City Council - Regular Meeting

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Mic check. Test 1, 2. Test 1, 2. Mic check, test one, two. Testing one, two. Mic check. Test 1-2. Testing 1-2. Testing 1-2. This is a Providence City Council regular meeting.

Our mics don't work. My mic works. all right good evening everyone and welcome to this city council meeting on june 18th 2026. madam clerk please call the roll you can't hear me all right well council president miller present deputy majority with vanderbilt counselor davidson majority leader espinal senior deputy majority leader gonzalez present councilwoman grades present deputy majority leader hayes Councilwoman Peterson? Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo?

Present.

Council Arroyo is absent. Councilwoman Ryan is absent. Majority Whip Sanchez? Present. Councilman Taylor?

Present.

Councilwoman Ana Vargas? Present. Councilman Oscar Vargas? Present.

Lord thank you for bringing us together today we dedicate this time to you please guide our thoughts bless our conversations and give us the wisdom and clarity needed to make sound decisions help us to work together in a spirit of unity and respect Amen

Madam Kirk, Item 3. Madam President. Majority Leader. Motion to waive the reader of Item 3 and move approval.

Second, Madam President. We have a motion and a second. Any discussion on Item 3? Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Item 4. Madam President. Majority Leader. Motion to waive the reader of Item 4. Second, Madam President. Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Madam Clerk, please note item four as received. So noted. Item five. Madam President. What's the way that we know item five? We passed it a second time in a roll call. Second, Madam President. Any discussion on item five? Hearing none, Madam President. Madam President. Yes. I'm so sorry. That's okay. Go for it.

Thank you, Madam President. Horizon supported this budget today. I want to call the administration to say thank you for all the hard work that everybody did to bring it up to the table and the proposal that won't affect our constituents. The good thing of this budget is that we're not raising taxes. but we can do better. We can do better and hopefully every single department will do their best in this common budget or fiscal year, how we call it. To all those constituents who speak Spanish and sometimes don't understand how the system works, this is the budget that the administration has proposed to us. By saying that, I'm happy with it, and we can work together to have a better city and better services to every single constituent in the city of Providence. Thank you, Madam President. Further discussion on item five?

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

And pass for the second time on a roll call vote. Second amendment.

As amended.

As amended.

any discussion on item six chairman sanchez thank you madam president i just wanted to quickly rise and speak on what was amended it was a very small but very important language that got brought up to our attention and what this amendment does is just we removing language to make it very clear that the city of providence does not have any intention of taking any surplus money from the providence school district at any time that's all that this amendment does While I'm up, I just want to thank Chief Mancini, who's here. I don't think he was here on Monday. Thank you for your partnership and your collaborative spirits and work to get us to this point. And thank you to everything that you do for the city of Providence. I think that's it. Thank you to everyone else who has assisted. I'm pretty sure I got you on Monday.

Thank you, Chairman. Further discussion on item six? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Council President Miller.

Aye.

Deputy Majority Whip Anderbois. Aye. Councilor Davidson. Aye. Majority Leader Espinal.

Aye.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Gonzales.

Aye.

Councilwoman Graves. Aye. Deputy Majority Leader Harris. Aye. Councilwoman Peterson. Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo.

Aye.

Councilor Royas is absent. Councilwoman Ryan is absent. Majority Whip Sanchez?

Aye.

Councilman Taylor? Aye. Councilwoman Ana Vargas? Aye. Councilman Oscar Vargas?

Aye.

You have 13 ayes, 2 absent. The motion carries. The matter is passed for the second time on a roll call vote as amended.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Item 7. Madam President. Majority Leader. Motion to waive the read of item 7 through 9 and pass for the second time on a roll call vote.

Second, Madam President. Any discussion on items seven through nine? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Council President Miller. Aye. Deputy Majority Whip Anderbaugh. Aye. Councilor Davidson. Aye. Majority Leader Espinal.

Aye.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Gonzales.

Aye.

Councilwoman Graves. Aye. Deputy Majority Leader Harris. Aye. Councilwoman Peterson. Aye. Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo.

Aye.

Councilor Royas is absent. Councilwoman Ryan is absent. Majority Whip Sanchez? Aye. Councilman Taylor? Aye. Councilwoman Ana Vargas?

Aye.

Councilman Oscar Vargas?

Aye.

You have 13 ayes, 2 absent. The motion carries. The matters are approved for the second time on a roll call vote.

Thank you and congratulations and please note that Councilman Royas is present. So noted. item uh i'm sorry item 10. madam president majority leader wash it away discussion on 10 through 13. hearing none all in favor aye any opposed any abstentions uh the motion passes madam clerk please refer 10 to public works 11 to n12 to the city uh city property committee and item 13 to waive the means so noted item 14. madam president majority leader i want you to weigh the reader item 14 through 16 and pass on a voice vote second matter president any discussion on 14 through 16. councilwoman davidson

Thank you, Madam President. I would briefly rise to discuss item 16 to sort of note and send our condolences and sympathy to the family of Professor Gordon Wood, who recently died as a result of an auto accident in East Providence. Gordon Wood was a professor at Brown University for 39 years, had generations of students, and was an eminent scholar of the American Revolution. Many people came to Rhode Island, came to Providence to study with Professor Wood. While I was not one of them, I was lucky enough to take his class as an undergraduate. And I really feel privileged to have learned with and from him. It's particularly sad because, although he was 92, he was in full intellectual bloom and was eagerly awaiting many, many things that were going to happen this summer as the result of our nation's 250th anniversary. I think there are many historians, scholars, and history buffs who really are feeling his loss. I certainly am one of them. So I just wanted to make a note of it, again, to send condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to the generations of students who were inspired by his scholarship. I feel lucky to be one of them.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor.

I want to speak on Juneteenth, 15th. The reason I'm speaking on this is I spoke to a couple young people and they're elated to have a holiday. They don't know what the holiday is about though. And I think it's really sad that to this day we are still not educating our children about the different things. We're really not even educating ourselves because people are still running around believing that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. It's a misnomer. He freed Washington, D.C. slaves first just so he could have an army. And then months later, he freed only the slaves that were in the South. that were fighting against him. Any other state in the north, west, anywhere else or had came on to believe in them were not free. So we need to really be careful about the information, but we need to also educate ourselves and everybody else. Juneteenth really is a day when the last of the slaves realized that they were free. The very last. And even then, there were states, Kentucky, Delaware, Missouri, and Maryland that still had slaves. And in Mississippi, they didn't ratify the 13th Amendment until 2013. So technically, they were still slaves. They could still have been slaves in their state. So let us please learn our history, teach our children so that we can keep it going because we're celebrating, this is our 250th year and we still don't have, we don't know our history and we need to learn it. We need to teach it but we need to learn it before we try to pass on the messages because, like I said, all throughout school, when I was going to school, I was telling them, this is not true. Because my mother and my family told us, nope, that's not true, that's not true. And I was told by teachers, Oh yes, yes, this is it, this is it, you know. So please, for all our holidays, all the Hispanic holidays, for all your different things, make sure your children know what they're celebrating. For all of our holidays, make sure we know. Because I think it's a sad state of affairs when a nation as powerful as ours still don't understand or know our history. But I'm going to enjoy Juneteenth.

Thank you, Counselor. Further discussion, 14 through 16.

Madam President, may I ask that the item be read?

Which item?

As the Councilwoman just referred, item number 15. Thank you.

Whereas on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to implement the Emancipation Proclamation issued two years prior by President Abraham Lincoln. And whereas, the over 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were declared free on this momentous day, henceforth known as Juneteenth, and celebrated annually, initially only by the newly emancipated, but now by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. And whereas the United States Congress has recognized the cultural and historical significance of this day as part of the history and heritage of the United States by designating Juneteenth Independence Day as a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of all enslaved people and whereas on march 20th 2025 the providence city council passed an ordinance permanently enshrining juneteenth as a holiday at the city level likewise acknowledging the importance of this day And whereas, Juneteenth serves as a reminder to all Americans of the horrific injustices of slavery, but exists also to recognize and celebrate the courage, determination, and strength of the African Americans who relentlessly fought for their freedom and dignity. And whereas, this day of remembrance invites open and honest dialogue around what measures are still needed in order to ensure permanent equality and opportunity for the African American community. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Providence City Council hereby recognizes and celebrates Juneteenth to acknowledge its historical significance in the United States and to honor the contributions that formerly enslaved people and their descendants have made throughout the history of our nation, and be it further resolved that the Providence City Council hereby recognizes June 19th as Juneteenth Independence Day in the City of Providence. Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Thank you. Further discussion? Thank you.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Madam Clerk, item 17.

Madam President? Majority Leader. Motion to waive the read of items 17 and 18.

Second, Madam President. We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Councilman Goncov?

Thank you, Madam President. So I rise today to talk about wonderful members of our community who, in that vein, as Councilwoman Graves expressed, have had a storied history, particularly in Fox Point. We go back to 1865, to your point, Councilwoman Galveston, Texas. Those enslaved folks didn't learn of their freedoms until more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. And if we even think about the 1964 Civil Rights Act following the overturn of Plessy versus Ferguson, these are things that happened in our lifetime. So, not my lifetime, but 62 years ago, so it's something that we're still dealing with as a country. And some of the anti-blackness rhetoric that we still see today is something that we need to continue to fight back on, especially when things are being rolled back by the Trump administration. But back to more local folks, I wanted to recognize a couple people who have had extraordinary legacy, particularly on the Fox Point neighborhood. I know that this is going to go before the IRB committee, and I look forward to working with Chairwoman Harris on this, but Mr. Bob Clarkin, or bobby clarkin who's the former councilman of ward one he passed away a few years ago and was one of the most respected civic leaders and advocates in ward one so we're recognizing his contributions he actually did so much for the city of providence including serving as the civic center authority and also chairman of the providence community health centers believe it or not during the 1960s helping to establish institution that we know today to help so many Rhode Islanders and Providence residents with health care services and councilman Clark in back then also became widely known for fighting the fight against pension abuse he worked to promote fiscal accountability and transparency here in the city of Providence and represented board one honorably so we're looking forward to recognizing his contributions in Ward 1. And then Reverend Naomi Craig, who was really just a giant in our community, a woman of color who I think a lot of people tend to forget, and I want to make sure that her legacy lives on forever. So Reverend Craig actually dedicated over 23 years of service to the state of Rhode Island. She received numerous citations from everyone not only in the state but at the federal level. There were several presidents that recognized her work as the first president of the Fox Point School PTA. She was someone who served as the secretary of the Governor's Advisory Commission of Aging and also was the president of the board of directors of the Bannister House formerly the home for age-colored women. And, I mean, the list goes on and on. Her accomplishments, her witnessing Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech is something that resonates, of course, with everyone in our country and in our world, but certainly has connections to folks right here in the city of Providence. And then lastly, I just want to acknowledge the folks from Brown University who received the distinguished Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. There are several people who I want to acknowledge tonight.

I'm sorry, counselor, that is the next item. So we can go back to that in a moment.

oh yes okay so i'll go get to that in a second getting ahead of myself but ultimately it's about uh acknowledging these wonderful people who have contributed so greatly to our community and uh looking forward to chatting more about this during the uh herb committee and look forward to uh recognizing their contributions to the great city of providence thank you madam president thank you counselor further discussion on 17 and 18.

Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Madam Clerk, please refer 17 and 18 to the committee on IRP. So noted. Item 19.

Madam President. Majority Leader. Motion to waive the reading of item 19 and pass and avoid vote.

Second, Madam President. Discussion on 19. Councilman Gronkowski.

All right, so I'll keep this quick because I got ahead of myself on the last one. But I just want to recognize the names of the folks who are part of the esteemed 223rd Guggenheim Fellows class. And it's the following people. Professor of Anthropology at Brown University, Ivea Giustoniti. Also, Matthew Kraft, who's a professor of education and economics at Brown, as well as Sharon Ann Murphy, who's the professor of history at Providence College. And finally, Shada Soleimani, who is an internationally acclaimed multimedia artist who is going to also receive the Guggenheim Fellowship. This is a pretty big deal. I don't think people really recognize how important this is for the city of Providence. So we're acknowledging their remarkable achievement of being named one of the Guggenheim Fellows and commending them for their contributions to the city of Providence. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Counselor. Further discussion on 19? All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes.

Item 20.

madam president majority leader motion to waive the reader of item 20 through 21 and laid on the table second madam president we have a motion and a second any discussion hearing none all in favor aye any opposed any abstentions the motion passes madam clerk please lay items 20 and 21 on the table so noted item 22 madam president majority leader motion to waive the reader of item 22 second madam president any discussion on item 22 all in favor aye any opposed any abstentions the motion passes madam clerk please refer item 22 to the city uh committee on city property so noted item 23 madam president majority leader motion to waive the reader item 23 through 34 and pass and avoid vote second madam president we have a motion and a second any discussion on 23-34 Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Item 35.

Madam President? Majority Leader. Why should the way they read it out of 35?

Second, Madam President. It passed.

It passed. I'm sorry, it passed for the first time in a local report.

we have a motion and a second thank you madam president today I rise in super duper strong support of item 35 and this is in regards to amendments to the juvenile hearing board first and foremost I want to thank the members of the juvenile hearing board our city council staff that works with the juvenile hearing board we have our constituent service leader champion Mellie Cruz here and the wise is the juvenile hearing board coordinator you guys have done a tremendous amount of work to get us to this moment and what this amendment does is it clarifies automatic eligibility guidelines for our police department to use when referring someone to the juvenile hearing In the past three years, the Juvenile Hearing Board has heard, seen, worked with 108 young people here in the city of Providence that otherwise would have been caught up in the justice system. I don't need to tell you guys what happens, what complications sometimes can occur from getting involved with the justice system at such a young age. But the really troubling part of this is that in year 2023 to year 2025, you gonna crack your hands open over here? 500 kids, young people, were eligible, should have been referred to the Juvenile Hearing Board, and only 108. So that's about 400 kids, give or take, did not get an opportunity. That's a state law. This isn't a far left idea of this council. Juvenile Hearing Boards should be happening across the state. All 39 cities and towns should have a Juvenile Hearing Board. Whether they have one or not, that's a question. Where we're at now is we have one. We need to be doing a little bit more. We don't want the full discretion to rely on what detective is working that shift. We need to make this process as clear, as fair, as simple as possible. And if someone, a young person, commits a felony, commits an assault, they will be held accountable for their actions through the justice system. That's not what this does. What this does is low-level misdemeanor offenses. I'm not going to get into examples. I don't want to say something incorrectly. But what I'm saying here is how many of us here in this room haven't been provided a second, third, fourth, fifth chance. I testified here before the committee, which I want to give a lot of gratitude. There was the committee and there was a few counselors that came to the Juvenile Hearing Board ordinance hearing, public hearing. We had about six or seven folks come testify in support. We have an additional 10 or so testimony letters of support, including from the Chief of Opportunity and Access for the Providence School District. This isn't an opinion of whether we should do this or not. This is at a point where there's so much data to support this work. So with that being said, I'm in super strong support of this. I testify, I don't want to get too much into it, but I've been given so many opportunities, especially as a young person. And I've learned a lot from some mistakes in my past, and I definitely wouldn't have been here if I didn't have opportunities and support systems along the way, and that's what this is. This is a restorative, data-driven, fact-based, check uh work uh that keeps young people out of the justice systems and puts them right uh back on the on the right path of uh this very precious life that we live thank you madam president thank you counselor further discussion on item 35 madam president thank you madam president i rise to speak on item 35

as the chairman of the Health Opportunity Prosperity in Education and to first commend my colleagues for staying the course on this issue, for hearing long hours and getting testimony from many of our residents and those who work with our young people. As a result of those hearings and getting the letters and the work of our staff and through the leadership of the council members, in particular, Councilor Miguel Sanchez and others, this ordinance comes at the right time. And I say that is because I have lived through experiences growing up in the city of Providence and seeing all around me as a young person. In the younger years where a young person will, by just taking a snicker bar from a store, will at times will face a penalty that eventually leads them to the training school. And those times have changed. One, organizations such as the Rhode Island for Community and Justice, their direct action for rights and equality, and many others fighting to make sure that kids that got into these low-level, nonviolent, will at least get a second chance and that they would actually have a bright future. Within those years of the 80s, 90s, and leading up to close to even the end of 2000, in the 2000s, we knew that the numbers were high and that the tension in the community was very high. When I represented a district two in the south side in the West End, myself and Representative Tom Slater, the dad now, we fought to ensure that parents had a voice, young people had a voice, and that when we visited the training school, we knew that the conditions were deplorable, too, that there were over 250 kids incarcerated, and most of them probably didn't deserve to be there. I will tell you that to today, there's less than 50 kids in that training school, in the Tom Slater Training School. And that has been the work of so many in our community. But just think about what also have we saved as a society. We knew that incarcerating a young person in the training school would cost over $150,000. Think of all that money that we have saved throughout those years. And this hearing board, all in the community have said this is the right thing to do. As Councilman Sanchez indicated during the hearing, That in 2025, there were 371 arrested, young kids, young teenagers were arrested. 148 were referred to, should have been referred, but didn't. Only 27 were referred. By making and passing this ordinance today, we're going to get more kids. to have that second chance. And lastly, I encourage my colleagues, when we have events in our community, that we can embrace our young people and give them those opportunities to do their community service. They need those mentors. This past Saturday, we had a cleanup in Ward 9, and over 50 people showed up. And the story that one young man that was referred to the Juvenile Hearing Board and through the coordination of Luisa Serrante, our Juvenile Hearing Board coordinator, he got the experience of, I would say, of a lifetime, that he will forever remember. Because those that were there present had served time, 20, 30, 10 years, but also they were professionals, master's degree, people that were in the community. Our kids need that exposure to the positive elements in the city of Providence. And as Tom, or Representative Tom Slater and I would say, At times, we wanted to put the training school out of business. And I'm glad and I am so proud of this body, along with the leadership of all these young people and also older that understand the real issues of our community. So thank you, Madam President, and I encourage everyone to vote yes on this ordinance. Thank you.

Thank you, Chairman. Further discussion on 35? Madam President. President Peterson, thank you.

I don't have my glasses, so we're going to wing this one. Thank you. I really should try to read without my glasses. Madam President and colleagues, first I want to thank the sponsor of this particular bill. I rise today in strong support of these changes to the Juvenile Hearing Board because I believe that every young person in our city deserves access to a second chance, regardless of their zip code, the color of their skin, or the neighborhood in which they live. The fundamental point of this ordinance is about fairness. The Juvenile Hearing Board was created to keep young people out of the justice system when appropriate and to provide accountability within the community rather than punishment that can follow a child for years. Yet we know that access to these opportunities has not always been consistent. When a system relies on discretion alone, disparities can emerge, and those disparities often fall hardest on black, Latino, and low-income youth. These changes help create a more equitable pathway so that second chances are not reserved for some children while denied to others. The proposed changes would automatically refer eligible cases to the board rather than relying solely on an officer's discretion, which supporters argue will expand access to diversion opportunities for youth. This is the diversion we're looking for. I see these inequities firsthand in my own ward. We routinely witness violations of laws and ordinances by underage college students who often are afforded grace, patience, and understanding because they are viewed as young people making mistakes. We offer them community service opportunities when they must go to court because they were arrested. I know this because I created these opportunities alongside fellow constituents because they also believed that a student's life shouldn't be measured by one silly mistake. Yet, just a few blocks away, many of our Providence youth are not always granted the same benefit of the doubt. We cannot claim to believe in rehabilitation and second chances if those opportunities depend on who you are, where you live, or who advocates for you. This ordinance does not eliminate accountability, it strengthens it. The Juvenile Hearing Board requires young people to take responsibility for their actions while connecting them to community-based solutions rather than pushing them deeper into a system that often creates lifelong consequences for youthful mistakes. They also want to be clear that the success of this ordinance depends on the implementation. Our Providence Police Department must embrace this as a tool for good, a tool to intervene early, a tool to build trust, a tool to help young people change direction before a mistake becomes a permanent barrier to their future. Because every child in Providence deserves the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to recover from a mistake. Every child deserves hope. Every child deserves a second chance. I urge my colleagues to support this ordinance, and thank you for the time.

Thank you. Further discussion. Item 35.

Madam President, thank you very much to the sponsors of this ordinance, particularly Miguel Sanchez for his hard work on this. I just really appreciate the discussion that we're having tonight about this very issue. Because as you know, there are black and brown kiddos across our city that are disproportionately impacted by some of the laws that are on our books. I think that this is very important to ensure that we're not disproportionately impacting those folks. And this kind of connects to what you were sharing, Councilor Peterson, which is, and also Pro Tempichardo, where decades ago there was more of a punitive approach. And I really appreciate that here in the city of Providence we're taking more of a restorative approach, an approach that helps kiddos when they're down and out or if they, to your point, you know, they make a mistake, that shouldn't be something that carries on with them throughout their entire career or their trajectory. And I think this is an important step in the right direction to ensure, again, that we're taking a more restorative justice approach as opposed to a punitive one, especially when our criminal justice system, as we're all very well aware, has disproportionately impacted communities of color. So I want to thank you for your leadership, Councilor Sanchez. I want to thank all the sponsors of this ordinance, and I hope that we can continue to support our young people, especially when they make mistakes, because that shouldn't determine their destiny. No matter what zip code they're from, no matter where they come from in our city, I think this is the right way to ensure that they can have a future that they can all be proud of. So thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor. Further discussion? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Council President Miller. Aye. Deputy Majority Leader Van Der Blas. Absolutely aye. Councilor Davidson. Aye. Majority Leader Espanol. Aye. Senior Deputy Majority Leader Gonzales. Aye. Councilwoman Graves. Aye. Deputy Majority Leader Harris. Aye. Councilwoman Peterson. Aye. Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo.

Aye.

Councilor Royas?

Aye.

Councilwoman Ryan is absent. Majority with Sanchez? Aye. Councilman Taylor?

Aye.

Councilwoman Ana Vargas? Aye. Councilman Oscar Vargas?

Aye.

You have 14 ayes, 1 absent. The motion carries. The matter is approved for the first time on a roll call vote. Thank you, Madam Clerk, and yeah.

I really want to just take a moment and thank the council and my colleagues for moving this forward. This is such a huge step for Providence and it's a beautiful time to do it. I don't think she's here, but Louise has been doing such an incredible job as the coordinator with Mellie Cruz's support, with Erin and June, their support. And so it is fundamentally making a dramatic impact in people's lives. And the word's getting out, right? So tonight we appointed a new Juvenile Hearing Board member. We have two open seats, and we have such a strong candidate pool. that we need to take a minute and do some interviews. So it's a really good time for the Juvenile Hearing Board and for this work, and that's in large part because counselors and staff are moving it forward. There's also something happening in the General Assembly. The last week of the General Assembly, Senator Vargas got passed a study commission, and so she's inviting Providence and other cities and towns to have a statewide conversation because It doesn't seem totally right, right, that what happens in Providence to someone under 18 is different than what happens in Krantz. So there's going to be a conversation this fall, and I am grateful to Senator Vargas for moving that forward and pulling it together. Thank you all. Item 36.

Madam President.

Majority Leader.

Motion to weigh the bill, item 36, and lay on the table.

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? Any abstentions? Motion passes. Madam Clerk, please lay item 36 on the table. So noted. Item 37.

Madam President. Majority Leader. Motion to weigh the room, item 37 through 39, and pass and approve the rule.

Second, Madam President.

Any discussion on 37 through 39? Pro te pi certo.

Madam President, item 37. This resolution was presented a while ago, but it still persists at the national level. This resolution expresses opposition to the proposed cuts that continue to plague on the federal level for the veterans in the VA. As you know that we continuously have an administration that You wake up, and there's something new. But we also understand that when a young man or a young woman serves our country, the whole family serves, whether it's the grandma, whether it's the ma, whether it's the stepdad, and the kids, and the brothers. This resolution sends a clear message that we in the Providence City Council, in the City of Providence, continuously propose any federal cuts to any veterans or VA services. And finally, I just wanted to say that this body, through the efforts and your support, and through the Commission of Veteran Affairs in the City of Providence that we've established, We're gonna continue to have a strong voice for veterans, whether we sit in this chair or not, because more and more of our young people are serving in the military, and they're going off to missions that we don't even know, but when they return home, they're impacted on a physical level, but also an emotional level. Every 21 days, a veteran commits suicide, and particularly when it comes to males. And as you know, June is also that month where it's men's health. So when you see a veteran and their family, just think for a moment that at the federal level, that will continuously hurt our families and our veterans who have served our nation. And I urge my colleagues to support these resolutions. Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor. Further discussion? 37 through 39. Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes.

item 40 item 40 through 44 all in favor aye any opposed any abstain motion passes madam clerk please refer 40 to ordinance 40 and 41 42 to the committee on public works 43

Can we receive?

44 is received. Thank you, Madam Clerk. So moved.

Councilman Burgess.

Point of suppression. Thank you, Madam President. I want to wish everyone happy Father's Day. It's coming up. Yeah. Why we don't give gifts like mothers, but let's get it. And happy Father's Day to everyone. And be safe. And please enjoy the fun zone. It's great. I want to say welcome to my wife. It's the first time she comes here to, no, second time. She want to make sure that I come to the city hall. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilman. Item 45. Madam President. Councilman Sanchez.

On a personal expression, I just wanted to quickly make sure that everyone is aware and hopefully present at the Pride parade and activities on Saturday. The Pride team has been doing so much work. This is the 50th anniversary, one of the biggest celebrations in the country when it comes to Pride. So I know Councilman Vargas, I'm hearing a rumor, I don't know if it's true, that we might have access to a truck and music and speakers, I don't know, you gotta go there to find out. But Pride is a very important time to celebrate and make known that we are always standing right there next to all of the members of the LGBTQ plus community here in Providence. And then also on Sunday, there's gonna be a Juneteenth celebration at Roger Williams. part. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. From 12 to 7 p.m. that committee does so much work to make this celebration special. I think that's it. I feel like I'm forgetting. What was that? I don't know if there's another event tomorrow or something, but those are the ones in my mind. I'm sure if I look at my calendar, other things will pop up, but I just want to make sure folks are aware, and if you're available, please support these very important events here in the city of Providence. Madam President?

Thank you. Another event that's been occurring, personal expression, thank you. In case you haven't noticed, we're having the biggest celebration throughout the United States, and it's the World Cup. And we've had the privilege of being with the Ghana nation, and the Haitian community, and Colombians, and Argentinian. So just inviting everyone to take part of this World Cup tournament for the next 45 days and get your t-shirt, right? But not only that, is that we as a community have to really appreciate the work that's been implemented through the arts, culture, and tourism. Joe Wilson and his team and the administration continues to be a great team to put those consecutively and also to our public service, such as the firefighters and also the police. So let's continue to show up and hopefully the city council, at one point, we could all get up there and cheer for whatever country floats our boat. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor. Councilwoman Graves?

Well, I think Juneteenth has probably been covered. It's tomorrow, Saturday at there, and of course, Sunday. But also, on Monday, there's gonna be several things going on. My ribbon cutting for my splash pad at Father Lenny's Park is gonna be at 4.45, so please come on down and get your feet wet. Also, they're gonna be honoring Ellen Swartz from the library, for the community library. She's one of the ones, the founders, so she passed away, so they're going to have a memorial for her at the Washington Park Library. And I want to wish my colleagues across the way a happy anniversary on the 23rd. And I'm sure her and her husband are going to have a ball because me and mine will too on the same day.

Congratulations.

Congratulations. That's amazing. I have one last one. Forgive me. Related to the World Cup, there's this totally brilliant thing that if you don't normally go into the mall, you might miss. but they're doing in open, in empty stores in the mall, local business pop-ups. So like as people from around the world are coming through the mall, we actually have our local businesses being showcased and selling stuff and it's so, so good. Anyway. Item 45.

Madam President. Majority Leader. Motion to weigh the reader, item 45, and pass on a voice vote.

Second, Madam President. Let's pass 45 and then you're up. Discussion on 45. All in favor?

all right any opposing abstentions the motion passes counseling thank you madam president point of personal expression because everyone was talking about the world cup and as the son of cape verdian immigrants my mom is from kaya my dad is from brava mighty pride brava i just want to say i'm incredibly proud of our cape verdian team competing in its first ever fifa world cup Yeah, so it's a big deal. And it's a nation, of course, of just over half a million people in the archipelago there, but there are so many people, particularly in the Fox Point neighborhood, or in Bedford, or in Taunton, that are, or brought in, that are rooting for Team Cape Verde. And that historic draw against Spain, even though it was a draw, was an incredible performance from the goalkeeper, Gozinha, who has inspired Cape Verdeans everywhere. So no matter what happens next, they've already made history. Go Team Cape Verde. Viva Cabo Verde. Let's go get them. New bike.

Thanks, counselor. Item 46.

Madam President. Majority Leader. Motion to weigh the reader out of 46 and pass an unanimous rise in votes.

Second, Madam President.

Any discussion on 46? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes.

Majority Leader. Madam President, I ask that tonight we adjourn in the name of Diego Albizu. Felix Durand, Nydia Rodriguez, and Robin Elaine DeWillis. Motion to adjourn.

Second, Madam President.

Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? We are adjourned. Thank you all. Thank you.