Thread by @shayshinecastle

Open comment starting now; expecting many comments on the meth/homeless discussion happening later.

Patrick Murphy is up now with Muni Naughty List: Chapter 4

Carolyn Bninski asks for a public hearing on a 10-yr lease to let Verizon put antennas on the South Boulder Rec Center. It was supposed to be on the consent agenda tonight (which means little to no discussion); Carlisle and Morzel already requested a public hearing.

Two reps from the Museum of Boulder, supporting the city's creation of a $250K grants fund for arts/culture facilities. That's another discussion happening tonight.

Evan Ravitz says it was a nice show of sensitivity from the police chief; hopes council will show that tonight by declining to spend $900K on increasing homeless camp sweeps.

Dozen-plus members of audience holding up their signs in support of his comments.

"$900K would probably buy some mighty nice tiny homes," Ravitz said.

Pat Carden from Frasier Meadows is here. She is ceding her time to Rachel Friend bc she has a cough.

On floods: I hope Variant 1 is viable, bc we are fully building around Variant 1. I'm concerned no one called on CU's Frances Draper last month. If it's not going to work, we need to know that now instead of a year later.

Also wants to know when there will be a public forum to talk about racial profiling. "Please give some consideration to when we can address this publicly, on the record, in this room."

Requests that council not "brush this off" as one officer; racism runs deep her, she says, starting in elementary school. "The buck stops here" and up there (with council members) to ask why we have so much racism in Boulder.

Jamie Morgan criticizing "absurd proposal" to step up homeless camp sweeps. Calls it a "disgusting waste of public funds that only serves to punish ppl experiencing symptoms of Boulder's housing crisis."

"This $1M should be used for housing, healthcare and food."

Audience cheers and claps; Jones reprimands. (I expect this to happen again)

Lots of folks here speaking in support of the arts and cultural facility grant funding. I'll update my story on that later tonight or this week; lots of news to get to. boulderbeat.news/2019/03/03/bou…

Someone signed up for open comment under the name "You."
I am both intrigued and unsettled.

"You" is a person; she waved her hand.

You is her legal name, she says. And I read that the great @mattsebastian once profiled her for the paper. You is famous.

You is here to speak on the Verizon tower as well. Second one of the night.

Stephen Keenan says we're going to have a Colorado governor for president (Hickenlooper). The audience laughs.

Charles Lief from Naropa University is here. "I can say that incident that occurred on Friday morning was by far the most difficult one for us to address."

Mother of the victim has "mad clear that her son is not interested in becoming a symbol for any issue we have to deal with in this city. The issue is going to take him a long time to deal with; the city can’t wait that long."

"Student, faculty and staff of color at Naropa have all experienced various degrees of racism in Boulder." Wants to participate in any restorative conversations, etc. Jones says council is very interested in working together.

Elizabeth Yurgens from Orchard Grove is here for another update.

Free week of rent was given to residents. And they were not charged for any water usage in February.

Morzel thanks Yurgens for the discounted rent/water and for getting forms out in English and Spanish. Young echoes and then asks: What about the homes that were damaged?

There were four. Those homes' pipes were frozen because they weren't wrapped; they have been fixed.

Brautigam also thanks Naropa president for speaking. "Our organization is taking a deep dive right now in understanding structural racism. I think we can partner well with Naropa."

That closed open comment; I'm gonna start a new thread for other matters.
Hey @threadreaderapp, if you could unroll this one, please? Thank you!