the developers I told you Pat is goingon to get bad baby you see Carlos Carlos gonalez can you hear me you know you want to know about the lady across the street you've been asking I'm G to tell you the next time I come back I'm going to expose it you understand what I'm saying you've been asking and I hear my beautiful little sister she went to week I went to week way too but a lot of things ain't what you see and you've been asking that question why is this person and I'm going to break down each development deal and I'mma show you the corruption now my two lawyer friends up there kins and Larry I'm only gonna use public record so don't worry about me I'm G to use public record and lawsuits and I'm coming I'm gonna start with you see the picture I'm gonna start with High Street Martin Luther King is Spruce Street 100 what I'm gonna say a name anybody know a name Kenneth gford asalam alaikum thank you Mr Muhammed for your comments next speaker Muna elani present so much going don't hold on I ain't start started that already I I a even start yet oh you start the mic when you at this at the mic you start the clock so J Man bani genocide everywhere anywhere is a threat to genocide everywhere and we got genocide right here in our own backyard and I just want to make a comment first of all Ras Baraka uh didn't do anything about the water until Gail Cheney Phil exposed and warned them and also when the former nework water Coalition members when we exposed him and then we covered and we protest all all that potential and then that's how he uh came about with trying to fix these letter let's make that clear so American Greed the story of the Baraka and the essis county corrupt regime the worst Administration in the history of no and I warned you noers about this brainwashed being brainwashed about this mayor I warned y'all I warned you that he was going to be a political kind didn't I I warned y'all but what do we the people need to do when I keep saying this got to be on us what we have to do we should have to flood the state the US attorney Attorney General and the office of com controller steps to step in and see about this corruption that is taking place in the city of nework we must continue to demand a forensic audit and an investigation on every Department in this city we got people came in the ba came in with corruption we got so many people who came in here with corruption and they still they getting elevated look at with the fire the man the fire man elevated to another position with the with the with the mismanagement that went on in the fire department the incompetency that went on in the fire department we need to also give thanks to the uh New York attorney general for bagging up those city employees we need to call on the US attorne Attorney General here and also the state of New Jersey and and and the state uh and the US attorney general to come in here and step in and do their job they had testimonies but where's where where we we s people talk people send documents and everything where's the transparency we want to give kudos to tap into for actually exposing this Administration and his other uh corrupt regime and allowing us to see documentations as to what happened the residents of the city we it's We the People it's on us every Department in this city is saturated it is so much systemic corruption going on in this city and we got to say not on our watch it got to be coming from the people that you came coming in here stepping in here flooding downstairs this is what we need to do every council meeting every time wherever this mayor at we need to smoke him out wherever he at because it is unacceptable it's unacceptable for Pat counsel not to pay car and Betty shabaz her money and every Muslim in this city that sit back sit back and watch this man not pay this lady her money is unacceptable the crime coverups and all the goons that's coming out attacking us is unacceptable in this city and we have to say not on our watch we have to demand a takeover of the city the water we been said the water was still contaminated this ain't nothing bami your time has thank you Miss bonami next speaker Madam clerk Shakir McDougall presid good afternoon good afternoon Shakir McDougall 67 South Seymour South forward agena agenda item 7 r1f it would have been mine if it wasn't for you nosy kids when villains would cot on scoobydoo that's usually what they say if after an extensive FBI preliminary in investigation anyone skeptical like I am finds more circumstantial evidence to support my theory that's what the appolonia crime family will say let's run down the info I've gathered for you in 2007 Matthew abalonia plad guilty in a norc federal court to bribing public officials in Mammoth and Ocean County including Seaside Heights West Long Branch and Brick Township to name a few Matthew even ratted on his brother stepen Matthew abalonus snitched on his own family while he was still co-owner of International Trucks of Central Jersey based in Hillside New Jersey as described in the new jersey.com article from August 22nd 2007 the disgraced New Jersey officials involved were sentenced to three years in federal prison respectfully Michael aalona is president of apalona Inc The Entity attempting in my estimation to bamboozle and swindle 5.3 milli million doll away from nor taxpayers and citizens through sourcewell Cooperative as their plug Michael abalonia is also principal of UD Trucks of Central Jersey if that entity name rings a bell it should because the use the same addtie used by the snitch Matthew abalonia 225 us22 everybody in the family using that Addie like it's aando or a trap house I urge everyone at the sound of my voice to Google UD Trucks of Central Jersey you will find something I thought was also suspicious click the link for Manta directory UD Trucks of Central Jersey makes $140,000 annually with only one employee Michael abalonia Matthew the rat who played guilty he faced up to 20 years with the $250,000 fwn Michael abalonia wasn't making enough money so he spent the block on no for locking up his family he wasn't going to get he was going to get a nice piece of that $5.3 million Grant but I think this city council is having none of that it would have been mine if it wasn't for you nosy kids that's what the appal onia crime family is saying sourcewell Cooperative should also be scrutinized for lack of oversight with their connects as a nor native I know all money ain't good money thank you to the council for allowing me to express my concerns and thank you to our citizens and entrenches for lifting my voice I am forever grateful happy Black History Month and um I would like to uh read a poem uh it's interesting he brought up a Mary Baracka because I actually uh got a book and I read some of his uh poems so in honor of black history man I would like to read some the first one is called a gorilla hbook in the palm the seed is burnt up in the Wind in their rightness the tree trunks are socialists leaves murdered the silence and are brown and old when they blow to the Sea convinced of the lyric convinced of the man's image since he will not look at substance other than his ego flowers grapes the shadows of weeds as the weather is colder and women walk with their heads down silent political Reign against the speech of friends we love them trapped in life knowing no way out except description or black soap floating in the arm we must convince the living that the dead cannot sing the next one is called Snake Eyes that Force's loss would shape me spent In His Image battered an old brown thr swept off the streets where it sucked his gentle living and what is meat to do that is driven to its End by words the fress gestures groan like skirts around breathing we take Unholy risks to prove we are what we cannot be for instance I am not even crazy thank you thank you thank you Mr McDougall next speaker Anthony Diaz present good afternoon Mr Diaz good afternoon I have uh copies of the resolution uh for each council member it was already emailed only one council person responded Reverend rre so you know there's that uh so my name is Anthony Diaz I'm the co-founder and executive director of the New York water Coalition I represent 25,000 new workers we service that about that uh yearly annually uh I'm a central Ward resident I have programs in the East Ward the central Ward the South Ward and the west ward uh so first you know it's Act of Providence that I got to speak here today or sign up for this list uh given yesterday today's ex executive session I am tired of doing y'all job I'll put it like that the nework water Coalition has serviced the residents of nework for the last five years providing them water testing providing them water uh running programs doing all these kinds of things and we get no resources from the city of nework we've never gotten a grant we've never received funding anything like that and so you know when we talk about transparency what the things that this city can do it's a lot there's a lot that the city can do and what is unfortunate is that we find ourselves here again because you know what some people have and I've heard this uh we had a a community meeting earlier uh with some Representatives with the D Kareem and and the mayor and people are lating this transparency who hired the contractors though where is the accountability five years ago no one got fired probably no one's going to get fired now and that's a real issue here people don't have any kind of faith in the council anymore and remember I said I represent 25,000 constituents in the city which is enough to overturn this entire Council and we need to understand that that the power is in the people and the residents and then not only that you know the second thing I'm here to represent is the ceasefire resolution that we passed here so what's disheartening is that you have several constituents allies and supporters that aren't even able to enter this Council room because they were stopped at the door downstairs because they said they don't have enough people to make sure everyone can pass through saf but you can bring seven cops up here to make sure that nobody gets out of hand 47 cities have passed uh or 747 or 47 plus plus cities have passed a ceasefire resolution this is a black and brown majority city right the Black Liberation struggle is tied into the Palestinian Liberation struggle it is tied into the Puerto Rican Liberation Struggle No One Is free until all of us are free the city of norc has a moral obligation to pass this ceasefire resolution you have a moral obligation to stand not only before your constituents and say yes the city of newk is on the right side of history but you will have to answer before your God on where you stood on this issue that's right and there ain't no both sides and the council has been silent on this and not only that Council mcgyver you had residents of Newark asked pushing for a cease fire resolution prior to this and now you have this SW delling of people here you have you know clearly you have folks in the audience that are here for this and I I don't you know in the next meeting hopefully you can pass this resolution but this is the time this is the time we are seeing what's happening across the world we are seeing what's happening in these communities if the people that represent us aren't standing in the right side of History why should they represent us why should you have a voice for us if you can't even call out genocide you can't even call out the murder that's happening what more proof do you need the icj already ruled that genocide is being committed this isn't a time where people can be quiet anymore this is a time where all of you prove who you are right because if you continue to be silent after this then it's another problem then it becomes who who do we have to move to make sure that we have people that are going to voice what we want to hear I hope you pass this ceasefire resolution I hope you stand with the Palestinian people and I hope you listen to the folks that are here today thank you thank you Mr Diaz next speaker next speaker Latoya Tucker good afternoon Miss Tucker good afternoon can somebody give you someone will come to you someone will come to you Miss Tucker good afternoon good afternoon I have faith in y'all counsel for what I'm here for I am Loria Jackson 45 year old African-American Muslim daughter wife and mother of two young men that has left lived in nor New Jersey all my life I matriculated through the nor public school system and I also ra my children here my children are 26 and 19 I have also own managed and operated four beauty salons within nework and Irvington I ran in a school board election for 2025 2023 excuse me and I am now a full-time volunteer to advocate for re-entry population and incarcerated people I have a part-time position with Hear My Cries as a violence interruptor which is a partner of ovp here in newor and I am very concerned with sever highrisk issues that are plaguing this city we live in although I could run away from these crisis my city fa I have decided to stay here and help advocate for this Village that I belong to I have personal experiences with different systems that govern our our state I have sometimes had no choice but to engage with these systems navigating through life as a minority woman growing up in this city and raising my family in North as we all know there are many many things that we that need a help in hand I personally know the importance of checking on your loved ones I am one of many that knows how it feel to sit back and watch their loved ones that are house within the New Jersey Department of Correction continuously sit back and watch their loved ones that our house within the New Jersey dolc continuously be subjected to emasculation protocols and abuse of power I am very concerned with the continuous practices of unethical harassment and bullying tactics by the Department of Corrections operations such as Sid policy and code some which are privy to the most which are we are not what is the what is the NJ dolc hiding from us the voters that can read and fully comprehend policy and law most incarcerated people are scared to make formal complaints and suffer in silence just to complete the remainder of their sentences the NJ dolc has a has a policy that incarcerated persons have the right to advocate for themselves however when an incarcerated person speaks up and make inquiries or grievances you best believe some type of bullying practices will take place in the near future such as going to Locker being led to believe that you are snitch fool wck and male can be intercepted officers can even refr refer to these young men as boys inmates or racial derogatory terms off officers have taken incarcerated people to disclose areas which cameras do not exist to teach lessons you will not want to teach animals I am here today to bring awareness through my personal excuse me experiences of a loved one that has not only experienced this in her adult adult life with my husband and child I also have experienced supporting and incarcerated person as a child my father was housed in Riverfront State Prison in campden and also in Northern State Prison here in North although I have never been incarcerated by the state the mental trauma of being on the other side can blow your mind and it is very and it is very much an imprisonment of itself I am very concerned with the practices of our slate State legislation as we know nor has a very high population of incarcerated persons within the New Jersey DOC facilities we also know that Ruckers and UMD andj and Robert Wood Johnson not only facilitates most programs for our children and adults within our city also the State Correctional Facility me mental health programs the goal is to form a compliance committee for our city with the inmates when Governor Murphy initiated the Osment office which is a government appointed employee official who is also supposed to invest investigate resolve and mandate me mediate complaints made by incarcerated persons our governor started the emment initiative with funding only 12 employees for a state that has 21 counties that that alone handicaps this initiative from the start and conclusion I am asking as an ally to the people that are incarcerated that our legislators take the time to not only visit these facilities but also include the family and those of us that are active in this EXP experience of being outside support for our incarcerated population we have to ensure thank you Miss Tucker unfortunately your time has expired okay I emailed all of y'all thank you so we received it thank you so much for your comments Linda mcdonal Carter present good afternoon Miss Carter good afternoon everyone greetings and again how are all the children I'm here to um as in my Capac city as a professor of American government Civics and paralal studies and political science to encourage the New York City Council to amend a recently passed ordinance that gave permission to 16 and 17 year olds to vote I encourage you to man include an addendum that mandates a Civics component to the uh ordinance for children from the ages of five to graduating from high school and I say that because in the segregated South the teachers did teach five six seven eight year olds Civics and I also say that why well according to Frank Zappa a social critic Civics was a class that used to be required before you could graduate from high school you couldn't graduate you were taught what was in the United States Constitution and after all the student rebellions in the 60s Civics was banished from the student curriculum and was replaced with social studies here we live in a country that here we live in a country that has a fabulous Constitution and all these guarantees a contract between the citizens and the government but nobody knows what's in it and so if you don't know what your rights are how can you stand up for them and furthermore if you don't know what's in the document how can you care if someone is shredding it I actually guess host on the program on wbi law of the land periodically and I say a couple of things things about everyday activism which we see in city council all the time how it can work and the ease of being involved and empowered in our individual and Collective capacity while remaining in our everyday routine and I feel compelled to add voting is more than one of your Civic responsibilities having a constitutional right to vote is fine showing up with Theos and voting is fine it serves as a significant tool in our citizen Civic toolbox however we must know how to manage this tool to help us manage the elected and appointed officials who are charged to serve the public remember elected and appointed officials are not leaders leaders are those willing to die for the masses elected and appointed officials although are in position to serve the public good nevertheless there are other important matters to consider around your civic duty in addition to voting that we can do while waiting online checking your cell phone washing clothes at Del laundr met or anytime you remain still for a few for instance think about this are you voting for a party or person who or what entity or organization is funding that person's election campaign that'll let you know who has their ear and influence also what influence you would need to be needs to be neutralized you can find this out with the New Jersey election law enforcement commission Federal elections commission and ops.com what about the candidate is the candidate knowledgeable about the issues is the person knowledgeable and well-informed and able to articulate a strategy resulting in changing conditions and seeking transformation or reform which means maintaining the status quo does the person have a proven track record in social justice and advocacy or whatever it is that's important to you does it matter whether the person is spiritual does the person have the willingness to surround themselves with competent intelligent principle and committed people that represent the good and model what you want to see in your community does the does the candidate or the person have a demonstrated record of community or political courage and resilience or is it just for them or their constituency that's outside of the public on another radio program by B Bob Law he's mentions that the community must select the candidates therefore it's very important that we at least consider reaching out to our neighbors to invite others to determine where they're interested in determining who they want to represent them at all levels of government consider meeting at your local P public library it's free and it's the only place in not collecting your data to determine who you want to run for an elected position do do not wait until the powers determine who will run and who you will vote from or be selected to vote from use your individual and Collective Community power start getting folks together now thank you thank you Miss Carter cah Eden mug presid good afternoon good afternoon Council peace and blessings upon you all uh thank you Council uh for hearing out the community um my name is sladin maksud and I the executive director of Care New Jersey the Council on American Islamic relations for those that don't know care is the America's largest and oldest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization our New Jersey our New Jersey chapter actually just moved to Newark six months ago so we're very proud uh to be in the city we're honored we're very excited to meet all of you and to work with our friends and our allies in the city to uplift local communities uh and to defend our civil rights and Champion Justice uh today we're with a very diverse uh Coalition uh comprised of New York residents uh and neighbors and friends to call for a ceasefire yes so uh across the country most notably we have San Francisco and Chicago who have called for ceasefire in New Jersey uh to my knowledge Patterson in Prospect Park and just last night Union City called for a ceasefire yes um we are optimistic that Newark can do this now we understand that you know this body uh does not have the jurisdiction to enforce a ceasefire uh in gasa and we understand that that Authority does not rest here and we get that and that's not what we're asking for but what we're asking the council to do is to represent the voices in this room to represent the voices of this city to uplift and Echo their concerns and to use the channels that our democracy affords us to use the Avenues and the the tools that this nation has given all of us here and so that's what we're doing here today we're here to use those tools these resources and that's what this room these Chambers are here for so we're asking you we're really asking you to consider using your Authority your position your power to to call for justice call for peace call to save the lives in Palestine in Gaza and Echo our words Echo our sentiment Echo our feelings and beliefs and call for a ceasefire um now I also want to say that uh sorry I lost my train of thought um but this is something that's very simple in my eyes and I think many people understand this now the American Muslim Community is very diverse we have so many friends and allies across the country and across the world uh who are calling for this this is not a Palestinian issue this is not a Muslim issue this is a human issue we all care about this we all want to see peace we all want to see an end to the violence and again I just hope that the council uh considers using their authority to make uh this reality to add their voice to the mix um and to Champion uh the call for a ceasefire once again thank you for your time uh we will be rallying the community to attend the next Gathering inshallah and God willing um and we do hope that we have your support in this once again my name is salahadin Maud K New Jersey executive director uh thank you for your time salamu alaykum thank you so much for your comments next speaker Jennifer wager Jennifer wager wager good afternoon good afternoon happy black hist three months um I can say as a New York resident I still have le in my pipes um as a nework resident and educator I'm here to join with other Newark students Educators and community members here today to demand the passage of the ceasefire now resolution we we are part of a growing movement of workers around the world demanding an end to the US Israeli genocide of pal against Palestinians the bombing of Yemen and other countries and dragging billions of workers around the world into global imperialist war this this resolution is the least you can do the very least Israel and the US War Machine have killed more than 30,000 Palestinians mostly kids displaced two million destroyed every school every hospital in an area roughly the size of of Essex County and yet you've done nothing students and Educators in Essex County and around the US have been doxed threatened fired and even killed for daring to speak out against a genocide that we are being forced to watch on our phones that's right and yet you said nothing in our defense many of my students come from the some of the these same countries that us Imperial ISM has bombed invaded or destroyed they've seen genocide on their doorstep they are traumatized the US and NATO capitalists have started a war with the capitalists of Russia Iran and soon China who knows but who will be the ones who will have to fight this war it will be our youth black and brown and poor White young people who will fight and die some of my students the D the deployments have already begun in New Jersey some of my students have already been called up and left and yet you've remained silent because it is your political bosses like genocide Joe doing the war mongering I've noticed that politicians are often quiet in the face of fascism in our city remember former police chief McCarthy whose cops both in nework and later in Chicago were sent to Israel by the ADL to be trained by the Israeli police in brutal terrorist tactics they came back to our streets and Reign bloody racist Terror on black workers so much so that the feds had to put the Newark police department under a federal consent decree in 2016 those same police the same police that the ACLU reported on in that report in 200 uh 16 the very same kind CS in 2021 killed Carl dorsy and nearly killed the Rodwell Spivey Brothers in front of their home only a couple years ago but you've done nothing today we ask we don't ask we don't plead we won't beg you to pass this resolution we demand it this is quite literally the least that you can do free pal Justice For Carl dorsy and his family all power to the people thank you for your comments next speaker Charlie bendick presid good afternoon good afternoon my name is Charlie bendick and I live in the central Ward and I'm here to speak in favor of a ceasefire resolution um I've not been in Newark very long but for the past few months that I have been I've been working with New York Community to organize for the Palestinian cause and stop the usback genocide being carried out in Gaza I can stand up here and I can list off the horrific number of deaths of innocent men women children and infants deaths caused by Israeli attacks and bombings attacks funded and armed by tax dollars taken from our community I can stand up here and tell you these numbers but I won't I won't waste my time telling you the numbers be being reported because these numbers strip away the humanity from a people under constant attack and in no way provide a full picture of the pain and suffering being paid for with our money instead I will spend the rest of my time telling you the stories of individuals being affected by our refusal to stand up and say ceasefire now I'm going to start by reading from The New York Times opinion piece by journalist Nicholas Kristoff quote there's a whips smart 10-year-old girl in Gaza who speaks good English displays a radiant smile and seemed to have a bright future the daughter of an x-ray technician she had been accepted to an International Exchange program and was supposed to be leaving soon instead she's lying in a hospital bed with a badly infected wound in her thigh from a Bomb Blast the photo shows a football-sized open wound with a chunk of her femur missing she was supposed to be in Japan said Dr Samra atar an orthopedic surgeon who cared for the girl and told me about her now she's lying in bed deciding whether to have her leg removed end quote the next quote comes from a piece titled learning nursing Under Fire in Gaza by a young nurse in Gaza named Fess Arafat quote one time I encountered a little girl the sole survivor in her family she was so in shock that she couldn't tell us her name and no one was there to care for her she was bleeding from her head and needed an x-ray but a cue of others awaited their turn when I was finally able to enter the exam room with her the doctor asked what is this girl's name my response unknown 44 he was puzzled until he realized there were 43 others like her nameless from shock and alone quoting from a piece titled the impossibility of reporting the story of Gaza by afnan Abu AA and Leela Hassan from the nation quote Samar abua loved being a journalist a cameraman for over 20 years with Al jazer abua 45 had covered at least seven wars Israel's war on Gaza however would turn out to be his last while covering an air strike at a United Nations run school on December 15th Israeli forces shot Abu Daka intense shelling prevented an ambulance from reaching him three paramedics were killed trying to get to the area and he was left to believe for over 5 hours succumbing to his injuries just as the Palestinian Health Ministry got approval from the Israeli military to retrieve him in the end they brought his body to the hospital where his family said goodbye medical workers removed his bloody press vest and helmet which were placed over his body at his funeral I'm gonna say a poem from a gauen resident named basam DWI it's called titled good news comes from Aman they have thrown my heart into the fire now they add another gallon of gasoline they killed Aman my young sister leaving my mother's heart suspended between Earth and Sky the good news is that she is no longer on Earth she no longer belongs to a world that buried her under the rubble of her house her killer did not allow any attempt to rescue her they let her spend the night cold alone tasting her own blood away from her children she was trying to reach when her home fell all over her head the good news is she will meet my dad I'm sure she missed him a lot she will live in a space where sound cannot hurt anymore she will spend time again with her family without seeing the shadow of their death reflected on the curtains in a dark room illuminated by the flashing of missiles the bad news is she will miss her mother and siblings maybe she will miss one amputated dream yet the good news is she's not going to miss any of her children they killed them all together 80% of Democrats 60% of all people in this country most likely more than 60% at this point and definitely more than 60 % in Newark want a ceasefire you have the opportunity to use your power and your platforms to represent your people something most Representatives refuse to do today vote Yes on a ceasefire resolution and push this state and this country to put a stop to the killings vote for a ceasefire and join the growing ranks of officials who are actually listening to the people who elected them thank you thank you Charlie for your comments that concludes the hearings of citizens thank you so much uh Madam clerk at this time we'll have responses from Council Members as well as the administration and we ask that you do not um speak out while council members as well as the administration is responding uh co uh comments from Council Members any comments for public speaking councilwoman Scott rree um I want to make a motion so I think I'll wait until it's time for okay any other comments for public speaking Council mccom no okay responses from the administration thank you council president Eric Pennington business administrator I think uh the first thing I'd like to say is that mayor baraca was one of the first public officials in the state of New Jersey to contemn the atrocities that took place in in Gaza back in October he indicated that uh anyone who stands for PE is uh finds that the conduct uh both on the side of Hamas and and the IDF is atrocious that uh he clearly would support uh ceasefire um and indicated early on that the conduct was inappropriate and uh he still maintains that that position today so all the speakers who came out and the people here who are seeking a ceasefire um on behalf of Palestinians you have the administration support in that regard so uh we hope that there is ultimately something that will come from I think councilwoman brry intends to introduce a resolution of support and the administration supports that as well with respect um to some comments about the uh the leadline replacement and Mr Diaz did participate in a discussion today um of community leaders regarding what's going on and what we intend to do um his comments I think were appropriate the comments some other comments uh about the mayor lying about the Le in the water just not true the mayor was uh outfront and adamant about making sure that the residents of this great City are protected uh with respect to the leadline replacement the city replaced over 23,000 lead lines we know right now of three of those lines that weren't fully replaced uh the state of New Jersey does not allow for partial Replacements of lead lines and the city has endeavored to comply with that there are other um communities and states around the country that do allow for partial Replacements that is not what we've done we have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to eradicate uh lead fully in the lead lines and to be clear but I indicated earlier uh the corrosion control inhibitor that is in place now is working uh so so there is a u extraordinarily low likelihood of any lead being in any uh any of the residents homes indeed we know of none uh at the present time and we will continue to be vigilant about making sure that every home in the city of norc uh has leadfree water the mayor is adamant about that and will continue to do so and the third thing something that I'm always uh really loathed to respond to ad hominum attacks here against me but I think Mildred Elman today continues to imply that I'm under the threat of some corruption that I am corrupt I'm not exactly sure she makes allegations with zero proof and for several years has continued to make some allegation that I have done something that is corrupt but Mildred if you have some information Bring It Forward if you believe that I'm corrupt don't imply it state it if you believe that I have done something wrong anything wrong have engaged in any fraudulent conduct State it bring it out tell it to all of these people so at minimum I can defend myself I have done nothing that is corrupt I have done nothing that's wrong well mild you can stand over there in the corner and Shout from the hilltops get up here when you in the microphone exuse me Miss bami um Madam clerk please note Miss bami's disruption as well as we're going to place a ban for the disruption I'm sorry Mr ba give me one second police can we get some assistance I ask I ask for folks not to respond back when folks are having their time to respond Miss bonami please depart from the chambers Miss bami please depart from the chambers thank you Mr ba oh man okay continuing on with the meting and my apologies to those who are viewing online as well as here um we can definitely have dialogue in this Chambers without this disruption um I just wanted to make a note before we move on to motions there was a comment regarding um a meeting that uh I allegedly had um this week uh with residents um around the fourth prient substation I just want to be clear for the record I'm always got to set the record straight a little bit because folks you know come up and they're giving false information um one I did not host a meeting this week um on behalf of the fourth precent substation um they hosted their own meeting they have quite a few community meeting um every other week um with different sections and different parts of um just like any other precin in the city um they host multiple meetings um and they hosted a meeting this week that the speaker was referencing to at no point did I promote that to be my meeting nor did I um run that meeting or host that meeting um we did have a situation on Richmond Street um here in the central Ward where we had handed out letters to affected residents which this particular resident wasn't affected but at the same point brought it up to today um where we indicated about the possible change of permit parking um we did get responses back from those residents about 10 to 15 residents that live on this particular block um who was opposed to the change in residential and and uh permit residential parking um around a certain hours that we were proposing um we did take those uh complaints those calls that feedback that we got from the residents that live on that block um we took that we took those into consideration therefore we did not put forth a change in permit Park and it still Remains the Same um we do plan to send out a letter from my office to those residents it would be um hand dropped just like we dropped the initial flyer to those residents to indicate to them that there will be no change in permit parking but once again I did not inform the resident that spoke here today that we were going to be coming to a meeting to discuss permit parking um and for those who are tuned in who are watching on YouTube or who are watching you know via 78 we did not inform any Resident that called our office that we would be at a meeting discussing the situation regarding permit parking um but that is the clarity regarding the permit parking as it um relates to Richmond um I'm not sure in terms of the resident brought up about me to parking being installed on West Market Street above nor Tech High School which is W Cliff whitecliffe Street we will look into that matter um to discuss with the nor parking authority but I just want to clear up um some uh FAL information that was given at this Podium regarding the meeting that alleged that I was hosting um at this time we'll go into motions from council members uh councilman Council yeah um you know first and foremost want to thank uh all of these folks who have come out today to exercise their right in in democracy uh as we not struggle just you know nationally but we also struggle uh locally and you know our vision is always to ensure that people are part of our local struggle I'm glad to see uh Larry ham who uh from people Organization for Progress who was here with us today who has always been in the Forefront of struggle uh and just to say that you know many of the folks who sit up here on the council come from a place of activism and so you know to uh you know put forth this kind of narrative that no one cares or no one understands what is happening um you know sometimes is is quite unfair uh because a lot of us have been in the street for a long period of time and and and have not seen uh you know most of the kind of noise that we make here on a local level and and we recognize and understand that uh genocide and peace all over this nation is needed uh and and the fight for democracy continues the right uh uh for all people uh to be able to live in in in um uh Unity uh the right for all people to be able to live in harmony and more importantly uh to decide their Destiny uh and and not allow people to you know assume and take that uh for granted and so you know however uh the council you know moves we definitely support uh peace on on a holistic level uh and and and throughout not just this nation but this state and the city uh and we should make a Clarion call to every uh uh uh distinctive movement that that goes against the uh alienation of people uh from all over uh so just wanted to uh you know make that statement I know uh councilwoman rry will be speaking uh later and we're in full support uh of that uh but uh also um ultimately I would like to have a motion uh to go to uh the uh motor vehicles uh in the city of Newark to uh uh in the state to ask uh about the uh movement of the reinspection Center uh and what is the the direction and Clarity on that uh so that we can be able to uh get a grip on that because it is uh the only inspection center in AIS County uh and the removal or closing down of that can be detrimental uh to many individuals so we want to have that discussion um also again want to uh you know say happy African ancestry month um as we celebrate this month which was a week uh you founded by cardig G Woodson uh but as we celebrate the Heritage and Legacy uh in the strength of of of our ancestry and the struggles that we Face from the continent and diaspora uh and and as we continue to face uh and so just want to give uh uh privilege uh to that um and then um you know just look forward to seeing folks uh on Saturday our pre Valentine's Day concert uh at George Washington Carver the doors open at 2 o'clock the show starts at 3 uh we will have uh Hunter Hayes uh who will be performing Howard uitt as well as Ted Mills uh pre Valentine's Day event and then also on February 17th George Washington Carver we will have uh our youth Step regional step competition as we continue to celebrate uh African ancestry M George Washington Carver the doors will open at 3 pm and uh the show will start at 4 pm um so just want to um you know um give that information uh out so that we can all participate in it and and in March we'll be coming up we're trying to organize and work on a uh Palm Sunday 5K run uh sponsored in collaboration with uh weekway Park Sports Authority the uh Essex County uh as well as uh a conglomerate of other other organizations USAF uh and so we just want to be able to share that but we will get back to you at uh a later date thank you okay thank you do I have a second second second by councilwoman Round Tree roll call yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes councilman Silva uh yes I have no motions but I just wanted to um say a few things um regarding uh know report came out again regarding uh how dirty the city is and I tend not to believe those um those uh reports but I wanted to ask the business administrator if there was a possibility because I researched several major cities in New Jersey and around the United States obviously the streets are uh a little dirtier if we can review the bulk pickup policy uh some of major cities around the United States what they do is I know we pick up 10 items once a month and if you drive I can only explain for the East Ward if you drive around the East Ward today it's an absolute disaster uh several cities across the US pick up bulk every week but three or four items a week no more than three or four items and I think that would help uh with some of the garbage issues that we have in the East Ward our illegal dumping has increased dramatically um the streets are a lot dirtier and I think if we look into POS possibly I spoke to director Smith yesterday who's doing a great job even though I know that he hasn't doesn't have the resources that he really needs um if we could look into the bulk pickup policy because I'm not sure that once a month with the city growing like it is that that's uh enough and it's creating an issue in my ward I don't know if it's that way throughout the rest of the city but once a month is not uh we need to do I think we need to come up with something else and last thing I just wanted to say um February 26 uh United Airlines is coming into my ward uh we're having a job fair so anybody that's listening from the city of nework that is looking for a job United Airlines is a reputable uh company here at nework airport and growing so it's February 26th at 274 Adam Street in the city of nework from 10:00 a.m. to 4m so uh if you need a job United Airlines is a great uh company and it's right here in uh our own Airport in North New Jersey thank you thank you councilman Silva councilman crom thank you council president a couple of things I just wanted to bring up uh first uh just is just a a resolution uh for Mr and Mrs Lawrence and Mack Council they recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary they are part of our uh senior citizens committee we wanted to congratulate them on on making it to 50 years I barely got 10 and a half in so congratulations to them s and regret motions for uh sister Shir Ali Khan she's a former city of North employee uh from the office of planning zoning and sustainability also a sorrow and regret for Mr Ted Judkins who was president of The Tuxedo Parkway Block Association I also wanted to uh thank well I'm sorry two two one other thing first happy Black History Month to everyone and on let see what my glasses on February 11th the most worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Mason state of New Jersey is celebrating Black History Month the theme is thou Hast by thy might led us into the light Grand Masters Clyde uh uh uh H Horton Jr uh keynote speaker is Reverend Al Sharpton obvious founder of the National Action Network it will be at Zion Hill Baptist Church 152 Osborne Terrace this Sunday December 11th at 5:00 pm and and lastly I just wanted to um uh thank and congratulate the African-American Chamber of Commerce new jerseys chapter for their presentation yesterday on the disparity study that came out from the the state of New Jersey uh it it was definitely thorough and uh presentation and hopefully well not hopefully it will be available online on their website soon but it it really showed the disparity that is happening in the state of New Jersey not just am amongst uh African-Americans but amongst minorities in general and how uh as much as as bad as we thought it was it probably is a lot worse so I I hope everybody takes the opportunity to look at this study review it you know there's been fighting for years to actually get it done it's finally done and hopefully some actions and we have to push to make sure some actions are done as a result of this study that's all I have thank you council mccr do have a second second second by councilman Kelly roll call Council yes Crump yes Gonzalez yes Kelly yes kintana yes Ramos yes Scott rree yes Silva yes president M Iber yes councilwoman Scott rree thank you Madame President um I just want to start off by saying that I am going to enter into a motion uh to call for a ceasefire and for peace uh not just for um Gaza and is Israel there is so much going on all over the world but the escalation or the rise I should say as the mayor stated on October 16th of violence and the humanitarian treatment that has gone on is just horrific it's horrific I think about um colleagues being in Beth Israel and someone being on an operating table and the hospital gets blown up I think about a family member waiting outside for their child to be treated and then the hospital is now in rubbles I think about all of the civilians and we have people here in the city of nework that are connected to a lot of these families um there is an individual that was in um Palestine who sent me um videos that were not shown on National Television there was another individual that was in Israel and 17 people that were with them were killed so we have individuals that on all sides we're connected to but we surely do not stand for the inhuman treatment and the mayor stated in his quote on October 16 that we urge all those who love peace and Justice to oppose attacks on innocent civilians when they say we don't care as councilman Council stated we really care we really really care there's some things that we can't just get on a plane and do as a matter of fact when we were trying to collect various things the faith-based Community to send to assist and Aid it was blocked so even though we want to do some things but what we can't do on this side is let you know that we stand with those who oppose those that type of treatment we don't want we have local issues we're dealing with we're trying to keep peace here in the city of nework and we want peace all over the world it just so happens we're not in a perfect world if you do your research you'll find out that's not the only war going on right now there's some other Wars that are rising as I speak right now and we don't have time for me to give you every country and every city and every place in the nation that there is a war but the truth of the matter is there are Wars going on so I just want to make a motion yes that we call for a ceasefire and that we call for peace all over the world all nations because we are connected on some level not just in Newark not just in Washington but the entire United States on some level is connected to what's going on in Palestine and with other individuals that we are connected to I will be sponsoring a resolution but I have to make sure that the language is what it needs to be I can't let someone hand me what they wrote and put my name on and as the council to agree with what you wrote but I am sponsoring a resolution it will be at the next uh council meeting and council president I'm just as hurt as those individuals that are sitting out here that made the statement that we don't care and haven't said anything we've never stopped saying something you might not have been in the room and everything is not made for channel 7 channel two and channel 4 some things we have to say to our people that walk in our office the emails that we get we have to address them let you know we received it let you know we saw it so that that's the first thing uh council president uh excuse me do not call out please please be respectful of the chambers so with that being said um another quote from the mayor we who believe in democracy and love humanity and freedom know that what we are witnessing um undermines any effort toward supporting uh those values so as we move forward as I stated earlier there will be a resolution the next meeting regarding the ceasefire also for the Newark uh Citywide women's meeting that will be held tomorrow we're asking all women to please please join this initiative in this effort being led by the first lady of our city Linda Baraka uh our council president L Monica mcgyver myself and shashana paage uh we're leading the charge along with our first lady at the Forefront for a Citywide women's meeting we've been meeting since last February we picked it back up again um the theme is nor women moving forward our location for our meeting tomorrow will be at the priority restaurant 233 West Market Street and there will be a a light dinner served the topic is financial literacy we are looking to pull 1,000 women uh to assist them with the defree program which means we're going from debt uh to deposit and from delinquency to dividends so that we can pull some things together to help our women uh better manage their money you can be Financial literate and still don't manage your money properly so there's a 12we course being offered the materials are at no cost there will be host sites all over the city and there's also going to be if you miss a class you can also tune in virtually but we need to really look at how we're doing things financially and so this course I think is going to benefit um I have a couple of locations council president but I will be sitting and one of these classes somewhere for those 12 weeks the materials have as I stated earlier have already been paid for and you can register either online you can call my office at 973 733 3794 they will give you the instructions or register you on sites and tomorrow night as we invite you sisters to the meeting that will be held at 6 p.m. we're going to feed you a little bit of something first and then we will go into the the presentation of what this course entails and then you can register and join us on this 12we movement that you will be certified at the end on February 10th at the Zion Hill Baptist Church in the city of North New Jersey we'll be holding our fifth rehearsal for the Citywide voices of Excellence choir it does it's not a church it's not a church choir of course they will be singing gospel music but don't have to be um a minister or a preacher or someone that sings in the church if you can sing want to sing will'll sing we invite you to join this this movement of music for the city of nework it's a Citywide choir as I stated the rehearsal will be held on February 10th at Zion Hill Baptist Church 152 Osborne Terrace for more information you can call once again 973 733 3794 and rehearsal begins at 3 pm sharp last but not least I do want to um talk about saving the date March 4th for a human trafficking webinar we did this about two years ago during covid the Nork Interfaith Alliance sponsored this and hosted this along with some other departments but save the date March 4th at 6:30 p.m. for a human trafficking webinar who will be hosted by a church and Community abolition Network giving you information regarding human trafficking data and how they go about helping to locate individuals that have been involved um with human trafficking um and of course to the family of Shir Ali Khan um we once again Express sinc your condolences I believe her janaza is tomorrow thank you so much council president thank you do I have a second for councilwoman's motion second by councilman Crump roll call Council yes Crump yes Gonzalez yes Kelly yes kintana yes Ramos Scott Brown tree yes Silva yes president mcgyver yes councilman Gonzalez any motions er no motions but just a request if I may ER to follow up on the Opera request that was submitted by William AGB ER regarding ER I believe licensing ER ABC licensing ER his his email me and councilman Silva also and I believe councilman Silva already started the process we I just want to know where we are in providing the information that he requested okay a roll call for that do I have a second for it first second by councilman Kelly roll call Council yes Trump yes Gonzalez yes Kelly yes Nana yes Ramos yes Scott brry yes Silva yes presid ma Iber yes councilman Ros thank you madam president just two quick motions one is a few few weeks ago the mayor had the um community meeting on the zoning changes and and one of the big concerns that came up in our meeting was um the process that the city follows to Abate uh tree complaints and we've had you know a few trees that have been removed specifically in the Forest Hill section and um there's a lot of information back and forth as to whether or not those trees warranted a removal so I would ask through your chair and the clerk to see if the city can describe the process that it follows you know there's supposedly an arborist on staff um maybe we have an opportunity to meet with them to see you know what evaluation he or she utili utilizes before determining that a tree is unhealthy um there's a policy that's been in place for many years and when they do remove or take down a tree they're supposed to plant trees um I don't know if that's necessarily happening so that that's one motion the second motion deals with uh the unfortunate um executive session you know Fiasco yesterday but um there was a very limited amount of information that was shared with the council and I just want to make sure like I asked yesterday that any additional detail you know I don't want to be in a position where I'm reading about those details in the Press you know I believe that as members of the council uh we should be briefed when information becomes available and more importantly when the administration is able to share it you know just today reading through different um articles that covered this there their details that are included in those articles that weren't made available to us yesterday and I think that's very unfortunate and and uh elected officials and more importantly people who represent uh the residents of the city you know we should be equipped with as much information as possible that's it Madam president dly noted second by councilman Gonzales can I have a roll call Council yes Trump yes Gonzalez yes Kelly yes yes Ramos yes Scott Round Tree yes Sila yes president mver yes councilman Kelly uh thank you council president um you know just for the record I you know I just want to say that I believe everybody up here on this council is for peace you know every single one of us and I am definitely for a ceasefire when it comes to our babies our children youth getting mutilated and killed so I am definitely for a ceasefire and I am you know a peace Walker and an advocate for peace um on another note I just want to uh I want to uh make a request um first of all I want to thank corporate counsil for um returning my call about um the motion that I made about the slum Lords particularly um on Long Fellow in the west W and on Sanford in the west ward you know I get a lot of calls from from different residents there and I want to make a a request for a meeting with corporate counsil the ba and uh Deputy Mayor lad to really discuss you know a different way of approach you know I've sent code enforcement I've sent fire inspectors sent police I've sent sanitation I've done all of the processes to to try to mitigate these concerns of the residents and it keeps happening you know sometimes when these Vel opers make a certain amount of money they don't care about a fine you know the fine doesn't really affect them as we would like it to and and then it stays in court forever so they just continue business as usual so we really have to come up with a way you know um all over the city not just in the west W but particularly in these areas to when they don't comply when they don't show up for the residents you know as a landlord or for the lack of better words as the residents call them the slum Lords we need to find another way to really push things and expedite them paying for uh not taking care of the people who are paying to reside in their in their properties do I have a second second second by councilman Crump roll call Council yes Trum yes Gonzalez absent Kelly yes and and council president one more thing too just for Valentine's Day you know um to everybody who doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day we'll just say happy love Day that's coming up um the West W we're doing a senior brunch for our seniors in the west ward if you and we're doing it on Valentine's Day at uh Westside Park Recreational Center that's 600 South 17 Street inside the park in the recreational center and if you would like to be involved and you're in the west W and you want to have have brunch with uh the seniors of the West Ward and councilman Kelly please give us a call in my office at 973 733 6427 thank you okay prayerfully everybody who already had casted their vote is okay with the last announcement in the middle of the Roll Call um but if you are just let me know but uhu BR continue the roll call Kelly yes kintana yes Ramos yes Scott brry yes Silva yes president mber yes councilman Quintana yes uh director Martinez uh done a good job with uh with the signs but you know it's good to put those signs between Broad Street clay and CLK but if we could put the signs but we don't if we don't have enforcement of the New York police and I I think through the administration uh that the administration should have a meeting and and your direct you as a director with the director of Public Safety talking about those signs in terms because if these signs are put up and they're en forced it's going to help traffic relief traffic on Broad Street all the way going north so again I just want to say thank you for the signs but now we have to follow it up uh with Public Safety making sure that the nework police department uh the also the parking authority are able to assist in in this matter matter so this could help people get home at a earlier time and and the traffic is not congested on the other note a sorrow and regret for ishmail Rivera and another on another note I want to thank everyone who this weekend was a tough weekend when you have a daughter and a pre-born and you know the alarm rings and you don't know what to think I want want to thank the many who share their prayers with my family thank God our our baby is out of the a dark and it's and I want to really say this to you as a as a parent with with a child when I see TV and and I see war and I see that the victims of those pre how about pre children in those countries that don't have the ability to have a team like like the hospital in hackin sack that could address a child and make it a brighter day for them so that's very important to me H as a grandfather and I want to thank the public really uh and the faith in God I'm putting good faith in God first then the public because I there was a moment there there was moments that were really tight and I had to I had to be there to make make sure that that everything was intact and that the family was intact but if it wasn't for prayer and the people's prayers and I thank this municipal government uh Council and administration thank you for your calls and your prayers uh to me it means so much uh Damian will appreciate this and he'll be there a couple months in hospital but he's doing very well and just want to thank everyone for the prayers thank you so much thank you councilman Quintana can I get a roll call I mean well can I get a second second second by councilman Kelly roll call for councilman Quintana Council yes yes Gonzales yes Kelly yes Pana yes Ramos yes Scott rry yes Sila yes president mber yes okay president I know okay councilwoman Scott council president and and I had to do this because uh Mr ba sometimes people are sitting up here like councilman canana just finished expressing what was going on in his life well council president La Monica mcgyver I would like to express profound sorrow and regret for the transitioning of her grandfather um we sit here and we do so so much and take so much you know because that's what we signed up to do and we're here to do that but you don't know what some of the individuals that you're before are going through so I'm expressing profound sorrow and regret um on the transitioning of her grandfather I have his name we have resolution and letters for her but I just wanted to put that out there because she would not of course um want a whole lot of hoop Al ey you know made about um whatever is going on in our personal lives we never put it on blast if you're not in the next door to us you might not even know but I just need needed to share that for our colleagues so that we can while we're praying for a council in canana and the beautiful blessing that's been added to his life that God has kept that we also pray for the The Grieving council president during this season as well thank you uh councilwoman Scott Brown tree I'm not sure if someone wants to second that second by councilman Crump can we have a roll call for that one Council yes yes Gonzalez yes Kelly yes Anana yes Ramos yes SC Tre yes Sila yes president mcber yes and once again thank you so much councilwoman scy Round Tree um I do want to thank everybody who's reached out and sent uh notes and everything and just uh been Lifting me up through the last two week period so thank you so much um I do want to make um one announcement I'm so excited to be partnering with St Michael's hospital um it's always good for me I know I spend a lot of time talking about the work that the hospitals do but being in good health in the community is very important health is really the true um blessing if you can have a healthy slate and you can be healthy and you know you can really do anything honestly but when you have bad health and you're not taking care of yourself it's a real problem and many times we've seen many loved ones um who have you know had situations happen with them they did not go get a regular checkup so one of the things about to do when running for office is to be able to push preventive Health Care um in our communities because we have to go to the doctor no matter if there's a problem or not we have to get our regular checkups and we have to do um put ourselves first um which means going to take care of ourselves so I'm glad and happy to partner with St Michael's Medical Center um right here in the centry ward um they are hosting a love yourself um women's and men's screening happening February 14th and February 16th for women we're going to be doing free health screenings including free mammograms um we definitely invite women to sign up and come out to get their screenings and we also councilman Crump have something for the men too we're having Men's Health screenings as well happening Thursday February 15th and that is going to be free prostate exams um so anyone interested feel free to call St Michaels hospital at 973 87727 70 once again that's 973 877 2770 lastly of course it is Black History Month um and of course Valentine's Day this month so we have a host of events happening and of course some exciting Raffles as well as our annual black history essay contest happening across uh centry War schools um if you want more information on that you can definitely call my office at 973 7335 5870 um lastly I will end with a note to the administration um Madam clerk um that we have to do something regarding the courts okay um I have said this many times in the past is no secret many of the uh council members have expressed the same frustration when it comes to many of the co enforcement violations the UCC violations many of the items we hear on a continuous basis is waiting for the courts um I mean people are in dire need like I mean they are hurting like they are hurting with Raggedy landlords every day once again they are hurting with Raggedy landlords every day the city has a few more than we want to have and when they call our office they want to get some emerging help um they want to have some hot water they want to have some heat they want to have the leak in their ceiling fixed they want to have things fixed regardless if they are up to date in rent or not they are just to having the having standard conditions and living and each time when we go no matter which council person it is we go and ask what's the status and they say waiting on the courts waiting on the court ws and we have got to do something in the largest city in New Jersey of why it is taking so long for many of these cases to be heard and for justice to be served to many or at least give us an outcome rather It's A Plus or POS A Plus or negative for the residents in the city we have got to have some type of answer because we are tired I know I I'll speak for myself I am tired and the and the staff is tired of telling people the same answer we are waiting on the courts we have literally two cases alone corporate counsel that we have been working with one at the Colones which is a slum landlord and another one at the Pavilion another slum landlord who literally fails to apply to our co- enforcement regulations here in the city and what have we been told each time when we reach out because you know we reach out we reach out every week to ask what is the status or we reach out every time we get the new date cuz I mean we've been going on for like two years now each time we reach back out to say what is the status and we cannot keep telling people that we are of in service to that they pay taxes they live in this city that you got to wait for the court date that's a year away or six months or whatever we have got to do a better job so so I am asking the administration once again and I'm going to start bringing it up each meeting each meeting until we could get some resolution with the courts and I'm not blaming this is not a blame on like the judges I don't want anybody to feel like I'm trying to attack the judges or attack the prosecutors something is broken in the process and all we need to do is adjust it and fix it so that we can deliver Justice to the link to the residents that we represent because we cannot keep telling them the same thing it is unacceptable and we have to do better so Madame clerk if we can prepare that letter to the ba as well as to our Corp counsel the two fine gentlemen down here with us to ask for some assistance with the courts can I have a second second second I got a few roll call I'll take uh councilman Gonzalez for it Council yes pum yes Gonzalez yes Kelly kintana yes Ramos yes Scott round yes president M Iver we're joining us today I'll take a roll call for adjournment Council yes Trump yes Gonzalez yes Kelly yes Tana Ramos Scott Round Tree yes Silva yes president MRA yes thank you all and Happy Valentine's Day to everyone next week enjoy we look forward to seeing you back at this month's night meeting take care February 21st