 Okay, everyone in the audience should be notified that this meeting is now being recorded. Does that serve. All right, so hi everyone. This meeting will now come to order it's the African heritage reparation assembly meeting for Wednesday, October 20 is 2021. We have our normal business of the evening so let me read our statements and do our roll call to check everyone's yep. I just need a time that you're starting. Oh, I'm sorry it is 618pm. So pursuant to chapter 20 of the acts of 2021 this meeting will be conducted by remote means members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so via zoom or by telephone see instructions below. No in person attendance of members of the public will be permitted but every effect, every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access that proceeding to real time by the technological means. So now I need to do a roll call of those who are present. Just this just to make sure that I can see and hear you, or roads. I'm here present. Awesome I can see and hear you Dr Shabazz. Shabazz present. Excellent I can see and hear you, Michelle Miller. Miller present. Excellent I can see and hear you. So we, another thing we often do here is approval of the minutes. We were a couple minutes behind minutes being the documentation the meeting, not the time. Given the packed agenda that we have today. We were going to propose that we table approval of the minutes one more week and we will do all three October 8 October 13 and October 20 at the same time. So I motion that we table those during the second. Second. All right. We can vote. I guess. Yeah. All right. So, how do you vote on tabling the minutes. Approval of the minutes rather. Thank you, Dr Shabazz. Yeah, so I will go with it. I don't think it's a violation of any, any of the laws or norms. Michelle. Hi. And me, I, so that is unanimous to table the minutes. All right. And maybe we'll just quickly say that our agenda is going to go a little bit out of order this evening to accommodate Halla coming in at 730 and just to have a better flow of conversation so we can do, would you like me to quickly review the order that we're taking it in or should we just go ahead and move forward and anyone have a preference on that. Okay. So yeah, then we can move to public comment. During the public comment period one of the co chairs will recognize members of the public when called on please identify yourself by stating your full name preferred pronouns and residential address. Residents are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes at this at the discretion of the co chairs based upon the number of people who wish to speak. It's either time to another speaker, the AHRA will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during public comment. So if you would like to speak, please raise your hand and I believe we have one person who would like to speak. And Jen, can I just on it. Hi. Can you hear me. Yes, we can hear you. Hi, good evening. My name is Evan Naismith. My pronouns are he his. I live at 211 Wildflower Drive in Amherst. I'm a member of the Democratic Town Committee of Amherst, an intern for Congressman McGovern, and a member of the Amherst Educational Foundation. Despite these obligations I think the most exciting thing in Amherst right now is the reparations movement at night when my kids sit down for TV time I sit down for reparations for research time. I have a proposal that is challenging, but it's an extremely exciting alternative to the Evanston model. I hope you'll keep an open mind. I'm proposing Martin Luther King style reparations for Amherst. Dr Martin Luther King wrote reparations payments should benefit the disadvantage of all races, italicizing the word all majority black direct payments are the best strategy for closing the $900 million black white wealth gap in Amherst. It would be more popular than any alternative, it would multiply fundraising abilities, it uniquely allows for 100% constitutional direct payments, the majority of which would go to the black community. Best of all, it would provide provide a resilient anti racist model for other municipalities to copy and paste any Amherst resident could submit an application. Race would only be used as a secondary factor as required by federal law. The reviewing board would be disproportionately black, but if a Mexican American could persuade the board of past discrimination, she would be eligible for compensation. The direct transfers to the black community would be more impactful than any of the proposed alternatives. A $2 million multi cultural center would be a one time transaction direct payments on the other hand would almost certainly be renewed that in Amherst stop for a new legacy of economic justice. Multiracial reparations, reparations multiplies the strength of our coalition universal programs are popular programs, progressive policies actually lose support when coupled with a racial narrative. They're going to be close votes, the MLK reparations model is more likely to earn the votes of Mexican American Council members in Colorado Springs for example. The best predictor of social program success is the diversity of its beneficiaries, and I have citations for all this broader adoption will lead to a more aggressive narrowing of the black white wealth gap. This is not a compromise rather it threads the constitutional needle so as to avoid compromise. This proposal passes the john Lewis test. It is media savvy and immediate. It is within the criteria of Tana has he coats by asking us to acknowledge the whole of Amherst past, not just parts. The coalition makes the movement more attractive to philanthropy and big business. Ebram X, Kennedy would approve of the anti racist results based policy making bottom line, it transfers more money directly to the black community than any of the alternatives. Here's what my real angle is, I'm confident Evanston will be overturned very publicly, what then, if there's no alternative format that'll be a dagger to the reparations movement. However, if Amherst can provide the roadmap forward for economic justice, Evanston's overturn could act as an accelerant, spreading the movement around the country, but only if we act. I urge you to change course today on this issue by pursuing black majority direct payment reparations for Amherst and beyond. Thank you. Thank you Evan, thank you. Okay, it doesn't look like at this time we have any other hands raised. So I think we can move on. I'll note that we have a second public comment period at toward the end of the meeting. So we are moving first to the adoption of ropes and work process. And the purpose of doing this is if we adopt one or both of these items, then we'll be able to use them and bring them up at the beginning of every meeting as a way of really solidifying, you know, in, in, in, with respect to ropes, that's sort of our guidelines. If we adopt those today, we would bring them up at the beginning of every meeting, we can refer to them as needed. And the same thing for Dr. Jemison's work process. If we adopt that officially, then we'll be able to bring that up and refer to it more officially. So, could we Jennifer do I have access to bring up the ropes document here or is it easy for you to bring the ropes document up. If one is fine. I have the whole packet available or you can share your screen. Okay, whichever you prefer. If you wouldn't mind that would be great if you could bring that up that would be excellent. Can you see the agenda. Yes. Great. I'm recognizing now that we don't actually have a motion or I don't have a motion written out. But I do believe that we need to make a motion to adopt the ropes to know to be used for the African heritage reparations assembly so there's my motion. And do we have a second on that. Can you repeat that I'm so sorry I need to do that word. I move to adopt the ropes to know for use of the African heritage reparations assembly. Second, Jemison. And do we have any discussion on that. Yeah. Yeah. I have no objection to this but I think the motion should read what this actually is we're talking about ropes no one's knows what that is except for us. So, this has a name of it. It is a particular mechanism for conducting a meeting in terms of behaviors or whatever, but something needs to be there other than saying we adopt ropes because saying just saying that. It doesn't make sense. Fair enough. Do you have some wording that you'd want to add to that. I think that the number of meetings I've had today I'm out of words almost so if someone else be would like to take a stab at it. Meeting etiquette. Yeah. Yes, I like that. Thank you Jennifer. Any other discussion on that. Great. So, or of your hands still up but I assume that's from the last time so then let's go ahead and vote on that so Dr. Jemison. Jemison I. Dr. Shabazz. I. Earth. I. Miller I. Excellent. So now moving on to the work process, which may or may not be in this packet. It is it's a couple pages. Great. So we, I actually Dr. Jemison would you do you want to make the motion for that. Sure. Just so we've got whatever he's looking for so I move that we adopt. This sort of prioritization or the sort of, you know, I move that we adopt this itemized work process review as a way to track our progress. During the AHA meetings. I second that. And her. I guess. I can't remember where it was and I can't find it in my packet so I have no objections. But I would like to see it just know what I'm voting on. It's what's on the screen at the moment. I don't know if you have. I don't have it on the screen. I see a lot of. So this was the work process that Dr. Jemison introduced. I think the second meeting. What is the first item on there. So I'll make sure I'm. Securing funding from 23 budget and beyond. All right. So you're calling this a work process. Right. That's what we referred to it. As in the, you know, the, when it was introduced in the second meeting. So that's what we're calling it. Yes. So does this mean that we would be committing to this process. And if so. Are we committing to going through this when any time we're in the process. We're going to be going through this according to the numerical values placed on it. So the motion as I stated, it was as an itemization of. Work product process items. I believe I don't know. Jennifer, do you have that? Which one, which one. Sorry. Do you have my verbatim on the motion? I move that we move to adopt this itemized work process review as a way to track our progress during the HR a meetings. Thank you. So the idea is that this is just, we have these items. We can go through them and see which ones we've done. And then we can declare, oh, those are done. That's great. There's more work to be done. I am not attached to these numbers. I do not believe that this is an itemized list because I make things in outlines. That's just the way that I do. I am not. I do not believe that this is. One way to look at it is, is as a guideline for us. So it's, I don't think that anything is set in stone in particular. Order or it's more to be used as a guideline. And Dr. Well, that's important to hear in that I'm wondering how restrictive or limiting this might be from the time it was introduced. I raised a couple of concerns that I had with it. First of all, the second item about direct payments right now in my mind, that's not the legal review. And I feel it's unfortunate that that's how the before we were even in paneled as an assembly that the KP law was asked to to form an opinion that it was forming an opinion around the question of direct payments to individuals. In my mind, that's not even what our reparations reparative justice plan should be envisioning. So if we're if this is a guideline, then to me right now, it's problematic, it's a bit, it's a bit overly restrictive in ways. So number four on the eligibility question, I think I raised as well on the first night. This was introduced that I'm not sure that that's really an issue for us to to be grappling with again, depending on how we're defining a reparative justice plan. Eligibility is relevant if you're talking about individual direct cash payments, individual people getting money from the town of Amherst. That's not right now what's in my head. So eligibility then is not even necessarily a major a major issue if if if we, you know, think outside those those parameters, or I milk, I agree with everything you said. Okay. Well, I am not sure if once we make a motion, Dr. Jemisin, if we can withdraw a motion and sort of table this for further discussion at another point. Do you have a strong feeling? Hello Yvonne, nice to see you. Welcome. Hi, I'm sorry I'm late I was coming from an in person appointment and just it took longer than I thought. So I apologize for being late. I did not get a chance to get sworn in so I know that I can't vote on anything. But I just want to know if I can share my opinions, even though I can't vote on things. Well, I did check with our well first of all welcome. We're very happy to have you here. And we'd love to take a moment to have you introduce yourself if you feel comfortable doing that now. I did check in about the deliberation piece and it's my understanding that given you're not sworn in yet. Unfortunately, we can't have you participate in the deliberation for this meeting. But we can have you stay as a panelist and and then of course, hopefully you'll be sworn in by the time meeting. So that's that's how I understand it right now. And I'm so sorry that that's the way that it works for this evening because we're very excited to have you here. And if you'd like to take a moment to introduce yourself that would be fantastic. I'm Yvonne Mendez. I've actually lived in Amherst. Oh gosh, I moved here in 1980 to go back on mute. Okay. I'm sorry. I've been talking all that time and I'm mute. I have my name is Yvonne Mendez. I've lived here. I moved here in 1980 to come to school. So I've lived in Amherst since that time. I were worked at the University of Massachusetts for the UMass Fine Arts Center for many years. I'm just retired in December. I worked there 32 years. So I've been here and been in, you know, in the town for a while. I served six years as the chair of the Amherst Cultural Council. That was a few years back. I've served on a couple of little smaller panels and I've worked with a lot of nonprofits around arts and education done arts presenting and event planning, doing some independent curating right now that's mostly focused on music and jazz music in particular. And forums around jazz music and people of color and their music industry. I guess that I've grown three kids in this town and they've all gone to Amherst High School and now they're living in different places and one is still in Massachusetts. Right. Cool. Welcome. Hi. Thanks. I'm sorry. I just haven't had the time to get sworn in and just running and I'm out of going out of town on Friday. So I'm trying to see if I can figure out getting it done tomorrow. So you can't do it online, you know, I have to do it. I can do it online. Yes. I did it online. Okay. I'll talk to Jen. It should be in a packet of materials that the town manager supplied you. Okay. That sounds great. I'll try that. Thank you for your welcome. So I can't make comments. I can just observe is what you're saying, Michelle. Yes. That's my understanding. Okay. Thanks. Thank you. Okay. So where were we? So yes. Do we want to consider withdrawing the motion for the work process and moving on? Jennifer. You guys are would be at a tie if, well, I don't know, or did you approve or not? No, I definitely did not approve. Okay. So then, you know, that puts you more at a tie and then there's not much that can really. You can just table it. I think we'll leave at that point. Okay. Great. Does that work for you, Dr. Jemison as well? It certainly does. I'd like to say that I invite the people who have edits to make them. You have the document. Please feel free to go right in and make the changes that you'd like to see in there. And then perhaps we can reconsider it when it meets your criteria. Excellent. All right. So I'm going to hand it over to you, Dr. Jemison for October meeting. All right. I will go ahead and see if I can figure out how to share my screen. The way where you can see the right thing. All right. Sorry, Jennifer. Can I ask you to share one more thing just because my screen sharing is going to be a little bit wonky right now. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Can you share the proposal for the contents of the October report? Sure. Can you see. I can see. Thank you. Perfect. So we have a report. So first of all, I should say that. Most of the contents of this were derived from instructions that I got directly from our, our members of the town council who, who was engaged with us. And so we have been asked to provide a written report. The brief for that is what the AHRA has done so far and what our next steps will be. The report can be submitted anytime before or by Wednesday, noon on November 3rd, 2021 to be submitted to town council president with a CC to the clerk of the town council. And so we have been asked to provide a written report. And so the format is supposed to be PDF. Those were the instructions also directly instructed that it must contain the assembly title and report name. The report date, the assembly membership. And our official charge with the wording from the town website. It was suggested that we could provide a list of meeting dates. And links if the, if the YouTube's are already edited. So we have a list of items that we would like to fill out. And then we have a list of the high level items that I thought should be included. One. Since we talked about it, it was a big topic last week. The idea of creating a sustainable fund for reparations into the future. Proposing the town, the buckets of money from which we'd like to fill that fund. And also this idea about. Using sort of a having perhaps a CPAC style. And then we're going to be talking about, you know, how we're going to address this activity in the future, which is something we will discuss more today. Including also ideas for long-term management of the fund. And whether or not there will be a successor body to the AHRA. That's doing that. It's another topic that came up. Any insights and possible paths forward we've, you're getting from our legal disc. Discussions. And then our next steps to use all this information to, to come to a final product. And then we're going to be talking about, you know, some of the resources or resources for the town council's, council's awareness that we would like them to have. This direct quote is from the destruct instructions. Does not have to be a long report. A page or two is completely adequate. I should also add that we are also invited to appear and speak at the town council meeting. I believe is it November. Eighth night. Whatever that Monday is. Let me just. Okay. I think. Yes. I think we're going to be talking about what might go into the report. It's also possible for us to put information in there and then elaborate on it in, in person. So my first question would be. Is there anything missing that feels like a priority that's not in, it's not already listed in here. From my perspective, it looks very thorough. And like you've covered. All of the bases here. I don't know. I don't know. I like that it does not have to be a long report quote. We probably shouldn't include that in the report, but. I realized people are so processing some good folks a couple more seconds. Obviously we were happy to add things. I intentionally kept the detail low. Dr. Shabazz. Yes. So. I think this, this is. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Definitely. In the right direction. The. One item. I'm not sure. For, and also I. I'm trusting that the, the time thing, as you've mentioned. Is all. Fine. That the. End of October was kind of a ballpark deadline. But if. If I had to go to town council, then. Then that's, that's good to go with the item. This is the deadline I was given by the town council. So that, that's what I'm saying. So then that's, that's good to go. The. And of course this order may not necessarily be the, the final order for the report. But the one that I am. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. Ideas for long-term management of the fund. Successor body to the AHR. I think if we. Are able to figure that out by. Before November 3rd, then we probably can go out of business. Well before, well before June. Our final deadline in June. I think that's one. That we probably don't have enough research time. So I think that we should really be able to report out much on. So I would not. Straddle us with that. It's not a time sensitive area. It's not something that we, we, and, and I just don't know by November 3rd, how much we'd actually be able to fill out that bullet point. So why, why put it on ourselves at this point would be my, my, my comment. So just a quick response to that. There, there is at least one idea about this that will be brought up tonight. So we have one idea. And it is in fact only in idea, a call for ideas there. So that would be the one reason that I would, I would want there in there because it does show an example of us thinking about the future and the fact that this will have to be managed. Yeah, I agree with you. I agree with that. I agree with that. I agree with that. I agree with that. I agree with that. We can always say, Hey, here's where we're working on now, but this is our intention. We need to signal signal. Our intention. With this report also. I agree with that. And I like that wording or signaling our intention. Thank you. So I do also appreciate Dr. Shavas. What you said about not necessarily being held to the order. Again, this is just an idea, larger, broader idea of content. And I also. I just want to add a couple of words to this. A few more seconds in case anybody goes, oh, my goodness, there's a major topic that's missing. That's my, the thing that I most want to, want to grab that here. If there's something that we really need to tell the town council that we haven't. Committed to communicating here. engagement since that is a piece that tends to come up quite a bit. We may not have solidified those ideas yet, but we may want to include just a small couple of sentences about that. I can't add it in real time, but could certainly add that if needed. I have a question. Just as a participant, is this report designed as a progress report? You know what I mean? It's not a, it's not a, is it not designed, it's not designed as a, we've done these things. Well, yeah, like a preliminary progress report to help us move forward through the rest of the process, right? So the, yeah, so the language I was given is, you know, what the AHRA has done so far and next steps. Okay. So I think we get to interpret that, but yeah. And Irv, is your hand up again or second? Definitely not. All right. In that case. So I, oh no, we've got it. Yes, Dr. Shabazz. Yeah. So I'm, I'm close to being able to move for acceptance of this proposal. I'm wondering what, if, if you could speak to next steps, what that, what you envision in that, under that bullet. Yes. Well, I, I don't want to be problematic, but I was thinking next steps, you know, we're going to come, we're going to have a meeting next week, right? We have two more meetings before it will have one more meeting before we have to submit this, right? So I believe next steps will be broad, right? When we give the details of the monies that we're trying to come up with and we give the details of what a CPAC proposal might, might look like that involves some steps to take towards having legislation. So we would have to describe that as a next step, perhaps not an excruciating detail, but just like next step, we have to make sure that we can apply for this legislation. If we are thinking that we are going to have some other long-term management of it, but we haven't decided we only have to, we only have ideas that we have to indicate that we are, how we were planning to decide what that long-term management might look like. And I do think that by June, the goal is for us to actually know what reparations are going to look like for this town. I might be wrong about that brief, but I think that's where we're headed. So since that is not in the content here, I think that's going to be one of our primary next steps is that we're going to be identifying the actual shape of reparations. Once again, that'll be something like what actually gets written about in the report is also something people will get to review. This is just meant to be a broad, a broad indication. This is meant to make sure we're not missing anything truly. And Dr. Jemisin, could you take us through the process of getting it from this to getting a finished report in the next two weeks? Sure. I'm making this up on the fly. People are probably going to have to give someone some words. I will volunteer as tribute to be the person you give the words to, but I will probably ask people to write down, certainly any of the homework that they've done around funding. And then I will, I will make words and format happen. And folks can review that in next week's meeting. So that means they'll probably be a pretty tight deadline on getting you some words. And I think we'll use some portion we talked about next week to workshop this so that we're all together working on it. So the goal would be between now and next week to, as Dr. Jemisin said, get her some words based on the particular things that we've been working on, and then we can shape it more together next week at our meeting and sort of a workshop style. It gets really tricky with the overmeeting law to get these things done. So I think that's a good, a good strategy. I move that we accept this proposal for the contents of the October written report as amended and with possibilities for additions as, as may arise. I second that. Any further discussion. Okay. Do you want to take the vote, Dr. Jemisin? Sure. Sure. Does the vote include the addition of the engagement? As amended. Yes. No problem. We can't edit in real time. So. So. Michelle, how do you vote? Aye. Dr. Shabams. Aye. Mr. Rhodes. Aye. Mr. Rhodes. Jemisin. Aye. Great. Okay. So I'm just looking at the time. We really would like to have Hala here for the legal discussion and the funding discussion. So we are going to move to. That is me. Are you? Yeah. I think so. Yep. Yeah. Okay. So black census. We started to have a discussion about it. A. It's a plastic meeting. Since then. Michelle and I had a chance to meet with representative. And then we had a discussion. We asked us who was doing that census and then it gave us an idea. And then I had a question about whether or not the census itself was meant to be. A census that is a snapshot of now. Or a census that was sort of historical and looking back. Who's lived here forever. Are we looking for descendants and things like that? So since I don't know the history of how the black census developed, I'd like to ask that. I think it's a good idea. It's a good idea, but it's a good idea to look back. And being sort of developed and thought about with. With, with bam. Do you want to speak first? You're muted. Why don't you go ahead? Okay. So the idea. Behind the black census is as a. Is not historical. It is based on. As a data point, the 2020 census that tells us that a little over 2000 residents of Amherst as recorded by census takers identified in 2020 as black African American. The question comes, can we find a way to construct a mailing list, email, ground mail, cell phone, whatever contact means possible to as many of the of that population, particularly of the 18 years old and up members of that group identifying as black African American. of African heritage as as our assembly here is called. Can we identify as many of that group possible to then be able to one keep them abreast of the work that the town is doing in constructing a municipal reparative justice plan, and to solicit their input, the input of as many of that. 1000 plus. members residents of our Amherst community, living here now that identify so to solicit from them their ideas about what would what meaningful reparative justice efforts could look like would look like. And then, and there are or and or at another point to be able to look at proposals that are coming forward and to give feedback. So just as a means to reach out to the the community that lives here now that defines themselves as of a black African American of African heritage and have a, and therefore, has some relationship to the experiences of anti black racism. of Jim Crow of end of slavery, and of the whole systemic harms that have gone on. in this town from from its origins in 1760 to the present. So that is, that is the, the, the harmed community that is the injured community that we would like to be in be able to be in contact with in the shaping of a reparative justice plan, or down the line in getting feedback about what are areas of harm that that are most urgent to address that that that group itself deems important to address. Further, I would add that right now in our efforts. As I put out the call to various elected black elected officials and or former black elected officials, and then we began to convene work on this in the form of what has become known as the black assembly of Amherst, Massachusetts, one of the things that we have begun to develop that list by our own networks and informal outreach, and it is grown to close to 200 but again there's argue arguably another eight to to 900 or more residents out there that we have yet to identify and yet to to have to be in communication with. Did you have anything to add before. It's really, it was really important that this be done. I mean, there are all kinds of people in town and Amherst, who claim to be speaking for the black population. However, we, we can only guess at who they're talking about. Because we really don't know. We, we have no way of communicating with that particular population for any kind of specific input. And if ever there was a time to have this kind of input is now. So we really need to get serious about this and figure out ways of going about doing it and funding those ways to do it. The funding is there we just haven't developed a specific method mechanism that we wish to employ to be able to do this, and we need to do that. There's some confusion in terms of how people should address me. I would like for you to address me either as Dr Rhodes or Earth, but please no mister. Yes, I'm sorry about my mistake before Dr Rhodes. All right. Sorry, I did not need to raise my hand. So I based on what I heard. You already have the information, just in terms of understanding what number to expect from the 2020 census. And what you actually need are, like, some sort of contact you need to know who these people are and how to get in contact with them. So, okay. So, not strictly census but more contact. Okay. So one of the things that wrecked on Dave suggests was that if we spoke to the appropriate people in town, you might be able to leverage sort of the machinery that's already in place to do sort of the block by block census that occurs are usually to confirm residency to fill up voter rolls etc etc. So that was one suggestion. So I offer that to you to as a way to look into that and see if that can work. It might be, you know, if you, if you, I don't know if you need a new count of who the people are, but just in terms of getting to them, you know, I don't know if it would be possible to add a question, or, you know, if there could have there be something else in that mailing when, when it happens but that might be machinery that you can leverage. Go ahead, Dr. Shabazz. Thank you. And yes, and if you could recall at one of the meetings that town manager, Bochum and attended. I read it loud and clear to please wait until after the November 2 election. So, I think there is machinery here. I think there is the will within the town governance to to open the books to help us to to move from voter roles and any kinds of property listings and so on to to begin to go through that and look at it but just in in in light of the, you know, all of the intense work going on right now getting ready for a townwide vote. It just seemed as though this is something we needed to kind of park for right now, and then look at look at it after November 2. The other thing is there are other opportunities and that people have talked to us about is for example taking an ad in a in the newspaper and some of the local media outlets, giving an address, asking folks if they so would like to verify to please, you know, send in the requested information of name address, ground address, email address, phone, phone number to send it into a an address or or email address that that we would we would provide. I think there is such a request out on the World Wide Web and just as a quick update at this moment. We were scheduled to have that discussion I had a problem getting to that meeting but we've rescheduled for tomorrow. So we will be looking at what are the possibilities for a HR a working through the town to create a website for example that could present these questions and and give folks an email or something to send their information and voluntarily it's the same thing. For me the term census is good in that every 10 years federal government sends folks out pays folks actually to go knock door to door to go through all the residents of every place on the country, and to record to list the address where they can take the names of all the people that are there, ages, racial identification, all of that they do that. The only thing right now with the 2020 data is that fine grain information at the census track level is not available. Someone was just reminding me in a meeting that actually what's just become available. The last year that has become available is 1940. You can get granular data census track data street by street block by block, number by number of every black person but it would be for 1940. It wouldn't be for 2020 2020 won't be available for another 60 years. It's there. It's in Washington DC or wherever they store this stuff, but it's not available to the public. We have to construct it by other means. We have to get if we that to do this we have to then constructed by other means and it's still all voluntary, even when the census takers go out from the federal government. It's voluntary you you answer what you want to answer and you answer how you want to answer. So, we're not imposing on anyone. It's voluntary information that constructs a database that yes we can use as service as said to communicate with with that population about the work that we're doing. John, do you have something you need to add before you get. Yeah, I'd like to touch on a couple. Yeah, go ahead. One idea is that in terms of this is that anyone who's been in politics and Amherst and running for office. Before the internet became really you pick with this and Facebook. One of the things that would be done is that the post office has a service called every door every box that you could send out a postcard to everyone in Amherst and we could fund that that can be funded. And that's an excellent suggestion as is the suggestion that Dr Shabazz made about putting ads out I think that between the indie and Amherst current and the Gazette and all these places that we have. I think that's an excellent suggestion. I also wanted to build on something that you had brought up previously Dr Shabazz and it may have been in a conversation that just the two of us had about the Donahue Institute. That Don brought forward. She said that Lynn, our Council President previously I think worked at the Donahue Institute so Lynn may be a good person to talk to about how they could be helpful for us in in moving forward with this. Another thing I wanted to say is I do think it's maybe useful at some point to come back to this question that Dr Jemison had about historical data, depending on the type of reparations program that we put together and whether or not eligibility could be back, you know, to a certain year, pulling some historical data which is going to probably be a much harder task, but equally could be equally important so I just want to keep that in our minds as well. Yes, Jennifer. I have mine. I just wanted to say is in terms of the Donahue Institute, myself and three other people met with their demographer over there, who is an expert in relationship to the population census and has a ton of information. And I was just reminded that we were supposed to make get back in contact with her. Like now, because the census information is now available. And this person really is a remarkable expert on the Amherst census and could provide us with some really incredible detailed information. And I will go back through my notes and find out her name and get back in touch with her. Thank you, Jennifer. Just a couple of things. One I wanted to follow up on Dr Shabazz about the meeting that was supposed to happen today. So I just wanted to say that part of the thing is if you wanted to do some sort of reach out where, well, first, we could add a website from our, from your webpage that would link to the webpage, but you could also use engage Amherst to have folks we could create an entire survey or however you would like to do a questionnaire or that is specific for this that could be put on engage Amherst. But as a person who before working for the town was not connected at all I'm still worried that there's a lot of people that will slip through those cracks. And so I'm yet again always a fan of boots on the ground. You know, there's different events that are coming up over the next few months that people that you guys should most likely represent be representative at and perhaps you can collect some of that data that way just because, you know, if you're not in touch with the local government, you're not looking for something like this and if you're not necessarily involved. I mean, it's just, you know, the papers are always iffy not everybody gets the paper. So, and if we do, you know, often my paper ends up in sneakers so it's just not, you know, it's anything so I just really suggest that you guys do some boots on the ground work with that, and I love outreach so I'm always like excited to do it. So what it does sound like is that there are lots of modes for this to be achieved through so what I want to know is who is the point person who's leading on this and when is the next time we should check in with you about how this is going. Well, since I'm working on the website part I can, we can put me on the agenda for the next meeting to the update on that I will meet with with the team there at tomorrow, and so we'll have some, I'll have some progress to report on on that. And in terms of some of the other modalities. You know, Irv and I both being with the black assembly of Amherst mass and, and whatnot that's, that's part of the work that's going on there so you know individually or together. So we can certainly, you know, check back in on on on that piece and he's meeting with Donahue people I had a conversation a few days ago with Lynn Grissmer as well and by the way we could well say she is the living embodiment of the Donahue Institute in in in Amherst. She was with it for 31 years she was the executive director for 19 years. There is no one more Donahue Institute in town right now then that then Lynn I mean she's retired from it but but yes she knows all the players and she was very helpful to me and and that's our conversation and I agree with her that is a, that is a direction we ought to follow up on if you'll follow up with the demographer meeting. I'll, I'll continue to pursue some of the other modalities and between the two of us I think we, we ought to be able to report back in on progress on that. Excellent. Great. Really. Yeah, good. Okay, so I think we're probably ready to move on to the next item, which Dr. Jemison I think we talked about going to G, right, would you, you have on that one. Yeah. So Alexis couldn't be here tonight but she did provide an update about potential screening. And so she said that they're actually planning to screen coffees film live on the web, as well as through TV broadcast, and the web screening will be linked to a donation opportunity and the TV broadcast will have a message that will point people to where they can donate. So the first media is all ready to work this out. She just needs to have a last meeting with coffee side to get some the rights worked out and some final things so she's anticipating having another meeting with coffee probably before our next meeting so she might have some dates when she gets back but basically all the right steps have been made in that direction. So hopefully we'll be able to have that soon as another thing that we're, you know, as an event and another way to outreach will be our shortest items tonight. All great information though. Okay, so it's 715 and I think how will not be here at least until 730. So I think that given what we have left on the agenda and Dr. Jemison let me know if this makes sense to you. I don't know about potentially going to the E which is administration of reparations program but that may not make a whole lot of sense until we've covered the other aspects of the financial piece. So I'm going to suggest that we go to at least a couple of the items in this financial update piece and start reviewing that and then when how it comes. We can, if it feels right to stop and sort of go to the other more vision legal aspect that we talked about we can do that but I know I can knock a couple of these out pretty quickly. So that works. We can move on then we're looking at see funding financial updates and we've each been assigned one or more of these items to report on. And so I will begin by talking about the mass cultural council grant. I know that rep Dom posted that they had extended their deadline up into November and when I looked at what they were focusing on, it is very much in the arena of racial justice racial equity, and centering BIPOC and marginalized people. So, one thought that I had is the possibility of applying for this grant to be used as funding to document our work as we talked about in a previous meeting. I know that Hala that was sort of her insight that she had in the first or second meeting so without her here. Maybe we can revisit that with her and also without Alexis here who would be involved in that I just wonder if there's any interest in applying for that grant to be used in this way or in some way and I will volunteer myself to take that on to do the application if it's something that folks want to pursue. Like the idea I'm just have you confirmed that we're that we're eligible right like what it actually have to be so as like it's because we're a town like we're town entity as opposed to like would Hala apply or would you Michelle Miller apply and then use those funds that's the zoom thing. I wouldn't want you to go down that road. My understanding based on what I read and we would definitely want to clarify this is that an organization can apply so a town committee or organ nonprofit organization is eligible to do that. I will just also say that other town departments can apply like it's it is something that can be applied for different things from anyone really. So I think this is this is important particularly for the remaining months of our charge through June opportunities to even do some things along the way that help to educate the public not even just as an end of end of project. Documentary, I would say as well we have a videographer a documentarian in our midst now, in addition to Alexis, even has a great deal of experience and background in this kind of area as well. So I think we're, we're definitely well positioned to to bring this narrative to bring this story out and in a good way. And so yes, if mass cultural council would see the value in this in this piece, I think we definitely are are well situated to carry it out. Okay. And, or did you have any thoughts about this one way or the other. Oh, you muted yourself. No, I, I have no thought to no further thought beyond what's already been said. Okay. Do we need to make a motion to sort of direct me to apply do we want me to figure out fill out the application to the best of my capacity and then bring it to the next meeting as an agenda item for review because we will have that time so if I can get it completed between now and then then we can bring it for review at the next meeting. Motion sort of agree by acclimation. I don't I don't know we have to have a motion on that but but yeah the, the, but yes, I'd say carry, you know, moves moving forward and then let's look, look again as it comes up. Okay, great and even if I could get in touch with you once you're sworn in it sounds like you might have some good ideas about this and background and experience in this. So if that works for you, I'd love to be in touch this week to talk about that. I'm sure I also I'd love to do that because I think you need to because I was the chair for six years of that committee. I will say that you know I don't know if things have changed but I think there needs to be a little more specific direction in order to apply for the grant. Okay, great so let's talk offline after this and we'll get straight on that and then take it from there. Perfect. Okay. So I could go over cannabis or the stabilization fund tracking and less Dr. Jemisin, you want to move to, I was sort of thinking to save the CPA and the ARPA and the CDBG to see if how it gets here in the next nine minutes. What do you think I can CDBG before how it gets here I mean the two long didn't read version and I will get the long one is that these funds are high administrative burden, very specific, have to be applied for every year and would be best suited for like an individual project, the year we know we need to do it, as opposed to like oh this is going to be some money we can put in our bucket for a sustainable fund that's the just not the way they block grants work. So the block grants are required to be used for majority low and moderate income people, which, you know, covers some of an African heritage community in Amherst, Massachusetts but not all of an African heritage community in Massachusetts which is sort of interesting because if we were getting those funds to benefit the entire African heritage community, we might be leaving some people out based on the mandate of those particular funds so based on my discussion with Nathan Loy and the research I did, it doesn't feel like a good fit for let's, you know, it's you know, a ladle that we can scoop out and put into our sustainable fund, but you know, any given year that there's a project that fits well into that remit, it's definitely worth it, although it is very high administrative burden. Excellent. That's really good information does anybody want to add to that I know that Dr Shabazz or do you have any, anything to add or say in response to that. Nope. Okay, that covered it pretty well it's, it would be something if we had a project to propose. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So, let's, I guess, move to, I'll give a quick update I checked in with town manager Bachleman about the stabilization fund tracking. And I'd actually just if I could, if you could give me two seconds to pull up what he said, because rather have his words than mine. Here we go. So, he said the town council has created the stabilization fund for reparations, but there have been no funds put into it at this point. Only the town council can put money into the stabilization fund and it requires a vote of the town council to do that. I anticipate we will go to the town council in the next couple months with a request for an appropriation into the fund. I believe I saw somewhere in either his town in his report, or somewhere else that monies were certified so I believe that part of the process happened. At this point, it is just a matter of getting requesting from the town council to make the appropriation. And in terms of tracking that he will let us know when that when those steps are going to be taken so between him and Sean, we will be made aware of when those steps will be taken and I took your point Dr. That was last time about that really being a historical moment for us to capture. So, we'll make sure of that and you have your hand up so please. Yeah, just to say, I wondered if that response was concerning. I'm requesting for 2023, because, or for the, for the at the end of this current fiscal year to that it goes through that process if rescue me if I'm wrong, I thought that from the free cash that resulted from the previous fiscal year that has gone by that that 200 and something has been certified it's just a matter of when it gets actually deposited there's no more town council vote necessary for that amount of money it's just an administrative action to be deposited to this particular account. I think the question of a town council vote would be for free cash coming out of this current fiscal year cycle that that would have to be voted again. Please rescue me. I'm going to rescue you here. So what the town council, what the town council voted on was the creation of the stabilization fund. So step one, and that has happened. So I think and we can clarify this that what town manager Bachman is saying is the money that we spoke about in theory, going into that, which they are going to do still does need to go through the process of being voted on the town council, but all of the good will for that is there. It's just a matter of matter of going through that formality, and it looks like counselor can help us further. Let's call on her first before. Thank you. And so I sent a long email about this to Michelle and Dr. Jemisin last week. And so I'm not going to try and recreate that right now but what I will say is what Michelle just indicated is accurate that yes the funds been created no no money's been put into it. I will tell you listening to the report of what her conversation was that in a some period of months that's going to be brought back. I have no idea why that would need to be true. It should be going to the finance committee. Now they were going to meet about it this week. That was already discussed at town council that it was that they were hoping to have had that conversation at finance committee this week, but the materials weren't ready yet so they canceled that meeting. But that's not months that's now that needs to happen before the new town council seated because that's definitely part of like where we're at with all these things to get that money put in there. And then there's going to be that conversation and the goodwill Michelle talked about in terms of that rough amount of money seems to be in everyone's mind, then there will need to be another conversation, as Dr. Shabaz indicated about, and then going forward. How will the money work, but we definitely need to get that first deposit in there and that should be able to happen in November because it should be. Thank you, Councilor Brewer. So it's been, you know, we know that the free cash has been certified. And I do. It is concerning to me that a couple months that a couple months was in the conversation in relationship to the town manager is concerning to me. And the reason it's concerning to me is that I know that there is a mad scramble for funds. I know because of the upcoming budget year. And I don't want to get us caught up in this or listen if you're listening. I would appreciate it if you would talk to your town councilor, other town council members to get this moving with really an expedited because there's a need to have a couple months. It really should be done as soon as it's on the council's agenda and that can be soon. Anyway. Thank you, or. Okay, so we've made note of all of that. And we can add that as something that will continue to track as we go along. Any other questions or comments about the stabilization fund, Jennifer, did you have your hand up at some point in that. Okay. All right, I'm ready for cannabis. All right. Okay, so if we could pull up the packet again I'm going to refer us to a document that's in the packet. And also a statement that I made at a finance committee meeting back in May. And I may actually just go ahead and read okay so we have this guidance on equitable cannabis policies for municipalities and Jennifer if you could just scroll down to the next page I believe it is. Maybe up a little bit I'm sorry I guess I need to be enlarged. Um, yeah, that would help, potentially I think. And just if you could scroll down a little bit further here. Okay. Oh, keep going sorry. This is longer than I remember it. Keep going yep. Okay, so this is actually. I wish I should have it in front of me here. Okay, so if you could just actually scroll down Jennifer to my statement that I made in May to the finance committee with respect to cannot using cannabis funding and can right here yet. Okay. So I said in this statement and I'm just going to read it quickly, because it was, it was, I think more concise in me coming up with another way to present this. So I say here that there are poetic and practical reasons to use cannabis money for racial equity and justice. In the 1970s enforcement of marijuana possession laws have been carried out with staggering racial bias, according to a 2013 report published by the American Civil Liberties Union nearly half of all drug arrests made in 2010 were from marijuana for marijuana possession and we're from for marijuana possession for marijuana possession. Hey, all drug arrests made in 2010. Okay, we'll just keep moving. And although marijuana use was roughly the same among black blacks and whites blacks were nearly four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession. Specifically speaking the cannabis control commission in its guidance on equitable cannabis policies for municipalities recommends the same. This is a quote from their guidance document, a municipality may adopt a tax of up to 3% on adult use cannabis retail sales by a vote of its legislative body. In many state and local jurisdictions Massachusetts included a portion of the cannabis tax revenue is earmarked for restorative justice, jail diversion workforce development industry specific technical assistance and mentoring services. Equity goals may similarly be supported by designated part of the local tax or community impact fee, if adopted as part of the host community agreement for similar local programs. So, just to kind of focus us in on where Amherst is currently with respect to the cannabis tax is it really hasn't made any decisions whatsoever about how cannabis tax will be used. And there are, there are several different reasons for that one being, it's sort of been in. There's an instability in terms of what's happening there are lots of retail locations that have opened. And our larger retail locations, for example, rise has recently gone back to medical only. So when we're talking about using cannabis we're talking about only the tax revenue, not that community host fee, the other part that was in that so. That tax only comes with retail locations so we have an opportunity to make a case in our recommendations for having some portion of the cannabis tax revenue being used specifically for reparations and so we have to decide as a body, if there's an avenue that we want to take and as far as I can understand it really very little discussion has happened at all and there's also not been a whole lot of clarity based on my research around how much revenue has actually even been received. I did a public records request way back and I did get some numbers back on that that we're promising but it was like the first year. And I think things have really changed and so we would want to if we want to pursue this identify myself or somebody else to do a little bit more research into what actually would be available and then as a body we would want to determine what we wanted to approach requesting those funds and making the case for that in our recommendations. Did you say that last part again Michelle. Yes, I said so, we would at this point want to assign somebody to potentially through a public records request or through I think I think that's how I did it last time and Jennifer you can help me out here I think I made a request to receive the information that I did to indicate how much was received but there were some like parts that were not parsed out yet that are now in the, in the budget, they're identified I think it was like the hotel, or Jen, do you know what you know what I'm talking about here. Okay, like the. Anyway, it doesn't matter. The point is is that somebody would need to do some additional research to see what was available and what the actual landscape is, and then as a body we would want to determine if we want to make the case for cannabis funding to be part of our recommendations in our, you know, to the town council. We know how much money came in last year in the year before, and that's part of all the budget presentations that the town does and Sean does a great job of that he tracks every dollar and it's, and it's all usually in the budget document. The question only has to be asked of him. How much money did kind of us contribute to the budget from kind of a sale sales as a sales tax that number is available. Number one is one to is that what I do know is, you know, because of my experience of being on the budget committee and finance committee, and given the time given the time of year, I can tell you that, as of now, and going forward, there is a concerted to look at all sources of income to put into the upcoming fiscal year 23 budget. So, we, if we wish to have an impact on that, and not have a claim being put to us that the money has now already been accounted for and that not only has been accounted for is that we have decided to use it somewhere else. So, we really need to get on this I mean it's not something that we can set around we don't have enough time to set around and talk about it. If we want to have that money or all of it or a portion of it. To lay claim to it. Now, all that money goes into the general fund we they have we have it hasn't for my knowledge, been any kind of pigeon holding of this particular money airmarking that money. So, we, again, that money as far as I'm concerned is unspoken for until it's spoken for. I think her hand is up. Yeah, please bring her in. She will do a much better job at explaining this right now. No, it's just that I'm supposed to be able to not necessarily after you advise but after you on how and how things are actually working on the ground right now. I've said that information is in the quarterly budgets only very recently has it been placed in the quarterly budget reports, and the money has already been used in the budget without any discussion with town council as to whether or not we wanted to to mark that money, which is a great source of frustration to me, because when I was on the select board and helped write the zoning and general bylaws associated with this work that we believed we would have a conversation about earmarking the money, but Amherst doesn't like to earmark money. That's just like not our style. You hear that from other communities and they say, Oh, when we get money from X we're going to put it into why, and they might do it officially and they might do it officially, but they have that theme East Hampton talks about that with their cannabis money. We've never been able to really move that conversation forward at the select board and town council level. So I agree completely with her that you need, if you believe this is a reasonable source of money, then you should say you want it now, and that this is what you want permanently because it has already been used up in this budget proposal. And it was just, as I said, it just goes in general operating and so the first few years they didn't predict it so it was like an unexpected receipt it was like bonus, but then they started saying oh well we have this money let's just start spending it, and it's not going to anything in particular just going to all the things we all care about. So if you want this money I agree with him completely that now would be the time to ask for it. The way that you should be able to do that is now Michelle that you're part of such an esteemed town committee you don't have to do public records request anymore. And you can simply say to Paul, the rapper and the African heritage reparation assembly, once the following information and CC the town council on it, and if you don't get it then we'll follow up. But yes, they should be able to pull out for you the figures from the last several quarterly budget reports. So that as herb says that the information is there, it's just a matter of presenting it to you and you seeing if that's the right amount of money and if you want to ask for all of it, or if at one point there was some discussion as to whether or it might go into an affordable housing bucket. So my advice rather than just information would have to be, take the money now, if you possibly can, before someone else starts getting used to spending it on all the other important things we do. And Council Brewer, can you just clarify what was I referring to that it was sort of meshed in with at one point was it like the lodging tax. Well, it was. Yeah, it wasn't really being separated out so back in the day. At one point when we were looking, because there's always these locally adopted excise things right so we all pay in taxes when we stay in a hotel and we pay taxes when we buy meals. And then there's a local adoption right and so some towns that don't have restaurants don't bother adopting a local excise tax on meals. We of course are like, let's tax everything. So we do the local on hotels we do the local on meals and we did the local on cannabis. If there was an alcohol tax we could do locally trust me we do that too. And so then when those reports were made for a while they were just kind of lumping all the excise taxes together because you know in comparison other pots of money it's not a huge pot, but we wanted to be able to track it separately so then we separated out lodging and we could track that better. But then at one point, kind of the fees that you mentioned from the host community agreements and the excise tax for marijuana kind of all got lumped together as cannabis marijuana money. And so we're just still working on parsing that out so everyone knows they're talking about the same pot of money pot of money at any given moment. So as you indicate the excise tax is the money in question here, not the host community agreement money don't be confused by percentages that are out there. But you know hopefully it's still in the range of $200,000 a year, hopefully more than that certainly other surrounding communities are seeing larger amounts than that. But that's the rough scale that you're looking at right now, just on the excise tax. If we make a request like you indicated to town manager Bachman with a copy to the town council, will that what we receive back will that be only the excite will we be asking only for the excise amount. Yes. Okay, okay. Okay. So, with that in mind, then we, I think are in agreement or let me see some sort of show that we were in an agreement to move forward with that ASAP. Let me say move forward. So, this report we're generating this that for November. Second or third that that then we're saying would be something we could report out as a request. So really good question. I think you should have an answer before your reports to this is really pretty simple this is an easy left for Sean. So we just have to identify somebody to write this email and request this information and so I'm happy to do that or if you want to do it because you know you've sort of been handling a bunch of this, let me know either way it doesn't matter. I definitely I'd be more than happy to reach out and get that information. And as a former rehabilitated bureaucrat, I can tell you that at this particular point in time of year, every bit of money there, or that's going to be there is going to be an already in play in terms of being soaked up. And if I have not conveyed the urgency of our actions to you in the past, I'm really wanting to convey the urgency that we need to get moving. Great. Okay, so that is assigned to you to go ahead and reach out and get that information and then you can. Well, it will certainly be an agenda item next week. But you could also forward the information to Dr. Jemison and I just be clear. What information do you wish for me to gather and provide to the Council next time at our next meeting. I think just what what Council Brewer said is requesting what the exact amounts are so we can go to the budget and look at them I think but I think what what Council Brewer was saying is have it presented to us and that it should be fairly easy for Sean to present that to us. Yeah, yeah. Even with my skill to I can do that. Okay. Great. All right. Well, it's 748 and so I think we're going to have to keep moving. And so we have Dr. Shabazz is going to report on the Community Preservation Act and we have Irv, who is going to report on the ARPA funds. So, Dr. Shabazz, did you want to start with the community, the Community Preservation Act report. If you all would like, sure. Great. Thank you for may I ask you to bring up the two pages from the packet. Let me first of all say, I had very good conversations with Anna Devlin go to a, as well as our Comptroller Sonia Aldrich. CPA funding provides, I think, a both a very promising model to to look at, or with respect to the way we are imagining a kind of sustainable fund. In terms of how, how that fund is managed how it is regulated how projects come to the community preservation coalition, and, and has been doled out, but then also specifically in terms of during this period, while we are, we exist as an assembly that ideas that could come forward to us that or that we would propose can one moment please. And so it's, pardon me. So the possibilities then is that it can also be a possible source of funding for something more immediately that we might wish to recommend or back this year, or, or in future years, even before a sustainable fund is generating resources to do some things. So if we look at the eligibility flowchart, we see how it is that expenditures can come in for items potentially related to affordable housing to use for land for recreational use to actually acquire, create or preserve open space to a, and in the case of acquired open space to be able to maintain it. If the asset is owned by a nonprofit private entity or individual. And if we'll scroll on down now to the areas that the CPA actually funds or in the other direction scroll up. The box shows a matrix of the allowable projects that the that that the Community Preservation Act can can fund. It can fund areas in terms of open space. It can fund for the preservation of historic resources. It can fund for recreational land. And if you scroll it a little bit for community housing. So those are the four areas of allowable spending and scrolling back the other way. You see that it can go in the areas of acquisition, creation, preservation, support, rehabilitation and X and restoration, as well as appropriations to affordable housing trust. The projects that have been funded or been proposed for funding through this include many things concerning the our oldest cemetery in town West Cemetery has been the beneficiary of funds to preserve monuments to create structures out there has benefited from this also recently the renovation of Kendrick Park. If you've walked by it or driven by it, you'll see a huge sign that identifies it as a beneficiary of Community Preservation funding. So there are multiple projects that that have been funded through these resources. There is a funding cycle but then there is also a pot of money that can even be applied toward that is outside of that that regular cycle. But one of the things that Anna Devlin go to emphasize is, you know that as we would prepare a recommendation, or as we would prepare to support a project that the project would really want to be very clear in its narrative, similar to what Vaughn was saying in terms of the Mass Council grants to be very clear very focused and to really identify from this rubric, exactly, you know, it's appropriateness from from this from this very rubric so I think again in both in terms of projects related to to historical preservation, the interpretation the education that that all of is meant by historic resources or recreational land that that or community housing that these are areas that we could certainly push reparative justice, our reparative justice plan could certainly recommend these projects for for CPA funding and buy that endorsement, perhaps give it an additional, an additional boost. And then, but then secondly, that as a model. This is where as you have this fund, and especially with state legislation if we had a fund that was matched by state funding, then you could really begin to see the possibilities for funding some some really major and dynamic kinds of actions to address the harms. And so I submit that as my report. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Shabazz. So, Dr. Jemisin, did you have anything to add with respect to this or comment on No right now. I mean it seems like a There certainly seems like a source of funds for a specific project. I did not hear mention of a specific project at this moment, but it's good to know that this is out there. So, great. Okay, so that leaves us with you reporting on ARPA funds. So, ARPA. Again, the purpose of my purpose to this is that all funds are in play for this year's budget and upcoming budgets. They are in place. The Michelle, do you have that particular link in relationship to the ARPA funds that you could put up? Yeah, I think we added it to the packet the the image shows. Yep, I think that that is that is in our packet. If we could bring it up because it would help in explaining some things. But anyway, while you're bringing it up, there are total of $12 million worth of ARPA funds that are that are available. The ARPA funds have been split up by the town into two parts, $6 million for expenditures for fiscal 2022, which we're in right now. And the remaining of those, depending upon what happens this year for the following year. There is the town has up until I can't remember 2024 or 2025 to expend those funds. What the other thing is that these ARPA funds have there are proposed specific proposals that are out there and that's why I want that if I could get that slide would be really helpful. In terms of the upcoming proposals to expend those funds by the town. And what I wanted to focus in on, there we go. And if we could move down. Yeah, we can scroll down a little to the recreation portion of this. So if you look right here versus public health and racial equity 90% anyway, overreaching or the overall goal of this is to be able to expend money in relationship to racial equity. Just just remember that that's a really important point to remember. So if we can go down some more. I actually this was just a screenshot I don't have I can pull up. You're looking for. That's right. But you know, anyway, I can pull it up pretty quickly, but go ahead keep going. This is just an example of the detail that is that the town is gone in through gone into to explain how these funds are being proposed to be spent. The takeaway for us is that tomorrow night. There are there is a forum on this and I have. And I will and will now recommend that both the coaches attend that to make a pitch for funds. To age our age. For expenditures for purposes that we will put forward. In other words, I know we don't have a specific airmark right now. However, one specific airmark that all of us will not all of us but a lot of people in town, including the community safety working group. What people have spoken about is the youth empowerment center or a community center. These funds can be expanded upon there. And in fact, one particular proposal is to put out an RFP for a center, a community center. And I would like to be able to present a counter present proposal. For the expenses, those funds for a community center. However, in order to do that. What is needed is a concerted effort to do an outreach to the community safety working group. Now I'm saying that. The community safety working group is going to go out of business next week, I guess, something like that. And so, but there is going to be two of those members who are going to continue on to the next group that's going to be a successor group. That successor group has one of its objectives is the continuation of some of some of the priorities of the community safety working group. It is a community, a community center and a youth empowerment center. We somehow need to sit down with that group. Because those whoever those members are who are going to continue on will not be subject to community to open meeting laws because they haven't been appointed to another committee at the time they're in between. And, and I guess I want to make a plea that all the groups who are interested in a community center or youth empowerment center. If this is going to become a reality. We all need to set down and come up with a specific proposal to encumber those funds now, rather than later. If we don't do it now, we're going to be put off until fiscal year 2024. And we don't need to be put off until that time. At this particular point in time, there are numbers of different parts of different parts of money that can be tapped into to fund this center. And remember a center is not only the physical, but physical building, which has to be. Oh dear. I think we may have lost connection there. Yeah, yep. He's frozen for sure. There's also the program. There we go. Or we you froze just for a moment there. You just don't see it. Okay. I just sort of clarify something based on what you, what you just said. So is that, are you, is that okay for me to jump in and clarify something quickly. You can ask for clarification then I can clarify. Okay. So, well, one is the point about tomorrow being the sort of final day to give input. It's not the final day. My understanding is that the two sessions, the two listening sessions, at least the live sessions are the last days tomorrow. There is one at four o'clock and one at seven. If there are other days I didn't see them listed. So, no, no, no, no, make sure you understand. There are there's there's a formal, formal listening sessions where what you can make a proposal. Right. All right. And then there's the continuous process by which you can make proposals, which are provided on the website and the link that I provided that anyone can make those proposals. In fact, they would prefer prefer that we anyone go to that link and make specific proposals and obviously they're like every anyone else. They don't want to be surprised and blindsided by some group coming in later on and making demands is they would rather know what to have before them. So I'm what I'm saying is, yes, you and Dr. Jimson can go before that form tomorrow, but you can also and we can also make those proposals via that that link. Right. And so what I am hearing you say and just wanting to clarify is that there are. There's the possibility of the African Heritage Reparations Assembly making a pitch so Dr. Jemison and I on behalf of the HRA, making a pitch either through one or both through the engage Amherst or at one of the, the forums the listening and what I hear you saying is that there is a call you are calling out to say we can support this other project that has already been recommended, and we can use our voice in our platform to put forward support for that. And so, I think looking at both of those. We need to talk about if we want to do one or both of those things as a body we need to come to some sort of agreement about approaching both. Correct. And just to be clear, the, the project we're talking about is the Youth Empowerment Center and or the Community Center. Right. And I had a chance very briefly I had to talk I called Sean to ask him about something I'm going to present on later and he, he basically said that there was a piece that he said that I thought was really oh he said that ARPA funds, if the African Heritage Reparations Assembly were to receive ARPA funds, they could go into art they would go into our stabilization fund so we would be essentially asking for funds that we don't have to determine what they're being used for yet to go into our stabilization fund. So that is one thing and then working with the Community Safety Working Group or its successor group or leaders to support the plan of moving forward with the Youth Empowerment Center is another their parallel question. Did Sean indicate whether those particular funds that could go from ARPA into the stabilization fund would they have to be, you know, characterized in any particular manner. No, that's what I found to be very interesting is that they did not need to be characterized at this time. You know, he didn't, he didn't say you're going to get them. But what he said is, you can make you can, you can put the feedback in and ask for the funds to be put in the stabilization fund we don't have to say for what use. We also ask for funds to support other projects, whether it be the Youth Empowerment or the BIPOC Cultural Center, for example. So, from my perspective, we should be asking for our own funds to be put into the stabilization fund, and we should be doing what you said, which is collaborating with the other group to support that measure and that that project. So, if you have a question for Jemisin, I see you have your hand up. Yeah, I have a very brief question. Are there two different community center proposals because I'm hearing Youth Empowerment Center and also Community Center. Okay. Got it. I think Jennifer could speak to this for a second, if you wouldn't mind Jennifer as a staff lays on to that committee, that would be great. Well, I must admit that I am stunned that funds can be airmarked for us to go into the stabilization fund. Which we should request. And we should request regardless. In terms of how that request will be structured and what we will say there for whatever needs to be decided but one thing for sure. When you and Dr. Jemisin go before the forum tomorrow, you can say that we're going to be coming forward with that request for those funds. That means needs to be made clear because, you know, Sean and other people who are with that fund, they need to know what's coming down, and it's coming at them so they can start to make some decisions and to look forward to how to go about distributing the money. So we need to be as transparent as possible in terms of yes, we're going to be asking for X amount of those dollars to be put into the stabilization fund. Now I don't know whether we need to make that decision now on how much, but I do know that we need to do it. And I don't think we should wait until a meeting next week to decide how much we're going to be asking for. I agree and I also am wondering or if you. So are you saying that there's this mechanism for asking through engage Amherst and through these listening sessions and then there's going to be another us on top of that a formal formal request that we're going to have to make as a body. Yeah, we there's no way for us to get the money without making a form of request. Okay, what I am saying is, we need to make sure that we indicate to Sean and through that title through the form that we are going to make a request for a sum of money to be put in the stabilization front from our profiles. We need to make that very clear. So they can, you know, in other words, they want to anticipate what's coming at him. So this is one way of giving them some clarity in terms of what we are going to be asking for. And that we are going to be asking for some funds and that those the amount of funds we're going to be asking for. We will have to them as soon as possible, which should be at the end of our next meeting next week. Okay. Is there any objection to some form of Dr. Jemison and I because we don't know what our schedules are for tomorrow. Attending a listening session and speaking on behalf of this group. Only right now with respect to funds just for African heritage, we're going to get to the other piece in a second but for right now is there any objection to us doing that. If it's good just a thumbs up would be great. Okay. So now moving to the other piece that herb was addressing, which is whether we want her to make the connection with the folks that are either in the leadership positions right now or, you know, I don't know how we want to handle that but making some connection with the community safety working group to support their request and really bolstering that and, and Sean did indicate that that was something that would really be helpful in terms of, you know, voicing support for that. So, I'd recommend one of the co chairs or the co chairs would would make that in treaty to the community safety working group. Okay, Jennifer, what do you know about what's happening with the community safety working group when are they, you know, transitioning when might the new group be up and running what do we know. You are muted somehow that we don't look muted. No, wait. There we go. The CSWG is will dissolve on November 1. So they are coming up with their final report to go before the council I believe this at this Monday's meeting. And the successor group, we are currently accepting applications or the community, the citizen, no community activity forms for the CSS JC the community social service justice committee. And they, what that group is going to do is pick up where the CSWG left off and ensure that the rest of the recommendations start to move forward, and just work in regards to equity across the board for town as well. Great. Um, what one of the things is that, and I'm trying to encourage people to embrace is that we are in the budget season. And budgets in the town, like a lot of other things, you have competing interests. And if we wish to have our interests taken into account. We need to have specific proposals. I understand that, you know, the community safety working group is going out of business. I know that there's going to be a successor group. I also know that two of those members of the community safety working group are going to move on to this successor group. I mean, I think, is that correct. Two of them will. All right. Those two people as of November 1 become free agents and tells us time as the other committee is formed. Those two members can be available to talk with I guess the final thing is in terms of me and where I'm at with this particular thing is I really want that center to happen. And I look out over the landscape with the budget as it's being formed. And I know was coming down in terms of budget allocations and and also the fight for funds. But if we do not move as a group to get this center. And now we have two possible groups who can work in concert with each other to get this done. And all I am recommending is that one of us, I don't care who it is, I would like to do it because because of, I have an overview of all of the financial projects that are going to happen here to be able to sit down and talk with that group. But if someone doesn't want me to do it, then someone else should be recommended to do it. Who has similar expertise and experience. I know on my part or if I would be very comfortable with you doing it just because when I'm thinking about going into this not only do I not have the financials I don't have the background on the, on the center. So it sounds like you know a lot more about this particular project. So, and I would fully support you doing that as well or I am a little concerned about how I think what I hear you saying is that it would be best to wait until after November 1, but I guess I'm not clear on why that needs like why couldn't an outreach happen even sooner. If there's maybe just something I missed with respect to that. We know we could I could do that now there's no reason to wait. Okay. Okay. So, given, I think maybe it was an open meeting law. You know thought. So given that we two of us can't go. I don't think we can go to the community safety working group. Dr. Shabazz. Just trying to understand what what the offer is the offer is to connect to the existing group or their successor group if the offer of kind of combining our voices as town committees in support of the youth center multicultural center is that the idea here. It's definitely it's definitely part of that but the other part is. I want to be saying something just to be saying something. I want to be saying something to get something done. So when the approach is that when we when I sit down with them is, hey, you have this objective of having this center. We have an objective of supporting that. We have the ability to go after funds. Why don't we combine those two abilities so that we have double the ability to go after double the funds. And, and also piggybacking on what you said, Dr. Shabazz, is that we can also say that we are combining our voices as one that this is something that the community really wants. Well, I don't want to speak for anyone in that in that particular group, but I would suspect that right now their priority, given that they face this sunset. On November one, I think their priority right now is to get their final project report, whatever completed and prepared to turn in to go into the sunset moment, and to, to necessarily think before November one there, they're going to have the to necessarily entertain the question of the financing aspect of their recommendation. They don't have the power to do anything but make a recommendation just like us. So it's the question, you know, of yes, I'm sure there would be a welcome for support, but I just think the moment right now is probably sunsetting on the particular group that as it exists now and then whatever the successor group, then certainly I think they would they, that would be maybe a welcome that a gesture that they would receive well. Yeah, and I think that we can go ahead and we can support them without even meeting with them there's that's not it's not a necessary step we can say if this body agrees that we support that the money being used for such purposes. And then I think, because we're on that timeline of this needs to actually happen right now, you know what I mean and so, or then could come in at a once that successor group is up and running and maybe it gets further defined and figured out but at this moment I think if we state if we voice our support of that project happening because that's what this body agrees to and supports I think that that is enough, even right now. And, and I agree that they're probably their headspace is somewhere else, and this is a big bucket of money to take, you know that we don't want to miss out on for ourselves or for that, for that, those purposes. I think urban then Dr. Just remember that the documentary we can't bring up already has in it and our of the RSVP for a community center. All right, and, and, and, and that is specifically aimed at this particular project or desire in the community to have it. And all I am wanting to do is to impact that in a way that it will reflect the desires of not only our committee. But also the community safety working group and its assessor. I guess what I'm saying is, I am uncomfortable with and do not wish to have in that as current round of our proposals a RFP for a community center that is, I guess, and one way to address the request by various groups for a community center. I don't want to be left in there and representing that. And that's why I'm calling for a call for action. I don't hope I'm being clear. Dr. Jemisin, do you have something that might anything? I'm going to attempt to sum up, but I think our three things and folks can correct me if I'm wrong. So the first thing we just agreed to, which was Michelle or I need to go to an ARPA listening session and indicate that the age RA would like to have some of the ARPA funds earmarked for us. Okay. What I would. Herb to me what you're saying sounds like two things. One is a similar indication of support by the ARHA, AHRA sorry for the community safety working groups proposal. The other is when the time is right after they disband a possibility of you or another member from AHRA talking to them further about, you know, the further ways we can present a united front on both their project for community center and our wish for some ARPA funds. Very close to what's going on. Very, very close and in fact, you know, almost right on the only part is that we, we ourselves, AHRA would be requesting funds and again is a sibling process for a community center. And we would be doing that. In conjunction with the community that's assessed a group of community safety working group. All I'm trying to say is I want to click I want to make sure again that we signal that this is coming to the ARPA in terms of ARPA funds. In other words, I do not wish for any member who of the people who are responsible for disbursements of the ARPA funds to think that they're being ambushed. All right. I want us to be very clear and upfront that we're going to come after those funds. We don't know the amount of them, but we're going to be coming after those funds not only in terms of on our behalf, but on behalf of a community center, those two specific things. Yes, Dr. Shabbat. Thank you. So I think I may need the clarification that would come with this in a form of emotion. Because I'm, I'm here's where I feel unclear. So if members of this body will be going to ARPA to say, I'm bringing some of these funds to the reparations, reparative justice stabilization fund. Are we saying, not as a project, but just deposited to the to that sustainable fund to be used to be doled out at some future point, but not as a project is that even possible. There's no intention to know that they can divert some or all of that $6 million into our town stabilization fund, the fund that has been created for AHA. I'm not sure I've heard that clearly. Yeah, it was. I clarified and also Michelle clarified it. When I talked to Sean today, he said we could make a request for the funds to go into our stabilization fund. Thank you. And then secondly, we're saying, out of that same $6 million, we would be supporting the effort of a community center or would it come from out of the process that we create for this body to approve a project. If some or all of the $6 million were put in our stabilization fund, would that just be coming out of that fund or are we saying separately, we're requesting out of this $6 million or the next $6 million support for the community center. I'm not clear. I think, you know, I'm so sorry before you go on, I just want to acknowledge that Yvonne has had her hand up for quite a while. And, and I know we're in this kind of awkward position but I do want to give on the opportunity to speak. I just have a point of clarification about a community center because the focus of our work are people of color of African heritage. And so a community center doesn't speak to that necessarily unless we make it that way. And so I think some of what we're pushing for there might be, you know, if we're combining or, you know, getting together with another committee. Our focus is not going to be the same if it's just a general community center and maybe I'm not speaking with as much information and Jen might already know but I think if we're going to do programs, our programs are, you know, African heritage and not just a general youth empowerment. So there has to be some kind of cultural legacy addition part to that, not just general community center. Correct. Yeah, but just make sure that there are two things in here. When people talk about a community center, there's the physical asset, the building location, etc. That's one. And then the second part of that is, is the programming that goes on within that building. Those are two separate things. And then there's a third thing is obviously upkeeping maintenance on an ongoing basis. That's why I mentioned programming. I think that if, you know, having a dedicated building just for African heritage is a cool thing. Right. So, so anyway, yeah, so, yeah, correct. So anyway, to a meal cars point. We make sure that it's clear that we will be requesting a pot of money from opera just for age. Make sure that's clear. All right. The second is that there has been a lot of talk and community safety working group wants and desires a community center either a youth empowerment center or a community center. We, the age are a as I envision it would say, we support that. And we as a separate request for opera funds will ask for some monies to be set aside for that purpose. So there are two set as I was asking for one specifically for us. And one for the community center. Now, the only way that I can see us asking for that money as the African heritage reparation assembly is that we were doing it in concert with and support and in support of the community safety working groups desire for a community center. The reason why that is important. Once again, is that right now, it's already in the opera fund proposals for an RFP. And I don't think that's appropriate. Okay, I guess I just want to stop us for a second to say I think that that that that piece we need to kind of set as a separate piece. I think we're getting tangled up right now and it's late so my suggestion is that what we move forward with the thumbs up on Dr. Jemisin and I, or both of us going tomorrow and speaking on behalf of this group and asking for money to be set aside for this group. And then perhaps Jennifer will be able to get additional information between now and then from the community safety working group and what they are doing. And, and then we can put this back on the docket for next week. Thank you, Dr. Jemisin jump down if if you have a different idea. Nope, nope, you're good. And I think are for clarifying because now this sounds like for separate things, which I'll run through in a minute but Jen I feel like I saw you almost wanting to say something. I'm just going to clarify that the community safety working group recommended two things not one or it's the youth empowerment center and the BIPOC community community center and at the BIPOC community center it is for programming to benefit the BIPOC community. And it should also be inclusive because you have to have it be inclusive at the same time to the fact that people can come and and become educated on how on equity issues and how to be more inclusive or whatever offerings that come out of program come out of there. So that was all. And is it Jennifer just to clarify is it the is it a BIPOC community center or BIPOC cultural center. Jennifer. I mean we could just look at the report. The final answer but I do suggest anybody who has questions about it. Look on the report on the community safety working groups committee they've got a fantastic report there. Absolutely and I think it was I think it's a youth empowerment center and a BIPOC cultural center but we should definitely verify because Jennifer's correct those are two separate projects they're not you know and and also what Irv is saying is speaking specifically to the youth empowerment RFP or the youth center RFP that is in the current proposal. Okay, it is a BIPOC cultural center. Okay. So, Irv, did you want to say something else with respect to this before we move on. I think we need to move on but just to, in summary, we need to ask for these funds and, by the way, Michelle and Dr. James and both of you, or one of you can go and make those statements at the forum tomorrow, but you can, in conjunction with that, go on to engage Amherst under that particular section and make the same proposal. Great. Okay. Dr. Jemisin did you say that you wanted to sort of sum everything up or Dr. Shabazz are you feeling comfortable now with the okay. So, so as I understand it. The thing we already thumbs up. Michelle and I will go tomorrow in some way engage zone to the public hearings talk about our funds for AHRA. We can also communicate our support to the CSWG. We could do that at the public meeting tomorrow if we wanted to if one of us wanted to go, but we can get that across to them. There's a question on the table of whether or not the AHRA will also request funds for ARPA for a community center, but it sounds like that is best planned with the CSWG. So that would be something that happens later hence postponing the discussion till next week. So it's the four things that I got out of that. All right. Yes. Okay, great. All right, so we can move on, I think. So we have covered all of the funding and financial updates that we had set out for tonight. And at this point we're going to move into the legal update which is D. And I just will preface by saying that as Dr. Jemison and I have been, you know, we met with Repdom and I've been, we've both sort of been thinking about this and this is an evolving process. So, assuming I'm going to talk for a little bit so I'm trying to get it as clear as possible but assuming that the setup for us right now is to in the front half of our work, focus on setting up a structure for a robust legal reparations program. So that includes funding sources and making sure that we have a legal reparations program. And then the second half of our work is to decide on the types of reparations, the eligibility, all of those other pieces which will of course require the black census to be in place as well as a lot of community input. So if that were the way that we were flowing, then I want to draw attention to the third recommendation of the KP law report. The third recommendation of that legal memo is to seek special legislation to define reparations as a public purpose and set forth some basic rules as to how such funds will be held, expended and accounted for. A very quick overview of the types of legislation that are possible in Massachusetts. Special home rule legislation is specific to Amherst. It must go through the TC, the town council before it goes, sorry those are my notes, must go through the town council before it goes through the state. It's best to be as specific as possible so we would likely ask KP law to draft up that special legislation. And, as I said it would only be specific to Amherst. It would allow for our stabilization fund to be legal, and for money to come in and go out of it in the ways that were that were expressly written into that law. The fourth form of legislation is just regular state legislation introducing new bills that would not have to go through the town council could go directly from us to repdom and then through the process, whatever outcomes of that would impact the entire state. There are very specific timelines associated with passing a bill through and again KP law could help us draft that. So, getting more specific, we could take a multi pronged approach here. So, we could seek special legislation to maintain the stabilization fund and have it be legal, which would allow us to add to from various sources. And at the same time we could seek new legislation to one create a CPA like model which Dr Shabazz has brought to the forefront for us, since we started meeting and and or add eligibility to the current CPA. So Dr Shabazz showed us four ways that the CPA can be used right now, we could seek new legislation that would allow us to add a fifth use, or we could, of course we could do both. There are slight differences if we were to introduce new legislation that there would be a tax surcharge that communities would have to deal with if they were to opt into it. Many communities have already opted into CPA. So, Sean tells me for example that perhaps the surcharge could increase potentially to include that additional eligibility under the current CPA, but if it were to be new legislation, a whole new CPA model. Again, any state, any municipality could opt into that, but it would be sort of a different process. So we need to really find out from Repdom who by the way was very supportive of this. We need to find out from her, which of those once we've had a chance to discuss it, which of those is easier, or if we want to go both. We want to take a two to three prong approach as I've outlined what I see as being the biggest benefit to this is that we could be the be the first real program to offer a multi tiered reparations program. So we could have cash payments for direct descendants via the stabilization fund that would have its special legislation attached to it. And then we could also have anything in between that and symbolic reparations that would impact all folks through the CPA model I am a strong advocate of a multi tiered approach. I think that the conversation of reparations has often come back to who is eligible and why and I think that there are good reasons why direct descendants of enslaved people should have one form of reparations that's a personal opinion that I'm adding in here but I think that there's a multi tiered approach that can be had and this, this setup, if we go, the two or three pronged approach would allow us to take all of that into consideration and be the most flexible and least limited. I think it is 842. So, I'm going to stop. And I see Dr Shabazz has his hand up we may want to push this off to the to the next meeting to really dive into it, but I've sort of laid it out there and we could certainly if everybody's in agreement. Put it on the agenda for the next meeting. Is that what you were going to say, Dr Jemison. Does everybody agree to doing that to making this a focus for our next meeting. Yes. Okay, and I, we can find out from from Repdom the answer to the question about what would be easier more cumbersome in terms of getting it through. And Dr Shabazz. Yeah, this doesn't go into the details of the multi tiered model your, your legal model you're discussing but I did have a question relative to you repeatedly kept referencing KP law we can get KP law. I thought at one point we talked about there being other legal expertise out there that we might want to look at both in the state as well as outside of the state of Massachusetts than KP law because I do have serious questions about how well KP law could do all these could do some of these things. Yes, thank you for for for recognizing and acknowledging that and I think that that's something that we would have to discuss further, whether it, you know, whether we would use sort of the town attorney to do the work in maybe collaboration with other people who are already doing this work and have the experience of doing this work. Okay. Dr Jemisin, do you want to take it from me? Thank you for. Thank you for being our meeting short. So, presentations item looks is a little bit so and also thank you everyone for bearing up under a very long program today I think we had some very thoughtful discussions and I feel like a lot was clarified. I'm looking forward to digging in even even better next week. Are there any presentations or anything that has come up that folks have got to add in here. No, alright, we have a BAM update also on here is that just add I'm sorry these are standing items that we added in just to if we have someone coming to present like we had coffee last time we would have a spot for that. And then the BAM update is a standing update which it seems like we sort of already got so we can it's just so that we have a placeholder for those those items. So, I think we could probably move right to any additional public comment. Excellent. Alright, so welcome to our second public comment period during public comment period one of the co chairs will recognize members of the public called on this identify yourself by saying your full name preferred pronouns and residential address. Residents are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes at the discretion of the co chairs based upon the number of people who wish to speak the speaker can see their time to another speaker. The AHRA will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised in public comment. Alright, we recognize a basement. Hey, same address same pronouns. So the reason the town lawyers indicated direct payments were impermissible was because the proposal given to them was race explicit on paper. If we keep preparations race neutral on paper direct payments are 100% legal. This is exactly what Republicans do with gerrymandering and voting rights. They make racist laws that are race neutral on paper, and they get upheld. But progressives should use the same format make anti racist laws that are race neutral on paper. We should not see this strategy to the Republicans. We should instead make legally resilient. Good trouble. The Republicans write grants all the time, but their need or merit based by remaining race neutral Amherst could absolutely make payments to black majority members of the community, technically using race only as a secondary factor. For example, affirmative action at Michigan law school was upheld in 2003, because it was race neutral on paper, though not in practice. It was upheld in 2002, with the Fisher lawsuit challenging Texas's top 10 plan, and that law to was technically race neutral, but was designed entirely to benefit the black and Latino communities of Texas. Therefore, it was upheld by the Supreme Court. The majority direct payments answers many questions you asked tonight. It turbo charges fundraising. It's more reparations the than any of the alternatives, and it would almost certainly be the favorite benefit method of black community. When Evanston's reparations law gets overturned by the US District Court of Chicago. Why shouldn't Amherst be the lighthouse in the storm. I know you want direct payments. This is the only opportunity to institute direct payments without stepping on the equal protection clause. If town lawyers shoot my proposal down. I'll stop commenting, but I will keep buying plenty of cannabis to fund the good fight. However, if they affirm what I've researched black majority direct payments and Amherst would be the most legally resilient model in America. I know the meeting format does not allow you to comment on my assertions, but please reach out to me, both Dr Shabazz and Miss Miller have my contact info, and Dr Rhodes will have it tomorrow via postcard. I appreciate all of your commitment to narrowing the black white wealth gap here in Amherst, but I can't be the only one who favors direct payments. Call me. Thank you. Are there any other public comments. Not seeing any other hands raised. I think we can go on to upcoming agenda items and meeting schedules are scheduled for next week. October 27 at 615 p.m. And I have captured a few agenda items. Mainly the report discussing if the age RA will request additional ARPA funds on behalf of the community center so further discussion about that. So we have a discussion to follow on what we've learned about the money available to us from candidates taxes. Michelle I didn't know if you've captured anything else or folks have items that have come up. I think continuation of the legal discussion. A report back on the mass cultural council. And a report back on. My brain is getting tired. There was a another report back on one of the preservation act. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. And Jennifer, yeah, you had to. So I believe. Dr. Shabazz was going to report back on website and. Irv was going to report back on. Donahue Institute or the census. Perfect. That doesn't even round it out, but if anything else comes up, please email Dr. Jemison and I. Absolutely. Any topics not recently anticipated for the co-chairs in 48 hours of advance the meeting. We want to bring up. Nope. All right. Move to adjourn. Time. It is 851. 851. Thank you everyone. Hang in there. Good night. Good night all. Thank you.