. Next will be Valerie Anderson. due to yield to time. You'll have up to four minutes. Hi, good afternoon. My name is Valeran Anderson and I would like to address um Councilman Boone. um for trying to get someone to um talk to me from GBI, which I stated to you that someone did. So, I thank you very much for that. But it took a um Chief of Det I mean Detective Calvin Thomas to get that done for me, which I think is shameful. Like I said to you before, it should not take a detective to do the chief of police and the assistant chief of police job. It shouldn't take a detective to do that, but it was done and I greatly appreciate your efforts in doing that. My next question is to you, Councilman Boon, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. for Roki to get in touch with APD to find out what's their next step because I would hope it don't take 3 months for somebody to get in touch with me and I would like also for you to get in writing or any kind of communication that they would reach be reaching out to me be in writing cuz at this point. I don't trust anything that they're saying at all. When I left here, um the last time I was here, I was very hard. I was very hard. I left there and I felt so disrespected and deflated. That's how I left here to the point where when I got home, I had a serious headache, you know, and I shouldn't feel this way. And like I said before, I'm not here to beg for justice for my son. I'm going to get justice for my son. However long it takes, I'm going to get justice for him because as you stated, Councilman Bond, I needed that conversation that we had. That's how hurt I was. And you made me feel better. You made me feel better because I am my son's voice right now. I am my son's voice. Melvin Potter took his voice, but I'm his son. I'm his voice now. And I'm going to represent my son at any cost. at any cost. So with that said, I need to know what Atlanta police next step is because again jurisdiction or no jurisdiction. The point is my son was murdered by Melvin Potter. My son was murdered by Melvin Potter. It's not an if. There's clearly not an if. So if the police report is saying that Melvin Potter did say he is the one that shot and killed my son and it's a homicide. I mean what more you what more than need part should have never been a police officer. Like I stated before he joined the force in 2015. By 2018, he had issues. And I believe if the APD had did their job, my son would be alive today. That's not a question either. My son would be alive today. So for that reason, I need to know, would like to know, and again, I'm asking you all, Councilman Boon, I mean, um, Bon, Councilman Lewis, and Mr. Fu, Councilman Feroki. And I'm asking the three of you because you you asked the hard questions that I can't ask and that I can't get. So that's the reason why I'm asking for you all to do the hard lifting. Thank you. Time is expired. Thank you, Council Member B. Get out. Miss Anderson, I'm I'm We will follow up on your request and uh we'll ask the leadership of APD what is the new disposition on on the situation with the officer. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Council Lewis and Miss Anderson, I want to make sure we're correct. The the reason you asked us to ask in writing, you asked us to ask this in writing. I know at the last public safety meeting you mentioned I want to make sure I'm correct on the timeline. You mentioned that you reached out to the citizens review board or a detective. Yes, I did. I um reached out I went to the citizen board. Yes. And I I said what I said about my my son and the case with Melvin Potter murdering my son. And and and just to make sure I know we've been I I apologize that we even I I hate that you got to come down here that we we're not just moving accordingly, but you said that I know we've been asking the police department to communicate with the GBI for you, but you said in that last meeting that you were giving a number or a communication with someone with the GBI and you were able to communicate with someone in three days. Like I stated before how it happened. I went to the to the meeting and somebody named Brian Fleming gave me his card. He told me to which was on Thursday and he told me to call him Friday after one. I did so. So the number that he gave me um I called and um uh dete detective um Calvin Thomas answered the phone and he told me that wasn't the number that I was supposed to call. So I explained to him the situation about you know not being able to get in touch with GBI. So when I called the number he told me um if I didn't get anyone to to ring to call him back. So I did call him back and I told him that um you know I didn't I didn't get that answer I had to um get back to this number. So he said so no one got in touch with you? I said no. and he said to me if nobody gets in touch by me with me by Wednesday to give him a call back. So when I got he left a message on my phone saying somebody is supposed to get in touch with me. So by Friday um GBI Joe Clark called me. So, what I'm saying is if Darren Sherburn gets up here, grandstanding for you all and assistant chief um deputy Jason Smith gets up here grandstanding for you all and the chief um is over detective um Calvin Thomas. How is it that he gets GBI to call me in days when um um the chief of police couldn't do it in three months Thursday? I want to make sure we're clear right there. My son died. So the chief of police of the city of Atlanta have been we've been asking this council, this Biden, you have been asking for communication or whatever was coming from the GBI for about three months. But within 3 days of you working with a deputy in the city of Atlanta, you got Brian um Flemings. Yes. He started the ball rolling for me as far as And I just want to make sure we're doing it on a trust thing. So I want to make sure cuz you asked us to write a letter or write an email to the chief and ask that he do this in writing. So, I want to make sure we know that's why she's asking we do it in writing because we've been talking to the during the public safety meeting, we've been asking for certain informations from the GBI cuz I'm a black man from Atlanta. When the police kill a black man from Atlanta, we got to get loud. Very loud. We've been getting loud. So, we've been getting loud and you mean to tell me we've been asking the chief of police for three months and we haven't gotten anything. But you the the the mother of the mother of the Von um Anderson Jr. who was um murdered by Melvin Potter. So that's why you're asking us to put it in writing cuz you want to make sure that the black folks up here, you want to make sure these folks up here want to make sure they're actually doing it, right? Cuz you don't trust it. No, I have no confidence. Okay. I just want to make sure I will send my email to the police in writing. I will be asking I'm asking right now on TV and I also be sending an email in writing. Hopefully my my my colleagues, the two that you asked be working with me on this. We'll be sending an email with the hopes that we can get the same kind of intention that you put on. I you shouldn't be trying to solve your you shouldn't be and that's what I feel like. Thank you. That's exactly what I feel like. So that's why I'm asking um Mr. Bond, you Mr. Lewis, and you Mr. Feroi for asking the hard questions and I thank you very much. But yeah, I I shouldn't play detective in for my son's murder, but I do appreciate it. I do appreciate it. I just want to make sure it's happen. I appreciate you talking with me and giving and I know we have we're trying to build trust within the police department. Well, I have none right now, but I want to make sure they at least at least send that email at least cuz she want to see it in writing cuz she does not trust the phone calls. Thank you. Everything that has anything to do with my son that's coming to that has anything to do with me also I want it in writing because it's very apparent that they got up here stand up here over here and over there saying that they was trying to get in touch with GBI and it took a detective to get me to get to talk to the GBI. So what does that what does that say? Yeah. I can't I can't sit on my hands on this. I I appreciate you so much for coming on here and thank you again. I would hope not. Thank you. Thank you. Next will be Dr. Dwan Robinson. Due to yield of time, you'll have it to 10 minutes. President President Shipman, before we start, um can we give a moment of silence for Miss Helen, um the original owner of Bankhead Seafood. She passed away this morning. Thank you. As we sit here today, this is the last full council of the 50th year for Mayor Jackson. And um me being a political scientist and a true student and a native son of Atlanta, I love in which Maynard created Atlanta in the way he did it. Some people wouldn't like everything Maynard did. Some people would like everything Andrew Young did. Shirley Franklin, um, um, Bill Campbell, Cassim Reed, Kesha Lansbottom, now Mayor Andre Dickens. But what I would like is that for council to acknowledge that we, the city of Atlanta and the council created the Oi office. Seem like when people don't like being investigated, everybody's coming down here hammering the IG. However, council created the office of the inspector general. I think we need to be adults and have conversations with the OIG office council who created it and the mayor's office because the more they send people, let me reframe that. The more people come down here and attack her and the more the mayor office and some council members feel like they're being attacked, we're not going to get anywhere. One thing that I don't like and I don't care how much I disagree with anyone. I didn't like um Councilman Juan didn't speak out one time. I expressed that when Santana told me his mother passed away, I wanted to be out there to pay my respect with him. I expressed my concern about Mr. Ferro several time on transportation. When he seen me in public, he told this little baby girl, "Hey, Dr. Dwan Robinson, baby, speak to him." That's humanity. It's not personal. It's humanity. Matthew West Mland, you graduated with Teach for America, which necessarily mean that if you teach in an inner black city, your loans are forgiven. However, you have stayed the course at cover all these years pouring into these young black kids and you still there doing it. I respect stuff like that. I may disagree with you up here, but I respect that. I don't care what you do or who you are, what you stand for. I respect the human side of you. I respect that. I look at the mayor of New York being arrested for corruption. A friend of mine who worked for the mayor of Mississippi that's got locked up for that. We have to be so careful when it come to corruption. So many people may didn't like how Cassin was probably a Didn't like how he operate. They wanted the man to go to jail saying he was corrupt because a few people was arrested. We got to be so careful with that word. Even when a young lady at the airport filed a PTO on me, I still did not say the entire airport was corrupt. I didn't like how the mayor office and other people on council didn't stand up when I was falsely accused of that. But I would never say that the mayor office is corrupt. I would never say he's corrupt and he doing corrupt things cuz that is so dangerous. And Atlanta is a beacon of light out of everywhere in the world. There's no place like Atlanta. And we cannot keep having these black mayors and people want to whisper and say they corrupt. They corrupt. No, we can't do that, man. But we need to have a real conversation with the OIG office and the mayor's office and city council. I mean, for goodness sake, y'all created her. Y'all asked for her to come here. I don't care what anybody say. Who come here, the mayor office or the OIG, you guys got to make this right because you created her. When it come to the office of procurement, we can't punish good, honest people who put their bids in and done their work because maybe the IRO said that the office of procurement forgot something. That don't mean you hold me at fault. I did it legitimately. I did a good job. You're going to hold me at fault because maybe the office forgot to do something. Nobody is perfect, man. But we got to get off running because that airport is the most important engine in this city, man. It bring in the most revenue. It creates the most millionaires. I asked the former mayor one time, "With a stroke of a pen, how many millionaires can you create in four years?" This mayor told me 25. With a stroke of a pen, the mayor has the power to create 25 new millionaires. It's powerful. But one thing that those men and women who became millionaires on the mayor, they forgot to pass the baton. It's a shame that our mayor who took a lot of criticism making sure that black get 30%. When he left, not one of those men and women said, "You know what? It's 40 of us. You made a millionaire. We'll give you $1,000 a month each. It's $40,000 a month, man. You ain't got to go nowhere." But not one. And I'm saying this to say for each council and the mayor's office who listening, they might be your friend today because you done made them rich, but tomorrow when the new mayor in, that's who they loyal to. There's no way Mayor should have been going back to Chicago or in DC where he caught a heart attack and died at cuz he was going to look for a job. Councilman Bun, there's no way he should have been able to do that in this city where he created the model and the most black millionaires stood up to Samuel and them boys and Buckhead and said, "No, this what we doing." That was very unpopular back then. But he also became mayor and made sure black and white and Jewish and gay and straight all work together. Screwed with affirmative action. He brought more black women in here and hired them. But we forgot. And that's where we came from. We got the money and we forgot to bring people back with us. We forgot, man. Man, we so unique, man. Out of any city in this world, man. Atlanta, man. Sometime we got to be humane and just fess up to let's deal with it. I'm tired of seeing this OIG counseling, the mayor's office, the union coming up here picking on the OIG. I can't attest to what they haven't done or what they are doing. I'm not even worried about the nuance of that. I'm saying council, you guys got to step in and make this right because maybe the mayor office and OIG not going to see eye to eye, but you guys got to make it right because you asked for this to come to Atlanta. And I'm just saying we have to be very careful and it's the public and I'm for one that stand for what's right. But when you start talking about corruption and all this, even Mayor said, here's the thing. We love Maynor. Mayor said, "Well, who else I supposed to get a contracts to? My enemies? Yeah, my friends bid on it. If the eyes are dotted and the tees are crossed, hey man, it happens everywhere." CW Matthews don't even have to bid on state contract. If something go down and there's a need, CW Matthews automatically get it. The state don't care who like it and who don't like it. There's not a bid on the state level. A white woman is considered a minority. You think they give a darn about that? 1% of blacks get contract on the state level. They don't care about that. Come on. They don't care about that. But every time we get a black mayor and somebody might know the mayor and they get a contract, oh, he corrupt. Come on, man. Do you really understand how smart you got to be and corrupt you got to be to manipulate the process from the start until the mayor signs it? Come on, man. You got to be a damn genius and bold and just very good. It ain't it ain't it ain't that easy. I do know a little bit about procurement. I worked in procurement down here. You can't do that, man. So, we got to just stop saying these things. Certain things slide through the cracks. Yeah, we need a OIG office. But with the parameters on how far they can go, you guys got to determine that. You created that. You guys did not go through the fine tooth Mr. Shook, Miss Boone, Mr. Bong, Westb, y'all was on counsel. Y'all didn't go through it and say, "Hey, here's what you can't do. Here's what you can do." Y'all didn't do that. So only you guys could make it right and not listen to what people saying she is doing and she's not doing. Sit down. Let's have real conversation on how you guys want this to look. But to be throwing stuff out because people don't like what the procurement office is doing or not doing or the mistakes. People are human. But to find fault in people that's been doing business at the airport or want to do business at the airport because of mistakes of a few, we can't do that, man. That process is corrupt. If we do that, that is the corrupt process. But to hold people at fault who fought hard and bid sometime when you spend $30,000 on a bid, Mr. President, man, that can bankrupt a small black company or a small white company. So, we have to be very careful, man, when we be saying throw this out or do this and don't do that, man. We have to be very careful. Thank y'all. Thank you. Next is Beatatric Laura. Next is James Davenport. Next is Steven Labouritz. Next is Devon Bington Ward. Due to yield a time, you'll have up to eight minutes. Good afternoon. Um, just as a point before I get into my remarks, um, it was an honor to stand on the dis today with Senator Fort. Um, I started my work in the community, uh, or fighting on behalf of the community at the Georgia State Capital. Um, and I had the opportunity to work with Senator Fort on several pieces of legislation, including HIV prevention and treatment legislation. Um, and while Senator Fort is uh worthy of the honor and the distinction today, as all of the groups um that receive proclamations today, um it's important that those of us who are here uh for the people's business have the opportunity to be able to speak earlier on in the meetings. And so as you all are thinking about potential rule changes or ways that the meetings are formatted, um if you speak with many of us who are here on particular issues of importance in the community, proclamations eat up a lot of time of the city council meetings. Um and it makes it hard for people to come down here. You hear so many names that were not that were uh called that were not present because they had to leave. And those names represent people who have really important issues that they wanted to be able to speak to the council about before the end of the year. And so I think it was important that I note that. Um what's also important is that it is the holidays and we regularly greet families and other people in our community and say happy holidays. There's no such thing as a happy holiday for the Anderson family. There's no longer a merry Christmas for the Anderson family. There's no longer a happy new year for the Anderson family because their son is gone. Their son is gone because a dangerous, violent drunk Melvin Potter, an employee of the Atlanta City Police Department, murdered her son on August 5th in a parking lot with his service weapon in the city of South Fulton. But make no mistake, this is also on the city of Atlanta because you employed him. He's still employed. You gave him that badge. You gave him that gun. You gave him his license to kill. So, it is your responsibility. That is why we continue to be down here meeting after meeting demanding answers as to why the city of Atlanta Police Department has not launched its administrative investigation that we believe would result in the termination of Mr. Anderson. Now many of you all will say well that is something for the administration to do and you are right and very regularly this body introduces resolutions to instruct the administration to take certain actions. Very regularly this body introduces legislation or resolutions to urge the administration in particular department to move in a particular fashion. And so what I am here today to find out is why no one on this council has introduced a resolution to urge the Atlanta City Police Department to launch its administrative investigation so that we can move forward with the termination of Melvin Potter. This is not 2020. This is not Ray Brooks. These aren't officers where this is their first time getting in trouble. Let's go down the list. In 2018, he had an investigation, an internal affairs investigation where he was accused of beating up his girlfriend who is also a police officer with APD. In that investigation, she had no signs of deception in her voice analysis done by internal affairs. Mr. Potter, however, had two signs of detection of trying to deceive the internal affairs investigators around his actions that night in 2018. Let's go to 2021 where he was pulled over driving over a 100 miles per hour with his service weapon on the seat, a weapon that's provided by the city of Atlanta in our tax dollars, by a Kawita County deputy where he was later found out to be drunk over a 100 miles per hour under the influence of alcohol with his service weapon on the seat using his badge to try and convince the deputy that he should not be arrested. He received a two week paid suspension, unpaid suspension, excuse me, and that was it. And now, let's fast forward to this year, where he took another man's life in the parking lot of a nightclub in South Fulton. Are we that desperate for police officers in this city? That that is the type of standard that we have. Are we that desperate to meet the hiring goals that we hire anybody? Are we that desperate that we standards go out of the window? Are we that desperate? This man was on probation when he shot Devon Anderson. Anybody else who's on probation and they shoot somebody, they're staying in jail. Where is Mr. Potter right now at home drawing a check being able to plan his holiday with his family? But where is Valerie Anderson? She's down here trying to lecture you all about what is right. That's not what she wants to do. She wants to be able to spend the holidays with her son, but she can't do that. And so what I want to know because I have not received a clear answer. So, Council Member Lewis, Bond, West Morland, Over Street, Farroi, anyone, if we could get a clear answer as to what is precluding APD from launching its administrative investigation that is totally separate from the investigation that the GBI is engaging in around the shooting. We are talking about the obstruction of justice charge that he received. We are talking about the previous DUI charges. We're talking about the fact that he violated his probation. We're talking about the fact that he didn't communicate with Post, the peace officer standard division for the state around his shooting in the previous DUI. He's broken so many laws, so many rules, and yet the city of Atlanta is protecting him. Why? We're not going to honor Senator Vincent Ford on one day and then on the same day not be of that same spirit. We're not going to have all these quotes and clapping hands and this that and the third cuz I've seen Senator Fort and if Senator Ford was on council, he would be introducing that resolution right now. So what do you all say? Why? Where's the courage? I didn't win. Someone will be in this seat come January and I'll be asking them the same question too because that's what leadership is about. Who is willing to lead? Thank you. Thank you. Next will be Puya Diana. Due to yield to time, you'll have up to four minutes. Thank you. I uh recently last week uh while it was Thanksgiving had the opportunity to go back to Maryland, see my folks and 10 hours in a car with two little kids will get you thinking about stuff. Um and heavy on my mind was a poem read by Councilman Lewis. It was called Because I Ain't Got a Pencil. It was a story about a young boy who, despite getting him and his little sister to school, despite all the odds stacked against him, was reprimanded by his teacher because he didn't have a pencil. Well, we're here because right now in Southwest Atlanta, where I've had two businesses for over a decade, where I'm the president of Adair Park, we have that opportunity to get that kid that pencil and a hell of a lot more. The three decisions that need to come before you in the coming years are all critical in making sure we do that. We need to have transit that takes that thousand plus dollar a month cost of a car off a family. We need developments that have affordability with cost prohibitive optouts for them. And we need hope for kids at every corner. We're so close to that in the Dare Park. And our love for our neighbors doesn't stop at a line on a map. And it's thanks to so many of you and the work you do every day and the neighbors that are here and the MPUs that we're getting close. We have thoughtful commercial developers, Lean White, Pittsburgh Yards, the work that's happening at one west end. We have Councilman Lewis and ATL DOT putting in a safe routes to school path for our kids. We're sitting in beltline studies about rail stops in southwest Atlanta and we have nonprofits all along Murphy Avenue lead art in the paint soccer in the streets bearings bike shop telling kids you have hope. So I'm standing here for the little kids I've seen get moved out of Atlanta since 2020. The ones that used to bike by me. They've moved to Alabama because that's where their parents can afford a home. They've talked about going to Charlotte because they feel like that city's got it together. And there's no one in the world that should be comparing our city to Alabama or Charlotte. Thank you. So, at this critical inflection point, every sliver of our city that we can plant the seed of hope, we do that. It's incumbent on y'all to do that. We can make Southwest Atlanta be what the rest of the city's been for so long, and it hasn't been. I bike there every day and once you pass under that bridge for the connector, it's a different world. I need all of you. I need this village and I'm thankful for this village that wants to fight to make sure that equity arrives in our city. This hoodie is from a friend in West End and it says every piece counts. When we look at a map, know that every piece counts. Every vote matters. Every small ordinance matters. And I thank all of you and I'm thankful for all of you that vote the right way consistently. Have a great day. Thank you. Next will be Minister Anne Breez. You'll have up to two minutes. Greetings you all. It's just a blessing to be here in the house. And when we say we are blessed to be in the house of God, we are blessed. I see you all great faces and you have a lot on your heart and mind. But I come here today to let you know that Jesus is real. And as I look at many of you on my Facebook and you, Councilman Young, your grandson, I believe it is, we got to think about our next generation. and what it's like and what it would be like what they would have to go through. God has given you all in your hand, in your mind, in your heart, in your soul to do what's right. He gave me this verse this morning to read to you. And it's Psalms 25. It says, "In you, Lord, my God, I put my trust. I trust in you. Do not let me be put to shame. Not let my enemies trump over me. No one who hope in you will even be put to shame. But shame will come on those who are without cause. Now, do we have cause? I'm listening at the people here in front of you all today. They have cause and it's up to you great people of God to make a change in their lives. I love you. I know that you all have heard from me of my case when I was arrested in Atlanta. I spent millions of dollars in English Avenue. I lost my home. I left my children for four years. I almost died. I was a size zero. I couldn't help myself. And I was a wealthy woman. I wrote the program for HUD for section 8. I put so many people in housing. And my family is Madame CJ Walker Breed Love who is the first black millionaire. So I'm still looking that you all gonna give me justice because God said if you don't give this widow woman justice, he going to give me justice. Time is exp. So I pray I love you all and God bless you and happy holidays. Thank you, Council Lewis. I want to make sure I responded to Puya. Uh once again, I appreciate you and that that poem we always want to make sure I say because I ain't got a pencil by Joshua T. Dickerson. It it moves me. I I read it every single day. It it's a accurate depiction of my life growing up in the city of Atlanta. So I I truly appreciate that. I wanted to I wrote a few notes as you were talking. So I'm fully fully in support where we are. The one thing I wanted to make sure that we said is I think the mayor gave us a pencil today. I think that this letter, if if we follow it, if we believe it to be true, I think we're about to get a pencil to draw and build the city that we want to on the south side. And man, it's going to be a beautiful city. And I'm for Beltline Rail. So, I'm I'm excited about that as well. Thank you again. Next up, we have Matthew Garbett. You have up to two minutes. Hi, longtime listener, first- time caller. Um, I'd like to mention that uh I have t-shirts from almost all of you except for Howard Shook, which I think would be the unicorn in my t-shirt collection if I could get that. Um, seriously, uh, I'll make it really quick. Um there's been a lot of talk about uh council privilege and I understand the reasons and convenience and courtesy and politics behind it, but I believe that there are times when council makes legislation that applies to the city and then council member says not in my district that that is a time for council to represent the city and their principles. I also believe that there are times when the neighbors, the residents, the NPUs, all the relevant bodies recommend a particular course of action that we are relying on everyone else on council to be the people that represent us. Sometimes, you know, we think of ourselves as district members, uh, but sometimes we have to be council members and that's the end of it. Also, Council Member Shook, if you can find one of those old t-shirts, I mean, you had to have made some at least the last time you really ran. You have one somewhere. I'm a size large. Thank you. Thank you. Next will be Derek Blasting Game. You'll have up to two minutes. All right. Uh, so my turn to speak. Derek Blast game. Just for as a reminder to you Democrats, uh Trump won Georgia. Republicans won the state of Georgia. What has black women done for Derek Blasting Game since my mother passed away in 2017? Soup kitchens, homelessness, sleeping under bridges, being arrested by the police, being criminally prosecuted and fighting for my life in the criminal justice system. What has black women done for Derek Blasting Game? Now, I don't know what my great-grandmother did for I know what my grandmother did for me and I know what my mother did for me and aunts and and and and cousins and things of that nature, but what has Atlanta black women done for blasting gang? What have you done for me? If you need a friend, call TI. If you need a friend, call your homeboy. I saw your videos. Now, back to what I wanted to talk about today. Originally, the Office of Inspector General. What is wrong with investigating fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption? The state of Georgia does it every day. They mandated only the guilty is afraid if human resources had the gall to do what the inspector general not with not notwithstanding the person who's in the office right now because we're talking about the office not the person separate the two because even if you remove her somebody else has to come in there and do the do the job. So my QUESTION TO YOU IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH INVESTIGATING FRAUD? If human resources had the gall to do it, there would be no need for OIG. BUT THE FACT THAT THEY CAME back here and blamed them for doing something wrong just proves that there needs to be an office of inspector general in this city and and it needs to be maintained. I want to remind you Democrats that Trump won Georgia. If you think you're going to use Derek Blasin to negotiate with the Republican administration come uh January 20th, 2025, you a damn lie. If you think you're going to use me to get get your stripes with Republicans, you a damn lie. Anything you want from the federal government beginning January 20th, 2025, you got to ANSWER THE QUESTION, WHAT HAVE BLACK WOMEN DONE FOR Derek Blast and gang, you're not getting anything. You understand me? But Dave, if you're getting funding from the federal government with no with no strings attached to it, is long gone. WHAT YOU DID TO ME AND MY FAMILY IS A RESULT OF WHY TRUMP won Georgia. Those you forgot ABOUT IN THE WILDERNESS, NONE OF THE BRIDGES, and in the soup kitchen line is a result of why we have Trump in office right now. You understand me? Thank you. Holla if you heard me. Finally, today we have Sen Hobson. Sen Hobson. Okay, that concludes public comment. I want to thank all the members of the public who came down to speak today. Next, we will move to the report of the journal. Madame Clerk, good afternoon, Mr. President and members of council. I, Karen A. Lindo, municipal clerk of the city of Atlanta, do hereby certify that the minutes of the regular meeting held on Monday, November 18th, 2024, are true and correct. If there are no additions or corrections to the minutes, I would entertain a motion to adopt. Moved by council member Lewis, seconded by council member who seconded Shook. Uh, any discussion on the motion to adopt the journal? We do this vanous consent without objection. Any objection to the motion to adopt? Madam clerk, please sound the count of unanimous consent. 12 yay zero naysay. 12 ya z is a motion to adopt journal carries. Next we'll move to communications. Madam clerk, Mr. President, if I may take items one and two together. Without objection, please proceed. Item number one is 24 C5149. This a communication from Dr. Michael Hajj, executive director, Atlanta University Center Consortium, Inc. submitting the appointment of Mr. from Marcus Washington to serve as a member of the Atlanta Citizen Review Board. His appointment is for a term of three years. Item number two is 24 C5150. This is a comm communication from Sagra Jones, President Atlanta Planning Advisory Board, submitting the appointment of Mr. Shine Morren Jr. to serve on the Atlanta Citizen Review Board in the Neighborhood Planning Unit G to L category. this appointment for a term of three years. Staff recommendation for both both items is to refer to public safety and legal administration committee and committee on council. Let both items follow that course. Item number three is 24 C5151. This of communication from municipal clerk, election superintendent Renee Lindo, submitting their certification of official and complete statement of votes cast from the Fulton County Board of Registration Elections and the final summary and complete statement of votes cast from the Cal County registration elections for the city of Atlanta Post 3 at large special election held in conjunction with the president preference primary on November 5th, 2024. Staff recommendation to accept and file. Let the item follow that course. That concludes the communication item, Mr. President. Thank you. Is there any veto legislation? There is none. We have one piece of unfinished business. 24-R290. This was held in the breast of council uh from the last meeting. Council member Winston. Yes, Council President. I'd like to make a motion to refer back to committee. There's a motion to refer this back to CDHS. Correct. Back to CDHS. Committee by Council Winston. Seconded by Councelor Juan. Is there any discussion of the motion to refer this item? We can do this v unanimous consent without objection. Any objection to the motion to refer? Madam clerk, please sound the count on unanimous consent. 12. 12 ya z. The motion to refer to CDHS carries. We will now move to the consent agenda section one. These are items that begin on page five. They are items for second reading. Therefore, the appropriate motion will be to adopt. But first, let me ask, are there any items to be removed from the consent agenda section two? Council member Boon. Yes, Mr. President. I would like to move um remove item 24-R542 claim. That is on page 20. Is that correct? Correct. 25R-4542 will be removed. Any other items to be removed from the consent agenda? Section one hearing. None. I would entertain a motion to adopt. Motion by council member one, seconded by council member Shook to adopt the consent agenda section one with one item removed. There is there any discussion on the motion to adopt the consent agenda? Hearing none. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt with one item removed. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? The vote is closed. 11. Mr. Dozer. I 12. That's 12 VA. Zero Naz. 12A zero NAS. The motion to adopt the consent agenda section one carries. Next, we'll move to the consent agenda section two. I I need to send Oh, sorry. Council member Shook, you have some post haste items. Um, yes, as usual. Um, and they are 241669. That's item 10, page 7, 240675, item 14, page 8, 24R 4522, item 4, page 14, and 24R 4530, item 5, uh, page 15. The motion is to send to the mayor's office postation. There's a motion by council shook, seconded by council Juan to send four items 0669 0675 R4522 and R4532. the mayor's office post haste. Is there any discussion on the motion to move these items post haste? We do this vanous consent. Any objection? Madam clerk, please sound the count on unanimous consent. On the motion move post haste. 12 ya zero nays. 12 ya z. Motion move post haste on these four items carries. Next we will move to the consent agenda section two. These are items that begin on page 30. They are for first reading. Therefore the appropriate motion will be to refer. But first, let me ask, are there any items to be removed from the consent agenda section two? Hearing none, I'm going to entertain a motion to refer. Moved by council member Juan, seconded by council member Shook. Any discussion on the motion to refer? Hearing none, we'll move to a vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to refer the consent agenda section two. One moment. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? The votes closed. 12 ya z. Vier Zer's a motion to refer carries. We will now move to the report of standing committees. First up today will be transportation. Chair Amos. Thank you Mr. President. The first item um that come before us is item number three page 33 24-R541. Um there is a need to we have an updated um IRO report on this. So there's a motion to amend I need to make a motion to appre amend it and add the new IRO report. So motion to amend correct. Yeah. So 24-R541 came before us favorable as amended. So the it automatically has a motion to adopt. Uh so council member Amos is making a motion to amend to add the IPRO report. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by council member Over Street. Is there any discussion on the motion to amend this item? We can do this vanous consent. Without objection. Any objection the motion to amend. Madam clerk, please sound the count unanimous consent. 12 ya z. 128 z. The motion to amend carries. Thank you sir. So, back to the amended item, which is 24-R541, an amended resolution by transportation committee as amended by the Atlanta City Council authorizing the mayor or his designate to award and execute an import concessions lease agreement in response to the RFP listed concessions retail package on concourse T and B of Hartsville Jackson Atlanta International Airport with ATL3R2 concessions LLC. and for other purposes. This comes with favor recommendation. Motion to adopt. There's a motion to adopt as amended by Council Member Amos. Is there a second? Second. Probably doesn't need a second, but we'll we'll do it anyway. Council member Over Street. Second. Uh is there any discussion on the motion to adopt as amended this item? Council Juan. Uh thank you, Mr. President. Um during committee I raised a number of questions about the uh the IRO report findings and I appreciate the updated uh version which was hopefully everyone has gotten a chance to look at it. There were three in particular that um procurement added additional clarifying remarks on which gets me comfortable with this uh paper. So I'm going to support it. However, I do want to signal to procurement and the user agencies that we are looking at these IRO reports and um I think it is important number one that when you're going through the process that you've got to be as thorough and detailed as possible um so as not to as was discussed in committee put council in a position where we have to um cast judgment on the integrity of the process. process that I don't think that's really uh should be our role when a lot of these are are really um just a little more care during the procurement process and the analysis would prevent all that. Um the second piece that is also once the IRO report comes out I am going to ask procurement to be the level of detail that you provided this time should be the level of detail that you provide always um because as we talked about in committee you know kind of uh incomplete responses or or not enough detail I fear opens up opens the city up to challenges on procurements and that's The last thing we've need need right now procurement has made a lot of progress over the last couple years in tightening up up um that this seems inconsistent um and you know hopefully with these signals that we're sending to you um y'all will take note and and again um make this as clean as possible. You know, I think there's heightened interest in this because of recent audit reports around the data and the analysis that we have around our contracting process, particularly um contract compliance. Um so we just got to make sure everything is as tight as possible from soup to nuts starting with procurement process all the way to contracting and and um you know uh the numbers after it. So again, I appreciate the updated uh information. and I am going to support this. Um, but I do send those watch words over to the administration. Thank you, Council Street. Thank you. Thank you, President Shipman. Agreed with council member one on every note. Actually, I'd also like to add that uh going forward uh everyone can expect the kickoff of the task the procurement task force. It will happen starting in January 2025. So, I will be coming to council to ask for a new sunset date uh because we are at a place now where there are no other reasons to um not get started on that. So, we'll start on that uh January 2025 and um so agreed and that's why I feel comfortable comfortable supporting these legislations uh today because I do feel that our voices were heard last week. Council is not in the business of arbitrating. We're certainly not in the business of mediating um and we're not in the business of procurement or uh compact contract compliance. Uh we're legislators. So with that being said, thank you councelor Lewis. Similar to then still quoting my colleagues, I agree with my colleagues right now. Thank you for this extra piece of information that we got from the IRO report. Once again, when we we have a lot of experience behind this DAS and sometimes I want to quote my colleagues when they see different things happening. We do not want to be in this business whatsoever. It it it felt very new to me and so thank you again for giving us more information on this with the hopes that we won't have to go through this again. Thank you. Any other discussion on the motion to adopt as amended this item hearing? None. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt 24R 45541 as amended. The vote is open. Councelor Raboon. Counc. Vote is closed. 12 yay, zero naysay. 12 zs. Motion to adopt carries. Thank you, Mr. President. The next item is item number two on the same page 3324-R540. An amended resolution by transportation committee authorizing the mayor or his designate to award and execute an airport concessions lease agreement in response to the RFP listed um concessions retail on concourse T, A, and C at Hartsville Jackson Atlanta International Airport with ATL P3R1 concessions LLC. and for other purposes comes out of committee favor. We'll make a motion to adopt. Motion command committee to adopt 24R 4540. It does not need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this item? Hearing none. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. The vote is open. The vote closed. 12 va z. 120 n's. Motion to adopt carries. Last um item is item number one, page 3324-R539. um amended resolution by transportation committee authorizing the mayor or his designate to award or execute an important airport concessions lease agreement in response to the RFP listed concessions hybrid package on concourse AB and C at Hartsville Jackson Atlanta international airport repair grand at ATL 2004-hyb LLC and for other purposes um comes out of committee favorable motion to adopt Motion commanded committee to adopt 24-R539. It does not need a second. Do discussion on the motion to adopt this item? Hearing now. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. The vote is open. The vote is closed. That's 120. 120. The motion to adopt carries. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. President. Here's my report. Thank you. Next up will be finance exec committee chair shook. Uh thank you. Um our first item is 240666. This is an ordinance by Miss Kyer Over Street substituted by Finance Exec providing for the issuance during FY25 of $4 million in aggregate principal amount of city of Atlanta general obligation bonds for various purposes pursuant to and in accordance with uh an amendment to the constitution of the state of Georgia ratified by uh the general election held on November 5th of 1968 and proclaimed by the governor of the state of Georgia on December 13th of 1968. and for other purposes. Um, this requires a uh public hearing that was advertised for this meeting and so I will move to open the public hearing. There's a motion by council shook, seconded by council one to open the public hearing. Is there any discussion? We can do this unanimous consent. Any objection to opening a public meeting. Madam clerk, please sound the unanimous consent. The 12A zero nays. 12A zero nays. The motion passes. We now stand in a public hearing. And is anyone signed up to speak? Anyone signed up to speak? No. All right. There being no one uh having signed up, I'll move to close the public hearing. Second. There's a motion by Council Member Shook, seconded by Council Lewis to close the public meeting. So any discussion on the motion to close the meeting? The public meeting. Public hearing. Thank you, Mr. Parliamentarian. The public hearing. We do this consent. Any objection to closing the public hearing? Madam clerk, please sign the count of unanimous consent on the motion 128 z. 12A z. We the motion to close the public hearing carries. We are now back in our regularly agenda meeting. All right. This was sent by the committee um favorable on substitute um pending the public hearing. So that's the motion. There's a motion to adopt 24-166 coming out of committee. It does not need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this item? Hearing none. We move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. One moment. The vote is open. Yeah, I appreciate the Will everyone please vote. The vote's closed. 12 yay zay. 12 ya zay is the motion to adopt carries. Thank you. 24 C5145 is a communication from Daniel Hampton, chair of the audit committee, submitting the performance audit on ATL 311. Motion is to accept and file. Motion coming in out of committee to accept and file 24-5145. It doesn't need a second. Any discussion on the motion to accept and file this item? Hearing none, we could do this via names consent. Any objection? The motion to accept and file. Madam clerk, please sound the count's consent. 1280. 120 n. The motion to accept and file carries. Uh, thank you. 24R 4439 is a resolution by Miss Boon authorizing the mayor or his designate to execute a contractual agreement for a sole source with Metife for the purpose of providing PTSD coverage for first responders, crime technicians, and E911. This uh annual contract will be funded in amount not to exceed uh $469,612. Annually all contracted benefits will be charged to and paid from the sources indicated. Motion is to file. Motion coming out of committee to file 24-R4439. Does not need a second. Oh yeah. Any discussion on the motion to file this item? Hearing none. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to file. One moment. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? The votes closed. 1280. 120. Motion to file carries. Yeah. I neglected to uh make a motion to send the baby bond ordinance to the mayor's office post haste, which I'll make now. It's a motion by council member Shook, seconded by council member Juan to send 24-166 to the mayor's office post haste. Any discussion of the motion to move this post haste? We do this unanimous consent. Without objection, any objection the motion to move posts. Madam 12, zero nays. 120 zs. The motion to move post carries. Lastly, 24R 4521 is a resolution by Mr. Froak is substituted by finance uh executive established the artificial intelligence commission for the purpose of exploring the benefits, opportunities, and challenges of the use of AI in city government and for other purposes. This comes forward uh favorably on substitute. There was one abstension. Motion coming out of committee to adopt 24-R521. Does not need a second. Any discussion on uh the motion to adopt this item? Council member one. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I will be abstaining on this as one of the appointments is uh with my employer, Emory University. Thank you. Any other discussion on the motion to adopt this item hearing? Now, move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. The vote is open. The closed 11 yays, one absention. 11 yays, one absention. The motion to adopt carries. Thank you. Next up will be the committee on council. Vice Chair Amos give the report today. Thank you, Mr. President. There is a need to enter into committee of a whole. I make a motion to do so. Motion by council Amos to move into committee of the whole. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by council member Bond. Any discussion on the motion to move in the committee of the whole. Do this with unanimous consent. Any objection? Madam clerk, please sound the count on unanimous consent. 12 yay z. 12 y z. The motion carries. We are now in committee of the whole. Thank you. There was a mis um understanding about an item that was on the agenda that should have been on the agenda. So since the person did appear before the correct committee, we just want to honor their time to uh correct that and move them forward. So this is 24- C-5137, a communication from Elizabeth Cole, a chair of the Beltline Network Incorporated, submitting the appointment of Mr. David Hamilton to serve on the Atlanta Beltline Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee. His appointment is for the term of two years. Motion to approve. There's a motion by council member Amos, second by council member Hillis to to approve 24-5137. Is there any discussion on the motion to approve this item? There's a communication we do be consent. Is there any objection to the motion to approve this item? Madam clerk, please sign the county unanimous consent. 11 yay zero nays. 11 yay zs. The motion carries. Thank you, Mr. President. Make a motion to come out of committee of a hold. There a motion by council member Amos, seconded by council member to come out of committee of the whole. There's any discussion to the motion to come out of committee of the whole. We do this unanimous consent. Any objection? Madam clerk, please sound the count on unanimous consent to come out of committee of the whole. 11 yay, zero naysay. 11 yay, zays. Motion carries. We are now back in our regularly agenda meeting. Thank you, sir. Mr. President, I make a motion to accept all actions taken while in committee of a whole. There's a motion by council Amos to uh adopt all the actions while undertaking the committee of the whole. Is there a second? Second by council Bond. Any discussion on the motion to approve the actions of committee of the whole? We can do this v unanimous consent. Any objection to approving the actions from committee of the whole. Madam clerk, please sound the count. Unanimous consent. 11 yay z. 11 yay z. The motion to accept the actions carries. Thank you, Mr. President. If there's no objection, I'd like to take items 1, two, and three as a block. Without objection, please proceed. Thank you. The first item is 24- C-5141. Communication for Mayor Andre Dickens appointing Dr. Alan Ferguson to serve as a member of the housing commission. This appointment is for a term of three years. Next item is 24- C-5143, a communication for Mayor Andre Dickens appointing Mr. Jim Wright to serve as a member of the Atlanta Citizens Review Board. This appointment is for a term of three years. Next item is 24- C-5144, a communication fund from council president Doug Shipman appointing Mr. Antoine Lang to serve as a member of the solid waste appeals board. This appointment is for a term of four years. All three of these come out of commission. Favorable. Um motion to adopt. Motion coming out of committee to ex uh adopt these three items C-5141, C-5143, and C-5144. It does not need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to uh approve these items? We do this vanous consent because they're all communications. Any objection? Madam clerk, please sound the county unanimous consent. 11 yay zay. 11 yay zay is the motion to approve these items carries. Thank you, sir. And that's item is 24- C-5148, a communication as substituted by committee on council from the temporary task force charged with reviewing the processes and procedures of the Atlanta of the Office of the Inspector General. the ethics office and the governing board of the office of the inspector general and for ethics office submitting the report of the temporary task force pursuant to resolution 24-R304 comes out of um come out of committee recommendation to accept and file there's a motion coming out of committee to accept and file 24-5148 it does not need a second any discussion on the motion to accept and file this item hearing none Uh we can do this via name's consent. It's communication. Any objection to the motion to accept and file. Madam clerk, please sound the counter. Uns consent. 1280 names. 1280 names. Motion to accept the file carries. Okay. Mr. President, I have the final one. 24-1684. An ordinance by committee on council to establish the salaries for the mayor, city council president, and members of city of city members of council for the term of office beginning January 2026. And for other purposes, I make a motion to refer this back to committee. There's a motion by council Amos to refer 24-0-1684 back to COC, I'm assuming. Council Amos. Uh, is there a second? Seconded by council member Hillis. Is there any discussion on the motion to refer hearing? None. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to refer this item. One moment. Back to CO back to committee on council. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? The vote is closed. 12A 0. 12A z. The motion to refer carries. And my report. Thank you. Thank you. Next up will be the zoning committee. Chair West Morland. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, um, without objections, items one and two can be taken as a block. Please proceed. 2401447. Item number one is a text amendment to amend certain provisions of the sign ordinance for the purpose of clarifying restrictions on freestanding signs. Item number two is 2401480. It's text amendment. The ordinance is to amend the zoning ordinances to extend the boundaries of the Camel Road overlay from Honeysuckle Lane Southwest to Lee Street Southwest. Uh the recommendation out of committee is to adopt motion committee to adopt uh 01447 and 0480. It does not need a second. Any discussion on the motion to adopt these two items? Hearing none, we move to a vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. One moment A moment please. This is one moment. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? The vote is closed. 128 Z. 1280 Naz. A motion to adopt these items carries. It number three is 240 1033. It's Z2288640 Flat Shoes Road. The ordinance is to reszone from R4 to PDH. The recommendation out of the committee is to adopt as amended. I'm going to make a substitute motion after speaking with the council 5 office to refer back to committee. There's a motion by council west Morland to refer this item back to the zoning committee. Is there a second? Seconded by councelor Hillis. Any discussion on the motion to refer this item? We can do this van's consent. Without objection. Any objection. The motion to refer. Madam clerk, please sound the count's consent with 12 z. 12 z. Motion to refer back to zoning cures. Without objection, we can take items 4 through 9 as a block. Please proceed. 240446 Z 2460. It's 583 Garson Drive Northeast. It's to reszone from C2CBL to SPI 15 SA4 CBL. Item number five is 2401492 Z 2456 1529 1539 Carile Street Northwest is to reszone from R4A WPIZ to MR2 WPIZ. Item number 6, 2401514 Z2472 1029 McDaniel Street is to reszone from R4B to R4LC and modify the official zoning map. Item number 7, 24501518 Z2474 2342 Barge Road Southwest is to reszone from MRC2 C to MR 3C. Item number 8 24057 Z2462 345 Mount Zine Road Southwest is to reszone from R4 to R4A. And item number nine 240559 Z2464 is 103 Haggood Avenue Southeast is to reszone for a change of conditions. The recommendation of the committee is to adopt as amended. There's a motion to adopt these items as amended coming out of committee. It does not need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt these items as amended? Hearing none move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt these items as amended. One moment. The vote is open. The votes closed at 12 ya z. 12 z. Is a motion to adopt these items as amended carries. Next up is item number 10 2401481 Z2466 historic West End Adair Park special public interest District. The ordinance is to amend the zoning ordinance to designate data centers within a half mile of high-capacity transit stops as permitted as a permitted use in SPI 21 sub area 9. The recommendation of the committee is to adopt as amended. So move to file. There's a motion coming out of committee to adopt as amended. Is there any discussion on this item? Council Lewis. Yeah, I would like to file the legislation. Council Lewis want is offering a motion to file. Is there a second? Seconded by Hillis. Um any discussion on the motion to file this item? Hearing none. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on to file. Yes. The vote is open. The vote is closed as 12 ya zero nays. 12 ya z. The motion to file carries. Next up, without objection, items 11 through 15 can be taken as a block. Please proceed. 240 1078 Z2389 1532 Finley Street Northeast is to reszone from R 5C to RG2. Item number 12 230 1172 Z2328 1241 Metropolitan Parkway Southwest. It's ordinances to wave the distance requirements for an existing service station. 230220 U2307 3804 Rosel Road Northeast. Ordinances for a special use permit for an athletic field pickle ball courts. 230 1220 U2307 is what I just read. Next up, 240 1326 U2416 383 CO Kivo Drive Southwest. This ordinance for a specialist permit for a personal care home. 230 1486 Z2358 1083 Austin Avenue Northeast. The ordinance is to authorize the removal of a privately owned sign and its supporting structure to permit an animated flashing and changing sign. The recommendation of the committee is to file these items. Recommendation coming on committee to file these five items. Does not need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to file? Hearing none, we'll move to a vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to file these five items. One moment. The vote is open. The vote is closed as 12 y z 12 z. A motion to file carries. Finally, we have two items for first read that can be taken with a block 240679 is corrective legislation to amend 240 1251 and item number 17 is 240683. It's corrective legislation to amend 2401425. I make a motion to refer to the ZRB and the zoning committees. There's a motion to refer by Council West Morland, seconded by Council Hillis these two items to ZRB and zoning. Any discussion on the motion to refer these two items? Hearing none, we move to vote. We actually do this unanimous consent without objection. Any objection of the motion to refer these two items to zone. Madam clerk, please sound the county unanimous consent. 12 yay, z. 12 ya, z. Motion to refer cars. Thank you, Mr. Mr President, that concludes our report. Thank you. Next up will be public safety legal administration chair Boon. Thank you, Mr. President. Item 124-16000, an ordinance by public safety and legal administration committee authorizing the mayor his designate on behalf of the city of Atlanta and the department of parks and recreation to retroactively reinstate agreement IFBS122015A on the call post recreation to retroactively on call postcertified officers with Cloverhurst AR and JV to enter into the first renewal option for one here commencing on November 1st, 2024 and ending on October 31st, 2025 in an amount not to exceed 1,500,000 zero cents to continue providing security needs at the various parks and recreation sites to wave all ordinance and parts of the ordinance in conflict herewith to ratify all actions taken by or on behalf of the city since the date of expiration of the agreement and for other purposes. a res a resolution by city utilities committee authorizing the mayor his designate on behalf of the city of Atlanta to enter into agreement with keep America beautiful in partnership with keep Atlanta Beautiful commission and AT&T in connection with this agreement in amount not to exceed $30,000 for a beautifification project along Martin Luther King Jr. drive adjacent to Mosley Park and for other purposes motion to adopt. There's there is a motion coming out of committee to adopt 24-1600. It does not need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this item hearing? None. We'll move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? Okay, the vote is closed. That's 10 years, one nay, and one abstension. 10, one, one abstension. Councelor Bond, uh, explain extension. Go ahead. There we go. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, this will be an odd explanation for my vote. I do not have a conflict of interest. Uh, I spoke with the, uh, ethics officer last Monday, and I will quote that conversation. Uh, I asked her if I if I had a conflict based upon a plot that I I learned about for someone to file an ethics complaint against me based on a personal relationship I have with someone who is involved in this company. And her response was this, and I'm quoting our ethics officer, Miss Jabu. I would recommend that you abstain from the vote out of an abundance of caution and to avoid the appearance of impropriy even though there is no conflict because there is no financial and personal benefit. That would be my advice and I responded that I would comply. So that's the reason for my abstension today. Councelor Amos. Yes, sir. Uh, Mr. President, I'm I'm sorry. I need to change my vote on this item. So, do I need to do a motion reconsider or is it too late to change a vote? Motion to reconsider. Oh okay. Yeah. U council council Amos you can you can move the reconsideration actually council bond you can't just because you abstained so it has to be on the voted against it no yes okay so you can make the motion to reconsider council Amos motion to reconsider is there a second seconded by coun council member bond you can second uh any any discussion on the motion to recons or the motion to reconsider is Oh, we can debate it. Is there any discussion on the motion to reconsider? Hearing none, we can move to a vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to reconsider. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? Yeah. 12 yay z. 120 Z is a motion to reconsider carries. Give us give us just one moment. We're looking at the caption here. Item number 24-0-160, an ordinance by public safety and legal administration committee authorizing the mayor to designate on behalf of the city of Atlanta and the department of parks and recreation to act retroactively reinstate agreement IFBS1220215 on call postcertified officers with Cloverhurst AR and JV to enter into the renewal option for one year commencing on November 1st and ending on October 31st, 2025 in amount not to exceed $1,500,000 and zero cents to continue providing security needs at the various parks and recreation sites to wave all ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict here to to ratify all actions taken by or on behalf of the city since the date of expiration of the agreement and for other purposes. Motion to adopt. So just just as a point of clarification, we uh council Boon was handed incorrect caption and was that was read in U. And so this is the correct caption that has just been read in. What I would like to do is have a unan a motion to amend to this via unanimous consent. That way we're all on the same correct caption. This is the caption that that's actually on your agenda. And so this is this is simply making sure that we are talking about the thing that was on the agenda. So I would accept a motion to amend to use this caption. Um thank you council member Bond. Is there a second? Seconded by council member Shook. Any discussion on the motion to amend? Hearing none, move to a vote. Is there any objection? We do this unanimous consent. Madam clerk, please sound the calendar names consent on a motion to amend. 12A, zero nays. 12A, zero N. So, we're now reconsidering the amended. Right. We're back in a posture to adopt. So, is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this item? Council Amos. First of all, I want to say thank you to my colleagues for allowing me to change my vote on this as we move forward. Um, everyone knows this. We talked about it for several months now. Uh, everyone from ownership to actually officers that probably will work inside this contract. I know it was um, uh, I and council member Bond and several us who actually submitted the paper to the park rangers. Lovely idea. It has been working wonders. My community love it. But for me morally and personally um cannot stand on principle talking about how horrible our procurement process is and then just ignore this I pro report that is attached to this. Um so that's why I would be voting against it. Um we need to fix our procurement process so this stuff like this stuff we just voted on concessions would cease to exist in the city of Atlanta. So just want to explain my vote. Thank you. Any other discussion on the motion to adopt this item? All right. Hearing none, we'll move to a vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? The vote is closed. Nine yays, two naysay. Nine. Nine yays, two nays. The motion to adopt carries. Next item 24. Uh, council bond. Motion is sended to the mayor's office. Post haste. There's a motion by council bond to move this post haste by. Is there a second? Seconded by council member shook. Any discussion on the motion to move post haste? Hearing none. We can do this van's consent. Any objection to the motion to move post haste. Madam clerk, please sign on the counter. Unanimous consent. 11 yay, zero nays. 11 yay, zay. Motion move post carries. Next item 24-R542. Item pulled from the consent agenda for bodily injury alleged to have been sustained as a result of a vehicular accident on 216 2023 at Fabin Road Southwest and Heritage Valley Road Southwest. Claim of Randall Reed and his attorney, the Herold Firm, 3495 Petemont Road. The department requests that this item be filed. The recommendation is to file. Your motion is to file. Correct. There's a motion by Council Boon to file, seconded by Council Juan. Is there any discussion on the motion to file this item? Hearing none, we'll move to vote. Madam Clerk, please open the vote on the motion to file. The vote is open. Will everyone please vote? Will everyone please vote? The votes closed. 11 yays, zero nays. 11 yay, zero nays. Motion to file carries. This concludes my report, Mr. President. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, next up will be city utilities. Uh, vice chair Shook. Uh, thank you. Uh, we have one item 2401596, item 1, page 59. It's an ordinance by city utilities committee authorizing the CFO to amend the FY2025 water and wastewater renewal and extension fund budget in the amount of blank to transfer funds from the watershed reserves for appropriations and ad funds to the Kuster Avenue multi-benefit capacity relief project and for other purposes. Uh, the motion is to file. Motion coming out of committee to file 24-0-1596. It doesn't need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to file this item? Hearing none. Move to vote. Madam clerk, please. Actually, we do this unanimous consent. Any objection? The motion to file. Madam clerk, please sound the count of unanimous consent. 11. Yay. Zay. 11. Zero nays. Motion to file carries. That is all. Thank you. Finally today will be CDHS Chair Winston. Thank you, Council President. We have two items. The first is 24-R4426, a resolution by community development human services committee authorizing the mayor or his designate on behalf of the city of Atlanta to accept a donation from Savannah College of Art and Design to the Department of Parks and Recreation a mural to be painted on the tennis hitting wall located at the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center valued at approximately $3,000 and for other purposes. Uh the motion out of committee was to file. Motion coming out of committee to file 24-R4426. Does not need a second. Any discussion on the motion to file this item. We do this for unanimous consent without objection. Any objection? The motion to file. Madam clerk, please sound the count on unanimous consent. 11 yay zero nays. 11 yay z. Motion to file carries. Thank you. The next item is 24-4520. A resolution by council member Andrea Elbo Boon authorizing the city of Atlanta to donate a total amount not exceed $500,000 payable in two equal installments of $250,000 from the fiscal year 2025 budget and the fiscal year 26 budget to raising expectations inc pursuant to the section listed of the city of Atlanta charter to support the no place like home capital campaign to authorize the mayor or his designate to enter into a donation agreement which shall detail the actions of the raising expectations inc to provide support for the no place like home capital campaign to authorize the chief financial officer to make the donation payments from the accounts listed here in and for other purposes. This came out of committee favorable with three yays and one abstension. So I'll make a motion to approve motion on committee to adopt 24-R520. Is there any discussion on doesn't need a second. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this item hearing? None. will move to a vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt. The vote is open. The vote's closed. 12 yay, zero nays. 12 ya, zero nays. The motion to adopt carries. Thank you. This concludes my report. Thank you. That concludes the uh reports of standing committees. Next, we'll move to personal papers for immediate consideration. We have two. First up will be Council Member Boone. Thank you, M. Thank you, Mr. President. Elms M's number 37029 and ordinance by council member Andrea Boom Marcy Cario Over Street Dustin Hillis Antonio Lewis Michael Julian Bond to request that the location of any emergency warming center operated by the city of Atlanta not be located within 1,000 ft of any public private or parochial school to provide that for purposes of this request a school shall not include any postsecondary institution and for other purposes. Whereas a shelter is defined in the Atlanta zoning code at section 16-29-000071 as a location that provides sleeping facilities and or personal sanitation facilities. Whereas pursuant to ordinance 08-01251 adopted by the Atlanta City Council on June 1st, 2009 and approved by the mayor on June 9th, 2009. The Atlanta zoning code was amended to require a special use permit to operate a shelter and to apply certain distance limitations there too. And whereas pursuant to ordinance 10-0-1238 adopted by the Atlanta City Council on February 21st, 2011 and approved by operation of law on March 2nd, the Atlanta Zoning Code was amended to clarify that these distance limitations apply equally to any city-owned or operated shelter facility or supportive housing facility as it does to any private facility. And whereas in requiring a special use permit for the operation of a shelter as defined in the Atlanta zoning code, the location of any shelter must be decided by the council after public notice and hearing and recommendation by the zoning review board. And whereas the city of Atlanta operates emergency warming centers which open in city facilities which are open when temperatures reach 40° and lower. And whereas the city of Atlanta emergency warming centers do not meet the definition of a shelter in the Atlanta zoning code and are not subject to requirement that there will be a special use permit for the operation thereof. And whereas because a special use permit is not required for the operation of the city of Atlanta emergency warming centers, the Atlanta city council does not have an opportunity to decide the location thereof after public notice and hearing and recommendation by the zoner review board. And whereas due to receipt of concerns from the public and affected communities concerning the location of City of Atlanta emergency warming centers near public and private schools, it is the desire of the Atlanta City Council to request that the location of any emergency shelter operated by the city of Atlanta and located within 1,000 ft of any public, private or parochial school. And whereas for the purposes of this request, a school shall not include any postsecary educational institution. Now therefore, be it resolved by the city council of Atlanta that the Atlanta City Council hereby request that the location of any emergency warming center operated by the city of Atlanta not be located within 1,000 ft of any public, private or parochial school. Be it further resolved that for this purpose of this request, the school shall not include any postsecondary institution. Be it finally resolved that all resolutions are parts of resolutions and conflict here and hereby way to extend of the conflict. Motion to adopt. There's a motion to adopt Elms 37029 by council member Boone. Is there a second? Second by council Overreet. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this item? Council member Ferro. Thank you, Council President Shim, and thank you, um, Council Member Boon, for your paper. I I um appreciate your your paper and the rationale motivation. I will need to vote against it. I have a shelter that is occasionally used or a gym that's occasionally used in my district in Central Park that is within a thousand feet of a kandezi school that the neighborhood actually likes to see as a a warming shelter. And so I I will vote against it. But um on that on that reason just because it impacts available facilities in my district. Thank you council member. I would like to ask for a law to apply. Good afternoon. Amber A. Robinson, City of Atlanta Department of Law. Um, and upon researching this matter, it was determined that the warming center in your district, Council Member Feroki, would not be within 1,000 ft of the nearest school. It would be over 1,000 ft. I can um pull the exact number, but I I do not believe upon researching this that that is the case for the warming center in your district. Um, I thank you, Mr. Robinson. Are we talking about the Central Park gym? Do you know what was looked at? Central Park Recreation Center. Yeah. Yes. That that is what was looked at. Yes. Yes. The Central The Central Park Recreation Center on 400 Merits Avenue. Yeah, that's correct. Right. Upon research, it it was not within 1,000 ft of the nearest school. Okay. I mean, I'm visualizing it. I I have a hard time seeing that. I just want to make sure that facility can still be used because it is it is it will be used and we we researched it. Thank you. Thank you. Motion to adopt. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this item? Hearing none, we'll move to a vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt Elms 37029. The vote is open. The vote is closed. That's 10 yays, one nay. Uh 10 yays, one nay. The motion to adopt carries. Council Doer like to explain your vote. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I just want to explain my vote real quick. Reason why I voted know I have three recreation centers in my district. Uh all three are within 1,000 ft of schools. And as we're looking at ways to make these locations into resiliency centers, into places where we can have folks go for any emergency situation, whether it's warming, whether it's cooling, whether it's a place to go after there's flooding, uh I want to make sure that that option remains on the table as we look to future proof our city. So that's why I voted no. Uh though I support my colleagues in their efforts to uh do what they can to make their community safer. So that's it. Thank you. We have one more item for immediate consideration. Council member Doer. Thank you, Mr. President. I have one item for immediate consideration today. That is Elms ID number 37011. A resolution by council member Jason Doia authorizing the mayor or his designate to add funding to RFP- C-1210319 a Kissburg Parker- Fry JV under contract RFP- C1210319 under $250,000 for ADA and other improvements on behalf of the Department of Parks and Recreation and amount not to exceed $21,000 and 0 cents for park lighting and ADA improvements at Windsor Street Park and authorizing the chief financial officer to make the payment ment from the account number listed herein to repeal 24-R203 and for other purposes. Whereas the city of Atlanta through its Department of Parks and Recreation enhances the lives of residents and visitors by the the development, operation, and maintenance of the city's public parks and by offering recreational activities, leisure activities, and recreational programs throughout the city. And whereas DPR has identified a need for part lighting and ADA improvements in Winter Street Park located at 700 Winter Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30310. And whereas resolution 24-R203 adopted by the Atlanta City Council on October 21st, 2024, approved per city charter section 2-43 on October 30th, 2024. authorized transfer of funds from the city council members moving Atlanta Ford account to the department of parks and recreation rather than applying the funds to the account for RP- C-12 sorry-1210319A under $250,000 for 88 and other improvements with Kissberg Parker Fry a joint venture in an amount not to exceed $21,000 for various improvements at Winter Street Park and whereas the Department of Parks and Recreation will continue with the improvements improvements at Wind Street Park by using the contract to repeal resolution 24-R203. And whereas the District 4 council member Jason Doer desires to contribute $21,000 under the formal contract number RFP-C1210319A under $250,000 for ADA and other improvements with Kiss Parker Fry, a joint venture under contract to perform various improvements to park lighting and ADA improvements at Windsor Street Park. And whereas these improvements will enhance the benefits of city Atlanta families, children, and visitors who access Winter Street Park. Now therefore be it resolved by the Atlanta city by the city council of the city of Atlanta, Georgia that the chief financial officer or his designate is authorized to add funding to RP-C1210319A under $250,000 for 88 and other improvements for Kissburg Parker Friday joint venture on behalf of the Department of Park and Recreation amount not to exceed $21,000 from District 4, Council Member Jason Doer to be used for park lighting and AD improvements at Winter Street Park. Be it further resolved that resolution 24-R203 is hereby repealed in its entirety. Be it further resolved that all contracted work will be charged to and paid from the following account 3163 in parentheses 2022 A1 go public I'm sorry general obligation public improvement social bonds fund 330301 ATL DOT 522003 repair maintenance 421000 city council district 4001 113 City Council District 4 Transportation 22539 Council District 4 Transportation- 2022 A1 General Obligation Public Improvement Bond Social Bonds be it finally resolved that all resolutions or parts of resolutions that are in conflict with the terms of this resolution are hereby waved to the extent of this conflict. Colleagues, this item uh we uh passed a resolution about a month ago uh in collaboration with the Department of Parks Recreation and the Department of Transportation uh to make some improvements to Winter Street Park and Mechanicsville. Uh after about a year of deliberations with those departments and the community, um this is something we've been working on for a while. the legislation that we passed and adopted uh had some flaws which is why uh this res resolution is being introduced not only to repeal the previous legislation uh but to also uh I'm doing this as immediate consideration so that we can move forward with something we've been deliberating on for a year now and recognizing this is the last meeting of the year of the calendar year want to try to get this done so we can move forward with that contract and get that construction moving as quickly as possible so with that I'd like to move approval there's a motion by council Doer to adopt Elm's ID 37011. Seconded by council Juan. Is there any discussion on the motion to adopt this hearing? None. We'll move to vote. Madam clerk, please open the vote on the motion to adopt 20 ELMS 37011. The vote is open. The vote is closed. 12A 0. 120 is the motion to adopt carries. Thank you, colleagues. Thank you. Next, we will I believe that's it for immediate consideration. So, we will move to items for referral. First up, Council Amos. Thank you, Mr. President. We have AMS 37028 ordinance by council member Byron D. Aim is to amend chapter 150 traffic and vehicles article four stopping standing and parking division 4 residential parking permit to create a new residential parking permit program to entitle vine city residential parking permit area to wave certain requirements in city of Atlanta code of ordinance section 150-148 and 151-159 and for other purposes. ID 37028 will be referred to the transportation committee. Thank you sir. Next we have AMS 370001 ordinance by council member Byron D. Amish to amend section 16-25.004 of the city of Atlanta code of ordinance to require neighborhood planning unit review and comments on all special administrative permit applications and for other purposes. I'm sorry which one was that? Alms ID 300 37001 will refer to the zoning and ZRB committees. Thank you. AMS ID 37022 ordinance by council member Byron D. Amos to amend part three land development code part 20 short-term rental and to add a short-term rental license requirement for multif family complexes. to revise the application requirements for a short-term rental license. To create location limitations on the issuance of short-term rental license, to clarify the requirements of short-term rental licenses and short-term rental agents, to revise the consequences of violating the terms of short-term rental license, to increase the short-term rental application fee, to continue to ensure that short-term rentals are paying applicable state and local taxes, and for other purposes. ID 37022 we refer to the CDHS committee ams 37020 ordinance by council member Byron de Amos to wave the provisions of chapter 10 article 2 section 10-209 C and D of the code of ordinance of the city of Atlanta Georgia so as to modify the hours of operation on Monday January 20th 2025 for the college football playoff national championship game only for all licensed establishments authorized to their alcoholic beverages for on premise consumption and for other purposes. ID 3702 will be referred to the PSLA. AMS 37023, an ordinance by council member Byron D. Aim was authorizing Department of Transportation to establish a intermunicipal bus fee applied to all municipal operated non-marr nonmar operated bus entering and operating in the city of Atlanta coming from other municipalities to amend article will be listed later of the Atlanta code of ordinance to uh enact such a fee to provide for exemption and enforcement measures and for other purposes. ID 37023 will be referred to the transportation committee. Thanks, sir. Thank you, Council Bond. Thank you, Mr. President. First paper. It's Elm's ID number 37021, an ordinance by Council Member Michael Julian Bond to amend the 1982 Atlanta Zoning Ordinance to amend uh section 16-26003 entitled conditions of grading a granting of variance and to create a new section 16- 260008 entitled administrative zoning setback variance for the preservation of trees and for other purposes. Alms ID 3721 be jointly referred to the zoning and ZRB committees. Next is Elm's ID number 37024, an ordinance by Council Member Michael Julian Bond to amend the Atlanta Code Part Two, General Ordinances, Chapter 158, Vegetation, Article 2, Tree Protection to adopt a new tree protection ordinance for the city of Atlanta and for other purposes. Elms ID 37024 will be referred to the CDHS committee. It is Quite the encyclopedia. Oh my. Thank you. Thank you. Glad you didn't have to read that one. 30. Uh, Council Boon. Thank you, Mr. President. Elms ID number 37017, an ordinance by Council Member Andrea Boon authorizing the city of Atlanta to donate a total amount not to exceed $300,000 and0 to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation pursuant to section 6-306 of the city of Atlanta's charter to support the provision of legal advice and assistance at the city's housing help center authorizing the mayor his designate to enter into any necessary agreements to effectuate the donation and authorize the chief financial officer or his designate to make all payments from the accounts listed here and and for other purposes. Alms 37017 will be referred to the FEC. Thank you. Thank you, Council Hillis. One item Elms ID 37014, an ordinance by council member Dustin Hillis authorizing the city of Atlanta to execute a quick claim deed conveying the city's interest and property known as the former AD Williams Elementary School located at zero James Jackson Parkway Northwest on a portion of landlock 29 of the 17th district of Fton County, Georgia. Tax parcel ID number listed to the Atlanta Independent School System. Bless and accept a portion comprising of 0.20 0.20 20 acres to be conveyed to the housing authority of the city of Atlanta, Georgia to support the redevelopment of Bowen Homes. Authorizing the mayor his designate on behalf of the city to execute such quick claim deeds and all other necessary documents to effectuate the intent of this ordinance to wave certain provisions of the procurement real estate code, city of Atlanta code of ordinances, article 10 and for other purposes ID 3704 will be referred to the CDHS committee. My items. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Lewis. Okay, council president. Thank you. Elms ID 37033. A resolution by council member Antonio Lewis to authorize co-sponsor by council member Faro Amir Feroki and council member Matt West Morland. a resolution by council member Antonio Lewis to authorize the mayor or or of the city of Atlanta to allocate funds for a one-year universal basic income pilot program and study and to request that the chief financial officer to review available funds that may be lost to the city without further action and further purposes. Alms 37033 will be referred to the FEC. Thank you, President. Thank you, Council Streets. Okay. Elms ID number 36972. An ordinance by council member Marcy Collier over street authorizing the mayor of his designate on behalf of the city to execute all documents necessary for the additional acquisition acquis acquisition of certain properties interest necessary for the Camel Road sidewalk project. Authorizing negotiations with property owners for the acquisition of such property interest. Authorizing title searches, appraisals, surveys, and any other items necessary for the acquisition of such property interests. authorizing the mayor and the city attorney in the event negotiations are unsuccessful in instituting condemnation proceedings pursuant to the declaration of taking method OCGA32-3-1 ET sect waving certain provisions of article 10 real estate and procurement code of the city of Atlanta code of ordinances all contracted work and payments for property interest to be paid from accounts listed account numbers listed here in and for other purposes. Homes ID 36972 we refer to the transportation committee council shook. Thank you. Elms uh 36970 is a resolution by Shook um authorizing the mayor to execute the first renewal option for the RFP indicated diversity tracking software services with Ask Reply Inc. doing business as B2G now on behalf of contract compliance in an amount not to exceed $89,950 effective from uh December 25th of this year through December 24th of next. All contracted work being charged to and paid from etc. Elms ID 36970 will be referred to the FAC. Elms 370005 is a resolution by Shook authorizing the mayor to execute the first amendment to the emergency procurement agreement listed for small meter installation with KM Davis Contracting, Inc. on behalf of Watershed Management to extend the term of the agreement for a period of one year from January 15th of 2025 through January 14th of 26 in amount not to exceed $1.5 million. all contracted work to be charged to and paid from, etc. Elms ID 3705 will be referred to the city utilities committee. Alms 37007 is a resolution by Shook um authorizing the mayor to execute the first amendment to the emergency procurement agreement which is listed for small meter installation with Titan Unlimited LLC on behalf of Watershed to extend the term of the agreement for a period of one year from January 15th of 2025 through January 14th of 2026 in amount not to exceed uh $300,000 work to be charged to and paid from etc. Elms ID 3707 will be referred to the city utilities committee. Uh Elms 37025 is an ordinance by Shook and Hillis to amend the 1982 Atlanta zoning ordinance as amended by amending the definition of a party house and for other purposes. Alms 37025 will be jointly referred to the zoning NCB committees. Alms uh 37026. It's a resolution by shook authorizing the CFO to refund customers for overp payments to water and sewer accounts in the amount of blank. All funds to be charged to and paid from etc. Elms ID 37026 will be referred to the FBC. Elms uh 37027 is a resolution by shook authorizing the commissioner of watershed to adjust water and sewer charges on certain customer accounts in accordance with the Atlanta city code section listed um in the amount of blank dollars and for other purposes. Home ID 37027 will be referred to the FEC. Homes 37034 is an ordinance by Shook uh waving the transitional height plane and transitional yard requirements of the SBI zoning district bucket village special public interest District for property located at 505 Far Road. uh fronting where indicated at a point of the intersection with a western right of way for Harman Court with a south right ofway of Far Road to wave the variance requirements for reduction in SBI 9 transitional height plane and transitional yard and for other purposes ID 37034 we referred jointly to zoning and ZRB committees and lastly ELMS 37035 is an ordinance by shook authorizing transfer of fund from various Atlanta City Council carry forward account to the appropriate account to replenish funds for the FY25 true-up allocations and for other purposes. Also35 will be referred to the FEC. That is all. Council member West Morland. Elms 37030 ordinance by West Morland authorizing a donation amount not to exceed $2,800 on the post2 large area for Ford account to the Grant Park Conservancy to support the restoration and maintenance of historic Grant Park pursuant to section 6306 of the city of Atlanta charter and for other purposes. Elms ID 37030 will be referred to the FBC. Council Winston. Thank you. to Elms ID 36969, an ordinance by Winston authorizing the mayor or his design on behalf of the department of grants and community development to enter into the first amendment on to the on call entitlements program specialist for federal entitlement grants agreement with housing community development associates LLC to add funded funding awarded from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program in an amount not to exceed $100,000 and from the housing opportunity for persons with AIDS program in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for the purpose of providing services for federal grant management and comprehensive staff m training and all contracted work shall be charged to and paid from account numbers determined by the chief financial officer and for other purposes. 36969 will be referred to the CDHS committee. Believe that is all the papers for referral today. Uh so this is the last committee meeting of the year which means we will have committee meetings uh full council meeting of the year. Sorry this is the last full council meeting of the year. We'll have committee meetings next week. Then we'll have a two-eek recess and be back in January. And because it is the last uh meeting of the year, it is time for me to announce the committee assignments for 2025. I appreciate everybody who has been serving and for all the work. Um, let me start with the committee chairs. They largely stay the same. Uh, council member Amos and transportation, council member Shook and finance, council member uh Lewis and utilities, council member Boon public safety, council west Morland zoning, council Winston CDHS. We'll have one new chair which is committee on council and that will be whoever uh is elected for the post three at large um which will take place tomorrow. As a reminder everybody, please go out and vote tomorrow. It is the last day of the election for the runoff for post three. Um, three committees stay exactly the same as they have been. That's transportation, FEC, and CDHS. There are no membership changes on those committees. There are very small membership changes on the other four. I will read them briefly. Zoning committee will be chair West Morland um with council members Doure, Feroki, Hillis, Norwood, Over Street, and Shook. Public safety will be Chair Boone with council members Amos, Bond, Hillis, Lewis, Norwood, and the new post three uh member. City utilities chair Lewis with council members Bond, Boon, Shook, Juan, West Morland, and the new council member who is elected. And finally, committee on council will be the council member who is elected as chair with Amos, Baktiari Boon Fokei Shook and Winston. Uh they are largely unchanged. This year's committees have been very well functioning and I appreciate their service and I look forward to 2025 being another good year. So with that, uh, any other announcements? Council Boon. Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. We have two December birthdays. Um, from Council Member Winston and Council Member Foi, we wanted to wish them a happy birthday. Um, we will see them next week, but we wanted to wish them a happy birthday and let them know how much we appreciate their service. Council member Jason Winston and Amir Feroi, happy birthday. Thank you. Happy birthday. Council Bond. Thank you, Mr. President. Adding to the December birthdays, I want to wish my daughter uh Lauren and my son Skyler a happy birthday. they will have their birthdays uh during this month before we meet again and they have are ardent followers of the Atlanta City Council. So, I hope that they uh can hear me. And just want to announce that the last three HelloFresh uh HelloFresh affiliated food distributions will be this month uh this Wednesday the uh on the 11th and of course culminating on the 18th uh in partnership with Hosea Helps. And so if you if you need it, you know, please uh come by. It's been a pleasure to serve uh with the over 5,000 people over the last four years who have volunteered to help to distribute this food literally all over uh this city. We've touched every corner of Atlanta, every district in Atlanta and uh we as we heard earlier this evening, very very pleased about the the output. But we are going to continue to do uh this important work uh with our partners at Second Helpings and others uh because the need is still there. The lines are still just as long as they as ever, which is uh which surprises me. And so with that, just want to wish uh everyone within the sound of my voice I hope they have a happy and uh healthy holiday season. Thank you, Council Amos. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President, keeping in tune with the birthday themes, like to wish my granddaughter who say she's getting old at the tender age of 8 happy birthday um December the 20th. So, get that out the way. And I also want to acknowledge the Atlanta Police Leadership Institute in which I and you, Mr. President, had a chance to actually go and speak with um they actually train our and expose our upcoming leadership in Atlanta Police Department um to different situations. And last but not least, last year we started something that simply was amazing in District 3 in which we are continuing and that is the 12 days of Christmas. This year is the resource edition. So just want to remind everyone to check my um social media pages in which we are giving the clues to the locations in district 3 that identify with the resources and we will have a big district 3 Christmas party December the 16th. So stay tuned. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Any other announcements? With that, I would ask the clerk to call the closing role. Council President Doug Shipman. Council member Michael Julian Bond, post one large. Council member Matt West Morland, post two at large. Council member Jason H. Winston, District 1. Council member Aria Ferro, District 2. Council member Byron D. Amos, District 3. Council member Jason Dozer, District 4. Council member Alex Juan, District 6. Council member Howard Shook, District 7. Council member Dustin Hills, District 9. Council member Andrea Obun, District 10. Council member Marcy Ky overre, District 11. Council member Antonio Lewis, District 12. Without objection, we will stand adjourned.