located to the speaker's right that will indicate how much time is remaining a bell will sound when you have 30 seconds left before you begin your comments please state your name and thank you thank you Janette and good evening welcome to your for city council public comment meeting I will call us to order um our first speaker is going to be John McFarland and before John May I'm sorry we have an invocation yes Pastor Moore come on down I don't either council member Nettles would you like to fill in for pastor [Music] Moore thank you Chris please please rise for the invocation and remain standing for the pledges of Allegiance Perfect all right let us bow most gracious Eternal God we come to you as humble as we know how we ask you to be in this me meeting with us tonight we ask you bless our elected officials and our community and the City of forward bless this meeting let it be conductive in accordly in Jesus name we pray amen liy and Justice honor the Texas flag Council our first item of business will be approval of the minutes from the October November and January Council meetings second a motion and a second Council please vote I've got yays from all remote members motion carries mayor that concludes all of the items thank you Janette our first speaker is John McFarland and before John speaks I know we have several members of the community here on behalf of the fourth environmental Coalition of communities I was going to ask Dr Cody whittenberg or Mark McDaniel to come down and maybe give some context to some some things we've been working on that might be helpful and for those of you that came for that purpose tonight and before you speak I know it's kind of awkward we can't speak back to you but I think it could be helpful to hear from Dr witberg and mark thank you thank you mayor and Council I'll start Mark McDaniel Deputy city manager so I have been working with a number on the council for um a few months now uh trying to put together a a meeting to um meet with the folks that are concerned about environmental justice as it relates to the comprehensive plan the comprehens to plan as part of the the role of the lab currently um and Eric and his team have been trying to set that up we've got several council members that have uh expressed interest in in making that happen and so what we what we envision is US calling together like we have with other entities a focus group so we've done this with a number of our local um uh variety of groups so this focus group will be about the comp plan but obviously we'll talk about land use and end up talking about environmental justice and so we're happy to do that we anticipate that that will be in March um and the sooner the better I know that there's a lot of uh background work that's been done um in addition to that I want to um call on uh Dr Wittenberg to talk um a little bit about some good news that we've we've received about some grant funding so Dr whittenberg thank you Mark so good evening Cody witberg Environmental Services director so you may recall in 2023 we applied for an environmental justice government to government grant and last year we actually received notification that we were selected I want to underscore that word we were selected by the EPA for that million-dollar Grant we haven't brought that news forward until tonight because we really haven't received the award and with recent changes we're not exactly sure if when those funds will be released for us to move forward with that project but just to underscore that it's a kind of a dedicated three-year planning project for the echo Heights neighborhood as one example and we're hoping those funds get released soon thank you Dr whittenberg Council any questions for Cody or for Mark thought that would be helpful and um I'll invite now John to come down to the microphone and then to Richard Perez will be the next speaker thank you hey Council uh John McFarlan I'm in District nine and uh I am representing the Fort Worth uh greater Fort Worth Sierra Club which is the nation's largest Environmental nonprofit and obviously I'm part of the Coalition the for worth environmental Coalition of communities and we are obviously demanding or requesting that the city include environmental justice in all of their planning aspects um and it's a bit ironic that I got a call from Mr flater today uh I wonder if that has to do with this meeting but anyway I do appreciate the call and knowing that there is a meeting being set up so I appreciate that um the for worth environmental coalition community's uh mission is to advance the tenants of environmental justice within the city of Fort Worth to ensure lowincome and minority communities are fully protected from disproportionate and adverse health and environmental effects and Hazards including those related to climate change adverse air and water quality and the legacy of racism we believe that including environmental justice as o overarching theme in the comprensive plan uh will help to ensure that EJ is considered in everything the city does from from now until 2050 and farther and all the services it provides including land use Planning and Zoning separating industrial from residential developing parks in Green Space or simply repairing roads and providing city services like police and fire during the first and only round of conference of plann conference meetings we attended and entered comments on both comment sheets and the large format sheets and then in September 2024 the Coalition emailed a letter to council and staff asking to schedule public meeting regarding environmental justice but to no avail there was no response due to the lack of that response we created an action alert which to date has sent over 3,500 emails yes you're welcome uh to to councel and staff asking them to set up a meeting an EJ meeting and to include uh EJ in the conference plan uh so the time has come to set up to the 20 St to step up and and join the 21st century and do what other large cities are doing which is to focus on the overburden and underrepresented communities within our city and ensure they get full protections they need and to ensure they are treated fairly and equitably especially in regards to disperate health effects of tractor trailer trucks uh belching diesel particulate matter nitrogen oxides of voccs into the air and creating a noise new Nuance while they lie idle just a few feet from residential backyards gas Wells polluting their air and water and the heat island effect caused by more pavement and fewer trees again we are simply asking for a public meeting targeting environmental justice communities and to include EJ as a theme in the comp plan thank you our next speaker is Richard Perez followed by Homer blocker Mr Perez here Homer blocker will be followed by Bob Willoughby hello I'm Richard Perez and I live in District 2 in the historic Marine neighborhood we're located just behind the rosemarine theater off of North Main Street I'm here today with fellow members of the environmental Coalition of Fort Worth as part of due diligence and effort to support an environmental justice meeting with the Fort Worth for the Fort Worth 2050 comprehensive plan we want to discuss specific goals and objectives for environmental justice into the 2050 comprehensive plan so to me uh environmental justice is 21st century environmental targets and goals environmental justice is to protect residential areas from industry next door and that no single demographic gets polluted more than others but unfortunately that's what happens sometimes and we know that old environmental policy and zoning created problem areas in our city with certain neighborhoods plagued more with more industrialization and others than others and the pollution that goes with it whether that was via ignorance or or negligence of our past local Fort Worth government I do not know for sure but I do know we need to strive to continue to correct it from my perspective in my neighborhood I know more must be done this past year in 2024 my family was exposed to irritance released and into the air from nearby chemical factories for example just heading out of the house in the morning to take my sons to their high school and getting blasted by chemicals in the air that stung their eyes and throats and just sitting outside at night with my wife and having to retreat to inside since the air was foul and difficult to breathe so when I think the problem was resolved after a break in the issue it just happens again regardless of my contact with for orth Environmental and tcq I can also share with you that hyper local air quality data from our own monitors shows increased pollution at nights and morning hours in my neighborhood environmental justice is unfinished business in Fort Worth we need to collaborate more with Fort Worth and I want you to join us and our environmental Partners in making Fort Worth the best it can be in the 21st century with our environmental justice initiatives and lastly a big thanks to the city council for consideration of some of the cases where environmental concerns were made thank you and thanks to councilwoman Martinez for responding to our environmental justice email ahead of time and a huge thanks to Texas A&M law school for their environmental justice study on Northside and Echo height stop 6 so a big shout out to them and a a huge thanks to them thank you our next speaker is Homer blocker followed by Bob Willoughby how y'all doing Homer blocker all right here we go again like I said I'm here to help everybody no matter what neighborhood what district it don't bother me I'm out of District Five stop six all day so again I say at the end of the day I'm here to help I don't care who's getting elected I don't care who's the mayor I don't care about none of that I care about my [Music] communities okay so uh we got cousins shooting cousins over dice games we got cousins shooting cousins over he had more weed than me and all that these guns got to quit playing you know that's what it is I mean people say well guns don't kill people people kill people that might be true but it's too many of them out here too many guns on the streets I mean I don't know if y'all can come together have them hey man bring guns down here get some of them off the street whatever give them $100 a gun I don't know but either way it go even on Miller like I said when that officer got shot by my cousin house and I had to go to a sergeant to have them to start coming down there on Miller to shut down a bunch of that play So the plays that was played ended up Cory getting killed on the other end of Miller I mean but y'all presence the the police presence is good you know what I'm saying even though people go to to the lake they want to have fun they can you see what I'm saying it's plenty other places I went where I seen white people Mexicans doing their thing nobody getting killed nobody getting hurt so at the end of the day I mean if I I know y'all probably short on police offices this I mean uh Dallas is 900 short so you know what I'm saying at the end of the day no matter what goes on we need to really cut down on all this violence you know what I'm saying too much Bloods too much cripping too much all that now it don't fall in everybody neighborhood but it's out there you see what I'm saying it's out there so you know when you everybody go home thinking about oh well I live in a good neighborhood okay keep thinking that cuz trust me it's everywhere so like I said I've been shot at six different occasions by Crips and bloods I'm never close to being scared but I'm here to help so like I say I mean I wish Chief noes was here I hate he done step down you know come what March I guess he out of there so it really don't matter I'mma whoever the next chief is I'm going rub shoulders with him you know what I'm saying whoever the next Murray is I'm going rub shoulders with them because at the end of the day this is my town this my city and I'm here to represent that so like I say I only got a couple of seconds left if we can get some signs up where everybody hang out with these guns like the school you know the school say gunfree Zone see that'll give the officers a lot of leadway to come up on that property you know what I'm saying it won't be no oh I'mma sue you because you checking my car oh I'mma sue you because you harassing me no big old signs say gun free zone so you shouldn't be in that area thank you Mr blocker our next speaker is Bob willby Mr willby followed by Laticia Wilburn work on that I got a announcement for George Charles wants you to know he'll be back circumstances under his control is why he's not here you know don't you think he quit Okay that's my website there we're going to be uh offering pages to all the people running for May in this race here we're going to be working with Walmart giving out leafus who's running for this election stuff that the city doesn't tell you and our local news does not tell you is this kind of stuff here you go to the city website you won't see anything about right now it's time to sign up to be mayor or or to sign up to back yes what's the matter am I am I being interrupted or something or what of my time being used up by her point of order please yeah it's sustained you can't use a campaign website but you can keep talking just take that off of there and keep going you're fine just I just can't I okay probably lost part of my time here anyway um one of the things oh you can't put that up there now my website no oh really you used to be able to put it up there y'all said as long as I don't put my my oh God they're going to waste my time here I want to get a point out these organizations I see come down here all the time they come and they go my argument with y'all is things that affect the whole city like free speech that you took away from City Council meetings this is a comment meeting it's not a council meeting difference between a council meeting and a comment meeting is a council meeting is where businesses conducted and this kind of stuff should be at a council meeting where businesses conducted anything going on should be there and we were there before you got here you took that away you got us these comment meetings another thing I see these people come there and they yell about their little personal thing okay and that's it they're not not that they're not important police is important there's crime going on all kind of stuff all kind of people have problems but they only care about their little pocket they don't care about the overall none of them are going to come down here and ask you why mar mar Parker that police Fitz dral should have got $5.5 million for not putting Bessie price in jail she got caught robbing us he's a whistleblower but y'all paid him off you know Al Cap's got to be turning his grave because what y'all doing legally now was illegal back in the 20s you couldn't pay off police legally with our money but you can't but none of these people going to ask these kind of questions media is not going to ask these kind of questions my website which they don't want up right now because the videos and you see they don't want you to see and that's what I don't like about this Council it's not a council it's dictatorship it's self-centered people you've never been to Council meetings before in your life you been no bond meeting budget meeting but here you set like you're somebody you know that is what's wrong with our city news we need to get more people involved what's going on in voting and that is what we're going to try to do with Walmart we're giving out leafless and we're going to get it out out there you won't let it out here that's okay most these people down here don't care anyway they're The Establishment that's what keep people in office The Establishment the same 30,000 people doesn't matter who goes in when you step down they'll put another person just like it unless we get other part of the city woke up thank you for taking away my website our next speaker is latia Wilburn followed by choa you're going to pronounce it correctly for me uguali I got a halfway thumbs up she's gonna fix it for me when she gets here ltia hi good afternoon latia wurn I'm remember of echo height stop six environmental Coalition Echo height neighborhood association and for worth environmental Coalition of communities the reason we're asking for environmental justice is because pollution affects every body it doesn't just affect specific neighborhoods Echo Heights is a perfect example as to why we need environmental justice Echo Heights as of January 21st 2025 has 8,148 residents in the community the community was uh annexed in 1955 by the city of Fort Worth at that particular time it was white the community was mostly family one zone two one two family single family homes um neighborhood commercial businesses and Commercial restricted businesses with uh agriculture by the time the 1960s 1970s 1980s came around Echo Heights became more diverse the community started to see changes in the zoning practices in 1982 echoist was considered a unique mixed up old and new the community was predominantly black at this time it was churches houses Parks Community facility agriculture land and 2004 came the Sun Valley P which was 24.2 Acres of industrial under ordinance 16001 this is not in addition to what's on the Northern end of echo height up there by Village Creek and Martin and all of that area the recent comprehensive um plans show that there are no checks and balances there are no buffers Echo Heights with 8,000 people has over 200 industrial business in there there's thousands of 18wheeler trucks over there each one of those 18 wheeler trucks the thousands of them over there really not not being sarcastic realistic basally each one emit a th000 chemicals out of those chemicals Each truck emits 40 cancer cost and chemicals now you factored that in with you have the trucks you have trash companies over there you have fracking sites and all the other facilities over there right now for worth has his own cancer Valley and it's own asthma hotspots this area is sick and this and it is dying because of y'all's lack to do due diligence and address the environmental justices that are going on is something that affects the whole city it doesn't just stop in one place it continues to go and that's all I have to [Applause] say our next speaker is cha uguali followed by Jim DeLong all right good evening my name is choma ugali I work for the Grassroots organization Lial Arlington though I am also speaking as a granddaughter of a longtime Fort Worth resident who now lives in District 5 um in the past three years the vast majority of new fracking permits uh gas well permits excuse me have been approved for fracking sites and predominantly lowincome communities of color in East Port worth particularly stop six um even though the technology exists for the oil and gas industry to drill for gas from miles away if drilling is still a priority for the city but I do want to offer um a perspective on the health harms of fracking pollution several Studies have shown that the dangerous chemicals that escape during the fracking process worsen air quality and pose health risk for those exposed especially small children who breathe in more toxins per breath um per pound of body weight than adults a Yale research team has also demonstrated that the carcinogens involved in fracking operations have the potential to contaminate both air and water in nearby communities in ways that may increase the risk of childhood leukemia in fact this El team identified 55 possible um or known carcinogens that are used in fracking operations and of these 20 are linked to Leukemia and Lymphoma studies done at UTA and elsewhere have also found Benzene emissions from drilling which is also linked to childhood leukemia fracking is also associated with health impacts ranging from regular migraines to increased rates of asthma hospitalizations and cardiovascular disease and even early mortality and who is left to dealt with these health conditions it is the individuals Afflicted their families and their communities and the communities that are overburdened with this popula this pollution don't often have the resources to deal with these Health impacts so I asking you all to please be proactive in protecting the health of your constituents particularly those in historically underserved communities such as in the East Fort Worth neighborhoods um please promote environmental justice thank you thank you our next speaker is Jim dong followed by Hassan Aisha good evening my name is Jim dong and I'm here to talk about equity and equality number of months ago at a city council work session you had a graphic similar to this can you make it a little bit bigger please thank you and as I was looking at it some things struck me you have people outside a fence and then what are they looking at they're looking at a baseball game they're looking at a sports game and so they're kind of on the outside looking in can you imagine the Dallas Cowboys having a football team and so much percent of the team have to be transgender so much percent of the team has to be Asian so much of the team has to be black has to be white has to be whatever of this religion of that religion what kind of a pro football team would you have would they be competitive as a football team so we have some dichotomy on one side in companies we are pushing for Dei or those types of things but real life is different than that sports teams if they if they took on those guidelines they'd be a losing team because it's meritocracy are you good at what you do and in pro sports are you the best at what you do and that's part of life we all face that I was a musician for years they never asked my race they never asked whether I had a degree in music which I do they wanted to know can I play I'd go into a recording session they hired me because they thought I could play well enough on their album I've traveled the world plane uh to tens of thousands of people a night why was I on that platform because I'm a nice guy no because of my color no they didn't care about that they wanted to know can I play meritocracy and uh we just recently had the uh uh plane crash in Washington DC some people have thought that the FAA hired traffic controllers based on Dei whether that's true or not there's something there you want the best people in the job so what do we need to do we need to find ways to help people become the best that they can be I've got other things I could say out of time thank you our next speaker is Hassan Aisha followed by Caleb Roberts good evening my name is Aisha Hassan um I am from district 7 and I'm here with the for worth environmental Co Coalition of communities the eastern North Side communities of Fort Worth deserve to be treated with respect and dignity like all other members of the larger Fort Worth community Fort Worth Eastern North Side communities have been overburdened with industrial land uses that have created disproportionately adverse effects on air and water quality greatly impacting these communities quality of life the Fort Worth environmental Coalition of communities has been advocating for a meeting to discuss these issues since the spring of 2024 as a member of this community I'd sincerely and urgently like to request and urge you all to please meet and discuss these issues for to honor the Dignity of our north and east side communities and in in essence to honor the Dignity of all our communities here in Fort Worth a lack of communication regarding these requests is a direct blow to people's basic dignity and ultimately their Humanity so I urge you to please take the time to listen to this community to this groups of individuals who are trying to genuinely and sincerely provide their input to be a part of the solution so I'm here today to ask City Council Members to please listen to the communities you serve and address the issues brought forth by the Fort Worth environmental Coalition of communities to include Community voice and environmental justice in the 2050 comprehensive plan thank you thank you speaker is Caleb Roberts followed by Lydia Faith good evening Caleb Roberts uh executive director down wnter at risk uh also a part of the Fort Worth environmental Coalition of communities uh I won't repeat what everyone said here today most of this is about the feedback we are getting or not getting from the city on uh the process of the comprehensive plan uh we love what we heard from the city manager um and Eric as well about what's going on but this has taken almost a year just to get to the point where we've heard this kind of feedback and uh just to let you know I'm an aicp certified urban planner I've done multiple comprehensive plans in DFW so I I do know it's a big undertaking to do a comprehensive plan but our question is is this an open process or not when it comes to comment if a Coalition of people get together State demands or requests of their City about what they would like their future to be this 2050 plan and you send 3,000 letters you uh email all of your city council people you email City staff and it's not until you can organize an event to come to a public comment hearing before you're told about the responses is that the level of openness do we want in terms of our comprehensive plan and for us it is are these things being taken seriously or not so we must agitate we must complete you know keep rise and keep coming to these events to show you all that these things are important and even in the term environmental justice talking about pollution talking about the health effects it has on our on our unborn children on our children on our families it's not just the term environmental justice land use in urban PL in urban planning and zoning was created to separate IND indal and residential it's not just the term environmental justice we have to use that term because it has not been executed in cities like we have here in Fort Worth where we have residential communities right next to some of the most extreme polluters that we have in the state of Texas and that is something that we introduce comprehensive plans to address so even the reason we have to create another term to talk about these things kind of pushes away from the issue that this is an original us problem that should have never been created and we can go to the history of why it was created why some communities have this and why some other communities are not inundated with these industries but our point today is environmental justice is a real thing that we want to address we've tried to do it as the right way as possible going through the right channels and if we're not heard we have to make a way that we we need to be heard because this is a a plan that's going to take 30 years looking 30 years in the future and our communities cannot survive another 30 years of industrial pollution thank you lyia Faith Lydia will be followed by Jorge pentes hello my name is Lydia and I'm a Fort Worth Community member and a member of tant for change um as well as part of the Fort Worth ECC so here we are again once again advocating that you all include us the community in your decision that will directly impact us we were here a month ago when you all decided to elect a city manager without including the community in that process which even your fellow City Council Members Jared and Chris called you all out on we are asking for you to include us in our input in the 2015 50 comprehensive plan we're asking for transparency and we shouldn't have to keep coming up here to demand you all do your job the plan that will affect all of us for the next 25 years because what we do now will affect the future Generations and that is why we need to include environmental justice in this plan we have emailed called and showed up to city council asking for a response for over a year and nothing and why is it that we are just now at this meeting we are hearing about this supposed plan to meet with the community for the comprehensive plan if your job is to serve the community then how do you expect to serve the community when you don't even respond one last question I would like to leave with you all why is it that a white extremist Evangelical Church Mercy culture can come in here and get whole permits passed with ease but we can't even get a simple response back to having a community meeting with the city council thank you our next speaker is Marie esel followed by Johnny Lewis mayor I think Jorge was I'm sorry Jorge you're right you're next and I please and then Marie esel uh my name is H and I'm a member of PSO and I'm here to support the for environmental committee uh Coalition uh today I stand here before you to address the critical issues affecting countless residents and forward particularly those on the east and north side of our city the communities face dis appropr uh dis appropriately negative impacts from industrial land use uses uh resulting in poor air and water quality a diminished quality of life the diminished quality of life this is just not an environmental issue it's a matter of justice and equality and the rights of every person to live in safe and health in a safe and healthy environment for too long these neighborhoods have been born have have borne the brunt of industrial polution while their voices have been ignored the forward environmental Coalition has been fighting tirelessly to change things since 2004 they have repeatedly requested meetings with the city staff to address the the environmental issues with with the 2050 comprehensive plan yet these requests have been met with silence the unaccept that's this is unacceptable when communi speak they deserve to be heard the forward environmental uh Coalition is demanding action they're calling for environmental justice for the integrated to be integrated in the central theme in the 2050 comprehensive plan this means holding Citywide public meetings to brainstorm goals and ensure that Community input is not just heard but accepted uh accepted upon it means integrating environmental justice goals into every city Department ensuring the the quality and sustainabilities are not afterthoughts but guiding principles and it means halting industrial zoning in the vulnerable areas until the plan is approved while increasing monetary enforcements of industrial regulations to protect the residents health and well-being this is not a radical demand it's a moral imperative environmental justice is about recognizing that that no Community should be sacrificed for profits or convenience it is about ensuring that every person regardless of zip code has the rights to clean air clean water safe place and a safe place to call home thank [Applause] you is Marie esel followed by Johnny Lewis hello my name is Marie um I'm just a loal Citizen and speaking on behalf of environmental justice as well and I hope yall listen instead of hiding side talk and just smiling through what everyone is coming up here to say forward city council as a young Latino activist I stand before you and demand Justice for my community the 2050 comprehensive plan is a slap in the face to every single one of us who's been fighting for environmental justice you claim to respect our city well represent our city but your actions speak louder than words the lack of consideration for environmental justice is the plan is a clear indication that you are not listening to our voices you're not listening to the con concerns not only to the Latino Community but other communities as well who are affected by the pollution and IND industrial zoning as well we will not be silence and will will not be ignored there is a grow growing movement of the Latino community and not just us but others around us as well who are ready to fight for their rights in their communities I will be the first to stand before you and inform you I will not back down no matter what no matter who tries to stop me or my community we will stand we will not stand by while you continue to prioritize profit over your own people it's really sad to say that all everyone ever sees is the money signs and clearly that's all y'all are looking at why don't you look into the eyes that those that are suffering through everything these protests as well and that I organized and as others in my community to keep families together to keep love alive and to keep hope as well coming from a Christian who walks with faith of God I will continue to speak and stand up for those in the Injustice that fear to step outside of their homes for those children that are getting swept away from their mothers and fathers as God says in Leviticus 1933-34 when strangers Ser with you in your land you should not do them wrong that's including everyone here you should treat them strangers who sorage with you as native among you you shall love them as you will love yourselves For You Were Strangers in the land of Egypt so why continue to push us out why continue to ignore the problem do you know that the world that us we lead in four C categories in global shootings number of adults who believe are injured real number incarcerated citizens per capita and as well as defense spending where we spend more than 26 com by 25 whom to be allies so when you when will you step up as city council to protect and stand up for your community and actually make a change [Applause] next speaker is Johnny Lewis followed by Mary wood evening Madam mayor council members uh my name is Johnny Lewis I live on the south side of Fort Worth I've lived out for 50 years I've also done work in the east side of forworth and um I won't be repetitive of the beautiful words that I've heard from the uh all the previous speakers but I will say one thing and I'll ask now when I lived on the south side we had there was a steel plant over on South over on vicory every night I live since I when I moved over there 1969 you could hear the sounds of Steel you could see the steam coming up and you could see fire the uh Flames coming out of the steel mill uh we had the soil tested over at one in one particular area over by Bethlehem Community Center and we were told that we had so much heavy metal over there they wouldn't it wouldn't advise a pregnant woman to go over there we going go into all of that I worked out on the east side where I helped to shut down um a company that was supposedly uh just producing soap but then when we started looking at that looking deeper into it uh I think the council even found out that there was more that they were producing more than just soap let's move forward you have to do more than listen and I'm asking that you include councilman Nettles and mayor Williams and everyone else you in when you start writing the policy it is the policy that will affect the change in the future listening to these people is one thing going into meetings is another thing but it is the policy that what you do for land use in the future that will make the city manager whoever he or she is act and protect the citizens so I'm asking you when you start to write these policies and the practices that they will ensure that they will go to in the future please include people from these communities one of the things I can tell you now is that there are people because that my community is being gentrified and all of a sudden some of those people who are paying $200,000 for those homes or starting getting the land getting the getting the uh soil tested they ain't too happy about what they find in so I'm asking in the future for all future land use that you include people from the community from these infected lands these problems this property but if you will please let them sit in on the policies that you enact for the future [Applause] is Mary wood followed by David kersis is Mary here David kitki and I'm probably between that and David can correct me thank you David David you'll be followed by Dominique Jones is that me now okay you said followed by uh greetings good evening uh mayor council members uh my name is David kisi I appreciate the opportunity to speak uh with you about a property located at 58 Colette little road which spans 2.42 Acres uh recently this site attracted interest and um from different developers One Is Safe store a luxury uh storage facility uh the second one that you may all be aware of interfaith housing for an 88 development uh for a senior living affordable senior housing uh both Endeavors unfortunately fell through safe store uh face challenges with Market statistics and Interfaith housing struggle with uh to secure tax credits and with Drew about uh two years after uh this illustrates the difficulty in finding viable projects u under the current zoning and so the current challenge in the zoning uh so despite being located in a great opportunity area uh the property current e and er zoning seems attractive uh unattractive for new investors uh councilwoman Martinez from District 11 I've spoken with previously and she kindly mentioned she would possibly support uh uh potential plan development instead of heavier industrial zoning j or k uh a PD zoning might open up the possibility for other businesses uh retail or uh mixed use projects to thrive here unfortunately the existing zoning mixed use projects uh structures have not been effective to draw any kind of economic activity uh to uh benefit Community uh we also like to see uh so I'm here to ask uh for your support uh for pursuing zoning changes or special approval so that developers can um have more flexibility this would encourage investment creating jobs bringing valuable services to our neighborhood a more suitable zoning designation like plan development uh could truly transform this property into beneficial for entire Community uh so I want to conclude by saying thank you for your time and consideration and I hope we can work together to find a viable solution for 58 col Little Road and I'm happy to answer any question or discuss next steps in the process thank you for your attention thank you our next speaker will be Dominique Jones followed by James Barker Murphy good evening uh the reason I'm here today is also in support of the Fort Worth environmental Coalition unfortunately is also because of a variety of interconnected issues the Fort Worth City Council has failed to adequately address at this point in time to the level Fort Worth residents deserve the failure of the city council to take proactive and detailed leadership prior to this point and Ur environmental justice particularly in Fort Worth Black and Latino community unities has been consistent with the city government's policy track record that has led to parts of Fort Worth having among the lowest license expectancies in Texas it should not need to be said that there is no more crosscultural bipartisan or important issue than clean air and clean water and a government having a transparent plan to ensure it for its residents we are standing up today to say that the the shameful exclusion by the city council of meaning meaningfully ensuring environmental justice as a pillar of the Fort Worth 2050 comprehensive plan with the maximum urgency on behalf Fort Worth residents is unacceptable unacceptable to us to the most vulnerable to black and brown communities that you serve uh it's unacceptable to our children and is unacceptable to our grandchildren and is a dangerous oversight that must be rectified by this Council immediately thank you our next speaker is James Barker Murphy followed by mtia James no maresa you can come down Martia I have you listed here as a group representative if you're here with martia's group I've got Thomas and Maria you could stand or raise your hand thank you Maria Leslie Baker thank you Spencer Dickinson thank you Linda Freeman Alicia Kendrick jilyn Jackie Cox I haven't seen Miss Cox tonight yet um Chris Evans thank you Mark James and Kira Landers okay Martia you have three minutes thank you thank you three my name is martesia James and I'm here to speak on the environmental Coalition I'm president of for worth environmental Coalition okay who are we we're the Coalition local organizized advocating for environmental justice um I believe you guys have been seeing us here since 2021 and basically we've been advocating for a better environment for our communities in our neighborhoods um this third picture that you can see is one of our residents in our neighborhood's backyard and you can see how close her fence is to the trucking company that parks there behind her yard we believe that corporations that pollute and put human lives at risk must be held accountable and have no right to continue their operations the sensus tracks that a majority minority have twice the amount of industrial zoning and L use in other communities tracks that are more than 75% minority have three times the amount of industrial use and would y'all say that there are areas that three time more industrial use I would say so the negative effects on our health exposure to pollution can cause health issues such as asthma cancer topd increased cancer risk and health risk and from our testimonials of coming down here many times before you have heard the um stories that we've told you guys and pictures from other members of our community of dogs having terminal illnesses having beay to rest women being able to not carry children to fullterm births and other members of our community who have um develop different internal RIS internal health issues based off these companies being in our neighborhood we need land use and Zoning reform filing complaints on singular Industries industries does not solve the problem especially in communities that are closed to Industrial zoning where new Industries pop up monthly um we need longer lasting changes that allows our neighborhoods to be healthier so granted we ask you guys to listen to us about not having some industrial come in right now but that doesn't mean that we're asking backdoor for other industrial companies to be introduced or welcomed within our area altogether um we imagine footw worth 2050 comprehensive plan we want environmental justice to be a theme in the comprehensive plan we want the CDF for or to hold a town hall to engage with us on identifying C Environmental conern concerns so aside from having the crayons and markers when you guys come to visit we want you to actually take down the notes that we're telling you as far as what we want in our community when it comes to the comprehensive plan and everyone who supports environmental justice as a theme in our comprehensive plan can you please stand thank you [Applause] our next speaker is Hannah Reed followed by Mary Goodman hello everyone I currently live in Northeast Fort Worth next to the airport and right across the street from my apartment it's a factory that makes pesticides when going to work in my alma moer TCC South I ride through the Southside see dilapitated refineries and abandoned buildings they could be affordable homes beautiful murals of those who are no longer with us on this Earth and close by fracking drills and Fields where children play and yet no mention of environmental justice anywhere in the 2050 Fort Worth comprehension plan the east north and Southside communities of Fort Worth are overburdened with industrial land caus causing disproportionately adverse effects of air and water quality Street conditions and the overall quality of life um as many people here have said today chemicals seep into water as seen in Grim Prairie that City where a bankrupt weapons manufacturer dumped cancer causing degreasers in a Latino Community right next to a school plastic and fertilizer plants have a tendency to explode as seen by the 2013 explosion of West fertilizer company and the 2020 Fires at Poly Amica my father who is a mechanic was there during the fire and since then he has been having health problems still though I am not the population being the most impacted environmental justice is intrinsically tied to racial Justice according to the national black environmental justice Network black Americans are 79% more likely to live with industrial pollution than white people and breathe in 56% more pollution than they produce native and Latino communities often face similar issues of environmental Invasion that is because the same unsustainable systems that colonized and Redline the country all also permit corporations to dump the byproducts and build the smoke stacks of what they refuse to take accountability for in black and brown neighborhoods after 3,000 letters to the Forest City Council have gone unaddressed the demands of the fwec must be fulfilled remove industrial zoning and ensure residential and Commercial Zoning for neighborhoods like stop six and Echo Heights monitor Smoke Stack emissions in the north side and when making your rezoning decisions think about the people who live live there build parks and third spaces dayc carees and food pantries warming and cooling centers and guaranteed housing there can be no environmental justice with neighbors on the street in the elements work alongside groups like the Southside the the Southside Community Garden and stop treating the communities of Fort Worth as corporate dumping grounds you have a duty to Residents to help us build something better add FWE eccc's demands to the 2050 comprehension plan [Applause] now is Mary Goodman Miss Goodman will be followed by Britney McMillan good evening uh my name is Mary Goodman and I live in District 8 Chris Nettles District uh I have come here often in the last at least couple of years to uh talk about Echo Heights and uh just the en environmental justice that everyone is talking about tonight the East and North Side communities of Fort Worth are overburdened with industrial uses such as gas Wells trucking companies chemical factories that result in poor air and water quality poor Street conditions noise pollution trash um this Coalition has been requesting for a meeting as other people have said since spring of last year and at the timing that one a meeting or a town hall is going to be happening is good but it did take almost a year to make that happen we believe that community in put to the planning of the 2050 comprehensive plan is vital these communities must be heard and their issues addressed in the zoning area of the plan we also need to address the condition of parks in these areas parks are vital to community to to community cohesion and when the condition of the basketball courts the playground equipment the bathroom rooms the picnic tables match those Parks found near wealthier neighborhoods that is environmental justice I deliver meals for Meals on Wheels some of the routes are in areas east of I35 between Barry and rosale and also north of I35 around in that same area the some of the streets streets are not do not have curves there's huge potholes their their streets don't look like the streets that I where my house is their quality of life is affected by their zip code I request the city planning staff include all Fort Worth voices being heard our neighbors in Echo Heights and the north side the Southside are here making that request we all are requesting a seat at the table thank [Applause] you our next speaker is Britney McMillan followed by Payton Jackson uh good evening Council thank you my name is Britney um I don't want to repeat too much of what's already been said by a lot of the wonderful speakers here um I do want to recall Mr lewis' statement or request to do more than listen um and really just ask the council to recall that you are in a very privileged position um you've been elected to these seats because people have some faith in you to use the resources of this city wisely um you know you are responsible for the health and wealth of thousands of people in the city of Fort Worth um the lack of care that some have been feeling or the decision to make or not make a policy uh is all up to human choices um ultimately the Legacy that we leave as people is up to human choices um it can be all too easy in these Municipal proceedings to say well this is how the council before me did it this is how uh our city contracts have worked for this many years this is how the regulator before me did things um you know it can be very easy for systems and decisions to kind of get stuck after years and years of functioning a way that they function um but we know to Mr Robert's point that history um has not always been reflective of the right decisions and what we think of as the moral decisions um your job ultimately is to care for the people in your community and to serve them as your as their elected representatives um and on a further level right just as a human being right when you know that your community is sick when you know that your community is desperately asking for your help and it is your job your elected paid job to listen to their concerns and not just listen but make actionable policies perhaps that are inconvenient again because of those systems that are in place um you know you have a community that is begging for your engagement um and if they have to repeatedly come and say that they are not getting that engagement meant there's a reflection in that leadership um you can't really call yourself a leader if the people do not look to you and feel that you're leading them properly thanks [Applause] our next speaker is Payton Jackson followed by Gerald Banks Senor good afternoon Council I went to one of the best high schools in the state of Texas Plano West Senior High and during my junior year there I was handed a book titled Brave New World now bear with me it's been a decade but from what I can remember it's about this futuristic society that doesn't stress much they take a drug called soma which is probably ecstasy and they indulge in completely random or planned out orgies now while that all sounds amazing yet somewhat like a weekend at Diddy's house imagine if the Rich Dad Poor Dad series was given to me instead now don't get me wrong as a woman of 28 years I am extremely accomplished I mean I bust right through maso's pyramid but I didn't need to read a Brave New World I needed to create one I mean I should have been given thinking girl Rich by Napoleon heill the richest man in Babylon by George Clauson the emth by Michael Gerber the secret by Ronda Bron taxfree wealth by Tom wilbri we with the rockefeller's DU by Gunderson order 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green well maybe not that last one it's a little toxic but it's not just Fort Worth I ISD your grand perer Dallas ISD it's the public school system as a whole that's filling I mean imagine going over test scores from third and fourth graders and then deciding to break ground on the next prison but something that me and this Council can agree on is that this is is a political issue for us it's a personal issue for y'all as a parent I gave up on Fort Worth ISD in Dallas ISD long ago with no regret we teach to a test that teaches us nothing that star test does not align with reality outside of graduation I mean you graduate high school you know nothing about how to do your taxes let alone the benefits of corporate taxation you graduate high school you know nothing about the five factors of credit right before you take out a massive student loan speaking of student loans you know nothing about the calculations of DTI un knowing that that's going to be used for your mortgage speaking of mortgages you know nothing about construction even though in the state of Texas you don't even need a license to build I mean I would bring up the lack of knowledge surrounding government contracts or infinite banking or any of the auctions that we have like the one we had this morning but we even took driver's ed out of school so I have no idea what we're doing but back to my point I said it once and I'll say it again student loan debt is one of the top three consumer debts in this nation yet we still preach that you have to go to house to be successful and that's not true that's not true but you see I don't need student loan forgiveness they'll get it back when I get it what I need is for a revolutionary to stand up and nipping in the bug with this next Generation but here I am in front of City officials Schoolboard officials County officials State officials Federal officials who are good for nothing more than a few Gallas and photo ops and sometimes they aren't even good at that but Les Brown said that whatever we have to do to save our children it's worth it but not when your administrations are worthless mayor Parker you can go ahead and call your next speaker our next speaker is Gerald Banks senior followed by Adrien Smith J Bank senior District 5 starting out the new year with your problems protest after protest after protest would it be in the fourth largest city in the state of Texas with the most jailhouse debts say a lot about Fort wor I've even marched in the rain with other protesters seeking transparency accountability and justice for the families who has fatalities of some kind in tan County Jail system the people in custody should be treated in a humane way no matter what reason or condition they enter into the jail jailhouse doors what good is it doing us to continue to protest about custody jail debts in t County when it continues to happen over and over again this system and procedures need to be checked out by an outside agency that will indicate what's really going on and what now or has become a debt chamber councilman Nettles people live people lives are in Jey and knows it's just might be one of yours or one of your loved ones next the election for seats in this city of Fort wor is approaching fast and Corruption is beginning to be about already as usual to relinquish your seat for oppression to step in with Twisted ideals will be a dark day for the city of for word vote wisely is all I can say I like to dedicate this to my son and my nephew happy birthday [Applause] Adrien Smith will be followed by Jason X is Adrien here Jason X followed by Mr Abdullah bahani Mrs excuse me and then Raquel Reeves is this thing on okay hi uh my name is Bay Abdullah I'm going to stand here because I think you have a better ability to see me than here um I think that we have something in common I too was a public servant I taught biology and AP biology for the past 5 years um I miss my kids um and one of the things that has stood out to me and I and I don't I don't mean this to scold but when students came to me like with issues like it doesn't matter what type of day I had it didn't matter like what was happening it was my responsibility to like look them in the eyes and model what I asked them to do in class right um and so you know like when some of our elders were speaking today I I have to say like it hurts to see that like attention was not being paid to them like I know that the days are long and hard but it's like it's your responsibility and um like they've been saying like you signed up for this right so that's your job um you may have have guests but I'm here with um the environmental Justice Crew um I'm a resident of District 5 but I'm M to Fort Worth hi Miss bevans oh wait the camera there hi yeah so I'm in I'm in District Five I'm in East Fort Worth and one of the things that stands out to me is like 3,000 letters is a lot of letters 3,000 letters is way too many letters not to have a meeting right not to have a single meeting 3,000 letters is way too much whatever your threshold is which there shouldn't be because that's being a human right that that's too many speaking of being a human um it's pretty dehumanizing to have to beg for a meeting for something that affects your family's like lives right like I actually hate C speaking at city council for that very reason because it's really dehumanizing to have to like appeal to people as to why you deserve things that other people like never have to think twice about having did you ever think about that like maybe you've never had to worry about clean air maybe your family members maybe asthma doesn't run in your family right maybe you never had to take your baby sister to the hospital because she can't breathe but if it were you then you would hope that somebody listened and that you wouldn't have to beg them to pay attention you understand what I'm saying like do you feel me so you know I had something written and I was going to come and I was going to like you know lay out the facts I'm also like studying pollution Dynamics right now like as a PhD but like the science at the end of the day it doesn't matter because the people that you were elected to serve that you volunteered to serve are asking you for something so whether you believe it in or not whether you think it's important or not whether you're like if you like buy into the science whether you you know your Granddaddy's a real estate developer and how would this you know affect his business it really doesn't matter the simple fact of the matter is that people are coming here asking you to pay attention to something and it's your responsibility thank you missa our next speaker our next speaker is Raquel Reeves followed by James Smith good evening council members my name is Raquel Reeves and I'm here representing our community's urgent concerns about environmental justice in Fort Worth's 2050 comprehensive plan for decades our East and North Side communities have borne the weight of the city's Industrial in development our neighborhoods are surrounded by gas Wells trucking companies and chemical factories this isn't random chance this is the result of systematic policy decisions that have consistently placed harmful industrial operations in Pro predominantly black and brown communities the numbers tell a stark story over 3,000 of your constituents have written to this Council requesting a town hall discussion about environmental justice since spring 2024 the Fort Worth environmental Community Coalition has repeatedly requested meetings to address these concerns these voices your constituency voices have been met with silence how can we claim to be planning Fort Worth's future for 2050 while ignoring the communities most impacted by our past the current draft of the comprehensive plan makes no mention of environmental justice and Omission that speaks volumes about whose future we're planning for let me be clear about what our communities are currently experiencing compromised air quality contaminated water deteriorating streets and declining quality of life the health impacts on our families are not theoretical they are real they are measurable and they are preventable we come here before you today with specific actionable demands first environmental justice must be integrated as a Core theme in the comprehensive plan with dedicated public meetings to ensure meaningful Community input the progress we've seen in Echo Heights in north north side shows what's possible but it must be expanded Citywide second environmental justice considerations must be embedded in every city Department's decision-making process from zoning and code enforcement to Parks and Recreation finally we demand immediate act action to rezone industrial areas in Echo height Village Creek and stop six to more community-friendly uses we need to pause on new industrial zoning until the comprehensive plan is approved and robust enforcement of existing environmental regulations the 2050 comprehensive plan presents a crucial opportunity to correct Decades of environmental inequity will you partner with us to build a Fort Worth where every neighborhood can Thrive or will you needlessly perpetuate policies that sacrifice some communities for the benefit of others thank you for your time I look forward to your response to our community demands I know some of that was uh uh rep repeating some of the great speakers that have already spoken but that's my piece thank you our next speaker is James Smith followed by Christopher Gomez hello Council my name is James Smith I live in District 8 as we enter into year number six of the death of Jefferson I'm reminded today that there's only one council member here that was here in the beginning what that does is water down the history of the event it Waters down the comprehensive thought that it will take when you get to Del to deliberate the accountability for her death when the majority know little about what happened I'm hoping and the family is hoping that 2025 would be a chance for us to turn the page to CH a new course in our lives it's not easy it's not going to never be forgotten we hear a lot about family separation you know what what's going on in our country right now the deportation unfortunately that's what happened to Tana's father many years ago he was deported from the United States and he wasn't able to raise his daughter his daughters Amber andat but he did have a relationship with his daughter a week before she died she FaceTime her father requesting how to get a passport so she could go to Nigeria and get to know him and the rest of her family that she never met she had a father she had a mother and because they're not here to advocate for her that's why you've seen me going into six years and you will see me until this is resolved and you'll probably see me after this is resolved so I can join a group like this environmental justice not to tell my age but the only thing I really worried about in Fort Worth when I was growing up was going to the north side and smelling the stockyard cows from the meat packing plant driving down Interstate 35 and smelling Miss be's bread or the Bey now we have to smell chemicals we have to smell chemicals deadly chemicals how mean I be here in 50 years but this plan you need to get with the citizens of Fort wor and do the Justice thank [Applause] you our next speaker is Christopher Gomez followed by Stacy melow uh good evening mayor council members uh my name is Christopher and I am here today as a resident that's deeply invested in the well-being of Fort Worth's diverse communities and as a supporter of the Fort Worth environmental Coalition of communities throughout my professional career I have worked closely with labor unions environmental justice groups and Community organizations across Texas to promote policies that protect workers communities and our environment and one of the things that I've learned is that true progress happens when everyday people like the residents here tonight have a say in a decision that affects their lives this Vision doesn't just create healthier communities it unlocks new opportunities for economic growth and job creation and unfortunately that hasn't been the case when it's come to Fort Worth's 2050 comprehensive plan this plan will shape the future of our city but it currently fails to mention environmental justice or address the harmful land use and Zoning patterns that have historically burdened black and brown communities in the East and North sides of Fort Worth residents suffer with polluted air unsafe water degraded infrastructure and reduced property values and ignoring these issues isn't just inequitable it's economically shortsighted cleaning up industrial zoned areas and implementing green infrastructure can boost those property values attract businesses and create new high quality jobs in energy environmental remediation and green Construction Fort Worth has the opportunity to be a leader in this space by integrating environmental justice goals into its comprehensive plan and reimagining how land use decisions can create vibrant and thriving communities Fortworth has a chance to lead by example to correct past harms and build a healthier strong City but that can only happen if environmental justice is a priority our communities deserve better these people deserve better each of you deserves better and we are ready to partner with the city to make that happen please commit to working with us to build a comprehensive plan that truly serves all of Fort Worth thank you [Applause] Stacy melow hello Council um as many of my courageous community members have stated already I'm so just like invigorated and fired up by all of the the words that have been said here um we know that environmental justice is a huge huge need that's needed in Fort Worth in particular um the east and North communities that are disproportionately affected by this um and we know that the city council's policy choices whether that be by passing these policies yourself or doing nothing to address the horrific Legacy of these policies that have disproportionately affected lowincome communities in the East and Northeast the eastn north side of Fort Worth so my question is were you not all elected to serve your community all of your community members to Advocate and fight for a better quality of life for your constituents is that not why you were elected okay so why is it such a struggle for you to stand up right now for your constituents that day in and day out have to live out their American dream in poisonous environments that you seem to not really be interested in doing anything about mayor Parker you have openly come out against the Keller ISD split an unjust move by the Keller School Board we know will further disenfranchise lowincome black and brown students and communities of Fort Worth and I thank you for speaking out about that however why can't we get that same energy from you and the entire city council when it comes to doing something about the environmental Injustice those same students are facing what's it going to take to get some action out of you on this how many more chemicals do people need to breathe in do you have a number on that how many more health issues do people your constituents have to endure before you can start to show through your actions that you can do your job and fight for environmental justice that all citizens deserve thank you Council that is the conclusion of our speakers this evening the meeting is adjourned for