[National Urban League Mayor's Fireside Chat]
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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FIRST TIME ON STAGE.
THESE FOUR REPRESENT EXPERIENCE, POWER, AND PROMISE.
SO LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THESE FOUR GREAT MAYORS OF MAJOR AMERICAN CITIES NOW.
UH, YOU DON'T HAVE 'EM IN CHICAGO.
UH, BUT MAYOR TURNER, I THINK IT'S, IT'S HELPFUL AS YOU REFLECT ON YOUR TIME IN OFFICE AND, UH, THE JOURNEY AND THE STRUGGLES AND THE TRAVAILS, WHAT WISDOM AND ADVICE WOULD YOU IMPART TO OUR COLLEAGUES THIS MORNING? LOOK, BEING, BEING MAYOR IS, UH, IS UNLIKE MANY OTHER THINGS.
UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE PLAN, WE LAY OUT, WE COME IN WITH CERTAIN PRIORITIES, AND WE MAP THEM OUT.
UM, BUT IT'S THE, THE THINGS YOU HAVE NOT PLANNED FOR THAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
AND THEN THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN THAT ARE NOT UNDER YOUR CONTROL, WHERE YOU MAY HAVE TO, UH, WORK WITH, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE STATE.
AND THE STATE MAY NOT WANNA WORK WITH YOU, OR YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH THE FEDS.
UH, BUT MY ADVICE IS, NUMBER ONE, YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL BY YOURSELF.
UH, THIS IS, UH, IT'S A TEAM EFFORT.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE AROUND YOU.
AND YOU HAVE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE CAPABLE, COMPETENT, HIGHLY QUALIFIED, BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE ALSO DEDICATED TO YOU, LOYAL AND LOYAL, BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST PEOPLE AND THEY CAN BE SMART, BUT IF THEY'RE NOT LOYAL, IT DOES NOT WORK.
AND SO YOU, YOU, YOU CAN'T, UH, YOU, YOU HOLD ON TO THOSE, UH, THAT WHERE YOU CAN CHECK THE BOX.
BUT WHEN PEOPLE SHOW YOU THAT THEY ARE NOT ROWING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, YOU DO WHAT WE DO.
AND YOU CALL 'EM IN AT FOUR O'CLOCK ON A FRIDAY, AND YOU THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE.
BUT THEIR SEASON HERE HAS PASSED
LET'S GIVE MAYOR TURNAROUND OF APPLAUSE.
HE'S BEEN A GREAT, INCREDIBLE, UH, MAYOR BASS.
UH, YOU ARE, UH, SIX MONTHS IN NOW.
DID YOU MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION BY LEAVING A SAFE, COMFORTABLE SEAT IN CONGRESS TO RUN FROM AIR LOS ANGELES? ABSOLUTELY.
AND, AND
I MEAN, I LOVE BEING IN CONGRESS.
I LOVE THE WORK, ESPECIALLY THE WORK ON AFRICA.
OUR FOLKS WERE DYING ON THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES.
WE GOT 46,000 PEOPLE SLEEPING IN TENTS.
BLACK FOLK ARE 8% OF THE CITY, 34% OF THE PEOPLE IN TENTS.
WHAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT WAS THAT WE WERE GETTING READY TO REPEAT THE NINETIES AND CRIMINALIZE THOSE FOLKS.
AND SO I FEEL VERY, VERY GOOD BECAUSE WE CANNOT REPEAT HISTORY.
PEOPLE ON THE STREET NEED HELP.
THEY NEED HOUSING, THEY NEED HEALTHCARE.
AND IF I CAN PLAY A ROLE IN THAT, WHEREVER IT IS, I'M THRILLED TO BE THERE AND TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE.
GOOD MAYOR BASS OF LOS ANGELES, UH, MAYOR ADAMSON, I GET A CHANCE TO WATCH THE MAYOR EVERY DAY BECAUSE I'M IN NEW YORK.
SO, UH, I WATCH HIM AND HE'S BROUGHT, HE'S BROUGHT A DYNAMISM AND A LEADERSHIP AND A, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT BEING MAYOR, YOU GOTTA LET EVERYBODY KNOW YOU ARE IN CHARGE.
YOU GOTTA LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT THE BUCK STOPS AT YOUR DESK.
UH, MAYOR NOW ABOUT WHAT, 18 MONTHS, ROUGHLY? YES.
IN WHAT DO YOU, WHAT'S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE YOU'VE ENCOUNTERED IN THAT 18TH MONTH PERIOD, BEING MAYOR OF NEW YORK? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, AND I SAY THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY BEING THE, UH, THE MAYOR OF THE NEW YORK CITY IS THE SECOND MOST DIFFICULT JOB IN AMERICA.
AND I SAY, WHEN DOES THE HARD PART
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START? 'CAUSE I KNOW WHAT HARD IS.HARD IS PICKING COTTON FROM SUN UP TO SUN DOWN.
DELIVERING YOUR BABY IN THE FIELD AND GOING BACK HARD IS, UH, WATCHING PEOPLE JUMP OVER YOU IN PROMOTIONS WHEN YOU DEDICATED YOUR LIFE HARD IS WHAT MY MOTHER DID.
RAISING SIX CHILDREN WITH BEING REALLY ABANDONED AND BETRAYED BY GOVERNMENT.
HARD AS BEING A LITTLE BLACK CHILD GROWING UP, BEING DYSLEXIC, THEN BEING ARRESTED.
AND I LIKE TO SAY BEING REJECTED.
BUT NOW I'M ELECTED TO BE THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
I WAKE UP EVERY DAY WITH A CLEAR AGENDA, AND I'M NOT GOING TO BE DISTRACTED.
AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SPEND THE TIME THAT I WAS RUNNING FOR OFFICE TRYING TO DEGRADE ME.
AND THEN, THEN YOU WANT TO PICK MY STAFF AND TELL ME WHO TO HIRE.
I'M GOING TO HIRE COMPETENT PEOPLE WHO HAVE MY VISION ROWING IN MY DIRECTION.
THAT IS WHY FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, I HIRED A BLACK POLICE COMMISSIONER.
I HIRED A HISPANIC TO RUN MY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.
I HIRED THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FIRST DEPUTY MAYOR, FIRST INDIAN AMERICAN TO BE A DEPUTY MAYOR, FIRST FILIPINO AMERICAN, TO BE A DEPUTY MAYOR, FIRST KOREAN AMERICAN TO BE IN CHARGE OF SMALL BUSINESS SERVICING.
FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN, FIRST TRINIDADIAN WOMAN, DEPUTY MAYOR.
THAT'S REFLECTIVE OF THE CITY.
IF YOU WANT TO BE ON MY TEAM, YOU HAVE TO HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOT SO YOU COULD HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH A LOT.
AND BROTHER, WE'RE RUNNING IT.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE BLOWN AWAY WITH ALL THAT WE INHERITED.
REMEMBER JANUARY 1ST, 2022, I INHERIT COVID COVID.
NOW I HAVE 91,000 ASYLUM SEEKERS IN MY CITY, CAN'T WORK.
I HAVE TO FEED CLOTHE HOUSE, EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN, AND WE'RE DOING IT.
THE BOND RAIDERS WHO DETERMINED, WILL YOU INVEST YOUR MONEY, GAVE ME A DOUBLE A RATING BECAUSE OF HOW I'M MANAGING THE CITY.
YOU'RE SEEING CONFIDENT LEADERSHIP.
SO THE ONLY SURPRISE THAT I HAVE IS WHY IS IT TAKING THE NATIONAL MEDIA SO LONG TO DETERMINE THAT BLACK MAYORS CAN RUN CITY AND THEY CAN RUN.
NOW, I HAD TO GET OUT OF MY SEAT THOUGH THAT WAY,
AND, UH, MAYOR JOHNSON, WHEN I, UH, SEE YOU, I, UH, CAN'T HELP BUT THINK OF THE LEGEND, HAROLD WASHINGTON, WHO, UH, WAS A PACE SETTER, AN INSPIRATION FOR ME, UH, AND ONE WHO INSPIRED ME TO SEEK, UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IN NEW ORLEANS.
UH, AND, UH, HE, CHICAGO HAS BEEN LONGING FOR THE SPIRIT IN THE FIGHT OF HAROLD WASHINGTON SINCE HIS UNTIMELY DEATH, UH, IN 1987, AS YOU BEGAN.
AND AS YOU THINK, UH, HOW IS HAROLD WASHINGTON'S TIME, A GUIDE, AN INSPIRATION FOR YOU? WELL, THANK YOU.
AND, UM, HAD I KNOWN WE WOULD HAVE A SANCTIFIED CROWD THIS MORNING,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING.
OF COURSE, IT'S A SANCTIFIED CROWD,
UM, BUT I'M, I'M GRATEFUL HERE.
I WANT TO THANK, YOU KNOW, MAYOR, UM, TURNER AND, AND BASS AND, AND ADAMS FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION.
THE TEXT MESSAGES, UH, THE CAUSE OF CONCERN AND HOPE, UM, HAVE BEEN A TREMENDOUS INSPIRATION AND HAS HELPED BALANCE ME THROUGH THESE FIRST 11 WEEKS.
YOU KNOW, KNOW WHEN YOU GROW UP, UM, AND YOU'VE EXPERIENCED THE EIGHTIES, YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR FROM YOUR, YOUR FATHER, YOUR GRANDFATHER, YOUR UNCLES AND AUNTS, YOU KNOW, ABOUT A TIME OF PROMISE.
AND CHICAGO IS, IS RICH IN LEGACY.
RIGHT? AND SO I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE CHAIRMAN FRED, UM, WHO SAID HEALTHCARE FOR ALL.
HE SAID, EVERY CHILD SHOULD EAT BEFORE THEY GO TO SCHOOL.
RIGHT? THAT COMES OUT OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY, UM, IDEOLOGY AND MOVEMENT THAT WAS BIRTHED, UM, ON THE WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO WHERE I LIVE.
RIGHT? AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT, OF COURSE, THE TIME THAT DR. KING SPENT ON THE WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO, AND HE UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE LABOR RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT COLLISION HAD ENORMOUS POTENTIAL.
UM, AND HE SAID THAT THE RIGHTS OF LABOR AND THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS ARE ONE OF THE SAME.
THE ENEMY OF THE NEGRO IS THE ENEMY OF LABOR.
AND SO THEN OF COURSE, YOU HAVE THIS USHERING IN OF, UM, BLACK LIBERATION THROUGH THE
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ELECTION OF MAYOR HAROLD WASHINGTON.AND IT WAS OF COURSE, 40 YEARS AGO THAT A BLACK MAYOR SAYS SANCTUARY CITY.
YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE IF HE KNEW THAT THIS DAY WOULD COME, BUT SOMEHOW HE UNDERSTOOD THE PROPHETIC ASSIGNMENT THAT HE HAD.
AND SO NOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN I'M MOVING THROUGH THE STREETS OF CHICAGO, THE ONE THING THAT I DO APPRECIATE ABOUT BLACK FOLKS, ESPECIALLY BLACK PEOPLE, IS THAT OUR HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS ARE TIED AND LINKED TO ONE ANOTHER.
AND WE ARE VERY CLEAR THAT WE DIDN'T GET HERE ALONE.
AND I'M GLAD THAT WE SERVE A GOD THAT DOESN'T DROP US OFF ALONG THE WAY.
AND SO, HOW YOU GONNA PREACH? WHEN I THINK ABOUT, SO, I MEAN, SINCE Y'ALL DOING IT, YOU KNOW, SO JUST AS A DISCLAIMER, I WAS RAISED IN THE CHURCH OF GOD, IN CHRIST.
SO SEE, THERE'S ALWAYS A COUPLE COACHING PEOPLE HERE.
SO SANCTIFY THIS CONFERENCE, THIS PANEL JUST GOT ONE HOUR LONGER.
BUT, BUT, BUT THE POINT THOUGH IS, IS THAT THESE MOMENTS DON'T LEAVE US BEHIND.
THESE MOMENTS PROPEL US FORWARD.
AND SO IT'S A REFLECTION OF THE INCREDIBLE RESILIENCE OF OUR ANCESTORS.
AND I'M GLAD, UM, THAT I GET TO STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE.
SO I LEARNED, UH, WHEN I SERVED AS MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS FROM 94 TO OH TWO, UH, WHEN I TOOK OFFICE, UH, I WAS THE FIRST PERSON ELECTED IN SOME 60 YEARS THAT DID NOT HAVE THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER.
IT WAS DEFINITIONAL, BECAUSE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WHAT THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER DID IS THEY PUT, UH, A TEAM OF REPORTERS ON ME, ONE TO PLAY NICE, AND ONE TO PLAY NASTY.
THE ONE THAT PLAYED NICE, TRIED TO MAKE FRIENDS, THE ONE THAT PLAYED NASTY WAS LOOKING IN GARBAGE CANS,
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR BLACK MAYORS, RIGHT? AND, AND, AND I, I REALLY WANT, AND EVERY CITY'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, THE THE WAY, BUT MAYORS NOW AND ELECTED OFFICIALS NOW HAVE AN INDEPENDENT CHANNEL CALLED SOCIAL MEDIA, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT.
AND, AND I THINK WHAT I'D LIKE EACH OF YOU TO MAYBE ADDRESS, MAYOR BA, WE CAN GO FIRST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU THINK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR CONSTITUENTS TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS ABSOLUTELY ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT BLACK MAYORS DON'T GET TREATED THE SAME PERIOD TIME AFTER TIME.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, YOU COULD HAVE AN S ON YOUR CHEST, YOU COULD LEAVE TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOW.
BUT HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT FROM A LOS ANGELES PERSPECTIVE? WELL, AND YOU, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TALK RACE, BUT ALSO ADD IN GENDER.
I'LL TALK ABOUT IT
WHEN I STARTED, THE WHOLE WAY I WAS BEING FRAMED WAS, WELL, IS SHE GONNA BE LIKE ERIC GARCETTI, THE PREVIOUS MAYOR? AS THOUGH I HAD DONE NOTHING BEFORE? I'VE BEEN IN CONGRESS, I'VE BEEN IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE, THE SPEAKER, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, BUT WAS I GONNA BE HIM? BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, TO ME, I MEAN, MY BACKGROUND AND MY ROOT AND MY HEART AS, AS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER.
AND SO TO ME, COMMUNICATION MEANS COMMUNICATING ON EVERY SINGLE LEVEL.
AND THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THAT SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS WITH THAT, BUT NOT ENOUGH.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT AND TALK TO PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE EVERY KIND OF FORUM AND VEHICLE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IN CONGRESS THAT I PLANNED TO DO IN THE CITY WAS TELEPHONE TOWN HALLS.
SO I USED EVERY VEHICLE IN-PERSON, TOWN HALLS, TELEPHONE TOWN HALLS, SOCIAL MEDIA.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES SOCIAL MEDIA TOUGH IS THAT ANYBODY THAT'S RIGHT CAN CALL THEMSELVES MEDIA AND A NEWSPAPER.
AND SO WHAT I'M FINDING, AND I'M SURE MY THREE COLLEAGUES UP HERE ARE FINDING TOO, YOU'LL HAVE CRAZY NEWS SOURCES DO AN ARTICLE.
THEY JUST MAKE UP STUFF, AND THEN THREE DAYS LATER, QUOTE UNQUOTE, MAINSTREAM NEWSPAPERS OR RADIO WILL PICK IT UP.
AND, AND THEN IT BECOMES A LEGITIMATE STORY.
BUT I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO BE PROACTIVE.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE YOUR OWN FRAME, BUT YOUR OWN ANALYSIS.
NOT JUST A SOUNDBITE, BUT AN ANALYSIS ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT COMMUNICATION IS EDUCATION.
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YOU KNOW, A STATEMENT OR A SLOGAN OR A SOUNDBITE, BUT WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH YOUR VALUES AND MY VALUES ROOTED IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE? MAYOR TURNER, AS YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.MAYOR BASS, AGAIN, ASKING YOU TO REFLECT ON WHAT'S WORKED WELL WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE TO THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON.
UH, WHAT IS IT THAT, UH, YOU MAY KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU UNDERSTOOD BETTER WHEN YOU STARTED ON THE ISSUE OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC? WELL, I MEAN, IT IS IMPORTANT AS, AS MAYORS, UH, THAT WE MAINTAIN AND EVEN ENHANCE OUR CONNECTION TO THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO BECOME OUR BEST COMMUNICATORS.
AND WHAT I HAVE LEARNED OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS AS MAYORS, AS MAYOR, IS THAT I HAVE TO BE OUT THERE, UH, TALKING DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE.
I HAVE TO BE AMONGST THEM AND TELL WHAT WE ARE DOING, LISTEN TO THEM, BE ACCESSIBLE TO THEM, UH, AND THEN, UH, HOPE THAT THEY TOO BECOME YOUR AMBASSADORS.
AND SO WHEN THEY ARE SEEING OR READING STORIES, THEY THEMSELVES CAN SAY, THAT'S NOT TRUE.
AND I HAVE HAD, UH, PEOPLE, AS I'VE GONE THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AFTER THEY HAVE READ SOMETHING OR HEARD SOMETHING, THEY WILL SAY, MAYOR, WE KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE, SO WE HAVE TO BE OUT THERE.
UM, BUT I'M CONSTANTLY REMINDED WHAT MY MOM SAID AND GROWING UP, AND THEN SHE SAID, LIFE IS NOT FAIR.
BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO LEARN TO NAVIGATE THROUGH IT.
AND SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL THAT WE DON'T BECOME SO OBSESSED WITH THE NEGATIVITY THAT WE LOSE FOCUS.
WHEN I FIRST CAME IN AS MAYOR, THE CITY HAD BEEN FACING A PENSION PROBLEM FOR SOME 20 SOMETHING YEARS.
AND RIGHT THERE ON THE FRONT OF THE PAPER, IT SAID, MAYOR MUST FIX THE PENSION PROBLEM NOW.
AND I SAID, HELL, I JUST GOT HERE,
AND SO A PENSION PROBLEM THAT WAS $8.2 BILLION WHEN WE CAME IN, IS NOW LESS THAN 2.2 BILLION AND GOING DOWN.
BUT WHAT I'VE ALSO DISCOVERED IS THAT YOU HAVE MEDIA THAT WILL, UH, UH, FLASH, UM, UH, CAMERA ON THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY DON'T GIVE YOU MUCH CREDIT ON THE SUCCESS.
AND, AND THEN THE BALL KEEPS MOVING.
YOU FIX THIS, AND THIS COMES UP.
THE LAST POINT THAT I WILL MAKE.
WE JUST DID THIS AFRICAN TRADE MISSION TO, UM, TRADE AND INVESTMENT MISSION TO AFRICA.
IN MY EIGHT YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GONE TO EUROPE, WE HAVE GONE TO ASIA, WE'VE GONE TO LATIN AMERICA, WE HAVE GONE TO THE MIDDLE EAST.
AND I'VE NOT RECEIVED ANY NEGATIVE WOW.
UH, PLAY FROM THE MEDIA, OR QUITE FRANKLY, FROM ANYBODY ELSE.
THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY'S GONE WITH US.
SO WE'VE GONE ALL OVER THE WORLD.
NOW, JUST RECENTLY, I GO TO AFRICA AND HERE COME THE TELEVISION STATION SAYING, WHY IS THE MAYOR GOING TO AFRICA? IS THIS A PERSONAL JUNKET, DOUBLE STANDARD? IS THIS A PERSONAL JUNKET? SHOULD HE BE USING TAXPAYERS MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS? SO YOU GET ALL OF THAT.
AND SO SOMETIMES I, I DO MY BEST NOT TO RESPOND, YOU KNOW, AND YOU HAVE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
BUT THEN ON THIS ONE, I DID GO TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND WHAT I SAID IS THAT I'VE GONE TO ALL OF THESE OTHER PLACES, NO NEGATIVE CRITICISM.
NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN I GO TO AFRICA.
HERE COME THE NEGATIVE CRITICISMS. AND WHAT I WROTE WAS, YOUR COMMENTS ARE MORE REFLECTION ON YOU THAN ON ME.
SO WE JUST HAVE TO PUSH THROUGH IT.
AND IF WE, IF WE WAIT ON THE MEDIA OR ANYONE ELSE TO VALIDATE WHAT WE ARE DOING, THEN WE HAVE MISSED A POINT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU MENTION THAT.
AND, AND JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF, OF, UH, URBAN LEAGUERS, UH, I HAD A CHANCE TO, UH, JOIN VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS ON A TRIP TO GHANA, UH, IN MARCH.
AND, UH, AFRICA, THERE ARE NOW 1.4 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.
IT'S EQUIVALENT TO THE POPULATION OF INDIA AND THE POPULATION
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OF CHINA.UH, THE AVERAGE AGE IS SOMEWHERE IN THE TWENTIES, RIGHT? IT'S A TEEN, 19 YOUNG TEENAGERS, VERY YOUNG POPULATION.
SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE POTENTIAL IN THE ECONOMIC FUTURE IS.
AND YOU KNOW, I SAY SHAME ON THE MEDIA 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T DO ANY HOMEWORK.
NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.
UH, AND OF COURSE, HERE IN HOUSTON, UH, YOU'VE GOT A LARGE, UH, AFRICAN COMMUNITY, A LARGE AFRICAN, ONE OF THE LARGE COMMUNITY, ONE LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY.
SO, YOU KNOW, SHAME ON THE MEDIA MID JOHNSON, UH, AND I'LL COME TO YOU NEXT.
MAYOR ADAMS, UH, YOU, UH, YOU HAD A VIGOROUS CONTESTED CHICAGO STYLE ELECTION,
Y'ALL WERE DUKING IT OUT TO THE END.
AND THEN IN THE 12TH ROUND, YOU LANDED ONE OF THOSE ALI LIFTS AND DOWN WENT YOUR OPPONENT
BUT WHEN YOU COME THROUGH THAT, OBVIOUSLY SOMETIMES THE DIES CAST WITH THE MEDIA AND WITH, UH, CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY.
HOW DO YOU BEST THINK ABOUT NAVIGATING THAT AS A BRAND NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE? YEAH, IT'S, IT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.
AND SO AS YOU TALK AND AS, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYOR TURNER AND MAYOR BASS TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE CHALLENGES WITH THE MEDIA, UM, THEY GOT A EARLY START WITH ME,
THE HOPES OF, OF, OF THOSE OF US WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES.
UM, I'M A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER, A MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER.
USUALLY PEOPLE CLAP AFTER I SAY THAT.
YOU ALL KNOW MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHING IS ONE OF THE GREATEST POSITIONS YOU CAN EVER HOLD.
MY FATHER WANTED ME TO BECOME A PASTOR, BUT IT'S A NON-UNION POSITION.
SO I SAID, MY BEST NEXT THING TO GET TO HEAVEN IS TO TEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO I KNOW WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.
UM, YOU KNOW, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY CAME AT A BROTHER.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE, RIGHT? TO, TO, TO CREATE FEAR.
AND COMING FROM A LARGE FAMILY WAS 10 OF US.
I HAVE ISSUES LIKE MOST MIDDLE CHILDREN,
SO YOU LEARN HOW TO NEGOTIATE EARLY IN LIFE, YOU KNOW, ALLY WITH THE SISTERS,
UM, BUT MY, MY OLDER BROTHER, UM, WHO IS, IS, IS, IS AN ANCESTOR NOW, IS NOT WITH US, UM, HAD, UM, AN ADDICTION AND DIED UNHOUSED.
AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS HE WOULD ALWAYS SAY TO ME GROWING UP, THAT IF YOU'RE IN A FIGHT AND YOU'RE DUCKING, YOU'RE LOSING THAT FIGHT.
AND SO IN THIS MOMENT, SINCE IT'S, IT ALMOST DOESN'T MATTER, YOU KNOW WHAT I DO, THEY'RE NOT GONNA LIKE IT.
THESE FORCES STILL DO NOT LIKE THE RESULTS OF THE CIVIL WAR
SO THERE'S NOT MUCH YOU CAN SAY TO THEM, RIGHT?
AND SO, WHAT I'M INSPIRED BY, THOUGH, IS THAT THE ELECTION THAT PUT ME ON THE FIFTH FLOOR WAS A MULTICULTURAL INTERGENERATIONAL MOVEMENT.
AND 27,000 NEW VOTERS VOTED IN APRIL THAT DID NOT VOTE IN FEBRUARY.
ALL OF THEM UNDER THE AGE OF 34, I WON BY 26,532 VOTES.
AND SO THE YOUTH ENERGY IS ALIVE, AND WE'RE BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
THERE ARE FOLKS, YOU KNOW, IN THE BUSINESS, COMMUNITY, CORPORATE LEADERS, AND THE 80-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO HAS HAD MY NUMBER SINCE BEFORE I KNEW, YOU KNOW, I WAS GONNA BE IN THIS POSITION.
SO WE'RE BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
I'M OF THE MINDSET THAT THERE'S MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE.
NO ONE SHOULD LOSE AT THE EXPENSE OF SOMEONE ELSE WINNING.
THE CITY OF CHICAGO HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD.
LIVING IN ONE OF THE RICHEST CITIES IN ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRIES, AT THE RICHEST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, THERE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE.
LET'S GIVE THE MAYOR A HAND ON THAT AFFIRMATION.
UH, MAYOR ADAMS, YOU ARE IN THE MOST COMPLEX, DYNAMIC, HARD HITTING, ROCK THROWING MEDIA ENVIRONMENT IN THE WORLD.
UH, IT IS, IT IS INTERESTING TO WATCH, UH, THE NEW YORK MEDIA.
WHAT I'VE APPRECIATED, UH, ABOUT YOU IS YOUR WILLINGNESS TO GO TOE TO TOE, UH, WHICH IS SO ESSENTIAL IN A CITY WITH AGGRESSIVE PRESS CORPS, I'LL SAY.
AND YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE ATHLETES THAT, UM, WON'T PLAY IN NEW YORK CITY BECAUSE OF THE MEDIA, BECAUSE OUR MEDIA
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IS HARD OF, AND WHAT I THINK IS IMPERATIVE, UH, FOR BLACK PEOPLE IN GENERAL, BUT SPECIFICALLY FOR BLACK MEN, WE ARE SO AFRAID OF GETTING THE, THE TITLE THAT COULD DESTROY OUR LIVES.IF YOU GET THE TITLE OF ANGRY BLACK MAN, YOU WILL NOT RAISE UP IN CORPORATE SOCIETY.
YOU WILL NOT RAISE UP IN HOLLYWOOD.
YOU WILL NOT RAISE UP ON A SPORTS TEAM.
YOU WILL NOT RAISE UP ON POLITICS.
AND SO, BECAUSE OF OUR FEAR OF THAT'S AN ANGRY BLACK MAN, WE HOLD IT ALL INSIDE.
AND THAT HOLDING THAT STRESS INSIDE MANIFEST ITSELF THROUGH HEART DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, UH, ALL SORTS OF ILLNESSES IS CONNECTED TO OUR FEELING THAT I DON'T WANT TO BE CLASSIFIED AS AN ANGRY BLACK MAN.
LISTEN, THE MEDIA MUST CRITIQUE US.
WE ARE NOT IN THIS SOCIETY WHERE WE COULD DO WHATEVER WE WANT AND NOT RECEIVE THE LEVEL OF CRITIQUE THAT COMES WITH THE JOB.
BUT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRITIQUING AND DOING A PROPER ANALYSIS OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE AND BEING INTENTIONALLY DESTRUCTIVE.
AND SO WHAT I ALWAYS DO, I'M NOT HOLDING IN MY ANGER.
I'M GOING TO LET YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL AT THE MOMENT.
AND I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH A THESAURUS TO FIND THE PROPER TERMINOLOGY TO MAKE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE AND HOW YOU MADE ME FELT, FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE.
I'M JUST GOING TO EXPLAIN TO YOU WHAT I FEEL AT IN THIS MOMENT, AND THEN I'M GONNA MOVE ON.
I CAN'T SIT THERE AND PLAY WITH YOU WHEN I'M DEALING WITH ALL OF THESE OTHER CRISES.
I'M NOT GONNA JUST STAY THERE AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU MADE ME FEEL BAD.
NO, I'M GONNA LET YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL, AND THEN I'M GOING TO GO RUN THIS CITY WITH $106 BILLION BUDGET.
I'M GOING TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
'CAUSE PART OF THE GAME IS TO DISTRACT YOU AND KEEP YOU TIED UP IN A MOMENT.
AND SO THEY SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU, YOU, YOU ARE, YOU ARE THICK.
YOU, YOU GET OFFENDED QUICKLY.
NO, YOU NOT GONNA DISRESPECT ME.
AND YOU KNOW, MAYOR, THEY DIDN'T SAY THAT ABOUT GIULIANI AND KOCH.
YEAH, RIGHT? AND GIULIANI AND KOCH WERE ALWAYS BUT STANDING A CONTENTIOUS CONVERSATION WITH THE NEW YORK MEDIA.
AND SO, AND YOU NEVER HEAR HIM CALL HIM AN ANGRY WHITE MAN,
AND YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT'S SO INTERESTING, I THINK ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION IS HOW, FOR THE MAYOR, DISTINCT FROM EVERY OTHER ELECTED POSITION, SAY MAYBE THE PRESIDENCY, THE MEDIA IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR SUCCESS, CRUCIAL TO YOUR ABILITY TO NAVIGATE.
AND YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT, STRATEGIZE IT, AND INVEST IN, UH, THE PEOPLE IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THEM.
SO LET'S GIVE THESE MAYORS A BIG, BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
NOW, LET ME GET TO A COUPLE OF, OH, OH, BUT MARK, I WANNA, I WANNA, IF I CAN GO AHEAD, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID IS SO IMPORTANT, WHAT YOU SAID, AND THAT IS A LOSING MODEL.
IF YOU HAVE TO DEPEND ON SOMEONE TO SELL YOUR PRODUCT, YOU'VE LOST.
RIGHT? SO WHAT WE MUST DO, RIGHT? AND WHAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE GOOD MARKETERS AND COMMUNICATION PEOPLE, THIS IS A GREAT OPENING.
WE MUST DO DIRECT TO CONSUMER COMMUNICATION.
THAT IS WHERE WE, WE ARE DOING, WE MUST BE ON, DO OUR OWN RADIO SHOWS.
WE MUST USE THESE VARIOUS FORMS OF COMMUNICATING.
WE MUST REACH OUT TO THE INFLUENCES, TO THE CREDIBLE MESSENGERS.
WE HAVE TO SHIFT THE DYNAMIC AND NO LONGER BE HELD CAPTIVE BY THE MAIN MEDIA, BY THE MEDIA.
WE MUST DO DIRECT TO CONSUMER COMMUNICATION TO SHOW WHAT WE ARE DOING EVERY DAY.
BECAUSE IF YOU WERE TO PICK UP THE, THE TABLOIDS, YOU WOULD THINK ALL OF US ARE FAILING WHEN WE HAVE SO MANY SUCCESSES.
AND CAN I ADD IN, IN EIGHT YEARS, WHAT I WOULD, WHAT I WOULD CERTAINLY RECOMMEND TO EVERY MAYOR, AND ESPECIALLY MAYORS OF COLOR, IS THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR OWN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TEAM.
AND WHAT I'VE SAID TO MY COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT, I SAID, IN EVERY ONE OF MY 23 DEPARTMENTS, WE HAVE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS THAT REPORT UP TO MY COMMUNICATION TEAM.
I VIEW EVERY ONE OF THOSE PIOS AS A REPORTER IN THEIR DEPARTMENT, WORKING FOR MY COMMUNICATION TEAM.
AND WHAT I'VE SAID TO MY COMMUNICATION TEAM, IF THIS PAPER ON THIS TELEVISION CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF TELLING OUR STORY THAN MY COMMUNICATION TEAM, THEN WE ARE MISSING THE MARK.
[00:30:01]
ONE OF MY DEPARTMENTS, WHAT I'VE SAID TO MY POS, WHAT I'VE SAID TO MY COMMUNICATION TEAM, NO ONE KNOWS OUR STORY BETTER THAN US.DO NOT RELY ON THE NEWSPAPER OR THE TELEVISION STORIES TO TELL OUR STORY.
RIGHT? THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TELL OUR STORY.
RIGHT? THEY'RE NOT GONNA MAKE US A, UM, WHEN WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN ACHIEVING A, B, C, OR D, YOU THINK THEY'RE GONNA RUN OUT THERE AND, AND, AND SAVE.
THE MAYOR HAS DONE A, B, C, AND D.
BUT I DO EXPECT MY COMMUNICATION TEAM TO TELL OUR STORY SO THAT IT IS OUT THERE.
UH, AND I THINK THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
UH, YEAH, GO AHEAD, MAYOR BASS.
YOU KNOW, ONE THING I THINK WE ALL NEED TO BE AWARE OF IS COMING INTO ELECTION SEASON, THE PRESIDENTIAL SEASON.
THEY'RE COMING AFTER THE FOUR OF US.
BECAUSE THE NARRATIVE OF THE REPUBLICANS IS GONNA BE, THERE'S CHAOS IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR CITIES.
AND WHAT'S THE SUBTEXT OF THAT? WHO'S RUNNING THESE CITIES? AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR THAT.
BUT ONE THING I JUST ALSO WANNA SAY IS THAT THE SOLIDARITY BETWEEN THE FOUR OF US HAS JUST BEEN VERY STRONG.
UH, I APPLAUD IT BECAUSE, UH, BEING MAYOR IS A DAMN HARD JOB.
UH, WHEN I LEFT OFFICE, UH, I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW FATIGUED AND WORN OUT I WAS.
I WAS SO TIRED I COULDN'T SLEEP.
I WAS SO CLUED IN THAT EVERY TIME A CRISIS HAPPENED AND I SAW IT ON TV, I THOUGHT I WAS STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.
YES, IT TOOK ME SEVERAL MONTHS TO RESET MY MIND, BODY, SPIRIT, AND SOUL.
AND REALLY HAD NO ONE TO TELL ME, THIS IS WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN YOU LEAVE OFFICE.
BECAUSE WHEN I LEFT THAT I WAS MAYOR TURNER RUNNING TO THE TAPE, TRYING TO PUT LOTS OF THINGS IN PLACE, TRYING TO GET LOTS OF THINGS ROOTED SO IT COULDN'T BE UNDONE.
UH, AND SO IT IS A QUITE CHALLENGING JOB.
I'M GONNA SWITCH GEARS RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE GONNA GET TO HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND THOSE SORTS OF ISSUES.
BUT BIG CHALLENGE NOW FOR BLACK AMERICA IS THIS DUAL CHALLENGE THAT ON ONE HAND, UH, WE HAVE JUSTICE ISSUES, COMMUNITY DISTRUST, UH, UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS, UH, IN THE NATION OF POLICE, MISCONDUCT, BRUTALITY, AND SHOOTINGS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE ARE KILLING EACH OTHER.
WE HAVE BLACK ON BLACK VIOLENCE AS WELL.
THE MAYOR IS IN THE VORTEX OF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE CHALLENGES AND HAS TO NAVIGATE.
UH, SO MAYOR ADAMS JUST GO TO YOU.
HOW DO YOU THINK? AND WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE AND STRATEGY? YOU HAVE A UNIQUE, UH, BACKGROUND WHEN IT COMES TO THIS AS A FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, BUT ALSO SOMEONE WHO HAS, UH, PUBLICLY TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU WERE HARASSED BY THE POLICE AS A YOUNG, A YOUNG BLACK MAN.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE BALANCING ACT, AND I WANT ALL OF YOU ALL TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, THE BALANCING ACT OR THE, UH, CONFLICT BETWEEN THESE ISSUES IN REALITY, AND THEN IN PERCEPTION.
FIRST OF ALL, TAKE THE H AWAY FROM HARASS.
AND I GOT MY ASS KICKED BY POLICE.
THE FEDERAL JUDGE MENTIONED MY NAME IN THE REPORT WHEN SHE RULED AGAINST THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE LEGACY OF MY FIGHT AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT IS CLEAR.
NOW, SOME PEOPLE WANT TO REWRITE THE HISTORY, BUT IN REALITY, WHEN OTHER FOLKS WERE SILENT ON THIS ISSUE NATIONALLY, I WAS A LEADING VOICE IN THIS COUNTRY ABOUT OVER ABUSE POLICING NATIONALLY.
WHAT WE MUST DO IS WHAT ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TWO TWO STATED, WE SPENT A LIFETIME PULLING PEOPLE OUT OF THE RIVER.
NO ONE GOES UPSTREAM AND PREVENT THEM FROM FALLING IN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
POLICING BY THE TIME A CHILD HAS A GUN, WE'RE ALREADY LOST.
THE QUESTION IS, IS WHAT HAPPENED TO CAUSE THAT FROM TAKING PLACE? WHEN I SIT DOWN WITH GANG MEMBERS AND I ASK THEM, HOW MANY OF YOU DEALING WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES? IT'S ASTONISHING.
30 TO 40% OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW ARE DYSLEXIC.
I WAS ON A PATH OF DOING THE SAME THINGS.
[00:35:01]
WE DEAL WITH THE CRIME DOWNSTREAM? LET'S BE CLEAR, WE CAN'T BE JUST UPSTREAM BECAUSE BABY IS CREATING SOME HAVOC RIGHT NOW IN OUR STREETS.SO WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY THE EXTREME RECIDIVISTS, GIVE THEM THE ASSISTANCE THEY NEED, BUT WE HAVE TO STOP THE PUSHING PEOPLE IN THE RIVER.
THAT'S WHY WE DID A HUNDRED THOUSAND SUMMER YOUTH JOBS.
THAT'S WHY WE DID SUMMER RISING.
SO OUR CHILDREN CAN BE EDUCATED, ALL SCHOOL LONG, LEANING INTO FOSTER CARE, CHILDREN, PAYING FOR THEIR COLLEGE TUITION, GIVING THEM STIPEND, MAKING SURE WE DO MONEY FOR CHILDCARE.
SO YOU GOTTA DO ALL THOSE THINGS.
HOW MUCH OF THAT TO DO IT AT SCALE REQUIRES THE STATE, THE, THE FEDS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO DO THE UPSTREAM WORK AT SCALE, BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING GREAT THINGS ON YOUR OWN, BUT TO DO IT AT SCALE AND ON A SUSTAINABLE BASIS, IS IT WITHIN THE POWER OF THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ALONE? SO, NO.
BUT THAT'S WHAT THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.
NOW, WHEN YOU MATCH AND REDEFINE POLICING AND DO SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE MAKE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN, UH, BROTHER MARK, WHEN HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS WEREN'T DOING RIGHT, WE, WE TOLD BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE TO BECOME DOCTORS AND NURSES.
WHEN OUR TEACHERS WERE NOT EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN, WE RECRUITED BLACK AND BROWN SOROS AND FRATERNITY FRAS TO GO IN AND BECOME TEACHERS.
WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO TELL YOUNG, SMART, UH, BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE TO GO INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT? IF WE WANT LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BE WHAT WE WANTED TO BE, WHY NOT RECRUIT OUR TALENT TO GO IN THERE AND DO IT? I APPOINTED KEISHA SU THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN EVER TO BE THE POLICE COMMISSIONER IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
NOW, EDDIE KABAN IS THE FIRST PUERTO RICAN TO EVER DO IT.
UH, UM, UH, UH, TANYA COSELLA IS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO BE THE FIRST DEPUTY COMMISSIONER.
SO WE KNOW HOW OUR POLICING SHOULD BE IN OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE BALANCE THAT WE NEED TO BE RECRUITING.
I WANT MY FRATERNITIES, MY SORORITIES, MY CHURCHES, MY BLAYS, UH, MY, UH, ALL MY GROUPS TO SAY, LET'S FIND OUR BRIGHTEST AND OUR BEST AND GO INTO THIS PROFESSION AND DEFINE HOW WE WANT POLICING TO BE, AS WE DID WITH THE OVER PROLIFERATION OF GUNS.
AND THE REAL CHALLENGE WE'RE HAVING.
UH, HEROIN DESTROYED OUR COMMUNITIES IN THE SIXTIES, AND 70 CRACK COCAINE DESTROYED US IN THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES.
FIT TO KNOW IS GOING TO BE BOTH THOSE ADDED TOGETHER.
IF WE DON'T GET A GRASP ON FENTANYL RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING TO SEE A TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF OUR COMMUNITIES LIKE WE'VE NEVER WITNESSED BEFORE.
UH, THANK YOU MAYOR ADAMS. UH, MAYOR BASS.
WELL, YOU KNOW, UH, FOLLOWING UP ON, ON WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, I BELIEVE THAT IN OUR COMMUNITIES, WE'VE WORKED FOR YEARS AND KNOW THE STRATEGIES TO INTERVENE AND PREVENT CRIME.
THERE'S ALWAYS THE RAP THAT BLACK FOLKS ARE UPSET IF IT'S A LAW ENFORCEMENT INVOLVED DEATH, BUT SAY NOTHING WHEN IT'S BLACK ON BLACK, WHICH I REJECT THAT NOTION THAT IS NOT TRUE.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE GRASSROOTS WORK THAT HAPPENS IN ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES IS NEVER LIFTED UP.
AND WE NEED TO INVEST MORE IN THAT.
WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE TIME PERIOD OF MASS INCARCERATION, WHICH IS NOT LIKE IT'S OVER, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT NOW.
YOU KNOW, LAWS WERE PASSED TO LOCK US UP FOR EVERYTHING UNDER THE, UNDER THE SUN, INCLUDING WHAT I BELIEVE WERE HEALTH, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC ISSUES THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE REQUIRED INCARCERATION.
THEN LAWS WERE PASSED BY POLITICIANS WHO WANTED TO BE REELECTED AND WANTED TO HAVE THEIR MAILER THAT SAID, I DID THIS TO BE TOUGH ON CRIME.
THEN A LOT OF LAWS WERE PASSED TO CONTINUE PUNISHING PEOPLE WHEN THEY LEFT PRISON.
SO YOU ARE IN INCARCERATED WHILE YOU'RE IN, AND THEN YOU CONTINUE TO BE PUNISHED WHEN YOU'RE OUT.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT CONTRIBUTES TO RECIDIVISM.
BECAUSE IF YOU CAN'T WORK, IF YOU CAN'T FIND A PLACE TO LIVE, THEN WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? YOU MENTIONED RECRUITING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THAT'S HARD FOR A LOT OF US TO SWALLOW.
THE REALITY IS, IN LOS ANGELES, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE A WHOLE GENERATION OF BLACK OFFICERS THAT ARE RETIRING, AND PRETTY SOON THERE'LL BE VIRTUALLY NO BLACK OFFICERS IN THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT.
IS THAT WHAT WE REALLY WANT? I THINK THAT SOMETIMES DEMOCRATS IN GENERAL ARE SHY WHEN IT COMES TO THE ISSUE OF CRIME AND KIND OF GO ALL AROUND IT.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT, IN MY OPINION, WE CONCEDE THE ISSUE OF CRIME TO THE RIGHT WING.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD DO THAT.
I THINK WE NEED TO HIT IT HEAD ON.
IF SOMEBODY COMMITS A CRIME, YOU HAVE TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
BUT WE ALSO NEED TO INVEST SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES IN THE PREVENTION OF CRIME.
I STARTED AN OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SAFETY SO THAT WE COULD LOOK AT UNARMED RESPONSES.
[00:40:01]
A, UH, BECAUSE A LOT OF WHAT WE SEE, ESPECIALLY IN MARK, YOU AND I WORKED DILIGENTLY SO HARD ON THE GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE AND POLICING ACT, AND I REMEMBER LOOKING AFTER FLOYD WAS KILLED.I REMEMBER LOOKING AT A HUNDRED OFFICER INVOLVED, UH, DEATH SHOOTING, AND OTHERWISE, AND I WOULD SAY 30 TO 40% OF THEM WERE MENTAL HEALTH.
IT WAS A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS BECAUSE WE'VE SHREDDED THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM.
WE ALLOW PEOPLE TO, TO DETERIORATE INTO VIOLENCE OR COMMITTING A CRIME.
AND THEN, AND THEN THEY WIND UP WITH POLICE ENCOUNTERS.
SO WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES THAT RESULT IN REALLY NEGATIVE IN ENCOUNTERS, UH, WITH POLICE WHILE WE HOLD POLICE OFFICERS ACCOUNTABLE.
AND LET ME, LET ME JUST ADD A FEW THINGS, AND JUST FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCES, UH, BECAUSE WHEN I BECAME MAYOR IN NEW ORLEANS, WE WERE HAVING ALMOST 500 MURDERS A YEAR.
ALMOST, UH, MORE THAN ONE A DAY, ALMOST 500 IN A YEAR, 400 AND SOMETHING.
AND, UH, NOT ONLY THAT, I HAD AN ACTIVE FBI INVESTIGATION ONGOING INTO OFFICERS WHO WERE PROVIDING PRIVATE SECURITY FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS AS MOONLIGHTERS
WELL, THIS IS WHAT I INHERITED, RIGHT? A A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DEBACLE AND A MESS.
UH, BUT I KNEW THAT THE VIOLENCE ISSUE COULD NOT BE ADDRESSED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT ALONE.
BUT THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT.
AND I TOLD THE COMMUNITY, IT'S NOT ONE OR THE OTHER.
SO WE INVESTED HEAVILY IN SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT CAMPS, CULTURAL PROGRAMS, UH, INVESTED IN YOUNG PEOPLE, OVER INVESTED IN YOUNG PEOPLE.
I DID SOMETHING THAT I'M NOT SURE I WOULD, IT WOULD WORK TO TODAY.
UH, I PUT A CURFEW IN EFFECT FOR KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 WITH EXCEPTIONS FOR KIDS WHO WERE WORKING OR ON THEIR WAY BACK AND FORTH TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.
THAT PROGRAM NEVER GOT CHALLENGED IN COURT AND WAS HIGHLY POPULAR.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE A CLU SAID TO ME THAT, UH, HE SAID, IF I CHALLENGE YOUR CURFEW, MY WIFE WOULD DIVORCE ME
YOU KNOW, UH, THE IDEA IS HOW DO YOU DO HOLISTICALLY? WE CHANGED OUR POLICING PHILOSOPHY TO A COMMUNITY PROACTIVE POLICING, BUT WE ALSO HAD ANOTHER ISSUE, WHICH REMAINS AN ISSUE IN AMERICA TODAY.
UH, AND THAT IS LOW CLOSURE RATES ON MURDERS.
THERE'S A LOW CLOSURE RATE ON MURDERS, MEANING LESS THAN HALF THE MURDERS IN AMERICA IS A SUSPECT IDENTIFIED.
SO ONE THING WE LEARNED, MAYOR ADAMS, YOU UNDERSTAND THIS, THERE WAS NO FOCUS ON INVESTIGATORY FOLLOW UP, LACK OF FOLLOW THROUGH WHEN A MURDER WAS COMMITTED, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE VICTIM WAS BLACK.
AND SO IT REQUIRED A RETOOLING OF THIS.
I HAD TO PUT MYSELF IN SCHOOL INFORMALLY TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS OF THIS.
AND I THINK MAYORS UNIQUELY, AND WE'LL GET TO YOU, MAYOR TURNER, AND YOU MAYOR JOHNSON, BECAUSE YOU'VE TALKED MAYORS UNIQUELY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE COMBINATION OF THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO.
AND THEN YOU'VE GOT TO, IF YOU WILL, PERSUADE THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THEM, WHEN IN SOME CASES YOU HAVE A COMMUNITY THAT CAN HAVE ONE PART OF THE COMMUNITY, MAY THINK, OH, ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS YOUTH PROGRAMS. RIGHT? ANOTHER PART OF THE COMMUNITY THINK, JUST, JUST ARREST EVERYBODY.
AND BOTH APPROACHES ARE DAMN WRONG.
THEY'RE MORE ABOUT SLOGANS AND IDEOLOGY, UH, THAN, THAN, THAN AFFECTS.
SO MAYOR TURNER, THAN MAYOR JOHNSON.
AND WE ARE FOCUSING ON THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE REAL DEAL.
AND YES, THERE ARE TOO MANY INSTANCES WHERE THE POLICE KILL US.
WE CANNOT BE SILENT AND ACT AS THOUGH THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO.
I GOT WEARY GOING TO FUNERALS.
TO THE POINT WHERE NOW IT'S HARD FOR ME TO GO TO ONE, AND I'LL ONLY GO TO ONE IF IT'S A FAMILY, ME, A FAMILY MEMBER, OR CLOSE FRIEND.
BUT THAT'S PART OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, MAYOR TURNER.
[00:45:01]
JUST SAY THAT, UM, I AGREE WITH ALL THAT, THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID.THAT START WITH THE, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERY PERSON IN THIS CITY HAS VALUE AND IS IMPORTANT.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON, I DON'T CARE WHAT THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS MAY BE, WHERE THEY LIVE, WHERE THEY COME FROM, WHAT THEIR LANGUAGE MAY BE, WHAT THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION MAY BE.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS CITY HAS VALUE.
EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IS IMPORTANT, AND EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD FEEL SAFE IN TERMS OF THE CLEARANCE RATE.
UH, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, A FEW YEARS AGO, OUR CLEARANCE RATE WAS, UM, 50% OR LESS.
BUT EVERY, EVERY MORNING, I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, EVERY SINGLE, I ASKED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SEND ME THE NUMBERS EVERY SINGLE MORNING.
AND THIS MORNING, THE CLEARANCE RATE ON HOMICIDES IS 82% ON CLEARANCE RATE.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT POSITIONS.
I'M PROUD OF THE POLICE CHIEFS THAT WE HAVE.
SO STAND UP CHIEF, CHIEF TROY FINNER.
WHEN WE WERE LOOKING FOR A POLICE CHIEF, WHEN I NEEDED A POLICE CHIEF, RARE, DO YOU HAVE COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS WHO WILL CALL YOU UP AND SAY, MAYOR, WE RECOMMEND THIS GUY.
AND I HAD THE UNION AND POLICE OFFICERS CALLING ME UP AND SAID, MAYOR, WE RECOMMEND THIS GUY.
I SAID, I GOT MY COMMUNITY ACTIVIST, AND I GOT THE POLICE OFFICERS SAYING THIS GUY.
AND THEN THE MINISTERS, OF COURSE STARTED CALLING.
BUT SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE PEOPLE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, SOMEONE WHO CALLS IT STRAIGHT.
SO LEADERSHIP, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP.
NOW, WHEN THERE'S A POLICE SHOOTING, MAYORS HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT.
WHEN THERE'S A SHOOTING, UM, ON ONE ANOTHER, MAYORS HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT.
WE ARE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE EQUATION.
AND CITIES HAVE TO DEAL WITH EVERYTHING.
SO WHEN THE STATE OF TEXAS PASSED POLICIES THAT SAY, UH, ANYBODY CAN HAVE A GUN, NO PERMITS, NO LICENSING, AND GUNS ARE EVERYWHERE, ALL OF THAT FLOWS DOWN TO CITIES.
AND WE ARE THE ONES AS MAYORS THAT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THOSE CRAZY IDIOTIC POLICIES.
IF YOU ARE MAKING THE MARKET ATTRACTIVE FOR GUNS AND MAKING GUNS AVAILABLE AND ACCESSIBLE, WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE GONNA DO WITH THEM WHEN THEY GET THEM? AND, BUT IT'S UP TO US TO DEAL WITH IT.
SO WHAT WE DID IS THAT IT DOES REQUIRE A HOLISTIC STRATEGY, BECAUSE AS A SOCIETY, WE HAVE CALLED ON THE POLICE LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND I THINK, UH, MAYOR JOHNSON, YOU MAY MENTION THEM.
THERE'S, WE CALL ON POLICE TO DO EVERYTHING.
AND THEY CANNOT DO EVERYTHING.
AND WE SOMETIMES DIRECT OUR RESOURCES AND INVESTMENTS JUST IN POLICE.
SO WE PUT TOGETHER THIS ONE SAFE HOUSTON STRATEGY, HOLISTIC.
WE ARE PROVIDING THE SUPPORT TO POLICE THAT THEY NEED.
WE WANT THEM, I WANT THEM TO, TO GO TO WORK, AND I WANT THEM TO GO HOME SAFELY.
AND SO WE PROVIDE THEM WITH THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED.
WE'RE ALSO INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY.
OUR REENTRY PROGRAM, WE HAVE 12 TO 13,000 PEOPLE YEARLY THAT ARE COMING OUT OF OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM STATE, COMING BACK INTO HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY.
SO WE PUT TOGETHER A REENTRY PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY NEED JOBS AND THEY NEED HOUSING.
AND IF YOU DON'T PROVIDE THOSE THINGS FOR THEM, THEY'RE GONNA END UP ON YOUR STREET.
WE, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
SO WE ARE INVESTING IN CRISIS INTERVENTION, SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
WE NEED A LOT MORE SUPPORT FROM THE FEDS AND THE STATE WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, UH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, CITIES ARE HAVING TO DO IT ON THEIR OWN.
[00:50:02]
WE ARE INVESTING A LOT MORE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BECAUSE A LOT OF THE CRIMES ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THE WALLS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE.AND I DON'T CARE HOW MANY POLICE OFFICERS YOU HAVE, THESE CRIMES ARE HAPPENING INSIDE PEOPLE'S HOMES.
BUT WE ARE INVESTING TO GIVE FAMILIES, TO GIVE WOMEN AND OTHERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN A SAFER ENVIRONMENT.
SO WE ARE DOING THAT ON THE COMMUNITY ASPECT.
WE ARE WORKING WITH COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS, GETTING THEM ENGAGED, GETTING THEM INVOLVED, PROVIDING RESOURCES THERE.
AND WE ARE FOCUSING ON THIS YOUNG POPULATION BETWEEN 16 AND 24.
RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'S THE GROUP.
WHEN, WHEN I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, IT'S THAT, THAT GROUP THAT IS DRIVING OUR NUMBERS, AND WE ARE FINDING WAYS TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS, 16 TO 24.
AND IN LARGE PART, THEY ARE BLACK AND BROWN.
AND SO WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO REACH THEM.
AND THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR YOUNG FOLK, THIS YOUNG POPULATION, TO SEE PEOPLE LIKE MAYOR ERIC ADAMS AND KAREN BASS, AND BRANDON JOHNSON AND MARK YOU, BECAUSE OUR KIDS CANNOT BE WHAT THEY CANNOT SEE.
AND, AND THAT'S WHY I TRY TO CONTINUE TO SAY TO THE MEDIA AND OTHER FOLK, IF YOU WANT A SAFE CITY, TELL THE GOOD STUFF.
BECAUSE IF YOU ARE CONSTANTLY FEEDING INTO THE MINDS OF OUR KIDS THAT THEY CANNOT SECEDE, THAT THEY ARE PREDATORS, THAT THEY ARE NO GOOD, THEN YOU ARE WORKING AGAINST WHAT WE ARE NEEDING TO ACHIEVE.
SO IT TAKES ALL OF THAT AND SO MUCH MORE, BUT IT REQUIRES A HOLISTIC STRATEGY.
I WOULD SAY IN ALL OF OUR CITIES, HOMICIDE RATES ARE DOWN, DESPITE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WHAT THEY'RE HEARING.
BUT I DO RECOGNIZE WE CAN SPIT OUT THE NUMBERS, AND IF PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE, THEN THEY'RE NOT SAFE.
AND AS LONG AS THERE'S ONE PERSON BEING KILLED, OR ONE PERSON BEEN ASSAULTED, OR ONE CAR BEING BROKEN IN, IT'S ONE TOO MANY MM-HMM
SO WE ARE INVESTED IN POLICE, THIS WHOLE STORY ABOUT CITIES NOT SUPPORTING POLICE.
BUT YES, CITIES ARE SUPPORTING POLICE, MAYORS ARE SUPPORTING POLICE.
WE WANT THE POLICE TO HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO SOLVE THE CRIMES, BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE TO INVEST IN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERSERVED FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
LASTLY, AND I'LL BE THROUGH WITH THIS STATE TOOK OVER THE LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HIHD.
THEY PUT IN PLACE A SUPERINTENDENT AND A BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THEIR CHOOSING.
THE SUPERINTENDENT JUST ANNOUNCED FOR THESE SCHOOLS, ABOUT 29 OF THEM, IN PRIMARILY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR FOR KIDS WHO HAVE, WHO ARE, WHO ARE DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS. HIS PLAN IS WE'RE GONNA CLOSE DOWN THE LIBRARIES AND TAKE THAT SPACE.
AND SET IT UP FOR DISCIPLINARY CENTERS FOR THOSE KIDS.
AND WHAT I SAID NOW, NOW YOU SAY, NOT WANTING TO BE THE ANGRY BLACK MAN
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SAYING TO THESE KIDS? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SAYING? SO EVERY TIME THESE KIDS IN THE FUTURE GO, WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT LIBRARIES, WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GONNA ASSOCIATE A LIBRARY WITH DISCIPLINARY CENTERS? AND YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU GONNA CLOSE DOWN THE LIBRARIES IN THESE COMMUNITIES, AND I CAN DRIVE A FEW MILES AWAY.
AND IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, THEY HAVE FULLY LIBRARY FUNCTIONAL LIBRARIES, AND YOU WANT A SAFE CITY.
MAYOR, MAYOR, MAYOR TURNER, UH, I SAW YOU ON TELEVISION, I GUESS YESTERDAY, UH, SPEAKING OUT ON THIS.
AND ONE OF THE UNIQUE ELEMENTS OF BEING IN THE SOUTH, UH, AND THIS IS NOT, UH, SOMETHING THAT WOULD LIKELY HAPPEN IN NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA, OR ILLINOIS BECAUSE OF THE LEGISLATURE.
BLACK MAYORS IN THE SOUTH HAVE FACED FOR DECADES, USURPATION OF POWER GOING BACK TO THE
[00:55:01]
1970S, UH, AND THE EARLY 1980S WITH PEOPLE LIKE MAYNARD JACKSON, MY LATE FATHER, THERE WERE LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO HIJACK CONTROL OF THEIR AIRPORTS.THE DRIVING FORCE WAS BECAUSE THESE AIRPORTS WERE MAKING PROGRESS IN CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINORITY BUSINESSES IN, UH, HOUSTON.
THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS IN EFFECT, HIJACKED AND DONE A HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UH, IN PLACES LIKE KANSAS CITY AND ST.
LOUIS IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.
UH, THE STATE LEGISLATURES HAVE HIJACKED IN JACKSON, THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM, UH, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM.
SO THE USURPATION OF POWER DIRECTED AT BLACK CONTROL, UH, THAT COMES FROM VOTING AND DEMOCRACY.
SO THESE ARE ATTACKS ON DEMOCRACY.
SO MAYOR, WE WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT WE ARE WITH YOU 100% MAYOR JOHNSON SAFETY AND JUSTICE.
SO IT'S A, IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS TOP OF MIND FOR ALL OF US.
AND LET ME JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, TO MAYOR BASS, THANK YOU FOR JUST HIGHLIGHTING THE, THE HISTORY OF THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT IN PARTICULAR.
I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, UM, WHEN RODNEY KE WAS BEATEN.
THIS WAS NOT A DIG ON EVERYONE ELSE ON THE STAGE, BUT I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL IN THE NINETIES JUST SAYING
THAT'S, THAT'S, WE WERE ALL IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,
AND BY THE WAY, SINCE I AM GENERATION X, LEMME JUST SEND A SHOUT OUT TO GENERATION X, THE LAST OBEDIENT GENERATION ON THE PLANET, YOU KNOW, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GREW UP IN THAT ERA, AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE NINETIES, IN CHICAGO, I MEAN, THERE WERE ALMOST 1000 MURDERS A YEAR.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS NOT NEW.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT EVERYONE HAS SAID ON THIS STAGE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAS TREMENDOUS MERIT THAT IT IS GONNA REQUIRE A LAYERED APPROACH.
IT'S, UM, IT'S GONNA REQUIRE ALL OF US THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE BETTER, STRONGER, SAFER CITIES, UM, WE HAVE TO INVEST IN PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, YOU ALREADY KNOW, I KNOW WE ONLY HAVE A FEW MORE MOMENTS HERE, BUT, UH, MY FATHER RAISED ME WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOUR HEART AND TREASURE HAVE TO BE ALIGNED.
THAT WHEN YOU REALLY LOVE PEOPLE, YOU INVEST IN THEM.
AND YOU KNOW, REVEREND AL SHARPTON, SINCE HE BROUGHT UP THE GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA, AND I'M A SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER, I WOULD NOT BE OUTDONE.
ALL RIGHT? SO IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN THE GREAT SOCIETY WAS BEING PUSHED, AND PRESIDENT JOHNSON UNDERSTOOD THROUGH ALL OF OUR COLLECTIVE WORK THAT WE HAVE TO GET AT THE ROOT CAUSES, THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT ON THE FRONT LINES, OF COURSE, BUT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH POVERTY.
AND THE GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA, WALLACE SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT JOHNSON BELIEVES THAT BECAUSE SOMEONE AT 10 YEARS OLD IS COMMITTING A CRIME, THAT IT MEANS THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH WATERMELON TO EAT.
I MEAN, I, THAT'S
AND SO, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE PRESS CORPS, IT'S NOT LIKE WHITE SUPREMACY WAS BIRTHED, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? DURING, UH, TRUMP'S REIGN, RIGHT? RIGHT.
SO THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN THIS BATTLE OR FIGHT AGAINST LIBERATION, PARTICULARLY FOR BLACK FOLKS, BECAUSE THE POWER STRUCTURE UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKS, BECAUSE THEY WANT IT FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES.
RIGHT? AND SO, AS WE PUSH FOR THIS GREAT SOCIETY, I BELIEVE UNEMPLOYMENT AMONGST WHITE MEN WAS 30%.
OUR COUNTRY CALLED IT A NATIONAL CRISIS.
THEY SAID IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA TO HAVE THAT MANY WHITE MEN UNEMPLOYED.
AND WHEN YOU COME THROUGH OUR CITIES AND YOU SEE THE STRUGGLES AND CHALLENGES THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING, WE HAVE STUFF TO DIG, THINGS TO BUILD AND LIVES TO SAVE.
WHITE MEN GOT SHOVELS BEFORE THERE WERE THINGS TO DIG.
THEY CAME WITH, WITH EVERY SINGLE GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.
NO ONE CALLED IT ENTITLEMENT
NO ONE TALKED ABOUT BOOTSTRAPS OR STRINGS OR PULLING YOURSELF UP.
AND SO HAVING A LAYERED APPROACH WHERE ONE, UM, WE'RE MOVING ON SOMETHING CALLED TREATMENT, NOT TRAUMA.
40% OF THE 9 1 1 CALLS THAT COME THROUGH ARE MENTAL HEALTH CRISES.
YOU HAVE POLICE OFFICERS THAT ARE BEING CALLED TO PEOPLE'S HOMES BECAUSE THEIR 6-YEAR-OLD DOESN'T WANNA GO TO PRESCHOOL WHEN THEY LOCKED THEMSELVES IN THE ROOM.
WE'RE ASKING TOO MUCH FROM A LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO, INVESTING IN PEOPLE DOUBLING THE AMOUNT OF YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WE HIRE, I'VE MADE A COMMITMENT
[01:00:01]
TO PROMOTING 200 MORE DETECTIVES TO DEAL WITH THE CLEARANCE RATE.BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE TO HAVE A COLLECTIVE RESPONSE TO WHAT WE KNOW WORKS.
AND IF WE'RE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT PULLING PEOPLE UP OUT OF ISOLATION AND POVERTY, IF WE'RE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT THAT, THEN WE'RE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT BUILDING BETTER, STRONGER, SAFER CITIES.
AND SO WE'RE ALL COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT OUR TREASURES AND OUR HEART ARE ALIGNED TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO AND ALL OF OUR RESPECTIVE CITIES.
LET'S GIVE THESE MAYORS A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
I'M GONNA, I'M ABOUT TO CLOSE IN A COUPLE OF QUICK THINGS.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT MINORITY BUSINESS, BLACK BUSINESS GROWTH AND PARTICIPATION.
UH, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS, UH, MADE THESE EXTRAORDINARY COMMITMENTS.
CONGRESS HAS PASSED TO INFRASTRUCTURE.
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF THE MONEY WILL COME TO STATES OR AIRPORTS OR WATER SYSTEMS, UH, STATE DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION, AND IN SOME INSTANCES THE LOCAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS.
UH, AND THEREFORE THERE'S THIS INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY FOR THERE TO BE INCLUSIVENESS.
AND I KNOW MAYOR ADAMS, 'CAUSE WE WORKED WITH YOUR TEAM ON, UH, YOUR EFFORTS AT THE NEW YORK LEGISLATURE RECENTLY TO, UH, ADDRESS SOME OF THE SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION.
HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO YOUR AGENDA? UH, SO, SO IMPORTANT.
AS I STATED, WE HAVE 106, UH, OVER $106 BILLION BUDGET, UH, OVER, UH, 302,000 EMPLOYEES.
UH, OUR PROCUREMENT FOR GOODS AND SERVICES, IT'S, UH, OVER $20 BILLION.
AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT THE KEY TO PROPER CITIES, UH, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT YOUR AGENCIES, HOW ARE YOUR AGENCIES SPENDING IT? AND IF YOU DON'T TAKE CONTROL AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A REAL PLAN OF MWBE AND AND ENSURING THAT THEY ARE BEING ACTIVELY RECRUITING AND IDENTIFYING PATHWAYS OF GOING FROM BEING SUBPRIMES TO PRIMES.
WE WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DO TWO THINGS DURING OUR LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
HATS OFF TO A LEADER CALLED HASTY AND MAJORITY LEADER ANDREW STEWART COUSINS.
WE WERE ABLE TO, NUMBER ONE, GET LOCAL HIRING.
SO IF WE'RE USING GOVERNMENTAL DOLLARS TO DO THINGS, WE NEED TO HIRE LOCALLY BECAUSE COMMUNITIES SHOULD NOT WATCH BUILDINGS GO UP AND THEIR FUTURES GO DOWN.
WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO INCREASE THE DISCRETIONARY AMOUNT THAT YOU CAN USE FOR DISCRETIONARY CONTRACTS TO A MILLION DOLLARS.
IT WAS A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE IT TO A MILLION DOLLARS BECAUSE OF OUR STATE LAWMAKERS.
BUT WE ALSO USING TECHNOLOGY NOW TO SEE WHAT OUR AGENCIES ARE DOING.
YOU CAN'T WAIT TILL THE END OF THE YEAR AND DO AN ANALYSIS OF HOW WELL YOU DID THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
WE ARE MONITORING IT NOW IN REAL TIME.
MY MOTHER USED TO SAY, IF YOU DON'T INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT, IT'S ALL SUSPECT.
WE GOTTA INSPECT IT RIGHT AWAY AND TELL THAT PERSON WHO IS NOT MEETING MY EXPECTATIONS.
YOU HAVE TO CORRECT YOUR ACTIONS AND COME UP WITH AN IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
YOU HAVE TO MOVE BUREAUCRACY OUT OF THE WAY.
IT IS TOO DAMN DIFFICULT TO DO BUSINESS IN MANY OF THESE CITIES BECAUSE WE CREATE THESE BUREAUCRATIC BARRIERS TO REALLY DEINCENTIVIZE THOSE WOMEN IN MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES.
FROM LEANING INTO HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY.
BUSINESSES ARE IMPORTANT AND WE ARE FOCUSING HEAVILY ON THAT.
UH, WELL I CERTAINLY AGREE WITH THAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES IN THE BUREAUCRACY, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND FASCINATING IS THAT A LOT OF THE BUREAUCRACY IS JUST MADE UP.
THERE'S NO PARTICULAR REASON FOR IT AT ALL, WHICH IS WHY IT'S BEEN KIND OF NICE NOT HAVING WORKED IN THE CITY.
SO I COME IN AND THE STUFF JUST LOOKS CRAZY TO ME.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING IS, IS THAT WE HAVE TO BE AGGRESSIVE IN TERMS OF NOT JUST TELLING SOMEBODY THE WEBSITE.
WE HAVE TO BRING OUR BUSINESSES IN.
AND FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS MEETING WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT WANNA HAVE CONTRACTS AROUND HOMELESSNESS.
WE CREATE PROGRAMS, BUT WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATION, THE FINANCES, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
SO WHAT I'M DOING NOW IS LOOKING FOR SOME PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS TO DO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SO THAT OUR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS FOR-PROFIT AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT WILL BE READY TO CONTRACT WITH THE CITY.
WE DO BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF, OF BUSINESS
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IN, IN PROCUREMENT.AND A LOT OF IT IS NOT JUST WITH PEOPLE FROM LOS ANGELES, IT'S WITH PEOPLE OUT OF CALIFORNIA.
AND SO I THINK THAT IT IS CRITICAL, THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM IN LA IS PROFOUND INCOME INEQUALITY.
THE WORST MANIFESTATION IS HOMELESSNESS.
WHAT'S THE ANSWER FOR INCOME INEQUALITY? RAISE PEOPLE'S INCOMES, WHETHER IT'S SALARIES OR WHETHER IT'S BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.
MAYOR TURNER, WE HAVE A VERY, UH, ACTIVE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, OBO, AND WE ARE VERY, VERY LASER FOCUSED WHEN IT COMES TO M-W-S-B-E PARTICIPATION.
UH, WHEN I CAME INTO OFFICE, UH, WE HAD ABOUT 2,500 CERTIFIED FIRMS. UH, AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE DOUBLED THAT.
IT'S ABOUT 5,100, UH, CERTIFIED FIRMS. UH, I WILL TELL YOU, WE HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PRIMES, PEOPLE WHO WERE SUBS, BUT NOW HAVE BEEN MOVED UP TO PRIME.
UNDER THIS, MY ADMINISTRATION, UH, WE HAVE AWARDED IN DOLLARS AND CENTS, UH, MORE MONEY TO MW SBS THAN IN THE HISTORY OF THIS CITY.
UH, AND WHEN YOU DRILL DOWN, WHEN YOU DRILL DOWN SPECIFICALLY, UH, TO BUSINESS BLACK BUSINESSES, UM, THEY HAVE RECEIVED MORE CONTRACTS IN DOLLARS AND CENTS THAN ANY TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THIS CITY.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO SUBS, UH, THE AVERAGE PARTICIPATION FOR MWBS BS IS ABOUT 29%.
THREE CATEGORIES, CON CONSTRUCTION, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, GOODS, AND SERVICES ACROSS THE BOARD, THE AVERAGE PERCENT IS ABOUT 29%.
WHEN YOU GO, FOR EXAMPLE, TO HOBBY AIRPORT, UH, ONE OF THE, UH, 16 FIVE STAR AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD, UH, THAT AIRPORT, THE CONCESSIONS, UH, NOW THE MWB, UH, BE PARTICIPATION IS ABOUT 80%.
UH, WHEN YOU, SO, WHEN YOU GO TO, SO WHEN YOU GO TO HOBBY, MAKE SURE YOU STOP BUY UNTIL YOU DROP BECAUSE YOU ARE BENEFITING MW SBS.
UH, IF YOU DON'T, THEN YOU'RE HURTING EVEN YOUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE YOU, AND THEN YOU SCALE UP.
EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY BENEFITS MAYOR JOHNSON.
THIS IS THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY THAT I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE IN THIS MOMENT WITH ONE OF THE, AGAIN, LARGER ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD.
AND AS HAS ALREADY BEEN ARTICULATED, OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS, UM, IS, IS ARDUOUS.
UH, MAYOR BASS, THIS IS NOT POLICY.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S JUST KIND OF A PROCEDURAL, YOU KNOW, DYNAMIC THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR OUR PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THE WEALTH OF, OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.
NOW, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THIS, THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A DEPUTY MAYOR THAT'S DEDICATED TO THIS PARTICULAR DYNAMIC NEIGHBORHOOD AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THE WEST AND SOUTH SIDES OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED, UH, A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DISINVESTMENT.
I LIVE IN AUSTIN ON THE WEST SIDE, LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF BLACK FOLKS IN ONE SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD, ARGUABLY OF THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, AND SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN CLOSED.
UM, FACILITIES HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN.
WE JUST HAD A DOWNPOUR OF RAIN.
SO WE EXPERIENCED A GREAT DEAL OF FLOOD.
YOU KNOW, WE GOT SMOKE COMING IN FROM CANADA.
UH, MY WIFE SAID, IF THE LOCUST COME, BROTHER, YOU BETTER REPENT
EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL YOU BECAME MAYOR
THE LAST THING THAT I'LL SAY IS THIS.
I DON'T MEAN TO TRIGGER ANYONE ON THIS STAGE, BUT THE DNC IS IN CHICAGO
AND THIS IS A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS WE BUILD UP THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO CREATE THESE TYPE OF INVESTMENTS FOR OUR PEOPLE.
UM, I BELIEVE THERE'S MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE.
AND SO, AS WE MAKE SURE THAT BLACK BUSINESSES IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO EXPERIENCE THE WEALTH OF THE CITY AND WHAT THE DNC WILL BRING, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE SOME WITH MY OTHER MAYORS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY.
LET'S GIVE THESE MAYORS A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
BEFORE WE WRAP, LET ME, UH, OFFER THANKS TO, UH, MAYOR ADAMS, WHERE, UH, WE HAVE THE NEW YORK URBAN LEAGUE LED BY ARVA RICE.
IT'S BEEN A GREAT PARTNER OF THE NEW YORK URBAN LEAGUES, ARVA IN THE AUDIENCE THIS MORNING.
I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S HERE, ANY MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK URBAN LEAGUE.
UH, OUR CEO MICHAEL LAWSON, STAND UP.
MICHAEL, UH, RETIRING, CEO IN LOS ANGELES.
AND OF COURSE HERE IN HOUSTON WHERE JUDSON ROBINSON HAS WORKED SO CLOSELY, UH, WITH, UH, UH, MAYOR TURNER AND KAREN FREEMAN WILSON IN THE LEGENDARY CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE WORKING WITH MAYOR JOHNSON.
SO WE WANNA AFFIRM THIS WORKING RELATIONSHIP THAT URBAN LEAGUE AFFILIATES HAVE, NOT ONLY WITH THESE FOUR MAYORS, BUT WE SEEK ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
SO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, MAYOR
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KAREN BASS, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON.