Detroit City Council Formal Session, 10 a.m.

You can find the agenda with all the documents here: Agenda: https://pub-detroitmi.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=c3cede6d-3555-4116-aa6c-328014ba86b8&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English&Item=34&Tab=attachments

Or the PDF version here: https://pub-detroitmi.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=59422

You can find more meeting information here: https://detroit.documenters.org/assignments/detroit-city-council-formal-session-10-am-4708/

Last week’s meeting reported by @kayleighrenel https://twitter.com/kayleighrenel/status/1577282221374730241

City Council has postponed voting on the resolution to allocate $7 mil in ARPA funding to Shotspotter. 17.1 is back on this week’s agenda. https://twitter.com/kayleighrenel/status/1577305386931159041

From the Agenda: https://t.co/ONbEXPvK5B

Two weeks ago, the council approved a $1.5 mil renewal of Shotspotter. Now we wait to see if they vote to allocate ARPA funds—designated to aid public health and economic recovery—on the infamous Shotspotter.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/09/27/detroit-oks-1-5-million-gunshot-shotspotter-detection-renewal-delays-vote-7-million-expansion/10396781002/

City Council, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), Detroit Brownfield Development Authority (DEBRA), and Detroit Law Department will investigate the CODA mixed use development in Brush Park. https://twitter.com/mostlikelyalex/status/1579583346522587142

The existing 132 year old carriage house, which developer Michael Van Overbeke originally planned to incorporate into the development, was tore down in September.

At this time, I’m unsure who demolished the building and why. Hopefully we’ll get these answers in today’s meeting. https://t.co/DlbyJZiBgi

“Detroit City Council approved a Brownfield tax incremental financing (TIF) based on the Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) and the Detroit Redevelopment Authority (DBRA) reports and recommendations…” https://pub-detroitmi.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=59306

… “including the representation concerning preservation of a portion of the historic carriage house and incorporating the carriage house structure into the project.”

On August 24th, the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority received Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) approval of $1.2 mil in state tax capture for the CODA project. The City of Detroit approved the local tax capture ($1.2mil)… https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/medc-approves-funding-support-for-multiple-projects-including-coda-brush-park-in-detroit/

… under the impression that the existing carriage house is integrated into the building.

According to today’s resolution, VanOverbeke envisioned “a contemporary response and a sustainable re-use of the historic carriage house into a mixed-use development.”

City Council approved the Brownfield Development tax incentive for the multi-use development—complete with 10 for-sale condos averaging at $800,000, a restaurant, and office–earlier this year on March 1st. https://detroit.documenters.org/documents/detroit-city-council-formal-session-10-am-69209/

During the March 1st meeting, a public commenter opposed the Brownfield tax credit for the CODA project, saying this is another example of “welfare for the rich.” https://twitter.com/kayleighrenel/status/1498693734569066501

This is a 15 page document of the Brownfield Redevelopment Plan. Here’s the link: https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2022-02/CODA%20Brush%20Park%20Brownfield%20Plan%20PA%20381.pdf https://t.co/J9o1l97Dpg

According to the Development Tracker, Developers sought $4.8 mil in Tax Increment Financing Subsidies.
https://developmenttracker.detourdetroiter.com/projects/coda-brush-park https://t.co/UUetKKRgWD

📸 1: A rendering of the project, including the 123 year old carriage house in the bottom right-hand corner.
📸 2: 2021 Google Street-view.
📸 3: The demolition site as of yesterday. https://t.co/MqhyT5IOu1

The Council will vote to approve seven “secondary street names” designed to honor individuals who have “achieved prominence because of his or her significant, positive, and extraordinary contributions to the City of Detroit, State of Michigan, the United States of America,” … https://t.co/5xBhMjCC5a

“or the international community.” https://pub-detroitmi.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=59275

Names include:
Swanson Funeral Homes owner O’Neil Swanson
American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Lee Hooker
Church, community, and civic leader Elizabeth L. Richard
Mudgie’s Deli owner Gregory Mudge https://t.co/IELxoTafDa

President and CEO of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Dr. Chad Audi
Law enforcement officer Benjamin “Benny” Napoleon
DPS educator and principal Jeannette Wheatley https://t.co/ZUZ59JsZKt

I should add that on March 1st, Councilmember Whitfield-Calloway (who is listed on the agenda for this item below) believes taxpayer money shouldn’t pay a $3.6 million dollar subsidy for a parking structure. https://twitter.com/mostlikelyalex/status/1579827830845677568

“I think it should be your job as a developer to pay for your parking structure for those 10 units,” said Whitfield-Calloway. https://detroit.documenters.org/documents/detroit-city-council-formal-session-10-am-69209/

I should also add that item 23.18 features a correction for the Shotspotter contract. It changes the contract period from Dec 31, 2024 to June 30, 2026. https://pub-detroitmi.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=59607 https://t.co/rTA1FAqgf3

I LOVE when meetings have a live transcript option. I know it isn’t perfect at transcribing meetings but the feature makes it so much easier for me to follow along with the meeting. They also have an ASL interpreter and a Spanish interpreter. https://t.co/UncS1stnqV

Council president Mary Sheffield called the meeting to order at 10:04.

We’re starting with multiple presentations, first with council member Angela Whitfield-Calloway. She’s introducing principal Lisa Philips from Cass Tech High School since 2010.

“You’ve touched the lives of countless numbers of students,” says Whitfield-Calloway.

“Her goal has been to create and expand invaluable programs and partnerships that will enrich the lives of Cass Tech students and alumni.”

She was instrumental in implementing the STEM education project and Cass Tech greenhouse.

According to Whitfield-Calloway, over 100 of her students have graduated high school with an associates degree through the Wayne County dual enrollment program. In 2014, she was named national principal of the year by the National Alliance of Black School Educators.

“Principal Philips is an exceptional leader, whose vision influence and zeal have made a tremendous mark on the landscape of education.”

After Lisa Philips thanked the council, multiple council members praised Philips for all the work she’s done for students in Detroit Public Schools.

Whitfield-Calloway was in the same sorority as Lisa Philips, so their sorority is gathering to take photos. https://t.co/wkfqUBjLIj

President Sheffield says we have “a heavy agenda.” We have two presentations, starting with their state lobbyists update.

Stephanie Washington, Director of Government Affairs, Malik Washington, and multiple others from her lobbying firm, GCSI Governmental Consultant Services is giving this presentation.

She says their goals and objectivrs are to improve the quality of life for Detroiters through “favorable state policy,” and “maximizing funding to help facilitate jobs, training, housing, public safety, social programs, educational advancement, and economic opportunities.” https://t.co/VAQeENj116

She says her firm does this by educating legislators on Detroit’s needs, challenges, and accomplishments.

https://t.co/cqbNotJhX6

https://t.co/z3GfjWjAi4

https://t.co/YY6MwrMfZS

In late Sept, the state passed $1b primarily for economic development. https://www.thecentersquare.com/michigan/michigan-legislature-oks-1b-spending-mostly-economic-development/article_36b2a5b6-4009-11ed-baf1-9f2980ce359b.amp.html

https://t.co/voKvbhvrzx

https://t.co/Far8HXcrcL

She says they continue to advocate for industrial land assembly, streetscapes and road improvements, electric infrastructure, and broadband access. https://t.co/8OAOy9ZwP7

She also says they keep working on legislation to expand their criminal expungement eligibility for Project Clean Slate, along with encouraging social equity participation and opportunity in the cannabis business.

Due to the heavy agenda, President Sheffield is limiting members to two questions about the presentation.

Councimember Gabriela Santiago-Romero asked about a split rate tax. One of Washington’s colleagues said they’re navigating the legal issues and trying to come up with the right framework to make it work.

Council member Whitfield-Calloway is asking if there is any movement around punitive child support laws. She notes this heavily impacts the Black community. For example, people who miss payments get warrants out for their arrests, etc.

A male responded they’ll keep the conversation going.

We have one more presentation from Erin Harris from the Department of Neighborhoods on behalf of their director Ray Soloman. Karla Williamson (Director District 1) and Alexia Davis (Deputy Director District 7 are also here presenting “Halloween in the D”

According to Williamson, the initiative is funded solely by donations, both monetary and in time. She says Halloween in the D is a “shared application of family fund through our recreation centers, as well as our police precincts” https://t.co/lFfBQcANne

There will be “Trunk and Treats” taking place in the police precincts. https://t.co/ai5IdnQPBr

President Sheffield says shes looking forward to partner with them as Halloween to the D comes closer.

We’re going into public comment. Everyone has 1 minute. I will be giving every commenter I tweet a number.

1. Mentions murder of Porter Burks. Says Shotspotter funds need to be reallocated to mental health and other social services. Mentions he’s been shot during a robbery before.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Talking about shootings taking place between teenagers. “You got teenagers out here with nowhere to go, and they pick enough dust, and they killing people left and right.”

1. Supports Shotspotter. Says social services and systemic issues are important but when he was 17, all they cared about was controlling the neighborhood, not “programs.”

1. Supports Shotspotter, talked about her 14 year old daughter who was killed at the Riverfront Apartments. Would like to start an firearm injury training to help shooting victims.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Has program called 100% Real Fathers to help children who have lost their father.

1. Doesn’t think Shotspotter is the one thing that’s needed to stop violence, but supports any measure that could curb the current violence. Notes he has gotten shot before.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Believes it can help people who get hurt due to the quick police presence. Believes murder and violence is glamorized in music and entertainment. Believes its our duty to tell young people to “put the gun down.”

1. Supports Shotspotter. In Jeff Chambers area. Says its usually safe, but heard 30 rounds and says he “thought I was in ‘nam” (Vietnam)

1. First responder and community activist, staff member of Ceasefire. Says it saves lives. Mentions police response to a women shot twice in the abdomen. Says medics came and saved her life, says shes “alive today due to Shotspotter.”

1. Supports Shotspotter. Says he’s from the “LAP” movement. I’m not sure what it is but I’ve heard a couple commenters say this.

1. Supports Shotspotter. District 6 resident. Says if crime goes down they could take 300 guns off the streets. Believes Shotspotter will have “all of us safer.”

1. Supports Shotspotter. From Southwest Detroit, says unfortunate events have happened in the area.

1. Here with “Live in Peace.” Supports Shotspotter. Mentions he’s been shot before, talks about the daily physical struggles he continues to experience since the incidents. Says the gun violence really needs to stop.

1. Says she’s glad to listen to the residents coming in today. Says as she listens to the cases being made, but says we should be cautious regarding Shotspotter. Says she sees the millions upon millions of dollars. Says people won’t buy a product unless it’s marketed correctly.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Mentions niece was shot.

1. Doesn’t believe Shotspotter will stop crime, but does think it will slow it down.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Also says they need teal people out here that can deliver messages, which could help the community and provide jobs.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Says we have the right to bear arms but not to intimidate others with fear.

Today’s meeting contrasts from the past meetings, where support for Shotspotter was limited and multiple residents explained they do not support Shotspotter.

1. Supports Shotspotter.

1. Says Detroit is behind with technology compared to other major city. Says children are groomed to become gang members due to what and who is around them.

1. Supports Shotspotter because they hear shots around their house, which scares him and his wife. Thinks this could prevent

1. Says approving Shotspotter would be in direct violation tot he Civilian Input over Government Surveillance ordinance. Adds it requires a surveilance technology specification report placed on the city website for 14 days. Says without this, residents pin their hopes +

on technology that “does not do what they think it does”

1. Supports Shotspotter.

1. @Combsthepoet says she’s disappointed that once again, we’re having a discussion about spending “millions and millions of dollars on yet another surveillance technology.” Mentions DPD has helicopters, surveillance drones, cell phone tracking, Project Green Light, etc.

1. “With how much money this city has already spent on surveillance, we have proof it will not save us.”

Asks if people truly understand Shotspotter, or are they just “understandably grasping at straws because they want the violence to stop.”

1. Supports Shotspotter.

1. Asks council, specifically Latisha Johnson, to vote no on Shotspotter. Says her family, who had an incarcerated parent, needed social services, employment, and financial resources.

“Shotspotter will not fix the keep seeded issues that Black and brown people are facing.”

1. The Director of neighborhood resilience, safety, and business district services for Jefferson East, Inc. says they do not support Shotspotter.

1. Does not support Shotspotter. Mentions murder of Porter Burks.

“If we can’t expect safety when we call, how can we expect it when a test system cant tell us from one another.”

1. The @justcitydetroit managing attorney opposes Shotspotter. Demands the council do their jobs and stop lying to people.

1. Legal resource analyst from @justcitydetroit mentions there was no Surveillance Technology Specification Report made public on the city’s website. Opposes Shotspotter.

1. @srchengn says we should lean on the community programs and organizations in their neighborhoods whom they can trust. Says the council needs to talk to the community organizations, some of which that have come here to speak.

1. Constituant from @justcitydetroit asks to be committed to true community safety and oppose Shotspotter. Mentions 90% Shotspotter alerts turned up nothing in Chicago. Mentions city will be tied up with lawsuits of people unjustly accused of crimes.

1. Another speaker from @justcitydetroit says Shotspotter is not safe, but a bias surveillance tool.

1. Says Shotspotter is a waste of money. Mentions she was unlawfully arrested and evicted by the DPD, is currently homeless living in a hotel. Says she needs a housing voucher.

35 Cont. Mentions @media_outlier article by @AaronMondry regarding the DPD unit that evicted her: https://outliermedia.org/detroit-police-department-squatters-action-team-evictions/amp/

1. Says the council works for the people, not a surveillance corporation. Opposes Shotspotter.

1. Mentions uninhabitable living conditions at her home.

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Says it will not bring us safety, prosperity, and accountability.

“Surveillance does not build conversations. It isolates people, punishes people rather than recognizing that people are suffering.”

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Mentions the technology does not lead to guns recovered, only sends police to neighborhoods where they treat everyone like suspects.

1. Opposes Shotspotter.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Says if it saves one life, its worth it. Mentions a “Ceasefire friend”, not sure if he works for Ceasefire or not.

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Says recent poll found 80% of District 1 and 81% of District 4 residents favored spending $7 mil in ARPA funds on housing relief over Shotspotter.

1. Block club president. Supports Shotspotter, says police have told him how the technology has helped them. Says people in safer areas/suburbs don’t hear the constant gunshots and feel the fear from it.

1. District 5 resident against Shotspotter. Used to live in District 6, says she used to call the police all the time. Called for deescalation and mental health services. Asks for actual long term solutions for mental illness and different responses for the community.

Says a lot of the time, people just need a deescalater, not an officer who will get someone in trouble.

1. Says crime is heavy, but also believes Shotspotter is the solution because it has “no impact on stopping crime in our city.” Says more mental health solutions should be thought about. Thinks public surveillance is not the answer.

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Says she’s disappointed in what she’s found about the technology and encourages residents to do their own research rather than listening to people who want to make things sound good.

1. Someone from @DetroitAction opposes Shotspotter. Does not think pandemic funding (or any funding) is a reactive measure that does not work. Says we need more proactive measures for crime.

1. Frustrated with the Land Bank. Says she wants the Land Bank to stop the auction of a house she’s been taking care of for 17 years. Says she wants the property, and doesn’t think she should have to pay for it since she’s maintained it for the last 17 years.

1. Says Shotspotter is needed because there are “bullets raining down” on the city of Detroit.

1. LAP movement rep. Thinks Shotspotter is good to have because it will protect residents and their youth. Mentions all the shootings on the news.

1. Another person from @DetroitAction opposes Shotspotter. Looking into reform. Mentions her autistic son and fears how the police might treat him if he doesn’t act how the police wants.

Relevant after the murder of Porter Burks.

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Says it will only bring in Police Officers who harm the community.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Says gunfire should not be a normal reality for children. Thinks the technology will take guns off the streets.

1. Mentions mother who is in poor health condition,

1. Talking about Prop 3, says it gives right to minors to get abortion without parental consent. Says its too radical.

1. Public Transit activist. Talking about Halloween in the D and looks forward to being apart of it at the end of the month. Also wanted to touch upon a former commenter’s comment on Shotspotter (not sure who)

1. Minister Eric Blount says sueveillance is not safety. Says promotional flyers lie about what Shotspotter does. Says it has not been proven to reduce or stop crime. Says its designed to create false narratives. Says Shotspotter records conversation. Asks people review +

the June 16th, 2022 Board of Police Commissioner’s meeting that talks about this. Gonna see if I can find it.

1. Opposes Shotspotter.

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Says Biden has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Shotspotter corporation.

@DetDocumenters covered this meeting:
https://detroit.documenters.org/assignments/board-of-police-commissioners-4016/ https://twitter.com/mostlikelyalex/status/1579870415887138816

Conveniently enough, I live tweeted the meeting: https://twitter.com/mostlikelyalex/status/1537482568983003138

I missed a couple commenters while searching for this meeting. It’s generally the same stuff, I know at least one person opposed Shotspotter. Gonna leave off at the last number.

1. Mentions public benefit run by the Detroit Towing Association and Second Ebenezer Church to open a large Turkey Drive in November. Says they’re looking to reach senior housing in Detroit. Says anyone interested can reach out at http://detroittowingassociation.org

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Mentions John Hopkins study saying there’s “no evidence” that Shotspotter cut down murders in city or significantly impacted firearm related homicides.

1. Says nonfatal shootings have increased in precincts with Shotspotter. Opposes Shotspotter. Also mentions there aren’t enough officers to answer calls made by residents, let alone additional faulty calls.

1. Says people have given enough data to support the argument that Shotspotter is NOT a preventative measure.

1. Opposes Shotspotter.

“It’s an ineffective tool that cities are rapidly rejecting.” Mentions the multiple officers facing lawsuits for police brutality.

1. Supports Shotspotter.

1. Quoting a @metrotimes article and opposing Shotspotter.

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/detroit-looks-for-a-new-way-to-fund-shotspotter-after-outrage-over-using-covid-19-funds-31251902?media=AMP+HTML

1. Opposes Shotspotter because the technology does not differentiate between shots and other noises like firecrackers.

1. Someone from @DisabilityPower is mentioning that 50% of people killed by law enforcement are disabled. Opposes Shotspotter. Says the council should use the funds to cover the unmet needs of Detroiters.

1. Says Shotspotter would be a good thing if the people who were responding were people in the community that understood the makeup and environment of the community.

1. Someone from @miroundtable says people should not have to worry about harm coming to individuals who call the police. Says we need more proactive response, rather than the reactive Shotspotter technology.

1. District 3 resident supports Shotspotters. Agrees it’s reactive but believes we must react to people getting shot and killed. Thinks we should also be preventative, shouldn’t be a matter of either-or. Says we need changes in DPD policy after the murder of Porter Burks.

1. Supports Shotspotter. Thinks that the technology could’ve saved individuals who were shot and killed in his neighborhood. Says he hears people talking about data, says people need to research their data.

1. Retired Detroit Police Officer. Does Neighborhood Patrol, supports Shotspotter. Says we need to “work and fight crime.” Says crime changes and you need to evolve with it. Says they may need Shotspotter this year and something else next year.

1. Opposes Shotspotter. Says that people who oppose Shotspotter do not want to minimize the issue of gun violence. Mentions his friend was shot and killed.

Public comment is over.

We’re jumping right to Shotspotter. https://twitter.com/mostlikelyalex/status/1579822795739234305

President says there is a Commander from DPD on, might talk later.

Going into discussion. Santiago-Romero wants to clarify things. Wants to clarify we are only voting on the ARPA contract, says there’s an updated contract being referred to the committee and wants to clarify that’s not what they’re voting on.

Commander Parish is coming on now. Gail Fulton said we’re also being joined by procurement.

There might be some technical difficulties so Parish is not on currently.

A woman named Sandra Stahl said that the new contract has been changed from ARPA dollars to General Fund dollars. Says there’s a modification to the fee schedule because the coverage area has increased but it’s the same amount overall.

Commander Parish is on now. However, he’s not speaking yet.

Irvin Corley says the money is coming from the call center 370500.

Stahl says the fee schedule would be approximately $1.3 or $1.4 mil expected to be invoiced in the current fiscal year.

OCFO Steve Watson says they’re confident they can support the cost of the contract through the DPD Fiscal Year budget. This is $7 mil multi year contract.

President Sheffield said from her understanding, they’ll vote on the General Fund Contract, not ARPA contract. I hope somebody clarifies this, because it’s getting confusing.

Stahl says the original contract had a known typo that was two years short of the actual coverage length. Says the cost has not changed.

Santiago-Romero clarified with Stahl that the contract will go until 2026.

Santiago-Romero says she’s concerned with the typo, says she doesn’t believe it was a typo but rather to follow the rules with ARPA. She has more questions and says she needs to think.

Stahl says yet again that the cost has not changed but the length of the contract has.

Member Young says he disagrees with the studies and analysis about how Shotspotter is ineffective, because he saw a study about reductions in homicide rates and gunshot activity in different studies.

He mentions a Philadelphia study, but later days the study wasn’t about Shotspotter. Not sure if he was referring to some other technology like Shotspotter.

He asks Chief White if that’s what he’s seeing in his data. White says they’re seeing this in their data.

White mentions the daily shots fired in the city, and he says Shotspotter allows them to go into those areas to identify victims of crime, people committing crime and crime in progress, or to recover evidence in those instances.

Notably, there isn’t anything about it being a “crime prevention” technology despite them advertising it this way.

Member Young mentions statistics about underreported gunshots and mentions he read this in Chief White’s report.

I wonder what his report says, where these sources are from, and if they are reliable sources?

Chief White responds to Young’s concern about racial profiling. White says they are strictly prohibited to profile, but also mentions his experience from the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

White says there’s a robust Black community, and in large part the people they interact with will be Black. Says they have to respond to 911 calls of shots fired in generalized areas of shots being fired.

White says they have to talk to people in the area after officers receive reports of shots fired in a neighborhood. He says this is the opposite of a profiling approach because this narrows down the range of where the gunshots come from.

He says they have built policy around using Shotspotter as the sole source for an arrest. Says the rules are in place about it but the board has to approve the final policy. He says officers won’t be allowed to do this.

Santiago-Romero says the DPD’s data shows a decrease in gun crimes in areas without Shotspotter, particularly District 5 and 6. She asked White to speak on this. He said he had to look back at his data.

White is talking about sounds of different gunshots and says Shotspotter pinpoints “the percussion of a shot,” where it cane from, etc.

Santiago-Romero asks, what happens if Shotspotter doesn’t work, where will the money come from to pay for all the lawsuits?

White says he can’t see the future, says they have successfully used Shotspotter in Districts 8 and 9, which he says have some of the highest numbers of +

crime in the city.

Chief White says there’s a 0% false arrest rate with Shotspotter.

I would like to see this fact checked by somebody who is not affiliated with the police department.

Member Mary Waters says a Precinct 8 or 9 resident said Shotspotter said a shot happened at 9am but she said it happened at 12pm.

White says this is a benefit of Shotspotter. He’s telling a story about a person who said their neighbor fired shots into their house, when what +

actually happened was a child shot herself, and says this kept the officers from arresting the neighbor.

Member Johnson says she wants to dig into the data. Says she hears people talking about crime in the entire city being down.

White says you can’t simply say crime is down in other areas, and says the impact of a shooting touches other crimes in that area. He’s reading crime stats in the area. Mentions someone could be testing a gun in the area before a robbery.

Commander Parish (also works for the police department) is gonna talk about the data. He’s showing some graphs.

@srchengn has told me this is the same data the department showed back in June.

This data also did not answer Santiago-Romero’s question, nor did it answer Johnson’s questions. https://t.co/EiRhyoYY66

He mentions his 5 point plan, aka the Community Safety Strategy—a 244 page document outlining department’s Broken Windows Policing efforts. https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2022-03/DPD-community-safety-strategy.pdf

Todd Bettison says we need to invest in “wraparound services” along with Shotspotter. He says they’re partnering with grassroot organizations dealing with literacy and job training.

As President Sheffield says, we have been talking about this for “quite some time.”

OCFO Steve Watson is clarifying the questions about the contract period. Watson says the original 4 year date was about the obligation period as required under the American Rescue Plan Act but he says they always assumed we’d be receiving service and spending down funds through+

2026

Chief White keeps saying we need to look at the Cost Benefit Analysis. He also says we should look at this as “lives saved,” a member said that’s not a great path to go down and hard to prove with numbers. White says you can’t measure a crime that doesn’t happen.

I just checked and we have been talking about Shotspotter for almost an hour.

23.18 has been approved with 5 yes and 4 nos. This is 23.18: https://twitter.com/mostlikelyalex/status/1579833560277864448?s=20&t=BbxwlTqY0Pi0PNGt8DzoDw

We’re taking a 15 minute break because this meeting has gone on for over 4 hours.

So I’m confused. I don’t know if we are going to do anything with the ARPA funding motion earlier in the agenda. I also don’t know if this means they approved the $7 mil for Shotspotter from the general budget, or if they just approved the change in the contract.

We’re coming back from break at 2:35.

14.2-.3 approved. https://t.co/YVOoHsXR04

Regarding 14.5 (but this seems to line up better for 14.4 so IDK if that’s what she meant) member Johnson is wondering why they want to request an NEZ (Neighborhood Enterprise Zone.

Christopher Gulock from LPD said developers can ask for any of these certificates for+ https://t.co/TqSLqpsCJV

new construction, or rehab for houses or apartments buildings.

Both approved.

Just a warning, I’m going to have to hop off at 3 pm today. The meeting will definitely go longer than that. Sorry guys!

15.1-15.5 approved.

Member Benson has to leave at 3pm and is asking if we could jump to 18.25. 18.25 is to set a public hearing regarding a changed ordinance regarding restaurant regulations. This was approved. The hearing will occur on October 20th

16.1-16.4 have been approved.

17.1 (the ARPA funding for Shotspotter) was removed from the agenda.

17.2-17.11 have been approved.

Unfortunately, I have to go now! The meeting is still going on. Thanks for watching guys!

Find more coverage at http://detroit.documenters.org

They’re having an in person orientation tomorrow at 6pm!

If you find anything incorrect, please email documenters@outliermedia.org with the subject “Correction Request.”