* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. SO EXCITED [00:00:01] TO CALL THIS [Community Multicultural Commission on August 19, 2021.] MEETING OF THE GARLON COMMUNITY MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION TO ORDER AT 600 2:00 PM. WELCOME EVERYBODY AND HELLO, AND FIRST, MOST WELCOME FIRST TO OUR NEW MEMBERS, ISAAC AND ISAAC PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME FOR ME. SO I GET IT CORRECTLY. IS IT A BU OR ISAAC ABU? AND TIFFANY IS TIFFANY LAMB. HELLO? HELLO AND WELCOME. WE ARE SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME TO BE PART OF THIS IMPORTANT WORK. UM, I AM KIMBERLYN BANKS AND I AM JUST CLOSING IN ON THE END OF MY VERY FIRST YEAR AS AN UNEXPECTED CHAIR. THE COMMISSION DON'T SAY THAT MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY. NO, DON'T FEEL GUILTY. IT, IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE, BUT IT HAS BEEN A REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING YEAR. AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL, AS I SAID IN THE BEGINNING TO COURTNEY, WHEN WE WERE JUST CHATTING, WE MAY NOT ALL BE IN THE SAME BOAT, BUT WE'RE IN THE SAME STORM. COVID HAS, HAS MADE IT MUCH MORE CHALLENGING TO DO THE WORK THAT WE SO WANT TO DO. UM, I WOULD LIKE IF YOU ALL WILL INDULGE ME FOR JUST A MINUTE TO DO SOME SHORT INTRODUCTIONS, BECAUSE OUR NEW MEMBERS, WE WANT TO KNOW YOU, BUT WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW US. SO I WILL START WITH JENNIFER. I'M GOING TO GO ON THE ORDER OF PEOPLE ON MY SCREEN. AND IF YOU WOULD JUST SAY WHO YOU ARE, HOW LONG YOU HAVE SERVED ON THE MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION AND WHY YOU JOINED AND LET'S DO IT AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. UM, JUST SO THAT WE CAN ALL SHARE JENNIFER, WOULD YOU BEGIN PLEASE? YEAH. I'M JONATHAN. WELL, I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE. I HAVE BEEN SOLVING THE CMC SAY THIS IS MY 14 YEARS AND I'M GETTING, I'M GETTING MY, UH, RESIGNATION GRANTEES REALLY SOON THIS COMMUNITY AND YOU WILL BE LOVING IT AS WELL AS I DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, JENNIFER. I THINK WERE YOU ON THE FIRST YEAR? YES MA'AM. OKAY. SO, SO SINCE IT HAS BEEN THE CMC, JENNIFER HAS BEEN A CMC MEMBER. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT SERVICE. YES. MY NAME IS . I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMITTEE FOR ONE YEAR NOW AND I'M IN, UH, I WANT TO SAY VJ IS DISTRICT FOUR. UH, BJ IS A LONGTIME FRIEND. HE'S SOMEONE THAT I WORKED WITH ON THE, UM, HE APPOINTED ME TO THE LIBRARY BOARD AND I'M ALSO A PART OF THE ADULT BRANCH FOR THE NAACP IN GARLAND. AND MY CHILDREN ARE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE YOUTH COUNCIL AND GARLAND. SO WHEN I WAS A VERY ACTIVE PERSON IN A YEAR HOUSE, ALL RIGHT, LIZ, THANK YOU, KRISHA. HEY, LIZ HARLING. I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE, BUT I'M SERVING FOR DISTRICT SEVEN. I'VE BEEN ON THE CMC FOR A YEAR NOW. AND, UM, IT'S REALLY MY FIRST INVOLVEMENT IN GARLAND. UM, TO ANY DEGREE SINCE WHEN MY KIDS WERE IN SCHOOL, THEY WERE RICHARDSON SCHOOLS AND THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHERE MY ATTENTION WAS AT THE TIME. SO I'M GLAD TO BE BACK IN GARLAND. THANK YOU, LIZ. WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE BACK IN GARLAND, ELVIA, NO FLORES. I'M IN DISTRICT EIGHT, APPOINTED BY OUR MAYOR. UM, I'VE BEEN ARRESTED IN OF GARLAND FOR 48 YEARS. I'VE BEEN VERY INVOLVED WITH THE CITY AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND I REALLY WANTED TO JOIN THE MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I MAY BE. I COULD PUT A, HAVE AN INPUT IN. THANK YOU. ALVIA WE KNOW THAT'S THE TRUTH. TWO CHILDS. I'M CHARLES PIGOTT. I HAVE LIVED IN GARLAND RIGHT AT 50 YEARS AND, UH, I WORKED IN RICHARDSON FOR 43 YEARS. I'M SEMI-RETIRED I DO A PART-TIME CONSULTING NOW AND I'VE BEEN A MEMBER ON THE CMC FOR, IT SEEMS FOREVER, BUT NOT, NOT THE SAME FOREVER THAT JENNIFER HAS THAT CAME ON. I'M THINKING AROUND 2015 MAYBE, AND HAVE BEEN ON SINCE THEN AND HAVE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT. WELL, THANK YOU, CHARLES. AND WE THOROUGHLY ENJOY HAVING YOU. SO, YOU KNOW, I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE LONG-TERM AND THE NEW AND I AM NEW. SO WHEN I SAY UNEXPECTED CHAIR, MY NAME IS KIMBERLY BANKS. I JOINED THE CMC IN MARCH OF 2020, AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, NO IT'S MARCH OF 2019. WAS THAT RIGHT? I DON'T KNOW. IT'S [00:05:02] 2019. OKAY. IT'S A LITTLE OVER A YEAR. IT WAS WONDERFUL TO COME INTO A GROUP WHERE WE HAD BOTH TENURED PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WHO WERE NEW AND BRINGING NEW ENERGY AND WANTING TO DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY. WELCOME. JUSTINO WE'RE JUST DOING INTRODUCTIONS, ISAAC. YES. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS ISAAC ABU. I'VE BEEN LIVING IN GARLAND FOR 20 YEARS NOW AND, UH, ORIGINALLY FROM GHANA, BUT I, UH, THIS WILL BE MY VERY FIRST TIME 70 C IS SERVING THE GALLON COMMUNITY AND I CAN'T WAIT TO GET THEM STARTED. AWESOME. ISAAC, THANK YOU FOR JOINING. WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU, AND WE HOPE THAT THIS FIRST EXPERIENCE WILL LEAD TO A LONG LIFE OF ENGAGEMENT HERE. HI, UM, MY NAME IS TIFFANY. UH, I'M VERY NEW TO THIS COUNCIL AND I'M VERY EXCITED. IT'S A PLEASURE IS MY PLEASURE TO BE ON THE BAR. AND, UM, I'M SO EXCITED TO GET STARTED. I'M HERE TO LEARN AND TO CONTRIBUTE ALL MY TIME, JUST TO HELP. I HOPE THAT I CAN DO SOMETHING TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYBODY. TIFFANY, WE ARE SO THRILLED TO HAVE YOU THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. AND I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE A WONDERFUL CONTRIBUTION. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US AND JUST STENA. AM I PRONOUNCING THAT CORRECTLY? DOES DINA, WOULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND WELCOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, YEAH, I WAS A, UM, I WAS JUST VIEWING YOU GUYS AND I WAS LIKE, I THOUGHT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON HERE, BUT YES, MY NAME IS CHRISTINA JAMES. UM, I'M AN LMSW I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND, UM, SINCE LIKE 2011. UM, AND I WAS IN MOSQUITO PRIOR TO THAT. UM, I HAVE BEEN A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER FOR A WHILE A YEAR, UM, IN GARLAND ISD. AND NOW, UM, I CURRENTLY WORK AS A SITE COORDINATOR FOR COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS, UM, IN GREENVILLE ISD. SO IT'S THE OTHER GIS TEAM, BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, SO I AM REALLY EXCITED AND HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS COUNCIL. AND I CAN'T SEE, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHERE, UM, THESE MEETINGS TAKE US AND HOW WE CAN GET OUR COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. SO, YAY. I'M SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU TOO. BOY, WE JUST GOT A LOT MORE INTERESTING AND A LOT DEEPER AND BROADER IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE CAN TOUCH AND SERVE. AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF OUR MISSION. LET'S MOVE TO OUR AGENDA, WELCOME NEW MEMBERS. WE HAVE ONE MORE NEW MEMBER WHO WILL BE JOINING NEXT MONTH AND HIS NAME IS NARROW BULLET AND I'M THE AMBULANCE GOING TO PRONOUNCE IT? CAUSE I'M BALANCED HERE BALANCED, OKAY. MERRILL WILL BE JOINING US IN SEPTEMBER. SO WE WILL BE AT, I THINK ALMOST WITH JUST ONE OPEN POSITION, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING. SO, UM, DID EVERYONE HAVE A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES FROM THE MAIN MEETING, WHICH WAS THE LAST MEETING WE HAD? I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE OR AMEND MOVE FOR THE APPROVAL FROM THE MINUTES. SECOND. THANK YOU. OKAY. ON TO ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. SO I THINK WE SHOULD TABLE THE BYLAWS UNTIL ALL OF THE NEW MEMBERS HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THEM AS WELL. UM, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE SHARE THAT LINK SO THAT EVERYONE CAN DO THAT AFTER THIS MEETING. IS THAT OKAY WITH EVERYONE? YEAH. OKAY. COLLATERAL TRANSLATION MATERIALS. THIS WAS AN ITEM THAT STEPHANIE RAISED AND RENEE WAS FUNDED THAT WE HAD TRANSLATORS FOR, I THINK SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE. WAS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THAT ONE, JENNIFER? UM, YES, WE, WE DO HAVE, WE USE A TRANSLATOR FOR THE VIETNAMESE MOST OF THE TIME, 99.9%. I ASKED RELAY TO REVEAL TO MAKE SURE IT'S APPROPRIATE TO BE RELEASED BECAUSE IN WRITING AND SPEAKING TO DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT WAYS. SO I DO NOT MIND TO KEEP ON DOING THAT. AND NOW WE HAVE TIFFANY LAM. SHE CAN HELP WITH THAT AS WELL. SO, SO I KNOW THERE ARE OTHER MANY, MANY OTHER LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN GARLAND AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT OTHER LANGUAGES WE THINK IT WOULD [00:10:01] BE WELL HOW TO PRIORITIZE OTHER ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES. BUT I THINK AS A MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION, WE REALLY NEED TO BE LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE FINDING WAYS TO COMMUNICATE WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES THAT ARE WITHIN OUR CITY. SO, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONSIDER THE FACT THAT YES, ABSOLUTELY SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE ARE HUGE PRIORITIES BECAUSE OF THE MAKEUP, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE CITY THAN THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE CITY DO. CORRECT. CLEARLY, YOU KNOW, THAT THOSE ARE HIGH AREAS, BUT I THINK WE OUGHT TO ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE REST OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO PRIORITIZE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES AND WHAT RESOURCES WE SHOULD INVEST. THOUGHTS. JUST A POINT THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST MADAM CHAIR, THAT, UM, UH, NCFL IS HAVING A WEBINAR NEXT FRIDAY ABOUT LANGUAGE JUSTICE AND HOW TO CONDUCT MEETINGS WITH LANGUAGE JUSTICE AND, UM, AND PROVIDING FOR, UM, EVERYONE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THEIR HEART. OH, THAT'S COOL. SO I CAN FORWARD THAT INFORMATION, PLEASE DO LIVE. THAT'S AWESOME BECAUSE THERE IS. SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING ARE NOT JUST PASSIONS OF MY, PART OF MY WORK AS WELL. AND LANGUAGE IS ONE OF THOSE EQUITY POINTS THAT I'VE BEEN PEOPLE DON'T OFTEN REALIZE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND OR TO COMMUNICATE, YOU ARE NOT BEING SERVED. THANK YOU SHIFT. PLEASE DO SHARE THAT THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION REQUEST FOR CMC MEMBERS TO BE AMBASSADORS. THIS REQUEST CAME IN AND I JUST PUT ON THE PAGE, OH, SPEAKING OF WHICH IN THE EMAIL THAT I SENT WELCOMING THE NEW MEMBERS, I INCLUDED THE LINK TO THE REAL CMC FACEBOOK PAGE, WHICH IS A PRIVATE PAGE FOR COMMUNICATION AMONGST THE US. WE ONLY HAVE FIVE MEMBERS SO FAR, BUT IF YOU WILL REQUEST TO JOIN THE PAGE, I WILL LET YOU IN AND MAKE YOU AN EDITOR. YOU, I CAN ONLY INVITE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY MY FACEBOOK FRIENDS. AND THEN THIS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THIS PAGE FOR YOU TO BE MY FACEBOOK THREAD. IT IS WHAT IT IS, IS A PLACE FOR US TO COMMUNICATE AND SHARE THINGS AS WE ARE ON THE FLY. SO IF YOU WILL FOLLOW THAT LINK AND I CAN MAKE SURE IT'S IN THE MINUTES AS WELL TO JOIN THE PAGE I SHARED THE TWO FLYERS THAT THEY SENT OVER. ONE IS A FLYER AND ONE IS A POSTCARD. AND WHAT DOES DOWNTOWN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM THAT THEY'RE ASKING US TO PARTICIPATE IN IS A WAY TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, COMMUNITY THAT THE DOWNTOWN GARLAND BUSINESSES WILL BE REMAINING OPEN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION THAT IS GETTING READY TO BEGIN ON THE SQUARE. AND IT'S GOING TO BE HARD. IT'S GOING TO BE CHALLENGING TO NAVIGATE TO THIS WHERE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE TO IT FOR, I THINK ABOUT 18 MONTHS ONCE THE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS, BUT YOU CAN DRIVE NEARBY AND PARK AND THE RESTAURANTS, THE SHOPS AND EVERYTHING ELSE ARE GOING TO BE OPEN, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING SOME SPECIAL EVENTS AND TYPES OF THINGS THAT ARE PROMOTIONAL. WHAT THEY'RE ASKING US TO DO IS TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT. THE DOWNTOWN IS NOT CLOSED JUST BECAUSE IT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THE PROJECT TO RENOVATE THE SQUARE IS GOING TO BE FANTASTIC. IT'S SO COOL WHAT THE PLANS ARE, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME AND LIKE ALL CONSTRUCTION, IT'S GOING TO BE DISRUPTIVE. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS. BUT IF YOU ARE A DOWNTOWN AMBASSADOR, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH VISITORS, GET VOLUNTEER, PERKS, SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES. AND THERE IS A QR CODE THAT'S ON THE FLYER AND THE POSTCARDS THAT I SHARED, I CAN ALSO SHARE BY EMAIL, BUT I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD WAY FOR CMC TO BE OF USE THAT'S. WHEN DO, WHEN DO THEY MEET OR WHAT DO THEY DO OR WHAT IT SAYS? SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A MEETING THING. IT'LL BE A COMMUNICATION THING THAT THEY WILL BE SHARING BY EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA. AND THE CAMPAIGN WILL BEGIN IN JANUARY OF 2022. SO WE'RE JUST GETTING READY. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SIGNING PEOPLE UP AND GOING TO BEGIN THEIR COMMUNICATION. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK INITIALLY THE PLAN HAD BEEN TO DO SOME IN-PERSON MEETINGS ELVIA, BUT THE CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES ARE PROBABLY GOING TO CHANGE THAT. YOU KNOW, I FIRST SPOKE TO THEM BACK IN JULY AND THINGS WERE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PLAN YET. I JUST GOT THESE FLYERS YESTERDAY, PROSPECTIVE MEDIA PROJECTS FOR IN FISCAL YEAR 21, 22. SO THIS, UM, ITEM WAS ABOUT POTENTIALLY CREATING A COMMUNITY MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION VIDEO, UM, TELLING PEOPLE WHAT THE CMC IS, IS, IS HERE TO DO [00:15:01] AND GIVING PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH OUR WORK AND WORK THAT THEY THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING. WE DON'T HAVE A SCRIPT YET. WE DON'T HAVE A PLAN YET, BUT THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR US TO CONSIDER AND IT WOULD NEED TO BE REQUESTED IN THE BUDGET. SO RENE SUGGESTED THAT WE DISCUSSED THE POTENTIAL OF DOING SOMETHING. NOW, ONE THING I CAN SAY ABOUT PROJECTS THAT HAVE SPOTLIGHTED CMC MEMBERS, IS THERE THE FANTASTIC MAKE YOUR MARK VIDEO ABOUT OUR VERY OWN JENNIFER WINN? AND THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE ABOUT MINDY NE AND YOU KNOW, THEIR INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE SO TREMENDOUS. IF THERE IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT WE HAVE PRIORITIZED, AS FAR AS OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION WENT, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FRAME IT AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A FISCAL YEAR BUDGET. SO WE HAVE TIME, JENNIFER, I CAN SEE YOU THINKING THOUGHTS. THIS IS WONDERFUL PROJECT. I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD PARTICIPATE FOR DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION. I THINK THAT WITH MANY MORE MEMBER THAT WE CAN DO IT BECAUSE IN THE FUTURE, IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR TRADITION, THE MOSAIC FESTIVAL, REMEMBER THAT CHILD, THE LAST ONE WAS 2015. WE HAVE MORE VOLUNTEERS AND TALENT THEN AUDIENCE, YES. THINKING ABOUT 20, 23, WE MIGHT NEED NOW. YEAH, WE NEED THEM. SO THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO PARTICIPATE. THERE'S TWO WAY STREET. WE DO SOMETHING FOR THEM. AND THEN LATER ON, THEY WILL SUPPORT THE CMC. SO, UH, I'M IN FOR THAT. AND THEN FOR THE MEDIA PROJECT, MADAME CHAIR, AND ALL WE CAN DO OUR OWN VIDEO. UM, ELVIA, YOU'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR THE CENSUS 2020, RIGHT? YOU DO YOUR OWN VIDEO AND WE GOT THE SCRIPT. YOU CAN DO IT. AND WE CAN POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA. IT'S SO EASY PIECE OF CAKE. IF JENNIFER CAN DO IT, ANYONE CAN NOT TRUE, BUT WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT COACH WITH EXPERIENCE. LET'S SAY THEY VERY EASY. AND WE, WE CAN DO AS INDIVIDUAL ON ALL IN YOUR LANGUAGE AND YOUR NATIVE COSTUME. AND THEN WE CAN DO ONE DOWNTOWN GARLAND IN FRONT OF CITY HALL AS A GROUP. AND WE SURE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH A CAMERA, UM, RADIO PHOTOGRAPH. WELL, I THINK I SAY, WELL, JENNIFER, I, I, I ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH YOU. ANYONE ELSE THOUGHTS? OH, I, I AGREE. I THINK IT'D BE WONDERFUL. I DISAGREE WITH JENNIFER BEING HAZY THIS YEAR. I'VE BEEN ASKED TO DO SOME VIDEO THINGS OF MY RECOLLECTIONS OF MY PAST DAYS AS A EDUCATOR AND EVERYTHING FOR THE ASSOCIATION I WORK WITH AND IT WAS NOT EASY. THE SECOND ONE WAS THE EASIEST AND IT WAS BECAUSE THEY JUST LET ME TALK AND I RAMBLED ON FOR 15 OR 20 MINUTES, AND THEN THEY CUT IT DOWN TO TWO OR THREE MINUTES AND IT LOOKED LIKE I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, BUT AS LONG AS THEY'VE GOT A WONDERFUL EDITOR IS KEY EDITORS KEY, BUT I LOVE THE IDEA OF DOING SOME INDIVIDUAL THINGS IN LANGUAGES AND THEN COMING TOGETHER DOWNTOWN. UH, AND PLUS THAT WOULD HELP THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. IF WE DID IT, THEY POSTED THE SQUARE, DID A LITTLE PANNING AROUND, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, WE COULD GIVE THEM THEIR OWN COPY AND THE KEY MIGHT BE SOMETHING LIKE, UH, HEY, WE'RE HERE TO SERVE YOU TO ASSIST YOU. DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH. UM, AS IS THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS GROUP, PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN BETTER SERVE YOU, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, AND WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU. AND THAT'S GOOD. YEAH. I THINK IT COULD TOUCH A LOT OF POINTS FOR US AND IT'D BE A VERY GOOD TOOL. AND I THINK THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD APPRECIATE HAVING THAT IN THEIR TOOL BAG IF THEY NEEDED IT, EVERY ONE, SMALL VACANT JUST PULLED IT OUT AND SHARE IT WITH THE GROUP. UM, SO I I'M, I'M HEARING A LOT OF, OF, YES. IS THERE ANYONE WHO THINKS IT'S NOT A GREAT IDEA? OKAY. THEN I WANT, I THINK WE OUGHT TO DO. AND IF, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE CAN'T USE A WHOLE CMC MEETING FOR IT, BUT WE CAN FORM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE. THAT'S THE WHOLE CMC, THAT'S JUST WORKING ON THE VIDEO PROJECT AND SAY THAT THAT'S WHAT WE WILL MEET ABOUT. LET'S FIGURE [00:20:01] OUT SOME ADS, HOW SOME TIME TO START CONCEPTUALIZING THAT SO THAT WE CAN BRING THIS TO LIFE. I DO THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. I FULLY AGREE WITH CHARLES AND I AGREE WITH JENNIFER UP TO IT'S EASY. IT'S NOT EASY, BUT AS A MEDIA PERSONALITY, IT'S VERY EASY. YEAH. WELL, YEAH, SHE'S A TV STAR. SO SHE DOES. IT'S EASY WHEN YOU'RE JENNIFER. OKAY. OUR NEXT ITEM IS TO CONSIDER AN INVITATION TO OUR NEXT MEETING FOR COUNCIL MEMBER MOORE. AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER MOORE WAS ACTUALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE JULY MEETING, BUT WE DID NOT MAKE FORUM, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER WARD WAS GOING TO SPEAK ABOUT THE MOSAIC FESTIVAL, WHICH IS IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS SOMETHING WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT. SEVERAL PEOPLE HERE. JENNIFER WAS PART OF THE PLANNING OF THE ORIGINAL AND OTHERS HAVE BEEN AS WELL. I REMEMBER ATTENDING IT A COUPLE OF YEARS. UM, SO I THINK THAT IT WOULD PROBABLY BE GOOD TO INVITE COUNCILMAN MOORE MAYBE TO COME AND SPEAK TO US, UH, IN THE SEPTEMBER MEETING. OKAY. SO WE'LL DO THAT COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, UPDATES ON ORGANIZATIONS WE'RE WORKING WITH. OKAY. SO THESE WERE UPDATES FROM BACK. THESE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE, THIS IS THE JUNE AGENDA. AND AT THAT POINT, ELVIA, YOU HAD ATTENDED SOME, SOME THINGS AND LIZ HAD ATTENDED SOME THINGS AND MINDY HAD SOME THINGS AND JENNIFER HAD SOME THINGS AND AT THE SOCCER TOURNAMENT, ALL THAT WAS GOING FORWARD. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE GOING FORWARD PART, BUT YOU MAY WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAD. WELL, THE ONE THAT I WENT JUST RECENTLY WAS, UM, WHO NEEDLES OR NEEDLES. I DON'T KNOW IF ALL OF YOU KNOW OR NOT IT IS A, AN ORGANIZATION STOP. UM, MY OFFICER DAY, UM, IT'S, I THINK 21 YEARS AGO, I THINK IT IS. AND THEY INVITE HISPANIC PEOPLE TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY MEET, UM, QUARTERLY AND HAVE THINGS ABOUT THE CITY AND DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THE PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE FROM RECYCLING, FROM TRASH, FROM WHATEVER. UM, SO I ATTENDED, UH, I HAD ATTENDED ON AND OFF, BUT THEN I DECIDED SINCE I'M ON THIS COMMITTEE, I'M GOING TO ATTEND ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO I WENT AND I WAS INTRODUCED AND THEY WANT US TO DO A PRESENTATION OF WHO WE ARE. UM, AND WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSLATION, I'D LIKE TO HAVE SOME TRANSLATION PAPERS TO GO WITH IT. UM, BUT THEY TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, THIS, THIS PAST TIME IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE TICKETS, IF YOU DON'T PARK, RIGHT? THE, THE RULES THAT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, ON, ON THE LENS OF YOUR VEHICLES THAT ARE PARKED, THAT YOU CANNOT PARK ON THE, UH, YOU KNOW, ON THE GRASS AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. UM, AND THEY THEY'VE HAD FROM FUNERALS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RULES THAT YOU HAVE TO DO, YOU CAN'T JUST SAY, WELL, I WANT TO, YOU KNOW, SEND MY BODY TO VENEZUELA TOMORROW. WELL, YOU CAN'T DO THAT. IT'S GOING TO TAKE AT LEAST A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THAT KIND OF THING, THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE OF THE RECYCLING, WHICH IS A RECYCLING, WHICH IS NOT THE ANIMAL CONTROL. THEY'VE HAD THOSE PROGRAMS BEFORE PRESENTERS ELVIA. WAS IT HOSTED BY THE, WAS IT HOSTED BY THE CITY, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT. OKAY. AND SARAH AT THE, AT THE ASHLAND, UH, BUILDING OR, AND, UH, AND I'LL, I'LL SEND YOU THE CARD OF THE GENTLEMEN WITH A PHONE NUMBER THAT HE SAID, HE'D LOVE TO HAVE US COME AND SPEAK ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND THAT KIND OF THAT'S GREAT. AND THAT'S, THAT'S A RIGHT. THAT'S ONE OF OUR COMMUNITIES. AND THEY HAD ABOUT 50 PEOPLE. SO WAS A GOOD, A GOOD CROWD. OKAY. JENNIFER LONG LIST, A LONG LIST. I DON'T WANT TO GO OVER THAT BECAUSE I HAVE TO, BUT THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING BLOOD DRIVES, VACCINATION DRIVES A SOCCER TOURNAMENT AND OTHER THINGS WERE ALL SHARED BY EMAIL TODAY, TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IT HAS BEEN GOING ON. JENNIFER'S WORK WITH, UM, THE COMBINED WITH PARKS AND REC, UH, UH, VISIT GARLAND, UM, THE, THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY JUST IN, IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SHE'S BEEN DOING, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE MODELED IN EACH OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE ARE CONNECTED TO BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY A BLUEPRINT FOR WAYS THAT WE CAN HELP PEOPLE FEEL ENGAGED AND INCLUDED AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE'S GETTING THE INFORMATION. SO PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. LIZ, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING NOW? NO UPDATE BECAUSE THE SCHOOL'S JUST FIGHTING COVID AT THE MOMENT. I KNOW THAT FEELING WELL, SO, OKAY. WE CAN MOVE ON TO THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SURVEY. SO THIS ONE, [00:25:01] I SHARED A DRAFT. WE DID SOME UPDATES. I SHARED A DRAFT AGAIN, WE HAVE, SO IT WAS INTERESTING TO ME BECAUSE THE FEEDBACK, AND MAYBE I JUST WASN'T, MAYBE I WAS TOO CLOSE TO IT. THE FEEDBACK I RECEIVED WAS ABOUT ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS. I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, JUST CONSIDERING THE ACCESS THAT WE HAVE TO THE COMMUNITY. IF WE HAVE 10 OR 10 QUESTIONS OR LESS, WE'RE GOING TO KNOW 10 MORE THINGS OR NOT. WE HAVE NOT SURVEYED THE COMMUNITY AND THE CMC. AND WE KNOW WHAT OUR MISSION IS. AND I, YOU KNOW, MY EXPERIENCE, WHENEVER I TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT BEING ON THE COMMUNITY, MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION, THEY SAY TO ME, WHAT'S THAT WHICH TELLS ME THEY DON'T KNOW. SO I DO WANT OUR MISSION EVERYWHERE THAT WE DO THINGS AND THEY MAY NOT READ IT. AND I, I, I'M HAPPY TO TELL THEM, YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT EVERY I'VE NEVER MET SOMEONE WHO SAID, OH, GREAT, YOU'RE ON THE CMC. THEY SAY, WHAT'S THAT? SO, YOU KNOW, IN THE VIDEO, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE CG. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, WE READ IT OR WE SAY IT, BUT IT HAS TO BE THERE. AND IT'S ON, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS AND IT'S NOT A DIFFICULT MISSION. YOU KNOW, I BOIL IT DOWN AS IT'S TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CITIZEN FEELS WELCOME. THAT'S A SIMPLE ELEVATOR PITCH FOR A FEW SENTENCES THAT SAY, IT'S DOING THAT NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU'RE FROM, YOU FEEL WELCOME AND GUERLAIN. BUT THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE ASKING ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING. SO I ACTUALLY HAD SIX PEOPLE, COMPLETE IT AT THE SCHOOL THING THAT I WENT TO. I PRINTED THE THING THAT HAD THE QR CODE ON IT. AND I HAD SIX PEOPLE COMPLETED ON THEIR PHONES IN FRONT OF ME. NOW YOU WOULD THINK THAT I HAD THE RESULTS WITH ME AND I DON'T, BUT I WILL GO DOWNLOAD THEM AND EMAIL THEM TO YOU. I FORGOT ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS OVER A MONTH AGO, BUT IT DID ACTUALLY HAPPEN AND PEOPLE DO COMPLETE IT. AND I THINK THAT WHEREVER WE GO, WE JUST PRINT THAT THING AND PUT THE QR TERM, WE'LL GET SOME FEEDBACK. ALL IS WELCOME. YOU KNOW, WE ALL CAME TO THIS THE WAY THAT I THINK OTHERS WILL AS WELL. YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE THIS COMMUNITY MORE WELCOMING? WE ARE WELCOMING OURSELVES. WE'RE TRYING TO BE OUT AND SUPPORT OTHER ACTIVITIES. SO I'M HOPING THAT WE WILL HAVE SUCCESS, BUT I WILL ALSO SEND YOU ALL THE QR CODE. SO YOU CAN TAKE THE SERVICE AND MORE FEEDBACK IN SLACK EVENTS SUPPORT. SO THIS IS ONE WE WERE LOOKING AT GOING INTO THE SUMMER EVENTS. WE ACTUALLY HAVE DONE ALL OF THOSE. IF WE LOOK DOWN AT THE UPCOMING EVENTS, I THINK WE HAVE AGREED AS A GROUP. AND TELL ME IF I'M WRONG ALREADY, THAT WE WOULD SUPPORT THE FREEDOM FUND BRANCH. AND I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE. WHAT IS THE TASTE OF GARLAND? THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND THAT'S NORMALLY IN APRIL. OKAY. SO THERE'S SOMETHING THAT LABOR DAY, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT YOU THINKING OF LABOR DAY. ALL RIGHT. SEPTEMBER SIX COULD BE THEN ALSO FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT SAFETY FAST THIS YEAR, THEY CANCELED THAT SAVE. THAT WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING OF. BANKING. THEY ALREADY CANCELED IT. YEAH. SO SAD. YEAH. IT'S COVID YEAH. OUR COMMUNITY OF WHERE I LIVE IN THIS AREA, IT'S GOING TO BE 50 YEARS AND THERE'S A GROUP OF US THAT WE'RE THINKING OF DOING A, LIKE A CELEBRATION. AND I TALKED TO THE PEOPLE FROM THE PARK WHERE WE COULD DO IT AT THE PARK. AND I THOUGHT ABOUT INVITING YOU GUYS RIGHT NOW. WE'RE W WE'RE NOT TOO SURE BECAUSE OF COVID BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF ETHNICITIES. SOME OF US HAVE LIVED HERE FOR A LONG TIME. I'VE BEEN HERE 48 YEARS. SO SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HERE 50 YEARS AND WE HAVE A LOT OF ETHNICITIES. A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT CULTURES ARE NOT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'D BE GOOD TO HAVE US THERE. YEAH. THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL. OUTDOORS IS EASIER FOR PEOPLE. IF YOU ARE PLANET, DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHEN YOU'RE PLANNING IT? WELL, WE WERE PLANNING ON HAVING THE PEOPLE FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, PEOPLE FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE CITY DIFFERENT, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT OCTOBER. SO HOPEFULLY BY THINGS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT WOULD BE TOO HOT. YEAH. AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT SEPTEMBER IS GOING TO FRAME IT AS FAR AS COVID, [00:30:01] BUT YOU KNOW, AND THEY'LL PROVIDE CHAIRS AND TABLES AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO IF YOU HAVE A DATE THAT YOU COULD SHARE, IS THERE ANYONE I WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP SUPPORT THAT? JUST DINA. THANK YOU. OKAY. BUT I'LL LET YOU, I'LL LET YOU, AS SOON AS I KNOW, UM, WE HAVE A MEETING AND, AND CHOOSE A DATE, THEN WE CAN GO FORWARD, BUT WE MIGHT CHECK WITH THE CITY ALSO SEE WHAT EVENTS THEY HAVE THAT WE COULD GO TO. YES, PLEASE. PLEASE DO. BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING THAT I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS IS WHERE THE COMMUNITY IS. AND THAT'S WHERE THE BEST FEEDBACK IS GOING TO COME FROM TOO. WHEN YOU HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, I LOVE THAT. OKAY. WE HAVE A VIRTUAL FREEDOM FUND BANK AND NAACP AND TRISHA IS OUR PERSON WHO'S MOST CONNECTED TO NAACP, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT EVENT. I DO KNOW THE NAACP IS HAVING A SCHOOL SUPPLY GIVEAWAY NEXT SATURDAY. AND I'M VOLUNTEERING AS AN NAACP MEMBER FOR THE DRIVE THROUGH. YEAH, I'LL BE THERE. YAY. OKAY. FOR ONE AS VOLUNTEER FAIR, SEPTEMBER 28TH, I'LL BE THERE CAUSE I'M A KIWANIS, BUT I CAN ALSO DO, LIKE I DID THE LAST TIME I HELPED WITH BOTH OF THEM. THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANT TO SUPPORT AS A GROUP. SO WHAT I THINK WE HAVE TO DO, RATHER THAN THIS CONSTANT ONE OR TWO PEOPLE PICK UP THE STUFF AND GO, LET'S MAKE A PLAN FOR THE YEAR. AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT BACK IN JANUARY, WE CAN DO ONE THING A MONTH OR ONE THING EVERY OTHER MONTH. BUT I THINK THAT WE, YOU KNOW, IT, AS MUCH AS WE HAVE THINGS THAT HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME, EVERY YEAR, WE CAN PLAN IN ADVANCE AND SAY, IF WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS, AND THEN IF SOMETHING COMES UP AT IT, BUT I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO EVER HAVE TO SAY, I'LL MAN, TO WEAR TWO HATS AT ONE AT THE SAME TIME, BECAUSE WE'RE A LARGE ENOUGH GROUP TO SUPPORT THEM. SO IF WE ALL AGREE THAT WE WANT TO SUPPORT AN EVENT, THEN WE CAN SAY, OKAY, HERE'S HOW WE'LL DIVIDE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DOING THAT. I DON'T THINK ANYONE SHOULD HAVE TO STAY THE WHOLE TIME. WE HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO SAY, I'LL TAKE AN HOUR SHIFT. YEAH, TOTALLY TWO HOURS. YEAH. BUT WE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH PEOPLE TO HELP WITH THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANT TO SUPPORT THE QUANTIS VOLUNTEER FAIR AND IT'S HAPPENING ON SEPTEMBER 20TH, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S STILL GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT IF NOT EITHER, IF IT'S HAPPENING, IS EVERYONE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE? IF IT DOES HAPPEN, DO WE HAVE, I AM TOO. OKAY. SO ELVIA, IF, SINCE YOU'RE A MEMBER OF, YOU COULD GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND WE CAN MAKE A PLAN FOR WHO WILL ATTEND, WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS IT AT OUR NEXT MEETING, WHICH IS THE, UH, FIRST WEEK IN SEPTEMBER. SO YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE AS FAR AS COVID AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND SO I'LL LET YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS I HAVE SOME KRISHA, CAN YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE VIRTUAL FREEDOM ON BRUNCH? YES, MA'AM. I CAN. I HAVE SOME EMAILS IN REGARDS TO THAT. WE'VE JUST HAD SOME MEETINGS IN REGARDS TO IT, BUT YES, I CAN GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION SUPER. AND THEN THE GARLAND GUZZLER 5.5 K RACE, WHICH IS THE ISLE. AND I'M SURE THEY PROBABLY WILL HAVE THIS BECAUSE IT'S THE SILLIEST THING EVER, UM, IS, AM SEPTEMBER 25TH. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, WHETHER THEY'RE DOING TABLES OR WHAT THAT IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF THIS SILLINESS ON THE SQUARE WILL, WILL THEY BE HAVING IT WITH THE WORK? WE STARTED ALREADY AT THE PARK AT THE OPENING, SO THEY'RE STARTING. SO THEY BLOCKED UP PART OF IT. THE SQUARE'S NOT BLOCKED OFF YET. THE SCORE IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN RIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING IS WHAT MY UNDERSTANDING. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, SO TO ME, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE A TABLE AT. YOU COULD GO AND WEAR YOUR T-SHIRT OR YOUR, YOUR, YOUR SHIRT. AND AS SAY, THIS IS WHAT THE COMMUNITY MULTICULTURAL DIVISION IS. WE CAN PRINT SOME POSTCARDS WITH THE QR CODE AND HAND THEM OUT, WALK AROUND, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO SIT STILL FOR. I DON'T THINK I GET A T-SHIRT. SO, UM, RENEE SENT AN EMAIL SAYING THAT WE'RE GOING TO ORDER, [00:35:02] UM, POLO SHIRTS AND SHE HAS SOME T-SHIRTS, BUT SHE MAY NOT HAVE ALL SIZES, SO SHE'S READY TO REORDER. SO IF WE EMAIL RENEE DOW AND WITH YOUR SIZE, YES. OH, I'M SORRY. MY SON HE'S. OH, THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. IT JUST WASN'T SURE IF YOU WERE TALKING TO HIM, BUT EMAIL RENEE DOW WITH YOUR SIZE AND EITHER SHE HAS IT OR WE CAN'T ORDER. OKAY. VALANCE SURVEY FOLLOW. WHEN TALKED ABOUT THAT RESOURCE CENTER. FOLLOW-UP THIS IS THIS, THIS IS KIND OF STALLED. AND CAN I SHARE WITH YOU ALL ONE STORY THAT MAKES YOU ALL THINKING AND FOCUSED MORE ABOUT RESOURCE CENTER ON JULY 21ST? THE DAY THAT I HAVE MY INFUSION CHEMOTHERAPY IN THE MORNING, I DON'T GET DONE UNTIL TWO O'CLOCK AND I, I GET A CALL AND I CAN NOT ANSWER A CALL. SO WHEN I FEEL A LITTLE BIT BETTER, I FIND OUT THAT THEY ARE HUNTING FOR ME. AND I DON'T KNOW THIS INDIVIDUAL, SOMEHOW THEY GOT MY NUMBER AND MY NAME FROM MY CMC BUSINESS CARD. I LAUGHED AT ONE OF THE EVENT. THEY ACCIDENTALLY LOOK THROUGH THEIR THINGS AND THEY FOUND MY NAME. SO THEY CALL ME AND I SAID, I'M REALLY ILL. I CANNOT HELP YOU RIGHT NOW. WHEN I GET TO FEELING BETTER, I WILL COME OUT AND SEE YOU. WHAT HAPPENED WAS SHE IS 87 YEARS OLD. SHE LIVES IN, UH, NOW THE LAST HOUSING, UH, THE, UM, I TRIED TO LOOK AT HICKORY HICKORY APARTMENT LOCATED AT THREE 20 SOUTH JUPITER ROAD. SHE LIVES THERE 20 YEARS GO INTO 21 YEAR. VERY LIMITED ENGLISH. THEY WANT TO KICK OUT THE MANAGEMENT. THEY CHANGING THE OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT. EVERY FEW MONTHS, THEY CAME INTO HER APARTMENT, KNOCKED ON HER DOOR, COME IN AND SHOW HER THE PICTURE OF DOG AND CAT AND ASKING HER, DO YOU HAVE DOG? SHE SAID, NO. SHE, THEY SHOW HER ANOTHER PICTURE AND SAY, NO, YOU HAVE CAT. NO, I DON'T HAVE CAT. SO THEY TOLD HER, DECIDE ON TWO SEPARATE DOCUMENTS. PLEASE LISTEN TO ME CAREFULLY. THEY ASKED HER IF YOU DON'T HAVE NO DOG SIGN HERE, NO CAT SIGN HERE WITH HER LIMITED ENGLISH. DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE'S SIGNING? I DON'T WANT NO HOUSING, NO MORE HOUSING. SECOND PIECE OF DOCUMENT. I GIVE YOU ALL MY LEGAL RIGHTS. OH, WHERE DOES SHE GOES FROM THERE? OKAY. SHE CALLED ME SIX O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING AND I GET A LITTLE BIT, I FEEL A LITTLE BIT BETTER. SO MY HUSBAND TOOK ME THERE. I'M SMART ENOUGH TO CALL COUNSEL VERA THAT SAY I'M SICK, BUT I'M STILL ALIVE. I CALL COUNTERVAIL AND I SAY, I NEED HELP. I CALLED UP MELISSA. I SAID, I NEED HELP. I CANNOT DO IT ON MY OWN. AND VERY WAIT. WE GO OUT THERE AND THAT LADY'S ALREADY PACK HER BACK IN TEARS ASKING ME, WHERE CAN I GO? I DON'T WANT THEM TO COME IN AND THROW MY HUSBAND PICTURE OUTSIDE ON THE STREET. I DON'T HAVE NO PLACE TO GO. IT'S SO HOT OUTSIDE. I TOLD HER, I DON'T KNOW, MAY, MAY DO IT. I SAY, WELL, UNLESS I DIE, THEN THEY KICK YOU OUT. I'M STILL BREATHING. I FIND A WAY TO HELP. YOU GOT MADE ME DO IT. SO, YOU KNOW, RESOURCE SALAH IS SOMETHING THAT WE MUST CONCENTRATE ON. WHAT TO CALL. IF THAT ACCIDENT INCIDENT HAPPENED TO ANYONE WHERE TO CALL WHO TO CONTACT. SO I CALLED CITY MANAGER. I CALLED DEPUTY CITY MANAGER AND POOR COUNSEL, ROBERT VERA. WHO'S ON THE PHONE CONSTANTLY. AND HE AGREE WITH ME. WE WILL HELP YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. SO WE KNOCKING ON SO MANY DOORS BY CALLING AND GET ON CALLING, BUT SEE THE [00:40:01] GIRL. AND THIS IS A SUCCESS STORY. I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE. WHEN YOU DO YOUR VIDEO GALA IS THE BEST. YOU KNOW, THE NEXT MORNING, KRISTEN SMITH MANAGING PARTNER HUMAN RESOURCE, CALL ME. I GIVE HER THE PHONE STORY. SHE CALLED HER DEPARTMENT TO DELAY THE LADY. THEY EVICTION. THEY HAVE NO RIDE TO TAKE HER OUT ON THAT DAY. THEY GIVE HER 30 DAYS, BUT THAT'S STILL NOT RIGHT. NOT RIGHT FOR YOU TO DO THAT TO AN OLD LADY. ANYWAY, SUCCESS STORY WAS WE GIVE ON CALLING EVERYONE CITY OF GARLAND, STEPHEN FITCH, DIRECTOR OF HOUSING, GARLAND HOUSING, CALL ME KRISTEN SMITH COMMENT LAST BUT NOT LESS. MICKEY KING, CALL ME ALL FROM CITY OF GARLAND. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? LAST WEEK NOW LAST AUTHORITY CAME TO VISIT THAT LADY. AND THEY WERE UPSET BECAUSE SHE CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH. THEY WERE UPSET BECAUSE SHE DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE EMAIL. THAT'S TOO BAD. YOU DO NOT EXPECT EVERYONE TO USE EMAIL. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IF WE CAN STOP AND THINK ABOUT A SOLUTION AS A COMMISSION, WHAT WE CAN DO TO PUT, UH, EMERGENCY CONTACT, UH, RESOURCE CENTER NUMBERS. AND IF THEY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH, IF THEY SPEAK CHINESE, WHERE CAN WE DIRECT THEM TO CALL? I BELIEVE THAT'S IT RIGHT IN WHAT OUR MISSION. AND I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN YOU'RE RIGHT. WE CAN HELP THIS LADY. YOU'RE RIGHT, JENNIFER. WE CAN HELP PEOPLE WHEN THEY NEED US. AND THEN ADVOCACY IS, IS ONE THING THAT FITS RIGHT IN THE HEART AND CENTER OF OUR MISSION. I THANK YOU FOR, I LIKE THE CART THAT THE CITY OF GARLAND HAS THE TWO MAGNET SIZE AND I'VE GOT TWO OF THEM, ONE IN THE KITCHEN AND ONE IN HUMAN DELIVERED PLAYROOM. UM, BUT IT HAS, YOU KNOW, DOC CONTROL. IT HAS, YOU KNOW, WATER SUPPLY. IT HAS DIFFERENT. SO SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TRANSLATE THE, YOU KNOW, HOUSING TRANSLATED OR WHATEVER, AND LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, ELVIA, HERE'S THE CHALLENGE. AND THIS IS PART OF WHY WE CAME TO THE AGREEMENT THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED IT. YOU ONLY KNOW IT. IF YOU KNOW IT, IF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, I DON'T HAVE THAT. YOU KNOW, THAT NOT EVERYBODY HAS EVERYTHING, BUT EVEN, EVEN, YOU KNOW, THESE EMERGENCY SCENARIOS WHO TO CALL, SO THE PEOPLE ARE NOT ALONE AND DON'T FEEL ALONE. AND AREN'T BEING, YOU KNOW, ARE PUNISHED FOR WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW. YEAH. WE HAD, UH, A NEIGHBOR ON THE ALLEY, UM, WHOSE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE. SO ALL ONE AREA OF THE HOUSE WAS BURNED THE ROOF AND WHATEVER. AND WE HAD JUST COME DOWN FOR A FIREFIGHTERS MEETING AND HE'S DRAGGING STUFF AND PUTTING IT ON, ON, UM, TRASH BAGS. WELL, ALL THAT JUNK IS TRESPASS. HE SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO PUT IT. I DON'T KNOW WHO TO CALL OR WHATEVER. SO I CALLED OUR, OUR, UH, COUNSELOR, UH, AN AUDIT AREA, NOT ROBERT. IT WAS THE ONE BEFORE THAT. AND I MEAN, HE WAS THERE BY THE TIME I CROSSED THE ALLEY AND CAME OVER TO MY HOUSE TO CHANGE BECAUSE I HAD THE CLOTHES FROM MY MEETING. HE WAS ALREADY AT THE DOOR AND HE GOT THE CITY TO BRING THOSE BIG DUMPSTER THINGS WHERE HE COULD JUST THROW EVERYTHING THERE. HE SAID, WE'LL COME AND PICK THEM UP. THINGS LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW, UM, THAT IF I HADN'T KNOWN WHO TO CALL, HE DIDN'T KNOW HE'S FROM SALVADOR. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO MAKE AVAILABLE, NOT JUST OUR COLLECTED KNOWLEDGE, BUT THINGS THAT WE GATHER AND THE GOAL WE WANT TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE. NOW, THE CITY TOLD US WE CAN PUT SOME OF THESE THINGS ON OUR WEBPAGE, BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO UPDATE IT. SO WE NEED TO PULL TOGETHER AT LEAST A BASIC LIST OF RESOURCES AND MAKE SURE TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE IN AT LEAST THE THREE LANGUAGES THAT WE KNOW ENGLISH, VIETNAMESE, AND SPANISH, AND THEN PRIORITIZE MAKING IT AVAILABLE OTHER WAYS. BUT WE'VE GOT TO AT LEAST BEGIN. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, I LOVE HEARING THAT BECAUSE I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW THE RELIEF FOR THAT WOMAN WHO WAS ONE [00:45:01] STEP FROM BEING HOMELESS, BECAUSE OF ANYTHING THAT SHE HAD DONE. OH, YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY, YOU KNOW? AND, AND IT BREAKS MY HEART WHEN I HEAR THINGS LIKE THAT. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE. GO AHEAD. YEAH. THE APARTMENT COMPLEX ONE WEEK LATER FROM THE DAY THAT I WAS THERE AND I PROMISE THAT LADY, BUT TILL I DIE, NO ONE CAN KICK HER OUT. OKAY. SO I FOLLOW IN SATURDAY COUNCIL, VERA ASKED ME AND MY HUSBAND TO LUNCH AND DO A LUNCH. I FEEL UNEASY. AND I SAID, LET'S STOP BY TO CHECK ON HER. THEY AC WAS AF IS BROKE AS HOT AS YOU KNOW WHAT? WE WALK IN. COUNCIL, VERA WALK RIGHT OUT ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HE CALLED CODE DEPARTMENT. HE CALLED COATED HOTLINE. THEY COME RIGHT OUT EARLY MONDAY MORNING TO FIX HER AC. I ASKED HER, IT'S TOO HOT FOR YOUR WHY? WHY ARE YOU LIVING IN THIS CONDITION? I DON'T WANT TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE YEAH. THEY'LL MAKE HER LIVE. YEAH. I MEAN, TOTALLY ALSO WATER WATER. IT IS SO HARD TO BE MARGINALIZED, TO BE LIVING IN POVERTY, TO BE, UH, AN UNSUPPORTED IMMIGRANT, TO BE A REFUGEE. THIS IS NOT A FRIENDLY PLACE. IF PEOPLE ARE PREYING ON YOU AND IT TAKES PEOPLE WHO CARE TO RESTORE SOMEONE'S FAITH IN HUMANITY. BUT IF SHE HADN'T CONNECTED WITH YOU, JENNIFER, WITHOUT THAT CMC SMALL BUSINESS CARD, WOULDN'T MY NAME ON IT. SO WE WILL, YES. WE, WE DO NEED TO PRIORITIZE. THE RESOURCE CENTER IS STALLED. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. SO EVERYONE NEXT MEETING, LET'S SPEND SOME TIME BRAINSTORM, POP TO PEOPLE. WE HAVE A LIST OF THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE BEGINNING. HAVING IN THERE, EVEN IF WE START SMALL THINGS LIKE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT, NON-EMERGENCY SUICIDE HOTLINE, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. WE CAN PULL AT LEAST THOSE THINGS TOGETHER AND GET THEM ON OUR PAGE AND THEN START THINKING DEEPER OF WAYS THAT PEOPLE MIGHT NEED HELP, THAT WE CAN CONNECT THEM TO. WE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE HELPERS, ALTHOUGH I KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN, BUT EVEN KNOWING WHO YOUR COUNCILMAN IS AND HOW TO REACH THEM. AND YOU KNOW, IN JENNIFER'S CASE, IT WASN'T, HER COUNSELING WAS THOMPSON. THE GIRL WHO MANY KNOW, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, KNOWING THE COUNCILMEN OR BEING ABLE TO LOOK IT UP FOR SOMEONE'S AREA AND SAY, HEY, HERE'S YOUR PERSON. I AM WILLING TO CALL FOR YOU IF YOU ARE, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE ENGLISH, BUT WE GOT TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN TRANSLATE FOR YOU SO THAT THEY CAN HELP. YOU KNOW, IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE PEOPLE A SENSE, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME. I DON'T THINK SHE FELT WELCOME UNTIL JENNIFER WENT OVER THERE. YEAH. THANKS FOR GOING JENNIFER. AND THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US HOW IMPORTANT IT IS AND THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THE CMC, BECAUSE WHATEVER I'M DOING IS UNDER OUR NAME IS NOT ME. IT'S WE? AND SHE WILL EVER REMEMBER COMMUNITY MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION MEMBER. I'M SO SORRY TO BRING THAT UP. I FEEL IMPORTANT. I SAY PEOPLE ARE CRYING. I DON'T MEAN TO THOSE. SO CAN YOU IMAGINE US WHEN WE WERE THERE? SO SHE'S OKAY. NOW WE CONTACT, WE KNOCK ON EVERY DOORS WEEK. I CALL EVERYBODY CALLING. SO HOUSING AUTHORITY FINALLY STOPPED BY AND I BELIEVE THAT SHE CAN STAY THERE. UH, WE ALREADY HAVE THE SECOND SOLUTION. IF SHE'S NOT, WE ALREADY HAVE PLAN A, B AND C. SO THEY GET, SO SHE WAS, SO SHE WAS SO CLOSE TO NOT HAVING ANYTHING. SHE RAN IT TO KILL HERSELF BECAUSE SHE DON'T WANT TO WHERE TO GO. OKAY, LET'S TALK ABOUT, WE'RE ALMOST DONE. WE'RE ALMOST DONE [00:50:01] THE CENSUS DISCUSSION LET'S TABLE TILL NEXT MONTH. CAUSE WE'LL HAVE MORE PEOPLE HERE. AND WE JUST GOT THE EARLY CENSUS RESULTS. RENEE SHARED THAT BY EMAILS, AS WE TAKE A LOOK, IT'S VERY INTERESTING HOW OUR COMMUNITY IS CHANGING AND OUR COMMUNITY IS BECOMING MORE DIVERSE. AND GUESS WHO WORKS WITH THOSE PEOPLE? YES, IT'S US. WE ARE CONNECTING ALL COMMUNITIES. SO, UM, I LOVED READING THE, THE, JUST THE, UM, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE CENSUS FOR OUR AREA, BUT IT IS FASCINATING AND EXCITING. AND AGAIN, IF WE LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF GIS D, THEN WE RECOGNIZE WE'RE NEVER GOING TO RUN OUT OF PEOPLE TO MAKE FEEL WELCOME AND TO WELCOME EACH OTHER NEW BUSINESS, NEXT DOOR AND CITY BRIEFS. OH YES. WE CAN MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS THERE. IF WE ARE HOSTING YOUR GRANTS OR WE'LL BE UP HERE AGAIN, EVENTS AND, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THESE UPCOMING EVENTS AND NOT KNOWING FOR SURE WHETHER THEY'RE HAPPENING, THAT REALLY DOES MAKE SENSE AS A GOOD WAY TO FOCUS BECAUSE YOU CAN DO THOSE QUICKLY. YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO, IT'S NOT, YOU HAVE TO HIT A PRINT DEADLINE OR SOMETHING. SO KRISHA IS LOOKING INTO THE FREEDOM FUND. OUR NEXT MEETING IS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH, AT 6:00 PM. I WILL NOT BE HERE, BUT I WILL. I WILL BE, I AM WELL, WE'LL SEE IF I WILL NOT BE HERE. I HAVE A TICKET TO GO HOME, WHICH IS ROCHESTER, NEW YORK TO VISIT MY 92 YEAR OLD. STEP-MOTHER WHO I HAVEN'T SEEN IN OVER TWO YEARS BECAUSE OF COVID. BUT SHE IS IN A SKILLED NURSING FACILITY RIGHT NOW. AND IF THE RESTRICTIONS SAY PEOPLE FROM TEXAS CAN'T COME, I WILL BE HERE. UM, IF THEY DON'T, I WILL NOT BE HERE, BUT WITH THE VIRTUAL MEETING, SO I'LL BE HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, I WILL SEE OUR NEXT MEETING IS THE 16TH. WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NAACP VIRTUAL FREEDOM TIME. UH, THE KOWANAS VOLUNTEER FAIR. IF WE WANT TO GO WANDER AROUND AND DRINK A BEER DOWNTOWN FOR THE DARLENE GUZZLER. WE'RE WELCOME TO DO THAT. AND IF WE DO WANT TO, I'M HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND HAVE A DRINK WITH ANYONE. SO LET'S SEE IF WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY NEW BUSINESS? I DON'T HAVE NEW BUSINESS, BUT I'D LIKE TO, UM, WE WENT TO THE SOCCER TOURNAMENT AND IT WAS OUTSTANDING. JENNIFER DID AN AWESOME JOB. THE SPEAKERS WERE GREAT. WE HAD A BALL JUST TALKING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. UM, THERE'S WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE. THERE IS A, IS IT, I MEAN, I KEPT PRAYING WHEN IT STARTED RAINING ABOUT MIDNIGHT. I SAID, OH LORD. BUT IT STOPPED. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND THEY WERE ABLE TO FINISH IT. SO JENNIFER KUDOS TO YOU. IT WAS GREAT. THANK YOU. THAT'S WONDERFUL. GLAD TO HEAR THAT. MADAM CHAIR. YES. MA'AM THE 21 CHILDREN FESTIVAL AUTUMN FESTIVAL. THIS YEAR CHANGED THE FORMAT BECAUSE COVID-19 SO WE'LL, WE WILL BE DOING A DRIVE-THROUGH JUST IN CASE SOME OF YOU ARE NEW TO THE COMMISSION. WE GIVE OUT 15 TO ONE TO 2000, GIVE BACK AND A BIG LANTERN TO THE CHILDREN. AND IT'S GOING TO BE THE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH. I'LL SEND AN EMAIL OUT TO YOU, MADAM CHAIR, SO YOU CAN PASS ON, PASS IT ON. BUT ANYWAY, WE CHANGED THE FORMAT. SO WE WILL BE, BE A DRIVE-THROUGH FESTIVAL. SO PARENTS CAN JUST DRIVE THROUGH, PICK UP THEIR BACK OR THE KIDS. WE ARE NOT GOING TO HOUSE AND THEY FESTIVAL OR MUSIC OR TALENT SHOW LIKE WE DID IN THE PAST. OKAY. BUT THERE'S STILL THE DRIVE THROUGH SO THAT THEY GET, YEAH. YES. MA'AM 2015 FROM 1500 TO 2000 GIFTS. YES. YES. MA'AM. I NEED TO ADVERTISE TO PEOPLE OR DO YOU NEED VOLUNTEERS? WHAT DO YOU NEED? UM, WELL, IF MY SEPTEMBER 17, EVERYTHING'S CALLING DIAL AND YOU ALL, THEN YOU ALL CAN COME OUT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANY RISKS FOR NOW. SO LET'S SAY WE GOING TO LET OUR EMPLOYEE TAKE CARE OF THAT AND THE POLICE TAKE CARE OF THAT. OKAY. OKAY. THAT'S ALL. WELL, YES. IF YOU WOULD SHARE THE INFORMATION, HAPPY TO SHARE. WONDERFUL. OKAY. THAT'S EXCITING. ANYTHING ELSE? [00:55:02] WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO WE ADJOURN. I SECOND THAT AWESOME. THANKS EVERYONE. THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.