 What was that, Dr. Shabazz? Just mentioning Talaqa is not far from Tulsa. Talaqa, it's the capital of the Cherokee Nation. Oh, yes. That is the largest nation out here. I was just saying we went to the first Americans Museum in outside of Oklahoma and it included all of the input. Nice. From the 39 tribes here, from everywhere from the location to the design of the building to what's inside the building. And so it was very beautiful. I was just saying it is conservatively progressive here. I don't know any other way to really say it. Let me go ahead and call the meeting to order since it's 235. So I am calling the meeting, the May 16th meeting of the African Heritage Reparation Assembly to order at 235 pursuant to chapter 20 of the acts of 2021. This meeting will be conducted via remote means. Members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so via zoom or by telephone. No in person attendance of members of the public will be permitted. Every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time via technological means. So welcome everyone. Before we get into the sort of heart of everything I want to approve our minutes that are in the packet. And we can do one of two things if folks haven't had a chance to review the minutes yet, we can push them off that's not a problem. Because we're pretty caught up now but if you'd like we can approve them like we did last time, where if you find something that you'd like to amend later, we'll simply approve them with the ability to amend them later if needed. So, I'd like to hear what folks would prefer to do on that. Yes, Alexis. I'm sorry what is, what is the vacancy. Does that just mean it's empty it's open. Oh, so on the agenda, he vacancy means for us to discuss the vacant position we have in our body. I think we're not, I actually was going to share with you my feelings about how to move forward in this meeting today, given the demands that are on that are on me and maybe you as well with respect to timing and the town council meetings and the budget hearing. So, we probably will push that to the next meeting. But, so the question right now is, are we comfortable approving the May 2 and the main ninth meeting minutes with the caveat that if we need to amend something. Okay, I see how is he got a thumbs up Alexis, are you good with that. Okay, cool. And Dr. Shabazz. Okay. We'll see the demarcation between the two sets of minutes. The most recent one looks pretty good but then it seems to at least on my end where I have it open it seems to then maybe bleed into a second one. I'm just so I, I could approve the first one but I don't I'm not sure I have based upon what I have an email here all of this, the second one. Okay, let me pull it up. I'm going to look at it at the same time that you're looking at it. So I see the May 2. Yep. And then, I see the May 2 and the May 9 separately in the latest packet that Jennifer sent. See here, but they're separate files. So we can go ahead and approve the May 2 and then if you and then we can hold off on the other ones until Jennifer are you there. I'm here. Okay. Do you know what Dr. Shabazz might be referring to. No, do you have the most recent minutes. I mean a packet from your email. I have the most recent packet but I'll say as well I might not have heard are they two different documents or do they, they open as one. So everything should open as just one big packet one big document. Yeah. So it says it should say may second and then I think those ones are two pages and then I think the May 9 one is three to four pages. Jennifer sent it to 24pm. Just in case. Yeah, that's the one I've opened. Just to where I'm looking at it. Okay, I see the may second. Here. That's what I've read already. And besides may second then there is May 9. Okay, I'm seeing the demarcation now. Yeah, I can approve both of them. Okay, great. All right, so I'll make a motion then to approve the may second 2022 and the May 9 2022 meeting minutes. Jennifer, if you could remind me what did we in the last motion we said with the ability to amend them after if needed or was there some language that we used. Um, well, so my guess is if you need to amend them that they need to come back into, we have to bring them back into the meeting. Okay, so let's just approve them and then if someone needs to amend them just let us know and we'll bring them back into the meeting once you've had a chance to look at them. Oh, but we lost Hala so without Hala we can't do anything. Um, let's see. Oh, there we go. I think Hala may have just been switching. Hi Hala, you're back. Hello. Okay, great. So I move, then to approve the may second and May 9 meeting minutes is there a second. Lord second. Excellent. Okay, and Dr. Shavas. Yes. Alexis. Yes. Yes, sorry. Yes. And Hala. Yes. Okay. And Michelle is also a yes on those. Great. So, um, what I was hoping to propose for the time that we have together today, although I added other items on to the agenda just I've sort of gotten into a habit of doing that so that we cover our bases. Um, if something does come up that way, uh, we've been public about it and it's out there on the agenda. So just for transparency. Um, but there is a bit of a time crunch on my end. I have to join a public hearing at 5pm for the finance committee and then move right into the council meeting for tonight and into our presentation. So I was hoping that we could focus on the presentation and what we would like to do for that, and then take any public comment that might be here and then, and then move these other topics to our next meeting. So we get through tonight and are clear headed about that. And so it does anyone have, um, does anyone have a concern about moving forward with our meeting in that way today? No. Okay, great. All right, good. Well, I'll just start by saying that I sent off a memo to you all that I submitted to council colleagues. I also sent you all of the public comment that we've received in writing so far to your emails. It's also been included in the larger packet and I will continue to do that. I'll also note that given this is our request tonight is going to be referred to the finance committee and there are members of the finance committee that are non counselors. I will be sending all of the public comment to the finance committee as well so they are aware of what's coming through. I'll also be recommended recommending to them that they watch the portion of the meeting that was our presentation today, tonight. And so we I expect that we are going to have a meaningful amount of public comment tonight. That will happen during the regular meeting. And so what I really wanted to talk about is how we want to go forward with our presentation. I have prepared some opening comments. And to be honest with you, there are potentially two expert testimony folks who may join us, but they're not solid. And so I'm sort of playing it by ear. One of the folks that we have potentially joining us is Jerome Crawford attorney Jerome Crawford. He is the director of legal operations and social equity at Pleasant Trees, which is a Michigan based cannabis company but they've recently opened a retail location in Amherst. He's going overseas. And if he is available to get to Wi-Fi he's going to join us and he's going to speak about why this is the just and equitable use of cannabis tax revenue. And then we also have former CCC commissioner Charlene title. She's an distinguished cannabis policy practitioner and drug enforcement and policy expert. And she was with the commission and appointed by the governor when the CCC was establishing its guidelines and Massachusetts, the Commonwealth was establishing guidelines. So she may be able to join us if she's not she has offered to make a statement that she is signing off to which I am working with her to do, which is also why I need some time between now and five o'clock. So my plan was to make some opening comments. And then given the council has already received and read my memo, hopefully. I really wanted to just check in with you all and see how you would like to present tonight so Yvonne has let me know that she I think is unable to join us. And Alexis and I had a great, great, great meeting and talked about a lot of these aspects. So one I guess is who will be there plans to be there most importantly. And if you do. Okay, Alexis, great. Hello, do you plan to be there tonight. I know you're driving so I want you to be safe but just a thumbs up if you plan to be there tonight would be good. And you're frozen. We'll all come back to you. Dr. Shabazz. Do you plan to be there tonight for the for the meeting. Yes. I'll be there. You'll be there Hala. Okay, great. And Dr. Shabazz. Can you hear me. I can hear you. Yeah. Yes, I hope to be there. Yes. Okay, great. So my understanding that our presentation is going to be first after the public comment period. So that's depending on how much public comment and I am expecting quite a bit based on what's on the agenda. It's going to be not until after seven but probably before eight. So that's and it and it, we will call it to order as a meeting, if the four of us are there. And then I'll check in with her. So we'll call it to order as a meeting, everybody will be in the room and we'll be seen it. Oh, and it's a completely virtual meeting tonight, because of some co vid and different things like that going on. So I'm going to open it up and just see if folks have any thoughts about how outside of the sort of statements that I'll make wearing my counselor hat, how we want to present and what what we feel is important to get across. And Dr. Shabazz feel free to just because I can't see you so oh I see Alexis, your hand is raised. Yeah, I was just going to ask about this great thing that Alice Brewer had added. And I guess I was wondering, these comments that people wrote in, are they, are they being like read by people or are they just being submitted or like, like, what, I guess what is all happening with like all the other public comment things like our people coming in and telling to speak. Great question, great question so I've been organizing with a bunch of folks in the community of broad range of folks, trying to get different perspectives and so the folks that have written some of them are also going to come tonight and read their statements. Other folks have not sent their statements yet they're going to come and give their statements and then send their statements. There is also a petition circulating that has a lot of signatures on it that Mary Porcino and others have been working on and so she will be coming in offering a statement referencing the petition and then following up with the actual petition to the council so what I have sent you all the folks that see that are all of the counselors, Town Manager Backelman, Athena, and then because they're put through our portal, they'll be published on the Amherst town council site. I don't want to highlight any of them, and I think the one that you've picked out is in is a very important one and all of them are very important. But we could I in my opening statements reference them and ask people to please read them. But if we want to actually read any of them or they're all a matter of public record at this point so we can do that. I'll just say that your memo is in the packet because I'm not seeing your. Oh, it should be. It's possible that it's Jennifer is my memo in the packet. Your memo is not in the packet. Okay, okay. Okay, I just didn't just was scratching my head. Okay, yeah, Dr. should it should be in your email box though over the weekend. Yeah, that's a very important statement to say that the select board members had always intended or, you know, had originally intended for that purpose to be served by the cannabis tax revenue. I hope that is a might be found to be compelling by some of the counselors. But yeah, all of these look good. Yeah, and I think that, you know, the most. So what's significant is that this as one of the people who wrote in public comment states this money came in to the town right sort of unanticipated until the laws changed. And the select board who was, and I went through all of the select board documents this morning. They were sort of deep in it as it was becoming legalized first medically and then recreationally and there was never a conversation and I think what Dr. Brewer what Alyssa is pointing out is that there was never a discussion about how this money was going to be used. What the CCC and the Massachusetts state government intended. There were references in the select board packets that I read this morning about Amherst being one of 29 communities designated yet nothing had been discussed about it. And then when the charter happened, which happened right around the same time that the first retail operations were opening. The discussion never happened again and it's sort of at some point, but town manager Buckleman just said, you know, or they decided just to roll it into the operating budget but without that conversation, having happened. So that's what we're doing now. I concur also with your your timing in terms of giving you time to make your other meetings and be prepared. I will likewise use the time that way. Final thing I just would say is since our last meeting, I did take the opportunity to go to pleasantries and met the general manager. And Zach did tell me about the expertise of Jerome and so if Jerome is able to make it from what I can gather from Zach, he will, he will bring a great, a great deal of information and perspective both nationally as well as you know, relative to the kinds of questions we're grappling with as a local municipality. Zach as well has opened 10 different shops he was telling me and so was very, very acquainted with what other municipalities and how others are, you know, often using this as an opportunity to sort of balance the books if you wish, relative to past injustices of our of our marijuana laws. So I, I think these are all are all good steps that that are underway. Thank you. Great. Yeah, so Dr. Shabazz then if if Jerome doesn't and by the way, if Zach, because if Zach has any sort of way to tap into Jerome, any more closely than I might because we've only exchanged emails at this point. Then encouraging him to join us tonight again he does have a panelist link. So I hope he will join us and of course Zach is welcome to join us but if that doesn't happen. Just what you said is really powerful just now that you you know just really reciting and talking about that dialogue that you had if you feel comfortable doing that. That would be great. And yes, I see Alexis that your hand is raised. I guess I was wondering if you like if there was a certain number of people like is there is there too many people to speak, or is that not a thing. I guess I was wondering if you were trying to like, I don't know, limit it in any sort of way. It really depends on who you ask that question to. I'm just joking. I think because there are so many things happening tonight with the budget with there's a plant medicine resolution that I'm a sponsor of that I know is going to get a lot of public comment there's our thing. There are other things so I would definitely not limit. However, I think that what can happen when too many people come is the amount of time that each person gets becomes limited because Lynn will do, we'll have to do that so but again, I think there's anybody that wants to speak in support of this, they should be welcome to and they should come and this is the opportunity to do it so. Yeah, do you have someone in mind that you wanted to send off information to or just generally asking. Yeah. So just to make sure that we're organized for tonight. Alexis did you want. So I had an all honesty started to make a presentation via Canva after I finished the memo. And I just really stink at doing visual presentations. I am just not it's not my thing. I prefer to write memos. So I don't really have any slides prepared while I could put some together. I don't think that we need to spend the time we have reiterating what's already in the memo. What I really want is for the, for the Council to hear from you all. It sounds like Dr. Shabazz is going to prepare some thoughts to talk about. And so just checking with Hala and Alexis as well and I will of course check with her. If there are, if you would like to make some comments tonight and sort of just getting an organizational picture with that before we, before we go to public comment and then go off and do our stuff. So I'll check with you first Hala. I guess it might be dependent on what visitors we have in terms of if there's already five speakers or not, or if you think it would be beneficial to have my voice. I'm always happy to make a few sentences about why and the impact. Yeah, I think it would be great. Oh, that's so interesting we have a question and answer option in our zoom right now which I've never seen. Do you all see that. Okay, I'm Paige we're going to come to public comment in a minute. So, but that's so interesting higher welcome. Okay, so Hala, I think your voice would be wonderful to hear. So if you have something to add I would that would be fantastic. And then Alexis, how about you. Yeah, I would love to be able to speak, which would just be. Again, I feel like I would want to default to like the experts is they are actually going to be speaking. I do really like that whole sort of that framing that perspective of, you know, let's look at our state's disparity and then let's look at our Hampshire County disparity and let's look at you know what the you know what we were talking about last time you know let's look at what our DA is in, you know, what what they're doing and what they're keeping busy with and who is at the center of these cases. And so I feel like that perspective is really important and I'd love to be able to speak on that. But I don't want to say a whole bunch of stuff that everybody already said so. Yeah, maybe maybe I'll like it can I can I go last. And like we'll be super organic like I'm going to be really transparent with folks like this is going to be you know we're we're working in real time live with the occurrences that are happening in the world in this moment like this is what it is and so yes that will not be a problem. Hi, Irv. How are you. Can you hear me. I see you but it's like you don't hear me. Are you there. Can you hear me. All he's connecting his audio one thing I would notice is that we is just to remind us all. We did vote, you know unanimously back in October to recommend this earmarking discussion and this this earmarking as a as a revenue process so you know our our position for this is really already on record, but it's to it's to really give it give it the text that it needs as to as to as to why and and the importance of of going ahead and building this fund, even before we have the plan even before it's all, you know, argued out and laid out that we have the state permission through home resolution, the money won't be lost to reserve it to go ahead and earmark it now take it off the map for budgeting, considerate for other budgeting considerations. That doesn't mean the money is lost. The money is still there. It could always be again repurposed by a two thirds vote, but the importance to this is this action is going to require two thirds of the 13 counselors to and personally, I hope it's unanimous in the way the previous actions have been taken on free cash. I hope it can actually even be a unanimous vote. Thank you. Dr. Shabazz, I have to check this but I actually think that the vote to designate does not have to be to two thirds I think it can be. It can be majority. So just to give you that and then what you can see if you can see what's on the screen this is the memo I submitted and I start off very clearly sharing the budget requests we made back in November 15. I state that I was requested by the chair of the finance committee to send them to the finance committee on November 16. I did that. And that to this date the air to a has not received a response to their requests nor were they included in the FY 23 budget guidelines are proposed budget in any meaningful way. And while the town manager or town council is not obligated to approve any budget requests made by the town committee or individual resident failing to respond to requests made by people of color is a pattern. The town has historically exhibited and committed to changing. And then I go on. So that is in your email there. But just to your point. Yeah. Thank you so much. Yes. And then are you able to hear us now are you still on? No, I think he I think he was having trouble. Yep, he texted me hang on one set. Yeah, his audio is not working. Okay. Well let's quickly. So, so I think we're all on the same page. I am going to go to public comment. I'm going to stop the share here. I'm going to go to public comment maybe or we'll be able to join in the meantime. Otherwise I'll touch base with him. So, I think of there he's coming back now so we'll see if he is able to connect. Hi, finally. Nice to see you. Nice to be heard to. Yeah, absolutely. I'm sorry I think I did something to the question. Oh, well that's okay we can have page answer. Oh look you answered it. So we can. You didn't but you moved it into the answer by accident I think. The Q&A is actually not something that we are allowed to use for open meeting law purposes or for whatever purposes I'm not sure, but there will be public comment so if the person who asked that question via that tool wants to ask if they can. Erved just so you know we approve some meeting minutes and we agreed that we were not going to tackle anything else on the agenda except for our presentation tonight. You should have received the memo I wrote a bunch of public comments, all of that. Are you planning to be there tonight at the meeting. Not possible. Not possible. Have a conflict. No problem. If there's anything that you would like me to add with respect to your voice just email me and I will make sure that it gets it gets vocalized. I will do that I did like all of the public comments that came in that you sent. It was a really good and they're also from really good people. I really tried to reach out to a broad like everybody's good they're all good right but I tried to reach a broad, you know, base of people faith, you know, groups, former officials different things like that so thank you or I'm glad. Glad and I'll keep sending them to you all. Yeah, I was just going to clarify the reason why the q&a isn't usually up is, I'm not sure what happened with this particular meeting but we have been zoom bombed via q&a. So, yeah, okay. It's nothing to do with open meeting, open meeting law. Okay, thank you for clarifying that. All right, so I'm going to read the public comment statement. During the public comment period the chair will recognize members of the public when called on please identify yourself by stating your full name pronouns and residential address residents are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes at the discretion of the chair based upon the number of people who wish to speak the HR a will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during public comment. So, if you would like but we will be listening very closely and taking notes. If you'd like to make a comment, please go ahead and raise your hand page I see you hang on I'm going to bring you in. I think I analyst. There you are. Okay. Okay page, can you hear us. Yes, I can hear you. All right, go for it. Page Wilder, my pronouns are she her and I live at 73 Fearing Street. I don't want to take a lot of your time I just would like to be able to make a strong argument tonight and if you can't respond to a question and public comments and it doesn't even make sense that I'm talking but I'm wondering how to alleviate people's concerns that having the money designated to reparations will take away funding from press. Okay, so what I'll do is I'm going to consider that your public comment and, and then we'll move out of public comment and then we can decide if we want to address that and if you stay on the call. You'll hear kind of what deliberation happened within that because I, it's really, I know I agree with the way this works is just not helpful at all. So is that is that all of your public comment page. Yes, that's fine. The other piece was answered. Okay, great. All right. Are there any other folks who would like to make public comment. Okay. Seeing any and Jen I can't move page back for some reason like in for for me it says, it just only gives me the choice to promote. So, it's a remove permissions to talk will move her over. It seems like you're going to like somehow get her like loser. Yes, but that's what it is. Yeah, okay, perfect. Dr. Shabazz. Well, I would like to just say one thing relative to the brief remarks I, I hope to make, and perhaps it dovetails on on the question was just raised but the Repair to justice and the whole concept of reparations has to do with a an approach to a specific group of people who've experienced a specific set of harms. The Crest program and other measures, like diversity, the Office of Equity and Inclusion and other things that are that are going on in the town. We must be very clear. These are our policies and units that have been created, not for black reparations, not to engage in a reparative justice process with people of African heritage. These are things being done for the public safety of everyone. These are things being done for the public safety of people, for example, who may be in a mental health crisis, regardless of their of their ethnicity, regardless of their, their European heritage Asian heritage indigenous indigenous American heritage, they're all going to benefit from a Crest program that responds and helps to respond with the with the right types of interventions for that person in a mental health crisis that has nothing to do with anything of a reparative justice process with black people who've experienced specific harms at the hands of the town of Amherst. Okay, and, and likewise, equity and inclusion is a process for everyone of all various kinds of identity groups various kinds of lived experiences. You name it, veteran status, you name it, that has nothing to do specifically with anything to repair the injustices that African heritage people have suffered at the hands of the town of Amherst. So I hope that may may be clarifying I hope to to make a brief comment on that within my brief comments but I hope that may be found to be helpful to folks like the person in public comment where we're hoping to understand. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Shabazz. Well, you know this is going to be a theme going forward with the budget process. Anyway, but in terms in particular, with any requests coming from reparations. There is a perception in town and I think Dr. Shabazz hit the nail right on the head. Is there is this, there's this a tendency or want to think that crest is only for black folk. And that's, that has to be erased. Not only that is is being it is being set up as a budget battle between the crest program and AHR or anything else to do with DEI. And that needs to be stopped in his tracks. That's one thing. The other thing is, there is not a section of the budget. That will not be for fiscal 24 and 25 fiscal 23, I think is already gone because the town managers are submitted his budget. And that budget can only be cannot be increased can be decreased, but it cannot be increased. So, but the fact is we have a built in budget deficit as we go forward for fiscal 24 and 25. And there is going to be all out battles to soak up money from any quarter to feel something that is a structural deficit that is self inflicted. And all of us need to understand that as we go forward. And fiscal 24 is going to be remarkable budget battle. fiscal 25, I predict unless the only thing I see out there that could rescue us is that we have will have increased our evaluations in terms of property. We know property values have gone up. I think there's some other kind of state aid that's forthcoming our budget is something that is going to be problematic going forward but we do not and cannot be put into a trap that is black on black fight. Thank you for Alexis. Yeah, I just, I wanted to just sort of piggyback off of what both doctors were just saying, because I think that's a really important thing that it's sort of like these two things that are. I don't know that they'd be an audio. Hello. I hear you Alexis, I hear you. Yeah that they'd be in sort of any sort of like monetary competition or contention with each other where I feel like the real like, and I think that the framing was interesting too is like will this money take away from Cress and I think that the one thing that's sort of the one piece of money that's taking away in any sort of way from Cress is the already formed police budget. And so I don't think that like I agree completely with Dr. Rhodes like we have to be wary of seeing these two things as being like, like one taking away money from the other, when really the money is already being invested in other things that we're seeing are not serving us in those ways that they need to be. So thank you for saying those two things, both doctors thank you. Yeah, and I think Dr. Shabazz, if you can sort of incorporate what Alexis has said and what have said just now with your comments on that. In a way that would be great, because I think that you know and that's a real way to kind of frame frame things the way that you framed it, you know, and it's very very critical, I think, to this. And certainly, I think that we will work together in ways with other departments and other committees and we will find those bridges and we will support. I believe we will and I believe we will be supported and so this scarcity model. I know we're in a we've got this budget has huge demands and and I feel that we are creative people that will are committed, and we will work together with these departments and not in opposition to. All right, so if we do not have any other comments or questions, what would be great is if we could all go on to to our own things so that we can be prepared for tonight. I'm speaking for myself but and but let me just put one last call out for comments or questions. Great great and let me just check one more time here. I do not have any items that have not been anticipated. I did want to make one announcement and since it's on our agenda it's okay. I'm going to go back to the humanities application, they sent out three dates that we can attend like tutorial sessions about how to apply. One of them is today like I think it four o'clock or I could look it up, but the good news is that the next three Mondays basically during our meeting times but they're being recorded. Unless somebody wants to attend them in person and knows they can do that I can just forward the recordings to you all when they receive when I receive them. And I can also just tell you right now why don't I go ahead and read. Let me just read those dates because I had it up here and it shouldn't be a problem to do that quickly. So, the three dates are 516 which is today from four to 5pm. This is called project framing deliverables and humanities advisorship. I will forward this to all of you all with the zoom link so if you can attend please feel free to the second workshop is 523 at the same time and that's on the budget, which is a really important one. And then 524 is the third one and that's for additional materials and that's also between four and five. So I'm going to go ahead and I will I will forward that all on to you. And then with respect to our next meeting, we have these items that we haven't covered. I will also be adding, we're hoping to have counselor Lopes, join us to talk about Juneteenth, and how we can collaborate and support. And that I think that that she is available to join us a next Monday. So for next Monday, we can go back to our regular meeting time if that's okay with everybody which was. I think three Jennifer what was our regular was 330 or Oh well sometimes it was three and sometimes 330. Okay, three o'clock. Let's see one food. Yeah, I could do, I can do three, if people want to do three. I'm Dr. Shabazz. Yeah, I was actually just inquiring, are we using the regular link for the meeting later this this evening or is there a specific one a different one to use. Really good question Jennifer I think because you posted it as a meeting. I either Athena will have to send out panelists links or I think what would be easiest if you all can join using the regular link on the agenda, and then we'll bring you in at the time of the presentation. Okay. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm right so the budget hearings from five to six I think and then we're it's and then 630 meeting public comment, depending on how long that goes, we're directly following public comment. Thank you. All right, any other questions. Alexis. Yeah, it's sorry is the, the finance committee, is that like lumped into the same or are they different links. There were using the same link I believe, at least on our end we are I don't think they've been posted separately, but just folks to know this in case you're talking to people. I'm really not happy really with the way this was set up but there are apparently reasons for it but the budget forum is only the finance committee is holding it, which means that the other counselors who are not on the finance committee will not necessarily be there unless they choose to be to hear what people are saying. So, I've asked anyone that's coming to speak with respect to our request to come during regular public comment so that everybody is there. But pass that on because that's important. All right. So if there is nothing further. We will see you all later and thank you. And we're adjourning at 322.