 Come to the City Council public comment meeting Before Mayor Parker calls the meeting to order we ask that you please turn all off all electronic devices For those who have requested to speak there are two podiums in the chamber The podium in the back is for individuals with mobility concerns. We ask all others to step forward Each podium has a countdown clock located to the speaker's right that will indicate how much time is remaining a bell will sound when you have 30 seconds left Before you begin your comments, please state your name. Thank you Welcome to your four city council public comment. I will call meeting to order Tonight's invocation will be by pastor Jeff Shaw from all all Saints Presbyterian Church Please rise for the invocation and remain standing for the pledges of allegiance Let's pray together Father in heaven, we thank you for establishing good government and for just administrators and For the important work that you call them to do Lord We recognize that all of your magistrates while determined by our elections or Appointments by men they are ultimately ordained by you and therefore they should be we should be subject to them at all times And we pray that our leaders would acknowledge your son Jesus Christ as Lord the king of kings and the Lord of lords and all things Lord, we thank you for our wonderful city We live in a prosperous place and we enjoy peaceful times And yet we recognize that many people were shaken yesterday by the blast at the Sam and Hotel and this disturbed us as a reminder of Accidents and tragic events that are out of our control and can take place at any time But in the midst of that we thank you for your providential care and your gracious protection Sparing the loss of life and we do pray for those who remain in the hospital and are in serious condition Would you watch over them and show them your mercy so that they might make a full recovery? But we thank you for a city that's not in disarray. It's prepared to handle these situations Thank you for those first responders who came to the aid for the police and firemen who were there and even for the utilities Who worked behind the scenes and we thank you for their efforts Lord father? Would you bless this gathering tonight? May these council members represent the interests of their constituents May their decisions be just and equitable and may you Grant peace in all the deliberations here bless our city and its citizens Bless us keep us Make your face to shine upon us be gracious to us turn your face toward us and give us peace We pray all these things in the majestic name of your son Our first speaker this evening is Bob, sorry, I apologize we have to do consideration of minutes Marin council our first action item will be approval of the minutes from the October 17th November 28th and December 5th and 12 2023 council meetings Motion a second, please vote motion carries Now we'll move into our public comment section. Our first speaker is Bob Willoughby followed by Julie West It's Bob present. He's not here You haven't seen him. Okay, Julie West followed by Julie Ledford Good evening. My name is Julie West and I'm the owner of paper planet in historic Hanley Paper planet is a boutique custom invitation stationery store I started my business in my home in 2001 and moved to historic Hanley in 2003 My peers and I through great effort have cultivated the Hanley wedding district on the east side of Lancaster We bring business to the east side of Fort Worth from all corners of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex and the state of Texas at large Through the tenacity of our brick-and-mortar storefronts and owner occupied buildings. We are a powerhouse of destination retail Cumulative cumulatively we have over 100 years of entrepreneurial business Experience in the events industry and have earned regional state and national recognition as event specialists I am here as a representative of the Hanley wedding district and an east side resident to request this locally preferred Alternative regarding the expansion of East Lancaster Avenue to six lanes be delayed for further review and that more transparency be employed in its handling What happens here affects all of us businesses and residents alike The Hanley wedding district is just one block that is an anchor point for the strip at East Lancaster Have the other important pockets of East Lancaster businesses been informed What consideration was given to the business community along East Lancaster as business and building owners and Hanley We are not in favor of a six-lane road expansion Jamie Holder of Cremdella Cram was told by Mayor Maddie Parker that this proposal was not in the plans for East Lancaster during the December 5th public comment on December 19th Kelly Porter along with six other people attached to the proposal had a meeting with the business owners of the Hanley wedding district Advising that the six-lane expansion was imminent and requested our support as As this proposal is being given to the state as a response from local government We would like to make sure adequate consideration is given to the needs of local residents and businesses alike We feel that transparency has been severely lacking on this project Alternative information has been presented by city staff differing from what was said at a city council meeting There were last-minute changes and dates for public comment, which has limited the opportunity for people to speak on this issue We have also received a less intolerable amount of public awareness on the proposed changes and how it will affect our businesses and homes If major changes and decisions for this corridor are being discussed Why have we not received full information on these plans the information available online lacks continuity from department to department and Getting a straightforward answers from officials has been met met with placating and non-committal answers We need a clear plan. We need more time for better understanding and review of the proposal Ask the people who it will directly affect. I encourage you to visit our growing and prosperous area for yourself We are hosting an open house on February 29th. That is open to the public. We deserve a second chance from our city Thank You miss West miss West let me ask you Did you have a chance to watch our work session today? I did not it might be helpful And I'll make sure that Lorne prayer sends that information to you directly and it follows up with any additional questions We take this very seriously. I was just in Hanley a few weekends ago to shop for my future sister-in-law's wedding dress Wonderful what you have there is very important to preserve and you have our commitment on council And I think some of the the conversation today at council might be helpful for you to watch as well All right as we submit this LPA. Wonderful. Thank you very much for taking the time Thank you for your time, of course our next speaker is you dr. Julie Ledford followed by Judy Taylor Do I wait for the time to start you can start and let's talk with you. Thank you Thank you for taking the time to listen to our comments this evening I have attended all of the recent meetings in the open houses, so I'm well informed on this topic There's a potential to have positive effects, but the property owners need city council support So our current concerns include new mixed-use zoning implications traffic concerns and primarily safety And some of this has already been mentioned already, but it's important that we follow Trinity Metro's recommendations which include having a center lane as opposed to lanes on Entering on either side for the bus because that's been statistically determined by research to be the safest option I do support the new proposed station on collard street that would be accessible to Texas Wesleyan students including International residents in the dorm who might not otherwise have access to transportation Here's a plan Including the map of the new station at collard. I think that'd be beneficial to Texas, Texas Wesleyan and As I mentioned before it's important that we follow the recommendation of Trinity Metro's Center lane to maximize safety for travelers on the bus route and to serve the communities And it's important also to protect the property value So historic Hanley won't just be a pass-through and the destination that TPW plans have mentioned The mode recommended by Michael Morris is a curb-based transit and it's less Safe statistically than the center lane The center lane is statistically the best option Here's a comparison of the proposals from Trinity Metro versus the other recommendations There's a visual of the center lane and here's the letter from Trinity Metro. That was forwarded to city council Suggesting the center lane and The comment from Michael Morris was we're not funding that vision and Also, there was a recent article And including comments on this on the Fort Worth report I forwarded a copy of that article as well Including some of the opposition to the sixth lane and and versus the four lanes And then finally my concerns are there's a lot of traffic accidents right there at Hanley and Lancaster, I think if we expanded it to six lanes versus four, it's already a very dangerous intersection. So We'd need support from our local law enforcement. I'm concerned about changing it to mixed use instead of single family Other also we had a free and limited bus passes during 2020 which made an issue for safety in our neighborhood and the last thing I wanted to say is Pythagoras told us a thought is an idea in transit and I think it's important that Hanley remains a destination and not just a pass-through Thank you Thank You. Dr. Ledford. Our next speaker is Judy Taylor followed by Lawrence Walker Good evening. I'm Judy Taylor past president of Hanley neighborhood Association. It's good to be here with you tonight I support changes for East Lancaster from Riverside to 820 we need many changes. We need need many things there I've lived there when we had many opportunities at this point. I'm wondering if a bus there is putting The bus business there Putting the cart before the horse if we have a bus before we have businesses not sure it's going to work to help many of tonight's thoughts are important to this the six lanes that are Suggested from 820 to the Arlington border are my concerns This just this destruction of our historic buildings in the 65 and 6600 blocks of East Lancaster is very Concerning to me and Just a point of history Bonnie and Clyde spent much time in that area So if you ever want to know something about Bonnie and Clyde, they were there So check in with Hanley the loss of our caboose museum Will be a great loss to us the impact of the gas of Pump station and storage stations in the 72 and 7600 blocks of Lancaster are concerning The loss of the cemetery plots at Rose Hill the impact of five new Warehouses how that's going to put hundreds of new 18 wheelers speeding through our neighborhood the intersection of green oaks and body Lynn is a It's designed to Stop and in approach on our trees and our historic Indian preserve there We the people already drive Just too fast in that area and if you open it up to six lanes You're going to give us a whole lot more of very dangerous Accidents. Thank you for listening and we'll see you. Thank you. Thank you, Judy Our next speaker is Lawrence Walker followed by Dan Hayes Mayor we tried calling him. He's not answering Dan Hayes followed by Paul Karpow Good evening. My name is Dan Hayes and I live in district 11 today the locally preferred alternative for East Lancaster was presented to you I'm thrilled that there's a plan, but I believe This is a solution that could do more to spur economic development and improve pedestrian safety It's also needs to be a solution that does no harm to historic handling Inside the loop the roadway needs to consist of four traffic lanes and two day lanes dedicated to public transit much like this illustration from Detroit Reducing traffic lanes would improve pedestrian safety and dedicated lanes for transit would present themselves as a premium Option, which would attract developers and new riders alike There are plenty of case studies to prove that as a likely outcome In fact one I read said that the only reason not to put the transit in the middle is a lack of right right of way or a lack of political will No matter the technology behind it. I don't believe a curb-based bus solution will accomplish this Presentation is everything when it comes to public transportation Over more than a century Lancaster has never been sized for the traffic it carries I'm told that techs dot won't approve a roadway with less than six traffic lanes But the traffic on Lancaster simply does not justify that We have five major east-west roadways in a freeway for a total of 22 lanes in a roughly two mile wide swath Isn't that enough for a strong argument? The new trinity lakes TRE station got a lot of attention for its economic development potential and with two areas of economic emphasis on east Lancaster The value of a premium transit off the offering should be obvious Twice before east-siders have had major roadway projects done to them instead of for them in 1957 the DFW term pike now I 30 Isolated East Fort Worth from the growth the rest of the city saw in the years ahead It snuffed out East Lancaster's business model of serving the traveling public the resulting decline is still very evident in 1963 loop 820 sliced through the Hanley neighborhood Resulting an inappropriate zoning and a lack of protection for that historic neighborhood Both times east side leadership complained to deaf ears From the beginning this has felt like an exercise in checking the right boxes So NCT cogs recommendation could be implemented when this project was announced in June 2022 Michael Morris said the community should be driving the process yet before any public meetings that occurred The answer was no to funding trinity Metro's recommendation of bus rapid transit 18 months later the LPA you saw today is virtually identical to the original announcement of this project Please ask more questions before voting on this plan Thank you For pole followed by George Charles Good evening Paul Kerpole Fort Worth I'd like to start by amending my Speaking terms here. I recently signed up for this last weekend to speak as an individual yesterday evening the Hanley neighborhood Association Affirmed that I can speak on behalf of our association. So I'm speaking for all of Hanley tonight For about the last 10 years, I believe I've attended every public meeting on Lancaster BRT TOD transfer transportation all of them and I've repeatedly pointed out to the presenters that the situation on Lancaster in Hanley is different from the rest of the roadway Excuse me We have a narrow strip there and we have a lot of old development that should be preserved The proposed six lane right-of-way Requires a significant widening of the right-of-way and in the process. We will have to demolish eight or perhaps ten buildings We will have several shops that will lose their parking space essentially becoming useless And I didn't do an exact count, but approximately 100 graves in the cemetery are gonna have to be removed relocated I think this would be terrible for Hanley Please don't inflict this pain on us. Thank you Our next speaker is George Chiles followed by Cindy Bowling I'm here because of remarks made on November 7th 2023 by the self-styled hard-working John T. White neighborhood Association It's my belief that what this organization is working hard to do is expanding its long-standing differences of opinion Bob Willoughby To include those who employ and defend freedom of speech more than JTW&A deems proper This is in order for it to strongly insinuate that the aforementioned t-shirt tycoon is leading what amounts to a coven The first step is it always is was to create an other JTW&A's other is quote self-serving showboating chronic malcontents where entire lives seem to be dedicated to their weekly performances and council chambers Unquote oh, and they're all attracted to Bob Willoughby The fine piece of othering indeed approximately Excuse me appropriately crowned by guidance to the root of the problem both problem and route not just manufactured out of thin air But air so thin that if it was if that if it was literal it would cause mountain goats to carry oxygen bottles I would inquire if the hard work of the JTW&A includes Classifying as showboating crowning my chronic malcontents Those who have appeared here more than once about the death of miss Jefferson and those who have done this in regard to the possibility of early death and echo heights I believe that JTW&A chose to mock expressions of heartfelt concern in this manner because their portrayal of Bob as a threat Obviously would be magnified if it can include his having followers matching JTW&A's profile Thus, it is not a case of us being attracted to Bob, but rather JTW&A being attracted to us for that purpose I believe that the threat theme also it also Supports the astonishing astonishing excuse me exertion That by any definition Bob is at war with the city in the novel 1984 this is found quote the consciousness of being at war and therefore in danger Makes the handle it makes the handing over of all power to a small cast Seem the natural unavoidable condition of survival Unquote if all power is neared to mean power to decide who can speak at City Council There's any particular small cast to come to mind In some if someone is planning to write a book titled a beginner's guide to the basics of witch hunting I suggest they watch JTW&A in action on November 7th and take notes Our next speaker is Cindy Boling followed by Jim DeLong Thank you My name is Cindy Boling. I live in District 11 and I live a city block north of East Lancaster I'm very familiar with it First I'm very excited about the millions of dollars that are going to be spent on the improvement of East Lancaster in the transit system It's exciting any kind of influx of money to our area. Thank you I learned a couple hours before coming here for Monique Ward That It's not stopping Here that the city is looking at more ways to improve the economic development of East Lancaster And that changed my speech here. I'm excited about that and we have long-standing properties that Jeanette is well aware of That have been a blight for years and we don't understand why we can't get rid of them the Echo Motel The TNL the VNN the Jimenez auto that the Substandard multi-family Why can't we get rid of them, you know, it's taking years and we're told reasons we don't understand We'd like to get rid of those and I'm encouraged again by what Monique told me I would ask that all decision-makers regarding East Lancaster Please become familiar with it drive it drive it during a weekday Drive it in the evening drive it on a weekend Focus at thirty two hundred East Lancaster where the Echo is go up to forty seven hundred where the VNN is Go further where Jimenez is where sometimes it looks like there's about a hundred Wrecked cars parked there. Why? But again ending on an up note. I'm really excited about the funds on this project and excited to hear from Monique That it's not stopping here. Thank you Thank You Cindy our next speaker is Jim DeLong followed by Bonnie Rudd Good evening. My name is Jim DeLong. Happy New Year's to you. I Missed our city council meetings that we didn't have it was it seemed like years Since I've been able to be in the same room with you miss you guys. I'm so thankful for you and What you want to do for our city and I'm going to talk about my red ball Last time I talked I said this is a red ball and I could teach my son colors And I could say Jonathan. What a color is this? This is green Jonathan This is a green ball Jonathan. What color is this green? He could pass a lie detector test Him being able to do that. He has a perception of reality That in himself he comes to think is true But the truth of the matter is no matter what color you call this ball it's red and I brought up the Instance in the Middle East Hamas Calls this ball green We must wipe out and have genocide against the Israeli nation They'll go to the mat for it. They'll die for it But they have a perception of reality. That is not truth and we find that everywhere During the task force on race and culture. I went to every Community conversation meeting after meeting. I went to some of their training and this was a comment in every every Community conversation in mayor. This was even spoken when you and and other council members your first Inauguration where you took your oath this quote was said We speak our truth in ways that we speak that respect other people's truth Our views of reality may differ, but speaking one's truth does not mean Interpreting correcting or debating what others say this sounds really Magnanimous and inclusive But in one of the training sessions We were asked to speak on on a list of statements and this is what this was one and I said so in other words The gentleman that murdered those people in Las Vegas that massacre He did that because that was truth to him He would go to the mat for that truth And it was wrong no matter how right he thought he was it's wrong and so Part of my point is is that there's a saying perception becomes reality But reality doesn't equal truth And so my encouragement to you every one of you every one of us in this room we have ideologies We have things will go for the mat to the mat for But what we hope From you all is that you follow truth? Thank you Jim our next speaker is Bonnie Rudd followed by Adrian Smith by phone Is miss Rudd here? She's on line. Oh, sorry. There we go. Hi Bonnie. Go ahead Good evening neighbors. First of all, I want to thank everyone for their efforts to better our city and neighborhoods I've heard a lot of good things tonight Second of all, I want to be very clear as I believe in explicit communication That I am only one generation removed from my native heritage and only one generation removed for my German Jewish heritage My grandfather spoke German as his first language and I've been taught the lesson of the Holocaust since before I can remember I'm speaking from both Jewish and native perspectives tonight And I want it to be known that Fort Worth since 11 million six hundred twenty-nine thousand seven hundred seventy dollars annually to Israel's weapons fund and we're often told that because it is a federal fund that it cannot be changed I Was taught too much of this state's fierce independence So I call on those who stand with states rights tonight and let me be explicit There is not one Jewish voice which represents all of us Being Jewish means being part of a very specific but diverse ethno religious group However, there are millions of us both abroad and in the US who are calling loudly for a ceasefire in Gaza Millions of us are saying never again for anyone. Do not commit a genocide in our name Do not pretend that this is about Israel's existence or the safety of Jewish life worldwide because it's not This is about money and as a state's right. We have that right to stop Funding these things. There are many Israeli Jews who also call for a ceasefire for Palestinian safety and for an end to this apartheid We're not all one opinion, but there are majorities which must be listened to on this front We need to stop funding these weapons to give you an idea the over 11 million dollars Which Fort Worth sends annually to kill children could instead be used to provide over 1,000 people families with public housing To give over 4,000 children free or low-cost health care to fulfill the annual salary for a love for 126 elementary school teachers and for 33109 households to be provided with solar electricity 307 students to have their complete loan debt canceled and 10 million 112 844 and 95 respirator masks We must hold our government's accountable and we must speak up for freedom and the right to it We cannot be silent in this genocide Thank You miss red our next speaker is Adrian Smith by phone followed by Arsalan Jaffrey Adrian Smith I am one with the people Wow, thank you. Thank you to the last speaker. I did not know that information. Thank you for sharing it important information with we the people of Fort Worth regarding how Fort Worth Waste taxpayer money for causes that don't have anything to do with us. But thank you for that. So, yes Adrian Smith I am one with the people it stated that you all in the upcoming January 2023 meeting that you all are going to propose possible change in how developers Set aside affordability as it relates to I believe apartment complex is new development Yeah, you are going to set it basically you are them you basically you all about to make some changes some changes that should have been Been had that should have been made but I think I think the train has already left the station We know that Like miss big stated at a previous council meeting and I am going to find a miss big that the regardless of what you all Regardless of how you all vote that the developers They control the market at the end of the day. So I think this is a This is all smoke and mirrors I think that you all could do more to hold developers accountable and It is also reported that the developers who already have their contracts in will not be affected by this decision. So How many are lining up to get the applications in before you all make this decision come January 23rd Now you all had a special call meeting maybe 30 minutes ago as it relates to Expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center How how ironic that this this is this is this is coming back online when you all just scrapped a 70 million development Plan for the historic Southside community now One was asked the question Was it the was it the developer or was it the city's failures and I know there's a narrative out stating that the developer failed to meet their obligations, but I Had reached out to that particular developer and I'm hoping that they were gone They were gone record to let the city of folks the city of Fort Worth Constituents know the people of Fort Worth know what truly happened because you all have spent on America's that It's typical of you Kind of lost my train of thought this is the first meeting, but I just want you all to know that 44 days My voice will be louder and my presence will be greater. Thank you Our next speaker is Arsalan Jaffrey followed by Isaiah Jaffrey. Hello. So my name is Arsalan Jaffrey And I'm here to talk ask the city of Fort Worth to pass a resolution for you know the Commitment and support for the congressional worldwide cause for an immediate ceasefire I'm asking because in the start of this meeting we made a pledge for liberty and justice for all and Justice will be had I'm asking because one day I'll be standing in front of my maker I'll be presented with three-year-old Reem and five-year-old Doddick and they will ask hey You know You saw us being killed by the planes that were made in your community by the bombs that were made in your community That was paid for by your community members Then they'll ask me You know and then as you saw our mothers fathers Grandfathers grandmothers brothers sisters live streamed their executions What did you do? And I'll be asked this at least 11,000 times for all of the innocent children that have been killed By the weapons that you know, we have been paying for as a community. I'm also going to be asked South Africa, you know stands up and raises the alarm of genocide What did our community do? and I'm going to Impotently say hey, I did the only thing I can do is I stood up and I raised my voice You know, I called out the hey there is wrong happening and it needs to be stopped You know every hour five more children will be killed So by the end of this session there will probably another 10 to 15 children dead under the rubble That means every day of our silence is 120 lives that are not going to be accounted for it's There is no accounting for this on our souls justice will be had and I just want to make sure that Myself and my community Spoke up and ask for the violence to stop our next speaker is Asiya Jeffrey followed by Rizan Rahami. Hello esteem members of the Fort Worth Council. Thank you for giving me the chance to speak today. I Am a 13 year old and I consider myself the family's historian. I love all history but the most fun for me to learn is early American history my family and I love to go on road trips and We often go to national parks where I feel like my love for this type of this particular part of history came from It makes people proud that I'm American when I see how we bought and built this country on the ideals of those who built it This country was not built to be perfect. It was made to be open and an accepting country Where people are the only legitimate fountain of power This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to Valley Forge where I learned about Washington's perseverance and leadership and the determination of the soldiers posted there Witnessing first-hand the hardship that these soldiers had to go through it to Liberty's Nation I was able to learn a lot from this experience even though a Great part of the park was closed due to a visit from our president mr. Biden I felt like it was a slight insult to the memory of the soldiers there who lay down their lives there for the ideals Biden So blatantly disregards as Washington said guard against the imposteries of false patriotism now upon reflection of our nation's history and enduring principles it was built upon it is crucial to extend our ideals past our borders The ongoing genocide and was a fraught with hardship Weren'ts our collective concern and empathy as Patrick Henry said give me liberty or give me death Why not extend this cough all for Liberty beyond our choice and the people was that know of all Palestine? They deserve liberation after what they've had to endure for the past 75 years The Palestinian people deserve liberation and this is not evacuating them It begins with a permanent ceasefire and ending in all military aid to Israel Instead of using my family's tax money to go against the ideals of my religion and my nation Use it for the betterment of our city like if we didn't give the money that we did to Israel for one year We could size the population of homeless in the city in half So, please I'm asking you to sponsor a resolution for an immediate ceasefire Our voices can't be heard by the president, but they can be heard by you So, please your voices are louder than mine and remember as we're Washington said the truth will ultimately prevail Where there is pain to bring it to light so in that time come and please be on the side of the truth. Thank you very much Our next speaker is Rizan Ramami She's gonna correct me. So I'm sure I did not pronounce her last name correctly Thank you It's Rizan. Thank you Dear esteemed members of the Fort Worth City Council I'm here to ask for the adoption of a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Rizan I live in Fort Worth having moved to Texas a couple of years ago drawn to the vibrant city and welcoming community I'm also an infectious disease physician who like all of my colleagues in medicine has taken an oath to hold all life's sacred My fellow healthcare workers in Rizan have also taken the same oath and are having to perform their duties under the threats of bombardment hospital raids and evacuations Lack of adequate medical and protective supplies and what constantly fearing for their own and their family's lives Since October 2023 greater than 300 healthcare workers including physicians nurses dentists paramedics and others Have been killed and more than two-thirds of the hospitals and clinics have been have gone out of service Due to severe shortages and fuel medicines and medical supplies and the continuous Receivement and bombardment of those facilities the remaining hospitals are only partially functioning It is utterly heartbreaking to me particularly since I have a blessings of practicing advanced medical care When I see or hear of Palestinian civilians including children having to endure surgeries or amputations without anesthesia or pain medications Patients are being treated on the bloodstained floors due to hospitals reaching much more than their normal bed capacity The United Nations has called the situation in Rizan unprecedented humanitarian crisis Over 1.9 million Riza Palestinians out of the total 2.3 million population have been displaced from their homes and forced to live in crowded and unsanitary conditions They are not just facing the constant threats of bombardment, but also starvation and harsh weather conditions including cold temperatures and rain According to the World Health Organization infectious diseases are thriving with over a hundred thousand cases of diarrhea Almost half of those are in children under five years old who are well known to be most vulnerable to dehydration and too many cases of Respiratory infections, meningitis and skin rashes are spreading among the internally displaced Starvation is a silent killer in Riza with the UN reporting 93 percent of the population Facing crisis levels of hunger 90 percent of children under two are consuming two or fewer food groups and 25 percent of pregnant or breastfeeding Mothers consume only one food group per day as a mother but also as a human and a physician I feel those pangs of hunger and suffering too deeply. I know I have limited time to speak But I want to slightly pause at these heart-wrenching facts in Riza and since October more than 10 children have had to have one or two limbs Amputated per day 24,000 Riza children have lost one or both parents and there's a new term that was coined in Riza WC NSF which stands for wounded child no surviving family this term should not have been coined in 2023 The humanitarian aid that's being delivered is far from enough and efforts to deliver this are severely curtailed I implore each member of this council to lend their support to an immediate ceasefire to allow full large-scale and uninterrupted Delivery of humanitarian aid alleviate the burnout of healthcare workers who have been working non-stop since October and start to rehabilitate those who have been physically and mentally affected Our voices amplified through this call can be a force to positive change encouraging dialogue and diplomacy in the pursuit of Thank you, Tasha Harahi. Thank you for being here. Our next speaker is nor Hasan followed by Lawn Burnham Dear esteem members, thank you so much for allowing me to speak to you today My name is nor Hasan and I've been a citizen of Fort Worth pretty much my whole life I was born in Fort Worth. The only time I've left is to go to UTA at Arlington Me and my husband have bought both our homes in Fort Worth I mean my sisters started our first business in downtown Fort Worth and I can safely tell you that through all of that I have seen the heart of Fort Worth. I have seen the growth of Fort Worth I've seen how much they government actually cares to better this city We are one of the oldest cities. We're one of the largest cities Our city has so much voice for Texas I feel and because of that I have come to today to ask for a resolution for the ceasefire of Gaza because as a tax-paying citizen, I feel like We should have a right to say that I want to keep our money in the country I want to keep our money in our city I feel like it would be better used to be able to say that we didn't participate in the killing of innocent children That you can stand up one day and say we took the right side of history Because everybody always says oh, what would he have done back then what would he have done when the genocides happen? What do you've done during the Holocaust? Well, you get to decide that today because what you do today is what you would have done then The country itself has so much civil unrest just today on the Jerusalem Post the legislation member Ofer Kassif himself has taken the side to go against Nianhu because he believes that the city and the people are more important and not going again not going for a genocide And they believe that they themselves believe that this is wrong and if the country themselves is in part now They've been divided Why don't we also take the right side and also help them out? And so my only request is that our voices are not that loud But your voices are and I would like to hope and believe that just like I see the betterment of this city over the last decade that I've been part of it I believe that Fort Worth would do the right thing and Want to do the right thing and step up and that's why I request it and thank you so much for listening Thank you. Our next speaker is Lawn Burnham followed by James Smith Good evening everyone. I'm Lawn Burnham and my wife and I have lived in District 9 since 1979 and I came here with kind of some mundane concerns about Parks and University Drive and Lancaster But I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that I never thought I'd live long enough to hear people at this city council talking about our role in Genocide and mass killings internationally because of our war economy here in Fort Worth I'm a benefactor of that war economy. My dad worked at Lockheed General Dynamics Convair for 37 years, but please Consider your role our role in the genocide that's occurring in Gaza I want the previous speakers to know that I spent a week in November working the Texas delegation asking for a ceasefire Now the reason I'm here first to thank you to the mayor I really appreciate your initiative on park lands in green spaces And I really want to have the opportunity to talk to you our mutual friend Joey Rios has been texting you We want to talk about how we think there is a problem along University Drive and the wrong solution is being proposed We don't have to cut out a dozen trees. We don't have to take away Parkland There is a state law Defending that Parkland for a reason and the city does not need to pursue changing that policy As for the Lancaster Avenue situation, some of you have no reason to know that I graduated from UTA Graduate School in the City and Regional Planning 1979 when I went there I went there to do park urban development for kids I ended up leading the school to go into Economic development in ghetto and Barrio neighborhoods, and I have office on Exchange Avenue working for the city for what I have office on Ray Street working for the city for what I have Officed on Evans Avenue and on Magnolia those projects were 40 years in the making and I was on Ray Street this afternoon It was great So thank you to all of the people that are talking about the right way to develop Lancaster Avenue And I'll end those comments was just saying you know back in 1973 the legislature changed the name of the highway department for a reason it is now called Text-Aught the Urban County that sees the greatest failure and addressing that name change and recognizing the philosophy that should be changed is Tarrant County. We have a totally inadequate public transportation system That's the reason we have totally bad air. So let's re think how we're gonna do Lancaster I'm thrilled to hear what you have your progress that you made this afternoon And thank you to all those people that spoke on that issue and only have 18 seconds left But I have one of the gripes. So who is the Police officer in charge that may have a short visit with Who's here today? We'll find you somebody long. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you And our last speaker is James Smith. Mr. Smith here. I haven't seen him yet You've seen him. Okay council that seems to be the conclusion of our speakers this evening. Thank you