Council - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Newark Municipal Council on Wednesday, March 4. Please stand for the national anthem pledge of allegiance and invocation by imam Dawood Haq.

Oh, almighty god, allah, we give you thanks. We thank you for blessing us with a good day. We thank you for giving us health and giving us strength and giving us the vision to come together to discuss the affairs of our people. We ask that you would bless all of those who are gathered, bless this council, and bless all those who show the interest in our people, and we'd ask that you would bless the council members who give their all for our community, that you will bless them with wisdom and insight, understanding, and help them to make the best choices and decisions concerning our people. We ask these mercies because you are most merciful and thankful, Amin.

In accordance with New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting. In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on February 27 at the

time of preparation and posted on the city's website. Roll call. Council members, Bay. Yes. Council.

Present.

Gonzales. Present. Kelly.

Here.

Quintana. Here. Ramos.

Here.

Scott Rountree. Present. Dova.

Here. President Trump.

Present. Madam clerk, before we begin, we have some visitors, and I'm sure, councilwoman Bay would like to acknowledge them.

Yes. We have students here from Arts High School that are visiting us. They're council members for the day, and we are so happy to have them here. And there's a few of them that are here that actually performed and sang at my swearing in one hundred days ago today. So thank you for being here today.

Yes. Thank you.

Alright. Welcome. Council president, council members, we are on page three of the agenda. Item five, reports and recommendations of city officers, boards, and commissions. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members, Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quinkana?

Yes. Ramos? Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva? Yes. President Trump?

Yes.

Ordinances on first reading. Six f a is an ordinance amending the multi way stop intersections by designating 18th Avenue and South 13th Street as a multi way stop sign intersection in the South Ward sponsored by councilman council and second by councilman Kelly.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana? Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva?

Yes. President?

Yes. President Trump? Yes.

The ordinances adopted today on first reading will be advertised in accordance with law, and a public hearing will be held at a regular meeting on March 18 or soon thereafter as possible in the council chamber. Resolutions. Seven one one a is a temporary emergency appropriation to provide funds for the 2025 public safety answering point grant. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members, Bay. Yes. Council.

Yes.

Gonzales.

Yes. Kelly. Yes. Quintana. Yes. Ramos. Yes.

Scott Moultrie. Yes. Silva.

Yes.

President Quam? Yes.

B is an application acceptance of grant funds to obtain funding for the Newark Tree Canopy Initiative. Council is a hold to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales? Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Sopa?

Yes.

President Trump?

Yes.

Seven r two a, council as a whole to return to the administration.

Roll call to return administration.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos.

Yes.

Scott Rountree. Yes. Sova.

Yes. President Krumov.

Yes.

7R2B is issuance of an estoppel certificate and subordination inter creditor agreement. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members, Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes.

Kelly?

Yes.

Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Roundsley? Yes. Silva? Yes. President Crump?

Yes. Seven r six a's, settlement of civil litigation. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council? Yes. Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly? Abstain.

Quintana?

Yes. Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Lantry? Yes. Silva?

Yes. President Trump?

No.

Seven r eight a is establishing a sister city relationship with Villanova De Correira in Portugal. Sponsored by councilman Quintana, second by council president Trump.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva?

Yes.

President Trump? Yes.

Seminar eight b is recognizing and commending resolutions. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members, Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes. Gonzales? Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva?

Yes.

President Trump?

Yes.

C is expressing profound sorrow and regret. There's a motion to amend on the floor to include hip hop icon Oliver Power Grant of the Wu Tang Clan sponsored by councilman Kelly, Bernard McAllister and Kent Torrain sponsored by councilwoman Scott Rountree, and Faith Eger junior sponsored by councilwoman a. Senior. Senior. My apologies. Senior.

Yeah. Roll call to amend.

Council members, Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly?

Yes.

Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Sova? Yes. President Trump?

Yes.

Now roll call to adopt as amended, please.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva? Yes. President Trump?

Yes. Seven r eleven a is accepting a grant funds to redesign Broadway Park and develop the site into a new city park. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales? Yes. Kelly?

Yes.

Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos? Yes.

Scott Moultrie? Yes. Silva?

Yes. President Trump?

Yes.

Communications. Items eight a and b are regarding the affirmative action review council. A is the appointment of councilwoman Bay to serve, and b is the reappointment of mister Baptiste. Council as a whole to adopt a and b.

Roll call.

Council members Bay. Abstain. I need to abstain from that vote. Correct? You can vote

for me. You can vote for yourself.

I can vote for yourself?

Yes. Okay. Yes. Good.

Sure. Look. Yes.

So was that a yes?

That's a yes.

Alright. I'm gonna

Counsel? Yes. Gonzales? Yes. Kelly?

Yes.

Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Soba?

Yes.

President Trump?

Yes.

Sorry. Item 10, miscellaneous, is the approval of the raffle license council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council? Yes. Gonzales?

Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana?

Yes. Huemos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva? Yes. President Crump?

Yes. At its starters, 7R2CAS is a professional service contract to provide planning consultant services. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes. Gonzalez?

Yes. Kelly? Yes. Kitana? Yes. Ramos? Yes.

Scott Roundtree? Yes. Soba?

Yes.

President Trump?

Yes.

D is approving the assignment agreement for Clinton Arms Associates Limited. Councils are hold to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Subay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales?

Yes.

Kelly?

Yes.

Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva?

Yes. President Trump?

Yes.

E is authorizing the Newark Central Planning Board to undertake a preliminary investigation to determine if an area is need of redevelopment in the East Ward. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes. Gonzales? Yes. Kelly? Yes. Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Mouter? Yes. Silva?

Yes. President Trump?

Yes.

Seven R4 a a s is approving form of sale of city secured bonds. Council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales? Yes. Kelly?

Yes.

Quintana?

Yes.

Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva? Yes. President Trump?

Yes. 7 r six b a s is the amendment to the C PACE program agreement council as a whole to adopt.

Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzalez?

Yes. Kelly? Yes.

Quintana? Yes. Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva? Yes. President Trump?

Yes.

We are in the hearing of citizens

Mister President. Sorry. I thought Yeah. I'd like to Councilman Ramos. Be noted as a sponsor for seven r eleven a at Broadway Park.

Second.

Thank you. 71 What's your number again? Councilman, what number was it was that?

711

Oh, 11. Okay. Alright. We have noted sponsors.

Duly noted. Council members, we are in the hearing of citizens portion of this meeting where each speaker will have five minutes to speak. When your name is called, please approach the podium and address the council members. The first speaker is Alif Mohammed.

Appearing.

Aloha Aloha Akbar. That's the sound that the Muslims say when they get ready to go to war or going to fight. Last month, Rahman Mohammed, deputy mayor, invite me to go fight him outside. My name is Alif Mohammed. Court Towers, and I accepted. Court Towers. Alif Mohammed, Year School president. Back in January, I was speaking, and when I left out, I said something to Rahman. He was upset with me. And I went outside, and he came out in the elevator.

So in that video that he said two weeks ago, I do got him on tape. I got him on tape approaching me aggressively, and I got him on tape when we get ready to fight. So tell him he on tape now. So he comes out and he and he tells me, don't say nothing. Don't say his name no more. So I said, I do what I want. So he looking at us, why? You wanna do something to me? So he said, yes. I said, well, let's we don't do it here in the hallway. Let's go outside. So we went outside, and it was two other gentlemen. I didn't know who they was with, but they got on the elevator with us. We went outside, and I took my glasses off, and I took my coat off, and I said, Aloha White ball. Let's go.

That's right. That's right. I learned how to fight in 1964, '65 across the street, the karate school. In 1970, I switched to the karate school, KA system, Sanistar Street. Now I can still bump at 73. Now I didn't wanna talk about this. The only person I talked outside of my crew was Pat. And the reason why Pat was talking about it because he was trying to get us back together, and I said, what happened? That we was fighting. It took me four minutes for me to come out of it. Was it Donna Jackson was there. I didn't know there. She was there. She pulled right my back. I didn't come out of it because I didn't know if I was fighting three guys or one.

And and a young boy came by and said, oh, gee. Come on, o g. Come on, o g. And that's what brought me out of it. I went home. I tried to calm down because I from I'm from a serious situation. We go all the way. See, I come from the crew in sixties and the seventies. So I'm a different situation. And I had to be careful because Rahma's mother is a dear friend of my Muslim sister for fifty years. So I had to consider her. I had to consider her. And I wasn't gonna talk about it till he came up and did that, whatever. Now smooth. He didn't say nothing about it.

Then he came in the office. He said, I'll leave. You know that boy is bluffing because you came down to fight and he start talking. I said, he right. He said he's a bluffer. He ain't built, how the kids say. So I'm going to because I love his mother so much. Now what I'm giving y'all is the email, the text mother that fast put up on Facebook. I did a live. She came on Facebook, and you see there's nothing nasty there. And she was saying, Ali, come on. Let's be nice. Me Rahman is upset about some of the things Mitti did. And see what happened, y'all don't see. I don't know what happened, but Mitti, somebody called.

They want to follow Rahman. Y'all know how I am. They don't like they like loyalty. What you mean your mother say you don't like what you did to Ali? So I'm gonna pass, but I don't want him I'm not gonna speak too much again. Like colleagues finally said, you ain't gonna go to this birthplace no more because I love the sandwich. I said, no. Not. I'm a stay away from them. I'm a stay away from them because I come from a different generation. Now as far as me being a liar, I come up here with papers. I don't come up here with hands. I come up here with papers. I didn't say that he made the deal. I said I met with the mayor, and then the mayor sent him the next day and and said, this is law.

Bachman can't make no deals in here? Many told me that long time ago. I said something about Bachman. He said, I'll leave. There's only two people to make deals here, me and my brother. Bachman don't mean matter of fact, I don't think they trust Bachman. And as far as him talking about resolving it, I know he told you Pat that he resolved it. I know he told not the I know he told Louis. I know he told Ramos, and I definitely know he told Luis that he resolved it, and they broke the agreement. I'll bring the moniker here, and I'll bring everybody that he resolved it. So all I'm saying is that's the agreement, and also that's when I dismissed it. So far as I'm saying pro quo

Thank you for your comments.

So so how about this? Shalom alaikum. Thank

you for your comments. Next speaker.

Fakira Bradley.

It's Bradley appearing.

Good afternoon, council members and residents

of the room.

My name is Fakira Bradley, and I stand in front of you as a community servant. To the honorable members of the Newark City Council, I respectably submit this written statement for inclusion in the public record regarding the matter that I believe implicates my civil rights and raises concern about the appropriate use of authority within account council chambers. I'm currently scheduled to appear in municipal court at 31 Green Street on 03/06/2026 at 9PM before your honorable judge Giselle in connection with harassment charge arising from allegation that I raised my middle finger during the council related interaction. I wish to state clearly that I did not threaten, pursue, or repeatedly engage in alarming conduct toward any individual. Under the clergy law, harassment generally involves intentional conduct carry out with the purpose to alarm or seriously annoy another person.

Often requiring repeated communications threats or curse of con course of conduct. A single alleged gesture, absence, threats, or repeated behavior does not inherently satisfy that legal threshold. It is my position that the circumstances surrounding the charge raise concerns regarding freedom of respect and expression. As a resident, attended public meeting, I protected under the first amendment right of The United States constitution, which safeguards rights to free speech and position the government for a redress of grievances. While public meetings being enforced, the quorum policy enforcement must be applied fairly, consistently, and without retaliation.

Due process. The fourteenth amendment guarantees that no individual shall be deprived of liberty without due process of law. When criminal charges are initiated in circumstances that do not clearly meet statutory requirements, it raises legitimate concerns regarding fairness and risk integrity. Equal protection and retaliation concerns. I have experienced inclusion from community, food hubs, and civic spaces following this conflict.

If access to community resources restricted based on personal disagreement rather than policy violations, such as actions warrant review to ensure compliance with the equal protection principles. I am currently the primary caregiver of my grandchildren. They back. Right? So I ain't doing nothing wrong.

Right? And I'm tired, and I know exactly who did it. This statement is not intended to interfere with pending court proceedings. I will address the legal matter through appropriate judicial process rather than a submission is made to request that the council ensure that the the authority exercised with public chambers is applied consistently without personal biases, that the residents are not subject to criminal charges as a result as a personal conflict, that the civic participation is protected, not discouraged through punitive messages, that any concerns regarding misuse of authority are reviewed through appropriate oversight mechanisms. Public confidence in local government depends upon transparency, fairness, and equal treatment under the law.

I respectfully I respectfully request that this matter be reviewed with those principles. Listen to me. I have not threatened anyone, and the same person that got these fake charges put up on me, I did everything for this person. Right? I don't like her. I don't bother her, and I forgave her. But I need this problem rectified because I know who put them charges up on me. I was here, and it was in 2024. I had a warrant for a year walking around the street, and I'm gonna be combative with the law because I did not do anything. So if they would've came to lock me up, what if I would've got killed or a police officer get killed me not knowing I got a warrant?

I need this problem handled. I gotta go in person in front of this judge from virtual because I stated my I gotta pay for a lawyer because some charges was trumped up on me because a person don't like me because you can't manipulate me or bully me. Forget about it. Don't put your hands on me because I'm gonna hit you back. I come with all respect, but this is my life on the line all over Allah. And I can't and the same person I canvassed for without pay. I need this rectified. I'll go Friday because it happened here. Thank you. And please

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

Lisa Mitchelson Parker.

Not appearing.

Felicia Alston Singleton.

Not appearing.

Lamont Vaughn.

Appearing.

Lamont Vaughan, Newark, New Jersey. Let me begin by saying justice for Walee Bay. We still call for that. The attorney general has not released the body camera footage of that incident. And I say again that the family, just like any other family in Newark, deserves that information, and the public deserves that information.

See what you guys can do. I wrote this letter that I am passing out, in the community. I'm gonna read it on the record and to the people who are watching at home. But before I begin, let me state here now and moving forward that whenever I speak at the city council meetings, yes, I work for the city of Newark, but when I speak here, check the paperwork. This is my break time.

I am off the clock. So I speak as a citizen, and there is no conflict. My fellow Newark resident, my name is Lamont Vaughn. I am 43 years of age, and I'm from right here in Newark. My mother Cynthia Vaughn lived at 226 Livingston Street, and I attended what was once eighteenth Avenue School where Willie j Young was my principal and Thelma Hobbs, may she rest with god, was my favorite teacher.

As a young man, I made mistakes, took some wrong turns in life, and found myself in some very uncomfortable positions. I dropped out of school in the fifth grade and was a client of Difex, was in and out of programs, was a repeat offender before the courts, was incarcerated several times, and literally had no clue about life, community, service, unity, and all the other forces like greed, disenfranchisement, racism, and prejudice. My eyes were open to all of these things and much more by way of my life's experiences. As I matured, no matter the mistakes I continued to make along the way, my heart turned toward the damage, the oppressions, and the suffering that exist in this community. I have seen the frauds line up, use this community as a springboard for their personal gain, Say hell to with this to say hell say to hell with this community and move on.

I have seen the semblance of real and authentic take seat, but only to become the best deliverers of the norms that we dread as a community. I have seen them all get in and do nothing for our babies, our future, and those that we say are our tomorrow other than offer to them one of our favorite pastimes, sports. I have watched as both people and developers have come into this community only to suck our resources dry and siphon off the dollars to their communities. In short, I am seeing the very same things that you are seeing, a community with great history being bought, sold, and siphoned off right in front of our faces to the highest bidder. Sadly, not too many original settlers, Newark settlers, families are benefiting from any of this.

Sadly, the people in every single ward of this city feel unsafe and are being displaced because of a climate like this. And, sadly, we, the people in this city, election after election, continue to vote for stuff like this. In February 2026, May 12, you will be able to go to the polls and create a new norm, a new norm, a new norm, a new norm in the NOR community. You will be able to go to the polls and set a new mandate for Newark leadership of your choice. And herein lies the rule.

You will have the opportunity to go to the polls and vote for someone who comes from you, who is just like you, who feel what you feel, who know what you're going through, who will forever stand for you, and who has already been and will continue to fight for you. His name is Lamont Vaughan. This is a campaign that you have to tell your mother about, your grandmother about, your elders about, tell your friends, and other loved ones about. Thank you. Thank you all. I appreciate it.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

Malik h Cooper.

Mister Cooper? Malik Cooper? Appearing.

Mhmm.

Great day, beautiful people. Not good morning. Did you hear what I just said? Good morning. Today is the day we change how we think.

Mallet Cooper, Newark, New Jersey, running for city councilman at large. Yeah. It's happening. I'm gonna start with this. God grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change.

The courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I said that prayer because that prayer is something that everybody in this room can relate to. The base on the prayer for me is courage. When I'm in this room, I realized that to get on this mic, it took me courage to look in the video that we see over here on YouTube, and I'm a person that works in TV and beauty and all of this stuff, and it looks like a show. And I don't like it.

And I normally sit in the background. I don't say nothing. I just help my community, and I don't say it. I don't ask for praise. I do none of it.

And I also watch people make it look like a show. See what I'm doing? I'm making it look like a show now because that's what you're used to. See what I'm saying? Everybody's used to it being a show, and you're right now, you're looking at somebody that does shows. Right? But I also see education. And it's not coming from y'all. It's not coming from the people that were voted in to not just sit behind and say, yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes.

And finally, a no in the seven months that I've been watching YouTube. Finally, a no. When does the show stop? Let's let's play with it. I could talk about everything everybody else talk about.

Let me start with twenty five year abatements and half of y'all gonna be dead and y'all left that on our kids. Just think about it. You may not be here, and you said yes to our future being destroyed. Do you understand how deep I sat here and listened for seven months, and I said, I gotta say something different. Because I didn't came in here and I watched that man stand up there and feel some type of way about Waleed Bay and tell y'all y'all ain't gonna do nothing.

He right. You know why he right? Because it takes y'all seven months to agree on even showing that y'all wanna give that 30,000 million dollars or whatever that is. It took you seven months to decide that. It took you sixteen months to figure out how to get the budget together, and it's still not together. You're spending money that you don't have the right to spend when there's a new sheriff coming in town. Youngblood for mayor. Let me just put that out there so anybody that understands youngblood for mayor. Nalek h Cooper had been here my whole life, 53 years old. My mother was a drug addict.

She changed. She was the reason I'm standing here because every year she comes to me and say, do something different, Nalek. This is my difference. Watch and learn. This is not poetry. This is the real me. The only thing I'm looking at is the people I circled just so we know. So it's no fake. It's no written. It's no AI.

It's no check GPT. It is the real me, the same thing you're getting from the educators to the side of me. I've watched them try to teach you, and you kept saying yes. I'm suggesting that the community says no.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

Queen Dionysia Clyburn.

Appearing.

Since you already mentioned it, young blood for me, you already mentioned it. So I'm a skip that, and I'm a get to real business real quick. I just wanna say thank you to Michael Silva. You did an amazing job during the snowstorm. You really spoke up very bravely.

You don't have a component, and I told you the last time, you can do whatever you want, and we appreciate you stepping up. Now we need for the rest of y'all to do the same thing. We've got a war too. There's still mountains of snows where you can't see when you turn in. They're covering the stop sign. If we run past the stop sign, what do we do? We get flagged down. We get tickets. We get pulled over. So we need it's not snowing. No. It's not. But we still need that snow removed on every block where there's a mountain. Secondly, I have been getting so many calls, inboxes from different neighbors of different wards, and it's for all y'all. The garbage.

Newark looks like trash. I have two cars sitting currently because the rats have eaten my car wires, and nobody's gonna help pay for it. I gotta do that on my own when I get the time to do it and the funds to do it. Right? I heard somebody say on the news the other day, the rats are coming out. No. The rats been out. More are coming out. Oh, the raccoons, you see them? No.

There's more babies coming out because we look like a trash city, and I wonder why our government is trash. Trash. Y'all don't hear nothing that we are saying. Amina Bay, thank you so much for having Tammy. She's really she's remarkable. Thank you so much for responding. Can't wait for the meeting. Dapri Kelly, thank you when you pick up the phone call. I know sometime y'all really be like, oh god, what does she want now? I'm only just one of your aides that don't get paid by the city.

That's it. I work for each and every last one of y'all, but mainly my community, they come first. Now my favorite person, Ramos, we have a problem. My McDonald's on Broadway has a problem. I need for you to hear me today because I need for your people to chase me down just like the pre Kellys and Amina Bays.

We have children constantly coming in our stores again, rolling up blunts, smoking, and I thought they were high schoolers. These are elementary kids. Parents, y'all are horrible. We it starts at home. We need to learn how to contain our kids from inside the home so they'll know how to represent us outside.

How dare one of our children go out there, and I'm out here saying, black power this, assalamu alaikum that, vote for this person this, and our kids are out here stealing cars, selling drugs, doing drugs, committing all these crimes. We are at fault as well. And I ain't saying we because mine's doing it, but I'm a part of the community, and these are all our babies. Back in the day, everybody was our parents. Everybody was able to tell our kids to sit down. Hey. Don't do that. Don't do this. And now today is, oh, don't talk to my baby like that. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

That's not parenting, sweetheart. Or sir, it's not parenting. We need to get back to the basis. We are in dyingly need of a change in this city. Everyone has a right to run for office no matter if they fit your criteria, if they are team based. Because let me tell you something, this is a movement. That's right. And I'm a part of this movement. That's right. And I've got a lot of voters, y'all better get right.

Y'all going anyway because we're make sure y'all going. I'm encouraging every mother, every child that is 18 years of age, every person, every mainly the homeless people to get out here and vote May 12. I'm encouraged you to make a change because it's free. I'm encouraged you to make a change because we need this change. I'm encouraging you because we are tired of you guys saying yes.

And the way y'all looking at me, I feel like it's a funeral. Ramos, please get in contact with me because Broadway is off the chain. Please, sir, I'm saying it out loud on YouTube or my Facebook live because y'all know I go viral. Right? Anytime my phone click on, it's viral. But it's not always about negative things. I really want change for my city. Peace. Youngbluff and mayor.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

Opal r Wright.

I don't see miss Wright not not appearing.

Deborah Salters.

Appearing.

Great day, Newarkers. Deborah Salters for mayor, 05/12/2026. Newark has consistently been ranked among the dirt 10 dirtiest cities in America. Always ranked in the top 10, number two, number four, or number six. We've come to you time and time again, and time and time again, you look at us like we have four heads and we don't know what we're talking about.

This travesty with the snow and with the garbage and with the garbage cans. Somehow when you all speak, you always try to make it the people's fault. Somewhere in there, it's the people's fault. But it's never the people's fault because this last time when you talked about the snow, you wanted people to move their cars even before the last blizzard. People were not double parked. None of those things. We were out of the way. Your plows came through several times and plowed us in. We dug ourselves out again, didn't throw the snow on the street. The one who did were frustrated, but the point is this.

The monies were given for everything that we need. Everything throughout the years. The mismanagement, the malfeasance, and the theft has been out of control. So you it's like writing a post dated check and you don't have the money in the bank. You all have been spending money that we don't have. That's why our labor for the DPW is not what it's supposed to be. They're not supposed to be doing garbage. They're supposed I mean, doing snow, they're supposed to be doing garbage. So now the small staff you have is split between everything that's supposed to get done along with the recycling. Silver.

Now because the city is in a deficit and y'all need money, all of a sudden, the parking that's normally not ticketed, Monday night, tickets all the way up to Raymond Boulevard says prohibited parking from twelve midnight to 6AM, Tuesday, Thursday, Thursday, Saturday. It was Monday night. So all those tickets need to be taken back. But again, you're you're burdening the people with more money Right. In addition to the astronomical rents because y'all messed up.

You messed up the money. You dropped the bag. You messed it up, but you're gonna make us pay for it. Uh-huh. You took away the other parking to put other people on top of us overburdening us with people. Now you wanna take away the other lots that you say nobody parks in. But again, why are we paying for parking when we pay enough for rent? It does not make sense. You messed up the money. Stop overburdening us. And I'm giving you all that ticket. Somebody paying that ticket. I'm not paying it. I'm telling you now, along with these other tickets that you have these police officers who don't even know how to write a a police report efficiently. You have quantity and not quality.

Right. They don't know the job. Right. They've written ticket upon ticket in a legal parking space in your ward, and it needs to be handled. I'm not paying these tickets. I'm one of the most legal abiding, law abiding citizens, but this is what you all do because we speak truth to power. I'm not gonna stop. You understand? Because you've been in place long enough. You all have said yes, yes, yes, yes to everything that hurts us. You have not passed legislation to benefit We The People. You haven't done it. Now we have another ordinance for another sister city. Another sister city. How does that benefit We The People of Newark?

How? And do we have money involved? Okay? Last time you were in your feelings about, oh, I don't I'm I do what I wanna do and and I don't just do things for one people. Listen, actions express priorities. I'm not in my feelings. It's facts over feelings. Go to the videotape. Go to the conversations that we have had. This is not new. I'm not new to this. I'm true to this. I stand 10 toes down. There are things I could talk about right now. I could've been paid to shut up a long time ago, but I bowed my knees to the true and living God, not to any man.

Right. Do you understand that? Right. And then your money ain't long enough know how, but that's beside the point. You say you love the seniors, but then you run the seniors out of their home with these taxes again, water bills, light bills. And what do you do for the people? Absolutely nothing. New Yorkers. 05/12/2026, it is time to fix this mess. Vote them out. Treat them like the garbage that they've treated you like, leaving it on the streets for months and weeks. You have not been treated well. Treat them like they've treated you, like the trash on the street.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

White Deer Porter.

Appearing.

Thank you. Good afternoon, council president and members of the New York City Council. I last addressed this body on September 2024, and I appreciate the opportunity to share an update on the progress, challenges, and mission of Brothers Building a Better Nation. Brothers Building a Better Nation was founded on 09/10/2020 on Cutler Street right in Newark, New Jersey. It began out as a formal program, but as a small support circle where brothers would gather, speak honestly about the experiences, and receive guidance from older peers.

What held that circle together was the spirit of brotherhood. It was the belief that when men show up for one another with accountability, compassion, and love for their community, healing becomes possible. As the circle grew, young men brought friends and families began reaching out. Conversations among a few brothers grew into small medium scale community gatherings such as the Cutler Street Summer Fair. And across Newark, we delivered mentorship and connection.

Through that work, recognized a deeper need. Many of the brothers who showed up were not only looking for guidance, they were carrying trauma and unmet mental health and behavioral health needs. Over the past several years, especially since September 2024, brothers building a better nation has evolved to meet the reality of those needs. What began a support group grown into direct service providers focused on healing through mental health and behavioral health. Today, we provide intensive in community therapy services.

So what that means is that we go to where the healing is needed. We go to the brothers' homes, to the core to the basketball courts, wherever they may be to deliver therapy to them right there at the doorstep. A majority of our staff also live in, in Newark, keeping this, work rooted in community. From 2024 to 2025, the brotherhood has grown significantly. With a contract with Medicaid and partnership with Children of Essex, we was able to increase our revenue from a $188,000 to $512,000 and also kick off our 7th Avenue Community Center project.

We strengthened partnerships, including our collaboration with Mentor and Newark. In December 2025, we transitioned our temporary space into Mentors Newark on Broad Street, allowing us to remain closely connected to the Lower Broadway community. Our work is grounded in healing centered engagement. This approach recognizes trauma but focuses on strengths, relationships, and identity. Mentorship within this model is not only just supervision.

It is a relationship that helps brothers develop confidence, emotional regulation, and pathways to education careers, and healthy adulthood. The spirit of brotherhood that started this organization continued to show itself in the lives of the people that we connect to our work. For example, the first brother who graduated our program was a brother that didn't finish his high school diploma. Through mentorship and guidance, we supported him and made sure that he was able to finish GED. Naya works as one of our behavioral assistants, helping the next generation of youth.

We also supported families. One single mother who once experienced homelessness was able to stabilize her housing and with support from our organization. Her son graduated from our program, and now she also works for our organization. And we're assisting that sister with getting her license as a social worker. Thank you, councilman Crump for also assisting us with that sister as well.

The same spirit of brotherhood has shaped my own journey. The work inspired me to enroll at Rutgers University School of Social Work and get my second master's degree. I'm currently in my final year and graduate in May with a 3.8 grade average and also looking to take my license exam on the eighteenth. The past year has also brought real challenges as well through work through through work billing backlogs, project delays, funding delays, and also the most painful loss I've ever faced, one of the most painful losses of our first licensed clinician, William a Moore. He passed away several weeks ago, and many of us known him as brother Moore.

And in recognition of his impact, we renamed our program to the William a Moore in community program, and we asked that the city, consider a resolution honoring his life and contributions to the well-being of the youth and families in Newark. Another priority where we seek, the council's guidance involves our mentorship program. BBABN was, rewarded a grant from the city, for through the community based violence intervention program, Pathways to Promise. We're grateful for their recognition. However, delays in contracting and disbursement limit our our ability to fully activate the program.

But even in moments of exhaustion, the spirit of brotherhood continues to move us and move this work forward. It is why young people keep showing up and why we believe the next generation of North's young men can inherit a stronger foundation than the one many of us receive. Thank you for your time and your consideration.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

Darnella Lee.

I believe oh, there she is. Appearing.

God, this morning, I wanna thank the lord for waking us up this morning, blessing our family, our friends, the homeless, the needy, our friminis. I do a moment of silence for Bernard McAllister and my cousin Don. A round tree. I don't know what his last name turned or a roster. It's my cousin Patty. I wanna give a moment of silence for them too. Okay. I wanna read on something that I didn't have planned. Someone brought it to my attention. It's to piggyback off what Deborah said.

So you can United Community Village right now is dealing with they the tenants that pay the money for their rents, they pay the water bill. But the tenants pay the whole water bill. They agreed to pay half. So they get a manager the half, but they still end up paying the whole. But they don't allow them to have the water bills in their name.

The the water bill is in the name of Pacific Valley and Sewage. The entire water bill when they agreed to pay, just the water bill and not the sewage. So I just need y'all to get over there, have somebody check it out, and they said they keep changing management. That's u community United Community Village over there on 332 South 8th Street. Okay.

The other thing, I just wanna know, Pat, did y'all dismantle Section 3 the tenants if they wanna work with Newark Housing? I know you can't answer now. Okay. The pictures y'all have, I do wanna say this. Deborah Salters had got Ketlin, the director from the health department on his situation with five sixteen, along with reverend Rountree. She's one of the council at large. What you were looking at, they didn't just give up. Just been going on since '21. What you're looking at is what was deleted out the system. I was trying to get the original from '21 that Ketlin deleted.

These are the holes that are in the closet and the other mold that they didn't get to because the deal was put all my stuff in the closet, pack the stuff with my mother thing so nothing was gotten to. This picture which I was seeing was the Forster, Tommy McFarlane, every page on that page from 11/30/2021, nothing was done except they removed the wall with Kyle Fouche and Renee Salfa Lee along with five guys from Home Depot and a company called Wise Construction. So it's been leaking since '21. Every time in the tub, you see this double so I asked for to be tested for a mold special test and the legendaries because we had that in '23. So if it's been leaking so I had the guy to come up the other day because how did every mold spot came back?

And I told my yard, it's worse than before. They covered it. But when he took this out, you could see the hole under it. He called me in the bathroom and said, d d we gotta break the wall. I said, absolutely not. Because you know mold is behind. It's been running. So when you run a tub or you put your face to the shower, you hear it running full. Someone is second. It's coming through down. The young lady Lisa that lived three n, she had a back case of mold in her tub. She died. So if it wasn't for Rountree, Reverend Louise Rountree, Dudeba Salt is getting her on it and Ketlin, I wouldn't be able to prove this. We're doing a task force tomorrow. I'm hoping y'all can have mister Spicer to walk through.

I wanna say it was a head man. His name is Ahmed. He wasn't there at the time. The young lady, Sharon Muhammad, she was getting on it. They brought Judy Dussamy in there. Three years, she's supposed to take care of this. I don't like hearsay, but they're saying the reason nothing getting done, she's close with mister Spicer. They put a notice to cease under my door for thirty days and turned right around and then tell me I'm got a two bedroom, so they wanna transfer me to Stephen Crane where the mold is at or Vista Villa. I said, not. You have five 50 seniors that have two bedrooms.

Been asking the downsides on a on a in line like mine, oxygen tanks and everything. I said, get them. Mister Spicer came before y'all said he'd rather for them to move inside. All the eight apartments on my floor has not been done. The apartment with the mall, they're going in and out. They've been working on the floor since I talked to you. So I'm looking forward to tomorrow, but this has twenty one years. So if it's in a wall, they're bust it. I gotta be out of there. Pat, I don't even know if you allowed this. You're my sister Elaine friend. You sits on the board, one of the commissions. How do you do that to me?

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

Latoya Jackson Tucker.

Appearing.

Good afternoon. Latoya Jackson Tucker. Good afternoon. I have a heavy heavy heart. I am very disappointed with, one, with me even feeling like I could be in communication with the Department of Police as a community person, as a black person, as a mother, as a voting citizen, I am very, very upset.

You know, we make relationships. We work with each other in the community, but when something happens, a situation that you want resolved or you want to get hand through, they treat it like a job. Colored people that look just like you that could be picked up and put down whenever they feel like it, whenever a pale face feel like it. So for me to see my community, especially the men in

my

community dance for strikes or accommodations or whatever, it it disgusts me. That's the word that my grandmother used to use. I'm very disgusted right now. The cockiness. I walked in here, and usually when I walk in here, and there's no offense to the cocky white shirt in the back, but usually it's a a pleasant feeling when you see different people in in the north police uniforms.

It doesn't feel like that. You got people saying smart stuff, no one's seeing a video. You got our north police department joining forces with the Exodus County, their Bureau of Narcotics doing joint task forces, but they won't collaborate to talk to the people and give answers. Like, it doesn't behoove me to disgrace people of color that look like me, but I have feelings. I am somebody.

My children, they are somebody. So I'm a I'm a read this because I read this often. I left it, and I mean this. This is something that I speak when I speak to the young people, I have them say. I done worked with the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery.

They done adapted this to the Brick City Peace Collective, but my community is not giving me no answers. My son is sitting in the county off a wandering charge facing going back to jail for five years. I did nine and a half years by myself, not the streets, not his family, not my community, me by myself because he don't wanna speak up and help a department that is fully funded with millions of dollars to do their own investigations. They want to make him a tool of torture for his own community. So I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in my community.

It is my personal approach that creates the culture. As a part of my village, I possess tremendous power to make my community life miserable or joyful. I can be a tool of torture or instrument of inspiration. I can embarrass or empower her or him. It is all in all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated, and my community be humanized or dehumanized.

I do make a difference. I am somebody. My mouth ring bells. Everybody that come up here, our mouth ring bells. I don't never come in here and disrespect the council, but our people are mad. It is a thousand people trying to run for these seats. I could appreciate the people that have helped me like round Rountree and Crump do it all. Pat, even Amina, with her one hundred days, I could look at my emails and see that she is trying. But our community is so divided. Even when they put that stuff in the iron valve news, Exeter County Sheriff, that's where they look at.

Them people that's not my color don't care if my son has a business degree. Don't care if he has HVAC or anything. Don't care about his criteria. It's the way that he look. He is already guilty. It's a proven innocent. He is a black man, and the same thing that's happening to him can happen to any one of y'all. We see our people that don't work with administration and the newspaper taking a fall. Stop taking a fall and do something for your community. It's a lot of stuff I could get up here and say.

I refuse to, but I'm not playing with the North Police. I'm not playing with the Exodus County Sheriff. I'm not playing with Joe d. I'm not playing with them. And I appreciate mayor Baraka for picking up, for following through, for answering me. But our people are mad. Do your jobs.

Thank you.

Do your jobs.

Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.

Shaquille Moore.

Mister Moore. Shaquille Moore. Not appearing.

Pablo Oliveira.

Mister Oliveira. Not appearing.

That concludes the hearing of citizens for this agenda.

Thank you. Is there anything from the council? Yes. Councilwoman Bay.

Thank you, council president. First of all, I just wanted to, you know, again, acknowledge we have students here from high school, and I appreciate them being here. Hopefully, the council will be able to, you know, just give them a word, after this meeting. Two, I wanted to honor the second anniversary of the passing of miss, Vanessa Thompson Graves who was a, an employee of North Public Schools for over thirty years. She was a crossing guard who dedicated her life to the security and protection of our children, and also the beloved mother of our own, the city's own Shalika, Mikey Thomason Flowers, and we wanted to honor her today.

Also, we wanted to mention that, and, Latoya just mentioned, today, being my hundredth day, I have three pieces that are going to the clerk's office, that hopefully I will be able to get support on. One is a, ordinance to help support the assembly bill that's gonna support resolution that's being presented by assemblywoman, brint Brittany Timberlake to strengthen the law on window guards, and is currently being considered in the New Jersey state assembly. The other is, an update to an ordinance to add more specific fines for businesses not shoveling in front of their properties so people can stop walking in the street and be able to walk on the sidewalk when we have these major snowstorms. And the other is one to, have an ordinance to support, Edo Fitra as a municipal holiday for the

city of Newark. Thank you.

Thank you, councilwoman. Any anything else? Alright. Let's, anything from the administration? Yeah. Excuse

me. Excuse me. Sorry.

I had to I thought I

looked over at you. You didn't say anything.

I was like

Alright. I'm sorry. Before you begin, deputy mayor,

let's get councilwoman Scott Rountree to floor.

I mean, they have to wait through the whole meeting before we can respond to the public, so I do want to say something in regards to the statements that were made. We'll first start with, Deborah Salters with the tickets. And and there are individuals that have been to my office, and I don't know about the other council people regarding resolving the matters of parking and tickets. I won't go into the details of what my office has done, but I can only speak to my office and know that there were some resolutions, last year. Whatever's going on this year will be something new, and I know miss Salter's gonna attest to that.

And when she walked in my office, there were many phone calls. There were many things resolved, and that doesn't have to if you wanna know what it is, you can speak to miss Salters. She will give you the run of the record of what I did resolve as a as a result of council woman Rountree. There was one initiative that myself and councilman Silva did work on prior to me working on what I did. But I pray that we could come to some resolution regarding our residents and parking.

There were some things that I have to say on record. There are many things that are in record that are law that has to be, looked at, reviewed, and, probably updated because some of these ordinances are old, some are new. And as is legislator, I'm looking into quite a few ordinances. I spoke to the clerk, six months ago about one. I'm speaking to her yesterday about two more to pull them so that we can either update and bring them to 2026 and consider the residents, regarding a law that might have been made sixty years ago that might not apply to 2026 where our city is right now and where we're going.

That's that. In reference to miss Darnella Lee, I think we've been working on this with housing and these properties for the past year. I know that I've worked very closely with the health department in making sure that Newark does its part. I do want some resolution with this because I say it over and over again to keep coming about to coming up or for us to continue to deal with the same thing over and over again and expecting something different is insanity. So I really, for the past three years or whatever time god has positioned me up here, to hear the same thing over and over again.

I can't even sit in a meeting in the church or in the mass gym or a community meeting and hear the same thing for the last three years, five years, ten years. So I'm hoping we can come to some resolution regarding these senior buildings because they are the shoulders that we stand on. And I know Caitlyn is doing her part, so we're gonna follow-up on that. Again, to Latoya, miss Tucker, I feel your pain. I'm a mother.

I have a son. And it's imperative, I think we've spoken, to set up the meeting with my office. I had to run you down this time because you were so busy. But I was determined to make sure you got this meeting so we can set up the you were working on the drill and and the information that was going on with that prior to this happening with your son. So that's what I'm trying to do. Make sure that there's something that comes out of what you're asking for. You, I think councilwoman Bay and I were going to set up a meeting with you, but I I we gotta get started. We gotta do what we gotta do. So I've already spoke to her. We're already working on setting up an event.

Whoever comes, I'm going to sponsor. Councilwoman Bay, can join me, but we're gonna sponsor this event for you to address those young people that are dealing with those issues that you spoke to. We talk about and I'm a I'm gonna get up off of this in a minute, council president. But we talk about people bringing solutions or helping us or us being a part of solution and not the problem. The truth of the matter is the only way we can be a part of the solution is to assist someone that has a solution that makes sense.

But you can't just come and talk to us. Someone came into my office yesterday with a written solution for an ordinance. You came to our offices with a written document to do a program. It's one thing to talk about it, to have something tangible to say, look, we gotta work on this. But those who are running, I wish you well.

And, let's see where we go from here. But the truth of the matter is those three people that I just spoke to, have been working with, and I do want to move forward with the meeting. I do wanna move forward to see what we can do about the parking, and I definitely wanna do something, regarding the quality of life that our residents, are dealing with, and that's on any level. Regarding the snow and the garbage, I think the director addressed a whole lot of it yesterday. We're not always, I should say, accepting because the truth of the matter is, and I think I said this to a couple of individuals in the legislative body, that people don't wanna hear nothing about how you're trying to fix it.

They just want it fixed. So we can talk all day about how we're getting it done, but at the end of the day, y'all just wanna know, is it fixed? Is it done? And then you wanna see the results of that. So thank you for your patience. Thank you for your time, and thank you for council president for letting me have this moment.

Thank you, councilwoman. Deputy mayor.

Afternoon, council.

Good afternoon.

The only reason why I'm speaking here is because I was text from a lot of folks about what was said earlier. And I just wanted to clarify some things because, you know, hopefully, this will be my last time. Well, it will be my last time. I am on Ramadan. I hate the fact that I had to keep going through this. But I am glad brother Alif, who, by the way, I've said before, has been like a father figure to me since I was a kid. He's really close to my family, and I hate that we even have to keep going through this foolishness. But I'm glad he cleared up what he said last month because last month, he did say that I came to him to make a deal. All he has to do is listen to the tape. Today, he's saying that Mitti said that I am not.

I can't make any deals. Well, I agree with Mitti. You know what I'm saying? I can't make any deals. So he's absolutely right.

But I'm glad that he came up here and clarified it because last month, the things he said was illegal for what he was saying that I did. It was saying I offered him a quick pro quo that he does something and we do something for him, and that would be illegal. So I'm really glad that he came up here and clarified that Amiri said, the chief of staff said that I am not authorized to make deals because I absolutely have not made any deals with brother Alif. This notion that I offered him to fight is just like one of the most bizarre things, that I've heard from this. Brother Alif offered me downstairs to speak to me because he said some craziness in his, council chambers.

I went outside, and he jumped in a karate stand and said, And I told him, I don't even know what that mean, but, brother, I would never put my hands on you. And the brothers that came up to stop us, I said to them they had nothing to worry about because I respect him enough not to do that. I mean, he's been a family friend of ours for years. I should not have to come to this mic and defend or say anything like that. I just think that we are in a silly season.

There are peoples coming up here saying all types of ridiculous crazy things that should not be said, but they want that's cool. But I think at some point, we do have to defend ourselves as an administration. And you as a council, to be honest with you, have to begin to defend yourself because some people believe this nonsense. There are some people that believe this nonsense. There are a lot of untruths that's being said out there that are not factual.

Not factual. You know what I'm saying? There are a lot of things being said that's not happening that's actually happened in this administration that if people just researched and they just ignore for their own purposes or their own political purposes, they will see that those things exist. And we don't sit up here and we don't defend that enough, and that's just wrong. This notion that the mayor don't trust me or many called many ain't never called me to fire me. Listen. I don't live my life. And any all y'all know, I don't live my life in that type of fear. This is my second career. I retired from one before.

I don't live my life in that type of fear of somebody firing me or rather they trust me or not. I care about rather the residents of the city trust me. The mayor hired me to do a job for the residents, and that's who I do that job for. They are the only ones I'm concerned about, rather they trust me or not. I want everybody to be clear about that. And when that trust is gone, Rahman Mohammed will be gone.

Thank you for your oh, no. Not not next speaker. Thank you for your comments, though. Councilwoman Scott Moran.

To to counts to deputy mayor's point, I just wanna say this for the public and for the speakers. If there's anything you wanna know about reverend Rountree, please ask me. I don't think nobody knows me better than me. If there's anything that you want to, say, I think four of us were implicating in knowing something. We all know something. And they were like, you know, you know, and you know. I don't know what you think I know. But in case somebody wants to know whether I know or not, please ask me because I would never want to be implicated in knowing something that I don't even know what you're saying I know. And I tell everyone, I know me better than anybody. If you have any questions or anything that you require of me, please.

Thank you for your no. Nope.

I'm I'm

confused about what you

Oh, you tell my Wait.

You no. No. No.

I'm just making a statement based on something that was directed at me. So not you. Okay.

So so let's not we're not gonna have any point out right now. Let's go back and forth. That's that's the council rules. That's been the council chambers. That's been the rules forever. Things are not gonna change now just because. So no. No. And I just said no back and forth, and then you're doing it back and forth. Miss Clyburn, please.

Miss

Miss Clyburn,

if you're gonna disrupt the meeting where we're trying to conduct meetings and even doing this in front of children, it is so unprofessional to allow them. We have rules, and we will follow those rules. All I ask is for you to follow the rules too. That's all. I'm not asking you to do anything else, but follow the rules that we have. When you spoke, we gave you the respect. We didn't disrupt you. We didn't bother you. And so I'm not going back and forth. If you continue, we will have you removed from the chambers.

So then then leave on your own then because we will no. I'm you know what? Please remove miss Clyburn from the chambers, please. Officers, please remove mister Clyburn from the chambers. You know we've had many conversations. You always have the ability to talk to me, but miss now.

Don't touch

me. Don't touch me. Alright. Not touching this couch. Don't touch me. But let's

go. Keisha.

Let let no. No causing out. Come on, miss Jackson. No. Alright. We're we're back on. Councilman Councilman.

Just just for, transparency sake and clarity for the students here from Arts High School, who come to be engaged in civic engagement. During the council meeting, the council after the speaker speak, I asked if any of the council people have a response to what was said or what was mentioned by other individuals that were in the crowd. Sometimes there's no response, and then sometimes there's response. Then he asked the administration, which is two different legislative bodies. They'll let the administrative body and legislative body. If the administration has something that they want to say, the deputy mayor is a part of the administration. Something was said about the deputy mayor earlier that the deputy mayor wanted

to

bring clarification to, and at that time, when he was given the floor, had every right to do so. And so once the time that is suspended for individuals who have signed up to speak is over, they cannot return back to the mic to speak again. So that is just what happened. And I just wanted to explain that to you guys at Arts High School. Thank you.

Thank you, councilman. Council we're going to motions now. Alright? Councilman Silva, we'll start with. No motions. Alright. Councilwoman Scott Rountree.

Yes. I have some announcements and one motion. Wow. I'll start with the announcements. Tonight at 05:30PM, the mayor will be hosting his citywide Iftar at 05:30 at JFK Recreation Center, 211 West Kinney Street, North New Jersey, Ramadan Mubarak.

On March 12, we will be hosting, along with the mayor and myself, the Department of Recreation and Senior Services, the Newark Interfaith Alliance continuing to move Newark forward remembering our past and embracing our future. A black history celebration brunch which will be held on 03/12/2026 from 11AM to 2PM. Our speaker will be a 15 year old little wonder. His name is minister Hilton Rawls the third. And, of course, the mayor will be speaking.

Adorian Mary Thomas, will be will be giving remarks, and Julius Williams, our city historian, will be doing a presentation. Health is one of the foundations and platforms that, our office my office stands on along with some of my other colleagues. I'll be hosting help is the foundation of everything, and it's a conversation that can change everything. We're gonna be dealing with all forms of cancer, prostate, breast, ovarian, cervical, pancreatic, leukemia, childhood cancer, colon, liver, bone, lymphoma. There's so many forms of cancer.

But we know that this awareness has many colors and prevention is our goal. So on March 14 at 10AM, we will be hosting this event. There will be on-site colon cancer screenings available. It's going to be at the First Baptist Petty Memorial Church at 572 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey. Reverend Nicholas Alexander Johnson is the pastor.

It's free admission. My partners in this is Odyssey International University Hospital and a couple of other organizations are joining us. A live survivor spotlight, a powerful journey to survival strength. Much will be served. For further information, you can call (973) 733-3794.

As we know that we're in the we're in the season of Ramadan and Lent. I do believe that the North End debate alliance, which I'm which I'm the founder of, and the faith leader for the city, that we and Vicinity. That education about religion is very, important and where you stand on your faith. So I will be hosting along with the Norkin to fight faith alliance, two faiths, one spirit of devotion. The presentation will be done by imam Dawahat Hawa, reverend Aisha Mehra will and his one more speaker that will be two young ladies and two men, two faiths, one spirit of devotion.

We will be at the Cooper Scott Mansion at 601 Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. It'll begin at 05:30 so that everyone can get back to their mass jids. The breakfast will consist of a grab and go. That is March, 05:30 to 7PM. On March 23, we will be celebrating the sixth annual event of the Newark Interfaith Alliance and Mayor Raj J.

Baraka's day of prayer, praise, worship, and the word. For six years, we started with one night of praying for our city, praying for our state, praying for our country during COVID. It was only supposed to be for a week. Now six years later, seven days a week, there's either an imam or a pastor or someone praying every single day and giving an encouraging word. So we'll be celebrating that on March 23, the sixth anniversary, six years later, at Jehovah Jireh, praise and worship, church center 505 South 15th Street, Newark, New Jersey.

The host pastor is bishop Rudy v Carlton and lady Linda Carlton, which I want to wish a happy anniversary. They're celebrating thirty seven years of pastoring, and they are retiring. This is on March 23. One more. March 24, the North Citywide Women's Meeting will be held at the William Mobile Ashby Community Training Center.

This is our meeting replacing our February meeting, and this is hosted by our first lady of the City Of Newark along with myself and councilwoman Amina Bay of the Century Ward. I wanna thank all of you for everything that you have done. I do want to do one express profound sorrow and regret whose homegoing service I attended this morning, and That is Nivy Williams who is the father of Pontisha's grandbaby. The celebration this morning was well attended council members packed with a lot of our young people. So I just wanna leave the message that we embrace our children while they can feel, see, hear, and know that we can show them love and not wait until we have to go into somewhere like Cotton's and and pack the house and and embrace our parents too.

Because as, miss Tucker stated, some our of parents a parent of a son. I didn't get no book from brother Adams. I didn't get a book telling me what to do when this baby was born, council president. It was something that it's like on the job training. And just because children go astray don't always mean that their mothers take the blame because some mothers and fathers are just learning their way.

So let's be more encouraging when our children stumble because we stumble too. And that's important that we support our babies. Congratulations to our time to your first other than singing in the chambers encounter with government. And may God bless all of you in your future endeavors and whatever it is that you're going to do. May God continue to bless you, keep you, and happy Ramadan, happy Lent, blessed Lent. To all of you watching and once again, Newark, New Jersey, I thank you for allowing me to be of service to you. God bless the city of Newark. God bless the world.

Thank you, councilwoman. Second for that motion? Second. Councilman Kelly. Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council? Yes. Gonzales absent. Kelly? Yes. Ramos absent.

No. I'm here. I'm sorry.

Quintana absent. I'm sorry.

Quintana absent. Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree.

Yes.

Silva.

Yes.

President Trump.

Yes. Councilman Ramos.

Do you have another one with me? No. I can't tell you or two. Just a few announcements. The first one is that on Tuesday, March 10, my office is sponsoring its annual job fair at the Waterfront Recreation Center located at 2 Grafton Avenue. We will be there from 10AM to 2PM. I believe the city emailed it out to everybody today. We've posted it on all our social media sites. So far, we have about 30 employers that have confirmed their participation. So definitely help us spread the word, and let's get as many people out as possible on Tuesday, March 10.

On the March 23, we are hosting a veterans resource event in collaboration with senator Ruiz and the account executive, Joseph DiVicenzo. That's gonna be at the Cherry Blossom Center, which is located in Branchwood Park, March 23 from 10AM, to 2PM. And a lot of the focus is gonna be on, you know, county services that our veterans may be eligible for, including SNAP, health insurance, Medicaid, family care, some housing assistance for for those veterans that may be facing some kind of a housing crisis. We're collaborating with Bridges Outreach, which does have a a veterans program, and we're hoping to get the word out so we can get as many veterans there as possible. Tonight, the mayor's office is hosting something at the Park Elementary School, and this is about solar.

There there are community solar programs that are available in the state of New Jersey. They they basically put up panels in these common locations, and residents, depending on income eligibility, may be able to opt in. We we all know how much our utility rates have gone up in the state of New Jersey since July. And many of our not just homeowners, but renters, especially seniors on fixed incomes, are paying a greater share of their income to utility costs. And it definitely is impacting their quality of life.

It's impacting our ability for our seniors to afford, you know, basic things such as food and rent. So tonight at Park Elementary School, from 6PM to 8PM, they're doing a presentation, and they're gonna talk a little bit about this particular program called solar landscape. So I'm hoping that we can get people out there as well. On Monday, March 16, my office along with senator Ruiz and councilman Quintana, we're we're sponsoring iftar at the Roseville Avenue Masjid Niyah at 6PM. So we're we're inviting our our residents to to participate, and we're love to be honored to have our distinguished councilwoman from the Central Ward there with us as well.

Make sure my office sends you all the details. That's it for for me.

Thank you. No motions. Alright. Alright. Councilman Kelly. Thank you, council president. I'd like to

make a request to the administration for, I need that list for these landlords, the worst landlords list to be able to submit some possible worst landlords in the West Ward. Another thing, announcements just like, councilman Ramos said that we are doing the entire city is doing the free information sessions on community solar, clean affordable energy for all. We are doing hours in the West Ward, Thursday, tomorrow, March fifth at 6PM. That's tomorrow, March fifth at 6PM at Speedway Avenue Elementary School, which is 701 South Orange Avenue, six 6PM to 8PM. Please tell a friend to tell a friend.

I know I've been getting a lot of calls in my office about PSE and G bills. This is a way that the mayor's office has come up with to try to, you know, battle those high energy bills, and there's gonna be a lot of free information about the community solar and clean affordable energy. So please tell a friend to tell a friend in Arts High. Tell your parents if you're in the West Ward, come to Speedway Avenue School, 701 South Orange Avenue tomorrow so we can lower that energy bill. Assalamu alaikum to all my Muslims.

We are having community iftar at UVSO, which is United Veldsburg Service Organization in the West Ward, and it's powered presented by Good Deeds, Urban Seeds Grow, and myself. So join us, to to break fast together in

the spirit of

Ramadan. Sooner Foods and Afro Caribbean Cuisine will be provided. And and it's not too late to donate. If you wanna donate or partner for more information, call (862) 400-9980. And this is happening next Thursday, 03/12/2026.

And our Musa Lima councilwoman, you are invited as well. Doors open, prior to to Maghrib. Iftar serves at Maghrib, which is 1033 South Orange Avenue, Newark, New Jersey. So please tell a friend, bring your prayer rugs with you. And also, we're doing a stronger together youth call to action at Estes County Westside Park Community Center in a gymnasium at 600 South 17th Street.

So please come out to the West Ward. It's an event sponsored by the mayor's office, myself, and this will be Saturday from 6PM to 9PM, March 7, this Saturday. And it's to call our youth to action. You know, a lot of people say that we have nothing to do in our city, and believe there's a lot to do. You just gotta seek it out and do it.

And for more information, visit wwwovptrovptr.org, office of violence and prevention and trauma recovery. And also on March 26 from 6PM to 8PM, I'm doing my third annual glass ceiling woman's awards. We do it right here in in City Hall, and we have some great women who've who have done some great things in this year that we will be celebrating. So please be on attendance for that. And once again, that the glass ceiling awards is March 26.

So please tell a friend to come out. And then the last thing, we have the first annual MS walk. The MS walk is happening in April. Well, not the last thing, but it's it's happening April 19, Sunday at the Westside Park Trail. We're gonna walk the Westside Park Trail for three miles from 9AM to 2PM. Now the last thing, it's time to register to vote, you know, registration for our our high school students for the school board election. The last day is, I believe Pat, you can help me with this. March 17, I think. Mhmm. I believe it's March 17, the last day for you to register to vote.

So, you know, us as a council, we set up here and made sure that you had the right to vote, you know, at in high school at 16. So for the school board election, and we just ask that you utilize your rights and vote And the last day to register for the school board election vote is March 17. And then the last then we after for the municipal, we have registration vote education event that's happening April 2. Second. This is for the municipal elections at Westside Park Community Center.

And if you're not registered to vote, make sure by April 2 you get to Westside Park Community Center and register to vote. Thank you.

Thank you. There was a motion in there? Second. Is there I'll second it. Thank you. Roll call.

Council members Bay. Yes. Council.

Yes.

Gonzalez absent. Kelly. Yes. Kutima absent. Ramos.

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Silva? Yes. President Trump?

Yes. Councilwoman a councilman council.

Yep. Thank you, mister Cheah. March 11, which is a Wednesday 2026, at the William Mobile Ashby Community Care Center, we will be hosting, iftar, for our, brothers and sisters who are still, in the midst of celebrating Ramadan, at 7PM. That is Wednesday, 03/11/2026 at the William Mobile Ashby Community Care and Training Center, six ninety five Bergen Street. We're asking all to come out and attend.

Please bring your prayer rug with you. For more information, you can call 733-3753. Also, super proud that we have four of our basketball programs that will be playing in the state sectional final I mean, the state semifinals on tonight. University will play Newark Tech, the girls, at 5PM at University High School, as well as the Shabazz Bulldogs will be playing Newark Tech boys at 7PM at Shabazz High School. And, the Arch girls will be taking on Glenridge today at 04:30 at Arts High School.

Big shout out to Arts. And, the Arch boys will be taking on Glenridge tonight at 7PM. So we should get somewhere, enjoy something, and support our young people. That's what we should do.

Let's go north, sir.

Thank you, councilwoman Bay.

Thank you, council president. First thing I wanna apologize for going out of order from before.

It's alright.

Apologize for that. I do have an announcement. We're gonna be hosting our central ward community conversations. It's a community meeting, next Tuesday, March 10 at the CityPlex Theatre on Springfield Avenue at 6PM. All are invited.

We will have representatives from a Newark PD. We'll have fourth precinct captain, Laurie. We have the Newark People's Assembly, Newark Department of Public Works, code enforcement, and the office of violence prevention. So we definitely ask all to attend if they can. Also, just just wanted to again mention, and I'm gonna do this every few meetings to remind the people that I always have representatives here from my team, Tolu Kadri, Tammy Mack, Ron Reyes, Ivelisse, Colominsi, and Renee Ali.

I do understand what deputy mayor was saying about feeling that defense I don't feel like I also have to defend ourselves because we talk to residents directly, especially several of them that were here speaking together, but I do understand, us having to make sure that we create, correct narratives. So I thank him for that.

Thank you, councilwoman. Alright. It's me. Couple things I wanna just announcement and and a motion again. On March 6, this Friday, from four to 7PM, our office is hosting an EFTAR.

It's going to be at the Temple Of Hip Hop, 55 Ludlow Street, Newark, New Jersey, hosting it along with the University Hospital. All are welcome to come, break fast, and we have our imam coming to pray. Second, I want to congratulate and I can't remember the exact name of the tournament, but Arts High cheerleaders. It just appears you're here. And it's just it's great that Arts High is here.

The cheerleaders for winning the competition this past Saturday or Sunday. No. I'm sorry. Sunday in Gloucester County Community College, believe is where we were. Both the junior varsity and varsity won their competitions and are heading to Florida. So, to them. Yes, let's clap it up. Great routines. Great routines. I tried to do a little bit. They did the ducky and some other things, but alright, alright. Let's move on. Those are my announcements. But I also want to just follow-up again. I bring it up about the roof and JFK Pool.

I haven't gotten any response back. There's a hole in the roof. Especially during the summer, we've gotten a number of complaints from the seniors. And it presents a situation where it's uncomfortable for them to swim or to use the pool, and then a lot of them do not come because of that. I know we have a new engineering interim engineering director, but really hope there's some movement on that because at this point, it's been, I'll say a minute, that we haven't that we've discussed this and haven't had a resolution.

And that ends yep. That it that ends my motions. Second by councilman Kelly. Roll call.

Council members Bay? Yes. Council?

Yes.

Gonzales absent, Kelly?

Yes.

Quintana absent, Ramos?

Yes.

Scott Rountree? Yes. Silva? Yes. President Crumpkin?

Yes. Motion to adjourn.

Bay? Yes. Council. Yes. Gonzales absent. Kelly.

Yes.

Kuntana absent. Ramos.

Yes. Scott Rountree. Silva.

Yes. President Crumpton.

Yes. Everybody have a great week.