Fund Housing + Defend Abortion: City Hall Public Comment

315 East Kennedy Boulevard,Tampa FL 33602

04 August, 2022

Description

We need all hands on deck for the August 4th City Council meeting. The more voices, the better! The people must continue demanding justice for renters and the houseless. Please show up to City Council on August 4th at 9am to make your voice heard! You will need to make public comment. If you are able to stay after your comment, that is great--if not, we understand you may need to run to work. Typically public comment runs from 9am until around 10:30am to 11am. If you'd like to make a live comment virtually, you'll need to sign up on the City's website 24 hours prior. Sign up: https://www.tampa.gov/city-council-meeting-public-comment-form DEMANDS: Stand in support of a Tampa version of the GRACE Act, an ordinance the City is researching from Austin TX, that would decriminalize abortion at the City level, an important step that could protect abortion if state law should change in the future. Demand the City of Tampa implement a landlord complaint registry, mirroring Gainesville. Demand the City Council declare a housing emergency and allow the people to vote on rent control. Speak in favor of the creation of a Tenant Advocate Office in Tampa. Demand the City invest budget funds away from policing and into a non-faith based, unconditional housing first program , similar to Houston, Texas. Demand that the City create a Guaranteed Right to Counsel for ALL tenants. In Miami, 90% of landlords have legal representation against tenants during evictions, but only 2% of tenants have the same. We imagine the figure is the same here. San Francisco implemented a right to counsel program and over 60% of the tenants evicted in SF have remained in their home as a result of fair representation. In NYC, a similar program kept over 80% of their tenants in their home. It comes with cost saving benefits for the Cities as well. For every $1 spent in City provided legal counsel, the City saves between $6 and $12 on houselessness or community assistance. Demand the City divest from policing by putting funds into the creation of a community-led version of CAHOOTS, a crisis response team that has existed in Eugene Oregon since 1989, and has been able to respond to non-violent mental health crisis without using guns or handcuffs in 98% of their calls. This will ensure restorative solutions in our community. Reach out to us at [email protected] if you'd like help creating messaging or have ideas or questions. Please keep in mind public comment ranges between two to three minutes each. Logistic Information Thank you for agreeing to visit City Hall in person on August 4th. We recommend planning to arrive at 8:30am. Public comment is supposed to begin around 9am, but often runs long. You should anticipate that it will take until 11am before public comment is over. We know this is not convenient for the working class and that is intentional, so we thank you for making it work! ARRIVE AT: 315 E Kennedy Blvd, Old City Hall PARKING: Parking is very cumbersome in downtown Tampa and can be difficult to find. Please plan to spend up to 15 minutes locating parking. Please note that traffic is rough in downtown Tampa in the morning. There is no free parking and the City doesn't validate. If paying for parking is a barrier to you, please send a memo to [email protected] and if funds are available, we will reimburse your parking upon receipt. PUBLIC TRANSIT: The public bus does take you to downtown. Learn more about public transit: http://www.gohart.org/Pages/services-bus.aspx Upon your arrival into Old City Hall, visit the security for a sticker and they will direct you to where public comment is. When you go to the public comment station, you'll be asked to sign in. No need to specify an agenda item, you can write "Housing" or "Rent Crisis". Once you sign in, you MAY be subject to metal detection and search by Tampa Police Department before finding your seat. Once you enter City Chambers, you'll be notified when public comment is ready to happen. You have the right, and are encouraged, to film City Council meetings. PUBLIC COMMENT: Typically, public comment is limited to 3 minutes but is occasionally reduced to 2 minutes. Be prepared for either possibility. We have suggested messaging, however, you are encouraged to write your own messaging from the heart. Speaking from personal experience is often encouraged. You should provide your zip code/area of town when you speak, so the City Council knows which area you are in.