Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sharon Brown, Member of the Public
5:09:37
ยท
3 min
Sharon Brown provided testimony on various issues including community board operations, veteran employment, government staffing, and the closure of Rikers Island. She suggested innovative solutions for community engagement and emphasized the urgency of addressing problems at Rikers Island.
- Proposed that community boards coordinate with churches and synagogues for meetings to increase attendance and engagement
- Advocated for hiring veterans, particularly those with technological backgrounds, to assist community boards and other entities
- Called for increased government staffing and funding, especially in the law department
- Strongly urged for the immediate closure of Rikers Island, citing recent incidents and suggesting that the city council take direct action
Sharon Brown
5:09:37
Good to see you also.
5:09:38
Before I begin, remember Israel released the hostages, let Yahweh's people go, defend Israel.
5:09:46
Okay.
5:09:47
The community board, they should try to coordinate with churches and synagogues and see if they can find a way to get in there and do some kind of meetings there.
5:09:59
It would be convenient.
5:10:01
A lot of people meet there.
5:10:02
They also have the sound system set up until they can get themselves their own space and they can also try to see if they can do that anyway.
5:10:12
Once they do get their own spaces, they can still coordinate with the church and synagogues to have meetings there every so often.
5:10:20
That way they'll get a good crowd and they can in certain areas that they want people to come together.
5:10:27
Okay.
5:10:28
We need to hire veterans in a situation where there are a lot of technical things going on at the community board and just in general.
5:10:39
The veterans are well versed in technology and so many things.
5:10:45
The veterans are not treated according to what they've learned in the military.
5:10:50
Many of them have a technological background.
5:10:53
They can be hired the homeless military, homeless vets.
5:10:56
They are capable and able to get back into the workforce or ownership force.
5:11:02
They can have their own companies or whatever and assist community boards and whoever needs it.
5:11:09
We need to increase government staff, not decrease.
5:11:13
We they need to be funded.
5:11:15
We need to have increase in the different departments, we need to have the law department constantly litigating on behalf of the needs of the city.
5:11:26
They should have someone in every meeting looking to see what's going on in the different situations and what they need to file lawsuits about.
5:11:36
I'm filing lawsuits about many different things that arise in the city and around the nation and, they should outpace me in the things that I'm doing.
5:11:46
Rikers Island needs to be defunded.
5:11:49
We have someone on the council whose brother is in Rikers Island and he was cut two times.
5:11:57
This should not be.
5:11:59
This should be closed now.
5:12:01
We need to yank the funding.
5:12:03
The city council needs to go up to Rikers, stand outside of Rikers, get up there and get that place closed.
5:12:11
It shouldn't happen to anyone, but it definitely shouldn't happen to a city council, member.
5:12:18
And it's just showing you that it's so close to home, it's letting you know it is very much time for Rikers to close even before the 2027 deadline.
5:12:28
There can be no more excuses why it can't close.
5:12:32
The last report, they said it can't close in 2027 because, they they won't be ready to build the other jails.
5:12:40
That excuse does not wash.
5:12:41
We need it closed now.
5:12:43
We have to do everything we can to close Rikers Island.
5:12:46
Yank the funding.
5:12:47
Thank you.