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From YouTube: Pittsburgh City Council Public Hearing: Tax, Budget, & Citizen Participation - 12/14/20
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A
Good
morning
and
welcome
today
is
monday
december
14th,
and
this
is
a
continuation
of
city
council's
public
budget
hearings.
This
morning
we
are
having
our
citizen
participation
hearing
on
the
tax
and
budget
each
member
each
person
part
each
registered
speaker
will
be
given
a
chance
to
speak.
You
will
be
given
three
minutes
after
you
hear
your
name.
Please
give
your
name
in
neighborhood
for
the
record.
B
B
Our
organizational
values
after
listening
to
our
community
and
discussing
as
a
board
and
staff
led
us
to
formally
endorse
the
got
12
demands
recently
from
those
demands
and
our
values.
We
have
started
doing
organizing
work
around
the
city
budget
and
looking
at
how
it
relates
to
the
values
that
are
espoused
by
city
departments
and
elected
officials.
B
So
the
first
point
is
from
stop
the
zone.
0.4
bloomfield
development
asks
that
the
city
schedule
city
council
meetings
accessible
to
more
working
people.
These
meetings
are
not
accessible
to
those
who
are
in
critical
positions
and
not
unemployed
or,
unlike
myself,
don't
have
a
regular
nine-to-five
job.
B
We
would
ask
that
public
meetings
such
as
the
budget
should
have
multiple
meetings
at
multiple
different
times
on
different
days
to
maximize
exposure
and
that
there
would
be
opportunity
to
refer
for
community
engagement
after
the
mayor
releases.
The
proposed
budget,
instead
of
this
fairly
rushed
last
minute
feedback
to
counsel
in
the
last
week
before
you
vote
that
would
allow
registered
community
organizations
the
time
to
help
residents,
understand
the
budget
and
to
gather
feedback
from
them
if
they
can
attend.
B
The
second
point
I'd
like
to
make
is
that,
in
this
time
of
tight
budgets,
it's
still
necessary
to
prioritize
funding
according
to
values.
82
percent
of
bloomfield
voted
to
support
the
recent
ballot
referendum.
Expanding
the
powers
of
the
citizen
police
review
board,
and
we
can
funding,
can
be
moved
in
favor
of
funding
programs
that
address
the
needs
of
communities
better,
as
well
as
supporting
our
police.
Better.
B
It
is
a
very
large
amount,
bloomfield
experiences,
overdoses,
homelessness
and
other
issues.
That
would
be
better
served
by
people
with
long
training
in
these
issues
and
which
would
likely
lead
to
less
frustration
by
police
when
they
are
trying
to
deal
with
situations
for
which
they
have
not
been
intensely
trained.
B
Residents
throughout
the
city
need
crisis
intervention
services
for
a
variety
of
critical
needs,
including
mental
health,
that
need
responders,
who
have
been
immersed
in
and
trained
to
work
with
these
residents
and
then
finally
safe
and
affordable
housing.
I
hear
the
term
naturally
occurring
affordable
housing
thrown
around
a
lot
in
relation
to
bloomfield,
but
that's
a
misnomer
in
bloomfield,
almost
all
apartments
and
houses
that
are
naturally
occurring,
affordable
housing
are
actually
deeply
unsafe,
often
without
smoke.
Detectors
with
flaking
lead
paint.
D
C
My
name
is
dave,
bring
and
I
live
in
lower
lawrenceville
and
I'm
the
executive
director
of
lawrenceville
united,
I'm
here
to
support,
calls
to
defund
the
police
in
order
to
invest
in
critical
community
needs.
The
needs
brought
on
by
covet
19
are
a
five
alarm
fire
for
our
communities.
As
we
head
into
the
new
year.
Our
city
is
staring
down
an
eviction
tsunami
that
will
accelerate
the
already
well-documented
existing,
affordable
housing
crisis
and,
as
recent
research
shows,
this
could
quite
literally
be
a
matter
of
life
or
death
for
many
of
our
most
vulnerable
residents.
C
Who
will
bear
this
wave?
Food
insecurity
is
at
unprecedented
levels.
My
own
organization
has
scaled.
Our
food
programs
tenfold
since
march
lost
incomes
and
employment
are
likely
to
be
continued
challenges
as
the
economy
takes
time
to
rebound
small
businesses.
The
lifeblood
of
neighborhood
districts
like
lawrenceville,
are
permanently
closing
in
record
numbers
and
because
of
the
public
health
crisis
of
racism.
All
of
this
is
hitting
our
black
and
brown
neighbors
hardest
with
declining
revenues
to
the
city.
C
We
must
appropriately
respond
to
these
multiple
crises,
and
that
means
re-prioritizing
where
we
spend
our
public
dollars
to
address
them.
According
to
the
pa
budget
and
policy
center,
pittsburgh
is
among
the
most
heavily
policed
medium-sized
cities
in
the
nation,
while
our
rates
of
violent
crime
are
relatively
average,
even
as
we
have
some
of
the
lowest
rates
of
homicide
in
20
years,
and
even
as
this
year
has
seen,
the
largest
movement
in
our
nation's
history
highlight
the
dire
costs
of
over-policing.
C
C
Lawrenceville
united
was
founded
in
2001
as
a
public
safety
organization.
For
20
years,
we've
worked
closely
with
the
pittsburgh
police
to
improve
public
safety
in
the
neighborhood.
We've
learned
a
lot
in
that
time,
but
perhaps
nothing
as
strongly
as
the
lesson
that
public
safety
depends
on
so
much
more
than
policing.
Crime
rates
have
plummeted
in
our
community,
yet
the
lack
of
affordable
housing
has
meant
that
many
of
our
residents,
especially
black
and
brown
neighbors,
have
been
displaced
to
areas
with
much
higher
crime
rates.
C
Even
as
we
have
work
to
root
out
violence
caused
by
drug
distribution
networks,
dozens
of
our
neighbors
have
died
from
overdoses.
In
the
past
decade,
crime
can
make
residents
fearful
of
leaving
their
house,
but
so
can
unsafe
intersections
where
pedestrians
are
repeatedly
hit
by
vehicles
after
school
programs,
summer
camps
and
park,
maintenance
and
programming
have
all
been
highly
effective
strategies
for
us
to
reduce
violence
and
crime.
C
These
strategies
and
the
critical
responses
to
the
pandemic
needed
right
now
depend
on
city
departments
that
are
already
stretched
thin
and
show
higher
cuts
than
the
police
bureau
in
the
proposed
budget.
In
this
moment,
we
should
be
doing
everything
in
our
power
to
bolster
the
efforts
of
these
departments
and
to
invest
in
affordable
housing
and
workforce
development.
They'll
be
our
communities
key
to
resilience.
I
urge
city
council
to
reprioritize
funding
from
the
police
department
to
bolster
these
most
urgent
critical
needs
and
long-term
strategies
to
lift
up
all
our
neighbors.
Thank
you.
D
E
E
The
mon
oakland
mobility
project
is
nothing
but
a
wasteful
20
million
dollar
vanity
project
for
the
mayor.
That
will
run
a
shuttle
road
through
shanley
park,
four
mile
run
and
hazelwood
to
allow
privately
operated
shuttles
to
run
between
the
universities
in
oakland
and
the
yet
to
be
completed.
Hazelwood
green
development.
E
We've
been
fighting
the
shuttle
road
for
many
years,
five
years
at
least
and
written
countless
letters
filed
right
to
no
request
spoke
spoken
at
public
meetings.
Stage
marches
testified
to
counsel
published
articles
and
so
on.
We
also
published
the
our
money.
Our
solutions,
alternative
community-led
plan,
which
has
1200
individuals
and
23
community
organizations
signed
on
this
plan,
would
expand
bus
service,
public
bus
service
into
hazelwood.
E
The
next
step
is
to
extend
bus
route
75
over
the
hot
metal
bridge
to
further
expand
bus
access
to
hazelwood.
So
anyway,
I'm
just
here
to
yeah
say
thank
you
to
councilman
o'connor
and
strongly
encourage
the
other
council
members
to
vote
on
this
amendment.
It
is
the
right
thing
to
do,
and
I
also
want
to
say
to
all
the
people
testifying
here
today
for
a
just
an
equitable
budget,
I'm
here
to
say
that
you
know
we
can
do
this
right.
This
is
this.
E
Is
a
fight
that
we
can
win
together,
our
voices
are
more
powerful
than
the
police
unions
than
developers
than
the
universities
and
then
all
the
other
high-paying
campaign
donors
and
for
the
rest
of
council.
It's
time
for
you
to
take
the
same,
bold
action
that
councilman
o'connor
has
taken
on
the
mon
oakland
mobility
vote.
F
Good
morning
my
name
is
dawn
plummer.
I
live
in
point
breeze
and
serve
as
the
executive
director
of
the
pittsburgh
food
policy
council.
We
serve
and
convene
over
100
member
organizations
across
the
city
and
beyond
who
work
towards
a
just,
equitable
and
sustainable
food
system.
I'm
here
this
morning
to
underscore
the
critical
importance
of
our
city's
budget
as
a
moral
document
that
directly
should
reflect
our
priorities,
and
now,
more
than
ever,
the
city
spending
should
be
laser
focused
on
critical
needs
of
our
residents,
including
housing,
jobs
and
food.
F
F
The
learn
and
earn
program
which
employs
young
pittsburghers
to
plant
and
steward
urban
farms
and
community
gardens,
creating
jobs,
fresh
produce
and
vibrant
community
spaces.
City
supports
for
pittsburgh's
restaurants
and
food
businesses,
many
of
whom
are
facing
very
critically
difficult
times
and
need
the
ongoing
support
of
pli
and
other
city
initiatives
and
departments.
F
The
department
of
mobility
and
infrastructure,
who
has
a
responsibility
to
transport
people
and
goods
throughout
the
city,
has
an
operating
principle
that
every
household
in
pittsburgh
should
access
fresh
fruits
and
vegetables
within
20
minutes
of
travel
to
home.
But
there
it's
it's
questionable
where
the
resources
are
allocated
to
advance
that
mission.
The
city
also
supports
critical
cdbg
grants
that
have
supported
organizations
like
the
greater
pittsburgh
community,
food
bank
and
others
to
distribute
emergency
food.
F
In
this
crisis,
we
have
an
opportunity
to
rethink
our
priorities
and
guarantee
that
our
city
by
budget
line
items
truly
reflect
our
values
and
urgent
community
needs.
We
can
choose
community
investment
in
affordable
housing,
the
creation
of
good
jobs,
social
services
and
critical
food
systems,
infrastructure
that
keep
our
city
fed
instead
of
over
policing
and
criminal
criminalization.
G
Yes,
hello,
my
name
is
anthondo.
I
live
in
bloomfield
and
I'm
a
analyst
for
the
pittsburgh
budget
and
policy
center
and
I
like
to
speak
about
the
city
budget
regarding
housing
and
equity.
As
a
city
grapples
with
budget
cuts
and
uncertainty
moving
into
2021
is
important
to
evaluate
how
funding
decisions
affect
all
residents
and
the
impact
budget
decisions
have
on
the
most
vulnerable
populations
of
those
out
of
work,
working
in
essential
services
and
in
communities
that
have
seen
historical
disinvestment
and
the
housing
specs.
G
That
space
state
and
federal
eviction
moratoriums
were
enacted
as
a
response
to
the
covet
19
recession.
It
gave
renters
temporary
relief,
but
based
on
historical
data.
There
is
a
pent-up
demand
of
over
2
600
pittsburgh,
households
that
are
at
risk
of
being
evicted.
This
is
on
top
of
the
affordable
housing
task
force,
identifying
a
deficit
of
over
14
000,
affordable
units
for
households,
owning
earning
less
than
30
percent
of
the
area
median
income.
G
Additionally,
the
percentage
of
renting
households
paying
their
cost
burning
or
paying
over
30
percent
of
their
income
to
housing
remains
close
to
50
percent
and
the
most
reasonably
recently
available.
Pre-Pandemic
data
measures
to
address
affordable
housing
still
fall
short
as
a
housing.
Choice.
Voucher,
distributed
by
the
housing
authority,
continue
to
have
a
waiting
list
of
over
9
000
households.
G
This
is
evidence
in
its
rental
assistance
fund
already
being
expended
for
the
year
and
the
homeowner
assistance
program,
currently
not
accepting
new
applications.
The
city
must
anticipate
the
coming
eviction
crisis
and
put
more
funding
into
affordable
housing.
This
can
be
accomplished
by
doubling
the
funding
for
the
housing
opportunity
fund,
which
will
be
a
10
million
dollar
increase,
which
already
targets
low
income
and
cost
burning
communities.
G
These
are
measures
that
require
funding
that
can
be
acquired
through
other
changes
in
a
budget
by
reevaluating
the
possibility
of
police
spending
or
making
upmc
epmc
pay
its
fair
share.
And,
lastly,
there
needs
to
be
increased
transparency
in
the
creation
and
the
format
of
the
budget.
There's
difficulty
in
tracking,
affordable
housing
spending
and
outcomes
which
can
be
remedied
by
another,
affordable
housing
task
force,
recommendation
of
a
database
and
reconciling
past
spending
and
proposed
spending.
The
capital
budget
is
also
difficult.
G
H
Hi,
my
name
is
leah
stevens
and
I
am
a
health
care
worker,
flute,
teacher
and
resident
of
east
liberty.
I
am
here
to
again
express
my
concerns
about
the
projected
2021
pittsburgh
operating
budget.
As
you
start
voting
on
it
today.
You
already
know
our
demands
to
put
an
immediate
stop
to
the
relocation
of
the
zone.
H
H
So
what
will
it
take
for
you
to
do
not
what
is
radical,
but
what
is
humane?
You
call
health
care
workers
like
myself
heroes,
but
then
defund
the
very
essential
services
of
our
field.
You
say
black
lives
matter,
but
continue
to
militarize
and
weaponize
the
police
and
fail
to
meet
the
material
needs
of
black
communities
in
pittsburgh.
H
I
wish,
I
could
say,
I'm
surprised,
but
we
know
the
democratic
party
reigns
supreme
in
paying
friendly
lip
service
to
social
movements
without
any
substantive
change,
still
backed
and
bankrolled
by
private
investors
and
corporations.
Minneapolis
recently
defunded
their
police
department
by
22
million
dollars
to
fund
pandemic
related
services.
H
H
I
Thank
you
good
morning.
Everyone
hope
everyone
I'll
start
my
video
good
morning.
Everyone
hope
you're
all
staying
safe,
safe
and
healthy
as
cases
surge
again.
My
name
is
connor
mulvaney,
I'm
a
community
mobility
advocate
and
I
live
in
brookline
today.
I'm
here
to
ask
council
to
further
amend
mayor
peduto's
proposed
2021
budget.
I
The
cuts
to
domi
public
works,
ems
and
especially
the
office
of
equity,
are
unconscionable
pittsburghers,
myself
included,
took
to
the
streets
almost
every
day
this
past
summer,
in
spite
of
the
danger
to
our
health,
to
tell
you
all
our
elected
officials
that
we
want
changes
made
to
how
our
tax
dollars
are
spent.
We
want
our
money
to
be
invested
back
into
our
communities
and
healthy
and
constructive
ways.
Our
rights
to
speech
and
assembly
were
routinely
met
with
unnecessary
force
and
often
indifference
from
the
mayor
and
many
members
of
council.
I
So
we
ask
you
again
to
please
create
a
budget
that
supports
our
communities.
We
do
not
want
or
need
a
bloated
and
militarized
police
force.
We
want
affordable
housing.
We
want
safe
and
efficient
transportation.
We
need
as
much
help
as
we
can
get.
While
we
working
people
continue
to
bear
the
brunt
of
the
worsening
covet
19
pandemic,
please
do
the
right
thing.
D
J
All
right
great,
so
my
name
is
daniel
sun.
I
live
in
bloomfield
at
zip
code
15224
and
you
know,
living
in
pittsburgh
just
makes
me
really
sad.
It's
so
sad
to
live
here.
The
air
some
of
the
worst
there's
lead
in
the
water.
Seven
thousand
black
residents
have
moved
out
of
pittsburgh
from
2014
to
2018.
J
at
last
week's
city
council
meeting
a
survivor
testified
about
the
funding
cuts
to
ems
and
then
council
person
burgess,
who
looks
like
dr
eggman
from
sonic.
The
hedgehog
implies
that
domestic
violence
is
not
a
real
crime
and
when
you
have
people
who
say
things
like
that
and
then
the
rest
of
councils
say
nothing
to
defend
survivors,
it
is
no
wonder
how
pittsburgh
is
the
worst
city
for
black
women,
and,
despite
that,
the
mayor's
and
council's
responses
are
a
whole
lot
of
nothing
like.
J
J
My
demand
for
you
all
is
to
listen
to
our
concerns
and
take
them
seriously
in
our
demands
and
to
figure
out
how
to
make
them
work.
We
are
all
pittsburghers
through
and
through
each
with
personal
invested
interest
in
the
outcome
of
this
budget.
So
you
all
need
to
listen
to
us
and
figure
out
how
to
act
on
what
we
want.
You
have
options.
Strasburger
has
a
bunch
of
police
reforms.
Just
pick.
Some
you,
like
gross,
has
identified
every
police
and
related
line
item.
It
just
removes
some
stuff
that
doesn't
make
sense.
J
The
police
do
not
need
you
vehicles
in
a
pandemic,
because
people
should
be
inside
more
anyways.
So
just
or
you
could
you
could.
You
could
vote
to
extend
the
2020
budget
for
a
few
months
and
then
we
could
debate
this
some
more.
I
don't
think
that's
against
the
homeworld
charter.
You
can
go
and
check,
it
might
be.
J
I
don't
remember
so
or
you
could
just
do
the
things
that
the
station
is
asking,
so
you
have
so
many
options
available
to
you
and
you
really
just
need
to
get
to
it,
because
this
budget,
right
now,
if
it
keeps
going
it's
just
gonna,
remain
terrible
for
the
rest
of
us
and
it's
gonna
continue
making
pittsburgh
the
worst
city
for
black
women.
Thank
you.
K
Good
morning
I
come
to
you
today
as
a
long
time,
city
resident
taxpayer
and
homeowner,
as
I
thought
about
the
proposed
city
budget,
my
taxes,
the
plight
of
so
many
low-wage
workers,
the
racism
that
makes
us
one
of
the
most
segregated
cities
in
the
u.s
by
sometimes
despair
and
oftentimes
anger
over
the
declining
economic
status
of
those
essential
workers
who
keep
our
city
functioning.
I
was
tempted
to
channel
dickens
coast,
the
ghost
of
christmas
past.
K
That
apparition
is
both
stern
and
sympathetic,
disturbed
that
the
past
cannot
be
changed
but
hoping
to
scrooge,
and
presumably
we
can
change,
but
instead
I'm
the
ghost
of
christmas
present
filled
with
unrealized
possibilities,
knowing
that
workers
must
be
listened
to
respected
or
prioritized
in
a
world
that
instead
prioritizes
the
trivialities
of
the
rich,
their
wealth
and
their
needs.
But
as
the
ghost
of
christmas
present,
I'm
also
the
bearer
of
bad
tidings
as
a
wife
of
willie,
loman,
quiet
and
death
of
a
salesman,
attention
must
be
paid
for
like
it
or
not.
K
We
are
never
going
back
to
quote-unquote
normal.
We
are
not
in
the
next
few
years
or
perhaps
not
for
a
decade
or
more
going
to
see
all
those
shiny,
new
buildings
we
subsidized,
whether
retail
or
luxury
apartments
fully
occupied
this
pandemic
has
exposed
the
system
in
a
way
that
few
thought
possible
a
few
months
ago.
The
city
budget
is
not
going
back
to
normal
in
2021,
22,
23,
etc.
The
economic
system
we
live
under
is
failing.
Has
there
will
continue
to
fail
to
believe
otherwise
is
to
willingly
deceive
ourselves.
K
We
must
create
and
believe
in
a
new
normal,
but
now,
as
the
hopeful
goes
to
a
christian
present,
which
was
a
hopeful
apparition,
I
tell
you
that
we
can
make
good
soup
from
these
spare
bones.
This
budget,
which
does
not
serve
the
people
well,
must
be
changed.
We're
facing
an
unprecedented
housing
crisis
that
will
leave
thousands
homeless.
We
do
little
except
give
small
boost
to
an
already
too
small
housing
opportunity
fund
and
call
it
victory.
We
have
a
bloated
police
budget,
more
appropriate
for
city,
twice
our
size
with
crime
twice
our
rate.
K
Astoundingly,
we
have
a
police
overtime
budget
larger
than
the
budget
for
affordable
housing
or
the
need
for
mental
health
services.
Food
and
shelter
leaves
me
almost
incoherent
at
the
immorality.
In
that
contradiction,
there
are
solutions.
It
takes
boldness
and
commitment
to
live
by
values
that
places
the
lives
of
our
residents.
Before
the
interest
of
profit
makers,
we
should
go
after
upmc
make
him
pay
its
fair
share
by
any
means
necessary.
We
should
slash
the
police
budget
and
swing
savings
to
affordable
housing
and
social
services.
K
We
shall
follow
a
councilman
unconsciously,
refuse
to
give
dummy
peduto's
proposed
additional
formula
to
run
a
road
through
a
park
to
run
in
hazelwood
just
to
serve
cmu,
upmc
and
the
foundations.
We
should
take
lessons
from
barcelona,
spain,
that
demanded
and
seized
empty
apartments
to
be
rented
at
affordable
rates
to
workers.
We
should
use
covent
money
to
buy
port
authority,
passes
for
low
wage
workers
to
boost
mass
transit
and
lessen
the
financial
burden
on
those
essential
workers.
K
But
finally,
we
should
greet
the
ghost
of
christmas
yet
to
come,
not
with
the
fear
often
generated
by
that
operation,
but
with
a
sense
of
joy
that
we
can,
for
it
is
within
our
power,
create
a
city
that
serves
not
some
of
the
people
some
of
the
time,
but
all
of
the
people
all
the
time.
Our
new
normal
must
become
a
people's
normal
and
by
the
way
my
email
is
lighting
up
with
people
who
cannot
get
into
the
session.
I
don't
know
what
has
happened,
but
many
people
are
saying
they're
unable
to
get
into
registered.
L
My
name
is
holly
keane.
I
am
an
east
liberty
resident
of
nine
years.
I
am
one
of
the
many
people
here
mobilized
by
stop
the
station
a
multi-racial
and
multi-generational
coalition
of
people
who
will
not
accept
the
city
using
three
million
dollars
during
a
pandemic
to
relocate
the
zone
5
police
station.
L
To
put
that
number
into
context,
we
can
compare
it
to
the
budget
for
the
mayor's
proposed
office
of
community
health
and
safety,
which
she
says
will
address,
needs
that
are
beyond
the
scope
of
law
enforcement.
That
office's
budget
is
twenty
thousand
dollars.
So,
speaking
in
rough
terms,
the
money
the
city
will
put
into
one
police
station
this
year
could
fund
150
offices
of
community
health
and
safety.
L
That
would
be
a
start
so
when
bill
peduto
says
that
black
lives
matter
in
pittsburgh
and
that
his
budget
is
reinvesting
in
pittsburgh's
communities
he's
lying
the
budget,
just
like
its
author
is
dishonest.
Here's
another
example.
On
november
29th,
bill
peduto
stated
in
a
tweet
that
quote:
residents
of
east
liberty
and
citizen
leaders
of
the
zone.
5
public
safety
council
have
asked
for
the
return
of
their
station.
L
L
She
said
quote:
the
council
has
discussed
the
move
in
just
one
meeting
and
no
one
present
was
in
support.
Whoever
in
the
city
told
you
that
we
wanted
the
station
moved
was
a
liar
before
I
give
any
further
examples.
I
have
something
extremely
important
to
say
to
each
member
of
council
and
the
clerks.
L
That's
your
cue
to
pay
attention,
I
think
ricky
and
president
kale
smith,
because
your
cameras
aren't
on
I
have
in
my
petition
or
I'm
sorry
in
my
possession
a
petition
with
more
than
the
required
number
of
signatures
from
city
residents
imploring
you
to
schedule
an
accessible
budget
hearing.
I
was
advised
by
the
clerk's
office
on
november
30th
that
this
was
quote
a
great
guaranteed
way
for
citizens
to
request
the
hearing.
L
M
Hello
good
morning
I
live
in
highland
park
and
I've
lived
in
pittsburgh
for
about
15
years.
Like
many
people,
I
gave
a
statement
at
last
week's
meeting
and
listened
as
around
40.
Other
community
members
gave
them
passion
testimony
and
made
very
clear
demands
after
the
common
period.
I
really
just
couldn't
help,
but
laugh
as
the
members
of
this
council
rattled
off
hollow
sentiments
and
recycled
bill.
Peduto
talking
points
about
not
being
able
to
defund
the
police
because
it's
illegal.
M
We
know
this
isn't
true,
and
this
council
knows
it's
not
true
either.
I
want
to
share
a
section
of
the
text
of
act.
265
of
pa
state
law,
section
9
states
that
if
for
reasons
of
economy
or
lack
of
funds,
it
becomes
necessary
for
any
city
of
the
second
class
to
reduce
any
employees
of
its
bureau
of
police,
then
the
city
shall
follow
the
following
procedure.
M
So
it's
clear
that
there
are
legal
and
logical
routes
of
reducing
police
funding.
What
it
really
comes
down
to
is
the
absence
of
a
backbone
and
our
city
councilors,
and
their
financial
and
other
interests
in
maintaining
the
police,
as
they
are
no
cop
money.
Pennsylvania.
A
great
organization
has
found
that
council
members,
kale
smith,
krauss,
coghill
and
lavelle
have
all
taken
campaign
contributions
from
police
unions,
while
some
of
the
members
of
this
council
have
voiced
interest
in
true
transformative
change
and
the
reallocation
of
police
funding.
M
What
will
they
actually
do
to
follow
through
with
this
and
what
budget
amendments
will
they
will
they
introduce?
Furthermore,
I
think
we
can
also
reject
the
ridiculous
claims
made
by
council
members.
Last
week,
council
members,
coghill
and
burgess
said
that
the
pittsburgh
police
are
one
of
the
finest
departments
in
the
country.
M
M
It's
the
one
that
shot
and
maimed
leon
ford
in
2012,
with
no
consequences,
and
this
department
is
also
the
one
that
has
abused
and
injured
countless
protesters
over
the
summer
with
no
repercussions
so
save
yourselves.
The
embarrassment
of
claiming
that
we
have
a
great
police
department
to
close,
I
wanna-
I
want
everyone
to
remember
this
council
members,
kale
smith,
coghill,
lavelle
and
strasburger-
are
up
for
re-election
next
year.
Remember
that
and
remember
what
they
do
or
more
likely
don't
do
to
stop
this
budget's
dangerous
cuts
to
defund
the
police
and
to
actually
fund
our
communities.
N
Hi,
I'm
ed
nusser,
the
executive
director
of
city
of
bridges,
community
land
trust,
we're
located
at
143rd
street
and
central
lawrenceville,
we're
a
nonprofit
community.
Land
trust
serves
the
city
of
pittsburgh
and
allegheny
county.
We
build
community
ownership
that
preserves
permanent
affordability,
empowers
individuals
and
ensures
responsible
growth
and
stewardship,
and
we're
here
today,
like
so
many
others,
to
encourage
city
council
to
reimagine
our
public
safety
budget.
I've
been
sitting
with
a
quote
that
keeps
coming
back
to
me
over
the
course
of
this
year.
It's
almost
70
years
old
from
president
eisenhower.
N
He
said
every
gun
that
is
made
every
warship
launched
every
rocket
fired
signifies
in
the
final
sense,
a
theft
from
those
who
hunger
and
aren't
fed
from
those
who
are
cold
and
aren't
clothed
and
it's
a
powerful
statement,
but
we
have
to
localize
it.
We
have
to
acknowledge
the
reality
that
every
swat
vehicle
every
new
police
station,
every
tear
gas
canister,
is
an
after-school
program
or
an
affordable
home
building
off
that
idea.
Last
year,
pittsburgh's
economic
justice
circle
put
it
pretty
succinctly.
N
N
Where
are
our
priorities
in
this
moment
where
eviction
moratoriums
are
set
to
expire,
where
home
prices
continue
to
skyrocket,
with
no
end
in
sight
where
stable
housing
is
directly
tied
to
survival,
we
must
be
directing
our
resources
to
put
out
the
fires
we
are
facing
right
now
and
to
build
a
system,
that's
more
fireproof
in
the
future.
We
must
increase
our
investment
in
the
things
that
keep
people
in
their
homes
and
invest
in
the
creation
of
more
homes.
N
2020
has
further
exposed
the
systemic
inequalities
and
racism
that
are
pervasive
in
our
city
and
our
country.
Now
is
not
the
time
to
continue
with
business
as
usual.
Now
is
the
moment
to
rethink
everything
we
can
do
this.
We
can
build
an
equitable
city.
We
can
center
the
voices
and
desires
of
the
people
and
communities
who
have
been
and
still
are
systemically
disinvested
in,
but
it
starts
with
financial
resources.
N
It
starts
with
an
investment
that
is
focused
on
a
future
built
on
hopes
and
aspirations
and
not
fears.
The
scale
of
the
solution
must
match
the
scale
of
the
problem,
and
after
this
year
we
have
no
ability
to
say
that
we
don't
know
the
scale
of
the
problem.
We
know
the
scale
of
the
problem,
it's
up
to
all
of
us
to
rise
to
mute.
It
thank.
O
O
I'm
also
asking
why
commenters
rebooted
from
the
meeting
after
speaking
last
week
and
asked
that
it
not
be
done
today.
I
do
not
support
relocation
of
the
zone.
5
police
station
dewey's
liberty,
nor
any
other
police
related
projects
or
purchases.
Pittsburgh
police
must
be
immediately
defunded
by
50
percent,
with
a
substantial
amount
relocated
to
projects
that
tangibly
increase
quality
of
daily
life
for
working-class
residents,
especially
black
and
brown
ones.
Affordable
housing
for
renters
and
owner
occupants
must
be
a
top
priority.
O
The
city
should
also
pay
in
deport
authority,
amongst
many
other
things,
I'm
asking
as
so
many
others
have
what
about
the
extremely
important
jobs
in
the
department's
receiving
cuts.
I
haven't
yet
heard
these
concerns
addressed
in
a
meaningful
way,
and
I
hope
you
will
today
go
beyond
acknowledging
them
and
fully
demure
from
the
mayor's
recommendations.
O
O
O
Corporations
are
not
going
to
save
us
from
the
ravages
of
climate
change
and
it
is
well
past
time
to
stop
carrying
their
favor.
I
implore
you
to
take
a
wide
view
to
break
rank
and
to
take
action
that
may
seem
to
you
radical
in
your
position
of
power.
You
may
lose
career
prospects
or
clout,
but
you
will
have
gained
the
respect
of
millions,
including
future
generations.
O
You
will
also
gain
an
immense
sense
of
empowerment
for
sticking
up
for
human
dignity.
If
you
do
not
have
an
interest
in
running
a
more
socialized
city
or
feel
you
are
not
qualified
for
the
job,
then
I
suggest
you
step
down,
because
in
the
aftermath
of
this
horrific
year
there
are
many
eager
to
take
your
place.
O
I
beg
you
to
show
them
up
and
let
this
be
a
way
that
pittsburgh
leads.
These
demands
for
justice
will
come
to
pass
regardless,
once
mass
labor
strikes
begin
in
the
next
few
years.
The
only
question
is
which
side
of
history
will
you
be
on?
Are
you
in
the
pocket
of
the
corporations
and
police
unions,
or
are
you
going
to
keep
people
safe
in
our
pocket?
Called
pittsburgh
g
city
council
we're
down
on
our
knees,
cause?
No
one
wants
a
city
with
these
racist
police
g
city
council.
A
P
Q
Schroering
hi,
yes,
my
name
is
caitlin
schroering
and
I'm
a
resident
and
homeowner
in
15207.
A
budget
is
a
reflection
of
a
city's
priorities.
It
is
also
a
reflection
of
a
city's
morals,
and
the
currently
proposed
budget
is
a
bad
one.
I'm
here
today
to
say
two
things.
First,
this
budget
should
reflect
a
50
percent
cut
to
the
police
budget
and
that
should
be
redirected
to
affordable
housing,
workforce
development
and
other
public
health
initiatives.
Q
Additionally,
the
budget
should
double
the
current
allocation
to
the
housing
opportunity
fund.
A
recent
study
showed
that
pittsburgh
lost
one
out
of
every
10
jobs
between
february
and
august
of
this
year.
We
need
a
budget
that
prioritizes
life
and
livelihood
instead
of
spending
millions
to
militarize
law
enforcement
and
take
resources
away
from
communities.
People
need
jobs,
housing,
health
care,
not
jail,
not
militarize.
Please,
as
I
said,
a
budget
is
a
reflection
of
the
morals
and
priorities
of
a
city.
Q
Are
we
going
to
be
a
place
that
works
to
make
real
long-term
systemic
changes
that
address
our
city's
glaring,
racial
and
economic
realities,
or
not
a
critical
first
step
in
doing
this?
Is
redirecting
money
from
the
police
budget
in
the
form
of
a
50
cut
to
it?
The
second
point
I
wish
to
make
is
that
there
must
be
transparency,
accountability,
community
input
and
racial
equity
in
this
budget
process.
Q
This
is
a
reality
not
afforded
to
most,
and
so
I
want
to
call
attention
specifically
to
the
fact
that
holding
one
community
input
hearing
at
10
a.m
on
a
work
day
that
started
over
15
minutes
late
is
not
an
acceptable
avenue
for
transparency
and
community
input.
I
know
for
a
fact
that
there
are
people
who
would
have
liked
to
attend
and
could
not
because
of
work
and
people
who
registered
to
speak
but
had
a
limited
amount
of
time
to
step
away
from
work
and
because
you
started
late
they're
not
going
to
be
able
to.
Q
It
also
seems
that
you
only
let
a
few
people
in
at
a
time
to
wait
with
no
explanation
that
that's
how
it
was
going
to
work
ahead
of
time,
meaning
that
the
rest
of
us
were
waiting.
I
waited
like
20
minutes,
I
know
other
people
are
still
waiting
and
we
didn't
know
what
was
going
on
and
this
streaming
channel
on
youtube
wasn't
in
fact
loading
until
about
30
minutes
in
it.
It's
just
I
it's
not
okay,
and
if
you
had
started
on
time
at
least
five
more
people
could
have
spoken.
Q
Q
R
Hi,
my
name
is
taylor
grieshober
and
I'm
a
teacher
in
pittsburgh,
public
schools.
I
work
in
downtown
pittsburgh
and
I'm
appalled
by
the
proposed
cuts
to
emergency
services
in
the
midst
of
a
global
pandemic.
Pittsburgh
communities
do
not
need
more
policing;
they
need
access
to
affordable
housing,
crisis
intervention
and
mental
health
services
and
well-paying
jobs.
We've
seen
time
and
time
again
what
money
for
the
police
bureau
has
wrought,
though
mayor
peduto
has
invested
in
police
reforms
in
the
past,
we've
seen
that
reforms
simply
do
not
work.
R
R
I
demand
that
funding
for
the
pittsburgh
public
pittsburgh
pittsburgh
police
department
be
cut
by
at
least
50
percent
and
that
those
funds
be
reallocated
to
crucial
services
for
pittsburgh
communities,
especially
housing.
Since
so
many
people
are,
and
will
continue
to
face
eviction.
If
the
policing
budget
was
returned
to
what
it
was
in,
2016,
10
million
dollars
could
be
direct
redirected
to
affordable
housing.
R
S
We
call
for
amendments
today
to
this
budget
that
begin
to
immediately
reallocate
50
percent
of
the
budget
from
policing
toward
affordable
housing.
Specifically,
all
proceeds
from
the
real
estate
transfer
tax
should
be
allocated
to
the
housing
opportunity
fund.
The
housing
opportunity
fund
should
have
an
additional
allocation
of
at
least
10
million
dollars,
doubling
the
funds
available
available
to
at
least
20
million,
as
our
city
faces,
an
ever
expanding,
affordable
housing
shortage
and
deepening
eviction
crisis.
In
turn,
those
dollars
need
to
be
made
available
for
direct
housing
assistance
immediately.
S
S
The
budget
before
you
is
a
reflection
of
the
mayor's
priorities,
not
those
of
his
and
your
constituents.
Our
priorities
are
for
pittsburgh's
budget
to
address
our
city's
racial
and
economic
disparities.
We
need
more
money
for
families
in
the
middle
of
a
public,
health
and
economic
crisis,
not
more
money
for
police.
S
Some
on
council
have
said
that
what
we
are
asking
for
is
illegal,
but
that
excuse
only
serves
to
provide
cover
for
not
taking
bold
action
and
leadership.
In
this
moment
of
crisis,
we
can
and
should
reimagine
public
safety
and
invest
in
building
our
communities
rather
than
over
policing
them.
We
want
our
voices
to
be
heard
and
reflected
in
this
budget
and
an
ongoing
community
driven
process
of
budgeting
throughout
the
year.
That
is
focused
on
greater
transparency,
accountability
and
racial
equity.
We
must
start
today
by
reducing
the
police
budget
and
funding
our
community's
most
pressing
needs.
T
Hi
yeah
I'm
diana
polson,
I'm
a
resident
of
point
breeze
and
I'm
also
a
senior
policy
analyst
at
the
pennsylvania
budget
and
policy
center.
Thanks
for
listening
to
all
of
us
today,
I
was
a
co-author
on
a
report
released
last
week,
analyzing
the
mayor's
budget,
with
a
particular
focus
on
police,
housing
and
workforce
budgets.
T
I'd
like
to
share
some
of
some
of
our
findings
as
it
relates
to
the
police.
We
looked
at
data
from
the
fbi's
uniform
crime
reporting
database
data
from
2018
shows
that
the
city
of
pittsburgh
ranks
high
in
the
top
12
percent
in
the
number
of
police
officers
per
10
000
residents
compared
to
other.
Similarly,
sized
cities
in
the
two
hundred
thousand
to
five
hundred
thousand
population
range
pittsburgh
ranks
nine
out
of
seventy
seven
cities.
T
T
We
know
city
council
has
taken
steps
forward
in
police
reform,
but
more
can
be
done,
especially
when
it
comes
to
the
budget.
Our
city's
budget
really
is
our
moral
document.
It
shows
what
we
value
in
the
1960s.
There
were
ongoing
debates
about
how
best
to
address
poverty
and
racial
segregation
in
cities
across
the
u.s.
Should
we
expand
the
social
safety
net
or
deepen
mechanisms
of
social
control?
T
Another
way
is
possible.
We
should
follow
the
lead
of
other
cities
like
austin
seattle,
new
york,
baltimore,
hartford,
norman
oklahoma,
los
angeles
salt
lake
city,
who
have
begun
to
cut
their
police
budgets.
We
know
that
greater
investment
in
communities
on
the
front
end
will
lead
to
less
need
for
intervention
from
police
on
the
back
end.
Our
current
crisis
gives
us
an
opportunity
to
rethink
our
priorities,
and
I
urge
city
council
to
redirect
funds
from
the
police
bureau
to
other
community
priorities
like
affordable
housing,
especially
given.
A
V
V
W
W
We
need
for
big
businesses
to
pay
their
fair
share
and
contribute
to
the
community,
otherwise
they're
only
a
drain.
It
shouldn't
be
on
the
backs
of
individual
workers
to
drive
the
economy.
You
all
keep
coming
up
with
excuses,
but
none
of
them
will
fly.
If
you
don't
listen
to
the
citizens
of
the
city
you
claim
to
represent,
you
are
simply
wrong
and
you're
not
doing
your
job.
Thank
you.
X
Korb
hi,
my
name,
is
emma
corb.
I've
lived,
I've
lived
in
pittsburgh,
my
whole
life.
I
just
wanted
to
start
out
by
saying
that
you
guys
really
need
to
move
these
meetings
to
a
time.
That's
more
accessible!
That's
not
10
a.m.
On
a
weekday
I
was
here
last
week
and
every
single
person
that
spoke
requested
that
you
guys
move
these
meetings
to
a
time,
that's
more
accessible
for
high
school
students
and
for
working
people,
and
you
guys
didn't
even
do
that
for
this
week.
So
I'm
just
kind
of
confused
on.
Y
X
The
city
of
pittsburgh's
indifference
towards
the
people
who
live
in
it,
especially
working
class,
black
black
and
brown
communities.
It's
clear
that
pittsburgh
does
not
respect
these
communities
with
the
coronavirus
going
on.
More
and
more
people
continue
to
lose
their
jobs,
their
homes,
their
health
care,
their
loved
ones
and
even
their
lives.
Tens
and
thousands
of
people
are
scrambling
for
security.
The
world
is
becoming
less
and
less
safe
for
these
people,
as
they
expected
to
exhaust
themselves
in
order
to
gain
access
to
basic
human.
X
X
Who
relies
on
them
they're
in
can
of
their
income?
You
strip
them
of
their
health
care,
for
we
all
know
what
a
medical
atrocity
that
the
allegheny
county
jail
is
you
take
the
person
away
from
their
loved
ones,
which
is
a
traumatic
experience
both
for
the
person
in
jail
and
their
friends
and
family
people
come
out
of
jail,
worse,
mentally
and
physically
and
less
prepared
for
the
future,
which
creates
weaker
communities?
X
And
it's
disgusting
to
me
that,
in
the
wake
of
all
these
atrocities,
the
pandemic
is
prioritizing
and
expanding
police
funding.
When
so
many
people
in
our
communities
are
barely
getting
their
needs
met.
Expanding
the
police
budget
is
like
sticking
a
finger
into
an
already
open
wound.
We
are
ripping
people
down
instead
of
them
built
instead
of
building
them
up,
and
that
is
not
an
environment
that
is
suitable
for
progress
at
all.
I
would
like
to
see
our
communities
in
pittsburgh
strengthen
by
investing
in
affordable
housing,
well-funded
education
and
social
social
services.
X
Z
Hello,
my
name
is
kelsey
cardia
and
I'm
a
17
year
old
in
pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania
I'm
missing
school
right
now,
just
so
I
can
attend
this
meeting.
Clearly,
you've
made
it
as
difficult
as
possible
for
people
to
attend.
As
someone
who
will
be
turning
18
next
year,
I
will
be
able
to
hold
the
council
accountable
in
next
year's
election.
If
the
budget
passes
in
its
current
form,
it
is
absolutely
appalling
that
you
are
looking
to
increase
police
funding
and
cut
funding
from
affordable
housing
projects
and
other
social
services.
Z
AA
Hi
good
morning,
everyone,
my
name,
is
gabriella
karahia
and
I
live
in
zip
code.
15216
and
I've
lived
in
pittsburgh
for
eight
years.
I
am
severely
disturbed
by
the
budget
proposal
that
has
been
anything
but
bold
or
brave.
In
the
face
of
this
pandemic,
the
proposed
budget
allocates
one
of
every
five
dollars
to
fund
the
police
bureau
the
highest
level
in
six
years,
and
I
find
this
absolutely
unacceptable,
given
that
cuts
had
to
be
made
to
the
office
of
equity
in
the
office
of
city
planning,
among
others,
to
accommodate
for
this.
AA
The
pittsburgh
budget
and
policy
center
ranked
pittsburgh
as
the
ninth
most
heavily
policed
of
77
medium-sized
cities
in
the
u.s,
and
yet
we
claim
to
be
the
most
livable.
It
is
not
the
time
to
prioritize
police
funding
over
the
needs
of
our
communities,
especially
during
a
pandemic
that
has
left
so
many
struggling
to
fulfill
basic
needs
such
as
food
and
housing.
I
ask
that
you
please
follow
in
the
footsteps
of
other
cities
and
significantly
reallocating
funds
away
from
the
police
to
the
desperately
needed
social
services
and
affordable
housing.
AA
AB
AB
I
live
in
summerhill
neighborhood
of
pittsburgh,
zip
code
15214,
and
I
do
not
agree
with
mayor
peduto's
budget
proposal.
If
our
country's
ongoing
racial
pandemic
has
taught
us
anything,
it
is
that
the
police
do
not
keep
us
safe.
We
keep
us
safe,
the
people,
and
so
today
I'm
asking
the
question
what?
If
these
funds
went
to
the
people?
What
if
this
money
went
to
our
health
and
safety
and
not
our
incarceration
and
as
a
white
woman,
I
would
be
remiss
to
not
explicate
the
extreme
difference.
AB
My
experience
in
this
city
is
to
that
of
a
black
woman.
Pittsburgh
was
voted
the
second
worst
city
in
the
country
to
live
here
as
a
black
woman
and
so
to
say
we
cannot
defund
the
police.
We
will
not
defund
the
police
as
sending
a
very
specific
message
to
that
community,
and
I
offer
you
I
encourage
you
to
investigate
that.
Some
statistics
that
I
think
are
really
important
to
hear
today
is
that
under
mayor
peduto's
administration,
he
has
increased
the
police
budget
by
42
42.
AB
AB
AB
I
believe
we
need
to
tax
upmc
and
we
need
to
address
the
ongoing
budget
crisis
and
fully
fund
well-paid
union
jobs,
housing,
health
care
and
public
education,
and
please
move
this
meeting
to
an
accessible
time.
There's
many
people
that
wanted
to
speak
today
that
couldn't
make
it
because
they
are
working
during
a
pandemic.
AC
Hello,
my
name
is
eva
conrad,
I
use
she
they
pronouns
and
I
live
in
marshall,
shadeland
bobby
wilson.
You
are
my
city
council
representative,
for
this
district.
I
want
to
say
hello,
because
I
have
not
been
able
to
contact
you,
so
I
want
to
comment
on
the
late
start
to
this
meeting.
I
was
let
into
this
meeting
30
minutes
late.
This
is
really
just
unacceptable.
AC
We
did
elect
you
to
these
positions
in
order
to
hear
our
our
needs
and
our
concerns,
and
that
is
your
job
just
a
reminder,
and
I
want
to
comment
on
a
few
of
the
things
that
were
spoken
on
during
the
city
council
meeting
last
monday.
Some
council
members
spoke
on
the
inability
for
them
to
pass
some
of
the
asks
that
many
constituents
have
expressed
concerns
over
such
as
defunding
the
police
by
50
commenting
on
how
this
is
not
in
their
power.
AC
AC
AC
I
stand
by
that
and
I
hope
that
you
make
decisions
to
push
that
forward,
and
you
also
spoke
on
the
black
community
wanting
police
presence
and
I'm
really
curious
about
this
comment
and
I'd
like
to
know
where
those
people
are
in
the
city
council
meeting
and
where
are
they
expressing
their
concerns
for
a
need
for
policing?
Because
I
have
spoken
to
not
a
single
black
person
that
has.
D
AD
Okay,
cool,
my
name
is
asha,
I'm
a
resident
of
south
oakland,
I
go
to
pitt
and
I'm
studying
american
sign
language.
So
before
I
begin,
thank
you
to
the
asl
interpreters
for
making
today's
meeting
more
accessible.
The
same
cannot
be
said
about
the
timing
of
this
meeting.
The
fact
that
the
essential
workers
that
we
claim
to
prioritize
can't
have
a
say
in
this
budget,
because
this
meeting
is
at
10
a.m,
on
a
work
day
and
didn't
even
begin
until
well.
After
that
time
is
almost
laughable.
AD
If
I
were
not
an
earlier
speaker
and
if
multiple
other
speakers
hadn't
had
to
leave,
I
would
have
had
to
leave
as
well,
since
I
have
the
privilege
to
speak.
Here's
a
brief
summary
of
my
points.
This
budget
is
a
slap
in
the
face
to
the
residents
we
claim
to
care
about
for
a
city
whose
pr
teams
use
mr
rogers
for
everything.
This
budget
does
not
reflect
any
love
for
our
neighbors,
as
we
are
in
the
middle
of
a
global
pandemic.
The
city
of
pittsburgh
is
full
of
people
suffering
as
a
grocery
store
employee.
AD
From
march,
through
october,
I've
seen
countless
families
having
to
navigate
food
stamps.
For
the
first
time
I've
had
customers
tell
me
how
they
check
their
unemployment
status
daily,
hoping
to
get
money.
They
need
to
stay
afloat.
People
are
scared
of
going
to
the
hospital
for
fear
of
medical
bills
that
they
can't
pay
for,
and
on
top
of,
all
of
that
people
are
terrified
of
the
police.
So
it's
not.
AD
What
struggling
families
need
for
the
office
of
equities
budget
to
be
decreased
by
nearly
25
leaving
people
without
the
advancement
of
their
well-being
and
satisfaction
of
essential
needs
outlined
on
the
city's
website?
The
elderly
and
immuno-compromised
do
not
need
a
16
cut
from
emergency
medical
services,
as
covid
19
cases
rise.
AD
Essential
workers
who
take
the
bus
every
day
to
provide
for
the
rest
of
us
do
not
need
the
16
to
the
department
of
mobility
and
infrastructure's
budget
and
all
citizens
of
pittsburgh,
especially
the
black
and
brown
citizens
of
the
city,
who
have
been
traumatized
by
the
pittsburgh
police
for
years.
Do
not
need
the
city's
police
department
budget
to
be
raised
by
16
percent.
AD
After
watching
militarized
police
descend
on
a
group
of
peaceful
protesters
on
central
avenue
in
june,
the
residents
of
east
liberty
do
not
want
a
new
police
station
which
stops
the
station
has
made
clear
with
their
canvassing.
It
has
been
made
abundantly
clear
by
the
tireless
work
of
stop
the
station
and
black
lives
matter,
organizers,
that
more
policing,
be
it
with
the
zone.
5
station
or
with
a
raised
budget,
is
overwhelmingly
opposed.
AD
The
city
of
pittsburgh
does
not
want
these
budget
allocations,
but,
more
importantly,
it
does
not
need
them
in
a
year
marked
by
confronting
inequity
in
the
massive
upending
of
the
lives
of
millions.
These
budget
allocations
are
leaving
far
too
many
residents
high
and
dry
when
they
need
the
city
support
the
most
the
police
are
not
suffering,
their
livelihood
doesn't
rely
on
a
new
police
cruiser,
but
this
budget
prioritizes
the
wants
of
the
police
over
the
needs
of
our
neighbors,
and
one
last
note,
I
made
11.25
an
hour
as
a
cashier.
AD
This
year,
I,
as
a
19
year
old,
be
paying
more
in
taxes
than
the
largest
employer
in
pennsylvania
this
year.
Just
sit
with
that
overall.
I
think
that
earlier
speakers
said
it
best
when
they
said
that
our
budget
is
a
moral
document.
Consider
what
morals
you
want
this
budget
to
reflect.
You
need
to
invest
in
and
protect
your
citizens,
not
your
police,
black
lives
matter,
defund,
the
police.
Thank
you
for
your
time.
AE
We
can
so
public
speaking
is
not
my
strong
suit.
I
mostly
just
want
to
express
agreement
and
solidarity
with
what
pretty
much
every
caller
has
been
saying.
I
just
graduated
in
august
from
the
university
of
pittsburgh
with
a
joint
masters
in
social
work
and
public
health.
I
still
live
in
shadyside,
but
work
for
project
destiny,
a
social
service
and
public
health
related
non-profit.
AE
That
last
week,
you
tried
to
dismiss
dismiss
specifically
ricky
burgess
tried
to
dismiss
speakers
as
being
a
kind
of
a
small
subset
of
mostly
white
activists,
but
then
there's
been
no
attempt
on
your
part
to
have
a
more
accessible
meeting
time,
while
the
people
that
you
tried
to
dismiss
have
been
dragging
you
with
petitions
and
with
every
single
comment
to
make
this
more
accessible.
So
you
can
have
a
wider
and
more
accurate
summary
of
what
your
constituents
really
want.
AE
So,
yes,
I
just
want
to
again
reiterate
that
the
police
should
be
defunded
and
you
all
need
to
decide
like
how
you
really
conceptualize
your
jobs.
Is
it
to
reach
out
to
constituents
and
see
what
they
need
and
to
do
your
absolute
best
to
represent
that,
or
is
it
just
to
carry
the
mayor's
water?
That's
all.
Thank
you.
AF
Schwartz,
my
name
is
alexis
schwartz,
I'm
a
resident
of
beach
view
and
councilman
anthony
coghill's
district
hello.
I
am
getting
my
masters
in
social
work
at
the
university
of
pittsburgh.
I
felt
called
to
social
work
because
of
the
potential
to
make
a
difference,
and
I
hope
that
the
potential
to
make
a
positive
difference
is
why
you
ran
for
office
as
individuals
who
want
to
help.
We
must
challenge
not
perpetuate
oppressive
systems.
This
is
why
I
must
contend
with
social
work's
complicity
with
police.
This
is
why
I
am
here
asking
for
an
anti-racist
budget.
AF
I
provide
mental
health
services
to
women
in
early
addiction
recovery.
I
also
provide
educational
support
to
children,
experiencing
homelessness,
criminalization
of
substance
use
and
of
addiction
and
of
being
poor,
perpetuates
so
many
problems,
more
policing
and
more
incarceration
won't
alleviate
poverty
or
improve
social
conditions.
AF
31
police
officers
for
1
000
people
in
a
midsize
city
and
giving
police
more
and
more
weapons
does
not
make
the
city
livable
police
do
not
make
us
more
safe
and
kids
know
that
mayor
peduto.
You
responded
to
protesters
at
your
door
with
fear
by
hiding
behind
police.
Why
are
you
afraid
of
the
people
you
represent?
AF
AF
It
defunds
the
department
of
mobility
and
infrastructure,
the
office
of
equity,
public
works
and
the
fire
department,
but
it
leaves
the
police
funds
grossly
overfunded,
like
zachary
said,
don't
dismiss
us
as
being
activists,
a
separate
group
from
everyday
pittsburgh
people
we
are
the
everyday
everyday
pittsburgh.
People
and
organizers
have
worked
to
be
engaged
with
folks
who
didn't
have
access
to
information
about
this
budget
because
it
hasn't
been
transparent
before
the
pandemic.
The
city's
gender
equity
commission
found
pittsburgh
to
be
the
worst
place
for
black
women
to
live
for
just
about
every
indicator
of
livability.
AF
Are
you
okay
with
that?
Last
week,
you
said
it
is
uncomfortable
to
be
asked
questions
and
not
be
able
to
respond
out
of
respect
for
the
format.
Well,
you
can
respond
with
your
action.
Do
not
pass
this
budget,
you
say
you
have
quote
done
as
much
as
you're,
capable
of
doing
end
quote
to
address
systemic
racism
with
regards
to
this
budget.
That's
not
true,
because
you
don't
have
to
pass
the
budget,
make
it
an
anti-racist
budget
for
pittsburgh.
AG
Hi,
my
name
is
jelena
mclaren
I
live
in
bloomfield.
I've
been
a
pittsburgh
resident
since
2012..
I
support
the
demands
that
you've
heard
over
and
over
from
the
stop
a
station
coalition,
I'm
black.
I
say
that
because
for
some
reason
I'm
not
allowed
to
turn
on
my
camera,
though
many
folks
have.
I
say
that
because
I
don't
want
councilman
ricky
burgess
to
dismiss
my
comments
as
he
did
with
many
others.
AG
Last
tuesday
I
say
that
because
I
work
in
east
liberty
in
a
small
office
building
on
penn
ave
above
a
nail
salon,
and
I
would
be
working
exactly
one
block
from
the
planned
relocation
site
for
the
zone:
five
police
station.
This
is
my
problem.
I
don't
usually
attend
these
because
I'm
angry
and
I've
thought
to
spare
you
my
anger.
I've
decided
that
you
do
not
deserve
that
reprieve.
AG
Ricky
burgess
many
have
commented
on
the
important
remarks
you
made
last
week.
So
I'll
keep
this
brief.
You
said
something
about
people
getting
mad
when
you
put
money
into
black
neighborhoods
and
I
wanted
to
clear
something
up:
you've
abandoned
east
liberty
to
the
developers
and
to
the
rich
white
businesses.
It's
a
travesty.
What
has
happened
to
that
neighborhood
and
you
are
to
blame.
Putting
money
into
black
neighborhoods
looks
like
putting
money
into
community
spaces
and
money
into
black
citizens
hands.
AG
Instead,
you
put
money
into
corporations
and
luxury
apartments
and
allowed
schools
and
affordable
housing
to
be
torn
down
to
make
way.
You
don't
get
to
talk
about
black
leadership
when
you
have
abandoned
your
race
and
your
community,
you
no
longer
speak
for
us
to
the
rest
of
you
and
to
the
mayor.
Do
your
research?
AG
You
claim
that
people
don't
want
to
defund
the
police.
You
claim
that
east
liberty
residents
want
the
station
moved,
but
you
don't
actually
know
we've
knocked
on
hundreds
of
doors
to
see
what
the
people
in
the
neighborhood
want
and
a
massive
majority
support
our
demands.
You
say:
that's
not
everyone
and
that's
true,
but
you
have
done
no
resource
research
and
have
no
data
to
support
your
assertions
that
were
wrong.
You're,
just
saying
it,
I'm
so
tired
of
you
all
and
of
the
mayor
passing
the
buck
and
shifting
the
blame.
AG
We
can't
defund
the
police,
that's
not
how
it
works.
That's
what
you
say
you
can
you
absolutely
can
if
you
fought
for
it
with
the
outs
with
an
ounce
of
the
dedication
that
we,
the
activists
and
everyday
citizens,
you've
been
dismissing
your
entire
careers.
You
could
do
it.
You
could
fight
the
state
when
you
it
pushes
back
as
you
claim
it
will.
AG
You
could
fight
the
mayor
when
he
puts
out
racist
budgets
that
will
directly
harm
so
many
people
when
he
dismisses
the
lawsuits
that
would
have
gotten
upmc
tax
in
the
first
place,
but
you
don't
do
that.
You
tell
us
your
hands
are
tied.
You
either
content
to
be
cogs
in
the
racist
machine.
That
is
the
city
of
pittsburgh
or
your
cowards.
You
should
be
ashamed
and
you
should
be
afraid.
AG
Fifteen
percent
of
allegheny
county
is
facing
eviction
at
the
end
of
the
year
and
we've
all
watched
police
attack,
peaceful
crowds.
While
you
stand
by
and
do
nothing
to
keep
us
safe,
we
are
all
so
much
more
politically
involved
than
we've
ever
been,
and
since
you
don't
make
decisions
based
on
any
moral
compass
make
the
decision
based
on
self-preservation,
we
will
come
for
your
seats
if
you
don't
pass
an
anti-racist
budget
that
is
good
for
working
people,
do
your
job
or
lose
it.
AG
A
AI
Hi,
my
name
is
jay
ting
walker,
I'm
a
resident
of
shadyside
in
city
council,
district
8,
and
I
have
to
run
real
quick
to
another
meeting.
But
just
in
brief
summary,
I
support
the
stop
to
station
coalition
demands
specifically
asked
to
defund
the
police,
50
percent
or
as
much
as
you
can
really
like
as
much
as
you
can
close
to
50,
definitely
not
an
increase
in
funding.
AI
I
also
support
the
capital
budget
amendment
that
council
person
o'connor
proposed
and
the
domey
public
budget
hearing,
and
I
would
like
to
ask
council
person
strasburger
to
vote
for
that
budget
amendment
to
move
money
from
the
monoglyn
connector
project
to
the
housing
opportunity
fund.
Okay,
that's
all
thank
you.
A
P
P
We
have
so
much
work
to
do
in
2021
to
pick
up
the
pieces
of
2020
and
to
prove
that
we
are
a
city
that
will
set
its
priorities
to
correct
the
ingrained
inequities
that
have
only
deepened
in
the
throes
of
this
pandemic
scenes
from
the
summer
of
militarization
of
our
police,
as
they
kettled
tear-gassed
and
used
rubber
bullets
in
response
to
the
public.
Outpouring
of
rage
against
racism
proves
that
we
need
to
seriously
consider
what
we
are
paying
our
police
to
do.
P
Scenes
of
the
transformation
of
penn
plaza
from
affordable
housing
to
a
hulking
skeleton
of
gentrifying
greed
proves
we
need
to
reassess
our
relationship
with
developers.
Reports
of
the
inequities
and
health
outcomes
borne
by
our
black
residents
proves
that
something
is
terribly
wrong
in
pittsburgh.
P
Voices
have
been
raised
for
the
last
months
and
today
against
budgeting
money
to
perpetuate
pittsburgh's
inequities,
money
to
relocate
the
zone.
5
police
station
to
east
liberty,
money
to
build
the
mon
oakland
connector
a
road
to
carry
private
vehicles
from
pitt
and
cmu
to
hazelwood
green
are
just
two
examples.
P
P
I'm
not
able
to
talk
about
the
specifics
of
the
2021
budget,
as
others
have,
but
I
believe
council
is
able
to
make
a
priority
of
people's
lives
to
take
a
stand
against
partnerships
with
private
developers
that
enrich
them
and
impoverish
us
and
to
take
a
stand
against
the
militarization
of
our
police
force.
That
militarization
does
nothing
to
improve
our
safety.
Thank
you.
AJ
Hello,
my
name
is
crystal
martha
knight
and
I
work
for
the
thomas
merton
center
and
we
represent
hundreds
of
pittsburgh
city
residents
a
little
more
than
two
months
ago.
Our
board
voted
to
support
the
demands
of
the
grassroots
movement
to
stop
the
station,
among
those
demands
being
to
halt
the
relocation
of
the
zone.
5
police
station
to
east
liberty,
canceling
the
other
cuts
to
the
budget
and
defunding
the
police
by
at
least
50
percent
and,
lastly,
taxing
big
businesses
and
corporate
developers.
AJ
AJ
AJ
AJ
We
should
be
sending
nurses
and
social
workers
who
are
specifically
trained
to
handle
mental
health
crises,
but
the
goal
being
to
get
the
person
experiencing
a
crisis
the
help
they
need
or
want,
rather
than
jail
at
best
or
death.
At
worst,
the
tmc
is
a
member
organization
of
the
pa,
poor
people's
campaign,
and
we
are
fighting
for
a
moral
agenda.
We
are
advocating
for
a
peace
budget
rather
than
a
war
budget.
When
we
look
locally,
we
see
a
militarized
police
force
with
a
bloated
budget
rather
than
working
to
nourish
our
communities.
AJ
Your
budget
is
prioritizing
crime
and
harm.
Take
part
of
that
50
from
the
police
and
fund
the
emergency
medical
services.
Instead,
the
city
budget
relays,
where
our
priorities
are
and
acts
as
your
moral
budget.
Well,
we
could
be
funding,
affordable,
housing,
public
education,
living
wage
union,
jobs,
health
care
initiatives
during
a
pandemic
and
so
much
more.
What
this
budget
tells
us
is
the
city
rather
react
to
harm
instead
of
preventing
it
in
the
first
place.
A
AK
AK
The
question
of
police
funding
on
this
budget
is
not
arbitrary
in
the
slightest.
It's
a
question
of
priorities
during
an
economic
crisis
where
our
city
is
facing
unprecedented
shortfalls
and
thousands
of
residents
are
at
risk
of
being
put
out
onto
the
street
after
a
federal
eviction.
Moratorium
expires
at
the
end
of
this
month.
AK
It's
a
question
of
why
there's
no
room
to
cut
police
spending
when
our
police
force
is
twice
the
size
of
comparable
cities
and
we
have
several
hundred
likely
officer
retirements
on
the
near
horizon.
Our
police
force
needs
to
be
directly
accountable
to
the
communities
they
serve,
and
that
includes
in
matters
of
spending
decisions
and
priorities.
AK
AK
In
an
email
response
I
received
from
council
member
o'connor's
office
to
my
last
comment,
I
was
told
that
upmc
could
not
be
taxed
or
stripped
of
its
nonprofit
status
without
state-level
intervention.
Despite
the
fact
that
peduto
cancelled
a
case
that
was
aiming
to
do
exactly
that
when
he
took
office.
Even
if
this
is
true,
then
council
members
need
to
be
putting
pressure
on
the
mayor
and
the
state
government
to
make
this
happen.
AK
Winning
these
things
is
absolutely
possible
and
the
support
for
them
in
the
community
is
here,
there's
enough
wealth
in
our
city
to
cancel
the
mayor's
proposed
cuts
to
essential
services
and
provide
relief
to
working
people.
Even
beyond
that,
the
suffering
we
can
anticipate
from
a
wave
of
evictions
from
lack
of
access
to
health
care
and
education
and
more
can
be
averted.
If
this
council
takes
meaningful
and
urgent.
AL
Thank
you
hi.
My
name
is
matthew
fiorillo,
I'm
a
resident
of
stanton
heights,
and
I
want
to
first
just
thank
everyone
here,
who's
here
to
make
a
public
comment
in
the
middle
of
the
workday.
It's
so
so
appreciated,
and
we
really
look
forward
to
hearing
everything
that
you
have
to
say
now.
As
the
members
of
the
council
probably
already
know,
pennsylvania
general
assembly
act,
number
265
of
1951
sets
the
rules
that
the
city
is
subject
to
when
funding
and
staffing
its
police
force.
AL
Section
9
in
particular,
deals
with
the
question
of
downsizing
the
force,
and
while
it
does
place
some
restrictions
on
the
city
in
this
regard,
it
does
not
by
any
means
prohibit
it
from
doing
so.
In
fact,
it
lays
out
in
some
amount
of
detail
the
exact
procedure
that
would
need
to
be
followed
as
comments
made
by
police
union
president
robert
schwartzwelder
earlier
this
year
illustrate,
to
his
chagrin,
maybe
there's
actually
quite
a
lot
of
money
to
be
made
from
following
this
exact
procedure.
AL
At
this
point
in
time,
which
is
only
talking
about
salary
related
expenses,
I'm
bringing
this
up
just
to
say
that
the
people
of
pittsburgh
are
aware
that
this
is
an
option.
That's
available
to
the
city
council
and
we're
aware
that
if
the
council
does
not
exercise
it,
it's
doing
exactly
that
choosing
not
to.
AL
On
a
related
note
and
in
response
to
comments
made
by
one
of
the
council
members
at
last
week's
hearing,
the
tax-exempt
status
of
a
corporation
such
as
upmc
as
it
pertains
to
taxes
paid
to
the
city
of
pittsburgh,
is
dictated
not
by
the
state,
as
the
council
member
implied,
but
by
the
county
and
it's
subject
to
challenge
from
the
city
itself.
At
any
time.
The
procedure
for
delivering
such
a
challenge
is
straightforward.
AL
AL
The
case
for
challenging
upmc
in
particular
is
extremely
strong
and
the
revenues
that
would
be
generated
from
doing
so,
at
least
according
to
the
city
government.
In
2013
are
on
the
order
of
tens
of
millions
of
dollars
per
year,
so
once
again,
these
options
are
available
to
this
to
the
city
council.
There
are
always
options
available
to
the
city
council
and
if
the
council
chooses
not
to
exercise
them,
we're
aware
that
that
is
not
because
they're
hamstrung
by
legal
requirements
or
backed
into
a
corner
by
the
state
of
the
economy
or
anything
like
this.
AL
AM
Hello,
hey
dylan
rook
here
I'm
a
resident
in
hazelwood
and
you
know
directly
impacted
by
the
pandemic
this
year.
It's
the
first
time,
I've
ever
been
unemployed,
I'm
a
stagehand
with
the
local
ayat
c3
in
the
entertainment
industry
and
as
you
can
guess,
our
industry
isn't
going
to
be
back
up
and
running
anytime
soon,
and
I
I
bring
that
up,
because
I
want
you
to
understand
the.
AM
And
as
I
support
those
amendments,
and
I
urge
you
to
support
those
amendments
as
well.
I
also
recognize
that
it's
not
enough
in
a
pandemic
when
families
a
lot
like
mine
are
deeply
impacted
with
housing
and
security,
job
insecurity.
We
need
much
more
than
that,
and
so
whenever
we
look
at
a
percentage
increase
in
the
pittsburgh
police
budget,
almost
pretending
that
the
pandemic
does
not
exist.
AM
I
urge
you
to
cut
that
budget
by
50
and
add
more
funds
to
the
housing
opportunity
fund
fund,
more
black
owned
businesses,
because,
honestly,
the
the
4
million
is,
is
just
a
a
drop
in
the
bucket.
So
I
thank
you
for
your
time.
I
thank
you
for
listening
to
residents
and
constituents.
Like
me,
we
are
not
just
some
bubble
of
activists,
we
are
real
people
living
in
your
districts
and
I
urge
you
to
take
our
requests
very
seriously.
AM
U
Pittsburgh
is
in
the
middle
of
a
housing
affordability
crisis
that
is
compounded
by
a
looming
addiction
crisis
resulting
from
the
ongoing
pandemic.
We
need
to
fund
measures
that
maintain
the
character
and
soul
of
our
neighborhoods
and
allow
our
neighbors
to
stay
in
their
homes
and
maintain
their
local
businesses.
We
do
not
need
to
fund
measures
that
exacerbate
the
affordability
crisis
and
act
as
gifts
to
tech
companies
and
big
businesses.
I
urge
all
members
of
the
council
to
approve
this
amendment.
U
I
felt
that
was
important
to
highlight
and
support,
because
the
monopoly
connector
has
largely
been
out
of
public
view
over
its
five-year
development
schedule,
but
I
don't
want
to
take
too
much
attention
away
from
the
seemingly
unanimous
comments
that
have
been
made
this
week
and
last
about
the
police
budget.
I
also
support
returning
the
budget
to
the
level
that
it
was
in
2015
when
mayor
peduto
took
office
and
halting
the
relocation
of
the
zone
5
police
office
to
east
liberty,
the
increases
over
the
last
five
years
have
not
left
me
feeling
more
safer.
U
On
the
contrary,
I
felt
less
safe
as
I
watched
police
fire
weapons
that
are
banned
from
international
war
at
our
neighbors,
the
citizens
they've
sworn
to
protect,
please
instead
fund
emergency
services,
social
services
and
any
other
services
that
promote
the
health
and
well-being
of
our
city.
Thank
you
very
much
for
your
time.
AN
AN
That
is
not
an
ability
that
many
people
have
so
I
I
I
just
find
it
really
frustrating
that
this
city
council
was
able
to
recognize
that
last
week
and
to
hold
a
special
hearing
in
the
evening
on
the
paid
sick
days
ordinance.
But
you
can't
recognize
that
same
thing
about
this
budget,
which
is
the
most
important
legislative
document
that
this
body
that
you
are
elected
to
produces,
and
that
seems
to
me
to
be.
You
know
a
choice.
AN
It's
not
an
accident.
It
seems
to
be
a
choice
because
people
are
telling
you
this
is
inaccessible,
and
I
I
guess
I'm
just
confused
where
it
is
that
city
councils
are
who
are
saying
that
people
want
to
keep
the
police.
Where
are
you
getting
that?
Because
I've
been
in
the
past
four
city
council
meetings
about
the
budget?
This
meeting
in
the
regular
meetings
for
the
past
three
weeks-
and
I
haven't
heard
a
single
person-
take
their
time
to
get
in
these
meetings.
To
say,
please
do
not
defund
the
police.
Please
pass
this
budget
now.
AN
Maybe
I
I've
I
haven't
heard
every
single
speaker,
but
I've
listened
to
most
of
this.
I've
put
spent
a
lot
of
time.
This
budget,
I
haven't,
heard
a
single
person
take
their
time
to
tell
you
this
budget's
great.
The
only
people,
I've
heard
speaking
for
support
of
this
budget
are
city
councillors
here.
AN
It
does
not
require
you
to
build
to
move
a
police
station
in
the
middle
of
a
pandemic
when
people
want
housing,
not
a
new
police
station
in
the
neighborhood,
when
it
does
not
require
you
to
build
a
new
training
facility
for
tens
of
millions
of
dollars
for
the
entire
county
that,
for
some
reason,
pittsburgh
the
city
is
trying
to
fund
for
the
entire
county.
It
does
not
require
you
to
do
that
stuff,
and
it
does
not
require
you
to
fill
positions
when
people
retire.
So
there's
plenty
of
options,
even
under
the
interpretation.
AN
It
does
not
require
you
to
do
this
budget
and
that's
putting
aside
the
fact
that,
like
even
if
you
think,
something's
legal
and
you
think
it's
wrong,
you
should
fight
against
it.
If
you
think
there's
gray
area
you
should
you
should
try
and
pass
the
thing.
That's
right,
like
you
did,
with
the
paid
sick
days,
ordinance
knowing
that
it
would
be
sued
and
then
it
was.
It
was
unclear
whether
the
legal
interpretation
would
fall
on
your
side,
and
you
know,
speaking
of
things,
that,
like
the
city
council.
AO
Yeah,
I
think
that's
a
great
point
that
matt
rubin
just
made
about
the
lack
of
people
speaking
up
for
this
budget
and
no
one
is
speaking
against
defunding
the
police.
So
just
a
a
really
great
point
there.
My
name
is
nathan
smith.
I
live
in
squirrel
hill
and
this
budget
comes
at
a
time
when
allegheny
county
continues
to
break
records
of
coronavirus
cases
day
after
day,
people
have
been
forced
out
of
their
jobs
and
families
face
a
victim
eviction
from
their
homes.
AO
Everyone's
well-being
has
gotten
a
lot
worse
this
year.
So
what
does
this
budget
propose
to
do
it?
Defunds
jobs
and
essential
social
service
programs?
It
slashes
the
department
of
mobility
and
infrastructure
by
16
percent
emergency
medical
services
by
16
percent,
the
office
of
equity
by
24
public
works
by
26
percent
and
the
fire
department
by
8.
AO
All
of
this,
while
preserving
a
police
budget
that
has
been
increased
by
50
percent
in
the
last
five
years
under
peduto,
and
it
preserves
plans
for
a
multi-million
dollar
police
station.
The
police
served
no
purpose
in
fighting
this
pandemic
and,
as
was
expressed
in
this
summer's
protest
movement,
police
actively
make
some
people's
lives
worse.
AO
Yet
the
police
are
the
winners
in
this
budget,
one
of
the
few
departments
not
impacted
or
barely
impacted
by
cuts.
Last
week,
city
council
member
ricky
burgess
said
it
would
be
illegal
to
cut
the
police
budget.
A
lot
of
people
have
brought
this
up
act.
265,
section
9
of
the
pa
law.
Cities
do
have
the
power
to
move
funds
from
the
police
to
other,
more
necessary
departments.
Cities
across
the
country
have
done
this
we're
behind.
AO
AO
They're
not
taxed
by
the
city,
and
this
is
a
huge
source
of
funds.
A
lot
of
people
have
been
saying
this
too,
and
it
can
be
done
and
that's
you
know
been
demonstrated
by
the
city
of
seattle's
recent
tax
on
amazon.
It's
a
very
similar
situation
and
it's
helped
people's
lives
immeasurably
and
that's
what
your
job
is
to
do
to
make
a
better
city
of
pittsburgh.
AO
AP
AP
It
is
my
strong
opinion
that,
in
a
time
of
great
strain
on
the
financial
and
real
physical
health
of
our
community,
our
resources
should
not
be
going
to
fund
continued
police
response
to
the
majority
of
problems
that
we
face.
The
vast
majority
of
interactions
of
with
police
of
citizens
involved
issues
related
to
traffic
safety,
behavioral
health
related
issues
and
problems
related
to
poverty.
These
are
problems
that
cannot
effectively
address
by
someone
carrying
a
gun.
AP
Police
are
not
only
ineffective
in
addressing
problems
related
to
drug
use,
homelessness
and
mental
health,
but
create
actual
harm
to
people
who
are
already
suffering,
and
these
harms
inordinately
affect
black
members
of
our
community.
Systemic
racism,
built
into
policing
from
the
start
and
perpetuated
through
the
years
can't
be
reformed
away,
while
black
residents
make
up
only
13
percent
of
the
population
of
allegheny
county
over
50
percent
of
people,
inc
incarcerated
in
our
county
jail
are
black.
This
stark
fact
demonstrates
how
our
systems
of
policing,
courts
and
jails
maintain
inequality
and
oppression.
AP
I
work
for
prevention.
Point
pittsburgh.
An
organization
that
provides
public
health
and
social
service
interventions
for
people
who
use
drugs
in
various
pittsburgh
communities
in
that
capacity
I
see
first
hand
on
a
daily
basis,
the
negative
impact
of
police
engagement
with
the
people
we
provide
services
to.
We
need
to
develop
new
systems
for
addressing
real
public
safety
that
provide
support
and
assistance
to
people
rather
than
violence
and
coercion
which
are
baked
into
our
current
system.
AP
At
a
time
of
economic
hardship
created
by
the
current
pandemic,
we're
confronting
a
budget
crisis
more
and
more
city
residents
are
facing
food
and
housing
and
security.
We
can't
possibly
contemplate
maintaining
the
already
bloated
level
of
police
funding
at
the
expense
of
slashing
budgets
for
ems.
Public
works,
fire
mobility
and
infrastructure.
AP
AP
A
A
A
AQ
Okay,
great,
I
want
to
start
by
echoing
comments
earlier
in
the
meeting
to
make
these
meetings
more
accessible
to
all
and
demilitarize
the
police,
I'm
ziggy
edwards
and
I
live
in
the
run.
For
the
past
two
years,
I've
been
speaking
to
you
about
the
zombie
mon
oakland
connector
plan
that
shambles,
along
fueled
by
wealthy
private
interests
unfazed
by
a
pandemic
and
the
resulting
100
million
dollar
pittsburgh
budget
shortfall,
and
I
want
to
thank
my
representative
councilman
o'connor
for
introducing
an
amendment
that
reallocates
the
four
million
dollar
proposed.
AQ
Moc
funding
for
2021
to
affordable
housing,
support
for
small
businesses
and
infrastructure
maintenance,
especially
now
pittsburghers
need
those
things
more
than
a
road
through
shenle
park
to
accommodate
the
simpsons
monorail
councilman
o'connor.
You
understand
why
the
moc
will
harm
some
neighborhoods
in
your
district
beyond
diverting
limited
resources.
AQ
You
know
the
long
history
of
making
plans
for
panther
hollow
in
the
run,
while
excluding
people
who
live
here,
we
are
at
risk
of
being
erased
not
only
by
flooding
in
the
run,
but
by
those
who
see
our
communities
in
schenley
park
as
barriers
to
their
vision
of
economic
growth.
Instead
of
responding
to
our
legitimate
concerns
about
the
moc
public
employees
twisted
those
concerns
to
seem
like
a
baseless
fear
of
progress,
they
tried
to
pit
neighboring
communities
against
each
other.
AQ
They
filed
fraudulent
grant
applications
and
fought
and
applied
for
new
grants
without
telling
us
they
used
public
meetings
for
timeshare
marketing
tactics
rather
than
honest
discussion,
pretending
to
consider
alternative
routes
for
the
shuttles
before
again
settling
on
schenley
park.
They
responded
to
right
to
no
requests
with
claims
of
attorney-client
privilege
and
a
7185-page
unsearchable
pdf.
They
obscured
and
constantly
changed
details
such
as
the
route
and
recently
several
of
my
neighbors
who
live
near
one
of
the
rejected
alternative
routes
received
letters
from
domi
implying
they
may
lose
their
homes
and
businesses
through
eminent
domain.
AQ
AQ
Personally,
I'd
like
to
see
that
energy
and
money
that's
being
spent
on
the
moc
and
redirected
toward
helping
my
neighbors
all
over
pittsburgh,
keep
their
homes
and
businesses
and
finally,
fixing
the
hazardous
sidewalks
of
city-owned
parcels
along
irvine
street
in
hazelwood.
We
need
city
council
to
vote.
Yes
on
councilman
o'connor's
amendment,
and
with
this
amendment
you
can
stop
moc
from
trampling
our
communities
and
bring
relief
to
the
entire
city.
Thank
you.
A
AR
AS
This
is
my
third
week
in
a
row
coming
here
to
ask
you
to
defund
the
police
in
the
proposed
2021
budget,
and
I
stand
in
solidarity
with
all
the
comments
that
everyone
else
before
me
and
after
me
will
make
this
past
summer.
People
all
across
the
country
demanded
that
their
governments
begin
defunding
the
police.
If
this
budget
is
passed,
it
shows
a
complete
disregard
for
what
is
actually
important
to
your
electorate.
The
people
you
work
for
the
people
who
chose
you.
AS
People
came
out
in
large
numbers
to
the
last
meeting
and
it
seemed
like
many
of
you
weren't
actually
interested
in
what
we
had
to
say,
saying
things
like
that.
A
group
of
white
activists
was
telling
you
what
to
do
with
black
communities
and
also
implying
that
things
like
domestic
violence,
weren't
real
crime.
AS
This
is
a
criminal
punishment
system
that
meets
the
legal
definition
of
apartheid
due
to
its
being
sanctioned
by
the
government
at
every
jurisdictional
level.
How
much
longer
do
you
plan
to
ignore
this?
The
question
that
we
need
to
ask
ourselves
is:
if
you
really
believe
that
13
of
allegheny
county's
residents
are
more
predisposed
to
committing
crimes
than
the
rest.
AS
AS
The
message
that
this
budget
sends
is,
that
is
a
city
you
would
prefer
to
focus
on
targeting
and
arresting
the
black
community
instead
of
helping
to
keep
the
community
safe
during
a
pandemic
bill.
Peduto
cuts,
emergency
medical
services
by
about
17
housing
is
a
human
right,
but
it
also
keeps
the
entire
community
safe
by
providing
people
a
place
to
quarantine,
to
fund
the
police
by
at
least
50
percent,
and
use
that
money
to
avoid
the
mayor's
cuts
to
every
department.
AT
Hi
I'm
alicia
salvideo,
I
teach
high
school
downtown,
I'm
a
member
of
socialist
alternative
and
an
organizer
would
stop
the
station
we've
collected
over
1100
signatures
at
change.org
pgh
budget
2021.
Thanks
to
everyone
on
the
call
for
fighting
for
the
city
we
deserve
I'm
hearing.
There
are
still
people
waiting
to
be
let
in
or
let
back
in
including
black
activists
we
hear
over
and
over,
let's
reimagine
the
city
and
policing,
but
when
it
comes
to
defunding
the
bloated
police
budget
or
taxing
upmc,
there's
a
selective
failure
of
the
imagination
of
political
will
and
of
leadership.
AT
State
law
lays
out
what
you
can
do
to
decrease
police
budgets
in
times
of
economic
crisis,
regardless
grassroots
movements
across
the
country
challenge
state
preemptions,
all
the
time
for
big
business
taxes
for
minimum
wage
hikes
and
they
win.
This
is
the
deepest
recession
since
the
great
depression.
The
fop
contract
allows
the
mayor
and
public
safety
director
to
adjust
the
size
of
the
bureau
in
the
interest
of
public
safety,
which
right
now
is
best
served
by
permanently
affordable
social
housing
and
community-led
social
services,
not
rooted
in
policing.
AT
We
need
to
save
other
public
sector
jobs,
vital
to
public
health,
safety
and
equity,
including
emergency
medical
services,
vote
down
funding
for
weapons
purchases
and
multi-million
dollar
police
projects.
East
liberty
residents
have
seen
it
reimagined,
as
their
neighbors
are
forced
out
of
their
homes.
I'm
not
sure
how
burgess
can
forget
the
hundreds,
evicted
from
penn
plaza,
many
of
them
black,
low-income,
disabled
and
elderly.
When
there's
a
big
dirt
field
in
the
middle
of
your
district.
Rest
assured,
we
have
not
forgotten.
AT
You
have
the
responsibility
to
pass
an
anti-racist
budget
that
works
for
black
and
working
class.
Families
cease
corporate
tax
breaks
for
developers
whose
luxury
apartments
sit
empty
right
now,
while
families
of
the
students
I
teach
face,
evictions
unemployment
and
a
lack
of
child
care.
Upmc
ceo
jeff
ramoff
takes
home
nine
million
dollars
a
year,
while
thousands
of
underplayed
underpaid
employees
can't
afford
health
care.
His
salary
alone
can
house
50
to
60
families
in
newly
built
homes.
Burgess
counts
himself
among
the
rare
few
who
are
pro-business
and
pro-worker.
AT
Maybe
that
has
more
to
do
with
the
impossibility
of
that
statement.
You
can't
serve
two
masters.
You
can't
serve
the
same
people.
You
allow
developers
to
evict
and
corporations
to
exploit
and
police
to
abuse
if
black
lives
truly
matter.
If
you
care
about
working
class
families
struggling
through
these
pandemic
and
economic
crises,
you
will
prioritize
our
housing,
our
health
and
our
livelihoods.
Thank
you.
AU
Hi,
sorry,
it's
actually
jesse,
but
hi.
I'm
dr
jesse
wozniack,
I'm
an
associate
professor
of
criminology
with
an
emphasis
on
policing
at
west
virginia
university,
but
I
live
up
here
on
the
east
end.
So
as
a
scientific
police
researcher,
I
want
to
bring
empirical
scientific
evidence
which
is
quite
relevant
to
this
conversation
has,
as
has
already
been
mentioned.
Pittsburgh
is
one
of
the
most
heavily
policed
medium-sized
cities
in
america,
ranking
ninth
of
all
medium-sized
cities,
but
neither
are
violent,
nor
property
crime
rates
come
anywhere
near
explaining
this
amount
of
police
presence.
AU
In
fact,
if
we
compare
to
all
cities
in
the
nation,
pittsburgh
is
the
top
three
percent,
most
heavily
policed
jurisdictions
in
the
united
states.
If
we
were
to
cut
our
police
force
in
half,
that
would
merely
put
us
at
the
middle
of
the
pack
for
the
average
number
of
police
officers
per
10
000
residents-
and
this
is
important
because,
while
it
seemingly
makes
intuitive
sense
that
more
police
and
more
funding
for
police
would
reduce
crime,
the
empirical
reality
is
that
it
does
not.
AU
AU
In
fact,
all
the
empirical
evidence
shows
we
can
easily
reduce
the
number
of
police
we
have
with
no
impact
on
the
amount
of
crimes
committed
or
the
amount
of
crimes
solved,
and
additionally,
what
the
scientific
literature
on
the
subject
has
made
crystal
clear
is
that
in
like
in
most
areas
of
life,
prevention
is
far
more
effective.
Most
recent
studies
have
found
that
every
dollar
spent
on
social
programs,
such
as
early
childhood
education
or
job
training,
saves
five
to
seven
dollars
in
the
back
end
on
criminal
spending.
Later.
AU
A
great
example
of
this
is
that,
while
I
don't
have
local
numbers,
national
numbers
are
showing
a
strong
uptick
in
shoplifting
food
during
the
pandemic.
This
is
not
something
to
be
solved
by
policing.
This
is
something
to
be
solved
by
giving
people
food
and
the
money
they
need
to
buy
food.
Similarly,
there
are
many
great
places
we
could
make
cuts,
as
others
have
mentioned.
280
police
are
up
for
retirement
right
now.
That
could
simply
not
be
replaced.
Another
great
cut
could
be
drawn
from
the
public
source
article
just
released
this
morning.
AU
That
shows
one
single
officer
in
pittsburgh
has
been
the
subject
of
192
allegations
of
misconduct
since
2010..
Basically,
the
simplest
reform
for
racial
justice
we
can
have
this
city
is
having
fewer
police.
There
will
empirically
be
no
risk
of
increased
crime,
but
there
will
be
measurable
improvements
for
the
lives
of
poor
black
and
brown
pittsburghers.
I
urge
you
to
reduce
funding
and
the
number
of
police
officers
as
not
only
morally
correct,
but
a
scientifically
correct
approach
to
the
pandemic
and
racial
justice.
Thank
you.
D
AV
AV
AV
This
just
doesn't
make
sense.
The
simple
fact
is
that
the
bureau
of
police
does
not
in
any
way
give
taxpayers
a
return
on
their
investment.
In
fact,
through
many
of
its
members,
atrocious
and
violent
behavior,
the
police
bureau
ends
up
costing
the
taxpayers
even
more
because
of
settlements
arising
from
unnecessary
use
of
force
litigation.
AV
I
call
on
city
council
to
scrap
the
mayor's
proposed
budget
and
submit
one
that
reflects
the
real
needs
of
the
people
of
this
city,
some
of
whom
are
struggling
more
than
ever
now,
due
to
the
ongoing
covet.
19
pandemic
needs
such
as
permanently
affordable
housing,
an
emergency
services
team
dedicated
to
responding
to
mental
health
crises
that
the
police
are
ill-trained
to
handle
social
programs
and
facilities
for
all
demographics,
including
youth
and
elderly,
as
well
as
infrastructure
projects
throughout
the
city.
AV
Lastly,
I'd
like
to
point
out
to
council
that
the
local
media
painted
the
more
than
40
citizens
who
called
to
voice
their
concerns
with
this
budget
proposal
last
week
as
activists,
and
I
anticipate
that
that
happening
again
this
week,
as
if
being
an
activist
and
staying
involved
in
our
democracy,
is
somehow
a
bad
thing
or
makes
one's
opinions
less
valid.
This
is
simply
a
way
of
othering
a
way
to
make
it
seem
as
though
all
of
these
people
calling
to
voice
their
concerns
are
not
tax,
paying
voting.
AV
AV
A
AK
AX
A
AW
AW
AW
I
believe
decent
people
do
decent
things
and
I'm
really
at
a
point
where
I
just
don't
understand
what
you're
not
hearing
what
you're
not
getting
or
what
it
is
that
you
need
to
hear
to
unders,
to
see
cog
hill
to
understand
that
the
police
are
a
problem
often,
and
even
if
we're
not
going
to
highlight
the
fact
that
police
are
a
problem
and
we're
just
looking
at
the
budget
and
where
is
it
best
to
put
funding?
Where
is
it
best
to
take
funding
from?
AW
And
what
is
the
greatest
need
right
now,
if
we're
talking
about
jobs,
I
hear
people
saying
oh
defunding,
the
police,
you
don't
like
the
word.
Oh
we're
going
to
people
are
going
to
lose
jobs.
We
don't
mind
cutting
other
people's
jobs,
we
don't
mind
cutting
ems,
we
don't
hear
an
outcry
for
cutting
other
people's
jobs.
Just
this
outcry
about
police
and
the
institution
of
policing
in
this
city
has
been
a
problem,
and
I
am
going
to
spend
my
time
telling
you
my
personal
experience
that
still
bothers
me
to
this
day.
AW
AW
I
heard
activists
tell
me
that
the
things
being
said
about
them
in
the
media
were
lies
that
they
weren't
just
being
violent,
that
they
weren't
agitating,
that
they
weren't
starting
these
things
that
it
was
the
police.
I
have
not
had
that
in
my
experience
of
protesting,
and
so
it
took
is
in
this
city,
and
so
it
took
me
a
minute
to
accept
that
as
the
truth.
AW
I'm
being
honest,
so
what
I
did
was
I
took
my
body
down
there
myself
to
see
what
people
were
dealing
with
and
to
see
what
they
were
telling
me
was
true
and
to
see
how
much
something
was
exaggerated,
or
not
the
day
that
and
and
that
day
was
the
day.
Most
of
you
probably
saw
the
video
of
me
on
the
mayor's
porch.
AW
A
So,
thank
you,
brandi
and
just
as
a
reminder.
Unfortunately,
everyone
only
has
three
minutes,
but
you
can
also
submit
written
testimony
to
city
council.
I
do
know
we
had
a
number
of
registered
speakers
who
could
not
stay
on
the
line
and
did
submit
their
testimony
to
council.
We'll
make
sure
all
members
get
that
now
we
want
to
bring
in
those
who
were
unregistered.
If
you
were
unregistered,
you
do
get
one
minute
to
speak.
Imma
hope
this
is
going
to
work
out
right.
So
I
have
speaker
number
one.
AY
And
me
yes,
sir
yeah,
I
don't
know
why
zoom
called
me
whatever
it
calls
me
so
pittsburgh's
a
city
of
neighborhoods
and
in
those
neighborhoods.
We
know
what
keeps
us
safe.
It's
looking
out
for
each
other.
It's
a
school
bus,
stop
it's
having
enough
food
to
eat
decent
place
to
live.
It's
clean
streets,
air
and
water,
it's
having
a
decent
job
and
access
to
affordable
health
care.
When
we're
sick,
it's
having
a
reasonable
expectation.
AY
At
the
end
of
the
day,
our
loved
ones
will
return
home
safely
and
in
one
piece,
but
too
often
we're
not
spending
our
public
dollars
in
a
way
that
reflects
those
values.
Earlier
this
year
I
was
part
of
a
group
of
activists
dedicated
to
keeping
pittsburgh
safe,
demonstrating
against
the
trip
the
trump
administration's
racist
and
violent
policies.
AY
The
group
that
chose
peaceful,
non-violent
civil
disobedience
were
met
with
a
combat-ready
assault
team,
with
guns
drawn
each
demonstrator
was
surrounded
by
wall
of
arms,
shock
troops
in
full
battle,
dress
and
march
backwards
to
a
large
black
mariah
paddy
wagons.
It's
a
scene
straight
out
of
a
very
dark
time
in
the
first
half
of
the
last
century,.
A
AZ
Their
job
is
not
to
hurt
harm
and
to
kill
sad
to
say
across
the
board.
This
is
what's
been
going
on,
even
here
in
the
perry,
hilltop
area
and
many
days
you
know
I'm
watching,
I'm
looking.
I'm
calling
and
I've
watched
I've
even
made
phone
calls
where
I've
just
asked
for
dispatchers
to
send
police
for
a
nightclub
that
is
just
little
less
than
a
block
from
my
home.
AZ
AZ
BA
Hello,
my
name
is
maya
iliff.
I
live
in
shadyside
and
I
am
speaking
to
implore
you
all
to
use
your
power
to
make
changes
and
to
look
at
this
budget
in
terms
of
a
problem,
solving
mindset
and
to
cancel
this
budget
and
defund
the
police
by
50
and
to
stop
the
zone
5
police
station's
relocation
to
east
liberty.
BA
I
also
am
calling
for
the
taxation
of
large
corporations
and
big
developers
in
the
interests
of
citizens
and
working
class
people.
That's
including
upmc,
who
is
profiting,
like
many
other
large
corporations,
off
the
deaths
of
hundreds
and
thousands
of
pittsburghers,
and
I
would
like
for
housing
to
be
funded
transportation
to
be
more
equitably,
funded
healthcare
to
be
considered
as
a
human
right
under
the
budget
and
for
public
education
to
be
prioritized
everywhere
in
the
city.
Thank
you.
A
BB
BC
Good
afternoon
everybody
I
did
register,
so
I'm
not
sure
what
happened
with
that
and
I'm
really
glad
pauline
got
to
speak
she's
one
of
our
board
members.
So
I'm
really
glad
she
was
able
to
attend
today
and
stuck
with
all
the
some
technical
difficulties
that
she
had
speaking.
But
yes,
I
live
in
perry,
hilltop,
I'm
the
executive
director
for
fine
view
and
perry
hilltop
citizens
councils,
which
are
two
neighborhood
groups
in
the
heart
of
the
north
side.
BC
They
want
the
police
to
develop
relationships
with
them
and
treat
them
with
this
dignity
and
respect
I
witnessed,
and
there
are
too
many
stories
of
pittsburgh
police
misusing
their
power
to
the
extent
even
of
abuse
of
of
residents,
pittsburgh
police,
treating
black
kids
one
way
and
black
teens
and
adults
another
way
for
myself.
Personally,
I
have
not
experienced
this.
BC
BC
BC
BC
Fine
view
park
is
an
amazing
asset.
We've
seen
more
roads
paved
in
the
last
year
than
in
many
years,
but
we
need
to
in
order
to
continue
to
reverse
past
patterns,
of
disinvestment,
we'll
need
to
see
a
larger
boost
in
additional
investments
in
our
neighbors,
in
good
jobs
and
in
affordable
housing.
As
we
make
those
investments,
the
need
for
police
will
be
reduced
dramatically.
A
BD
Yes
speaking,
my
name
is
levon
ritter
and
I
heard
to
say
that
I
think
we,
you
know
it's
not
it's
totally
necessary
to
defund
the
police.
At
this
point,
it's
not
a
matter
of
he
said
she
said
like
how
bad
are
they,
what
they
did?
It's
a
necessity,
because
this
is
if
we,
this
austerity
budget
is
potentially
deadly,
I
mean
we
need
people
to
have
somewhere
to
live
during
a
pandemic
if
it
goes
into
next
year.
BD
Those
vaccines
probably
aren't
coming
that
soon
for
any
for
regular
citizens,
at
least-
and
I
can't
stress
no,
the
money
that
we
pay.
The
police
goes
to
a
force
that
largely
lives
outside
city
limits
and
they
take
money
directly
out
of
our
city
and
if
we
criminalize
poverty
and
homelessness
like
so
many
people
are
going
to
be
out,
they
need
relief.
This
budget
has
to
go
back
into
the
city
itself.
BD
BD
BD
A
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
finer
or
madame
clerk.
I
believe
we've
exhausted
both
our
registered
speaker
list
as
well
as
those
waiting
in
the
waiting
room.
Is
that
correct?
That
is
correct.
Thank
you
very
much.
That
means
we
will
now
open
it
up
to
members
if
they
choose
to
if
they
would
like
to
take
a
moment
to
share
any
thoughts
they
may
have.
I
do
know
our
president
councilwoman
kale
smith
would
like
to
speak.
BE
Thank
you.
Thank
you
councilman.
I
just
want
to
thank
you.
First
for
cheering
the
meeting.
I've
had
a
family
emergency
and
I
have
two
two-year-olds
a
ten-year-old
a
12-year-old
here.
So
that's
why
my
camera's
off
and
I
want
to
apologize,
but
I
did
hear
what
everyone
was
saying
and
have
been
talking
with
other
members
about
different
times
for
the
meeting,
so
we'll
continue
to
talk
about
that
and
try
to
figure
out
a
time
to
schedule
those
hopefully
within
the
week.
BE
BF
BF
You
know
if
that's
within
our
power
and
someday,
maybe
it
will
be.
That's
something's
got
to
give
there
okay.
So
so
I
agree
with
the
callers
on
that
more
accessible
meetings,
I'm
game
for
any
time
any
day
you
know,
make
them
more
accessible.
I
think
we
don't
typically
get
overrun
of
phone
calls.
You
know
on
our
weekly
meetings
and
I
don't
think
it's
because
they're
not
as
accessible
as
they
should
be.
I
think
it's
just
because
sometimes
there's
a
topic
that
comes
up
like
the
budget
that
warrants
that.
BF
So
so
let
me
talk
about
defunding,
the
police.
You
know
when
I
hear
the
callers
calling
about
50
defunding,
the
police.
You
know
nothing
could
be
more
irresponsible
than
premature.
You
know
our
police
department
and
and
there's
a
the
survey,
came
out
from
the
post-gazette
last
week
as
a
top
10
medium-sized
cities.
BF
I
just
want
to
say
one
thing
house:
facts
can
be
very
skewed
through
this
number
one.
If
you
look
at
those
cities
like
newark
birmingham,
rochester
jersey,
city,
richmond,
one
thing
you
don't
see
there,
that's
not
factored
in
these.
This
data
is
professional
sports
teams
and
venues
as
a
major
city
that
has
three
or
four
professional
sports
teams
and
and
venues
at
each
of
them.
BF
If
you
look
in
this
top
10
medium-sized
businesses,
all
the
cities
like
cincinnati,
st
louis
cleveland
atlanta
are
all
very
much
higher
than
us,
because
they
have
the
same
issues
as
we
do.
I
would
beg
to
differ.
Birmingham
rochester
and
richmond.
Do
not
one
thing?
Another
thing
that's
not
factored
in.
There
is
the
terrain.
Okay.
In
2004,
there
was
a
study
done
that
by
the
international
police
chiefs
and
things
that
were
considered.
That
should
be
considered
any
police
forces
terrain
in
our
city.
BF
It's
difficult
to
get
from
zone
six
to
zone
five
we're
not
flat.
We
have
windy,
twisty
roads
and
throw
in
a
snow
storm,
and
you
know
that
requires
us
to
have
more
police
officers
on
call.
We
can't
we're
not
flat.
We
can't
speed
across
the
city
in
a
matter
of
minutes,
population
density,
you
know,
that's
the
major
factor.
People
is
not
also
factored
in
in
any
of
these
surveys
or
studies
you've
seen
so
so
I'm
just
pointing
out
a
few
things
that
was
about
two
minutes.
BF
Looking
into
that,
that
reasons
why
we
are
police
that,
where
we're
at,
I
think
we're
at
the
right
level,
I
think
in
saying
that
we
also
realize
it
changes
and
and
the
things
that
we
need
to
do
to
evolve.
I
think
we're
on
the
right
path.
I
think
we
have
five
million
dollars
invested
into
the
human
services
and
stop
the
violence
fund
and
I'm
very
confident
that
we're
gonna
come
out
of
that
with
something
good
through
the
conversations
that
we've
had
and
you
know
in
the
future.
BF
Until
you
find
something
that
can
work
where
you
can
reallocate
that
money,
and
you
can
only
do
that
if
we
can
take
alleviate
the
police
from
those
calls.
So
I'm
confident
where
we're
at.
I
know
that
the
will
was
there
with
this
council
to
you
know,
look
at
all
these
things
make
these
changes.
It's
not
gonna,
it's
not
as
simple
as
defunding
the
police
50
and
I
will
say
to
those
who
threaten
our
elections
and
they
will
remember
us
come
election
time
you
won't
have
to
advertise
in
my
district.
BF
AH
Thank
you,
mr
chair.
I
I
want
to
say
I
really
appreciate
everyone
who
came
out
today
and
that
president
smith
has
offered
to
try
to
figure
out
a
way
that
we
can
have
meetings
or
hearings
in
a
way
that
more
people
can
participate.
It's
been
a
chronic
problem.
We've
all
heard
it
before
we
do
have
public
comment.
AH
Every
time
we
are
called
to
order,
which
is
generally
tuesdays
and
wednesdays
at
10
in
the
morning,
but
we
have
had
post
agendas
and,
as
we
had
recently
in
the
evenings
and
we've
had
public
hearings
in
the
evenings,
and
even
though
we
are
required
to
pass
this
budget
by
the
end
of
december,
it
does
stay
open
for
a
number
of
weeks.
Technically,
madam
clerk,
do
you
have
a
date
by
which
we
kind
of
every
every
year
we
still
are
able
to
do
operating
budget
amendments.
AH
AK
AH
BF
AH
Thank
you
and
we've
we've
done
that
before
I've
seen
it,
you
know,
we've
done
it
as
a
council,
and
so
we
have
that
capacity,
and
certainly
I
in
the
many
many
hours
that
we
did
have
budget
hearings
in
the
last
couple
of
weeks.
It
was
a
lot
it
was
certainly.
I
think
that
the
public
is
still
kind
of
processing.
AH
AH
If
you're
going
to
build,
affordable
housing,
you
need
the
permits,
if
you're,
going
to
inspect
substandard
housing,
which
we've
had
kind
of
notorious
problems
across
the
city,
with
landlords
who
are
not
treating
renters
fairly.
That's
permits
licenses
and
inspections
or
pli.
If
we're
going
to
be
reinvesting
in,
for
example,
avenues
of
hope
and
supporting
small
businesses,
they
need
people
to
work
with
at
permits,
licenses
and
inspections.
To
do
this
work,
we
have
to
resource
our
city
departments
to
do
it.
AH
I
could
certainly
share
with
you
many
complaints
from
small
businesses
who
had
to
wait
10
12
weeks
in
order
to
do
the
work
that
they
needed.
They'd
submitted
all
the
paperwork
and
they'd
done
their
end
and
then
we're
first
to
just
kind
of
sit
and
wait,
because
the
processing
time
takes
so
long,
some,
similarly
we're
really
struggling.
AH
I
also
heard
last
week
testimony
from
the
parks
and
rec
director
director
chapman,
who
said
that
it's
just
for
the
lack
of
a
few
more
staffing
he
could
be
distributing
more
meals.
I
think
we
should
replace
those
positions,
and
I
submitted
amendments
to
the
ad
hoc
committee
or
body
whatever
it
was
last
week
with
councilman
lavelle
and
councilwoman
smith
and
councilman
burgess,
that
I
understand
are
not
going
to
be
on
the
table
that
they
rejected
to
replace
those
positions
using
the
money
from
our
police
budget.
AH
AH
They're
budgets
there's
not
really
room
to
cut
more,
and
yet
the
police
budget
has
recovered
and
there's
room
to
cut
and
all
of
those
all
of
those
positions
could
be
replaced
for
a
mere
nine
million
dollars,
and
I
think
it
turns
not
even
nine
million
sorry.
I
misspoke
nine
police
officers,
it's
less
than
one
million
dollars,
it's
less
than
one
percent
of
the
police
budget,
so
very,
very
modest
amendments,
and
I
hope
to
talk
more
about
that
at
1
30..
So
thank
you,
mr
chair.
That's
all
I
have
now.
BG
So
we
would
take
our
best
officers,
our
most
seasoned
officers
in
mr
kovic,
those
who
have
risked
their
lives
to
be
first
responders,
the
heroes
of
our
cities.
They
would
be
the
first
ones
that
we
would
cut
if
we
were
to.
If,
if
we
could
lay
out
police
officers,
that's
the
first
group
that
would
have
to
go.
BG
BG
The
only
way
legally
that
you
can
reduce
the
police
force
is
by
not
hiring
new
officers,
which
is
what
I've
done
and
if
we
don't
hire
new
officers
over
time
by
attrition,
we
will
reduce
the
number
of
officers.
I
am
supportive
of
that.
We
do
have
to
reimagine
police.
I
agree
with
that.
A
thousand
percent
I
have
argued
and
advocated
councilman
lavelle,
and
I
and
other
members
of
council
for
affordable
housing.
BG
I
I
I
know
it's
not
intended,
but
there's
it
if
we
are
not
specifically
talking
about
increasing
investments
in
african-american
communities,
trying
to
tie
the
reduction
of
the
police
budget
to
anything.
That
does
not
do
that
specifically
I'll
talk
about
this
afternoon
there,
but
it
is
it.
I'm
sure,
that's
not
that
that's
not
wasn't
intended,
but
to
do
that
in
this
time
would
be
deeply
deeply
deeply
deeply
offensive,
because
this
issue
is
geared
specifically
to
african
americans.
BG
But
thank
you,
mr
chair,
for
your
leadership
and
thank
everybody.
Who's
commented,
we
are.
The
other
thing
is,
and
I
just
technically
the
budget,
although
closes
after
the
fifth
week,
the
council
with
the
mayor,
we
can
agree
jointly
to
open
the
budget
anytime,
so
the
budget
capital
budget
stays
open
and
we
can
change
the
operating
budget
with
consent
of
the
mayor
and
the
council
anytime
during
the
year.
So
the
ma
the
budget
is
actually
never
really
really
closed.
That's
just
a
technical
conversation
since
we're
having
a
conversation
about
the
budget.
BH
BH
I
think
we
made
some
improvements
on
the
operating
budget
process
this
year,
but
it's
not
working.
I
think
we
hear
public
comment
and
it's
kind
of
like
talking
at
us
and
then
we
don't
really
get
to
have
dialogue,
and
then
we
just
respond,
but
it
doesn't
work.
So
I
think
we
need
major
changes
to
the
way
that
we
handle
creating
real
dialogue
and
understanding
around
the
budget
and
hope.
Hopefully
we
can
do
that
next
year.
BH
BH
But
related
to
that.
I
think
some
have
been
talking
about
how
the
police
inc
budget
increases
this
year.
This
year's
budget
actually
reduces
the
police
budget.
It
shifts
five
percent
of
the
police
operating
budget
over
to
the
new
stop
the
violence
fund,
along
with
an
additional
250
000,
to
help
the
new
office
of
community
health
and
safety
in
the
mayor's
office,
and
that
office
is
going
to
send
trained
social
workers
out
with
officers
to
help
respond
to
calls
like
the
ones
that
I
mentioned
above
that
require
more
wrap
around
services.
BH
BH
In
the
case
of
other
departments,
those
positions
are
elimination
of
already
vacant
position,
positions
to
tie
us
over
until
hopefully
the
time
that
we
get
emergency
funding
from
the
federal
government.
I
do
not
support
laying
off
any
person
right
now
and,
by
extension,
their
family.
During
a
time
when
jobs
are
scarce
and
most
everyone's
mental
health
is
suffering.
BH
It's
just
not
something
I
can
vote
for.
This
budget
does
not
does
not
lay
anyone
off
and
if
you
want
to
talk
about
police,
behavior
and
hiring
and
training.
Let's
have
that
conversation,
because
I
agree:
major
changes
are
needed,
but
and
if
you
want
more
details,
you
can
check
out
my
paper
on
policing,
which
is
on
my
district
8
website
and
I'll
have
a
second
version
coming
out
this
wednesday.
BH
BH
I
hope
it
doesn't
come
to
that,
but
that's
what
we're
bracing
for
and
then,
as
was
mentioned,
also
by
reverend
burgess,
there
is
a
hiring
freeze.
That's
been
placed
on
a
new
police,
recruiting
class
for
2021
and
with
the
number
of
police
officers
up
for
retirement
this
year,
we
we
will
see
some.
We
will
see,
lose
some
police
officers
due
to
attrition.
So
we
probably
will
I
don't
know
how
many
are
going
to
retire.
BH
BH
Let's
launch
a
campaign
with
city
council
and
all
of
you
who
spoke
today
and
let's
make
it
happen,
because
I
I
agree
that
needs
to
happen.
Another
way
that
we
can
get
some
money
right
now
is
to
borrow
money
through
bonds.
We
can
borrow
money
for
certain
infrastructure
projects,
including
affordable
housing,
so
we
have
a
10
billion
dollars,
that's
generated
each
year
through
for
the
housing
opportunity
fund
that
the
ura
works
with
to
fund,
affordable
housing
through
real
estate
transfer
taxes,
but
by
borrowing
money
and
having
a
sound
plan
to
pay
it
back.
BH
We
could
be
putting
20
30
40,
50
million
dollars
into
affordable
housing
projects
and
really
be
really
be
doing
something
bold
there.
So
I'm
in
support
of
that,
as
I
think
some
of
my
colleagues
are
as
well
and
soon
we
will
be
voting
on
legislation
to
fund
the
avenues
of
hope
program
also
run
by
the
ura
to
fund
commercial
business
districts
in
historically
black
neighborhoods
in
pittsburgh.
I
also
support
that
and
then
lastly,
we
can
enact
the
parks
tax
that
voters
also
approved
on
the
ballot
last
year.
To
me,
this
is
an
equity
issue.
BH
A
Thank
you
very
much
any
further
members
seeing
none
councilman
strasberger,
you
actually
echo.
I
think
everything
I
was
going
to
touch
upon,
so
I
don't
feel
the
need
to
now
do
that.
The
only
other
thing
that
I
will
add
is
when
a
lot
of
the
speakers
talked
about
all
the
cuts
that
we're
making
to
all
the
other
departments.
A
What
they
should
hopefully
understand
and
realize
is
we're
not
necessarily
actually
going
in
and
saying.
Okay,
ems,
you
have
a
budget
of
1
million,
we're
now
going
to
cut
that
1
million
by
10
percent.
What
we
are
going
on
and
saying
is:
okay.
You
currently
have
all
these
unfilled
positions,
or
you
currently
have
dollars
that
you're
not
utilizing.
A
Therefore,
you
will
not
be
able
to
fill
those
positions
this
year
and
or
not
able
to
utilize
those
dollars
this
year.
Therefore,
that's
now
shown
on
our
books
as
a
reduction,
and
so
when
they
may
have
had
30
000
sitting
aside
to
bring
on
a
new
emt.
They
now
are
not
able
to
do
so,
and
so
that's
how
we're
able
to
essentially
balance
this
budget.
I
think
it
was
brandi
fisher,
who
sort
of
said.
I
believe
she
said
decent
people
do
decent
things.
That's
the
best
way
to
summarize
this
budget.
A
Now,
if
we
do
not
get
federal
support,
if
we
do
not
get
dollars
from
the
federal
government
in
a
few
months,
we
may
have
to
begin
looking
at
doing
undecent
things
and
laying
off
individuals,
but
right
now,
this
budget
is
one,
that's
constructed
in
a
way
to
get
us
six
months
down
the
line,
or
hopefully
we
can
reopen
the
budget.
We
can
reimagine
what
we
do
with
our
police
force.
A
We
can
begin
putting
services
back
in
place,
and
hopefully
we
cannot.
We
can
avoid
laying
off
individuals,
but
I
just
wanted
to
clarify
when
they
see
cuts.
It's
not
that
we're
actually
taking
away
we're,
not
fulfilling
what
wasn't
already
there
with
that.
We
need
a
motion
to
we're
going
to
recess
this
until
our
final
line
item
vote,
which
will
then
end
our
budget
process,
so
need
a
motion
to
recess.