Aug 11, 2026 City Commission Meeting

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:09]

AND ASK YOU ALL TO JOIN US, AS IS OUR PRACTICE WITH A BEGINNING, WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE. PLEASE JOIN US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE

[PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]

[ROLL CALL]

KNIGHT, PRESENT. COMMISSIONER. SASSY. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER. PURDUE. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER.

BOUCEK, PRESENT. MAYOR. LAGRANGE. YES. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS SANDRA NICHOL FROM THE HISPANIC CENTER. I'M AN INTERPRETER, AND I'M HERE TO HELP YOU WITH SPANISH TO ENGLISH OR ENGLISH TO SPANISH. I WILL FAITHFULLY CONVEY EVERYTHING THAT IS SAID BOTH WAYS. BUENAS TARDES. MI NOMBRE ES SANDRA. NICOLE. ESTOY AQUI REPRESENTANDO EL CENTRO HISPANO Y ESTOY AQUI PARA AYUDARLO CON CUALQUIER TRADUCCION DE INGLÉS ESPANOL ESPANOL INGLÉS TODO EN UNA FORMA ADECUADA EXACTA. THANK YOU. THAT BRINGS US TO OUR FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR

[PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS]

HELLO FRIENDS. MARK FROM GRAND RAPIDS COMMITTEE TO HOLD NUMBER ONE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SISTER CITY AGREEMENT WITH UKRAINE. THAT MIGHT NOT BE A SISTER CITY. THE WAY PUTIN HAS HIS WAY. BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING CONFLICTS IN THAT REGION. AND WE ALL KNOW. JORDAN'S FELONS, FELONS, DISDAIN FOR THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE OVER THERE TO. SO YOU BETTER THINK ABOUT THIS. BECAUSE OF. PUTIN. STEALS UKRAINE. THAT MIGHT NOT BE A SISTER CITY AGREEMENT WITH GRAND RAPIDS. THANK YOU. THAT BRINGS US ON TO PARDON. OH I'M SORRY. QUICK AIDEN WYSOKI HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN. I JUST WANT TO SAY I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO ADD NEW DNIPRO, UKRAINE AS OUR SISTER CITY. AND I WELCOME THEM. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO VISIT HERE OR ANYONE WHO'S GOING TO VISIT IN UKRAINE, THERE'S A GREAT MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR THAT HE HAS SENT US, AND I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY IN UKRAINE AND DNIPRO.

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

[PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS]

STEVEN FILED COMMUNICATION RECEIVED FROM LUCAS LEVERETT REGARDING BIKE SAFETY, RECEIVED AND FILED COMMUNICATION RECEIVED FROM TREVOR TENBRINK REGARDING HIS RESIGNATION FROM THE MICHIGAN STREET CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND COMMUNICATION RECEIVED FROM ALI JAFRI REGARDING HIS RESIGNATION FROM THE COMMUNITY

[REPORTS OF CITY OFFICERS]

[CONSENT AGENDA AND REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES]

[00:05:01]

[CONSENT AGENDA APPROVAL]

[PUBLIC COMMENTS]

ALL RIGHT, I WON'T. I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT THE AMPHITHEATER ISSUES, BUT I'M GOING TO ANYWAY. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE TOLD WHEN YOU COULD GO TO BED? MY GUESS IS YOUR PARENT WAS THE ONE TELLING YOU IT WAS BEDTIME. BY EXEMPTING THE AMPHITHEATER FROM CITY NOISE ORDINANCE, YOU'RE NOW THE ONES TELLING ME WHEN I CAN GO TO SLEEP. THE LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE AMPHITHEATER IS KEEPING ME FROM GOING TO SLEEP WHEN I WANT TO, NOT WHEN THE CONCERT IS OVER AT 11:00, IF I'M LUCKY. OH, I ALMOST FORGOT THE LOUD NOISE DURING AFTERNOON REHEARSALS. MOVING ON TO SOME OTHER BETTER ISSUES. THIS ONE IS SAFETY. IT'S NO LONGER SAFE TO WALK ON THE SIDEWALKS. NUMBER OF UNREGULATED E BIKES AND SCOOTERS ARE GROWING DAILY.

SOONER OR LATER SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT. WHILE THE LIME E BIKES AND SCOOTERS HAVE SPEED LIMITS, THE ONES PRIVATELY OWNED DO NOT. THEY'RE GETTING MORE POWERFUL AND FASTER. SOME OF THEM ARE AS FAST AS THE SMALL SCOOTER AND ARE ZIPPING DOWN THE SIDEWALKS.

I URGE YOU TO ACT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER TO MAKE SIDEWALK SAFE FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING OUR VULNERABLE SENIOR CITIZENS. LASTLY, OVER A YEAR AGO, I BROUGHT UP THE ISSUE OF A SHORT TRAFFIC LIGHT AT CAMPO CIRCLE AND PEARL STREET. I HAVE SPOKEN ON THIS ISSUE NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THEN. IF YOU'RE TURNING WEST ON CAMPO CIRCLE, YOU HAVE APPROXIMATELY 10S TO DO THIS.

THIS IS BARELY ENOUGH TIME FOR ONE CAR TO PROCEED. AFTER THE PEDESTRIANS CLEAR THE INTERSECTION FROM THE HOTELS AT THIS CORNER. WITH THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC AT THIS INTERSECTION, IT CAN TAKE FIVE MINUTES OR MORE TO TURN WEST. I ASK THAT YOU DIRECT TRAFFIC ENGINEERING TO FINALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ISSUE, INSTEAD OF CONTINUING TO IGNORE IT.

OKAY. MY NAME IS GEMMA IN GRAND RAPIDS. MY NAME IS JAMIE AND I LIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS. QUIERO COMENZAR EN FEBRERO 20 VEINTICINCO CUANDO MOVIMIENTO COSECHA AND RAPID RESPONSE TO ICE IN LA CIUDAD DE GRAND RAPIDS. APROVADAS POLITICAS DE SANCTUARIO Q LA COMPARACION ENTRE GRPD Y ICE EN ESTOS MOMENTOS, EL ALCALDE DE LA GRANDE SIMBOLO DE NUESTRAS DEMANDAS E MOSTRO VISIBLEMENT. SU REACCION EN CADA VEZ DE LOS RESIDENTES MENCIONABA LAS POLITICAS SANTUARIO DURANTE LOS COMENTARIOS PUBLICOS. IN VARIOUS REUNIONS DE LA COMMISSION DE LA CIUDAD. ESTA ES UNA REACCION INFANTIL HACIA LA RESIDENTES DE LA CIUDAD REPRESENTA. I WANT TO BEGIN BY GOING BACK TO FEBRUARY 2025, WHEN MOVIMIENTO DE AND GRAND RAPIDS RESPONSE TO. I STARTED A CAMPAIGN DEMANDING THAT THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS PASS SIX SANCTUARY POLICIES THAT WOULD PROHIBIT COOPERATION BETWEEN GRPD AND ICE. AT THE TIME, MAYOR LE GRAND MADE A MOCKERY OF OUR DEMANDS AND VISIBLY SHOWED HIS REACTION EVERY TIME RESIDENTS MENTIONED SANCTUARY POLICIES. DURING PUBLIC COMMENT AT MULTIPLE CITY COMMISSION MEETINGS. THIS WAS A CHILDISH REACTION TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY HE REPRESENTS. AND TRES DE FEBRERO DE 2026 MOVIMIENTO COSECHA. RAPID RESPONSE TO ICE RESPONDED. UNA LLAMADA AND DE AYUDA ICE IN LOS ALTOS DE BYRON MARTINEZ, DE FUERZA. THIS AUTOMOBILE IS PRESIONAR CONTRA EL BANCO DE NIEVE IMPIDIENDO LA RESPIRAR MIENTRAS INTENTABA MOSTRAR LA DOCUMENTACION DE SU PROCESO DE. SOLICITUD ASILO PENDIENTE DE.

ESAS ACCIONES INICIAMOS LA CAMPANA PARA FREE BYRON. THEN, ON FEBRUARY 3RD, 2026,

[00:10:03]

DURING DURING A CITY COMMISSION MEETING, MAYOR LA GRANDE CLAIMED THAT OUR GROUPS WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION WITH HIM. ON JUNE 24TH, COSECHA AND GRT RAPID RESPONSE TO ICE SENT AN EMAIL INVITING MAYOR LA GRANDE TO A PUBLIC MEETING. WE RECEIVED ONLY AN AUTOMATIC REPLY CONFIRMING THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE HAD RECEIVED THE EMAIL.

WE WERE SEEKING A POSSIBLE DATE FOR MEETING A MONTH LATER, IN JULY, WE SENT A FOLLOW UP EMAIL.

TO THIS DATE, WE HAVE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. AS NOSOTROS NOS VAMOS A TENER UNA CONVERSACION PUBLICA PEDIMOS TRANSPARENCIA RENDICION DE CUENTAS DIALOGO SIGNIFICATIVO Y SIN EMBARGO, LA VIDA SILENCIO. SO LET'S BE CLEAR WE REACHED OUT. WE INVITED THE MAYOR TO HAVE A PUBLIC CONVERSATION. WE ASK FOR TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MEANINGFUL DIALOG. AND YET THERE HAS BEEN SILENCE. EL ALCALDE DE LA GRANDE HA SIDO INSENSIBLE AND ANTI LA COMUNIDAD TRABAJADORA IMMIGRANT ENFRENTA LA VIOLENCIA DE LAS Y DIFERENCIA ENTRE LA SÉPARATION DE FAMILIAS EN SU CIUDAD. MAYOR LA GRANDE HAS BEEN INSENSITIVE TO THE IMMIGRANT WORKING COMMUNITY FACING ICE VIOLENCE AND HAS SHOWN DISREGARD FOR THE FAMILY SEPARATION HAPPENING IN HIS CITY. MAS DO I NOT HAVE TIME TO READ THE REST? QUIERO DECIR AQUI TENGO LAS PHOTOS ON THE ICE E. OPERANDO DIARIAMENTE. DE. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO FINISH, BUT I WANT TO SHOW YOU. I HAVE PICTURES OF GRPD AGENTS WHO ARE COOPERATING WITH US. WITH US. ICE. ICE WITH ICE. SORRY. WITH ICE. THANK YOU.

HI, MY NAME IS MATT. I'M LIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE LARGE NUMBER OF AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS NOW IN THE CITY. THESE LICENSE PLATE READERS ARE BASICALLY CITIZEN SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS THAT HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL ALL OVER THE STREETS OF OUR CITY. THESE CAMERAS ARE ALSO UNCONSTITUTIONAL UNDER THE FOURTH AMENDMENT, WHICH PROHIBITS UNREASONABLE SEARCHES AND SEIZURES, ACCORDING TO A RECENT SUPREME COURT RULING IN THE CHARTER VERSUS UNITED STATES CASE. FROM JULY OF 2026.

THE USE OF GEO FENCING IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL UNDER THE FOURTH AMENDMENT, AND CONSIDERING THE DENSITY OF THESE CAMERAS, THEY DO CREATE A GEO FENCE IN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, MAKING THEM ILLEGAL. EVEN UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION. THE MAJORITY OPINION IN THIS CASE ALSO CITED PRECEDENT FROM A PREVIOUS CASE, CARPENTER VERSUS UNITED STATES, STATING THAT SOCIETY'S EXPECTATION HAS BEEN THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS AND OTHERS WOULD NOT, AND INDEED, IN THE MAIN, SIMPLY COULD NOT SECRETLY MONITOR AND CATALOG EVERY SINGLE MOVEMENT

[00:15:03]

THESE SAME LICENSE PLATE READERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ABUSED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING RIGHT HERE IN MICHIGAN. FLOCK SAFETY AND THEIR ILK HAVE ALLOWED UNFETTERED ACCESS TO THESE LICENSE PLATE READERS ACROSS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, EVEN WHEN THE DEPARTMENT IN QUESTION LACKS JURISDICTION FOR THE SEARCH. PLEASE DON'T CONTINUE TO BE COMPLICIT IN THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL SURVEILLANCE OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS. PLEASE TAKE THESE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS DOWN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. JEFF SMITH. I LIVE IN THE SECOND WARD OF GRAND RAPIDS. I'M A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZER WITH GR RAPID RESPONSE TO ICE. WE HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS AN INCREASED NUMBER OF CALLS TO OUR HOTLINE ICE PRESENCE THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY, ICE ABDUCTIONS WITH OUR IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORS. AN INCREASE IN REQUESTS FOR MUTUAL AID BECAUSE FAMILIES THAT ARE BEING SEPARATED HAVE MONETARY NEEDS, HAVE FOOD NEEDS, HAVE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, ETC. JUST WITHIN THE LAST THREE WEEKS, WE'VE WE'VE WITNESSED OURSELVES A COUPLE OF ICE ABDUCTIONS. ONE WAS AT THE OFFICE AT 545 MICHIGAN. WE WERE OFFERING ACCOMPANIMENT TO SOMEBODY ELSE WHO HAD AN APPOINTMENT AND SOMEBODY WHO WAS ALREADY IN THE BUILDING THERE FOR THEIR APPOINTMENT, THEIR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT. ICE TOOK THEM AND BROUGHT THEM OUT THROUGH A BACK DOOR, PREVENTING US FROM BEING ABLE TO INTERVENE. THEN LAST TWO WEEKS AGO TUESDAY. ICE ALSO ABDUCTED SOMEBODY ELSE, BROUGHT THEM TO THE 517 OTTAWA OFFICE, PROCESSED THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE A HOLDING TANK IN THAT BUILDING. AND THEN THE GEO GROUP, WHICH RUNS THE DETENTION CENTER IN BALDWIN, THEY BRING THEIR VAN THROUGH THE BACK GARAGE OFF OF THE BUILDING AT 517. AND WHILE WE WERE A BUNCH OF US WHO RESPONSE WHO WERE THERE, WE NOTICED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL GRPD CRUISERS JUST SORT OF PARKED ON THAT STREET AT SIDE STREET, JUST SORT OF WAITING. AND AS SOON AS THE GEO GROUP VAN OPENED THE THE GARAGE DOOR OPENED, THE VAN BEGAN COMING OUT. WE SORT OF STOOD IN THE ALLEY BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO PREVENT FOLKS FROM BEING ABDUCTED NONVIOLENTLY. THE GRPD RIGHT AWAY ARRIVED, THREATENED TO ARREST US, AND THEN FORCIBLY PHYSICALLY MOVED US OUT OF THE ALLEY. SOME PEOPLE WERE KNOCKED OVER, SPECIFICALLY BIPOC INDIVIDUALS, DURING THAT INCIDENT. WHEN ASKED AT A PUBLIC MEETING RECENTLY ABOUT THIS, CHIEF TRIGG SAID THAT HE RECEIVED A 911 CALL ABOUT THIS GOING ON. IT SEEMS ODD TO ME THAT A 911 CALL USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN SOMETHING'S GOING DOWN, BUT IN THIS INSTANCE, THE GRPD WAS WAITING BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENED, SO I FIND IT DISINGENUOUS THAT HE WOULD MAKE SUCH A CLAIM. BUT EVEN IF HE DID, IT WOULD MOST LIKELY BE ICE THAT WAS CALLING THAT BECAUSE THERE WAS NOBODY ELSE THERE BESIDES US AND ICE. SO JUST REALLY FRUSTRATING THAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD SINCE JANUARY OF 2025 THAT GRPD IS NOT COOPERATING. ICE. WE'RE SEEING IT HAPPEN ON A REGULAR BASIS.

WE HAVE THE PHOTOS, WE HAVE VIDEO, WE HAVE FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF THIS. THIS STUFF NEEDS TO STOP LIKE NOW. MY NAME IS CARL. I LIVE IN WARD TWO IN CRESTON. I SPENT THE LAST SIX YEARS WORKING IN CYBERSECURITY, AND BEFORE THAT, I SPENT FIVE YEARS AS A PERSIAN FARSI LINGUIST IN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN A MAJOR PART OF THE LAST DECADE, MORE THAN A DECADE OF MY LIFE, MORE THAN A THIRD OF MY ENTIRE

[00:20:03]

SHOULDERED BY ANYONE IN A SECURITY ROLE. AT THE RISK OF BEATING A DEAD SPIDER, QUOTH UNCLE BEN, WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY. FLOCK SAFETY, QUOTE UNQUOTE, DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN TAUGHT THIS LESSON AS JUST ONE OF MANY EXAMPLES. BEN JORDAN, A MUSICIAN WHO HAS SPENT THE LAST FEW YEARS BECOMING A SECURITY RESEARCHER IN LARGE PART DUE TO HIS DISTASTE SPECIFICALLY FOR FLOCK. I HELPED PUBLISH OVER 60 VULNERABILITIES ON OPENCV. FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR, OPENCV IS A WEBSITE WHERE COMPUTER VULNERABILITIES THAT RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED DURING TESTING CAN BE PUBLICLY DISCLOSED. THESE VULNERABILITIES WENT UNADDRESSED FOR MONTHS, SOME OF WHICH ARE STILL IN EXISTENCE TODAY. BY EXPLOITING THOSE VULNERABILITIES, HE PUBLICLY SHOWED THAT IT IS TRIVIALLY EASY TO HACK AND TAKE CONTROL OF THE CAMERAS AND TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION. THE LOGS THAT ARE CONTAINED WITHIN THE SYSTEMS THAT THEY'RE SAVED ON. HE ALSO SHOWED EXECUTIVES EVIDENCE OF EXECUTIVES FROM FLOCK, NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT, JUST REGULAR GUYS USING THE CAMERAS TO SPY ON WOMEN'S YOGA CLASSES AND LITTLE GIRLS GYMNASTICS CLASSES. AND AS SOMEONE WHO HAS SPENT OVER A DECADE HAVING THE DIRE IMPORTANCE OF ETHICALLY WIELDING THE POWER INHERENT IN ANY SECURITY ROLE, I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT I HAVE NEVER SEEN A ANY PERSON OR ORGANIZATION AS IRRESPONSIBLE AS FLOCK HAS BEEN, AND WHEN THE CAPTAINS OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT CLAIMS ITS PRIMARY INTEREST IS THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY ARE CAUGHT PEEPING ON LIGHTLY CLOTHED WOMEN AND LITTLE GIRLS WHO HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO AWARENESS THAT THEY'RE BEING SPIED ON, AND THEREBY NO ABILITY TO CONSENT TO SUCH. WELL, LET'S JUST SAY THAT THOSE EXECUTIVES SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A MOVIE NIGHT AND WATCH SPIDER-MAN. AND WHO KNOWS IF THEY DON'T HAVE A DISNEY PLUS SUBSCRIPTION, MAYBE THEY CAN WATCH IT THROUGH SOMEBODY'S WINDOW USING A FLOCK CAMERA.

AND IN CASE MY MESSAGE WAS NOT CLEAR ENOUGH, PLEASE GET RID OF AND BAN ALL FLOCK CAMERAS FROM GRAND RAPIDS NOW AND FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS.

I'M STEVE BENNETT, A RESIDENT OF THE THIRD WARD. THE FOURTH AMENDMENT SOMEBODY TALKED ABOUT EARLIER REGARDING AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS AND CASE HISTORY. HE BROUGHT FORWARD.

THERE MIGHT STILL BE SOME GRAY AREA THERE. AND NO, NO MATTER WHAT, IT IS STILL DATA BEING COLLECTED WITHOUT A WARRANT. YOU CAN TALK THE PLAIN VIEW AND ORDINARY OBSERVATION ANGLE OF THINGS. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT WE, YOU, ALL OF US ARE BEING SPIED ON SEPARATING THE ICE ANGLE. I KNOW FROM HEARING EACH OF YOU SPEAK TO THAT ISSUE THAT YOU ARE OPPOSED TO ICE INVOLVEMENT IN GRAND RAPIDS, AND IT CONTINUES TO GROW AS THEY'VE ALREADY SPOKEN.

AND THERE WILL BE MORE EXAMPLES, I'M SURE. AND AS THE LAST SPEAKER ELOQUENTLY EXPRESSED, THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE REGARDING JUST HOW SCREWED UP FLOCK CAMERAS ARE, ACLU, USING THE OFFICIAL STATISTICS THAT THEY HAVE, SAY THAT UP TO 10% OF ALL DATA OBTAINED THROUGH AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS IS INACCURATE. THEY CAN'T READ THE STATE. SOME THINGS I'VE READ OF UP TO 40%, WHATEVER. THERE'S A LOT OF IT. AND THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR AMERICA, AND ESPECIALLY FOR GRAND RAPIDS. NOW, THEY TALKED SOME ABOUT THE ABUSE. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING AFTER AN EX OR, YOU KNOW, CHILDREN OR. THE TRACKING. NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY PREVENT CRIME. THERE IS NONE. AND WE TALKED JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO, 45 BANK ROBBERIES WERE PREVENTED. NO, WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY PREVENT CRIME. NONE. WHAT THEY PROVIDE IS INFORMATION. LOTS OF DATA. SO YOU CAN FIND OUT WHEN I WENT TO MEYER AND, OH, WE WENT TO FAMILY FAIR THIS TIME OR WHATEVER, COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES ARE SEPARATING THEMSELVES FROM AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS. FOR THESE REASONS AND MORE. IT COMES TO THIS, AND I'VE SPOKEN TO THIS ISSUE WITH WITH EACH OF YOU, SOME OF YOU INDIVIDUALLY.

[00:25:04]

SO PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. BECAUSE AS JONATHAN JONES ONCE SAID, THE ROAD TO BLUE GOES THROUGH BLACK. SO GET READY TO EARN. SO GET READY TO EARN THE BLACK VOTE. 2026. HELLO, SHARON HICKOX, GRAND RAPIDS I'M NOT GOING TO PRETEND TO BE AN ELOQUENT SPEAKER, BUT I CAN SPEAK FROM THE HEART. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NOTICE I HAVE A STAY HUMAN PIN AND I WANT YOU TO ALL PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WE THINK ABOUT PROTECTING AND SUPPORTING OUR IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS. AND MAYOR LEGRAND, I DON'T KNOW WHY THERE IS THIS LACK OF RESPONSE.

THEY ARE REACHING OUT TO MEET, TO DISCUSS THE VERY NEED TO ADOPT THEIR SIX SANCTUARY POLICIES. DON'T HESITATE. PLEASE RESPOND IMMEDIATELY. GRPS THERE IN FRONT OF US. PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO ACCOUNT. STAND UP. DO SOMETHING. PLEASE ADOPT THE REQUESTED SIX SANCTUARY POLICIES. ABOLISH ICE. STAND UP FOR THE AFFECTED COMMUNITY AND OUR NEIGHBORS, THE RESOURCES THAT ARE BEING SPENT. IT IS. WE NEED TO PUT THOSE MORE TOWARDS OUR AFFECTED COMMUNITY. ALL THE MONEY, ALL THE TIME, ALL THE ANGST, ALL THE ANXIETY. THIS CAN ALL BE HELPED. YOU'VE GOT TO STAND UP FOR THE AFFECTED COMMUNITY NOW AND ABOLISH ICE AND ADOPT THESE SIX SANCTUARY POLICIES IMMEDIATELY. THANK YOU. MICHAEL THOMPSON. AND IN GRAND RAPIDS FOR OVER 30 YEARS, I'VE NEVER SEEN A PERIOD LIKE THIS ONE. MY NEIGHBORS ARE TERRIFIED. BY POLICE SUPPORT OF ICE AND

[00:30:11]

THERE WAS SOMEONE PICKED UP WHEN ONE OF THOSE TIMES, AND NOT JUST THE TIME THAT JEFF REFERRED TO ANOTHER TIME SIMILAR TO IT. HE WAS MARRIED TO AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. HIS PAPERS WERE IN ORDER. HE HAD AN APPOINTMENT TO APPEAR FOR HIS NEXT THING, AND HE WAS PICKED UP AND HELD IT ON OTTAWA AND DEPORTED BACK OFF TO BALDWIN. EVEN THOUGH WE ASKED TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE INSIDE WITH HIS WIFE, WHO HAD HIS PAPERS THERE. NO BUDGING. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE LAW SAYS. THIS IS HOW ICE WORKS. THIS PERIOD OF HISTORY IS GETTING ME TO DIG BACK A LITTLE BIT INTO AMERICAN HISTORY FOR MYSELF AGAIN. AND I KNOW I DON'T WANT TO BE GRANDIOSE. WE'RE NOT IN THE TIME OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, EXCEPT EXCEPT THAT THE GAINS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT ARE BEING EVISCERATED BEFORE OUR VERY EYES, AND YOU KNOW IT. AND YET WE GET EL-SAEED VOTED IN WHEN SO MUCH MONEY IS THROWN AGAINST THEM AND HE STANDS. NOW, I DON'T PRETEND TO KNOW THE FUTURE, BUT THE ORANGE BUFFOON WHO RUNS THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO ONLY WIN IF PEOPLE KEEP THROWING MONEY AT IT. THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS IN THIS COUNTRY WANT TO BE NEIGHBORS TO EACH OTHER, WANT TO CARE FOR EACH OTHER IN CHURCH AND IN STATE, IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. SO, AS ROBIN SAYS, LET'S BE HUMAN TOGETHER.

FRIENDS. I'VE SPOKEN HERE BEFORE, AS SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE BEFORE. SOME OF YOU NOD. I'M GRATEFUL. SOME OF YOU LOOK RATHER BORED. MAYBE THIS IS BORING TO LISTEN TO US TALK.

I'M ALMOST TEMPTED, BUT PROBABLY SHOULD NOT INFLICT THIS ON YOU TO REMIND YOU OF THAT ANTHEM OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS. I'LL JUST SPEAK IT. WE SHALL OVERCOME, WE SHALL OVERCOME.

DEEP IN MY HEART I KNOW THAT IT IS TRUE. WE SHALL OVERCOME SOMEDAY. ALL OF THIS PILE OF MANURE. WHICH SIDE OF HISTORY DO YOU WANT TO BE ON? VOTE. YOUR CAREERS MATTER A WHOLE LOT LESS TO YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUR GRANDCHILDREN THAN WHAT YOU DO IN THESE TIMES. FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE. I'M WILLING TO GO TO JAIL FOR THAT IF I GET IN THE WAY. AND I KNOW MANY OF MY FRIENDS ARE AS WELL. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. THANK YOU. HELLO, MY NAME IS LAUREN. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF GR FOR 35 YEARS. AT THIS POINT, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER ME AS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT MAYOR LEGRAND LAUGHED IN THE FACE OF WHEN I ASKED FOR ACTUAL HELP PROTECTING OUR NEIGHBORS AT A MEETING THIS EARLIER THIS YEAR, I POINTED OUT HIS FAILED ATTEMPTS AT CREATING SOME PEACEFUL OBSERVER PROGRAM TO OVERSTRETCH RAPID RESPONSE TO ICE AND HOW RIDICULOUS THAT WAS.

AND APPARENTLY HE FOUND THAT HUMOROUS. SO IT'S LOVELY TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. WHAT'S NOT LOVELY IS NEEDING TO BE HERE, CONTINUING TO ASK FOR THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER. HELP FOR OUR NEIGHBORS, PROTECTION FOR OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY MEMBERS THIS WEEK, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE KIDS OF OUR OWN THAT ARE GETTING BACK TO SCHOOL, I'VE BEEN SPENDING MY TIME PACKING SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR CHILDREN WHO HAVE HAD A PARENT TAKEN RIGHT HERE IN OUR CITY, OFF OF OUR STREETS, RIGHT OUT OF GRAND RAPIDS, TAKEN TO NORTH LAKE. THESE CHILDREN ARE NOW HAVING TO BE COURAGEOUS AND START SCHOOL WHILE THEY'RE TERRIFIED. WE PACKED GROCERIES EVERY SINGLE WEEK FOR THEIR FAMILIES. IT WOULD BE LOVELY TO HAVE YOU ALL JOIN OUR PROGRAM AT SOME POINT AND COME HELP FOR THE OTHER CHILDREN THAT ARE TOO SCARED TO LEAVE. WE'RE MAKING CURRICULUM WITH RETIRED TEACHERS FOR THEM TO CONTINUE TO LEARN INSIDE THEIR HOME. LET ME REPEAT THAT YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN YOUR CITY TOO TERRIFIED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND GO TO SCHOOL. THAT IS SHAME, SHAME, SHAME. WE HAVE TO DEVELOP CURRICULUM FOR THEM SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION AND TRY TO HAVE ONE DAY BE SOMEWHAT NORMAL WHILE THEY'RE WONDERING IF THEY'RE EVER GOING TO SEE THEIR PARENT AGAIN AND THEIR OTHER PARENT IS SCRAMBLING, OR THEIR AUNT OR THEIR GRANDMA BECAUSE BOTH OF THEIR PARENTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN, THEY'RE SCRAMBLING TO KEEP THEIR HOUSE AFLOAT. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT? WHY HAVEN'T ANY OF YOU SHOWN UP, COMMENTED, OR EXPRESSED CONCERNS WITH ANY OF THE RECENT INCIDENCES THAT ARE ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA, ALL OVER THE NEWS, ALL OVER EVERYTHING RELATED TO THE INCIDENCES AT 517 OTTAWA A YEAR AGO, YOU ALL SAID THAT YOU WANTED TO SEE IT IN PERSON.

[00:35:04]

NOT ONE PERSON. YOU WEREN'T THERE LAST YEAR WHEN SOMEONE GOT ARRESTED IN A PUBLIC ALLEY, AND YOU WEREN'T THERE THIS YEAR WHEN TEN PEOPLE ALMOST GOT ARRESTED JUST BY BEING IN OUR CITY. I'M TIRED OF BEING UP HERE AND ASKING FOR SUPPORT AND THEN HEARING YOU ALL SAY, IN THE AFTERMATH, WE HAVE PROTECTIONS IN PLACE THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR. I'M NOT SURE IF IT WAS THE LAST MEETING OR THE ONE BEFORE, BUT IN THE IN THE COMMENTS AFTERWARDS, DAVID MADE A RIDICULOUS ANALOGY ABOUT WATCHING. IT WAS LIKE LISTENING TO US WATCHING SOMEONE HOLD A COFFEE CUP WHILE ASKING YOU FOR A COFFEE CUP YOU'VE ALREADY PROVIDED US WITH. I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT IS THE ANALOGY YOU USE, BUT IF THAT'S THE CODE PHRASE, LET ME GET ON YOUR LEVEL. THE COFFEE CUP IS FILLED WITH ICE AGENTS, THE ICE IS SPILLING EVERYWHERE AND ICE BELONGS NOWHERE. FIND ME A MUG WITH NO ICE. G, RPD IS IN FULL COLLABORATION, AND IT IS ALL OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE CARE OF THAT AND PROVIDE SOLUTIONS AND PROTECTIONS. THE LACK OF SUPPORT YOU'RE PROVIDING REGULARLY IS OBVIOUS, BUT HERE'S ONE YOU CAN DO. COME ON DOWN ON SATURDAY, DAVID. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR STREET ON 300 LA GRANDE. WE'RE HAVING A MASSIVE MULTI HOUSE GARAGE SALE TO SUPPORT THESE NEIGHBORS THAT NOBODY'S TAKING CARE OF. MULTIPLE HOUSES DOWN COLLEGE AVENUE HOSTING A SALE TO, TO BENEFIT US. SO MAKE SURE YOU STOP BY. THANKS SO MUCH. WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY? I THINK YOU SHOULD ADOPT THE SIX SANCTUARY POLICIES. MY NAME IS TERESA. I'M LIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS FOR 40 YEARS. I UNDERSTAND THAT DAVID WON'T DO THAT. I UNDERSTAND THAT HE SAYS HE CAN'T DO THAT.

I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A FEDERAL THING. AND YOU GUYS HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY TO STAND UP FOR OUR NEIGHBORS AND SAY, YOU'LL ADOPT THE SIX SANCTUARY POLICIES. WE'RE NOT ASKING TO BE A CITY, WHICH EVERYBODY ALWAYS SAYS THEY DON'T WANT TO BE A SANCTUARY CITY. WE'RE ASKING FOR THESE POLICIES THAT YOU'VE ALREADY SAID ARE IN PLACE TO BE PUT INTO PLACE. AND THEN I HAVE ONE OTHER THING I'M I'M ASSUMING, AND I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, BUT I ASSUME YOU ALL GIVE TO MUTUAL AID. CORRECT. I ASSUME YOU ALL SEE ON GRAND RAPIDS RAPID RESPONSE FACEBOOK PAGE THE MANY, MANY FLIERS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT OUT THERE ASKING FOR AID FOR OUR LOVED ONES AND NEIGHBORS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY ICE. I'M SURE YOU ALL SUPPORT THOSE, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHO DOES SUPPORT THOSE PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE THE POSITION THAT YOU ARE IN, PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING FROM PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK STILL PUT IN MONEY FOR, FOR OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WHO HAVE BEEN DETAINED BY THIS ILLEGAL GESTAPO AND YOU'RE ALLOWING IT TO DO IT, I HOPE YOU GO HOME AND START BLOWING UP OUR MUTUAL AID FUND. SO THOSE PEOPLE THAT YOU DON'T CARE THAT THEY'RE THEY MIGHT BE IN THE PROCESS OF IMMIGRATION. THEY MIGHT BE GOING TO THEIR ICE APPOINTMENTS. THEY MIGHT BE DOING THE THINGS THAT YOU LAUGHED AT DAVID ABOUT BYRON DOING WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO SHOW HIS HIS PAPERWORK TO YOUR GRPD. AND THEY TOOK HIM AWAY AND HE'S GONE. HE WAS A PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF OUR SOCIETY. AND YOU DON'T CARE.

YOU DON'T CARE. AND IF YOU DO CARE AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STAND UP, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MEET WITH FACE TO FACE IN PUBLIC, THEN AT LEAST DONATE SOME OF THAT MONEY THAT YOU MAKE. THANK YOU. HI, I'M JAY CONGDON. DONALD TRUMP IS A KNOWN HUMAN TRAFFICKER, A CONVICTED FRAUDSTER, AND THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF GENOCIDE AT HOME AND ABROAD. IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR ANYONE WHO USED THEIR VOTE TO ENDORSE HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FRAUD AND GENOCIDE TO WORK AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR ANYONE WHO ENDORSES HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FRAUD AND GENOCIDE TO HANDLE DATA COLLECTED BY AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS. IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR ANYONE WHO ENDORSES HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FRAUD AND GENOCIDE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF IMMIGRATION. IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE PEOPLE OF GRAND RAPIDS TO TOLERATE THESE TRAITORS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND OPERATING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. THANK YOU. SEEING NO ONE ELSE, I WILL MOVE TO COMMENTS FROM MY COLLEAGUES. PARDON ME. OH. MY NAME IS. I LIVE IN ROOSEVELT PARK. I STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH MOVIMIENTO COSECHA AND OUR RAPID RESPONSE TO ICE. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK GRAND RAPIDS DSA FOR INVITING ME TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST FOX MASK STOCKING NETWORK OF CAMERAS AND

[00:40:04]

EVERY SINGLE DAY IS MADE WORSE BY THE CONSTANT REMINDER THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF STRANGERS CAN STALK ANYONE I LOVE, AND THEY CAN STALK ANYONE YOU LOVE. THEY CAN AND DO STALK AND ATTACK MY NEIGHBORS, MORE OF WHOM ARE LATIN AMERICAN THAN THE REST OF THE CITY. LOOK AT THE MAP OF THESE CAMERAS ON DF.LOC DOT ME. THERE'S A HELL OF A LOT MORE CAMERAS IN WYOMING THAN IN EAST GRAND RAPIDS. THESE ARE NOT JUST LICENSE PLATE READERS. THIS IS A PURPOSE DESIGNED STALKING TOOL. IT WAS DESIGNED TO LET EVERY PAYING CUSTOMER STALK ANYONE, ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME. IT CANNOT BE REGULATED. IT CAN ONLY BE DESTROYED. MAYOR. MAYOR LEGRAND, I'M ALMOST FINISHED, SO I'D APPRECIATE IF YOU LOOKED AT THE PERSON SPEAKING INSTEAD OF YOUR DESK. IF YOU CAN ALLOW A NETWORK OF 130,000 CAMERAS TO STALK EVERYONE YOU LOVE, EVERY ONE OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND EVERYONE WE LOVE, YOU'VE SOLD YOUR HUMANITY. THERE ARE NO ACCOMPLICES TO STALKERS, PEDOPHILES, AND FASCISTS. THERE ARE ONLY STALKERS, PEDOPHILES, AND FASCISTS. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO PROVE THAT YOU AREN'T THAT. CUT THESE CAMERAS DOWN.

SOLIDARITY WITH MY NEIGHBORS AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE WORKERS IN GRAND RAPIDS. HELLO, CITY COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS CARL WALKER. THEY THEM? I LIVE IN WARD ONE AND I AM SPEAKING WITH YOU TODAY JUST TO RAISE CONCERN AS A GRAND RAPIDS RESIDENT ABOUT THE PRESENCE, USE AND MISUSE OF CAMERAS IN OUR CITY. SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TOUCHED ON THIS, CONCERNED ABOUT LOTS OF DIFFERENT ANGLES WITH THIS. BUT TO ME, AS A RESIDENT WHO VALUES SAFETY, COMMUNITY COLLABORATION AND RESPECT, I AM DEEPLY DISTURBED BY THE PRESENCE OF THESE CAMERAS THAT ARE PLACED THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITIES. I UNDERSTAND THEIR INTENDED USE AND THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY MEASURES, BUT THIS APPROACH OF PRIVATELY CONTRACTED MASS SURVEILLANCE IS UNACCEPTABLE AND PUTS MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY AT RISK. WE HAVE STORIES CROPPING UP ALL OVER THE US ABOUT HOW LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS HAVE MISUSED THE DATA COLLECTED BY THESE CAMERAS TO OBSERVE AND STALK X'S COWORKERS, PARTNERS, AND NEIGHBORS, AND SEVERAL PEOPLE REFERENCED CHILDREN AS WELL. THIS. THIS PUTS OUR COMMUNITY AT RISK. WE HAVE ALL THESE STORIES, AND I KNOW THAT HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS, GRPD HAS ALREADY STRUGGLED IN THE PAST WITH BUILDING COMMUNITY. TRUST AND MAINTAINING THAT TRUST WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS, AND IT'S REALLY NOT HELPING US TRUST ANY MORE JUST TO KNOW THAT WE'RE BEING WATCHED. DAILY PROFILES ABOUT OUR VEHICLES, LICENSE PLATES, OUR COMINGS AND GOINGS ARE ALL BEING COMPILED UNDER THE GUISE OF COMMUNITY SAFETY. AND THESE CAMERAS DON'T MAKE ME FEEL SAFE. LIKE I MENTIONED, MY COMMUNITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS SYSTEM OF CAMERAS IS DOING NEAR AS MUCH GOOD AS THEY ARE DOING HARM. OUR IMMIGRANT FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, DOCUMENTED OR NOT, ARE AT AN INCREASED RISK ALREADY FOR BEING DETAINED ILLEGALLY DUE TO THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN, THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN

[00:45:03]

ALSO, AS A QUEER AND TRANS PERSON, I'D LIKE TO SAY I SEE REGULARLY IN THE NEWS ABOUT HOW WE'RE PERCEIVED AS A THREAT JUST FOR EXISTING AND ADVOCATING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

IT'S NO SECRET THAT PEOPLE WHO SEE US AS A THREAT WILL USE ANY EXCUSE AND MEANS TO IDENTIFY US, KEEP TABS ON US, AND ENACT VIOLENCE AGAINST US. I DON'T HAVE FAITH THAT THE SYSTEM IS UNCORRUPT OR WELL-INTENTIONED ENOUGH TO PREVENT THIS DATA FROM BEING MISUSED IN WAYS THAT ACTIVELY PUT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT RISK. WHENEVER I SEE A FLOCK CAMERA, I DON'T THINK, OH GOOD, SOMEONE'S LOOKING OUT FOR ME. I IMMEDIATELY HAVE A SPIKE OF ANXIETY, AND I THINK ABOUT ALL THE DATA THAT HAS BEEN COMPILED ABOUT ME AND HOW IF SOMEONE REALLY WANTED TO, THEY COULD FIND ME WHERE I LIVE, WHERE I WORK AND ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY AND HURT ME OR ANY NUMBER OF MY FELLOW GRAND RAPIDS. THIS MAKES US LIVE IN FEAR MORE THAN WE ALREADY HAVE BEEN UNDER THIS TRUMP REGIME. YOU HAVE THE POWER IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND YOU HAVE A DUTY TO US AS CONSTITUENTS JUST TO KEEP US SAFE AND TO HEAR OUR CONCERNS. SO TODAY, I HOPE YOU HEAR ME AND ALL THESE OTHER FOLKS THAT HAVE EXPRESSED FEAR, CONCERN, AND DISCOURAGEMENT ABOUT THESE FLAWED CAMERAS AND MAKE THE DECISION THAT IS BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY. DON'T COOPERATE WITH ICE AND GET THE FLOCK OUT. HELLO, MY NAME IS DUNCAN DONAHUE. I'M A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. I WANT TO LIFT UP AND ECHO A LOT OF THE SENTIMENTS BROUGHT UP BY OTHER FOLKS HERE TODAY, FOLKS FROM COSECHA RAPID RESPONSE AND GRAND RAPIDS DSA. AND I WANT TO USE MY TIME TO FOCUS ON JUST HOW LITTLE CONTROL THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS OR THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS OVER THE DATA COLLECTED BY FLOCK CAMERAS. OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT THE ISSUES WITH THE COMPANY OF FLOCK ITSELF, BUT I WANT TO STRESS JUST HOW LITTLE CONTROL WE HAVE IN TERMS OF WHERE THIS DATA GOES TO OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS. SO FLOCK DATA IS SHARED IN NETWORKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, FROM MY RESEARCH AT LEAST, I CAN'T FIND ANY PUBLIC RECORD OF WHERE OUR DATA HERE FROM THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS IS BEING SHARED ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON D FLOCK.ORG. HOWEVER, THEY'VE COMPILED THE PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY PORTALS OF THE POLICE AGENCIES THAT DO LET THE PUBLIC KNOW WHO THEY'RE SHARING DATA WITH. ONLY ABOUT 580 DEPARTMENTS SHARE ALL THE LIST OF AGENCIES THAT THEY SHARE THEIR DATA WITH. GRAND RAPIDS APPEARS IN THAT LIST 89 TIMES, SO THAT'S ABOUT 20% OF ALL AGENCIES NATIONWIDE THAT SHARE DATA SAY THAT THEY SHARE DATA SPECIFICALLY WITH GRAND RAPIDS. VERY OFTEN THOSE DEALS ARE MUTUAL. WE DON'T KNOW. BUT I THINK IT'S VERY SAFE TO ASSUME THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST A THOUSAND AGENCIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE ACCESS TO OUR LICENSE PLATE READERS THROUGH THESE DATA SHARING AGREEMENTS. I WOULD ENCOURAGE TRANSPARENCY ON THAT. I WANT TO KNOW WHERE MY DATA IS GOING. AND AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSCORE HOW EVEN IF THE. AND THAT'S AN. IF THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT COOPERATING WITH ICE, IT JUST TAKES ONE OF THOSE AGENCIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH ACCESS TO OUR DATA TO TURN THAT DATA OVER TO ICE. ALL RIGHT. SO THERE IS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE THE STATEMENT THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT COOPERATING WITH ICE WHILE WE HAVE A CONTRACT. IF WE HAVE A CONTRACT, THAT DATA IS GETTING TO ICE AND IT'S BEING USED TO GIVE ACCESS TO OUR MOST VULNERABLE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITIES TO A POLITICIZED AND RACIST PARAMILITARY FORCE IN OUR STREETS. SO I THINK THESE TWO ISSUES THAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IS REALLY ONE AND THE SAME. AND I WOULD INVITE THE COMMISSION TO REALLY LOOK AT ITS CONTRACT WITH FLOC SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SAFE RAILS GUARDRAILS IN PLACE. THERE'S NOT REALLY ANY GUARDRAILS HERE WHEN IT COMES TO FLOC, BECAUSE IF WE SHARE THAT DATA, IT'S ENDING UP WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IT'S ENDING UP WITH ICE, AND IT'S MAKING ALL OF US LESS SAFE. THANK YOU. HI. I'M JASON, I LIVE IN THE SECOND WARD. I JUST WANT TO ECHO EVERYONE ELSE'S COMMENTS. FLOCK AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS. THEY'RE REALLY DISTURBING. THEY'RE CREEPY UNAMERICAN. I MEAN, PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT THIS.

PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE SPIED ON. I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYONE SAY THEY WANT TO BE SPIED ON. SO IF YOU COULD JUST TAKE A STAND LIKE SO MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE DOING AND STOP THIS, THAT

[00:50:03]

AT THE VERY LEAST, OTHER OFFICERS LIKE THE KALAMAZOO AND COLUMBUS OFFICES, HAVE ALREADY RESPONDED PUBLICLY WITH TRANSPARENT THIRD PARTY AUDITS OF FLOC USERS. SO I REQUEST IF YOU DO NOT CANCEL THE CITY'S FLOC CONTRACT, IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO LOOK INTO WHAT THAT DATA IS BEING USED FOR. LIKE MY OTHER PARTNERS HAVE SAID, WHAT IS THAT DATA BEING SHARED WITH AND WHO AND FOR WHAT? WITH THIS IN MIND, I URGE YOU TO FOLLOW SUIT. SUMMARIZING AUDIT DATA WILL HELP YOUR CONSTITUENTS BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING TOWARDS, AND WILL HELP HIGHLIGHT DATA PRIVACY ISSUES, PUBLIC TRUST CONCERNS, AND AID YOU IN MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT CANCELING THE CITY'S FLOC CONTRACT. YOUR CONSTITUENTS CLEARLY WANT A CANCELLATION. AS YOU SEE WITHIN YOUR AGENDA, THE PETITION THAT MOST HERE HAVE SIGNED, IF NOT ALL OTHER FLOC AUDITS HAVE ALREADY REVEALED THAT MANY IMPLEMENTATIONS FLOC HAVE LED TO FALSE REPORTS SUCH AS THE ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA ACCURACY RATE BEING 29%. AS A WORKER IN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, IF I HAD A SUCCESS RATE OF 29% OR EVEN DOUBLE THAT AT MY WORK, I WOULD BE FIRED ON THE SPOT. AND IT'S NOT JUST FALSE REPORTS LEADING TO THESE POTENTIAL ARMED POLICE ENCOUNTERS THAT CAUSE ISSUES. IT'S ALSO EXTERNAL AGENCIES HAVING ACCESS TO THE DATABASES. LIKE IN 2025, WHEN MICHIGAN'S OWN FERNDALE TOWNSHIP AUDIT CONFIRMED ONLY 1% OF DATA REQUESTS WERE DONE BY INTERNAL AGENTS, WITH NOTABLE NUMBER OF REQUESTS FOCUSING ON IMMIGRATION AND PROTESTS LIKE NO KINGS AND OTHERS. IF THAT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH, NOW THAT FLOC IS GAINING MORE NEGATIVE ATTENTION, SOME OFFICERS ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR USING FLOCK CAMERAS FOR PERSONAL USE, LIKE HOW A POLICE OFFICER A FEW DAYS AGO WAS ACCUSED OF USING FLOCK CAMERAS TO TRACK THEIR BOYFRIEND'S EX-WIFE. IT'S FOR THESE REASONS A FLOCK IS INACCURATE. LICENSE PLATE READING, EXTERNAL AGENCIES, GAINING UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, AND USING FLOCK FOR PERSONAL BENEFIT. THAT I URGE YOU TO CANCEL OUR FLOCK PARTNERSHIP, OR AT THE LEAST, RELEASE A COMPREHENSIVE THIRD PARTY PUBLIC AUDIT. SUMMARY OF FLOCKS USAGE AND ACCURACY FOR ALL TO SEE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. HELLO, MY NAME IS PHYLLIS. I LIVE IN THE FIRST WARD. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT MY OPPOSITION TO FLOCK CAMERAS AND AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS IN GENERAL. UNTIL MAYBE SIX MONTHS AGO, I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS BEING SPIED ON EVERY DAY. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THERE WERE GOING TO BE TEN CAMERAS TAKING PICTURES OF ME ON MY WAY TO WORK ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. THERE'S CAMERAS ON MY WAY TO THE GROCERY STORE. THERE'S CAMERAS ON MY WAY TO VISIT MY PARENTS. AS A SINGLE WOMAN WHO LIVES ALONE, THAT'S TERRIFYING.

IT'S TERRIFYING TO KNOW THAT THIS DATA IS ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE THAT I DON'T KNOW.

PEOPLE CAN FIND OUT WHERE I LIVE, WHERE I SHOP, WHERE I GO TO WORK. THEY CAN FIND ALL THIS INFORMATION ABOUT ME, AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT. WHEN I TELL MY FRIENDS ABOUT THESE THINGS, THEY'RE SHOCKED. THEY'RE SHOCKED. THEY DON'T. THEY DIDN'T CONSENT TO THAT. NO ONE CONSENTED TO THAT. AND TALKING ABOUT THE FAILURE RATE, I'D BE FIRED IF I HAD A 10% SUCCESS RATE OR A 30% SUCCESS RATE ON MY JOB. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE LEAVING IT IN THE HANDS OF AI TO ACCUSE PEOPLE OF CRIMES THAT THEY MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE COMMITTED. I MEAN, IF YOU ASK AI, WHAT'S HOW DO I KEEP THE CHEESE TOGETHER ON MY PIZZA? IT'LL TELL YOU GLUE. I URGE THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS TO REEVALUATE ITS CONTRACT WITH FLOC. I URGE THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS TO REEVALUATE ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS AND SURVEILLANCE IN GENERAL. I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PRIVACY AND

[00:55:01]

[COMMENTS BY COMMISSIONERS]

SO THAT'S WITHIN OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT. BUT I AM VERY AWARE OF HOW JUST LIKE DATA CENTERS, WHICH IS SOMETHING I'VE ALSO BEEN OUTSPOKEN ABOUT NOT SUPPORTING HERE IN OUR REGION AND CERTAINLY NOT IN OUR CITY. YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT UPON US TO KEEP THE PULSE OF WHO WE REPRESENT. AND SO THE FLOCK CAMERAS IS SOMETHING THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING ADDRESSING. I THINK THE AUDIT WAS A VERY, VERY GOOD FEEDBACK.

I'LL LOOK INTO AND RESEARCH WHAT OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE DOING THAT. AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN SPEAK MORE ABOUT THIS AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. I KNOW IN YEARS PAST, SHOTSPOTTER, FOR EXAMPLE, IN DETROIT, WAS MALFUNCTIONING. IT WAS DOING SORT OF FACIAL. AND SO THE CITY COMMISSION AT THE TIME, THE NAACP HERE LOCALLY WORKED REALLY HARD TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD POLICY IN TERMS OF SURVEILLANCE. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO PUTTING FLOC AGAINST OUR SURVEILLANCE POLICY AND JUST SEEING IN A MORE TRANSPARENT WAY WITH COMMUNITY WHAT WE'VE AGREED TO AND HOW THAT AGREEMENT CAN LOOK MOVING FORWARD, OR IF WE CAN HAVE IT, NOT AT ALL MOVING FORWARD. SO THAT'S SOMETHING I LOOK FORWARD TO AND WOULD LOVE MAYBE FEEDBACK FROM THE CITY MANAGER IN TERMS OF HOW THAT CONTRACT IS ABOUT, BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, I WAS NOT HERE WHEN THAT WAS ADDED, BUT WE'LL CERTAINLY LOOK INTO IT. AND THEN I'M HOPING NEIGHBORS CAN STAY AROUND TO EDUCATE FOLKS ON HOW YOU CAN HELP WITH. I'M FAMILIAR WITH OUR MUTUAL AID AND I HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO MUTUAL AID. I DON'T THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT IN A PUBLIC AVENUE. I USUALLY SPEAK UP ABOUT BECAUSE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO. YOU CAN JUST DO THE RIGHT THING. SO BUT I AM A SUPPORTER OF MUTUAL AID, AND I'M PROUD OF THE COMMUNITY THAT CONTINUES TO LIFT THAT UP. BUT IN TERMS OF LIKE THE YARD SALE, I HAVEN'T HEARD OF THAT. RIGHT. LIKE IT'S IT'S HARD SOMETIMES ON SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU GET IN YOUR LITTLE BUBBLE AND YOU AREN'T AWARE OF EVERYTHING. SO, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO BE EDUCATED ON THAT. AND YEAH, I THINK WE THE SHORTER DAYS ARE STILL LONG, BUT IT WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE. SO I'M THANKFUL FOR MY COLLEAGUES BEING PRODUCTIVE TODAY AND LOOK FORWARD TO

[01:00:01]

BUT WHAT DO WE HAVE AGENCY OVER? SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT I'M THANKFUL THAT FOLKS MADE TIME IN THEIR DAY TO ADDRESS TO US, TALK TO US AND CONNECT WITH US ON. AND I IN NO WAY WILL BE DROPPING IT. I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION, BE AS TRANSPARENT AS WE CAN, AND COME TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN FIND, RESOLVE, AND REMEDY SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE SEEING BECAUSE I, I AM SEEING THEM AND I'M SEEING THEM ALL OVER OUR COUNTRY, AND IT IS QUITE A TIME TO COME TOGETHER. AFTER THE ELECTION, I FLIPPED PANCAKES AT A UNITY BREAKFAST, AND I WAS ONE OF MY FIRST ROLES IN PUBLIC SERVICE WAS A SERVER AT IHOP. I THINK EVERYONE WHO'S ELECTED SHOULD HAVE SOME TYPE OF SERVICE ROLE. IT REALLY SHOWS YOU HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING CARE OF THE COMMUNITY. AND SO IN THAT SAME VEIN, I'M REALLY IN ANY AVENUE, WHEREVER YOU ALL WOULD LIKE ME TO SHOW UP, I HAVE NOT GOTTEN AN INVITATION TO SHOW UP FOR THIS SPECIFIC GROUP, BUT ANY OTHER GROUP IN COMMUNITY CAN TELL YOU IF I'M INVITED, I WILL MAKE IT IF I'M HERE. SO INVITE ME. CONTINUE TO WORK WITH ME ON THESE ISSUES AND I'M THANKFUL FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON. COMMISSIONER BOWSER. WHY? OKAY. THANK YOU. SO YES, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER KILGORE, FOR SAYING ALL OF THAT BECAUSE I, I AGREE, I'M IN THE SAME SAME BOAT WITH YOU THAT I THINK WE NEED TO BE PUSHING THESE CONVERSATIONS FORWARD. AND PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE USING, THE PRIVACY, THE AUTONOMY, AS SOMEONE SAID, AND ALSO TO BE BALANCING IT WITH HOW WE CAN BE ADDRESSING WHAT'S ACTUALLY NEEDED TO BE DONE TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE AND OTHER ALL THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT WE TRY TO DO THAT. I, TOO, DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.

YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO INVITE ME PERSONALLY. I HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS. WE'D LOVE TO TO HEAR MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SPECIFICALLY ASK, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF DISCUSSION AT OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING, TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PERHAPS AN AUDIT OR A REVIEW OF OUR CURRENT POLICY, WHY WAS IT GRANDFATHERED IN THE PAST AND JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AGAIN, WHEN IT COMES TO THE AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS. AND THAT'S WHERE WE COULD BEGIN THE CONVERSATION. I WOULD LIKE TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MANY I, BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT SOMETIMES WE HAVE CAMERAS THAT ARE DOING CERTAIN JOBS OUT THERE THAT ARE NOT LICENSE PLATE READERS. SO WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE AND WHERE ARE THEY AND HOW MANY? I THINK THAT I DON'T WANT TO MAKE ANY GUESSES. I WANT TO KNOW THAT INFORMATION. AND I HAVE STARTED A CONVERSATION, I THINK, WITH THE CITY MANAGER. AND I LIKE LIKE WHAT COMMISSIONER KILGORE SAID, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH OUR CITY MANAGER AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. SO STAY TUNED BECAUSE I BELIEVE THERE WILL BE MORE CONVERSATION ON THAT IN FAR AS FAR AS WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE FIRST WARD RIGHT NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ROOSEVELT PARK NEIGHBORHOOD, BECAUSE I WAS OUT THERE FOR COMMISSION NIGHT OUT, AND I ALSO GOT TO GO TO J BAND AND SWAN NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE WEST GRAND NEIGHBORHOOD. I APOLOGIZE TO MY GARFIELD PARK AND ALGER HEIGHTS NEIGHBORS. I WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT THERE THAT NIGHT, BUT ROOSEVELT PARK SENT ME THIS REALLY NICE BOOK, THE HISTORY OF THE GRANDVILLE AVENUE AND WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON THERE, HOW THE BUSINESSES, BUILDINGS, PEOPLE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE HISTORY. AND THAT'S A CHANGING COMMUNITY ALWAYS. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNITIES LIKE THAT. BUT TODAY WE TALKED A BIT ABOUT THE THIRD WARD. AND I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT YOUR I WANT TO CELEBRATE YOUR HISTORY.

AND I SAW THAT SOME OF THE LOCATIONS WERE ACTUALLY IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD TOO. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE ROOSEVELT PARK NEIGHBORS FOR SENDING ME THAT. AND THEN LASTLY, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT I WAS AT A HOUSING SUMMIT LAST WEEK WITH SEVERAL OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT WAS PUT ON BY THE CHAMBER, AND IT WAS THE FIRST THAT THEY HAD DONE OF THIS KIND. THEY WERE DEVELOPERS THERE. THERE WERE POLICY PEOPLE THERE. THERE WERE OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM THE SURROUNDING WEST MICHIGAN AREA, FROM MUSKEGON TO KENTWOOD TO VARIOUS

[01:05:02]

BUT ONE OF THE THINGS IS REALLY VILLAINIZING A LOT OF THE FOLKS WHO COME DOWN AND TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES IN PERSON WITH US AND REALLY KIND OF ESSENTIALLY SAYING, THEY'RE CRAZY, THEY'RE FAR, FAR AWAY. RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE WHAT I'M REALLY HEARING ARE WHETHER I AGREE WITH THE APPROACH, THE TACTICS, EVERYTHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IS SAID. I MEAN, OFTENTIMES I DO NOT LIKE THE DELIVERY. I DO NOT LIKE THE STRATEGY, BUT I SEE THAT THE INTENT IS HOW TO PROTECT EACH OTHER, HOW TO PROTECT OUR PRIVACY, HOW TO PROTECT OUR FUTURE. AND WE SEE HOW QUICKLY TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING. AND WE CAN'T JUST KIND OF WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT. AND SO I, I KIND OF THESE COMMENTS, THIS INTEREST AND ACTUALLY ASK THAT WE GO FURTHER, FASTER AND LOOKING INTO OUR AUDIT AND LOOKING INTO KIND OF OUR CURRENT PRACTICES WITH THAT. A FEW MONTHS AGO, I ALSO BROUGHT UP THE IDEA OF RELATED TO OUR FOREIGN NATIONAL POLICIES, WHICH WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT. LET'S AUDIT THAT TO MAKE SURE IT'S ALSO WORKING AS INTENDED. AT THE TIME, THERE WAS NOT INTEREST OR SUPPORT.

AND SO I'M ASKING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE RECONSIDER THAT AND MAYBE THIS IS THE TIME WHERE WE'VE DONE A LOT OF POLICY MAKING. I DON'T THINK NEW POLICY IS THE SOLUTION TO EVERY NEW PROBLEM OR TO CONTINUING PROBLEMS. IS HOW EFFECTIVE IS THAT POLICY IMPLEMENTED? IS IT BEING IMPLEMENTED AS INTENDED TO HIGH QUALITY, AND HOW DOES IT EVOLVE AS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS AND TECHNOLOGY IN OUR COMMUNITY EVOLVES? AND SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD TIME TO STOP AND MAKE SURE THOSE THINGS ARE WORKING AS INTENDED. WE HEARD TODAY SOMEONE TALK ABOUT AN INCIDENT WHERE IT DOES SOUND LIKE THAT THERE WAS A COORDINATION WITH GRPD AND ICE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO US TO LOOK INTO THAT AS WELL. IF THINGS HAPPEN THE WAY THAT THIS PERSON SAID, IT SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE ON PAPER THAT IS BY POLICY, BUT IT'S NOT ALIGNED WITH THE INTENT OF THIS BODY AND HOW WE WANT TO INTERACT WITH FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ON THIS ISSUE.

IT'S ELECTION SEASON, ESPECIALLY THE LAST FEW MONTHS. I THINK A LOT OF POLITICIANS AND A LOT OF CANDIDATES AND A LOT OF LEADERS HAVE BEEN PLAYING IN OUR FACES. AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WORK THAT WE DO, I'M NOT PLAYING ANYONE'S FACE. AND AS A CITY, WE'RE NOT PLAYING IN PEOPLE'S FACES AND WE ARE WHO WE SAY WE ARE. AND WHEN WE DO SOMETHING AND WE ARE CLEAR ABOUT THE INTENT, WE MAKE SURE THAT IT IS DONE ACCORDING TO THAT INTENT.

AND IF IT'S NOT, THEN WE TAKE A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. SO I THINK THIS IS A REALLY TIMELY CONVERSATION. AND COMMISSIONER KILGORE, YOU HAVE BEEN BRINGING UP DATA CENTERS. YOU KNOW, I AGREE WITH THE MAYOR AND THAT THAT IS NOT AS RELEVANT WITHIN OUR LAND USE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY. BUT THIS IS RIGHT EVEN MORE SO IN MANY WAYS. SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO PURSUE UNDERSTANDING KIND OF HOW LICENSE PLATE READERS AND FLOCK HAS EVOLVED WHERE WE ARE NOW AND HAS OUR WORK, OUR POLICIES, OUR OVERSIGHT, OUR GOVERNANCE CAUGHT UP WITH THAT

[01:10:04]

SO, SO MUCH UNFORTUNATE FRAMING OF REAL LIFE ISSUES AND THE CHALLENGES THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH. AND ONE OF THOSE POINTS OF INFORMATION IS THAT THE MAYOR HAS BEEN SILENT, AND THIS BODY HAS BEEN SILENT ABOUT THE CONCERNS OF OUR HOMELESS COMMUNITY, THE FOLKS WHO ARE DOWN IN DESPAIR, THE FOLKS WHO ARE DEALING WITH ADDICTIONS. JUST YESTERDAY, A GROUP OF US MET, RIGHT? A GROUP OF MAYBE 20 FOLKS OF HOW CAN WE BETTER COORDINATE AND WORK TOGETHER ACROSS SECTORS, ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS, TO NOT JUST MOVE PEOPLE AROUND, BUT TO ACTUALLY MEET THEIR NEEDS AND TRY TO GET TO THE ROOT OF IT. AND SO I WANT TO JUST BE CLEAR WITH EVERYONE THAT, THAT, THAT THIS WORK IS STILL HAPPENING. AND PLEASE DO NOT GET DISTRACTED BY THE FOLKS WHO TAKE PLEASURE IN TAKING CLIPS, FRAMING THEM HORRIBLY, ADDING IN MISINFORMATION, ADDING PERSONAL ATTACKS. THAT'S NOT GOING TO HELP US MOVE FORWARD. AND IT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING TO SEE LEADERS OF THIS CITY, LEADERS OF BUSINESS LEADERS OF COMMUNITY COME OUT AND TRY TO SUPPORT THE FRAMING OF THIS CITY AS GOING DOWN THE DRAIN, AS BEING FILLED WITH BAD PEOPLE, AS HAVING BAD LEADERS. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO A CITY THAT YOU SAY YOU LOVE? HOW IS THAT HELPING SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS? A FEW YEARS AGO, I HAD A ONE ON ONE CONVERSATION WITH THIS LEADER AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE HOMELESS ISSUE DOWNTOWN. AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, WELL, THERE IS THIS REAL ASPECT OF PEOPLE BEING IN DESPAIR AND A LOT OF FOLKS WHO ARE IN THESE SITUATIONS HAVING EXTREME PHYSICAL OR MENTAL PAIN, MANY OF THEM HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY. MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF ABUSE. AND THIS PERSON SAID TO ME, THAT'S NOT OUR PROBLEM. AND I SAY, THAT IS OUR PROBLEM. THOSE ARE OUR NEIGHBORS. TO MOVE FORWARD AS A COMMUNITY, AS A SOCIETY, AS A NATION, WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. AND IT'S REALLY CONCERNING FROM THE, THE, THE, THE PACE, I THINK IS BEING SET AT THE TOP THAT MORE AND MORE, WE DO NOT WANT TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. WE WANT TO KEEP WHAT WE HAVE. WE WANT TO KEEP PEOPLE AWAY AND WE WANT TO FURTHER DIVIDE. SO I ASK ALL OF YOU TO LEAD WITH YOUR HUMANITY, LEAD WITH YOUR LOVE OF THE CITY, LEAD WITH YOUR LOVE OF THE NATION AND OUR 250TH YEAR IN THE IN EVERY SINGLE CONVERSATION, IN THE ETHIC OF WHO YOU ARE AND HOW YOU SHOW UP AND HOW YOU DO THAT WORK. AND I THINK THE NEXT STEP FOR THIS BODY IS TO BE WHO WE SAY WE ARE. AND WE CAN DO THAT BY LOOKING AT OUR POLICIES AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE WORKING AS INTENDED. THANK YOU. MR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT. YOU KNOW, IT WAS A BUSY DAY. I YOU KNOW, I CAN SAY WHEN WE WENT TO THE 2:00 MEETING, I THINK IT WAS A NUMBER OF FEEDBACK PIECES. ONE OF THEM WAS FROM FOLKS WHO WORK IN THE NONPROFIT WORLD WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO KIND OF BE HERE ALL DAY LONG, LIKE WORKING AND THEN COMING BACK FOR A MEETING. BUT I WILL SAY, I FEEL LIKE THE 2:00 MEETINGS ARE DEFINITELY A SPRINT. AND SO I LIKE, I LIKE MORE TIME, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF YOU MAY SAY, COME ON, LET'S NOT DO IT. I'M ALWAYS OPEN TO A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN TO OUR MOBILITY DEPARTMENT. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, MONTHS ABOUT MOBILITY. WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE ECONOMY TODAY. WE TALKED IN OUR IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT TEAM MEETING ABOUT THE REALLY GREAT INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE HAVING. BUT WE ALSO TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO MIGHT BE EXPERIENCING CLOSURE OF THEIR BUSINESS, OR CONCERNS ABOUT THINGS LIKE ROAD CLOSURES OR CONSTRUCTION. SO WHAT IS THAT? YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT RESPONSE CONTINUE TO LOOK LIKE? AND THEY'RE CALLING IT LESS OF A K ECONOMY AND MORE OF AN ECONOMY WHERE WE'RE SEEING MORE DISTANCE BETWEEN VARIOUS LEVELS OF INCOME EARNERS. SO THANK YOU ALL WHO, WHO PUT TOGETHER THE PIECES ON ALL THOSE THINGS TODAY. I HAVE, YOU KNOW, I THINK APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER, BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES WHAT FEELS LIKE IT HAPPENS IS A MEETING HAPPENS AND A TOPIC IS BROUGHT UP AND THEN WE'RE RESPONDING. I WOULD SAY THIS IS NOT THE CASE. I WANT THAT TO BE KNOWN, AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. AND CITY MANAGER, YOU AND I WERE, WERE AND CITY CLERK AND WERE THE ONES THAT WERE HERE BACK IN LIKE 22, 21. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY LIKE SHOTSPOTTER, AND THAT ENDED UP

[01:15:06]

WE'VE HAD THERE WAS A DOUBLE SHOOTING. I THOUGHT IT WAS INITIALLY A HOMICIDE. TWO HOMICIDES. IT WAS ONE THAT TECHNOLOGY IS PROBABLY GOING TO AID IN FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT SCENARIO. AND SO THIS IS NOT ME TAKING A SIDE OR NOT HONESTLY, THIS IS ME.

WOULD YOU SAY THEY'RE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. LOOK AT YOU COMING IN WITH THE ASSIST. SO I WANT TO SHARE A COUPLE OF THINGS. YOU KNOW, SINCE 23, WE'VE HAD LICENSE PLATE READERS IN 2020, 20, 2013. SO, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR WAS HERE BEFORE, BUT I THINK THAT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, TECHNOLOGY WAS PROBABLY NOT USED AS MUCH AT THAT TIME. IN 2015, WE ADOPTED OUR SURVEILLANCE POLICY. AND IN 2022, WHEN I WAS HERE, WE DID ADOPT THE SURVEILLANCE POLICY. IT WAS NOTED THAT BY COMMISSIONER KILGORE, THAT SURVEY THAT THE USE OF LPR IS A GRANT IS GRANDFATHERED IN UNDER THE SURVEILLANCE POLICY. AND THAT'S TRUE. WE WORKED REALLY CLOSELY WITH THE NAACP. THIS WAS PRIOR TO THIS WAS PRIOR TO COVID ON ON ISSUES AS IT RELATED TO DRONES AND THAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY. WE HIGHLIGHTED WORK THAT WAS BEING DONE IN CALIFORNIA AND HAD SOME EXPERTS THAT CAME OUT AND WAS REALLY POSITIVE. AND THEN COVID HIT. AND SO THEN THAT PREVENTED SOME OF THAT TECHNOLOGY, THE USE OF LICENSE PLATE READERS IS COVERED UNDER PD'S MANUAL OF POLICIES. AND THAT IS REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER BRAND IS BEING USED. I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FLOCK AS A BRAND. AND THEN LAST YEAR IN THE FALL, I THINK THIS WAS RIGHT BEFORE MISS HITCHCOCK LEFT CITY ATTORNEY. BUT I KNOW YOU WERE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THIS WORK AS IT RELATED TO, QUITE HONESTLY, A LOT OF ACTIVITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND A CONCERN ABOUT HOW GRPD WAS USING OUR LICENSE PLATE READERS. AND AGAIN, BECAUSE THIS TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY WAS GRANDFATHERED IN, THERE WAS NOT A REQUIREMENT TO THERE WAS NOT A REQUIREMENT TO DO AN AUDIT OF THAT SCENARIO.

HOWEVER, I WOULD SAY THAT WAS A UNANIMOUS DECISION OF THAT BODY AND MAYBE NOT A DECISION, BUT DISCUSSION POINT OF LIKE, WHAT CAN WE DO? THIS IS THIS IS NOW, QUITE HONESTLY, BECOMES A DISTRACTION AWAY FROM, YOU KNOW, OTHER THINGS THAT NEED TO OCCUR IF THERE IS MISINFORMATION. AND SO THANK YOU, CITY ATTORNEY, AND THANK YOU TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. I THINK BRANDON AND OPA WAS A PART OF THAT TO REALLY TRY TO UNDERSTAND MORE, BECAUSE AS YOU SAID, COMMISSIONER, THIS TECHNOLOGY IS TECHNOLOGY OVERALL HAS CHANGED RAPIDLY. RIGHT. I HAVE THE SAME NUMBER THAT I GOT IN 1998 FROM FROM MY OLD BOYFRIEND AT BOOST MOBILE OR WHEREVER.

AND THAT'S THE SAME NUMBER I HAVE TODAY. HOWEVER, THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S IN MY HAND HAS CHANGED CONSIDERABLY. BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT. AND SO ALL OF THAT BEING KNOWN, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED THAT COULD BE IMPROVED. AND IN LATE, I BELIEVE IS FEBRUARY 2026. WE ACTUALLY REMOVED THAT THAT DROP DOWN OPTION. AND CITY MANAGER, YOU CORRECT ME IF I'M SAYING ANYTHING WRONG, BUT REMOVE THAT DROP DOWN OPTION OF THAT IMMIGRATION SEARCH. WE DO HAVE FILTERS IN PLACE TO PREVENT THESE SEARCHES. AS MENTIONED, WE DO HAVE SOME FEDERAL AGENCIES HAVE ACCESS TO OUR DATA, BUT NOT ICE. THOSE WITH ACCESS TO OUR SYSTEM, WE DO LIMIT TO PREVENT SEARCHES TIED TO IMMIGRATION. AND I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO BE UP HERE AND SAYING, HEY, YOU KNOW, HERE ARE ALL THESE PIECES. I THINK THAT AUDIT IN ITSELF OR THAT THAT AUDIT, BUT THAT REVIEW IN ITSELF IDENTIFIED SOME PIECES, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I ALSO DO KNOW THAT THERE IS AN INTERNAL MONTHLY AUDIT THAT OCCURS OF OUR FLOCK SYSTEM THAT IS PROACTIVE. BUT I HEAR THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE EXTERNALLY? WE WE HEARD FROM OPA LAST MONTH ABOUT ESSENTIALLY AN AUDIT OF OUR CANINE POLICY. AND WHAT DID WE FIND? WE FOUND A LOT OF PRACTICES BEING DONE, BUT MAYBE NOT SOME THINGS IN POLICY. I'M REALLY. PUTTING ALL YOUR WORK, BRANDON, IN THE TEAM'S WORK IN

[01:20:03]

AND THEN WE TIE THAT INTO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE FEELING LIKE MY PRIVACY AND MY RIGHTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM ME AS FAR AS LICENSE PLATE READERS AND SURVEILLANCE. I'M REMINDED,

[01:25:03]

AS COMMISSIONER MENTIONED THE OTHER DAY, FOUR OF US WERE AT THIS HOUSING SUMMIT TRYING TO HEAR WHAT THE OTHER EXPERTS ARE SAYING, NOT THAT THE THINGS THAT WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE WE ALL OPERATE IN DIFFERENT SPACES, BUT HEAR WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY, HEAR WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING, HEAR WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE TALKING ABOUT IN THESE SPACES, SO THAT WE ARE ON THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE CAN BEGIN TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AND ADDRESS IT. WE WERE ALL SITTING IN A SPACE. WELL, NOT ALL OF US.

NO QUORUM WAS THERE. WE WERE SITTING IN A SPACE WHERE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR VETERANS, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS THAT ARE ALL GATHERING IN A CERTAIN SPACE. WHY? BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN DISPLACED OUT OF ANOTHER SPACE.

THEY'RE JUST MIGRATING FROM SPACE TO SPACE ACROSS OUR CITY, TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING OF THEIR OWN, TRYING TO FIND WHERE THEY CAN LAND, TRYING TO FIND WHERE THEY CAN BE COMFORTABLE AND HEALTHY AND TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. DO WE HAVE THE PERFECT SOLUTION? NO. ARE WE TRYING TO BRING PEOPLE TO THE TABLE SO THAT WE CAN TALK AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS, AND HOW WE CAN WORK BETTER TOGETHER? YES. BEFORE THE PROBLEM GETS EVEN WORSE, BECAUSE OUR WORLD IS SHIFTING AND CHANGING, OUR CITY IS SHIFTING AND CHANGING AND GROWING. AND UNLESS WE ARE ON THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, INSTEAD OF REACTING AFTER THE THING HAS HAPPENED, WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT THE MOST. SO I JUST WANT US TO REFLECT ON THAT. DON'T BELIEVE FOR ONE MINUTE ONE PERSON UP HERE WANTS PEOPLE TO BE IN SITUATIONS WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO GET THROUGH. WHERE THEY CAN'T PAY THEIR BILLS. OR CARE FOR THEIR FAMILIES. WHERE THEY WAKE UP AND WANT TO BE ON DRUGS, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN ESCAPE THE PAIN THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH EVERY SINGLE DAY. THERE'S NOT ONE PERSON I KNOW THAT THAT THAT'S THEIR CARD EVERY MORNING. AND WE ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE THINGS THAT IMPACT THIS COMMUNITY IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE, BUT ALSO DON'T THINK

[01:30:05]

CLOSED MOUTHS DON'T GET FED. WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, BUT IF YOU DON'T TELL US, WE WON'T KNOW. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO CONTINUE TO STAY ENGAGED, CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT. CONTINUE TO STAND UP AND USE YOUR VOICE. DON'T ASSUME THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, THOUGH. LET'S HAVE CONVERSATION. LET'S HAVE DIALOG, AND LET'S CONTINUE TO SHARE SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR NEIGHBORS AND THOSE WHO NEED THE LOVE AND CARE OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. THANK YOU. USUALLY I'D START OFF WITH AN ELECTION THING, BUT I'M GOING TO START WITH THE CITY COMMISSION MEETING TIME FIRST. SO YES, SO A FEW YEARS AGO, THE CHARTER CHANGED. THE COMMISSION MET WEEKLY EVERY WEEK. AND SO THE CHARTER CHANGED AND SAID COMMISSION MEETS NEEDS TO MEET AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH. AND ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS HAS TO BE AT 7:00 PM. SO THE YEARS FOLLOWING THAT, THAT CHARTER CHANGE WENT TO TWO MEETINGS AT 7:00 PM. AND THEN AND THEN SOME OF THE MEETINGS COULD BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, WHICH WE DO, WHICH ARE NOW OUR COMMISSION NIGHTS OUT, ONE IN EACH WARD DURING THE YEAR. A COUPLE YEARS BACK. LOOKING AT THAT COMMISSIONER. RIGHT. ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS WAS NONPROFIT OR NONPROFIT PARTNERS THAT ARE WORKING IN TOWN CAN ATTEND A MEETING, BE AT A PUBLIC HEARING, BE INVOLVED THAT WAY, AND THEN THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, THAT LIFE, THAT LIFE WORK BALANCE, THAT WAS ONE OF THE ONE OF THE OPTIONS, ONE OF THE ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE SECOND REASON, ONE OF THE SECOND REASONS WHY IS IN MICHIGAN, IT GETS REALLY DARK EARLY FOR. SO A GOOD PART OF OUR YEAR, DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, THE FIRST OF ALL, THE WEATHER IS BAD AND IT GETS DARK AT 505, AT 5:00 IN THE AFTERNOON. AND SO WE HAD SOME COMMENTS FROM SOME OF OUR SENIOR COMMUNITY SAYING, WE DON'T WANT TO COME OUT IT WE DON'T WANT TO COME OUT AT 7:00 AT NIGHT. IT'S DARK, THE WEATHER IS BAD. WE DON'T WANT TO, WE DON'T WE DON'T WANT TO COME OUT, BUT WE STILL WANT TO PARTICIPATE. SO THAT WAS A THAT WAS ANOTHER REASON WHY. AND THE THIRD REASON WHY IS LOOKING AT CITY STAFF AND OVERTIME AND VARIOUS THINGS. THAT WAS THAT WAS WAY DOWN ON THE THE LIST. BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE INDICATIONS, TOO, OF HAVING STAFF STAYING LATE, COMING BACK. ALSO PART OF THAT PROCESS. SO THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT TOOK PLACE TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE AT THE AT THIS TIME WITH THE 2:00 AND 7:00, THOSE TRYING TO PROVIDE TIMES FOR THAT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY. THERE'S NEVER GOING TO BE A PERFECT TIME FOR EVERY PERSON, BECAUSE SECOND SHIFT WORKERS COULDN'T MAKE IT DURING THE DAY. THIRD SHIFT WORKERS ARE SLEEPING DURING BOTH MEETINGS. YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T WE CAN'T MAKE IT PERFECT FOR EVERYONE. SO THAT THAT'S THE DISCUSSION THAT WENT INTO THAT DECISION A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. MOST LIKELY, I'LL BE BRINGING USUALLY THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR WHERE I'LL BE BRINGING THE 2027 CALENDAR TO YOU FOR APPROVAL. SO WE'LL BE SEEING THAT HERE IN THE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. SO I GUESS APROPOS CONVERSATION. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT THAT'S THAT ONE. SO ELECTIONS LAST WEEK, WE HAD, WE ENDED THE THE PRIMARY ELECTION.

GRAND RAPIDS HAD GOOD TURNOUT. BASICALLY, BASICALLY LIKE WE SAW AROUND THE REST OF THE STATE, WE HAD A 30% TURNOUT, WHICH EVERYBODY'S LIKE, WELL, THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE GREAT.

BUT TO TWO YEARS AGO IT WAS 20. IT WAS 23%. SO WE HAD A SEVEN POINT INCREASE. BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT ACTUAL PEOPLE VOTING, WE HAD 12,000 MORE VOTERS IN THIS ELECTION THAN WE DID TWO YEARS AGO. WE ALSO THOSE NUMBERS ARE CLOSER TO LOOKING BACK AT THE 2018, WHEN IT WAS WHEN IT WAS AN OPEN GOVERNOR'S SEAT. SO WHEN WE SEE AN OPEN GOVERNOR'S SEAT AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER IN SINCE WE HAD DIRECT ELECTION OF U.S. SENATOR, THAT U.S. SENATE AND GOVERNOR WAS OPEN AT THE SAME TIME IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. SO I THINK THAT WAS A OBVIOUSLY A RENEWED INTEREST AS FAR AS THE WAYS PEOPLE VOTED. ABOUT 3400 VOTED EARLY DURING THE NINE DAYS OF EARLY VOTING. IT'S ABOUT THREE TIMES HIGHER THAN AUGUST OF 2024. SO MORE PEOPLE ARE GETTING USED TO EARLY VOTING, ABOUT 21,000 ABSENTEE VOTERS, AND ABOUT 22 TO 23,000

[01:35:03]

THANKS. I WILL FIRST TALK ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT THE ELECTION. JOEL, YOU RUN A TIGHT SHIP. WE WERE VERY. WARM DURING THE RESULTING BECAUSE WE WERE AT THE UNIVERSITY, BUT WE WORKED FAST AND WE WORKED HARD AND THE VOLUNTEERS SHOWED UP AND AS PREDICTED, OUR ELECTIONS WERE SAFE. THEY WERE SECURE. WE DID SOME EMERGENCY MODELING IN ADVANCE WITH THE STATE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE READY FOR ANY SCENARIO, INCLUDING WORST CASE SCENARIOS. AND SO I APPRECIATED THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE FOR LEADING THE CONVERSATION AROUND THAT, AND ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE OUR CLERK FOR THE LOCAL ELECTIONS AND ALL THE HARD WORK THAT WENT INTO THAT TO ADD TO COMMISSIONER STACY'S HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS. AND I'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH MANY COMMISSIONERS AND CITY STAFF. I WON'T TAKE UP TOO MUCH TIME HERE. IT'S WELL DOCUMENTED IN THE RECORDS, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THIS PROCESS WENT THROUGH BACK IN 2012. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2012, THEN CHIEF OF POLICE KEVIN BELK HAD A MEMO TO THE CITY MANAGER AT THE TIME, GREG SUNDSTROM, AND THEY WERE REQUESTING $104,000 TO IMPLEMENT AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WENT TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. AND THE TECHNOLOGY AT THE TIME WAS DESCRIBED AS A TECHNOLOGY THAT SCANS LICENSE PLATES VIA A CAMERA SYSTEM, COMPARES THEM TO KNOWN DATABASES, NOTIFIES THE USER OF A MATCH IMMEDIATELY. THE CAMERA CAPTURES A PHOTOGRAPH OF EVERY PLATE SCANNED, THE VEHICLE TO WHICH IT'S ATTACHED, AND THE GPS COORDINATES FOR REFERENCE POINTS. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THAT TIME WORKED WITH FIVE DIFFERENT VENDORS, AND THEN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE APPROVED THAT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2012. OVER APPROXIMATELY 14 YEARS AGO. THAT THEN WENT TO ANOTHER PUBLIC DECISION ON A BID LIST THROUGH THE FISCAL COMMITTEE. AND AT THAT TIME, THE FISCAL COMMITTEE AUTHORIZED THE APPROPRIATION FOR THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS, AS DESCRIBED TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. SO THAT WAS IN 2012. WE HAVE SINCE ACQUIRED DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THAT OVER TIME, AT LEAST IN 2020, AND THEN MORE RECENTLY IN 2024, WITH SIMILAR TRANSPARENCY AND PRESENTATION TO FISCAL COMMITTEES. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE SURVEILLANCE POLICY WENT INTO EFFECT IN 2015. SO IN 2012, WHEN THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS WERE APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AND THE FISCAL COMMITTEE AND THE CITY COMMISSION, THEY HAVE BEEN GRANDFATHERED IN TO THE CURRENT SURVEILLANCE POLICY BECAUSE OF TIMING. WHEN WE MOST RECENTLY REVIEWED THIS IN 2024, WE LOOKED AT WHETHER OR NOT THIS WAS A CHANGE IN TECHNOLOGY OR A NEW TECHNOLOGY AS IT COMPARED TO THE 2012 APPROVAL AND THE 2020 APPROVAL. AND THE WAY THAT THE TECHNOLOGY WAS DESCRIBED WAS THAT THE CAMERAS ARE DESIGNATED TO CAPTURE IMAGES OF REAR LICENSE PLATES AIMED IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAFFIC. THE LICENSE PLATE READERS ARE NOT DESIGNATED TO OR NOT DESIGNED TO CAPTURE PEDESTRIANS, SIDEWALKS, DUMPSTERS, GATES, OR OTHER AREAS OF NON VEHICLE TRAFFIC OR INTERSECTIONS. THEY CAPTURE VEHICLES DRIVING AWAY FROM AN INTERSECTION. THEY DON'T POINT TO THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. THEY SHOULD BE PLACED IN A PLACE TO PREVENT STOP AND GO MOTION ACTIVATION IN TRAFFIC. AND SO THAT IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS DESCRIBED IN 2012. THEY CAPTURE LICENSE PLATES AND VEHICLE INFORMATION, NOT FACES OR PEOPLE OR PEDESTRIANS OR SIDEWALKS. AND

[01:40:01]

BUT IN TERMS OF HOW WE HAVE BEEN USING AND HOW IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING WE ARE USING LICENSE PLATE READERS IN OUR CITY. IT IS CONSISTENT WITH HOW WE'VE BEEN USING THEM SINCE 2012. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. LET ME THANK ALL THE STAFF THAT HAS HELPED US GET TO THIS POINT OF OUR MEETING AND PREPARING FOR THIS WEEK, BUT ALSO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, POLICE AND FIRE, AND ALL THE OTHER SUPPORTING DEPARTMENTS WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE EVERY. COMMUNITY GATHERING WITH SOME REPRESENTATION FROM THE CITY. SO THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU WHO PARTICIPATED IN THAT. I DO WANT TO ECHO MY APPRECIATION TO THE CLERK AND ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN ENSURING THAT WE HAD A VERY RELIABLE, SAFE AND FAIR ELECTION PROCESS AND DISPEL ANY CONCERNS THAT WE DON'T OPERATE WITH INTEGRITY AND TRANSPARENCY, AT LEAST IN OUR CITY. SO THANK YOU, CITY CLERK, FOR ENSURING THAT. I ALSO WANT TO REAL BRIEFLY, LOT'S BEEN SAID ABOUT THE FLOCK POLICY, AND I JUST WANT TO NOTE THAT MY INTENT IS TO HAVE AN ITEM ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA AT OUR NEXT MEETING. AND I'VE SPOKEN WITH THE POLICE CHIEF ABOUT THIS ITEM. AND WE ALSO INTEND TO INVITE REPRESENTATIVES FROM FLOCK TO BE AT THE MEETING SO THEY CAN SPEAK VERY DIRECTLY TO THE USE OF THE TECHNOLOGY. AND ALSO, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT CAN SPEAK VERY DIRECTLY TO OUR POLICY. I THINK WE'VE ALREADY SUFFICIENTLY ADDRESSED THE SURVEILLANCE POLICY. AND WHY IS IT WRITTEN THE WAY IT IS, BUT DON'T MIND RECAPPING THAT. BUT I DO WANT TO REMIND THIS GROUP, AS WE PRIORITIZE THIS CONVERSATION, IT TAKES AWAY FROM SOME OF THE OTHER CONVERSATIONS WE SAID WE INTENTIONALLY WANTED TO HAVE.

AND THE OPA WILL HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE UNDER POLICY REVIEW, THAT WE WILL NOT NECESSARILY GO IN DEPTH IN THAT MEETING. BUT YOU'VE ASKED US TO REVIEW THE CAB POLICY THAT IS UNDERWAY. YOU'VE ALSO ASKED, WHERE ARE WE ON THE TRAFFIC STOP STUDY? AND WE HAD ORIGINALLY RECENTLY HAD REQUESTS FOR FOOT PURSUIT. SO WE'LL ALSO FRAME ALL OF THOSE IN THE PRIORITIZATION OF OUR REVIEW AND THE WORK OF THE OPA AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. BUT THAT SEEMS TO BE A INTEREST, COMMON INTEREST THIS EVENING. AND AGAIN, I'D ALREADY TALKED TO CHIEF TRIGG AND HIS TEAM, AND THEY ARE CERTAINLY PREPARED TO HAVE THE DISCUSSION. LET ME ALSO THANK OUR STAFF FOR BRINGING FORTH THE WORK ON MICROMOBILITY SOLUTIONS AND OUR USE OF SCOOTERS AND BIKES EBIKES, AND I HEARD THE COMMENT ABOUT THE SAFE USE OF THOSE ON

[01:45:05]

AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT CONTINUED CONVERSATION AT MOBILE GR COMMISSION. AND THEN LASTLY, WE HAD A LOT OF GOOD DISCUSSION TODAY ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY AND ENSURING THAT THERE'S DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE CITY. YOU SAW A LOT OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE NOT JUST DOWNTOWN PROJECTS, BUT A LOT OF PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS.

MANY OF THEM OFFERED HOUSING SOLUTIONS AND NOT JUST MARKET RATE HOUSING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOLUTIONS. WE CONSTANTLY THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER ASSASSI, LIKE MANY OTHER URBAN AREAS THAT'S EXPERIENCING GROWTH, WE CONSTANTLY ARE CHALLENGED WITH THE ISSUES OF ADDRESSING, ADDRESSING HOUSING SOLUTIONS ALONG THE SPECTRUM. AND FOR THOSE THAT ARE UNHOUSED. I SEE MISS BOHATSCH HERE. WE'VE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS AROUND OUR COMMUNITY ON HOW WE CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS. THE NUMBERS ARE THERE, THE STATS ARE THERE, BUT THERE'S ALSO CHALLENGES. AS A GROWING COMMUNITY, EVERYTHING GROWS, BOTH OUR SUCCESSES BUT ALSO OUR CHALLENGES. AND SO WE'RE ACTUALLY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN UPDATE AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ABOUT THE PERSONAL PROPERTY ORDINANCES AND SOME OF THE HOUSING ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS. BUT GIVEN ALL THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE HAD TODAY, THAT WILL BE FOR ANOTHER TIME AND WE WILL FOCUS ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY CONVERSATION AROUND FLOCK, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER REVIEWS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED TODAY. AND LASTLY, ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I WANT TO WISH MR. KANE TODAY IS HIS BIRTHDAY, AND HE CHOSE TO SPEND HIS BIRTHDAY WITH US ALL DAY. AND A LITTLE BIRDIE ALSO TOLD ME, MAYOR, THAT YOU HAVE SUCH A SIMILAR DAY THIS WEEK AS WELL. THAT'S TRUE. SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. WELL THANKS EVERYONE. AND FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY THANKS TO YOU, ALL OF YOU WHO CAME OUT AND SPOKE TODAY, AND PARTICULARLY TO THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC THINGS THAT WE COULD DO BASED ON THOUGHTFUL ANALYSIS, THAT'S REALLY, REALLY INVALUABLE. AND. SO WE COVER A LOT OF GROUND TODAY, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD HAD A HAD A MEETING SINCE I'VE BEEN MAYOR WHEN WE'VE HAD SO MUCH DIALOG ABOUT POLICY, WHICH IS WHICH IS GREAT. AND, YOU KNOW, TO THE, TO THE, TO THE LEVEL THAT WE GET OUR CITY ATTORNEY OPINING ON THE FLY ON, ON THINGS THAT CAME UP IN PUBLIC COMMENT. I WANT TO BRIEFLY HOW THANK YOU FOR SHOUTING OUT THE CONCERN ABOUT SCOOTERS. AND FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, I'M KEENLY AWARE THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE MISS. WE'LL CALL THEM SUPER SCOOTERS THAT ARE OUT THERE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I GOT PASSED BY ONE GOING ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR ON THE SIDEWALK OUT IN FRONT OF CITY HALL TODAY. I'M KEENLY AWARE OF THIS BECAUSE MY MOTHER LIVES WITH ME AND SHE'S 85, AND SHE ALMOST GOT RUN OVER BY A SCOOTER ON THE SIDEWALK LAST YEAR, AND SHE'S ONE HIP FRACTURE AWAY FROM SOME REALLY BAD EXPERIENCES. SO I THINK I WILL JUST SHOW MY HAND. I THINK THAT ULTIMATELY WE NEED TO UPDATE OUR OUR REGULATIONS ON THOSE THINGS, AND PARTICULARLY THEN NOT THE ONES WE RENT OUT, BUT WE SIMPLY SHOULD SAY THAT ANYTHING THAT HAS A MORE THAN 750 WATT MOTOR SHOULD UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, BE ON SIDEWALKS, AND WE SHOULD HAVE ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR THINGS WITH LARGER MOTORS ON SIDEWALKS AND DO SOME ENFORCEMENT. HOW WE GET THERE, WHETHER THAT'S THE WILL OF THE WHOLE COMMISSION OR NOT. I'M JUST GOING TO SHOW YOU MY HAND ON THAT A LITTLE BIT. IT DOES CONCERN ME. BUT TO THE CITY MANAGER'S POINT, I THINK WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF MAKING A GREAT LEAP FORWARD ON OUR RENTAL POLICY. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE VENDOR WHO SEEMS TO BE EMERGING TO THE FRONT ACTUALLY HAS THE SORT OF RADAR ON THOSE THINGS THAT CARS HAVE NOW, AND SO THEY CAN DETECT PEOPLE AND MAKE THE MACHINES SLOW DOWN, WHICH IS A REALLY EXCITING PROSPECT. SO LOTS TO BE TALKED ABOUT IN THE MOBILITY SPACE ALWAYS. BUT I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR THOUGHTFUL INPUT ON THAT. THE SECOND THING I WANT TO, AND AGAIN, I DON'T I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO JUSTICE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ISSUE, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO STOP THIS CONVERSATION. BUT I REALLY THANK THE PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT AND TALKED ABOUT FLOC.

FIRST OF ALL, IS THE CITY MANAGER POINTED OUT, IS IT IS IN FACT, SCHEDULED FOR DISCUSSION IN PUBLIC SAFETY. AND I THINK THAT IN GENERAL, OUR COMMITMENT TO HAVING THINGS, WE CAN ALWAYS ASK OURSELVES THE QUESTION IF THE INFORMATION IS NOT GETTING OUT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WHERE'S THE BREAKDOWN IN THAT? AND SO COMMUNICATION IS HALF THE GAME. SO THE CITY ATTORNEY MADE SOME COMMUNICATIONS POINTS. BUT I THINK THAT AND SO I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY SPECIFIC. YES, WE'RE GOING TO DO X, Y OR Z BECAUSE THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE

[01:50:04]

[01:55:04]

THEY HADN'T SEEN ANYTHING. I TALKED TO THE HEAD OF SECURITY. THEY HADN'T SEEN ANYTHING. I

[02:00:02]

POLICIES THAT WE NOT ENTER NOT WE NOT HAVE ANY 287 G AGREEMENTS. WE DON'T. WE HAVE THREE POLICIES WHICH PROHIBIT US DOING THAT, POLICIES THAT WOULD PREVENT US ENTERING INTO AGREEMENTS WITH ENTITIES THAT HAVE CURRENT CONTRACTS WITH ICE. THAT'S THE EXAMPLE I USE. THERE IS IF GORDON FOOD SERVICE GAVE ICE AGENTS COCA-COLA AND THEIR VENDING MACHINE, I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE TO STOP HAVING A CONTRACT WITH GORDON FOOD SERVICE TO FILL OUR VENDING MACHINES. I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT POLICY IS VERY WELL CRAFTED. AND FRANKLY, THE LEADERSHIP OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THAT POLICY IS NOT VERY WELL CRAFTED. SO, CITY MANAGER. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT I WOULD LIKE US TO HAVE UP ON OUR WEBSITE SOME ANSWERS TO THESE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. VERY VISIBLE. INDIRECT. THANK YOU, BECAUSE I DO THINK THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO HEAR THIS. IF WE GET A IF WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND OR AREN'T AWARE OF THE POLICIES WE HAVE THAT SPECIFICALLY CRAFTED TO PROTECT OUR IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORS, THEN WE'RE NOT DOING OUR JOB ON COMMUNICATION, AND WE NEED TO DO THAT BETTER. AND, AND I HOPE THAT WE WILL. AND I'M GOING TO URGE THAT WE DO. AND I'M GOING TO WORK SO THAT WE DO. THE. THE LAST THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THIS, I GUESS, IS THAT ONE OF THE PEOPLE SAID THAT I WAS DECLINING TO MEET WITH THEM, ACTUALLY. IN FACT, I'VE I'VE, I'VE MET SEVERAL GROUPS AND SEVERAL. AND I CONTINUE TO MEET WITH PEOPLE ABOUT THIS, BUT SPECIFICALLY THE INDIVIDUAL WHO ASKED FOR A MEETING WITH ME.

I'M I'VE ASKED MY SCHEDULER TO SCHEDULE A MEETING, SO I'M. I AM HAPPY TO CONTINUE. IN FACT, I'M NOT HAPPY TO CONTINUE. I WANT TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN ADDRESS WHAT IS, FRANKLY, A NATIONAL CRISIS AND, AND LAYERS OF. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY BESIDES EVIL THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IN MY LIFETIME. I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A U.S. SUPREME COURT THAT SAYS IT'S OKAY TO DETAIN PEOPLE ON SKIN COLOR LIKE NOTHING, SINCE DRED SCOTT RISES TO THAT LEVEL OF APPALLING IMMORALITY. SO I JUST HOPE THAT YOU ALL REMEMBER WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER. I DIDN'T VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP. I

[02:05:05]

ONCE THIS BODY, THE CITY COMMISSION, HAS ACTED. THE DISTINCTION IS IMPORTANT. NO INDIVIDUAL IN THE ORGANIZATION HAS THE AUTHORITY TO VETO OR SUPERSEDE A DECISION APPROVED BY A MAJORITY OF THE CITY COMMISSION BY WITHHOLDING SIGNATURES OR ANY OTHER MEANS WHERE THE CITY COMMISSION HAS AUTHORIZED AN AGREEMENT OR AN OBLIGATION, THE ADMINISTRATIVE STEPS NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THAT DECISION ARE MINISTERIAL, NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECONSIDER OR OVERRIDE THE COMMISSION'S ACTIONS, OUR INTERNAL PROCESSES AND INDIVIDUAL SIGNATORIES EXIST TO IMPLEMENT THE LAWFUL DECISIONS OF THE CITY, NOT TO SUBSTITUTE INDIVIDUAL JUDGMENT FOR THE WILL OF THE ELECTED BODY. THE CITY ALSO COMPLIES WITH INTERNAL AUDITS AND EXTERNAL AUDITS TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. AS MAYOR, I TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENSURING THAT THIS ORGANIZATION FULFILLS ITS OBLIGATIONS VERY SERIOUSLY. WHEN THE CITY COMMISSION HAS LAWFULLY AUTHORIZED AN EXPENDITURE AND THE CITY HAS ENCOURAGED AN OBLIGATION, I EXPECT THE CITY MANAGER, HIS STAFF TO ENSURE THAT OUR BILLS ARE PAID AND THAT NO INDIVIDUAL ACTION OR INACTION INTERFERES WITH THE CITY MEETING THESE OBLIGATIONS. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE OF ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT. THE CITY COMMISSION MAKES THE DECISIONS ENTRUSTED TO IT, AND EVERYONE ELSE HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CARRYING THEM OUT. WITH THAT, THANK

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.