CC PACKET 08092016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 Ms. Jennifer Martin stated she has lived in St. Anthony for six years and recently moved to New 2 Brighton. Her son will start 6th grade and is on a first name basis with a few of the police 3 officers. Her son is African American. Ms. Martin asked what will we do if there isn’t change. 4 She fears when her son becomes older that he will not be safe, noting prejudice and racism needs 5 to be changed. She requested an open dialogue with the community and that the City accept the 6 help from those offering. 7 8 Ms. Maret Olson, 3312 Edwards Street NE, stated she has lived here and knows some of the 9 police officers. She stated the police are not bad people, noting St. Anthony is a pretty low crime 10 area. Ms. Olson stated we owe it to officers to train them properly. She feels safe but a black 11 friend who stayed with her did not feel safe. She stated the focus should be on moving violations 12 rather than random stops, body cams provide evidence, and the problem must be solved. 13 14 Ms. Nona Kennedy-Carlson, 2926 Armor Terrace, stated they have been residents for 11 years. 15 She wants to say she very much respects the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the 16 First Responders. Ms. Kennedy-Carlson brought a book for the Council entitled A Good Time 17 for the Truth. She read some excerpts from the book and stated the nation is watching. Ms. 18 Kennedy-Carlson stated they want to seize the moment and they do not want to be divided. They 19 want to come together in new ways with the Council. She noted that peaceful does not mean 20 without discomfort and we must embrace the people of color within the community. Ms. 21 Kennedy-Carlson stated she wonders why none of the Council attended the event, noting there 22 were powerful speakers present. She asked Mayor Faust to stand behind his words. Sophia 23 Valdez presented the books to the Council. 24 25 Ms. Sophia Valdes, 2404 27th Avenue NE, stated she has read A Good Time for the Truth. She 26 agrees that change needs to happen and by attending events it is still not happening. Ms. Valdes 27 stated change did not happen after the incident in Ferguson, Missouri, and she feels protest is 28 necessary to make change happen. 29 30 Mr. Thomas Metcalf, 3223 Croft Drive, stated he has lived in St. Anthony for 11 years. He was 31 concerned that his children wouldn’t have the diversity he had when growing up. Mr. Metcalf 32 stated his family volunteers a lot and he has always been very proud of St. Anthony Village so 33 being thrust into the spotlight hit him and his wife very hard. Mr. Metcalf stated he does not want 34 St. Anthony known as a community that is not accepting of diverse cultures. Change should 35 happen. He asked the Council to take advantage of those offering help and leverage the 36 empowered community. 37 38 Ms. Shannon Foreman, 3401 Harding, stated Philando Castile could have been her brother, her 39 friend, her uncle, the father to her children’s friends. The police officers could have been the 40 same to her, they were ‘someones.’ Ms. Foreman stated St. Anthony has the opportunity to 41 change the world. She stated this event has affected her family in many ways. Her brother and 42 sister are black, her brother-in-law is a police officer, and all lives in the world do matter. Ms. 43 Foreman stated all lives can’t be the same without equality, we can all affect change, and fear 44 stands in the way of change. Ms. Foreman stated other cities are creating a greater community as 45 change and growth can come after tragedy. She wanted change and accountability and 46 challenged everyone to recognize there is a problem and move towards a solution. She asked the 47 23