Budget Committee November 19, 2025   11/19/2025

Public Hearing

• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:00:13
    Good evening.
  • 00:00:15
    My name is Aisha Chugtai and I'm the chair of the Budget Committee.
  • 00:00:18
    I'm going to call to order our adjourned meeting for Wednesday, November 19th, 2025.
  • 00:00:24
    Before we begin the meeting, I want to offer a friendly reminder to all members, staff, and the public that these meetings are broadcast live to enable greater public participation.
  • 00:00:34
    These broadcasts include real-time captioning as a further method to increase the accessibility of our proceedings to the community.
  • 00:00:41
    Therefore, all speakers need to be mindful of the rate of their speech so that our captioners can fully capture and transcribe all comments for the broadcast.
  • 00:00:49
    We ask all speakers to moderate the speed and clarity of their comments.
  • 00:00:53
    At this time, I'll ask the clerk to call the roll to verify the presence of a quorum.
• • SPEAKER_28
  • 00:00:58
    Councilmember Payne.
• • SPEAKER_39
  • 00:00:59
    Present.
• • SPEAKER_28
  • 00:01:01
    Wonsley is absent.
  • 00:01:03
    Rainville.
• • SPEAKER_35
  • 00:01:03
    Present.
• • SPEAKER_28
  • 00:01:04
    Vita.
• • SPEAKER_35
  • 00:01:05
    Present.
• • SPEAKER_28
  • 00:01:06
    Let the record reflect that we have a quorum.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:01:28
    I will also remind my colleagues that we are using speaker management today, so please make sure to sign in.
  • 00:01:35
    We have one item on our agenda this evening, which is to receive public comments on the mayor's recommended 2026 budget.
  • 00:01:43
    Mayor Frey presented his budget on August 13th this fall, providing a proposed fiscal plan for the city's operations in 2026, totaling just over $2 billion with an increase to the city property tax levy of about 7.8%.
  • 00:02:00
    The board of estimate and taxation voted to authorize a tax levy of up to 8% with that increase from 7.8 being to pay for some services for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
  • 00:02:16
    A copy of the mayor's recommended budget is posted to the city's website which is available at minneapolismn.gov slash budget.
  • 00:02:25
    A PDF version is also available on LIMS.
  • 00:02:30
    Since the mayor presented his recommended budget, the Budget Committee received a series of presentations to examine the details of each department's budget requests.
  • 00:02:39
    These meetings are available on demand on the city's YouTube channel.
  • 00:02:44
    This evening's
  • 00:02:45
    Our fourth and final public hearing, which will be the statutorily required Truth in Taxation hearing, is scheduled to take place in a meeting of the City Council on Tuesday, December 9th at 6.05 p.m.
  • 00:03:07
    And now before we open the floor to public comments, I will ask staff from the budget team to provide a brief summary of the proposed budget.
  • 00:03:16
    For this, I will invite Budget Director Jane DeCenza to come and join us and begin the presentation.
  • 00:03:21
    Welcome, Director.
• • Jayne Discenza
  • 00:03:23
    Good evening members of the committee.
  • 00:03:26
    Thank you for having me.
  • 00:03:27
    Jane's a sense of budget director of finance and property services I'm here today to provide just a brief overview of the resources that are available to all of you and some members of the public As well as to highlight some key milestones remaining in this calendar year before we adopt the 2026 budgets there are just a few opportunities left to
  • 00:03:49
    As noted, we've had previous conversations about the 2026 recommended budget.
  • 00:04:02
    For those who are interested in hearing more about the mayor's recommended budget, there was a more robust presentation of that information on September 8, and that is available on YouTube.
  • 00:04:15
    So today, I will give just a brief presentation.
  • 00:04:18
    We'll start with an overview of the 2026 budget document, highlighting some key sections that will help all of you identify changes within the budget.
  • 00:04:29
    Following that, I will present the maximum property tax levy as adopted by the Board of Estimate and Taxation and provide a demonstration of the levy impact estimator.
  • 00:04:38
    And then finally, we'll conclude with the timeline as noted by the budget chair.
  • 00:04:49
    The budget team works hard to publish a budget book annually and we strive to make refinements each year based on feedback from members of the public and from all of you.
  • 00:04:58
    The goal is to present a readable document that explains the frequently asked questions as it relates to finance and policy decisions.
  • 00:05:06
    So each page is designed to answer those key questions.
  • 00:05:10
    This year there is more detail on each department page about staffing in particular.
  • 00:05:14
    It was information that we had available in the system last year, but was a little bit more difficult to find.
  • 00:05:19
    So now it's directly on the page.
  • 00:05:21
    There is also a section and each department page about the budget changes that are recommended for 2026.
  • 00:05:27
    That will narrate the funding reductions and the limited increases as well as transfers between departments.
  • 00:05:36
    We have a PDF version of this document available on the LIMS file for the 2026 budget.
  • 00:05:43
    Please note that we will be transitioning systems in 2026 so that PDF version is what we'll be directing folks to next year as we're setting up the new system.
  • 00:05:58
    The link on this slide as well as that QR code will take you to the budget page of the city website where you can find the 2026 mayor's recommended budget alongside the current year budget and a budget archive.
  • 00:06:11
    So that's a great resource.
  • 00:06:14
    When you get into the budget book, you will see a navigation pane, instant translation options and then a clear table of contents that gives you budget summary information as well as those deep dives on departments.
  • 00:06:31
    This is a preview of those budget book sections.
  • 00:06:36
    For most readers, the budget in brief in the 2026 budget summary section is going to be a great place to start where you get a general overview of the expenses and revenues of the city and the key trends.
  • 00:06:47
    The operating department sections would then be the most frequently visited, where if you're curious about a particular department's budget and changes, you can see thorough discussions in each of those.
  • 00:06:59
    There's also a capital program section where each of the capital projects and their funding are described.
  • 00:07:12
    Moving on to the maximum property tax levy.
  • 00:07:15
    As I mentioned, there is a property tax levy estimator impact tool that the assessing department presents, so we'll show that.
  • 00:07:26
    But first, this is the maximum property tax levy summary.
  • 00:07:30
    So you'll see the 8% levy increase in the green box for 2026.
  • 00:07:35
    That is the percent change in the dollar amounts that we're collecting that we're authorized to collect as a city for all of the levies that are listed above.
  • 00:07:45
    So the general fund as well as the park board, the public housing authority, and other pension retirement funds.
  • 00:07:53
    While the approved growth in 2026 is higher than that of 2025, you'll note that the financial direction shows those percent changes decreasing in the out years, moderating a bit as we move through the long range financial plan.
  • 00:08:13
    The Levy Impact Estimator is a tool that's available to anyone on the city website and is a visualization of what these property taxes might mean for individuals or property owners in the city.
  • 00:08:26
    You can select a property group, residential, commercial, industrial, as well as a ward to see what that impact might be for the particular home values.
  • 00:08:38
    The image on this slide shows a gradient of blue, with the deepest blue meaning the largest percent change in the dollar amount of taxes paid.
  • 00:08:55
    As noted by the budget chair, we do have just one more public hearing after this, which is the same night as budget adoption on December 9th.
  • 00:09:05
    And with that I'll conclude.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:09:08
    Thank you for that presentation, Director DeCenza.
  • 00:09:13
    Do my colleagues have any comments or questions related to the Director's presentation?
  • 00:09:20
    I'm not seeing any.
  • 00:09:22
    I will note that we have been joined in this meeting by Council Member Jenkins.
  • 00:09:29
    So before I proceed to open the public hearing, I want to review a few procedural matters.
  • 00:09:36
    If you have written comments or materials to submit, please give those to the clerks either outside at the registration table or at the end of the dais.
  • 00:09:44
    We also have printed comment forms available at the registration table if you would like to submit a comment on the proposal and have that included in the public record of this 2026 budget.
  • 00:09:58
    I also want to encourage everyone to take advantage of submitting your comments about the budget in other ways.
  • 00:10:04
    The easiest way to submit your comments and ensure they are added to the public record is to send those to the city's website at MinneapolisMN.gov slash public comment.
  • 00:10:18
    All submitted comments will be included in the public record related to the 2026 budget.
  • 00:10:25
    If you are someone who runs out of time while you're offering your testimony today, I would highly encourage you to submit written comments to the clerks.
  • 00:10:36
    If you are someone that ends up needing to leave before your speaker number is up,
  • 00:10:42
    We will
  • 00:10:57
    will be taking speakers in the order that they are registered.
  • 00:11:00
    If you would like to testify, I invite you to register your name with the clerks at the table in the hallway outside this chamber.
  • 00:11:07
    Or you can do so with the clerks to my right and your left at the end of this dais.
  • 00:11:20
    Each speaker will have an assigned number.
  • 00:11:23
    We will be calling speakers by number in the order that you are registered.
  • 00:11:29
    Because we are limited on available seating in this room, there is an overflow room where the public can monitor this meeting.
  • 00:11:35
    I understand we actually have a lot of participants here today.
  • 00:11:38
    That is really exciting.
  • 00:11:39
    I know there are people that are gathered on the second floor right below the escalators as well.
  • 00:11:45
    If you are registered to speak but aren't able to sit in the chambers, please head toward the chamber as we get close to your speaker number.
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    Please let the security personnel know that your number is being called up so that you have an easy time getting in.
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    Each registered speaker will be given two minutes to address the committee.
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    We have a timer available to my right and your left.
  • 00:12:14
    that helps speakers monitor the use of their time.
  • 00:12:20
    We ask you to wrap up your comments when your time has expired so that we can accommodate all speakers today and be fair to every person.
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    We also ask that everyone be respectful of all speakers and of all opinions offered.
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    We have arranged for interpretation for those who may need that assistance to participate in tonight's hearing.
  • 00:12:39
    If you require assistance from an interpreter, please let the clerks at the registration table know.
  • 00:12:45
    We have interpreters available for those needing Spanish and Somali translation services.
  • 00:12:51
    For those utilizing an interpreter, the speaker time will be adjusted to four minutes to address the committee.
  • 00:12:57
    I understand there's also other interpreters that are here with organizational partners that are here to offer testimony for folks that would prefer to have a city interpreter assist you.
  • 00:13:18
    You can do that or you can work with whoever you feel most comfortable with, honestly.
  • 00:13:24
    I understand that we have about 37 people who have signed up to speak already.
  • 00:13:31
    Again, before I open the floor, I want to invite anyone who hasn't already registered but wishes to speak to register with the clerks at the table in the hallway outside of these chambers
  • 00:13:43
    and we'll ask each speaker to self-identify for the public record before you begin your comments.
  • 00:13:50
    That looks like just sharing your name, your ward or your neighborhood or generally the part of the city that you live in and organizational affiliation if that applies to you or you would like to share.
  • 00:14:04
    I will also note that any person who wishes to sign up to speak can do so at any point before we close the public hearing.
  • 00:14:13
    So we'll continue to ask you and remind you of that.
  • 00:14:19
    The last thing I will note before we open this hearing is related to the mic.
  • 00:14:26
    So if you're coming up and you want to adjust your mic to be up higher or lower, depending on your height, please be sure to move the mic from the bottom where you see the green light and not by the blue tape at the top.
  • 00:14:43
    and if you are someone who is coming up here to testify and you have an interpreter with you both to you and to the interpreter I'd ask that you speak clearly into the mic so that we can capture and transcribe your comments for the live broadcast.
  • 00:15:00
    With that we are ready to open the public hearing.
  • 00:15:04
    The first five speakers who we have registered here today are speaker number one, Anthony Taylor, speaker number two, John Edwards, speaker number three, Peter, speaker number four, Maya Ulrich, and speaker number five, Andrew Weitz.
  • 00:15:28
    With that, I want to welcome speaker number one, Anthony.
• • SPEAKER_01
  • 00:15:32
    Hi, I'm Anthony Taylor.
  • 00:15:38
    I proudly live in Ward 8.
  • 00:15:40
    Andrew Jenkins, thank you for all that you've done for us.
  • 00:15:43
    Chair, great to meet you.
  • 00:15:44
    I'm here this evening speaking specifically to the elements budget in the CPED part of the budget.
  • 00:15:50
    Very excited about that.
  • 00:15:53
    As the City Council really prepares for the 2026 budget, the emerging River North District anchored at 2nd and Broadway
  • 00:16:02
    is really working on a project focusing significant on climate change, community development opportunity in the city of recent history.
  • 00:16:10
    River North is defined as the area between Plymouth Avenue and Lowry Avenue and the Mississippi River and I-94.
  • 00:16:18
    The opportunity is not hypothetical.
  • 00:16:20
    It is actually real.
  • 00:16:22
    As you all know, George Modular opened this year in 2024 and is beginning to hire, bringing jobs, apprenticeships, pathways, construction tech training on
  • 00:16:32
    and on-site production in the North Minneapolis.
  • 00:16:36
    The launch of River North Phase 1, as second in Broadway, is planned for 2026.
  • 00:16:40
    What I'm here to talk about is the idea of an innovation district, and we are leaning on and learning from the Towerside Innovation District.
  • 00:16:50
    The Towerside Innovation District, anchored at Prospect Park, spanning the Minneapolis and parts of St. Paul, was the first innovation district study.
  • 00:17:00
    It was
  • 00:17:02
    created in 2015.
  • 00:17:05
    There are many things that we have learned for and what it says inside a CPED budget, if we can give the staff room to innovate, the outcomes are substantial.
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    It was the first district storm water system in Minnesota.
  • 00:17:17
    They created the Green Four Street, a walkable green main street integrating habitat, storm water features, and public safety realm.
  • 00:17:25
    They came up with a district energy plan that was seeded by a $2 million city loan.
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    and significant CO2 savings.
  • 00:17:34
    And from it came nearly $1 billion in private development and more than $6 million in coordinated public philanthropic investment.
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    District key internal lessons.
  • 00:17:45
    The district systems reduce complexity and costs across projects.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:17:48
    Mr. Taylor, your time has expired.
  • 00:17:51
    Thank you.
  • 00:17:51
    I would invite you to please submit your comments in writing.
  • 00:17:55
    You can do that with the clerks or you can visit
  • 00:17:59
    Thank you.
  • 00:18:04
    Next we'll welcome speaker number two, John Edwards.
• • SPEAKER_41
  • 00:18:12
    Thank you guys so much for being here.
  • 00:18:14
    I'm John Edwards, I'm the safety navigator with the Lake Street Council, born and raised right here in South Minneapolis.
  • 00:18:20
    I'm here to advocate for the growth and expansion of some of our essential organizations that are doing some wonderful work in the city as it pertains to safety in the
  • 00:18:29
    as it pertains to safety and the well-being of our citizens here.
  • 00:18:33
    Our first organization is LEAD, Let Everyone Advance With Dignity is the acronym.
  • 00:18:38
    LEAD remains an instrumental in decreasing the negative impacts that the community and the Lake Street corridor face from the effects of our unsheltered population.
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    LEAD is actively out in the community conducting outreach and recruiting members of our unsheltered population and connecting them with housing and treatment options.
  • 00:18:56
    Next is the Family Partnership.
  • 00:18:58
    The Family Partnership remains a significant pillar in the South Minneapolis and Lake Street corridor that provides a variety of resources and services stemming from mental health therapy, early childhood care, and case management for families with livability issues.
  • 00:19:13
    Our Police Department as a whole, MPD, our violence interrupter groups, Touch Outreach and Mad Dads.
  • 00:19:19
    Both organizations remain valuable assets in our city as they continue to provide safety and security to our residents and business owners by actively responding to emergencies and people in crisis situations, especially during a time when police resources are at a shortage.
  • 00:19:36
    They are effectively able to assist and mitigate urgent safety issues and often times without the need for police intervention.
  • 00:19:43
    With continuous efforts in collaborating and building effective relationships with our law enforcement, they will only continue to produce positive safety results for our communities and businesses.
  • 00:19:53
    Lastly, our safety ambassadors.
  • 00:19:55
    Ambassadors have become an important piece to the Lake Street and Franklin Avenue corridor and have been useful in providing outreach to address quality of life concerns and reporting hazards and emergencies.
  • 00:20:07
    So all in all, programs like these should be the cornerstone of the city's support of our unsheltered populations and the overall safety
  • 00:20:14
    for folks who live here as well as those just visiting.
  • 00:20:17
    I would like to urge the city to make a long-term commitment to the sustainability of these safety organizations, so please consider these organizations for additional funding when you're constructing your upcoming budget.
  • 00:20:26
    Thank you so much.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:20:28
    Thank you Mr. Edwards.
  • 00:20:29
    Next we'll welcome speaker number three, Peter, followed by speaker number four, Maya.
• • Peter Rickmeyer
  • 00:20:42
    How do I turn this on?
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:20:46
    We can see it sir.
• • Peter Rickmeyer
  • 00:20:48
    Good evening Council members.
  • 00:20:50
    I'm here to say that most homeowners who receive their tax bills are not happy with the amount of money that they're paying.
  • 00:21:00
    I'm here to offer a way to reduce the property taxes and to make it safer for the Minneapolis Police Department and the Ambulance and Fire Department to get from point A to point B
  • 00:21:14
    as quickly as possible in the safest possible manner.
  • 00:21:20
    So with that being said, my proposal is light prioritization for snow emergency plowing.
  • 00:21:28
    The overview would be adopt light prioritization for all city plow trucks during snow emergencies.
  • 00:21:38
    This strategy optimizes routes, reduces overlap, and minimizes
  • 00:21:44
    idling, delivering faster, cleaner, and more cost-effective snow removal.
  • 00:21:51
    Key benefits, fuel savings, less wear and tear, lower air pollution, noise reduction, budget efficiency, and faster emergency response.
  • 00:22:03
    The estimated savings is more than $80,000 per year.
  • 00:22:09
    for the fuel savings, the maintenance savings, more than $75,000 a year.
  • 00:22:16
    The labor overtime savings is more than $25,000 a year.
  • 00:22:21
    The total potential savings is more than $200,000 a year.
  • 00:22:28
    And it's important to have our services fully funded but wisely spent.
  • 00:22:39
    Now with that being said, I'd like to thank each and every individual here for hearing this message.
  • 00:22:47
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:22:51
    Thank you.
  • 00:22:52
    Next we will welcome up speaker number four, Maya Ulrich, followed by speaker number five, Andrew Weitz.
• • SPEAKER_19
  • 00:23:02
    Hello, my name is Maya Ulrich.
  • 00:23:05
    I live in Ward 5 and I work in Ward 7.
  • 00:23:08
    I'm here today to speak on the co-enforcement budget because I believe that SATUL, ROC, and NJP are vital to ensuring that our working class community is informed, safe, and supported.
  • 00:23:21
    An example of this care recently was when one of my coworkers tried to use his earned sick and safe time.
  • 00:23:28
    He was immediately locked out of our employee portal and informed that his request for time off was denied.
  • 00:23:35
    Shortly after, he was informed he was no longer an employee at our company, and then they continued to illegally withhold his pay.
  • 00:23:44
    Without the Know Your Rights training and Women in Femme support groups that Saitool and Partner Orgs have hosted, I would not have known that this retaliation against my coworker is a labor law violation.
  • 00:23:56
    much less have known where to go for immediate and tangible support.
  • 00:24:00
    The ESST has been a law in place since 2017, almost a decade.
  • 00:24:06
    It has become apparent that through ignorance or not, we cannot count on bosses to do the right thing concerning our legal rights.
  • 00:24:12
    and without the team at Setool, many of whom have decades of experiential knowledge in my field, as well as deep relational ties to my community and peers, I would not fully understand the intricacies of many of the labor laws that have been enacted.
  • 00:24:28
    they make me feel deeply respected as a laborer and as a person and proactively have protected me and my co-workers something government bureaucracies fail at time and time again therefore I implore you to protect working class people and not only business interests by restoring funding to the co-enforcement budget and considering adopting the recommendation the workplace advisory council made to fully fund this amazing project at $800,000.
  • 00:24:58
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:24:58
    Before we continue to speaker number five, the following five speakers after that will be speaker number six, Clarence Hightower, speaker number seven, Al Flowers, followed by speaker number eight, Leslie Jackson, followed by speaker number nine, Carise Canales,
  • 00:25:25
    and then speaker number 10, Russ Adams.
  • 00:25:28
    With that, I'll welcome speaker number 5, Andrew Weitz.
• • SPEAKER_34
  • 00:25:38
    Hello, my name is Andrew Weitz.
  • 00:25:40
    I'm a line cook and I work in Ward 3.
  • 00:25:42
    Last February, a new chef was hired to manage my kitchen.
  • 00:25:45
    He began his tenure by immediately firing an employee after an out-of-work injury forced him to take time off.
  • 00:25:51
    This was a show of power that reminded all workers of our expendability and created an environment of fear in our kitchen.
  • 00:25:58
    In March, a workplace accident resulted in serious burns on my right hand.
  • 00:26:02
    Instead of going to the ER, I finished my shift, despite extreme pain, and returned to work for the next three days.
  • 00:26:09
    This choice was motivated by the proven understanding that my chef could and would fire me for any reason if he so chose.
  • 00:26:15
    After three days of working with an untreated wound, it became untenable to continue.
  • 00:26:20
    I left work and went to urgent care.
  • 00:26:22
    The doctor told me I was at risk for infection and that permanent tendon damage was a possibility.
  • 00:26:27
    He ordered me to see a specialist at a hand clinic and to not return to work until being cleared.
  • 00:26:32
    The medical and healing process put me out of work for two weeks.
  • 00:26:36
    Workers' comp insurance covered my medical expenses, but I was not compensated for the two-thirds of my two weeks of lost wages that workers' comp insurance guarantees.
  • 00:26:45
    When I spoke to the workers' comp insurance person on the phone, I found out that my manager had falsified the report.
  • 00:26:51
    This meant that recovering my lost wages would require me to go through an appeals process and confront my manager.
  • 00:26:57
    I chose not to do this because in cost-benefit analysis, the lost wages are not valuable enough to risk my future wages for.
  • 00:27:04
    This scenario illustrates failure of legal protections for workers and the need for co-enforcement.
  • 00:27:10
    The nature of at-will employment makes it such that violating the law is extremely low risk for my employer, while pursuing my legal rights is high risk.
  • 00:27:19
    My legal protections as an at-will employee are mostly abstract because advocating for myself jeopardizes my livelihood.
  • 00:27:26
    The co-enforcement program supports workers like me in holding my employer accountable to the law without the fear of reprisal.
  • 00:27:32
    Please vote to increase the budget for co-enforcement.
  • 00:27:35
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:27:40
    Thank you.
  • 00:27:41
    Next we will welcome speaker number six, Clarence Hightower, followed by speaker number seven, Al Flowers.
• • SPEAKER_10
  • 00:27:50
    Good evening committee members.
  • 00:27:52
    My name is Clarence Hightower and I serve as Executive Director of Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County.
  • 00:27:59
    I'm here to ask you to consider inclusion of Community Action Partnership in your 2026 budget.
  • 00:28:08
    Last year, Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County served over 23,000 households.
  • 00:28:16
    Of those 23,000 households, about half, 11,300 were Minneapolis households.
  • 00:28:26
    The service that Community Action provided to those 11,300 Minneapolis residents included rental assistance to prevent eviction, vehicle repair to ensure residents had dependable and safe transportation to work, employment services that help residents find and retain live and waste jobs, support helping folks pay their energy bills, enabling them to maintain their heat,
  • 00:28:54
    during the cold winter months, financial support to pay the water bill.
  • 00:29:00
    We did this all in 2025 without the support of the City of Minneapolis.
  • 00:29:07
    As we go into 2026 for Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County to serve 11,000 Minneapolis residents, we need the financial support of the Minneapolis City Council.
  • 00:29:21
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:29:23
    Thank you.
  • 00:29:24
    Next we will welcome speaker number seven, Al Flowers, followed by speaker number eight, Leslie Jackson.
• • SPEAKER_40
  • 00:29:31
    Thanks Madam President.
  • 00:29:33
    I want to say I had like seven people that can't get in the building because you got so many people talking about I guess there are important issues but these were important issues.
  • 00:29:45
    What Dr. Hightower just talked about and they and I hope that they can submit it to the record.
  • 00:29:51
    That's what I did.
  • 00:29:53
    and they want to talk about energy, emergency assistance, rental assistance, vehicle repairs, senior support, first time home buyer support, and community impact
  • 00:30:11
    on Neighborhood Stabilization.
  • 00:30:13
    So they wanted to come up and speak.
  • 00:30:15
    They didn't, they couldn't get in.
  • 00:30:16
    They don't know, they didn't know the process that you better get here early if you want to speak at one of these kind of forums.
  • 00:30:23
    And they was calling me and I told them they came, ain't nothing I can do.
  • 00:30:27
    I hated telling them that, but I said, ain't nothing I can do.
  • 00:30:30
    We can't knock nobody out.
  • 00:30:32
    So if they can submit that there, what they are talking about, we'll do that later.
  • 00:30:39
    and so just the support of that program.
  • 00:30:42
    And just to say I heard the Lake Street Council come up here talking about touch and what I need you to do is find out why touch got all this money
  • 00:30:54
    and didn't ever put in receipts and y'all didn't do nothing about it.
  • 00:30:58
    And Lake Street Council got money so they should give them some because they got a lot of money from the legislature and quit playing on the community.
  • 00:31:08
    But you need to find those kind of things out.
  • 00:31:11
    I'm going to keep it nice and sweet.
  • 00:31:13
    I don't want to
  • 00:31:14
    about creating no disturbance, but I want you to really hear me about these people can't get in downstairs.
  • 00:31:20
    When I came in, I'm lucky I got here at 515.
  • 00:31:23
    Boy, I wouldn't have been able to get in, so we need to figure something out when people like that ain't never been here, want to come and talk to the council, and they can't get in.
  • 00:31:35
    And I'm finished on time.
  • 00:31:36
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:31:37
    Thank you, Mr.
  • 00:31:38
    Flowers.
  • 00:31:39
    I will note a couple of things.
  • 00:31:41
    First, the front doors are still unlocked.
  • 00:31:45
    Any person who comes in from now until when we close this public hearing is welcome to sign up to speak if they would like to share public testimony.
  • 00:31:55
    We still have about 30-some people left to get through.
  • 00:31:59
    There's plenty of time.
  • 00:32:01
    I will also note that any person who wishes to you is welcome to submit written comments.
  • 00:32:09
    You can do that by visiting minneapolismn.gov slash public comment or we have
  • 00:32:17
    public comment forms that you can access at the sign-in table right by the entrance to the chambers if you would prefer to write your public comments while you are here and waiting as you're listening to others offer testimony.
  • 00:32:38
    Any comments that are submitted to us in writing will be included as part of the public record on the twenty twenty six city budget.
  • 00:32:45
    I'll also note that there are QR codes that are available by the clerks to my right, your left, that you can use to access the public comment page.
  • 00:33:04
    and at any point you're welcome to come up and access that if that is helpful.
  • 00:33:09
    With that we'll continue with the remainder of our...
  • 00:33:15
    Next, I'm going to welcome speaker number 8, Leslie Jackson, followed by speaker number 9, Carice.
• • SPEAKER_23
  • 00:33:24
    Council members, I'm Leslie Jackson.
  • 00:33:26
    I stand before you to support the recommendation to eliminate the East African Home Ownership Education Pilot, freeing up $95,000 in ongoing general funds.
  • 00:33:38
    The intention of this pilot is admirable, but its services are redundant.
  • 00:33:43
    As members of the black community, we've seen incredible, amazing results delivered by our existing HUD-certified partners, Minnesota Home Ownership Center, and Build a Wealth Minnesota.
  • 00:33:56
    These agencies are fully capable of providing culture-specific education and support to all residents, including East African community.
  • 00:34:06
    Ensuring they receive these vital benefits through
  • 00:34:13
    through an established system.
  • 00:34:16
    Therefore, maintaining a separate duplicate of $95,000 pilot is insufficient.
  • 00:34:23
    We can eliminate this duplicate pilot and reinvest every one of those $95,000 in a new unified initiative designed for broad black equity.
  • 00:34:35
    This program must be explicit, mandated, provided, dedicated, culturally
  • 00:34:42
    specific outreach and advocating for African American community while strongly supporting our HUD partners to ensure the East African community continues to receive excellent established services.
  • 00:34:56
    We must stop pivoting black communities against each other for limited resources.
  • 00:35:02
    Let us instead build unified, resilient foundations for all black residents, vote to eliminate this pilot, and endorse a comprehensive
  • 00:35:12
    vision for a home ownership equity.
  • 00:35:15
    Also, it was very hard for me to find through work through your budget.
  • 00:35:19
    It's for a regular person that doesn't know accounting.
  • 00:35:22
    They'll have a heck of a time trying to navigate and find this information.
  • 00:35:27
    Thank you guys very much and good evening to each one.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:35:31
    Thank you.
  • 00:35:32
    Before we continue I'm going to note that we have been joined in this committee meeting by council member Wonsley.
  • 00:35:38
    Next we're going to welcome speaker number nine Carise, followed by speaker number 10, Russ.
• • SPEAKER_07
  • 00:35:49
    Good evening, my name is Carise Canales I'm the manager of place making and activation at the Lake Street Council, and a resident of Ward 10.
  • 00:35:58
    Tonight I want to encourage the City Council to continue and to strengthen your investment in placemaking, arts, and cultural corridor work across Minneapolis, especially with cultural district funding and the opportunities through the growing Arts and Cultural Affairs Department.
  • 00:36:16
    On corridors like Lake Street, where communities are still healing from the trauma following 2020, culturally grounded placemaking has been one of the strongest tools for recovery.
  • 00:36:27
    Murals, music, community events, and well-maintained public spaces signal that these neighborhoods matter, that they are cared for, and that community members belong.
  • 00:36:38
    We had the unique opportunity with the Lake Street Lift initiative this year that allowed us to see what happened when you meaningfully invest in arts and culture.
  • 00:36:48
    We saw the cultural district fully activated and bursting with vibrancy.
  • 00:36:53
    We saw dozens of creatives and cultural organizers breathe energy into the corridor.
  • 00:36:57
    And with their efforts came a hunger to continue to do this work in the future.
  • 00:37:03
    If you look at the handout that we circulated, you can see that we are hosting a celebration at one of our newly transformed, vibrant public spaces, the Midtown Mini-Park, tomorrow at 4pm.
  • 00:37:16
    It's a site that we hope to see activated regularly with arts and culture programming in the future.
  • 00:37:22
    So as you finalize this year's budget, I'm asking you to maintain and even expand funding for placemaking and cultural district programs and to support partnerships with community-based organizations and creatives that know these corridors best.
  • 00:37:38
    We know that continued investment in arts and place-making isn't just beautification, it's community healing, economic development, and safety.
  • 00:37:48
    Thank you for your time and for your commitment to a vibrant Minneapolis.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:37:53
    Thank you.
  • 00:37:53
    Next we're going to welcome up speaker number 10, Russ Adams.
  • 00:37:58
    Mr. Adams, oh, actually I think we're going to welcome up Yusra.
• • SPEAKER_37
  • 00:38:03
    Welcome.
  • 00:38:04
    Sorry, you can scratch that council member is a 29.
  • 00:38:07
    So I'm gonna take place of Russ Adams
  • 00:38:12
    All right, good evening council members.
  • 00:38:15
    My name is Yuster Mahmoud I'm a business advisor with Lake Street Council and I'm here to urge you to continue investing in the future of Lake Street as you heard from my colleague Carise and the small businesses that define our city's culture and economy.
  • 00:38:29
    Right now our small businesses from storefronts to cultural malls along the Lake Street corridor are struggling.
  • 00:38:36
    In this current political climate people are afraid to shop and many business owners are afraid to even open their doors.
  • 00:38:42
    Those fears are not abstract.
  • 00:38:44
    They're showing up in declining sales, empty storefronts, and entrepreneurs who are barely holding on.
  • 00:38:50
    When small businesses suffer, entire communities suffer.
  • 00:38:53
    Lake Street has always been a hub of culture, entrepreneurship, and opportunity, but without strong, consistent support, we risk losing the very businesses that make it vibrant.
  • 00:39:02
    That's why continuing funding for programs like BTAP and DTAP is not optional.
  • 00:39:08
    It's very essential.
  • 00:39:09
    These programs provide critical support like marketing, placemaking, safety strategies, business advising, and technical assistance that small businesses depend on to stay open and stay competitive.
  • 00:39:20
    We've already seen the difference that these investments can make in previous years funding has helped stabilize the corridor support violence prevention improve buildings and bring customers back, but the work is far from over I'm asking the council to protect and expand funding for small business support programs in the 2026 budget Lake Street businesses are doing everything they can to survive and right now they need this city to continue to stand with them
  • 00:39:49
    Thank you for your time and your commitment.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:39:52
    Thank you.
  • 00:39:55
    The next five speakers we're going to welcome are going to be speaker number 11, Edyta Pinto, followed by speaker number 12, Leslie Ariana.
  • 00:40:09
    Speaker number 13, Benjamin.
  • 00:40:14
    Speaker number 14, Robert Goonan.
  • 00:40:19
    followed by speaker number 15, Carolyn Hoppe.
  • 00:40:25
    Welcome.
  • 00:40:28
    Speaker number 11, Agdita Pinto.
  • 00:40:36
    Looks like with Sathul.
• • SPEAKER_04
  • 00:40:48
    Hello, my name is Edita and I live in District 10.
  • 00:40:51
    The principal of this area was a victim of the crime of salary.
  • 00:40:55
    I found an international press conference in Limpieza to give a great opportunity to talk about everything because of Latinas and to affirm that one of their missions was to empower women.
• • SPEAKER_29
  • 00:41:09
    Hello, my name is Edita and I live in District 10.
  • 00:41:13
    Earlier this year, I was a victim of wage theft.
  • 00:41:15
    I found a cleaning company online.
  • 00:41:17
    It seemed like a great opportunity, especially since it was owned by Latinos and claimed that one of its missions was to empower women.
• • SPEAKER_04
  • 00:41:25
    It is unfortunately my pleasure to be part of me, and it is not my pleasure to tell you that I have responded.
  • 00:41:32
    I was very depressed.
  • 00:41:33
    I didn't know I had passed the law, and I didn't know what to do.
  • 00:41:38
    As an immigrant who doesn't speak English,
• • SPEAKER_29
  • 00:41:40
    I unfortunately my employer ended up taking advantage of me and did not pay me the wages I was owed.
  • 00:41:50
    I was very upset.
  • 00:41:52
    Nothing like this had ever happened to me before and I didn't know where to turn.
  • 00:41:56
    As an immigrant who doesn't speak English, I felt intimidated by the system and didn't know how to defend my rights.
• • SPEAKER_04
  • 00:42:02
    Por suerte una amiga mi habló de se túl y el programa de coenforzamiento.
  • 00:42:09
    Agradezí mucho que hablarán español.
  • 00:42:12
    La organizadora me guillote en mediato en el siguiente paso.
  • 00:42:17
    Redactar juntos una carta de reclamation por robo de salario.
  • 00:42:21
    Me sentiempo de rada a la actuar tan rápido y tenía los suficiente confianza para entregar personalmente la carta
• • SPEAKER_29
  • 00:42:29
    Luckily, a friend told me about Cetul and the co-enforcement program.
  • 00:42:36
    I was very grateful that they spoke Spanish.
  • 00:42:39
    The organizer immediately guided me through the next step, writing a wage-stepped complaint letter together.
  • 00:42:44
    I felt empowered to act so quickly, and I was confident enough to personally deliver the letter to my employer's home that same day.
• • SPEAKER_04
  • 00:42:51
    When I responded, I organized the meeting to make the case for the Department of Work of Minnesota.
  • 00:43:00
    One week later, I received part of the salary that I had received.
  • 00:43:05
    Although I had not received the total amount that I had received, I am grateful for the commitment that I have made to the system.
• • SPEAKER_29
  • 00:43:14
    When they didn't respond, my organizer supported me in escalating the case to the Minnesota Department of Labor.
  • 00:43:20
    A week later, I received part of the wages I was owed.
  • 00:43:24
    Although I never received the full amount I was owed, I am still grateful for the knowledge I gained about the system.
• • SPEAKER_04
  • 00:43:30
    Incluso, cuando una empresa para esa estar a lineada con los valores con rectos los derechos de los trabajadores a un pueden serviolados.
  • 00:43:38
    Por eso, organizaciones como se túl y las otra saliezas de prorama de co enforzamiento, son gesenciales.
  • 00:43:46
    Recortar la finaciación para la applicación con junta de la ley dejaría a trabajadores como yo desprotégidos y vulnerablees.
  • 00:43:54
    Y espero que continuen invertiendo en este apoyo que a transforma vidas.
• • 00:43:59
    Thank you.
• • SPEAKER_29
  • 00:44:00
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:44:28
    Next we're going to welcome speaker number 12 Leslie Ariana followed by speaker number 13 Benjamin Garcia
• • SPEAKER_38
  • 00:44:42
    Hi, my name is Leslie and I live in Ward 5.
  • 00:44:44
    Earlier this year, I experienced wage theft at a Mexican restaurant.
  • 00:44:48
    Our boss started drinking a lot at work and things became unorganized.
  • 00:44:52
    Things went from bad to worse when we lost our liquor license.
  • 00:44:56
    This caused our tips and revenue to go down drastically and over our money.
  • 00:45:01
    Rumors went around that he might not pay us.
  • 00:45:03
    At the time, I didn't believe it because he had mentioned he's opening up a second restaurant, so I had just assumed he was busy with that.
  • 00:45:10
    Until he gave us a late paycheck.
  • 00:45:12
    Given that he's never given us a late check before, I just assumed he was busy.
  • 00:45:16
    Until the check bounced due to inefficient funds.
  • 00:45:19
    My coworkers and I would call and text and he would not respond.
  • 00:45:22
    And he also stopped showing up to work.
  • 00:45:24
    Given I am a US citizen and my boss knew that, I felt that I had different treatment than my non-US citizen coworkers.
  • 00:45:31
    Some of them had anxiety to say anything about the wage theft because they were afraid he would retaliate.
  • 00:45:37
    I took lead in organizing my co-workers and advocating for them because of my citizenship status.
  • 00:45:43
    The disorganization worsened and we were missing essential items like straws, meat, and napkins.
  • 00:45:49
    We also lost our liquor license.
  • 00:45:51
    I texted my boss and let him know that I will not be willing to work for free and everyone tried to ask him where the checks were and he had blocked us all.
  • 00:45:58
    We had sent letters to the Department of Labor, but they were all returned.
  • 00:46:03
    We wasted so much time and energy doing all this.
  • 00:46:06
    I felt like all my coworkers felt it ten times worse than me, given their situation.
  • 00:46:12
    There are ten of us who are still being infected by this injustice.
  • 00:46:15
    C2L has helped me by not giving up on my case.
  • 00:46:19
    We're still fighting this fight right now.
  • 00:46:21
    We've been fighting since March and I know for a fact that we would have lost hope in recuperating our wages if it wasn't for C2L.
  • 00:46:28
    This is why we cannot cut and co-enforce funding and in fact why we should expand it.
  • 00:46:31
    Thank you very much.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:46:34
    Thank you.
  • 00:46:35
    Next we're gonna welcome up speaker number 13 Benjamin Garcia followed by speaker number 14 Robert.
• • SPEAKER_21
  • 00:46:55
    Hello, good afternoon.
  • 00:46:56
    My name is Benjamin Garcia.
  • 00:46:58
    I am a member of the City Council for two years and I work in various restaurants in the center of the city.
  • 00:47:05
    I am here to discuss the importance of the request of eco-enforcement for workers with disabilities, if they are like me.
  • 00:47:13
    Thank you for this request.
  • 00:47:15
    This tool is possible to help me with my rights as a worker.
  • 00:47:19
    In regard to work, it is difficult for me to confirm, because it is my legal direction.
  • 00:47:25
    It is important that I have accumulated money to confirm, but I have seen in my checks that I don't have it.
  • 00:47:33
    If I were to be able to see how to solve this problem with my children, I would be explaining that we have to have a child with my children, with my family's work, but with my experience, many of them do not know how to do it, or do not want to be able to do it.
  • 00:47:50
    I think that we cannot reclaim our rights.
  • 00:47:53
    It is very complicated to organize.
  • 00:47:56
    It is difficult to get us motivated to do something.
  • 00:48:00
    For that it is important to the use of code enforcement in organizations as a tool.
  • 00:48:06
    We can learn what our rights are and how we can defend ourselves.
  • 00:48:12
    I would like to thank you for your time today.
• • SPEAKER_27
  • 00:48:32
    Hello, good evening.
  • 00:48:33
    My name is Ben Hamin and I've been a member of Setul for more than two years and I've worked at several different restaurants including downtown.
  • 00:48:42
    I'm here today to emphasize the importance of the co-enforcement program and the budget that goes along with it for low-wage workers like myself.
  • 00:48:51
    Because of this budget Setul has been able to help me and many others navigate my rights as a worker.
  • 00:48:59
    Where I work now, it's actually difficult to take sick time, even though it is my right.
  • 00:49:06
    Legally, I'm supposed to accumulate sick hours, but I can see that I don't have those hours on my paycheck.
  • 00:49:13
    Cetul has been supporting me to figure out how to deal with this issue with my employer.
  • 00:49:19
    Sectal has been explaining to me different ways to address it like sending a letter to my boss together with my co-workers.
  • 00:49:28
    However, in my experience, many of my co-workers don't know the law or believe that they can actually do anything about it.
  • 00:49:36
    They don't think that we can claim and reclaim our rights.
  • 00:49:41
    Unfortunately, it feels very complicated to be able to organize ourselves.
  • 00:49:46
    and it is difficult to feel motivated to do anything about it at all, which is why the co-enforcement budget is so important.
  • 00:49:55
    With the co-enforcement partners, we're able to learn about our rights and also how we can defend them regardless of our race or our gender and that's why it's crucial that the co-enforcement budget is not cut and that we're able to restore that funding.
  • 00:50:11
    I appreciate you listening to my story.
  • 00:50:13
    Thank you very much.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:50:18
    Thank you.
  • 00:50:19
    Next we're going to welcome up speaker number 14, Robert Gunin, followed by speaker number 15, Carolyn Hoppe.
• • Bob Gunin
  • 00:50:29
    Hello, my name is Bob Gunin.
  • 00:50:31
    I'm a resident of North Minneapolis in Ward 4.
  • 00:50:34
    I call on the City Council to remove the 2026 funding of the city's $500,000 community perception survey contract with Zen City, an Israeli tech company.
  • 00:50:47
    I obtained the city's request for proposal and the vendor responses to it through the Open City system.
  • 00:50:56
    There were two other strong candidates.
  • 00:50:59
    Their bids were roughly one-third the cost of Zen cities.
  • 00:51:03
    At a time when funds are scarce for urgent community needs like affordable housing, the city and the MPD picked by far the most expensive option.
  • 00:51:15
    We are two years into this contract and from what I can tell, there's been very little or no benefit to the tax paying residents of Minneapolis.
  • 00:51:25
    We know very little because the MPD and the mayor have chosen to share very little.
  • 00:51:31
    What they did share is not surprising.
  • 00:51:33
    Black and indigenous residents feel significantly less safe than their white counterparts.
  • 00:51:40
    That was true at the start of the contract and it remains true today.
  • 00:51:46
    The MPD published nothing about how the community views their performance, which was supposed to be a central pillar of the survey benefits.
  • 00:51:55
    So one has to wonder, why not?
  • 00:51:58
    What changes has the MPD made based on the survey?
  • 00:52:03
    Not enough, judging from the anger many residents expressed at the MPD's lack of progress implementing reforms during the packed August community engagement meeting.
  • 00:52:16
    It's time to call it, to acknowledge that a very large sum of money has been spent unwisely
  • 00:52:22
    let's limit the damage of this mistake instead of wasting yet more money on a fancy survey let's spend it in ways that actually improve public safety thank you
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:52:37
    Before we welcome up speaker number 15, I want to go over the next five speakers after that.
  • 00:52:43
    Speaker number 16, Chris Johnson, followed by speaker number 17, Sydney Oxborough, followed by speaker number 18, Hosina Manu, followed by speaker number 19, Lizzie Palmer, and then speaker number 20, Erin Steeney.
  • 00:53:04
    Welcome.
• • 00:53:05
    Thank you.
• • SPEAKER_20
  • 00:53:06
    My name is Carolyn Hockie.
  • 00:53:08
    I'm a resident of Ward 4 in Minneapolis.
  • 00:53:11
    Um, and I'm here today to demand that the city of Minneapolis and its relationship with Zen City.
  • 00:53:17
    Zen City sells itself on pretending as though it builds community police relationships.
  • 00:53:23
    In actuality, the technology it uses invades our privacy in the name of more surveillance.
  • 00:53:30
    ZenCity has its roots in Israeli intelligence surveillance, its founder served in the IDF.
  • 00:53:35
    Israel's all-encompassing surveillance of Palestinians has led to the development of facial recognition, cell phone hacking, and AI-powered technology that is now spilling into non-military use.
  • 00:53:49
    I do not want my tax dollars going towards using my social media algorithm to pull me about the MPD.
  • 00:53:56
    If you want my opinion about the MPD, I'll tell you right now.
  • 00:53:59
    As a resident of North Minneapolis, I have seen firsthand that increased policing and surveillance does not make my community any safer.
  • 00:54:07
    In fact, it just means there is an increase in inappropriate and violent responses to community with basic needs.
  • 00:54:14
    I also do not want my neighbors to be spied on by these intelligence companies.
  • 00:54:19
    I insist that there is a better and different way to build up community safety.
  • 00:54:24
    We need people to be able to meet their basic needs, and we need community response.
  • 00:54:29
    We need measures that prevent crimes, services that provide for and build up our community, not more ways to surveil people.
  • 00:54:38
    We see over and over the police fail our community members who call for support during instances of domestic violence and many other times when they are looking for help and it ends in violence.
  • 00:54:51
    We need appropriate and immediate response and cut the contract.
  • 00:54:55
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:54:59
    Thank you.
  • 00:54:59
    Next we're going to welcome up speaker number 16, Chris Johnson, followed by speaker number 17, Sydney.
• • SPEAKER_09
  • 00:55:13
    Good evening y'all and thank you.
  • 00:55:15
    My name is Chris Johnson.
  • 00:55:17
    I'm a proud member of three different unions in this city.
  • 00:55:21
    Proud resident of the Cooper neighborhood, Ward 12.
  • 00:55:25
    I live, work, bike, eat, shower when I'm between jobs, and occasionally purify myself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.
  • 00:55:37
    I'm here on behalf of ROC.
  • 00:55:39
    You're going to hear co-enforcement a lot, it seems, because some of my partner friends are out here.
  • 00:55:47
    The Restaurant Opportunity Center in Minneapolis.
  • 00:55:51
    It seems like every time that a budget comes out, we've got to stand and advocate for funding that our mayor slashes out of the budget.
  • 00:56:01
    I just ask for your consideration in putting that back.
  • 00:56:04
    It's needed.
  • 00:56:05
    It's necessary.
  • 00:56:06
    I am a chef at a downtown hotel.
  • 00:56:09
    I also work at various music venues.
  • 00:56:13
    And I use rock as a resource for my coworkers.
  • 00:56:18
    I've had a career for 45 years in this business and I've seen a lot.
  • 00:56:26
    I have seen harassment.
  • 00:56:28
    I've seen sexual harassment.
  • 00:56:30
    I've seen wage theft.
  • 00:56:32
    I've seen sick and saved time theft recently.
  • 00:56:36
    To have that co-enforcement that ROC gives the restaurant workers of this city is absolutely needed.
  • 00:56:48
    To advocate and navigate these different offices
  • 00:56:54
    You need help.
  • 00:56:56
    And we are that help.
  • 00:56:58
    every time the budget comes up it's like I am a theater nerd you know it's Oliver Twist time please sir can I have more porridge I'm not asking for two bowls I'm asking to fill the one that we have currently up again so we can do our job as workers and thank you for your time thank you next we're gonna welcome up speaker number 17 Sydney Oxborough
• • SPEAKER_43
  • 00:57:26
    Hi, my name is Sydney Oxbrough.
  • 00:57:28
    I'm a resident of Ward 7 in Lorin Park and I'm a member of Jewish Voice for Peace.
  • 00:57:34
    We're here today to ask you to cut the contract with Zen City.
  • 00:57:39
    They're an Israeli surveillance company.
  • 00:57:43
    The contract with Minneapolis was for $500,000.
  • 00:57:48
    Cutting this contract would save the city $112,500 for 2026.
  • 00:57:55
    and the contract is for ostensibly surveys to get the opinion of residents on Minneapolis PD and we think that a company started by an imperialist apartheid intelligence agents
  • 00:58:12
    should not be the company that runs this survey, particularly with the over a hundred year history of racial profiling and racist tactics of the Minneapolis Police Department.
  • 00:58:26
    And Twin Cities Public Television just did a documentary if you want more information about how long this history and how long we've been trying to reform this police department is.
  • 00:58:38
    and we as Jews for Palestine know that Israeli surveys can lie about public opinion particularly that most people are told that most Jews support the Israeli apartheid when in fact most Jews that
  • 00:58:56
    I've talked to and most people that I've heard speak about it are against it and support a Palestinian state.
  • 00:59:04
    However, the surveys are taken for people that support it, which makes us look like we all support it.
  • 00:59:11
    Mayor Frey uses his Jewish identity and if he really is part of this community, he should listen to us.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 00:59:25
    Next up is speaker number 18, Hasina Manu
• • SPEAKER_18
  • 00:59:38
    Good evening.
  • 00:59:39
    My name is Hossin Amanou.
  • 00:59:41
    I'm a proud resident of Ward 9 and I'm a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Twin Cities as well as the Cut the Contract Campaign.
  • 00:59:50
    Today I submitted for the public record the over 2,000 signatures we collected this summer urging City Council and the mayor to cut the contract with Zen City.
  • 00:59:59
    That's over 2,000 residents and others who enjoy our city who are subject to targeting from Zen City survey ads who believe that a Zen City contract is bad for Minneapolis.
  • 01:00:09
    We know that the mayor has the power to cut the contract today, yet he has declined to do so.
  • 01:00:14
    That's why we urge you, City Council members, to defund the Zen City line item during this budget process.
  • 01:00:21
    You've heard testimony as to why the Zen City contract is bad for our city.
  • 01:00:26
    You're going to continue to hear that testimony tonight.
  • 01:00:29
    Surveying us on our opinion of MPD is not a good use of community safety dollars, nor does it fulfill the obligations of the Minnesota Human Rights Department consent decree to quote, meaningfully engage with and collect feedback from the people who are most impacted by MPD's policies.
  • 01:00:46
    I attended a community engagement event in August after the July one was suddenly cancelled without even 24 hours notice.
  • 01:00:53
    This August meeting was a 45 minute presentation on how good the cops are doing with only 15 minutes for community questions and input.
  • 01:01:01
    It was egregious.
  • 01:01:02
    The $500,000 that the City spent on the Zen City contract could have gone much farther by way of real direct engagement with those of us impacted.
  • 01:01:11
    That money could be spent in other ways to improve safety in our communities, such as increasing the budget for the Neighborhood Safety Initiative, or supporting our unhoused neighbors in accessing services, or many other things that you've heard tonight.
  • 01:01:24
    If you do the right thing during this budget process and cut the zen city line item and the contract is cancelled by December 1st, you'll save the city over $100,000.
  • 01:01:33
    That could go towards the many things you've heard suggested this evening.
  • 01:01:36
    Our city deserves better and I strongly believe in this City Council to do the right thing.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:01:47
    Next we're going to welcome up speaker number 19, Lizzie Palmer, followed by speaker number 20, Erin Steeney.
• • SPEAKER_03
  • 01:01:59
    Good evening, my name is Lizzie.
  • 01:02:00
    I'm a white organizer with the black-led anti-police brutality organization Twin Cities Coalition for Justice.
  • 01:02:05
    We are a branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression that fights across the country for democratic community control of the police.
  • 01:02:12
    I'm also a Ward 6 commissioner for the Community Commission on Police Oversight.
  • 01:02:17
    We are here once again to oppose this wasteful and unnecessary contract with Zen City, an Israeli company that furthers the oppression of our immigrant, black, brown, and indigenous communities through surveillance and invasions of privacy.
  • 01:02:27
    We have already seen how law enforcement is empowered by milquetoast Democrats and Republicans alike to monitor dissent about policing in states like Michigan, where following the police murder of a young Congolese refugee named Patrick Laioia in 2022, police responded by monitoring social media to track protests and community opinions about the murder.
  • 01:02:45
    In a city with Jacob Fry at the helm, an unrepentant enabler of his racist police department, Zen City will not make Minneapolis residents safer, but will give police yet another tool against vulnerable communities.
  • 01:02:56
    It will enable harassment and silencing of survivors of police brutality and aid in the ongoing cover-up of MPD's crimes.
  • 01:03:02
    A department under two consent decrees as well as an investigation by city auditor following the egregious mishandling of the investigation into Allison Luescher's murder.
  • 01:03:10
    A native woman killed by her abuser after calling MPD at least six times for help.
  • 01:03:15
    They already feel empowered to break into the homes of black residents in the middle of the night with no warrant like they did to Ebony Dobbins in March of this year, pointing guns at her and her terrified children at 3 a.m. And they are already more than happy to comply with ICE operations in our city and then gaslight residents into believing ICE wasn't even there.
  • 01:03:32
    Imagine how they might use this surveillance technology to anticipate where we might show up to defend our immigrant neighbors.
  • 01:03:38
    Under no circumstances should an unaccountable, lawless police force that is allowed to outright lie to you be given yet another tool that they will inevitably use to harm vulnerable communities.
  • 01:03:49
    We don't need more monitoring or pointless engagement surveys.
  • 01:03:51
    We need divestment from companies that perpetuate genocide and crimes against humanity.
  • 01:03:56
    We need a city government that is actually capable of listening to the people who pay their bloated salaries
  • 01:04:01
    and need real police accountability where we are in charge of what the police can and cannot do in our communities.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:04:07
    Thank you.
  • 01:04:11
    Before, as we welcome up speaker number 20, Erin, the next five speakers after that will be speaker number 21, Jamie Verbrucke, speaker number 22, last name is Zilski,
  • 01:04:29
    Speaker No.
  • 01:04:32
    23, Jacob Endall Speaker No.
  • 01:04:36
    24, Doug Carmody Speaker No.
  • 01:04:43
    25, Becca Anderson
  • 01:04:47
    Welcome Erin.
• • SPEAKER_32
  • 01:04:47
    Thank you.
  • 01:04:48
    Good evening and thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.
  • 01:04:51
    My name is Erin Steeney and I am a member of the Free Palestine Coalition, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and I'm one of the primary Cut the Contract organizers and I'm a resident of Ward 12.
  • 01:05:03
    I'm here to address the city funding designated for the Zen City contract.
  • 01:05:08
    The contract is a misuse of public resources.
  • 01:05:11
    Although it is framed as a tool for understanding public safety opinions, it produces a narrow and performative snapshot that has led to no real improvements.
  • 01:05:21
    These funds should be invested in genuine, community-driven initiatives, or things like co-enforcement, which actually keep our city safe.
  • 01:05:29
    Sun City is also an Israeli technology company.
  • 01:05:32
    Palestine is not distant.
  • 01:05:34
    You have Palestinian constituents, and we live in a world where local governments contract with international companies, where data crosses borders, and where federal policy shifts can immediately affect our neighborhoods.
  • 01:05:46
    On November 7th, the mayor of Chicago addressed the United Nations because of the Trump administration's occupation of his city and the resulting violence.
  • 01:05:56
    If local leaders are seeking protection from an international body, it shows how intertwined global and local communities truly are.
  • 01:06:03
    This brings me back to Zen City.
  • 01:06:06
    The City of Minneapolis has not provided clear answers on what information Zen City collects, how it is stored, or for how long it is kept.
  • 01:06:14
    In a moment when the Trump administration is openly targeting undocumented residents, it is entirely plausible that this data could be accessed and used to harm people in our community.
  • 01:06:27
    The contract is unethical and now actively puts our undocumented neighbors at risk.
  • 01:06:32
    It is a waste of city dollars and would be better spent on cultivating community.
  • 01:06:36
    It is not too late to cut the contract.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:06:43
    Next up is speaker number 21, Jamie VerBrucke, followed by speaker number 22, last name Zilski.
• • SPEAKER_12
  • 01:06:54
    Good evening, Madam Chair and Council members.
  • 01:06:56
    Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening.
  • 01:06:58
    My name is Jamie VerBrugge.
  • 01:07:00
    I'm the President and CEO of Catholic Charities Twin Cities.
  • 01:07:04
    I arose this evening to speak about the importance of utilizing local affordable housing aid, or LAHA, to fund shelter operations.
  • 01:07:14
    I want to acknowledge and thank Mayor Frey for allocating one million dollars for that purpose in his recommended budget.
  • 01:07:21
    Daytime and overnight shelters provide life-saving services, a dignified place to sleep, and pathways to stability.
  • 01:07:30
    Yet this element of the homelessness to housing continuum has been chronically underfunded.
  • 01:07:36
    In recent years we've seen increased need and steadily rising operating costs without a corresponding increase in public investment.
  • 01:07:43
    Since 2021, we've witnessed a 50% increase in the number of individuals served through our daytime and overnight shelter programs in Minneapolis.
  • 01:07:53
    Today, a majority of clients report having at least one disabling condition including a physical disability and or substance use or mental health disorder.
  • 01:08:03
    At the same time, costs for core functions such as insurance, security, staffing, and maintenance have risen sharply, making it more expensive to keep doors open and more difficult to adequately fund the services that meet people's needs.
  • 01:08:20
    Last week's decision by HUD to cap funding for permanent supportive housing will only further exacerbate the already untenable landscape.
  • 01:08:29
    The severe reduction in access to housing for people exiting homelessness is anticipated to force 170,000 people nationwide back onto the streets.
  • 01:08:39
    This will not only be devastating for newly stable residents, but will add additional strain to our homelessness response system.
  • 01:08:46
    All Catholic Charities fortunate to have incredibly generous donors without increased public investment or shelter operation deficits are just not sustainable.
  • 01:08:56
    It's an all hands on deck moment Council members and appreciate your consideration.
  • 01:09:00
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:09:02
    Speaker number 22.
  • 01:09:03
    Welcome.
• • SPEAKER_06
  • 01:09:08
    Hi, I'm Tim Zoski and I live in Ward 12 by VA Hospital and I called your office today for an appointment.
  • 01:09:15
    I've called you before.
  • 01:09:17
    and your public works is very familiar with me as for taxes I pay the public works and my city services I think are pretty good except for the snow plowing.
  • 01:09:30
    We could possibly do curb to curb and then sometimes when I was working I go early in the morning and if a snow emergency route is plowed
  • 01:09:38
    and you go on a side street, there's snow banks blocking the intersections.
  • 01:09:44
    And that's about the only quam I have about public works, otherwise I'm very satisfied.
  • 01:09:48
    And I've lived here since 1987.
  • 01:09:50
    And if you can help try to minimize my tax increases, it would be appreciated.
  • 01:09:59
    And all of that.
  • 01:10:00
    And that's about it.
  • 01:10:01
    This is mainly my first meeting that I've come to and thank you for listening to me.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:10:06
    Thank you, Tim.
  • 01:10:09
    I'm really sorry I struggled with your first name there.
  • 01:10:14
    Next we've got speaker number 23, Jacob Engdahl, followed by speaker number 24, Doug.
  • 01:10:26
    Welcome.
• • SPEAKER_05
  • 01:10:27
    Thank you.
  • 01:10:29
    I'm Jacob Engdahl, I'm from Ward 8, and I'm here to ask the City Council to end support for the surveillance company Zen City.
  • 01:10:38
    For years we've watched the right to privacy gradually erode under private interests, but we don't need to simply allow this to continue.
  • 01:10:44
    We do not need to continue to waste our resources on a system which enables the horrific genocide in Palestine.
  • 01:10:51
    We do not need to continue to misuse public funds, which should be allocated toward genuine public safety.
  • 01:10:57
    And we do not need to continue intertwining the economy of this city with an apartheid regime that continues to perpetuate crimes against humanity.
  • 01:11:04
    What we do need is to restore faith and trust in our law enforcement.
  • 01:11:08
    And to do that, it's critical that we excise this tool of state violence and repression from our city.
  • 01:11:13
    Please strike the zen city line item from the city budget.
  • 01:11:16
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:11:18
    Next up is speaker number 24, Doug, followed by speaker number 25, Becca
• • SPEAKER_42
  • 01:11:29
    Hi, my name is Doug Carmody.
  • 01:11:30
    I'm a Ward 12 resident and I'm speaking to ask the City Council to cut the contract with Zen City and also to take a more ethical approach to every contract that the city signs more generally.
  • 01:11:44
    When you sign a contract with an Israeli company, you are sending money
  • 01:11:49
    to
  • 01:12:06
    country that has just committed a genocide that has a decades-long history of unrepentant human rights violations against Arab people and Arab states from years of illegal settlements in the West Bank to just yesterday when the country of Israel murdered thirteen people at a refugee camp in Lebanon.
  • 01:12:25
    These murders are in many cases sanctioned by the same intelligence units that the Zen City co-founder came out of.
  • 01:12:35
    I also tend to think when you talk about boycott, divest, and sanctions, I noticed that a lot of the countries that support it are not like the richer European left-wing nations, but they're the countries who have seen the dangers of militarism, brutality, and human rights abuses firsthand.
  • 01:12:56
    That's something that we've also seen firsthand in Minneapolis.
  • 01:13:00
    These dangers are not unfamiliar.
  • 01:13:02
    They weren't unfamiliar before 2020 and they're not unfamiliar after and it has to do with the same police department that is signing this contract or that is involved in this contract.
  • 01:13:12
    We just saw these dangers again yesterday in St. Paul with military forces pepper spraying people.
  • 01:13:19
    right in the face.
  • 01:13:21
    We need to share the truth of these dangers that we have seen as a city with the rest of the United States and we need to stand firmly on the side of justice and show Palestinians that our justice is theirs as well.
  • 01:13:34
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:13:37
    Next up is speaker number 25, Becca Andresen.
  • 01:13:43
    and then the five speakers after that will be speaker number 16, Liz Brooks, speaker number 17, Tara Durney, speaker number 18, Hanoi Yonas, and then speaker number 19, Russ Adams, followed by 29, Russ Adams, followed by speaker number 30, Grace Albarras.
  • 01:14:12
    Welcome.
• • SPEAKER_00
  • 01:14:14
    Hi, my name is Becca Andresen and I live in Ward 5 in the Jordan neighborhood.
  • 01:14:19
    I'm here to ask the City Council to eliminate the budget for survey or surveillance contracting with Gen City.
  • 01:14:25
    for two main reasons.
  • 01:14:27
    First, MPD does not need this contract.
  • 01:14:31
    They don't need this survey information.
  • 01:14:32
    We know there has been a lot of research, there was an entire commission on what is going on with Minneapolis Police Department and the ways that they have failed and we know that that is why people think negatively of them.
  • 01:14:42
    We don't need more opinion surveys.
  • 01:14:44
    We also do not need to risk that
  • 01:14:48
    giving the Minneapolis Police Department surveillance technology, which based on their long history, we can count on them using to harass and arrest BIPOC residents.
  • 01:15:02
    This will not reduce rates of violent crime or increase the rates of solving crimes, let alone address root causes of violence and suffering in our city.
  • 01:15:11
    To make our communities safer, address the slumlord problem and fund programs like the Community Action Partnership
  • 01:15:17
    and the co-enforcement budget, our shelters, our community development on Broadway and Penn Avenue in my neighborhood.
  • 01:15:27
    Second, as the great grandchild of Russian and Polish Jewish immigrants on one side, relative of hundreds slaughtered in the Nazi ghettos, and the great-granddaughter of Irish immigrants who fled forced starvation at the hands of the British, I vehemently oppose a single one of my
  • 01:15:42
    to quickly increasing tax dollars, funding suffering and oppression, and the slaughter and starvation of Palestinians.
  • 01:15:50
    And I decry the justification of support for an Israeli company or Israel generally as pro Jewish.
  • 01:15:58
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:16:01
    Thank you.
  • 01:16:02
    Next up is speaker number 26, Liz Brooks.
• • SPEAKER_30
  • 01:16:13
    Hi there, my name is Liz Brooks, and I am a proud resident of the Stevens Square Ward 10 area.
  • 01:16:18
    I've lived in Minneapolis for six years, and I've worked here on and off for the last decade.
  • 01:16:24
    In that time, I've spent a lot of hours both on and off the clock in the city's bars, restaurants, and music venues, and the people working there are the unsung heroes of Minneapolis' cultural scene.
  • 01:16:34
    After years of these conversations, I've noticed something all of these employees have in common.
  • 01:16:40
    Tales of being mistreated by their employers time and time again.
  • 01:16:43
    My coworkers at First Avenue and I were so incredibly fortunate to have the Restaurant Opportunity Center, or ROC, in our corner while we were fighting for our first union contract.
  • 01:16:53
    ROC and other co-enforcement resources are at risk of losing valuable funding due to the mayor slashing of the co-enforcement budget.
  • 01:17:01
    ROC is an invaluable resource for a huge segment of our workforce that often slips through the cracks.
  • 01:17:06
    There is no Minneapolis without the workers who make our food, our drinks, and our nightlife.
  • 01:17:11
    Next up is speaker number 27, Tara Durney
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:17:41
    followed by speaker number 28, Hanoi.
• • SPEAKER_13
  • 01:17:49
    Hi, my name is Tara Durney.
  • 01:17:51
    I live in Ward 8 in the Kingfield neighborhood.
  • 01:17:54
    As a resident of Minneapolis, I asked the City Council to cut the contract with Send City.
  • 01:18:00
    I do not want my family or my neighbors subjected to surveillance or data gathering by a company linked to Israeli intelligence.
  • 01:18:09
    Next up, speaker number 28, Hanoi Yonas.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:18:40
    Hello, my name is Henos Jonas.
• • SPEAKER_16
  • 01:18:48
    I live in Ward 4.
  • 01:18:50
    I'm here to fight against the Zen City contract that the MPD wishes to continue.
  • 01:19:01
    This is a form of mass surveillance
  • 01:19:04
    within our social media system that I strongly disagree with.
  • 01:19:07
    I am opposed to any sort of mass surveillance, whether it's cameras, engagement surveys that don't allow for consent of the residents, red light cameras, and any other such systems that work to suppress
  • 01:19:26
    people's abilities to freely assemble, freely use their speech, or otherwise engage in democracy without the panopticon observing them at all times.
  • 01:19:36
    I think this is unjust and immensely so considering their ties to the Israeli military and the ongoing onslaught that they are committing against the Palestinian people.
  • 01:19:53
    I am a fan of a tech advocate, Louis Rossman on YouTube who focuses on this exact sort of mass surveillance done in cities such as Austin, Texas and Denver, Colorado.
  • 01:20:08
    Let me tell you, I don't want to see Minneapolis, Minnesota in his YouTube channel because I don't want to live in the same sort of state that those cities do in which we are constantly surveilled.
  • 01:20:21
    That is my time.
  • 01:20:22
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:20:24
    Thank you.
  • 01:20:26
    Next up is speaker number 29, Russ Adams.
  • 01:20:30
    I wonder if Mr. Adams left.
  • 01:20:33
    And then speaker number 30, Grace Alvarez.
• • SPEAKER_17
  • 01:20:49
    Good evening.
  • 01:20:50
    My name is Grace Alvarez.
  • 01:20:52
    I live in the City of Minneapolis, and I have more than twenty-one years of working in the industrial industry.
  • 01:20:58
    As many workers, I work every day to save money and to help my family.
  • 01:21:07
    When I was in Rock, Minnesota, thanks to a child I met with our workers, in this moment, I have no idea about the laws, the laws, and the workers we have as workers.
• • SPEAKER_15
  • 01:21:21
    Good evening, my name is Grace Alvarez.
  • 01:21:23
    I live in the city of Minneapolis and have been working in the restaurant industry for more than 21 years.
  • 01:21:28
    Like many workers, I work hard every day to support and provide for my family.
  • 01:21:32
    I learned about ROC Minnesota through a workshop called Know Our Rights.
  • 01:21:36
    At that time, I didn't know much about labor laws or the rights we have as workers.
• • SPEAKER_17
  • 01:21:41
    work compensation.
  • 01:22:04
    This experience changed my life.
  • 01:22:06
    I am proud of how important it is to have access to the correct information and to know that we have the right to do what is not known today.
• • SPEAKER_15
  • 01:22:17
    So shortly after attending that workshop, I was injured at work, or shortly before attending that workshop I was injured at work.
  • 01:22:26
    I had filed a report and they had told me to go to the emergency room.
  • 01:22:29
    When I got there I waited for a very long time and after that I kept working for months with the pain, still ongoing.
  • 01:22:38
    I then was informed, I informed myself about my rights and demanded help at work.
  • 01:22:43
    and thanks to that I received workers' compensation.
  • 01:22:46
    That experience changed my life.
  • 01:22:47
    I realized how important it is to have access to the right information and to know that we do have rights even when no one tells us.
• • SPEAKER_17
  • 01:22:56
    Gracias a Roque Minnesota.
  • 01:22:57
    Aprendi que es works compensation que tengo derecho a tiempo de infirmidad y no debo que te darme caliada cuando algo estamal.
  • 01:23:06
    Roque Minnesota me ayudo perder el miedo y a defenderme continuidad.
  • 01:23:12
    For this I believe that co-enforcement is fundamental.
  • 01:23:17
    Many workers, especially Latinas, don't know if we have the right or have the right to succeed.
  • 01:23:24
    But with organizations like ROC Minnesota, we learn that we are not alone, that the law also protects and makes us work with respect, justice, and security.
• • SPEAKER_15
  • 01:23:37
    So thanks to ROC Minnesota, I learned what workers' compensation is and that I have the right to sick and save time and that I don't have to stay quiet when something is wrong.
  • 01:23:48
    ROC Minnesota helped me overcome my fear and stand up for myself with dignity.
  • 01:23:52
    That's why I believe that co-enforcement is essential.
  • 01:23:55
    Many workers, especially Latino workers, don't know
  • 01:23:58
    that we have rights or are afraid to demand them.
  • 01:24:01
    But with organizations like ROC Minnesota, we learned that we are not alone, that the law protects us as well, and that we deserve to work with respect, justice, and safety.
• • SPEAKER_17
  • 01:24:11
    por eso y lespedo que restables con los fondos que apoyan el trabajo de Roque, Minnesota y de otras organizaciones que están en la primera linea ayudando a nuestra comunidad porque de tras de cada trabajo hay una historia, una familia, un sueño que todos merecemos una oportunidad, muchas gracias.
• • SPEAKER_15
  • 01:24:32
    That's why today I'm asking you to restore funding that supports the work of ROC Minnesota and other organizations on the front lines helping our community.
  • 01:24:41
    Because behind every worker there's a story, a family, and a dream, and we all deserve a fair chance.
  • 01:24:46
    Thank you very much.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:24:50
    Thank you.
  • 01:24:52
    The next five speakers are speaker number 31, Carlos Ramos, speaker number 32, Maddie Schwartz, speaker number 33, Malcolm Wells, speaker number 34, Ayantu Gamada from the Eastlake Corridor and Touch Outreach, speaker number 35, Ray from Ward 5 with JVP.
  • 01:25:21
    Welcome up Carlos
• • SPEAKER_15
  • 01:25:25
    Hello again.
• • 01:25:26
    Welcome back.
• • SPEAKER_15
  • 01:25:27
    So good evening Council members and everyone here tonight.
  • 01:25:31
    My name is Carlos Ramos and I'm an organizer with ROC Minnesota.
  • 01:25:35
    I started working in the service industry at the age of 16, but my introduction came at birth.
  • 01:25:41
    My parents migrated here in the 1980s and built their lives working in restaurants.
  • 01:25:47
    So I grew up hearing the stories of long hours, unfair treatment, and the resilience needed just to get by.
  • 01:25:52
    At ROC Minnesota, I was hired to run the NOAA Rights Program, teaching workers their rights and the steps they can take when those rights are violated.
  • 01:26:01
    Through this work, I've heard countless stories.
  • 01:26:04
    One worker had spent years working and only receiving partial payments, never a full check.
  • 01:26:12
    Another worker and her son were simply fired for asking about unpaid wages that were behind about a little over a month.
  • 01:26:21
    and another worker was injured on the job and was dismissed and ignored and forced to work through her pain.
  • 01:26:29
    These stories on one hand are heartbreaking and on the other hand we know they're far from being isolated.
  • 01:26:38
    All three workers are Spanish speaking, all came here for a better life and all found the courage to community to stand up for their dignity.
  • 01:26:45
    Rock Minnesota has become a crucial resource for restaurant workers, especially Latino workers.
  • 01:26:51
    And we often receive calls from folks across different and other industries as well.
  • 01:26:56
    And we know this is important because when systems fail us, sometimes word of mouth and sharing information amongst workers is the best way to get information.
  • 01:27:08
    Through doing this work and helping workers fight and learn what their rights are, it has been able to give me the validation that I seeked as a child growing up in a family, in a household, the restaurant workers that often spoke about the issues they face at the dinner table.
  • 01:27:26
    So the stories I carry are not just stories, they are calls to action.
  • 01:27:29
    Co-enforcement is a tool that makes fairness and dignity possible for workers in the city.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:27:34
    Thank you.
  • 01:27:35
    and you're welcome to share your written testimony with us as well.
  • 01:27:41
    Next up is speaker number 32, Maddie Schwartz, followed by speaker number 33, Malcolm Wells.
• • SPEAKER_26
  • 01:27:50
    Hi Councilmembers, my name is Maddie Schwartz.
  • 01:27:52
    I am a resident of Ward 7 and I'm speaking on the Zen City contract.
  • 01:27:59
    I'm extremely frustrated with the idea that the City of Minneapolis is okay contracting with Zen City as a surveillance and tech company that has a history of analyzing people's social media posts and internet activity.
  • 01:28:10
    to ironically help the city work towards improving police and community relations.
  • 01:28:14
    I believe this further harms relations by jeopardizing trust when the city is using a very expensive contract with a company that uses AI to monitor social media posts, especially at a time when we hear the growing risks of this kind of surveillance almost daily.
  • 01:28:30
    Digital tools used for outreach do not need to use these methods and we do not need to contract with companies with this history.
  • 01:28:36
    If the city really wants to improve the trust within the community, we could instead direct this funding towards supporting our unhoused neighbors who I frequently see harassed and harmed by law enforcement or other direct community needs.
  • 01:28:49
    For the reasons that others have spoke to tonight,
  • 01:28:55
    I believe this contract and this company's history risks making people feel less safe, like the city condones this kind of surveillance on its own residents and I think this contract exacerbates a loss of trust within the community.
  • 01:29:07
    If the city really wants to measure its relationship with the community,
  • 01:29:11
    between the police and the community.
  • 01:29:14
    A process can be led by immigrants, black and brown and American Indian folks who have deep ties within our communities and frankly are the folks that have an extensive history of being surveilled and harmed by MPD.
  • 01:29:27
    So I support redirecting this funding towards greater community needs.
  • 01:29:31
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:29:36
    Next is speaker number 33, Malcolm Wells.
• • SPEAKER_39
  • 01:29:44
    Please good evening to y'all.
  • 01:29:47
    I attend these meetings in hopes of speaking directly to our city leaders about the issues we hear on the ground as they relate to the co-enforcement program and I appreciate the listening ears and acknowledgements and understanding how important this work is to the city and the workers we engage.
  • 01:30:00
    I want to share our appreciation with City Council Member Koski, Council President Payne for standing on business with us.
  • 01:30:05
    The rest of y'all have an opportunity to show up for a community by supporting the amendments.
  • 01:30:09
    The need for increased funding is urgent.
  • 01:30:11
    I've been here numerous amount of times over the years and as a former educator in NPS this worker education is important to me.
  • 01:30:18
    It's young folks from the city in the city that work a lot of the hourly jobs where we see the most violations.
  • 01:30:23
    Minimum wage violations in Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area cost Minnesota workers nearly $900 million over the past decade with an annual underpayment of over $2,700 per worker while seven of the eight highest violation industries are expected to grow over the coming decade some as much as 20 to 40 percent.
  • 01:30:39
    and it's proven that level of growth only happens when wages are being stolen from workers and our city budget is a moral document and it makes me wonder where our values lie when our mayor cuts line items that provide worker support and vetoes the amendments casted by the city council members that are here representing the workers in their wars
  • 01:30:55
    and I had a conversation with some folks recently.
  • 01:30:57
    We collectively understood that cutting co-enforcement feels like retaliation against organizations that support black, brown, and immigrant communities in this city.
  • 01:31:05
    But I think it's way more insidious than that.
  • 01:31:07
    It's a call out of the playbook authored by white supremacy to keep low-wage workers poor.
  • 01:31:12
    The same black and brown immigrant workers are three to four times more likely than white workers to experience wage theft.
  • 01:31:17
    There are groups of people working against the best interests of workers in Minneapolis.
  • 01:31:22
    They fought against the establishment of the Labor Standards Board.
  • 01:31:24
    They do not want worker protections or an increased minimum wage.
  • 01:31:27
    Their voices are a lot louder than workers because they got money.
  • 01:31:30
    City Council is in the breach of that where they can address this directly, so whose voices really matter here?
  • 01:31:35
    Workers aren't playing politics.
  • 01:31:37
    They're playing the game of survival every single day.
  • 01:31:39
    Do not further rig the game against them.
  • 01:31:42
    Appreciate it.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:31:47
    Thank you.
  • 01:31:48
    Next up is speaker number 34, Ayantu Gamada.
  • 01:31:53
    Followed by speaker number 35, Ray Himmelman.
• • SPEAKER_35
  • 01:31:57
    Good evening Council members, residents of Minneapolis, and community partners.
  • 01:32:01
    My name is Ayan Tugamata, and I'm here today on behalf of Touch Outreach, an organization rooted in the belief that every young person, every family, and every corridor in the city deserves safety, opportunity, and dignity.
  • 01:32:13
    Our request today is simple.
  • 01:32:15
    We are asking the City of Minneapolis to invest in Touch Outreach, a cornerstone of public safety, youth development, and community stabilization in the East Lake Corridor.
  • 01:32:25
    Our work is centered in an area that has carried both the weight of historic disinvestment and the strength of incredible community resilience.
  • 01:32:33
    In this corridor, we meet young people where they are.
  • 01:32:36
    On the streets, in the shelters, and within the Minneapolis Public Schools.
  • 01:32:41
    We provide hands-on mentorship, conflict interruption, crisis response, and culturally grounded support for families.
  • 01:32:50
    When we are resourced, the entire ecosystem benefits.
  • 01:32:54
    Schools see fewer disruptions, hospitals see fewer trauma cases, and businesses experience fewer incidents as well as families experiencing more hope.
  • 01:33:04
    You should fund touch outreach because staff reflects the communities in which we serve, and we act as a bridge between residents, schools, health systems, as well as city government.
  • 01:33:14
    In addition to that, we provide community-based prevention that costs less and provides better outcomes than enforcement as well as emergency response alone.
  • 01:33:25
    We provide consistent mentorship, leadership development, and street-based outreach in addition to providing stabilizing,
  • 01:33:32
    Stabilization for vulnerable families through programming such as financial literacy, as well as healing circles.
  • 01:33:39
    We connect individuals to treatment, harm reduction, as well as supportive services, and help reduce incidents for businesses while supporting customers with a safe environment.
  • 01:33:48
    With sustainable city investment, Touch can expand our conflict interruption team, build more youth leadership programming, deepen our family support services, and widen the safety net that is saving lives block by block.
  • 01:34:01
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:34:03
    Thank you.
  • 01:34:04
    I want to note that we have been joined in this committee by Council Member Osman.
  • 01:34:11
    We are nearing the end of our list of registered speakers.
  • 01:34:16
    If you're someone who is here, perhaps arrived late, or the line was really long when you arrived, I would invite you to
  • 01:34:26
    to sign up to speak at the table outside or you can do so right here in the chambers by our clerks to your left my right.
  • 01:34:42
    Next we are going to welcome speaker number 35, Ray Himmelman, and then speaker number 36, Shannon Jaffe, followed by speaker number 37, Luis from CITUL.
  • 01:34:56
    I'm having a tough time reading your last name.
• • SPEAKER_33
  • 01:35:00
    Hi.
  • 01:35:01
    So as Minneapolis residents are losing health insurance, struggling with food costs and sleeping out in the cold, it is absurd to be paying half a million dollars to an Israeli tech company for a social media driven survey.
  • 01:35:14
    Financial boycott of Israeli companies like Zen City is a choice that you all can make that directly impacts the well-being of our Minneapolis communities, especially those that have direct experience with the violence and disenfranchisement of colonialism.
  • 01:35:27
    Sensitive is a history of surveilling black communities across the US, especially after police murders of black people.
  • 01:35:34
    With MPD's history of anti-black racism and violence, this contract is the last thing that will make people feel safe here in Minneapolis.
  • 01:35:42
    I want to share about a Jewish practice called tzedakah, which literally translates to charity, but actually means justice.
  • 01:35:49
    Excuse me, it's often translated as charity, but it means justice.
  • 01:35:52
    Its intention is that every action supports justice.
  • 01:35:55
    When justice is a consideration in all of our decisions, we elevate each moment and each action beyond the mundane to an expression of community care.
  • 01:36:03
    And in this climate of pending geopolitical doom, I can't think of a more important consideration for you all to make.
  • 01:36:10
    Mayor Frey has ignored community outrage about some city contract and has ignored his Jewish values in his silence and inaction, so I'm calling on you to right his wrong, do your right thing, and cut this contract with N-City now.
  • 01:36:22
    Investing in community means centering the voices of those systematically harmed by MPD.
  • 01:36:28
    The experience and wisdom of our black communities, our indigenous communities, our immigrant communities, trans communities, and unhoused people need to be centered in this conversation around community safety, right?
  • 01:36:39
    So Minneapolis City Council members, will you do the right thing?
  • 01:36:43
    Will you serve your constituents well and cut this contract with Sin City?
  • 01:36:49
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:36:50
    Thank you.
  • 01:36:53
    Just an update.
  • 01:36:55
    If you are someone who is looking to sign up to speak, you can do that here in the chambers now.
  • 01:37:02
    The sign-in table from the hallway has now been moved to inside of the chambers.
  • 01:37:08
    Next up is speaker number 36, Shannon Jaffe, followed by speaker number 37, Luis from CITUL.
  • 01:37:14
    I think Sharon left.
  • 01:37:20
    Gotcha.
  • 01:37:21
    Thank you.
  • 01:37:24
    It sounds like speaker number 36, Shannon, has left, so next is speaker number 37, Luis, followed by speaker number 38, Nadie Jimenez.
• • SPEAKER_22
  • 01:37:47
    Buenas noches, distinctidas authoridades y compañeros de luchas aquí presente.
  • 01:37:53
    Me encuentro aquí para contarles mi caso y lo importante que el perez upuesto de co-enforzamiento para muchos trabajadores que desconocemos cuáles sonos estros derechos como trabajadores de aquí destermos su estado de Minnesota y aquí en la ciudad de Minneapolis.
• • SPEAKER_27
  • 01:38:11
    Good evening distinguished authorities and fellow workers in the struggle present here today.
  • 01:38:18
    I'm here to tell you about my case and how important the co-enforcement budget is for many of us workers who are unaware of our rights in this beautiful state of Minnesota and in the city of Minneapolis.
• • SPEAKER_22
  • 01:38:34
    I worked for two years in a restaurant here in the city of Minneapolis, and not only did I not have the right to speak out for information, but during those two years, I did not receive it.
  • 01:38:48
    And now, at the moment that it has been confirmed, I have a message to encourage the restaurant and then what I receive is the notification of my speed.
• • SPEAKER_27
  • 01:39:00
    So I worked for two years at a restaurant in the city of Minneapolis and I was never told nor knew that I was entitled to paid sick leave.
  • 01:39:10
    And so I never received that during my two years of employment.
  • 01:39:14
    And even worse, when I got sick and I sent a message to the restaurant manager, I was just sent a notice of my dismissal from my job.
• • SPEAKER_22
  • 01:39:27
    It was there that a friend of mine, my brother Setul, and the importance of his work, helped a lot of people like I, who we know as our heroes, especially in ways of paying for them.
  • 01:39:39
    Thanks to Setul, my family and I were able to recover a piece of this way of information.
  • 01:39:49
    For that it is important, this program of co-enforcement, for which all and other community organizations are working to help more workers like us.
  • 01:40:03
    Thank you.
• • SPEAKER_27
  • 01:40:06
    And so that's when a friend told me about CETUL and how important the work is that they do in training many people who, like me, are unaware of our rights at work, especially when it comes to paid sick time.
  • 01:40:19
    Thanks to CETUL, my coworkers and I are trying to recover payment for those sick time hours for which we're entitled to, which is our right.
  • 01:40:27
    That's why, for me, the co-enforcement program is really important so that CETUL and other community organizations can continue to support more workers like me and the work that we do.
  • 01:40:39
    Thank you very much.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:40:46
    Thank you.
  • 01:40:47
    Next up, speaker number 38, Nadie Jimenez.
• • SPEAKER_14
  • 01:41:04
    Hola, buenas tardes, mi embros del consejo, mi nombre es Navy y conocía Roque, Minnesota hacia approximadamente cuadranos durante una decada trabaje en la industria de restadrones en la ciudad desde
  • 01:41:16
    In Minneapolis, for example, due to this time in which the situation is very difficult, free discrimination can be made, and it can be Latina, which I feel frustrated, stressed, and unmotivated, especially due to not receiving respect and support from my supervisors.
• • SPEAKER_24
  • 01:41:38
    Good afternoon City Council members.
  • 01:41:42
    My name is Nadie and I learned about Rogue Minnesota about four years ago.
  • 01:41:48
    For a decade I worked in the restaurant industry in the city of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
  • 01:41:55
    During that time I faced very difficult situations.
  • 01:41:59
    I suffered discrimination for being a woman and for being Latina, which left me
  • 01:42:06
    which left me feeling frustrated and stressed and I'm motivated especially because I did not receive respect or support from my supervisors.
• • SPEAKER_14
  • 01:42:21
    One of these places where I work
• • SPEAKER_24
  • 01:42:44
    A co-worker made racist comments in front of the managers.
  • 01:42:49
    They laughed and but never did anything or correct him or took any action.
  • 01:42:56
    I decided to file a complaint with the owner but unfortunately nothing was done.
  • 01:43:03
    The lack of action made me feel hopeless and voiceless.
• • SPEAKER_14
  • 01:43:09
    When I was in contact with Rock Minnesota, and thanks for your support, I could present a announcement to the Department of Public Works.
  • 01:43:17
    At the first moment, I felt disappointed, disappointed and disappointed.
• • SPEAKER_24
  • 01:43:23
    That's when I reached out to Rock Minnesota and thanks to their support I was able to file a complaint with the Department of Labor Rights.
  • 01:43:35
    From the first moment I felt heard a company and supporter.
• • SPEAKER_14
  • 01:43:41
    Y el trabajo que realizar ROC es fundamentale.
  • 01:43:45
    No solo para la comunidad latinas y no para todos las personas trabajadores que merecemos respecto y gualdad y justicia en un lugar es de trabajo.
  • 01:43:53
    Estoy per fundamenta gradecidad con ROC por ayudarme recuperar mi confianza y recordar que tenemos derechos y que no estamos solos.
• • SPEAKER_24
  • 01:44:04
    The work that ROC does is essential not only for the Latino community but also for all the workers who deserve respect equally and justice in their workplace.
  • 01:44:17
    I am deeply grateful to ROC for helping me regain my confidence and remind me that we have rights and that we're not alone.
• • SPEAKER_14
  • 01:44:30
    y es por eso que el epido al consul que restable los fundos destinados a co enforza miento para que roc siga apoyando y capacitando a más trabajadores y que esientan agradecidos como yo me senti gracias
• • SPEAKER_24
  • 01:44:45
    and that's why I asked the council to restore the funds of co-enforcement so that Rogue Minnesota can continue supporting and training more workers who feels the way that I felt once.
  • 01:44:59
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:45:02
    Thank you.
  • 01:45:02
    We're now down to our final four registered speakers for the evening.
  • 01:45:11
    Speaker number 39 Alba Escobar, speaker number 40
  • 01:45:18
    Jordan Boor Nelson, speaker number 41, Allison Thorson, and speaker number 42, Abir Ismail, and then I'll just offer a reminder that if you are moving the mic to do so from the bottom, not by where the blue tape is.
  • 01:45:38
    Speaker number 39, Alba Escobar, with ROC Minnesota.
• • SPEAKER_24
  • 01:45:50
    Good afternoon and hello again.
  • 01:45:52
    My name is Alba Escobar.
  • 01:45:54
    I work in Rock, Minnesota for four years and I've been working with restaurant workers in the Twin Cities.
  • 01:46:02
    During this time I've seen so many people ignoring
  • 01:46:08
    things like lack of sick and safe time pay, harassment, discrimination, and many other issues like workers' compensation and a lot more that
  • 01:46:21
    and many stories that we have here through this time that I will not finish telling each of them if I didn't do today.
  • 01:46:30
    But many of these workers are afraid to speak up because they are afraid of losing their job, which means losing their source of income to bring food to their tables for families.
  • 01:46:48
    or to face any retaliation.
  • 01:46:52
    I got fired for speaking up against harassment and discrimination in the past.
  • 01:46:59
    I experienced the feeling of being scared, helpless and harassed by the boss.
  • 01:47:05
    Rock Minnesota empowered workers, especially Latinos and immigrant workers, to recognize their power and advocate for fair and safe workplace.
  • 01:47:19
    Many of us grew up thinking that we don't have power, that we just have to accept whatever comes on the way.
  • 01:47:35
    But ROC teaches us that we do have power, that when we come together, we can transform our workplace, our community, our city.
  • 01:47:47
    I am now committed
  • 01:47:49
    to workers to fight for what's right, for the respect that all deserve for dignity and for a safe workplace.
  • 01:47:59
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:48:02
    Next up is speaker number 40, Jordan Boer-Nelson with I believe Mad Dads.
  • 01:48:12
    And then speaker number 41, Allison Thorson
  • 01:48:19
    followed by speaker number 42, Abir Ismail.
  • 01:48:30
    Are you Allison?
• • SPEAKER_11
  • 01:48:31
    Yeah, should I go?
  • 01:48:31
    Welcome up.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:48:34
    If Jordan comes back, we'll be sure to get to them.
  • 01:48:36
    Okay, thank you.
• • SPEAKER_11
  • 01:48:38
    Hi council members, my name is Allison.
  • 01:48:40
    I use she her pronouns and I'm a resident of Ward 9.
  • 01:48:44
    I actually used to be a city employee and I'm here to ask you to cut the contract with Sun City.
  • 01:48:51
    I used to be a City of Minneapolis employee for two years where I talked with many of my co-workers about how our pensions as public workers were invested in genocide of Palestinians by the state of Minnesota.
  • 01:49:04
    And then we learned that our own employer, the City of Minneapolis, has a contract with an Israeli tech company.
  • 01:49:10
    You've already heard from others tonight why the contract with Zencity is a bad decision for financial and human rights reasons.
  • 01:49:17
    I'm here speaking on behalf of many former co-workers, your employees, who did not want to speak tonight for fear of risking their jobs, but who care deeply about the work they do as public servants for their community.
  • 01:49:30
    We believe that the city should never contract with any company that is tied to surveillance, genocide, or any other unethical practices or human rights violations.
  • 01:49:40
    Public servants get into their jobs to help people and build beautiful and just communities that work for all of our city residents.
  • 01:49:47
    They should never have to oversee contracts that violate those values in our own city or halfway across the world in Palestine.
  • 01:49:55
    Thank you.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:50:00
    Alright, and finally speaker number 42, Abir Ismail.
  • 01:50:06
    Welcome.
• • SPEAKER_36
  • 01:50:08
    Good evening everyone here and first of all I want to thank the City Council one day for giving the ceasefire resolution and you were brave enough to do that, you know.
  • 01:50:16
    My name is Abir Ismail, I'm a math teacher in Minneapolis, a member of MFE and also a member of MN Educator for Palestine.
  • 01:50:23
    And I'm here standing up with my brother and sister, Justice for Peace, and also Minneapolis community and my student, you know, to ask for the stop the contract with the city.
  • 01:50:33
    and I want you to know that one time I asked my students, if you have a million dollars, what are you going to do with it?
  • 01:50:40
    And they said that I'm going to build a factory, I'm going to make people work, I'm going to make the homeless find a place, I'm going to increase the socio-economic of the city.
  • 01:50:48
    That's how you make a safe place.
  • 01:50:50
    I went to Qatar one time to visit my daughter and they opened the door and they can sleep opening the door.
  • 01:50:55
    My granddaughter called the police.
  • 01:50:56
    I'm a police.
  • 01:50:57
    Uncle police.
  • 01:50:58
    You know, is the police there?
  • 01:50:59
    It's to serve the people, not to put the cameras and not to stand up for this.
  • 01:51:02
    So I want to put the humanity to this story right now.
  • 01:51:05
    So I decided to sign up to tell you.
  • 01:51:07
    Close your eyes.
  • 01:51:08
    Imagine what I'm going to say is, is you're only child.
  • 01:51:11
    I am devastated asking for divestment.
  • 01:51:14
    I am devastated two years every day standing up crying for divestment.
  • 01:51:17
    Think if this is your kids.
  • 01:51:19
    In Gaza, every educational institute has been reduced trouble.
  • 01:51:24
    Imagine your kids cannot go to school.
  • 01:51:26
    Tens of thousands of children have been burned alive and dismembered.
  • 01:51:30
    Their body bodies scattered among the ruins that used to be classrooms, playgrounds, homes.
  • 01:51:36
    Why?
  • 01:51:36
    Why do we do this for children?
  • 01:51:38
    For under what name?
  • 01:51:40
    you know think of our humanity here you know Ahmad was just a little boy when his remains were found carrying by his 11 years old brother in a little blue backpack dripping with his blood those are kids every kids has a story every kids has a dream and we are still crying for divestment it's not by camera safety is not by camera safety is not by policing
  • 01:52:01
    The safety is invested in our city, working together as a community.
  • 01:52:06
    I had the best issue with just a teenager girl.
  • 01:52:09
    Okay, there is a lot of stories you can see online.
• • Aisha Chughtai
  • 01:52:12
    Thank you.
  • 01:52:27
    Thank you.
  • 01:52:28
    That completes the list of registered speakers.
  • 01:52:32
    Is there anyone else here who wishes to offer testimony?
  • 01:52:37
    I know we had three people who may have left already.
  • 01:52:42
    Russ Adams, Shannon Jaffe, and Jordan Boer-Nelson.
  • 01:52:49
    Anyone else who hasn't signed up wishing to speak?
  • 01:52:52
    Going once, twice,
  • 01:52:59
    Alright, with that I will close this public hearing.
  • 01:53:03
    I want to sincerely thank everyone who participated here today and everyone who spoke or submitted comments.
  • 01:53:11
    We appreciate your engagement in this really important work that helps move our community forward.
  • 01:53:19
    Thank you for being so incredibly respectful of one another's perspectives here today and with that we have concluded all business to come before the committee this evening and without objection we stand adjourned until Friday December 5th at 10 a.m. when we will begin considering revisions to Mayor Frey's recommended 2026 budget.
  • 01:53:41
    Thank you all.