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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Christopher Leon Johnson on DOT Funding and Deliverista Support
5:46:17
·
150 sec
Christopher Leon Johnson testifies in support of continued funding for the Department of Transportation (DOT) despite concerns about the current commissioner. He also calls for support for food delivery workers facing criminal summonses and tickets from the NYPD.
- Urges the City Council to introduce a bill allocating money to help delivery workers who receive tickets from the NYPD
- Suggests utilizing nonprofits like NILAG and public defender's offices to defend deliveristas in court
- Criticizes the practice of criminalizing essential workers for doing their job, such as riding on sidewalks or running red lights
Christopher Leon Johnson
5:46:17
Hello chair.
5:46:18
Ready?
5:46:20
Go ahead.
5:46:20
Hello, chairs.
5:46:21
Christian, Brooks Powers, and Brannen.
5:46:24
Thanks for Keith Powers coming out here early for.
5:46:26
My name is Christopher Leon Johnson.
5:46:28
I am calling on the the keep on funding the DOT.
5:46:32
They need to keep their funding.
5:46:34
I understand that the commissioner of the DOT, Yanis Rodriguez, is corrupt and he's on his way out, but you cannot penalize a whole DOT because of one commissioner.
5:46:46
Let's keep it real.
5:46:47
He's on his way out.
5:46:48
At the same time, I'm calling the city council, sorry with you, mister, Christian because you cofounded Community Resist to introduce a bill to out to help allocate money into every delivery star who gets a ticket from the NYPD because they're getting tickets right now and they're getting criminal summonses.
5:47:06
I know that your nonprofit, helps out with housing, but they should be a since they they're lawyers anyway, and if they're here for us to help out the public in need, they should be able to defend the Larissa's when they go to criminal court at 1 Center Street.
5:47:21
Myself, I've been to 1 Center Street before, almost some BS ticket, but it's not a place that I don't want nobody to be because the problem with those type of tickets, the going to that court, is because if you're not a celebrity, if you're not, like, an elected official like Susan Wong, you're gonna be there till about two, three, 04:00 in the day, and sometimes they might not see you at all, They keep on going back every day.
5:47:42
And if you don't go back every day, you go and get a summons.
5:47:45
So I'm calling the city council to really to really make a public statement in condemning the NYPD for giving out criminal summonses to the Laristas so they had to go to before for riding on a sidewalk or blowing a red light.
5:47:57
I understand that we need street safety and regulate on the ebike situation, but at the same time, you cannot criminalize, the deliveristas for doing their job.
5:48:06
You can't criminalize them.
5:48:07
So I'm calling the city council and I know there's a lot you guys can't do because the courts are on a state level, but I believe that the city council should should utilize these nonprofits like, NILAG and the the, public defender's offices to help out these defend the deliberistas when they get a ticket.
5:48:24
I'm calling for deliberistas only.
5:48:25
When it comes to regular cyclists, that's a different that's a different story.
5:48:28
But the deliberistas that who are essential workers that the city council has designed as designated as essential workers, they should be able to get the they they need special service.
5:48:39
They need special defense from these nonprofits to one center street.
5:48:44
So thank you so much.
5:48:45
I know it's my time.
5:48:46
Thank you so much.
Justin Brannan
5:48:47
Thank you.
Christopher Leon Johnson
5:48:47
Thank you.