City Council   8/6/2018

Oh, my God.

Thank you

Oh!

All right, good evening.

Sorry for the delay, the late start.

And so we'll jump right in.

All right, Ms. Rice, roll call, please.

Dr. Bellamy?

Ms. Hill?

Here.

Mr. Signer?

Here.

Here.

Mayor Walker, I have one item that is a matter of follow-up from the July 16th meeting.

That was a request from Miss Parker who's here this evening to meet with the neighborhood development staff, neighborhood development services staff about the pedestrian situation on West Main Street.

They met on Friday afternoon and our staff has three takeaways that they committed to Miss Parker at that time.

That public works will replace the broken lights on the bridge.

Can I touch on that really quick, Mr. Murphy?

I think we are

I need to give Ms. Parker a round of applause, some kudos for working diligently on getting this done.

So I just think it's worthy to be acknowledged.

I know you've literally been talking about this for about two years, or at least I know we've been talking about it for like two years.

And Mr. Murphy, thank you as well as the rest of the staff for giving us an update and getting this squared away.

The intent this evening is for me to provide some brief comments.

so that the council will be aware and we will have briefed the public again on a number of items regarding August 10, 11, 12 and actions that have been taken by city staff.

And afterwards, Chief Brackney and Chief Baxter here and the three of us along with Mr. Wheeler will take any of council's questions.

I believe when we were here on July 16th we talked about some of the measures that may go into place including a perimeter around the downtown that included street closures from 9th Street or the Belmont Bridge over to Ridge McIntyre from High Street to Water Street with an intent that those would be streets where traffic circulation would continue to be allowed.

We also announced at that time that inside that perimeter

that we would not allow parking to happen on the street and that cars that were not out of that area by 6 p.m. on Friday would be towed.

We have since that time announced some alterations in the public transit CAT routes which are available on our website and we can also provide paper copies to anyone who requires that.

We have announced some restrictions at city parks and I'll go into some detail about that in a moment.

Canceled the city market at the location close to the downtown mall.

Put in additional parking restrictions, particularly in relation to feedback from residents of Friendship Court.

We'll make some changes to the availability of City Hall entrances that have been recommended for some time so that starting tomorrow will be just the mall entrance that will be open to the public.

This Friday City Hall employees in the Annex and in this building City Hall will end their day at 2 p.m.

I issued a denial for the permit for the festival of the schmestival and informed Mr.

Beets of his right to appeal when he inquired.

Downtown parking areas have been an area where we've received a lot of questions and we have provided folks who need downtown parking who have current spots and ground lots access to a special pass to the Market Street Garage and want to reinforce that anybody who has a monthly pass to the Market Street Garage will continue to be allowed to park there.

In addition, the ground lots on Water Street in addition to the garage structure will all be open to the public.

We've established a media area over at the Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center to keep satellite trucks and all that out of the downtown area.

Tonight I'll be bringing forward to counsel the authorization for a declaration of local emergency and that is on your agenda this evening.

With regard to a number of questions that we've had

regarding the Parks and Recreation.

Certainly we recognize that this is an inconvenience and not a step that we take lightly.

It is completely based on safety and our ability to protect the public in these spaces and have them be also responded to appropriately by law enforcement.

As a result, we've taken the following steps.

We're going to extend anybody who has an access pass to use parks and recreation centers by an additional 30 days at no cost to them.

Anybody who has a summer pool pass and won't be able to swim this weekend will be able to use the Smith Aquatic Center for the entire month of September.

With regard to city market vendors, we did some surveying of vendors and we're aware ahead of time that some folks would not be attending the market this weekend regardless of the location.

But we do realize, particularly for folks who grow produce, agriculturalists,

that they have a real great need to move product at this time of year because so much of it is coming in and we'll be making up to 20 additional vendor slots available at the next two Wednesday markets at the park and as I hope folks are aware the ICS Art Park has graciously agreed to host I believe up to 50 of the vendors this Saturday.

We will also be advertising the locations of other farmers markets in order to help vendors get customers there.

So I have a question in regards to, I think we've been hearing from a variety of community members the perception or the feeling in which

We're essentially shutting the city down and now the individuals who brought the terror on us are winning because last year that seemed as if we didn't do enough and now it seems like there's this super heavy-handed approach.

Is there any way you can address why we may be going that route or kind of expound on that?

I will start by saying that you know this is a

This is a team approach to the planning and this is the agreed upon law enforcement strategy.

Particularly in this first year, we need to establish that we can keep citizens safe and we have limited resources to do so.

I will say that

It is significant what we're doing in the way of closures and I am aware that particularly with downtown area and businesses there have been questions about the impact there.

Chief, Mayor Walker, do you mind if I ask Chief Brackner if she'd like to address that at all?

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor, good evening, Councillors.

Thank you.

So, you've often heard me say that I cannot litigate what happened last year, but what I can do is put things in place to ensure as best we can the outcomes of this year.

And when I've looked at the plans,

and the gaps and the failures that existed last year, I would be irresponsible if I didn't take measures, particularly around vehicular traffic and its combination or its intersectionality with pedestrian traffic.

So as I've looked at each of the plans, I can come up with a plan that allows traffic that can flow around the community but not within the community.

And there's been a lot of pushback, particularly about those persons

who have vehicles in the community who want to get out for whatever those access or convenience reasons are.

So for me it's a really it's a balance as you've just stated or Mr. Murphy stated is how do I balance your access and your convenience with your safety and security and although the community doesn't know me and does not know much about me in terms of being engaged with me only through these community meetings

it's that I'm going to put your priorities of safety and security first and then I will look at your access and convenience and then there has been a lot of pushback particularly from the downtown communities of how this will affect their commerce and what I've said repeatedly to them my planning is not geared around tax base my planning is not geared around incomes and revenues

One last question, if I may, from me.

I'm sure my colleagues have other questions.

This may be for both of you, and maybe even Chief Baxter.

I'm sure we'll have a great deal of comment tonight from members of the public.

Are all of our plans essentially set in stone, or if we do hear an idea tonight that may

Be a great idea that may actually work in terms of a compromise of sorts.

Are we flexible in terms of what we're willing to do or is it this is just it?

So some components absolutely are set in stone, but in terms of our flexibility and understanding community output, the reason we restricted parking around the Friendship Court area is recently is now is based on the input from the meetings that we had, and that the community has said, hey, there's gaps here, either in service or in just consideration and thought.

So there may be some room if it looks like a traffic pattern, but in terms of those hard closures where we're not gonna let vehicles in,

I would have to say those have to be a hard closure.

But if there's things that the community is seeing, that they're saying, hey, we would need a bit more support in this area, or we want a little less support, as some of the communities have said, I have to take that into consideration as how that feels in the community.

I mean I've heard from the

The gentlemen who play in the Tonsler Men's Basketball League, about how semi-finals, a lot of people, they want the games to continue.

We played last year.

You know, is something good for the community?

Could that possibly be something that happened?

As well as I've heard other people have said certain things.

Just throwing it out there, I know I had a conversation with Mr. Murphy about it briefly this morning, and you all may have talked, but it's just the suggestions like that.

I agree.

And what I've said to Mr. Murphy and everyone else, that we need to find places for them.

So the basketball goes on, if that means, what will we do in a rain emergency?

Where would they be able to play under those conditions?

And if that's the case, we offer that.

And we offer another location, another venue, so that we don't feel like someone else is controlling our narrative.

and I've heard, you know, similar and have had conversations with, you know, community members and I've said, I mean, I understand even, you know, at my

place of employment with the city, the decisions that have been made with that.

There have been a lot of staff members and concerns around that.

But I've shared in every conversation that I've had is that it's even hard for me to advocate or push because I don't know all the information that you all know and I wouldn't want to be wrong.

So while I think that we don't want to be in our community and held hostage within it, we also

I was on 4th Street last year and I don't want, you know, a group of people to be, you know, in our parks or anything like that and then be targeted.

It's just, it's a hard, it's a hard, I mean the options are, all are very hard and I mean for me personally, I just, I've been just kind of observing because I don't want to make that decision and advocate in a different direction and then someone gets hurt.

I can't deal with that.

I hope that we are able to address these matters in a way that people are not in charge, are not shaping the narrative, and are not in positions where they can be harmed.

Chief Brackney, earlier today at a community meeting, you kind of just explained how law enforcement will be responding.

Yes, and even adding more clarity from community feedback saying even our message needs to be as clear as possible.

Again, there were some very clearly identified gaps in our response as law enforcement personnel last year and from my point down, push down to every single person

that will be part of the Unified Command and Chief Baxter will be able to help with that.

But Virginia State Police, UVA, Albemarle and the city police personnel as well as those other ones coming in from other communities to help us.

Last year there is the optics that we were policing ideologies and not violent behaviors.

And that cannot be and will not be tolerated in this community.

I have my own personal beliefs about those persons who may be coming into the community, but I cannot support what went on last year when I see that there was a significant law enforcement presence who stood by and did not respond in the way that they were trained.

However, with that exact positioning, the officers and I believe every law enforcement professional is dedicated to getting it right this time.

We don't have the opportunity to get it wrong two years in a row and then we cannot move forward.

really just having Charlottesville control its own narrative if we don't.

So when I'm putting these measures into place, it is not so that we can restrict, it is so that we can build a platform.

So can I...

One more thing.

So Chief Brightney, to that point, right, one of the things that specifically in regards to that, that I worry about when we hear, and thank you for what you said, but I do worry about when we hear, you make sure you police the actions and not the ideologies.

The violent actions is because like when black folk, when we are the ones who, like we saw last year, these, and I'm just gonna call a spade a spade, we saw a lot of white people,

with AR-15s and all these other kind of weapons walking around, right?

And they were the aggressors.

They were the ones who were definitely, I mean, I know what I dealt with on the Saturday last year, right?

They were the ones who were definitely like, they came here for beef.

But if black folk were to do that, we know last year there wouldn't have been people just standing idle.

Now to that same token, this year, if we say that we're going to make sure we engage when we see behaviors and not ideologies, it's going to be really difficult for a lot of people, and I'm just going to be honest again, if you look like me, if you are an African American and you dealt with what you dealt with last year,

And again, I have to give, I know we're not allowed to shout out, but Ms. Oliver and Ms. Joy, we just left the meeting and said, how do we balance those triggers, right?

There are a lot of persons who are triggered by just a significant law enforcement presence, particularly since we have violated the social contract that has been given to us to enforce the laws equitably and equally.

So I can't say or push back against any of that.

What I've said to them is,

Words, someone can have an NWA moment and that's okay.

I think it's the first time I've heard of Chief.

She has to explain that to you Chief?

Alright, I got you.

But what I said is, we're not implementing a zero tolerance either, right?

Because when you start with zero tolerance, it actually sweeps in people and pulls in a net of folks who are not there for any other reason to exercise their constitutional rights.

So, none of your constitutional rights around free speech, around lawful assemblies, and around things like, you know, Second Amendment, whether we like it or not, will be suspended because it's August 10th, 11th, and 12th in Charlottesville.

And it won't be suspended on August 13th either.

That you should have the right to do that and express yourself in a lawful manner.

when I say that is someone else's first amendment rights cannot or their constitutional rights and their exercising of those cannot infringe on someone else's so you can say what you like within reason what the courts have said around fighting words and fighting doctrine and things of that nature when it comes to safety and security but freedom of expression that's literally how we've gotten to this world and this is how we've gotten to a firm state of democracy and it's just a matter of just changing the narrative around

Appreciate it.

You're welcome.

I just have a comment and again I just want to applaud you and the operations team because I've been to several of the meetings so that every meeting has new questions and I've actually seen your approach evolve based on the input that you've gotten

So I like the way you've presented this.

This is a foundation.

It's better to have that really double reinforced foundational wall to be a bulwark against a type 5 hurricane.

And then at the end of the day, it's a type 2?

Well, you've got the foundation to build a whole new world on.

So I really appreciate your philosophy and your approach and your engagement

with the community.

So I think that's a valid question.

We've heard that from a lot of people.

And for those who are listening or watching it in here, Ms. Hudson, Sunisha Hudson just asked, are we going to shut down every year?

And I do think that's something that a lot of people want to know.

Is this going to be the precedent?

I think Mr. Murphy touched on a little bit of that, because this is the first year after we need to wrap in.

But I mean, is that something that you all foresee, or?

Yes.

I echo what Mr. Murphy said.

What we're convinced of as planners and as public safety leaders is that, as Chief Bragner said earlier, we've got to get this right.

And that that then becomes the zero point from which we can then as a community begin to talk about what 2019 looks like.

And in fact, we talked about that this morning in a meeting about how we would

begin to build a framework and a structure for planning for that both from a public safety perspective and as importantly from a community perspective with a lot of community input.

What we are confronted with this year in terms of the timeline and in terms of the risk I think logically trumped having those two efforts take place at the same time.

There are just too many unknowns and not a real foundation yet.

So if you're just building on it and what we're going to ask of our public and elected officials and our community persons is, let's start defining for ourselves what Charlottesville looks like in 2019.

If you let someone else hold your narrative hostage, then that's what's going to happen to us next year.

So I think the conversation starts literally on Monday.

What does Charlottesville look like in 2019?

Okay, Chief Baxter, did you?

That needs to be covered though.

Madam Mayor, one other question.

I want to thank you all too.

You're both new in these new roles.

You brought a lot to it.

I do want to ask, how do we explain, I asked a question to staff, how do we explain about the closing of the parks, specifically?

So the park land itself is not closed, right?

You can still walk into a park, with one exception being some of the area of McIntire Park.

okay but the facilities themselves we don't have the ability to provide the security necessary because of our investment in all these other areas the park facilities is because of the you don't have the security

We don't have the resources to be able to provide the security that we think collectively would be necessary should they be open.

And the other issue that Brian Daly could speak to more accurately than I could but that he's shared with me is that he's already had, in the last many weeks, parents of young staff members say my kid's not coming to work that weekend.

So there's a staffing challenge as well.

We understand the symbolism of that

Thank you.

Any other?

Alright so I have one announcement before, thank you, before we continue.

So Virginia Code 15.2-1510.1 requires city council to announce the severance benefits provided to departing official

As many of you know, Maurice Jones departed from the position of city manager last week.

The severance benefits provided to the departing city manager are those references in his employment agreement dated December 7th, 2015, which has been a matter of public record since 2015.

Those severance benefits are as follows.

Per section 7A of the employment agreement, payment equal to six months of salary that was in effect as of July 31st, 2018.

and payment for any accrued annual leave, also at the rate of pay in effect as of July 31st, 2018.

The specific amount of those payments to be determined by payroll and accounting staff and two per section 17 of the employment agreement.

Forgiveness of the balance of a no interest loan.

The balance of the no interest loan is $80,667.39.

So was there another announcement?

And if there are any, it sounds like there are questions, so if there are when you come up, we'll try to answer those.

Before we start the community matters, I just

would like to talk a little bit about the last couple weeks and specifically my Facebook post and tweet about us needing to protest the city council decision and my decision to make public the

decision making process at the interim city manager positions.

I have been, I've had some radio interviews today, so I've been vocal about both the initial candidate considered, Zemp, who wrote an article that was released in the paper, and also the current selection of

Mr. Murphy.

And so what our first day to this was I ran on a platform of transparency.

I've lived my life on that platform.

In no way

should I have, in my opinion, received what I've received over the past three weeks.

And most of that, I mean the most alarming of that is comparisons to the current member occupying the White House in D.C. And so I'm not going to go into details here.

Hopefully you all are on social media, you've watched that.

But I will say that my request to this council

was a very simple request that we allow the two assistant city managers to interview for the position and tell us their opinion that we, now I'm a complete blank, and that we allow staff and citizens to provide input

of this decision making process and they knew before I made a public statement that if they did not offer citizens and staff an opportunity to weigh in that I would go public.

I made that statement in a closed session meeting to them

So it shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone and the acts there was again for this information and this person to be made public.

I'm pretty sure that they are very you know that they are different opinions about my decisions.

I've heard a lot of those and I've received emails about them and when you all come up tonight I will make sure that I'm answering

any questions about my actions but that is what I wanted to make make sure that occurred and I think we need to definitely understand the power that the person in the city manager position has in the city and how if which I think is the most important

If we are, which I don't think we are, but if we are moving to a city that's equitable, that everyone can thrive in, then we make decisions differently than we've made them in the past.

I'm not seeing that.

But that is what we have to do.

And so I just wanted to

say that beforehand to answer some of the questions that I've been receiving from throughout the community about my decision to make this process public.

I have a question.

So you mentioned

you are wanting to allow the two ACMs to interview, as well as have staff and citizen input.

That was after we had come to a decision, as I recall.

It was during that closed session when we ultimately had come to a decision on moving forward.

That wasn't something that I remember being brought up at the beginning of the process,

Just trying to understand when you raised that to the council because we were curious of what you were going to do after the closed session.

Yes, but I told you during the closed session.

Right, I'm saying that I just came up during the closed session.

So not happy with it?

What did I say to you all?

You did not support the decision.

And why?

Because you thought the process was flawed.

And one thing I will say, and I want this to be on record, is that I did do a couple things that I wish I had done differently.

And one of those things is I only had this conversation with one person about my concern about how this person entered the process.

I thought that this would be

an issue that would end us up exactly where we are.

My relationship with Councilor Galvin and Signer, that wasn't an issue and they were not involved at this point until later in the conversation.

I should have brought this conversation up to Heather when I first had the thought and I did not do that.

And so that is something that I should have done differently was the moment that I found out that this person was coming, how you

received this person's information and that I had concerns about it, I should have brought it up to you.

I was hoping that we would be listening and hearing each other, which did not happen.

Because it was June 9th when I did bring this to the group.

And I agree, and that's what I'm saying.

But that doesn't mean, so for what you're saying, I hear you, that doesn't change how I felt about the process.

I think it's to be noted.

It's to be noted that Mayor Walker, she was clear early on that she didn't- During the closed session.

Well, that was when we would talk about it during the closed session.

She was clear that she didn't agree with the process.

She was clear that she didn't agree with the candidate.

And that's when we subsequently continued to have these debates and one vote, three, two, or one, I mean all this other stuff.

No, we didn't.

We didn't come out a 4-1 decision after discussing that process.

It was a, hold on, hold on, hold on.

No, no, no.

It was a, I mean, so now if we're talking about it, when we initially talked about it, it was a decision where we said, okay, well, we have to figure out how we're gonna go forth.

Bono, can I say something before then?

So actually there was a commitment to look at one of our ACMs would presented a challenge and Signer had a lot of concerns about this process but the three of us which we had a conversation about Bellamy, Signer and myself we

supported an ACM initially before the 4 to 1.

That's not true.

It's not personal, but that's not true.

I mean, if I, just because important, this is not personal.

There's just a couple of things.

No, so just a couple of points, and again,

There are just some facts here in the public and I think you're right.

Transparency is really important now.

It's a hugely important position.

Hold on, can we just listen?

what happened was I supported, you did not tell council that you wanted Madam Mayor, us to interview both candidates, you said that you supported Leslie Beauregard and that was the proposal Tuesday night and that was after the council meeting and I said I need to watch the videos because I've been out of town, I got back really late.

I watched the videos the next morning and about 1030 I sent you a text before the council meeting, closed session, saying I just watched the video and I think that we should go with him.

I said, yeah, we could talk to her, but I said I supported the other candidate.

I didn't know what was happening with the other councilors.

I didn't spend my day on this.

So I'm just saying that that was what happened.

And then once I understood, I think, from the other councilors that there was enough support for the candidate, for Zemp to get it, then it was like, why was Liz?

And as it turned out, we never called her in.

Well, hold on, hold on.

Oh, but I would like to address that so we won't get too far away.

So my understanding of a conversation that we first had face-to-face was even that you did support that I called and spoke to

I spoke to you, Heather, correct?

When you sent a message back afterwards about that you were still going to fight for this candidate.

With talking, I thought it was just to have someone be interviewed at that point, not that a decision was being made, because we hadn't even interviewed an ACM at that point.

And I knew that Mike had not had a chance yet to see the interviews.

Okay, so I'm just, that's just how our conversation went and I'm just saying that what I heard you say and I even called after that.

It was me, Nikaya M., we all said that we wanted to bring in the ACM.

We had a 4-1 vote and what happened was an offer was extended by the mayor that was accepted on Wednesday night and then his email was sent us.

We've been sued multiple times.

We're under discovery.

When an offer and acceptance has happened and then at 447 in the morning you sent us an email saying you changed your mind but we had an email from the candidate saying I accept and that causes concern for me on grounds of law

Because my comment to him was that there was support for you four to one, excluding me.

Ms. Rice, we were together when we had this conversation that we were waiting to hear back from you about the conversation he said he needed to have with his wife.

He didn't accept, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

He didn't accept the- He wasn't my friend, I never met him.

Hold on.

I had also never met him.

And we have this conversation, please.

Mr. Signer, the only- Not a friend of a friend, never talking about him.

Hold on, Tanisha Walker.

So Mr. Signer, one of the things in regards to that that I'm finding a little troubling is because I remember distinctively while I was in Atlanta, Ms. Walker and I had already had the conversation in regards to that we think we need to bring an ACM and then you and I spoke at that point as well and you said okay you agree and that's how we had got to the point where three of us had said that we needed to bring in an interview the ACM and then the next morning is when you sit the next day is when you said I've already communicated

with Ms. Walker that I've changed my mind.

And then we went into this whole thing where it was the three of you were in favor of this gentleman.

That's how, so that's what we did.

Well, I said all the way through that I had not had a chance to review the materials yet.

I had not watched the videos.

So every time that I talked to.

And that is true, and I even encourage you to watch it, right?

Exactly.

So I did that very early.

So I did it late.

So I never made, and those are not decisions.

The decision happens during closed session.

So those are conversations.

So I told, at least I told Mayor Walker that I had not watched the video yet.

And then when I did, I thought that he was the best candidate.

And I let you know that before the closed session.

Leslie Beauregard came in for a vacation, as I understood, and was very upset that she had waited and then was not called in.

And then, as I understood, withdrew herself from the process because it was such a bad experience.

So I was worried about that because she served the city for a long time.

So these were all of the kind of behind the scenes things that were concerning.

To have her sit in Virginia Beach.

And I never, so Leslie was back in town.

And I've said that to you already.

And if she's in the building and she wants to come and speak to this, that's on her.

I left her a message apologizing for the experience that she's had.

No, but did you talk to her?

I think our conversation here tonight is demonstrating the real importance of hearing from the public this evening about the process that we need to proceed with for the permanent city manager.

Okay?

We're all on track.

and I think the permanent city manager.

All right.

So we're going to start.

Start community matters.

I can't follow this.

I'm sorry, Heather, you didn't get your pick.

But anyway, I'm Mary Curry and I'm a city resident and I forgot what I was going to say because I can see what y'all go through behind closed doors.

And I would like to be a flat on the wall.

But from what I can see,

The guy that whoever sent to be interviewed wouldn't have been strong for Charlottesville anyway because he had to send a letter to present.

Now if you were strong, you get up here and you tell the public, I'm not going anywhere.

I was picked.

I would like for y'all to consider me.

And if you don't consider me, I have something else to say.

I wouldn't send no letter like a coward.

I mean, he wouldn't have been strong anyway.

He would have been something for y'all, Ms. Galvin, Mr. Signer, and you, Ms. Hill, to balance.

He would have been y'all little string that would have done whatever you wanted him to do in city matters.

Don't sit there and look at me like that, because you know it's true.

See, because I don't like what's going on in city council right now.

You and your $999,000 house, don't make no woman here.

So I'm going to tell you right now, I would like to say, before I saw all of this drama up here with our city council members, I got a lot of Facebook comments, negativity, all kinds of stuff about our mayor, which I would say, Coy Barefoot and Henry Graff and all them got their opinions, it's true, but they make me think they're part of the other side.

and since I can't say what I came up and say because I don't have that much time now, I hope I can come back later.

I'd just like to say it must be something about our mayor that y'all afraid of.

Is it because she's young, gifted, and black?

Or is it because she's smarter than y'all?

Or is it because she don't get up here and try to take over Mr. Signer, Mr. Bellamy?

Y'all disrespected her from day one.

Every time she tried to run this meeting, Mr. Bellamy is the one that runs the meeting because she can't get a word in.

And Mr. Signer, you ought to be ashamed of yourself because you shouldn't even be there anywhere.

You lied to get there.

And then, hey, Miss Hill?

Miss, our Mayor had said nothing but good things about you and then you go sit up here and stab her in the back in the public and see when you get behind closed doors and do this bullshit and you come out here and show us exactly what you made of, I don't want to talk to you.

When you get out here and show us what y'all made of, we made a mistake.

We didn't make a mistake here.

And y'all talking about y'all want a strong mayor and all this.

Mr. Bellamy, you saying on Facebook, you know that stuff get out there don't go nowhere.

You said you was talking all about the strong mayor and everything and all.

And you had a male walk up in there and you didn't mention her name one time about strong mayor.

But y'all afraid.

Y'all afraid.

Y'all afraid that she would make a strong mayor.

And I got a strange feeling she can't be bought.

That's why you're afraid of her.

She can't be bought.

That Mr. Zimp man, he resigned because he was bought.

Now you gave him some promises that he probably think that he couldn't keep.

And that's why he sent that bogus letter that I think somebody helped him write.

But I'm gonna tell you right now, y'all keep on with this stuff.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Kerr.

Madam Mayor, may I say something in response under our rules?

This gentleman served our country for 23 years.

He has a multi-racial wife.

What happened was when he was watching, when she watched what was happening, when she watched what was happening, this experience was horrible for their family.

What just happened, his name being dragged through the mud, he does not deserve that.

I hope you get the point that you all don't want to miss things right do you want to be paying attention you definitely want Mike to talk so he can you know just

I can talk.

You said he was corrupt.

I accused you of corruption because you wanted him in there so you could dangle him.

So why are you defending somebody that was in the army and he's supposed to be brave and strong, but he can write a letter to say he don't want something?

You're the one who got up illegally.

Thank you, Ms. Curry.

So to address Councilor Signer's point, I watched the video.

I was late to the interview.

I caught the end of the interview with this.

Because of my respect for Heather, I looked at the interview.

I said, OK, let me remove myself and what I think about this process and how it happened.

If this person could help, we do have some departments

in the city, I mean probably all the departments in the city that need to be strengthened so that it is running more efficiently for our citizens, right?

If this person does what Heather believes that they can do, not bring them in as a city manager, but if he could help strengthen, and I made a point during our conversations that we wouldn't be focused on any turnover specialists, right?

Did I say this to you, Mike?

and that we would be talking about based on how he presented in parts of the interview that he could maybe be beneficial to helping with these departments.

So that was one.

Also, the information that you didn't work hard enough to make sure all was released, my concerns about this process was that even on the first line of his cover letter, what does he say, Mike?

What keyword did he leave out since you want to be helpful today?

What did he leave out?

He said as your city manager, there's a key point in there that he left out.

I said during the interview, which I wanted citizens to have access to the cover letter and resume, which you all did not get all that information, and the video so that you can make a decision for yourself.

There are people in this community saying I was trying to sway your opinions.

That's not how I work.

I want you to have the information and make the decision on your own.

So the interview and cover letter were not released for you to make a decision.

Out of that interview process, there were times during the interview, which I've now watched three times,

where I thought he had more information than someone just from the outside should have had.

When we had a phone conversation with him, he said about 75% of his information came from research and about 25 came from his connections to the community.

Is that true information or is it false?

No, I'm talking to the counselors.

And so again, I expressed my concerns about the process, how this person was brought in.

Mayor Walker, the decision about whether or not someone would be a permanent city manager was always going to be the decision of this council.

And every single member of this council did not want anything but an interim city manager.

And that is what you all said.

Exactly.

So that's exactly right.

But at any point,

Kathy, was there nothing in his presentation, was there nothing in your cover letter, his cover letter, you even had concerns about this person initially.

There were things that were, for me, troubling that would make it look like if you were looking at it from my end, that this person was a shoo-in.

And I expressed that to you all.

I ain't finished, how do you, what's your grievances?

I apologize.

I'm sorry.

You're right.

I'm sorry.

Go ahead, Mike.

No, no.

so we did we went at the very end one of the reasons we're in that closed session for so long was we spent the last half an hour on this point we drilled and we got him on the phone and we said would you be willing to only do this for four to six months he said I got to talk to my wife and we wanted to make sure and then we said would you be willing to go through exhaustive community engagement

because we needed to know this process did happen quickly.

You don't do community engagement for an interim.

But we all were unified.

We would not hire somebody who would shoo in and get a toehold.

We were going to go through exhaustive, just like we did for the police chief and for the NDS chief.

We did not want anybody to come in here without getting a full buy-in of community at all.

And we had an exhaustive discussion about it.

So there's nothing about this process.

And you know that.

No, I'm asking you.

And we said there's no way.

No, I don't think, and honestly, the conversation that we had in the room with Councilor Galvin and Signer initially, they were asking questions.

So again, I have maintained where I thought the problem began and that I wasn't comfortable.

And as a whole, making this decision, and so we can get to that, making this decision with this council, even, you know,

making the decision not to renew Maurice Jones' contract, I repeatedly said to this council that I did not trust making this decision with them.

repeatedly.

And so if, again, if I'm expressing concerns to you all and at not one point did you all appear to take any of the concerns that I had about the process, about the fears that this person could be a shoe-in, at no point did you all take it seriously.

And you can't say that there was absolutely no reason for you to be dismissive.

We had the discussion, the conversation, and the very first night, we debated quite a lot.

And like in all of our debates, sometimes you're swayed and sometimes you're not.

My questions that I had about this particular candidate

were all answered after he met with us and discussed his experience with us.

I felt he was more than qualified to be an interim city manager and that he was going to do at the same time the evaluation of our bureaucracy, just as we all wanted.

And in spite of all our arguments, we couldn't convince you.

And I respect that.

To agree to hire him.

We've had other decisions that we've had to make as a group for permanent hires, one of which I fell on the minority end and was really emotional about, but I understood that that

The vote that came out was the vote of this council and I supported it and supported it since that vote was taken.

And in terms of this process, I'm still struggling because I feel like there's this misnomer that I knew this person.

I had never met or talked to this person until the day I walked in to City Hall when those interviews were conducted.

Do I know someone in the community that knew them?

Yes.

They asked me how would such a person who's interested in be considered and I presented that to all of council and to Ms. Rice and I was instructed to have that person give their information directly to Ms. Rice back in early June.

In the meantime, it was also discovered that that person was already in Springstead Waters' database.

They just hadn't been pulled in because they hadn't identified that they would be interested in the interim position in Virginia, because they were coming from the locality.

So the irony for me is, had no one even reached out to me at all, that person still would have been sitting at that interview table in front of us, because they would have come through the organic process.

So Heather, I have several

But how is that true?

How would they, they didn't enter it without coming through you in the first place.

Because Springstead Waters also got it through their normal paths and that was the outline that I asked for Ms. Rice to put together that we have that showed that.

That that person, when they came to Ms. Rice with that person's name, they're like no this is the person that we already had through our internal process.

and they didn't realize that it was the same person because that person had worked with the person who had recently left Springstead Waters and had had a relationship with them, had done other projects with them and so that's what was laid out when I asked for the timeline of communications with Springstead from Ms. Rice.

Mr. President, would you like to leave?

Ms. Walker, I've heard you say, I want the people to be heard.

I hope that includes me and you allow me to speak without interruption.

Are we going to do this every two words?

As the anniversary of the Unite the Right rally comes up, we as a community need to acknowledge the hate that came to town and recognize that those who chose to fight, as evidenced by the arrests, were not Charlottesville citizens, but used our streets as a battleground.

I'm not talking about hateful or extremist views.

Those rightfully should be condemned.

But people need to be able to express their views and opinions without the fear of verbal and physical repercussions from those who disagree.

I've had discussions and debates with people like Don Gathers, Rick Turner, Jeff Fogel, and others.

and it usually ends with a better understanding of each other, maybe not in agreement, but usually with a handshake.

I hear all the buzzwords like diversity and inclusion.

Well, let's add this word, tolerance, definition, the ability or willingness to tolerate something in particular, the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.

Excuse me.

I believe our founding fathers had tolerance in mind when they wrote the First Amendment so that all points of view could and should be allowed to be expressed.

On the way in here, I did not see a sign that said, leave your First Amendment at the door.

Yet that seems to be what happens to those who the social justice warriors disapprove of.

Without that, eventually we will evolve into two separate species, the Eloi and the Morlocks.

Like the five stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, after this anniversary, we need to move on and stop using this day as a crutch for all the ills of society that pit one against the other.

Can we let him finish?

Yes, we have to.

Just like everyone else, we've just been having this conversation at every level, right?

So, did you understand what we've been talking about for over a year now about First Amendment?

Okay, so it's not about whether you care or not, but he has a right to speak.

But how long do you want him up here?

Okay, and I would like for everyone in this room who I've been a part of to tell me how I presented in the room.

Because you can watch video, okay?

Because I know how I present.

So unless you had your eye on me the whole time, when I have something to say, I say it.

Right?

And then I'm done.

So you haven't seen me with a sign?

You haven't seen me in the back screaming?

You usually see me in the back standing there observing, paying attention to everything.

And then when I have something to say, I say it.

No, what I'm telling you is how I act.

You just responded about how I respond in this world and I'm correcting you.

OK, so that's what I'm saying.

So what I'm saying is that he is here.

I'm not saying I want to listen to him or that you should have to listen to him.

Yeah, hold on.

All right, that's enough.

So.

Mr. Hayden, continue.

Can I finish?

Yeah, she already said you could continue.

I'm sorry, I didn't hear her with all of this.

I'd like to end with a quote from Thomas Jefferson that I think is sage advice

for all of us.

Yes, I'm John Dalhany, I live in Charlottesville.

And I was going to make comments on the process of selecting the city manager and this has gone way beyond anything I can say.

But just let me say some basic points and I'll say this extemporaneously.

Mayor Walker, I was disappointed in some of your actions and I

I looked at your Facebook page to understand where you were coming from and my basic criticism after all is said and done is that we were working under an established system with established bylaws in a closed system and there was a vote, be it 4-1, 3-2, whatever it came out to be, for a certain action and you took it upon yourself to go outside this established forum to

to make your points.

Now whether you're going to change that forum subsequently is up to the council to decide.

That was my basic criticism.

So let me just say something a little bit more off the cuff here and not go into the rest of what you've been discussing.

And that is the nature of these overly dramatic confrontations that you as the leader of the city council have to have some responsibility to

control and to funnel so we come up with some positive action going forward because a lot of what we've been hearing is just verbiage and emotion and anger and that's not doing us any good at all.

What's particularly disappointing is that this takes such severe racial overtones that we're

Seeing from what we read in the newspaper and on Facebook that it's three two means three white people, two black people, but it doesn't have to be.

That's the point.

particularly you, you are our leader, you're the only mayor we have and for you to create the kind of atmosphere either in closed session or here with transparency that can create

To make something creative is what I would see going forward.

One other, the only part of my prepared speech, you mentioned Trump, and you must have hacked my emails, my speech, because it was exactly the point I was gonna make.

When someone disagrees with President Trump, he hits back via social media, just as you did.

and then he calls out his core supporters to shout his praise, obviously, just as you've done.

Is that the kind of leadership example you want to go forward?

Am I out of time?

Let me finish by paraphrasing an editorial by Charles Blow in the New York Times this month.

He was talking about Trump and not just change the verbiage to make it local.

and here's what he said, it is simply not healthy for Charlottesville to have a mayor stuck perpetually in attack mode, fighting enemies real and imagined and pushing an agenda that mixes exaltation of grievance and the grinding of access.

It's completely inappropriate.

May I have two minutes before, may I, please let me, let me, please.

So, sir, one of the things that you just did was exactly what we've seen essentially these white supremacists and racists do for decades.

When you are attacking

and some will agree and some will not agree but I personally believe that there's a duty here because I'm not just gonna let you just talk to her crazy like that one thing that you just did was how you just characterized her in comparing her to 45 simply because she is to 45 simply because

Yeah, well I'll explain it to you simply because she is speaking to a population of our community who for generations have felt as if they've been unheard, who's felt as if there's been a lack of transparency, who felt very angry about a variety of things that have gone on.

So because her process is different from how you believe it should be in a civil or gentile or southern manner, because it looks different,

Because it looks different, you believe that she's potentially ruining our democracy?

No, let me finish because I didn't interrupt you.

You are essentially comparing her style to an individual who has literally made blatant racist attacks, who's called NFL players, who peacefully protest sons of bitches.

You are comparing her to an individual who has called people from African nations that they live in shitholes.

Your comments are almost insulting, but I don't take it that way.

I wasn't equating Mayor Walker with President Trump.

So I think it's a good time for me to address this process, okay?

I have a response, if I can respond.

Do I need to ask for permission from you all?

So to my point, yes, I have used social media during my campaign, which is new to me, okay, using it, because it is the best way that I know how to reach people.

So it is a new day there.

My call to people, and again, I'm not gonna, I brought the definition of protest in here since some people were struggling with that, but I'm gonna let you all go to Webster on your own and read it.

But there are calls all across this country for people to pay attention, for people to ask a lot of questions, and for people to fight injustices.

So where we are today is in a new place, right?

And so how do we not end up in this place

and 50 years from now.

I'm unconcerned.

I mean, I cannot emphasize that enough about whether you are comfortable or not doing this process.

I have advocated and fought for people and worked my way right out of positions to fight for members of this community.

And I did not even know how I was gonna feed my children.

when I did that.

So if I'm going to fight and sacrifice us, I am not concerned about whether you're comfortable about my delivery method.

So what I will say, again, I'm waiting for someone to tell me how my request was unreasonable, that we do not rush the process, that we hear from the people who have been in positions of power within this community, that we hear from staff and citizens.

And as I've said to these council members, if this is the wrong choice, and we need to talk about how long people are in positions here that they shouldn't be in just because they've been in it.

Until I made the decision and took the initiative around the conversation concerning our last city manager, he was just in place.

Whether people agree with him or not about the decision and the path that this community has been on.

I take action and all along the way if Mr. Jones was in this room he would tell you that every month from January until I made that decision every meeting we had I spoke to him about the direction that I would be working on the city going the things that were important and valuable to me and the decisions that he made that I thought were against those

There was not one person, I mean one time, where he could say, I caught him off guard with my decision.

Unlike other people, okay?

That decision, we had conversations every month from the first conversation we had.

Okay?

Honest, open conversations.

Okay, so that is how I make decisions.

Talking to the public was something that I said the entire campaign that I would do.

Making sure that you were in the know.

I talk to people and listen to people who do and don't agree with me and I can do that.

I have learned to do it.

It's more than just tolerance.

I genuinely want to hear what you have to say because I can't build my defense against you if I don't know which direction you're moving in.

So I'm always paying attention.

Okay?

And so there's nobody in this community that would say they attempted to have a conversation with me and they were unable to.

No one.

And this conversation around all, that I'm the mayor for all people, one, all people didn't vote for me.

and people made it clear about what they thought about me and whether they thought I deserved to be in a role on council period.

So that was number one.

I will tell you ask one of my colleagues up here what I bring to the table, how thorough I am,

My knowledge base, when I don't know something I'm going to find out.

So there is not a conversation that we've had that I have not contributed to equally or above and not one of them up here can say it.

Okay?

And so, how information is conveyed to the community is important for me.

Not everybody come into these rooms and they're not going to.

Yes, I do use Facebook and I'm going to continue to use Facebook.

and I've said that the entire campaign.

I have asked every one of them, what if this person was permanently put in place in this city and they were the wrong person, how would it affect you and your life?

So the people that I have lived amongst, my family, my friends, the people that I've gone to school with, they are impacted by every decision people in positions of power make in this city.

and Heather, they would be able to feed their kids, have a life as normal as possible if this person was the wrong person.

And I knew that I was breaking trust that is a one shot.

And there was one member of this Council that I was very concerned about that relationship with because of the direction that we were going.

Madam Mayor, there's two facts that have to be put in here.

Will you allow me to make them?

The public needs to know something, but we have to let him talk.

the council talked extensively about how the public would have had a chance to rake this guy over the coals because his resume and everything would have been put out to the public six days in advance so this is not true it is not true that the public wouldn't have had a chance and we could have

We could have voted against him, we could have voted against him if the public had weighed in with us.

And we talked about that.

The other thing is that when you brought up... You brought that comment up?

Absolutely!

It was about whether or not the public would have a chance to weigh in.

And the other thing was this thing about his resume being hidden from the public.

When you asked us at the end of the closed session on Friday about whether we would allow the public to see his resume, we did not know about the text that he had sent you where he said, I would consent for the public to see my resume.

if council directs it.

You didn't tell us that and we would have directed it.

We would have been fine with it.

We didn't know that he was okay with it.

We didn't know that he was okay with it.

We said it's against policy and he probably wouldn't consent to it, but he had sent you a text saying he would consent to it.

You didn't tell us that he would have consented to it.

We said that's against policy.

We had the conversation.

It was right at the end of the closed session.

On Friday.

You should go read them.

Because then you went on Facebook Live and attacked counsel for hiding his resume, but we didn't know that he would consent just soon.

So council told me no.

Mike.

That's important.

Mike.

It's really important.

You didn't.

We just need to move on because they're stupid.

All right.

We move on.

All of us are stupid.

So Elliot Brown,

Hi, I'm Elliott Brown, Charlottesville.

Thank you for being transparent and standing up for what you believe is right.

I really appreciate that.

Is the mic on?

I'm back to speak on white fragility again.

White fragility is bullying.

White fragility is when well-intentioned white people like the majority of city council and me unknowingly protect, maintain, and reproduce white supremacy.

Let me share some of the ways white fragility shows up within your council.

Not recognizing a 2-3 vote across racial lines most likely has something to do with your own white privilege and something not in the best interest of people of color is happening.

Dismissing feedback like this, telling you your behavior, words, actions, votes often have racist impact.

Electing the CAIR mayor after she ran a campaign on transparency and unmasking the illusion, then being vengeful when she follows through on these campaign promises.

Kathy, society with developers at most every juncture dismissing the fact that these decisions are directly related to gentrification forcing thousands of people, especially people of color, to leave our city.

Mike, looking at leaking emails about Nikaya to the press days before the election.

Defending a white person by saying he's a good person and not racist because his wife is a multicultural person.

Heather, your role in interim city manager's process.

I, too, am guilty of white fragile racist behavior every day.

It's uncomfortable, but I very much appreciate when people call me out on it.

I'm not proud.

It makes me feel bad, embarrassed, guilty, but I don't dismiss it.

Instead, I aim to own it, explore it, educate myself, apologize to whoever I hurt, and make changes.

Please take responsibility for your racism.

I bought you each a book and had the communities sign it for you guys.

Please take the time to read it with an open mind and heart and ask yourself, could the racist behaviors people are accusing you of be true?

What does it mean for you if they are?

It's probably uncomfortable.

I challenge you to take on this discomfort and use it to spark some internal growth while recognizing discomfort doesn't touch, your discomfort doesn't touch the discomfort and pain African Americans in Charlottesville have felt every day of their life.

Ask yourself, is it possible that because you're white, there are racial dynamics you cannot see?

When you think you're voting for something that will be helpful across racial lines and Nikuyah and Wes are not voting this way, check in with yourself.

Why do you think you have the knowledge to know it's helpful and not hurtful to communities of color?

Ask yourself, how is voting the same way you do time and time again on things such as development and housing truly impacting community colors in Charlottesville?

How are following the same processes and procedures that have been placed for decades and centuries impacting communities of color?

I believe that all three of you want to see the dial move in the area of racial injustice.

But it appears you're unable to separate your intention and its impact.

By default of being white, you do not have the context and or understanding to know these answers without help from the outside.

But lucky for you, you have dozens of black and brown people standing up right here giving you this information on a regular basis.

including two African American colleagues willing to be straight with you.

You have a leader calling you out on your racist behavior.

Please stop feeling threatened, violated, or whatever you feel by the mayor's perspective, communication, and transparency.

Good evening.

I'm waiting for Ms. Rice.

Madam Mayor, council members,

This is like WrestleMania III or arena here or something.

I would like to congratulate the council on appointing a city manager.

but there is one thing that is not clear to me and that is the word interim.

If this council does not have complete confidence in their appointment, then why make any appointment at all?

I have researched the city records back as far as 1960s and have spoken to previous city managers who still reside in the area and I cannot find anywhere where the city of Charlottesville has ever hired an interim city manager.

Mr. Murphy can do the job now and he can do the job in the future.

I quote, and I agree with a council member who said, we now have a strong city manager, a strong fire chief, and a very strong police chief in place who can handle whatever comes his way to the city in the future.

With the time I have left, I need to point out one present and growing problem that has already and can only continue to hurt the city.

The problem is the constant feuding, bickering, backstabbing, conniving each and every one of you do with each other.

It shows a complete total disrespect that you have for each other.

You are acting worse

than if you had a few Republicans on the council.

I can't expect you all to hug and hang out together and even have each other over for dinner.

Just like I don't expect every city council vote to always be unanimous, but I do expect each of you to work together.

Each of you were elected by the citizens of Charlottesville to serve and protect this city.

And right now, you aren't doing either.

First off, I want to start off and say, Mike, you're a whole grown-ass man.

I'm going to really need you to get your panties out of the bunch.

Stop leaking emails, okay, to those people over there.

Because you've done it on more than one occasion, and everybody get in trouble, but you.

All the black people get in trouble.

But you'll never get in trouble.

And see, here we are.

Now Mike, you know I hate to bring you in on this because you fresh to this, not really because you was the assistant so you kind of know.

But listen, here we are worried about Jason Kessler and you got to worry about the white supremacy that's displaying right up here on city council.

We about to shut down a whole city, right?

And I get safeties of concern, and Ms. Brackney, my girl, you know, she cool, we wobble together and everything.

But listen, here we are about to shut down a whole city, right, and let these people feel like they won.

They don't scare my black ass.

I can't speak for everybody else, but they don't scare me.

They don't scare me.

They don't scare me enough to the point because they not going to come in Tonsler Park where we at.

They not going to come in Hardy Drive where not people at.

They not going to come in Prospect where we at.

They not going to come on 6th Street.

But see, y'all afraid.

But that is something that y'all breeding.

and look at what you're doing up here.

We keep going back and forth.

Who know who?

Who knew who and why?

Why this man applied?

The text message said he didn't want to release his information.

He didn't want to do it.

Why you keep sitting here going back and forth with Mayor Walker about his information was going to be released?

No, it wasn't.

He didn't want it to be released.

Y'all three, because I'm going to single y'all out this time.

Y'all three, right here, y'all been a problem.

And you just saddened with the problem, because you don't know where you standing.

You knew that when you was running, Heather.

You know, we was worried about you when you was running, because we didn't know where you was going to stand.

You so wishy-washy.

And just slow down a little bit.

We trying to capture what you say, so we can run back to it later on if we have to.

So slow down a little bit.

You speed up, that's that slick city stuff.

See, when you're from the city, you like to talk fast so people can miss something.

Slow down, you're in the South.

Do you have a problem with women?

Do you have a problem with people of color?

Do you have a problem with showing respect?

Because the way your head was just down, buddy, let me tell you something.

My mama would have slapped life out of me if my head was down like that disrespecting somebody.

You got to do better.

And most of us, as much as they want to try to put it on Wes, a lot of this is your fault, if not all of it.

You know that, right?

We ain't worried about those tweets, because we know people can say whatever they want to say.

It's called freedom of speech.

But you responsible for a lot of why these people keep choosing to come back to Charlottesville.

You responsible for a lot that's still continuing to happen.

And y'all, right here, y'all feed right into it.

So I don't know if this is a gang up on black people thing, or if y'all trying to cause a divide between these two.

But y'all make this city look real, real, real bad.

And as much as people say, throw the whole council away and start over, I think it's just some of y'all that gotta go.

Now, Mike, I'm gonna go ahead, get your disclosure, okay?

You the city manager now?

You going into a new August the 12th?

We're going to try not to shut our damn city down for racists, okay?

We're going to try not to let these people think that they won, because they didn't win.

The only thing that happened last year that should have happened was the police should have did more, okay?

and it wasn't necessary for no other changes to happen between last year and this year but to make them do some damn work.

That's the only change that needed to take place and for y'all to shut streets down a little bit better than what y'all did last year.

No other changes were necessary.

So we're not going to do this moving forward year to year to year shutting stuff down.

Michael Payne.

Hello, Michael Payne.

I know there's a lot of vital issues being discussed tonight, but I just wanted to bring attention

again to the city's housing needs assessment, which I think needs to be a turning point for the city and for what city council discusses and deliberates.

I think we cannot lose sight of the fact that we now have concrete numbers that there is a shortfall of 4,000 affordable housing units and as a community beyond just council, I think we need to start having an honest conversation about the fact that if we're serious about meeting this need for people at zero to 30% of AMI,

We simply do not have the policy tools we need to solve the affordable housing crisis right now.

So we need to get serious about building a movement that builds beyond just city council but to the state legislature to pressure our state legislature to overturn or loosen up the Dillon rule to allow us to implement rent control and other policies that can allow us to have a community that is open to working people and that is not every day displacing more and more working class residents.

We need to think beyond, again, as a community, we need to think beyond the status quo and what we've normally been doing.

And I think part of that has to include making, building a movement to fight for a public bond for public housing, which is in a state of disrepair.

There is not going to be money coming from the federal government under the Trump administration.

So I think it's an imperative that we build a movement for a public bond of at least $50 million as a down payment for the total amount of

starting to rebuild and expand our public housing stock.

and I think again as a community we need to be aware that we have a very limited time frame of a few years and if we don't get this right this city is going to look like San Francisco it's going to look like Arlington where there is no working class that can live in this city and as long as we remain divided as long as we are not keeping our eyes on the prize as long as we are in a state of paralysis where we are not making decisions on affordable housing the happiest people in this city are going to be the developers of projects like Dairy Central

and we will blink in the city that we know will be gone in a matter of years.

So I think it's very important.

I mean the first number that I said verbally to counsel in our first retreat was the fifty million dollars that you just talked about and that we cannot have the discussion about a million or two million or a couple hundred thousand dollars here or there and that to get this right we're going to have to make a major investment and be committed to it and every time that we've had

So to that point, and Ms. Parker can attest to this, so the Housing Authority has been having, well they have a redevelopment committee, and during our last Housing Authority meeting, Mr. Brandon Collins from Farrar Public Housing Association of Residents

came up and discussed a plan in which he and other members of FAR have been working on specifically looking at that number in terms of a bonding.

There was a presentation that was provided or a resolution that was provided to the Housing Authority Board in which we took under consideration and we will be discussing it at our next Housing Authority Board meeting.

But I would also encourage you to get with the Redevelopment Committee as well as those who are working on this very issue in the Housing Authority

because the plan, to a certain extent, is being put in place.

There's a lot of work that's being done to address these same issues, further than we've ever been before, in my personal opinion.

So again, I would encourage you to work with those folks who are, again, on the ground and doing this work.

But we do have a lot of work to do.

I think the number I'm remembering and my memory may not be serving me best today, but we're talking about about $600 million, right?

No, not that high.

So what we had to do is to get the real number of what we need is we had to put out a RFQ, a request for qualifications, which we had a few different,

Vendors come back and now we're putting together a RFP where we're finalizing our RFP and our redevelopment plan.

And that'll give us the exact number, but we're not trying to do it all at once.

The housing authority is trying to work piece by piece.

And I mean, again, we can go over all those details.

I also want to ask you if you'd be willing to discuss that there's a whole range of

tools that we need to put on the table.

Because when Mr. Bellamy and I have had conversations about what would it cost to have to float a bond for $60 million, and it'll be a 10 cent on the $100 tax increase, we've already got residents in our city who are having trouble paying the increases in property values, correct?

So there's a whole slew of tax abatement and tax refund programs

that also need to be part of this.

And at the same time, to pay for that debt service, could we entertain the possibility of value capture, getting the increment of those areas that are really high value, but then taking that value change and dedicating it to paying down the debt service of bonds for assisted housing.

I think that's certainly the case that we need a lot of different tools and I think that's exactly why it's so important that it's beyond just Council and I think Council, like Councilor Bellamy

Referenced has been doing a lot of positive big things that they haven't done in the past.

But I think that's why important beyond just council as a community, we have to build a movement because I think if you look at the reality of that shortfall of 4,000 affordable housing units, we, council, because of the state legislature, does not, has its hands tied by the state legislature.

and cannot solve this issue with the existing policies it has.

And because of that, I think that's what makes it so challenging and why as a community we have to keep our eyes on the Prize in Building movement because there is no one policy that we're just waiting to be implemented but council just won't do it.

We don't know what it's going to take to fully meet that need of 4,000 units.

I think with policy also means patience right because we've seen from the Housing Authority just for us to be able to get to this point it's been nearly two and a half years and that's just for us to get to the point in which we can put together RFQs and RFPs

and have our plan in place.

So that doesn't mean that we're going to fix all of this by January, but I do like the fact that we're in the right direction.

And I welcome you as well as others to join us in devising this plan and figuring out how we can move forward.

And to that point, I know Mr. Murphy as well as Ms. Rice have been talking about how we can put together our next joint session with the Housing Authority.

so that we can provide our update or get our update from the Housing Authority, but also continue to devise our plan.

And in that plan, it may very well be receiving guidance on how we can look at implementing a bond similar to the number on which many have allocated for.

I'd see Ms. Toliver is here.

She can also help you with that.

And Mr. Collins is here himself.

I just saw him walk in.

Well again I mean I agree with all that and I think again the challenge is I think City Council and the Housing Authority have been doing a tremendous amount of work and like you said are in a place of you know moving towards a great place being great progress

and the problem is the federal government for years has not been investing in public housing.

I think that we also have to take some responsibility about a lot of the decisions that have been made in Charlottesville over time and that have been made even since I've been on council that will create more of a divide and displacement than be helpful so some of that stuff we do have to own as a council and when you talk about building a movement I hear that we either will continue

Well, and I hear that to be clear, you know, that's absolutely not what I mean.

I think we need to transform everything we do locally.

And once we do that, see what position we're in.

But I do think after we transform what we do locally, we may have more work to do beyond.

But I agree the first step has to be locally because we haven't done nearly all we can do locally.

Good evening.

This is exactly why people all over the city are canceling their HBO and Cinemax and Starr subscriptions.

You can just watch this.

This is exactly what.

You all cannot sit here and be taken aback or pretend to be surprised by Mayor Walker's actions when this is exactly the platform that she ran on.

She promised you, she told you right up front to expect transparency.

To expect that she was going to deliver to the citizens exactly what we were asking her for.

But now it's a complete surprise to everybody.

The city manager's selection process, appointment process, anointing process, it was completely flawed.

There's no other way about that.

That's got to be fixed.

Mike Murphy, God bless you.

I appreciate your willingness to step in and take this, but

We're right where we should have been right in the beginning.

If you had just taken a moment to think about maybe just appointing someone to the position to get us through this coming weekend and then begin all the process of searching and putting someone in place, we wouldn't be where we are now.

You have people in place.

You had a couple of people that were assistant city managers.

Even another department head would have been just fine.

Just put someone in place, get us through this weekend, get us through this month, and then we can begin the selection process.

Was that not ever a thought of anyone's?

Something else.

Please, as much as possible, try, try to not have votes on city council without having the full council present.

especially for important matters that will directly affect the public and the community.

Even if it's just through a conference call, we need five votes on matters that directly affect the public.

And everything that you vote on in one way or the other directly affects the public.

Now, I understand the necessity and the importance of keeping the city safe.

But right now we're in a hostage situation.

It's like there's a curfew being implemented at high noon and no one is to be on the streets past that time.

That's where we're headed.

And I've shared this with some of the police officers.

We don't want to go from where we were last year and do a complete 180 where we're over-policed.

That's the worst possible scenario.

We definitely don't need that.

It's got to fall somewhere in the middle.

Handle the situations that need to be handled immediately when they need to be handled.

Let's not allow the ninth gate of hell to open up again this year and all the minions come pouring out of it.

Handle what needs to be handled, but we don't need a paramilitary mindset while we're doing that.

And I still need to know

After the collaboration and all the kumbaya moment when we had everyone assembled here at the last meeting, still hasn't been told us who is in charge, who's the point person.

If there is a situation and there's disagreement amongst the collaborators that assembled here with us that day, who will make the ultimate decision as to what needs to be done and how it needs to be done.

Gather, that's clear that it's the city manager who will make a policy decision.

Ms. Mike Murphy.

That's not what unified command is, no.

The city manager is the policy decision maker.

And so if there is a question about, you know, should there be a state of emergency?

Is there a question about giving the police chief the authority to have a curfew which was raised?

Those are things that come through the city manager as the director of emergency management.

The city manager does not tell law enforcement officials how to act on the ground.

It doesn't say this is what kind of gear people are going to wear or how many people will be deployed to a certain area.

Those are operational decisions.

Okay, so let me let me put it this way.

If the state police commander and Chief Brackney have a disagreement as to whether or not the citizens of this city should be gassed or not, who makes the decision as to who's right and who's wrong?

That's not how the system works in unified command and so what you need to understand is that there is one plan agreed to by the agencies who will serve on the ground that day.

Okay, that's not true.

That's not what the plan was last year.

We didn't use the National Incident Management System.

We didn't have one plan for all the troops on the ground.

We have one plan.

And I don't want to go in the wayback machine, but apparently last year Chief Thomas had one mindset, but Gary Pleasance had a different mindset.

So again, if there's a clashing of ideals and idealism, who makes the decision as to what's right, what's wrong, what's going to actually happen?

I don't care about who's right or who's wrong.

We need to do what's right.

and we need to know first and foremost that the citizens are going to be protected, that we won't be over-policed, that we won't have the military vehicles come parading through our town again.

We need to know do we need to be wearing our gas mask or at least have them present because we know it's against the law to wear a mask in public.

Do we at least need to have them public because again we don't want to go from zero to 180.

Some of what I'm going to say is a little redundant, considering what's going on tonight.

My name is Kem Spalding.

I live at 912 Ridge Street, Charlottesville.

I'm also the precinct chair of Tonsler.

I received an email this weekend from Senator Doug Jones of Alabama in support of Tim Kaine and he said, as a U.S. Attorney, I prosecuted two of the KKK members responsible for the 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four little black girls.

The men who planted that bomb wanted to crush the hope rising within the African American community.

This pattern of violence following surges of hope continues today.

We saw this when white supremacists descended on Charlottesville.

The way to stop this is to stand up and never stop fighting for equality.

Tim Cain says, equality is America's North Star.

So that's the end of what he said.

On August 11th and 12th, a light was shown on the extreme inequalities for our black community of Charlottesville.

Charlottesville calls itself a sanctuary city, a city of inclusiveness, but still white oppression prevails.

A little history reminder, at the end of the Civil War, 54% of the population of Charlottesville were former slaves.

They worked very hard to establish businesses and a school to remake their lives.

But with Jim Crow, the Depression, redlining and ignorance of segregation and Vinegar Hill, a lot of those gains were lost.

160 years later,

only 18% are still here because of the lack of opportunities and acceptance.

Last November, Nikuyah Walker received the highest number of votes to serve on city council.

And then on January 1st, a vote of four to one by you was for her to be our mayor.

Seven months into her first term, some of you are trying to silence her by misquotes and by asking her to recuse herself from voting.

That's very disappointing.

The Dialogue on Race, funded by the city, points out clearly that the white population has a huge advantage or privilege over our people of color.

yet you have decided to gang up on your mayor who was born and raised here and knows firsthand the inequalities that exist.

I keep hoping that Charlottesville can be an example of that north star of equality that Senator Tim Kaine speaks of so frequently.

I want you to reevaluate your decision making with a focus on how can our decisions affect positively the most

Disenfranchised.

Peace begins when poverty ends.

We all want peace.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, good evening, Councillors.

I'm Marsha Guyer, and I came to speak about climate change.

And this isn't the night to do that.

It really isn't.

So I just want to bring to your attention something that came in the mail to me today, the latest issue of The Economist, which is a really good news magazine.

And their front page issue is

in the line of fire, losing the war against climate change.

We need to think about that.

I'm going to come back another time.

Okay.

Are you sure?

Sorry?

So I'm Marsha Goyer.

I live at 1008 Peartree Lane in Charlottesville, and I'm one of the leaders of the local climate movement.

The Strategic Energy Initiative that are part of tonight's consent agenda are very well targeted to important ways to reduce greenhouse gases.

The repurposing of 360,000

$367,000 looks good.

The city could do more in another area of low hanging fruit.

The roofs of all the city buildings, including our schools, could be assessed for housing solar arrays.

Albemarle County pioneered this in the state of Virginia.

as far as the financing that made it possible for them to do, I think it was seven schools initially.

And Albemarle is again looking at its schools for a second series of solar roof conversions where new school roofs have recently replaced older ones.

A power purchase agreement bid competitively

will lower and stabilize the cost of electricity while also transitioning to clean energy.

Many new solar roofs would be a highly visible step showing the city leading by example in a very positive direction against a very scary issue.

A second leadership step the city could and should take is stepping up

is the official target for reducing greenhouse gases from 30% reduction by 2050 to 80% reduction by 2050.

Among cities of the southeast, an 80% reduction is the target chosen by two-thirds of cities that have a climate target.

It's also the minimum amount that science has said is needed to avoid worldwide

catastrophic climate change.

This is what we have to do if we are serious as a species about survival.

After decades of scientists' warnings, we see that a variety of climate catastrophes are happening around the country and around the world, not to our grandchildren someday, but to people alive now.

I ask council to put the protection of our environment from worsening climate change on your front burner to lead all sectors of our city visibly and by example and to pick up the pace of the city's climate action.

You could be helped with this heavy responsibility because I know you've got a lot on your plates.

if council created a mechanism for Charlottesville climate activists to contribute from the large array of sources we follow to forming the city's climate agenda.

Mayor Walker, may I make a comment?

Ms. Skyer, thank you for speaking and I look forward to meeting with you.

We've been trying to make that arrangement.

And I believe that Charlottesville High School does have solar panels on its roofs and that our Facilities Management Division actually has a team now of people that are capable of installing solar panels on our public buildings and our school buildings.

So we have made a commitment that when the time comes

and it's appropriate to make that physical change, they are put on.

So we are already positioned to do that.

You're on it.

Yes, we're on that.

And so I would love to have us become zero carbon.

Oh yeah, usually the people who suffer the most from climate change are the poor and the disenfranchised.

we're seeing that in spades where they want to put the compressor station for the new pipeline in Buckingham County.

And who gets punished the most by high electricity bills?

People who can't afford it for their air conditioning and so on.

So now I didn't say a hundred percent because

Unfortunately, in the South, where utilities control so much of what's possible to do or not possible to do, I think that 100% might not be doable.

And I would hate for us to say, oh, let's just say 100% and not, but we know we're not going to try and really do that.

But the technology is there, or it's coming along.

and what's missing is the political will.

So, you know, Charlottesville should do absolutely everything it can.

I just used three minutes.

I had timed myself at home the best I could.

I'm not out of ideas.

Linda Goldstein My name is Linda Goldstein.

I live at 1009 Birdwood Road here in the city.

Charlotte Sill made some horrific mistakes last year.

I would like to believe that our community could learn from mistakes and move ahead in a productive way.

To me, it doesn't seem like it's happening.

Closing the city pools and rec centers does not keep us safer.

Preventing businesses from thriving does not keep us safer.

In closing the library, this is my perspective, does not keep us safer.

Encouraging our faith communities to cancel services does not keep us safer.

Please don't tear our community apart again.

Please don't block off the city and close down the things that help sustain us.

Building a fortress this year to make up for no policing last year doesn't solve any problems.

It allows to unite the right folks to win again.

Our community wins when the children have safe places to read and play.

Our community wins when we have a vibrant economy.

Our community wins when we have places to openly worship.

Our community wins when we can move around freely and safely.

People with both good intentions and bad intentions are going to find ways to come downtown regardless of what you do to limit access.

Please don't close down our community out of fear.

Fear is a dangerous thing that fosters violence.

Tensions are already high and the planned actions are only going to increase them.

In this environment, violence will much more easily erupt.

Yes, have police presence.

Yes, have emergency plans in place, but don't put up blockades and close down the activities that are an integral part of our lives.

Let us move around freely enjoying our weekend.

Let us have easy access to the parks, restaurants, stores, movies, and places of worship downtown.

We can be vigilant without mass restrictions of movement and activities.

Harold Foley, civil rights and justice organizer for legal aid.

Hello, everybody, thank you for your time.

First, I'm a mother.

Thank you, Nikuyah, because you're doing it for us.

I represent the People's Coalition, so if y'all are available, please stand up.

So, dear City Council, the People's Coalition is made up of community groups and individuals working to achieve racial injustice here in Charlottesville.

Through this letter, we seek to share our concerns about the ways in which recent and long-standing practices and decisions by law enforcement reflects its failure to treat Charlottesville low-income, black or brown communities in a fair and just manner.

truly provide for their safety.

Given these concerns, the lack of trust that exists between CPD and Charlottesville low income and black residents as we also including requests for actions that, sorry, Jesus.

Sorry, including requests for actions we would like the CPD-CFD to take during the weekend of August 10th through the 12th, 2018.

and in the long term to guarantee that law enforcement honors its duty to ensure the well-being and safety of low-income and black residents in Charlottesville.

A, the weekend of August 10th through the 12th, 2018, we are concerned by the many communication barriers between the low-income communities of Charlottesville.

CPD, CFD regarding their plans for this weekend.

We do not understand the reluctance to release specific plans about how CPD, CFD intend to protect low-income families against the alt-right.

Sorry, I need to say that.

We are also concerned about the role the CPDCFD intend to play during the weekend considering the aggressive law enforcement tactics used toward the low-income black communities in 2017 while the Ku Klux Klan rallied.

during the utter failure of law enforcement to protect the same residents with violence by the alt-right during the weekend of August 2017.

We request the police chief and fire chief unequivocally state that CPD, CFD intend to protect low-income black residents, particularly residents of Friendship Court, public houses from acts of violence, intimidations or threats from the alt-right.

2.

Agree that law enforcement will not itself commit any such acts against law, low income, or black residents.

Police will not patrol on site within a public housing community.

We ask this to avoid negative police residence or interactions.

Police may patrol nearby but not on site.

Members of the coalition feel strongly that the presence of the alt-right should not be used as an excuse for police to contact with residents, and CPD officials should instruct other officers as such.

For Crescent Hall, 6th Street, South 1st Street, and West Haven, on-site patrolling be conducted exclusively by Millennium Security, whose CRHA plans to have present.

We would like Millennium Security to serve as the point of contact for the police with respect to the activity of many of these communities.

Police barricades will be set up around each of the following public houses, including Friendship Corps.

Special attention to be paid to ensure safety to the Rose Hill community.

On street parking be completely restricted.

On second street from Water Street to the Ix Park, Garrett Street, the entire length including Levy,

Levy to Avon, 4th Street, 6th Street from Garrett Street to Elliott, Monticello from Ridge to Avon, 1st Street from 1001st Street all the way across to Elliott Avenue to Crescent Halls.

Millennium Security CRHA coordinate local access for traffic,

into and out of Crescent Halls from Second Street to South First Street.

CPD and CFD treat street medics and local observers with respect, allow them to carry out their functions.

B, long-term law enforcement practices and decision-makings.

We are concerned by long-standing practices, policy decisions that expose low-income and black residents of Charlottesville to be disproportionate and harmful law enforcement contact.

Diversity... Yeah, you can wait.

Diversity, the CPD and CFD, and ensure that every officer responder, including new recruits and current members, receive racial sensitivity, de-escalation and strategies for youth training, and racial profiling of residents in low-income and predominantly black or brown communities in Charlottesville by CPD.

and CPD's discriminatory stop and frisk practice.

Wherever over 70% of stops are black residents who make up the 70% of this population.

reform the CPD complaint process to make it more transparent, accessible, and orient toward meaningfully and timely resolution of civilian complaints.

And last but not least, assist in creating a positive progressive community safely initiative within low income or black communities driven by the residents, one that acknowledges the ways in which traditional policing practices undermine community safety

Thank you Marissa.

So I'm going to let you know that the Chief has this letter.

Thank you.

I just have a few words to say.

I moved here in 2005 to move to a diverse community.

and I'm so glad to live here in Charlottesville because I've met so many wonderful people.

But it hurts and I'm feeling the pain in my heart right now.

I mean, for the past almost full hour, listening to a few people, it just, it's painful.

Just knowing what happened last year and having it to be allowed to happen again,

I just hope that things will not be as extreme.

I mean it just, I wish, let me just, let me write, excuse me, let me read my few words that I wrote a little while ago.

I am so for free speech, but point blank, hate should not be.

This is a very caring city so we all need to stand together against the wrong that needs to stop being.

Please.

Hello, my name is Rosea Parker.

We're going from a stand down to a shut down.

What is the true definition of protect and serve?

To continuously victimize the victims of A11 and 12, predominantly the whole community over the whole period of May through August 2017, the whole summer of hate?

To shut the city down does not justify, it does just that.

To take away parks and recs from the families and especially the children, victims again.

Why should they have to keep suffering?

They don't deserve to be punished nor have they ended a summer disrupted just before school.

Family functions?

No returns on shelter expenses nor giving kids free swim all of September will fix the situation.

at hand.

We as citizens deserve to be in unity amongst and throughout the city.

You are not allowing the cities to celebrate or assemble in our city that we defended while the state of Virginia law enforcers abused us and allowed us to be abused.

And over the year of being continuously abused in the courtrooms by our judges.

You are still punishing this community, no protection, now criminalized.

Resistance or resilience toward us, what is that?

Which one is it?

I am very proud of the actions of our city officials, shutting down the whole city in response of A-10 through A-12 anniversary weekend.

I am a black mother, grandmother upbringing the next generations.

I feel violated that I am not allowed to counter protest if need be to make sure my voice is heard under my first amendment right.

As a victim of J-8, A-11 and A-12 2017, my city officials did not protect me or my family or my community.

So therefore, it's my duty to fight, and it's my duty to win.

Give me liberty or give me death.

Thank you.

Katrina Turner, city.

On July 8, when the Klan came to town, instead of facing the hate,

that invaded our city, the police chose to face the citizens.

And on top of that, the citizens were gassed for no reason whatsoever.

August 11th, the outright was escorted into this city by Charlottesville Police Department while holding lit torches.

After reaching the Thomas Jefferson statue, they begin to assault students and professors with those lit torches.

and also descended upon a church full of people of all nationalities and religions with those same lit torches while the Charlottesville Police Department stood down.

Even after everything that happened on the 11th, Jason Kessler and his terrorist followers were still allowed to have their rally on the 12th, which resulted in many citizens being mentally, physically,

and emotionally scarred for life and Heather Heyer losing her life.

The police stood down on August 12th and now instead of protecting the citizens this year, the city decides to shut the city down.

You cannot get it right if you don't protect the citizens.

Give us the chance to walk our streets with the protection Jason Kessler and his terrorists had.

Um,

Chief Brackney gave us a promise that she would be out there on the streets with us on that day.

How is she going to be on the streets with us on that day if they're making it so difficult for us to even be out there on that day?

With everything they had last year, all the threats that we gave city council last year and they did not shut the city down, I want to know is there a credible threat on this city the reason they are shutting this city down?

Is that something that they could not tell us?

We gave you all all the threats last year and you didn't listen.

Are we in danger or does the police department just not want to do their job again?

Because they should be standing by us protecting us instead of shutting this city down.

They gave the alt-right from May

to August to do whatever they wanted to do in this city.

And they just allowed it time after time.

Now here comes the anniversary and y'all aren't even going to let us stand up for our city this year.

Why?

You're talking about safety.

If it were not for the police standing down last year, the citizens would have been safe.

We protected this city last year and we want to do the same thing this year and closing all the roads down and making it difficult to where we can't even park to get to downtown.

What is this saying?

You're saying that Charlottesville is cowards.

We're not cowards.

Y'all might be cowards.

The city who's shutting this city down might be cowards, but we're not.

And do y'all really want us to look like the city who ran from the white supremacists, who ran from Jason Kessler?

That's what we're going to look like if you all shut this city down.

So you all need to do something better than shutting our full city down.

Yes, we have asked for safety.

I'm trying to understand.

Jefferson is closed.

That's where the majority of people park, to march to the park.

Where are we going to park next?

We're going to have to pay transportation to get to the city.

Come on.

So I just want to be clear, Ms. Turner.

How many people are going to be here, Mr. Brown?

Is that garage going to fill?

Is that garage going to hold everybody who wants to stand up for the city?

No, it's not.

As Chief Brackney said,

In the meeting we were in earlier today, we're encouraging people to be wherever they choose to be.

And if you choose to be downtown, the perimeter

was established to keep people safe to be downtown because we believe that's where the most people want to be.

And that it's not acceptable, particularly after last year, for us not to set up a secure perimeter so that cars will not interact with pedestrians.

Was there a credible threat?

Yes, please.

Tell them.

We're not going to share the intelligence that's going on.

It's just not absolutely not going to happen.

As we have said, Miss Turner, as we have said in probably, I don't know, a dozen community briefings,

So I cannot answer your question.

I'll say that.

But what I hope I can share is that earlier in the year I did as from my position have to sign a paper

for Mr. Jones at the time, which was very clear about the liability that from the state level that administration would face if they divulged information that wasn't public.

So I will say that I don't know what the information is.

I'm just telling you what the paper that was presented to me

that for even for him to receive

the information, whatever that is.

And for me, I would have never signed that paper.

I made sure even in that that it wasn't even a space on that paper since my signature was on it for my name to go in the slot.

And we had a very detailed conversation about it.

So if I would have been presented with something like that, I would have had to turn it down because I know personally I would have needed some legal assistance if I had information that

you know, people could potentially get hurt and that we were protecting and I had this full conversation with him.

So I think at, you know, I don't know all the information that the admin, you know, the fire chief, the city management, I don't know what that information, I really know about as much information that you have, but I can say based on just how

Mayor Walker, may I say something?

And I do want to, and Ms. Turner, I was at the same meeting you were at this afternoon.

And the intelligence is coming from all different directions.

It's still coming from the public.

We've had people come and give us

of what they see on their feeds, on their Facebook posts.

That's being taken in and it's being given to the police.

that was passed on directly to the police.

And then everything that we're hearing from Portland, Oregon at this point, because of the protester and counter-protester clashes there, it's spilling out all over the country.

So what we're saying is we're getting all the intelligence of those groups that are gathering there.

Why is I export open for vendors?

Why are we accommodating vendors, but we're not accommodating people who have children who want to go somewhere?

I don't want to march, but I do want to forget about August 12th.

in a different kind of way.

I want to celebrate with my family, but I don't have the money to leave town.

Why is Smith Pool closed?

Why is Tonsler closed?

Why are all these places closed?

Like, we're being held past it.

You know what would help us feel better?

Arrest Kessler and die him.

And I will just add to Councilor Galvin's comment that that was not a threat for citizens, that that was directly towards council members.

And so I just wanted to make that clear.

Right.

And I don't think we've done a good enough job as a council or even as a community.

I think sometimes when people watch these meetings or they're just listening, they think that, oh, this is just like chaos or people are yelling from the crowds or whatever.

but people are actually hurting.

And when you hear like, I mean, Louisa's, her sons are in my academy.

I see them every day.

And when she says that she doesn't have the money to take her kids out of town like so many other people are going to do this weekend because they don't want to deal with it.

and she feels as if she feels hostage because many of the parks are closed or the decisions that we've made, understandably because there's a safety issue, we have to take that into account.

I think that's very valid.

So what are her options in regards to what she'd be able to do this weekend?

And I think that, hold on, hold on, hold on.

And what I think she's looking for, and she's a representation of many members of the community, they're looking for what are the alternatives for them to do this weekend?

Because they don't want to just be stuck in the house, they don't want to feel like prisoners, and they don't want to feel like this is just this God-forsaken day that they have to think about negative things forever.

Pay for buses to take families to Alamo and to the movie theaters, free tickets, free popcorn, free transportation.

The city has posted on our website a number of events that are happening in the community.

Not all of them.

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

They are not city events, they are community driven events.

They come from the community.

And so I just want to be clear that there are things for people to do.

And listen, when we are briefed by law enforcement and we talk about the available resources, people working 12 hour shifts for at least 72 hour period,

We do not have the resources to also staff parks in the way that the community is requesting.

I don't know.

Again, I think we don't.

I mean, this is, it's the anniversary, right?

I don't even like saying that.

I mean, if you, if the city put on its website that you can go to the Alamo, there is no way I'm walking into that building with my kids to sit in a building where people know that

I'm going to be present or that you all are going to be present.

So I think, again, we don't know.

And that's the thing.

I think we don't know any of this.

But I'm just saying, personally, if someone started listing areas that we could go to, I'm sure that there would be many people, and I would include myself, that would

just opt out of going to those places.

It wasn't safe.

I was out last year.

No one should have to endure that.

And frankly, I wish I will stay at home.

Okay?

And anybody know me know that's where I want to stay anyway.

So, but I understand the need to

you know make sure people understand that that behavior is not behavior that we're going to tolerate right and that if you're at home and you back down from it like what permissions that does that give them but I also think that while we're trying to think through this that we also have to be sure you know we've

The safest place that people think about in the world is where?

A church.

And we know what happened in South Carolina.

We know those nine lives, you know, those people did not think that their lives were going to end in the church that day.

And you just never know.

And it's not something with all the uncertainties that we're facing that you want to be wrong on.

I don't know the answers.

I don't have the information.

I cannot answer your questions.

But I know that everyone in this room, we do not want to end up here or end up anywhere the next meeting and anyone regret a decision that we made.

And I would say that if the only thing that we are upset about is that we couldn't do what we wanted to do, and that's for all of us, for one weekend,

you know that we couldn't couldn't go to certain places that's not a stay home that's just a you may have to limit your options and I'm hearing from a lot of different areas of the city where you know you're expressing concern about you know being able to make sure that you're

You're heard, you're able to, you know, enter or you can drive there that, you know, it's safe at the same time.

There are other people that are asking questions about whether they'll be able to go to the grocery store and walk their dog, open their business.

There are different people all over the community that they are focal point during this weekend.

You know, it's very different.

Some I understand because of the life I've lived.

Others I just don't get it all.

But I think the point is that if we spend our energy

which I don't think we've done a good job of this year figuring out how to truly heal this division so we don't keep ending up in this place where we're doubting even ourselves, that it will continue.

And it's a really tough situation.

I can't agree with that, because I don't want to feel like I'm going to be out Saturday.

I don't want to feel like

I don't have the right, and I don't feel this way.

No, I'm just asking you, like, your concern right now, like, how do you feel about what you know?

No, I feel like if people saying that they want, like we can't allow this paralysis, we can't paralysis by fear.

We can't have like, because we have a threat of something or potentially this may happen that we say, well, nothing should happen.

I just don't agree with that.

If people want to be able to go to the park, then like they need to be able to go to the park.

If they feel like they want to go and walk down the street, they need to be able to go and walk down the street.

But so my question to that is that nothing that I've heard has said that you can't go.

So now I'm going to have to share what I'm hearing at work, right?

Oh, I didn't read my disclosure.

Hold on.

Sorry, I just remembered.

So before I say this.

So I'm an employee of the City of Charlottesville within the City Parks and Recreation Department.

I hereby declare that during City Council meetings and discussions relating to recruitment, hiring, and appointment of a city manager, transactions, including an interim city manager, I have been advised by written opinion of the Charlottesville Commonwealth Attorney, dated July 27, 2018, to participate in the transaction so long as I comply

with the declaration requirements of subsection H of the Virginia Code 2.2-3115.

The Commonwealth Attorney assumed without deciding that I have a personal interest the transaction as the term defined by the Virginia Code

2.2-3101.

The nature of the personal interest that may be affected by the transaction is my job as recreation aide employed by the city within the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Because of the salary or compensations or employee benefits that I receive as a city employee in excess of $5,000 annually,

However, if I do have a personal interest, I have been advised by the Commonwealth Attorney that I am not necessarily prohibited from participating in the transaction because I am a member of an occupation, recreation aids, or group of city employees.

of three or more persons, the members of which are similarly affected by the transactions.

So as long as I make this disclosure, I hereby affirm that I am able to participate in the transactions fairly, objectively, and in the public interest.

I have delivered a signed copy of this written declaration to the Clerk of Counsel

and to the Office of the City Manager, which technically has not happened yet.

This is the signed copy that's gone.

Those officials' offices shall retain and make this declaration available for the public inspection for a period of five years as required by Virginia Code 2.2-3115.

Following my delivery of this disclosure to the Clerk and City Manager, I understand that I am also required

to verbally disclose this public interest at each meeting of the City Council in which the transactions are discussed and the Clerk of Council is required to make note of my verbal disclosure in the minutes of such meeting.

My verbal disclosure will announce publicly that I may have a personal interest in the matter being discussed by Council and interested parties of the Clerk of Council to obtain details set forth within this written disclosure.

and that was dated July 30th, 2018.

And I should have read that before I had discussions about the city manager.

So I'm sorry, I'm in violation of disclosing that.

So back to the, you know, conversations that have been going on that I have been made aware of there.

It would be hard to staff some of the positions within Parks and Recs talking about like the pools and this is not

you know the staff saying stay home and don't come that is happening in some respects but it's also been told and I haven't talked to everybody that works there so this is just the information that I'm hearing that there are a lot of especially like our lifeguards who are all you know young high school and college kids who are saying that they will not be able you know to work and that decision is made by

you know their guardians from my understanding so that is some information that I do have insight on and so it would be difficult for you know the Parks and Rec Department to possibly staff

three centers, Smith, Washington and Honesty and be able to open it whether the city declared it, you know, asked them to close or the director of Parks and Rec because we could potentially not have anybody at work to that and if no one was at work you wouldn't be able to open it anyway.

But that's not their fault.

I heard what you said.

And even what you said, that's not their fault.

They're still saying that we still... What they still are saying is that they want to be able to go to some part, have somewhere to go.

So we're saying out of all of the employees that we have in the city, we can't put

And I'm not saying what I'm, so what I just said and I'll try to say it again clearly is that from my understanding there are parents who have made decisions about their kids that they are not allowed to work that day.

So that's what I'm saying.

If in the work that I am, the knowledge that I have, in the morning when I show up at work at 5.30, if we do not have enough guards to staff the pool and keep everybody safe, nobody can get in the pool.

That's any morning.

So what I'm saying is that if people are pulling their children out,

Young high school students and college students who are most of our lifeguards, right?

There is no way whether the director of Parks and Rec made a decision or not for the pools to be staffed.

Now your question is something that you would have to ask them directly.

Is it possible that you have enough people to staff at least one pool?

I don't know, I haven't had any of these conversations with Brian Daley.

I'm just telling you the information that I've heard from the other end.

And may I ask a question of Mr. Murphy?

Because I'm hearing some confusion about regular city staff to keep a facility open.

And then I also am hearing questions about whether we have enough police to keep those public spaces safe.

And my understanding is that we do not have enough police to

to keep all

at these places to open them and to make sure that people have access to the clubhouses or whatever it is that they want to go to.

I would say it is a very clear and not an or that it was the combination of availability of staff resources, the need for some of those facilities to be used.

We know when the decision is made that there is a

lack of law enforcement

We have a number of employees who will not report for duty in Parks and Recreation.

And there is the matter of not just community safety, which is of the utmost importance, but also employee safety.

And I think it's one thing to say, you know, for police and fire what they need to do to respond, right?

That is entirely inaccurate.

Facilities.

That's correct.

We have to sit here and argue as a community to define what is open what's not open to give these people a whole

A platform of a plan of what we're doing as a community amongst one another when they gonna get to the point where they gonna come when y'all least expect it because y'all are so over well planned from the mistakes that was made last year and then y'all didn't even have enough time to speak with the community to see where everything should have been.

Y'all have only talked to a month and a half.

Well I think what I would say that that hopefully they say that they've been taking into consideration what they've been hearing at

each time they've been in a community setting, and we can see what, based on the information they have, that I don't, that you all are saying that you don't, that what they can come up with when, if anything, when they talk the next time.

Now I'm not even scared to get my kids in a park now that we had to go through all of this.

We even asked for permission for a park over the discussion.

Other parks, I wouldn't want to have none of my kids in nowhere.

I really wouldn't.

I wouldn't want to even be out now because we had to go through all of this over the TV, over the other ways.

But then you just say earlier the parks are closed, but now there's no security.

Like nobody's going to be standing in front of each park to stop people from going in.

So for kids that just roam,

They could enter the park and there's going to be no police presence there, right?

It is literally a physical impossibility to close every park, right?

I mean, the parks themselves are not closed.

If the information that's been shared is not

Transparent enough for folks, be clear that we're talking about facilities, okay?

So there's not going to be any rec centers open.

They're not going to be, we're not going to have pools or the spray ground open.

These all require staff in order to maintain them and to make them available to the public.