* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. 1, 2, 3. [00:00:01] YES. [ROLL CALL] A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL BEING PRESENT. I WANNA CALL TODAY'S MAY 11TH REGULAR MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER. THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZE. ABSENT. VICE MAYOR MCGOVERN. PRESENT. COUNSELOR NOLAN PRESENT. COUNSELOR SIDIKI. SOMEONE PRESENT. TAKE MY WHY YOU WANT COUNSELOR? NO, THAT'S COUNSELOR ZU. I JUST SAID PRESENT. IS SHE GOING TO, OH, THE COUNSELOR. SINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. THIS IS AN OLD ROLL CALL. THIS IS ALL ROLL CALL. CAN I HAVE A NEW ROLL CALL? OH NO. EXCUSE ME, MADAM MAYOR. TECHNICAL TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES ON MY PART. SORRY. COUNSELOR ZUBIE. PRESENT VICE MAYOR Z. ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT PRESENT. COUNSELOR MCGOVERN. PRESENT PRESENT. COUNSELOR NOLAN. PRESENT PRESENT. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. PRESENT PRESENT. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR ZUI. PRESENT. PRESENT. MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS. RECORDED IS PRESENT AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDI LIBRARY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. PER CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE'VE SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE MEETING VIA THE CITY'S OPEN MEETING PORTAL OR ON THE CITY'S CABLE. CHANNEL 22 TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, YOU MUST SIGN UP AT WWW.CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV/PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL WRITTEN COMMENTS FOR THE RECORD TO THE CITY CLERK AT CITY CLERK@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. WE WELCOME YOUR PARTICIPATION AND YOU CAN SIGN UP UNTIL 6:00 PM PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING. IN ADDITION, THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING. THIS MEETING. [PUBLIC COMMENTS] WE'LL MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT. PUBLIC COMMENT MAY BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAWS CHAPTER 30 A SECTION 20 G AND CITY COUNCIL RULES 20 3D AND 37. ONCE YOU FINISH SPEAKING, THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE CALLED INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ALLOCATE THE REMAINDER OF THEIR TIME TO OTHER SPEAKERS. I ASK THAT YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD AND THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING ON RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE ABOUT 4 0 46 SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS GIDEON EPSTEIN, FOLLOWED BY SAMUEL PORTER. THEN ALEX MATTHEWS. GIDEON, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. GIDEON, IF YOU CAN TURN ON, CAN YOU MAKE SURE THE LIGHTS ON ON GO? GOOD EVENING. MY NAME'S GIDEON EPSTEIN AND I'M A POLICY COUNCIL WITH THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF MASSACHUSETTS WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY FOR LIBERTY PROJECT. I'M ALSO A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AND I'M HERE TO ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO PASS THE PROPOSED POLICY ORDER ON SHOTSPOTTER. CAMBRIDGE'S SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE SETS A CLEAR STANDARD FOR A CONTINUED USE OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY, WHETHER THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE COSTS AND WHETHER REASONABLE SAFEGUARDS EXIST TO PROTECT CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES. THE LAWS EXPLICIT THAT IF EITHER STANDARD IS NOT MET, THE COUNCIL MAY DISAPPROVE FURTHER USE OF THE TECHNOLOGY. AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION BEFORE THIS COUNCIL AND DISCUSSED AT, UH, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING TWO WEEKS AGO, SHOT SPOTTER DOES NOT MEET THE ORDINANCES CLEAR STANDARD FOR CONTINUED USE ON TWO INDEPENDENT GROUNDS. FIRST, CIVIL RIGHTS ARE NOT REASONABLY SAFEGUARDED ACCORDING TO THE DATA PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING HEARING, UH, TWO WEEKS AGO. SHOT SPOTTER SENSORS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY PLACED IN, UH, MAJORITY BLACK AND BROWN NEIGHBORHOODS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. AND EVERY FALSE ALERT DISPATCH IS POLICE INTO THESE SAME NEIGHBORHOODS, OFTEN RESULTING IN STOPS SEARCHES AND OTHER CONSEQUENCES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SIMPLY NEARBY. PLACING SENSORS PRIMARILY IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS MEANS MORE INCIDENTS, WHETHER REAL OR FALSE GET DETECTED THERE, WHICH THEN BECOMES THE, THE STATISTICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR CONTINUED OVER-POLICING IN THOSE SAME NEIGHBORHOODS. SECOND, THE BENEFITS DO NOT OUTWEIGH THE COSTS PER THE ANNUAL SURVEILLANCE REPORT. CAMBRIDGE SHOT SPOTTER DATA SHOWS A SIGNIFICANT FALSE POSITIVE RATE [00:05:01] AND THE REAL COSTS EXTEND FAR BEYOND THE MONETARY COSTS. THE REAL COSTS ARE OVER-POLICING, MEANING MORE STOPS, MORE ARRESTS, AND MORE RISK OF SHARING SENSITIVE INFORMATION WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES. FINALLY, IN CLOSING, I'D LIKE TO QUICKLY HIGHLIGHT THAT CAMBRIDGE IS NOT EVEN A PARTY TO THE SHOT SPOTTER CONTRACT. IT'S ACTUALLY BETWEEN BOSTON AND SOUND THINKING. SO UNDER THE CONTRACT, CAMBRIDGE HAS NO AUDIT RIGHTS AND NO DOUBT OR GOVERNANCE RIGHTS. AND FOR THOSE REASONS, WE WOULD ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO PASS THE PROPOSED POLICY ORDER ON SHOTSPOTTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SAMUEL PORT SAMUEL HAS NOT JOINED. WE WILL GO TO ALEX MATTHEWS, FOLLOWED BY SHAVONNE MCDONOUGH, THEN GLORIA CORMAN. ALEX, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS ALEX MATTHEWS. I AM THE CO-CHAIR OF DIGITAL FOURTH. WE ARE A VOLUNTEER CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUP FOUNDED HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, AND I AM HERE TO TELL YOU JUST A SIMPLE FACT ABOUT SHOT SPOTTER. SHOT SPOTTER DOES NOT REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE. THE INCIDENCE OF GUN VIOLENCE IN CAMBRIDGE IS LOW ENOUGH THAT YEAR ON YEAR THAT WE CANNOT TELL STATISTICALLY FROM CAMBRIDGE ALONE WHETHER SHOT SPOTTER HAS ANY EFFECT AT ALL. BUT I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL LONGITUDINAL STUDIES COVERING DECADES WORTH OF USE, OF SHOT SPOTTER COVERING MORE THAN 50 CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, CONDUCTED BY RESPECTED ACADEMICS, AND THAT SHOW THAT SHOT SPOTTER CANNOT BE DETERMINED TO HAVE ANY EFFECT ON GUN VIOLENCE WHATSOEVER. SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO REMEMBER, AS YOU ARE DEBATING THIS IMPORTANT MATTER THAT HOWEVER SERIOUS A CONCERN GUN VIOLENCE IS, SHORT SPOTTER HAS NO EFFECT ON IT. IT MAY SPEED POLICE RESPONSE, BUT TWO THIRDS OF THE ALERTS THAT IT PROVIDES ARE FALSE ALERTS, AND THAT IS CITY OF CAMBRIDGE DATA. WE CAN ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE IN MANY WAYS AND IN COMMUNITY BASED WAYS, BUT THIS PARTICULAR TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTION DOES NOT WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHAHAN MCDONOUGH, FOLLOWED BY GLORIA CORMAN, THEN VALERIE BONDS SHAVAN. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. I'M SHAVAN MCDONOUGH. I LIVE ON WALDEN STREET. I'M A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OF AMERICA AND UAW 2320, THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LEGAL SERVICES WORKERS, AND I AM HERE SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER TWO, UH, SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF CHARTER RIGHT ONE THE KEEPER RESOLUTION AND IN OPPOSITION TO POLICY ORDER FIVE, UM, ON POLICY ORDER TWO ABOUT SHOPPING STOPPING SHOT SPOTTER. THIS IS A RESULT OF YEARS OF COMMUNITY PRESSURE. IT WOULD MOVE US TOWARDS THE REMOVAL OF THESE HIDDEN MICROPHONES IN OUR COMMUNITIES. FINALLY, SPECIFICALLY IN WORKING CLASS BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. THIS IS FAR OVERDUE AND THIS IS A GOOD FIRST STEP TOWARDS GETTING IT DONE ON THE CUBA RESOLUTION. RESIDENTS TOLD YOU LAST WEEK ABOUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TIGHTENING THE CUBA BLOCKADE AND HOW THIS HAS DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON THE ABILITY OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE TO ACCESS HEALTHCARE, TO ACCESS FOOD, TO ACCESS, UH, ELECTRICITY. PLEASE PASS THIS RESOLUTION TO STAND WITH CAMBRIDGE'S VALUES OF INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY. AND ON THAT LAST POINT, UM, DESPITE OUR COMMUNITY'S VALUES, SOME OF THE COUNSELORS HERE WANT TO SILENCE CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH POLICY ORDER FIVE. THEY WANT US TO FOCUS INWARD DURING THESE MEETINGS. THEY WANT US TO IGNORE OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS IMPOVERISHING AND KILLING PEOPLE IN OUR NAMES, BUT WE'RE SICK OF BEING TOLD THAT OUR VOICES DON'T MATTER. WE'RE SICK OF WATCHING US. SANCTIONS WARSHIPS AND BOMBS DESTROY COMMUNITIES IN PALESTINE, VENEZUELA, LEBANON, IRAN, CUBA AND MORE. WE'RE SICK OF A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT'S RIGGED TO PROTECT WAR MONGERS AND WEAPONS PROFITEERS CAMBRIDGE. THOUGH WE CAN CHART A DIFFERENT PATH, UNLIKE THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS, WE HAVE A PROPORTIONAL LEGISLATURE THAT'S ELECTED TO [00:10:01] REPRESENT OUR RESIDENTS DIVERSITY. THIS COUNCIL IS OUR RESIDENTS ONLY INSTITUTIONAL VOICE IN GOVERNMENT. DON'T SILENCE US BY VOLUNTARILY YOURSELVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS, EXCUSE ME. SO PER OUR DECORUM RULES, UH, THERE'S NO CLAPPING AND SO I'D ASK YOU TO PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DOING THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GLORIA CORMAN, FOLLOWED BY VALERIE BONDS. KAYLA GOODA, THEN BEVERLY MEYER. GLORIA, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. GLORIA CORMAN 91 MONTGOMERY STREET, AND I'M SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER TWO. GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW SHOTSPOTTER AND, AND WHY IT DOESN'T BELONG IN CAMBRIDGE. AND TO ASK FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND ALIGNMENT WITH OUR CITY'S VALUES AND ALSO WITH MY VALUES. AS A MEMBER OF THE FIRST PARISH AND CAMBRIDGE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST, CAMBRIDGE DOESN'T HAVE A DIRECT CONTRACT WITH SHOTSPOTTER. THE SYSTEM OPERATES THROUGH THE CITY OF BOSTON AND A FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT. THAT MEANS THAT CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS ARE BEING SURVEILLED BY A SYSTEM THAT THE CITY DOES NOT ITSELF HAVE DIRECT CONTROL OVER OR OVERSEE. THAT ALONE SHOULD GIVE US PAUSE. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE DATA GOES. UNDER THIS SETUP. INFORMATION CAN BE SHARED WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, INCLUDING POTENTIALLY FEDERAL AGENCIES LIKE DHS OR ICE. AND THAT PUTS US IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH CAMBRIDGE'S IDENTITY. AS A SANCTUARY CITY, WE CAN'T SAY WE PROTECT IMMIGRANT RESIDENTS WHILE USING TOOLS THAT COULD EXPOSE THEM TO HARM. AND THEN THERE'S THE EFFECTIVENESS. ACCORDING TO CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, DATA SHOT SPOTTER HAS AN 82% FALSE POSITIVE RATE. THAT'S NOT PRECISION. THAT'S A SYSTEM THAT RISKS SENDING POLICE INTO SITUATIONS UNNECESSARILY. AND FINALLY, IT ISN'T JUST ABOUT DETECTING GUNSHOTS. MICROPHONES ARE ALWAYS ON AND THEY CAN PICK UP CONVERSATIONS AT NORMAL VOLUME FROM UP TO 50 FEET AWAY, EVEN THROUGH WALLS. THIS IS CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE, NOT A NARROWLY TARGETED SAFETY TOOL. AND SO WHEN YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, NO DIRECT CONTRACT, LIMITED OVERSIGHT, QUESTIONABLE EFFECTIVENESS, AND REAL RISKS TO PRIVACY AND CIVIL RIGHTS, IT'S HARD TO JUSTIFY CONTINUING THE PROGRAM. CAMBRIDGE CANON SHOULD DO BETTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS VALERIE BONDS. VALERIE, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. VALERIE BONDS, CAMBRIDGE PORT MEMORIAL DRIVE. EVERYBODY OVER HERE IS SAFE. MAY I SUGGEST I'M CALLING REGARDING THE SENIOR PARKING FEE EXEMPTION? HEY, VALERIE, I'M SORRY. WE, UH, THESE ARE, THIS IS IN AWAITING REPORT AND PER OUR RULES, UH, YOU CAN'T SPEAK ON THE, UH, AWAITING REPORT RELATED TO THE SENIOR PARKING. OH, THERE IS ANOTHER POLICY ORDER. SORRY, I REMEMBER THAT. PLEASE GO AHEAD. MY APOLOGIES. WOULD I GET MY 10 SECONDS BACK, PLEASE? YES, YOU GET YOUR 10 SECONDS BACK AND SHE'S DROPPED IT. THANK YOU. MAY I SUGGEST CHECKING A BOX STATING THAT IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO PAY A $25, A $75 PARKING FEE, DO SO USE A PORTION OF THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS, 11 MILLION OF THE 22 MILLION TO COVER THE DEFICIT THAT SUPPOSEDLY EXISTS DUE TO LOW PARKING FEES AND THE LOSS OF REVENUE FROM SENIOR CITIZENS. MAY I SUGGEST A RETURN TO TOWING MOTOR VEHICLES TO INCREASE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS FISCAL NEEDS? ADD A CHECKBOX FOR BICYCLIST OWNERS WHO OPT TO PAY $25 OR $75 TO SUPPORT STREET AND SIDEWALK BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR WHICH $13 MILLION HAS ALREADY BEEN SPENT WITH MORE ACCOMMODATIONS PLANNED FOR OUR CITY'S FUTURE. HOW CAN YOU, HOW CAN OUR CITY COUNCILORS JUSTIFY INCREASING THE PARKING FEE WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL HAS UNJUSTLY REDUCED PARKING IN OUR CITY, HURTING OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND IMPACTING SERVICES LIKE PERSONAL CARE, ATTENDANCE AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE POLITICAL ECONOMIC AGENDA HAS STIMULATED HIGH GAS PRICES, HIGH COST OF GROCERIES, DISPLACEMENT OF SEVERAL SENIORS, MODERATE AND LOW INCOME RESIDENTS WHO CANNOT AFFORD HOUSING RENT IN OUR CITY, ALONG WITH THE SO COST OF HEALTHCARE AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, WHICH MANY ARE GOING WITHOUT BECAUSE THEY DO NOT EARN A LIVING WAGE OR THEIR MIDDLE INCOME IS NOW SKIPPING PETER TO PAY. PAUL COUNCILS ADOPTED THE SENIOR PARKING FEE EXEMPTION INTENDED TO RECOGNIZE THE MORE THAN SIX DECADES OF PROPERTY TAXES, SALES TAXES AND VEHICLE EXCISE TAXES PAID TO THE CITY, TO SH AND TO SHOW RESPECT FOR THE SENIOR COMMUNITY AS WE BEGIN OUR GOLDEN YEARS AS FAR AS, AS [00:15:01] THE COUNCILORS SHOULD BE MORE CONCERNED WITH BEING PUBLIC SERVANTS RATHER THAN POLITICIANS KEEP THE SENIOR PARKING FEE AND KEEP THE PARKING FEE AT $25. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KAYLA GOODA, FOLLOWED BY BEVERLY MEYER, CHRIS MURPHY, THEN SOPHIE GILLARD. KAYLA, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO. THANK YOU. UM, I AM HERE TO SPEAK ON POLICY ORDER NUMBER TWO, THREE, AND FIVE BRIEFLY. UM, I'M A NEW CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AS OF SEPTEMBER, 2025, BUT HAVE BEEN A GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACTIVIST SINCE 2018. I WAS A MEMBER OF MARCH FOR OUR LIVES, BOSTON AND MASSACHUSETTS COALITION TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE. UM, SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS DO NOT COME AT THE COST OF SURVEILLANCE. IN FACT, AS WE'VE SEEN, SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS DO NOT COME AT FROM SHOT SPOTTER. MY CONCERNS WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY COME FROM MANY PLACES, BUT TO NAME TWO I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT IT, IS THE CONTINUOUS SURVEILLANCE OF RACIALLY DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS IN CAMBRIDGE. AND IT IS THE PRIVATELY OWNED NATURE OF THIS SURVEILLANCE AND ITS LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. I ASK THE COUNCIL TO DISCONTINUE FURTHER USE OF SHOTSPOTTER FOR POLICY ORDER NUMBER THREE. I AM IN SUPPORT OF THE CITY MANAGER WORKING WITH THE LISTED STAKEHOLDERS TO EXPLORE THE VOTING POPULATION OF CAMBRIDGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DIRECT ELECTION OF THEIR MAYOR. I BELIEVE IT WILL ALLOW CAMBRIDGE TO ENGAGE MORE THOROUGHLY WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER AS WE THINK OF HOW TO RUN THE CITY MOVING FORWARD. AND FOR POLICY ORDER FIVE, THE US BLOCKADE ON CUBA IS A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS CARRIED OUT INTENTIONALLY BY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. AND I ASK THE CITY COUNCIL TO SPEAK FORMALLY FOR THE RESIDENTS OF CAMBRIDGE WHO ARE SHARING WITH YOU OUR THOUGHTS BY SHARING INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA. WE'VE SEEN INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY SPEAK VOLUMES IN THE PAST AND WE HOPE IT TO CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BEVERLY MEYER. BEVERLY HAS NOT JOINED US. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO CHRIS MURPHY, FOLLOWED BY SOPHIE GILLARD. CHRIS, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. HI, I'M DR. CHRIS MURPHY. I'M A HOMEOWNER ON ROYAL AVE, RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM PATTY, AND I'VE BEEN LIVING IN CAMBRIDGE FOR SEVEN YEARS NOW. UH, I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT IN FAVOR OF POLICY ORDER TWO AGAINST POLICY ORDER FIVE AND IN FAVOR OF CHARTER RIGHT NUMBER ONE, UM, ON POLICY ORDER NUMBER TWO, I DON'T WANT ANY NEW DATA COLLECTED BY SHOTSPOTTER AND ALL EXISTING DATA. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THAT WAS DELETED. UM, ON POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE RELATED TO FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. THIS SEEMS VERY SHORTSIGHTED TO ME. UM, T TACTICS ISRAEL'S USING TO SUBJUGATE PALESTINIANS ARE COMING BACK TO THE US AND SO IF YOU'RE IGNORING THINGS LIKE THAT, WE'RE GONNA EVENTUALLY GET CAUGHT UP IN THIS. UM, THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO BE USED AGAINST PEOPLE HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. ICE HAS BEEN SPOTTED HERE IN CAMBRIDGE AND THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE HAVE TRAINED WITH ISRAEL IN THE PAST. UM, SO VERY MUCH AGAINST REFUSING TO ADDRESS FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. AND THEN BY THE SAME TOKEN, I'M VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF THE, THE ORDINANCE TO END THE EMBARGO ON CUBA. UM, SO YEAH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANKS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SOPHIE GILLARD, FOLLOWED BY MALIKA BOND. THEN MICHELLE MALTI. SOPHIE, TWO MINUTES. GOOD EVENING COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS SOPHIE GILLARD. I LIVE ON ROSELAND STREET IN PORTER SQUARE. I'M A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AND AN ORGANIZER WITH CAMBRIDGE FOR PALESTINE. WE'RE AN INTERGENERATIONAL ALL VOLUNTEER GROUP OF CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS AND WORKERS THAT ARE UNITED BY OUR ADVOCACY FOR PALESTINIAN LIBERATION. I'M HERE TO SPEAK TODAY IN FAVOR OF CHARTER RIGHT, UH, ONE AND AGAINST POLICY ORDER FIVE. IN 2019, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO CUBA WHERE I MET MANY CREATIVE, HARDWORKING PEOPLE WHO LOVED THEIR HOME, BUT WHO SAW THEIR OPPORTUNITIES AND THEIR ACCESS TO BASIC RESOURCES BEING CRUSHED BY THE US TRADE EMBARGO. SEVEN YEARS LATER, UNDER AN EVEN MORE PUNISHING REGIME OF AMERICAN SANCTIONS, THINGS ARE SO MUCH WORSE. UH, SANCTIONS IN THE US OIL BLOCKADE HAVE CAUSED A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN CUBA THAT THREATENS THE LIVES OF MILLIONS. THE CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND POLICY RESEARCH FOUND THAT BETWEEN 2018 AND 2025, INFANT MORTALITY RATE IN CUBA INCREASED BY 148%. AND THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT REPORTS THAT SINCE THE NEW BLOCKADE BEGAN IN MARCH, VACCINES FOR MORE THAN 30,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN DELAYED. FOOD COSTS HAVE SKYROCKETED. MEDICINES ARE HARD TO COME BY AND DUE TO FUEL SHORTAGES, SANITATION TRUCKS ARE UNABLE TO PICK UP GARBAGE LEADING TO MOUNDS OF ROTTING WASTE APPEARING ALL OVER THE ISLAND THAT MULTIPLY THE RISKS OF MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESSES AMONG OTHER LIFE-THREATENING HAZARDS. THOUSANDS OF CUBANS HAVE DIED AS A RESULT OF US GOVERNMENT POLICY AND THOUSANDS MORE WILL DIE IF THE EXECUTIVE ORDER IS NOT REVERSED. ALTHOUGH THE HARSHEST EFFECTS OF THE BLOCKADE ARE FELT ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN, [00:20:01] THE DEVASTATION IN CUBA TOUCHES THE LIVES OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS, WORKERS, BUSINESS OWNERS, AND PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE. OUR CUBAN NEIGHBORS IN CAMBRIDGE DESERVE TO KNOW THAT IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WON'T REPRESENT THEM, AT LEAST OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES IN THE CITY WILL STAND UP TO SAY THIS IS NOT RIGHT. CITY COUNCIL HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW, UH, OUR CUBAN NEIGHBORS THAT THEIR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF THEIR LOVED ONES MATTER FROM CUBA TO PALESTINE. WHEN THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS ARE HURTING AND DYING UNDER STATE SANCTIONED VIOLENCE, WHEN OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE FED TO COMPANIES THAT PROFIT FROM THESE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, THESE BECOME MORE THAN ISSUES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. THEY BECOME ISSUES OF MATERIAL IMPORTANCE TO OUR CITIZENS. FOR THIS REASON, I URGE YOU TO PLEASE VOTE YES ON TRY TO WRITE ONE AND REJECT POLICY ORDER. FIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER AGAIN, IF WE CAN PLEASE REMIND FOLKS THERE'S NO CLAPPING, SNAPPING, CHEERING, BOOING, UM, THAT IS SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN FEEL HEARD. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MALIK ABBA, FOLLOWED BY MICHELLE MALTI, THEN MARILYN FRANKENSTEIN. MALIK, TWO MINUTES. HI, MY NAME IS MALIK. I LIVE AT 3 3 1 HARVARD STREET. I AM A RESIDENT AND WORKER, UH, AND RENTER HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST POLICY ORDER FIVE. I NOTICED THAT AS I WALKED INTO THE SULLIVAN CHAMBERS TODAY, AND AS I'VE WALKED IN HERE THE LAST MANY MONTHS, I WALKED BY THE EXHIBIT DEDICATED TO CAROLINE HUNTER. SHE WAS AN ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVIST WHO LIVED IN CAMBRIDGE FOR MOST OF HER LIFE, DEDICATING ALL OF IT REALLY TO FOREIGN ISSUES AS THEY RELATE TO OUR CITY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE SPEAK OUT OF BOTH CORNERS OF OUR MOUTH ON CITY COUNCIL. ON ONE SIDE, WE WANT TO PRAISE THE GOOD TROUBLE OF YESTERDAY'S ACTIVISTS ON HOW THEY TIED THE STRUGGLES OF THE INTERNATIONAL WITH THE COMMUNAL HERE WITH HOW OUR NEIGHBORS ARE HURT, THEY'RE KILLED, THEY'RE MAIMED BY SYSTEMS. WE'RE A PART OF HOW WE CAN PRAISE THOSE ACTIVISTS AND AT THE SAME TIME TRY TO SILENCE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT OR DEMOCRATIC FUNCTION OR ANY KIND OF GOOD TROUBLE THAT COULD COME AFTER. IT'S A CONTRADICTION. I REALLY JUST STRUGGLE TO SQUARE. I FEEL ALMOST EMBARRASSED THAT IT'S A CONVERSATION THAT COUNSELORS ARE GOING TO HAVE TONIGHT. WE'RE GONNA HEAR THEM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SNIDE REMARKS ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES, ABOUT THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. LIKE CAMBRIDGE ISN'T PART OF THE WORLD LIKE HARVARD. MIT, LIKE THE BUSINESSES IN KENDALL SQUARE, PORTER INMAN, YOU NAME IT, AREN'T FULL OF PEOPLE FROM EVERY CORNER OF THIS WORLD. ARE WE GOING TO SIT HERE AND TELL THEM THEY NEED TO SHUT UP, THAT THIS ISN'T THEIR COUNTRY, AND THAT THIS COUNTRY HAS NO RELATION TO ANY OTHER PART OF THE WORLD, OR I'M GONNA HONOR GOOD TROUBLE LIKE WE DO OUTSIDE? THANK YOU, MALIK. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. WE'LL GO TO OUR NEXT SPEAKER FOR THOSE WAITING. WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 12, MICHELLE VEI, FOLLOWED BY MARILYN FRANKENSTEIN. JULIAN MALL EK, THEN ANDREW KIM. MICHELLE, TWO MINUTES. YES. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MICHELLE VEI AND I OPPOSE THE, UM, REMOVAL OF SENIOR PERMIT PARKING DISCOUNT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN SOME REALLY HARD TIMES THESE DAYS AND EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE AND, UM, THERE'S NOT A LOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE GETTING OLD. AND, UH, ONE OF THE BENEFITS TO THIS CITY WAS YOU COULD GET A DISCOUNT BEING A SENIOR ON YOUR PERMIT. I COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE SOME OF THE, UM, CARGO BICYCLES THAT TAKE UP OUR SIDEWALKS AND OUR STREETS THAT USE TRAVEL. AND THEY DON'T PAY EXCISE TAXES, THEY DON'T PAY INSURANCE. THEY DO NOT PAY TO HAVE A PERMIT. IN ADDITION TO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TAKING UP THE SPACE FROM PEOPLE WHO NEED TO USE MOBILITY DEVICES ON THE SIDEWALKS AND ON THE STREETS. IT'S NOT A GOOD TIME RIGHT NOW WITH THE TARIFFS AND PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO MAKE DECISIONS BETWEEN, OKAY, WELL I HAVE TO FEED MY CAT AND CAT FOOD WENT UP AND FOOD WENT UP. SO INSTEAD OF EATING TWICE A DAY, I'LL ONLY EAT ONCE A DAY BECAUSE I WANT TO FEED MY CAT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS BETWEEN DO I GET MY MEDICINE FOR THIS OR DO I GET MY MEDICINE FOR THAT? BECAUSE THE RISING COSTS CONTINUE AND NOTHING SEEMS TO GO DOWN. I DON'T KNOW WHO PROPOSED THIS, BUT I'M GONNA TELL YOU IT WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA. IT WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA. I DON'T SUPPORT IT REGARDLESS IF I WAS A SENIOR OR NOT, I WOULD NOT SUPPORT IT. I FEEL LIKE IT'S AN ATTACK ON THE SENIOR CITIZENS. IT'S A SELFISH THING TO DO, AND TO ASK PEOPLE TO COME UP WITH MONEY THEY DON'T HAVE OUT OF NOWHERE [00:25:01] IS UNREASONABLE. SO I ASK THAT YOU HALT ON THIS AND ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF TAKING AWAY THAT DISCOUNT FOR OUR SENIORS WHO NEED IT, WHO LOOK FORWARD TO IT. IT'S NOT A LOT OF MONEY TO SOME, BUT IT'S A LOT TO US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARILYN FRANKENSTEIN, FOLLOWED BY JULIAN MO ROSE APOLOGIES. HI, MARILYN FRANKENSTEIN, 43 YEAR RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE TESTIFYING TO SUPPORT THE POLICY ORDER TO STOP SHOTSPOTTER SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM AND TO REMOVE ALL SHOT SPOTTER DEVICES FROM OUR CITY. I'M PLEASED TO BE HERE TODAY ACTUALLY, BECAUSE I WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THE CAREFUL LISTENING AND QUESTIONING OF OUR COUNSELORS DURING THE APRIL 29TH PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE HEARING. THE POLICY ORDER SHOWS THAT OUR COUNSELORS WANT TO TAKE THE, UM, ACTION TO EMPHASIZE OUR WELCOMING SANCTUARY CITY AND TO HAVE THE PROPER OVERSIGHT ON ANY SURVEILLANCE DEVICES. WE DO NOT NEED A CONTINUOUSLY LISTENING SYSTEM TO KEEP US SAFE. WE DO NOT NEED ANY PROLONGED COOPERATION WITH ICE TO KEEP US SAFE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT KEEPS US WAY LESS SAFE. WE NEED TO ENACT MEASURES WHERE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND CARE ARE THE PRIME MEASURES OF OUR SAFETY. FINALLY, ON ANOTHER POLICY ORDER, SUPPORTING AN END TO THE VICIOUS INHUMANE BLOCKADE OF CUBA IS YET ANOTHER IMPORTANT WAY FOR OUR CITY TO AFFIRM THE SUPPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS. AND ALTHOUGH SYMBOLIC, THIS POLICY ORDER REINFORCES CAMBRIDGE AS A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE. AND FINALLY, I COULDN'T SAY IT BETTER THAN MALIK SAID, TO NOT THINK THAT FOREIGN POLICY IS PART OF OUR GLOBE AND OUR WORLD TO ME MAKES NO SENSE. BEFORE WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SPEAKER, I JUST WANTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THERE IS ADDITIONAL SEATING IN THE GALLERY. UM, I KNOW PEOPLE ARE COMING IN, PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. FEEL FREE TO, YOU KNOW, MOVE UP THERE IF YOU'D LIKE. WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SPEAKER. AND FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO SIT UP IN THE GALLERY, IT'S JUST ONE FLIGHT UP THE STAIRS IN THE HALLWAY. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JULIAN MO ROEC, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW KIM, THEN LAWRENCE ATKINS. JULIAN, UM, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JULIAN MO ROAK. UM, I'M A RESIDENT AND RENTER HERE, UM, AT 40 NORRIS STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT, UM, THE POLICY ORDER ON SHOT SPOTTER. UM, AS, UH, AS OTHERS HAVE CLEARLY STATED BEFORE ME, IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE HAVING AN OVER 80% FALSE POSITIVE RATE. UM, IT IS CONSTANTLY LISTENING. UM, AS EVIDENCE IN, UM, OTHER COURT CASES HAS PROVIDED, UM, IT DOES NOT HAVE TRANSPARENCY. CAMBRIDGE HAS NO CONTRACT WITH SOUND THINKING. UM, I CHALLENGE THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE TO EVEN STATE WHERE THE SENSORS ARE LOCATED. UM, AS FAR AS I AM AWARE, THE ONLY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS THAT IS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE WAS RELEASED IN A REPORT IN 2024 IN WIRED MAGAZINE, UM, THROUGH A LEAK. UM, IT IS FUNDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND THEREFORE UNDERMINES OUR COMMITMENT IN CAMBRIDGE AS A SANCTUARY CITY. UM, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE OF ITS INEFFECTIVENESS, CITIES SUCH AS ATLANTA AND PORTLAND, WHICH HAVE FAR MORE GUN VIOLENCE, HAVE BOTH REJECTED THE USE OF SHOT SPOTTER. UM, A TRAGIC CASE IN 2021 IN CHICAGO OF A POLICE RESPONSE TO SHOT SPOTTER SIGNAL WAS THE MURDER OF ADAM TOLEDO, A 13-YEAR-OLD WHO WAS HANDED A GUN BY SOMEONE ELSE WHO HAD USED IT. UM, SO JUST TO REMIND US THAT SURVEILLANCE ISN'T SAFETY, BUT COMMUNITY CARE IS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREW KIM, FOLLOWED BY LAWRENCE ATKINS. THEN SARAH LAY, ANDREW, TWO MINUTES. HELLO, MY NAME IS ANDREW KIM. I LIVE AT ONE 40 DUDLEY STREET AND I'M WITH THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE SHOTS SPOTTER SYSTEM, BUT I WOULD LIKE FIRST LIKE [00:30:01] TO TALK ABOUT POLICY ORDER FIVE AND CHARTER RIGHT ONE. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CUBA IS UNCONSCIONABLE IN PASSING THE CHARTER RIGHT, CONDEMNING THE BLOCKADE ALLOWS THE CITY TO SAY TO THE US THE CUBANS AND TO POSTERITY THAT WE DO NOT SUPPORT THESE ACTIONS THAT OUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN. FURTHERMORE, THE TEXT OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE IS STRUCTURED IN SUCH A WAY TO DENY OR DELAY OUR REPRESENTATION FROM OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ON THESE MATTERS. AND I URGE THE COUNCIL TO VOTE AGAINST IT ON SHOT SPOTTER. I BELIEVE THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE HEARING TWO WEEKS AGO SHOWED THAT THERE IS SIGNIFICANT DISTRUST OF THE SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE PUBLIC AND THAT THE RIGHT TO BE DISTRUSTFUL. THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT IS CONSTANTLY LISTENING TO US IN PUBLIC AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHEN IT IS RECORDING. DUE TO THE OBSCURED OPERATIONS OF THE SYSTEM, IT HAS BEEN DEPLOYED IN THE MOST MARGINALIZED AREAS OF CAMBRIDGE, FURTHERING THE INEQUALITY WITHIN OUR CITY AND DEEPENING THIS DISTRUST BETWEEN THE OVERPOLICED AND THOSE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM. FURTHERMORE, THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT MEAN THAT ANY DATA IS COLLECTED, UH, AS THE PROPERTY OF SOUND THINKING SHOT SPOTTER'S PARENT COMPANY. THIS MEANS THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE DOES NOT CONTROL ITS DATA IN THIS INTERACTION, AND THE DATA COULD BE SHARED WITH AGENCIES LIKE DHS AND ICE. IT BRINGS TO MIND THE FLOCK LICENSE PLATE READERS. ALONG WITH THE QUESTION I HAD THEN, IS THIS JUST THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT OUTSOURCING ITS POLICING WORK TO A CORPORATION WITH NO OVERSIGHT OR DUTY TO THE CITY? THIS IS RELEVANT BECAUSE THE SYSTEM WAS A APPROVED THROUGH A FEDERAL DHS GRANT, WHICH BYPASSED THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT ORDINANCE. NO ONE IN THIS ROOM, INCLUDING YOU, THE CITY COUNCIL, OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES HAD A SAY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SHOTSPOTTER. WELL, WE CAN HAVE A SAY NOW. WE WANT SHOTS SPOTTER OUT OF THE CITY, AND WE WANT ANY FUTURE SURVEILLANCE DEVICES TO BE SUBJECT TO CO COUNCIL APPROVAL AND REAL COMMUNITY INPUT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAWRENCE ATKINS. GOOD EVENING. LAWRENCE ATKINS, LEGACY FAMILY IN CAMBRIDGE 45 HAY STREET. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE OF POLICY ORDERS NUMBER THREE AND NUMBER SIX SIX. I AM ABSOLUTELY APPALLED THAT WE ARE NOT HONORING ALL OF THE EXEMPTIONS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. WE SHOULD MATTER OF FACT, GO AHEAD ON WITH THIS EVALUATION, INCREASE IT. WE BECOME SMALLER IN NUMBER AND THE, AND THE EXPENSES OF THE CITY ARE NEARLY OUT THE ROOF, SO ANY GUITAR CONVERSATION OR CHANGING ANYTHING OTHER THAN MAKING IT LESS THAN IT IS SHOULD NOT BE ON THE TABLE NUMBER. POLICY AUDIT NUMBER THREE, THIS IS WHERE THE TWO BECOME TIED TOGETHER. THERE NEEDS TO BE SUCH A BROAD ENGAGEMENT OF THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS IDEA ABOUT AN ELECTION FOR A MAYOR AS OPPOSED TO THE REGULAR PROCESS THAT WE HAVE IN CAMBRIDGE IS NOT THOROUGHLY DONE BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE WHEN THEY MAKE THIS SWITCH WHAT GOES WITH IT. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE NINE MEMBERS SELECT AND WHATEVER THAT MAYOR IS DOING, IT IS STATED ON A MONDAY FROM THAT CHAIR. WE ARE NOW WITH THIS CONVERSATION OF ELECTION. THAT MEANS THAT PERSON WILL HAVE INK IN HAND TO WRITE, MAKE A REPORT HERE, AND THESE EIGHT CAN EITHER GO, AH, OR AH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO. PLEASE GET THIS ENGAGEMENT OUT THERE. SO THIS CONVERSATION IS TRANSPARENT AND EVERYBODY GET THE REAL DEPTH OF IT. THE SAME WITH THIS THING ABOUT INCREASING THE PARKING MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. PEOPLE ARE STILL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT'S GOING ON. THE CITY HAS AN OBLIGATION ENGAGE PEOPLE. JUST DON'T SLAP IT UP THERE AND THEN TELL 'EM LATER ON. TOUGH LUCK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH LE, FOLLOWED BY SIOBHAN BREEDEN, THEN STEPHANIE DURAND. SARAH, TWO MINUTES. UH, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS SARAH LE. I LIVE AT 20 HOWARD STREET, CAMBRIDGE. YOU CAN SPEAK DIRECTLY INTO THE MIC, UM, WHERE I'VE LIVED FOR 42 YEARS. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT POLICY ORDER 20 26 98 AND URGE YOU TO END THE USE OF THE SPOT SHOTTER SURVEILLANCE IN CAMBRIDGE. THESE SPOT SHOTTER MICROPHONES ARE LOCATED IN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF LOW INCOME RACIALIZED IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS DESIGNED. THEY'RE DESIGNED TO DETECT LOUD SOUNDS AND ALERT POLICE TO POSSIBLE GUNFIRE. HOWEVER, AS WE'VE HEARD, THE MICROPHONES ARE NOT A PASSIVE SYSTEM AND IN FACT, THEY'RE LISTENING 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND CAN CAPTURE CONVERSATIONS UP TO 50 FEET AWAY. AND THEREFORE DATA CAN POTENTIALLY BE SHARED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OUTSIDE CAMBRIDGE POTENTIALLY ICE. THIS DIRECTLY CONFLICTS WITH CAMBRIDGE'S COMMITMENT AS A SANCTUARY CITY AND A WELCOMING COMMUNITY. ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SPOT SHUTTER ALERTS HAVE [00:35:01] AN APPROXIMATELY 82% FALSE POSITIVE RATE, MEANING THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF ALERTS DO NOT CORRESPOND TO ACTUAL GUNFIRE. PERHAPS THE MOST CONCERNING IS THAT IT'S NEVER BEEN FORMALLY APPROVED BY THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL. AND THIS RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT OVERSIGHT, TRANSPARENCY AND WHERE SENSITIVE DATA REGARDING CAMBRIDGE RESIDENCES ACTUALLY PROCESS AND CONTROLLED AND IT UNDERMINES PUBLIC TRUST. AFTER SENDING COUNSELORS AN EMAIL REGARDING MY OBJECTION, I DID HEAR FROM SOMEONE SAYING THAT THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT FEUDING GROUPS OF TEENAGERS IN OUR AREAS AND UNSOLVED SHOOTINGS, AND HE ASKED WHETHER I TRULY UNDERSTOOD THE REALITY OF GUN VIOLENCE IN CAMBRIDGE. MY RESPONSE IS INCREASED SPOT SHOT OR SURVEILLANCE POLICE SWOOPING DOWN ON NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE GUNSHOTS. IT'S NOT A PATH TO STOPPING VIOLENCE BY NOW. WE KNOW THAT MORE CONTACT WITH POLICE UNDER HEIGHTENED EMOTIONS IS PROVEN NOT TO IMPROVE THINGS BETWEEN COMMUNITIES AND THOSE COMMITTED TO SERVE THEM. BESIDES NO HOPEFUL KID HAS EVER JOINED A GANG OR SHOT A GUN AT SOMEONE TO SOLVE A PROBLEM. HOPEFUL KIDS DON'T SHOOT GUNS. GETTING AT ROOT CROSS IS GUN VIOLENCE. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHAVAN BREEDEN. SHAVAN HAS NOT JOINED. WE'RE GONNA GO TO STEPHANIE DURAN, FOLLOWED BY LOIS MARKHAM, THEN ALEXANDRA THORN. STEPHANIE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. UM, BEFORE I BEGIN, I WANNA SAY THAT ALL OF THE THE THINGS I'M SPEAKING ON ARE ALL INTERRELATED, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT OBVIOUSLY IF WE'RE GONNA BE A WELCOMING CITY, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ABOUT GLOBAL ISSUES. UM, AND ALSO WE HAVE TO SAY IT IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR COMRADES IN, UH, IN CUBA. CAMBRIDGE, OF COURSE, IS PART OF THE WORLD, AND WE HAVE SISTER CITIES ALL OVER THE WORLD. SO IF WE WERE TO BAN OURSELVES FROM BEING ABLE TO SPEAK ABOUT OUR, ABOUT GLOBAL ISSUES, WE WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO SPEAK ABOUT OUR SISTER CITIES. SO THAT SOUNDS RIDICULOUS. UM, AND OBVIOUSLY WE SHOULD KEEP THE PARKING DISCOUNT FOR CITIZENS IN PLA, SENIOR CITIZENS IN PLACE BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE'RE FACING A LOT OF, UH, INSECURITY, FOOD INSECURITY, UM, AND THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY WHO USE PARKING THE MOST IN THE CITY ARE LOW INCOME UNTIL AND SENIOR CITIZENS AND DISABLED PEOPLE. I SAY THIS AS A PERSON WHO IS DISABLED AND I DON'T EVEN DRIVE. UM, I SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE SENIORS, BUT I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT SHOTS SPOTTER. UM, I RAN OVER HERE, SO EXCUSE ME IF I'M OUT OF BREATH. UM, FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN ONGOING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SHOTS SPOTTER, A MICROPHONE NETWORK MARKETED AS LAW ENFORCEMENT AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL TO DETECT GUNSHOTS. TWO WEEKS AGO, WE HELD OUR SECOND OF TWO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE HEARINGS ON SHOTSPOTTER. DURING THAT HEARING, WE REMINDED THAT SHOTSPOTTER HAS AN 82%, UM, FALSE POSITIVE RATE IN CAMBRIDGE. WE ALSO LEARNED THAT THE DEVICES ARE FUNDED THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THE PARENT AGENCY OF ICE. AND IT WAS MADE CLEAR THAT THE MICROPHONES ARE ALWAYS LISTENING AND ALSO NOT ONLY JUST TO NOTIFY THE POLICE WHEN, UM, A GUNSHOT IS IDENTIFIED. THE A CLU OF MASSACHUSETTS, THE ARCHITECT OF THE CITY'S SUR UH, SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE HAVE EVEN SAID THAT SAUCE POTTER DOESN'T MEET THE STANDARDS OUTLINED IN THE ORDINANCE TODAY, CAMBRIDGE EXPERIENCED A, A TRAGIC AND FRIGHTENING SHOOTING. STEPHANIE, A LIFE WAS LOST. THANK YOU. AND DESPITE UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED, IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER FOR ANYONE. IF YOUR TIME RUNS OUT, PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENTS TO CITY COUNCIL@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. WE'LL MOVE TO OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WHO IS LOIS MARKHAM, FOLLOWED BY ALEXANDRA THORN, THEN JESSE BAYER. WE AT ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 20. LOIS, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. MY NAME IS LOIS MARKHAM. I LIVE AT THREE 16 RANGE AVENUE IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT POLICY ORDER NUMBER 98, WHICH HAS ALSO BEEN CALLED POLICY ON NUMBER TWO, SO I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED. ANYHOW, I'M SPEAKING TO REGISTER MY STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE SHOT SPOTTER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM CURRENTLY DEPLOYED IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS OF CAMBRIDGE. OTHERS WITH DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF THE RESEARCH HAVE SPOKEN OR WILL SPEAK TO SHOT SPOTTERS, INEFFECTIVENESS, AND THE RACISM BEHIND ITS DEPLOYMENT, PRIMARILY IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. I SPEAK AS AN ORDINARY CITIZEN, AND MY QUESTION IS, WHO ARE WE AS A COMMUNITY? WHAT ARE OUR VALUES? WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT US THAT WE HAVE ACCEPTED MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PARENT ORGANIZATION TO THE OF THE INFAMOUS ICE, TO PAY A PRIVATE CORPORATION TO SPY ON CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. ALL OF THAT WITHOUT EVEN HAVING LOCAL [00:40:01] CONTROL OF THE DATA GENERATED BY THIS INEFFECTIVE SYSTEM, NO MATTER WHO PAYS FOR IT. SHOT SPOTTER DOES NOT MAKE CAMBRIDGE A SAFER COMMUNITY FOR ANYONE. IT MAKES CAMBRIDGE A MORE OPPRESSIVE PLACE TO LIVE FOR ALL OF US, BUT PARTICULARLY FOR ITS BLACK AND BROWN RESIDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY TARGETED BY RACISM AND SO MANY OTHER ASPECTS OF THEIR LIVES. IS THIS WHAT WE WANT THE CITY TO WHOM WE PAY TAXES TO BE DOING? I DON'T. I URGE THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE TO END CAMBRIDGE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE SHOT SPOTTER PROGRAM. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, REMOVE ALL SHOT SPOTTER MICROPHONES FROM THE CITY, REQUIRE A FULL CITY COUNCIL, VOTE FOR ANY FUTURE SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY REGARDLESS OF WHAT ITS FUNDING SOURCES ARE, AND FINALLY, INVEST IN COMMUNITY-LED EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACHES TO PUBLIC SAFETY RATHER THAN UNPROVEN SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEXANDRA THORN, FOLLOWED BY JESSE BEAR, THEN JACOB BROWN. ALEXANDRA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS ALEXANDRA THORN AND I'M A VOLUNTEER WITH DIGITAL FORCE. I LIVE IN SOMERVILLE AND SPENT SIGNIFICANT TIME IN CAMBRIDGE. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK AND THANKS TO COUNSELORS ZUBIE, SABRINA WHEELER, MCGOVERN, AND NOLAN FOR FILING THE POLICY ORDER REQUESTING THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND DATA COLLECTION BY SHOT SPOTTER DEVICES IN CAMBRIDGE. I STRONGLY URGE THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT THE POLICY ORDER AND RECOMMEND THE IMMEDIATE DISCONTINUATION OF CAMBRIDGE'S USE OF SHOT SPOTTER FOLLOWING THE APRIL 29TH PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING ON SHOT SPOTTER. THERE IS NO LONGER ANY UNCERTAINTY THAT SHOT SPOTTER IS ALWAYS RECORDING, AND THAT SOUND THINKING HOLDS THE DATA FOR 72 HOURS. POLICE THE HEARING HIGHLIGHTED THE VALUE OF THE 72 HOURS ROLLING BUFFER OF RECORDED AUDIO AS A SOURCE OF EVIDENCE FOR INVESTIGATIONS. THE IDEA THAT CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS WOULD BE CONTINUOUSLY RECORDED WITH NO WAY TO OPT OUT IS HIGHLY CONCERNING IN ITSELF, AS IS THE CLEAR RACIAL RACIAL DISPARITIES IN THE LOCATION OF THE MICROPHONES AND THE FACT THAT THESE RECORDINGS VIOLATE MASSACHUSETTS WIRETAP LAW WORSE, THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE CITY'S KNOW OR CONTROL HOW THE RECORDINGS ARE USED. SOUND THINKING CONFUSED CAN USE THE RECORDINGS AS IT CHOOSES. AND UNDER SECTION 7 0 2 OF THE FEDERAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT, THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY CAN SECRETLY COMPEL BUSINESSES TO SHARE DATA WITH THEM. WE CANNOT KNOW THAT THIS HASN'T HAPPENED OR THAT IT WON'T HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY ALARMING UNDER THE CURRENT US ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS BROKEN DOWN PROTECTIVE DATA SILOS BETWEEN FEDERAL AGENCIES WHILE MOBILIZING FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST IMMIGRANTS AND AGAINST ANYONE WITH DIFFERING VIEWS FROM THOSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. PLEASE APPROVE THE POLICY ORDER AND HALT THE USE OF SHOTSPOTTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JESSE BAYER. JESSE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, THANK YOU. UM, JESSE BEAR. I LIVE AT 10 POPLAR ROAD, UH, LIFELONG RESIDENT. UM, I AM, UM, MAINLY, UH, COMING TO TALK ABOUT SHOTSPOTTER. UM, I THINK THAT IT, I'M, I'M VERY GLAD THAT THE CITY HAS MOVED AWAY FROM FLOCK AND CANCELED THAT CONTRACT. AND I THINK THAT IN THIS DAY AND AGE WHEN, UM, THE, NOT ONLY THE, UH, POLITICAL ORIENTATION OF OUR, OF THE ADMINISTRATION IN WASHINGTON IS TERRIFYING, BUT THE INCREASING CAPABILITIES TO SIFT THROUGH MASTER SURVEILLANCE DATA THROUGH THE USE OF AI AND MACHINE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES, UM, MAKES THAT A REALLY SCARY PROSPECT. THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO HAVE THAT KIND OF, TO DEAL, TO PROTECT THAT KIND OF MASS RECORDED DATA IS NOT TO RECORD IN THE FIRST PLACE. UM, THERE'S, IT'S, IT'S AN INEFFECTIVE SYSTEM. THE LEVEL, THE VAR FOR CAPTURING THAT DATA HAS TO BE EXTREMELY HIGH. CLEARLY DOES NOT MEET IT. IN TERMS. I'D ALSO JUST LIKE TO, WELL HERE, UM, MENTION ABOUT, UM, THE CUBA, UM, UH, UH, POLICY ORDER. I STRONGLY SUPPORT IT. WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE AS AN ATROCITY AND AS A LIFELONG RESIDENT. I'D LIKE TO SAY IN TERMS OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE, I'M REALLY PROUD OF CAMBRIDGE'S HISTORY IN, UM, IN, UM, UH, AFFECTING THE, THE MOVEMENT AGAINST SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID. I AM I THINK THAT AS GROWING UP HERE, WE ALL, EVERYBODY KNEW WAS KIND OF CORNY THAT CAMBRIDGE WOULD WEIGH IN ON, ON FOREIGN POLICY, BUT I'M PROUD OF IT. I THINK THAT IT'S A TRADITION THAT I HOLD DEAR AND I, AND I THINK THAT WE SPEAK ON OUR VALUES AND SET AN EXAMPLE AND I DON'T, I THINK IT WOULD SOUND IT WOULD BE TRAGIC FOR CAMBRIDGE TO, UH, INTENTIONALLY SILENCE THEIR OWN VOICES SINCE THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER SAID. UM, AND, UH, [00:45:01] THANK YOU FOR HEARING ME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JACOB BROWN, FOLLOWED BY VICKI STEINITZ, THEN ANDY MARTINEZ. JACOB, TWO MINUTES PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, UH, MY NAME'S JACOB BROWN. I LIVE ON MAGAZINE STREET HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED THAT THE USE OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IN SHOT SPOTTER REINFORCES HISTORICAL INEQUITIES, OPENS THE DOOR TO COLLABORATION WITH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, ICE AND BYPASSES THE STANDARD PUBLIC OVERSIGHT PROCESSES BY AVOIDING A FORMAL CONTRACT. LOOK, FIRST OF ALL, SHOT SPOTTER HAS A PRETTY DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF INEFFECTIVE RESULTS. CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S OWN DATA REFLECTS A FALSE POSITIVE RATE OF 82%, AND A RECENT AUDIT IN NEW YORK ALSO FOUND A FALSE POSITIVE RATE IN THE EIGHTIES. HOWEVER, THE MICROPHONES DON'T EXCLUSIVELY LISTEN FOR GUNSHOTS AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY HEARING MADE IT CLEAR THE SYSTEM IS CAPABLE OF RECORDING CONVERSATION AUDIO FROM DISTANCES OF UP TO 50 FEET. AND THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE CASES IN WHICH PROSECUTORS ATTEMPTED TO USE THOSE RECORDINGS IN COURT. THIS MEANS THAT WITH FEW ACTUAL PUBLIC SAFETY RESULTS, BUT DOCUMENTED RECORDING CAPABILITIES SHOT SPOTTER AMOUNTS TO AN AUTOMATED SURVEILLANCE NETWORK. FURTHERMORE, IT'S SO CLEAR LOOKING AT THE PLACEMENT OF THE MICROPHONES THAT THE SURVEILLANCE REINFORCES THE REDLINING. THAT'S UNFORTUNATELY BEEN PART OF CAMBRIDGE'S HISTORY. THE MICROPHONES ARE IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR HERE. THEIR DISTRIBUTION LINES UP DIRECTLY WITH HISTORICALLY REDLINE NEIGHBORHOODS. AND QUITE HONESTLY, LIKE ONE ASPECT OF EXPERIENCING RACIAL DISPARITY WITHIN A CITY IS THE FEELING OF SURVEILLANCE. IT CREATES THE DISPARITY ALONE, CREATES THE FEELING OF RESTRICTIONS ON YOUR MOBILITY WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THAT SYSTEM, AND A FEELING THAT YOU ARE BEING WATCHED. SHOT SPOTTER STANDS TO DIGI DIGITIZE AND CODIFY THAT SURVEILLANCE BY CREATING CHANCES FOR HIGH RISK POLICE INTERACTIONS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN NEIGHBORHOODS OF COLOR. IN ADDITION TO THE FALSE POSITIVE RATE IN RACIALLY DISPARATE DEPLOYMENT, SHOT SPOTTER OPENS THE DOOR TO CITY COLLABORATION WITH THE FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT HAVE TERROR TERRORIZED URBAN COMMUNITIES UNDER TRUMP'S DIRECTION. ITS DEVELOPMENT IN CAMBRIDGE WAS FUNDED BY A DHS GRANT AND THE CITY'S CONTRACT ALLOWS DATA TO BE SHARED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT CAN INCLUDE FEDERAL AGENCIES. UM, FINALLY, I JUST NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME JUST TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE CUBA RESOLUTION AS WELL AS POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE. I BELIEVE THAT, UM, WITH INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMES WITH SEEING SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE CONDEMNED, SUCH AS THE BLOCKADE OF CUBA AND THE STARVATION IS THE FEELING OF POWERLESSNESS. IT CREATES, AND I THINK CAMBRIDGE STANDING AGAINST THAT SENDS A VERY POWERFUL MESSAGE TO ITS CITIZENS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS VICKI STEINITZ, FOLLOWED BY ANDY MARTINEZ, THEN AISHA. VICKI, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. THANK YOU. UH, I'M VICKI STEINITZ. I LIVE AT 1 0 5 TROBRIDGE STREET. UM, I ALSO, UH, WAS THE CO-COORDINATOR OF CAMBRIDGE UNITED FOR JUSTICE WITH PEACE, WHICH STARTED AFTER THE IRAQ WAR. AND ONE OF OUR EARLY CAMPAIGNS, UM, WAS A CAMPAIGN TO STOP SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN CAMBRIDGE. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL. THERE WAS A NINE TO NOTHING VOTE IN THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, IN FAVOR OF ENDING THAT AND ALSO OF CAMBRIDGE NOT BEING INVOLVED WITH BRICK, WHICH IS ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WHICH USES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SURVEILLANCE DATA. I BRING UP THIS HISTORY BECAUSE ONLY THAT WAS IN 2009 WHEN THAT RESOLUTION WAS PASSED HERE. UM, ONLY FOUR YEARS LATER IN 2013, UM, SHOT SPOTTER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE IN CAMBRIDGE, BUT NONE OF US KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT IT AT THE TIME. THERE WAS NO PUBLIC PROCESS. THE CITY COUNCIL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. IT WAS AN AGREEMENT THAT WAS MADE BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE CITY OF BOSTON, UM, WITH A FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, WHICH BECAME SOUND THINKING. AND UM, AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID, UM, THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST SHOT SPOTTER ARE MANY, AND I WON'T GO INTO THOSE. BUT WHAT I WANTED TO DO HERE WAS REALLY TO EMPHASIZE THE HISTORY OF CAMBRIDGE AS A CITY THAT HAS HAD STRONG FEELINGS AGAINST SURVEILLANCE FOR ALL OF THE REASONS THAT YOU'VE BEEN HEARING TONIGHT, AND TO URGE THE COUNCIL TO PASS THIS POLICY ORDER, BUT ALSO TO STAY PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHO IS MAKING THE ARRANGEMENTS, WHICH ARE SECRET FOR YEARS, WHICH WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDY MARTINEZ, FOLLOWED BY AISHA BBIS, THEN BEN AMATO. ANDY, TWO MINUTES. HELLO, MY NAME'S ANDY MARTINEZ AND I'M SPEAKING IN FAVOR CHARTER, RIGHT NUMBER ONE TO AND THE BLOCKADE ON CUBA. UM, I HAVE WORKED IN CAMBRIDGE AS A BIOTECH WORKER, AS [00:50:01] A UNION ORGANIZER, AND I'LL BE WORKING AT HARVARD AS AN EDUCATOR THIS SUMMER. UM, I MIGRATED TO THE US FROM CUBA WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS OLD. PART OF MY FAMILY LEFT CUBA BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS CAUSED BY MORE THAN A BY THE MORE THAN 60-YEAR-OLD US BLOCKADE. ALTHOUGH CUBAN SOCIETY IS ORGANIZED TO MEET PEOPLE'S NEEDS, THAT BLOCKADE HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT MATERIAL HARDSHIPS A COMMON PART OF LIFE. ALTHOUGH HEALTH, HEALTHCARE AND CUBA AND, AND CUBAN DOCTORS ARE, ALTHOUGH HEALTHCARE IN CUBA IS FREE, AND CUBAN DOCTORS ARE HIGHLY TRAINED, THEY OFTEN FACE LACK OF ACCESS TO MEDICINE FOR THEIR PATIENTS. ONE EXAMPLE OF THE STRENGTH OF CUBA'S PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IS THAT CUBA WAS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN LATIN AMERICA TO DEVELOP ITS OWN, OWN ITS OWN COVID VACCINE DURING THE PANDEMIC. THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT THE MEDICINE SHORTAGES ARE LARGELY AS A RESULT OF THE US BLOCKADE RATHER THAN GOVERNMENT NEGLECT OR INEFFICIENCIES. BLACKOUTS ARE ALSO A COMMON OCCURRENCE AND HAVE ONLY BECOME EVEN MORE SEVERE NOW THAT THE US IS BLOCKADING ENERGY SUPPLIES FROM ENTERING CUBA. MY DAD AND GRANDMOTHER WHO ARE STILL LIVING THERE SAY THAT PEOPLE NOWADAYS REMARK OF WHEN THE POWER COMES BACK ON INSTEAD OF WHEN THE POWER GETS TURNED OFF. UM, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S DIFFICULT FOR US HERE IN CAMBRIDGE TO IMAGINE WHERE YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ELECTRICITY FOR YOUR REFRIGERATOR, FOR YOUR LIGHTS, FOR A FAN IN A COUNTRY THAT'S AS WARM AS CUBA. I'M ALSO AN EDUCATOR IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO THE BOSTON TEACHERS UNION SIGNED ON TO THE LET CUBA LIVE PETITION. THIS SHOWS THAT WORKING PEOPLE HERE IN THE GREATER BOSTON AREA DO CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND CAMBRIDGE SHOULD SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE. UM, I'M NOT ASKING CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL TO TAKE THIS STANDALONE. THIS MEASURE WOULD BE PART OF A NATIONAL LET CUBA LIVE CAMPAIGN. HUNDREDS OF ELECTED OFFICIALS, CULTURAL FIGURES AND ACTIVISTS HAVE SIGNED ON TO THE, TO STAND WITH THE CUBAN PEOPLE AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TRIES TO INDUCE FAMINE AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM, UM, AS PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE. IT IS A SMALL BUT MEANINGFUL ACTION YOU CAN TAKE TODAY TO STAND ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AISHA BBIS, FOLLOWED BY BEN AMATO, THEN MARYLEE MEYER. AISHA, TWO MINUTES. HELLO, MY NAME IS AISHA BEBES. UM, I'M A 22 YEAR RESIDENT IN CAMBRIDGE AND I'M ALSO A GRADUATE OF CAMBRIDGE RANGE AND LATIN SCHOOL. UM, I'M GONNA TRY TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE POLICY ORDERS, BUT I'M GONNA FOCUS ON THE FOREIGN POLICY ONE. UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY EGREGIOUS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS TO NOT TALK ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY, UM, TO SHOW HOW INFLUENTIAL CAMBRIDGE HAS BEEN ON FOREIGN POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES. HENRY KISSINGER ATTENDED HARVARD AND TAUGHT AT HARVARD FOR 20 YEARS. UM, HE'S NO LONGER ALIVE, BUT HE WAS A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AND HE VERY MUCH INFLUENCED, UH, THE FOREIGN POLICY OF OUR COUNTRY TODAY. UM, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT HOW MUCH CAMBRIDGE HAS HAD A HISTORIC ROLE IN FOREIGN POLICY. UM, ADDITIONALLY, UM, THE EDUCATION THAT I GOT AT CLS HIGHLIGHTED FOREIGN POLICY. I LEARNED ABOUT THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION IN MY HISTORY CLASS AND I LEARNED THAT THE REASON, THE REASON WHY CAMBRIDGE TAUGHT THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION WAS BECAUSE OF, UM, THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. AND ALSO WE LEARNED ABOUT US INTERVENTIONISM IN HAITI AS WELL IN HIGH SCHOOL. AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF THE EDUCATION THAT I'VE RECEIVED. AND I THINK THAT IF STUDENTS DID NOT, IF WE DID NOT CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE, WHERE THE CITY COUNCIL TALKED ABOUT, UH, FOREIGN POLICY, I THINK THIS WOULD BE A STEP BACK. UM, AND I THINK THAT IT SHOWS, UH, THE RISING TIDE OF FASCISM IN OUR SOCIETY, UM, BECAUSE THE UNITED STATES IS A SETTLE COLONIAL STATE THAT IMPACTS THE FOREIGN POLICY OF MOST COUNTRIES. UM, AND THEN JUST TO WRAP IT UP, UM, I'M AGAINST SHOT SPOTTER. I THINK IT SHOULD BE ABOLISHED. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE A CLU ABOUT HOW IT TAKES AWAY PRIVACY. IT'S DYSTOPIAN, IT MIMICS THE ENVIRONMENT OF 1984 AND IT DOESN'T SOLVE GUN VIOLENCE. UH, WE HEARD THAT IT HAS, UH, AN ACCURACY RATE, INACCURACY RATE OF 83%. UH, I THINK THAT SAYS ENOUGH. AND THEN, UM, WE SHOULD END THE EMBARGO. WE SHOULD VOTE TO END THE EMBARGO IN CUBA. I JUST READ, UH, THAT PEOPLE IN CUBA ARE SUFFERING FROM RICKETS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHAT RICKETS IS, BUT IT'S A HORRIBLE DISEASE, UH, OF MALNUTRITION. UM, AND THEY'RE SUFFERING THAT BECAUSE OF THE BLOCKADE. SO, UM, WE SHOULD GET RID OF IT. SO YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BEN AMATO, FOLLOWED BY MARYLEE MEYER. THEN JOE ASHA. BEN, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. UM, YEAH, SO MY NAME'S BEN AMATO. I LIVE ON HURLEY STREET, UH, OVER IN EAST CAMBRIDGE. UM, I'M GONNA SPEAK ON POLICY ORDER FIVE ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY. UM, SO I FIND IT, I'LL BE HONEST, [00:55:01] A LITTLE RIDICULOUS THAT WE'RE KIND OF EVEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW. UM, AS FAR AS LIKE THE RELEVANCE OF FOREIGN POLICY TO CAMBRIDGE, UM, CAMBRIDGE IS PART OF THE US UM, WHAT WE DO, WHAT HAPPENS ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON US, WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT. UM, AND I KNOW CAMBRIDGE KIND OF HAS THIS REPUTATION AS BEING LIKE A VERY PROGRESSIVE CITY. AND SO TO ME, IF WE WANT TO UPHOLD THAT REPUTATION, THEN I DON'T THINK CAMBRIDGE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF TAKING A LEADING ROLE IN OPPOSING THE CRIMINAL ACTIONS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING THIS BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA. UM, I THINK REFUSING TO SPEAK ON FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES, ESPECIALLY WHEN OUR OWN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS LITERALLY CRUSHING AND DESTROYING THE LIVES OF WORKING CLASS PEOPLE, NOT ONLY IN CUBA BUT ALSO AROUND THE WORLD. I THINK REFUSING TO SPEAK ON THAT FRANKLY IS AN ACT OF COWARDICE AND I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD STAND FOR IT. UM, AND I'D ALSO BRIEFLY LIKE TO SPEAK ON SHOT SPOTTER. UM, SO AS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED, THIS CONTRACT IS OWNED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. OTHERS HAVE ALREADY DONE A GREAT JOB LAYING OUT ALL THE DETAILS. SO I'M NOT GONNA RUN THROUGH ALL OF THAT. I'M, BUT IF YOU ASK ME, UM, OUR SANCTUARY CITY STATUS IS PRETTY MUCH MEANINGLESS IF WE HAVE A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM THAT IS CONSTANTLY MONITOR MONITORING BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, UM, WHICH ARE THE EXACT COMMUNITIES THAT ARE OF COURSE BEING TARGETED BY ICE FOR DEPORTATION. SO I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY REASON OR ANY LOGIC OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, SURVEILLANCE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR HAVING SHOT SPOTTER IN OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARYLEE MEYER, FOLLOWED BY JOE ASHA OR TASH. APOLOGIES IF FOR I'M MISPRONOUNCING THEN CHARLES FRANKLIN MARYLEE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. TWO MINUTES. HI, MARYLEE MEYER 10 DANA STREET. IN REFERENCE TO NUMBER THREE, AFTER INVESTIGATING NEW CITY CHARTER, THE QUESTION OF A PUBLICLY ELECTED MAYOR WENT UNRESOLVED. I WAS RELIEVED. ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY. THE ELECTED MAYOR FROM WITHIN COUNCIL PART OF PLAN E WAS ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED TO COMBAT, UH, CORRUPTION. THIS NEW POLICY ORDER FEELS LIKE A FULL COURT PRESS TO RETURN TO A PROCESS BEING FACILITATED BY SOME OF THE MOST POLITICALLY SAVVY COUNSELORS WHO COULD POTENTIALLY BENEFIT FROM PUBLIC ELECTION. THERE ARE MORE PRESSURES WITH ZONING, UM, UH, DEMOLITIONS, BIKE LANES, UH, PARKING SCHOOLS, IMMIGRATION, TRUMP, AND A VARIETY OF OTHER ISSUES. AFFLICTING THE CITY. IS THE NEW MAYOR GOING TO OVERSEE ALL THESE ISSUES DIRECTLY? DOES THIS ELEVATE THE MAYOR ABOVE THE CITY, UM, CITY MANAGER AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WILL THERE BE TERM LIMITS AND EQUAL ACCESS? DIRECT VOTING CAN TURN INTO A POPULARITY CONTEST FOSTERED BY WELL ORGANIZED SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS VYING FOR PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT. THIS IS NOT FARFETCHED. THE SPONSORS OF THIS ELECTED, UH, MAYOR POLICY ALL KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME. I PREDICT A CRUSADE FOR MAYOR WILL BE AS TIGHTLY ORCHESTRATED AS A COUNCIL CAMPAIGN COMPLETE WITH HORSE TRADING. THE COUNT, UH, THE CURRENT MAYOR IS A POLICEMAN DIRECTING TRAFFIC WHILE KEEPING DEMOCRATIC ORDER. WHILE AN ELECTED MAYOR WILL ALSO, UM, WILL ALSO DO THIS, UH, HE OR SHE WILL HAVE FURTHER POWERS THAT CAN DIRECT PRO PROCEDURES TO INDIVIDUAL, UM, BENEFIT. PLEASE CONSIDER ALL CONSEQUENCES, POTENTIAL AND INTENT WHILE REVIEWING THIS MAYOR POLICY ORDER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOE TASH, OR ASHA, FOLLOWED BY CHARLES FRANKLIN AND ANDY NASH. JOE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS JOE TASHA. I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE PARTY FOR SOCIALISM, EXCUSE ME, SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION ON POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE AND CHARTER RULE NUMBER ONE. WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF ARGUMENTS THIS WEEK AND LAST WEEK ABOUT THE INHUMANE AND ILLEGAL NATURE OF THE US GOVERNMENT BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA. SO I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD WEIGH IN ON THAT ISSUE. UH, OVER THE YEARS, MYSELF AND MANY OTHER PSL ORGANIZERS HAS HAVE SPOKEN WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN CAMBRIDGE, AT HOUSING COMPLEXES, AT T STATIONS, UNIVERSITIES, ON STREET CORNERS, AND HERE IN CITY HALL. AND MANY OF THE PEOPLE WE'VE TALKED TO HAVE FELT DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF OUR SOCIETY AND FEEL THAT WE NEED BIG CHANGES ON MANY FRONTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE ERA OF DONALD TRUMP. AS WE'RE UNDER ATTACK FROM EVERY DIRECTION, IT IS CLEAR THAT WE CANNOT COMPARTMENTALIZE THE ISSUES THAT WE FACE. EVERY TAX DOLLAR THAT'S SPENT ON TERRORIZING PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE CUBA IS A TAX DOLLAR THAT CAN'T BE SPENT ON MEETING PEOPLE'S NEEDS, WHETHER [01:00:01] THAT BE FIXING POTHOLES ON ENSURING THAT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD THEIR HOUSING OR FUNDING EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES ABOUT WATER SAFETY. AS WE DISCUSSED LAST WEEK, OF COURSE THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT DIRECTLY CONTROL THE FEDERAL BUDGET OR FEDERAL POLICY. BUT IF THOSE ISSUES IMPACT THE LIVES OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS, WHICH THEY DO, THEN THE COUNCIL SHOULD UTILIZE WHATEVER TOOLS IT HAS AT ITS DISPOSAL TO SHOW LEADERSHIP ON THOSE ISSUES AND TO MOVE THE POLITICAL NEED CLOSE NEEDLE CLOSER IN THE DIRECTION OF JUSTICE. AN AFFIRMATIVE VOTE ON THIS CHARTER RULE IS ONE OF THOSE TOOLS FOR THE SAKE OF THE PEOPLE OF CAMBRIDGE. FOR THE SAKE OF THE PEOPLE OF CUBA AND FOR THE SAKE OF PUSHING OUR SOCIETY TOWARDS PROGRESS, WE ASK YOU TO VOTE AGAINST SELF-CENSORING ON IMPORTANT ISSUES AGAINST THE INHUMANE GUT US GOVERNMENT BLOCKADE OF CUBA AND IN FAVOR OF CHARTER RULE NUMBER ONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 30, CHARLES FRANKLIN, FOLLOWED BY ANDY NASH, THEN LOUIS VENDEN. CHARLES, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. CHARLES FRANKLIN, CHARLES FRANKLIN, 1 6 2 HAMPSHIRE STREET. SO WHETHER WE SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T GIVE SENIORS DISC, UH, FREE PARKING PERMITS ON FOR THE, FOR THE SAKE OF IT, I'M NOT GOING TO OPINE ON. HOWEVER, I AM GOING TO CHALLENGE THE ASSERTION THAT REALLY ANY TWO DIGIT NUMBER ONCE A YEAR IS A HARDSHIP FOR ANYBODY THAT CAN AFFORD A CAR, SENIORS OR OTHERWISE, IT COSTS ME $75 JUST TO FILL MY TANK. RIGHT? SO THAT'S A REGULAR COST, NOT JUST A ONCE A YEAR COST. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, ARGUING THAT THE EVEN THE HARDSHIP PRICE THAT YOU CAN SELF-SELECT OF $25 ONCE A YEAR IS STILL A HARDSHIP. I, THAT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. UH, PERHAPS I'M OUT OF TOUCH, BUT IF SOMEONE CAN AFFORD TO OWN A CAR AND THEY CAN AFFORD TO FILL UP THEIR GAS TANK, THEN I THINK THEY CAN AFFORD $25 ONCE A YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDY NASH, FOLLOWED BY LOUISE VENDEN, THEN RICHARD SOLOMON. ANDY, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, ANDY NASH, WORCESTER STREET. I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT TO URGE YOU TO END THE CITY'S PARTICIPATION IN THE SHOT SPOTTER PROGRAM. I AGREE WITH ALL THE CONCERNS THAT YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT FROM MY NEIGHBORS, BUT I WANNA SPEAK TO A VERY PRACTICAL ISSUE. YEARS AGO I WAS WITNESS TO SHOTS FIRED DURING A MURDER SUICIDE IN A NEIGHBORING HOUSE. I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH NINE ONE ONE BEFORE THE FINAL SHOT WAS FIRED, PROBABLY WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF THE ENTIRE EVENT. AND I MENTIONED THIS BECAUSE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT, THERE IS NOT LIKELY TO BE MUCH OF A GAP BETWEEN WHEN SHOT SPOTTER, WHEN IT WORKS, IDENTIFIES A SHOT AND WHEN THE POLICE GET A CALL FROM A NEIGHBOR. WE ARE NOT A RURAL TOWN WHERE THERE ARE VAST UNPOPULATED SPACES WITH NO ONE TO HEAR THINGS. WE ARE YARD TO YARD. IT'S VERY SOON TO BE BUILDING TO BUILDING. AND THERE IS VERY LITTLE ADVANTAGE TO EMPLOYING A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM WITH ALL OF ITS MANY SOCIAL COSTS. AND THOSE CO BY THOSE COSTS, I MEAN CONTRIBUTING TO BUILDING A NATIONAL SECU SURVEILLANCE STATE, AS WELL AS ENDANGERING COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY DRAWING POLICE INTO THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE ACTIVATED TO THINK THAT AN ACTIVE SHOOTER MAY BE PRESENT. SHOT SPOTTER IS A CORPORATE SOLUTION LOOKING FOR A PROBLEM. IT USES FEAR TO SELL A DANGEROUS AND UNRELIABLE FIX. SO LET'S TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE REAL SOURCES OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND TURN OUR RESOURCES TOWARD REAL SOLUTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LOUISE WEDEN. LOUISE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. UM, LOUISE VENDEN, 10 ROGERS STREET. I URGE YOU TO VOTE FOR POLICY ORDER 99, REQUESTING OPTIONS FOR DIRECT ELECTION OF OUR MAYOR. POWER TO THE PEOPLE. IT'S TIME FOR US TO ELECT A MAYOR. RESPONSIVE, RESPONSIVE TO BROAD PUBLIC INTERESTS, NOT NARROW SPECIAL INTERESTS. RIGHT NOW, THE CITY MANAGER HAS THE AUTHORITY AND POWER TO PRIORITIZE IMPLEMENTATION OF COUNCIL, ENACT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS, AND ALLOCATE STAFF AND FUNDING RESOURCES. THE ADMINISTRATION ALSO CONTROLS INFORMATION ABOUT PROGRAM IMPACTS THAT COUNSELORS NEED TO REFINE THEM AND ENSURE THE PUBLIC IS BENEFITING. THE BUREAUCRACY IS NOT NOT ACCOUNTABLE TO THE VOTERS. AND COUNSELORS HAVE LIMITED WAYS TO ALTER IMPLEMENTATION BEFORE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE AND RESOURCES WASTED. DIRECT ELECTION OF THE MAYOR WOULD PLACE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP IN A PERSON WHO ANSWERS TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE, WHOSE, WHOSE BROAD RANGE OF CONCERNS WOULD INFORM IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES AND REPORTING OF RESULTS THE CANDIDATE [01:05:01] WOULD NEED TO ENGAGE DIVERSE RESIDENTS WHOSE PRIORITIES RANGE FROM CHILDCARE AND THE ENVIRONMENT TO BICYCLE SAFETY AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. AN ELECTED MAYOR COULD ENSURE THAT PRIORITIES ARE ESTABLISHED AND GOALS TRACKED SO THAT COUNSELORS WOULD HAVE MORE TIMELY AND COMPLETE INFORMATION BY EXERCISING MORE CONTROL OVER STAFF AND FUNDING RESOURCES. AN ELECTED MAYOR WOULD HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO FOSTER COLLABORATION BETWEEN COUNSELORS WHOSE ELECTION RELIES ON SMALLER SEGMENTS OF VOTERS. ELECTING THE MAYOR AT LARGE WOULD AVOID THE BACKROOM NEGOTIATIONS AND TRADE-OFFS THAT COUNSELORS MUST EMPLOY TO GAIN A MAJORITY VOTE FROM THE NINE MEMBERS. THOSE NEGOTIATIONS GENERATE GRUDGES AND DISTRUST THAT UNDERMINE THOUGHTFUL POLICYMAKING. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RICHARD SOLOMON. RICHARD HAS NOT JOINED. WE WILL GO TO MARTY LEVIN, FOLLOWED BY JAMES WILLIAMSON, THEN HAMZA SHAZAD. MARTY. MARTY, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. UM, I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT, UH, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE NOT REALLY LOOKED AFTER AS WELL AS THEY, UH, NEED TO BE. UH, IT IT, TO ME IT'S A PO UH, IT'S A STATEMENT ABOUT HOW WE CARE ABOUT, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE VULNERABLE, THE MOST VULNERABLE, BEING ELDERLY AND THOSE WITH DISABILITIES. HOW WE TREAT OUR SENIORS IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT WHO AND WHAT WE ARE AS A NATION AND AS A COMMUNITY. AND, UH, YEAH, IT WAS STATED THAT IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. IT'S NOT THAT MUCH MONEY, BUT FOR A SENIOR CITIZEN, IT IS, UH, CONSEQUENTIAL. AND I WAS READING THAT IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERED, UH, DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS. AND I THINK THAT'S VERY APPROPRIATE. UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT SENIORS AND ALSO THE THE DISABLED IS, UH, IT'S VERY COMPASSIONATE BEHAVIOR. SO I'M SAYING, UH, WE NEED TO CON UH, NOT CREATE A PROBLEM FOR SENIORS BY CHARGING THEM FOR THE PARKING PASS. AND, UH, YEAH, THAT'S ALL I WANNA SAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMES WILLIAMSON. WE'RE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 35. JAMES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN. THANK YOU. UM, FIRST OF ALL ON SHOTSPOTTER. I WANNA THANK THE VARIOUS SPEAKERS TONIGHT WHO HAVE EDUCATED ME AND I HOPE OTHERS ABOUT THIS TECHNOLOGY. I WASN'T AWARE OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE BROUGHT UP. IF WE HAD COVID TESTS THAT HAD 80% FALSE POSITIVE, BUT THEY'D, PEOPLE JUST BE LAUGHED RIGHT OUT OF THE ROOM. UM, I THINK THE DEEPER QUESTION ABOUT SHOTSPOTTER IS IT'S PART OF A TREND THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES IN OUR SOCIETY, WHERE FOR THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT COMMUNITY, WE HEAR A LOT OF TALK ABOUT IT IN THIS CITY. UM, IT'S A GREAT WAY TO UNDER UNDERMINE COMMUNITY AND, AND C COMMUNITY POLICING, WHICH MAY NOW BE AN OUTMODED CONCEPT, I GUESS AS WE TECHNOLOGIZE EVERYTHING MORE AND MORE. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO MEET PEOPLE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY. YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. YOU JUST SIT IN AN OFFICE, LOOK AT YOUR COMPUTER OR LOOK AT SCREENS. AND I, SO I THINK THERE'S A DEEPER QUESTION ABOUT THE SHOP SPOTTER TECHNOLOGY, WHICH SOME OTHERS HAVE TALKED, HAVE TOUCHED ON. AND I JUST THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, VERY PROBLEMATIC AS PEOPLE HAVE POINTED OUT. UM, ON THE, ON POLICY ORDER, FIVE IF TO CONS. FIRST OF ALL, THE TWO WAREHOUSES ARE INCO, ARE IN CONTRADICTION TO EACH OTHER AND INCOHERENT. YOU WANNA HAVE A HEARING ABOUT IT, BUT YOU SAY YOU DON'T WANNA WASTE TIME, BUT YOU'RE GONNA WASTE TIME HAVING A HEARING ABOUT SOMETHING. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA DECIDE, YOU KNOW, IS THIS A FOREIGN POLICY THAT WE CARE ABOUT ENOUGH TO TALK ABOUT IT OR NOT? I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT, THAT REALLY IS A WASTE OF TIME. FINALLY, THE MAIN THING I REALLY WANTED TO SPEAK ABOUT TONIGHT WAS THE, UH, UH, UNDER, UM, I FORGET THE CATEGORY, BUT IT'S $10 MILLION ON INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, IT'S DESCRIBED AS IMPROVEMENTS. OF COURSE, EVERYTHING IN CAMBRIDGE IS DESCRIBED AS IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT'S STREET IMPROVEMENTS BETWEEN, UH, BIGELOW AND IT'S MISSPELLED AS, UH, SIDNEY, UH, AS CINDY, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY SIDNEY. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? BEFORE YOU VOTE ON IT. AND WE'RE TOLD WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HAMZA SHAZAD, FOLLOWED BY ANI AVI, THEN CATHERINE SYLVESTRI HAMZA. TWO MINUTES SSAM COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS HAMZA AND I'M AN ORGANIZER WITH SOUTH ASIANS BUILDING RESISTANCE, ALSO KNOWN AS SUB. UM, [01:10:01] SUB IS A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO BUILDING COLLECTIVE POWER ACROSS OUR COMMUNITIES WHILE BEING GROUNDED IN AN ANTI-IMPERIALIST AND ANTI-COLONIAL TRADITION. AS SOUTH ASIANS WE'RE STANDING TODAY WITH CUBA, A VICTIM OF THE 60 YEAR BLOCKADE, WHICH THE US HAS IMPLEMENTED SINCE THE NATION TOOK ITS FUTURE INTO ITS OWN HANDS. CAMBRIDGE IS A CONCRETE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD. SCHOLARS, ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD FLOCK TO CAMBRIDGE FOR ITS PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS. UH, AND IT'S BECAUSE CAMBRIDGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A WORLDLY CITY. IT IS BECAUSE CAMBRIDGE IS A LIBRARY OF THE EARTH, UH, THAT THE CITY MUST STAND UP IN TIMES OF INTERNATIONAL TURMOIL. AND AS SOUTH ASIANS WE'RE HERE TODAY IN SOLIDARITY BECAUSE CUBA IS STANDING UP TO AN IMPERIALIST FORCE, A TRADITION NOT UNFAMILIAR TO THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANI. AVI ANI, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. UM, YES, HELLO. HOPEFULLY I'M AUDIBLE. UM, I'M ANI A DAVI. I LIVE ON CONSERVATORY HILL. I'M A FOURTH YEAR PHD CANDIDATE AT MIT AND THE RECORDING SECRETARY OF THE MIT GRAD STUDENT UNION. UM, I ALSO OPPOSE THE USE OF SHOT SPOTTER, BUT I MAINLY WANNA SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION ON CUBA AND AGAINST POLICY ORDER. FIVE. UM, BECAUSE FOR THE GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO CONDUCT THE RESEARCH AND TEACHING LABOR AT MIT, MANY OF US CAME HERE NOT JUST BECAUSE WE ENJOYED SCIENCE AND WANTED TO ADVANCE HUMAN KNOWLEDGE, BUT ALSO OUT OF A SENSE OF CONVICTION TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. BUT MANY OF THE BOTTLENECKS FOR IMPROVING HUMAN LIFE ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC, BUT POLITICAL. THE REASON CUBANS WERE FORCED TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN COVID VACCINE LATER IN 2021 WASN'T LIMITATIONS IN VACCINE RESEARCH OR SHIPPING LOGISTICS, BUT RESTRICTIONS ON THE IMPORT OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES CAUSED BY THE US EMBARGO. THE REASON FOR BLACKOUTS ON THE ISLAND IS NOT INADEQUATE ENGINEERING OF THE ELECTRICAL GRID, BUT ARTIFICIAL SCARCITY CREATED BY THE US ENERGY BLOCKADE. UM, SO THAT'S WHY OUR UNION SIGNED ON TO THE LET CUBA LIVE PETITION CALLING FOR THE END OF THE US BLOCKADE ON CUBA AND THE REOPENING OF POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT. UM, WE BELIEVE THAT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SHOULD GO TOWARD IMPROVING THE HUMAN CONDITION EVERYWHERE WITHOUT ARTIFICIAL POLITICAL BARRIERS. AND AS UNION MEMBERS, WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT WORKING PEOPLE IN THE US HAVE MUCH MORE IN COMMON WITH EVERYDAY PEOPLE IN CUBA THAN WITH THE POLITICIANS AND BILLIONAIRES WHO FEAR MONGER ABOUT THE SO-CALLED THREAT OF CUBA. UM, FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES ARE LOCAL ISSUES BECAUSE EVERY DOLLAR THAT'S SPENT ON THE MILITARY OR ON IMPOSING SANCTIONS THAT KILL HALF A MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ANNUALLY IS A DOLLAR THAT'S NOT INVESTED IN HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, OR ANY OF OUR OTHER NEEDS HERE AT HOME. UM, MASSACHUSETTS ONCE LED THE NATION AS ONE OF THE FIRST STATES TO PASS DIVESTMENT LEGISLATION FROM APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA, AND I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE, UH, THE COUNCIL TO CARRY ON THIS LEGACY OF INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY BY PASSING THIS PROPOSAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CATHERINE SYLVESTRI, FOLLOWED BY RACHEL BICKMAN, THEN SOPHIE GILLARD. CATHERINE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS CATHERINE SYLVESTER. I LIVE AT 2 5 3 NORFOLK STREET IN ONE OF THE AREAS UNDER HEAVIEST SURVEILLANCE BY SHOT SPOTTER. I'M URGING THE CITY COUNCIL TO DISCONTINUE THE USE OF USE OF SHOT SPOTTER AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING. CAMBRIDGE POLICE PRESENTED SHOTS SPOTTER AS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T ALERT UNLESS A HIGH DECIBEL NOISE TRIGGERS THREE OR MORE DEVICES. THIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE FACT THAT SHOT SPOTTER IS ALWAYS RECORDING IN ORDER TO HEAR HIGH DECIBEL NOISES. ADDITIONALLY, WE KNOW THAT SHOT SPOTTER CAN RECORD CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE SHOTS SPOTTER RECORDINGS OF A CONVERSATION WERE REJECTED AS EVIDENCE IN A 2017 CASE. HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS WIRETAP ACT, SHOTSPOTTER IS A SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY PRODUCED BY SOUND THINKING, WHICH IS A FOR-PROFIT COMPANY. WE CANNOT TRUST SOUND THINKING TO BE A RESPONSIBLE STEWARD OF OUR DATA. EVEN IF WE HAD MORE TRANSPARENCY INTO THE CONTRACT WITH SOUND THINKING, THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT COULD CHANGE, OR SOUND THINKING COULD VOLUNTARILY GIVE DATA TO FEDERAL AGENCIES WITHOUT ANY PROCESS THROUGH THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. WE KNOW THAT SOUND THINKING HAS LIED ABOUT THE ACCURACY OF SHOT SPOTTER AND SHOT SPOTTER HAS NOT BEEN FOUND TO REDUCE SHOOTINGS WHEN LOOKING AT PLENTY OF DATA FROM OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE EMPLOYED THIS TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE SEEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN HOW SO-CALLED PUBLIC SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES LIKE FLOCK. CAMERAS ARE USED IRRESPONSIBLY AND VIOLATE RESIDENT PRIVACY. SHOTSPOTTER IS A HIGH FALSE POSITIVE RATE, WHICH RESULTS IN UNNECESSARY POLICE DEPLOYMENT IN PREDOMINANTLY BLACK AND BROWN NEIGHBORHOODS. [01:15:01] I DO NOT THINK THE HANDFUL OF CASES, CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT POINTS TO MERIT THE USE OF CONSTANT AUDIO SURVEILLANCE IN OUR CITY. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE MORE COMMUNITY-ORIENTED WAYS TO ENSURE TIMELY RESPONSES TO ACTUAL GUNSHOTS WITHOUT CONSTANTLY COMPROMISING OUR PRIVACY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RACHEL BICKMAN. RACHEL, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. HI, MY NAME IS RACHEL BICKMAN AND I'M A RESIDENT ON TROBRIDGE STREET. TODAY I'M ADDRESSING THE CHARTER RIGHT NUMBER ONE AND POLICY ORDER FIVE. WITH SHOTSPOTTER'S PRIVACY, IT'S TREATED AS A PRIVILEGE RATHER THAN A RIGHT. OUR PRIVACY THAT IS AND ITS USE IS A COST TO OUR RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND TO NOT BE CONSTANTLY SURVEILLED. IT'S A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF HOW THE US TAKES ADVANTAGE OF ITS ASSISTANCE DATA BY OPERATING ON AN OPT-OUT BASIS RATHER THAN OPTING ON OR OPTING INTO. IT ALSO COMMUNICATES TO OUR RESIDENTS THAT THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE IS SURVEILLANCE AND NOT COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING THAT PROVIDES TANGIBLE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR US. SO I URGE A CITY AND THEIR USE OF SHOT SPOTTER IN CAMBRIDGE IN PHYSICAL PRACTICE AND AS AN ETHOS OF OUR CITY. I'D LIKE TO REPEAT COMMENTS THAT WERE MENTIONED TODAY, UM, ABOUT HOW COUNCIL IS TALKING OUTTA BOTH CORNERS OF THEIR MOUTH AND THE HYPOCRITICAL APPRECIATION OF CAROLINE HUNTER'S ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT BECAUSE OF HER WORK. CAMBRIDGE HAS THE LEGACY AS THE FIRST CITY IN THE US TO PASS A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING A BOYCOTT OF SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID THAT RESULTED IN A STATEWIDE DIVESTMENT, WHICH KICKED A CHAIN OFF THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY AND LED TO THE COLLAPSE OF APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA. CAROLINE HUNTER'S WORK IS PRAISED BY THE CITY JUST OUTSIDE THIS ROOM, BUT NOW WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO SILENCE ANY FUTURE COMMENT OR PUBLIC INPUT ON INTERNATIONAL ISSUES. WE CANNOT TURN AWAY FROM THE IMPACT THAT THE US HAS IN PALESTINE AND LEBANON AND VENEZUELA IN CUBA. AND THIS ORDER SILENCES RESIDENTS WHO HAVE A SAY IN WHAT THEIR GOVERNMENT DOES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE ONES THAT THE US HAS INSERTED THEMSELVES IN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. WE ARE GOING TO MOVE ON. UH, SOPHIE GILLARD, WE ALREADY HEARD FROM THAT WAS A DOUBLE SIGNUP. WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 41. WE HAVE ABOUT NINE SPEAKERS TO GO. UM, NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM MILA HALLGREN, FOLLOWED BY DENISE HAYNES, THEN CARLOS HUMBERTO. DAVID MILA. MILA HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO DENISE HAYNES. DENISE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, UH, DENISE HAYNES PUTNAM AVENUE. I'M HERE TO, UH, TALK ABOUT, I GUESS THIS IS POR 20 26 99. UM, THE PROJECT CHARTER INITIALLY WAS NOT CLEAR. THE OUTREACH ABOUT THE CHANGES IN THE CHARTER WAS NOT CLEAR. AND NOW YOU WANT TO DISCUSS, UH, ELECTION OF A MAYOR FOR WHO KNOWS WHAT, HOWEVER MANY TERMS. COMMUNICATION IS NOT KEY. OUTREACH IS NOT, IT LACKS HERE IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. SO NOW YOU WANNA CHANGE HOW MAYORS ARE ACTUALLY PUT IN PLACE. IT'D BE NICE TO KNOW, AS THE, SOMEONE HAD SAID EARLIER ON, WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS? WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE IMPACTS FOR THIS CHANGE, NOT JUST PUTTING IT FORWARD. THE OTHER POLICY THAT I'M TA I'VE, UM, COMING UP TO SPEAK ABOUT IS 94, ABOUT CHANGING THE PERMITTING FOR, UM, THE COST FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. SOMEONE CAME UP EARLIER AND SAID, WELL, IF A SENIOR CITIZEN CAN AFFORD A CAR, CAN AFFORD GAS, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO AFFORD A A, A PARKING PERMIT. IT'S BEEN ZERO FOR ZERO COSTS FOREVER. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOWEVER LONG. BUT NOW, WHY DO YOU WANNA CHANGE THIS TO ATTACK SENIOR CITIZENS? THIS IS LIMITED INCOME FOLKS AND THAT PERSON WHO SAID THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE OLD ONE DAY, UM, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, EVERYBODY'S ECONOMIC SITUATION HAS CHANGED. AND TO GO FROM 25 TO 75, IT'S QUITE A JUMP. AND THIS CHANGE IS BEING BASED ON WHAT WAS THE CURRENT PROCESS? WHAT WAS THE NUMBERS? IT SEEMED LIKE THE LAST MEETING WE HAD, THE NUMBERS WERE NOT ACCURATE. THEY DIDN'T REFLECT 20 21, 22, 23. SO I THINK IT'S TIME TO MAYBE LOOK AT GOING AFTER HOW IS THE EFFICIENCY OF THE OPERATIONS FOR THIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CARLOS HUMBERTO DAVIS, FOLLOWED BY ZACHARIA AWA CARLOS. DOING TWO MINUTES. DOING, UM, MY NAME IS CARLOS BR DAVID, I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE. GOT SOMETHING I WROTE HERE TONIGHT. I PLAN TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING SHOTS WATER IN CAMBRIDGE. NOT BECAUSE I BLINDLY SUPPORT SURVEILLANCE OR POLITICS, BUT BECAUSE I KNOW FIRSTHAND WHAT GUN VIOLENCE DOES TO FAMILIES [01:20:01] AND COMMUNITIES. MY YOUNGER BROTHER WAS MURDERED IN CAMBRIDGE IN 2014, AND OUR FAMILY HAS HAD TO LIVE WITH THE PAIN EVERY SINGLE DAY SINCE HIS LIFE WAS TAKEN IN AN ACT OF VIOLENCE THAT LEFT OUR FAMILY DEVASTATED AND SEARCHED FOR MORE ANSWERS. THERE WERE PEOPLE PRESENT, THERE WERE WITNESSES. AND DESPITE INVESTIGATION, NOBODY WAS EVER ARRESTED FOR HIS MURDER. THAT LEAVES A PERMANENT WOUND ON MY FAMILY AND A COMMUNITY. YOU NEVER STOP WONDERING IF THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT, IF SOMETHING MORE COULD HAVE HELPED POLICE RESPOND FASTER, GATHER EVIDENCE QUICKER, OR IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE. THIS IS WHY I BELIEVE IN SHOTS SPOTTER AND IT DESERVES SERIOUS CONSIDERATION AS A PUBLIC SAFETY TOOL. MAYBE TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS COULD HELP OFFICERS ARRIVE FASTER TO SCENES OF GUNFIRE. MAYBE IT COULD HELP PREVENT, UM, PRESERVE EVIDENCE, IDENTIFY LOCATIONS MORE ACCURATELY, AND SUPPORT INVESTIGATIONS IN CASES WHERE PEOPLE ARE TOO AFRAID TO SPEAK. IN NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE GUN VIOLENCE EXISTS, NOT EVERYONE CALLS 9 1 1 AND NOT EVERYONE COOPERATES OUT OF FEAR. TOOLS THAT HELP LAW ENFORCEMENT RES RESPOND IN REAL TIME CAN MATTER. AT THE SAME TIME, I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT MY SUPPORT FOR SHOTS SPOTTER IS NOT SUPPORT FOR TURNING CAMBRIDGE INTO A SURVEILLANCE STATE, NOR IS IT IN SUPPORT OF ICE IMMIGRATION OR ANY OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT OR POLITICAL AGENDAS THAT TARGET VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. I I BELIEVE PUBLIC SAFETY AND CIVIL RIGHTS MUST EXIST TOGETHER. CAMBRIDGE IS A DI A DIVERSE CITY, AND RESIDENTS SHOULD NEVER FEEL LIKE TECHNOLOGY MEANT TO STOP VIOLENT VIOLENCE IS BEING USED TO INTIMIDATE, INTIMIDATE IMMIGRANTS OR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. FOR ME, THE ISSUE IS PERSONAL, NOT POLITICAL. I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO LOSE A BROTHER AND NEVER SEE JUSTICE SERVED. IF THERE ARE TOOLS AVAILABLE THAT CAN THANK YOU, CARLOS, FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ZACHARIA ALAWA, FOLLOWED BY ED HENLEY. THEN JACOB, A STERN ZACHARIA. HI, MY NAME IS, UM, ZACHARIA ALCOA WITH, UH, PALESTINIAN YOUTH MOVEMENT. UM, AND I'M HERE TO, UH, TODAY TO COMMENT ON, UH, THE FOREIGN POLICY ISSUE NUMBER, THE POLICY ORDER FIVE, UH, WHICH IS ON, UH, THE, THE SUPPORT OF THE AGAINST THE CUBAN BLOCKADE, THE SUPPORT AGAINST THE CUBAN BLOCKADE TO LET CUBA LIVE. IT SHOULD BE CLEAR THAT FOR THE LAST THREE AND A HALF, THREE YEARS, AS WE'VE SEEN THE GENOCIDE BEING TAKEN ON BY THE ISRAELI STATE IN SUPPORT OF BY THE UNITED STATES, THAT THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THAT POLICY, A CONTINUATION OF THAT POLICY THAT HAS GONE WELL OVER, UH, 60, 70 YEARS AT THIS POINT ON THE CUBAN PEOPLE. UM, A LONG WAR AGAINST THE CUBAN PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY PROCEEDED EVEN THE INDEPENDENCE OF CUBAN IN 1959. UM, IT, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE CONDITIONS IN CUBA ARE BEYOND HORRIFIC. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT DAY BY DAY, UH, DOCTORS ARE HAVING TO MAKE THE CHOICE BETWEEN SHOULD WHICH HOS WHICH PATIENTS DESERVE TO LIVE BASED ON WHAT LEVEL OF ELECTRICITY IS AVAILABLE. I WANT TO, I WANT, I WANT FOLKS TO KNOW THAT THAT'S THE VIOLENCE THIS COUNTRY IS IMPOSING ON THE PEOPLE OF CUBA. AND IF THE UNITED, IF, YOU KNOW, IF FOLKS WHO DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY IN THEIR CITY COUNCILS IN THIS COUNTRY, THEN MAYBE THEY SHOULD STOP, UM, IMPOSING VIOLENCE ON THE REST OF THE WORLD, UH, AS A FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS. SO THAT'S THE FIRST, UM, ITEM. AND I THINK IT'S FRANKLY RIDICULOUS THAT, UM, THAT IT'S EVEN UP FOR DEBATE OVER WHETHER QUOTE UNQUOTE FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. THEY, THEY'RE NOT FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. THEY'RE ONES WHO AFFECT, UH, THE VERY FAMILIES THAT LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE. SO THEY'RE NOT FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. UM, BUT I FRANKLY THAT'S RIDICULOUS THAT THAT WAS EVEN BEEN A, A POINT OF ORDER. UM, THE SECOND POINT IS THE, UM, UM, SHOT SPOTTER. UM, IT'S FRANKLY RIDICULOUS THAT AGAIN, THAT THAT'S EVEN A TECHNOLOGY BEING CONSIDERED. UH, AND THEN THE POINT ON THE SENIOR DISCOUNT IF, UH, THERE WAS ADEQUATE ENOUGH TRANSPORT, I WOULD ADVOCATE FOR GETTING RID OF DISCOUNT PARKING, BUT THERE ISN'T. AND SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE THAT TO ALLOW SENIORS TO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ED HENLEY, FOLLOWED BY JACOB ER, THEN ANNIE BUTLER. ED, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. AM I ON? YEAH. THANK YOU. I AM A, UH, MY NAME IS ED HENLEY. I'M A SENIOR AT MANNING APARTMENT SENIOR HOUSING. UM, MY VIEWS ON MY OWN, UM, I'M SPEAKING WITH REGARDS TO THE SENIOR P PARKING PERMIT EXEMPTION. IN SHORT, SPOTTER RESPECT FOR THE COMMUNITY OF SENIORS WHO HAVE SPENT A LIFETIME CONTRIBUTING TO THE GREAT CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY, UH, AND THE GREAT CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING IN CAMBRIDGE. AND AS SHOWN BY THE ATTENDANCE TONIGHT, YOU KNOW, UM, THIS IS A COMMUNITY IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR. UM, I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT SENIORS HAVE BEEN [01:25:01] DOING THIS FOR A LIFETIME AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. UM, THOSE OF US STILL DRIVING MOSTLY TEND TO BE DEALING WITH FINANCES AND THE ABUNDANCE OF INCREASED COSTS OF SO MANY THINGS. NOT JUST THIS, IT'S THE ACCUMULATION OF ALL THESE SMALL INCREASED COSTS THAT MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT. PLEASE DO NOT INCREASE OUR PARKING PERMIT COSTS. WE PAY AUTO, WE PAY AUTO EXCISE TAXES, WHICH I UNDERSTAND GO INTO THE GENERAL FUND AND THAT'S ON YOUR AUTOMOBILE. AND LIKEWISE, THE COST OF PRODUCING PERMITS COMES OUT OF THE, UM, GENERAL FUNDS. SO IT SEEMS LIKE, UM, THAT THAT'S A MATCH. UM, I, I WANNA GO INTO SHORT SPOTTER. UM, AT MANNING WE'VE HEARD GUNFIRE AND WHO WE APPRECI APPRECIATE THE RESPONSE AND SUPPORT OF THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE'VE HAD SECURITY ISSUES, THEY'RE VERY GOOD WITH AROUND, WITH OUR, OUR SENIOR COMMUNITY. AT THE SAME TIME, IF THERE IS THE SLIGHTEST POSSIBILITY OF THE SHORT SPOTTER SYSTEM THAT IS PAID FOR BY HOMELAND SECURITY, UH, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF EVEN THE SLIGHTEST POSSIBILITY IN THIS GREAT DIGITAL AGE OF RECORDING CONVERSATIONS TO BE USED BY ICE, WE OPPOSE THE USE THE SHORT SPOTTER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JACOB AGEN TON, SORRY, FOLLOWED BY ANNIE BUTLER, THEN GLENNA WYMAN. JACOB AGEN, STERN ONE 18 ELM STREET. I'M A 20 YEAR RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE. I AM A HISTORY TEACHER. I'M ALSO ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF VIA HTA, A CAMBRIDGE BASED DIASPORAS SYNAGOGUE BUILDING A JUDAISM BEYOND ZIONISM, RIGHT HERE IN OUR CITY. AND SO I OPENED WITH PSALM 26, 4. I DO NOT SIT WITH THE DISHONEST, NOR DO I ASSOCIATE WITH HYPOCRITES. LAST WEEK, I CAME HERE TALKING ABOUT HOW PROUD I WAS OF THE LEGACY OF OUR CITY. AND I LEFT ASHAMED BECAUSE THIS BODY BETRAYED THE VALUES THAT WE'VE HEARD SO MANY PEOPLE SPEAK TO TONIGHT. WE WERE TOLD THINGS ABOUT TAKING TOO MUCH TIME ON THIS POLICY ORDER, AND HERE WE ARE SPENDING TWICE AS MUCH TIME ON IT. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WASN'T OUR JURISDICTION. WHILE IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE RESOLUTION, THERE IS A CALL TO SEND OUR RESOLUTION TO CAMBRIDGE'S DELEGATION TO THE US CONGRESS. AND AS WE'VE HEARD FROM SO MANY PEOPLE SPEAKING SO ELOQUENTLY ABOUT POLICY ORDER TOO, THINGS THAT SEEM LIKE A MUNICIPAL ISSUE LIKE SHOTSPOTTER ARE ACTUALLY REGIONAL, STATE, NATIONAL, AND EVEN INTERNATIONAL ISSUES. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, WE HEARD ABOUT PRECEDENT THAT THIS 2026 POLICY ORDER WOULD SET A PRECEDENT. THE PRECEDENT IS IN THAT HALLWAY. THE PRECEDENT IS THE CELEBRATION OF CAROLINE HUNTER AND THE WINNIE MANDELA SOLIDARITY COALITION THAT ENGAGED IN MUCH MORE DISRUPTIVE TACTICS THAN WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. YOU CELEBRATE THAT IN THE ATRIUM TO THIS HALL WHERE YOU WOULD CONDEMN CAROLINE HUNTER FOR WASTING YOUR TIME. YOU WANNA TALK PRECEDENT. IN 2005, THE CITY OF SAN FUEGOS, CUBA, IT WAS MADE A SISTER CITY TO CAMBRIDGE. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A MUNICIPAL ISSUE. AND ON A BROADER ISSUE ABOUT OUR VALUES, I'LL QUOTE AGAIN FROM DEUTERONOMY , JUSTICE, JUSTICE SHALL YOU PURSUE. THAT IS WHAT THE PEOPLE OF CAMBRIDGE STAND FOR. THAT'S WHY WE LOVE OUR CITY. SO I CALL ON YOU TO END THE BLOCKADE ON CUBA. DO NOT COMMIT, UH, FOREIGN POLICY DISCUSSIONS TO SELF-CENSORSHIP TO A BLACK HOLE, AND DO NOT ENGAGE IN ANY MORE SHOT SPOTTER IN THE CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AGAIN, FOLKS, IF WE CAN REMIND YOU, THERE'S NO APPLAUDING MR. VICE CHAIR, EXCUSE ME, MR. VICE CHAIR POINT OF ORDER WOULD THANK YOU. WOULD YOU PLEASE REMIND OUR GUEST IN THE GALLERY THAT WE DO NOT HAVE CLAPPING AND HOOTIE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE BECAUSE WE WANNA RESPECT EVERYBODY'S POINT OF VIEW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES, THANK YOU. PLEASE. NO CLAPPING. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANNIE BUTLER, FOLLOWED BY GLENNA WYMAN. AND OUR FINAL SPEAKER WILL BE HEATHER HOFFMAN. ANNIE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, UH, MY NAME IS ANDY BUTLER. I LIVE AT THREE TWO ANDREW STREET. AND, UM, JUST A LITTLE HISTORICAL TIDBIT. UM, WE HAVE TWO MINUTES HERE, BUT WHEN CAROLINE HUNTER WAS LEADING THE PACK, THERE ARE BIG BRAWLS HERE. THE PEOPLE FOUGHT AND FOUGHT AND FOUGHT FOR WHAT SHE BELIEVED IN. AND IT WASN'T LIKE WE GOT TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK . WE SPOKE FOR AS LONG AS HE WANTED TO. JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. AND ALSO, UM, I, UM, SO THERE'S 10% OF THE POPULATION AS FAR AS I CAN TELL BY GOOGLING THAT IS OVER 65 IN CAMBRIDGE. [01:30:01] AND, UM, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT CAMBRIDGE CAN'T SUBSIDIZE THOSE PEOPLE. UM, ME BEING ONE OF THEM. UM, I ALSO OWN A CAR AND I ALSO PAY FOR INSURANCE, AND I HAVE TO BUY GROCERIES, AND I DON'T SEE ANYTHING GOING DOWN. I REALLY, SERIOUSLY, I DON'T KNOW HOW PEOPLE ARE AFFORDING IT. I I REALLY, I REALLY DON'T. I I JUST FOUND OUT THAT A FRIEND OF MINE WHO'S LIKE ITALIAN, SHE JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE COFFEE SHE LOVES IS NOW $85 FOR SIX CANS THAT SHE USED TO BUY FOR 23 5 YEARS AGO, $85. GOD, THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE TO ME. ANYWAY. SO, UM, ALSO THE, IT SAYS THE AVERAGE INCOME OF PEOPLE IN CAMBRIDGE, THE MEDIAN INCOME IS LIKE $139,000. I PERSONALLY DON'T KNOW ANYBODY WHO MAKES ANYWHERE NEAR THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY. WELL, I, YOU GUYS PROBABLY DO, BUT I DON'T KNOW ANY PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY WORKING. UM, I'M SORRY, YOU'RE WORKING. I DON'T KNOW ANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING 40 HOUR A WEEK JOBS, UM, BEING WORKING CLASS PEOPLE WHO MAKE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY. I JUST, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE HOW THAT CAN BE. I THINK THERE HAS TO BE MORE RESEARCH ABOUT WHAT THE REAL INCOME OF PEOPLE LIVING IN CAMBRIDGE IS. SO THAT'S NOT THE MEDIAN, IT'S THE ACTUAL, LIKE 10% OF THE PEOPLE MAKE 42,000 OR SOME, SOME CLEARER STATISTICS. BUT ANYWAY, I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD CHARGE PEOPLE AND I THINK WE SHOULD FREE PALESTINE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GLENN AGAIN. SORRY, WE'RE ALMOST DONE ASKED, JUST NO CLAPPING. AND WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS. YES, I LIKE THAT. THAT'S FINE. . OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GLENNA WYMAN, AND OUR FINAL SPEAKER WILL BE HEATHER HOFFMAN. GLENNA, TWO MINUTES PLEASE. GO AHEAD. UM, UH, FIRST OFF, I WOULD, UH, RECOMMEND WHAT I HAVE RECOMMENDED AT A PRIOR, UH, HEARING ON THE TOPIC THAT THE, THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD GET THE BENEFIT OF, UH, ZERO A PRICE ON A PERMIT SHOULD BE PEOPLE WHO CAN CHECK OFF THAT IT WOULD BE A HARDSHIP FOR THEM TO PAY THE PERMIT RATHER THAN HAVE IT BASED ON AGE AS IF, UH, SOMEONE WHO'S A WEALTHY AGE PERSON, UH, NEEDS AN HONORARIUM LIKE THAT. UM, LET'S, LET'S FOCUS ON PEOPLE WHO ARE LOW INCOME THAT NEED THAT ASSISTANCE. UM, I AM ALSO SPEAKING AS I DID AT A HEARING LAST WEEK, TOTALLY AGAINST CONTINUING SHOTS SPOTTER AND POINTING OUT AS I DID AT THE HEARING LAST WEEK, THAT, UH, IT'S MISREPRESENTED IN THE SURVEILLANCE REPORT FILED BY THE, UH, CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THAT VOICES ARE QUOTE UNQUOTE NEVER RECORDED. UM, UH, WHEN IN FACT THERE'VE BEEN NUMEROUS CASES, UM, IN, UH, ACROSS THE NATION SHOWING THAT THEY ARE AND INCLUDING A CASE, UM, MENTIONED EARLIER TONIGHT, UM, WHERE, UH, A PROSECUTOR TRIED TO GET IN, UH, RECORDED SPEECH FROM SHOTSPOTTER, UH, AND IT WAS THROWN OUT UNDER OUR, UH, STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS REQUIREMENT THAT BOTH PARTIES NEED TO CONSENT TO BEING RECORDED. SO IT'S ILLEGAL. WE NEED TO REMOVE IT. UM, WE CAN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T HAVE HOMELAND SECURITY AND ICE INVOLVED. AND IT'S A COMPLETE CONTRADICTION TO US BEING A SANCTUARY CITY. UM, AND I SUPPORT, UH, DEALING WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES. YOUR TIME HAS ISSUES EXPIRED. THANK YOU. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR FINAL SPEAKER WILL BE HEATHER HOFFMAN. HEATHER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET. WITH RESPECT TO THE DROUGHT, WHY DON'T WE PROTECT OUR TREES INSTEAD OF CUTTING THEM DOWN? THAT WILL HELP TO AT LEAST SOME DEGREE. THE MANIA FOR PAVING EVERY LAST INCH OF THIS CITY NEEDS TO STOP WITH RESPECT TO PARKING PERMITS. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHY THIS PARTICULAR THING ABOVE ALL OTHER THINGS THAT NOT EVERY LAST PERSON IN CAMBRIDGE USES THAT COSTS OUR GOVERNMENT MONEY WAS CHOSEN. PERHAPS THE PEOPLE SO GUNG HO FOR IT COULD ENLIGHTEN US WITH RESPECT TO THE ASBESTOS AT THE RIVERVIEW. I SEE THE, THE REPORT SAYS WE HAVE ALL, WE HAD ALL OF THESE, UM, SENSORS AND EVERYTHING, AND I WILL POINT OUT THAT AS THE CITY STILL HAS NOT [01:35:01] TO MY KNOWLEDGE, ADMITTED TO THE PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD OF EAST CAMBRIDGE, THEY DID NOTHING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WOULDN'T BE SHOWERED WITH ASBESTOS FROM THE BIG UGLY COURTHOUSE. SO I'D, I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHY WE SHOULD TRUST ANYTHING WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSAL FOR YET MORE CHARTER CHANGE. UM, I, I THINK THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DEVOID OF SUBSTANCE POLICY ORDERS I CAN RECALL SEEING. WHAT DO YOU WANT AN ELECTED MAYOR FOR? LOTS OF PEOPLE THINK THIS WOULD BE A STRONG MAYOR, IS THAT IT DOESN'T SAY THAT. UM, HOW WOULD, HOW DO YOU ENVISION THIS? I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EX UM, THINKING ABOUT IT, BUT LET'S HAVE SOME IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE EVEN THINKING ABOUT THAT MADE THIS LOOK LIKE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY, UM, THAT HAD NOT JOINED WHEN WE CALL THEM. SO I WILL CALL THEM NOW. SHAVONNE BRADEN SHAVONNE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. THANK YOU. AND GOOD EVENING. I REALLY APPRECIATE. I'M SHAVONNE BRADEN OF 20 MURRAY HILL ROAD, AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT TONIGHT IN FAVOR OF POLICY ORDER 20 26 98. AS A LONGTIME CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT, I'M DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR OUR CITY'S COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS. AND I'M ALSO A LAY LEADER AT FIRST PARISH IN CAMBRIDGE, WHERE I'M ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE WORK LOCALLY AND BEYOND. THAT'S WHY I'M SO CONCERNED THAT CAMBRIDGE IS USING SHOTSPOTTER, A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM THAT THE CITY COUNCIL NEVER VOTED ON. SHOTSPOTTER IS ALSO INEFFECTIVE ACCORDING TO CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT DATA. IT HAS AN 82% FALSE POSITIVE RATE, MEANING THAT MOST ALERTS ARE NOT ACTUAL GUNFIRE. POLICE RESOURCES ARE BEING DIVERTED BASED ON UNRELIABLE DATA, AND THERE'S NO CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT SHOT SPOTTER REDUCES GUN VIOLENCE AT THE SAME TIME. ITS USE IS NOT EQUITABLE. SENSORS ARE CONCENTRATED IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THE PORT AND RIVERSIDE AND NOT IN WEALTHIER AREAS LIKE WEST CAMBRIDGE. THAT MEANS BLACK, BROWN AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY SURVEILLED AND SUBJECTED TO INCREASED POLICE INTERACTIONS BASED ON FAULTY ALERTS. FINALLY, THE PROGRAM OPERATES THROUGH BOSTON USING DHS FUNDS, RAISING SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT DATA SHARING, INCLUDING WITH ICE CONTRADICTING CAMBRIDGE'S NON-COOPERATION POLICY. I RESPECTFULLY URGE YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF POR 2 26 98 AND END CAMBRIDGE'S PARTICIPATION IN SHOTSPOTTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM RICHARD SOLOMON. RICHARD, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, MY NAME IS, UH, RICHARD SOLOMON. I LIVE ON CANNARD STREET. UM, I JUST WANNA ECHO EVERYTHING THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER SAID. UH, WE AS RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT TO BE SPIED ON 24 7, UM, BY A DEVICE THAT IS DESIGNED TO LISTEN THROUGH WALLS THAT CAN HEAR, UH, CONVERSATIONS AT DISTANCES OF UP TO 50 FEET. UM, WE KNOW SHOT SPOTTER IS EFFECTIVE. I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FALSE POSITIVE RATE. UM, I DON'T WANT ITS INFORMATION BEING SHARED WITH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. ONCE THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IS IN PLACE, UM, IT'S VERY EASY TO DI TO DIVERT IT TO OTHER MEANS, UM, SUCH AS MASS SURVEILLANCE OF PEOPLE, OF COLOR, OF ACTIVISTS. UM, I THINK IT REINFORCES PATTERNS OF HISTORICAL RACISM, UM, AS THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER MENTIONED. UM, AND IT WASN'T FORMALLY APPROVED THROUGH A CONTRACT WITH CAMBRIDGE. AND SO I FRANKLY DON'T UNDERSTAND AS A RESIDENT WHO'S LIVED HERE, UM, FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, WHY, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING ANY MONEY FROM DHS FOR THIS KIND OF SYSTEM. I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY THAT I THINK THE CITY COUNCIL NEED TO TAKE A STRONG POSITION AGAINST THE EMBARGO IN CUBA. IT'S WRONG, IT'S IMMORAL. UM, IT'S IN, UH, SPEAKING IN SOLIDARITY WITH, UH, PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD AS PART OF THE TRADITION OF THE CITY COUNCIL. UM, YOU DID IT DURING APARTHEID. YOU CAN DO IT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. THAT IS ALL THAT WE'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAIN SAY [01:40:01] NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW CLOSED. WE MOVE ON TO THE [SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD] SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD. THERE'S ONE SUBMISSION. THESE ARE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON JANUARY 12TH, 2026 ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ZUBIE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AND PLACE THEM ON FILE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED AND PLACED ON FILE. THERE ARE NO RECONSIDERATIONS. WE HAVE FOUR [CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA] ITEMS ON THE CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER FOUR, COUNCILLOR NOLAN POLL NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER FOUR, PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL HEARING NO ONE ELSE. WE WILL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON THE TWO APPROPRIATIONS CALENDAR. ITEM NUMBER TWO AND NUMBER THREE. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE TWO APPROPRIATIONS HAVE BEEN APPROVED. AND BEFORE WE JUST GO TO THE CITY MANAGER, I KNOW THE CITY MANAGER WILL, UH, AT THE, AT SOME POINT TONIGHT, WE WILL TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT HAPPENED TODAY, UH, NEAR MEMORIAL DRIVE AND RIVER STREET. UH, I WANNA THANK THE ALL THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ACTED QUICKLY AND WITH COURAGE UNDER SUCH DANGEROUS, UH, AND RAPIDLY EVOLVING CIRCUMSTANCES. I KNOW THE DA WAS AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, UM, AND OUR, UH, POLICE COMMISSIONER WAS THERE TOO. UH, BUT WE'LL GET THROUGH THESE ITEMS AND THEN WHEN WE CAN HAVE AN UPDATE FOR THE COUNCIL, WE'LL DO SO. BUT FOR NOW, WE'LL GO TO A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM YAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AN UPDATE ON THE CITY'S DIGITAL EQUITY WORK. THIS WAS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI AND THROUGH YOU TO THE CITY STAFF. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS REPORT. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE. UH, DIGITAL EQUITY, I THINK HAS BEEN SOMETHING THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON FOR PROBABLY 20 YEARS. I STILL REMEMBER LONG, LONG TIME AGO THAT THIS WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED AS ISSUE, AND WE HAVE WORKED OVER TIME TO ADDRESS IT. UM, THE, I WAS HAPPY TO SEE A LOT OF THE, THE WORK BEING DONE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MOVING ACROSS THE CITY. I DIDN'T SEE AS MUCH, UNLESS I MISSED IT, THE DIGITAL EQUITY QUESTION OF HOW WE'RE ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES. THIS IS MOSTLY FOCUSED ON RESIDENTS. AND YET, WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT DIGITAL EQUITY, ONE OF THE ISSUES CITYWIDE IS THAT THE COST OF, UH, OF INTERNET, WHICH IS SOMETHING EVERY SINGLE PERSON NEEDS. WE KNOW FOR LIVING, FOR, FOR, FOR JOB, FOR LIFE, FOR EDUCATION. BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT SMALL BUSINESSES CAME TO US DURING OUR DIGITAL EQUITY CONVERSATIONS TO SAY THAT IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO HAVE AFFORDABLE AND RELIABLE SERVICE. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW THAT FITS IN CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILOR NOLAN. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO, UH, MS. MCCAULEY, WHO IS OUR DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES TO SPEAK A BIT TO THAT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. IT IS REALLY SUCH A DELIGHT TO BE HERE TONIGHT, UH, TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON ALL OF THE DIGITAL GREAT DIGITAL EQUITY WORK THAT WE ARE DOING ACROSS THE CITY WITH COALITION PARTNERS. AND THIS INCLUDES SUPPORT, UH, FOR, UH, MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, INCLUDING, UM, OUR BUSINESSES. AND, UH, ONE OF OUR PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH, UM, INCLUDES HUMAN SERVICES AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. AND WE HAVE OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF A FAMILY, UM, ADULT AND FAMILY SERVICES WITH US THIS EVENING. SUE WALSH. SO SHE MIGHT WANNA COME UP AND SPEAK. AND, UH, WE ALSO WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH, UH, WITH CDD AS WELL. SUE, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOME WORDS? THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT THAT I THINK THE, THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, AND THE FOCUS HAS BEEN MOSTLY ON RESIDENTS. AND OF COURSE, THE WAY THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING BUSINESS NEED AND WORKFORCE NEED IS MOSTLY THROUGH UPSKILLING OUR RESIDENTS TO MEET THOSE EMPLOYMENT NEEDS. WE'VE NOT ACTUALLY BEEN FOCUSED AS A PARTNERSHIP ON THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES. COUNCILOR NOLAN, THANKS. AND AGAIN, I AM THRILLED AND APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK FOR, FOR [01:45:01] RESIDENTS AND THE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT WAY THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING IT. AND YET WE NEED TO DO MORE THAN TO WORK WITH ALL THE BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS, SMALL BUSINESSES. WE HEARD IT LOUD AND CLEAR THAT THEY ARE JUST AS MUCH AT RISK AS SOME OF OUR, UH, LOW AND MODERATE INCOME RESIDENTS. AND IT REALLY AFFECTS THEIR BUSINESSES. SOME OF THEM ARE PAYING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS A MONTH FOR A UTILITY THAT THEY NEED. AND WE ARE REALLY WORKING TO ENSURE THAT, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF, AS WE WE SAY, WE SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS OF EQUITY. SO IT, I I, GIVEN THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT, THEN I JUST HOPE THAT IS IN THE IMMEDIATE TERM TO REACH OUT AND ENSURE THAT THAT BECOMES PART OF OUR DIGITAL EQUITY WORK. 'CAUSE TO BE TRULY EQUITABLE ACROSS THE CITY, I THINK IT HAS TO BE MADAM MAYOR, WE WILL GO TO A FEW COUNCILOR'S QUESTIONS. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. COUNCILOR ZUBE. COUNCILOR ZUZI. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT. UM, AND I APOLOGIZE IF I, UM, IF I MISSED THIS IN HERE, BUT, UM, ONE OF THE CONCERNS I'VE HEARD IS ABOUT THE, UH, I MET WITH THE FOLKS FROM, UH, SOMERVILLE, CAMBRIDGE ELDER SERVICES LAST TWO WEEKS AGO, MAYBE A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, UM, ABOUT THE, UH, HOME-BASED, UH, I, UH, DIGITAL SUPPORT PROGRAM THAT THEY HAD. I FORGET, UM, THE NAME OF THE ACTUAL PROGRAMS, I'M LOSING IT. BUT, UM, IT WAS A PROGRAM THAT THEY RAN THAT WAS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT THAT WOULD GO OUT, UM, TO SENIORS HOMES, EDUCATE THEM ON COMPUTER LITERACY, DIGITAL, YOU KNOW, HELPED TO BRIDGE THAT DIGITAL DIVIDE. THE GRANT HAD ANOTHER YEAR ON IT, BUT THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION HAS CUT THAT GRANT. AND SO THEY HAVE LAID OFF, I THINK THEY HAD TWO STAFF MEMBERS, UM, UH, DOING THAT GRANT. THEY HAVE BEEN LAID OFF. UM, AND THAT, THAT PROGRAM, WHICH WAS I THINK, HIGHLY VALUED SOME OTHER FOLKS. PART OF THE REASON I MET WITH THEM IS BECAUSE SOME FOLKS FROM, IN PARTICULAR, FROM FOUR 11 FRANKLIN STREET, YOU KNOW, MY NEIGHBORS HAD STOPPED ME AND SAID, WE DEPENDED ON THIS PROGRAM AND IT, AND, AND IT'S GONE. WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON? AND I REACHED OUT TO THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT THE STORY WAS. UM, AND SO IS THERE SOME ROOM OR SOME CONVERSATION, UH, GOING ON WITH THE CITY LEVEL OF HOW WE CAN EITHER HELP KEEP THAT PROGRAM ALIVE OR WE PICK UP THE SLACK WHERE THAT PROGRAM LEFT OFF BECAUSE IT WAS A VALUABLE PROGRAM THAT NOW THANKS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IT DOES NO LONGER EXIST, UH, THROUGH MAYOR SIDIKI. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. I KNOW WE'VE, UH, RAISED THIS BEFORE. UM, AND, UH, I THINK WE HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE CONVERSATION WITH A LOT OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UH, IN PARTICULAR SOMERVILLE, CAMBRIDGE ELDER SERVICES. UH, WE HAD A NUMBER OF MEETINGS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. UH, THE FOCUS HAS REALLY MOSTLY BEEN ON FEDERAL GRANTS AND THE GENERAL, AS YOU'RE NOTING FINANCIAL CHALLENGES THAT A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY NONPROFITS ARE GOING THROUGH, BUT AS IT RELATED TO FOOD PROGRAMS FOR SENIORS. UM, SO A LOT OF THE WORK THAT, UH, MS. WALSH AND THE TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING ON HAS BEEN HOW THE CITY COLLABORATES WITH SOME OF CAMBRIDGE ELDER SERVICES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUDGETS ARE GOING TO WORK AND HOW WE PRIORITIZE AND CONTINUE TO DELIVER, UH, PROGRAMS AND, UH, COMMUNITY FOOD PROGRAMS FOR SENIORS ACROSS, UH, CAMBRIDGE. UM, I THINK THEY HAVE NOT ACTUALLY RAISED THIS ISSUE. SO, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND A MEETING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, WHAT THE CONTEXT IS OF THAT FEDERAL GRANT. UM, I, I WOULD NOTE THAT THIS IMPORTANT WORK IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE CONTINUED TO BE COMMITTED TO. AND THIS REPORT, UM, SHOWS A LOT OF THE WAYS THAT WE'VE HAD DIGITAL NAVIGATORS, UM, SUPPORTING, UH, FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY, BOTH WITHIN THE LIBRARIES AND ALSO WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS. I'D ALSO JUST RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, UM, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, A LOT OF THE FUNDING FOR THESE PROGRAMS HAVE COME FROM THE FEDERAL ARPA DOLLARS, UM, THAT, THAT WE HAD ACCESS TO DURING THE PANDEMIC. UM, THOSE DOLLARS, AS WE'VE NOTED AND HAD CONVERSATIONS IN FINANCE COMMITTEE, HAVE STEADILY BEEN GOING AWAY. AND SO, UM, WE ULTIMATELY HAVE HAD TO, UH, EITHER SEE SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS TRANSITION, UH, OR FIND ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES. AND SO SOME OF THE CONVERSATION TODAY IS, UM, IS ACTUALLY DOING AN APPROPRIATION TO BRING SOME ADDITIONAL REVENUE SOURCES IN TO SUPPORT, UM, SOME OF OUR DIGITAL NAVIGATION EFFORTS. UM, BUT I THINK ULTIMATELY THIS WILL SORT OF INCREASE INVESTMENT IN DIGITAL NAVIGATORS OR OTHER KINDS OF PROGRAMS, WILL HAVE TO BE PART OF THAT BROADER BUDGET CONVERSATION. [01:50:01] COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UM, OKAY. I, UH, YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK HAVING THE AT HOME SERVICE IS, IS, IS REALLY HELPFUL. UM, PARTICULARLY FOR SENIORS WHO MIGHT HAVE ISSUES GETTING OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO PLACES TO, AND LEARNING IT ON YOUR OWN COMPUTER AND, AND SEEING IT IS REALLY DIFFERENT THAN GOING INTO, YOU KNOW, A LIBRARY AND THEN HAVING TO TRANSFER THAT. I, I, SO I THINK THERE'S REAL BENEFITS TO THE, TO THE PROGRAM. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO SOMERVILLE, CAMBRIDGE LEGAL SERVICES. SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T LET SOMERVILLE OFF THE HOOK FOR PAYING FOR SOME OF THIS. IF, IF, UH, IF THAT'S THE WAY WE HAVE TO GO. IT'S SERVES SOMERVILLE AS WELL. WE SHOULDN'T NECESSARILY CARRY THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE COST. UM, AND IF, AND I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THE, THE FUNDING, I BELIEVE THE FUNDING THAT THEY GOT WAS THROUGH A GRANT. IT WASN'T ARPA MONEY THAT WAS CUT. IT WAS A, I BELIEVE IT WAS A GRANT THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION JUST STOPPED. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN'T PARTNER WITH THEM AND REINVIGORATE THEIR PROGRAM, UM, I WOULD CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE US TO FILL THAT GAP SOMEHOW. WHETHER WE START LOOKING AT MORE AT HOME SERVICES FOR SENIORS OR, UM, YOU KNOW, BRIDGING THAT GAP, WHETHER IT'S US OR THEM. I MEAN, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE GETTING THE SERVICE, YOU KNOW, SO, UM, I HOPE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS FURTHER. UH, 'CAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. I'LL YIELD MADAM MAYOR, COUNCILOR ZUBI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. IT'S GREAT TO GET AN UPDATE ON THIS. UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS BASED ON WHAT I WAS READING. UM, ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP EXPLAIN HOW WE CAN KEEP UP WITH THE NEED? 'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE FROM THIS REPORT WE'RE GOING DOWN FROM SEVEN TO TWO AND A HALF, EVEN THOUGH I'M READING THAT ONE OF THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 25 STUDY SHOWS THAT RETAINING THE NAVIGATORS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF LOW INCOME RESIDENTS IS IMPORTANT. AND THEN WE SAW FROM THE DATA THAT THOSE SEVEN NAVIGATORS COMPLETED OVER 2,500 SERVICE TICKETS. SO IT'D BE HELPFUL TO GET A BETTER IDEA OF, OF YEAH. YOUR THOUGHTS THERE THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, YES. WE ARE TRYING TO COME UP WITH A CREATIVE WAY OF, UH, MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR DIGITAL EQUITY WORK. AND WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT BOTH HUMAN SERVICES AND THE LIBRARY HAS BEEN ABLE TO, UH, SUCCESSFULLY HAVE, UM, MORE STAFF ADDED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT FOCUS ON DIGITAL EQUITY. AND DURING THIS PILOT PERIOD, WE WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS REALLY WONDERFUL, UM, UH, UH, UH, PILOT OF DIGITAL NAVIGATORS ACROSS THE CITY. AND, UH, GIVEN THAT THE FUNDING SOURCES ARE DRYING UP, WE ARE TRYING TO BE CREATIVE IN THE CITY SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE AT LEAST ONE DIGITAL NAVIGATOR, YOU KNOW, IN THE CITY AND AT THE LIBRARY, WHICH HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF TICKETS CLOSED. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE, UM, ECONOMIC SITUATION THAT THIS IS A CREATIVE SOLUTION. COUNCILOR ZUBY, THANK YOU. I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT YOU GUYS ARE MOVING CREATIVELY TO DO THAT. I, I, I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE FROM THIS REPORT THAT THERE IS A NEED THERE. UM, AND UH, ONE THING I ALSO NOTICED WAS THERE WEREN'T MANY OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE REPORT. SO EVEN IF THERE'S A WAY FOR US TO FURTHER GET AN IDEA OF LIKE, WHAT THE NEED IS, THAT WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE, UH, SHARING TO THE CITY MANAGER THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S NEEDED, UH, IN THE CITY. ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, CZT CURRENTLY COORDINATES THE DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. SO WHEN THE FUNDING RUNS OUT, HOW IS THE PUBLIC LIBRARY GONNA COORDINATE, LIKE PICK UP THIS COORDINATION THAT CCTV WAS DOING? ARE YOU GUYS LIKE COORDINATING WITH THEM TO, TO DO THAT? WHERE, WHERE'S THE CURRENT COMMUNICATIONS ON THAT? YES. UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR YI, WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND? THANKS. UH, THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, TO YOU COUNSELOR? UH, YES. CCTV IS CURRENTLY COORDINATING THE PILOT COHORT, AND THAT INCLUDES MEMBERS ACROSS, UM, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS, UH, AS WELL AS A NAVIGATOR AND A COORDINATOR AT CCTV. UH, THAT PILOT PROGRAM IS ENDING AS OF JUNE 30TH. SO ONE THING WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH THE PILOT PERIOD IS THAT A LOT OF THE FOLKS COMING TO DIGITAL NAVIGATORS FOR SERVICE ARE ACTUALLY COMING FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THINGS THAT REQUIRE TECHNOLOGY BUT AREN'T STRICTLY TECHNOLOGY RELATED. UM, SO WE ARE SEEING PEOPLE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR HELP, APPLYING FOR BENEFITS, UM, YOU KNOW, LEARNING HOW TO [01:55:01] USE VIDEO CONFERENCING TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH LOVED ONES, UH, TRYING TO BUILD SKILLS TO GAIN EMPLOYMENT. AND NONE OF THOSE ARE STRICTLY TECHNICAL SUPPORT NEEDS. THEY'RE, UM, TASKS THAT REQUIRE TECHNOLOGY, BUT ALSO REQUIRE OTHER SUPPORTS. AND WE DO HAVE LIBRARY STAFF THAT, UH, ALREADY ENGAGE WITH PATRONS FOR THESE SERVICES. UM, ANOTHER THING WE'VE FOUND IS THAT, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING DIRECT ONE-ON-ONE SERVICE TO RESIDENTS, UM, CAN BE REALLY COMPLICATED AND POTENTIALLY EMOTIONALLY CHALLENGING AND BEING PART OF A LARGER TEAM, UH, AT THE LIBRARY WITH BUILT IN SUPPORT. UH, WE HAVE A DIGITAL EQUITY MANAGER AND A DIGITAL EQUITY SPECIALIST THAT ARE ALREADY, UM, FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AT THE LIBRARY, AND THEY WILL BE WORKING WITH THIS NAVIGATOR POSITION. UM, THEY'RE ALREADY DOING THINGS LIKE COORDINATING PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS AS WELL AS OFFERING DIRECT SERVICE. UM, SO WE FEEL THAT HAVING THIS POSITION AT THE LIBRARY WHERE RESIDENTS ARE ALREADY COMING TO US FOR SERVICES AND WE HAVE, UM, ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE NAVIGATOR AS WELL, WILL HELP MOVE THIS PROGRAM FORWARD. THANK YOU. GOTCHA. THAT'S COUNCIL ZUBIE. THANK YOU. GOTCHA. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, THAT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND. IT'D BE GREAT IF, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PLUG IN EVEN LIKE THE FOOD ACCESS NETWORK WORK, WHERE THEY'RE ALSO TRYING TO WORK ON HOW TO HELP BRING PEOPLE TO GET THEM CONNECTED TO RESOURCES. IF YOU'RE SAYING NOT EVERYTHING IS STRICTLY LIKE TECHNICAL OR TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPORT. UH, MY LAST QUESTION AND THEN I'LL YIELD IS RELATED TO THE REPORT, TALKING ABOUT THE PILOT PROGRAM AT THE MANNING TOWERS AND OTHER BUILDINGS AS WELL. DO WE HAPPEN TO HAVE ANY DATA ON THIS? LIKE DO WE KNOW HOW MANY OF THE UNITS AT THE MANNING APARTMENTS ARE USING THE SERVICE? UH, DO THE TENANTS KNOW ABOUT IT? WAS THERE OUTREACH DONE? IS, WAS THERE ANYONE HELPING THEM TURN IT ON? JUST CURIOUS. DARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, THAT'S REALLY A QUESTION FOR OUR ITD PARTNER AND JAY IS NOT AVAILABLE THIS EVENING, BUT WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION AND GET IT TO YOU. THANK YOU. THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. THANKS A COUNCILLOR SUZI. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING TO MY POLICY ORDER. IT TOOK TWO TIMES TO, TO GET A RESPONSE, BUT THIS IS A REALLY THOUGHTFUL ONE. AND LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, I'M INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED WITH THE CITY'S EFFORTS. UM, AND I ALSO AM CONCERNED THAT WE'RE GOING FROM SEVEN DIGITAL NAVIGATORS, AND ACTUALLY I GUESS SINCE JUNE 24, OVER 2,775 SERVICE TICKETS WE'RE, WE'RE GOING FROM SEVEN NAVIGATORS TO 2.5. AND I, I THINK, UM, IT'S, IT'S GOOD YOUR CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MCCAULEY, BECAUSE, UM, AND, AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WALSH, BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PROVIDE SUPPORTS TO, TO YOUNG AND OLD. AND I WONDERED, YOU KNOW, I, I DO KNOW YOU WOULD NEED TO HAVE VETTED PEOPLE HELPING WITH THIS, BUT I ALMOST WONDERED IF, UM, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME SUPPORT. I, I THINK YOU'D HAVE TO DO A LITTLE SCREENING, BUT, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE, UM, A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE JUST SO FLUENT ON WITH TECHNOLOGY AND MAYBE THEY COULD ESPECIALLY WORK WITH ELDERS. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, UM, I, I HAD REACHED OUT TO A FRIEND AT MANNING WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE STARRY AND COMCAST, UM, AND I GUESS COMCAST WAS BETTER THAN STARRY, BUT THINGS MAY HAVE IMPROVED WITH STARRY. I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT WASHINGTON ELMS IN NEWTOWN COURT. THE REPORT NOTES THAT THE PROGRAM PROVIDING, UM, INTERNET ACCESS WAS PAUSED AND UNDER IS UNDER NEGOTIATION WITH MIT. WHEN WILL THAT BE RESOLVED? BECAUSE IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IN ALL OF OUR, UM, OUR HOUSING PRO, OUR HOUSING COMPLEXES, WE REALLY SHOULD HAVE INTERNET ACCESS THREE. YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE TIMETABLE IS. AND WHEN WE DO KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION. COUNCILOR SUZI. YEAH, THANK YOU. I I THINK THAT, I KNOW WE GIVE YOU HUNDREDS OF PRIORITIES EVERY WEEK, BUT I THINK THAT SHOULD BE ANOTHER, ANOTHER PRIORITY, UM, BECAUSE IT, IN, ITS FABULOUS THAT THE LIBRARY HAS 133 WINDOW LAPTOPS ARE, THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND 148 WIFI PREPAID HOTSPOTS. UM, AND THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER HAS 300 DEVICES FOR STUDENT USE. ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE GREAT, BUT I, I DO THINK, UM, THE INTERNET IS LIKE ELECTRICITY THESE DAYS. EVERYBODY REALLY HAS TO HAVE ACCESS. SO I HOPE THAT'S RESOLVED SOON. AND I THANK [02:00:01] YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. I YIELD ANYONE ELSE ON THIS BEFORE I SAY A FEW REMARKS? UH, I AGREE WITH, UH, A LOT OF WHAT'S BEEN SAID. I HAD, UM, I THINK TWO QUESTIONS, UH, AND MORE, MORE OF A COMMENT. BUT I AGREE WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, APPROPRIATING AND BEING CREATIVE. SO THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, GREAT THAT, THAT THIS IS A SOLUTION. UM, AND RELATED TO THAT, GIVEN THAT THERE WERE NAVIGATORS WHO WE'RE NO LONGER CONTINUED BECAUSE ARPA RAN OUT, ALL OF THEM WOULD BE ABLE TO APPLY TO THIS POSITION. THAT'S CORRECT. AND, UM, I JUST, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, I JUST WANNA GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALL OF THE DA DIGITAL NAVIGATORS WHO ARE WORKING IN THE CITY. THEY'VE JUST DONE A BEAUTIFUL JOB AND A REALLY REMARKABLE JOB AND WE SO APPRECIATE THEIR EFFORTS. DEFINITELY. AND THEN RELATED TO THAT, I THINK ON SOME OF WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID, UH, THIS POSITION, YES, UM, WE'D HAVE AT THE LIBRARY, BUT THEY COULD ALSO BE, HAVE HOLD OFFICE HOURS AT THE SENIOR CENTER PERHAPS. UM, OR, UH, ON THE COMMON AROUND THE HIGH SCHOOL SITE. YOU KNOW, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW IF SENIOR CENTER IS A MAYOR'S PROGRAM SITE OR HAS BEEN IN THE PAST, BUT SOMETIMES THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SITES GET A HUGE DEMAND, UM, YOU KNOW, REPURPOSE ONE OR TWO STUDENTS THAT WAY IT'S ONLY 20 HOURS A WEEK, BUT JUST TO FILL IN THESE GAPS THAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, IT'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, PERMANENT SOLUTION. BUT I THINK, UH, AS WE THINK ABOUT HOW TO GRAPPLE WITH THE RESOURCE GAPS, ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO FILL IT IN, IN ADDITION TO THIS DIGITAL EQUITY POSITION? SO THOSE ARE JUST COMMENTS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND, BUT I HOPE THAT YOU CAN TAKE, UM, THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION. IF IT'S OKAY, I WOULD LOVE TO RESPOND. SURE, SURE. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, YES, RIGHT NOW WE DO HAVE DEDICATED STAFF PROVIDING ONSITE SUPPORT AT THE SENIOR CENTER FOR TECH SUPPORT. SO JUST WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT WE DO HAVE THAT RESOURCE AVAILABLE. UM, AND TO THAT PARTICULAR VULNERABLE POPULATION, BOTH HRI AND CHA ARE TARGETING THEIR SENIOR BUILDINGS AND REALLY FOCUSING ON SENIORS IN THEIR HOUSES OR THEY'RE DOING TECH TABLES. SO JUST TO YOUR POINT, UM, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN AND YOURS, THE, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDERS ARE ABSOLUTELY AWARE AND PRIORITIZING THEIR SENIOR POPULATION. SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNEW THAT. UM, AND YES, THE SENIOR CENTER WILL BE A MAYOR'S PROGRAM SITE THIS SUMMER. GREAT, THANK YOU. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER HANDS ON THIS. SO ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO PLACE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE ON FILE, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. WE'VE PLACED THAT COMMUNICATION ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM EON WONG CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AN UPDATE ON THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE 2 2 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN STREET, DEMOLITION. COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THIS UPDATE. UM, AND I WANNA JUST START BY THANKING THE CITY, THE RESIDENTS OF THAT BUILDING, MANY OF WHOM LOST THEIR LIFE SAVINGS OR, OR MOST OF IT, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH, BUT A SIGNIFICANT, BUT ALSO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE CITY ITSELF FOR JUST BEARING WITH THIS REALLY CHALLENGING SITUATION. IT WAS A DISTRESSING AND CATACLYSMIC BUILDING DANGER THAT LED TO THIS VERY COMPLEX AND EXPENSIVE DEMOLITION BUILDING PROJECT. SO I JUST PULLED THIS BECAUSE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, I THINK, TO SUMMARIZE THE STATUS OF THE WORK. AND THE, THE QUESTIONS I HAVE IS THE, THERE'S, IF THERE'S ANY SENSE OF A TIMELINE FOR THE FINAL DISPOSITION OF THE PROPERTY. AND THE, THE QUESTION THAT CAME UP IN REVIEWING IT IS THAT THE ZONING APPEARS TO BE, AGAIN, THIS ISN'T RIGHT BEFORE US NOW, BUT FOR, UH, SEVEN STORIES YET THE BUILDING WAS NINE STORIES. SO I THINK EXPLAINING THAT, UH, DIFFERENCE, IF I'M RIGHT IN READING THAT, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. BUT AGAIN, THANKS TO THE CITY, IT CAME IN LESS MONEY THAN WE EXPECTED, BUT IT WAS STILL A LOT OF MONEY AND A LOT OF, UH, DISRUPTION CITYWIDE. AND NOW WE KNOW THAT THAT, UH, VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. AND SADLY, THERE WERE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF TRUCKS THAT HAD TO BRING THE, THE STUFF TO OHIO BECAUSE THAT WAS THE CLOSEST SITE THAT WE COULD GET TO ACCEPT THIS SENIOR MANAGER'S OFFICE. UM, THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, UM, WE ARE REALLY, I I, I HATE TO USE THE WORD EXCITED 'CAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ABOUT THIS THAT IS EXCITING AND YET I WOULD SAY VERY MUCH RELIEVED IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO [02:05:01] BE HERE TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE TO COUNCIL ABOUT THE DEMOLITION OF 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN STREET. AS, UM, COUNCILOR NOLAN MENTIONED, FOLKS MAY REMEMBER BACK IN JULY OF 2025, WE APPROPRIATED $20 MILLION TO FUND THE DEMOLITION OF A PRIVATE PROPERTY. UM, AND I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME WE'VE HAD THAT CONVERSATION, CERTAINLY AT THAT SCALE WITH COUNCIL. UM, AND THE FOCUS REALLY WAS ON PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. WE DID NOT GO INTO DEMOLISHING PRIVATE PROPERTY LIGHTLY FROM THE CITY PERSPECTIVE. UM, AND I JUST REMIND FOLKS, YOU KNOW, THE OWNERS AT 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN STREET, YOU KNOW, WERE REALLY DOING EVERYTHING THEY COULD IN TERMS OF DOING REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON THEIR BUILDING. AND IT WAS DURING THAT PROCESS THAT THEY IDENTIFIED SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DEFECTS IN THE BUILDING. UM, AND THEY REALLY TRIED HARD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THE DEMOLITION THEMSELVES, BUT JUST WERE NOT ABLE TO COME UP WITH THE FUNDS TO DO IT. SO THEY REALLY REACHED OUT TO THE CITY AND THE CITY STEPPED IN. AND AGAIN, IN TERMS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OF HAVING A NINE STORY CONCRETE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ABOUT 30 FEET AWAY FROM ITS CLOSEST NEIGHBOR HAVING SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DEFECTS. UM, AND LAST JULY WHEN WE APPROPRIATED THE $20 MILLION WE TALKED ABOUT THAT WE HOPED THAT THAT WAS A VERY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE, BUT WE NEEDED TO HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE, UM, IN CASE THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES DURING CONSTRUCTION. SO I AM RELIEVED TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR TOTAL ESTIMATE NOW IS AT $12 MILLION. SO SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THAT SORT OF WORST CASE SCENARIO. UM, AND THE ONE THING I DO WANNA ALSO MAKE NOTE OF IS ON PAGE THREE OF THE PRESENTATION, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS EFFORT REQUIRED A LOT OF STAFF FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS TO REALLY STEP UP. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T TYPICALLY DO THIS, BUT WE DID JUST SORT OF MAKE A NOTE JUST TO REALLY REINFORCE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN MANY WAYS I'VE BEEN VERY MUCH THE PUBLIC FACE OF THIS AND, YOU KNOW, OUR CAPITAL BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT HAS REALLY LED THE DEMOLITION. BUT, UM, THE NUMBER OF STAFF WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FROM OUR FINANCE TEAM, UM, TO OUR LEGAL TEAM, TO GETTING THE BILLS PAID TO ALL THE SORT OF BACKHOUSE ACTIVITIES, REALLY TOOK A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF EFFORT AND ON A WORK PLAN THAT NO ONE WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON. UM, AND A FEW WEEKS AGO I SHARED A SIMILAR PRESENTATION OF THIS WITH ALL THE OWNERS, UM, OF 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN STREET. AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA SAY THEY WERE SO APPRECIATIVE OF THE CITY'S EFFORTS AND THEY'D HAD SO MUCH STRESS ABOUT WORRYING ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT THIS BUILDING COULD HAVE ON THE NEIGHBORS AND REALLY THE SAFETY CONCERNS. AND, UM, THEY REALLY FELT LUCKY TO BE RESIDENTS OF CAMBRIDGE AND WANTED ME TO REALLY SHARE THAT WITH COUNCIL AND OTHERS THAT, UM, THEY AGAIN FELT SO LUCKY TO LIVE IN A CITY THAT HAD THE FINANCIAL ABILITY AND THE STAFF CAPACITY TO REALLY TAKE ON THIS DEMOLITION. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS VERY, IT WAS AN INTERESTING MEETING IN THAT YOU'RE SORT OF SAYING TO FOLKS LIKE, WE'RE GONNA SEND YOU A $12 MILLION BILL AND WE JUST DEMOLISHED YOUR HOUSE. AND THEY WERE SO APPRECIATIVE OF THE CITY AND SUPPORT FOR THE SAFE DEMOLITION. UM, SO AS OF APRIL 1ST, ALL THE BUILDING MATERIAL HAS BEEN REMOVED, SO THE BUILDING'S BEEN SAFELY DEMOLISHED AND REMOVED. WE'RE DOING SOME FINAL SITE PREP THERE. UM, AND THEN IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS WE ANTICIPATE TURNING THE CONTROL OF THE SITE BACK TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS. UM, THEY ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS THROUGH LAND COURT OF, THERE'S BEEN A COMMISSIONER, BEEN APPOINTED, AND THAT PERSON WILL OVERSEE THE SALE OF THE PROPERTY. UM, AND I WOULD SAY IT'S NOT UNTIL AFTER THAT THAT WE'LL REALLY UNKNOW WHAT, UM, THE SORT OF PLAN IS FOR THE PROPERTY. AND SO I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT'S COMING UP A LOT WITH THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND IT'S SORT OF LIKE WE DON'T KNOW THAT UNTIL THERE IS A NEW OWNER THERE, BUT, UM, AND THEY, THAT IS STILL A PROCESS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A TIMELINE FOR. SO I THINK IT COULD STILL BE, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR BEFORE THEY GET THROUGH THAT PROCESS OF, YOU KNOW, CHANGING HOW THEY OWN THE, THE PROPERTY AND THEN MAKING IT AVAILABLE FOR SALE. UM, SO THERE'S STILL SOME, A FAIR AMOUNT OF WORK THERE TO BE DONE. UM, AND THEN ON THE, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THAT, WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM IN TERMS OF THE LEGAL PROCESS FOR US TO GET REIMBURSED FOR THE $12 MILLION. SO THOSE ARE ALSO ONGOING CONVERSATIONS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S EVERY EXPECTATION THAT WE'LL BE FULLY REIMBURSED FOR ALL OF THE EXPENSES THAT THE CITY HAS INCURRED. UM, AND THEN I THINK WE PUT IN THE MEMO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE $8 MILLION WOULD OBVIOUSLY GO BACK INTO SORT OF UNEXPECTED FUNDS THAT THEN NEXT YEAR WHEN WE'RE DOING THE CERTIFIED FREE CASH WOULD BECOME PART OF THAT FREE CASH. UM, THE ZONING ANALYSIS THAT YOU MENTIONED, UM, WAS A SNAPSHOT THAT WE DID THAT IS THE CURRENT ZONING OF THE SITE. AND SO THE SITE HAS TWO DIFFERENT ZONING DISTRICTS. THE ONE THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY LARGE SITE. SO THE FRONT HALF OF THE SITE THAT IS ALONG MOUNT AUBURN, THE EXISTING ZONING IS SEVEN STORIES. AND THEN THE REAR SITE IS SIX STORIES, DEPENDING ON THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING ZONING REQUIREMENTS. BUT SO WE JUST HAD DONE THAT 'CAUSE THE COMMUNITY WAS ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS. UM, AND SO AGAIN, IT'S NOT TO SAY THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WOULD BE BUILT THERE, BUT JUST TO SAY THAT IS THE ZONING AS IT'S ALLOWED, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR NOLAN AND THEN VICE MAYOR AZI. NO, [02:10:01] I, I APPRECIATE IT. I RECOGNIZE IT'S COMPLEX. IT MAY BE A WHILE. UM, I'M GLAD IT'S, IT'S DOWN AND THAT TRAFFIC HAS BEEN RESTORED BECAUSE THAT WAS ANOTHER IMPACT THAT WAS QUITE, UM, EVIDENT. IN FACT, WE HAD TO DEPLOY POLICE OFFICERS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL QUITE OFTEN. I WOULD GO BY THERE OFTEN. SO AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE STAFF, GLAD THIS IS DONE, AND I, I REALLY WISH THE OWNERS KUDOS AGAIN OR JUST APPRECIATION TO THE STAFF AND TO THE OWNERS. AND I HOPE IT GETS RESOLVED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN DO TO, UH, ACCELERATE THAT, LET US KNOW. BUT I YIELD. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, VICE MAYOR ZI, UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CONDO OWNERS. SO, UM, WHEN THE LAND IS SOLD, THAT'S THE POINT AT WHICH THEY'LL GET WHATEVER THE LAND VALUE IS. AND SO ANY DEVELOPMENT THAT HAPPENS AFTER, WILL THEY NOT GET ANY PRECEDES FROM IT? UM, THREE, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT ONE MORE TIME? I'M SORRY, I MISSED THE FIRST PART. I'M SORRY. SO I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL CONDO OWNERS, AND SO WHEN THE LAND SALE HAPPENS, THAT'S THE POINT AT WHICH THEY WILL GET, YOU KNOW, ANY PAYMENT FOR THE LAND. BUT THEN AFTER THAT, ANY OF THE PCS OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS, WE'LL JUST GO TO WHOEVER BROUGHT THE PROPERTY. CORRECT. SORRY. YES. UM, UH, THROUGH MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. SO THE LAND WILL SELL AND AT THAT POINT, AND AGAIN, THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH LAND COURT TO GO THROUGH THE DETAILS OF HOW THAT MONEY GETS DISTRIBUTED. UM, BUT THAT WOULD BE SORT OF THE END OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL OWNERS, AND THEN THEY WOULD LIKELY BE, THAT WOULD BE THE PLAN TO HAVE A NEW OWNER THAT WOULD THEN DEVELOP THE SITE. GOT IT. UM, WELL, OH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, WELL, I DON'T HAVE ANY PARTICULAR INTEREST IN WHOEVER BUYS THE SITE AND THEIR FINANCIAL INTEREST. I WOULD SAY THAT THIS IS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO'VE KIND OF LOST THEIR LIFE SAVINGS. IF THERE'S EITHER A WAY THAT WE CAN GET AHEAD OF THE PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT THEY GET, YOU KNOW, A GOOD VALUE FOR THEIR LAND IN A WAY THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CAN HELP, SUCH THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THEY GET BETTER VALUE AND MAYBE ARE MADE AT LEAST PARTIALLY WHOLE IN A BETTER WAY. LIKE THAT IS SOMETHING I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN. OR IF THERE'S A WAY DURING THE LAND SALE PROCESS OF MAKING SO THAT, YOU KNOW, ANY, UH, CHANGES OR ANY BENEFITS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL GIVES IN THE FUTURE, THE ADDITIONAL VALUE OF THAT CAN GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL CONDO OWNERS. THOSE SORTS OF THINGS ARE STUFF THAT I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN. I FEEL LIKE IT'S KIND OF SAD TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'LL TALK FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT AFTER THOSE GUYS ARE GONE AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I DON'T REALLY CARE. BUT LIKE, IF IT'S NOW AND THERE'S A WAY THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, CHANGE THE ZONING OR DO OTHER SORTS OF STUFF TO REALLY HELP OUT PEOPLE WHO HAD THIS REALLY UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE. AND IT'S LIKE, IN SOME WAYS A PRIMAL LOCATION ON MEMORIAL DRIVE AND THE BUILDING ALREADY IS DENSER THAN WHAT'S ALLOWED. I FEEL LIKE ALL THOSE MAKE IT SENSE THAT THERE'S A POSSIBILITY FOR SOME SORT OF, UM, AGREEMENT HERE, UM, THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, I, I THINK MAYBE WHAT YOU'RE POINTING TO VICE MAYOR IS THAT, UH, IF THERE IS ANY ZONING RELIEF THAT CREATES VALUE RIGHT NOW, THERE'S SOME UNCERTAINTY TO IT. UM, MAYBE THAT WILL BE A QUESTION WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH OFFLINE, WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF WHAT THE EXISTING ZONING ALLOWS FOR. UM, AND, AND I THINK ULTIMATELY IT'S PROBABLY A BIT OF A CHALLENGE IN TERMS OF THE ZONING NEEDING TO BE REQUESTED BY SOME ENTITY. UM, BUT, UM, BUT CERTAINLY I THINK WE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT, ABOUT PROCESS. WE'LL GO AHEAD TO COUNCILLOR ZUZI AND THEN COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. MANY OF MY QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED, BUT I JUST WANTED TO COMMEND, UM, YOU DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, WATKINS, FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB ORCHESTRATING ALL OF THIS AND TO ALL THE CITY STAFF THAT WERE INVOLVED. I, I WAS THERE AT A EARLY COMMUNITY MEETING AND I JUST FELT AS THOUGH THE CITY WAS SO TRANSPARENT, YOUR PRESENTATION WAS SO CLEAR AND YOU'VE HAD A WEBSITE. I FEEL LIKE THE COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN STELLAR AND IT WAS JUST VERY WELL MANAGED. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND, AND I ALSO HAVE BEEN WONDERING, UM, ABOUT, UH, ULTIMATE HEIGHT TWO SINCE IT WAS NINE STORIES, AND NOW IT CAN BE UP ZONE, IT CAN BE IT, WHAT'S ALLOWED IS SEVEN STORIES OR SIX STORIES. SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THAT CONVERSATION DEVELOPS. THANK YOU. I YIELD, UM, THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, I WOULD ALSO JUST ECHO A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER WHO I THINK HAD, HAD REALLY JUST STARTED IN THE ROLE AND WAS READY TO EASE INTO, UM, EASE INTO ALL OF THE OPERATIONAL DEPARTMENTS, AND THEN WAS SUDDENLY RUNNING A MASSIVE PROJECT THAT INCLUDED A REALLY SIGNIFICANT ENGINEERING CHALLENGE. A LOT OF LEGAL COMPLEXITIES IN TERMS OF THE OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND A DEEP AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH BOTH RESIDENTS AND ALSO NEIGHBORS. SO, UH, REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT KATHY DID, UM, AND IN PARTICULAR HOW MUCH EMPATHY SHE BROUGHT AND, AND REALLY, UM, SPENDING A LOT OF EXTRA TIME WORKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, AND, [02:15:01] AND EVEN ESPECIALLY THE, THE NEIGHBORING BUILDING THAT WE HAD TO ACTUALLY TEMPORARILY RELOCATE PEOPLE FOR. UM, SO REALLY APPRECIATE KATHY, THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF THE CITY STAFF THAT CONTRIBUTED. UM, WE REALLY SAW SO MANY DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE WORKING. AND THEN, UH, I THINK JUST THE, THE ADDITIONAL THANK YOU I WANTED TO CALL OUT IS, UM, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION WORKED WITH US INCREDIBLY CLOSELY. UM, I THINK THIS PRESENTATION TALKS THROUGH, THERE WERE MORE THAN 20 DEP SITE INSPECTIONS, UM, AND THEY REALLY WORKED WITH US TO KEEP TO THIS TIMELINE. AND SO THIS WAS REALLY AN INCREDIBLE EXAMPLE OF LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT WORKING TOGETHER TO GET THIS PROJECT DONE. UM, BUT THEY REALLY WERE OUR PARTNERS, UH, THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THEY DID. WE DO HAVE QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. PLEASE GO AHEAD. JUST VERY QUICKLY. AND I'D ALSO SAY CONGRATULATIONS ON A MASSIVE ENGINEERING UNDERTAKING THAT WAS, IT WAS EXCEPTIONAL. IT REALLY WAS. AND THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE AND THE CITY OF, UH, CAMBRIDGE IS REALLY UNPARALLELED. MY QUESTION IS ABOUT, UH, AND I KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS, BUT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS AND THE VICE MAYOR SORT OF TOOK SOME OF THE WORDS OUTTA MY MOUTH ABOUT THINKING ABOUT, UM, HELPING THOSE ORIGINAL OWNERS WHO SUFFERED DEVASTATING FINANCIAL LOSSES. WHETHER THERE'S A WAY OR A MECHANISM TO HELP THEM RECOUP SOME OF THOSE LOSSES. WE COULD LEAVE A $12 MILLION BILL FOR TEARING DOWN THEIR HOUSE THAT THEY LOST. AND, UM, THAT'S A DIFFICULT SITUATION. AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING, I WONDER ABOUT INCENTIVIZING, UH, OR INCREASING THE VALUE AND INCENTIVIZING THE PURCHASE OF THAT VALUE FOR THE FINAL USER. THE BEST AND MOST PROFITABLE USE OF THAT OBVIOUSLY IS HOUSING. UM, I'D SUGGEST AND MAYBE THINK ABOUT, UH, AND WONDER IF IT'S BEEN CONSIDERED ALLOWING THE ORIGINAL OWNERS TO STAY AS A, UH, LIMITED PARTNER GOING FORWARD IN WHOMEVER BUYS THE LAND. SO THOSE, THOSE ORIGINAL OWNERS CAN SHARE IN WHATEVER SORT OF, UM, EQUITY VALUE INCREASE HAPPENS, UH, POST-SALE OF THE LAND. AND I KNOW IT'S IN LAND COURT AND I KNOW THAT IT'S VERY COMPLICATED AND IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARILY COMPLICATED, UH, LEGAL ISSUE. BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT THE CONTRACT IS LONG GONE. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE LONG GONE. THERE'S, UH, NO ONE TO SUE. THE CITY'S GET IMMUNITY. UM, THERE'S NO ONE TO SUE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO RECOUP THE MASSIVE LOSSES THAT THEY'VE SUFFERED AT THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. SO I WONDER IF THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT ALLOWING THEM TO MAINTAIN A LIMITED EQUITY POSITION, UH, IN THE PROJECT GOING FORWARD. UM, THREE, MAYOR SADIKI, I WOULD ADD A FEW COMMENTS. SO LIKE, AGAIN, UM, THROUGH THE LAND COURT PROCESS, THEY'VE APPOINTED A COMMISSIONER THAT WILL OVERSEE THE SALE AND MAKE THOSE DECISIONS THROUGH THE LAND COURT PROCESS. AND I THINK WE CAN SHARE THIS CONVERSATION WITH HIM SO HE'S AWARE OF THIS CONVERSATION. UM, YOU KNOW, MY SENSE OF THE OWNERS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS IN MANY WAYS SORT OF A NATURALLY OCCURRING RETIREMENT HOME. UM, AND SO MANY OF THE OWNERS, UM, I WOULD SAY ARE SORT OF TOWARDS THE END OF THEIR HOME OWNING YEARS INSTEAD OF AT THE BEGINNING. UM, AND SO I'M NOT SURE THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SORT OF A LONGER TERM PROCESS AS OPPOSED TO TRYING TO RECOUP WHAT THEY CAN. BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY SHARE THESE COMMENTS WITH THE COMMISSIONER AND THE OWNERS. UM, AND THEN IT'S UP TO THAT PROCESS TO REALLY OVERSEE HOW THE PRO THE PROPERTY IS SOLD ULTIMATELY. YEP. THAT MAKES SENSE. FAIR TO YOU SAID PERFECT SENSE. I YIELD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. WE'LL GO TO CUSTOMER GOVERN. UH, THANK YOU FOR YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, JUST QUICKLY, I AGREE WITH BOTH, UH, THE VICE MAYOR AND COUNCILOR FLAHERTY ABOUT THE ZONING PIECE. I THINK IF, IF THE LAND QUARTER'S MAKING THEIR DECISION ON THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY BASED ON SEVEN STORIES, IT'S GONNA BE ONE NUMBER, YOU KNOW, IF ZONING AND THEN THE DEVELOPER COMES FORWARD AND THEY BUY IT BASED ON SEVEN STORIES AND THEN THEY COME FORWARD AND SAY, HEY, I WANT TO DO 12. UM, I'D RATHER THAT PROFIT GO TO THE, IN THE SALE FOR THE, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, HAVE SUFFERED THIS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE TO DISCUSS THAT. UM, QUESTION ABOUT THE, SO THERE ARE 17 UNITS IN THE BACK, IS THAT, OR HOW MANY UNITS ARE IN THE BACK BUILDING? UM, I, I BELIEVE IT'S 14 THAT ARE IN THE BRADBURY. UM, WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE BRADBURY BUILDING, WHICH IS THE THREE STORY. UM, THERE'S BASEMENT UNITS AND THEN THERE'S LIKE, UH, TWO STORY UNITS ABOVE THEM AND I THINK IT'S 14 AND THREE . THOSE ARE CONDOS. EXCUSE ME? ARE THOSE CONDOS OR RENTAL? YEP. SO, UM, BOTH THE, UM, THE NINE STORY BUILDING THAT WE, THAT IS THE 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN STREET AND THE BRADBURY UNITS, [02:20:01] UM, ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME CONDO ASSOCIATION. SO THEY'RE ALL PART OF THAT. UM, AND SO THEY'RE NOW BEING PART OF THE, UM, THIS PROCESS THROUGH THE LAND COURT. WE ONLY DEMOLISHED THE CONCRETE BUILDING 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIENCIES WERE. THE BRADBURY UNITS HAVE BEEN VACANT PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF NOW. UM, THEY VACATED BEFORE WE REALLY GOT INVOLVED S SO THROUGH YOUR MADAM MAYOR. SO EVEN THOUGH THE BRADBURY RESIDENT, THAT BUILDING WAS NOT DEMOLISHED, THOSE FOLKS ARE PART OF THE SALE AND THEY'RE ASSUMING THEY'RE NOT GOING BACK. SO THAT BOTH THE, THE LAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE DEMOLISHED BUILDING AND THE BRADBURY BUILDING ARE BOTH PART OF THE SALE. SO I BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THOSE DETAILS, THAT THAT'S NOT A DEFINITIVE, THAT IS PART OF THE PROCESS THAT THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH. OKAY. I WAS JUST WORRIED ABOUT THOSE COMMS GOVERNOR FOLKS GETTING THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. I WAS JUST WORRIED ABOUT THOSE FOLKS GETTING POTENTIALLY DISPLACED SOMEHOW, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THEIR BUILDING WAS NOT THE BUILDING THAT NEEDED THEM. RIGHT. IT'S TRICKY 'CAUSE IT IS ALL PART OF THE SAME CONDO ASSOCIATION. AND SO THAT IS PART OF WHAT'S GOING THROUGH LAND COURT IS HOW TO DIVIDE THE PROPERTY AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. THANKS, MAYOR. MAYOR THROUGH YOU, MAYOR. I THINK JUST A CLARIFICATION, I THINK ONE OF THE ISSUES IN TERMS OF THE PROPERTIES BEING CONNECTED WAS, UH, BEING PART OF THE SAME ASSOCIATION, BUT THE BRADBURY BUILDING ALSO ESSENTIALLY SHARED AND HAD INTEGRATED UTILITIES THAT WERE PART OF THE NINE STORY BUILDING. AND SO EVEN THOUGH THE, THE BRADBURY BUILDING STRUCTURE I THINK IS STILL THERE, UM, THERE'S SOME SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE IN TERMS OF THAT BEING A STANDALONE PROPERTY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE FOLKS WOULD LIKE TO ADD ON THIS? WE'LL GO AHEAD AND PLACE THIS ON FILE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO PLACE ON FILE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAIN SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM FOUR IS PLACED ON FILE CITY MANAGER. DO YOU WANT US TO CONTINUE ON TO THE POLICY ORDERS OR DO WE HAVE, OH, THERE'S COMMISSIONER. SO AT THIS POINT WE WILL GO AHEAD AND HEAR FROM COMMISSIONER WELLS, UH, ON THE MEMORIAL DRIVE AND RIVER STREET SHOOTING. MADAM MAYOR? YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. SHOULD WE SUSPEND THE RULES? 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA THAT HAVE, WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO TAKE THIS LATE SENIOR MANAGER AGENDA ITEM, UH, RIGHT NOW. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A AYE THOSE AGAIN? SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. PLEASE GO AHEAD THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, I'M JUST GONNA GO FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE. UH, NOTES. UH, TODAY AT APPROXIMATELY 1:06 PM THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE RECEIVED A NINE ONE ONE CALL FROM BOSTON POLICE REPORTING THAT A SUSPECT MAY BE IN THE CITY AND HAD BEEN ACTING ERRATICALLY. BOSTON POLICE RELAYED TO THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE THAT THE SUSPECT WAS IN POSSESSION OF A RIFLE. WHEN MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE RESPONDED TO THE AREA OF MEMORIAL DRIVE, ALONG WITH THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE, AN ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION WAS UNDERWAY WITH THE SUSPECT ON FOOT WALKING EAST ON THE ROADWAY, AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROADWAY, ALLEGEDLY IN POSSESSION OF AN ASSAULT STYLE RIFLE, WHICH HE WAS ACTIVELY FIRING IN AN ERRATIC FASHION. AT VEHICLES IN THE ROADWAY, THE SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY SHOT TWO MALE VICTIMS WHO WERE INSIDE THEIR CARS ON MEMORIAL DRIVE BEFORE BEING CONFRONTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE AND A CIVILIAN WHO HAD A FIREARM, LEGAL FIREARM AT THE TIME, THE SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY CONTINUED TO FIRE THE WEAPON STRIKING THE STATE POLICE CRUISER AS WELL. BOTH THE CIVILIAN AND THE TROOPER FIRED THEIR WEAPONS AND THE SUSPECT WAS STRUCK MULTIPLE TIMES. THE SUSPECT WAS TREATED ON SCENE AND TRANSPORTED TO A BOSTON HOSPITAL WHERE HE HAS GUNSHOT WOUNDS TO HIS EXTREMITIES. BOTH VICTIMS WERE ALSO TRANSPORTED WITH LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES TO BOSTON HOSPITALS. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE INFORMATION WE HAVE AT THIS TIME SUGGESTS THE VICTIMS WERE NOT KNOWN TO THE DEFENDANT. WE ARE, WE ARE VERY EARLY IN THE, IN THE INVESTIGATION AND ARE STILL GATHERING INFORMATION. BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION INVOLVING A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF SHOTS, 50 TO 60 ROUNDS FIRED WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE QUICK RESPONSE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE, THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE, AND THE FORMER MARINE, ENDED THIS INCIDENT QUICKLY AND VERY WELL SAVED, LIKELY SAVED LIVES. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A BUSY PART OF THE AFTERNOON WHERE INNOCENT PEOPLE WERE DRIVING THEIR VEHICLES, WALKING, BIKING, AND ROWING IN THE RIVER. THE ALLEGED ACTIONS OF THE SHOOTER IN THIS CASE PUT MANY LIVES AT RISK AND VERY SERIOUSLY INJURED. TWO INNOCENT PEOPLE. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. UM, AS I SAID, UH, IN THE BEGINNING, UH, OUR THOUGHTS ARE REALLY WITH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY, UH, TODAY'S VIOLENCE AND, UH, THE VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE. UM, THOSE WHO ARE RIGHT NOW IN THE HOSPITAL AND VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE EVERYWHERE. UM, I, WE RECOGNIZE, UM, AND I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MY COLLEAGUES HOW FRIGHTENING, UM, TODAY WAS, [02:25:01] UM, FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND, UM, WANNA JUST REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO, UH, CAME, YOU KNOW, WITH C WITH COURAGE, UH, UNDER SUCH, UM, DANGEROUS AND EVOLVING, UM, CIRCUMSTANCES. I KNOW THERE'S A VIDEO OUT THERE THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE, HAVE BEEN WATCHING AND SEEING, AND, UM, AND I KNOW THE DA HAS HAD THIS CONFERENCE AND, UM, SHE SPOKE TO HOW JUST MORE TERRIBLE IT COULD HAVE BEEN. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND GIVING US THAT UPDATE. I KNOW YOU'LL SHARE MORE AS TIME GOES ON. IF MY COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING, FEEL FREE. MM-HMM . IF THEY DO HAVE QUESTIONS, UM, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO THEM. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR THROUGH YOU TO MADAM COMMISSIONER, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE, FOR THE UPDATE. I HAVE A NUMBER OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT LIVE IN 8 0 8, 8 12, AND YOU, WE WERE CALLING AROUND TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE ALL RIGHT. UH, I JUST WANNA, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, JUST TO SAY FOR FOLKS, AND I JUST WANNA BE SURE, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, TO THE, TO OUR COMMISSIONER, IS THAT MEMORIAL DRIVE IS NOT UNDER THE CITY'S JURISDICTION IS UNDER STATE CONTROL. IS THAT CORRECT? IT'S ACTUALLY CONCURRENT JURISDICTION, BUT ON THE STATE FOR THE MOST PART. UNDERSTOOD. UH, THANK YOU, UH, MADAM COMMISSIONER, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF YOU WERE WATCHING ON TELEVISION, YOU WOULD'VE SEEN STATE POLICE, AND I WAS GONNA SAY FBI, BUT I'M THINKING OF A MOVIE. UM, YOU WOULD'VE SEEN STATE POLICE AND, AND MIGHT HAVE WONDERED, WELL, WHERE WAS THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE? AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO KNOW, YES, THAT WE ARE THERE, BUT WE WERE NOT AS PROMINENT BECAUSE OF, UH, THE STATE POLICE AND, AND THEIR, YOU CALL IT DUAL JURISDICTION. CAN WE GET MORE OF THAT JURISDICTION, MR. CITY MANAGER? UH, BUT THAT I, THAT'S CERTAINLY A SIDE. I DO APPRECIATE THE WORK AND THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US ABREAST OF WHAT'S GOING ON. UM, WILL YOU BE GOING TO EIGHT OH EIGHT EIGHT TEN EIGHT TWELVE TO KIND OF GIVE THE COMMUNITY A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING? YES, MA'AM. WE WILL BE DOING THAT. AND I DO WANNA MENTION THE FACT THAT WE PROBABLY HAD 30 CAMBRIDGE POLICE OFFICERS ON SCENE AS WELL. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. I YIELD THE FLOOR, MADAM MAYOR, I HAVE THE VICE MAYOR. UM, OBVIOUSLY, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE FAST MOVING SITUATIONS, I THINK THAT THERE'S VERY LITTLE WE CAN SAY AT FOR DEFINITIVELY AT THIS, AND THERE'S AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION. I WAS WONDERING IF, UH, JUST AT NEXT WEEK, CITY COUNCIL MEETING, YOU'D BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILS ABOUT WHAT WE DO KNOW DEFINITIVELY, UM, SUCH AS, UM, YOU'RE WELCOME TO PROVIDE THIS IN CASE YOU KNOW IT TODAY TOO. BUT I DIDN'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT JUST IN TERMS OF LIKE WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT THE TIME BREAKDOWN WAS, YOU KNOW, WHO CALLED 9 1 1. UM, ANY OF THOSE SORTS OF DETAILS THAT CAN JUST HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED IN AS MUCH DETAIL AS WE CAN WHILE THERE'S AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION. COMMISSIONER THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, UM, I CAN GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE. YES. UM, THE SUBJECT THAT WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, WAS ON PROBATION AND OR PAROLE AT THE TIME. AND, UH, SOME INFORMATION HAD COME TO THE PAROLE OFFICER AND THAT, UH, WHO SPOKE TO BOSTON, WHO CALLED CAMBRIDGE. THEY KNEW HE HAD SOME SORT OF A TRACKING DEVICE, MAYBE A BRACELET, AND THEY KNEW WHERE HE WAS PINGING, UH, IN THE CAMBRIDGE PORT AREA. SO WE WERE ON OUR WAY THERE WHEN EVERYTHING RAPIDLY EVOLVED, WHERE HE JUST STARTED TO WALK DOWN MEMORIAL DRIVE AND IN THE MIDDLE OF MEMORIAL DRIVE AND SHOOT, UH, INDISCRIMINATELY. REALLY, UH, NOBODY THAT HE HIT, UH, WE DON'T BELIEVE HE WERE, THEY WERE INVOLVED. THEY WERE JUST RANDOM, UM, SHOTS FIRED, AND I WILL SAY ASSAULT STYLE RIFLE ROUNDS, UH, CAN ACTUALLY CROSS THE RIVER AND DO DAMAGE. SO THAT'S, IT CAN GO THROUGH THINGS, IT CAN GO THROUGH PEOPLE, IT CAN, IT CAN CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE. WE WERE EXTREMELY, I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THAT MORE PEOPLE WERE NOT HURT IN THIS INCIDENT WITH 50 TO 60 ROUNDS, UM, FIRED. IT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE. WE WERE EX I'M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL THAT, AND HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY PULLS OUT, UH, AND IS GONNA BE OKAY AT SOME POINT. BUT, UH, WE DON'T KNOW THAT YET. THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN, UM, THEY HAVE LIFE THREATENING INJURIES AT THIS POINT. MY MAYOR, UM, IF I MAY, I PROMISE THIS WILL BE MY LAST QUESTION, UM, BUT COULD YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL? UM, SO WERE YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, ALERTED AND THEN ATTENDING, DID, WERE YOU NOTIFIED? DID YOU HAPPEN TO JUST CATCH UP WITH HIM OR WAS THERE LIKE 9 1 1 CALLS AND HOW DID WE GET AN ESTIMATE OF 50 TO 60 ROUNDS AT THIS POINT? THREE MADAM MAYOR. UM, AS FAR AS THE ROUNDS, I WAS ON SCENE AT ONE POINT, AND YOU CAN JUST COUNT THE, THE ROUNDS. THEY'RE LITERALLY THAT, THAT SIZE. UM, WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO CAMBRIDGE PORT TO SEE IF WE COULD LOCATE THIS GENTLEMAN. AND, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE, WHEN THE, HE LEFT, UH, KELLY ROAD [02:30:01] AND CAME UP TO MEMORIAL DRIVE AND JUST STARTED FIRING. THERE HAPPENED TO BE A TROOPER WHO ACTUALLY GOT THE CALL OVER THE RADIO TOO, WENT OVER BAY PER THREE, WHICH IS A, A REGIONAL RADIO SYSTEM. SO HE CAME TO THAT AREA AS WELL. AND THE OTHER CIVILIAN GENTLEMAN WAS IN HIS OWN CAR, UM, STUCK IN TRAFFIC AS HE WAS FIRING, WALKING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, THAT GENTLEMAN GOT OUT OF HIS CAR AND ENGAGED. HE HAD A FIREARM WITH HIM, ILLEGALLY CARRIED FIREARM AND ENGAGED THE SUSPECT ALONG WITH THE TROOPER THAT HAD ALSO COME UPON THERE. AT THE SAME TIME, THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE WERE LITERALLY RIGHT HERE TOO. SO AS SOON AS THE SHOOTING OCCURRED, EVERYBODY, CAMBRIDGE AND STATE GOT TOGETHER AND, AND STARTED TO GIVE MEDICAL AID TO ALL THOSE THAT HAD BEEN, UM, HAD BEEN HIT. AND I THINK WITH THE TOURNIQUETS AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAD DONE AT THAT TIME, UM, HOPEFULLY IF THEY PULL THROUGH IT WOULD'VE SAVED THEIR LIVES. VICE MAYOR. THANK YOU. AYE, COUNCIL MEMBER. GO. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU. UH, THANK YOU ALSO, UM, ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR, FOR YOUR RESPONSE. UM, JUST IN TERMS OF, I JUST KIND OF WANTED SOMETHING THAT, THAT, UH, COUNCILOR SIMMONS SAID, JUST, AND JUST SO THE PUBLIC IS AWARE TOO, THAT, BECAUSE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOW AT THE STATE LEVEL, IT'S A STATE, UM, INVESTIGATION. AND SO IN TERMS OF, AND I KNOW IT'S FRUSTRATING BECAUSE THE CITY CAN'T ALWAYS GIVE THE ANSWERS THAT PEOPLE HAVE BECAUSE EITHER WE'RE, WE'RE JUST NOT ALLOWED TO BECAUSE OF AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION OR BECAUSE WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THOSE ANSWERS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT NECESS, WE'RE NOT THE ONES DOING THE ACTUAL LEADING THE INVESTIGATION. SO IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? THIS IS BEING LED BY THE STATE AT THIS POINT. THIS IS ACTUALLY BEING LED THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. THIS IS ACTUALLY BEING LED BY THE DA'S OFFICE, UM, WITH, IN, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STATE POLICE AND THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE. SO I THINK THAT WE WOULD BE LOCKSTEP, UM, WITH THE INVESTIGATION AS WELL. OKAY. THANK, THANK YOU COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. AND, UH, COMMISSIONER. I, KNOWING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A SITUATION LIKE THIS, BECAUSE OF MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AS A, AS A FORMER PROSECUTOR, UH, AND, AND RECOGNIZING THAT THIS IS A ONGOING MAJOR CRIME INVESTIGATION, WHICH WILL INVOLVE BALLISTICS PERSONNEL, CRIME SCENE PERSONNEL, UH, CPAC UNIT OFFICES FROM THE MIDDLESEX DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG RUNNING. AND, UM, I'M, I'M CERTAIN VERY DILIGENT INVESTIGATION. UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO NOTE NOW AT THIS MOMENT EXACTLY HOW DIFFICULT THE JOB IS OF POLICING. THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY LIFE-THREATENING, DANGEROUS SITUATION. AND NOT ONLY DID MEMBERS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE, BUT MEMBERS OF THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT RAN TOWARDS THIS SITUATION, AND I'M SURE ALL OF US IN THIS CHAMBER ALREADY KNOW PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT AREA HAVE RECEIVED CALLS AND TEXTS AND SCHOOL CHILDREN AND PARENTS AND TEACHERS. UH, THIS IS MAYBE THE MOST UNSETTLING INCIDENT THAT I CAN RECALL IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. SOME 60 YEARS LIVING IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE JUST HOW DANGEROUS A JOB IT IS TO BE A POLICE OFFICER IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. AND, UH, AND I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR US TO NOTE AND AND TO MARK THE CALENDAR TODAY ABOUT THOSE BRAVE OFFICERS THAT RAN TOWARDS THAT SITUATION, UH, TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE AND SAVE OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES. SO I, I CONGRATULATE THEM AND, AND YOU AND, UM, I, I HOPE THAT ISN'T LOST IN THE SHUFFLE OF, UH, WHAT IS A VERY TRAGIC AND A VERY UNSETTLING AND TOTALLY UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION FOR ALL OF US. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I YIELD, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SUZI. I WANNA THANK YOU AS WELL. I, I ALMOST WOULD'VE BEEN A LONG MEMORIAL DRIVE AT THAT TIME TODAY, BUT I PICKED A DIFFERENT BICYCLE ROUTE. UH, ANYWAY, I WANTED TO ASK, JUST SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SHOT SPOTTER TODAY AND 9 1 1 RESPONSES, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH IT WAS THE BOSTON ALERT THAT ALERTED YOU TO THE SITUATION, AND, BUT I DON'T WAS SHOT SPOTTER INVOLVED AT ALL? UH, AND, AND DID YOU RECEIVE 9 1 1 CALLS IMMEDIATELY? COUNCILOR ZUZI, JUST WANNA BE CAREFUL, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT IS, I'M HAPPY TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE PO UM, IT'S NOT CURRENTLY BEFORE US, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST WANNA, IF FOLKS WANNA BRING THAT FORWARD AT THIS TIME, I THINK JUST PROCEDURALLY WOULD BE BETTER TO DO IT. BUT IF YOU CAN, IF YOU CAN RESPOND TO THIS COMMISSIONER BROADLY, THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. UM, WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT IT IS, THAT IS A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE [02:35:01] OF THE, UM, COVERAGE AREA. UM, 9 1 1 9 1 1 CALLS. WE RECEIVED VERY MANY. AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALSO A FEW SCHOOLS IN THAT AREA, ISRAEL. AND WE HAD, AS SOON AS THIS SITUATION STARTED TO EVOLVE, WE, WE PUT, UM, OUR YOUTH RESOURCE OFFICES IN THOSE SCHOOLS IMMEDIATELY SO THAT EVERYBODY WOULD FEEL SAFE THERE AND, AND GIVE THEM AS MUCH INFORMATION AS THEY COULD ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE, THE STUDENTS COULD LEAVE AND, AND WHAT TIME THEY COULD LEAVE AND HOW THEIR ROUTE WOULD, WOULD CHANGE AS WELL. UM, I THINK THOSE ARE YOUR TWO QUESTIONS. YES, YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. I HAVE COUNCILOR NOLAN AND THEN COUNCILOR ZUBI. THANK YOU. I WILL JUST ECHO WHAT THE COMMISSIONER SAID. WE'RE LUCKY THIS WAS, COULD HAVE BEEN A HUGE TRAGEDY AND WE'RE ALL GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE WHO ENDED UP DEALING WITH THIS SITUATION, PARTICULARLY THE FIRST RESPONDERS THAT, WE CAN'T ANSWER THIS NOW, BUT I THINK A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION WHEN WE DO KNOW MORE IS HOW THE GUN WAS ACQUIRED. 'CAUSE THAT IS HOW, ONE KEY WAY THAT WE STOP THIS KIND OF, UH, HORRIBLE AND HORRIFYING EVENT. SO I KNOW WE DON'T KNOW NOW, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO CONTROL IN THIS COUNTRY AND IN THIS CITY AND IN THE STATE. AND THE STATE HAS REALLY GOOD LAWS RELATED TO THAT. AND YET THIS HAPPENED. AND IT WASN'T JUST A HANDGUN, IT WAS, AS I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, AND REPEATING AR 15, WHICH I DID WATCH THAT VIDEO. IT WAS PSYCHOTIC, YOU KNOW, IT WAS RAPID FIRE BULLETS THAT THANK WHOEVER YOU IT IS THAT YOU, YOU THINK THAT IT ONLY HIT A COUPLE PEOPLE 'CAUSE IT COULD HAVE BEEN A, A MASSACRE BEYOND WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE NOW. SO JUST WHEN WE GET THE RESPONSE, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT, AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING, THEN LESSONS LEARNED THERE FROM, FROM THE ABILITY OF THIS PERSON WHO, GIVEN THEY WERE ON PAROLE, WAS PROBABLY NOT CERTAINLY LEGALLY ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY KIND OF FIREARM. AND HOW IT IS THAT IT MANAGED TO GET INTO THE HANDS OF SOMEONE ALSO WHO WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, MENTALLY IN A, IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY ENDED UP CAUSING TREMENDOUS VIOLENCE AND DAMAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO AGAIN, THANKS TO THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE COULD DO TO FURTHER PREVENT IT IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR SIKA YIELD, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR ZUBE. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS ASKED FROM MY COLLEAGUES, AND AS THOSE WERE SOME OF THE ONES THAT I HELD, I, I LIVE IN THE AREA AND I HEARD THE SHOTS MYSELF AND JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND FOR OUR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS THAT RESPONDED QUICKLY TO THE SCENE. UM, NO ONE SHOULD BE HOLDING A SEMI-AUTOMATIC WEAPON LIKE THAT. UM, SO LIKE COUNCILOR NOLAN, I, I DEFINITELY WOULD BE CURIOUS TO LEARN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THE PERSON ACQUIRED IT, UM, WHEN YOU GET MORE INFORMATION ON THAT ALL YIELD. I THINK THAT'S IT FOR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS FROM THE COUNCIL. UM, BUT THANK YOU COMMISSIONER FOR COMING. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. SO WE'LL MOVE ON, UM, FROM, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND PLACE THIS ITEM ON FILE AND WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO A FUTURE, UM, UPDATE WHEN YOU HAVE MORE INFORMATION. SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. THE LATE ITEM IS PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL GO TO POLICY ORDERS. [POLICY ORDERS] PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MADAM CHAIR, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER AND THEN COUNCILOR SIMMONS. I POLL NUMBER ONE AND THREE. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. POLLS ONE AND THREE. THREE COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, TWO, I THINK THREE HAS BEEN PULLED. FIVE AND SIX TWO. FIVE AND SIX. YES. MAYOR SADIKI. YES. COUNCILOR, I'LL JUST MAKE IT ALL IN. PULL FOUR. WE'LL PULL FOUR. OKAY. WE'VE PULLED IT ALL. WE'LL GO TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO CONFIRM WITH THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO IMMEDIATELY REQUEST EMPOWER TO RESIGN FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS HIGH TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL AND CONSIDER OPTIONS FOR TRANSITIONING THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE OUT OF EMPOWER AND TRANSFERRING ITS RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS INTO ONE OF THE CITY'S OTHER RETIREMENT PROGRAMS SHOULD EMPOWER, CONTINUE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE MHTC. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER, COUNCIL ZUBIE AND MYSELF, COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YOU HAVE THE FOUR. THANKS MADAM MAYOR. THERE MAY BE AN UPDATE HERE. SO I'M GONNA TRY TO WRITE THIS FOR NOW AND HOPEFULLY CAN RESOLVE NEXT WEEK. WE WILL GO AHEAD AND RESOLVE THAT. UH, THAT WAS, UH, AN EXERCISE THAT WAS A CHARTER WRITE EXERCISE BY COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. WE'RE GOING ON TO PAUSE SERIAL NUMBER TWO, THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO, IS REQUESTED TO WORK WITH RELEVANT, UH, CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING THE LAW DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT IS NO NEW DATA COLLECTED [02:40:01] BY SHOTSPOTTER DEVICES IN ALL EXISTING DATA WILL BE KEPT USED OR DELETED, ONLY AS REQUIRED BY LAW UNDER WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE AND SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE. THIS IS FILED BY COUNCILOR ZUBE, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, AND COUNCILLOR NOLAN, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YOU PULLED THIS? I DID. UH, I WILL GO TO THE FIRST, TO THE LEAD SPONSOR OF IT, COUNCILLOR ZUBE. AND THEN I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. AND THEN VICE MAYOR AZI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, JUST P JUST SOME, JUST FOR SOME CONTEXT HERE. THE POLICY ORDER COMES OUT OF A HEARING IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. I KNOW WE WANT EVERYBODY TO BE SAFE AND SHOT SPOTTER FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN ISN'T DELIVERING ENOUGH AND HAS THE CAPACITY TO SHARE DATA WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OUTSIDE OF OUR SANCTUARY CITY LAWS. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE COMPANY'S SOUND THINKING ITSELF HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OUTSIDE OF US IN OUR CONTRACT. SO AGAIN, THE QUESTION BECOMES NOT WHO DOES SHOT SPOTTER SHARE DATA WITH, BUT WHO CAN SHOT SPOTTER SHARE DATA WITH, UH, THE CONTRACTS AS THE CITY OWNS THE DATA. BUT IN PRACTICE, THE SYSTEM ITSELF IS ACTUALLY OPERATED AND CONTROLLED BY SOUND THINKING, WHICH DETERMINES HOW THAT DATA IS COLLECTED AND HOW IT'S SHARED WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. UH, I'LL ALSO ADD THAT OUR CONGRESSIONAL REPS HAVE ALSO RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT SHOTSPOTTER AND SOUND THINKING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE REASONS AMONGST OTHERS. I PUT FORTH WITH MY COLLEAGUES, A STOP FOR TO SHOT SPOTTER IN OUR CITY. AND, UH, WILL YIELD THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR YOUR SUPPORT. COUNCILOR SIMMONS, AND THEN VICE MAYOR AZI. OKAY. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. TO MY COLLEAGUES. SO EARLIER WHEN I READ THE INFORMATION ABOUT READ THE POLICY ORDER, EXCUSE ME, I WAS INCLINED TO SUPPORT IT. AND THEN, UM, I SPOKE TO SOME NEIGHBORS. I LISTENED TO THE TESTIMONY. UM, AND I HAVE TO SAY, UH, ALTHOUGH I DO IN, UH, APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUE'S ADVOCACY AND ENTHUSIASM, THE SENSE OF PERFORMATIVE ALLY AND SAVIORISM OF MARGINALIZED PEOPLE THAT ALSO RANG OUT. IT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAND UP FOR PEOPLE, BUT IT'S ALSO, IF YOU'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT FOR PEOPLE'S CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS, WE HAVE TO USE THAT WITH A MEASURE OF DIGNITY AND HUMILITY. YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED IN THE PORT MY ENTIRE LIFE, UH, THE LAST 50 YEARS, UH, WHO'S LIVED IN RIVERSIDE, A LOT OF MY NEIGHBORS DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS DISCUSSION. AND SO IT, IT'S HURTFUL AND BORDERLINE INSULTING. BUT I KNOW THAT'S NOT YOUR INTENTION TO TALK ABOUT FOLKS THAT YOU DIDN'T TALK TO, THAT YOU DIDN'T ENGAGE. NOW, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. NOT THAT LONG AGO, THERE WAS A SHOOTING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD NOT FAR FROM WHERE MY GRANDCHILDREN LIVE. AND, UM, MY COLLEAGUES CAME. NOW ALL, AND THIS WASN'T, THIS COUNCIL CAME AND SAID, AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANNA MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SAFE AND FOUGHT AGAINST WHAT THE NEIGHBORS WANTED, WHICH WAS, THEY WANTED CAMERAS. NOW THAT WE DON'T SUPPORT CAMERAS IN THE COUNCIL, BUT THE NEIGHBORS DID. THEY, AND THE, AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY COMPLIED BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE NEIGHBORS WANTED. THEY WANTED THOSE CAMERAS 'CAUSE THEY WANTED TO FEEL SAFER. SO IT'S ONE THING TO SAY WE DON'T WANT SOMETHING BECAUSE IT VIOLATES SOMEONE'S CIVIL OR HUMAN RIGHTS. BUT THEN, SO I TAKE IT AS THE SORT, LET'S BURN IT DOWN WITHOUT HAVING SOMETHING TO BUILD IT UP. WHAT'S THE REPLACEMENT? I ALSO TALKED TO A NUMBER OF MY RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORS THAT DON'T KNOW ABOUT SHOT SPOTTER. DON'T KNOW. SO I HAVE 'EM WEIGHED IN ON IT. SO I KNOW THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS, SOME WITHIN CAMBRIDGE, GOOD, MANY OUTSIDE OF CAMBRIDGE THAT FEEL VERY VESTED IN IT. BUT I WANNA BE VESTED IN THE PEOPLE THAT I'VE BEEN SENT HERE TO SERVE THE PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE ME, THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE TALKED TO THAT I THINK DESERVE TO BE HEARD, EVEN IF THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS. AND I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT'S HAPPENED HERE. SO WHERE YOU HAD ME THROUGH THE TESTIMONY, YOU LOST ME. AND WHAT HAPPENED ON MEMORIAL DRIVE WHERE THERE ISN'T SHORT SPOT AT THIS POINT, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT SURVEILLANCE AND YOU KNOW, I'VE STOOD UP VERY STRONGLY BEHIND THE WELCOMING CITY ORDINANCE, UM, AROUND CAMERA SURVEILLANCE BEHIND THE A CLU THAT JUST LOST ME THIS EVENING, UM, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY WERE TALKING AND SPEAKING. SO FOR ME, I WANT US TO, AND I WILL WORK WITH MY COLLEAGUE IF SHE'S SO INCLINED, UH, TO WORK WITH ME AND MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THOSE THAT LOOK LIKE ME AND LIVED HERE LONGER THAN SOME PEOPLE ARE OLD TO SAY, HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER? 'CAUSE I HAVE FOUND THIS VERY DIVISIVE, VERY DIS DIVISIVE. AND THE WORST IS DISMISSIVE. [02:45:01] AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT YOUR INTENTION, BUT THAT'S HOW PEOPLE FEEL WHEN YOU SAY, I'M HERE FOR BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE. AIN'T NO BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE, OR HARDLY. I APOLOGIZE TO THE BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE , YOU KNOW, UH, BUT YOU, BUT I WANT YOU TO WALK IN MY SHOE FOR A MOMENT. HAS ANYBODY THERE HAD THEIR SUN SHOT DOWN THE STREET? ANYBODY? HAVE YOU HAD YOUR SON SHOT DOWN THE STREET? I HAVE. SO I'M COMING FROM THAT PLACE. SO THIS IS WHERE YOU'VE LOST ME. I WAS NOT WALKING IN LOCKSTEP, NOT EVEN BESIDE YOU ON THIS, BUT I, I I'M READING AND I'M LEARNING AND I'M TALKING. YOU LOST ME ON IT. THIS LOST ME ON IT. I'M GETTING TEXTS FROM PEOPLE SAYING, I'VE NEVER FELT SO DISRESPECTED. AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT YOUR INTENTION. SO I WANT JUST TO ASK THAT WE ARE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHY WE'RE TRYING, YOU KNOW, AND I'M SO SORRY. MY, MY COLLEAGUE DIDN'T SAY, SHE ALWAYS SAYS, YOU CAN DO THE RIGHT THING THE WRONG WAY. I WOULD PERSONALLY LAY IT ON THE TABLE AND NOT HAVE A, A MEETING WHERE THERE ARE 30 PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE ME, ACT LIKE ME, TALK LIKE ME, TO COME AND SAY WHY IT'S A GOOD THING. WHAT I WANNA SEE IS IF SHOTSPOTTER IS NOT HEALTHY FOR OUR COMMUNITY, WHAT ARE THE WAYS THAT WE CAN FIND THAT ARE HEALTHY FOR THAT'S RESPECTFUL, THAT SPEAKS TO OUR HUMANITY? DID SOMEONE SAY POWER TO THE PEOPLE? I THOUGHT I'D LOSE MY MIND? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSON, WE DO GET WEARY WHEN OTHERS CO-OPT OUR SLOGANS AND OUR SAYINGS AND THEN LEAVE US OUT OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS THAT EVERYONE SAYS THAT THEY WANNA SUPPORT. SO I'M, I'M AT THAT POINT, THIS POINT I'M GOING TO YIELD THE FLOOR. BUT I WANNA LET YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THAT I'M A A SHOT SPOTTER ENTHUSIAST, IT'S JUST I FEEL THAT THE PROCESS IS EXCLUSIVE. THAT IT INFANTILIZES A GROUP OF PEOPLE, WHICH MAY NOT BE YOUR INTENTION, BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO RUN SOMEBODY'S FOOT OVER DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE LESS HURT. SO, UH, I WAS GONNA, I WOULDN'T EX EXERCISE THE CHARTER, RIGHT? 'CAUSE I COULDN'T SIT THROUGH ANOTHER, UH, EVENING OF THIS. UM, SO AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO, TO THE PEOPLE IN THE DSA, THE CRA, THE YOUR REVOLUTION. I WOULD REALLY ASK JUST TO BE THOUGHTFUL. ASK YOURSELF ONE QUESTION. WHEN YOU SIT DOWN WHO'S NOT IN THE ROOM? HOW WILL THEY BE AFFECTED? HOW WILL THEIR VOICE BE HEARD? BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT DOING THAT, THEN YOU HAVEN'T REALLY DONE ENOUGH. AND WELL, GOOD INTENTIONS. WELL, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ROAD TO HELL WHAT THAT, THAT'S PAVED WITH. I YIELD THE FLOOR. WE HAVE VICE MAYOR Z UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. I WAS GONNA SAY, I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT THAT WAS GOING ON THIS MORNING. I THINK EMOTIONS ARE RUNNING A LITTLE HIGH. SO JUST WANTED TO GIVE US A WEEK TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURE AND REFLECT. AND I THINK WE'LL HAVE A REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS NEXT WEEK. SO I WOULD LIKE TO EXERCISE MY CHARTER RIGHT. VICE MAYOR ZE HAS EXERCISE HIS CHARTER RIGHT ON POLICY ORDER NUMBER TWO. WE'LL GO AHEAD TO POLICY NUMBER THREE, THAT THE CITY MANAGER BEING HEREBY IS REQUESTED TO WORK WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, LAW DEPARTMENT, ELECTION COMMISSION, AND OTHER RELEVANT CITY DEPARTMENTS TO ENGAGE THE COLLINS CENTER IN ASSISTING THE CITY IN REVIEWING POLICY OPTIONS FOR ALLOWING CAMBRIDGE VOTERS TO DIRECTLY ELECT THE CITY'S MERIT. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER, COUNCILOR NOLAN, MYSELF, AND COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANKS MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. AND THANK YOU TO THE CO-SPONSORS, UH, INCLUDING COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, COUNCILLOR NOLAN, UH, AND YOURSELF FOR THIS, UH, PUTTING THIS FORWARD. UH, CONTEXT FOR THIS IS LAST YEAR THE CITY COMPLETED ITS FIRST CHARTER REVIEW IN 80 YEARS. UH, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THE CITY HAS EVER DONE A, A CHARTER REVIEW IN THE LIFETIMES OF MOST OF OUR RESIDENTS. MOST CITIES DO A CHARTER REVIEW EVERY ONCE EVERY 10 YEARS. UH, WE'RE NOW SCHEDULED TO, TO DO THAT PROCESS. WE HADN'T DONE ONE PREVIOUSLY FOR 80 YEARS. UH, AND BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN A VERY LONG TIME THAT WE'D DONE A CHARTER REVIEW AND THE CITY FACED DEADLINES TO HAVE THE CHARTER REVIEW REVIEWED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND APPROVED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE, THERE WERE SOME PROPOSALS THAT, UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST AROUND THAT NEEDED MORE TIME FOR DISCUSSION. ONE OF THOSE, UH, THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST AROUND AND THAT WE HAD A, A UNANIMOUS VOTE TO CONTINUE THAT DISCUSSION ON WAS HAVING A DIRECTLY ELECTED MAYOR IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, THIS POLICY ORDER IS ABOUT CONTINUING THAT DISCUSSION THAT WE SAID WE WOULD CONTINUE LAST TERM WITH THE COLLINS CENTER, WHICH IS THE BODY THE COUNCIL WORKED WITH IN THE PREVIOUS TERM AROUND THE CHARTER REVIEW. UH, I WOULD NOTE IMPORTANTLY ON THIS POLICY ORDER THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT CAMBRIDGE COULD SET UP AN ELECTED MAYOR POSITION. UH, AND I WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR THAT THIS POLICY ORDER IS NOT, UH, ABOUT DOING, IT'S NOT ABOUT PROPOSING ONE SPECIFIC WAY TO HAVE AN ELECTED MAYOR. NOT SAYING WE HAVE TO DO IT X, Y, Z, AND IF WE DON'T DO IT, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE. IT'S ABOUT STARTING THAT DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW, HOW TO HAVE AN ELECTED MAYOR WITH THE COLLIN CENTER OPENING UP THAT DISCUSSION, HAVING THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE COUNCIL, WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, WITH EXPERTS HEARING FROM OTHER CITIES ABOUT HOW THEY'VE DONE IT. UH, REALLY HAVING THAT OPEN CONVERSATION. [02:50:01] IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, PRESCRIBING IT RIGHT NOW, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. UH, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I THINK WE'D WANT TO CONSIDER INCLUDE WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO RUN FOR MAYOR. WE STARTED THAT DISCUSSION LAST TERM. WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE TO RUN FOR MAYOR? SHOULD THERE BE TERM LIMITS FOR MAYOR LIKE OTHER CITIES HAVE? HOW LONG WOULD THE MAYORAL TERM BE ALL REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. NOT ONES WE'RE TRYING TO DECIDE RIGHT NOW. THIS IS JUST ABOUT STARTING THE, THE CONVERSATION, REALLY CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION FROM LAST TERM THAT WE DIDN'T GET TO FINISH 'CAUSE OF THE DEADLINES IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHY HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AT ALL. JUST TO, TO SPEAK TO IT REALLY BRIEFLY, AND JUST TO SPEAK ABOUT EVEN JUST THE CURRENT MAYOR POSITION. 'CAUSE THERE'S, THERE'S OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO, TO CHANGE IT OR UPDATES TO IT. BUT EVEN JUST SPEAKING ABOUT THE CURRENT POSITION, IT'S AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT POSITION. UH, THE MAYOR HAS EXTRA STAFF THAT OTHER COUNSELORS DON'T HAVE. IT'S A SUPER IMPORTANT POSITION FOR, UH, CONSTITUENT SERVICE. THE MAYOR REPRESENTS THE CITY IN PUBLIC FORUMS, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE STATE WITH MAYOR OF SOMERVILLE, WITH THE MAYOR OF BOSTON. AND MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT POWER THE MAYOR IS ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. THEY'RE NO LONGER THE AUTOMATICALLY THE CHAIR OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, ALTHOUGH THEY CAN BE CHOSEN AS THE CHAIR. BUT EVEN JUST BEING AS A VOTING MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, THAT'S A POSITION THE MAYOR HAS THAT NONE OF THE REST OF US ON THE COUNCIL HAVE. AND I THINK ABOUT ALL THE CITY COUNCIL FORUMS WE DO, WE DID PROBABLY A DOZEN LAST YEAR AND WE GET ASKED ABOUT ALL SORTS OF SUBJECTS, HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, ANYTHING YOU THINK OF, WE HARDLY EVER GET ASKED ABOUT EDUCATION ISSUES BECAUSE IT'S NOT CLEAR WHICH OF US ON THE CITY COUNCIL WILL END UP SERVING ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. ONE PERSON ENDS UP BEING THE MAYOR AND THEY HAVE A, A TREMENDOUS ROLE ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. BUT IT'S, UH, REALLY TOUGH FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO KNOW WHO TO ASK. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT CLEAR WHICH OF US WILL BECOME MAYOR IN THE NEXT TERM. HAVING A DIRECTLY ELECTED MAYOR ALLOWS PEOPLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I WANNA BE CONSIDERED FOR MAYOR AND, AND SAY, THIS IS MY PLATFORM FOR THE SCHOOLS. THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE ME. AND, AND NOT THE OTHER PERSON. ALLOWS PEOPLE TO HAVE THAT PUBLIC DISCUSSION THAT WE DON'T REALLY HAVE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IT'S NOT CLEAR WHO WILL END UP BEING MAYOR IN THE NEXT TERM. UM, ALSO THE FINAL PIECES THAT OUR, OUR CURRENT PROCESS OF SELECTING THE MAYOR CAN BE REALLY CHALLENGING. IT'S THE FIRST VOTE WE TAKE ON INAUGURATION DAY IS CHOOSING THE MAYOR WHO BE, THERE'S LOTS OF SORT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS THAT LEAD UP TO THAT. A LOT OF LOBBYING BETWEEN, UH, ELECTION DAY AND INAUGURATION DAY THAT WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH. AND THAT CAN BE REALLY FRUSTRATING SOMETIMES ON INAUGURATION DAY ITSELF. WE DON'T KNOW WHO THE MAYOR IS GONNA BE, AND THAT'S JUST NOT A GREAT WAY TO START THE TERM, RIGHT? NOT KNOWING WHICH OF YOUR COLLEAGUES IS GONNA BECOME THE MAYOR, HAVING HURT FEELINGS, LEAVING THAT PROCESS IS JUST NOT A GREAT WAY TO START. AND LETTING VOTERS CHOOSE TAKES THAT PROCESS AND, AND PUTS IT BACK IN THE HANDS OF THE VOTERS. IT'S, IT'S DEMOCRACY IN ITS PUREST FORM, AND I THINK A, A BETTER EXPRESSION FORWARD. UH, AND HOPE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT CONVERSATION TONIGHT. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE TWO AMENDMENTS TO THE POLICY ORDER. HAPPY TO, TO VOTE ON BOTH TONIGHT AND HOPE WE CAN VOTE ON THE UNDERLYING POLICY ORDER. UM, THERE'S AN AMENDMENT FROM COUNCILOR ZUBIE TO FOCUS THE CONVERSATION, UH, SPECIFICALLY ON AN ELECTIVE CHIEF EXECUTIVE. UM, I'LL LET HER SPEAK ON IT MORE. 'CAUSE HER AMENDMENT, I BELIEVE IT, IT WOULD, UH, ASK TO MOVE TO A DIFFERENT FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND SET UP AN ELECTED MAYOR SYSTEM, SPECIFICALLY MORE LIKE SOMERVILLE HAS. UM, I'LL JUST NOTE THAT WAS A CONVERSATION WE HAD LAST TERM, AND WHILE I SUPPORTED IT, UM, THERE WERE ONLY TWO VOTES FOR IT FOR MYSELF AND MAYOR SIDIKI. SO I DON'T, YOU KNOW, REALLY IMAGINE THAT THE AMENDMENT WOULD PASS NOW. UM, BUT DOWN TO VOTE ON IT AGAIN BRIEFLY AND HOPE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON THE UNDERLYING POLICY ORDER. IF IT DOESN'T PASS, UH, THERE'S ALSO AN AMENDMENT FROM COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, UM, WHICH JUST ASKS FOR SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE COLLINS CENTER TO REVIEW THE CONTEXT OF THE DISCUSSION LAST TERM. HAPPY TO, UH, VOTE THAT FORWARD AND MOVE IT FORWARD AS WELL. I THINK ALL OF THE INFO IN IT WAS THE INTENT, INCLUDING IN THE ADDITIONAL POLICY ORDER. AND IF IT'S HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT STATED A LITTLE MORE EXPLICITLY, HAPPY TO INCLUDE, UH, THAT AMENDMENT AS WELL. UM, I'LL YIELD BACK FOR NOW, UM, AND HOPE WE CAN, CAN MOVE FORWARD TO THIS REALLY, AGAIN, JUST AS A FIRST STEP TO BEGIN THIS CONVERSATION, I YIELD, WE HAVE A FEW HANDS UP. WE HAVE COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, COUNCILLOR NOLAN, VICE MAYOR, COUNCILLOR EY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. I THANK YOU. I THANK YOU MADAM. NO, I WAS COUNCILOR MCGOVERN FIRST. I I WAS THE ONE THAT PULLED IT. AND THEN YOU AS WE AS OUR PRACTICE, YOU, WELL, YOU PULLED IT, YOU SPOKE TO IT, BUT I HAD SAID I WANTED TO SPEAK TO IT TOO, AND I THOUGHT YOU WANTED GIMME THE FLOORS NEXT. NO, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER PULLED THIS ONE. OKAY, GO AHEAD COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. OKAY. AND THEN COUNCILOR NOLAN. UM, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. SO, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON, ON A COUPLE THINGS AND, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES, I MEAN, I, WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING THE CHARTER REVIEW, I WAS NOT CRAZY ABOUT THIS IDEA. UM, YOU KNOW, BUT I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THIS ORDER SAYS AND DOESN'T SAY, BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE TRY TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES. THEY TRY TO MAKE CONSUM ASSUMPTIONS, THEY JUMP FOUR OR FIVE STEPS AHEAD. UM, THIS ORDER IS ASKING FOR A DISCUSSION ON OPTIONS FOR ALLOWING CAMBRIDGE VOTERS TO DIRECTLY ELECT A CITY MAYOR. IT DOES NOT SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA DO IT. IT DOES NOT SAY HOW WE'RE GONNA DO IT. AND IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT [02:55:01] CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF CITY GOVERNMENT AND MOVING AWAY FROM A STRONG CITY MANAGER. I LIKE THE CITY MANAGER, FORMER GOVERNMENT. I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T WANNA MOVE AWAY FROM THAT. AND I UNDERSTAND IT HAS ITS CHALLENGES AND I'M NOT ALWAYS THRILLED WITH IT, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE DOESN'T DO WHAT I WANT. UM, BUT I DO SUPPORT IT. AND THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS ORDER SAYS. AND I THINK WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL HOW WE TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS BECAUSE WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SAY THINGS IN PUBLIC OR PUBLIC COMMENT OR ON LISTSERVS, WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT THE ORDER DOESN'T SAY, IT CONFUSES THE CONVERSATION, RIGHT? SO WHEN, WHEN PEOPLE SAY, OH, IF YOU VOTE FOR THIS, YOU'RE VOTING TO HAVE A STRONG MAYOR, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE, THAT'S NOT WHAT IT SAYS. THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. SO LET'S REALLY CONCENTRATE ON WHAT THE ORDER SAYS AND NOT WHAT IT DOESN'T SAY. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO HAVE THE DISCUSSION. I WANT TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY WHEN WE, YOU KNOW, WHEN FOLKS TALK SO MUCH ABOUT WE NEED MORE, WE NEED MORE PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATING. WE NEED MORE CONVERSATION WITH THE PUBLIC, WE NEED MORE PUBLIC OUTREACH. BUT YET YOU DON'T WANT THE PUBLIC TO HAVE A SAY IN WHO'S SIT WHO THEIR MAYOR IS. THAT'S KIND OF ODD. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE, THE, THE PROCESS OF CHOOSING THE MAYOR IS MESSY. IT HAPPENS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. IT HAPPENS WITH A LOT OF WHEELING AND DEALING. IT HAPPENS WITH A LOT OF PERSONALITIES. WELL, I DON'T LIKE THIS PERSON 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T VOTE THE WAY I WANTED ON SOMETHING, SO I'M NOT GONNA VOTE FOR THEM FOR MAYOR, EVEN IF THEY WERE A GOOD CHOICE. UM, LUCKILY WE'VE HAD GREAT PEOPLE IN THESE SEATS. THIS HAS GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PEOPLE. I WAS ONE OF 'EM, WHICH I THOUGHT I DID A GOOD JOB. UM, I DON'T THINK, I THINK WE'VE ENDED UP WITH GOOD PEOPLE. SO IT'S NOT THAT, IT'S JUST THE PROCESS IS MESSY. I THINK BACK TO MY FIRST TERM AND THE WAY FOUR CITY COUNSELORS, NONE OF WHOM ARE HERE NOW, UM, REALLY LIKE HELD COUNCILOR SIMMONS, YOU KNOW, COUNCILOR SIMMONS IN A HORRIBLE SITUATION. THEY MADE HER MAYOR AND THEN THEY TOOK IT FROM HER, AND THEN THEY VOTED TO MAKE HER MAYOR, AND THEN THEY REVERSED THEIR VOTES AND THEY DID IT LIKE THREE TIMES, LIKE IN FRONT OF HER KIDS, IN FRONT OF HER FAMILY, MAKING HER THE MAYOR. AND THEN SAYING, OH, JUST KIDDING. THAT IS NOT A GOOD PROCESS. AND THAT COUNCIL NEVER RECOVERED FROM THAT, THAT TERM. UM, SO LET'S FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A BETTER WAY, YOU KNOW? AND, UM, MAYBE THERE'S NOT, BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE NOT HAVING THE DISCUSSION. SO PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE, THIS IS WHAT THE COUNCIL DOES, THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE SAY. THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO DO ALL THIS OUTREACH. YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT OUR PROCESS IS. WE FILE A POLICY ORDER THAT BRINGS UP A TOPIC THAT WE WANT TO DISCUSS AND IT LEADS TO A DISCUSSION. AND SO THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING, RIGHT? AND WE'LL, I'M NOT PROMISING WHERE I'M GONNA LAND ON THIS. WE'LL SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF IT. AND WE, THE FOUR OF US WHO SPONSOR THIS MAY HAVE VERY DIFFERENT IDEAS, YOU KNOW, AS TO HOW TO MOVE FORWARD OR TO MOVE FORWARD AT ALL. BUT LET'S HAVE THE CONVERSATION BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS, IS JUST, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S MESSY. AND I'D LIKE TO, I'D LIKE TO THINK THERE'S A BETTER WAY. SO THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. I'LL YIELD, I HOPE WE, WE DO PASS THIS SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND, AND, UM, SEE IF THERE'S OPTIONS THAT WOULD BE BETTER, UH, FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR NOLAN, VICE MAYOR, COUNCILOR ZUI, AND THEN COUNCILOR SIMMONS. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, THANKS TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR WORKING ON THIS. UM, AND JUST TO SUMMARIZE A LOT OF WHAT, UH, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN JUST SAID THAT THE POLICY ORDERS ABOUT HAVING A DISCUSSION AND A DELIBERATION ABOUT ONE OF THE KEY REMAINING ISSUES, THAT IT WAS NEVER FULLY DISCUSSED DURING OUR CHARTER REVIEW BECAUSE THERE HAD NOT BEEN CONSENSUS OR ENOUGH FROM THE, UH, CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION. SO IT'S NOT THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS AD NAUSEUM AND NOW WE'RE JUST BRINGING IT BACK. AND AS NOTED, TO BE VERY CLEAR, THE POLICY ORDER DOES NOT STATE THAT A DIRECT ELECTION OF A MAYOR WOULD NECESSARILY MEAN CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT OR THAT IT WOULD CHANGE OR THAT THE, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR WOULD REPLACE THE CITY MANAGER. IT IS ABOUT DISCUSSING THE ROLE OF THE MAYOR, AND IT MAY BE THAT THERE'LL BE SOME CHANGE ON THAT. I WOULD CERTAINLY BE OPEN TO SOME OF THAT. BUT DEFINITELY HOW THE MAYOR IS ELECTED, IT HAS, IT REALLY SHOULD BE A DIFFERENT METHOD THAN WHAT WE HAVE AND WHERE WHEREVER WE END UP WITH THE, WITH THE ROLE AND DEFINITION OF POWERS, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY WE DO. IT'S BEEN DESCRIBED AS MESSY, I WOULD SAY THE TECHNICAL TERM IS ICKY AND REALLY, REALLY DESTRUCTIVE TO THE START OF THE TERM. IT DOESN'T DO ANYONE ANY GOOD FOR US TO CONTINUE WITH THIS BACK AND FORTH. IT, IT ENDS UP BEING EMOTIONALLY A REALLY FRAUGHT TIME TO START THE, A TERM EXACTLY WHEN COLLEAGUES SHOULD BE COMING TOGETHER. SO I FULLY SUPPORT THIS. I HOPE WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, AND I HOPE WE COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT WAY OF ELECTING THE MAYOR BECAUSE IT IS NOT SERVING, I THINK OUR CITY WELL, TO CONTINUE WITH THE WAY WE'RE DOING IT FOR THE [03:00:01] REASONS THAT, THAT WE'VE ALL SEEN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. NEGOTIATING IS, IS SO FUNDAMENTALLY ANTITHETICAL TO OPEN TRANSPARENCY THAT WE SUPPOSEDLY PRIDE OURSELVES ON VICE MAYOR COUNCILOR ZUI. UH, THANK YOU, UH, MADAM MAYOR. I WANTED TO SAY I ALSO SUPPORT, UM, THE POLICY ORDER. I THINK THAT, UM, IT'LL HELP I THINK, UH, TO HAVE AN ELECTED MAYOR AND THAT I FEEL LIKE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IS A, BOTH, LIKE PARENTS ARE VERY ENGAGED, BUT THE BROADER PUBLIC SOMETIMES IS NOT. AND I THINK THAT THE MAYORAL, UH, UH, MAYORAL POSITION IS IN A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO REALLY ENGAGE WITH SCHOOL ISSUES BECAUSE THE MAIN JOB OF THE MAYOR IS ON TOP OF BEING A CITY COUNCIL AND RUNNING OUR MEETINGS IS JUST BEING A VOTE ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. SO I HOPE IT'LL BE A WAY THAT WILL DRAG MORE PEOPLE IN AND SO WE CAN HAVE A MORE ROBUST CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS. AND I MEAN, WE'LL, THERE'LL BE PLENTY OF TIME TO DISCUSS ALL OF THIS IF THERE'S INDEED TRACTION. BUT I WOULD PREFER AN INSTANT RUNOFF SITUATION GIVEN THE WAY THAT WE DO IT. AND I THINK THAT A HUGE PROBLEM THAT WE FACE IS THAT AS A BODY, WE HAVE A HUGE TEMPTATION TO LIKE STICK WITH OUR ONE NINTH OF THE VOTE, RIGHT? LIKE WE GET ELECTED BY A CERTAIN SUBSET OF THE CAMBRIDGE POPULATION, WE WANNA VOTE IN LINE WITH THEM, AND THAT'S HOW WE ARE MOST LIKELY TO GET REELECTED. I THINK THAT IF WE DID AN INSTANT RUNOFF WHERE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, UH, INCENTIVIZING ALSO THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO PUT YOU ON YOUR BALLOT, I WOULD HOPE THAT THAT WOULD ALSO BE AN INCENTIVE FOR ALL OF US. AND I'M SURE MANY PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO BE MAYOR OF, LIKE, ALSO NOT JUST APPEALING TO OUR ONE NINTH OF THE POPULATION, BUT ALSO REALIZING IF WE WANTED TO BE MAYOR, WE'D HAVE TO GET ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE TO AT LEAST LIST US ON OUR BALLOT. AND HOPEFULLY THAT WOULD MAKE US MORE LIKELY TO REPRESENT THE BROADER PIECE OF CAMBRIDGE AS WELL AND ADD INCENTIVE THERE. SO I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS THAT THIS COULD BE A BETTER SYSTEM AND, UM, EXCITED TO SUPPORT THE POLICY ORDER. COUNCILOR SUI AND THEN COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YEAH. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. I, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND LIKE WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS. WE, WE HAD MANY, MANY MEETINGS ABOUT THE CHARTER LAST YEAR. WE, UH, DRAFTED A HOME RULE PETITION THAT WAS PASSED, WHICH WAS LIKE A BIG DEAL. AND THEN, UH, THE PEOPLE VOTED ON IT. THEY, THEY PASSED OUR CHARTER. UH, AND I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA BE REVIEWING THIS CHARTER EVERY DECADE. SO IT SEEMS LIKE WE ALREADY SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR. I THOUGHT WE WERE GOOD FOR 10 YEARS AND MAYBE WE SHOULD BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IN NINE YEARS. BUT I GUESS I HAVE A POINT OF INFORMATION THROUGH YOU, MAYOR, FOR OUR SOLICITOR. LIKE, AM I, AM I, DID I, DO I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY? LIKE, DIDN'T WE, WE JUST, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THIS WHOLE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE, WE HAD GAZILLION DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE CHARTER. THEY WERE PRETTY THOUGHTFUL, BUT WASN'T THE IDEA THAT, I MEAN, CAN WE AMEND THE CHARTER THAT HAD TO BE VOTED ON BY THE STATE AND THEN VOTED ON BY THE PEOPLE? ARE WE GONNA PUT IT BACK ON THE BALLOT WITH AMENDMENTS FOR NEXT YEAR? THAT'S WHAT, UM, AGAIN, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, TO THE CITY SOLICITOR, I, I THOUGHT WE WEREN'T GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR ANOTHER NINE YEARS. AND, AND I FEEL AS THOUGH WE HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO. UH, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A DISTRACTION. LIKE WE HAVE, WE HAVE SO MUCH REAL WORK TO DO. SO, UM, THANK YOU COUNCILOR ZU, JUST BEFORE WE GO TO YOU, COUNSELOR, UM, COUNSELOR, COUNSELOR, BAYER , UM, MAYBE ONE DAY, UH, IN RETIREMENT. UH, SO THERE WERE, JUST FOR CONTEXT, COUNCILORS, ZUZI, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT WERE REFERRED TO GOVERNMENT OPS, UM, BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO MEET A DEADLINE. AND IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, JUST TO FOCUS ON THE TIMELINE, WHATEVER, IF WE COME TO A CONCLUSION AND DECIDE SOMETHING, IF THIS PASSES THAT IN MY UNDERSTANDING, THAT HAS TO GO TO THE VOTERS. UM, AND SO THE VOTERS WOULD'VE TO VOTE ON IT. UM, I HEAR YOU ON THIS 10 PIECE. IT'S A REVIEW EVERY 10 YEARS, BUT IN MY UNDERSTANDING, THE COUNCIL CAN DECIDE HOW TO AMEND AS THEY SEE FIT SOLICITOR. THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. AND I AGREE WITH WHAT MAYOR SIDIKI JUST SAID. UM, THE CHARTER SAYS THAT THE CITY WILL CONVENE A CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE EVERY 10 YEARS, BUT THERE'S NO PROHIBITION AGAINST, UM, THE COUNCIL INITIATING CHARTER CHANGES, TIME IN BETWEEN OR THE VOTERS INITIATING CHARTER CHANGES. UM, SO THAT DOESN'T LIMIT OTHER WAYS OF CHANGING THE CHARTER, JUST BECAUSE EVERY 10 YEARS WE'LL SPECIFICALLY HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT'S LOOKING AT WHETHER THEY RECOMMEND ANY CHARTER CHANGES. AND THEN ADDITIONALLY TO, UH, MAYOR SID'S POINT, UM, THERE, WHAT THIS DID COME UP IN DISCUSSION PREVIOUSLY ABOUT [03:05:02] HOW TO SELECT THE MAYOR AND WHETHER THE MAYOR SHOULD BE, UH, ELECTED RATHER THAN SELECTED AMONGST THE MEMBERS. UM, AT THAT TIME, WE IN THE LAW DEPARTMENT WERE RECOMMENDING THAT IT BE DONE THROUGH THE COUNCIL'S RULES, SO THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT IN TIME TO GO BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE AND THEN THE VOTERS UNDER THAT SCHEDULE. UM, WE DID THEN GET FURTHER GUIDANCE FROM THE, UH, SECRETARY OF STATE'S ELECTION DIVISION, THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BE DONE THROUGH THE COUNCIL RULES IF IT WAS GOING TO BE AN ELECTED CHAIR. UM, THAT, THAT DOES HAVE TO BE SET OUT IN THE CHARTER. AND SO, UM, THIS WOULD BE TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION AND POTENTIALLY CHANGE THE CHARTER AGAIN, IF THAT'S THE WILL OF THE COUNCIL. BUT TO THE MAYOR'S POINT, IT WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE AS A HOME RULE PETITION AND THEN BE VOTED ON BY THE VOTERS COUNCILLOR SUZI. AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. AND THEN COUNCILOR FLAHERTY . UM, AGAIN, THREE MADAM MAYOR. UM, THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT EXPLANATION. I JUST THINK, UM, LIKE WE SHOULDN'T BE, LIKE, I FEEL LIKE RETHINKING THIS WHEN WE JUST PASSED THE CHARTER, AND AGAIN, THE PUBLIC JUST PASSED THE CHARTER AND IT WAS SO CONFUSING LAST YEAR WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE CHARTER. 'CAUSE IT, WE DIDN'T CHANGE THE CHARTER VERY MUCH. AND AGAIN, I, I FEEL LIKE, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER WE SHOULD BE DEBATING FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES IN THE COUNCIL LATER, BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE WE HAVE LIKE, REAL THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON. WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT HOUSING, SOCIAL HOUSING, UH, UH, BIKE LANES, PARKING, SAFETY ZONING, OPEN SPACE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, TREE PROTECTION CREATING SCHOOLS WHERE ALL OF OUR CHILDREN THRIVE AND, AND ARE PREPARED TO DO WORK FOR THE FUTURE. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT A SUSTAINABLE CAMBRIDGE. WE HAVE LIKE, REAL WORK TO DO. SO I FEEL AS THOUGH, RATHER THAN LIKE, AFTER SPENDING SO MUCH TIME THINKING ABOUT THE CHARTER LAST YEAR, I, I FEEL LIKE WE, WE, WE DID DEDICATED A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY TO JUST THIS TOPIC. AND, UH, WE CAME UP WITH A COMPROMISE THAT WE A AGREED TO, AND IT WAS SUPPORTED BY THE STATE AND IT WAS SUPPORTED BY THE PEOPLE. SO I, I JUST THINK TO OPEN THIS UP AGAIN, IS JUST A DISTRACTION. AND, UM, I THINK WE HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO. SO WITH THAT, I, I'LL BE VOTING AGAINST THIS BECAUSE I, I DON'T THINK, I THINK WE SHOULD REVIEW THIS, AND I'LL BE ALL FOR THIS IN NINE YEARS, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD HOLD, HOLD OFF. I THINK WE'RE DOING OKAY. UH, CURRENTLY. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND THEN COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, UH, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. I'M GOING TO YIELD TO MY JUNIOR MEMBER, UM, AND THEN ASSUME THE FLOOR AFTER HE SPEAKS. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. VERY KIND OF YOU. THANK YOU. UM, WELL, I'M NOT READING INTO THIS. I, THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS I SEE IT AS STEP ONE IN A PROCESS TO ELIMINATE OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT, OUR PLANNING FORM OF GOVERNMENT. IT'S, UH, IT'S CLEAR TO ME AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK WE NEED TO DO, UM, AS THE AMENDMENT SPEAKS SORT OF ANALYSIS ABOUT WHAT OUR GOALS ARE HERE. UM, AND FRANKLY, EXCUSE ME, HAVING JUST BEEN THROUGH THIS ONCE, THIS, UH, CAMPAIGN SEASON AND BEING A MEMBER OF THE, OF THE COUNCIL, UM, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE PROCESS THAT WE WENT THROUGH IN ELECTING THE MAYOR FOR ME PERSONALLY ACTUALLY WAS A VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. I'M NOT SO SURE THAT ANYBODY IN THE COUNCIL EVEN SPOKE MY NAME DURING THE, THE CAMPAIGN SEASON, BUT I SUDDENLY BECAME, UM, POPULAR. EVERYBODY WANTED TO HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE WITH ME AND SPEAK TO ME AND SUDDENLY WANTED TO HEAR WHAT MY VIEWS WERE. AND, UH, I FOUND THAT TO BE A, UH, AN EXHILARATING EXPERIENCE GETTING TO KNOW ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES. AND, AND, AND I THOUGHT THE, UH, THE PROCESS WAS, UH, POLITICS AT ITS FINEST. AND I REALLY COMMEND EVERYONE FOR THEIR EFFORTS DURING THE, UH, THE MAYORAL SEARCH, WE'LL CALL IT, DURING THAT TIME PERIOD. AND, UH, AND I, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS OUTSTANDING. SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO OFFER MY THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR BEING SO FRIENDLY TO ME DURING THAT TIME PERIOD. AND I'LL YIELD COUNCILOR SIMMONS AND THEN COUNCILOR . UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR THROUGH YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE. YOU'LL GET OVER IT, HONEY THIS ANYONE WANTS TO TALK TO ME ABOUT. YEAH. ANYWAYS, AND, AND TO OUR SOLICITOR, IF WE DECIDE TO [03:10:01] PUT YOU ON THE COUNCIL, YOU LEAVE LIKE YOUR HAIR IS ON FIRE. UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. I UNDERSTAND WHY THIS ISSUE CONTINUES TO INTEREST PEOPLE. THE THE QUESTION OF HOW CAMBRIDGE CHOOSES ITS MAYOR AS AN IMPORTANT ONE. UH, AND I RESPECT THOSE WHO BELIEVE ITS MERITS FOR THE DISCUSSION, BUT I ALSO WANNA BE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE PROCEED. CAMBRIDGE JUST COMPLETED ITS FIRST MAJOR CHARTER REVIEW IN MORE THAN 80 YEARS. UM, IN FACT, IT WAS VERY INTERESTING PROCESS. 'CAUSE AS I REMEMBER IT, WHAT WAS SENT TO THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION WAS NOT THE DISCUSSION ON MAYOR. AND THEN WHEN IT DID COME UP, IT DID NOT GET THE TWO THIRD VOTES REQUIRED TO BE BROUGHT ONTO THE CITY COUNCIL. JUST WANTED JUST TO, FOR THOSE THAT MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THIS QUESTION, THE QUESTION WAS A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION THAT DID NOT EMERGE, IT DIDN'T EMERGE WITH THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT NEEDED TO BE FORWARDED TO AS A RECOMMENDATION. SO VOTERS TO THEN APPROVE THE NEW CHARTER LAST NOVEMBER. NONETHELESS, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT FEEL THAT THIS ISSUE AROUND HOW WE CHOOSE OUR MAYOR OUGHT TO BE FURTHER EXPLORED. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO PICK UP THIS THREAD ONCE MORE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO IT PROPERLY. YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY OFTEN AND ALWAYS, IT'S NOT HOW YOU DO IT. YOU CAN DO THE RIGHT THING THE WRONG WAY BY EXAMINING WHAT GOVERNANCE QUESTIONS REMAIN OUTSTANDING. IF WE'RE GOING TO ENGAGE THE COLLINS CENTER ONCE MORE, YOU SHOULD ASK THEM FOR A NEUTRAL REVIEW OF THE GOVERNANCE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN OUTSTANDING, SUCH AS THE ROLE OF THE MAYOR, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGER. HOW RESIDENTS UNDERSTAND ACCOUNTABILITY IN OUR CURRENT SYSTEM AND WHAT KIND OF PUBLIC PROCESS WOULD BE NEEDED BEFORE ANY FURTHER CHARTER CHANGE IS ADVANCED. I'M ESPECIALLY CONCERNED THAT ANY FUTURE PROCESS MUST DO A BETTER JOB OF REACHING OUT TO RESIDENTS. LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN. I THINK THE NEXT PROCESS HAS TO DO BETTER AT REACHING OUT TO RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO ATTEND MULTIPLE MEETINGS, FOLLOW EVERY COUNCIL DISCUSSION OR ORGANIZE AROUND THESE QUESTIONS ONLINE. I'M TALKING ABOUT SENIORS, WORKING FAMILIES, LOWER INCOME RESIDENTS, LONGTIME RESIDENTS, AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE HISTORICALLY RELIED ON DIRECT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS MUST NOT BE AN AFTERTHOUGHT IN THIS CONVERSATION. SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA EXERCISE MY CHARTER, RIGHT, AND WE CAN HAVE A MORE FULL DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS. AND AT THE NEXT MEETING, IT IS 8:43 PM JUST WANNA REMIND FOLKS, AND WE CAN GO AHEAD FROM POLICY ORDER NUMBER THREE. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS EXERCISED HER CHARTER, RIGHT? WE'LL GO TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR. AT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO WORK WITH RELEVANT CITY DEPARTMENTS TO DO EXTENSIVE RE OUTREACH TO RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS, TO, TO COMMUNICATE THE CURRENT WATER LEVEL STATUS AND TAKE ALL MEASURES TO REDUCE NON-ESSENTIAL WATER USE CITYWIDE, AND PROVIDE A REPORT ON CITYWIDE WATER USAGE AND WATER SUPPLY. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. COUNCILLOR ZUZI, AND MYSELF, COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. AND I'LL BE RELATIVELY QUICK BECAUSE I THINK THE POLICY ORDER. AND THANK YOU TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, ZUZI AND YOURSELF, MAYOR SIDIKI FOR CO-SPONSORING. IT REALLY DOES SPEAK FOR ITSELF. I, I THINK IT'S REALLY CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. THIS IS THE KIND OF ISSUE WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE CITY KNOWS ABOUT AND THAT WE MOVE FORWARD ON. THIS IS, IF YOU JUST LOOK UP, WHICH IS RE WHICH IS, THERE'S A LINK IN THE POLICY ORDER ABOUT THE RESERVOIR LEVELS. WE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW OUR 15 YEAR MEDIAN AVERAGE FOR IT. WE HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS, WAY BELOW. AND IF WE DON'T GET A LOT MORE RAIN IN THE NEXT SIX WEEKS, WE'RE GONNA BE IN A SITUATION SIMILAR TO DROUGHTS IN THE PAST WHEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO USE MDRA WATER, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE TO THE CITY WHEN WE DO THAT. SO WHAT THIS DOES, AND I DID SPEAK WITH THE, UM, COMMUNICATE WITH THE, UH, WATER DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR, UM, MARK GALLAGHER, WHO INDICATES THEY ARE LOOKING AT AND HAVING A DROUGHT PLAN. BUT THIS REALLY IS SOMETHING NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT. IN THE PAST, IN THE LAST DROUGHT, WE WAITED A LITTLE TOO LONG BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GOT THE WORD OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. AND AS A RESULT, IT WAS A MUCH MORE SEVERE DROUGHT THAN, THAN IT NEEDED TO BE. SO THIS ASKS THE ADMINISTRATION FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE NEED TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE INTENSIVE WATER USE HAPPENS, WHICH IS WE ARE ENTERING A PERIOD OF THE YEAR WHEN THAT, UM, WATER USE GOES, GOES WAY UP. AND THE LARGE WATER USERS ARE ONES THAT WE NEED TO WORK WITH. BUT ACROSS THE CITY, THERE'S ALSO, UM, A LARGE RANGE OF USERS WHO HAVE NO IDEA THAT WE'RE IN THIS SITUATION BECAUSE OUR RESERVOIR IS OUR OWN. SO IT MAY BE THE REGION IS ONLY IN, YOU KNOW, LEVEL TWO, BUT OUR LEVELS IN OUR RESERVOIR ARE ACTUALLY, UH, WORSE THAN IN THE REST OF THE STATE, WHICH, WHICH ARE IN SOME KIND OF DROUGHT. BUT I JUST WANTED TO POINT THIS OUT FOR ALL OF US TO ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS KNOW ACROSS THE BOARD SPEAKING, THIS IS SOMETHING WE ACTUALLY CAN DO AND CAN ADDRESS. SO THAT WAS IT, AND I HOPE, UH, THIS GOES FORWARD VERY QUICKLY. THANK YOU MAYOR SIKA YIELD ANY [03:15:01] COMMENTS ON THIS HEARING? NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ON A MOTION BY COUNSELOR NOLAN TO ADOPT POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR IS ADOPTED. WE'LL MOVE ON TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE. THIS IS FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES IN THE CITY COUNCIL. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILOR NOLAN AND COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. IT WAS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. BUT I'LL YIELD TO COUNSELOR NOLAN AS THE LEAD LISTED HERE, UNLESS SHE WANTS TO YIELD TO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. COUNCILLOR NOLAN, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE MY CO MAKER, UH, UM, COUNCILOR NOLAN CAN HAVE THE FLOOR. RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. SO FIRST, LET ME SUMMARIZE THIS POLICY ORDER. NO ONE IS SILENCING ANYONE. IF YOU READ THE POLICY ORDER, IT IS BEYOND HYPOCRISY FOR PEOPLE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS POLICY ORDER. 'CAUSE ALL IT DOES IS ASK FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW THE COUNCIL MIGHT DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. IT DOESN'T SAY WE WON'T DISCUSS THEM, IT DOESN'T EVEN SAY WE WON'T CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THEM ON MONDAY NIGHT REGULAR MEETINGS. IT SAYS WE SHOULD CONSIDER HOW AND WHEN THE COUNCIL MIGHT DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES OF INTEREST TO THE CITY, RECOGNIZING THERE ARE POLICY, UM, UH, SUCH ISSUES OF INTEREST TO THE CITY, AND JUST WHETHER SUCH DISCUSSIONS SHOULD OCCUR OUTSIDE OF REGULAR MONDAY BUSINESS MEETINGS LIKE TONIGHT, UM, IN FACT A POLICY OR SIMILAR TO THIS PAST A COUPLE YEARS AGO. AND THEN WE NEVER QUITE FULLY, UH, DELIBERATED IT. SO THIS IS REALLY SAYING, LET'S HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. AND I WILL SAY THE A REASON I FULLY SUPPORT THIS IDEA OF HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AND FINDING A WAY TO DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY OUTSIDE OF REGULAR MONDAY BUSINESS MEETINGS IS, FRANKLY, I DON'T WANT OUR STATE REPS OR OUR CONGRESSIONAL REPS TO DELIBERATE AND PASS THINGS AS A BODY ABOUT OUR CITY'S ISSUES. THEY CAN WEIGH IN, THEY CAN WRITE TO US JUST LIKE WE ALL CAN WRITE TO THEM, BUT TO SPEND TIME IN THE STATE HOUSE OR CONGRESS ABOUT OUR LOCAL ISSUES WOULD BE WRONG. AND SIMILARLY, I BELIEVE US TAKING TIME DURING REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS ON ISSUES THAT ARE NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY, NOT OUR AUTHORITY, IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I, I SUPPORT. I BELIEVE WE SHOULD ASK THE CITY AS A WHOLE HOW BEST TO SHOW OUR LEADERSHIP ON THESE ISSUES. AND THERE IS A PLACE FOR US TO WEIGH IN AS INDIVIDUALS, SIGN ON LETTERS, TESTIFY, ET CETERA. SO AGAIN, THE IDEA THAT THIS PO IS ABOUT SILENCING OR NOT SPEAKING UP, SUGGEST THAT ALL THOSE LETTERS AND WORK WE DO IN ADVOCACY ARE LESS VALID THAN A COUNCIL RESOLUTION. AND I FIRMLY REJECT THAT THIS POLICY ORDER IS ABOUT DISCUSSING WHETHER THERE'S A WAY FOR THE COUNCIL TO HAVE CITY DISCUSSIONS ON ISSUES OF INTEREST OTHER THAN, UH, REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS. AND I REALLY HOPE WE HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AND WE PASS THIS POLICY ORDER IN ORDER TO HAVE THAT AND THEN DECIDE HOW IT IS THAT WE MOVE FORWARD. SO, AGAIN, I I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULDN'T WANNA HAVE THE DISCUSSION WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING DISCUSSIONS IN THE CITY. THIS IS ABOUT HAVING A DISCUSSION. I WOULD THINK EVERYONE WOULD SUPPORT THAT. COUNCILOR SIMMONS, AND THEN COUNSELOR AND, AND THEN VICE AZI THROUGH THE CHAIR. I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCILOR NOLAN BY INVITE TO INVITE ME TO CO-SPONSOR THIS ORDER. THIS IS NOT AS, ACTUALLY TO REITERATE JUST A SMALL BIT, THIS IS NOT AN ORDER ABOUT ONE INTERNATIONAL ISSUE, AND IT'S NOT AN EFFORT TO SAY THAT MATTERS BE BE BEYOND CAMBRIDGE NEVER AFFECT CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. WE KNOW THEY DO. OUR COMMUNITY IS MADE UP OF PEOPLE WITH DEEP TIES ALL OVER THE WORLD. AND WHEN THERE IS SUFFERING CONFLICT OR INJUSTICE ELSEWHERE, THAT PAIN IS OFTEN VERY FELT VERY PERSONALLY RIGHT HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. BUT AS A GOVERNING BODY, WE ALSO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL USES ITS REGULAR MEETING TIME. HOW WE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN MUNICIPAL BUSINESS AND BROADER MORAL STATEMENTS AND HOW WE MAKE SPACE FOR COMMUNITY CONCERNS WITHOUT ALLOWING OUR MEETINGS TO BECOME, BECOME CONSUMED BY DEBATES. WHETHER WHERE THE COUNCIL MAY HAVE LITTLE DIRECT OR AUTHORITY OR ABILITY TO PRODUCE MATERIAL CHANGE. THIS ORDER SIMPLY ASKS THAT THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AND THE CIVIC UNITY COMMITTEE HOLD A PUBLIC JOINT MEETING TO DISCUSS HOW FOREIGN POLICY RESOLUTION SHOULD COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL. THIS IS A CONVERSATION THAT WAS REQUESTED BACK IN 2024, BUT IT NEVER RETURNED TO THE FULL COUNCIL. AND I DO THINK IT'S TIME THAT WE HAVE THIS DISCUSSION OPENLY, RESPECTFULLY, AND WITH CLEAR EXPECTATIONS. THIS IS ULTIMATELY ABOUT RESPONSIBLE GOVERNANCE, CREATING SOME CLEAR AND CONSISTENT GUIDELINES. AND FOR THAT REASON, I HOPE OUR COLLEAGUES WILL SUPPORT THIS. I THANK YOU. AND I YIELD VICE MAYOR ZIM. THANK YOU. UH, MADAM MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO BRING FORTH CHARTER RIGHT? NUMBER ONE. AT THE SAME TIME, VICE MAYOR ZIM HAS MOVED TO SUSPEND OUR RULES TO BRING FORWARD THE CHARTER. RIGHT? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. THE CHARTER RIGHT? THE CHARTER RIGHT ITEM IS BEFORE US. AND THAT WAS FROM LAST WEEK, WHICH WAS THE CHARTER, RIGHT? WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILOR NOLAN. AND THAT WAS, UH, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL GO ON RECORD CALLING [03:20:01] UPON PRESIDENT TEMP TO IMMEDIATELY RESCIND EXECUTIVE ORDER 1 43 80, IMMEDIATELY ENTER MEANINGFUL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT, WITH THE GOAL OF ENDING THE US OIL EMBARGO AND CARRY OUT HIS FOREIGN POLICY AGENDA WITH RESPECTS TO THE WISHES OF THE PEOPLE OF THE US AND ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL LAW VICE MAYOR ZE, YOU HAVE THE FOUR. THANK YOU. UM, MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT BOTH OF THESE TOGETHER AND SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST GOT ELECTED TO THE COUNCIL, AND SOME STILL, PART OF ME STILL BELIEVES THAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, VERY HARD TO DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY. AND THAT I THINK THAT SOME PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. AND THEN AT THE OTHER END, LIKE, YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT THE RESPONSE IN THE MEDIA THAT I CONSUME, AND IT REALLY FEELS LIKE NOT VERY MANY PEOPLE ARE VERY RECEPTIVE TO IT. AND IN SOME WAYS I FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE, EVEN ON THINGS ON WHICH THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UM, UNANIMOUSLY AGREES. HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, I WILL SAY THAT MY OPINIONS HAVE KIND OF CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, WHERE I FEEL LIKE THAT IS NOT THE EXPECTATION OF THE ENTIRE PUBLIC, WHERE A LARGE PART OF THE PUBLIC ACTUALLY DOES WANT US TO ENGAGE, EVEN THOUGH I, I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE IF IT'S THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC. UM, AND I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S MORE NUANCE WHERE IT'S NOT JUST A FOREIGN POLICY ISSUE. THERE'S SOMETIMES WHERE WE MAKE A RESOLUTION THAT SAYS LIKE, OH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, A GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO THIS, AND IT'S NOT EVEN THE US GOVERNMENT. THAT'S OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. THERE'S SOME TIMES WHEN WE SEND SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA SEND TO OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, WHICH OF COURSE WE HAVE SOME IMPACT OVER, AND THAT THERE ARE OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION. AND THERE ARE SOME THINGS LIKE WHAT WAS BROUGHT UP TODAY ABOUT THE CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA, WHERE OF COURSE, WHERE WE DECIDE TO INVEST OUR MONEY IS A MATTER OF CONTROL THAT THE CITY DOES HAVE. AND I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY WORLD IN WHICH WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SAY THAT ACTUALLY THE PLACE WHERE WE INVEST OUR OWN MONEY IS NOT A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE ANY POWER OR CONTROL OVER. UM, SO I THINK THAT THERE IS A RANGE OF OPTIONS THERE. AND I WOULD SAY THAT ACTUALLY THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING STRUCTURE THAT WE FOLLOWED FOR MY TIME IN CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN KIND OF STRANGE IN THAT A LOT OF COMPLEX ORDINANCES GO THROUGH A QUITE LENGTHY ORDINATION PROCESS. A LOT OF OTHER, UM, ISSUES THAT ARE MEATY, WE SEND A COMMITTEE AND THEN THEY COME BACK AND IT ALLOWS US TO ENGAGE IN THE DETAILS. AND I FEEL LIKE WE DON'T DO THAT FOR FOREIGN POLICY WHERE IT FEELS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST INTRODUCE SOMETHING AND THEN YOU'RE EXPECTED TO VOTE ON IT THAT WEEK. MAYBE IF SOMEONE EXERCISES THEIR CHARTER RIGHT NEXT WEEK. AND IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE DIFFICULT TO GET INTO ALL THE DETAILS AND TO BRING ALONG THE COMMUNITY AND TO FIGURE OUT LIKE, HOW DO WE WANNA APPROACH THIS TOPIC APPROPRIATELY? UM, AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT ALL TO SUMMARIZE IN THAT IN PAST YEARS, I WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED FOR THIS CUBAN GOVERNMENT RESOLUTION, EVEN THOUGH I DO FIND IT, UM, UNOFFENSIVE. AND I THINK THAT IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. UM, BUT I WILL SUPPORT IT TODAY. AND I JUST ALSO WANNA SAY THAT I WILL ALSO SUPPORT THIS POLICY ORDER ON FOREIGN ISSUES. AND I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT IT'S NOT ME BELIEVING THAT WE SHOULDN'T DISCUSS FOR POLICY ISSUES IN ALL THE SPECIFIC DETAILS. AND THAT I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE CATEGORIES AND THERE'S A MEANINGFUL WAY TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AND BRING PEOPLE ALONG. AND I FEEL LIKE THE CURRENT STRUCTURE ISN'T PROPERLY WORKING. AND SO PERHAPS WE TALK ABOUT A MEETING STRUCTURE WHERE IT'S LIKE, OH, WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE A STANDARD PROCESS OF WE BRING A THING, WE'LL HAVE A, UH, YOU KNOW, A CIVIC UNITY COMMITTEE ON IT, WHICH IS A COMMITTEE THAT DOESN'T REALLY DO MUCH RIGHT NOW. UM, AND THEN WE KIND OF BRING IT BACK. OR WE HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING ON IT IN A WAYS THAT LIKE, MAKE IT FEEL LIKE THERE'S A PROCESS THAT PEOPLE CAN GET USED TO, AND THERE'S PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE INPUT AND WE CAN BRING MORE PEOPLE ALONG. I THINK THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD SUPPORT. AND, YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST SAY TO PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO ARE STILL NOT SATISFIED WITH THAT. I MEAN, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW THE VOTE WILL TURN OUT TODAY, BUT AS OF LAST WEEK WHEN I WAS COUNTING, THE CUBAN POLICY ORDER WAS PASSING ON FIVE FOUR, AND I WOULD SAY THAT'S NOT THE STRONGEST INDICATOR OF A PROGRESSIVE CITY DOING SOMETHING. AND IT'S STILL A FIVE FOUR VOTE. AND SO HOPEFULLY THIS CAN BE SEEN AS A PROCESS OF TRYING TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO ENGAGE IN THIS, AT LEAST LET'S TRY TO BRING AS MANY PEOPLE ALONG AS WE CAN. AND HOPEFULLY IT'S ALSO A SHOW OF GOOD FAITH IN MY PART THAT I'M VOTING FOR THIS CUBAN POLICY ORDER IN A WAY THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE IN THE PAST. AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT I WILL VOTE FOR BOTH, UH, THE ORIGINAL POLICY OR, UH, THE BOTH POLICY ORDERS. UM, AND HOPEFULLY THAT EXPLAINS MY RATIONALE. THANK YOU. WE WILL GO TO COUNCILOR GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL ZUBIE. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU FIRST ON THE POLICY ORDER. UM, YOU KNOW, I I I'M FINE WITH HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS. UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL VOTE FOR IT. I, I, AGAIN, I I'M BEING CONSISTENT. I, I FELT WE SHOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE MAYOR ISSUE. I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS. I, I, I THINK THAT'S FINE. UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN PRETTY CLEAR ON THE RECORD THAT I THINK COMMENTING ON INTERNATIONAL MATTERS, UM, IS SOMETHING I DO THINK IS A, IS A, IS A THING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO DO. IT IS IN OUR PURVIEW LETTING OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION LEGISLATORS KNOW HOW WE FEEL ABOUT ISSUES THAT THEY'RE VOTING ON AND DEALING WITH. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT, I MEAN, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, I THINK OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN CONGRESS THAT REPRESENT CAMBRIDGE DO A GREAT JOB OF BEING IN THE DISTRICT. BUT [03:25:01] LET'S FACE IT, WE HAVE MORE CONTACT WITH THE VOTERS OF CAMBRIDGE THAN, THAN THEY DO. AND, UM, FOR US TO TAKE A VOTE AND SAY, WE WANT YOU, WE SUPPORT THIS OR THAT, OR WE'D LIKE YOU TO VOTE THIS WAY OR THAT WAY, I THINK IS APPROPRIATE. BUT I'M ALL FOR HAVING THE DISCUSSION. I KEEP AN OPEN MIND ON EVERYTHING. SO, UM, WE'LL SEE WHERE THAT GOES. UM, AS FAR AS THE, THE, UH, THE CUBA RESOLUTION, OBVIOUSLY I WAS, I WAS ON IT, I I COMMENTED LAST WEEK. UM, I DO THINK THAT, UH, AGAIN, IT, THAT IT IS OUR BUSINESS TO TAKE A STAND AND MAKE A STATEMENT WHEN, WHEN WE FEEL WE NEED TO, UM, TO LET OUR CON CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATORS KNOW HOW WE FEEL. UM, I THINK WHAT'S GOING ON IN CUBA, AND WHAT THIS GOVERNMENT HAS REALLY DONE TO CUBA FOR DECADES, UM, IS ATROCIOUS. UM, IT'S KILLING PEOPLE. IT'S KILLING KIDS. UM, AND I HAVE NO PROBLEM STANDING UP AGAINST THAT. UM, I WILL SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I WEIGH IN, IN THESE, IN THESE CONVERSATIONS, UH, IS ALSO WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON OUR OWN COMMUNITY. I DON'T THINK ALL OF THESE THINGS, THESE ISSUES ARE CREATED EQUAL, RIGHT? UM, I, I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME ISSUES THAT HIT US DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER ISSUES, UM, THAT WE HAVE TO BE, AS A COUNCIL A LITTLE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT AND A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU KNOW, IT GOES BEYOND JUST MAKING A STATEMENT IF IT'S GONNA BRING HARM TO OUR COMMUNITY. I DON'T THINK THIS POLICY ORDER DOES THAT. UM, AND SO I, I, I THINK IT'S, UH, A FINE THING FOR US TO VOTE ON. AND I, AND I WOULD ALSO SAY, I MEAN, I, WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE DISTRACTIONS AND WHAT HAVE YOU. UM, I SAID THIS TO SOME OF THE FOLKS LAST WEEK. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SAID TO THEM THAT I SPENT 50 HOURS THINKING ABOUT THIS POLICY ORDER, AND IT WAS NOTHING. I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE YOU'D LIKE THAT IF YOU SUPPORT THIS POLICY ORDER, WOW, HE ONLY CARES ABOUT US. I DIDN'T SPEND THAT MUCH TIME. ALL MY TIME HAS BEEN SPENT IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS HAVE BEEN SPENT ON TURF VERSUS GRASS, MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PROJECTS, BIKE LANES, CONSTRUCTION TREES BEING CUT DOWN, ALL THE THINGS THAT, THAT'S 99% HOMELESSNESS ISSUES. UM, THE WEEK THAT THIS WAS DISCUSSED AND GOT PUT ON THE AGENDA, I TOOK FOUR UNHOUSED PEOPLE TO THE MONTHLY SERVICE CENTER TO HELP THEM SIGN UP FOR VOUCHERS. THAT'S WHAT I SPEND MY TIME DOING. AND SO I DON'T THINK THIS WAS A DISTRACTION, IT'S MORE OF A DISTRACTION. 'CAUSE HERE WE ARE DISCUSSING IT AGAIN WHERE IT COULD HAVE BEEN SETTLED LAST WEEK. UM, SO I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T BUY THAT. THERE ARE TIMES WHERE IT IS MORE OF A DISTRACTION THAN OTHERS, AND WE HAVE TO WEIGH THAT, UM, WHEN WE MAKE OUR DECISION. SO, UM, I WILL SUPPORT THE POLICY ORDER TO HAVE A FURTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS. AND, AND MAYBE WE CAN COME UP WITH SOME RULES AROUND THEM OR, YOU KNOW, SOME, YOU KNOW, GUIDING PRINCIPLES OR WHATEVER. UM, BUT I WILL, I WILL VOTE FOR PO UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE AFFIRMATIVE FOR BOTH OF THESE TONIGHT. MADAM MAYOR. I'LL YIELD. OKAY. I HAVE MORE HANDS UP. I HAVE TO GO TO COUNCILOR ZUBE, AND THEN I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. AND THEN I HAD COUNCILLOR ZI AND THEN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YEAH. THROUGH COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I, I DON'T THINK THIS IS NECESSARY. I DON'T AGREE WITH THE LANGUAGE OF THE POLICY ORDER, SO I'LL BE VOTING. NO, WE MUST DEFINE WHAT MATERIAL IMPACTS COULD MEAN, BECAUSE WHEN CITIES STAND UP, IT CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN SHIFTING THE CONVERSATION. DOMESTIC POLICY, AS WE KNOW, IMPACTS FOREIGN POLICY AND VICE VERSA. WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE BRUTALIZATION OF ICE AND WHAT THEY'RE CONDUCTING ACROSS THE US AND IN OUR CITY. WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THE ENDLESS FUNDING WE'VE GIVEN ISRAEL AND ITS BRUTALIZATION OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, I THINK IT SEEMS A BIT HYPOCRITICAL THAT IN ONE BREATH, MY COLLEAGUE ASSUMES REFORMISM OF MARGINALIZED STRUGGLES. AND THEN IN ANOTHER, PRECEDES TO WHAT I THINK IS AN ATTEMPT TO SILENCE MARGINALIZED PEOPLE WHEN IT COMES TO OTHER STRUGGLES. YOU MIGHT SAY, THIS IS JUST A DISCUSSION, BUT BOTH OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT YOU'RE NOT IN FAVOR OF FOREIGN POLICY DISCUSSIONS. WE ARE REPRESENTATIVES, SO WE WORK TO BRING IN ELEVATE VOICES. THE COUNCIL CAN DO ANYTHING AT ONCE. WE HAVE THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO INTRODUCE SOMETHING THAT IS RELEVANT TO OUR CONSTITUENTS. WHILE THE INTENT MIGHT NOT BE TO SILENCE, THIS IS VERY CHILLING. WHEN I SEE VETERAN COUNSELORS WALKING BACK A LEGACY OF STANDING UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, THAT'S CHILLING, I'LL YIELD. I HAVE COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS MAD MAYOR THROUGH YOU. I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF, UM, ON THE CUBA RESOLUTION. I AM, I'M PROUD TO BE THE LEAD SPONSOR ON THAT. UH, I'LL BE VOTING YES, FOR ALL THE REASONS I LAID OUT, UH, [03:30:01] LAST WEEK, AND THAT, UH, COUNCILOR GOVERN AND, UH, COUNCILOR SADIKI COUNSELOR, UH, ZUBY MENTIONED, UM, INCLUDING THE, YOU KNOW, TERRIBLE SITUATION. IT HAS CAUSED FOR THE, THE CUBAN PEOPLE THAT IT'S BEING DONE IN OUR, OUR NAME AS CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS WHO ARE US CITIZENS. UH, AND THAT, THAT THIS RESOLUTION IS JUST, UH, COMMON SENSE. UM, AND THEN ON THE, THE POLICY ORDER AROUND FOREIGN POLICY, UM, I'LL BE VOTING NO, UH, FOR TWO REASONS. I THINK THE ONE WAS, WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION LAST TERM ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SHOULD WE CONSIDER FOR, UH, FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES OR NOT. WE HAD A, A LIVELY DISCUSSION ON THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, AND WE JUST, WE COULDN'T AGREE ON ANYTHING. I COULDN'T AGREE ON ANYTHING LAST TERM. UH, I DON'T THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO THIS TERM. UM, IT, THERE'S REASONS TO DISCUSS IT, AND I THINK, UH, UH, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT ALTERNATIVE WE WOULD COME UP WITH, UM, IF THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL THINKS OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO, TO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. BUT I, I DON'T THINK IT'S GOOD. AND THE SECOND PIECE ESPECIALLY IS, I'M, I'M SYMPATHETIC TO THIS ARGUMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE FEDERAL DELEGATION THAT DOES FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. WE SHOULD LET OUR CONGRESS PEOPLE DO THAT. OUR US SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES. I WOULD BE MORE SYMPATHETIC TO THAT IF, UH, THAT OUR PUBLIC ELECTION WASN'T SO FUNDAMENTALLY BROKEN. IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE MEDIAN NET WORTH OF CONGRESS MEMBERS, IT'S MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS FOR PEOPLE. THE ONLY WAY YOU GET TO BE PART OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES IS IF YOU'RE A MILLIONAIRE AND CAN RAISE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR THESE RACES. I JUST THINK, UH, MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE, BE PART OF THOSE THAN JUST LIKE THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL CONGRESS AND VERY WEALTHY PEOPLE WHO CAN GET ELECTED TO CONGRESS, WHICH IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO GET ELECTED TO CONGRESS. OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD, SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A SAY, EVEN IF IT'S JUST AT THE CITY COUNCIL LEVEL TO SAY, NO, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS BLOCKADE IN OUR NAME. UM, SO I'LL BE A YES ON THE CUBA RESOLUTION AND A NO ON THE, THE FOREIGN POLICY POLICY ORDER. I YIELD BACK. AND JUST FOR THE ORDER OPERATIONS, WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THE, UH, CURRENT POLICY ORDER BY COUNCILOR NOLAN AND SIMMONS FIRST, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE OTHER POLICY ORDER, THE CHARTER, RIGHT. NUMBER ONE, I'LL, I, THIS IS WHAT I HAVE IN THE QUEUE. UM, I HAVE COUNCILOR ZI, AND THEN COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, BECAUSE WE ALREADY HEARD FROM YOU, COUNCILOR SIMMONS. AND THEN WE'LL DO ANOTHER ROUND IF NECESSARY. COUNCILOR ZI. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I APPRECIATE THE COMPASSION OF OUR SPEAKERS, AND I ALSO FEEL REAL SYMPATHY FOR THE PEOPLE OF CUBA. UM, HOWEVER, I FEEL LIKE WE LIVE IN A CRAZY WORLD, AND IF WE CHOSE TO TAKE POSITIONS ON FOREIGN POLICY, UM, WE COULD TAKE POSITIONS AT EVERY MEETING. WE, EACH MEETING COULD BE FILLED WITH FOREIGN POLICY DISCUSSIONS. AND, UH, FOREIGN POLICY IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER, AND I FEEL LIKE IT DISTRACTS US. THIS WOULD BE TO THE DETRIMENT OF ATTENDING TO REAL AND RELEVANT LOCAL ISSUES THAT ARE WITHIN OUR PURVIEW. UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE REALLY THINKING ABOUT, UH, FOR THE GOOD OF THE CITY THAT WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT OR TALKING ABOUT. SO I WILL BE VOTING FOR, UH, THIS POLICY ORDER TO HAVE A BROADER DISCUSSION ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY. BUT I WILL BE VOTING PRESENT ABOUT THE POLICY ORDER ABOUT CUBA. NOT BECAUSE I'M NOT SYMPATHETIC, BUT BECAUSE I FEEL AS THOUGH IT'S NOT WHAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON. I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO STAY FOCUSED ON LOCAL THINGS HERE. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. THANK YOU. AND THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I'LL REPEAT AND PARAPHRASE. WHAT I SAID LAST WEEK WAS BASICALLY THAT I'LL BE VOTING PRESENT ON THE CHARTER RIGHT ISSUE. UM, AND I THINK IT'S OBVIOUSLY CLEAR THAT THIS IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE. WE COULD OCCUPY ALL OF OUR MEETINGS TALKING ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY AND MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE AROUND THE GLOBE. AND THAT'S CLEARLY NOT GOOD USE OF OUR TIME. WE DO HAVE A LOT TO DO. UM, AND MAYBE IF IT, MAYBE IT WASN'T UNDERSTOOD LAST TIME BECAUSE THERE WAS A QUESTION OR A REMARK ABOUT IT. SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION MEANS WHAT WE HAVE POWER TO EFFECT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN CAMBRIDGE. UH, AND PERSONAL JURISDICTION MEANS THINGS WITHIN OUR BOUNDARIES. UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING OVER, UH, CUBA, BUT I, BUT I WILL, UH, TELL YOU THIS, THAT IF YOU WANT TO HAVE IMPACT, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE AND, AND, UH, SPOKE IN FAVOR OF THIS, THAT, UH, THIS WEEKEND ON MAY 16TH AND 17TH, THERE'S A SPECIAL COLLECTION AT ST. PETER'S CHURCH, MY PARISH IN WEST CAMBRIDGE FOR CUBA, UH, TO RAISE MONEY FOR MEDICINE. AND, UH, THE FOLLOWING WEEK ON MARCH 24TH, THE, UH, BISHOP, UM, BISHOP, UM, ARTURO, I THINK IS HIS NAME FROM SANTA CLARA, WILL BE VISITING, UH, [03:35:01] ST. PETER'S. AND HE'LL BE MAKING, HE'LL BE SPEAKING ABOUT THE ISSUES, UH, IN CUBA, AND HE'LL BE, UM, CO CELEBRATING THE FOUR O'CLOCK MASS ON SATURDAY. SO I INVITE EVERYBODY TO COME, PARTICIPATE, OPEN UP YOUR WALLET AND MAKE REAL IMPACT. AND AS FAR AS YOU KNOW, THE FIRST AMENDMENT GOES, I, I FULLY SUPPORT THE FIRST AMENDMENT. AND I THINK IT'S AS EFFECTIVE AS HAVING A PRESS CONFERENCE AND INVITING THE MEDIA ON THE FRONT STEPS OF CITY HALL AND SAYING WHAT WE WANT. WE DON'T NEED TO, UH, USE ALL OF THE TIME FROM ALL OF OUR STAFF AND COUNCILS HERE TO AFFECT THE SAME SORT OF, UH, RESULT. AND, AND I ENCOURAGE THAT. I REALLY DO. I SUPPORT IT. UM, BUT I THINK IF, IF WE DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN VOTE PRESENT, THEN THE TAXPAYERS THAT ELECTED ME AND SENT ME HERE TO DEAL ON THE ISSUES THEY'RE DEALING WITH, THE LOCAL ISSUES LIKE, UH, POISON IVY AROUND FRESH POND, UH, THOSE MATTERS ARE MATTERS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE PEOPLE HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. AND WE SHOULD BE DEALING WITH THAT IMMEDIATELY, UM, DURING OUR, OUR, OUR MEETINGS. UM, SO I YIELD, THANK YOU ALL SPEAK, BISHOP ARTURO GONZALEZ. OKAY. EXCUSE ME, I SAID IT WRONG. BISHOP ARTURO GONZALEZ FROM SANTA CLARA. I'M JUST GONNA SPEAK BRIEFLY ON THIS 'CAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN HEARD. AND THEN I SUGGEST WE PROCEED TO THE VOTES. AND I KNOW I'LL GO TO YOU, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, IF YOU'D LIKE. YES. UM, I WOULD, BUT LET ME JUST, UH, FINISH MY COMMENT. SO I THINK WE SPEAK ON THINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE DIRECT CONTROL OVER ALL THE TIME, UM, INCLUDING EVEN SOME THINGS THAT HAPPEN AT IN THIS BUILDING. UH, I THINK WE HAVE A HISTORY OF ACTIVISM AND SPEAKING OUT. UH, AND SO FOR ME, THIS IS ABOUT VALUE. SO I WILL BE SUPPORTING, UH, THE RESOLUTION, UM, FROM LAST WEEK AND ON THE RESOLUTION ON THE POLICY ORDER FROM FOR TONIGHT, UH, FROM COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND, UH, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UM, I APPRECIATE THE INTENT, INTENT, UH, BUT GIVEN I DO THINK, UM, COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER HAS, UH, HAD ASKED FOR MANY CHANGES AND OTHER, UM, UH, TOPICS TO COME, UH, AROUND RULES AND TO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION, UM, I DON'T THINK, UH, THIS IS THE BEST USE OF THOSE COMMITTEES TIME. SO I WILL BE VOTING NO ON THAT. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, UH, THANK YOU THROUGH THE CHAIR. UM, SOMETHING WE MENTIONED EARLIER, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EXHIBIT OUT IN THE HALL, WHICH LIFTS UP CAROLINE HUNTER AND I ONLY BRING HER UP BECAUSE THE WORK THAT SHE DID WAS EXTRAORDINARY. AND THE IMPACT SHE HAD ON APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA REALLY PUT A RIPPLE EFFECT AROUND RACISM AND PEOPLE PUSHING BACK ON PEOPLE'S CIVIL LIBERTIES. AND I RAISED THAT UP AS A WOMAN THAT REALLY SPENT AND GAVE A LOT OF HER TIME. BUT WHAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS HOW BADLY SHE WAS TREATED RIGHT HERE IN THIS CITY BY US. AND SO THERE HAS THAT BALANCE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LEGACY, THE LEGACY ABOUT STANDING UP, BUT ALSO BE MINDFUL OF HOW SO OFTEN, PARTICULARLY WITH BLACK WOMEN, HOW THEY'RE CONSTANTLY DISRESPECTED AND HAVE TO CONSTANTLY PROVE THEIR WORTH MORE OFTEN THAN MOST OTHERS. SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT AS, AS A SOBERING PIECE, AS WE DO THIS WORK OF ADVOCACY, AS WE BUILD A LEGACY FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN TO FOLLOW, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALWAYS ARE RESPECTFUL AND MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE A PLACE FOR THOSE THAT ARE MARGINALIZED THE MOST. NOW, SPECIFIC TO, UH, THE POLICY ORDER ON, ON CUBA, UH, I'M NOT GONNA BE VOTING FOR IT BE BECAUSE OF IT'S, IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE. AND WE DID HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ON IT. AND IF WE FEEL SO STRONGLY AS I DO ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER PLACES, WHY DIDN'T WE BRING UP THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT? NO ONE STOOD UP AND SAID A SINGLE WORD, NOT EVEN MYSELF. WHY? BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THINKING GLOBALLY AND ACTING LOCALLY. SO WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I'M GONNA WORK IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD TO SEE WHO'S NOT, WHO'S NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE. AND, AND I INVITE YOU TO JOIN ME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BRING THE NUMBERS UP SO PEOPLE ARE ACTIVELY IN VOTING, OR WITH A COHORT OF MY FRIENDS THAT WRITE POSTCARDS TO PLACES LIKE GEORGIA AND ALABAMA, WHERE MY FAMILY'S FROM, TO SAY, WE WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE THE FULL RIGHT AND ABILITY TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE, WHICH IS SOMETHING MY MOTHER CAME TO MASSACHUSETTS TO DO BECAUSE SHE WAS DENIED THAT, OR WORSE WOULD'VE BEEN LYNCHED FOR TRYING. SO I STAND, NOT THAT I DON'T THINK THAT CUBE, THE ISSUE AROUND CUBE IS IMPORTANT, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE ISSUES RIGHT HERE. NOBODY CRIED FOR ANTHONY CLAY'S MOTHER IN WASHINGTON, ELMS WHEN HE WAS SHOT DOWN IN THE STREET. THERE WAS NO POLICY ORDER. I MEAN, I [03:40:01] BROUGHT IN THE POLICY ORDER SAYING SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, ACKNOWLEDGE HIS PASSING, BUT THERE'S JUST SO MUCH IMPORTANT WORK THAT WE CAN DO RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS. SO, NO, I DON'T DISMISS WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CUBA. I, YOU KNOW, BUT WE DISMISS WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT. AND I'LL CO-SPONSOR SOMEONE WANTS TO, ALTHOUGH I PROBABLY SAY NO, BECAUSE I CAN DO THAT WORK RIGHT HERE IN MY COMMUNITY. SO, UH, I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HEARD LAST. UM, BUT I DO WANT TO, UM, SAY I WILL NOT BEVO, UH, VOTING IN FAVOR OF THE, UM, POLICY ORDER ON CUBA. I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE THE TIME AND HAVE A CONVERSATION AND A COMMITTEE. THAT'S WHY COMMITTEES ARE FORMED, SO THAT WE HAVE THE PROCESS TO WORK THROUGH IMPORTANT ISSUES AND BRING FOLKS TO THE TABLE OR INTO THE ROOM TO HAVE A ROBUST DISCUSSION. YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ROBUST DEBATE CAN'T BE SOMETHING ONLY FOR THE PRIVILEGED. SO I REST WITH THAT. I YIELD THE FLOOR AT THIS MOMENT, HEARING NO ONE ELSE. WE CAN GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR SIMMONS TO ADOPT THE POLICY ORDER. NUMBER FIVE, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. NO. NO. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. NO. NO. COUNSELOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND THREE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. THE POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED ON A VOTE OF SIX TO THREE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE ITEM THAT WAS LATE EXERCISE THEIR CHARTER RIGHT ON LAST WEEK ON ADOPTING THAT ORDER. HEARING. NO ONE ON DISCUSSION. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN, YOU'D LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING? PLEASE GO AHEAD. YEAH, I, I MEAN, I SAID IT REALLY LAST WEEK. AND TO BE VERY CLEAR, I HAVE SIGNED THE LET CUBA LIVE. I THINK IT'S A GREAT THING FOR US TO STAND UP AS INDIVIDUALS. THIS IS SIMPLY ABOUT US STANDING UP AS A CITY COUNCIL AS A WHOLE DURING OUR REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS, DURING THIS, DURING THIS TIME. IT'S NOT AT ALL ABOUT THE UNDERLYING IMPACT ON CUBA, WHICH IS HORRIFYING. AND AS HAS BEEN SAID, THERE'S LOTS OF OTHER ISSUES ACROSS THE WORLD THAT I CERTAINLY AM AWARE OF AND CONCERNED ABOUT, AND, UH, DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, CUBA AS WELL. I ACTUALLY KNOW A FEW PEOPLE WORKING THERE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING QUITE, UH, SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES. AND WE KNOW THAT, UH, MANY PLACES HAVE AS WELL. BUT I'LL BE VOTING PRESENT. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND PROCEED TO ADOPTING THAT ORDER ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR ZUBY. COUNCILOR ZUKI? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. PRESENT. PRESENT. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE FIVE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND FOUR. RECORDED IS PRESENT. POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED ON A VOTE OF SIX. SORRY. FIVE. FIVE. FOUR. 5, 4, 4 PRESENT. WE ARE DONE WITH THE PO. UH, THANK YOU. NOT ALLOWED. SO PER OUR RULES, PLEASE REFRAIN HIM CLAPPING. YOU CAN DO AIR CLAPS. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD. WE'VE DONE WITH THE POLICY ORDERS. WE'RE DONE WITH THE UNFINISHED? NO, THERE'S ONE LEFT. NUMBER SIX. OH, YOU'RE SO RIGHT. ONE MORE. IT'S NINE 14. EVERYONE. WELL, SO WE'LL DO I HAVE ALL, WE'LL, GO AHEAD. WE CAN STAY HERE. 11. ORDER NUMBER SIX, THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO ROPE, BUT TO REPORT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON THE PROJECTED FISCAL IMPACT OF MAINTAINING THE CURRENT EXEMPTION FOR SENIORS, ALONG WITH ANY ADMINISTRATIVE STEPS NECESSARY TO DO SO. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND COUNCILLOR SUZI, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH THE CHAIR. FIRST OF ALL, I'M JUST REALLY PROUD TO BRING THIS FORWARD WITH MY COLLEAGUE AND, AND ALLY ZUI. I WANNA REITERATE WHAT I'VE SAID WHEN THIS IDEA WAS PREVIOUSLY BEFORE THE COUNCIL, A $75 FEE MAY SOUND MODEST TO SOME, AND TO SOME, A $25 FEE MAY SOUND PARTICULARLY GENEROUS, BUT FOR MANY SENIORS WHO HAVE LIT ON FIXED INCOME, IT'S NOT MODEST AT ALL. I HAVE PEOPLE WHO COME INTO MY OFFICE WHO HAVE THEIR MONTHLY EXPENSES WORKED OUT TO THE PENNY. THAT IS HOW TIGHT THEIR BUDGETS ARE. AND IF YOU CANNOT CONCEIVE OF, OF THE LEVEL OF HARDSHIP, YOU SHOULD COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SENIORS IN THIS CITY THAT DO HAVE TO DO THAT. EXACTLY THAT. BE VERY THOUGHTFUL [03:45:01] ABOUT EVERY, EXCUSE ME, PENNY, THAT THEY SPEND. AND IF WE IMPOSE EVEN A $25 FEE, THAT IS GROCERIES, THAT'S MEDICATION, THAT'S A PHONE BILL. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT FOR TOO MANY OF OUR SENIORS. LIFE IN CAMBRIDGE IS STARTING TO FEEL LIKE DEATH OF A THOUSAND CUTS, A NEW FEE HERE, AN INCREASED THERE, A PARKING SPACE LOSS ERRAND, MUCH HARDER. ANOTHER BILL ARRIVING AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME. EACH ONE MAY LOOK SMALL ON PAPER, BUT TOGETHER THEY'RE PUSHING OLDER RESIDENTS OUT OF THE CITY THAT THEY HELPED TO BUILD. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO'VE LIVED IN CAMBRIDGE FOR DECADES, WHO STAYED THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENTS, WHO STAYED THROUGH THE RISING COSTS, WHO STAYED THROUGH DISPLACEMENT PRESSURES AND ENORMOUS CHANGE, AND WHO CHOOSE THIS CITY AND BUILT A LIFE HERE. THE SENIOR PARKING EXEMPTION IS A SMALL ACCOMMODATION, BUT IS, IS A MEANINGFUL ONE. AND TAKING AWAY SENDS EXACTLY THE WRONG MESSAGE ABOUT HOW WE VALUE THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THIS CITY. I WILL ALSO NOTE THAT PRESERVING THIS EXEMPTION CARRIES A RELATIVELY MODEST FISCAL IMPACT FOR THE CITY, WHILE PROVIDING REAL TANGIBLE RELIEF FOR SENIORS WHO NEED IT. SO I'M ASKING MY COLLEAGUES, SUPPORT THIS ORDER. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO ADD ANOTHER BURDEN, HOWEVER SMALL IT MAY APPEAR UNTO PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY CARRIED ENOUGH. THIS IS ONE PLACE WHERE THE CITY CAN CHOOSE TO DO THE RIGHT THING. I HOPE WE WILL. AND WITH THAT, I YIELD THE FLOOR. COUNCILLOR ZUZI. ORIGINALLY, AS I THINK, YOU KNOW, I HAD VOTED TO INCREASE, UM, IS THERE PARKING FEES, UH, IN SENIOR PARKING FEE FEES FROM ZERO TO $25 OR $75 AS, UM, AS SENIOR'S BUDGETS ALLOWED WITH A SIMPLE CHECKOFF ON THE PARKING PERMIT REGISTRATION APPLICATION REQUIRING NO DOCUMENTATION. UM, BUT I'VE BEEN REALLY SHOCKED BY THE PUSHBACK, AND I'VE COME TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE TO RAISE THE FEE EVEN BY LESS THAN $2 AND 10 CENTS PER MONTH FOR LOW INCOME SENIORS AT THIS TIME. THE CHANGE IN INCOME GENERATED BY THE CITY IS LIMITED, AND IT, IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME WHEN MANY ARE ALREADY SO FRUSTRATED BY THE ELIMINATION OF PARKING PLACES, PLACES TO RAISE THIS FEE, IT IS RUBBING SALT INTO A WOUND. SO FOR THAT REASON, I, I RETHOUGHT THIS AND I AM SUPPORTING THIS POLICY ORDER. THIS IS, I I, I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO RAISE SENIORS FEES FROM ZERO TO 25 OR $75. I THINK WE CAN DO THAT AT ANOTHER TIME, BUT I, I THINK THIS IS, IS THE WRONG TIME TO DO THAT. AND AGAIN, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE CHANGE IN REVENUE WILL BE NOMINAL. AND THE OTHER THING THAT I FOUND REALLY INTERESTING FROM THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MEETING WE HAD ABOUT THIS WAS, UM, I, I REALIZED HOW MUCH INCOME THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT BRINGS IN ANNUALLY FROM THEIR FEES. SO I FELT AS THOUGH THE, IT, IT JUST, THE NUMBERS DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. I, I, I, I FELT LIKE, UH, WE'LL BE, WE'LL BE FINE. WE'RE GONNA BRING IN MORE INCOME THAN WE DID BEFORE BY GENERALLY RAISING THE FEE TO $75. AND THERE WILL BE SOME PEOPLE THAT WILL CHECK OFF THE BOX FOR $25. THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE PAID IN THE PAST. UH, AND THE SENIORS WEREN'T PAYING IN THE PAST ANYWAY, UM, OR DISABLED RESIDENTS. SO I, I THINK, I THINK THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO CHARGE SENIORS. 25 TO $75. THANK YOU. I YIELD, I HAVE A FEW PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE. I'LL GO TO COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, COUNCILLOR ZUZI, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. I'M SORRY. COUNSELOR. ZUBE. . I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST GONNA SKIP OVER ME. , I, NO, I'M GONNA GO TO, I'M GOING TO COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER FIRST. OKAY. THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, THEN ZUBI, I'LL YIELD ACTUALLY FROM OTHER COUNSELORS, UH, TO SPEAK. FIRST I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, AND THEN COUNCILOR ZUBI. UH, THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO A COUPLE THINGS ON THIS, UH, ON THIS ORDER. I DID, UM, SUBMIT SOME AMENDMENTS. UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I WILL, I WILL SAY WHAT, WHAT I'VE SAID IS THAT THIS TO ME, UM, AND FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THIS IS KIND OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SORT OF SAY, THIS IS A, THIS IS AN ATTACK, OR THIS, IS THIS A I THINK ANYONE [03:50:01] WHO KNOWS MY RECORD, I HAVE CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTED SENIORS IN THIS COMMUNITY. THAT'S NOT, THIS IS NOT WHAT THAT'S ABOUT FOR ME. WHAT IT'S ABOUT IS PEOPLE WHO, I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN PAY MORE SHOULD PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE, AND PEOPLE WHO CANNOT PAY MORE SHOULD GET A SUBSIDY. I MEAN, I THINK GIVING TAX BREAKS TO BILLIONAIRES IS RIDICULOUS. UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, SO FOR ME, THIS WAS REALLY ABOUT HOW DO WE ENSURE, AND THERE'S NO GREAT WAY TO DO IT, THAT THE FOLKS WHO CAN AFFORD TO PAY $75 REGARDLESS OF AGE, PAY THE $75, AND THAT ANYBODY WHO CANNOT AFFORD THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY THE, THE, THE $75. AND WE CAN, WE CAN SAY IT'S ZERO. WE CAN SAY IT'S 25. UM, BECAUSE TO SAY, I MEAN, TO SAY THAT, THAT SOMEONE, AND, AND IT'S NOT JUST PEOPLE WHO'VE LIVED IN THIS COMMUNITY FOREVER. THERE'S NO TIME LIMIT ON THIS. IF YOU, IF YOU'RE A SENIOR CITIZEN AND YOU MOVE TO THIS COMMUNITY YESTERDAY AND HAVEN'T PAID A A NICKEL IN, IN, IN TAXES, YOU STILL GET THE EXEMPTION. SO IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, BUT IF YOU SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SOMEONE WHO EARNS 300,000, YOU'RE 65 YEARS OLD, AND YOU EARN $400,000 A YEAR, YOU GET THE EXEMPTION. BUT IF YOU'RE A 30 5-YEAR-OLD SINGLE PARENT IN PUBLIC HOUSING, YOU DON'T. HOW IS THAT FAIR? HOW CAN, HOW SO, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA PUT UP MY AMENDMENT, BUT IF WE WANT TO KEEP THE SENIOR EXEMPTION FINE, WE KEEP THE SENIOR EXEMPTION, BUT WE ALSO THEN HAVE TO EXEMPT LOW INCOME PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF AGE. UM, BECAUSE WHY IS IT THEY'RE STRUGGLING TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE TOO? AND JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT OLD ENOUGH, THEY, THEY GET, THEY HAVE TO MAKE THOSE CHOICES. I DON'T THINK THAT'S FAIR. SO WHAT I DID IN, IN THIS, I TOOK OUT THE, CAN YOU GO, CAN YOU GO USE THE MIC? UM, I TOOK OUT THE AND VISITOR PARKING PERMIT BECAUSE NOBODY EVER SUGGESTED RAISING THE VISITOR PARKING PERMIT FEE TO $75. THAT WAS NEVER ON THE TABLE. SO AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT THIS. I BUMPED INTO A WOMAN IN TRADER JOE'S THIS WEEKEND WHO WAS REALLY UPSET WITH ME AND SAID, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GONNA RAISE THE FEE OF $75 FOR LOW INCOME SENIORS. AND I SAID, THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M SAYING. AND SHE SAID, WELL, I ATTENDED A MEETING IN EAST CAMBRIDGE, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TOLD, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HELP OUR COMMUNITY WHEN WE GIVE OUT WRONG INFORMATION. AND SO I SAID, NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT IT IS. IT WOULD GO FROM ZERO TO 25. AND SHE SAID, OH, WELL THAT'S A LITTLE, THAT'S MORE REASONABLE. RIGHT? BUT SHE WAS ANGRY AND ANXIOUS FOR WEEKS BECAUSE SHE HEARD THE WRONG THING. THAT'S NOT GOOD. SO AGAIN, AND SO NO ONE EVER SUGGESTED RAISING THE VISITOR PARKING PERMIT FEE TO 75. SO I THINK WE JUST NEED TO TAKE THAT OUT. CAN YOU SCROLL PLEASE? THANK YOU. UM, I ALSO AM SUGGESTING WE TAKE OUT THE PARKING SPACES ARE BEING REMOVED. THIS ISN'T ABOUT PARKING. THIS ISN'T ABOUT BIKE LANES. THIS ISN'T ABOUT THAT. THIS IS ABOUT A FEE STRUCTURE. UM, I DON'T WANNA, YOU KNOW, MIXED MIX ISSUES. SO I'M SUGGESTING WE TAKE THAT OUT, ALTHOUGH THAT'S MAYBE A REAL ISSUE AND WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT IN ANOTHER PLACE. THIS IS ABOUT A FEE STRUCTURE. UM, AND THEN I TOOK OUT THE VISITOR PARKING PERMIT DOWN BELOW, BECAUSE AS I SAID, NO ONE EVER SUGGESTED RAISING THAT. AND THEN I ADDED THIS, SO UNCHANGED THE CURRENT TREATMENT FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. SO THE SENIOR EXEMPTION WOULD, CHA WOULD STAY AND EXPAND THAT EXEMPTION TO ANY LOW INCOME RESIDENT REGARDLESS OF AGE. SO IF YOU'RE A 30-YEAR-OLD SINGLE PARENT, YOU GET THE EXEMPTION TOO. AND IF WE'RE NOT GONNA EXPEND IT TO ANYBODY WHO'S LOW INCOME, THEN WE SHOULDN'T DO IT FOR ANYBODY. SO THAT'S MY SUGGESTION. SENIORS WOULD GET THEIR EXEMPTION, BUT I CARE AS MUCH ABOUT THE 30-YEAR-OLD PERSON IN PUBLIC HOUSING AS I DO ABOUT THE 65-YEAR-OLD, YOU KNOW, PERSON IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S, I THROW THAT OUT THERE. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I HAVE COUNCILOR ZUBIE, AND THEN I HAVE A FEW OTHERS. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I, I MEAN, I APPRECIATE COUNCILOR MCGOVERN'S AMENDMENT. I WAS GONNA EXACTLY REFER TO IT, THIS NOT BEING THE ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER, NOT BEING A CLASS ANALYSIS APPROACH TO THE TOPIC. UM, SO I WAS PLANNING TO VOTE PRESENT FOR IT BECAUSE I, AT THE END OF THE DAY, LIKE YOU, I BELIEVE ANYBODY WHO'S LOW INCOME SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY THE FEE AT ALL, INCLUDING SENIORS, LIKE I'VE SAID IN THE PAST HEARINGS. UM, SO IN THAT WAY, I THINK WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON THE WRONG THING. UM, ANYONE WHO'S STRUGGLING SENIOR [03:55:01] OR NOT SHOULD NOT BE PAYING ANYTHING. UM, SO I THINK THIS IS A STEP CLOSER TO THAT. I'LL, I'LL YIELD COUNCILOR SABINA WHEELER. I AM STILL TAKING IN THE AMENDMENTS I'LL YIELD FOR NOW. I HAVE COUNCILOR FLAHERTY AND THEN VICE MAYOR AZI MY TURN. YES, THROUGH YOU MADAM . UM, I'D LIKE TO BE, UH, ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR TO THE ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER, UH, FOR THE REASON THAT I, I BELIEVE THAT NO SENIOR SHOULD PAY FOR A RESIDENT PERMIT PARKING, UH, STICKER. WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, ITS REVENUE, ITS ANNUAL REVENUE IS $22 MILLION. I MEAN, WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? IT'S REALLY, UM, AND YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS COUNCIL MCGOVERN'S, UH, AMENDMENT, I MEAN, I, I WOULD LEAVE THE LANGUAGE IN THERE ABOUT PARKING SPACES BEING REMOVED. SO I, I, I KIND OF AGREE TO THE, THE ENTIRETY OF THE AMENDMENT, BUT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS COUNCIL CHAMBER, I THINK WE RECOGNIZE THE WAY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S ANNUAL REVENUE IS $22 MILLION. WHY WE'RE CHARGING LOW INCOME RESIDENTS FOR, UH, RESIDENT PERMIT STICKERS. $75 MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. SO I YIELD VICE MAYOR ZE. UM, I APPRECIATE WHAT THE VICE MAYOR IS TRYING TO DO IN THE ORIGINAL POLICY. OH, I'M SORRY, FROM LAST. I WAS STUCK. I APPRECIATE WHAT COUNCIL YEAH, I APPRECIATE WHAT, UM, COME WITH A CHECK, UH, COUNCIL MCGOVERN IS TRYING TO DO AND UM, UM, THE ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER. I WONDER IF WE'RE TRYING TO GET TOO CLEVER WITH IT, WHERE I WONDER WE'RE NOW KEEPING THE SENIOR EXEMPTION AND ADDING A LOW INCOME EXEMPTION, BUT ALSO IT'S JUST A CHECK OFF. AND IF IT'S JUST GONNA RESULT IN, INSTEAD OF JUST EVEN LIKE, LOWER REVENUE THAN THE $20 FEE, $25 FEE BEFORE. 'CAUSE IT'LL BE SO BROAD THAT EVERYONE WILL JUST BE LIKE, OH, WELL I JUST CLICKED THIS BUTTON. I DON'T HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING. UM, AND SO LIKE, I, I DON'T THINK THE INTENT, AND THAT'S THE INTENT, AND I THINK THAT THIS MAKES SENSE, BUT I WONDER IF IT'S JUST NOT THE BEST POLICY DESIGN. UM, AND I DON'T REALLY HAVE MORE THAN THAT, BUT I FEEL LIKE WE MIGHT WANT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO THIS IN CONSULT CONSULTATION WITH PARKING RATHER THAN JUST THROWING IDEAS OUT THERE. I HAVE COUNSELOR NOLAN. YEAH. I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN KNOWING IF INSTEAD OF, LOOK, I, I STILL BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE CHARGING PEOPLE WHAT IT COSTS, EVEN IF THE DEPARTMENTAL REVENUE IS 22 MILLION. THAT'S TOTALLY UNRELATED TO THIS IDEA, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE DEPARTMENT. IT IS WHAT IT COSTS US. I, I'M NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT SUBSIDY FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN AFFORD IT. HOWEVER, THERE CLEARLY HAS BEEN CONCERN ABOUT THE SENIOR EXEMPTION, WHICH BY THE WAY, I GET, AND MANY PEOPLE I TALK TO THINK IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT ANY OF US OVER 65, GET IT. OTHERS LOVE THAT THEY GET IT. I'M NOT SAYING THAT ISN'T THE CASE, BUT I THINK THAT THERE, THERE'S A HUGE NUMBER OF WELL-RESOURCED PEOPLE IN THE CITY WHO ARE GETTING AN EXEMPTION THEY DON'T NEED. AND AGAIN, IT'S TO COVER THE COST OF THE FEE. THIS ISN'T AN ADDITIONAL THING. THE QUESTION IS, PERHAPS THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, ARE PEOPLE OPEN TO THE IDEA OF INSTEAD OF KEEPING THE SENIOR EXEMPTION AND FURTHERING IT WITH LOW INCOME, THAT WE JUST MAKE THAT $25 CHECKOFF FOR ALL SENIORS REGARDLESS OF INCOME STATUS AND ALL LOW INCOME, AND THEN THE OTHERS ARE 75. THAT'S SEEMS LIKE A GOOD COMPROMISE IN BETWEEN TO SAY NOBODY WOULD BE PAYING, THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE PAYING MORE WOULD BE SENIORS, BUT THEY'D ONLY BE PAYING 25 MORE. NONE OF THEM WOULD BE PAYING LESS AND THEY WOULD BE AT THE SAME LEVEL OF ALL LOW INCOME PEOPLE IN THE CITY WHO WOULD NOT BE PAYING MORE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE PAYING RIGHT NOW. OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO COUNCILOR Z WHEELER. THANKS. I, UM, I AGREE WITH A LOT, A LOT OF WHAT'S BEEN SAID. I THINK THIS, THIS PIECE, I THINK AROUND CHECKOFF FOR, UH, $25 FOR LOW INCOME FOLKS AND FOR SENIORS MIGHT BE A GOOD COMPROMISE. I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA WORK OUT THE POLICY LANGUAGE ON THE FLOOR HERE, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET IT RIGHT BY NEXT WEEK. SO I AM JUST GONNA EXERCISE MY CHARTER RATE. YEAH, COUNCILORS, SAVANNAH WHEELER EXERCISES CHARTER RATE. SO WE ARE DONE WITH THE POLICY ORDERS. WE'RE DONE WITH THE CALENDAR. MOST OF THE ITEMS WE'LL BE GETTING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, NEXT WEEK TO ADOPT. SO WE'RE [04:00:01] GOING TO GO TO APPLICATIONS. THERE ARE NONE. THERE ARE 56 COMMUNICATIONS ON A MOTION BY THREE. ARE YOU ON COMMUNICATIONS? OH, I'M SORRY. NO, I'M ON COMMUNICATIONS ON A MOTION BY COUNSELOR, [COMMUNICATIONS] UM, FLAHERTY TO PLACE ALL THOSE COMMUNICATIONS ON FILE. WE'LL DO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAIN SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. NO, THOSE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PLACED ON FILE. THERE ARE NO RESOLUTIONS. WE'LL MOVE TO COMMITTEE REPORTS. THERE ARE NONE. WE'RE GOING TO COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS [COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS] FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. YES. COUNSELOR NUMBER SABRINA WHEELER. YEAH. POLL NUMBER THREE FOR POLL. UM, NUMBER THREE. AND THEN I'M GONNA PULL NUMBER TWO FOR QUICK SWITCH. UH, AND THEN WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON. WE'LL DO A VOICE VOTE ON PLACING COMMUNICATION NUMBER ONE ON FILE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THAT HAS BEEN PLACED ON FILE. UM, WE'LL GO TO COMMUNICATION FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. NUMBER TWO. THIS WAS A, UM, JUST A REPORT FROM MY OFFICE, UM, BUT THE, UH, NOT THE ONE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO GET SUBMITTED. DID NOT GET SUBMITTED. SO I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION TO WITHDRAW DUE TO, UH, THE WRONG COMMUNICATION BEING SUBMITTED. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. NO. AND THEN, UM, NO. WE'LL GO AHEAD TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER ON THE NUMBER THREE. THANKS MADAM MAYOR. UM, THIS IS ON ADOPTING THE CITY COUNCIL RULES FOR THE TERM, WHICH WE STILL NEED TO DO. UM, AS JUST A BRIEF RECAP OF THAT PROCESS, IN JANUARY, ALL COUNCILORS WERE ASKED TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR COUNCIL RULES, UH, FOR DISCUSSION. I, UH, RECEIVED SUGGESTIONS FROM I THINK A, A MAJORITY OF CITY COUNCILORS. WE COMPILED THOSE INTO A DOCUMENT FOR DISCUSSION AT THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING ON JANUARY 29TH. UM, AT THE COMMITTEE MEETING, ALL CITY COUNCILORS, BOTH MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, UH, WERE INVITED TO COME AND DISCUSS THOSE UPDATES AND, AND WEIGH IN. UM, UH, WE HAD A SUPER MAJORITY OF COUNSELORS ATTEND THAT MEETING, UH, INCLUDING COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, COUNCILOR ZUI, COUNCILOR SIMMONS, MAYOR SIDIKI, VICE MAYOR ZE, AND MYSELF. BASED ON THAT DISCUSSION, UH, AND THE RULES FROM THE PREVIOUS TERM, WE WORKED WITH, UH, CITY STAFF FROM THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, THE LAW DEPARTMENT, THE AV DEPARTMENT, UH, MAYOR'S OFFICE, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. THE DRAFT COUNCIL RULES FOR THE 20 26, 20 27 TERM. UH, I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT MOST OF THE CHANGES ACTUALLY LISTED HERE ARE UPDATES FROM THE LAW DEPARTMENT TO PUT RULES IN LINE WITH THE NEW CITY CHARTER. UH, ONE EXAMPLE OF THOSE IS MOVING INAUGURATION DAY. SO IT DOESN'T LAND ON NEW YEAR'S DAY AS IT DID IN THE PREVIOUS TERM. THERE'S A BUNCH OF SMALL TWEAKS LIKE THAT, UH, THAT WERE UPDATES TO PUT IT IN LINE WITH THE CHARTER, THE OVERVIEW OF THE COUPLE CHANGES THAT CAME FROM COUNSELORS HERE. THE ONE, UH, WAS, UH, HAVING SOME RULES AROUND CITY COUNSELOR COMMENTS WE PUT IN, UH, IT WAS SUGGESTED BY ANOTHER COUNSELOR THAT WE DO, AS SOME OTHER CITY COUNSELORS HAVE. AND EVERYONE GETS TO SPEAK TWICE ON AN ITEM FOR UP TO FIVE MINUTES AND, UH, TRY TO HAVE SOME RULES AROUND THAT. THAT'S AN UPDATE. UH, THERE'S AN UPDATE AROUND PUBLIC COMMENT. IT'S PARTICULARLY BECAUSE PUBLIC COMMENT IS, IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE WANTED TO TRY TO ALIGN THE AMOUNT OF TIME EACH PERSON HAS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT SO FOLKS KNOW HOW MUCH OF THEIR SCHEDULE THEY NEED TO BLOCK OFF FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND, AND TO TRY TO HAVE THAT BE A CONSISTENT TIME RATHER THAN VARYING WILD WIDELY, WHICH BUILDS ON CURRENT PRACTICE. YOU KNOW, WHAT WE DO ALREADY IS IF THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, IT GOES DOWN TO TWO MINUTES. IF THERE'S A MORE THAN THAT, IT GOES DOWN TO ONE MINUTE. THIS JUST TRIES TO ALIGN THE, THE NUMBERS ON THAT. UM, AND THEN FINALLY ON MEETING LENGTH, THE INITIAL DISCUSSION FROM A COUPLE COUNSELORS WAS TO JUST DO PUBLIC COMMENT ON MONDAYS AND THEN DO THE BUSINESS MEETING OF THE AGENDA ON TUESDAYS. WE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT, UM, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. AND CONCLUDING TECHNICAL ONES ON CITY STAFF, IT SEEMED LIKE THAT WASN'T GONNA WORK. UM, ALSO THERE'S SOME TIMES WHERE WE, PUBLIC COMMENT IS PRETTY SHORT. TONIGHT WASN'T ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF MEETINGS WHERE THERE'S, THERE'S ONLY A FEW PEOPLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO DO A WHOLE SEPARATE MONDAY MEETING JUST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN DO A SEPARATE MEETING ON TUESDAY. SO THE, THE PLACE LANDED HERE WAS TO TRY TO HAVE COUNCIL MEETING DONE BY 9:00 PM THE SAME WAY WE DO WITH COMMITTEE MEETINGS RIGHT NOW. COMMITTEE MEETINGS RUN FOR TWO HOURS IF WE NEED TO EXTEND, WE DO. AND IN FACT, A LOT OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS, THERE'S A MOTION TO EXTEND BY ANOTHER 20 MINUTES, ANOTHER 30 MINUTES. THIS WOULD BE THE SAME IDEA FOR REGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGS. IT WOULD GO TILL 9:00 PM IF WE NEEDED TO EXTEND ANOTHER HALF HOUR OR AN HOUR, WE COULD DO THAT. BUT THE GOAL WOULD BE TO END AT 9:00 PM RATHER THAN JUST HAVE COUNCIL MEETINGS GO AS LONG AS THEY GO. AND THEN WE'RE HERE AT 1:00 AM AND EVERYBODY'S EXHAUSTED VOTING ON STUFF AND, YOU KNOW, CITY STAFF HAVE TO DRIVE ANOTHER HOUR HOME. THIS WAS TO HAVE A GOAL OF ENDING AT A REASONABLE HOUR. UM, SO THOSE ARE THE, THE UPDATES HERE. UM, I WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, DOWN FOR MORE CONVERSATION ON THIS, UM, INVITED EVERYONE TO COME TO THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS. [04:05:01] I KNOW SOME FOLKS WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT. UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, COUNSELOR ZUBIE EXPRESSED INTEREST THEN, YOU KNOW, EXERCISING CHARTER. RIGHT. GIVING ANOTHER WEEK TO DISCUSS THIS, WHICH IS FINE BY ME. UH, HAPPY TO, TO EVEN SEND IT TO GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE FOR MORE DISCUSSION, UH, ON THIS. UH, UM, I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT EVERYTHING IN HERE WAS REVIEWED BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT. UM, I ALSO BE CLEAR, I'M GONNA CHARTER RATE THE DELETE POLICY ORDER ON THIS SORT OF SUGGESTION THAT SOMEHOW ANYTHING IN HERE DIDN'T FOLLOW STATE LAW IS JUST INACCURATE. UM, VERY CLEAR. WENT THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS, THE RULES UPDATES AS COUNCILOR TONER DID LAST TERM WHEN HE WAS CHAIR OF THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, THOROUGHLY VETTED BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT. MOST OF THE TWEAKS ARE ACTUALLY PROPOSED BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT. WE SHOULD HAVE COUNCILOR SABRINA, BUT WE HAVE TO DO A LATE SUSPENSION FOR THOSE, FOR THAT LATE POLICY ORDER. YEAH. COULD WE JUST SUSPENSION, COULD I MAKE, SO YEAH, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER IS MOVING TO GO INTO SUSPENSION TO BRING THE LATE POLICY ORDER BEFORE US. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. THE LATE POLICY ORDER BY COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IS BEFORE US. COUNCILLOR SABRINA. UM, AFTER YOU SPEAK ALL, I'M GOING TO GO TO COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. UM, SO YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY, SO MOST OF THESE CHANGES ARE PROPOSED OPPOSED BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT. UM, IF ANY COUNSELOR WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE, MORE DISCUSSION, THAT'S FINE. BUT WANNA BE CLEAR THAT EVERYTHING IN HERE WAS REVIEWED BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT. MOST OF THE CHANGES HERE WERE SUGGESTED, UH, BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT. NOTHING HERE IS, IS UNTOWARDS TO THAT EFFECT AND SORT OF CONFUSED BY THAT SUGGESTION. UM, SO I'M GONNA CHARTER RIGHT, THE LATE POLICY ORDER AND THEN I WILL YIELD. SO COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER HAS EXERCISED HIS CHARTER RIGHT ON THE LATE POLICY ORDER. SO THAT'S NOT WE, WE WILL, WE'LL HAVE TO DISCUSS IT NEXT WEEK. UM, ON THE RULES, WHAT'S BEFORE US CONTINUING DISCUSSION? COUNSELOR NOLAN? A MINUTE. THANK YOU. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK DONE ON THIS. UM, I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE THINGS IN IT THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN UNRESOLVED, UM, BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT, SO I'M NOT SURE HOW WE'LL DEAL WITH THOSE. I WILL SAY ON THE TIMING, I THINK 9:00 PM IS, UH, NOT SOMETHING I'M COMFORTABLE WITH. I THINK IT SHOULD BE MAYBE 10:00 PM AND THEN WE VOTE TO EXTEND . WHAT OTHER, I MEAN, WE ONLY HAVE ONE REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING EVERY WEEK. AND AS MUCH AS WE LIKE TO BE EFFICIENT, I I, I DON'T LIKE IT IF WE ARE RUSHED AND HURRIED AND SAID WE HAVE TO GET THROUGH THIS 'CAUSE IT'S APPROACHING NINE. I THINK THAT LEADS TO NOT VERY THOROUGH DISCUSSION AND COMPREHENSIVE DISCUSSION. I, I THINK 10 IS A MORE USUAL TIME. WE, WE MAY SOMETIMES ADJOURN AT SEVEN OR SEVEN 30 OR EIGHT, SO THAT WOULD ALWAYS BE ALLOWED, BUT I THINK NINE FEELS TOO EARLY GIVEN THE REALM OF THINGS THAT WE DO. SO I'D BE COMFORTABLE WITH 10 AND I WOULD, I DUNNO IF WE PROPOSE THAT CHANGE NOW, UM, AND THEN GO FORWARD. THE OTHER THING IS RULE, UH, 23 F INCLUDES THIS QUESTION OF EACH CITY COUNSELOR MAY HAVE THE FLOOR UP TO TWO TIMES TO SPEAK ON A GIVEN AGENDA ITEM AND MAY ASK UP TO TWO QUESTIONS OF CITY STAFF EACH TIME THEY HAVE THE FLOOR. AND THEN CITY COUNCIL MAY SPEAK FOR UP TO FIVE MINUTES EACH TIME THEY HAVE THE FLOOR. I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA OF TRYING TO BOUND US IN TO HAVE SOME LIMITS ON THAT EACH TIME WE HAVE THE FLOOR. UM, AND TWO QUESTIONS AT A TIME. I'M NOT COMFORTABLE WITH LIMITING THAT WE COULD ONLY EVER TALK TWO TIMES ON SOMETHING. AGAIN, I, I DON'T THINK WE OFTEN GO INTO A THIRD ROUND, BUT I THINK IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT IF IT IS AN ISSUE OF IMPORTANCE, THAT WE DO HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK MORE THAN TWO TIMES ON ON THOSE ISSUES. I THINK IT'S, IT'S A PROBLEM IF WE ARE LIMITING OURSELVES FOR THE DELIBERATION OF REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT COME FORWARD. SO I DON'T KNOW IF NOW WOULD BE THE TIME TO PROPOSE A CHANGE TO THAT, WHICH I HAVE WHERE I WOULD JUST DELETE THE PHRASE, HAVE THE FLOOR UP TO TWO TIMES. AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THE TWO QUESTIONS WOULD BE OF CITY STAFF. IT MIGHT BE TWO QUESTIONS KIND OF, OF EACH OTHER. UM, AND THEN I'D BE HAPPY TO PASS IT. SO I, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR TO ME MAYBE THROUGH YOU WHETHER WE, ARE WE REFERRING THIS TO COUNSEL OR ARE WE DOING A, SO I CAN CLARIFY. SO WE HAVE A FEW OPTIONS. ONE OF THE OPTIONS IS TO ADOPT THE RULES IN THAT MOTION. SOMEONE CAN EXERCISE THEIR CHARTER. RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT. OKAY. UM, I DO THINK IT'S GOOD, LIKE YOU'VE POINTED OUT WHAT YOU'VE POINTED OUT TO ON THE FLOOR. IF ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY MORE QUESTIONS, THINGS AND POINTS AND SO FORTH, I WOULD JUST RAISE THEM REALLY QUICKLY NOW, UM, IF YOU WANT, UM, SO I'LL GO, I HAD COUNCILOR NOLAN, THEN VICE ZE, COUNCILOR ZUBIE, AND THEN COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. OKAY. THANK I'LL BE QUICK. SO THROUGH YOU MAYOR CKI, IT SOUNDS LIKE THOSE COUPLE CHANGES THAT I THINK, AND I'M, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT DOING THEM BEFORE THAT. UM, I, I HAVE WRITTEN UP. I CAN JUST SEND TO THE CLERK AND EVERYBODY WILL HAVE, AND THEN WHEN IT [04:10:01] GETS CHARTER WRITTEN, IT'LL END UP BEING DISCUSSED PERHAPS. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES. DOES THAT APPROPRIATE? THANK YOU. YES. VOICE. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I JUST BOTH WANTED TO SAY THAT I THINK THAT ALL THE AMENDMENTS THAT COUNCIL NOLAN HAS SUGGESTED SOUND REASONABLE, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO SAY LIKE, I THINK THAT THE PERKS OF LIKE NOT GOING TILL LATE, LATE ARE LIKE REALLY, UH, QUITE IMPACTFUL IN THAT I THINK ABOUT THE CONVERSATION WE JUST HAD ON PARKING PERMITS, RIGHT? I DON'T THINK WE WERE IN A PLACE WHERE LIKE WE FUNDAMENTALLY NEEDED ANOTHER WEEK, BUT IT'S REALLY HARD TO WRITE AMENDMENTS ON THE FLY. IT'S REALLY HARD TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION. AND I THINK THAT IT'S SOMETHING WHERE LIKE IF WE COULD, YOU KNOW, HAVE A BREAK AND THEN COME BACK TOMORROW AND WE PROBABLY WOULD BE ABLE TO HASH OUT VERY QUICKLY AND INSTEAD, I THINK WE USE OUR CHARTER RIGHT AS KIND OF THE SAME WAY WE WOULD USE THIS MEETING BREAK, WHICH IS THAT WE JUST CAN'T DO EDITING LIVE LIKE THIS IN MEETINGS. AND I THINK THAT BREAKING THE MEETING INTO TWO PIECES WOULD GIVE US THE ABILITY TO SAY LIKE, HEY, I THINK WE'VE ADDRESSED EVERYTHING WE CAN TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE PIECES JUST REQUIRE US TO WORK THROUGH LANGUAGE THAT WOULD BE UNEFFICIENT ON THE FLOOR. SO WE CAN JUST DO THAT TOMORROW. AND I THINK THAT THAT IS GONNA BE REALLY HEALTHY FOR US AND ACTUALLY HOPEFULLY REDUCE A NUMBER OF THE CHARTER RIGHT. UM, UH, EXERCISES THAT WE SEE. THANK YOU COUNCIL ZUBIE. I ALREADY HAVE IT. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. I JUST WANNA NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD TO ADOPT. I THINK CONSIDERING THERE'S ALREADY BEEN SOME SORT OF DISCUSSION THAT IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO EITHER EXERCISE, UM, MY CHARTER, RIGHT, OR UH, POTENTIALLY REFER IT TO COMMITTEES SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. BUT HAPPY TO DO EITHER WHICHEVER'S MORE PRODUCTIVE. I'LL FURTHER COMMENTS ON THAT. I, I THINK, UM, COUNSEL SIMMONS, YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY AND THEN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. WELL, I'M, EXCUSE ME THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, I'M PREPARED TO EXERCISE MY CHARTER RIGHT ON THIS SO WE CAN HANDLE BOTH MATTERS TOGETHER AT THE SAME MEETING. AND I THINK IT IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, MY POLICY ORDER, UH, REQUESTING THAT THIS BE REFERRED TO A, UH, SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE, OF THE WHOLE IS, UH, MAYBE ACCOMPLISHED BY JUST HAVING TWO CHARTER RIGHTS ON THESE TWO SEPARATE MATTERS. SO THEY'RE BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME. SO I'M EXERCISING MY CHARTER, RIGHT? SO JUST TO SHARE, NO ONE ACTUALLY MADE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE RULES. I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION TO ADOPT THE RULES. AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY HAS EXERCISED HIS CHARTER, RIGHT? SO WE'RE DONE WITH COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. SO WE WILL MOVE ON AND WE'LL GO TO [LATE AGENDA ITEMS REQUIRING SUSPENSION OF THE RULES PER RULE 36A] ANY LATE AGENDA ITEMS. THERE ARE SOME LATE RESOLUTIONS WHICH REQUIRE A SUSPENSION OF THE RULES. SO WE'LL SUSPEND, UH, RULES. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. WE ARE IN SUSPENSION. WE HAVE THREE LATE POLICY, LATE RESOLUTIONS. THIS IS A CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF CHARLES LINEHAN. THE THIRD, A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING NATIONAL NURSES WEEK, AND THEN A RESOLUTION ON THE PASSING OF WALTER C BRIDGEMAN JR. ARE THE, WOULD MY COLLEAGUES LIKE TO SPEAK? I WOULD WAVE THE READING AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE THINKING OF TIME, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE MIC? I CAN'T HEAR YOU IN THE CONSIDERATION OF TIME. AND IF NOT, UNLESS SOMEONE WANTED TO, I WOULD JUST WAIVE THE READING AND JUST MOVE TO THE ADOPTION, MAKING THEM UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS HAS MOVED TO ADOPT ALL THREE LATE RESOLUTIONS, MAKING THEM UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. AND THAT'S A MOTION DISCUSSION. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES, I I WILL SUPPORT IT. I WILL REMIND US ALL I THINK IN OUR RULES ARE IT'LL BE HELPFUL IN SUCH LATE RESOLUTIONS TO UNDERSTAND THE TIMELINESS OF IT, SINCE OUR RULES SUGGEST THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE, UM, LATE ITEMS BROUGHT FORWARD UNLESS THERE IS A TIMELINESS ISSUE. SO AGAIN, I'LL SUPPORT THEM, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR OWN RULES TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S, THAT THE TIMELINESS IS IN THE, IN THE RESOLUTIONS IN LATE POLICY ORDERS BROUGHT BEFORE US THROUGH YOUR MADAM AND CHAIR, VERY, VERY BRIEFLY, NURSES ENDS TOMORROW. AND THE FUNERAL FOR THIS GENTLEMAN IS THIS WEEKEND. SO I REALLY DO TRY TO FOLLOW THE RULES ON LATE SUBMISSIONS, BUT BECAUSE THE GENTLEMAN'S FUNERAL IS GOING TO BE FRIDAY AND WE DON'T MEET AGAIN, THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT IT IN THIS EVENING. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING THIS RESOLUTION, SAY, AYE. THESE RESOLUTIONS SAY, AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. THOSE THREE LATE RESOLUTIONS ARE ADOPTED. ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE BODY? YES. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. YES. UM, WEDNESDAY, THIS WEDNESDAY, UM, I'M GONNA PULL UP SIX TO SEVEN. SIX TO SEVEN 30. THERE IS A VIRTUAL, UM, TRAINING PANEL DISCUSSION. UM, THE HEALTHY CHILDREN'S TASK FORCE THAT, THAT I CO-CHAIR, UH, HAS BROUGHT IN FAIR PLAY, WHICH IS A [04:15:01] NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED NONPROFIT HERE IN BOSTON THAT DOES WORK ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES, UM, AROUND CHILDREN AND PARTICULARLY AROUND, UH, SCREEN ACCESS, INTERNET SAFETY, UM, PARENTING IN THIS, YOU KNOW, VIRTUAL MEDIA WORLD. UM, AND THEY'RE COMING IN TO DO A VIRTUAL PANEL, UM, ON, UH, WEDNESDAY. UM, SO IT'S ALL, UH, IT'S NOT IN PERSON. IT, IT'S VIRTUAL, BUT FOLKS CAN SIGN UP, UM, THROUGH THE HEALTHY CHILDREN'S TASK FORCE. UH, EITHER FACEBOOK PAGE OR EMAIL ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE SIGNUP FORM. UM, IT'S GONNA BE REALLY GOOD. THESE PEOPLE ARE REALLY GOOD. IT'S GEARED TOWARDS PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN BETWEEN THE FOURTH GRADE AND EIGHTH GRADE. BUT I WOULD CERTAINLY RECOMMEND THAT PARENTS OF YOUNGER CHILDREN ALSO ATTEND. 'CAUSE YOUR FIRST GRADER'S GONNA BE A FOURTH GRADER AT SOME POINT, AND YOU CAN GET A HEAD START ON SOME OF THIS STUFF. SO, UM, I HOPE TO SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE. IT'S FREE. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. COUNCILLOR ZI, AND THEN COUNCILLOR NOLAN. AND IF, IF YOU'RE NOT AT THAT GREAT PROGRAM ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, ALSO AT SEVEN O'CLOCK AT THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY, AMY MELTZER, WHO'S A NATIVE PLANT EXPERT, WILL BE TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU CAN PLANT NATIVE PLANTS IN YOUR GARDEN. ALRIGHT, COUNCILOR NOLAN. AND SO WE CAN RECONVENE TOMORROW MORNING AT NINE O'CLOCK RIGHT HERE IN THE CHAMBER FOR OUR SECOND OF ALL DAY BUDGET HEARINGS. THANKS TO ALL THE COLLEAGUES WHO BROUGHT IN ANY QUESTIONS. WE WILL BE HERE AGAIN. IT'S AT, AT NINE O'CLOCK. WE HAVE RESERVED THURSDAY. UNCLEAR IF WE WILL, WE'LL NEED THAT. BUT, UM, UH, ALL HALF OF THE DEPARTMENTS WILL BE ON, ON THE AGENDA FOR TOMORROW. SO LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF YOU THERE AND DISCUSSING THE OTHER HALF OF OUR BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, THANK YOU. THROUGH THE CHAIR. LIKE TO INVITE EVERYONE. UNVEILING SENIOR QUILT PROJECT. SO THURSDAY THE 14TH AT ONE 30. THE, THE SENIORS THAT HAVE WORKED TOGETHER ON DOING THIS BEAUTIFUL QUILT, THEY WILL BE, UH, DISPLAYING IT ON THURSDAY AT ONE 30. SO YOU SHOULD STICK YOUR HEADS IN. I LOVE QUILTS AT THIS CAMBRIDGE SENIOR CENTER. GREAT. ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? SO WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNSELOR SABRINA WILLOW TO ADJOURN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. WE ARE ADJOURN. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE. SEE YOU AT NINE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.