Thread by @CivicParent

Ok - public comment starting and I assume many comments may be re: the budget.

First caller caveats "I'm not a researcher" then proceeds with fact that she's a member of @solidarityJC & a cogent statement about her opinion re: services the city provides. #CivilSociety flexing

Another speaker w @solidarityJC which has helped organize turnout for this meeting
She's asking council to NOT pass following
20-556 hiring of police officers
20-558 making JCPD perm presence
20-158 amending JC budget
She then itemizes budget facts

...then asks for a new budget amendment and defunding JCPD by 50%.
By the way speakers tonight are mentioning points itemized in this petition:
actionnetwork.org/petitions/defu…

Next speaker asking 4 showers for homeless in JSQ to be open all day. She wants more food and enrichment for youth in the city & city to help sponsor.
"Underfunded young adults" need employment opportunities
"St Lucy's is turning away people."
"@Jermaine4WardF, Ward F needs you"

Next speaker (also w @solidarityJC & @HudCoDSA) asked for police budget to be cut by 50%. Spoke of need for transformational approach to policing; more counseling, social/mental health & counseling support, support for victims of domestic violence

I just found out I'm like 5 minutes behind the feed because I paused the live feed to check on something w/ my kids. I am so not used to Teams

Yvonne Balcer who is often very critical of Mayor Fulop for abatement & spending & debt gives him kudos for hiring new police officers. Then calls out city administrator for lack of info/response for data related to future bond debt.

"Future bond debt- what is that all about?"

Yvonne also calling out the Reval process; eg homeowners who bought at $100K & saw their home appreciate to $1M have higher tax bills in 2018 when city revalued. That's due to NJ prop tax law & city failing to revalue for 30 years.

Next speaker is immigrant rights advocate in NY. Speaking of NYPD Citizen Complaints Review Board (CCRB) & limitations therein re: police union power
Challenges City Council re: CCRB related reform & cites Council's last-minute move of vote to closed door session

BTW - here's an article that speaks to some of what a lot of these speakers are talking about. cc @SolomonforJC
nj.com/hudson/2020/08…

"What exactly is the purpose of 200-588?" - speaker also w @solidarityJC asking why JCPD should be in public housing.

This effort is so well organized. This is a wonderful civics lesson. Repeatedly linking the ordinance # w/ the cogent comments re: spending & resources

^ That should be "20-588" (each ordinance is numbered. First number is year (eg 2020) and next number is the ordinance. FYI.

I can't keep up w/ these speakers. They have brought #receipts to this meeting. "A budget is a moral document"

This is a fascinating action being run on the Council. Lots of public details being aired in public forum. How the council will respond will be interesting.

Ward C resident asking about amended budget. %s and #s being thrown on record at rapid speed.
This is a really great example of: when you do your HW, you can step into the arena & have your say as a taxpayer. Really fascinating.

General theme of most speakers tonight:

Why is JCPD budget going up (during a hiring freeze no less)
While youth and social services are getting cut.

"Defund the police" cast here as "reallocate public dollars to services we believe need higher prioritization"

FYI just also saw this (re: last minute change to agenda tonight - an earlier speaker referenced this as lack of transparency & what CCRB w/out teeth could look like in JC) cc @so_many_amys

https://twitter.com/so_many_amys/status/1293674865430532097?s=20

@solidarityJC speaker saying that they've been asking for changes to budget & management of police for "past 2 months". Speaks against resolution up for vote tonight that would put police officers in public housing facilities, calls it "another Reagan policy holdover"

Speaker (who is also JCPS parent) speaks of last council meeting & demands by public to reallocate $ from police to youth. "No money for community anti-violence efforts despite research that shows efforts can reduce crime"
Speaks of #RestorativeJustice (2nd time I'm hearing this)

BTW if curious about #RestorativeJustice. Lots of resources, here's one. 100% worth checking out IMHO. Wonderful IMO to hear it spoken of during this city council meeting. I know a bit, defer to others on more resources.
britannica.com/topic/restorat…

I'm struck by how often Mayor Fulop and his budget are being called out tonight. Speakers expressing similar themes of discontent with:
1-they've previously asked for changes to this budget, haven't been listened to
2-tonight's amended budget is not acceptable

Speaker w @JCACM201 (1 of sponsors of petition that's also being cited repeatedly) asking for employment programs, better funding for schools, affordable housing programs. "We don't need investment in more police officers...we need more investment in our community."

Looping in Council handles to this thread.
At-Large are 1st 3:
@JoyceWatterman
@RLavarro
@danielrivera918
@DeniseRidleyJC-Ward A
@miramira4-Ward B
@RichardBoggiano-Ward C
@yousefjsaleh-Ward D
@SolomonforJC-Ward E
@Jermaine4WardF-Ward F
Ward Map: google.com/maps/d/u/0/vie…

I got booted off the feed but logged back in. Current speakers is against defunding police. Says they are needed in public housing. I'm sorry I didn't hear her entire comment. She was followed by Steven Campos of Hudson CMO who countered her point of view...

...Mr Campos says we need to "break the cycle" that has been created by not scrutinizing public budgets enough. Says "we need to learn from our past" in terms of what incarceration has done to our communities. BTW Hudson *Partnership* CMO website is here: hudsonservicenetwork.org/main.asp?uri=1…

A speaker who did not sound like she was part of the organized group tonight w @solidarityJC spoke of absence of female representation on Jersey City Mayoral and Council offices.

2 back to back speakers are w @HudCoDSA (I think we're nearing 40 speakers) spoke to need to defund police. Organized talking points here; most speakers hitting on themes:
Calling on #JerseyCity to reform, defund police & instead fund homeless, youth, mental health services

Speaker #37 re: email that she *just sent* to Council on May 27th. I believe this is a Polish statue at the Exchange Place SID topic. Speaker asked council to "look behind Mr. Boggiano's head" as part of her statement
One Q she's asking: who owns the statue...city or SID?

Another speaker against Mayor Fulop hiring 23 new police officers during hiring freeze. She'd rather the $ rather be used to fund youth, affordable housing.

H/T to the organizing that led to the detail & specificity being cited by these speakers.

BTW budget up for discussion tonight is *calendar year*. We're already 8 months thru 2020. I don't understand why budget is voted on 3/4 thru year. Perhaps a council rep can explain when it's their turn to speak

Someone just said "Either you're with Mayor Fulop or you're with the people" w/r/t the budget.

Hearing real anger & frustration on this call re: not being listened to in earlier meetings re: calls for reform & what this budget up for vote tonite should look like.

Reminder, here's a petition that many speakers tonight are anchoring around.
actionnetwork.org/petitions/defu…

Pam Johnson, Exec Director of @JCACM201 asking for Council reps to "push the envelope" & work for "sustainable change" because "enough is enough."

Speaker #42 is a Hoboken resident who organizes in #JerseyCity; says "I cannot for the world understand" why #JerseyCity is funding more police officers, he says. "More police is not the answer."

"The safest neighborhoods are not the most policed, they are the most resourced."

We are now 2 hours into public comment. Speakers still on deck wanting public $ allocated to youth, mental health services, counseling etc. Resources repeatedly cited.

Pain points of pandemic cited.

Consternation that city is funding police vs services to alleviate pain

TBH never thought this public comment would go on this long when I started thread 2 hours ago.

@solidarityJC cited again as organizing influence that has led to 40+ speakers (I think) coming out against the budget.

If interested in groups that sponsored the petition that is the public document around which most speakers are speaking tonite, here they are:
@solidarityJC
@JCACM201
@BlackMUJC
@HudProgressives
@HudCoDSA
@njMATCH
Not sure if I got them all - apologies if not

JC resident who's been in JC for years speaking in support of hiring JCPD (supports 20-556). Speaks about being long-term JC resident & time in past when crime was higher & has concerns of defunding police; Also supports funding social services
Says County should support homeless

Most recent 3 speakers against the current budget; I'm struck by how many of these speakers coming out against the budget have internalized the budget numbers.

"Release these documents in clear language" - speakers asking for transparency to public data (Amen to that)

We're up to 56 speakers. Lifelong resident of JC & speaking on behalf of @HummusJc voicing support for Citizen Complaint Review Board (CCRB), citing need to allocate funds from police to youth

I'm not clear on what happened prior to this council meeting...but there is a theme from speakers of not having been listened to in prior meetings. @SarahLigon may have more details.

I started out this thread knowing there would be an organized list of speakers around the budget & I love a good budget hearing (I'm an accountant that's not sarcasm) but this is blowing me away

Got kicked off feed again. I still don't understand the 8-month lag in this budget being introduced. Hoping @JoyceWatterman @SolomonforJC @RLavarro or others can shed light on that process point. But at this point I am wondering if they'll get a turn to talk b4 midnight

Nearly 3 hours of public comment on @JerseyCity proposed budget just ended. Most speakers against budget in current form, want $ shifted from police to youth services & other social services. Many empowered speakers who did their HW & had their say in public forum

BTW if curious about agenda packet it's here cityofjerseycity.civicweb.net/Portal/Meeting…

Interesting comments right now from @SolomonforJC who says the Council should have amended the budget but the mayoral admin changed it
"It makes the same mistakes that the last 7 budgets under the Fulop administration have made"

Solomon (Ward E council rep) saying budget in current form contains "gimmicks"
Cites example: selling city assets (land sale) to fill budget hole which helps in near term but hurts longer term

Councilman @SolomonforJC says he doesn't agree w/ everything activists who called in voiced support for.
Cites need for genuine & effective police force but also needs to fund & invest in communities. Invest is key word he says. "This budget doesn't do that."
Cites cuts to youth

@SolomonforJC Talking about cuts to youth programming as mechanism to achieve budget savings
Comparing JCPD to other cities' police depts. Says he's not for laying off officers, but questioning hiring of new officers when other community services remain underfunded

FYI this is Res 10.1 referred to by @SolomonforJC & @Jermaine4WardF amendment to budget. See more at the link: cityofjerseycity.civicweb.net/document/32064…

@Jermaine4WardF saying he sees a need for police given need he sees for police in his ward (F). "My ward cries out desperately for more policing." Acknowledges that social services must also be funded. "Cannot make it either/or"

He cited community leaders Pam Johnson and Steven Campos specifically, saying they & their programs need support. But also that "We need to make sure the police department is funded and secured"

FYI this is Res 10.7 re: interest rates for delinquent prop taxes

cityofjerseycity.civicweb.net/document/32246…

This is Division of Local Government Services that was just cited by Business Admin Brian Platt in exchange w @RLavarro. Lots of great tax & other data published here
nj.gov/dca/divisions/…

Listening to @RLavarro speak of school levy in concert w city levy; good to hear. We need this kind of collaborative-oriented thinking around the 2 local governments (schools + city). Mr. Lavarro correctly states: local school levy for @jcps_district will need to go up next year

@RLavarro also just asked Council President Watterman if next (& final) budget hearing can be separate from vote itself. Not clear where this landed.

@RLavarro just shared his screen & there's a $1.5M reduction in crossing guards from this year's budget & Mr. Platt just explained this may be reintroduced next yr if school is back in session. @JosephsonJyl @JCVillageMom @JCEA_jerseycity @jcps_district

^^ That merits Qs. Structurally removing crossing guards from the budget?

FYI: crossing guards are part of city budget but they serve the public schools citywide. Critical resources.
Critical, they ensure safe passage for kids, caregivers, staff. Often fighting traffic

Councilman @JCCALDR saying fabric of JCPD is not how callers characterized them. Speaks of growing up in #JerseyCity & supports police, not for defunding.

@JoyceWatterman spoke of need for other organizations who should also have seat at table for support from city budget, also providing essential services. She made similar point in response to @Rlavarro lifting up 2 orgs who should receive support for community services

Interesting point from above ^ is that civic groups that called in got themselves on council radar, & that led to more civic groups being brought onto radar.

Common point here seems to be: more city budget $ for civic orgs providing essential community services.

Let's see if I can #unroll this with @threadreaderapp