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OH, WELCOME TO, UM, OUR, UH, TOWN BOARD, UH, WORK SESSION.TODAY IS APRIL, UH, 16TH AT, UH, FIVE, UH, 30.
AND, UH, IT IS AN OPEN MEETING.
WE HAVE OUR NEW INCOMING CONTROLLER, UH, WITH US TODAY.
I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THE OPPORTUNITY.
UH, DO YOU WANNA TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK? CERTAINLY.
UM, UH, WELL, I COME FROM A DECADE, OVER A DECADE OF CAN WE JUST, CAN WE JUST START, CAN WE JUST KNOW YOUR NAME FIRST? OH, YES.
IT'S, SHE DOESN'T KNOW YOUR NAME.
AND I HAVE, UH, OVER A DECADE EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING.
UM, I WORKED AS COMMISSIONER OF FINANCE, THE CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE.
I WORKED IN CONNECTICUT GOVERNMENT AND FORMERLY OF THE, UH, TREASURER OF THE VILLAGE OF LARGEMONT.
VERY EXCITED TO HAVE, WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE SIDE HERE.
UM, NEXT, UH, WE HAVE, UM, YOU ARE LEAST YOU DONE REVEREND, UH, LANE COBB, AND, UM, UM, SOME OF THE LEADERS OF THE RESTORATIVE, UH, CIRCLES PROJECT.
AND THEY'RE GONNA, UM, TALK ABOUT, UH, THIS INITIATIVE.
HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, WHICH GOT A GRANT FROM THE COUNTY.
PAUL, I HATE TO TELL YOU, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GIMME A MINUTE BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO LOG INTO ZOOM.
WE COULD DO IT TOGETHER ONCE YOU, ONCE YOU COME.
LISTEN, I HAVE MY POSSE WITH ME AND THEY MIGHT, THEY MIGHT CHIME IN.
IS THERE ROOM FOR EVERYBODY AT THE END? ABSOLUTELY.
SIT IN THE MIDDLE BECAUSE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING.
COLLEEN, YOU WANT COLLEEN? LADIES, YOU WANNA CLAP? COME HERE COLLEEN, SO I CAN KICK YOU UNDER THE TABLE.
HOW ABOUT THAT? I DON'T SEE YOU.
WELL I SHOULD, I SHOULDN'T SHOW WORK.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD.
YOU, YOU WERE, UH, HONORED AS ONE OF THE BEST VOLUNTEERS IN THE WHOLE COUNTY BY VOLUNTEER NEW YORK, UM, THE OTHER DAY.
I CARRIED PROCLAMATION, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES MY 15 MINUTES.
ALRIGHT, REVEREND, HOW WE DOING? JUST DOING.
ALRIGHT, SO WHILE YOU'RE LOOKING, YOU WANNA TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHAT THE RESTORATIVE, UH, CIRCLES PROJECT IS.
WE JUST, YOU SHUT OFF YOUR AUDIO.
RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE TO SHUT OFF THE AUDIO.
THERE'S A LITTLE UP CARROT TO THE RIGHT.
WHEN YOU WERE GOING TO MUTE, HOW WERE YOU GONNA I DIDN'T THINK I WAS GONNA HAVE TO BE DOING ALL THIS.
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
WE SHOULD GO OVER THERE AND HELP HER OR SOMETHING.
CAN YOU JUST PASS ME MUTE THE COMPUTER RATHER THAN THE LAPTOP? OH, I'M SORRY.
ALRIGHT, SO LET'S GET STARTED EVERYONE.
I'M NOT SURE IF YOU LADIES ARE GONNA BE TALKING, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE YOUR MIC'S ON.
UM, LANE, IF YOU COULD JUST MOVE YOUR MIC CLOSER TO YOU SO EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU WHEN YOU GO OUT.
SORRY, I DUNNO WHY I JUST, I INTENDED FOR THIS TO BE SET UP ALREADY, SO I APOLOGIZE.
JUST ALL THE TIME WE WE'RE COVID.
NO, YOU DON'T WANNA BE DELAYING THE WHOLE THING.
SO NOW I HAVE TO GO BACK TO ZOOM AND SHARE MY SCREEN.
YOU THINK I NEVER DID THIS BEFORE? IT'S SO FUNNY 'CAUSE SHE'S LIKE, I JUST WANNA JUMP IN AND DO IT.
LEMME DO ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, IT IS BECAUSE IT'S LIKE DOUBLE DUTCH.
CAN YOU PUT IT ON A PRESENTATION BOARD? DO YOU WANT TO ALL INTRODUCE YOURSELVES FIRST BEFORE YOU START IN? OH, JOE'S OUTSIDE.
YOU WANNA PUT YOUR PRESENTATION MODE ON? UH, WE NEED ANOTHER CHAIR.
RIGHT? YOU OKAY? NO, IT SAYS NOT NO SLIDESHOW OVER.
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YEAH.DO YOU HAVE IT UP OR HERE? ALL RIGHT.
FIRST OF ALL, WELL THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME AND JOY.
UH, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOW TAKING KEN'S PLACE AS LIAISON FOR THE GREENBERG HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
WE HAVE NOT ONLY MET RIGHT? BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE CHANGING YOUR MEETING DATE.
I HAD SOME, SOME WE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT.
WE'VE BEEN ON THE, WE'VE BEEN ON THE THIRD THURSDAYS FOR A WHILE.
RIGHT? SO I KNOW IT'S A CONFLICT FOR YOU.
SO WE HAVE TO, YOU AND I HAVE TO TALK.
I THINK THAT'S WHO I'D EXCHANGE EMAILS FOR.
SO, UM, WE JUST WANTED TO COME AND JUST GIVE YOU AN UPDATE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MUCH FOR MEETING WITH US TODAY.
UM, OUR, UH, FIRST THING TO DO, OBVIOUSLY IS JUST TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOU GUYS.
SO IN GIVING YOUR, AS YOU KNOW, IN, WHEN WE CAME TO YOU WITH THIS IDEA AND WE HAD GONE OUT AND WANTED TO GET COMMUNITY PARTNERS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS SAID, WELL, IS THE TOWN BOARD BEHIND THIS? AND SUGGESTED THAT WE COME BACK AND WE GET A LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT, WHICH YOU GUYS DELIVERED FOR US.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING THAT.
WE APPRECIATE YOU, UM, IN THE TIME, UM, THAT WE THEN ACTUALLY, UH, WENT FORWARD AND DID SOME CIRCLES.
WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, UH, CREATE FIVE COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
SO BEFORE WE OH, I'M SURPRISED.
YOU WANNA START WITH JILL AND THEN WORK OUR WAY AROUND THE TABLE? YEAH, GO FOR IT.
OH WAIT, JILL, LET'S JUST MAKE SURE YOUR MICROPHONE IS ON SO EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU.
AND FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO MEET WITH US AGAIN.
I'M THE COORDINATOR OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WESTCHESTER, WHICH IS A NETWORK OF PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS, BOTH RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTITIONERS AND ADVOCATES, TRYING TO INCREASE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALING IN THE COUNTY.
UH, MY NAME IS ANIQUE WILLIAMS. I JUST STARTED WITH JILL LAST, UH, SUMMER, UH, WITH THE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WESTCHESTER.
UM, AND I WILL BE HOPEFULLY YOUR POINT OF CONTACT, UH, FOR ANY MARKETING PROMOTING THAT WE NEED TO DO.
I LIVE IN IRVINGTON AND I'M, UM, A PART OF A SURGE WESTCHESTER, WHICH IS SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE, UH, WESTCHESTER.
AND OUR AIM IS TO PULL IN WHITE FOLKS INTO ECONOMIC AND RACIAL JUSTICE WORK.
I'M CO-FOUNDER OF THE WESTCHESTER RACIAL EQUITY COLLABORATIVE, WHICH IS AN UMBRELLA GROUP THAT BRINGS TOGETHER ALL THE COMMUNITY GROUPS IN WESTCHESTER THAT ARE FOCUSED ON RACIAL EQUITY.
AND I'M PART OF THE TEAM THAT'S DOING THE LISTENING CIRCLES.
AND YOU ARE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE,
SO ELAINE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE, PLEASE.
WE ONLY INTRODUCE ONE SIDE OF THE TABLE.
COUNCILWOMAN GINA JACKSON, FRANCIS SHEHAN, COUNCILWOMAN, JOY HABER.
ELLEN HENDRICKS, COUNCILWOMAN TOWN CLERK.
THAT ALL ABOUT GET EVERYBODY IN LINE THE SPIRIT.
SO, AND I REALIZE THAT NOT EVERYBODY DOES KNOW ME, BUT I I, PEOPLE, UM, KNOW ME FROM THE ORGANIZING WORK THAT I'VE DONE, UH, IN, IN WESTCHESTER, BUT IN, UH, MOSTLY UNTIL LAST YEAR OR THE YEAR BEFORE BECAUSE I HAD A RACIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION NETWORK CALLED RACE TALK REVOLUTION.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT A LOT OF THE WORK THAT PEOPLE KNOW ME FOR WAS, UH, OUT OF THAT, BUT ALSO OUT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISM OF MY FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN RESIDENTS OF MM-HMM.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, BETWEEN JUNE AND JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, JUNE OF LAST YEAR AND JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, WE CREATED SOME CIRCLES WITH THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT APPEAR ON YOUR SCREEN.
GREENBERG LIBRARY, UM, UH, THEODORE DE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.
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THE GREENBERG PUBLIC LIBRARY ACTUALLY DID, UH, SEVERAL CIRCLES FOR US.TWO EVENTS, UH, AND I BELIEVE A TOTAL OF FIVE CIRCLES.
THREE THE FIRST TIME AND TWO THE SECOND TIME.
UM, AND, UH, WE ALL DID, UH, A CIRCLE TOGETHER OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND AS YOU RECALL, YOU WERE, UM, VERY IMPRESSED WITH HOW IT ALL WENT AND WENT FORWARD AND GAVE US THAT LETTER OF ENDORSEMENTS.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH.
AND WE ENGAGED, UM, 75 PLUS PEOPLE IN THESE CONVERSATIONS FOR HEALING AND RECONCILIATION AND, AND CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW CAN, UH, THE TOWN OF GREENBERG, UH, DO A BETTER JOB OF PROMOTING AND, UM, SUPPORTING YOUR OWN STATED, UM, COMMITMENT TO RACE EQUITY IN GREENBERG.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE, UH, WE ENGAGED PEOPLE AND THEN WE INVITED THEM TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
SO WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, WHAT THE FEEDBACK PEOPLE GAVE US AND SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT THEY GAVE US IN THESE CIRCLES.
CERTAINLY NOT, WHICH IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE.
'CAUSE WE JUST DON'T HAVE TIME TO, TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU TODAY.
WE'D LIKE TO DO THAT IN A LONGER MEETING AND TALK ABOUT HOW, UM, YOU MIGHT CHOOSE FROM ANY OF THOSE SUGGESTIONS AND IMPLEMENT THOSE GOING FORWARD.
UM, SO JUST, UH, OVERALL PARTICIPANTS IN ALL OF THE CIRCLES REQUESTED MORE CIRCLES.
PEOPLE JUST SAID, LISTEN, WE NEED MORE OF THESE.
WHEN WILL WE DOING THE NEXT ONE? UM, HOW IS THIS GONNA, YOU KNOW, BE, IS THIS GONNA SPREAD TO THE VILLAGES? WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S, WHAT'S YOUR GOALS GOING FORWARD? HOW CAN WE HELP? SO THOSE WERE THE FEED.
UM, WE, UH, I'VE JUST PUT THESE THREE ON YOUR SCREEN RIGHT NOW.
UH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAID THEY LEARNED MORE ABOUT BEING OPEN, BEING ABLE TO LISTEN WITHOUT JUDGMENT, UM, LEARNING TO HEAR OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE AND, UM, RELATE WITH THAT.
PEOPLE WERE SAYING, YES, WE NEED MORE OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS SO THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER.
PEOPLE, PEOPLE DO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE VERY MUCH SILOED IN OUR POLITICAL CLIMATE, IN THE WAY THAT WE, UM, ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER.
AND, UH, PEOPLE WANT SOME CHANGE AND SAW THIS AS A VIABLE, UM, VEHICLE FOR DOING THAT.
UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, ONE OF THE GREENBERG LIBRARY PARTICIPANTS SAYING CIRCLES CAN GO A LONG WAY TO CREATING BETTER RELATIONSHIPS.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT, RIGHT? UM, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO CONNECT, TO BE ABLE TO, UM, DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO LISTEN WITH COMPASSION AND ALSO TO EXPERIENCE AND ALSO TO EXHIBIT EMPATHY, RIGHT? BECAUSE, AND SO IF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION, THEN YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT, UM, THE, OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM AND SO FORTH AND SO ON.
A LOT OF WHAT'S BEING TALKED ABOUT FOR OUR STUDENTS IS WE NEED TO HELP KIDS DEVELOP EMPATHY.
'CAUSE THAT IS HOW THEY'RE GOING TO LEARN THE LIFE SKILLS TO BE ABLE TO GET ALONG WITH PEOPLE IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT.
AND BY THE WAY, UH, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME POINT, IF MY POSSE WANTS TO CHIME IN, PLEASE JUST LET ME KNOW.
SO THESE TWO, UM, PARTICULAR, UH, FEEDBACK STATEMENTS I THOUGHT WERE, WERE FAIRLY GOOD.
AND SO I WANTED TO JUST KIND OF READ THEM, IF THAT'S OKAY.
UM, THIS PERSON, UM, FROM ONE OF THE CIRCLES SAID MY HUSBAND AND I FELT MOVED AFTER ATTENDING THE CIRCLE.
IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN AND HEAR WHAT OTHERS IN GREENBURG EXPERIENCE.
IT MADE ME FEEL CLOSER TO WHERE I LIVE AND MORE IN TOUCH WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S REALITY.
I WAS AMAZED AT HOW OPEN OTHERS WERE DURING THE CIRCLE, AND ALSO HOW CLOSE I FELT TO PEOPLE AFTERWARDS.
ADDITIONALLY, I LOVE HOW PEOPLE TELL THEIR STORIES, AND I GAIN INSIGHT FROM WHAT THEY'RE WILLING TO SHARE.
I THINK THAT MANY PEOPLE WOULD BENEFIT FROM THESE CIRCLES AS TO GET THEM TO MEET PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FROM THEIR LITTLE INSULAR PARTS OF GREENBERG.
IT WOULD HELP PEOPLE APPRECIATE THE DIVERSITY HERE AS THEY SEE THE BEAUTY AND THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR NEIGHBORS EXPERIENCE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT GREENBERG IS THERE IS SO MUCH DIVERSITY TO CELEBRATE, BUT WE DON'T OFTEN ENOUGH COME TOGETHER IN D DIVERSE CIRCLES TO CELEBRATE THAT DIVERSITY, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
WHAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE, UH, BE MORE OF A COMMUNITY? MM-HMM.
JEN, YOU MAY KNOW, IS A, IS AN ORGANIZER, RIGHT? OH, YOU, OF COURSE YOU WOULD KNOW HER IN MM-HMM.
AND SO SHE WAS REALLY, HAD A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.
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AND LISA, JEN ACTUALLY BEFORE SHE, I DON'T, SHE'S NOT GONNA MIND ME SAYING THIS BEFORE.SHE, UM, ENROLLED IN ONE OF THE CIRCLES, ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO JILL AND SAID, IS THIS A SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE OF JEWISH, UH, HERITAGE? BECAUSE THIS WAS SHORTLY AFTER OCTOBER 6TH, RIGHT? SEVENTH.
AND SHE SAID, AND SHE WANTED TO KNOW, IS THIS A SAFE PLACE FOR US TO SHARE? CAN WE BE VULNERABLE HERE? MM-HMM.
THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE DESIGNED IT.
AND SHE WROTE US THIS, UM, FEEDBACK STATEMENT.
MY EXPERIENCE AS PART OF THE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE CIRCLES ON RACIAL EQUITY IN GREENBERG WAS REALLY POWERFUL AND VERY MOVING.
I DID NOT KNOW HOW, I DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT HOW RESTORATIVE CIRCLES WORK AND PRACTICE AND FOUND THAT THE OPPORTUNITY JUST TO REALLY DEEPLY LISTEN TO ONE ANOTHER, NOT ONLY IN ORDER TO DEBATE OR EVEN DISCUSS, BUT JUST TO HEAR AND PROCESS DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES WAS REALLY UNIQUE AND TRANSFORMATIVE.
SO MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS WERE SURFACED.
AND IT WAS AN HONOR TO GET TO WITNESS THE WHOLE GROUP MAKING DISCOVERIES AND CONNECTIONS, AND ALSO TO JUST BE A WITNESS AS OTHERS SHARED VULNERABLY ABOUT THEIR PAIN AND THEIR NEEDS.
I WISH THAT EVERYONE COULD PARTICIPATE IN A RESTORATIVE CIRCLE LED BY THIS REALLY AMAZING GROUP.
I BELIEVE THAT THEY BOTH FOSTER COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING AND PLANT THE SEEDS FOR MEANINGFUL CHANGE.
SO THAT REALLY IS A TESTAMENT TO WHAT WE'RE OUT TO DO.
I THINK YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, RIGHT? AS FOLKS WHO ARE IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
YOU GET THAT, THAT'S THE, THE IMPETUS FOR OUR PROJECT.
SO, AS I SAID, UM, FOLLOWING THE, UM, THE, THE, THE CIRCLE OF THE CONVERSATION, WE ASKED PEOPLE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.
HOW CAN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG DO BETTER AT, UH, FORWARDING THEIR STATED COMMITMENT TO RACE EQUITY? AND, UM, SOME OF THESE ARE WHAT PEOPLE CAME UP WITH.
I WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT SOME OF THESE WERE VERY ADVANCED.
UM, AND IT WAS INTERESTING 'CAUSE YOU MAY THINK THAT THIS CAME FROM US AS ORGANIZERS.
THESE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME FROM ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO JUST CAME TO BE IN OUR CIRCLE.
ALRIGHT? UM, SOME OF WHOM HAVE, UM, EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOME OF WHO DON'T.
SO ONE OF THEM, AND WE, WE KIND OF SEPARATED THESE INTO SHORT TERM, MEDIUM TERM AND LONG TERM.
THE SHORT TERM IS, UM, THAT WE, UH, THOUGHT WAS VERY SALIENT IS TO SUGGEST THAT THE TOWN OF GREENBURG ACTUALLY LOOK INTO JOINING GERE.
AND I KNOW, ELLEN, YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT BECAUSE, UH, THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY ACTUALLY DID THAT AT THE, AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF COLLEEN.
UM, WHEN SHE WAS CHAIR OF WHAT WOMEN'S WESTCHESTER WOMEN'S AGENDA.
AND THAT IS A NATIONAL NETWORK OF GOVERNMENT WORKING TO ACHIEVE RACIAL EQUITY AND ADVANCED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL.
AND THEY, IT IS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE, LEGISLATORS GET EDUCATION WHERE YOU, THEY HELP YOU WALK IT OUT, RIGHT? HOW DO YOU ADVANCE RACE EQUITY? UM, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOOLS THAT YOU CAN USE? AND IT, IT'S VERY SUPPORTIVE IN THAT, UM, UH, SO IT'S NOT LIKE, YEAH, JUST JOIN THIS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU'RE IS EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES.
IT'S NOT THAT THIS IS, AND, AND THIS IS WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, STRAIGHT, THAT IT'S SERIOUS ABOUT, UM, RACE EQUITY, UM, IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN TRACK.
UH, ANOTHER THING IS JUST TO FIND A MODEL, RIGHT? SO LOOKING AT A MODEL SUCH AS WHAT THE CITY OF PORTLAND, OREGON IS DOING TO ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY, AGAIN, UM, HOW IS IT, UH, HOLDING ITS LEGISLATORS ACCOUNTABLE FOR PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPING POLICIES AND PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES THAT DISMANTLE SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION AND BUILD EQUITABLE FOUNDATIONS FOR SYSTEMICALLY EXCLUDED AND IN INSTITUTIONALLY OPPRESSED PORTLAND COMMUNITIES.
AND SO THAT ISN'T JUST ABOUT NECESSARILY ABOUT RACE.
THIS IS ABOUT LOOKING AT THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF OPPRESSION, RIGHT? IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT RACE.
THAT I KNOW THAT A A LOT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY, YEAH, NO, UH, ERASE EQUITY.
IT'S NOT ABOUT JUST RACE, IT'S ABOUT EQUITY.
WHAT HAVE THEY DONE IN PORTLAND? SO THE, I PUT, I COULDN'T TELL YOU, UH, I MEAN, I CAN TELL YOU, BUT THAT I WOULD, WE WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU IN A LONGER MEETING.
UM, BUT IT IS, UH, LOOKING TO HOW TO CREATE AN ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM.
UM, AND I DID PUT HERE THE LINK.
UH, DOES ANYBODY WANT TO GIVE A BRIEF BACKGROUND ABOUT THAT? LIKE, REALLY QUICK? ONE MINUTE.
SO AS WE LEARN FROM PEOPLE THAT HAVE DONE THE WORK, WHAT NOT, WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T.
SO IT'S, IT'S VERY ACCESSIBLE.
IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, THEY'LL, UH, JUST A FEW PAGES JUST OUTLINES LIKE WHAT THEIR GOALS WERE.
AND THAT'S ALL I, I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON IT, BUT IT'S LIKE, LOOK AT WHAT, LIKE, WE ALWAYS
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LOOK AT WHAT WORKS AND THIS IS WORKING, AND OF COURSE WE, WE'LL REVISE IT TO, UH, PERTAIN TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE IN.WELL, RATHER THAN REINVENTING THE WHEEL, PICK A WHEEL THAT WORKS.
ONE SPECIFIC THING THAT I KNOW THAT'S PART OF IT IS THAT, UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEING DISCUSSED AT THE STATE LEVEL HERE IN NEW YORK, IS TO REALLY LOOK, UM, HAVE AN, LIKE AN EQUITY AUDIT FOR EACH, UM, PIECE OF LEGISLATION OR EACH RESOLUTION.
LIKE WHAT IS THE ACTUAL IMPACT GONNA BE ON DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES INSTEAD OF JUST MAKING ASSUMPTIONS.
AND, AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE COUNTY GOVERNMENT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN A MEMBER OF GE FOR WHAT, TWO GOING ON TWO YEARS NOW.
THAT TIME FLIES, DOESN'T IT? DOESN'T IT, IT
AND I WOULD JUST ADD THAT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE JUST SOME THAT WE PICKED OUT THAT WE THOUGHT WERE EASY, UM, AND DOABLE.
THERE'S A LOT MORE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH YOU AT A LONGER, IN A LONGER MEETING.
SO WE'RE LIKE, LET'S JUST PICK OUT WHAT'S REALLY SALIENT AND DOABLE AND, AND JUST TO SAY, ALSO, WE WOULD HELP YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS.
RIGHT? WE, WE ARE, WE'RE KIND OF NOT GUYS ON THE CORNER, RIGHT? WE'VE BEEN DOING KIND OF THIS WORK FOR A WHILE.
AND SO FOR US TO SUPPORT YOU AS OUR LEADERS IN CREATING SOME PROCESSES THAT WOULD MOVE US FORWARD IS WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.
WE'RE NOT ONLY HERE TO CREATE THESE CIRCLES, WE'RE HERE TO USE HELP.
YOU USE WHAT THE CIRCLES REVEAL TO ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
HOW DO YOU QUANTIFY IT WORKS, RIGHT? THE GA AS FOUR.
HOW DO YOU, HOW DOES WHAT MEASURE IS USED TO SAY IN THESE MUNICIPALITIES? THIS HAS ACTUALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE.
UH, WHAT GEAR RECOMMENDS IS A PROCESS CALLED RESULTS BASED ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND IT BASICALLY ASKS SOME, SOME BASIC QUESTIONS.
WHAT WAS DONE, WHO WAS IMPACTED, AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? WHO'S BETTER OFF? THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT RBA DOES.
AND IT ANALYZES THE DATA, UM, LOOKS AT THE CAUSES OF ISSUES.
IT REALLY DIGS DOWN DEEP MM-HMM.
AND THE BASIC QUESTION IS, WHO'S BETTER OFF BASED ON WHATEVER HAS BEEN DONE? OKAY.
AND I WOULD JUST ADD, YOU WOULD HAVE TARGETS, RIGHT? LIKE YOU WOULD, YOU, THE GOAL IS TO, TO IMPROVE LIFE FOR PEOPLE.
UM, AND ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE WHO GENERALLY THEIR LIVES DON'T IMPROVE WITH POLICY, THEY'RE LEFT BEHIND.
SO IT'S REALLY LOOKING AT OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND OUR MOST EXCLUDED POPULATIONS AND MAKING SURE THINGS ADVANCE FOR THEM, RIGHT? ON A GOVERNMENT LEVEL, IT'S FIRST OF ALL, LOOKING WITHIN OUR GOVERNMENT TO MAKE SURE THERE'S EQUITY WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENTS.
AND THEN THAT WILL THEN TRICKLE DOWN.
IT'S GET GETTING IT INTO THE, TO THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT? GETTING IT INTO THE DNA OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AND THEN LOOKING AT HOW YOU'RE SPENDING YOUR DOLLARS, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'VE BEEN HELPING PEOPLE IN POVERTY OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T JUST KEEP THROWING MONEY AT IT.
YOU'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING TO MAKE A LONG TERM DIFFERENCE.
SO RESULTS BASED ACCOUNTABILITY ENABLES YOU TO LOOK AT WHAT HAS BEEN DONE, TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT HOW YOU'RE SPENDING YOUR MONEY, AND MAYBE TRYING DIFFERENT APPROACHES.
AND THESE, THESE ESPECIALLY GEAR HAS LIKE A LOT OF, UM, OTHER COUNT OTHER ENTITIES, AS YOU SAID, THAT HAVE DONE THIS.
AND SO WE CAN LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES.
WE DON'T HAVE TO RE REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES.
AND, AND THEY DO HAVE TOOLS ON THE WEBSITE THAT SHOW YOU HOW TO DO THESE THINGS.
IS IT LIKE ONE YEAR, TWO YEARS, FIVE YEARS? YOU KNOW, WE'D PROBABLY HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT DETAIL.
I THINK THAT OUR GOAL HERE IN, IN, IN PUTTING THAT ONE FORWARD IS TO SAY THERE ARE MODELS AVAILABLE, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
AND WE WOULD, YOU WOULD LOOK, WE WOULD HELP YOU FIND THE ONE THAT WORKS FOR YOU ALL.
RIGHT? BUT THAT THERE ARE MODELS AVAILABLE.
THAT, THAT WAS KIND OF OUR POINT HERE.
SO MEDIUM TERM, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, ANTI-RACISM TRAINING FOR, FOR TOWN EMPLOYEES CERTAINLY WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, WE JUST, WE, UH, HAVE LISTED THE PEOPLE'S INSTITUTE, UH, FOR SURVIVAL AND BEYOND THAT, I SHOULD BE CAPITALIZED.
UM, THEIR UNDOING RACISM WORKSHOP IS KIND OF THE FLAGSHIP PROGRAM FOR ANTI-RACISM TRAINING.
UM, AND, UH, THE CENTER FOR SAFETY AND CHANGE, UM, HAS A SIMILAR PROGRAM CALLED GETTING TO THE ROOT, WHICH IS RIGHT OVER IN NIAC.
[00:25:01]
UM, AND, UM, THEIR PROGRAM IS TWO DAYS.THE PEOPLE, THE, THE UNDOING RACISM, I THINK IS STILL THREE DAYS.
UM, HAVING SAID THAT, THERE IS, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, THE UNDOING RACISM WORKSHOP IS BEING GIVEN RIGHT HERE IN WHITE PLAINS TWO MORE TIMES IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.
UM, AND SO PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UM, WHO HAVE A, WHO HAVE A POSITION WHERE THEY HAVE A COMMITMENT TO SERVING DIVERSE GROUPS, PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT NEEDS, PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT, RIGHT.
IT REALLY DOES BEHOOVE US TO HAVE AN ANALYSIS WHERE WE COULD KIND OF SEE THE LARGER PICTURE, WHERE IT'S WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF OTHER IS AND RACISM AND OPPRESSION.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY THAT INFORMS WHAT ARE THE, THE, WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AT OUR HANDS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ALL OF THE SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH, THE BANKING SYSTEM, THE REAL ESTATE SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, THE WAY RIGHT.
HOUSING, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS ABOUT EVERY DAY, RIGHT? BUT IF HAVING A, A RACIAL ANALYSIS TO LOOK THROUGH IT GIVES YOU MORE AN, A MORE EMPOWERED WAY TO MAKE A REALLY WELL-INFORMED DECISION.
AND THAT YOU WILL, IT'S A WAY TO NOT HAVE TO, AGAIN, REINVENT THE WHEEL, MAKE A DECISION THAT DOES MORE OF THE SAME.
BECAUSE I, I KNOW THAT ALL OF YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU WANNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS, YOU'RE NOT BRAND NEW, RIGHT? YOU'RE NOT BRAND NEW.
AND OFTEN WHAT WE HEAR FROM PEOPLE IS, WHAT DO I NEED ANTI-RACISM TRAINING FOR? I KNOW THERE'S RACISM.
IT ISN'T JUST, WELL, I'M BLACK.
I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU KNOW, I KNOW ALREADY.
MM-HMM,
THAT IS A GAME CHANGER, RIGHT? SO IT'S NOT LIKE YOUR RACISM GO GET ANTI-RACISM TRAINING.
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO EACH OTHER TO LEARN WHAT HAS BEEN THE EXPERIENCE OF, OF, OF, OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY, AND IN OUR CAPACITY AND OUR COMMITMENT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
WHAT IS THE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PULL ON TO CREATE LASTING CHANGE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR EVERYBODY? RIGHT? SO, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT THIS RECOMMENDATIONS COME FROM.
AND IT'S NOT, IT, UH, IT'S NOT LIKE THIS WILL BE A WASTE OF TIME.
I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT HAVING THAT TRAINING ECLIPSE US TO BETTER SERVE THE POPULATION THAT'S IT THAT EXISTS NOW AND IS GOING TO EXIST IN THE FUTURE.
GREENBURG IS NOT THE SAME PLACE THAT IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO, AND NEITHER IS WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
SO WE CAN'T ASSUME GREENBURG AS WELL.
PARDON ME IN GREENBURG AS WELL.
SO WE CAN'T ASSUME THAT WE SHOULD SERVE THAT COMMUNITY THE SAME WAY WE'VE BEEN DOING THINGS OVER THE LAST, YOU KNOW MM-HMM.
SO IT'S REALLY ESSENTIAL INFORMATION TO LEARN WHO THESE POPULATIONS ARE, WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS, WHAT ARE THEY CONCERNS, AND HOW CAN WE HAVE A MORE INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYBODY FEELS WELCOME AND BELONGING IN, IN GREENBURG.
ONE OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, I FEEL THE TOWN, YOU KNOW, COULD DO, UM, IS TO, YOU KNOW, WORK ON OUR RECRUITING, UM, INDIVIDUALS FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS. I'VE, I FAILED, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE THEATER, YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER AND THE TOWN, WE COULD HAVE CIVIL SERVICE, UH, PREP CLASSES AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER THAT WOULD BE TARGETED, UH, TO THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, RECENT IMMIGRANTS.
AND WE COULD BASICALLY TEACH PEOPLE HOW PREPARE PEOPLE SO THEY COULD DO SCORE WELL, BECAUSE MOST OF THE GOVERNMENT JOBS, UM, YOU REQUIRE CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS. SO WE, WE HAVE THE POLICE SUMMER YOUTH CAMP.
WE'VE HAD THAT FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR, YOU KNOW, 30 YEARS OR WHATEVER.
UM, AND WE SHOULD ALSO TRY FIGURING OUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ONLY, FROM THAT CAMP, WE'VE ONLY HIRED, I THINK IN 30 YEARS, TWO OF TWO RECENT GRADUATES, TWO GRADUATES, YOU KNOW, WHAT COULD
[00:30:01]
WE DO TO MOTIVATE SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CAMPERS TO ACTUALLY APPLY FOR, FOR JOBS? NO, IT'S GOOD.I WAS GONNA SAY, IT'S FUNNY THAT YOU SAID THAT BECAUSE IN MY LIBRARY CIRCLE, ONE OF THE LIBRARY EMPLOYEES EXACTLY ADDRESSED, I DON'T KNOW IF ANIQUE YOU WERE IN THAT HE TALKED ABOUT CIVIL SERVICE JOBS, THAT COMMUNITIES, CERTAIN PEOPLE ALWAYS GO FOR THEM, AND A LOT OF OTHER COMMUNITIES DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT.
AND SO, EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, AND I REALLY THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE INITIATIVES AT THE THEATER YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER SHOULD BE HAVING A REAL COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM, UM, FOR PEOPLE.
SO WE COULD TRAIN, WE COULD GIVE EVERYONE WHO GOES TO THE CENTER WHO WANTS THE GOVERNMENT JOB A LEG UP WHEN THEY TAKE THE EXAMS. IT SHOULD ONLY BE POLICE, IT SHOULD BE ALL THE JOB, ALL THE CIVIL SERVICE JOBS THAT I WOULD FEEL WOULD BE LIKE, SOMETHING WHERE WOULD BE TANGIBLE.
AND I KNOW WE WOULD SHOW A DIFFERENCE.
IT IT IS, IT IS ABOUT CREATING OPPORTUNITIES, BUT IT, IT IS ALSO ABOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE ALL OF THE POSSIBLE PITFALLS AND ROADBLOCKS, RIGHT.
THAT, THAT, THAT RELATE TO, UM, THAT AS WELL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THIS IS, IS GOING.
CAN I JUST ASK YOU ONE OTHER QUESTION JUST ABOUT THE DIVERSITY TRAINING? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ALL, EVERYBODY SUPPORTS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TRAINING AGAINST, YOU KNOW, RACISM.
BUT IF SOMEBODY'S A RACIST AND THEY TAKE A CLASS, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY TAKE WATCH A, A TAPE AND SAYS, BE MORE EMPATHETIC, UH, BUT THEY ARE GEN, GENUINELY RACIST.
HOW WILL THE TRAINING CHANGE THEIR OUTLOOK? YOU KNOW, COULD ONE OR TWO CLASSES MAKE SOMEBODY A DIFFERENT PERSON? AND HAS THERE BEEN ANY LIKE, DATA THAT HAS SHOWN THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY CHANGED THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF THIS? I WANNA RECOMMEND THAT YOU GO TO THESE WEBSITES, PAUL, AND I ALSO WANNA RECOMMEND THAT YOU, THAT YOU REGISTER FOR ONE OF THE COURSES AND SEE FOR YOURSELF THE ANSWER IS YES.
THIS INFORMATION, THIS TRAINING, THESE CONVERSATIONS SHIFT PEOPLE'S, UM, SHIFT PEOPLE'S THINKING, RIGHT? SHIFT PEOPLE'S AWARENESS.
PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH MY GOD, I NEVER LOOKED AT IT THAT WAY BEFORE.
RIGHT? AND SO YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN THERE WHO ARE LIKE, HAVE THEIR ARMS CROSSED, AND THEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE THERE THAT ARE LIKE, I I I I'VE BEEN DOING THIS ALL MY LIFE AND I STILL FOUND OUT SOMETHING NEW.
IT IS ABOUT, IT'S A LIFE CHANGING LEARNING.
IT IS A LIFE, IT'S A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE.
IT'S FOR PEOPLE ALSO WHO AREN'T, WHO THINK THAT THEY'RE NOT RACIST TO FIND OUT HOW THEY MIGHT, THAT'S THE REAL BENEFIT.
I, I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE HERE.
SO I I, I DO ANTI-RACISM TRAINING MYSELF, AND I HAVE BEEN TO MANY ANTI-RACIST TRAININGS, BUT I WENT TO THE PEOPLE'S INSTITUTE ON DOING RACISM WORKSHOP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE EIGHTIES.
I HAVE BEEN THREE TIMES, I HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT HAS BENEFITED MY OWN ABILITY TO BE AN ALLY AND TO DO POWERFUL WORK.
AND, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.
WE NEED PEOPLE TO DO WORK THAT IS REALLY GONNA HAVE AN IMPACT.
AND THIS IS A PLACE TO LEARN TO DO THAT.
I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT GOING TO THE ONGOING RACISM WORKSHOP DOESN'T CHANGE A RACIST MM-HMM.
AND SO THE INTERLOCKING SYSTEMS THAT, UM, OPPRESS PEOPLE OF COLOR.
SO THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, ANY INDIVIDUAL MAY BE A RACIST, THEY'RE NOT GONNA WALK OUT AND BE, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A RACIST ANYMORE.
WHAT IT HELPS YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS IT'S NOT THE INDIVIDUAL PERSON WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
IT'S THE SYSTEMS THAT COME TOGETHER TO OPPRESS PEOPLE OF COLOR.
THAT'S WHAT THE TRAINING IS ALL ABOUT, HELPING PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHY IS IT THAT SOME PEOPLE GOT THE GI BILL AND WERE ABLE TO BUILD HOUSES BACK IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES AND HAVE THAT EQUITY ACCRUE OVER THE YEARS SO THAT THEY CAN PASS THAT ON TO THEIR, THEIR CHILDREN.
AND THAT'S HOW GENERATIONAL WEALTH IS BUILT.
WELL, YOU KNOW, THE RACISTS MAY NOT CARE ABOUT THAT, BUT GOING TO A CLASS AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE SYSTEMS COME TOGETHER TO ADVERSELY AFFECT SOME PEOPLE AND POSITIVELY AFFECT OTHERS, I THINK IS WHAT THE, WHAT THE TRAINING IS ALL ABOUT.
THE PIECE THAT COLLEEN LEFT OUT WAS THAT THE, THAT SOLDIERS OF COLOR WERE DENIED THE GI BILL.
SO I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, UM, YOUR MISSION AND JUST IN A MORE GENERAL, THE MISSION IS RACISM OR BIAS, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE MORE SPECIFIC OVERCOMING RACISM OR BIAS, WHICH INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, L-G-B-T-Q AND YOU KNOW, SENIORS, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT GROUPS? WE'RE, WE'RE BIAS
[00:35:01]
IS SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE.AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT AND HOW TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE AMENDS IF YOU SAY SOMETHING IN BIAS.
BUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH RACISM, AS I SAID, IT'S THE SYSTEM.
ALL THESE SYSTEMS THAT COME TOGETHER.
THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
NOT TALKING ABOUT INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE.
I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT OTHER GROUPS THOUGH.
THAT EXPERIENCE SIMILAR IN, IN THE GROUP IN NO, NO, NO OTHER GROUPS THAT WOULD EXPERIENCE THAT KIND OF SYSTEMIC BIAS.
I MEAN, IN OUR CIRCLE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRAINING IS ONE THING IN OUR CIRCLES, OUR CIRCLES FOCUSED ON IDENTITY, OUR RACIAL AND CULTURAL IDENTITY.
AND PEOPLE SAT IN A ROOM AND TALKED ABOUT THEIR VARIOUS IDENTITIES AND LISTENED.
PEOPLE LISTENED TO EACH OTHER TO HEAR THIS ONE'S PERSON'S EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS GONNA BE DIFFERENT THAN MINE.
AND BEING IN THOSE CIRCLES HELPED TO JUST HAVE THAT MOMENT OF NOT BEING INTERRUPTED TO SPEAK YOUR TRUTH.
AND SO, SO FOR, FOR THESE OUT OF THOSE CIRCLES CAME THESE RECOMMENDATIONS BECAUSE ESPECIALLY MY DEAR WHITE PEOPLE TOO, WE GO THROUGH OUR LIFE AND IF WE HAVE A, WE DON'T, WE MAY NOT, FOR ME, I'LL TALK FOR MYSELF GOING TO THIS UNDOING RACISM.
I FINALLY WAS IN A ROOM WHERE I SAID I BELONGED.
I CAN BE IN A ROOM, CALMLY LISTEN AND TALK ABOUT RACE.
AND I CAN, I WAS A LITTLE, I CAME OUT OF THERE, I'M PRETTY, YOU KNOW, OPEN.
I WAS KIND OF, OH, I NEVER LOOKED AT IT THAT WAY.
NO, I SAW REFLECTING ON IT, I, THE WAY WE OPERATE NOW, NEIGHBORHOODS, HIGHWAYS THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS.
GREENBURG FINDING AN IDENTITY.
THEY WERE ALL CONDITIONED THAT WAY.
CROSS BRONX EXPRESSWAY, ROBERT MOSES WENT THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS.
IT'S ALL, THERE'S A HISTORY THERE.
WE KNOW WHY WE'RE DEALING WITH WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
AND AS PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND LEADERS SITTING IN A ROOM AND THINKING ABOUT IT, AND THIS IS ONGOING.
YOU CAN DO THE WORKSHOP ONCE, TWICE.
THIS IS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION.
SO IT GIVES YOU TOOLS, TOOLS TO UNDERSTAND WHY ARE YOU DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS YOU'RE DEALING WITH TODAY.
DID THAT ANSWER YOU A QUESTION? NO, NOT REALLY.
I GUESS WHAT I'M REAL, MAYBE I SHOULD BE MORE CLEAR.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE YOU WOULD, YOU SAY, IS YOUR FOCUS, BECAUSE THE TERMINOLOGY THAT I'M MORE FAMILIAR WITH NOW IS DEI TRAINING RATHER THAN RACISM, SPECI.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? SO MORE OF AN UMBRELLA TERM.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR MISSION, HOW THAT IS IT MORE FOCUSED? SO, SO THE ANSWER IS THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON EQUITY.
IT'S NOT ONE GROUP AGAINST THE OTHER, BUT LIKE, ARE ARE OUR POLICIES NEGATIVELY IMPACTING CERTAIN GROUPS? HOW DO WE ASSURE THAT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT RIGHT? YEAH.
SO THAT, SO THAT'S THE ANSWER THAT THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
AND THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT ANTI-BLACK RACISM RIGHT.
IS, IS SOMETHING IT SO THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THESE LEVELS OF OPPRESSION AND WE KNOW THAT THE DATA SHOWS THAT THE DARKER THE COMPLEXION OF THE POPULATION, THE MORE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES THAT THEY EXPERIENCE.
AND SO THE, WE, WE DON'T WANT TO IGNORE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
AND SO THAT IS WHY, YOU KNOW, WE POINT PEOPLE THERE AND GO, YOU YES.
EQUITY FOR ALL AND DO THIS MM-HMM.
BECAUSE THE AWARENESS THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE IN DOING THAT TRAINING IN UNDER, IN, IN DOING THAT INTERNAL WORK MM-HMM.
AND IT, IT MAKES YOUR JOB EASIER 'CAUSE YOU SEE MORE.
SO I'M JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK, UM, YOU MAY NOT KNOW, BUT I, UM, ELLEN AND, AND GINA CERTAINLY KNOW THAT THIS FOR ME, UM, STARTED, WELL I THINK FOR ALL OF US BECAUSE OF THE MURAL PROJECT THAT WENT AWRY.
AND WE HAD PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY COMING TO US AND SAYING, HELP US, HELP US.
AND, UM, I SAID, OKAY, WE WANNA HAVE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THAT.
[00:40:01]
AND JILL SAID, YEAH, BUT NO, WE WANNA MAKE THIS MORE INCLUSIVE FOR, FOR GREENBERG.LIKE THIS IS, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST ABOUT BLACK AND JEWISH, ABOUT EVERYBODY.
AND SO, YES, THESE CIRCLES ARE ABSOLUTELY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE AND TO, TO REALLY SHARE WHAT, HOWEVER THEIR IDENTITY, UH, UM, UM, AFFECTS, EXCUSE ME, THEIR EXPERIENCE OF BEING A RESIDENT IN QUEEN.
BUT THE MURAL ISSUE HASN'T BEEN RESOLVED YET.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? NO, BUT, BUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT EITHER.
THAT, THAT'S WHY WHEN WE CAME TO THIS, WE WEREN'T GOING TO JUST TALK ABOUT THE MURAL.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT RESOLVING A MURAL.
IT'S MUCH, MUCH BIGGER THAN THAT.
IT, WHY DO WE KEEP COMING TO THAT PLACE? MM-HMM.
I MEAN, ARE WE BASICALLY TAKING SORT OF THE WRONG APPROACH BECAUSE WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE MEDIATION, BUT MAYBE WE, IF WE SAT DOWN WITH, YOU KNOW, YOUR GROUP AND EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY MET, MAYBE UH, THAT WOULD HAVE A BE GIVE US A BETTER CHANCE OF, OF RESOLVING, YOU KNOW, PAUL, MAYBE WE SHOULD SAY THAT FOR THE BIGGER CONVERSATION IN THE LONGER CONVERSATION, LET'S LET THEM GET THROUGH THEIR FINISH PRESENTATION.
BECAUSE I'M SAYING EVERYBODY'S, I GET IT IS WHAT GENERATED IN FRAME.
AND PLUS WE, AND PLUS RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN LITIGATION TOO.
SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY MINDFUL OF WHAT IS IS SAID.
THERE'S A LIMITED THING THAT YOU GUYS CAN DO THERE RIGHT NOW.
SO I WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE WE CAN.
SO MEDIUM TERM IS ALSO, WE ARE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING, AND I SPOKE WITH GINA ABOUT THIS AT THE OUTSET, TO DO COMMUNITY BUILDING CIRCLES WITH YOUR TOWN BOARD AND RESIDENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
LIKE, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO HAVE A LISTENING CIRCLE, NOT A TOWN BOARD MEETING, RIGHT.
WHERE PEOPLE JUST COME UP AND GO, RIGHT.
BUT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME, SHARE, SPEAK, HEAR, UH, AND DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS THAT GO BEYOND, UM, RESIDENT AND LEGISLATOR.
HOW LONG DID THE CIRCLES TAKE? UH, BETWEEN 90 MINUTES AND TWO HOURS.
BUT DIFFERENT CIRCLES COULD BE DIFFERENT.
I THINK THE CIRCLE WE DID WITH THE TOWN BOARD WAS ONLY AN HOUR.
AND THEN WE TALKED, SO, RIGHT.
I DO COMMUNITY BUILDING CIRCLES IN SCHOOLS IN 45 MINUTES.
NO, I'M ASKING THAT BECAUSE MAYBE THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY BEFORE A BOARD MEETING TO DO THAT AS A WAY OF STARTING OFF THE MEETING IN A VERY SORT OF, BUT WOULD YOU BE COMMENDING, COULD I SUGGEST THAT WE GO THROUGH THE SLIDES? 'CAUSE NOBODY IS SEEING ANYBODY TALKING.
OH, ALL THAT'S GOING OUT ARE SLIDES.
SO, SO, BUT LEMME JUST ASK ONE QUESTION.
IN TERMS OF THE TOWN BOARD, YOU KNOW, A COMMUNITY, UM, YOU KNOW, CIRCLE.
WOULD YOU SAY WE WOULD, LET'S SAY THERE'S A CONTROVERSY THAT COMES UP.
LET'S TALK ABOUT, LET'S, FOR THE SAKE OF IT, SAY AFFORDABLE HOUSING WHEN IT'S ON THE AGENDA.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT WE WOULD HAVE ONE OF THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, CIRCLE MEETINGS FOCUSING ON THAT CONTROVERSY? UM, RATHER THAN JUST LIKE A, A GENERAL MEETING, LET, LET'S THOSE THINGS.
NO, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, WHY DON'T WE SAVE THAT FOR THE LONGER CONVERSATION? 'CAUSE THEY'RE GOOD QUESTIONS, BUT THEY ALL REQUIRE, I'M JUST CURIOUS.
MORE, LONGER ANSWERS WITH TOO LITTLE TIME.
IT'S POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIRCLE ON ANYTHING.
AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE, THE TOPIC.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME, A WAY THAT, THAT WE ARE, WE WANT TO CONTINUE WITH THIS, UM, FOR FUTURE TOPICS, RIGHT.
SO WE ARE, WE ARE, WE HAD A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE WITH THE BROADER TOPIC AND WE SEE THAT THERE'S VALUE IN DRILLING DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT.
UM, SO I'M GONNA SHARE AGAIN AND JUST, UM, AND THANK YOU FOR PAUSING THAT FRANCIS.
SO, UH, THEN THE LONGER TERM, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPING A, A GREATER IDENTITY FOR AN INCORPORATED GREENBERG.
AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS.
WE DON'T NEED TO DWELL ON THIS.
WE JUST RECOGNIZE THAT FOR MANY PEOPLE, UNINCORPORATED GREENBERG IS MORE LIKE AN ADMINISTRATIVE ENTITY THAN A COMMUNITY.
DO YOU KNOW, OR A NEIGHBORHOOD FOR EXAMPLE.
AND SO IT WOULD BE USEFUL, MAYBE GO A LONG WAY FOR PEOPLE TO SEE GREENBERG AS SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
WELL, WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WE TRY TO GIVE MORE BRANDING TO GREENBERG.
BUT GREENBERG'S BASICALLY DEFINED BY POST OFFICE ADDRESSES.
WHICH MAY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHERE THEY LIVE.
[00:45:01]
AND SO BRANDING IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR GREENBERG.NO MATTER HOW MANY SIGNS WE PUT AT THE ENTRANCE WAYS.
SO IN THE LONG TERM, THAT'S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT.
'CAUSE IT DOES GIVE PEOPLE A SENSE OF, OH, I'M PROUD TO LIVE HERE.
SO, SO MOVING FORWARD, WE ARE PLANNING 10 MORE EVENTS, UH, WITH CIRCLES THAT TO BE HELD IN MAY AND JUNE.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, TAKEN THIS APPROACH ABOUT TAILORED CIRCLES.
SO SOME OF THE POSSIBLE TOPICS WE KNOW EVERYBODY'S CONCERNED ABOUT EDGEMONT.
UM, WE ARE TALKING TO SOME PEOPLE ABOUT HAVING SOME CIRCLES AROUND THAT.
UM, A VILLAGE LEADERSHIP AND OUR DEI TEAMS IN OUR VILLAGES.
SO WE'RE DEFINITELY TALKING TO DOBBS FAIR AND IRVINGTON.
UM, AND THE LEY A MULTICULTURAL, UM, COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE IS DEFINITELY PLANNING SOME CIRCLES.
UM, TOWN OF GREENBURG LEADERSHIP, THAT WOULD BE YOU GUYS, DEPARTMENT HEADS, CIVIC COMMITTEES, UM, CERTAINLY THE, THE HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE OR SOME OTHER COMMITTEES, UM, WOULD, MIGHT WANNA DO THAT.
I'M TALKING TO, UM, MANDALE HOLLAND OVER AT WOODLANDS WHO SAYS, YES, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOME CIRCLES WITH, UH, STUDENTS AND, UH, FACULTY OVER THERE.
FAITH LEADERS CONVERSATIONS FOR HEALING AND RECONCILIATION, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE, UM, UM, GROUPS THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OR TALKING TO, AND ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL CIRCLE FOCUS TOPICS.
AGAIN, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, UH, WE COULD GO BACK AND FOCUS ON BLACK JEWISH RELATIONSHIPS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO THESE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES AS, AS, THANK YOU PAUL, FOR LEADING.
THESE, WE CAN GET VERY SPECIFIC IN THESE, IN THE SUBJECT MATTER.
UM, WE COULD, WE RECOGNIZE IN THE FIRST ROUND THAT THERE ARE SOME INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL FOR US TO HAVE IN ORDER FOR US TO ENHANCE THE IMPACT OF THESE CIRCLES FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, ONE IS DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
UM, AND WE'RE COMING TO YOU BECAUSE WE ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE THIS OR KNOW WHERE TO GET IT.
UM, AND CONTACTS FOR OUTREACH FOR FUTURE CIRCLES.
SO WHO WOULD BE YOUR EXAMPLE OF WHO WE SHOULD REACH OUT TO THAT YOU WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'D LIKE TO PUT YOU ALL TOGETHER.
I THINK THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO SOME CIRCLES.
UM, WHEN WE DID THE CIRCLES WITH YOU, UH, THE, WITH THE, THE BOARD ITSELF, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, OH, COULD WE HAVE THIS IN OUR DEPARTMENTS? RIGHT.
IS THERE SU IS THERE A WAY FOR US TO USE THIS, UM, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR EMPLOYEES? SO THAT'S ABSOLUTELY, THAT'S THE INFORMATION THAT WE'D BE LOOKING FOR.
AND THEN OF COURSE OUR LONGER MEETING IN ORDER FOR US TO SHARE THESE OUTCOMES AND KIND OF CHEW THE FAT AROUND THIS STUFF AS WELL.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT SOONER THAN LATER.
UH, IF WE CAN, WE WOULD ALSO, IN THAT LONGER MEETING, VERY MUCH LIKE TO TALK WITH YOU ALL ABOUT YOUR VISION OF WHAT A RACIALLY EQUITABLE TOWN LOOKS LIKE.
WHAT DO YOU, WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THIS? RIGHT? UM, AND WHAT IS OUR TOWN DOING NOW TO CREATE RACIAL EQUITY? AND SO THAT'S, THOSE ARE TWO BIG TOPICS THAT WE'D VERY MUCH LIKE TO ENGAGE YOU IN CONVERSATION ABOUT.
UM, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE COULD PROBABLY ANSWER YOU UNTIL WE TALK WITH YOU, AND THAT'S A POSSIBILITY.
WE WANNA BE A RESOURCE FOR YOU ALL.
WE DON'T WANNA JUST BE, OH, THAT WAS A NICE PROJECT.
YOU KNOW, REVEREND COBB AND HER TEAM DID THAT.
LET'S NOW LET'S PUT IT ON THE SHELF.
YOU KNOW, THE FEEDBACK HAS TO ONGOING, ONGOING.
AND WE, WE, WE, WE WANNA ENGAGE IN A WAY THAT MAKES THIS MORE IMPACTFUL AND THAT IT CAN REALLY ENHANCE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE MOVING FORWARD.
YOUR IDEA WITH THE EDGEMONT, YOU KNOW, GREENBURG, UM, CIRCLE, I THINK THAT'S LIKE BRILLIANT BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE REALLY WOULD LIKE TO RESOLVE IT.
AND I FEEL THAT IF, UH, PEOPLE TALK TO EACH OTHER, I FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REACH SOME SORT OF, UH, SOLUTION THAT WOULD BASICALLY WORK FOR EVERYBODY.
AND I THINK THAT IF WE COULD MAKE, IF IT COULD BE SUCCESSFUL, IF THAT'S SUCCESSFUL, THEN I THINK EVERYBODY WILL HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN, YOU KNOW, IN THIS WHOLE CONCEPT.
AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS REALLY, TO ME, THE TWO MAJOR CONTROVER IS REALLY THE MURAL AND, UH, AND THE EDGEMONT ISSUE.
THOSE ARE THE TWO BIG, BIG TICKET ITEMS WHERE I FEEL YOU COULD REALLY MAKE A POSITIVE, UH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENCE AND BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEW YORK STATE CONTROLLER WEBSITE, IF YOU GOOGLE NEW YORK STATE CONTROLLER CENSUS 2020, UM, THEY HAVE AN INTERACTIVE MAP, THAT INTERACTIVE INFORMATION THAT TELLS YOU EVERY MUNICIPALITY AND GIVES YOU A LOT OF DETAIL.
YOU CAN DRILL DOWN PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT IT'S A REALLY GOOD START.
AND THE COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS LIKE TONS OF INFORMATION, RIGHT? THEY DO.
IT'S, IT'S THERE A, UM, A VISION DOCUMENT OR, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT SAYS,
[00:50:01]
HERE'S WHAT WE WANT UNINCORPORATED REMER LATE 10 YEARS FROM NOW, 20 YEARS FROM NOW.IT'S COMPREHENSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE 20 20 16 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SO IT, I THINK, IS IT, IS IT AVAILABLE? IT'S ON THE WEBSITE.
THIS, THIS IS OPERATE UPDATING THIS AREA.
SO HOW MANY YEARS DID YOU WORK ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? EIGHT YEARS.
FOR THE, OH, I THOUGHT IT WAS SEVEN.
BUT IT GAVE US, YOU KNOW, A BLUEPRINT OR, OR I DON'T KNOW, BLUEPRINT WOULD BE THE RIGHT WORD, BUT JUST THE, AND LOOK OF WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE GREENBERG TO BE, AND RELATIONS AND RELATING TO HOUSING AND THE FOOTPRINT AND LAND USE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT MAKE UP GREENBERG, THAT DOCUMENT REPRESENTS THAT.
UM, SO I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
I MEAN, LIKE I SAID, LIKE, UM, COUNCILMAN SHEEN JUST MENTIONED THAT EIGHT YEARS.
SO, YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS A COMMUNITY, DIVERSE COMMUNITY THAT CAME IN, THAT CAME IN AND GAVE INPUT INTO, UM, THIS REPORT.
AND IT WENT THROUGH SEVERAL DRAFTS.
SO WE WENT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AGAIN, HAD MORE OUTREACH, MEETINGS IT UP ON A, ON A WEBSITE, BECAUSE THE WEBSITE IS PRETTY DENSE.
IF YOU JUST PUT IN 2060 IN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, YOU CAN SEARCH IT, SEARCH IT THAT WAY.
I JUST, THERE'S ANOTHER ISSUE THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS COME UP IN THE PAST RELATING TO RACISM.
UM, WE'VE HAD, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF PLAYING FIELDS, YOU KNOW, WHERE PEOPLE PLAY SOCCER AND DIFFERENT SPORTS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR I GET, YOU KNOW, COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE IN THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY THAT THEY'RE BASICALLY BEING KICKED OUT OF, UM, FIELD USING FIELD SPACE.
AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS.
I I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING IF THERE'S, IF WE WOULD BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO SOME OF THE, UM, PE PEOPLE WHO USE OUR RECREATION FIELDS, JUST GET THE FEELING, YOU KNOW, JUST FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, THE TREATMENT THAT THEY'RE GETTING.
UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE THEY EXPERIENCED, UM, UM, ANY EXAMPLES OF RACISM WHERE PEOPLE HAVE TRIED KICKING THEM OFF THE FIELD, YOU KNOW, THE FIELDS.
AND THEN MAYBE WE COULD, UH, AS PART OF OUR PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAM, UM, SEE IF WE COULD, UH, ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, ADDRESS THAT, ADDRESS THAT, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IF SOMEBODY'S AN IMMIGRANT, YOU KNOW, AND THEY BASICALLY WANNA PLAY SOCCER OR WHATEVER, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO, YOU KNOW, IT BASICALLY IS IMPACTING THEIR QUALITY OF, OF LIFE.
AND I'M, I'M JUST THROWING THAT BECAUSE YOU, YOU WERE MENTIONING RACISM, RIGHT? SURE.
WE CAN COME UP WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT EXAMPLES, BUT YEAH.
AND I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S THE POINT OF US HAVING A LONGER MEETING, RIGHT? AS, UM, LANE MENTIONED, THIS IS LIKE, THIS IS THE TEASER.
SO NOW WE HAVE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT SO THAT WHEN WE MEET AGAIN, WE CAN COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS.
SO IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE ALL YOUR DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED AND ALL DEPARTMENT HEADS TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THEY OPERATE.
NOT JUST, BUT YES, THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK SPORTS IS AN EXAMPLE, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK MORE HOLISTICALLY.
IS IT SPORTS? IS IT, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT? IS IT HOUSING? IS IT HEALTH? SO I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK MORE HOLISTICALLY AT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL.
NOT, YOU KNOW, THE INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
LIKE SPORTS IS ONE THING, BUT WE NEED TO HAVE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LEVEL LIKE LANGUAGE BARRIER.
HUGE CARRIER DOING THINGS IN SPANISH, RIGHT? THERE'S THE ASIAN POPULATION'S ALSO THE SECOND FASTEST GROWING MM-HMM.
HOW ARE WE SERVING THOSE POPULATIONS? RIGHT? RIGHT.
AND WE HAVE A VERY LARGE GREENBERG POPULATION.
ASIAN POPULATION IS NOT ONE MONOLITH.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHINESE INDIAN.
SO AGAIN, A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LOOK.
AND THAT'S WHAT GEAR HELPS YOU TO DO.
WE DON'T WANNA GET UP WITHOUT SAYING, SO HOW DO WE GO ABOUT SCHEDULING THE LONGER MEETING? HOW DO WE GO ABOUT DOING THAT? 'CAUSE WE KNOW YOU GUYS GOT A BUSY SCHEDULE.
NOTHING LIKE PUTTING THIS ON THE SPOT, TRYING TO FIGURE, GRAB THE SCHEDULE STATION.
COME UP WITH A COUPLE OF, COME UP WITH A FEW DATES.
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? THE WORK SESSION? OR YOU THINK, WELL WHAT, IN WHAT CAPACITY WOULD WE DO IT? YEAH.
SO IS THIS A SEPARATE MEETING LIKE WE DID THE LAST TIME WHEN WE HAD, HOW WE HAD INDIVIDUAL CIRCLE INDIVIDUAL WOULD BE GREAT.
SO THAT'S A SEPARATE, SO THAT'S A SEPARATE MEETING.
SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE A, SO IN THE PAST, FOR THOSE WHO ARE LISTENING, UM, AS, AS THESE WOMEN MENTIONED THAT WE HAD, THE TOWN BOARD HAD THEIR OWN, UM, CIRCLE SESSION, IF YOU WILL.
AND SO, AND THAT WAS ON OUR OFF DAY.
[00:55:01]
SO, AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON OUR OFF DAY.
SO WE JUST GOTTA FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT OFF DAY IS, BECAUSE WE'RE NEVER OFF
UM, SO IT'S JUST REALLY BALANCING.
BUT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS AND YOU AND I HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS, SO WE JUST NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT OFF TIME WOULD LOOK LIKE.
JOAN, SO YOU'VE BEEN, YOU'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATION, YOU'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH JOAN? YES, YES, YES.
SO I CAN, I CAN DEFINITELY GO THROUGH JOAN.
AND THE OTHER THING IS I CAN, I REALLY BE SO GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD LOOK AT THE DATES, SOME POSSIBLE DATES.
I CAN FORWARD YOU DATES OF FROM THE, THE, UM, FOR GETTING TO THE ROOT AND UNDOING RACISM.
AND YOU GUYS CAN TALK ABOUT IT.
THIS COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT IN OUR LONGER MEETING TOO.
BUT JUST TO, TO SAY, YOU KNOW, YES, WE CAN, WE CAN DO THIS.
THE, THE WHITE PLAINS WORKSHOPS.
YEAH, IF YOU COULD FORWARD THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
YOU CAN SEND THAT OUT, YOU KNOW, JUST TO RECAP THAT.
UH, CAN I ASK YOU IF YOU WOULD SO MUCH SEND, SEND US YOUR POWERPOINT? I, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH COPIES, SO I GAVE MINE TO THE CLERK AND I LOOKED AT ONLINE.
I'LL SEND, SO WE'LL JUST SEND IT.
YOU DIDN'T WANNA CONGRATULATE ME.
WHAT WAS I FIRST, CONGRATULATIONS.
SO THANK YOU YOU SO MUCH, PAUL.
PAUL, YOU READY? I MOVE THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE PURPOSES OF, UM, DISCUSSING, UM, SPECIFIC PERSONNEL MATTERS, UH, RELATING TO INDIVIDUALS AND TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE IN VARIOUS MATTERS.