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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes July 14, 2020 Page 7 1 Ms. Sabrina King, 3628 Roosevelt Street, indicated she did not agree and felt this is going to 2 open up something so much more. This will allow people to come forward and say the mural 3 was approved so they want something too. It is something where she has seen St. Anthony 4 Police Department make the changes. They are within the community and are active. They did 5 not do it, the person who did it no longer works there. Change starts with us and if it something 6 where they want a mural then to put it on their house and people can still see it, but this is the 7 entire community and not just them. She personally did not agree with it and did not think this 8 should be approved. 9 10 Mr. Paul Brett, 3625 Coolidge Street, indicated he was at the meeting to express his support for 11 the request to place a mural honoring the memory of Philando Castile on this building and he 12 thought this would be one of the most important steps the City could take toward showing that 13 St. Anthony Village is a Village that is truly welcoming to all. The mural would honor the 14 memory of Mr. Castile and it could become a place of healing for the family of Mr. Castile and 15 for all of his friends and all of the people that fought for justice for him in the same way that the 16 corner of 381h and Chicago is becoming a healing place for the memory of George Floyd. We 17 really need something like this in the community and is something that goes way past the 18 community and will help them to recognize the City's place in the larger Twin Cities 19 community. He thought it was important to remember that while a lot of the same people may 20 not work in the same positions, St. Anthony has been involved in some pretty serious 21 discriminatory and racist acts and have had to pay a lot of money and fines to the Department of 22 Justice because of some of them. It is important for them to remember that the City is starting to 23 turn a big corner on a lot of these things and starting to move in a very different way. He thought 24 the City could find a way to work around the City Ordinance too. 25 26 Mayor Stille noted as a point of clarification, the City has not paid the Department of Justice any 27 money in fines. 28 29 Ms. Mel Chaput, 3537 Coolidge Street NE, stated she is hearing from a lot of folks speaking 30 talking about this mural and about the accountability and the reminder that the mural can work to 31 help heal but the other point she wants to make is they need representation in this community. 32 The residents need it in the schools, in our leadership. She explained she has two kids of color 33 and she knew that they need to feel represented. She has heard over the years and since Mr. 34 Castile was killed that they feel invisible and that this is a place that they belong. She did not 35 think this is an uncommon thought for the kids of color in this community. She thought a mural 36 like this will give the kids hope that they are seen, heard, and valued and she thought that kind of 37 representation is incredibly important. This mural is an opportunity to bring a chair to the table. 38 People have been talking about this for four years and has fallen on deaf ears. She stated the 39 City Council needs to take a serious look at this mural and ask yourself why they would not go 40 forward with something like this. 41 42 Mr. Mark Wald, 3024 Harding Street, voiced his support for the mural. He sensed the passion in 43 Semhar's voice when she spoke, and it reminded him of the passions of the people he works 44 with. He had to admit that for up to the first ninety percent of his life he has been rather tone 45 deaf to the challenges that people of color face. Four years ago when Mr. Castile was killed he 46 was saddened but it did not really sink in and then when George Floyd was killed it spurred a lot