April 16, 2025

approach the podium and address the council. The first speaker is Aleef Muhammad. Good evening. As-salamu alaykum. Aleef Muhammad, court towers. Aleef Muhammad, the president and founder of Aleef Muhammad near school. A couple weeks ago, a couple months ago, a gentleman came from Warren Township and he was saying at the end that our mayor that's running for governor should be here taking care of business. And what happened is, you know, we have a school report. And let me explain to you about it. Everybody know I'm in the school business for 30 years. The pandemic hurt urban America. I mean, it murdered urban America. And Leon is trying to find out what to do. Love. Force mandatory summer school to try to bring it up, but it hurt. But what I looked at was with a mayor for 11 years, his town, it says economically disadvantaged in our high schools. In Barron, 51% of the kids. In Ars High, 64% of the kids. In Central High, 67%. East Side, 71%. Malcolm X. Levi, 69%. Science High, 64%. University, 84%. Weekway, 63%. 73%. So in your town, that you've been running for 11 years, 70% of the people, the kids are disadvantaged. You should be embarrassed. You should be embarrassed. Be embarrassed. Talking about governor. Look at these kids. It ain't 30% poverty rate. It's 70% that's disadvantaged. Okay. Now the second thing you see here is a picture of Newark emergency. Now let's make it clear. I'm supporting Gail Chamber. What happened was the Newark emergency services came to visit my building. Now see the picture? Whatever director would have a picture up there that big about their services. I know Keisha wouldn't have a picture on there like that. What's happening, this is a down low trying to, the woman has no name recognition. Nobody knows who she is. And I'm saying if you want to play, play fair. And then people said it, they was like, oh, it's not political. Who walks in there, LaMonica's mother? Mr. President, what is she doing in there? She's supporting campaign. What is she doing over there? Emergency service had enough people, so that's on you. They went to two, they went on a roll. But that's just, like I said, I know what I mean since she was born. It's name recognition. She has no name recognition. So you put a big picture, look at this, big picture, for services. If anything, you will put the services. You got a big picture in red with a little makeup on and everything. All right, I want to go back to corruption. And people want to know why is Ali so angry, especially my friends. Why is she so angry? When corruption happens, it's not going to happen on Lake Street. It's not going to happen on Hansberry. It's not going to happen in Ballantine Parkway. It's not going to happen on Wilbert. It's going to happen in the poorest areas. And what I mean by that, the housing authority. And what they do is, what the mayor did was he hired two Revenants that wasn't qualified in the housing authority. In June 2022, he sent 20 people down there that was not. See, that's corruption. And who are you taking from? You're not taking from me. You're not taking from you guys. We too smart. You're taking for the low income people, the elders and the disabled. That's who you're stealing from. That's why I'm so angry. You know, it's like in the projects, Ramos, and you probably was a little guy too. I was too, but I could fight. Right? So the little guys, they pick on the little guys, the big guy come and beat them up. And I'm the big guy here because the corruption, they not steal it. When they give a lawyer a contract that don't deserve it, a vendor contract, a friend, they stealing from the low income people. Again, it wouldn't happen on Wilbert. It wouldn't happen on Hansberry. It ain't happened on Valentine. So what I'm saying to you is that's corruption. And that's why I'm so angry. Because I don't like bullies. And then you're doing it for your benefit. Whoever gives you money, then you give them something. And ladies and gentlemen, I watched the pre-meeting today. When you give a lot, that's $26,000. It's going to go for $900. That's gentrification. Seeing gentrification is when you take something that was affordable and make it unaffordable. In Washington, D.C., in Harlem, the people bought property from the people. So the people that live their benefit. But you're giving a person an imp... You're helping a person gentrify our city. You're helping them. Because I always had to say something. The man said, they're going to sell it for a million dollars. And you're going to give it to them for $26,000? That's crazy. That's called gentrification. Well, thank you, my son.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Felicia Alston Singleton. I know she's here somewhere. Where is she? Oh, there you are. I'm sorry. Appearing. Good evening, Council people. I think all of you know that I do housing. And I'm for low income residents, but I do affordable housing. But what I do is I organize tenants so that they would know their rights and their issues. And right now, this week has been the most strangest week that I had because I have three different buildings and three different boards that is not allowing to organize tenants, organization. Any HUD building states that it's under the federal laws, under HUD. If you get any type of funding, you have to let the tenants organize, have the right to organize outside of management, outside of city hall with grassroots people who would guide them and let them know their rights. Here you give developers a whole bunch of incentives, but the very people that vote you in, you can't go to the developers and tell them that, hey, stop it. Let them organize, address their concerns, address their agendas. I know that Pat and Silva and God, please let that family be at ease. We was over there on 25 and 28 asked the right Pat. Disgusting. Disgraceful. I don't care what the fire was because you still got Georgia King Village. Still got Georgia King Village going through problems. We went there and they closed us out for a room. And they have a certified tenant organization. But I went over here to Pilgrim who has no representation, no representation, that Ms. Fisher is acting like she don't have no sense that she can do whatever she want to. She can lock people garages out. She can put $3,000 on the rent. They have falling ceilings, plumbing problems, electrical problems. This is all at Pilgrim. But y'all sat up there at 440 in a tax abatement meeting and everything was good. That's not what the residents at the grounds are saying. This is constant, constant, constant. So at the end of the day, what are you going to do? It's okay if I could come kick some jokes, make y'all feel some type of way. This is not personal. These are people's lives that we are dealing with. Y'all more focused on cheating and trying to get a personal gain and get elected than to actually go out there and say these people have the right to organize, address the concerns. Every day, an elevator is down, $500 fine and follow up through it. Where is the housing committee? We had a tax abatement committee, but where's the housing committee? Oh, I forgot LaMonica was over that. We never had a meeting when she was here. That's where these issues come. Let's go back to government because, Ramos, you know, you know Quintana, you know Gonzalez, when we was just down there by Asta. Remember when Amador was here and Gail was here and we had a big toss up at that part of the city and we had a housing committee with Eddie Osborne to actually sit and listen to the concerns of the residents, bringing the owner there, bringing the management services there and putting a plan of action right there. Pat, no, because he was code enforcement, have code enforcement there and had the residents and we had to resolve issues. You didn't have a housing committee. So now Pat is actually the chair because he was a vice chair. We need a housing committee meeting to address Pilgrim Village, Georgia King Village and another building that will be coming up soon. We already receive a ship of supposed to be taking tax abatements from people. Come on, if you don't know how to do it, I ask you, sit down, let's have a conversation. We can do it met. Let's have a conversation and I'll tell you how it's supposed to go. I will bring you laws and regulations, your laws, which you should follow, but most importantly, follow the federal laws or Habba will be coming in to see you and I can guarantee you that. Thank you for your comments. Oh, I got a couple more seconds. I got 33 more seconds. Corruption, misleading, deceiving and if you take it personal, because Councilwoman, you know I love you death. This business up here, if you can't take what I'm saying, then look at yourself in the mirror because Pat don't pay me no mind. I don't know if he don't care or he just know that he should be doing a better job. Who knows? I don't know. At this point, I don't care. I just need people to answer the residents. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Lisa Mitreson Parker appearing. Good day, criminal cult that's running our government. Another sad day for Newark, another stolen election by the machinery that lies still and cheap for their seats. Low turnout, low mail-in ballots, no kids voting. Where did they get the numbers from? Manipulation of votes, that's how. Come in my community, trespassing, lid dropping. This is what we should do when we see these lid drop come around with Team Baraka, tear it up and throw it in the garbage. Parents, your children deserve better. Putting the administration's people in will result in your kids not meeting state standards 3-8 and reading and math. They don't care about your children as long as these folks co-sign contracts from the school budget to line their pockets. Parents, show up at the polls to vote to change your children's outcomes. The mayor will give his State of the City address tomorrow. Please pay attention to the lies he will tell as he campaigns to be governor, starting with affordable housing when half of the municipal workers rely on housing vouchers to pay their rent. Developers not having a project labor agreement to hire labor for a living wage with benefits. Pipe replacement was under federal investigation for not paying workers in their benefits and did not complete pipe replacement. No respect for labor to honor their contract for a living wage. I'm talking about municipal workers, fire and police, over a year with no contract, sanitation workers that didn't get paid nor given their overtime. The cargo fire that took the lives of two firefighters that the National Transportation Safety Board and Coast Guard said that Newark was negligent in training an emergency protocol, oppression of the workforce to bully, terminate and create a hostile work environment. The biggest lie is crime is down. I want to address the BA on some issues since he is scripted by the administration that holds the lie. It's a fact that you have increased property taxes more than 3% last year and intended increase of taxes by 7.8% with the upcoming revaluation. It is a fact that your $970 million budget for 2024 was compounded with debt and deficit and the residents will have to pay that bill. Why is Eric Pennington, Larry Crump, the principal of the Brick City Peace Collective, that's a fact, your name is on the business registry. Why did the BA allow in 2023-2024 emergency funds to the water department at $1.1 billion? That came from your legislature. That's a fact. Then you increased the water rate by 20.1% to the residents in this city in March and you up there did nothing and approved it. Why is McGovern's staff still in her office assisting the administration's candidates? Join me in supporting Gail Cheney Field Jenkins for the central war, a representative for the people, not another puppet of this administration. I want to wish everybody a happy Easter, but what I want to say is Jesus Christ died and rose for us and at the end of the day if we got representatives on this dais that are doing nothing for the people that are struggling to pay their mortgage from these high taxes when this man goes to give his state of the city as he's running for governor you see all this crap that says reimagine reimagine a government that works for you tear it up and

throw it in the garbage. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Who near her elbow, Miley? Yes, every time I come to this mic. Oh creator, this deliver us from this evil. Oh creator, deliver us from this evil. Good evening New York residents. Good riddance, corrupt, misleadership, no other way to describe you. Here again today to talk about how you failed the people of Newark, your fiscal mismanagement, your corruption, and your incompetency. Ten years in office, poverty levels increased, homeless numbers increased, evictions increased, foreclosures increased, crime is out of control, corruption is out of control, lawlessness is out of control, everything is out of control, and you want people to elect you to govern the state. Ask yourself a question Newarkers. What has in 10 years this administration has done for you in 10 years? Just what? You have drove Newark into the state of emergency, division, and further into poverty. That's what you have done. Fail leadership, no other way to describe you. Billion dollars construction boom and you couldn't even come up with a plan to put Newark laborers and more local contracts on these union and non-union jobs. You have published, you haven't even published an annual affirmative action report since 2015. Shame on you. You are embarrassment. You are an abomination. You are a disgrace to the people of this city. A job fair to nowhere, housing to nowhere. You are an absolute failure. You have drove me to the bitterness of just even looking at you all. It has caused me insanity. I never had anger in my heart for anybody in my whole entire life. You are the worst of the worst of the worst administration in this city. Homegrown of the worst. No other way to describe you. Nothing but anger, evil, hatred come out of my mouth when I see you. It's just drove me into insanity to even look at you disgraceful. I don't even know, is there so many names to call y'all? Where is this about a Baraka administration? When is this council members gonna plan or come up with the agenda to cut the wasteful spending, the government fraud and the corruption in this city? When are you gonna do it? When are you gonna address elder come up here for a checkbook nook? You just turn the blind eye and then you have the audacity to want to rally and talk about another administration when you are just the worst of the worst. And he just said no you drove nook into the ground and under the ground a disgrace, the homeless crisis. Baraka haven't done a one eye odor of a thing until we went viral nationwide to address the housing crisis. And now you want a grand stand on what the people done. You have put 200 people out into the 100 degree weather, 100 people sleeping in tents on top of snow and you want a grand stand like you did something for homelessness. You haven't done anything until we called you to account. You are abomination and you want a grand stand like you did something. This administration spent billions of dollars of our homeless taxpayer dollars. Thank you for your comments. Billions to nowhere. Thank you for your comments. You need to get out of here and we need to put them out of office.

Have a seat. Next speaker. Debra Salters. Debra Salters. You know just like Miss Bumani said you all didn't do anything about the homeless situation. You weren't here yet until we called them out. And then it still didn't come until the spring after everybody was dying in the snow and trying to make you know make do. Today really did something to me. Set me a certain way because of how you all sat there and you and Allison is always pulling but let me say this and the people you know that you know they're gonna do this and let me say they're adding that again always pleading for the outsider to benefit again 21,000 29,000 again it could have been any resident and Pat you mentioned after I spoke you said about how you're always encouraging the neighborhood. So let me say this. There's a neighbor on 16th who for years since he moved there since 2016 and actually Councilman James was the one who's kind of telling him you know to look at things since he was already taking care of the property next to his house doing programs for the kids. He kept trying to get the house. Nobody would let him have the house. He put in two beds for the house. You got an office. He came to you and said listen you told him to put a bid and he said I put two beds in already. The house is right there. He even let them tear down his fence to clean the yard of the house next to him and still he asked you are you gonna are you gonna help me when I put it in? You went silent on him. The house wound up going to somebody in what you call a lottery and then the person got it and did nothing with it. So now from last summer to when they cleaned it up till now no activity but you have a homeowner who's been there for years who tried to take the house next door to do something with it and you all did not help him do that. So when Allison gets up here and you all talk about oh no we're working with the community it's lies. Lies. There's a building. She's talking about oh with the non-profits we do that. No you do not because I had all the documentation three years ago for this property that someone had. They waited years did nothing with it. It was just out there but because I asked for the property for a non-profit oh well no nothing else was said. Now a ride past it recently it's been painted gray so who did you give it to now? So don't tell that lie. Y'all and the mayor across the world oh no we're working with our communities. Lyin' Keisha Urie wherever she is. Lyin' Kailisha Wingfield wherever she is. Talking about you're working with the community on their projects who are doing for the community and the young people. You're lying. And I'm gonna break it down for you every time I come up here moving forward because you're selling a bunch of lies and dreams to the public and it's not true. When you have the people but then a business will come up here and you'll give them the property next door over I'm asking for the lot next to my business. You vote yes on that. Vote yes on it. And it doesn't benefit we the people but you vote yes. But when we the people who live in the community and I don't want to hear about that person talking about oh well I had a house here for 45 years where they're living now. They lived there for 45 years. Their dad went back home. Now they got 12 other properties. I listen to all of it. I love Newark. I love my people. But you all don't love my people because you give it to everybody but us. We the people who are boots on the ground. Who are living there in the community. Who are taking care of these vacant properties and these lots. You won't give it to us. You'll give it to somebody else. So no matter what you say this is what you do. And I want the people to pay attention to this. These are the people by hook or by crook got in these seats. But they are not putting you first. So when you get up here to say whatever you say like the developer the people that were here today you know partners going to get the lot and then sell it for 900,000 to a million later when you could have helped the regular reddest in it with 21,000 or have the money but can we do this. Y'all are not working with the community to build a community. You are working with developers and outsiders to enrich themselves. But you have the power to make this happen. So you can't talk about the developers pushing us out. You're doing it. You are doing it.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Emily Aikens. Hi everyone. Emily Aikens. I wanted to talk about some safety issues. So let's start with First Street in Orange. So normally there are cops there I guess during rush hour. But around 315 people seem to be driving crazy like they do all the time. When there's no police around they drive crazy. This is where you have three lanes on First and everybody goes straight. The left lane goes to the left. The middle lane goes straight. The right lane goes to the right. But everybody goes straight. And it really sucks because you have one crossing guard. And you have a bunch of kids. And it's very dangerous. And I brought this up before. What is needed is a full-time police officer to stand in the middle of the street and play chicken with people and give them tickets because they are out of control. Truck drivers are out of control. My issue is the children, the seniors that have to cross that street to get to school and back to get home. It is dangerous. You all can just take a field trip, sit out there and you will see how dangerous it is. And we need a report as to what are you going to do to fix it. Because the cops that you do have there really aren't helping. That's the first one. The lines and roads. I don't know who is supposed to be painting but a lot of our lines are not visible. And it's getting dangerous because we have a lot more traffic. We have a lot of people driving. They don't know the rules. They don't understand. They're in every but the lane they're supposed to be in. So who is supposed to be in charge of making sure that the lines are in the roads? And I brought that up before. But nothing has happened. Then we have bike lanes. Has anybody ever refurbished the bike lanes? We have people who do use them but a lot of the bike lanes are being used for parking. Then that leads me to parking. We have a lot of streets that are double parking all of a sudden. I went down one street. It's residential. A lot of apartments. And I was shocked because it's really narrow. And it's double parking on both sides. So as we keep building and building and building, we are overcrowding our city. We have more traffic. And people are coming in without one car. Not two cars but 15 cars. So where is everybody supposed to park? You keep saying yes to all these buildings but nobody has anywhere to park. And you know that a lot of these streets have street cleaning. So when you're supposed to street clean, you're supposed to move your car, where are we parking? Because there's no place to park. So for the 100th millionth time, can anybody on this, say yes, do something and help the people out? I'm just saying. Because I'm someone who parks on the street. I would like to make sure that I still have a parking. I'm fighting. I have neighbors across the street. They got like 15 cars. I'm not exaggerating. They got a lot of cars. And what they do now is that they'll have one who's saving spots. So when the people come, then they move up their car so that their person can park. This is an issue. It's a real issue. So you keep saying yes to all these developments. And then you have like an 80 story building with like 80 residents. I don't know. 80 apartments and only 15 parking spaces. Where is everybody else supposed to park? On the street, double parking. It's horrible. Now, I saw the grass. That's what I want to talk to you all about. I notice he's always posting or somebody's always posting how he's going around the city or going around the state campaigning as governor. Well, whose funds for his security detail? Can someone let us know who's paying for that? Is it the city of Newark or is it his campaign? Because he rolls deep. And we need to know that that's not being mixed with the city funds because us taxpayers should not be paying for him to be all up and through. Well, he should be right here in Newark. I saw the meeting today, the pre meeting. And I realized how you, Mr. President and Allison do not fight for us. You are clearly for the others. And for Allison to come up here when y'all were asking really great questions and to basically tell y'all to stop, she needs to be fired immediately. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Nadira Brown. Ms. Brown's appearing. Good evening, Nadira Brown, North New Jersey. Honestly, I really don't know where to start. We keep getting the five minutes and everyone before me always bring the great points, even those that come after me. A great point was brought up in the last meeting because Sandra Dock, thank you with the Sunshine Act, because where's the legislation? Where's your ordinance on how we sign up for these meetings? You put the attachment right on the agenda. You only talk about the council rules, the manner of addressing the municipal council. And you talk about the decorum, but you don't talk about how we sign up. Why do we have to sign up in advance, tell you what we want to talk about? Why isn't there a list given so individuals can sign up in at least a minimum of 50? I understand maybe the 25 because of the time, but at the same time, have individuals sign up that night so you can really talk to the people, because I've noticed that either the list is not completed or a lot of people sign up not to show up, just to take up space. I mean, now I've noticed going back to the website, you finally put up the video of us speaking. Whoever did that, thank you, because somebody fought for it. Can't take the credit, but there's a lot of missing minutes. There's a lot of missing video on the website, and that's a requirement also. And for you to just say accepted on the minutes, the minutes need to be evaluated as well. We're not properly receiving that. And again, I ask for the ordinance because when you refer to rule XV11, I'm tired right now. I don't know how you do two meetings in the same day because you finally got back to the third Wednesday, but now you're cramming the pre-meeting and the night meeting all in the same day. We need to evaluate that as well. Thank you, Felicia, for bringing up about the rental meetings because I know this and I don't have to quite correct if it was September or October last year, but you made some amendments to subordinates with the rent control board that we still haven't seen who still haven't been identified, but yet it wasn't on the agenda. So how do we make these changes? So I could come back because you don't usually answer me when I'm done, but we're making some changes underneath. And I think the point is that it's 2025. A lot of stuff is being exposed, China, for example, and we just want to let you know, we the people, we got to realize something, guys, this is not new. They've been tricking us, playing with us, playing with the law for their advantage. You know, let's talk about it. I only have a couple of minutes. Let's just begin. Did our council person step down? Did they step down as just president or as an entire council person? Because the law says no person shall be elected a member of the House of Representatives or an elector, a president and vice president. Let's break it down slowly. I'm gonna read it and go back. Who shall hold any office of trust or profit under the United States? I guess somebody got confused because it said office of trust. We did trust y'all, but everybody up here playing games and I'm pull it out. Then it says elected member of the House of Representatives, AKA Congress or an elector. So you did an article saying that you're not going to step down before August 1st because you don't want to take advantage. But then you step down two days before the election. Let's make it make sense because we had somebody else up here who came before August 1st and played with us as a community and said we're not going to have an election. I'm here. I'm staying here. I'm only going to be here for a little bit. But look at us now. We president. It's not the point that she didn't step down. There's no resignation on file with the clerk. Let's do this right. Let's follow the law because I just got disqualified because I ain't have enough petitions to do. General assembly, but I tried because I come here every month, bring my concerns and you won't take it to the next level. I've spoken on this level, every level from Senate to assembly. I'll get with the governor. If I could catch him, we are tired. If we, the community don't get together and let go our eagles and really get a force. We learned last night. Look at how they played with us with this election. You didn't even talk about it. You had all these 16 year olds sign up for what? You didn't even really promote it. But my time is about to be up. You only give me five minutes. We never talk later. But remember y'all after the meetings, write an email. They have to respond. But see, that's another problem too. The way you cut somebody off. Let me finish speaking and then we'll go. I'll refer back to the Sunshine Act and let you know how you're being rude. You never want to hear it because you're tired. I do that everybody the same way. Officers please remove Ms. Brown from the chamber. How does she vote for you to be in? If she stepped down. So that means four voting,

Ms. Jackson, Ms. Jackson, please. Ms. Jackson, next speaker. Linda McDonnell Carter. Ms. Carter's appearing. McDonnell Carter's appearing. So is that a threat? I'm just asking. I'm asking the question. I'm asking the question. Ms. Carter, McDonnell Carter, please. As usual, I greet you all with the Maasai tribe greeting. How are all the children? I usually discuss two basic points. First, emergency preparedness for the citizens of Newark and second, checkbook Newark and budget transparency. Today is about another type of preparedness. One to prepare the children to be able to sustain this representative republic and quest for at least an illusion of a democracy. This especially because of the Newark public school election that took place yesterday, particularly the entire campaign surrounding 16 and 17 year old Newark public school students having the opportunity to register and vote. These events took me way back to over 50 years ago to 1972 when for the first time in this country, 18 year olds decided if we could engage in war and get killed in the Vietnam conflict, we demanded no group took the lead on our behalf that we be able to vote and have a say in that conflict that left 58,000 American soldiers dead. After our success and 18 year old gaining the right to vote and it being included in the US constitution in the 26th amendment, those students who would be 18 years old to vote in the next presidential election that November will walk across central high school auditorium stage to register and vote with all the pomp and circumstances of a high school graduation. Mind you, civics have been removed from the public schools and predominantly poor working class black communities, save for the teachers in the segregated south and sharecropping intended farming communities who taught five, six, seven, eight year olds those who small to work in the fields to learn civics when neither their parents, their grandparents or their great camp grandparents could even be second class citizens. Further, through the civil rights movement, black power movement, young lords and all the other movements, we would learn the power we possess in our positions collectively, civically as consumers and politically. Otherwise, none of you serving on city council and many of the employment opportunities that particularly black and brown people have, women and disabled persons would be available to you in the first place. I was a little different. I learned civics when I was 12 years old from former sharecroppers who were 18, 19 and 20 year olds returning from the Vietnam War in the Scuddle Homes housing project. I learned fascism, communism, socialism and Catholic capitalism when I was 12. Later, I became a political science major. Now I teach 16 and 17 year old high school students and college students basic political science, government and civics with the intent to introduce them to their personal consumer civic and political power. I teach media literacy to encourage them to be discerning about the information they receive from the legacy and social media, how to vet and read thoroughly their Google research and social media. I encourage them to give their academic game plan the same energy and attention as anything else in their life that they want. I provide students with a basic list of concept, phrases, words and terms that all citizens and residents should know to understand and interpret what elected officials are really saying. I define, explain and provide examples of the difference between media and press. For their midterm, they play monopoly to learn capitalism. I introduce them to the seven fundamental components of government, the people, press, bureaucracy, state, legislative, judicial and executive branches of government within the context of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Human Rights and assist they keep a copy on their person and an app on their phone. To assess and evaluate their knowledge of all these documents, they have to compare the U.S. government system, structure and process to that of a bad country, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela. The students have also been introduced to Heritage 2025. They're aware that the first draft was during the Reagan administration 40 years ago when I was in law school. They also know that neoliberalism started in 1470 off the coast of Africa. In light of the local matters, they receive extra credit for voting and serving on juries. Additionally, parts of their individual final assessments determine the skills a person should possess who's seeking election to the North Public Schools Board, what they should have to be effective. Also, the students are required to identify lists and describe what the priorities should be for the North Public Schools. I can tell you in sum, basically they all want the same resources and attention and respect that students in wealthy school districts get. That's what they want. That's what they want. These children in wealthy school districts are no smarter. It's just people tend to care for them more. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Shakir McDougal. I do not see him not appearing. My name is Miriam Bay and I'm a Newark resident. I live in Newark and I am an investor in Newark. Before I get into what I want to talk to you about, I want to thank you, Council Members and the Mayor, for providing us the honorariums that we did for honoring seven fantastic women for Women's History Month. Councilman DePerry, I want to thank you for that fantastic meeting that you had last week with those young men because we have some issues going on here in the city with our youth and we have to start seriously addressing it. I just want to thank you for that. I'm here today. I want to give this document to Councilman Kelly, because you're my Westport representative, also Council President Crump and the BA's office. Could you give that to them, please? I can't go into details because it's a personnel matter, but what these documents are showing is that for the 10 years that I have been working in this administration, I have been doing a fantastic job for Newark residents, particularly with brothers and sisters who have been incarcerated. My issue has been the fact that these shelters that these brothers and sisters are going in, they are definitely not appropriate. We have to have shelters where it's going to address each issue that they're dealing with that got them in there in the first place. I want us to continue to focus on that. When I have clients that come to me, because I work with all clients, when I have clients that come to me, I cannot give them a job if they're having housing issues. The first thing is that they need to have some place to live. I'm not going to set them up for destruction. The other issue is that I was at a meeting with the Ivy Hill Neighborhood Improvement Association, which I am a member, and there was an issue about an update regarding University Hospital and the jobs because our residents need jobs, and we have to prepare them for those jobs. We have to have these developers who are coming in here and taking our property and the slumlords that are destroying the property and everything. We need to start finding ways on how we can help our residents. This brother that I have that's standing next to me is a client of mine. He has issues as well, so I brought him down here because I want someone to speak with him because he's dealing with housing. Again, as I was saying, you brothers and sisters that are up there, you're so blessed. You know why? Because you have your homes, you got your family together. Just think about those of us who live here, and that ain't happening, and we voted for you. We need to start taking responsibility. I'm saying we because I am part of this administration, and I want to be inclusive in the success of the city because it can be successful if we start thinking about the ones who put you in office. You know what I mean? Because I feel blessed that I'm helping brothers and sisters who have come home from prison, and when they come to me, I continue to encourage them to do what they need to do so that they can be what 50 Cent says who they're destined to be. Okay, finally, I would like us to please seriously think about where God has put you and look at what is happening to us in the city of Newark. I live here. I see it every day, and the slumlords are horrible. Do we want our children to think that being dirty and filthy and nasty is natural? When we see them walking down the street, do you want your children, your grandchildren to think, oh, when I go to South Orange and Mount Clare, Hillside, Maplewood, I don't see any of that. So why do our children have to see this? So I just want to say thank you again, and I'm hoping that someone can speak to this brother. Have a great evening.

Good evening. My name is Jamar Youngblood. Last month, I came up here to talk about the economic pressure residents in our city are facing. I spoke about how wages are not keeping up with the cost of living. I also pointed out how outsiders profit from Newark while our own residents continue to struggle. And lastly, I called for real transparency because even though our city budget continues to grow, residents continue to ask the same question, if the money is being spent, why don't we fill or see the results? But tonight, I want to talk about something urgent, the rising debt crisis across the country and how a group of Newarkers is stepping up to respond. As of April 2025, the United States is $37 trillion in debt. In Washington, the response has been to cut spending, raise tariffs, and change how we trade with the world. I bring this up because our city is carrying hundreds of billions in debt ourselves. And with the recent shutdown of city organizations like North Cap and then it looks like we've already started laying off residents to save money. So if we're following a national trend of laying off employees to cut costs, we also need to know, or we also need to be honest about what that means for how we run the city. Because it's only a matter of time before outsiders, outside consultants come in and recommend using artificial intelligence to cut even more costs. And as someone with a tech background, I want to come back up here next month and share my thoughts on how we can use AI to ease the impact of the layoffs. So this past weekend, a group of residents and supporters came together to build something we are calling North 30. North 30 is a real plan to make North self-sufficient and fully transparent by the year 2030. The goals are simple and clear. First, we want to protect North's culture so its history and the people of the city stay at the center of our progress. Second, we want to invest in our residents so everyone has the tools and skills they need to live a quality life. And third, we want to raise the standards for how our city operates because residents deserve more than what they're getting today. And to promote transparency, we want residents to have full access to city decisions, spending and operations. To protect ourselves from unstable federal aid, we want to build our own public economy through city-backed services like housing, food and medicine. We also want to invest directly in our residents by preparing them for jobs and future industries while creating local ownership of businesses and public assets through co-ops. North 30 is about giving every resident a clear pathway to economic stability and opportunity while designing a system that works for everyone. And our plan is open to every resident and supporter of NORC so they can contribute their ideas and be a part of this change. So if you visit NORC30.org, you can read the full plan and leave your ideas and comments right on the page. We believe it's time for the people of NORC to step up and come together collectively to build

Thank you all. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Latoya Jackson Tucker. Appearing. Good evening, council. Latoya Jackson Tucker, NORC resident, environment, two justice, the ambassador, and the person that's going to champion unity in her community. I just want to say that nothing for us without it, nothing without us is for us, and nobody is going to save us. So knowing, and did y'all get my email? Did everybody on the council get my email or did y'all read it? Please nod y'all head. I know y'all can't see nothing. But I sent the email out because as I'm going through life and life is life and I come up here and stand, I just need people like my council members to understand that I am going through stuff, trauma, traumatic stuff. And mainly I believe because the people that speak for us, not just here, but in every situation when us color people get in tune, we need to learn how to advocate properly. In this moment, when we got a president like Trump, we definitely shouldn't be worrying about policy or ethics, like ethics or decorum. We definitely need to advocate the way that we're supposed to advocate for our people. And I'm like, I'm thankful. I did very well yesterday, I think. But I also, I'm happy that I have another year to speak candidly to the issues because if I was getting sworn in soon, I would have to worry about what I say, how I say, how it looks for my united front or whatever. So it's like, I understand why the people come here and get up here and frustrated and agitated, but they are also my examples of what not to be. It's black on black crime. Like I'm embarrassed, especially over the weekend. We had a big environment to justice summit. We was happy. Shout out to the south ward and all that they're doing within the community. But I wish people like tap into that grass root organization and see how they give the community grace. Because we all live and we all wake up every day. None of us are perfect and God has given us grace. So why we can't give it to our community, I'm not understanding. Why we come in front and believe that if, I was in the room with Mikey Sherrill. She came to North last week sometime. She got here, some people that's not interested in who our representative is, but I'm still in favor of me and Baraka because he speaks to the things I feel that I speak to. I asked her a question and my question to her was, how do you feel? Like, what are you going to do about the incarcerated population? And she gave me a political correct answer. And she's also from West Virginia. So she don't speak for me at all. Like I was there. I couldn't take pictures. I finally got my moment to say, no, I'm running for something. Can't take pictures. So I get it. It wasn't a good, it was a good feeling in that moment because she's not from here. She's not my community. But when my community do it to me, it doesn't feel right. So I'm not going to come up here and do things that doesn't feel right. I was very hurt at the coming home, doing all that work with the community, turning on social media and seeing our brothers all the way in Camden, doing whatever they felt like. I'm not judging nobody, but as a woman that know that our men in our community are supposed to lead us and they can't come, you know, they can't get to a common ground. I have an issue with that. I also have an issue with y'all up here that sit on together and y'all can't come to a common ground where we have somebody in that seat, even if it was for a few months. Like I need y'all to come to some common ground because I'm living this stuff that y'all are elected and allocating money for the resources. And although nobody has met my expectation, it doesn't feel right to embarrass my job as a Newark resident, little sister needs, whatever y'all want to call me is to empower my community. And by empowering y'all, showing y'all how I could be beat and bruised and hurt and traumatized, but I still can stand before y'all and give y'all respect because y'all deserve grace. God has given me grace. I'm not perfect. So my message to my community, each and every last one of y'all is give us some grace, everyone. And also don't be scared. When we see that y'all not scared to properly advocate for us, I'm rotten. You see, cops got guns, but I love Nadira. So I know about the sunshine. So when it looked like they was going to touch her, we stood up, but we need to stand together because it doesn't look right when we separate. And that's really all I got. I love my community. Those that don't want to speak because they think I'm team Baraka. I'm team black people because we all want at the end of

the day. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, Debra Mapson appearing. Good evening council members. It's been a while. Debra maps and miss you guys. And you know, I'm going to try to behave, but for me, diplomacy be damned tonight. Listen, kudos to every last one of y'all because the things that you have to put up with at this council meeting is awful. My phone, the texts are going crazy. People watching the behavior at this council meeting. It is awful. Now I haven't been here in a while because I've been busy, but I gave up physical therapy and an important meeting to be here to deal with the foolery that is Lisa Mitchelson Parker. And I will say names, but before I go to that, I noticed that Riviera didn't pass. And I think you guys are revisiting what's going on there. So I encourage you, please, whatever's going on, talk about it, look into it. It is a good project. I am a hundred percent Riviera. I am not there. I have no desire to be back there, but I do speak with them. I am well informed and I think it's a good project and people need the help. So please, I am begging you guys revisit that. But with that being said for director Ulario, I remember that I spoke at a council meeting a long time ago. I was losing respect for him. I lost respect, but listen, I'm back. Director Ulario is doing wonderful things. And I have to openly apologize because I can do that. It was some things that I misunderstood. We had great conversations. I see his focus, his vision. He sees mine all as well. For Kibori Tucker or Kibori Tucker, as long as he, his wife and his mother don't kill me for mispronouncing his name, he's doing great stuff. Whatever happened, whatever issues he's had, he's made amends for it. He's paid for it. What I do know and listen, I don't suck up to nobody. I don't care who's related to who and who's friends with her, but this man is doing great things. Right? And I love him and I appreciate him and I respect him for what he is doing. And when I came to the council meeting and I brought up him and Calvin, it was Kibori, you know, who stepped up to make things and we're still working it out. It doesn't belong here. Let's move on from there. But at a council meeting, Lisa Mitchelson Parker, I believe sorry ass was the term that she used for me. Watch the language. All right. No, no, watch the language. That's the language she used. I know you expect better for me, but I did say diplomacy be damned today. And I mean no disrespect. Right? But a sorry ass is someone who comes up here scripted. Right? Everything she reads is what her handler sends to her, whether it's on a text message or in an email or written down. Right? She can't pin two sentences together on her own without being instructed by her handler. A sorry ass is someone who comes up here and spoils all of you guys for hosting events at the trip and the robbery when her handler does the same thing and she's the first one there and the last one to leave. What are we doing here? Okay. A sorry ass is someone who comes up here and claims that she's advocating in support of people. What is she doing? I will not. I will respect you, council president. Right? Shut up, Manera. I have not given you permission to talk to me. When I give you permission to address me, then you address me until then you don't. All right. And shut up to you too. All right. Let's get some. You see all this bullying that you guys think you're going to do. You got the right person. You have the right person doing that with me. It will be no, but why are you here? Why are you here? All right. Cause we can get into it about you also. We can get into it. All right. Let's come back. First, let me apologize to the audience here and to the audience watching. What we don't want to do, what we are here to do is conduct a business of the city and allow people to have public speaking. What we are not going to do is allow back and forth. Several times I asked the two parties not to talk back and forth and they continue to do so. So they were removed from the chambers. Moving on to next speaker. Seema bird bird, bird, not appearing next speaker. Jay Colter. Jay Colter is not here. Not appearing. George Tillman Jr. Mr. Tillman is not appearing. Elijah Morgano appearing. So let's have everyone in the chambers quiet so that we can hear the speaker. Tripping reset the time. What is wrong with y'all? We'll give you another minute. No, no, I get five minutes. There was disorder. Okay, it's cool. It's cool. It is perfectly fine with me. Listen, I'm Elijah Abdul Samar Morgano. Right. And I represent the Lenape Lenape Blackfoot and Apache tribe. Right. So because y'all want to play with God. Right. Y'all want to play with God. No libations needed because y'all don't show y'all tail today. And I don't get the writing. So declaration of Aboriginal liberation, honorable and dishonorable North City council members and Mayor Raj Jay. Right. Who blew up America? Who blew up North? Shout out to Amiri Baraka. Shout out to Sophia Cooper. Shout out to mother. What's that guy? Donald Payne. Right. Shout out who blew up North. Y'all blew up North. When we were going to look back 10 years, y'all blew up North. Right. So we stand before you as a messenger of truth, justice and Aboriginal liberation. We gather on stolen Lenape land where treaties were broken and lives were destroyed. We represent marginalized communities victimized by systemic racism, imperialism and Zionism. And most importantly, white failureism, AKA white supremacy. This speech serves as a formal notice of crimes committed against Aboriginal peoples off Turtle Island. The mask of liberty has been taken off. Imagine North, right, as a majestic Lenape eagle. Once soaring free, the eagle's nest of broken dreams. Trafficking and abuse of the youth. Don't touch my son. Don't touch my son. So trafficking and abuse of the youth. Eggs cracked open. 18 U.C. 1595. That's the man act. Destruction of families through forced assimilation and separation. Nest dismantled. That's the Indian Child Welfare Act violated. Systemic racism targeted Negro neurodivergent individuals. Twigs of oppression woven tight. Americans with disabilities act ignored. Neglect of our veterans, houseless queer communities and feathers of scattered. That's 8 U.C. 1481. Right? I'm going to share something with you. Marginalization of malinated locals of Newark, not Newark, Newark. Civil Rights Act of 1964. All Zionistic Ashkenazi Jewish developers in media complicity. Y'all gotta go. No more business with people that support Zionism. No more business with people that support genocide. No more business with people that touch babies. No more business with people that pray on brown and black people. No more business, right? Because listen, y'all broke some laws. I told y'all I was a pimp. I told y'all I was a pastor. I told y'all I was a politician. And now one of y'all answered my freaking question for over three months. Y'all tripping. And you take a minute from me today? Listen, there's treaties broken back. The eagle's wings were clipped and scissors. 1664 treaty between Lenape and British Cajonizers. Broken. It's feathers tarnished of reign of systemic racism. Dawes Act 1887. Seizing Aboriginal lands. 25 U.C. dash 331. Violated. 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause ignored. Lenape rights violated. New Jersey State Constitutional Article 1, Section 5 Equal Protection Clause violated. The eagle handlers, Zionist developers, and corrupt officials wore the mask. Y'all playing money games. Y'all playing money games, right? So since y'all like playing money games, we got some call to action for you. Mitakoye oyasen. That means we are all relatives. Kiyolo dumame. Blessings upon the city councils. May the ancestral spirit guide your decision towards justice. So right now, right? If y'all don't come clean, acknowledge historical injustices by September 30th, 2025, or face ancestral wrath. Provide reparations and restitution by November 30th, 2026, or suffer economic consequences. And you said, is that a threat? No, that's a promise. See Zionist development projects immediately, or face widespread boycotts like Malcolm, like Martin. Comply with his death and I will face eviction by December 31st, 2026. Any non-Aboriginal blood, y'all got to get off our land. I swear to God on my mama. Yeah, y'all got to go. And look, I got a letter for you, Crumb. You take this, bro. You take this, bro. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Next speaker. What's wrong with y'all? Hey, babe. Get him up, babe. Six minutes, I'll take that. Next speaker. Oh, your next speaker. Sorry. Let's take her up here. By Sarah Crispin, Sweet Joe's living soul and beneficiary to Newark City Council and all public offices in attendance. This evening, my name given to me on the day of nativity is Sarah Eleanor Crispin, Fong Yin Man, AX Elisha, AKA The Streets Call Me Speaks. I'm a living being, sweet juries here under divine law and equity jurisdiction. I stand in full capacity as the living soul, not as a commercial person, not as a subject or a corporate fiction, but as the rightful principle, beneficiary and claimant. Let this be placed on public record. I am giving lawful and spiritual notice of my testimony of involuntary suretyship and subrogation. A full affidavit will be submitted within 11 days in personum to the appropriate public officers on record. This testimony reveals the truth that I, like many others, was made an involuntary surety through instruments executed without disclosure. Birth certificates, social security registrations, licenses, and legal names stylized in all capital letters. These are commercial contracts presumed to bind the living to a trust relationship without consent. Under equity, this constitutes fraud in factum. Under natural law, this is theft of soul and spirit. And under divine law, it is a trespass against life itself. As such, I now give public notice of subrogation into my rightful original status. I stand as the equitable principle. I claim dominion over all names, estates, and energies unjustly created in my likeness. This brings me to a specific harm. In 2023, when I was out of state, our private automobile, our only vehicle, and also our home, was seized without warrant or lawful jurisdiction. It was never registered for commercial use, nor was it used for profit. It was privately purchased with full equitable title and private credit. According to Kent versus Dules and Crandall versus Nevada, the right to travel is a protected liberty that cannot be deprived without due process of law, and yet our rights were violated. The seizure of this vehicle constitutes a breach of trust, a violation of constitutional liberty, a violation of article one, section 10, prohibition on impairment of contract, a trespass on indigenous spiritual tools under the American Indigenous Religious Freedom Act of 1978. I am an immigrant to this land, but my family is native to this land, so I speak on behalf of our family. And a clear act of unjust enrichment. We now require the following, and not as a request, but as lawful and moral obligation. Return of our private vehicle and all contents therein. Recognition of our status as living, private American nationals, not as U.S. persons, not as 14th Amendment fictions. Restoration and reconciliation for the breach of spiritual and lawful trust, including full compensation for damages, time, emotional harm, and loss of housing. For a remedy for karmic debts incurred through past and ongoing public harm against indigenous, aboriginal, African, diasporic peoples, and other systemically oppressed peoples in Lenapehoking, especially in Newark. The U.S. Constitution, often cited by this council, is itself founded upon the great law of peace of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The very foundation of American governance owes spiritual debt to indigenous wisdom, yet offers no remedy for the continued erasure and abuse of their descendants. Therefore, we additionally require a restorative allocation of public funds towards community healing circles, family restoration, and holistic wellness initiatives across Newark. Recognition of indigenous and spiritual ministers' rights to protect and preserve sacred tools, teachings, and lands. Dismantling of policies that criminalize the houseless and extract wealth from poverty. We must now balance the scales of ma'at, not through vengeance, but through truth and repair, not through suppression, but through acknowledgement of all those who have been martyred, especially the children and families victimized by systems of capitalism, imperialism, and Zionistic exploitation. Let this be clear, this is not political theater. This is a lawful notice of harm, a claim of remedy, and a directive to fulfill your fiduciary obligations as public servants under trust. What was taken must be returned. What was silenced must be heard. What was broken must be restored. This is a time for lawful reconciliation, and I want to especially thank the beings who have been boots on the ground, who have been providing the medicine and the proof, because you are the medicine. You are the medicine that unveils, I thank you, all natural rights reserved without prejudice by divine right and lawful authority. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Opal R. Wright. Appearing. Good evening. My name is Opal R. Wright. I reside at Vanderbilt Street in Newark, New Jersey, and I'm just here with concerns on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform and consumer protection act. Title 10. There's the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, and subtitle B, Conforming Amendments, section 1082, amendment to the Privacy Act of 1974, effective on the date of enactment of this act, section 552A of Title V, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following. W. Acceptable to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, except as provided in Consumer Financial Protection of 2010, this section shall apply with respect to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Section 1083, amendment to the Alternative Mortgage Transaction Parity Act of 1982. In general, the Alternative Mortgage Transaction Parity Act of 1982 is amended in section 803 by striking 1974 and all that follows through described and defined and inserting the following, excuse me, 1974, in which interest rate, excuse me, or finance charge may be adjusted or re-designated, described and defined. And in section 804, in subsection A, in such of paragraph 1, 2, and 3, by inserting after transaction made, each place that term appears on or before the designated transfer date as determined under the section 1062 of Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010. Paragraph 2, by striking and at the end, in paragraph 3, by striking the period at the end and inserting and, and by adding at the end the following new paragraph, 4, with respect to transactions made after the designated transaction date only in accordance with regulations governing alternative mortgage transactions as issued by the Bureau, which are not insured, depository institutions, in C, depository institutions described in clause 5 or 6 of section, of the section 19 of the Federal Reserve Act. And further, the concern goes to the Title 11, which is Federal Reserve System. Thank you for your comments. Yes, I'd just like to say this is the preemble. I don't

know if anyone went ahead and read. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. Cesar Adams. Uh, appearing. Name is Cesar Adams. It's Cesar. My apologies. It's okay. I still love you. Good evening. Before I begin, I want to send my condolences to the family who lost their child in the fire yesterday. Now, I don't know how many of you in the audience or those up there who go back and watch on YouTube these council playbacks, but I do. And Council President, out of everything that I said, you wanted to get specific on what you said that you were speaking of when it came to the projects here in the Central Ward that were going to be put up instead of the first precinct. Now, when things were being read off, it wasn't just signals, but properties were read off as well. But since we're on signs and signals, can you please get a stop sign put back up on Clarion and Prince Street? Since we're lacking the Central Ward rep and her remaining staff left over ain't doing any ain't doing nothing, but sure as out here campaigning for certain candidates and school board members as well. Now, I saw an article about former councilwoman resignation possibly not being possibly being unofficial because of not submitting it in writing. Now, I store the statutes in the article, which the lawsuit was brought by Trenton Jones, who is a Baraka supporter. Sometimes you have to put that out there because they think everybody is against the Barakas. Now onto the school board election. The school board election came in way. And can you guess the numbers? Barely 5,000 people came out and voted. And that's included 16 and 17 year olds. And I would love to see the numbers on the age on that specific age group that came out to vote. It's truly sad to see the disengagement in our school system, kids in curriculum that's put forth in our city. I mean, I don't know if it's not alarming to y'all, but having a school budget over $1 billion and our kids not on reading and math levels should be very concerning to everybody. Since as elected officials, you endorse candidates for school board. There is no reason then why you shouldn't be raising questions on what the hell is going on with our school systems. So we're not going to pass the buck to someone else, but I'm not going to just blame the elected officials. It falls on the parents as well. It falls on the community as well to be involved and raise voices because if it was Cammie Anderson down there, there would be hell being raised. If Cory Booker was still the mayor, there would be hell being raised. So what's stopping things now? Now, I don't know if y'all get the crime reports of what goes on in the Central Ward, but being that is mostly patrolled by the fourth precinct, we had a few shootings, fights, and just last week, a student got cut right in front of High Park Gardens and we never have issues in front of High Park Gardens. Now, when is enough is enough? I keep reiterating this over and over again. When is the council going to truly be a check to the abuse of power in this administration? Raz, how are you going to reimagine New Jersey when you can't even reimagine Newark? Crime is increasing. Crime is increasing in this city. Schools failing, nepotism running rampant, homelessness at an all-time high, people living extremely below the poverty line, but we're supposed to have a Newark 2020 plan that's had never been put in place. We're selling homes for penny on a dollar, pushing those out who stood here through the times when Newark was rid off and our workers are currently working without a contract. Now, I wasn't going to speak on this, but this was something that was rubbing me wrong. A few council meetings ago, we had a Warren County commission named James R. Kern who came here to speak about immigration and the legal immigrants that he says running rampant on the border of Warren and Newark. When I'm somebody who went to school in Somerset County, Franklin Township to be specific, instead of coming to our city and telling us what we should do here in the city of Newark, maybe we should focus more on Warren County and the racism that goes on in Warren County. Now, I have a grandmother who's 84, please don't kill me, and a grandfather who will be 93 in September. And the last thing I would ever do is praise Donald Trump at this mic or ever in my life, especially when I have grandparents still alive who couldn't vote and was being water holes. Now, to me, let me tell you what MAGA stands for in my eyes. Not exactly. MAGA stands for trying to erase LGBTQ people, particularly trans people from existence. MAGA stands for segregation and racism. MAGA stands for firing air traffic control personnel. MAGA stands for firing our most qualified military personnel and replacing them with puppies and minions. MAGA stands for the elimination of DEI. MAGA stands for authoritarianism. MAGA stands for neo-Nazis. MAGA stands for rolling back our voting rights and civil rights. MAGA stands for cutting funding in cancer research, HIV, AIDS, and mental health. MAGA stands for stripping women for their rights to choose and having autonomy over their bodies. MAGA stands for cutting school funding, particularly HBCU funding and Pell grants. MAGA stands for cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, which would affect over nearly 700 people here in New Jersey. MAGA stands for the attempted elimination of people like me and you and trying to bring a rise to white power and supremacy. So before you come and praise Donald Trump and Elon Musk, remember this is what you're fighting for.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Daniel Carney. This is about democracy. Good and great citizens of Newark. History will remember the 21st century as one of the greatest ascents of human progress. Just as we question the ingenuity of ancient cities, newer species of men will unearth our primitive customs and wonder how the architects of our time could leap so far from their origins. But I predict that the seed of their curiosity and enthusiasm will not be from our petty social wars or wicked divisions. It will be in our religion of democracy, which while brief was so strongly imbued in the hearts of generations. Now I want to tell you about my childhood quickly. It was neither long ago or much forgotten. Obama was the president and I didn't even know who Bush was. In those days, I would chase my basketball down the street a thousand times. My friends and I would drink milkshakes in summer heat and sweat until we got tired of play. I would ride my bike down to the old creek which is polluted by orange and yellow slime. And although our parents told us never to go beyond the sidewalk, my friends and I would steal away into its waters. We would follow the creek down to lost corners of the forest beyond reasonable sight. Now as I tell you the stories of my childhood, I would like you to think carefully about yours wherever it hides or rests in your mind. We were all children once living in the excesses of freedom. And while we didn't know it then, we must know it now. We were delivered from the promise of democracy. Now open to the page known as the democratic age and find that the opinion of history will always be on its side. Democracy will have stood as one of the greatest civilizing factors of nations. That one mighty tool to break the chains of tyranny throughout the world because it gave men a princely vision that no other could steal his rights as we were equal under the laws of constitutional republics. It broke from precedents set by millennia where millions were dominated by the arbitrary rule of kings and monarchs. Scholars even had the privilege to argue whether this was the most peaceful era of all time. Everyday citizens like you and I began to believe in self-evident truths where liberty and equality were the chief aims of humankind. Greatness was always on the horizon. War was prescribed to the dustbin of history and open to all the opportunity to love and be happy where economy sprouted. Now we are all older now, but the spirit of democracy is still youthful enough to find a home in our hearts. Can't you just just hear it? The spirit of liberty calls out to us returning from years among the wilderness. She says keep alive those ideals, those aims and aspirations in unreachable heights of humanity. From the fountains of your enthusiasm to the audacity of your faith. Liberty for all, equality for all, justice, truth, dignity, honor, morality and democracy. Democracy, democracy forever. History will remember the 21st century as the greatest ascent of human progress. Not for what we know it to be, but for what will be known. Let us revive an old tradition and break the dust from the sentinels of liberty. Let us not sit silently remembering the rose that was democracy. Let us not sit idly as our countrymen are kidnapped and thrown into foreign jails. Let us not whisper in the streets as our brothers in Ukraine fight and die on the battlefield of our freedom. Let us not be indifferent or ignorant or tired to fight against the smallest transgression and let us never forget. The greatest folly of man is to forget the value of your fellow man. And as a child is the father of man, let us be the children of democracy again. And with this faith in the future, men and God will look kindly upon us all.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Donna Jackson. Donna Jackson. Thank everybody for all the love and birthday wishes. Still accepting gifts and donations. And the phone is back on. Granddaughter dropped it in a tub on Friday. So all who've been trying to call me, chalk it up to the bubbles. The mayor is requesting $80 million for the month of May. This is why you can't be the governor. The mayor said there's a criminal in the Oval Office. Well, we know there's a criminal in the mayor's office. The Baraka administration is the worst administration in the history of this city. It ain't personal, it's business, and we got it all backed up by facts. The water quality for North right now is the worst it's ever been. We haven't improved anything. We're not doing the repairs that we're saying we're doing, and we're not watching these contractors do anything in this city. Kareem is one person. The staff is another person. We have no monitors out there on construction. None. To the owners who got on the planning board meeting and said it was a good idea to put those 400 units up in the East Ward, and then you're going to turn around and come to the board meeting and ask where the new school's going to go. Well, we should have put a new school right there, because the property down a little further in the East Ward is contaminated, and I don't want my kids in there because we don't do good cleaning. We're not going to keep putting two feet and three feet of dirt on stuff that's contaminated and then pour our children in those buildings. We don't care about the prisoners. Mayor Baraka, you said nothing about the ICE program while Joe D sold his soul and those ICE members were inside Essex County jail. You said nothing, so shut your mouth now. You sat there and allowed all that money to come in here. Seniors, you have failed them. You have failed every one of them. The housing conditions and the senior builders in this city, and now y'all think y'all going to be in D.C.? LaMonica, shut up. You didn't say nothing when you was dealing with the LLC boys in here. Raz, shut up. You let these LLC boys in here tear these seniors up. Their lives have been cut short because of the conditions in these buildings. Do y'all understand mold, asbestos, and inhabitable conditions kill you? The actor's wife just died from rat feces and rat urine being found in her blood. I can't think of his name, but Munir will get it for me while I'm up here. Employees here, lowest paid in the state of New Jersey, you've done nothing to raise that. You want to run for governor? Please take your team with you. You're not going to win, but please take them all, right? Because when y'all want to be the team, be the team. And when he leave, please leave with him. He wants to be the superintendent of schools now over my dead body. You're not touching that near another child in this city. You're talking about some of you right now, contract. I need to know how many, and are they going to work more than 16 hours a week? That's less money than I made when I worked speedy. And we all know I'm up there. I'm up there. These children today make less money with things five to 10 times more than they were when I worked for speedy. And you paying them less? You haven't hired 2,500 children, not one year in the last four years. You have not. But your staff done stole. Ain't nobody in jail. All them kids' cars that was cash, all y'all keep doing is putting a blanket on it. Put the blanket on it. Well, we tired. Crime is up over 100%. And you got the nerve tonight to have the police come in here again, again, with no contract. Well, I'm about to call the rally. I'm about to call it. The employees, all of them. Police, fire, everybody. Because you sit here in good conscience and our employees are going into the fifth year with no contract? What? Just like Jody just gave the sheriffs and the corrections, because I rallied up there with them for two years. Jody need to go to jail too. Raz gave himself 32% increase and y'all allowed it. 32%. Jody gave himself 24%. Your silence gives consent, people. Every time you vote yes, you're killing the residents of Newark. You owe the children to do better. You're all of this. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Yenel Hakaday. Yenel Hakaday, not appearing. Jamie White. Jamie White, not appearing.

Ms. Tucker, please. All right. Thank you. Thank you. I received over 30 calls within 24 hours. That number has escalated to over 100 with people concerned for my life. I understand the gang culture in Newark, New Jersey, and understand how easy it is for me to get slept well, AKA, on the law. Without direct order from Don Baraka, people can make decisions based upon their like for his political position and job opportunities, meaning he doesn't have to get an order to get me killed, meaning that people will do it because they want to protect their jobs. Razjay Baraka as a, as a, as history, Razjay Baraka has a history of putting street figures against political activists, both men and women. Young men under his influence are often looking to prove their loyalty to earn favor and land a political career possibly. It's a dangerous thing to put street figures up against, up against political advocates. It's dangerous. Thank you for your comments. We don't play by the same rules. Thank you for your comments. I critique. Mr. Alameen, Mr. Alameen, Mr. Alameen, we're conducting business in the city. Mr. Alameen, you will, if, unless you're quiet, any, anything from the council on this matter, anything from the council? Nothing. Anything from the administration? You know? Good evening, Eric Pennington, business administrator. Just with respect to a couple of issues, it was, I think one speaker. So before you, before you start, Mr. B, everybody needs to be quiet so that we can hear what is being said. It's just noise. It doesn't bother me. I'd like to hear, but I can't hear what other people are talking. I appreciate you. I appreciate you. Go ahead, Mr. B. Yeah, there were a couple of comments about the tax increase on the municipal levy. And one, I think one speaker indicated that last year's tax increase was 7.5% or more. They happened to be sitting in my office listening to the speakers. So of course I had an opportunity to look that up and find out what the data was. Newark, Delaware, which is another town, I think they're called Newark, Delaware, their tax increase between 23 and 24 was 7.8%. So that may well have been the mistaken representation that was made at the council. Not a lie, but probably a legitimate mistake by looking at Google and not knowing what they were looking at. The tax increase with this municipality was less than 3%. It has been less than 3% for the last 10 years. There was also representation that the new budget will have a 7 plus percent increase as well. Don't know where that came from. The representation was that the reval is going to cause a 7% tax increase. The results of the reval will not be known in the budget until 2027. So we hope that we can get it done by the last quarter of 2026. So we may know in 2026. But unless the individual who spoke is clairvoyant and has some crystal ball into the future, there's no way to predict what the revaluation will be because the 53,000 tax lines are still being investigated now. That's going to take a couple of years to do. Mayor Baraka has pledged to keep the taxes as low as possible. He has done so. And under his leadership, we will continue to do so. We'll present the budget to the council. Council obviously will have an opportunity to look at it. I know Councilman Gonzalez would like that budget to be on the desk in the next few weeks. That's not going to happen. I'll be honest. It's going to take a little bit more time to get there. The county and the school board budget has now gone through. We still have a ratio issue, an equalization ratio issue. So they expect we're going to be about $29 million short with that. We're looking to get that assessed and done to make sure that we know what we're talking about. And we can present you with an appropriate budget. I'm working as hard as I can to get it to you as quickly as possible. And I will continue to do so. I don't really have any other responses to the misstatements. But I think Corporation Council may have something to say. Thank you, Mr. B.A. Corporation Council. Good evening, Kenyatta Store, City of Norwood Corporation Council. So I just want to make a few responses. I recognize that people might just have a little bad information. There was a comment about the pipe replacement program that we have here. We replaced more than 19,000 less service lines. They said that there was an investigation because people weren't being paid. Actually, it was the direct opposite. The city was a victim of a crime. The city was completely involved with the investigation where we cooperated with the federal government to make sure that they got all the information that they needed. And more importantly, that the people who were involved in that process where they victimized the city have now been charged. Unfortunately, there's been some comments about the folks who are working in the Sinshaward office after the Congresswoman moved on. It's unfortunate because I was there again this morning. We had a meeting and I just happened to walk by and I see these folks answering phone calls. A constituent is in there talking to someone else and one of them is on his way out to talk to somebody else about a problem. You know, it's hard because I know they hear this these comments about should they be replaced, should they be kicked out, or what are they doing? Just go take a walk into the office. You'll see the work that these people are doing. There has not been a time where I don't see one of them somewhere talking to someone in person or on the phone about an issue to deal with the Sinshaward. It's unfortunate they're being targeted because folks may want to take the opportunity to take a shot at the councilwoman or take the opportunity to take a shot at the other council people here. But the people who are working are doing a good job. They shouldn't be discouraged. I know there was also some comments about homelessness and I don't know, I couldn't really catch that. I know at one point there was some comments about homelessness going up. You know, it's unfortunate because you know the numbers nationally have shown that our numbers are going down, right? There are the national news about that information and I do think that Lewis, who is our Homeless to Star, is doing an awesome job. I'm glad to hear that the folks, the folks who did not understand his process took the opportunity to apologize to him publicly and to commend him for all the work that he's doing. I know he has a very difficult job and unfortunately, you know, people might not understand the long-term plan, but I will say that we have gone from doing temporary housing to transitional housing to right now we're even working on permanent housing. I do know that affordable housing has also been one of the top priorities of the administration. I recognize that some folks, again, may not appreciate our process of what we're doing, but you can't criticize that we're doing something when it comes to homelessness. Finally, I know that there has been some comments about you know possible threats and things of that nature in reference to, you know, possible threats in reference to support or not for the mayor. I did ask our public safety personnel here to go and speak to the folks in reference to it. We do not take that stuff lightly. I do appreciate that the person did say that the mayor was not involved in like the possible threat, so I do appreciate that, but I do want our public safety folks to get involved and get involved seriously because I don't want anyone to be in the space where they're uncomfortable coming to the mic, speaking out loud or going anywhere else in reference to anything political. I recognize it's the season, but you know sometimes things go a little too far. I don't want anyone to feel like that. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Director Adine. Council President, Council Members, Kareem Adine, Director of Ward and Sewer Department. Council, I just want to get some clarity. I keep hearing this billion dollars, 1.1 billion, 1.2 billion, 1.3 billion. The water department has not spent 1.1, 1.2, 1.3. The administration's biggest budget for the biggest bond for the water department was a 75 million dollar bond took out in June 2018 for the water department. The water department had a survey done almost 14 years ago that said we needed 1.3 billion dollars to upgrade the water and wastewater system. We went into this thing where we tried to sell it and the Christian administration told us we had to put it out for a referendum. That didn't fail. They said it needed a million, 1.1 billion dollars to improve the system. So we haven't spent that. That's what it said it would need. The other thing I heard somebody say that you know Newark's water quality is awful. We haven't had a violation around water quality in the last four years. Newark water is pristine. We got more cities outside of it. We got more municipalities and cities outside of the city that's trying to buy water. Newark has good water. We put in a 20, this council, some of you here now voted for us to 23 million dollar bond and do an upgrade at the plant. We put in new GAC filters, gravity activated carbon filters. That project is substantially complete. We're doing punch list items to close that project out but I'm happy to say our water and wastewater system is in a better condition than it was 14 years ago. Not that we don't have issues. We have a bunch of projects that we're doing and I commend this council and this administration for spearheading us with the proper guidance and funding when we come to you to ask us questions and make sure these projects get done. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Director. Anything else? One thing I want to bring up is just Madam Clerk if we could get the street that Mr. Adams mentioned about a stop sign and forward that to the engineering department to see whether the stop sign would be necessary. All right anything else? All right let's go on to the agenda. Council President, Council members we are on page four of the agenda. Item five. Items 5a through j are reports and recommendations of city officers, boards and commissions. Council as a whole to adopt a through j. Roll call. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Ordinances on first reading. 6FA is an ordinance amending businesses and occupations to create a new chapter regarding licensing of dockless vehicles used for commercial e-deliveries sponsored by Councilman Ramos. Second by Councilman Kelly. Council as a whole to adopt. Roll call. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Council President I just want to thank Councilman Ramos, Director Carrillo. We kind of got together. There's a city-wide problem here and I'm glad to see this that it's moving forward because we really have some issues and hopefully this will give the police another tool in your toolbox to try to make just our streets safer because at this point in time everyone's witnessed some type of violation by these delivery services and it's made dangerous for our pedestrians so hopefully this will help the situation. Thank you Councilman Silva. Council President. Councilman Ramos. Yeah I know Councilman Silva was in here at the last meeting but he did work with me on drafting the ordinance. I just want to make sure before it's adopted that that's reflected. Thank you Councilman. Next item. For the record the ordinance is adopted today. Our first reading will be advertised in accordance with law and a public hearing will be held at a regular meeting on May 7th or assumed thereafter as possible. Public hearing second reading and final passage. 6P SFA is an ordinance providing for the local units allocable share of capital improvement projects for the joint meeting of Essex and Union counties by appropriating $1,445,000. Is there anyone wishing to speak on this ordinance? Deborah Salters. I would like some clarification. So if we can get the finance person or whomever is here to break this down without being stopped in the middle of them giving some clarity because right now it's just a bunch of words. What is this and why is it? That's what I want to know. Any other speakers? Seeing none. Public speaking. The hearing is closed. Councilman Ramos. Yeah I could take a stab at this. So