 My name is Kevin. Today is November 29th. We're here at the Placent Planning and Development Agency's city planning meeting for Glover's Corner and we're here with community residents and a group of organizations that come together to do an action in response to their planning process. We're really just concerned with the way this process has gone down so far and so we're asking for a six-month stop to that process and a real community process that involves residents, residents that are going to be impacted as development comes and we're not against development but we just want to make sure that development happens without displacement and in a way that really you know, maintains the small businesses, the jobs, the livelihood of the residents, mostly immigrants, folks of color, working-class folks in the neighborhood. I'm a resident of the community of Rochester and I'm here today with a community of people from Vietnam and we can see that this process is not within the community. We are the people of the people of Vietnam, the American people and the people of the community that are not in this room. We have a meeting with the DPA, LATHA and they don't want to answer us. We want to take this process back for six months to happen. My name is Tran and I'm a resident of Dorchester. I'm here today with many voices and people in the community that are feeling left out of this planning process. We represent the needs, capabilities, working-class of our neighborhood in many areas of Glover's Corner. We had a meeting with the BPA about the importance of development without this placement and the need to slow down this planning process. We want a six-month moratorium and this planning process to have more time to engage and learn about the future of Dorchester together. My name is Cindy and I'm a resident of Dorchester and I'm here today with many voices of the community that are feeling completely left out of this process. I live on Wells and I'm concerned that the housing costs in Dorchester is forcing residents out and this plan does not address the real income levels of the many families and affordable housing options for the families who live here and want to remain as residents of Dorchester. We want a need development without displacement. Good evening everyone. My name is Mimi of a Dorchester resident and I'm here because I really am concerned about where this planning process is leaving the voices of our residents out. We're here because we care about the voice of our neighborhoods for them to be at the table around the economic opportunities that this planning process will bring around good jobs. It's not just about the construction and good jobs coming in but who's going to gain access to the good and permanent jobs for our community. We want to make sure that our neighborhood is strong and can take place with us in the community around this opportunity so we hope that you can stand with us. Maria. They paid the microzone. You have to speak a little loud, okay? This is Maria everyone. You can join us. Can you say your part? Yes. Okay. But you have to speak a little loud so that the community can hear. Okay, my love. Good afternoon. Everybody. Good afternoon everybody. Thank you. Could you turn it on? Good afternoon everybody. I came here to say that I'm paying too much as far as rent is concerned and I don't know if my family has a problem with that rent. Yes. I am in this community so that the whole community can be served because I want to do the same for me and the other. I don't know where I could go. All that I do is to pay rent. I don't have money to pay. I don't have money to eat and either feed my son. I pay almost $2,000 as a rent. I need you to help me to see how to resolve the issue because I don't have where to go with my son. The house where I'm currently living, they're saying that starting from the time of the new contract, they're going to pay, they'll be paying $2,300. I need help in the community. I go to work. I come home. I come to the community meetings. That's what I would like to say. Thank you very much. Please give us back our mic. We're not done yet. Let's have our peace. We want to say again that we're here as Dorchester residents. We care about this community. We want to stay in this neighborhood. It is that we don't want development. But what it is is that we don't want development that threatens to displace the community that is here now. If you take a moment and look around the room right now, for those of you who are sitting, just take a look at how many empty chairs are there and take a look at how many community residents from this Dorchester neighborhood who are here who have been impacted by the displacement or worried about that because they set roots here, they build families here. They have community here. And so it's not to say that we don't want it, but it's to say that we don't want it if it threatens the fact that we might get displaced. And so we really want the BPDA and the city to listen to this community, to listen to Dorchester residents who have lived here, some of us, for all our lives. And really take our knowledge and our lived experiences as something that is to be valued and to be recognized and to be cared about. Now, if you really care about Dorchester, you'll really listen to the folks who are standing in this room and the folks who are standing up here now. Let's repeat. We have been coming together as one community under one Dorchester because we care about our neighborhood. We care about the future and the direction that Dorchester takes. And let's be clear, we don't want to just come to meetings so that you have our names and information on a sign-in sheet. We want a real process, we want real decisions, and because it is our community. We are here as tenants, walks of life, and we deserve a seat at the table, a real authentic seat at the table. We sent the BPDA a letter, no response. We had a meeting with you, no response. We've asked for data so that we can make informed decisions as a group. We haven't heard back from you. So we are not here coming out and to have a conversation. But we are serious and you will respect the voices of our neighborhood. Thank you. We're coming and thank you for participating in this. We understand what you're saying. My name is Lara Merida. I'm deputy director for community planning at the BPDA. I think we're here all for the same reason. And I know workshops are tough and I know workshops don't always reach out to every community. We've had these conversations and I know that we are still working to get data to you. Data is collecting it and we're still in those conversations. We haven't had conversations yet about what are we looking for in this new opportunity in this space where maybe converted into another use. So I think what we need to do is have those conversations together and we're all at the table. We have the same goal of wanting to make sure we're making an equitable neighborhood that's right for everyone and gives people choices. So I think what tonight we're here talking about is transportation, which is the number one choice we need to talk about because it's been talked about quite a bit in these conversations. We want to make sure, as Vinit had said earlier, what are our choices for transportation? Can I also ask that our interpreters are working that we're paying? Could be also interpreting what I'm saying to the people who are here. Thank you. Our other interpreter? Yeah, he's in the back. Okay, thank you. Okay, I just want to make sure that if interpretation is needed that we're using it. So I think what we'd like to do tonight is we haven't talked about one of the houses. I'm sorry, I'm going to be very honest with you. Thank you. We've sent a letter. We're here because we believe in development without displacement. My voice is not being heard here. And I believe in development without displacement, too. It is one of my biggest fears is displacement. So. And we'll begin. We'll continue the conversations about housing. It was great. Public action. We're with a Dorchester Not For Sale working group of residents in Dorchester Fields Corner. And we had our first public action at their monthly BBDA meeting on transportation this month. It was very empowering. We've been meeting for weeks and try to get residents from all over. You know, Dorchester inclusive. Vietnamese, Cape Verdean, Latinos working class. We just had our first big action. It was super exciting because we were trying to figure out the right timing, making sure that we had the opportunity to talk and say our piece about how this process hasn't been inclusive. And so we want to be, you know, at the table, we want real decision making power. And this was just, you know, a really amazing opportunity to be able to share with the community. And I think it's a great opportunity to share with the community. To be, you know, at the table, we want real decision making power. And this was just, you know, a really amazing opportunity to be able to showcase that and really empower our people and our residents right in Dorchester. More than half the residents of Boston can't afford to live here anymore. People are being pushed out and nobody's paying attention to how do people have enough income that they can stay. And especially in a neighborhood like this, it's very diverse. People speak a lot of languages. You have to, you have to make it happen as a choice. And it's not getting structured into the plan. So standing up seemed an important thing to do. Personally, I'm bothered by events like this that happen in our community. Because too many times we sit and see this same scenario reacted in our community. Developers come in our community, gobble up property, land and everything. And they come with plans what to do. But they act like they want our opinion about it. Well, they're not really looking for our opinion. They already got their plans to do what they want us to do. They just want us to be able to say that we came to your community and discussed this with you. But it ain't working. I agree with what you two just said. I'm very disappointed that it doesn't seem that community involvement is really the priority. That we seem to just be here to be a stamp of approval for them to say all folks showed up and listened and were there. But we didn't have real decision making power input. We didn't get to decide for ourselves and our community for our diverse neighborhood what we want to look like. The effective matter is a lot of people in Boston are being left behind. Folks, again, cannot afford to live here. They're being pushed out. They're being neglected and forgotten. Not only do we have cuts all the time in human and public services and social programs, but then housing just by the nature of its cost is saying you're not welcome here. You need to leave. This neighborhood is no longer for you. And I reject that. I'm proud of Dorchester. I'm proud to be a resident of Dorchester, to have been raised here and to grow up here and live here. I've lived in Dorchester for 45 years. Most of my adult life. I moved into Codman Square 45 years ago when I was teaching in Boston. And I wanted to live in the neighborhood where my students were. And at that time I could afford to buy a house with a group of friends and then later rent an apartment for many years at very low rent because that was before everything started getting more expensive. And I had the good fortune to be able to buy a house with my partner before it got unaffordable for a very low price. I am just horrified at how high the housing costs are going. I feel a number of things. I mean, first and foremost, I feel love and solidarity with my community. And that we were willing to be bold together, to stand together to say this process isn't okay. What's happening in our neighborhoods, what's going to happen. And this process that the Boston Planning and Displacement Agency is doing is not representative of a true community process. And I feel both frustrated, angry at what's happening. But really I feel really joy and love for my community and to stand together to take courage. And we're willing to fight together for what we want and need in our community.