October 07, 2024

Good evening, Council. I want to say something for the record. Brenda Bickerstaff, I live in Cleveland, Ohio. I want to make a record. For 3 weeks straight I put in for a public comment with Darrell Houston, and he's been denied his constitutional right to speak. That's not the way that work here. For 3 weeks straight I put it in exactly 12:00 and I have the proof that I did that. So let me move on to my next comment about the homeless.

It's a lot of homeless out here, a lot. I've had some homeless people sleep in one of my lots. The issue that I have here, we have abandoned houses around the city. Some of those houses, Mr. Starr, are in good condition, they just need to be rehabbed. I talked to a gentleman that does demolition and he said it cost about $15- or $20,000, Joe Jones, to tear a house down. So why can't we take the $15 or $20,000, rehab the house, get some social workers to go in those houses to be case managers for people that have issues for mental health issues, because that's a big issue among the homeless. I've even had clients that were homeless. So we need to really big into that, we really need to look into that, because that is a big, big issue. So at this point, what I'm going to do right now I'm going to yield my other minute and a half to Mr. Houston. [Griffin]: That is not the rules, Ms. Bickerstaff. Mr. Houston would have to sign up for it rules.

[Both speakers and Griffin speaking over one another, inaudible]

[Griffin]: We have the next set of rules rules are clear and we're going to move to the next set, we have the next person will be up.

[Griffin]: Ms. Bickerstaff if you're yielding your time, we will go to the next person in line. This Council has a set of rules that we're going to follow.

[mic is cut, Bickerstaff continues speaking, inaudible]

[Griffin]: This Council has a set of rules that we're going to follow. If you continue to disrupt the meeting, I am going to ask the police officers assembled to escort you away from the mic. You are not on the agenda please remove yourself from the mic. We have a set of rules that we're going to follow.

[speakers talking, inaudible]

[Griffin]: We're going to have a set of rules that we have we're going to follow. This Council has a set of rules that we're going to follow, that we're going to follow, and I'm going to ask if you follow those rules.[Bickerstaff speaking, inaudible]

[Griffin]: Ms. Bickerstaff, we'll talk with our staff, but you are not on the mic anymore right now. Please remove yourself from the mic. Please remove yourself from the mic, thank you. Please remove yourself. Please remove them from the mic.[Bickerstaff speaking, inaudible]

[Griffin]: Please remove yourself from the mic. Thank you. Please remove yourself from the mic. [Bickerstaff speaking, inaudible]

[Griffin]: All right, thank you. [Griffin introduces next speaker, Bickerstaff speaking, inaudible] [Bickerstaff returns to the mic] Oh, that's wrong though, Mr. Griffin, that's wrong. You put these officers in a bad position.

[Griffin introduces next speaker] [Bickerstaff]: You put these officers in a bad position.

[Houston]: We support the blue. We support the blue.

[Bickerstaff]: That's wrong, Mr. Griffin, and you know it. [speakers leave mic]

Good evening. Before I get to what I would like to talk about this evening in terms of policing. I've been saying for from 8 to 10 years now that we need to change the name of our football team to reflect victory, and I suggest The Overcomers. It's time to change that and I want to invite you, Council President Griffin and the mayor to our Women's March, which is November 2nd, and everyone in this room, at the market square at 12:00 noon. It's the National Women's March, the Cleveland chapter.

I'm here this evening to address policing. I would like to see the police and the community have a conversation, Council President, if that's at all possible, so that we could have some understanding of not only the rules and the laws but to eliminate the fear that the people have of the police, and that the police have of the people.

On this coming Thursday marks the 22-year anniversary of the day that law enforcement officers violated my protection order, and my son who was 5 years old is sitting right now in Cuyahoga County Jail being abused. I would like this legislative body to begin to put in writing legislation, put in writing in legislation, laws that would eliminate we people who are black, brown and multi-racial being murdered and mistreated by the police, and the rules to not be civil and procedural for them to do this. When the Cleveland police beat me up and dragged me down the street, they called me a mentally ill one and said, and Internal Affairs said, that that was civil and procedural. It's time to address people of color, black, brown, and multi-racial, as people and law enforcement must be able to do this. But we need effective legislation to do this. It's time for women to stop being murdered and being labeled with mental illness and other things. I was homeless for 22 years behind this situation until 5 months ago. I'm not mentally ill. I was homeless, fleeing for my life and the lives of my four children through domestic violence. We need a conversation.

I see that legislation that you have this evening, 939 through 945, is all for the police. I don't see anything that gives people the opportunity to have a communication with the police to make it fair and equal so we can eliminate the fear. Please write some legislation that the courts and the executive body of government will honor and fulfill for we people of color black brown and multi-racial. Thank you very much.

Good evening, council members, people of the audience, my name is Stephanie and I'm here to voice my support of the rezoning of 10022 Madison Avenue. I think it's apparent from previous supportive statements that we are welcoming growth via gain tax revenue, increasing employment opportunities, and a larger volume of foot traffic.

But today I'd like to touch on the morale of a dying community, an area once filled with promise of development that is now riddled with streets that go dark after 700 p.m. and increasing numbers of abandoned buildings. I recently attended a gathering of both sides both for and against this project. Statements on signs read, "more grass, less gas", and "protect our children". These people were coming from areas that won't even be directly impacted from this project. Not one person that I spoke with was from my neighborhood. People who don't have children or families that walk our neighborhood daily, families that are reminded every day that our city currently has no plans of its own for development, no improvements, nothing. But these developers do. Developers who could take their business and their planning to areas that are already thriving. These people have a vision. They have plans not to gentrify and push out our local residents, but a plan to bring revenue and growth, offering a well-lit area that people can feel safe both walking and driving past after nightfall.

I once was a single mother who used to have to travel to and from work using public transportation from the neighboring Rapid Station there. I remember when this corner went dark and I can recall feeling unsafe walking past that abandoned building. Our residents have lost hope in a way that they have become comfortable traveling outside of their own community for convenience. We aren't pouring revenue into our neighborhood and we aren't watering our own back garden. I spoke with some of the businessmen wanting to develop this property. They're family oriented, planted in local communities with children of their own that they're raising that want to see our forgotten neighborhoods revived. They want to bring life to this desolate area. Please support Councilman Kelly and his support for the rezoning of this property. Fill our abandoned buildings, give hope to these residents, give value back to our land, let our children see that we as parents and you as the councilman appointed by us are making sound and solid decisions for the overall improvement of our future and quality of life. It's more than just about a gas station. Please bring back the hope that we once had for this beautiful neighborhood. Thank you.

Good evening, Council, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I want to begin by stating that I am in favor of rezoning of 10022 Madison Avenue, however, I also want to address the unfortunate tactics being employed by those who oppose the project.

First, intimidation and misinformation. The opposition has resorted to intimidating neighbors who support this project, pressuring them to stay silent or stay at home. When supporters do speak up, lies are spread about them claiming they don't live there in the neighborhood. An example, they've come to our door late at night attempting to force their agenda. They've also spread false rumors that we don't live here, when in fact they are the ones unfamiliar with the area.

Number two is, there are baseless accusations against council members. Council members who are perceived to support this project have been unjustly labeled as corrupt. An example, a few Arab business owners who have been competitors in this ward for over 20 years are accused of conspiring together simply because they made donations to local politicians. These accusations overlook the fact that these businesses have often disagreed with each other on many other issues.

Third, there's stereotyping and discrimination. There's been an attempt to discredit Arab business owners implying that they shouldn't participate in the democratic process by donating or supporting certain politicians or causes. This is discriminatory and wrong.

Fourth, there's been slander against the property owner. The property owner has been unjustly slandered. This individual has lived in Cleveland by choice building a new home in ward 17 just two years ago, and has committed to the city, and has never had any criminal convictions. The opposition doesn't even know who the owner is making these reckless and defamatory assumptions. This group hides behind organizations that don't legally exist, avoiding accountability for the lies and defamation statements they've spread. I challenge them to step forward, reveal their true identities, and take responsibility for their words instead of hiding behind non-existing groups, that they should answer for these defamation and at times racist and anti-semitic comments they've made. Thank you for your time.

Good evening, council members. As a longtime Cleveland resident I'm here to express my support for both the rezoning efforts and the upcoming school levy. While these may seem like separate issues, they're actually linked in ways that can bring real positive change to our community.

Rezoning opens the doors for new businesses and projects that can raise property values and in turn increase property taxes, the primary source of funding for our schools. When we invest in developing our neighborhood, we're investing in our children's future. The proposed project at 10022 Madison Avenue is a great example of how this can work. It has the potential to revitalize our area and provide more resources for our schools. Empty buildings and vacant lots are not just eyesores, they're missed opportunities. By rezoning and encouraging development, we can turn those vacant spaces into revenue generators that can help fund education and improve the overall quality for everyone in the community. Our schools are the heart of this community, they shape our next generation of leaders and contribute to city's long-term success. But quality education requires adequate funding. This levy is crucial to ensure our school remains competitive, fully staffed, and equipped to provide the best possible learning experience for our kids. Rezoning brings development, development raises property values, and higher property value increase school funding. It's all connected. By supporting both the rezoning and the levy, we're paving the way for a stronger more vibrant community where our children and families can thrive. Thank you.

Hi, I'm here as a concerned resident on Madison and West Boulevard area. I'd like to share a snapshot of the current state of Madison Avenue.

While there's only a few small mom and pop shops there's also no major retail chains along the entire stretch of Madison Avenue. We have no main grocery stores, no main banks, no barber shops, no restaurants, no drug stores, no gas stations, no auto part stores, no coffee shops, no pizza or burger shops. What we do have is a collection of vacant and rundown buildings and our current zoning activities and discouraged developments placing unnecessary obstacles in the way of the progress. Why is this a bad idea to encourage the development of the strip center anchored by major brand retail outlets and major brand gas stations. The only reason it would be bad is if we want to maintain the status quo and a landscape of vacancy and dis -excuse me.

I'm here today to ask the council to support the rezoning and redevelopment of 10022 Madison Avenue. We are all hopeful that this development will be the catalyst that encourage more retail growth in the area. Please support us, the residents, along with our councilman, in this effort to rezone and revisualize our neighbourhood. Thank you for your time this evening.

Hello my name is Shejuti Wahib and I'm a student at Case Western Reserve University. I come to you today because of the repression of community voices and leaders who deserve to be heard. I'm the only one out of numerous people who applied for public comment from CWRU students, New Era, and Cudell to be selected for public comment today. Last week somehow, the only voices heard were those in support of the gas station, and as councilman member Slife had mentioned, all were signed up by two individuals who dropped forms off. Public comments thoughts were meant to be a way for people to petition their government and bring forward their concerns not as an organized lobbying effort by a syndicate of gas station owners hoping to monopolize the discussion and shut out opposing voices. You all have a duty to listen to your community, listen to the concerned parents and residents that would be bringing to you legitimate concerns about the safety of their children had they been given the opportunity to be able to speak in front of you. I also come before you today on behalf of my dear friends and fellow organizers. Yousef Khalaf is a Palestinian student at CWRU that has faced intimidation from our university with repeated student conduct meetings, delays, and ultimately a suspension, delaying his graduation. This all comes after his advocacy on campus for Palestinian liberation with others, but he is alone in his suspension. Also Chairman Fahiem is the leader of New Era, and you can ask anyone in Cleveland's neighborhoods about their success in de-escalation and keeping our youth safe. But today, he also faces false charges. These incidents are not unrelated and cannot be viewed separately. Both have shown up for each other, whether it's at our encampment or in our streets, and you'll find it's the very people who are the most passionate, most vocal and compassionate in making changes alongside their communities that are being silenced. Yousef and Fahiem do this work because they genuinely love our communities. Yousef is one of the kindest people I know, yet in his CWRU hearings he was described as hostile and is now prevented from continuing to build solidarity on campus. Likewise, Chairman Fahiem dedicates his life towards uplifting Cleveland neighborhoods, yet he is now having to deal with these false accusations. The store owner responsible for Fahiem's arrest is also the one stacking the deck for public comment to crowd out opposing voices. These issues are all interconnected, and instead the council would rather allow the very people that just weeks ago made racist comments and monkey noises to a group mostly made up of black women and children to continue to sit in our council's chambers. It seems as though you value their presence more so than the leaders and community voices who are taking action about the violence we see in our communities and globally. I hope you all deeply reflect on who you do this job for. I hope you genuinely love your communities like these leaders. Please think about who you are supposed to serve and please listen to them. We cannot let the forces that seek to divide us win. Thank you.