 It's good to be with everyone this afternoon. Thank you kitty for those kind remarks Before I came today, I put on these cufflinks that my sister Who was a Obama appointee gave to me from Camp David just to remind me that elections matter that of all things that you know into cobalt Park we discuss and The nuclear-free committee is you know part of the fabric of the city But I never thought that we would actually be Debating whether or not there might be a nuclear war in this world And whether or not the United States of America would be participating in this so just bear with me for some remarks I can get into Centres Bank during the Q&A. I think kitty Julie will be happy Once the council takes us up Remember city of Tacoma Park is a small municipality. We only have about a hundred and sixty-five Employees so It takes time to get these type of issues before the council for staff to do the research But we are working on it. It is not something that we have forgotten about When Haley first contacted me and asked me to participate in this event I thought about the many many things I had in my inbox That needed my attention and decided this had to be one of them Because this topic is so important especially now that President Trump has started the drums of war with North Korea Weapons of mass destruction are very serious and then that they can be chemical biological nuclear radioactive or explosive Nuclear however is the most dangerous in that a very small amount of nuclear material can cause massive damage to humans animals and Infrastructure such as buildings roadways factories for miles and miles given the latter and Situations that have shaped our colored history as a nation in the world in 1983 When Sam Abbott was mayor of Tacoma Park under his leadership The city took the position that it would be a nuclear Free zone While there are many details to this ordinance and it is strict in its wording and we can talk about Those points during the Q&A We as a city made this decision because it was right and socially responsible We understood that if we are going to do the right thing with respect to this terrible threat It had to start with what we did with city resources and Ensure that we do not place financial investments into the manufacture of nuclear weapons in any way Additionally, no nuclear plant power plants can be built or operated in the city of Tacoma Park While the details are difficult to manage and Continuous research and due diligence is required to administer such a legislative act day to day This fact is why The city council created the nuclear free to Tacoma Park committee The committee was created by the city with appointed membership The council appoints the members The committee's purpose the mission is to oversee Implementation of an adherence to the Tacoma Park nuclear free zone at on behalf of Tacoma Park The nuclear free zone committee advocates for nuclear disarmament and is entrusted with making Purchasing recommendations For the city that ensures the Tacoma Park does not do business with companies that manufacture or participate in the manufacturer of components of or the funding of nuclear weapons and that is a difficult task Companies hide, you know who they do business with it's not especially if it's a private company It's not easy to find out. They might be financing some type of nuclear Weapons or they might be, you know buying computers from you know, like HP that that has a big foothold in in the nuclear advocacy in this country Contractors working for the city must also sign a notarized document that they are not to engage in the development research production maintenance storage Transportation and or Disposal of nuclear weapons or their components the committee members represent the six wards that make up the city of Tacoma Park Being a city With many many firsts We take this act very seriously in that given our geographical location We believed and still do that is important It makes a grand statement to our neighboring city the nation's capital Tacoma Park is noted for being a nuclear free zone along with cities including Berkeley Cleveland Heights Madison, Wisconsin, Homer, Alaska Chicago Illinois New York City and the list goes on and on and Internationally we are joined by Austria Canada Japan Italy and the UK The city of Tacoma Park is proud of its nearly 34 years as a nuclear free city We have signs when you come to visit Tacoma Park. We have signs announcing it is Leading the city and it is part of what has made Tacoma Park special While not investing in these companies that participate in the manufacturer of nuclear weapons Doesn't stop the manufacturer of nuclear weapons. It can serve to make this active Activity seem unfavorable It can become something that is whispered about in a shameful way As to imply that this is something we shouldn't be doing or that we are ashamed of doing It's more that Tacoma Park is trying to lead as being the moral compass, you know when it comes to Investing in the nuclear industry That shame can be a catalyst towards a more positive leadership with Within the divisiture of nuclear arms manufacturer remember how smoking became A big issue for the country Jim Crow apartheid The list goes on and so let's all work together Around not just the country but the world to make nuclear weapons part of that shameful list Nuclear free means taking responsibility for the safety of our society Waging war on the production of weapons of mass destruction that are nuclear in nature So we must put in the same type of energy that the people on the other side are doing To promote these nuclear weapons. We cannot stop. We must continue to resist We must also think about what we are willing to sacrifice To make sure that this world is nuclear free because it's not going to be easy too many people are making a lot of money off of nuclear arms It is it is the responsible thing to do and represents civilized behavior and governing the lives and well-being of Billions of people in this world. Thank you