Transcript for Piscataway Council meeting on May 2 2024
Note: Transcripts are generated by rev.ai and may not be fully accurate. Please listen to the recording (below) if you feel any text is inaccurate.
Speaker 0 00:00:06 Recording in progress. Speaker 1 00:00:18 I'd like to call this meeting of the Piscataway Township Council to order. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as required under chapter 2 31 PL 1975, specifying the time, date, location, login or dial in information and to the extent known the agenda by posting a copy of the notice on the municipal Building Municipal court and the two municipal library bulletin boards municipal website, providing a copy to the official newspapers of the township. And by filing a copy in the office of the township clerk, in accordance with a certification by the clerk, which will be entered in the minutes. There will be public comment periods for both remote and in-person. Attendees separately. Each member of the public shall have only one opportunity to speak during each public portion. As the technology does not allow us to know if there are multiple callers on an individual phone line or logged in user account. We ask that if you wish to speak that you log in or dial in separately so that we can recognize you as a separate individual. Should you have any further comments or questions. The Township Council is always available by email and phone, and you can always call the mayor's office during normal operating hours. Speaker 1 00:01:38 Ms. Seater, would you please take the roll call Speaker 0 00:01:41 Councilwoman Carmichael. Present. Councilman Uhrin Espinosa Councilwoman Lombardi. Here. Councilman Cahn Rouse. Here. Councilman Uhrin Shaw. Here. Councilman. Cahn Rin. Here. Council President Cahill Speaker 1 00:01:59 Here, would you please rise and join me with the salute to our flag? Speaker 2 00:02:05 It allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Speaker 1 00:02:25 Okay, that'll bring us to number five. This is comments from administration and council. This is regarding adur of any matters on this agenda. Anything from council or administration? Seeing Speaker 0 00:02:36 None. Speaker 1 00:02:36 Seeing none. Okay. We'll move on. For the folks in the public, there's been a slight adjustment to the agenda of the order. Nothing's taken off, but rather two things are being moved and we're adding, so items number eight and nine, which are both proclamations, we're gonna read now and then after that we're adding, adding on the certificate of accreditation of our police department where Deputy Chief of Police Piltch will be up here. So first, let's start with number eight, which is a proclamation for the Emergency Medical Services Week. Mr. Mayor, are you gonna read that proclamation? Speaker 3 00:03:17 Okay. Whereas this is the 50th anniversary of EMS week, whereas the emergency medical services is a vital public service and whereas members of the emergency service medical services teams are ready to provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And whereas access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experienced sudden illnesses or injury. And whereas the emergency medical services system consists of first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police officers, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses, emergency physicians to train members of the public and other out of hospital medical care providers. And whereas the member of Emergency Medical Services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours. So specialized training and continuing education to enhance their lifesaving skills and whereas it's appropriate to recognize the value and accomplishments of emergency ER medical services providers by designating Emergency Medical Services Week. Now, therefore, I Brian Wall, the Mayor Township Scattering County Middle State of New Jersey, Dubai Proclaim May 19th, 2020 5, 20 24 as Emergency Medical Services on the 50th anniversary of Emergency Medical Services Week theme EMS week, honoring our past and forging our future. I encourage the residents at PISCA to reserve this week what the appreciation of these services and gratitude to these providers. And I believe we have some of the emergency MS folks here tonight. Speaker 1 00:05:53 Okay, that'll bring us to number nine, which is so a proclamation for Municipal Clerks Appreciation Week, May 5th through 11th 2024. Mr. Mayor, are you gonna read that Proclamation Speaker 3 00:06:07 Office Municipal clerk is the oldest among public servants and whereas as local government has grown in responsibility in the importance throughout history, so has the role of the municipal clerk and whereas the Office of Municipal Clerk serves as the informational center on functions of local government and community, ensuring transparency and communication between the residents governing bodies and agencies at all levels of government. And whereas municipal clerks strive to continually improve the administration of the affairs of the office through sound management practice. And whereas in Pisca a few responsibility, the clerk's office includes issuances of licenses, preservation of vital records, maintaining minutes, ordinances and resolutions adopted by the governing counseling, overseeing elections and providing information to public inquiries. Whereas Ms. MCC clerks have pledged to be ever mindful of their neutrality, impartiality, rendering equal service to all. I therefore, Brian Wahler, the mayor of Piscataway Township of the county in the state of New Jersey, along with the Township council, recognized the week of May 5th through 11th as Miss Book Clerk's Week and further recognized our permissible clerk, Melissa Cedar and Deputy Clerk Kelly, Mitch and Senior Officer Bunty Sowell for Vital Services they performed. Speaker 1 00:07:50 Okay folks. So then the other item that we are adding on that is the certificate of accreditation for our police department. Deputy Chief Piltch, did you wanna come on up, Speaker 4 00:08:16 Mr. Speaker 1 00:08:16 Mayor, did you wanna tell the the Speaker 4 00:08:19 Just yeah, let that folks know. Speaker 3 00:08:23 Okay, Speaker 4 00:08:24 Deputy chief, may you explain what this is all about. You got hold your hand on this, I'll hold this. There you go. Speaker 5 00:08:30 So every three years we get re-accredited Accreditation is best practices for law enforcement. It covers policy, it covers the way we, we do things procedurally. So every three years we get re-accredited. This year we were just re-accredited for this for the third time, this is Harry Delgado, he is a director of accreditation for the New Jersey State Association Chiefs of Police. And he has come here today to present our police department Speaker 1 00:08:54 This award, this certificate. Speaker 6 00:08:56 So I just, I just wanted to say I, I think she's selling herself a little short here because the fact that she has accredited this police department for the third time, just to add context to it. So 54% of all the agency in the state of New Jersey that would be eligible to apply for accreditation have been accredited once 32%, twice only 12% three times. So that's significant the efforts of Deputy Chief Pel. So we found out her determination and commitment, you know, are incredible and so she persisted and again has now achieved her third degree accreditation for the police department. So congratulations. Speaker 1 00:10:10 Okay, so then that will now bring us to what I guess was formally number seven, or I'm sorry, on number six. This is open to the public for items on number seven. So the consent agenda resolution items, if anyone in the public wants to comment on that, they may do so now. But let me just go through how we do this. So we open it up to the public for folks who are dialing in remote or on Zoom first and then we open it up for the folks here in person. So for this item, for those who are remote attendees, if you wish to speak at this time, please raise your hand either on the Zoom app or if by phone, by pressing star nine. When it is your turn to speak, you'll receive or hear a request to unmute yourself, please click the prompt or press star six on your phone to unmute yourself at that time. Please state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments. The council or administration will respond if necessary. After you have completed any comments or questions, Speaker 0 00:11:22 Council president, I'm asking the first individual with their hand raised to unmute themself. Speaker 8 00:11:44 Go ahead. Hi, this Speaker 1 00:11:51 We Speaker 8 00:11:54 Excellent. I had a comment about the letter to the Board of Education regarding the taxation. If you could please clarify what is going to be the text of this, because if it was what the mayor described that the last council meeting, I, I think it's very inappropriate to do that. Could you confirm that for me so I can carry on? Speaker 9 00:12:20 Yeah, so this resolution, it's similar to what we spoke about last time. Effectively there's gonna be tax revenue from 1690 South Washington development there and the, there's members of the school board, or at least the count the school board president was part of litigation to, to challenge the township and the planning board in regards to approval of that development. And effectively the school board has, even though they have argued against the, that development, they also took contrary action in setting up a daycare center near a commercial center in an industrial zone. So the question is to the school board is whether they're going to accept the revenue, this development has no burden on the school district, no additional students, et cetera. But they're gonna get a substantial amount of revenue from it, I think in the estimated to be around $250,000 a year. So the question to the school board is to see if they, just to clarify that they'll be accepting the revenue on it as, as members of that school board have challenged, challenged the development. Speaker 8 00:13:32 Okay, see I think that's, it's very, it seems like the township leaders are being very sore winners. So the people on the school board disagreed with you about what was best for the students of the school district and they were unsuccessful in their efforts to present the development right near the school of a large industrial warehouse that would cause air pollution that would negatively impact the students. And because you were successful, you wanna say, well we won and you didn't like this, so now you don't get your cake or to eat it. It seems very petty and beneath what should be the way that the township leaders behave themselves. And I think it's very incorrect and you shouldn't do it, but you all are gonna do as you please. And that's the end of my comment. Thank you. Speaker 1 00:14:41 Thank you Ms. Cedars there anyone else with their hand raised? Speaker 0 00:14:44 Council president. There are no other individuals with their hand raised regarding this agenda item. Speaker 1 00:14:50 Okay, so we're closing the remote portion, public portion for the consent agenda items right now. And now we'll open it up to the public for items on number seven, only if you wish to speak at this time, please come to the podium, state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments. You may take a seat after completion of your comments or questions and the council or administration will then respond if necessary. So Speaker 10 00:15:21 My name is Costas 58 Curtis Wick. Hi, nice to see so many people today. This item f, this pedaling license, can that be contributed attributed to a senior citizen's hobby? Stuff like salvaging old fishing rods and bringing them back into, into a township bizarre or of the sort, could that apply as a pedaling license? Speaker 1 00:16:01 I don't know how to answer that. Do you, before we answer, are there any other questions that you want to ask on this consent agenda item? I just Speaker 10 00:16:08 Wanna see if I could do this and pedal my all vintage fishing rods. Speaker 1 00:16:14 I mean you, the process is you apply for a license with the township, but mostly our PET pedallers licenses are for things like when we do like the the fair in town, things of that nature. Any kind of, but not to just like set up shop maybe in front of your house Speaker 10 00:16:30 Like that? No, no, not not, no. Participating in in the bazaar. Sell my vintage fishing rods on Allman's hobby and refurbish clean, set up a table and work in any activity that's township related. Speaker 9 00:16:53 Yeah, I mean you would go ahead and if you want to sell goods in the township, you would go ahead and and obtain that application and submit it and, and then you'd go through the process Speaker 10 00:17:05 So it could work, right? Speaker 1 00:17:07 Yeah. At like the street fair, other things of that nature. Yes, most of the peddlers licenses are for like food trucks and things of that nature. But yeah, the street fair you'd have to apply and then also apply to get a table at the fair, sort of two different steps. Speaker 10 00:17:24 Thank you. Speaker 1 00:17:24 You're welcome. Is there anyone else in the public who'd wish to comment about item number seven, which are the consent agenda items at this time? Okay, scene none. I'm gonna close the public portion for item number seven, Speaker 1 00:17:47 Although that's not really item number seven, but I don't know. We're all off six A and B. Okay. And so now that will bring us to the consent agenda. Resolution for efficiency items have been consolidated into a consent agenda to be voted on together. The materials for these items have been distributed to the council in advance of the meeting at this time. Are there any items that the council would like removed from the consent agenda to to be, to be discussed or voted on separately? Scene none. I will then take an offer for the consent agenda items Speaker 11 00:18:26 Offer Councilwoman. Lombardi. Speaker 1 00:18:28 Do I have a second? Speaker 11 00:18:29 Second Speaker 1 00:18:31 Ms. Cedar, would you please take the roll call? Speaker 0 00:18:34 Councilwoman Carmichael? Speaker 11 00:18:36 Yes. Speaker 0 00:18:37 Councilwoman Lombardi? Speaker 11 00:18:39 Yes. Speaker 0 00:18:39 Councilman Cahn Rouse? Speaker 12 00:18:41 Yes. Speaker 0 00:18:42 Councilman Uhrin Shaw? Yes. Councilman. Uhrin Rin? Yes. Council President Cahill? Speaker 1 00:18:50 Yes. And the consent agenda items pass. So that'll bring us to what is listed as number 10 Announcements and comments from officials Councilwoman Carmichael? Speaker 12 00:19:05 Yes. Thank you Madam President. Just want to remind. Thank you Madam President. I just want to remind everyone of our annual walk for your health on this coming Saturday on Sydney Road at the Little League field and it's sponsored by our commissioner Chanel McCullum. And it's a wonderful event and great time to get out and get a little exercise and also to meet a lot of your neighbors in Piscataway. So it starts at nine, you can sign in if you haven't registered already and the actual walk starts at 10:00 AM So I will be there. Hope to see many of you there as well. Speaker 1 00:19:48 Thank you. Councilwoman, I'll be there. Councilwoman? Lombardi, Speaker 11 00:19:52 Yes. Ditto to the walk. I'll be there with you also. I'd also like to thank you. Okay, Melissa and Kelly with Municipal Clerks Week. Okay, thank you for everything that you do it. We'll also be having in May Restaurant week, which is May 13th to the 19th. So keep an eye out for the restaurants that are participating in Restaurant Week, they are offering discounts during that week. So you might wanna look on the township website for the restaurants that are participating. And we also have the Greek festival coming up May 16th through the 19th. Speaker 1 00:20:37 It's a very good event, I imagine you know it well. Council Councilman Uhrin Rouse. Councilman Cahn Shaw. Councilman Uhrin. Shaw, do you have any comments? Speaker 13 00:20:56 No thanks. Speaker 1 00:20:57 Okay, thank you Councilman, Uhrin, rn. Speaker 14 00:21:00 I just also wanna thank Kelly and Alyssa for all the hard work they do. They really deserve it. That's all I have right now. Speaker 1 00:21:07 Thank, thank you Councilman, Uhrin, rn, Mr. Mayor. Speaker 3 00:21:10 Just wanna congratulate the residents who participated in the Piscataway Police Citizens Police Academy. The graduation took place yesterday, I think all the, the residents that were involved in it with the community policing section of the town Police department, they really enjoyed that. So I just want to congratulate them again in the PD also. And then we are having our, the 90th birthday bash tomorrow I believe at the senior center run by the county of aging right there to be 90 years old to show up. So Speaker 1 00:21:42 Thank you Mr. Mayor. Tim, none counselor. Speaker 9 00:21:47 Just wanted to thank our municipal clerks. I pretty much bother them every day and they put up with me so just wanted to thank them And also congratulations to Kelly again for her registered Municipal clerk certification. Speaker 1 00:22:03 Okay. And I thank you very much. I too encourage folks to come out to the walk on Saturday. It has been a a well-attended event and it is meant to highlight the value of getting out to walk for our health collectively as a community. Thank you Melissa. And thank you Kelly and congratulations to on your certification there they do a yeoman's job because you do the work that is required of you but you go above and beyond and I have heard really things from residents who you office. So I wanna thank you because probably mostly people forget, you know, they all know there, but you two are part of the face of the town and represent our town in such a personal, polite and manner can always. So I wanna thank you for your hard work also too because this is the reason why I asked. Speaker 1 00:23:11 We will not have their council meeting until June. I would like to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers, the fur baby mothers, the the aunts, the to be women are all in our own way, whether we have our own children or not, do our nurtures by nature. And I do want and hope that the Piscataway residents do raise up their mothers, their aunts this Mother's day. So with that we'll go right now into number 11, which is the agenda session for the June 6th, 2024 meeting. The items on this for this meeting will be an ordinance on second reading amending chapter seven traffic section 14 parking prohibited at all times on certain streets. It will be open to the public and it'll be a resolution adopting ordinance or any comments or questions regarding that item. Seen none that will be on. The next item will be a resolution appointment of Greg k LeWitt, deputy tax Assessor or any comments or questions regarding that one. Seeing none that will be on the next will be a resolution authorizing release of irrevocable standby letter of credit block 58 0 1 lot 12.01 which is 10 corporate place south and that is 18 PB 38 or 38 39 V. Are there any comments or questions regarding that item? Seeing none that will be on the next item. Solution authorizing amendment to redevelopment agreement. RG Constitution Urban Renewal LLC Block 5 9 0 1 lot 3.23 And in that is 10 Constitution Avenue. Are there any comments or questions regarding that item? Speaker 1 00:25:07 The next fifth comments or questions regarding that? Seeing none a very worthy organization. My sister-in-law was a principal at an ARC in New Jersey, which by the way, they do not have in Florida. Okay, so that that closed number 11. So then number 12 we open the for remote attendees first and then to attendees if you wish to speak at this time, your hand pressing star please. Solar administration Speaker 0 00:26:18 Council president. There are no remote attendees with their hand raised regarding this agenda item. Speaker 1 00:26:22 Thank you Ms. Cedar. So I'm gonna close the remote attendee portion and now open it up here in person. Wish to speak at this time please come to the podium, state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments. You may take a seat after completion of your comments or questions and the council or administration. Hold the button down sir. Thank you. Speaker 16 00:26:50 Hello. Good evening Za. If you guys remember me, 8 3 1 hose lane. I've been here before, so if you remember where I came, what I came here for last time, I'm here to do a follow up on my request. On our request. We have a plenty of us here. We are asking the city council to pass a ceasefire resolution in Gaza. And if you remember, last time I was here was in January and there were about close to 23,000 innocent people that killed in Gaza. Today is the double number, almost 40,000. So I'm here again to please to ask you to please consider passing the ceasefire resolution. We already have multiple towns, multiple cities in the United States that passed the ceasefire resolution. This is not, this is a humanitarian issue that we need to all consider. I know the, the Councilman Uhrin you talked about happy, you said happy mother day to all mothers. Speaker 16 00:27:46 Mothers are dying on both sides. Many, there's about 20 to 25,000 children and women and mothers died in Gaza alone. So the last time I mentioned to you that there are human, human rights organizations already that called for ceasefire. So I'm here to urge you to consider passing that ceasefire resolution be it's not going to, I most likely it's not going to end this attack on Gaza and I'm not here asking to take sides or one side or another. We all know what's happening. But right now the situation is getting worse. Gaza is unlivable right now about 80% of the infrastructure is destroyed. Buildings. We have a congressman here in in in our area that who actually keep voting to give money to Israel. And it's not fair that our tax money, we pay for this. We are American citizen, we pay for it, we pay for this war whether we like it or not. Speaker 16 00:28:47 And I don't like it. I'm Palestinian American and my, my family, I have a relative who got killed a few a couple months ago. So I don't like my money to be going out and pay for this war crime that is happening. But I'm not asking to say what I'm saying. I'm not asking to agree with me. I'm only asking you to consider passing a ceasefire resolution that is not taking one of the two sides. It is only just saying stop the fighting. Well, that's all you have to do. Stop the killing, stop the fighting. Let's negotiate, let's talk about, you know, peaceful resolution. So I handed out a, a draft resolution and I I asked you to look into it and consider, you know, adopting that resolution or make edits to it, change it if you like. But please, last time I was here I was told that you'll get back to me. Speaker 16 00:29:36 If you are, you will discuss it internally and get back to me and let me know if you will consider passing. I have not received a call or email unless I missed it. Unless you called me, you told me you passed it or you're going to pass it. I have not gotten any calls or emails and I understand you have a lot of important issues that you care about. And thank you for all you're doing. I mean you did you I was listening to the agenda's. Good stuff you're doing there. But, but I also, this is also something that matters to a lot of us. We all, many of us live here in Piscataway and we are asking you to consider passing the cease fire solution. I will be here, I know other people would like to talk, but if you have any question for me, I'm willing to stay and answer your questions. Speaker 16 00:30:16 You can challenge me on anything I say. I'm willing to provide any evidence of whatever I say. So please consider that, talk about it and make a decision. And I hope that you make that decision to pass the cease fire resolution. And if anybody comes to you says how dare you, you know, you, you take side. No, it's not taking side, you are just saying stop the fighting. That's all you're doing. So thank you so much again, if you have any question for me, I will be here. Come and talk to me or ask me. I'll come to you and I'll speak with you. Thank you. Speaker 10 00:30:45 Thank you. Thank you so much. 58 Curtis Mayor, I wish you go down to Tony's, a property maintenance people. Get a copy of my complaint with the scratches all over it and take a good look. The situation is getting worse now we have our pickup truck parked over a storm drain. I'm not cleaning it up no more. No, he's occupying our space. I'm not cutting that grass over there. He's occupying our space. It's a vehicle without a registration plate or what. God knows where it came from. It's been there for three months. What are our police officers doing? Are they protecting us? Are they looking after us or are they just handcuffed muzzled and blindfold? I was military police. We did, we didn't have to think twice, we had to disarm them first before we could talk. Please mayor, take Tony Bologna over there, landscaper and yourself. Bring a police officer too. They're not looking after us. They're not, they're handcuffed. Speaker 1 00:32:40 Thank you. When you are up there, we all have to hold the button, just so you know. Speaker 17 00:32:48 So like this, you guys can hear me? Yes. Okay, awesome. Speaker 1 00:32:50 Just state your name and address first. Speaker 17 00:32:51 Sure. Thank you. Thank you guys for your time. My name is Dina Awa. I'm at 3 0 6 Grandview Avenue in Piscataway. And so I've actually been a resident of Piscataway for over 30 years and then I moved to Brooklyn for almost a decade. So I'm basically aging myself, which I don't love to do, but it's to make a point, I came back, I came back to Piscataway because I loved Piscataway. I grew up in Piscataway. I went to high school in Pisca. I went to every school in Piscataway. And one thing I've taken from me from this wonderful town was that we were so diverse. I know so much about so many different cultures because of Piscataway and I, I had a, when I had, when we had and Brooklyn's cool guys, right? Brooklyn is cool. And I like to think that even my in-laws moved here because of how great I talked about Piscataway, all of this to say when I had children I said I wanna move them to Piscataway because of the diversity, because of the understanding. Speaker 17 00:33:45 I stand before you also as a Palestinian American, I am also asking you guys to call for a ceasefire. And as my brother, he, he is not really my brother, but as my brother and Palestine said here, we are not asking you to choose a side. If you get, if you get pushback, if you, we are not asking you, we are asking you to choose humanity. People are being senselessly murdered and we are just asking you to say a single word ceasefire. Now I'm really glad that you wished us a happy Mother's day and thank you for that. And I just wanna tell you something real quick. It's a personal story. I just had another baby now I had another baby a few days after the attacks on Gaza started. And it's not a war, it's not a war, it's a massacre on Gaza. But again, I'm not asking you guys to agree with me. Speaker 17 00:34:31 I'm asking you just to call for ceasefire. I had a baby a few days after you guys, my baby likes to eat right? And I've been fortunate enough that I can both nurse and I can get him formula. And when I tell you that every single time that baby screams for food, my heart breaks because I'm imagining the starving children in Gaza. There's so many women who just had newborns and they're literally starving. And I turn to my son who I can easily feed if I can't put him to me to, 'cause I'm working. I get him a bottle, I have, I have it at my fingertips. And yet he's crying like this. I can only imagine how the mothers and Gaza feel that they don't have any solutions for their children because they won't allow aid. They won't allow aid or food. The, there's eight year olds who are starving. Speaker 17 00:35:27 There's newborn babies who have done nothing who are starving. If you call for a ceasefire, no, okay, maybe it won't change anything, but maybe it will. Maybe it will give other towns and other cities and other states to start thinking more people are calling for a ceasefire. We need aid, they need food. There's imagine your child starving. That's all I have to say. Thank you guys for your time. Thank you for all you do and I really, really hope I see so many of you nodding and I truly hope that this is genuine and that you guys, we will hear that there has been a call for a ceasefire. Thank you so much. Speaker 18 00:36:05 Thank you. Good evening. My name is Samara Kahn and I'm at one 16 Castle Point Boulevard in Piscataway. And I just want to pick up on the point the speaker before me mentioned, and it was also about hunger. We just came out of the month of Ramadan and if some of us hadn't had dinner yet, I just wanted us to think about the hunger pangs on a day busy day at work. And when they intensify, you know, we can't help but think about people who feel that way every day, not because of work, not because they're busy, but because there is famine. And today we enjoy the highest rates of food production that humanity has ever seen. And an entire nation is being starved before our very eyes as collective punishment. If you look at un un humanitarian chief Martin Griffith, he stated the international community should hang its head in shame for failing to stop this. Speaker 18 00:37:05 Recently some a young gazen girl was forced to eat horse animal feed, which she was unable to digest and died. As a direct result of that, some gaza's were forced to eat rats. And according to experts, the feminine Gaza is completely manmade. And we have the resources as I speak at our disposal to completely avert it. The question I wanna ask us is what kind of milestone that's our global humanity reach When we are awed by the dizzying technological wonders of artificial intelligence, the text to image productions, but are not sead by the real images of death and starvation. Ravaging a defenseless civilian population, half of whom are children, we have a choice to make today. And the speakers before me said that we're not asking you to choose a side. Actually I am asking you to choose a side. I'm asking you to choose a side of compassion, not complacency. Speaker 18 00:38:03 What happened to the human rights? We as Americans have always championed around the world. What happened to women's rights? Over 10,000 women have been killed. What happened to children's rights? Over 15,000 children have been killed to date with over 2000, missing one or both limbs and a similar number having lost one or both parents. Not to mention the burn victims, the disfigurement victims, white suffers bomb victims. And the list goes on and on. I just wanna mention what Dr. Rick Maine are. The British physician said about a particular child that he will never forget. His child had such bad burns that you could see her facial bones and there was no chance of her surviving that what was even worse is that there was no morphine to give her. So not only was she going to die, but she would die in agony alone on the floor because there are no hospital beds. Speaker 18 00:39:00 What does never again mean? Is it for a specific group or is it for all of us? And if it's to the exclusion of others, then what does it mean for our humanity? Maybe it's too late for the 5% of the dozen population that has been genocided by by today and realize that is not a small number. 5% of us here in the US would equal 16.6 million beating American hearts and souls. 5% is a huge number to be lost of dreams and hopes scattered and shattered by bombs and shrapnel, which I'm ashamed that I'm paying for with my tax money. Let us not choose to be true or complicit or complacent. Let's choose to be compassionate. Let us choose the overwhelming odds that want to numb what is best within us. Maybe we cannot save Gaza. Maybe the CFI resolution will not save Gaza, but it will save our conscience, it'll save our humanity. Speaker 18 00:40:02 Please let us use our voice since it is not okay and let our children know that it is not okay for the world to be like this. This is not normal. We'll have an obligation to care for each other regardless of our race or culture. We have an obligation to love one another, to clothe and to feed each other. I would like to conclude with an important Islamic narration, which is where God says on the day of judgment outside of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed me. He will say, my Lord, how can I feed you when you are the Lord of the worlds, God will say, did you not know that my servant asked you for food but you did not feed him? And had you fed him, you would have found me with him. It was only in finding our way to each other that we find our way to God. Thank you for listening. Thank Speaker 1 00:40:52 You. Be sure to keep the button held down and yeah, just hold it. Speak your name and address. Thank So when you speak you're gonna have to hold the button down the whole time and then just state your name and address. Speaker 19 00:41:45 Good. Speaker 1 00:41:54 Just hold it, it's red. You're not being Speaker 19 00:41:56 Captured, it's green. Can you hear me? My name is Amman Em five zero Shirley Parkway. I'm standing before you today for a similar reason as several other speakers have. I'm a 14-year-old girl in middle school in the eighth grade and the New Jersey education system is actually the number one education system in America. Because of this education system. We have amazing teachers, doctors, engineers, and lawyers coming from New Jersey because of the school system we have here. So imagine what it would be like if we didn't have schools. It would be chaotic. And the city of Gaza doesn't have schools anymore because of all the bombs that have been dropped there for the past six months. Speaker 19 00:42:52 The kids there in Gaza, they don't have schools anymore, they don't have hospitals or access to food or clean water or electricity. I'm not a Palestinian and I'm not Arab, but you don't have to be Muslim or Palestinian or Arab to support the right cause, which is a ceasefire and letting humanitarian aid into Gaza. Any member of Congress or any authority who doesn't, who doesn't approve of a resolution, is complicit of genocide, which this is not a war, this is genocide. It's one-sided. The solution is simple, supporting a ceasefire and humanitarian aid into the people of Kaza or the continued massacre of innocent people. The last six months, Israel has blocked access to food, clean water and electricity. And every two minutes a bomb drops in Gaza, which kills children, journalists, world central kitchen aid workers and entire families. The time to act is now and passing a resolution is the first step. So cease fire now. Thank you. Speaker 1 00:44:11 Thank you. Speaker 20 00:44:22 My name is Mohammad Ssim, 5 0 8 Shirley Parkway, Middlesex County. Imagine the size of the Middlesex County and 25,000 people die within that county. Imagine half of them are your kids. And then imagine it's your mother's day. How would you celebrate? Have that picture in mind. This, this weekend. Surpass the resolution. Thank you. Speaker 1 00:45:01 Thank you. I'm sorry Costas you. You already spoke at the public portion. You'll have to let the person behind. Curtis, I'm sorry, you already spoke at the public, Speaker 10 00:45:17 At the population die Greek and Turks. What was the outcome? Prejudice. Speaker 1 00:45:30 Excuse me sir. Cost. Thank you very much. Thank you. Just remember to hold down the button the whole time. State your name and address. Speaker 21 00:45:44 Can you hear me? How's this? Speaker 21 00:45:50 Hello everyone. I'm Naia Eth from the River Road Rescue Squad 1 0 1 Shirley Parkway. Hello. On behalf of all of our members present today, do you mind standing our apologies that more of our members couldn't be present today. We currently have two crews out, one in the Somerset area, the the other one assisting an agency in Bergen County. On behalf of all of our members present and not present, we would like to take this time to thank the council for the proclamation on today's agenda. Acknowledging EMS week. We believe it is of Utmo utmost importance that our elected officials recognize the hard work and commitment that our team and all EMS providers and all agencies put in every day. And for that thank you. Last but definitely not least, thank you to the Piscataway community, your endless support over the past couple of years and you know, since we've been in service means a lot. Thank you. That is all. Speaker 22 00:47:03 Hi, my name is Sara Rashid. Six 18. Speaker 1 00:47:07 Hold it the entire time. Okay, just bring it maybe a little close. Speaker 22 00:47:10 Is that better? Okay, my name is Sarah Rashid, six 18 Buckingham Drive. And like a lot of other people here today, I am here requesting the township council to pass a resolution to end human suffering. 80% of the population there is displaced. They don't have an infrastructure, they don't have the luxuries that we are here having right now. You know, you already know the facts. I won't even repeat the facts again and again because you know the facts. Now the time is to act. You have to make a decision, you have to pass a resolution for ceasefire now. Thank you. Speaker 1 00:47:53 Thank you. Is there anyone else in the public wishing to comment you this time? You'd come to the podium, state your name and address and note that you have three minutes in which to speak. Speaker 20 00:48:13 Goodnight. My name is Raymond Elli. I'm a resident of Somerville. I'm here tonight to, just to restate the importance of the ceasefire. A lot of the items and the agenda tonight, just imagine you don't have this on your agenda, but what you have on your agenda is no hospitals. I'm a healthcare employee for 30 plus years. Imagine you don't have an a hospital. Imagine you don't have a police department. Imagine you don't have a mayor department. Imagine you don't have none of you that's up there department. That's what's in Gaza, that's what the people of God's experience and imagine. You don't have food, you don't have water, you have nothing. We talk about Mother's Day, we talk about the restaurants coming out and they have deals and we have talk about all these gathering. There's nothing like that here where we're humans. Forget about religion, forget about where we're from. Speaker 20 00:49:15 There's something in our hearts that thick that that thick, that that, that beats in our heart, that tell us what's going on. There is wrong suffering. And that for anyone across the board is wrong. You need to pass the resolution. If there's anything you can do that's that's, that's little as that is passing the res resolution, I know in your hearts it's there. Bring it out in your actions. Bring it out in your actions. One day we'll stand before God and we'll act and he'll access. What did we do? What you're doing up there, you're gonna be questioned about it. What we're doing, we are gonna be questioned. Make sure you say, well, at least you pass a resolution. That's the least you can do. That's the least you can do for humanity. Thank you very much for listening. Absolutely. Thank you. Hi, Speaker 18 00:50:19 My name is Ish. I'm actually a resident of Edison, so actually came here to support my brothers and sisters. I'm an educator and it breaks my heart. Look into my second graders knowing that a lot of second graders no longer live in Gaza. And we speak about diversity and acceptance, but yet we are, the community as a whole is refusing to ask for a ceasefire to make it an equal, make it equal for everyone to live in peace. What is so hard about saying, Hey, stop the killing. You know, we're looking for reasons why we should continue the killing. We're giving more money, we're refusing to use the word ceasefire, but all that we're saying is you are not taking sides. I don't know if it stopped, but please for the sake of the children, our children, your children, help this come to light as for a ceasefire. So it can have a trickle down effect, a domino effect for everyone else. Thank you. Speaker 1 00:51:29 You Speaker 23 00:51:48 Good evening everyone here, president de. Speaker 1 00:51:53 So just please state your name and address. Yes, Speaker 23 00:51:56 Just waiting for the mayor to finish. Okay. Good evening everyone. My name is Abode WA 3 0 6 Grandview Avenue. My wife Dina spoke earlier. I am a retired New York City employee. I was on city council in Brooklyn, New York in my community. And in the future I plan to join this community. Also, I plan to be an active member, just letting you know so you see my face and you'll know it and remember it. Hopefully The reason I'm getting up here today, right now, again, just like all my fellow people who live here, my neighbors, please call for a ceasefire. You are on this board, mayor. All of you go down in history choosing humanity, not genocide. You can go down in history on the right side years from now when people look at your names and remember you. You want to be known for doing something right? I hope you do. Thank you. Speaker 1 00:52:57 Thank you. Speaker 24 00:53:09 Hi, my name is Catherine Smo at 1 92 Davidson Road. I, I wish that we weren't experiencing this problem and we of all people unfortunately are not able to wash our hands of this because as you probably know, the United States supplies most of the weapons that have been used for the last almost seven months. And so it's each of our duty as an American to do what we can do to create peace. As you may have heard, what I believe it has been the fastest descent in or decline of nutritional status of a population ever recorded, if I'm recalling correctly. And as you probably know, 14,000 children have been killed. That's more, more children were killed in the first four months of this assault on Gaza than in the previous four years of global conflicts combined. Again, that's all the previous four years world conflicts. The number of children that they killed was not as much as in the first four months of this. Speaker 24 00:54:19 I, that's, that's unacceptable. And I think on to, to be honest, I feel like if people would pick, pick their own demographic and imagine that they were suddenly the demographic in Gaza, how would you feel? How would you feel seeing 14,000 children be killed? 33,000 on record. But we know many, many more under, sorry, 33,000 people total on record, but many, many more under the rubble. How would you feel if that was your group or a group that you're more connected to? I think most of us could say this is not acceptable and it's, it's not how to create peace. This is not how to create good relations. It's not how to create peace. It's not how to create security. Speaker 24 00:55:04 And, sorry, I'll skip ahead a little bit, but also I'm a, I'm a convert. I'm a relatively new Muslim and I've only been Muslim for almost five years, but I personally know four people who have had family members murdered in the last seven months. Some of them have had one family member murdered, some of them have had several family members murdered. Children are of course included in this because children are being murdered at record rates. This is unacceptable. It is an absolute crisis for, as you can see, a swath of the Piscataway community. Also as someone who is most connected to the international student community in, in Piscataway, that's like my main sort of social group. Early on in this, I remember sitting with three Muslim women from different countries who are among the best and brightest. That is why they were here. And they were all so shocked and horrified and they were reconsidering whether or not to stay in the United States in light of what they were observing. Speaker 24 00:56:09 And that was after only probably a few thousand people had been murdered, but they saw what was being done and what was on track. You know, I can only imagine how they feel now. We, we wanna keep the best and brightest. We wanna attract the best and brightest. We wanna impress people with our, with our morality. And you know, we wanna spend our money in ways that do help create peace and that we're proud of not spend money that we should be spending on our kids here to literally murder kids abroad. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your time. Speaker 1 00:56:40 Thank you. Is there anyone else in the public? Let me, sure. Is there anyone else who wanted to come and speak? Yeah, see, hold down the button the whole time you speak. It doesn't click. You wanna hold it? Okay. Speaker 25 00:57:14 Thank you. My name's Naia Ali. I live at five 12 Silverton Place. I'm a mom of two. They're sitting right there. And I'm also a public school teacher here in Piscataway. Like all of you. I love all of our children. I love my job, I love teaching and I love all children. I want what's best for them. So I just wanted to give you a comparison in numbers to kind of make this hit home. So far in the past several months, 14,000 children have been killed in Gaza. That is the population of our entire school district over two times over. So I just wanted to throw that out there of just how grand and how devastating the loss is. Thank you. Speaker 1 00:57:50 Thank you. Naia, did you want to ask your question of the mayor afterwards or did you want to We'll, it's okay, Speaker 16 00:58:08 I just wanna know like, can this be considered tonight? And because we already been talking about this for a few months now I understand and I don't think there is, we should be wasting any more time to talk about this. I'm hoping that you make a decision tonight. Right. Take a vote on it and please, let's do it. Speaker 1 00:58:24 So we can't actually, but I do believe either Mr. Mayor or Raj, did you want to say something? I will. I'll Oh, there's somebody behind you. Let's let all the public speak and then we'll, sorry about that. Just when you speak the down and keep it held down and state your name and address. Speaker 26 00:58:50 Good evening everyone. This is Samia Zaper from Seventh Stir Bridge Drive, east Piscataway. Look this town, it's beautiful town and my kids are now grown up. Michelle, one of them has got just married and we had a very hard time during Ramadan because every passing day was giving us the, the number of the deaths going on within Za and beyond. And that was the hardest Ramadan we we had ever experienced because every time we were cooking and, and the moms is the queen of the house right? And, and Muslim household Right. In any household. And it was really hard to plan the dinner, right. And, and the morning meal, it was really, really hard because our brother and sisters were not even had any access to the food. And with every passing day, the that, that whole is increasing, right. And, and we need some immediate action right. There should be ceased fire immediately because, but we are going to be accountable right on the day of judgment. Right. And, and the wall is, is being wrapped up in front of us, right? But we are living in the end of time, right? So it's, it's very important that we care about everyone around us. Thank you. Speaker 1 01:00:24 Thank you. Is there anyone else in the public who would like to speak? You may do so at this time. Okay, see none that I'm gonna close the public portion. Raj, did you wanna say few? Could I just say something before, so I'm not gonna go see here, but this is very heart wrenching night not to the first night that when you came out this whole i i, I don't want to necessarily put words in anyone's mouth, but I can tell you that we are all members of this town too. And some of us who moved into this town, moved into it for some of the reasons that some of the folks here mentioned tonight too about the diversity. And especially when you come from a town that's not so diverse. And the one thing that we can always say about Piscataway is we've never been in the news, right? Speaker 1 01:01:23 No one outside of, I guess one incident, people aren't spray painting our houses of worship. People respect one another and we have respect for one another. I know this council has a huge amount of respect and gratitude for the Muslim population in this town because your families, you make the town better. Families are what make towns betters, right? And that's what makes this town so great. I often think that because we're located where the university is, it affords us the blessing of having educated people in the town who respect one another no matter what walk of life we come from. And I know that everyone on this board believes that on this board, believes that to their core. So with that, I do believe Raj would like to say something for the mayor or, Speaker 9 01:02:23 Yeah, just, just wanted to indicate that the, while you were talking, the mayor came over to me, instructed me to earn a resolution for the next meeting. So I'm gonna draft something in the next week, circulate, circulate it to the council for their comments and review. And then we'll have it on for the, for the agenda at the next meeting. Speaker 1 01:02:40 Thank you. And it is the, it is the, it is each person on this board has a sense of great sorrow of what's coming on, what's going on in Gaza. A great sense of sorrow. And I think some of you touched on it where since we represent the entire town, right? People from every walk of life, sometimes you want to make sure that you're not telling one group of people that you are not also for them while still being supportive and wanting to call for a cease fire. So with that, I do know that you wanted to have the resolution tonight, but we will draft it and we will have it for the council meeting at the next we meet. Why don't we, why don't you come and address us right after 'cause so, because I have to close out the public portion. And then please, Speaker 3 01:03:44 Please comment. Council president if I may have a public comments there. Yeah, Speaker 1 01:03:48 Absolute. Of course. Do you want me to close? Okay, so I'm just gonna, I closed it. Okay. So I did close the public portion. Okay. Mr. Mayor, I, Speaker 3 01:03:58 I just wanna mention, give condolences to Dennis Espinoza and, and his family. Yeah. The loss of his brother and that's Speaker 1 01:04:05 Not Yeah, I'm so sorry. I meant not here to, I meant to say that one of our council members who is not here tonight, his brother died suddenly very man at 56. And so we do send him our condolences in his family. Yeah. Thank you Mr. Speaker 3 01:04:19 And I also have one more, and I would be very remiss for the cas consent agenda. When it was open to the public, a woman who called in said that we were allegedly we were being petty against with the board of Ed. That is quite the opposite. I just wanna let the record reflect that that individual who called in was part of the lawsuit and we're just plexed up here of the actions of some of the board members and some of the general members of the public. And rightfully so because they're complaining about something being constructed near one of the schools when the school district them themselves. And there's a member from the board of Ed that got up here and spoke tonight in a different capacity, executed an agreement for a daycare center and pre-K in an industrial zone right across the street from logistics building no less than a hundred feet away. Speaker 3 01:05:18 And the fact that they were making comments that it would potentially be a security risk if there's kids going 900 feet away from the school, then the school has a risk. There should no be no reason. IIII don't get this at all. And the only thing we're doing with this resolution tonight, just clarifying from the members of the Board of education, since clearly a majority of said, have said publicly that this was bad. So we're assuming that they don't wanna accept the revenue that's gonna come off the site. What they weren't telling is, is that if it wasn't gonna be this, it was gonna be 300 townhouses, which was gonna overload the school system, create more financial burden on the town. And it wasn't gonna be the alleged 21 homes that they were saying because no superior court judge, correct me if I'm wrong, Raj would allow that to happen. So, right. If I'm, I'm not mistaken. No, no judge in this world would allow that to happen. Speaker 9 01:06:14 That that's why the force, the, the settlement we ended up coming to was nowhere near 21 houses. So Speaker 3 01:06:20 It, it was almost laughable to even suggest that. But I want, I do want some concurrence from the board of education and the members of the board because they have been accepting the revenue off these logistics sites for the last many years. And that's why they're have more money now than they've ever had in the history of the town because of all the economic development going on in this town. And I wanna just let, let that record reflect that it was not being petty. We're perplexed. They should take the revenue. I encourage 'em to take the revenue when that comes about. But when you have elected officials up there saying that something's not correct, but yet they did the opposite in another instance and are, and have been accepted money all along, I don't know, I don't know whether it's an election because this has been going on for two years, but we just want some clarity from the board of Ed and Raj. I'm gonna also ask that the, that this be sent certified to each of the board of members. 'cause I don't wanna hear that they didn't get a copy of it. And I know we we're sent it to the administration over word again. So I strongly say encourage them to take the revenue stream, whatever it may be coming off. But I am definitely perplexed about this because it wasn't about the safety of the kids. Because if that was the case, why did they locate a pre-K in the middle of an industrial zone? Speaker 1 01:07:51 Thank you. All right. Do I have an offer to adjourn? Do I have a second? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. We are adjourned. Thank you. Have a good.