Aug 25, 2026 Committee of the Whole Meeting

TEN. NINE. EIGHT. SEVEN. SIX. ALL RIGHT. CALLING THIS MEETING OF CITY COMMISSION TO ORDER.

[1. Resolution approving the request from Hoxie House, LLC for a Development District Liquor License to be located at 1415 Plainfield Ave NE]

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[2. Resolution to adopt the 2027 City Commission meeting schedule]

AND JUST SO THE PUBLIC KNOWS, THESE ARE THIS IS OUR SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT YEAR. YOU KNOW, THINGS CAN CHANGE, BUT IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A DEFAULT SCHEDULE AND WELL IN ADVANCE. NOW, AGAIN, TO REFRESH EVERYONE'S MEMORIES, THE PURPOSE OF CITY COMMISSION MEETINGS IS TO DO CITY COMMISSION WORK, AND WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AS A SECONDARY FUNCTION. BUT WE HISTORICALLY HAVE NOT HAD ALL OF THESE MEETINGS HAPPEN AT THE TIMES THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY IN THIS CALENDAR. AND SOMETIMES WE CANCEL MEETINGS IF THERE'S NOT SUFFICIENT WORK FOR THIS BODY, THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE AVOIDING PUBLIC COMMENT. PEOPLE CAN COME ALL THE OTHER MEETINGS AND TALK TO US ABOUT ABOUT ISSUES. AND OF COURSE, THEY CAN ALSO REACH OUT TO COMMISSIONERS ANYTIME THEY WANT. AND ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE VERY GOOD AT RESPONDING TO CONSTITUENT CONCERNS. SO JUST WANT TO PUT THAT PIN IN THERE. BUT OTHERWISE, I ASSUMING THAT ALL MY COLLEAGUES HAVE LOOKED AT THIS SCHEDULE, I'D ASK FOR A MOTION. SO MOVED. SUPPORT ANY DISCUSSION? COLLEAGUES. I DO HAVE ONE THING TO ADD TO THE. SO ONE THING THAT WE DID THAT I DID ADD TO THE CALENDAR THAT NORMALLY ISN'T ON THERE IS THE. THE BEGINNING OF MAY BUDGET WORK SESSION. SO THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO CALL A SPECIAL MEETING LATER. SO THAT THAT BUDGET WORK SESSION, SINCE THAT'S BEEN OUR FLOW, THAT'S, THAT'S THAT'S THERE. AND THEN USUALLY THE, THE, THE FIRST MEETING OF THE MONTH IS AT 2:00, BUT IN MAY WE HAVE THEM SWITCHED TO HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE BUDGET AND THEN THE APPROVAL AT THE 2:00 MEETING IN MAY. SO THAT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT'S KIND OF CHANGED. THANKS FOR THE DETAIL. LET ME ALSO ADD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, CITY CLERK, FOR HELPING DEVELOP THE SCHEDULE. THERE'S LIKELY ONE SPECIAL MEETING THAT WE WILL HAVE TO CALL IN NOVEMBER. IT'LL BE AFTER THE ELECTION FOR OUR ANNUAL WORKSHOP WORK SESSION. AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE TARGETING THE 12TH OF NOVEMBER. BUT WE'LL WE'LL CONFIRM AS WE GET CLOSER. GREAT. THANKS. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS, COLLEAGUES? OTHERWISE,

[3. Resolution approving Election Day polling locations and early voting sites for the November 2026 General Election and fixing inspector pay for Early Voting, Absent Voter Counting Board, and Election Day Inspectors]

SO PLUS, IT'S EASIER TO START ON A TUESDAY THAN A SATURDAY MORNING. SO GREAT. OKAY, THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, COLLEAGUES? COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. MAYOR, I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS WAS A TOPIC OF A LOT OF DISCUSSION LAST YEAR. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHERE WE ENDED WAS IN A REALLY POSITIVE PLACE. THINGS HAPPEN, WHETHER THEY BE FLOODING OR OR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, CERTAINLY WAYFINDING WITH CONSTRUCTION, WE KNOW AT LEAST IN THE PRIMARY THAT HAPPENS. I RECEIVED ONE CALL ON THE DAY OF THE PRIMARY, AND IT WASN'T ABOUT THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, IT WAS ABOUT A NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY THAT I WON'T NAME. AND CITY CLERK WAS GENEROUS TO SAY, HOW COULD HE GET IN CONTACT WITH THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES? CLERK SO PEOPLE ARE CALLING US TO FIGURE OUT STUFF FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES.

AND JUST A REMINDER THAT THE CITY CLERK IS REALLY SEEN AS A A LEADER IN THIS SPACE. AND OTHER COMMUNITIES LOOK TO HIS EXPERIENCE DURING THESE TIMES. SO I'M GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE

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THERE'S SO MANY WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO COME THROUGH. SO I JUST I JUST WANT TO LIFT UP THAT WORK.

THANK YOU, MR. CLERK. YEAH. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE THE ROBUST DISCUSSION WE HAD A YEAR AGO THAT CERTAINLY THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD WAS THAT THIS NEW PLAN WAS GOING TO INCREASE ACCESS TO VOTING AND EASE OF VOTING. AND I THINK ONE OF THE SIMPLEST METRICS FOR THAT IS TURNOUT. AND WE HAD VERY IMPRESSIVE AND PROBABLY RECORD TURNOUT AT THE IN OUR AUGUST PRIMARY. AND SO THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A SIGN THAT THAT THINGS ARE WORKING WELL. AND I HAVEN'T I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY BOY. I'LL DATE MYSELF HERE LIKE I WAS. I WAS ON THE CITY COMMISSION IN 2007, 2009 ERA. AND BACK THEN WE HAD VOTING AT. THERE WERE PRECINCTS WHERE PEOPLE WERE WAITING 3 OR 4 HOURS TO VOTE. AND SO IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING THAT THAT'S A LONG TIME IN OUR REAR VIEW MIRROR. AND ANYBODY AT THIS POINT WHO IS WAITING 3 OR 4 HOURS TO VOTE MISS CHANCES TO VOTE BY DROPPING IT IN THE MAIL, WHICH IS WHAT I DO. OR GO TO AN EARLY, EARLY BOX. SO THERE ARE IT'S IT'S REALLY EXCITING, FRANKLY, TO SEE THE REFORMS THAT MICHIGAN'S DONE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FOR DECADES WE HAD THIS SORT OF GENERAL DRUMBEAT THAT, OH, PEOPLE WILL PARTICIPATE LESS, OH, PEOPLE, FEWER PEOPLE ARE VOTING. AND WE'RE SEEING A SHARP REVERSAL OF THAT. AND A LOT OF THAT'S JUST GOT TO DO WITH BETTER PLANNING FOR ACCESS. SO IT'S REALLY, IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE THE FRUIT OF THAT. SO THANKS, CITY CLERK FOR YOUR PART OF THAT. AND SO ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION OTHERWISE?

[4. Resolution Approving ArtPrize as a Special Event from September 1 - October 10, 2026]

THANK YOU. YVETTE. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS MAYOR LE GRAND AND ALL THE COMMISSIONERS. THIS IS THIS IS SOMETHING THAT TAKES ALL OF US. I'VE BEEN AROUND THIS EVENT FOR A DECADE. I GREW UP HERE IN HERITAGE HILL, THEN MOVED TO GRAND HAVEN, BEEN IN NEW YORK HALF MY LIFE AND CAME BACK HERE. NOW I LIVE IN BOTH PLACES TO SUPPORT THIS WONDERFUL EVENT. I JUST WANT TO GIVE A BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE EVENT THIS YEAR, AND I'LL BE FOLLOWED BY MY TWO DEPUTY DIRECTORS, ELLEN TRUMBO AND COLEMAN BROOK, TO GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS. SO AGAIN, STARTING OUT, JUST A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE, THE, THE CITY, THE COUNTY, ALL OF OUR MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS, THEY'RE INCREDIBLE PEOPLE, INCLUDING ALL THE VENUES HERE IN TOWN THAT GO THROUGH A LOT OF WORK TO PRODUCE THIS EVENT. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT GOES KIND OF UNRECOGNIZED A LITTLE BIT THAT ALL OF THE VENUES ACTUALLY CHOOSE THE ART. THEY ARE THE CURATORS OF THIS EVENT. SO, YOU KNOW, A VERY, A VERY CITY WIDE, VERY INTEGRATED ART EVENT THAT IN MY EXPERIENCE IN THE ART WORLD, DOES NOT HAPPEN ANYWHERE ELSE. SO AS WE ALL KNOW, OUR PRIZE IS A, A MAJOR THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAD 967 VISITORS LAST YEAR WITH AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF 82.6 MILLION THIS YEAR AS PART OF MY LEADERSHIP, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO ME IS, IS PUT GRAND RAPIDS AS A WHOLE ON ON BLAST, AS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THIS THING CONTINUES. IT'S THE SPIRIT OF GRAND RAPIDS, ITS ARTISTIC DIRECTION THAT I DON'T THINK HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED QUITE ENOUGH. I THINK IT'S ALMOST FELT LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS JUST HAPPENED HERE, NOT BECAUSE OF HERE. SO IN THAT SPIRIT AND THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA'S 250, WE INCORPORATED PRESIDENT FORD

[00:10:06]

THAT IT DESERVES. SO SPEAKING ON THAT LOVE, OUR PASSION IS TO CREATE AN ART COMMUNITY ALL YEAR ROUND, NOT JUST DURING ARTPRIZE. AND I FEEL LIKE ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THE INCREDIBLE ARTS ORGS THAT ARE PRESENT IN OUR COMMUNITY ALL YEAR ROUND. WE HAVE MICHIGAN'S ONLY PROFESSIONAL BALLET DANCE TROUPE, WILD. I MEAN, HOW INCREDIBLE IS THAT? WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS OPERA AND OBVIOUSLY A WORLD CLASS SYMPHONY. SO INCORPORATING ALL OF THESE AND GIVING THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE PRIDE OF PLACE AND ALLOWING THEM TO DO THE CURATION WHERE OUR PRIZE DOES THE SUPPORT, BUT THEY DO THEIR OWN CURATION STILL ALLOWING THEM TO REALLY SHINE. SO IN, IN THAT, IN THAT SPIRIT, THE FOUR WEEKENDS NOW OF OUR PRIZE ARE DANCE MUSIC, THE VISUAL ARTS AND FASHION, EACH ONE HAVING A DEDICATED FOCUS TO EACH ONE OF THESE ART FORMS AND ALLOWING OUR GREAT ART ORGS TO CURATE THE OPENING WEEKEND DANCE. THE GRAND RAPIDS BALLET IS PUTTING OUT A DANCE FESTIVAL AT ROSA PARKS. SUPER, SUPER, SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AGAIN, I'LL GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE EVENT IS IS AS WE GO, OUR OPENING CELEBRATION, WHICH FALLS ON OUR MUSIC WEEKEND. WE'RE TURNING THE PEARL STREET BRIDGE INTO A LARGE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. THE WORLD'S LARGEST STRINGED INSTRUMENT IS GOING TO BE COVERING THE TOP OF THE BRIDGE. WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE INSIDE OF IT WHILE SOMEBODY PLAYS IT. IT'S CALLED EARTH HARP. PRETTY SPECTACULAR. AFTER THAT, THERE'LL BE THE FIREWORKS.

BUT BEFORE THAT, TO KICK OFF, WE'RE GOING TO BE AT ROSA PARK HAVING A CELEBRATION. AND WE'RE HAVING THESE SIX PUPPETS REPRESENTING THE SIX COMMISSIONERS OF OUR CITY.

SYMBOLICALLY, SYMBOLICALLY. BUT THEY ARE THEY ARE DECORATED BY THE CHILDREN FROM ALL OF THE DIFFERENT WARDS. AND SO HAVING REPRESENTATION THERE, THE FACES WILL ACTUALLY BE FACES THAT CALDER ACTUALLY DESIGNED. SO TYING ALL THAT IN, THERE'LL BE 14FT TALL. AND YEAH, IT SHOULD BE IT SHOULD BE FUN. JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE DIFFERENT WARDS THAT ARE EXCITING. THE FIRST WARD WERE FOR OUR HALFTIME SHOW. WE ARE GOING OUT TO THE THE ZOO, WHERE WE'LL BE DECLARING OUR TOP 25. SUPER EXCITING. OUR CLOSING SHOW WILL BE AT ACCOUCHEUR, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A SEC. THE NEW AMPHITHEATER. OUR CLUBHOUSE IS ON THE WEST SIDE AND SOMETHING I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. 1111 GODFREY HAS A LOT OF ART OVER THERE, RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE HISPANIC NEW HISPANIC CHAMBER AND THE SECOND WARD WE HAVE KIERA, OUR DESIGNED. WE HAVE 45 ARTISTS IN THERE. OUR DESIGN GALLERY, THE SORT OF HIGHLIGHTS OUR VISION. SO THE ARTISTS CAN KIND OF COME AND FEEL WHAT OUR CURATION LOOKS LIKE AS ARTPRIZE, SORT OF GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF A PROFESSIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT A GALLERY OUT IN THE WILD LOOKS LIKE. THAT'LL BE IN SILVA. OBVIOUSLY, ROSA PARKS IS GOING TO BE HIGHLY ACTIVATED EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THINGS HAPPENING THERE.

AND THEN THE THIRD WARD, WHICH IS SUPER EXCITING. WE ARE PARTNERING WITH SOUTH PRIZE, THIS NEW ENDEAVOR TO SORT OF ACTIVATE AND ACTIVATE ALONGSIDE ARTPRIZE, WHERE, YOU KNOW, OUR PRIZE, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THAT THAT, THAT WE CAN DO TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF AN ARTIST DRIVING FOUR STATES OVER TO COME FOR A COMPETITION. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T SUPPORT ALL THESE OTHER ACTIVITIES. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP AND EXCITED ABOUT DEVELOPING THINGS LIKE THIS MORE IN THE FUTURE. WE'RE GOING TO TALK MORE ON THAT. MY COMMISSIONER, MY COMMISSIONERS, MY DEPUTIES. SO MOVING FORWARD HERE, A BIG PART OF MY LIFE. SO I'VE SPENT ALL MY LIFE IN NEW YORK AS AN ARTIST. I GREW UP HERE AS A PAINTER. IT'S ALL I'VE EVER DONE. OR AFTER HIGH SCHOOL WENT TO NEW YORK, I HAVE A ACTIVE GALLERY THERE IN LOWER MANHATTAN. SO FOR ME, THE ARTIST EXPERIENCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT. I'VE BEEN AROUND THIS EVENT, SUPPORTING IT FOR A DECADE, BEEN ON THE BOARD THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND I JUST REALLY FELT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE

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AND THEN YEAH, AGAIN, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN ON THE OUTSIDE OF THIS EVENT IN A VERY INTIMATE WAY AS FAR AS HELPING THE ARTISTS AND THEN OBVIOUSLY BEING ON THE BOARD, BUT NOW BEING INSIDE, I'VE REALIZED SOMETHING THAT I JUST DIDN'T FULLY COMPREHEND BEFORE IS HOW MANY PEOPLE IT REALLY TAKES AND HOW AMAZING THE CITY REALLY IS AS FAR AS SUPPORTING THIS EVENT.

MOBILE GR THIS YEAR, IN THE BEGINNING OF, I THINK A REALLY FUN PARTNERSHIP HAS HELPED US WITH SOME WALKING MAPS AND SOME WAYS THAT LOCAL GRAND RAPIDS CAN EXPERIENCE ARTPRIZE IN ON A MULTIPLE DAY SCENARIO WHERE IT'S NOT JUST COMING FOR 1 OR 2 DAYS, THEY CAN COME FOR THREE DAYS AND GET DIFFERENT WALKING PATHS THAT ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET THEIR STEPS IN. AND WITH THAT, I WILL CONCLUDE BY JUST SAYING, THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS FOR ALL OF US, BY ALL OF US, AND THIS NEW ENVIRONMENT OF THE CITY. STEPPING IN HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT IS SUPER, SUPER EXCITING. AND I THINK FOR THIS CONTINUE TO CONTINUE, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON ON ALL OF US, NOT ANY ONE OF US IN PARTICULAR. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU. GREAT. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. WE DO HAVE A BIT MORE. MY NAME IS ELLEN TRUMBO. I'M DEPUTY DIRECTOR. I'M GOING TO TALK IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ABOUT EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS. THIS IS THE SCHEDULE OF OUR MAJOR EVENTS. I DID PASS OUT A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FOR EVERYONE, SO YOU CAN KNOW THE MAJOR, MAJOR THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON THE FIRST WEEKEND WE HAVE AN EXCITING SHOW CALLED FRAGMENTS OF DISPLACEMENT THREE. I'LL TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE MORE IN A SECOND AT GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM AND THE KENDALL COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN GALLERIES, WE HAVE THE DANCE FEST WITH GRAND RAPIDS BALLET AT ROSA PARKS CIRCLE THAT TYLER MENTIONED. WE ALSO HAVE A REALLY EXCITING GIFT FOR OUR ARTISTS. FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS IS HOSTING A FREE PARTY FOR ALL THE ART PRIZE ARTISTS OUT AT THE GARDENS DURING PREVIEW WEEK. SO THAT'S A VERY EXCITING THING FOR US TO GIVE THEM. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH IS OUR OPENING CELEBRATION BEGINNING AT ROSA PARKS CIRCLE, THE PARADE WITH THE PUPPETS THAT TYLER MENTIONED AND THE EARTH HARP ON PEARL STREET BRIDGE ENDING WITH FIREWORKS THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED IN RED AS ONE OF OUR LARGEST CELEBRATIONS THAT IN THE. THE AWARD CEREMONY SATURDAY THE 19TH, WE HAVE OPERA GRAND RAPIDS FESTIVAL AT ROSA PARKS CIRCLE AND THE MERCHANTS AND MAKERS MARKET, WHICH YOU MAY REMEMBER FROM LAST YEAR, WILL BE UP AND DOWN MONROE CENTER AND OTTAWA STREET. THAT WILL BE EVERY SATURDAY DURING ART PRIZE THIS YEAR. ON FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 25TH, WE'RE WORKING WITH TWO OF OUR LARGE SPONSORS THIS YEAR, ROCKFORD AND PIONEER CONSTRUCTION, TO CELEBRATE THE WORK THEY'VE DONE BUILDING THE CITY ALONGSIDE THE WORK ARTPRIZE HAS DONE, BUILDING THE CULTURE. THEY'RE GOING TO BE LIGHTING UP THE TOPS OF 20 OF THE BUILDINGS THAT BOTH COMPANIES HAVE CONSTRUCTED, AND THEY'LL BE HOSTING A PARTY FOR ALL THEIR SUBCONTRACTORS ON THE GILLETTE BRIDGE. ALL THE LIGHTS ARE GOING TO TURN ON AT ONCE, AND WE'LL ALSO HAVE A WATCH PARTY AT ROSA PARKS CIRCLE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. DOWNTOWN MARKET ON SATURDAY THE 26TH, WE HAVE A CHILDREN'S EVENT CALLED DOODLE STREET. WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM, CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, WEST MICHIGAN YOUTH BALLET, GRANDVILLE AVE, ARTS AND HUMANITIES, GRANDMA GARDNER, WHITE STORYTELLING. WE HAVE A WHOLE ROSTER OF PEOPLE THAT'LL BE PARTICIPATING, AND WE'LL BE DOING A LOT OF CHILDREN'S ART AND CRAFT ACTIVITIES. THE HALF TIME SHOW IS AT JOHN BALL ZOO THIS YEAR, AND AGAIN, THEY'VE GENEROUSLY HOSTED THAT FOR OUR ARTISTS, OUR VENUES AND OUR ART

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I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND. IN THE THIRD WARD IS ALSO THAT SATURDAY THE 26TH, AND THEN FINALLY SATURDAY THE THIRD IS OUR AWARD CELEBRATION AT ACRISURE AMPHITHEATER, WHICH FEATURES A FASHION SHOW ALONGSIDE SYMPHONY, OPERA, DANCE. AND WE'LL HAVE A DRONE SHOW AT THE END. SO THAT'S KIND OF THE BRIEF RUNDOWN OF OUR EVENTS FOR EXHIBITIONS THIS YEAR, WE HAVE OVER 1100 ARTISTS AND 1025 ENTRIES. THAT'S ACTUALLY THE LARGEST NUMBER OF ENTRIES WE'VE HAD SINCE 2018. SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT.

THERE'S 159 VENUES. CITY SITES THIS YEAR INCLUDE THE BLUE BRIDGE, SIXTH STREET PARK, PECK PARK, CITY HALL, VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK, CALDER PLAZA AND 87 MONROE CENTER. WITH THE MOBILE GR SPACE, THIS IS A MAP OF WHAT THE VENUES LOOK LIKE THIS YEAR. YOU CAN FIND THIS ON OUR WEBSITE. ARTPRIZE HAS CURATED FOUR VENUES THIS YEAR FOR FOR THE ARTISTS, GRAND RAPIDS CITY HALL, THE MOBILE GR SPACE I MENTIONED, THE ARTPRIZE CLUBHOUSE AND KIRA GALLERY AT SILVA, WHICH IS THE LARGE ACTIVATION THAT TYLER MENTIONED. AS HE ALSO MENTIONED, THERE'S A NEW VENUE VENUE CLUSTER AT 1111 GODFREY, WHICH WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IN THE BLACK HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD. AND ANOTHER VENUE HIGHLIGHT IS THE WEST SIDE VENUE FEES THIS YEAR WERE WAIVED THROUGH THEIR CI CD SUPPORT, WHICH WE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO TO GET. THIS IS JUST A LITTLE INFO ABOUT KIRA GALLERY, WHICH IS HOSTED BY SILVA, 56 ENTRIES FOCUSED ON THE ART OF CARE AND WELLNESS. THERE WILL BE A SPACE FOR ARTISTS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS AND A PODCAST STUDIO FOR ARTIST INTERVIEWS. OUR FEATURED PUBLIC PROJECT THIS YEAR IS BY DETROIT ARTIST YASMIN DABABNEH. SHE'S DOING AN IMMERSIVE PUBLIC ARTWORK THROUGHOUT THE CITY, TRANSFORMING PUBLIC LIGHTING INTO COLORS. SO THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING AND A NIGHTTIME ACTIVITY FOR EVERYONE. WE DID AWARD 30 SEED GRANTS TO ARTISTS THIS YEAR. SIX GRANTS WERE AWARDED TO VENUES. WE HAD PITCH NIGHTS IN DETROIT, PHOENIX AND OKLAHOMA CITY, AND $126,000 IN GRANTS GIVEN TO ARTISTS THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE SPECIAL EVENT AT KENDALL COLLEGE AND THE GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM I MENTIONED. THIS IS THE THIRD INSTALLATION OF THIS EVENT. THE FIRST TWO WERE IN MIAMI. IT'S A VIDEO AND SOUND INSTALLATION BY TOP TIER ARTISTS, PRIMARILY FROM MEXICO. THE ARTISTS IN THIS SHOW HAVE SHOWN AT SOME OF THE TOP MUSEUMS IN THE WORLD, SUCH AS VENICE BIENNALE, CENTER POMPIDOU IN PARIS, GUGGENHEIM, MOMA, AND MANY MORE. AND WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL TO OUR PARTNERS, GRAHAM AND KENDALL FOR HOSTING THIS SHOW. SOUTH PRIZE. AGAIN, WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS. IT'S 24 BUSINESSES WILL BE HOSTING ARTWORK IN ALGER HEIGHTS, BOSTON SQUARE, MLK AND EASTERN MADISON SQUARE, SEYMOUR SQUARE AND SOUTH DIVISION. THIS ARTWORK WILL BE UP THROUGH THE DURATION OF ARTPRIZE, BUT THE VOTING FOR THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE ON ONE DAY, WHICH IS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH. THE SOUTH TOWN CIA IS HIRING TROLLEYS TO TAKE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE SIX DIFFERENT DISTRICTS SO EVERYBODY CAN EASILY GET AROUND. THAT TROLLEY WILL ALSO GO DOWNTOWN TO ARTPRIZE, SO PEOPLE IN SOUTH PRIZE CAN VISIT ARTPRIZE, AND PEOPLE IN ARTPRIZE CAN EASILY GET TO SOUTH PRIZE. AND THEN IN THE EVENING, THERE'S A CELEBRATION AT HOBO SEVEN, WHERE THEY'RE VOTING DAY WILL CONCLUDE AND THEY'LL HAVE AN ARTS MARKET. NEW MURALS THIS YEAR. ART OF THE TABLE, BRIDGEWATER PLACE AND EDDA SMITH WILSON WAY. SO WE'RE ALWAYS EXCITED TO ADD MORE, MORE PUBLIC MURALS DURING ARTPRIZE. OUR CLUBHOUSE IS AT 428 WEST WEST BRIDGE STREET NORTHWEST IN THE OLD JOLLY PUMPKIN SPACE. WE'RE GETTING THAT CLEANED UP AS WE SPEAK. THERE WILL BE AN ARTIST LOUNGE, SOCIAL MEDIA INTERVIEWS FOR ARTISTS, VOLUNTEER LOUNGE, VISITOR SUPPORT, AND WE HAVE 15 ARTPRIZE ENTRIES THERE. THIS IS A QUICK BREAKDOWN OF THE AWARDS. THEY LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR. WE ARE HOSTING AGAIN THE COMMUNITY AWARDS BY THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THOSE AWARDS AS AS YOU HAVE HISTORICALLY AT OUR AWARDS CEREMONY, WE'LL ALSO BE PRESENTING THE SOUTH PRIZE AWARDS, AND WE HAVE A NEW AWARD THIS YEAR, DELTA AIRLINES AWARD, WHICH IS AN ARTIST WHOSE PIECE WILL GET TO HANG IN THE DETROIT SKY CLUB FOR ONE YEAR, WHICH IS A VERY HIGHLY CURATED SPACE. AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH DELTA AIRLINES. AND I'LL PASS IT TO COLEMAN TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MARKETING, AND THEN WE'LL WRAP IT UP. GOOD MORNING. SOMETHING THAT TYLER AND ELLEN HAVE TALKED ABOUT IN DURING THEIR PRESENTATION IS REALLY LEANING INTO A LOT OF THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR, NOT ONLY THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, BUT ALL OF THE AMAZING ARTS INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE HERE THE OTHER 11 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR. SO WITH OUR MESSAGING AND COMMUNICATIONS,

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WE ARE PARTNERING WITH WOOD TV TO GET SOME AIRTIME DONATION AS WELL AS DIGITAL AD PLACEMENTS, AND THEY WILL BE RUNNING A CONTEST FOR A VIP EXPERIENCE AT OUR AWARD CEREMONY. THAT WAS BRIEFLY TOUCHED ON ONE THING THAT I THINK GOT SKIPPED OVER WITH OUR AWARD CEREMONY IS IS AT THE AMPHITHEATER. IT WILL BE ART PRIZES, LARGEST AWARD CELEBRATION EVER. AND WE ARE IN TALKS WITH THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS TO HAVE IT RECOGNIZED AS THE MOST ATTENDED FASHION SHOW IN THE WORLD, THE CURRENT RECORD BEING 3000 IN OUR AMPHITHEATER HOLDING 12,000.

WE'RE FEELING PRETTY GOOD ABOUT GETTING THAT ACCOLADE FOR OUR CITY. WE'VE ALREADY SEEN SOME NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PRESS ENGAGEMENT FAIRLY EARLY ON IN THE SEASON. WE HAD AN ARTICLE IN ENTREPRENEUR UK HIGHLIGHTING HOW MUCH ARTPRIZE IS GROWING THIS YEAR. AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT RECORD NUMBER OF ENTRIES IN EIGHT YEARS, WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH DIFFERENT PARTNER PR FIRMS, BOTH ONE THAT WE WORK WITH AS WELL AS A COUPLE SPONSORS TO KIND OF HELP PUT SOME WEIGHT BEHIND SOME OF THESE BROADER NATIONAL PRESS PITCHES. OF COURSE, WE'LL BE USING OUR NORMAL NEWSLETTER NETWORK SOCIALS AND MEDIA CONTACTS TO GET OUT ANY IMPORTANT CITY UPDATES AND ALERTS AS AS WE SEE NECESSARY. AND THEN OUR LAST SLIDE HERE IS KIND OF JUST HIGHLIGHTING ALL OF THE AMAZING PARTNERS THAT ARE HELPING MAKE ARTPRIZE HAPPEN THIS YEAR AND YEARS BEFORE THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE'VE SAID BEFORE, WE COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT THE CITY, BUT ALSO COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THESE INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE HERE THE OTHER 11 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR. AND THAT'S ALL WE HAVE. EXCUSE ME. THANKS. AND YEAH, A LOT OF INFORMATION TO DIGEST. VERY EXCITING. YOU KNOW, I OFTEN WHEN I TALK ABOUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, WORLD CLASS THINGS THAT GRAND RAPIDS HAS, I SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, NOT TRYING TO THROW SHADE ON THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LIBRARY, BUT MANY COMMUNITIES HAVE LIBRARIES, MANY COMMUNITIES HAVE ART MUSEUMS. BUT ARTPRIZE IS A WORLD CLASS AND UNIQUE THING TO TO OUR CITY. THE OTHER THING THAT I REALLY DON'T SEE ANY NATIONAL COMPARABLE FOR IS THE

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I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE MANY, MANY CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN ENSURING THE SAFETY AND MOBILITY OF PEDESTRIANS, AS WELL AS THE PERMITTING OF THIS EVENT AND USING ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SPACES AND PARKS, AND TO MAKE THIS WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND CERTAINLY, I WANT TO THANK THE ARTPRIZE TEAM AND MISS PITTMAN AND HER SPECIAL EVENTS OFFICE, BUT ALSO MR. LOFTIS AND ALL THE OTHER PRESENTERS THAT YOU HEARD TODAY, AS WELL AS C JOLIE OUT THERE IN THE AUDIENCE AS WELL. AND REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS AMAZING EXPERIENCE. I DO WANT TO ADD, I WAS TALKING TO COMMISSIONER KNIGHT AND I, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS THEME SEVERAL TIMES, AND THERE IS ONE EVENT THAT I THINK IS HAPPENING IN ONE OF OUR PARKS ON THE 13TH, THE COMMISSIONER KNIGHT MENTIONED TO ME THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL THAT'S HAPPENING AT MLK. CAN WE ENSURE THAT THAT IS ALSO HIGHLIGHTED AS ONE OF THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCES PEOPLE TO ENJOY WHILE THE FESTIVAL IS GOING ON, AND MAKE THAT AS A SIGNIFICANT ANOTHER ASPECT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OUTSIDE THE DOWNTOWN AREA. IN PAST IT'S BEEN DOWNTOWN, BUT FOR VARIOUS REASONS, I'M SURE COMMISSIONER NICKENS CAN EXPOUND MORE THAN I CAN ON THE REASONS WHY IT'S AT MLK CENTER THIS YEAR. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. YEAH, I, I NOTICED THAT AND SAW THAT THAT WAS A MISS. I DON'T THINK THE COMMUNICATION HAPPENED FOR THAT TO BE ON THERE. WE HAVE PARTNERED THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTS AND MUSIC FESTIVAL PROBABLY SINCE OUR INCEPTION, AND TYPICALLY IT HAS BEEN AT ROSA PARKS CIRCLE. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF LOGISTICS AND THAT BEING HELD SO THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO THAT. AND THEN ALSO LOOKING AT THE NEW SPACE OVER AT MLK PARK IN THE LODGE, WE THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT TO REALLY TAKE THAT HISTORIC ENTITY OVER BACK INTO COMMUNITY. I REMEMBER A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO ACTUALLY SPEAKING TO THE SOUTH PRIZE WHEN ARTPRIZE DECIDED TO DO ON AND OFF YEARS. SO THEY DID A SMALLER INSTALLATION ON OFF YEARS, AND MLK PARK WAS ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE THEY HAD A NUMBER OF INSTALLATIONS. THEY ACTUALLY DID A RAP ON THAT LODGE, AND THEN THEY HAD ANOTHER INSTALLATION IN THE PARK. AND SO THAT WAS A REALLY, REALLY AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY, AS THAT IS ITS MISSION, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THAT. BUT THIS GIVES US A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE ON THAT NEW FACILITY OVER IN THAT SPACE AND IN THAT PARK, AND REALLY GET

[00:35:03]

SO THANKFUL FOR IT, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CHECKING SOME OF THEM OUT. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THE POWER OF ART TO PLACE, MAKE AND PLACE KEEP IS A VERY INTENSE AND VERY INTERESTING CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENS ALL OVER THE WORLD, BUT CERTAINLY IN THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW.

AND THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT, YOU KNOW, HIGHLIGHTING THE TALENTS IN INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES INSTEAD OF ASKING THEM TO, TO SORT OF TAKE THEIR TALENTS AND GO OTHER PLACES, YOU KNOW, PRIMARILY LIKE IN NEW YORK AND LA WHERE WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO KEEP THE ARTS IN THESE COMMUNITIES BECAUSE ART REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY IN A WAY THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR 50,000 YEARS. PLUS, YOU GO BACK TO THE CAVES AND IT'S A VERY PHYSICAL, VERY UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE THAT WE CAN ALL TAP INTO AND RELATE TO. TIME OUT OF MIND. IT NEVER GETS OLD. SO THOSE THINGS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. AND AS AN ARTIST MYSELF, AND AS SOMEBODY WHO'S FROM HERE AND LOVES GRAND RAPIDS, I THINK THAT WE CAN ALSO BE A BIT OF A LEADER ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND THEM ACTIVATING OTHER ARTS THINGS. SO I FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOT ONLY DOING IT FOR OURSELVES, MICHIGAN IN THE MIDWEST, BUT WE'RE ALSO SETTING A PRECEDENT FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO AS FAR AS BRINGING OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY MORE INVOLVED IN ARTPRIZE, AND AGAIN, SHOWING WHAT WE'VE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED, BUT ADDING SOME OF THAT LEADERSHIP. SO, YEAH. YEP. COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, AND THE UPDATES. AND ALSO, AGAIN, YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT KIND OF SOME OF THE LEADERSHIP AND THE STRUCTURE. SO I KNOW YOU ALL WERE GOING THROUGH TRANSITION.

SO TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT THIS, KNOWING THAT KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU. I HOPE YOU GET A BREAK AFTER APRIL OR OCTOBER 3RD. TOTALLY. SECOND, ALL THOSE COMMENTS ABOUT SOUTH PRIZE. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT EARLIER. I KNOW THIS, THAT WAS I JUST HAVE TO SHOUT OUT MY, MY VERY GOOD FRIEND AND PAST COLLEAGUE, COMMISSIONER LANIER. THIS WAS A DREAM TO REALLY MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE IT. AND SO I WILL BE THERE SUPPORTING AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. I THINK, YOU KNOW, FROM THE POINT THAT YOU CAME TO THE CITY, YOU'VE ALWAYS SAID, WHAT COULD WE DO DIFFERENT? HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE IN THE ROOM? HOW DO WE NOT LET SOMETHING GO AWAY THAT HAD BEEN SO INVESTED IN. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP

[00:40:03]

AND THEN I HAD ONE QUESTION TOO. GREAT TO SEE THE ARTISTS PRIMARILY FROM MEXICO AS A PROUD MEXICAN AMERICAN. YEAH. AND I WONDERED IF WE'RE CONNECTED AT ALL. CITY MANAGER, YOU ALL CAN TELL ME TO TYLER WITH OUR SISTER CITIES, WITH ZAPOPAN, WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE KIND OF CULTURAL CONNECTIONS ALREADY. TO YOUR POINT, COMMISSIONER, WHAT IS THE, THE, THE MULTIPLIER IN THOSE SITUATIONS? SO I WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT. AND THEN. I THINK THAT'S ABOUT IT. SO THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO ON THE FIRST YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING SOMEBODY SIGNING DURING OUR BIG PRESENTATIONS. AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SUPPORT LINK ON OUR SITE THAT SOMEBODY IS MANNING ALL THE TIME. IF ANYBODY NEEDS ANY EXTRA HELP, ONE OF OUR TEAMMATES WILL COME OVER, PROVIDE FOR THEM WHEELCHAIR ASSISTANCE OR WHATEVER THEY NEED. BUT YEAH, THAT'S DEFINITELY A HUGE THING AS FAR AS MAKING ART ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY IN ALL OF THEIR DIFFERENT WITH ALL OF THEIR DIFFERENT NEEDS. AS FAR AS THE SISTER CITIES, I WAS JUST WALKING IN HERE. IT'S INCREDIBLE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO I'VE ONLY BEEN IN THE JOB NOW ABOUT FOUR MONTHS, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO LEAN INTO MOVING FORWARD, BECAUSE AGAIN, I THINK THAT WE'RE DOING SOMETHING VERY UNPRECEDENTED AND VERY SPECIAL. AND I THINK THAT WHAT OUR PRIZE DOES, THAT WE ALL HAVE TO REMEMBER IS WE ARE SHOWCASING SOME OF THE MOST HEROIC AND INCREDIBLE ASPECTS OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE SENSE THAT WE HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT VOICES, DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES, DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE COMING TOGETHER IN AN UNPRECEDENTED WAY, SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES THROUGH ART. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ART CAN DO AS WELL, IF NOT BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE UNITED STATES, IN THE FORM OF NEW YORK CITY HAS ONLY BEEN THE CAPITAL OF THE ART WORLD FOR 80 YEARS. BEFORE THAT, IT WAS ALMOST ALL WHITE MEN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF EUROPEAN WESTERN ART. AND IN 80 YEARS THAT'S DEMONSTRATIVELY AND ALMOST COMPLETELY CHANGED IN ART. PRIZE IS PUTTING THAT ON BLAST. AND WE'RE ACTUALLY MAKING HISTORY HERE. AND TO EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE GREAT ASPECTS AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALL ASPIRE TO AS AMERICANS, COMING TO OUR PRIZE IS A BIG, BIG PART OF THAT. SO SHOWCASING THAT MORE ON A WORLD STAGE FOR ME IS VERY IMPORTANT. MAYOR, IF I COULD JUST ADD, SO YOUR QUESTION IS YOU HAVE GOOD TIMING. WE ACTUALLY HAD THE MAYOR AND I MET SOME REPRESENTATIVES FROM ZAPOPAN WHO ARE IN OUR CITY THIS WEEK FOR A FEW DAYS, AND SO WE'LL MAKE SURE SEE IF THEY CAN COME BACK OUT THIS THIS EVENING AND BE RECOGNIZED. BUT WE'LL ALSO FOLLOW UP WITH SISTER CITIES. I THINK TRADITIONALLY, WE'VE ALWAYS ALERTED ALL OF OUR SISTER COMMUNITIES OF THE ART PRIZE FESTIVAL. OCCASIONALLY WE'VE HAD A DELEGATION COME. I KNOW MORE RECENTLY FROM ZAPOPAN.

WE WANTED TO BRING ARTISTS OR BRING COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM ZAPOPAN FOR OUR DAY TO DAY CELEBRATION HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS AND HELP US WITH MEMORIALS. AND SO WE'VE THOUGHT ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE TIMING OF ART PRIZE, IT'S GOT A MONTH, ALMOST A MONTH BEFORE OR ROUGHLY 30 DAYS BEFORE THE ACTUAL CELEBRATION. WE'RE TRYING TO PLAN THAT THIS YEAR, BUT WE'LL WORK ON IT MORE INTENTIONALLY NEXT YEAR. GREAT. WELL, THANKS. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION AND YEAH, LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS. THANK YOU ALL. HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE AMPHITHEATER. BREAK THAT RECORD. YEP. YEAH. PARDON. RIGHT. WE NEED SO WE DO NEED TO VOTE ON THIS HAVING HAD THE PRESENTATION. SO WE'VE ALREADY HAD A MOTION ON THE TABLE. ALL

[5. Motion to go into closed session.]

YES, COMMISSIONER. YES. MAYOR. LEGRAND. YES. AND THAT WILL BE IN LAW. LIBRARY 601 OKAY,

[1. SAFE Taskforce Annual Update 2026]

[00:45:08]

BUT BECAUSE NO ONE PERSON CAN SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISH THE WORK OF VIOLENCE REDUCTION IN GRAND RAPIDS ALONE, YOU WILL ALSO HEAR FROM TWO COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TODAY ABOUT A PARTNER SPOTLIGHT ON A SPECIAL PITCH PROJECT, AS WELL AS AN RFP. REFLECTION FROM OUR PARTNERS AT SIDE STRATEGIES. SO LET'S BEGIN. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO HONOR AND UPLIFT OUR DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE SAFE TASK FORCE WHO HAVE BEEN COMMITTED TO IMPLEMENTING ANTI-VIOLENCE STRATEGY TO MOVE GRAND RAPIDS TOWARD PEACE. THE PEACE PILLARS REPRESENT SAFE COMMITMENTS TO PREVENTION INVESTMENT, ELIMINATING VIOLENT ACTS, ACTIVATING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT, AND AFFECTING POSITIVE CHANGE IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. SAFE HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 2015 AND WAS PIONEERED BY THEN THIRD WARD COMMISSIONER ANITA LANIER, WHOM I AFFECTIONATELY COINED AS THE FAIRY GODMOTHER OF SAFE, WHO WAS EMPOWERED BY MAYOR HEARTWELL, WHO EQUALLY HAD A HEART FOR PUSHING THE COMMUNITY FORWARD AND KEEPING THE COMMUNITY SAFE. SO SHOUT OUT TO THEM BOTH. THIS PAST YEAR, THE TASK FORCE HAS BEEN CHAIRED BY COMMISSIONER ISASI, WHOSE TIME AND DEDICATION TO SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE FOR MORE SAFE COMMUNITIES DOES NOT GO UNRECOGNIZED. MANY OF THE MEMBERS OF SAFE COULDN'T BE HERE WITH US TODAY, BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL, EVEN IN YOUR ABSENCE, FOR YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE TO THIS AMAZING TASK FORCE. MOVING RIGHT ALONG, LET'S TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT SAFE FOR LIFE. IT WAS OUR ANNUAL GATHERING THIS YEAR THAT WAS AN EVENING OF FOOD, FUN AND FELLOWSHIP HOSTED EARLIER THIS YEAR AT THE 1530, WHICH IS A PREMIER DESTINATION FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS IN THE CITY'S THIRD WARD. IN TERMS OF GROWTH AND EXPANSION, THE SAFE TASK FORCE CONTINUED ITS UPWARD MOMENTUM THIS YEAR, BRINGING TOGETHER NEARLY 80 COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS WHILE EXPANDING ITS COMMUNICATIONS REACH BY 32%. WE ENTERED THE EVENING WITH TWO PRIMARY OBJECTIVES FIRST, TO BRING THE SAFE TASK FORCE TOGETHER WITH COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO COLLABORATIVELY STRENGTHEN EFFORTS TO PREVENT VIOLENCE IN GRAND RAPIDS, AND THEN SECOND, TO ENGAGE IN VIOLENCE REDUCTION PARTNERS THROUGH MEANINGFUL DIALOG AND INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES THAT ELEVATE COMMUNITY VOICES, BROADEN PERSPECTIVES, AND DEEPEN CROSS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. AND AS AN ADDED BONUS, THANKS TO THE MUCH APPRECIATED PUSH FROM STEVE GUITAR AND THE CITY'S OUTSTANDING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, THE GATHERING ALSO GENERATED SIGNIFICANT LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE, HELPING BOOST AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND VIOLENCE REDUCTION EFFORTS ACROSS THE CITY. SO OVERALL, THE EVENT WAS A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS AND CREATED A STRONG PLATFORM FOR BUILDING DEEPER RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESIDENTS GROUNDED IN MUTUAL RESPECT AND TRUST. THE SAFE TASK FORCE MOST PROMINENT INVESTMENT, HOWEVER, IS POURING INTO EVERY DAY PEOPLE WHO WORK DILIGENTLY ON A DAILY BASIS TO BE THE CHANGE THEY WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD EVERY YEAR THROUGH THE PITCH NIGHT PROGRAM, RESIDENTS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PITCH THEIR VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROJECT IDEAS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN BIG AND FUND THEIR BRIGHT IDEAS TO PUSH THE COMMUNITY FORWARD. THE FUNDING POT IS BUDGETED AT $50,000, AND UP TO FIVE COMMUNITY PROJECTS ARE AWARDED WITH $10,000 EACH. THE FIRST WINNING PROJECT THAT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS ADT LOGISTICS DRIVE YOUR FUTURE. THIS PROGRAM IS A PROGRAM THAT TAKES YOUNG ADULTS, AGES 16 TO 21, WHO ARE DRIFTING TOWARDS RISK AND PUTS THEM IN A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM WHERE THEY ARE LICENSED, INSURED, MENTORED AND PAID. THE ABILITY TO EARN MONEY AND LEARN A SKILL THAT CAN CONTINUE TO

[00:50:08]

SO AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU DUKE TURLEY JUNIOR TO THE MICROPHONE TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIS PROJECT. LET'S TALK KING. DUKE IS ACCOMPANIED THIS MORNING BY ONE OF HIS MENTEES, WHO IS GETTING A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF HOW CITY GOVERNMENT OPERATES AND INFLUENCES CITY OUTCOMES. AFTER THAT, THE NEXT VOICE YOU WILL HEAR WILL BE FROM OUR PARTNERS AT SIDE STRATEGIES, WHO WILL PROVIDE A BRIEF RFP REFLECTION ON WHAT HAS BEEN A PITCH PERFECT PARTNERSHIP IN TERMS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANT READINESS FOR ALL OF THE PART PITCH PARTNERS. DUKE. GOOD MORNING, CITY OFFICIALS. THANK YOU. LATISHA. THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME. SO LET'S TALK. KING WAS A EIGHT EIGHT WEEK MENTORING PROGRAM WHERE I WALKED ALONGSIDE WITH YOUNG MEN, BLACK AND BROWN AND VARIOUS DIFFERENT WAYS. SOME OF THEM WERE STRUGGLING WITH THINGS AT HOME OTHER THAN OTHERS OF THEM WANTED TO EARN MONEY, SO I HELPED THEM CONNECT WITH EMPLOYMENT. I HAVE WITH ME FUTURE ART PRIZE WINNER, THIS YEAR'S SOUTH PRIZE WINNER, KYRIE. HIM AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING ALONGSIDE ALL SUMMER LONG AS WELL, HELPING THEM START THIS BUSINESS. HE'S AN ARTIST FIRST, ENTREPRENEUR SECOND. SO JUST HELPING HIM GET ALL HIS THINGS IN ORDER. LIKE LATISHA SAID, IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THEM YOUNG PEOPLE, FOR THEM TO SEE US BLACK AND BROWN MEN IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO CONNECT AND BUILD HERE. SO FOR THEM TO WALK ALONGSIDE OR FOR US TO WALK ALONGSIDE WITH THEM AS THEY DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IS JUST VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. THIS YEAR WE TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH. INSTEAD OF BEING SUPER VENDOR HEAVY, WE POUR OUR FUNDS DIRECTLY INTO THEIR POCKETS. SO GIVING THEM STIPENDS, HELPING THEM START THEIR BUSINESSES UP, TAKING THEM OUT TO DINNER, JUST SUPPORTING THEM IN VARIOUS DIFFERENT WAYS, WHETHER IT BE TRANSPORTATION, INTERVIEW CLOTHES, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

YOU WANT TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT, TALK. SO I WAS ABLE TO START MY OWN BUSINESS THROUGH THE

[00:55:04]

AND AS LUCIA SAID, THE THE FAIRY GODMOTHER, I'M SURE SHE'S SMILING SOMEWHERE FOR SURE. BUT NO, NO, REALLY. SO BUT I'M HERE REPRESENTING NOT NECESSARILY AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF SAFE, BUT AS NOW AN ASSOCIATE AT SIDE STRATEGIES, WE PARTNERED WITH WITH THE CITY TO PROVIDE SOME TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE PITCH WINNERS. THAT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WAS A COMBINATION OF SORT OF WORKSHOP DEVELOPMENT AND FACILITATION, AS WELL AS SOME ONE ON ONE ORGANIZATIONAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT. WITH OUR WORKSHOPS, WE FOCUSED ON SOME OF THOSE THINGS, AS THE TEACHER SAID, ABOUT TRYING TO HELP THEM TO BE WHAT WE CALL GRANT READY THE IDEA. OF COURSE, PEOPLE HAVE GREAT IDEAS, THEY HAVE PASSIONS, THEY HAVE THINGS THAT THEY WANT TO DO. BUT THERE'S SORT OF A A BUSINESS SIDE OR ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE SIDE THAT SOMEONE HAS TO HAVE IN PLACE IN ORDER TO, TO SORT OF REACH THOSE GOALS. SO WE WENT THROUGH A SERIES OF TOPICS, FOUR TOPICS IN PARTICULAR THAT ARE REALLY ESSENTIAL VISION AND MISSION, ENSURING THAT THEY REALLY HAVE A CLEAR SORT OF, I WON'T EVEN SAY A ROADMAP, BUT JUST A CLEAR VISION AND UNDERSTANDING THE X'S AND O'S TO, TO, TO, TO EXECUTE THAT VISION. BUT WITH THAT, THAT ALSO INCLUDES PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION. ORG DOCUMENTATION. AGAIN, JUST REALLY NOT JUST HAVING ALL THAT IN YOUR HEAD, BUT REALLY BEING ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN PRESENT TO FUNDERS, YOU CAN PRESENT TO PARTNERS. SO REALLY JUST WALKING THEM THROUGH TEMPLATES THAT WE DEVELOPED FOR OUR CLIENTS TO HELP THEM TO CLEARLY IDENTIFY THEIR PROGRAM OFFERINGS, UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OFFERING AND AN OUTCOME, UNDERSTANDING THE THE ESSENTIALS BEHIND METRIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH UTILIZING DATA AND GETTING FEEDBACK, AND JUST THE WHOLE VARIETY OF THINGS THAT REALLY HELP PEOPLE TO REALLY STRUCTURE THEIR ORGANIZATION SO THEY CAN BE ATTRACTIVE TO NOT JUST OTHER PARTNERS TO DO THE WORK WITH, BUT ATTRACTIVE TO, TO POTENTIAL FUNDERS. AND LIKE I SAID, SO THAT WAS A WORKSHOP FORMAT WITH FOUR DIFFERENT IN-DEPTH TOPICS, A LIBRARY OF RESOURCES THAT WE DEVELOPED THAT THEY CAN USE BEYOND OUR WORKSHOP TIME, BUT THEN ALSO SOME ONE ON ONE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP THEM WITH A PARTICULAR PROJECT, A PARTICULAR TASK, A PARTICULAR PROBLEM THAT THEY MAYBE NEED TO GO THROUGH. LAST NIGHT, I WAS ACTUALLY ON A VIRTUAL CALL WITH ONE OF THE FOLKS AT 9 P.M.

BECAUSE THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, BUSY LIVES. SHE'S A MOM, HAS ALL SORTS OF THINGS. SO WE REALLY JUST MAKE OURSELVES AVAILABLE. BECAUSE ME, FRANKLY, BEING A COMMUNITY SERVICE IS REALLY EXCITING TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE. SO I'M REALLY JUST EXCITED TO, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND WE JUST MAKE OURSELVES AVAILABLE TO HELP FOLKS DEVELOP, IDEALLY SOME STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND AGAIN, SORT OF A ROADMAP TO GET THERE, BUT ALSO, AGAIN, PROVIDING SOME, SOME STRUCTURES, SOME TEMPLATES, SOME GUIDELINES, SOME ASSISTANCE, SOME THOUGHT PARTNERSHIP, AND FRANKLY, WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE MOMENTUM SO THEY CAN BE SHINING STARS, THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGHOUT OUR CITY AND HOPEFULLY IN TURN, REDUCE THE IMPACT OF STREET VIOLENCE AS WELL. SO I'D LIKE TO JUST QUICKLY GO BACK TO DUKE'S INITIAL SLIDE REAL QUICK, BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT SOMETHING. ALL OF THESE PROJECTS HAVE DEEPLY TOUCHED MY HEART. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH ALL OF THEM. BUT THERE'S JUST SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT A SCREENSHOT. DURING A PARTICIPANT'S FIRST DAY ON THE JOB AT CASCADE ENGINEERING, THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT WHEN A YOUNG BLACK OR BROWN MAN IS ACTIVELY A MIRROR AND A WINDOW FOR OTHER YOUNG BLACK AND BROWN MEN. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OWNERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND STANDING UP FOR OUR OWN COMMUNITIES, I FEEL LIKE FUNDING PROGRAMS LIKE THIS FROM A TASK FORCE LIKE SAFE IS REALLY WHAT IS ACTIVELY PUSHING THE COMMUNITY FORWARD. IT'S

[01:00:03]

I'M SO PROUD OF ALL THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER. WE LAUNCHED A A SUCCESSFUL SAFE SUMMER VIOLENCE PREVENTION POSTER CAMPAIGN, WHERE A TOTAL OF 150 POSTERS HIGHLIGHTING FREE, SAFE AND ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES FOR YOUTH WERE POSTED BY CARE VIOLENCE STAFF ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE EVEN POSTED FOAM BOARDS HERE IN THE LOBBY AT CITY HALL AND THE COUNTY BUILDING SO THAT RESIDENTS WOULD BE INFORMED OF OPPORTUNITIES TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY'S CHILDREN SAFE. WHILE WAITING IN THE LOBBY. I'M SO ALSO REALLY PROUD TO INFORM YOU THAT WE CURATED AND DISTRIBUTED 200 SAFE COMMUNITY KITS WITH SAFE LITERATURE AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION SAFETY ITEMS, INCLUDING EMERGENCY WHISTLES, PERSONAL ALARMS AND KEYRING FLASHLIGHTS THAT WERE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT COMMUNITY. YOU ALSO FOUND THE SAFE TASK FORCE BEING REPRESENTED THROUGHOUT TABLING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE COMMISSION NIGHT OUT AT THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM AND NEIGHBORHOOD NIGHT OUT IN COLLABORATION WITH GRPD AND OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS IN THE ROOSEVELT PARK NEIGHBORHOOD.

LASTLY, I'LL MENTION A SMALL BUT MIGHTY FINANCIAL INVESTMENT IN CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUTH IN THE CITY'S THIRD WARD. SAFE ALLOCATED A $500 HOSPITALITY SPONSORSHIP TO THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION, HELPING TO BRING A TRANSFORMATIONAL, 100% ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUND TO LIFE IN 49507. OUR REACH THIS YEAR AS A TASK FORCE IS PROOF THAT GOING ALONE MAY HELP YOU GET THERE FAST, BUT GOING TOGETHER HELPS YOU GO FAR. AS WE LOOK TO THE YEAR AHEAD, YOU CAN EXPECT THAT THE GUN VIOLENCE MEMORIAL, OUR INSTALLATION WILL BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED AND AS AN ADDED BONUS, A NEIGHBOR WAS AWARDED A NEIGHBORHOOD MATCH FUND DOLLARS PROJECT TO CREATE A GUN VIOLENCE MEMORIAL MURAL INSTALLATION IN THE MLK PARK AREA, AND THAT MURAL WILL BE CREATED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AREA YOUTH. WE WILL ALSO WELCOME ANOTHER COHORT OF PITCH NIGHT WINNERS IN OCTOBER. WE'LL CONTINUE TO SERVE ALONGSIDE K CONNECT AND THEIR YOUTH JUSTICE TEAM TO EVALUATE WHAT HAPPENS DURING OUT OF SCHOOL TIME. FOR YOUTH THAT HAVE BEEN EXPELLED OR SUSPENDED FROM SCHOOL, AND THEN WE WILL CLOSE OUT THE YEAR WITH A COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER HOLIDAY MEETING AND CELEBRATION TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR WORK OVER THE PAST YEAR. SO THIS BRINGS ME TO THE END OF MY PRESENTATION. I'M SO GRATEFUL

[01:05:04]

THANK YOU. I KNOW, I KNOW, THIS IS A PACKED DAY. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR COMING TO THIS. I WAS THE ORIGINAL SAFE TASK FORCE MEMBER AS A WHEN I WAS A YOUNG ADULT BACK IN THE DAY, REYNARD WITH WITH EVERYONE. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO LATISHA FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. LATISHA HAS JUST BEEN WORKING ON THIS. REALLY. YOU'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY NOW A YEAR, RIGHT? AND SO YOU GOT TO THINK ABOUT THE ONBOARDING AND ALL THE OTHER.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY, I THINK, A REFLECTION OF HOW THIS BODY. CITY MANAGER, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. DEPUTY CHIEF BAKER HAS BEEN AN ACTIVE MEMBER. AND SO AND MANY OF THE CAPTAINS YOU SAW WERE AT THAT OUR GATHERING EVENT. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. I THINK ONE OF THE WORDS THAT I WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE YOU IS RELATIONSHIPS.

YOU'VE REALLY PULLED THAT THREAD ON RELATIONSHIPS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS HAPPENING IN OUR CITY. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT INITIATIVES. AND SAFE WAS ALWAYS ABOUT HOW DO WE BE A SUPPORTER AND A CONNECTOR. AND I HOPE THAT YOU ALL GOT TO SEE THIS, THIS PRESENTATION AS PART OF IT. ANYBODY'S ALWAYS OUT OF THIS BODY IS ALWAYS AND OTHERS TO, TO JOIN OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE. IF YOU EVER WOULD LIKE TO COME AND TO TALK, BUT I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORT AND THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE PUT INTO THIS. AND I'M EXCITED FOR THE NEXT YEAR. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER COKER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MISS LIPSCOMB AND EVERYONE ON THE SAFE TASK FORCE FOR THEIR WORK.

I JUST WANT TO SAY, EVEN BEFORE THIS PRESENTATION, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FOLLOW THE WORK OF MR. TURLEY AND MISS LIPSCOMB BECAUSE IT'S BEEN EXTREMELY ACCESSIBLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND TIKTOK. AND I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF GETTING THE AMAZING WORK THAT WE DO HERE IN CITY HALL, AND ALL OF OUR STAFF DOES DAILY TO THE PUBLIC TO SHOW THEM WHAT THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR TAXES MEAN AND WHAT THEIR CITY IS WORKING ON FOR THEM. SO THAT'S BEEN GREAT.

I'M ALSO MLK PARK NEIGHBOR, SO I'VE SEEN IT FIRSTHAND AS WELL. AND IT'S BEEN FUN TO TALK TO NEIGHBORS ABOUT WHO'S WORKING OUT OR WHAT, WHAT FOLKS ARE AT THE PARK. IT'S BEEN A VERY POSITIVE CONTRAST TO WE ALSO HAD SOME VIOLENCE CHALLENGES AT THE PARK WITH THE SAME DEMOGRAPHIC OF YOUTH. SO IT'S A GOOD CONTRAST AND COMPARISON, AND ALSO GOOD TO SHOW THAT THE CITY IS REALLY PUTTING THEIR SUPPORT BEHIND IT, THE FUNDING BEHIND IT. I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT IT, BUT I THINK A LOT OF OUR PARTNERSHIPS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WHO ARE WORKING ON GRANTS OR WHO ARE WORKING ON PROGRAMS CAN REALLY LEARN FROM THIS, BECAUSE I DO THINK WE TALK ABOUT THAT A LOT AT THE CITY OF HOW DO WE MAKE THINGS EXCITING? HOW DO WE KEEP THINGS MODERNIZED? AND THIS PROGRAM HAS REALLY SHOWN THAT YOU CAN DO THAT THROUGH TIKTOK. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED IT. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS. THANKS, COMMISSIONER KNIGHT, AND I'LL JUST MAKE IT SHORT AND SWEET. I ECHO WHAT MY COLLEAGUE SAID. AND YOU KNOW, AS WE KNOW THAT MORE THINGS ARE BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM OUR YOUTH, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO INNOVATE AND DO THINGS THAT ARE KEEPING OUR YOUTH ENGAGED AND OUT OF TROUBLE. BUT I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT MISS LIPSCOMB HAD RECEIVED AN AWARD LAST WEEK AT THE POSITIVE IMPACT FOR LIVES GALA FOR FOR BEING A MENTOR AND CONNECTING PEOPLE IN COMMUNITY TO DIFFERENT RESOURCES. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT. JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU AGAIN. I ECHO WHAT EVERYONE HAS SAID HERE. YOU HAVE REALLY DONE AN AMAZING JOB IN YOUR FIRST YEAR. AND I REALLY WANT TO THANK, COMMISSIONER SASSY FOR YOUR CHAIRMANSHIP AND ON THE TEAM.

THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON AND IT'S JUST REALLY GOOD TO GET THE STORYTELLING PART OF THAT. SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THOSE STORIES HERE, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO COME TO THE MIC. BOTH OF YOU, ALL THREE OF YOU. AND I THINK THAT WE CANNOT UNDERESTIMATE OR OVERSHADOW THIS ANNOUNCEMENT THAT YOU HAVE MADE TODAY HERE FOR THE RFP ON THE GUN VIOLENCE MEMORIAL. I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR PROBABLY MORE THAN A YEAR, BUT CERTAINLY, AS I'VE BEEN ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE FOR THE LAST YEAR, WE'VE HAD INCIDENTS AND PEOPLE ARE HURTING AND PEOPLE ARE IN PAIN AND PEOPLE HAVE. WE NEED A WE NEED COMMUNITY PLACES TO GRIEVE, TO HAVE CONVERSATION AND TO COME TOGETHER. SO I'M REALLY GLAD TO, YOU KNOW, SEE YOU HIGHLIGHT THIS AND MAKE THIS A PART OF THE WELCOMING AS WE WRAP UP OUR PRIZE IN MAKING THAT NOTE TO.

SO I HOPE YOU GET SOME REALLY GREAT ARTISTS REPLYING. WE'RE EXCITED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YEP.

AND YEAH, I, I'LL ECHO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES SENTIMENTS AND ALSO POINT OUT. THE THE GUN

[01:10:07]

HE GOT OUT OF HIS CAR AND HE GOT SHOT. DEAD PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GUNS ACCELERATE PEOPLE'S ANGER AND VIOLENCE SO EASILY, AND THEY ACCELERATE DESPAIR SO EASILY. I MEAN, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A YOU KNOW, EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THE, THE INCREASE WE'VE HAD IN MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. AND I'M GOING TO I'M GOING TO POINT IT OUT LATER TODAY. BUT I GUESS THIS IS NOT A BAD POINT. NOT NOT A BAD PLACE TO SAY IT THE FIRST TIME. SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW THAT OUR CITY MANAGER. DID WHAT VERY FEW PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE WILLING TO DO, AND DIRECTLY INTERVENED IN A VIOLENT SITUATION THIS PAST WEEK. AND FORTUNATELY, THAT THAT THAT THAT SITUATION RESOLVED POSITIVELY. BUT IT'S ALSO FORTUNATE THAT, I MEAN, IT'S FORTUNATE THAT THERE WASN'T A GUN INVOLVED. THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION WANTED TO COMMIT SUICIDE. AND, AND OUR CITY MANAGER WAS, WAS A KEY PART OF STOPPING THAT MAN KILLING HIMSELF. WELL, HE HAD HAD SCISSORS. AND, YOU KNOW, IF HE HAD HAD A GUN, OUR CITY MANAGER MIGHT BE DEAD RIGHT NOW. THERE ARE. I JUST THINK THAT WE CAN'T OVERESTIMATE. I MEAN, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE HONEST IN OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO REDUCE VIOLENCE, I THINK WE JUST HAVE TO BE HONEST ABOUT ABOUT THE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF REALLY, REALLY QUESTIONING. YOU KNOW, THE FACT IS THAT THAT ANY WEAPON IS A VIOLENT THING AND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO HAVE. BUT SCISSORS HAVE OTHER USES, KNIVES HAVE OTHER USES. GUNS ARE, ARE INSTRUMENTS OF VIOLENCE. AND IT'S, IT'S TERRIBLE BUT NECESSARY THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES HAVE GUNS BECAUSE OF THE OF THE HARD, HARD SITUATIONS. THEY THEY GET INVOLVED IN. BUT THE, THE, THE OVEREMPHASIS ON USE OF POSSESSION OF PROLIFERATION, PROLIFERATION, PROLIFERATION OF GUNS IN OUR COMMUNITY IS SOMETHING THAT IF WE REALLY CARE ABOUT OUR, OUR BROTHERS OR SISTERS, OUR, OUR CHILDREN, WE JUST HAVE TO STEP UP AND BE AND BE CLEAR ABOUT. SO THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER, AND THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES, FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF, OF WORKING ON A GUN VIOLENCE MEMORIAL. BUT THERE WHEN I LOOK AT THIS ISSUE, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH WE HAVE TO DO AS A COMMUNITY TO. IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE A COMMUNITY OF PEACE AND NOT A COMMUNITY OF SETTLING BEEFS, SETTLING GRIEVANCES, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO STAND FOR OUR HONOR OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, BUILDING PEACE IS REALLY, REALLY HARD WORK. AND SO I KNOW, SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO EVERYBODY INVOLVED IN THE SAFE TASK FORCE FOR, FOR DOING THE HARD WORK OF TRYING TO BUILD PEACE. AND IT'S COMPLICATED AND IT INVOLVES, YOU KNOW, MANY DIFFERENT STRATEGIES, WHETHER IT'S MENTORING, WHETHER IT'S NAMING THE PROBLEMS, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, EXPLORING DIFFERENT WAYS TO, TO BREAK THAT CYCLE. AND MR. ROSS IS INVOLVED IN A, IN A, AN ORGANIZATION CALLED CURE VIOLENCE THAT SIMPLY LOOKS AT VIOLENCE AS THOUGH IT'S A PATHOLOGY, AS THOUGH IT'S A DISEASE. BECAUSE IN MANY WAYS, THAT'S MAYBE THE BEST AND MOST POWERFUL ANALOGY FOR, FOR WHAT VIOLENCE IS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

IT'S TRANSMISSIBLE. IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN CATCH EVEN BY SEEING VIOLENCE. IT TURNS OUT THAT THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN SEEING VIOLENCE AND COMMITTING IT, WHICH MEANS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT OLD INSTINCT. WE ALL HAVE TO PUT OUR HANDS OVER OUR KIDS EYES AND IN THE VIOLENT PART OF A MOVIE. TURNS OUT THAT MAKES SENSE. IF WE CAN STOP VIOLENCE, I MEAN IT. THAT MEANS IT'S SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN, JUST LIKE WE ALL HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN TRYING TO WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND STOPPING COVET IF WE'RE ALL GOING TO, IF WE'RE GOING TO LIVE IN A CITY THAT'S PEACEFUL, WE'VE ALL GOT TO WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND A LOT OF DIFFERENT AND POSITIVE BEHAVIORS. SO THANK YOU, ALL OF YOUR FOR, FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK IN THIS. I MEAN, WE'RE ABOUT TO HEAR FROM ANOTHER GROUP CONCERNED ABOUT THIS, BUT I MEAN, I THINK THAT COMMUNITY SAFETY IS THE MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT CONVERSATION WE CAN HAVE IN CITY GOVERNMENT.

[01:15:05]

[2. An Update Regarding A Just - GR Powered by the Aspen Institute’s Justice and Governance Partnership.]

THERE ARE PEOPLE NOT ONLY FROM OUTSIDE OF OUR ORGANIZATION INVOLVED, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE INSIDE OF OUR ORGANIZATION INVOLVED. WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, OUR COMMUNITY CHILDREN, AND OF COURSE, FROM OPA, WHO ARE ALL INVOLVED IN THIS WORK. AND I WOULD GUESS THERE'S PROBABLY THERE'S BEEN PEOPLE FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED, I WOULD GUESS, OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL. THIS HAS BEEN AN ALL HANDS ON DECK EFFORT. SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE IN THE CITY WHO'S BEEN A PART OF THIS WORK. AND WE'RE ALSO GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, INCLUDING OUR CHAIR, ONE OF OUR CHAIRS, PASTOR PARRIS MCMURRAY, WHO WILL BE PRESENTING TODAY ALONG WITH RALPH CALDWELL AND CALDWELL, REALLY QUARTERBACKS THIS WORK FOR US. SO WE'RE GRATEFUL TO THEM AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THEM AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THIS TIME AND YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS IMPORTANT WORK. MAYOR LEGRAND, I DEFINITELY ECHO YOUR SENTIMENTS AROUND COMMUNITY SAFETY, RIGHT? IT'S ONE OF THE LYNCH POINTS OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY, WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A COMMUNITY THAT THRIVES FOR SURE. AGAIN, I AM PARIS MCMURRAY. I'M THE SENIOR PASTOR AT RENAISSANCE CHURCH HERE IN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, ALSO ADMINISTRATOR WITH THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SERVES AS ONE OF THE CHAIRS FOR A JUST GRPS HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS. AND I'LL LET RAFA INTRODUCE HIMSELF. HE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THIS. HOWEVER, I AM NOT JUDGE ROSS. JUDGE ROSS IS IN COURT RIGHT NOW. SHE MAY COME THROUGH TOWARDS THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION. SHE'S WRAPPING UP RIGHT NOW, BUT I'M RAFA CASTANO WITH CALDWELL HEALTH. WE HELP FACILITATE JUST GR THE WORK THAT THEY DO. YEAH FOR SURE. AND SO TODAY OUR INTENT IS TO RUN YOU THROUGH AND TAKE YOU THROUGH AND BRIEF YOU ON SOME OF THE INFORMATION. I KNOW THAT WE WERE AT THIS CONVERSATION MAYBE LAST YEAR OR MAYBE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO NOW, JUST WANT TO PROVIDE SOME UPDATES AND SOME INFORMATION AROUND SOME OF THE FINDINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ADDRESS. BUT BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THAT, I JUST, AGAIN, WANT TO GIVE THE OVERALL MISSION IS TO CREATE A THRIVING, SAFE AND JUST GRT BY WORKING TOGETHER. RIGHT. WE HOPE YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THAT A JUST GRT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. YOU WILL SEE SO MANY SECTORS REPRESENTED ON THIS CHAIR AND ON THIS COMMITTEE, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, THERE ARE SO MANY HANDS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS COMMUNITY SAFETY WORK. AND SO THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, YOU'LL SEE FOLKS FROM OUR MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTIONS, YOU'LL SEE PEOPLE FROM OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS, YOU'LL SEE PEOPLE FROM OUR FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS, YOU'LL SEE GRASSROOTS PEOPLE, AS WELL AS POLICY MAKERS AND DECISION MAKERS WITHIN OUR CITY AS WELL AS OUR COUNTY. AND SO THE INTENT IS TO EXPAND NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY ACROSS AND AND CRISIS RESPONSE ACROSS ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE OUTCOMES ARE EQUITABLE FOR EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO OVER THE LAST SUMMER AND FALL, WE HAD OVER 50 COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND INSTITUTIONAL LEADERS MEET PERIODICALLY TO REVIEW QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY PROCESSES LIKE ARREST AND JAIL USE, AS WELL AS NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL CRIMES AND THEIR UNDERLYING CAUSES. AND WE FOUND FOUR MAJOR ISSUES FACING GRAND RAPIDS RESIDENTS. AND THOSE ARE SEEN ON THE RIGHT. SO URGENT CRISES SUCH AS VIOLENT CRIME, THEY NEED A CRISIS RESPONSE, INTERVENTION IN THE MOMENT.

HOWEVER, SOME LESSER OFFENSES, SUCH AS TRESPASSING, THEY REFLECT A LACK OF ACCESS TO BASIC NEEDS AND CRISIS INTERVENTION ALONE. IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM.

SO THAT'S THE LENS THAT THESE WORK GROUPS USE TO IDENTIFY HOW RESOURCES AND POLICIES CAN BE BEST COORDINATED TO SUPPORT HEALTHY AND SAFE COMMUNITIES. SO THE ITEMS ON THE RIGHT, THEY REPRESENT THE THE PRIORITIES THAT EMERGED DURING THESE FIRST ROUNDS OF DATA ANALYSIS. AND OVER THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE THOSE FINDINGS IN MORE DETAIL. SO WITHIN THESE PRIORITY FINDINGS, AS YOU SEE, AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE INFORMATION THERE IN FRONT OF YOU, THESE THESE PRIORITY FINDINGS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. THERE HAVE BEEN

[01:20:04]

SO WE WILL SEE THAT SOMETIMES GRAND RAPIDS, THE WAY THAT WE ORGANIZE OUR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, SOME OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS MAY BE A BIT SMALLER. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WILL SEE INFORMATION AROUND THE HART SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD, IN PARTICULAR THE HART SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD. ACCORDING TO THE DATA THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PULL THROUGH, THE CENSUS TRACT INCLUDES SOME A FEW BLOCKS AND A FEW STREETS WITHIN THE HERITAGE HILL. OKAY, SO YOU MAY SEE THE HERITAGE HILL NEIGHBORHOOD REPRESENTED IN THE DATA, BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS, AGAIN, HYPERLOCAL DATA ALLOWS US TO DRILL DOWN EVEN FURTHER WITHIN EACH OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. OKAY, SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING TODAY, AND WE'LL TRY TO GIVE THIS ENOUGH ATTENTION, BUT THEN ALSO BE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYONE'S TIME AS WELL. THE FIRST, ONE OF THE PRIORITY CONDITIONS THAT WE IDENTIFIED WAS OVERRELIANCE ON ARREST AND PRETRIAL CUSTODY. THE FIRST HIGHLIGHT OR ELEMENT OF THAT IS SHORT STAYS WITHIN OUR JAIL SYSTEMS. THE WORK GROUPS WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY OVER RELIANCE ON ARREST AND PRETRIAL CUSTODY. THE DATA ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT 45%, NEARLY HALF OF ALL JAIL ADMISSIONS. IF YOU WANT TO GIVE A NUMBER TO THAT NEARLY 3500 JAIL ADMISSIONS OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR WERE BOOKED, PLACED IN CUSTODY, PROCESSED, INTERVIEWED, ASSESSED AND THEN PROCESSED OUT AND RELEASED WITHIN JUST 24 HOURS. SO 3500 ACROSS THE YEAR WERE ALL WENT THROUGH THAT ENTIRE PROCESS, AND THEY WERE RELEASED WITHIN JUST 24 HOURS. ANOTHER THING THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IS THAT THESE ARE NON DUI VIOLATIONS. SO THE WORK GROUPS WERE ABLE TO FIND AND DISCOVER THAT LOW RISK NONVIOLENT OFFENSES SUCH AS TRESPASSING, VIOLATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES OR CONDITIONS, NONCOMPLIANCE, ETC. THEY ATTRIBUTED TO ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT ARRESTS. THEY DIDN'T MOVE FORWARD ON ME. OKAY. THEY ATTRIBUTED TO ALL OF THESE ARRESTS. ALL RIGHT. ONE THING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS THAT THE HIGH COSTS OF THIS PROCESS IS SOMETHING THAT IS REPRESENTED, AND I'M SURE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IF WE WERE TO DO SOME BUDGET BUDGETARY ANALYSIS AND SEE HOW MUCH MONEY THIS WAS ACTUALLY COSTING OUR COMMUNITY, NOT ONLY MONEY COSTS, BUT ALSO PERSONAL COSTS AS WELL. WE UNDERSTAND THE TRAUMA THAT GOES INTO SOMEONE BEING ARRESTED, BOOKED IN JAIL, AND THEN RELEASED FROM JAIL WITHIN 24 HOURS. OKAY. TO CONTINUE WITH THAT. WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE, GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT 33% OF ALL OF US, OR NEARLY A THIRD OF ALL OF THE CUSTODIAL SITUATIONS OR PEOPLE GOING INTO JAIL COME FROM JUST THESE SEVEN NEIGHBORHOODS. AND AGAIN, THIS INFORMATION IS PRESENTED IN FRONT OF YOU, PRESENTED IN JUST SEVEN NEIGHBORHOODS. THESE SEVEN NEIGHBORHOODS REPRESENT ONLY 10% OF THE ENTIRE GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY. SO YOU CAN SEE THE RATIOS THAT EXIST THERE.

ONLY 10% OF THE PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH THIS A THIRD PERCENT OF THE TIME. AND SO WE SEE THAT THESE KEY FINDINGS, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE MUST ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING ISSUES WITHIN THESE SEVEN COMMUNITIES IN ORDER TO APPROPRIATELY ADDRESS THIS PRETRIAL CUSTODY.

SO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WAS IDENTIFIED AS A CRITICAL CONCERN, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS EXPERIENCING CONCENTRATED DISTRESS. THE THE DATA ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND RELATED CHILD AND FAMILY NEGLECT AND ABUSE CASES UNEXPECTEDLY MAKE UP MORE THAN HALF AT 54% OF ALL VIOLENT AND PERSON CRIME, JAIL BOOKINGS. AND YET, SURPRISINGLY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES ALSO CONSTITUTE THE HIGHEST PROPORTION, AT 28% OF ALL CASES DENIED FOR FOR PROSECUTION. SO WORK GROUPS HAVE CONCLUDED THAT WHILE CRIMINAL JUSTICE INTERVENTIONS ARE SOMETIMES NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE IMMEDIATE SAFETY FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS, THAT THOSE RESPONSES ALONE ARE INSUFFICIENT TO MORE AGGRESSIVELY ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ALSO SHOWED US THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMIZATIONS THERE CONCENTRATED INTO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE HOME TO ONLY ONE FOURTH OF ALL GRAND RAPIDS RESIDENTS, OR HIGH RATES OF CONCENTRATED DOMESTIC STRESS AND INSTABILITY PERSIST. SO WORK GROUPS HAVE CONCLUDED THAT ANY EFFORT TO REDUCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMIZATION MUST GO BEYOND CRIMINAL AND LEGAL SOLUTIONS TO ALSO ADDRESS UNDERLYING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, HOUSING INSTABILITY AND ECONOMIC INSECURITY IN THESE PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH COORDINATED,

[01:25:03]

AND, AND THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS ARE, THEY'RE UNDERSTANDING FULLY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT ATTEMPTS AND SIGNIFICANT STRATEGIES TO ENGAGE COMMUNITY DIFFERENTLY.

STILL, THERE IS SOMETHING IN SOME QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED AND RESPONDED TO AS TO WHY PEOPLE FEEL THAT DISCONNECT, RIGHT? SOME OF THE DATA THAT GOES TO SUPPORT SOME OF THE DISCONNECT, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S CUTTING OFF ON THE SCREEN. HOPEFULLY YOU'RE ABLE TO SEE IT CLEARLY. THE COST OF VIOLATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT CONDITION ARRESTS, AGAIN, SOME OF THAT NONCOMPLIANCE, SOME OF THAT LOW RISK, SOME OF THAT LOWER BEHAVIOR THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THROUGH THE DATA, SHOW THAT WE'RE VIOLATIONS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT CONDITIONS ARE THE TOP CHARGE. THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL JAIL COSTS ALONE IS OVER $1 MILLION PER YEAR. AND I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOLLARS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MONEY, BUT THAT'S HIGHLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO ANALYZE SO THAT WE CAN REALLY SEE, ARE WE ALLOCATING FUNDS APPROPRIATELY SO THAT WE CAN BE ADDRESSING THESE CRISES THAT EXIST ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY? WORK GROUPS CONCLUDED THAT FREQUENT ARRESTS FOR THESE OFFENSES OFTEN FAILED TO ADVANCE NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND TRUST BETWEEN THE GRPD AND THE RESIDENTS, SPECIFICALLY IN THESE HIGHLY DISTRESSED NEIGHBORHOODS. NOTICING HOW THE UNDERMINED COMMUNITY, WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT LIMITS NOT ONLY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RESPONSE, BUT ALSO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEALING WITH THE CRIME THAT SOME OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS MIGHT EXIST OR MIGHT EXPERIENCE.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONCENTRATION. AGAIN, WE SEE THAT MOST OF THE INCIDENTS OCCUR WITHIN THESE THREE NEIGHBORHOODS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, ALMOST HALF OF THESE CONFRONTATIONS ARE OCCURRING WITHIN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS. REPEAT OFFENSES, REPEAT OFFENDERS, ETCETERA. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE LINES THAT WE NEED TO REALLY DISCOVER HOW TO OPEN UP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THESE DISTRESSED NEIGHBORHOODS IN PARTICULAR, AS WELL AS OUR RESPONDERS TO THESE DIFFERENT INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE. SO ANALYSIS ALSO REVEALED THAT THE HEARTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD IS RANKED HIGHEST IN COMBINED EVICTION CASE FILINGS, JAIL BOOKINGS AND E.R. VISITS, WHERE JAILS, EMERGENCY ROOMS AND SHELTERS DO NOT COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER REGARDING WHO IS REPEATEDLY CYCLING THROUGH ALL OF THEIR SYSTEMS. WORK GROUPS CONCLUDED THAT AS A CITY, IF WE. WE MUST ADDRESS THE ABSENCE OF SYSTEMATIC INFORMATION SHARING AND COORDINATION AMONG SHELTERS, HOSPITALS, THE JAIL AND OTHER CRISIS RESPONDERS. IF WE. IF WE WANT TO INTERRUPT THE PERPETUAL AND COSTLY CYCLES OF EMERGENCY CARE, SHELTER USE, AND DETENTION THAT EMANATES FROM THE HEARTSIDE AREA. WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU NOW IS A NEIGHBORHOOD MAPPING TOOL AND CROSS SECTOR PROBLEM SOLVING.

THIS MAP ALLOWS US TO LOOK AGAIN AT THIS HYPER LOCAL DATA. SO NOT JUST THE ZIP CODE, BUT A FEW BLOCKS WITHIN A ZIP CODE, SO THAT WE CAN TRULY SEE SOME OF THE CONDITIONS THAT EXIST.

WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW PIVOTAL. I DON'T KNOW WHY OUR SLIDES KEEP PROGRESSING WITHOUT US. I WANT TO SEE HOW PIVOTAL IT IS TO BRING EVERYONE'S DATA TOGETHER TO COMBINE ACROSS THE 58 NEIGHBORHOODS, ALL 58 NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN OUR CITY, SO THAT ALL OF THIS DATA CAN BE COMBINED. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT HELPS US DO IS TO MOVE FROM BLAMING SYSTEMS TO THEN NAMING PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS. BECAUSE TYPICALLY WHEN WE ANALYZE DATA, WE WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IS FAILING HERE. THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IS FAILING HERE.

BUT WHEN WE HAVE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT POINTS OF DATA TOGETHER, WE CAN GET OUT OF SOME OF THAT BLAMING AND WE CAN GET INTO TRULY NAMING SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT EXIST, AS WELL AS, MOST IMPORTANTLY, SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE THERE. AND SO THIS COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING WORK, GROUP MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO DRILL DOWN TO ANY NEIGHBORHOOD IN GREAT DETAIL TO DISCUSS THE TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR SHARED DATA AND HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BUILD THE TRUST AND THE ENTHUSIASM NEEDED TO TRULY WORK COLLABORATIVELY, COLLABORATIVELY, ACROSS OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND ACROSS OUR SECTORS. AND IT'S OUR INTENT THROUGH SUSTAINABILITY, THROUGH INVESTMENT, ETC. TO PROVIDE AND

[01:30:03]

TO BE ENGAGED IN THIS COMMUNITY SAFETY WORK. OKAY WITH THAT? ANY QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? WELL, THANKS. YOU KNOW, I THINK I SUPPOSE MOST OF MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT I WAS THE

[01:35:07]

IT'S GREAT, BUT IT'S ALSO GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SOME ROUGH CUT ASSESSMENT. THERE'S AN OLD JOKE ABOUT SCULPTING AN ELEPHANT, WHICH IS YOU TAKE A BIG PIECE OF ROCK AND YOU CUT AWAY EVERYTHING THAT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE AN ELEPHANT. SO WE'RE WE'RE SORT OF CHIPPING AWAY AT AT THE OUTSIDE PARAMETERS HERE. EXCITING FOR ME BECAUSE I LOOK AT THIS AND I'VE GOT 7 OR 8 PLACES I WANT TO GO FOR A LOT OF THESE THINGS. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS PRESENTATION IS ABOUT. I'M. I'M REALLY GLAD TO HAVE A GROUP WITH SOME DEEP ANALYTIC EXPERTISE BE ABLE TO WALK ALONGSIDE OF DOING WORK HERE. AND I GUESS I, I, I, I DON'T THINK WE CAN STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF LIKE EXAMINING SO WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH BEFORE WE COME UP WITH THEORIES ON HOW TO DEAL WITH IT. I MEAN, IT'S SO, SO IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS NOW. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE, THERE'S THIS WHOLE BASKET OF QUESTION OF LIKE, WHY DO WE KEEP PEOPLE IN JAIL FOR VERY SHORT, SHORT PERIODS OF TIME? AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE THAT'S WAY PAST THE SCOPE OF YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY, RIGHT? THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO NAME. AND THEN WE HAVE TO DISCUSS. NOW, SOME OF THOSE REASONS ARE GOING TO TURN OUT TO BE VERY IMPORTANT. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, HAVING DONE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROSECUTION FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS FULL TIME, WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOLD. AND THAT'S TO LET COOL OFFS HAPPEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS IDENTIFIED LIKE THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

WE NEED TO GET THESE PEOPLE APART, AND WE NEED TO REALLY, REALLY KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO RECONNECT IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. AND SO THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT TOOL THAT CAN FEED INTO SOME OF THAT DATA ABOUT SHORT TERM STAYS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF WE'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO ARE WE'VE GOT SHORT TERM STAYS AND WE DON'T HAVE A GREAT ANSWER FOR WHY WE'RE DOING THAT, IT'S NOT TOO HARD TO NAME THE CONSEQUENCES FROM THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, IF I GOT LOCKED UP FOR 24 HOURS, I COULD PROBABLY CALL IN TO VARIOUS PEOPLE AND PRETEND I HAD THE FLU, AND MAYBE NO ONE WOULD NOTICE THAT I WAS GONE. I DON'T HAVE A NO CALL, NO SHOW JOB, BUT ANYBODY WORKING IN FOOD SERVICE, IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP FOR YOUR SHIFT, YOU'RE DONE. IT'S CALLED IT'S CALLED NO CALL, NO SHOW. IF YOU AND NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO GET ARRESTED ARE GOING TO CALL THEIR EMPLOYER FROM THE JAIL AND SAY, HEY, GUESS WHAT? I'M IN JAIL. SO THERE'S MY CALL ABOUT WHY I'M NOT SHOWING UP. THOSE ARE PRETTY PROBABLY PRETTY RARE PHONE CALLS. SO IF PEOPLE GO TO JAIL FOR NON COMPELLING REASONS, WE'RE REALLY STICKING A SPOKE IN THERE IN THE, IN THE CIRCLE OF THEIR LIFE. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEN THEY'RE FALLING OFF THAT BIKE PRETTY QUICKLY.

THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY, VERY VULNERABLE TO LOSING THEIR JOBS. AND IF THEY'RE ALREADY LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, THEY'RE VULNERABLE TO LOSING THEIR HOUSING. IF THEY DON'T PICK UP THEIR KIDS AT THE END OF THE DAY FROM WHOEVER THEIR CHILDCARE PROVIDER IS, YOU KNOW, THEN CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES GETS INVOLVED IN THEIR LIFE. AND SO THERE'S SORT OF THIS CASCADE FAILURE THAT CAN COME OUT OF EVEN A SHORT TERM STAY IN JAIL.

AND I'M SORRY TO BE I MEAN, YOU TO BE LEANING ON THIS SO MUCH, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY, REALLY NEED TO REFORM OUR OUR PRETRIAL DETENTION MODELS. IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE NEED TO, I THINK, FRANKLY, ABANDON A A CASH BOND MODEL NATIONWIDE AND CERTAINLY IN MICHIGAN, BECAUSE WE SHOULD BE ASSESSING WHETHER PEOPLE ARE DANGER TO THE COMMUNITY OR WHETHER THEY'RE A FLIGHT RISK, NOT HOW RICH THEY ARE. NOBODY. THERE'S NO REASON TO BE CONFUSING WEALTH AND LIBERTY. AND THAT'S NOT THE TOPIC OF YOU, BUT THAT'S A FEEDER INTO WHY WE HAVE PEOPLE STUCK IN JAIL. SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE STUCK IN JAIL BECAUSE THEY FAILED A WEALTH TEST, AND THAT'S IMMORAL, UNACCEPTABLE. AND WE SHOULD NOT BE PUTTING UP WITH THAT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. WE CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T BE PUTTING UP WITH IT IN THIS COMMUNITY. SO THERE THERE'S A THERE'S A WHOLE BIG BALL OF WAX HERE THAT THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANK YOU, BOTH OF YOU, FOR THE THE TIME YOU PUT IN THIS. AND I KNOW THAT AND I SEE JUDGE ROSS IS HERE TO THANK YOU FOR. YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A BIG GROUP OF PEOPLE INVOLVED HERE, AND I WANT TO THANK GRPD. THEY'VE BEEN INVOLVED RIGHT FROM THE OUTSET ON, ON THESE DISCUSSIONS AND ENGAGING ON THIS. AND I KNOW THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JUST REALLY, REALLY FOCUSED ON RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING WAS IF YOU DON'T GET EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM, YOU'RE

[01:40:04]

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO DO AHEAD, BUT IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A VERY, VERY COMPLICATED CONVERSATION. SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I THOUGHT IT WAS IT WAS GREAT, VERY INFORMATIVE, VERY CHALLENGING. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S A VISTA OF, OF POSSIBLE WORK WE CAN DO HERE IN THE FUTURE THAT'S EXCITING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. SO COMMISSIONER KNIGHT. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT REALLY EXCITE ME, BUT THEN ALSO MAKE ME SAD BECAUSE I THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE SILOS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT ARE DOING BITS AND PIECES AND, AND HOW TO GET THEM TO HERE, RIGHT? SO I WAS, THEY HAD THE HOUSING SUMMIT JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, RIGHT? AND THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PART OF EVEN THAT CONVERSATION, ESPECIALLY AS WE LOOK AT OUR ECONOMY RIGHT NOW AND THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING ACROSS OUR COUNTRY AND THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ONE INCOME BEING A COMMON DENOMINATOR AMONGST ALL OF THIS, RIGHT? AND PEOPLE NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR BASIC NEEDS, WHICH THEN SPIRALED THEM INTO ANOTHER SPACE BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF BANDWIDTH THAT PEOPLE HAVE. RIGHT. AND THEN ACCESS, YOU KNOW, TO SERVICES THAT IMPACTS IT TOO. BUT THEN I'M ALSO IN A CONVERSATION THAT I WAS HAVING YESTERDAY LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE GETTING READY TO HAPPEN WITH PEOPLE'S WORK AND WITH THEIR SNAP, RIGHT. AND, AND HOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE KICKED OUT OF THE SYSTEM AND NOW BACK INTO THIS PLACE OF SCARCITY, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MEET THEIR NEEDS, WHICH IS GOING TO CAUSE PEOPLE TO GO THIS OTHER ROUTE, WHICH IS GOING TO THEN. AND THE CYCLE JUST CONTINUES. RIGHT? AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE, ARE TRYING TO REALLY BRING THESE, THESE OTHER VOICES TO THE TABLE AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS, IS THERE. MY CONCERN IS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME IN OUR COMMUNITY, AGAIN, IN SILOS. AND THAT IS NOT ONE PERSON LOOKING TO BE THE SAVIOR OR CHAMPION OF A THING. BUT HOW DO WE COLLECTIVELY COME TOGETHER AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LINKED UP APPROPRIATELY SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS WHAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED? BECAUSE I THINK WE KNOW WHAT THE THING IS. THE THING HAS BEEN NAMED, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S WHO'S REALLY WILLING TO ADDRESS IT AND DO WHAT'S NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE IS WHOLE. YEAH. RIGHT. BUT I MEAN, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THIS. I WOULD LOVE TO BE CONTINUE, BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATIONS AND IN THESE MEETINGS, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US, EVEN AS WE'RE, YOU KNOW, VOTING ON POLICIES AND DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HAPPEN HERE AT THE CITY, THAT THAT PIECE IS HEARD AS WELL SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE APPROPRIATE CHOICES THE FIRST TIME. AND I HAVE TO KEEP COMING BACK, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK ON THIS. AND YEAH, I APPRECIATE IT. CITY MANAGER. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU, RAFA AND MR. MCMURRAY FOR YOUR WORDS. I'M GOING TO QUOTE YOU HERE IN JUST A SECOND. BUT THIS IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT WORK. AND I WANT TO START BY REMINDING HIM OF WHAT MR. MCMURRAY SAID ABOUT. IT'S EASY TO BLAME SYSTEMS, BUT IT'S HARDER TO NAME AND IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS. AND I THINK WHAT THIS HELPS US DO FOR ME IS TO IDENTIFY WHERE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS. ARE WE? THE COUNTY IS HAVING A COUNTY WIDE DISCUSSION AROUND INCREASING THE MILLAGE AND THE COST OF HOUSING AND BOOKING INMATES, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT COST IN THE WAY THAT WE ADDRESS IT IS BY INCREASING TAXES, OR WE CAN REDUCE THE OCCURRENCES. AND THAT CAN HAPPEN IN A COUPLE OF WAYS. WE'VE NAMED SOME SOLUTIONS EARLIER FROM THE SAFE TASK FORCE. THE BEST WAY TO REDUCE OUR COSTS AND OUR HOUSING COSTS FOR INMATES IS NOT TO HAVE THEM ENTER THE SYSTEM. AND I THINK THAT'S THE IMPORTANT WORK OF THE SAFE TASK

[01:45:03]

SO I THINK WE AS A SOCIETY, WE TEND TO MASSIVELY UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF OF A NOT COMMITTED CRIME AND THE VALUE OF NOT HAVING SOMEBODY GET TRAUMATIZED. AND I KNOW, FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU WERE A, YOU WERE A VICTIM OF A, OF A FAIRLY TRAUMATIC CRIME. AND LIKE, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I CAN FIX FOR YOU, RIGHT? LIKE NO AMOUNT OF MONEY IS GOING TO STOP THAT.

I CAN'T UNMAKE THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU, RIGHT? IF SOMEBODY STOLE YOUR GLASSES, WE COULD BUY YOU NEW GLASSES. BUT I CAN'T UN ASSAULT YOU. AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT GETS TRACKED IN SYSTEMS IS THE IS THE COST OF TRAUMA. AND SO THINGS THAT WE CAN DO THAT PREVENT RECIDIVISM ARE REALLY PREVENTING TRAUMA IN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO AS WE LOOK AT THAT JAIL MILLAGE, I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M REALLY GOING TO KEEP SHINING A LIGHT ON IS LIKE, OKAY, IF WE'RE GOING TO PAY MORE MONEY FOR A JAIL, THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO BETTER IN OUR JAIL. ONE OF THE SO THE TOP FOR ME IS REINSTITUTING FACE TO FACE VISITS. THE OTHER IS WE. THE MDOC POLICY FOR REENTRY POLICY ROUGHLY BOILS DOWN TO. DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOUR BUTT ON THE WAY OUT. PEOPLE SIMPLY GET RELEASED FROM MDOC BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITY. AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I HOPE THAT YOUR GROUP ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TRACK IS LIKE WHEN PEOPLE COME BACK OUT OF MDOC, IF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ISN'T GOING TO COME UP WITH A REENTRY PROGRAM FOR THOSE FOLKS, EVERYBODY HAS BASIC NEEDS. AND IF YOU DON'T MEET THOSE NEEDS, YOU FALL BACK INTO CRISIS BEHAVIOR, RIGHT? SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE HOUSING, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB, IF YOU DON'T HAVE PEOPLE TO SURROUND YOU, YOU ARE IN INSANELY HIGH RISK. I GOT TONS OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME AND TAKE CARE OF ME. AND SO, SO I THINK THAT ALSO EXAMINING LIKE, CAN WE DO REENTRY BETTER FROM THE JAIL? BECAUSE WE KNOW ALMOST ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN JAIL ARE COMING BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITY. THEY'RE NOT CATCHING A BUS TO GO TO ARKANSAS. AND SO REALLY MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE LINED UP RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE AS THEY EXIT THE JAIL IS A IS A CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DO BETTER, TO MAKE SURE THAT IF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE HOUSING AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO, THEY WE GIVE THEM A LIST OF OPTIONS. WE MAKE CALLS FOR THEM BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN GET PARALYZED BY COMPLEXITY, THEY CAN GET PARALYZED BY. AND SO IT'S EASY TO SORT OF HAVE INDECISION AND FEEL LIKE, WELL, OR PEOPLE CAN BE OVER HOPEFUL, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN THINK, OH, I'LL GO STAY WITH MY BROTHER.

AND THEN THEY GET OUT AND THEY FIND OUT THAT THEIR BROTHER DOESN'T WANT THEM STAYING WITH THEM. WELL, IT'S STRESS TESTING THEIR THEIR EXIT PLANS IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE I THINK HONESTLY, IT'S, YOU KNOW, I GET THE KENT COUNTY INCARCERATES PEOPLE, BUT THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS SHOULD BE WILLING TO OWN REINTEGRATING PEOPLE. THAT SHOULD BE A CORE VALUE OF THAT WE HAVE AS A CITY. LIKE IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE A WELCOMING CITY, WE GOT TO BE WELCOMING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING OUT OF OUR INCARCERATION SYSTEM, TOO. SO THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER STACEY. THANK YOU. YOU SEE, YOU GUYS GOT MAYOR LEGRAND REALLY EXCITED. NO. AND I WAS JUST

[01:50:08]

SHE'S NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY, BUT I KNOW, YOU KNOW, SHE'LL BE READY TO DIG INTO THIS. SO THANK YOU. I WANT TO SAY ALSO THANK YOU TO OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THE WORK ON THIS. I THINK, YOU KNOW, CITY MANAGER, YOU TALKED ABOUT LIKE, WHERE DO WE PUT THESE RESOURCE POINTS IN? BECAUSE WE ARE BEING ASKED TO RESPOND IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW, HOW DO WE PREVENT THESE THINGS FROM HAPPENING? RIGHT. AND SO, COMMISSIONER, YOU TALKED ABOUT SNAP BENEFITS AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT ARE CHANGING. WE ALSO HAVE SEEN A, LET'S CALL IT DEFUNDING OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORTS TO OUR MAJOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGENCIES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, YOU KNOW, VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE PREVENTION AGAINST WOMEN. THOSE THINGS HAVE GONE AWAY. AND WE STILL HAVE THESE INCIDENCES. AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE A MOMENT IN TIME. I CAN'T IMAGINE SORT OF WHERE THAT IS. NOW, COMMISSIONER KILGORE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS IT? YOU KNOW, JUST THINGS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE. HOW ARE PEOPLE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, PAY FOR THESE THINGS? AND SO WE SEE THIS COMPRESSION THAT'S HAPPENING FROM PROBABLY WHEN THIS DATA CAME TO TODAY. SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO BEHOOVE US TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THIS. I WANT TO JUST MENTION A FEW. I'M GLAD WE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE, THE CORRECTIONS MILLAGE. I THINK THAT'S ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT.

AND THEN I JUST WANT TO SAY, I KNOW THERE WERE ALSO SOME CONNECTIONS TO WHEN DART, THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE ACRONYM IS. AND MAYBE ONE OF YOU. AND MAYBE JUDGE ROSS REMEMBERS. BUT I THINK THERE WAS ALSO SOME SOME STATE MONEY OR FEDERAL MONEY.

THAT WAS SOMETHING YOU WERE LEADING ASANTE WITH JUDGE FABER, I BELIEVE, AROUND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND, YOU KNOW, PREVENTION, ENGAGEMENT. SO I'D LOVE TO SEE. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT I'D LOVE TO SEE HOW THAT CONNECTS. AND THEN TO THIS POINT, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND CORRIDOR ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN A PART OF. I KNOW YOU'VE PRESENTED RAFA TO THE CHAMBER, GRAND RAPIDS CHAMBER, BUT LOVE TO MAKE SURE LIKE, HOW DO WE INTEGRATE DGRI YOU KNOW, THERE'S HART SIDE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, SO WOULD LOVE AN UPDATE TO AFTER THIS ABOUT HOW THOSE ENTITIES ARE ENGAGED IN THIS WORK BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO RESPOND LIKE OUR DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE THOSE THAT INVEST AND TRY TO ATTRACT. AND THEN WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY THAT'S EXPERIENCING THESE THINGS. SO JUST WANT TO CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT AS WELL AS HOW DO WE CONNECT TO GRPS, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE START OF SCHOOL. AND WE KNOW, AS YOU SAID, MAYOR, IT CAN IMPACT A JOB. BUT IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS, IT IMPACTS THAT CHILD GOING TO SCHOOL. SO I JUST WANT TO LIFT THOSE THINGS UP AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK. THIS WAS THE BEST PRESENTATION I'VE EVER HEARD AT CITY COMMISSION. SO I THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR CLOSED SESSION AT 901, BECAUSE WE'RE BUMPING UP AGAINST PUBLIC SAFETY HERE. AND THEN I'LL MAKE IT A LITTLE QUICKER LOGISTICALLY. SO JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO PUBLIC SAFETY. SO COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU. I'LL MAKE THIS VERY BRIEF. THIS YOU KNOW, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS STUFF. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, YOU KNOW, HELPING PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION AND JUST SUPER GRATEFUL. BUT AMONG ALL THE THINGS HERE THAT I THINK IS UNDERLYING ALL OF THIS AND HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP A LITTLE, IS THE NEED FOR BASIC NEEDS AND WHERE DOES THAT MEET? AND SO I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. ONE IS HOW HAVE WE CAN HAVE YOU WORKED WITH OR CONNECTED DATA THAT THE PATHWAYS FOR HOUSING IS WORKING ON? BECAUSE THAT WAS PART OF THE CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS ISSUE, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE HEART SITE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT'S OFTEN PART OF IT. BUT ALSO, AND I THINK THIS IS A LARGER POLICY CONVERSATION FOR US TO CONSIDER, I PERSONALLY THINK WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT LIKE HOUSING AND BASIC NEEDS AS A COMMUNITY SAFETY ISSUE. AND I THINK YOUR DATA IS SHOWING THAT. AND HOW DO WE DE-ESCALATE THE STRESS THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH? BECAUSE WHEN WE ARE ALL TRIGGERED IN OUR AMYGDALA IS TAKING OVER IN OUR BRAINS, WE'RE NOT THINKING STRAIGHT. AND THEN YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THESE CYCLES OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND OR WHATEVER ELSE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEN ESCALATES. SO I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER OUR, OUR COMMISSION TO CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY SAFETY, INCLUDING PUBLIC HOUSING OR HOUSING AVAILABILITY

[01:55:03]