2026-09-28 - Criminal Justice Committee

00:11control.

00:16>> All right, we're going to give it a a

00:18couple more minutes to work out the

00:20technical difficulties

00:22and to establish a quorum.

00:29And we have media setting up. Always

00:32great to see we have media concerned

00:33about the youth in our city. Thank you

00:36WWL. It's cast a call for times picking

00:39you. We appreciate it.

01:02I check for Friday. Everything is crazy.

01:05>> That's how it is. That's how it is.

01:14>> Do you want me to go upstairs?

01:22I was told that the the test run on

01:24Friday went uh went well.

01:46I'm sorry

01:48I was muted. I didn't I didn't I

01:50couldn't hear you.

01:51>> You can hear me now.

01:53>> I can hear you loud and clear now.

01:55>> Can you hear Can you hear me, Miss

01:57Williams?

02:02>> What you said?

02:06>> Can you hear the council?

02:11>> He said, "Can you hear him?"

02:15>> Bar. Oh, barely.

02:17>> Okay. Okay. Well, I don't I don't think

02:18it's as important to be able to hear us

02:19as as it is to be able to hear to be

02:22able to hear uh the voices behind the

02:25wall. So, Sam's letting know once we get

02:27one more council member a guest to come

02:30in, we can uh get started.

02:33>> Okay. Once we get one more council

02:35member, we'll start.

02:37So, we have two up there right now.

02:54Are they ready?

02:56>> Yeah, they she's ready.

02:58>> Okay.

02:59>> Y'all ready? Right, Miss Williams?

03:03>> Yes.

03:05Were you ready?

03:10>> We going to give it three more minutes.

03:11I I did say uh five. So, we get three

03:14more minutes.

03:15>> So, 3 minutes. Uh we're going to start

03:16in 3 minutes.

03:40It's 15 minutes down.

04:46This cold

04:48breed.

06:00You hear us now,

06:03Miss Williams?

06:07>> Yes.

06:08>> Can you Can you hear us?

06:10>> Oh, you I'm not muted. You can't hear

06:13me?

06:14>> I I can hear you. Can you hear Can you

06:17hear us? We changed our seating on that.

06:22>> Breaking us.

06:22>> Can you hear sound breaking up?

06:25>> No, we can hear you. Can you hear us?

06:29>> Oh,

06:30>> yeah.

06:32Yes, I can hear you.

06:33>> Miss Williams, can you can you hear me?

06:34Council member King, can you hear me?

06:39>> Maybe she can. Miss Williams

06:44here.

06:44>> Yes, I can hear you.

06:46>> Okay. They just want to make sure we're

06:47not moving around in vain. Okay, we'll

06:50get started. Um, we don't want to waste

06:52any more any more time.

06:56So, this is the um September 28th

07:00Criminal Justice Committee meeting. And

07:03um we don't have a quorum yet, so we're

07:05going to do the roll call. Can you still

07:07>> Yeah, let's go ahead and do roll call

07:08for the record. Council member King

07:11>> here.

07:11>> Council member Morell. Council member

07:13Harris

07:14>> here. Council member Green, Council

07:16Member Hughes, we have two members. We

07:18do not have a quorum.

07:19>> Okay,

07:19>> you can go ahead.

07:21>> Thank you, Miss Anita. So, we are here

07:22to hear from the voices behind the wall,

07:26our um incarcerated youth over at the

07:30Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.

07:32They're going to be led by the director,

07:35who I would say is doing a a fabulous

07:37job, Miss Dashelle Williams. Uh Miss

07:40Williams, we're going to turn the floor

07:42over to you. you can give us um some

07:44ground rules and let you start with the

07:48presentation. Well, before I say that,

07:50uh the council members are at the at our

07:53usual spot be at the uh what you call

07:55this at the desk because the audio

07:58wouldn't pick up with us talking on the

08:01microphones on the desk. So, we came

08:03down uh to be so we could ask questions.

08:06Um, I think it's important to hear

08:09directly from our youth uh about their

08:12life experiences. We often know get a

08:15snapshot of something on TV or or on

08:19social media, but we don't get a real

08:23detailed background of of what cause

08:26what their environment looks like um of

08:28their lived experience. I want to make

08:29it very clear no one here today is um

08:33accusing anyone of anything or or um

08:37saying you know what what they're being

08:40accused of is is okay. We just want to

08:42it's not about guilt or innocence. We're

08:44just here to hear their story. So

08:46hopefully collectively um the city

08:50individually, us as individual residents

08:52of the city and the city collectively

08:54can can try to make uh the lives of our

08:57youth, our most vulnerable youth a

09:00little bit better. So with that, uh Miss

09:01Williams, I'll turn it over to you.

09:05>> Good morning, city council. Um thank you

09:07for taking uh this time out to uh hear

09:11from the voices behind the walls. I am

09:14um Deselle Williams. I'm the executive

09:16director here at the Juvenile Justice

09:18Intervention Center. And so I just I

09:21want to I wanted to take this time to

09:24just kind of um set some ground rules

09:28but but also share some um historical

09:33uh information um in regards to the

09:36youth in our care. Um first I'll ask

09:39that once the youth um start talking if

09:43you have questions for the youth could

09:45you hold it to um till the end of the uh

09:49presentation. Um I will ask that um you

09:53truly lean in and listen to the voices

09:56behind the walls. We're not here um to

09:59talk about charges. We're here [snorts]

10:02um to hear from children um and their

10:04lived experiences. So, we can't give

10:08their first name, their last name. Um,

10:11we can't give initials. Um, I'll be

10:13calling them up um as uh presenter

10:16number one, uh, voice number one, voice

10:19number, voice number two, voice number

10:22three, and so forth and so on. Um, I

10:26think it's important that we do this and

10:28I was um excited when Council Member

10:31King uh reached out and said that this

10:34quarter's criminal justice uh meeting

10:38would be different from meetings of the

10:40past. And I think it's important because

10:44we often see the news. We often uh hear

10:47and and see things on social media, but

10:51what we don't really

10:54we we we see the news, we we we hear the

10:58charges, but we don't hear from the

11:01children. And in this space, I in my

11:06time here in my experience

11:09when I sit and I talk to young people,

11:12um it kind of breaks my heart. Um

11:16because I'm saying as an adult, I could

11:19never imagine going through some of the

11:23things that the young people go through

11:26from age 10 to 17, the unresolved

11:31trauma, the hurt, [snorts]

11:33um the lack of resources, and I'm not

11:36making any excuses um for um some

11:41charges that they are uh allegedly

11:43facing. And I'm just saying their

11:46[clears throat] lived experiences are

11:47are are difficult to sit sometimes and

11:50listen to. Um, but I'm often reminded by

11:54two um two situations at JJIC that

11:59involve youth. We had a

12:03teenage mother who was I think about 13

12:07or 14 years old. Um, she was on the

12:11steps of JJIC.

12:13what a one week old baby in in in a

12:19blanket, no bottle, no diaper bag. She

12:23didn't have anything. She caught the bus

12:25because the baby daddy was incarcerated

12:27here and she wanted to come over to find

12:30out about court. And so I walked into

12:33the facility at about 8:45 one morning

12:38and she was sitting by the steps. Then I

12:40asked her what she was doing here and

12:43she stated that she was at JJIC to um

12:48see about

12:50her baby's father. And I was like,

12:52"Well, how old are you?" And then she

12:54stated her age. I was like, "Well, who's

12:56your baby father?" Because everything

12:58here is confidential. And I didn't she

13:01gave me the name and I didn't um say if

13:05he was or if he weren't here. I didn't

13:07give her any information.

13:09And um I told her that because she

13:12wasn't the the legal guardian that she

13:15would um have to go and get his mother

13:18and I could speak with the mother. So

13:21she said okay and she started to walk

13:24off but then it started storming raining

13:26outside and I asked her did she have a

13:28ride and she said no I'm going to catch

13:31the bus. I said well where do you live?

13:33She said, "I live in Elers's

13:36um in Jackson in Jackson Landing." And I

13:40said, "You have a bottle for this baby?"

13:43She said, "No." I said, "So, you going

13:45to catch the bus all the way across the

13:47river? You going to walk to the bus stop

13:49with a a a one week old baby and in all

13:54this rain?" And she was like, "Yeah." I

13:56was like, "No, I'll bring you home." And

13:59so, um, I I told her to give me a second

14:03I to put my things down in my office and

14:06then I went back out to the lobby and,

14:10um, I went to bring her home. Long story

14:13short, in the drive from JJIC to the

14:16West Bank, I learned that her mother was

14:19deceased. She lived with her father, but

14:21her father worked. And so from time to

14:24time, um, when her father's at work,

14:28she's supposed to be under the care of

14:30her aunt, but the aunt doesn't really

14:31want her there. And so she kind of just

14:34like going from here to there with this

14:37baby until the dad gets back.

14:41And um, so that kind of sat with me. I

14:44asked her, did she have formula in the

14:46house for the baby? Um, she said she had

14:49two cans. I asked her about diapers. She

14:52said she had enough to get her through

14:54the week. And so I said, "Okay, I have

14:56to get back to work." But it sat in the

14:58back of my head. I say, "I we'll figure

15:00this out." Long story short, she didn't

15:04give me enough time to figure it out

15:05because she was soon incarcerated at

15:08JJIC. So, not only did I have the mother

15:11at JJ, the father at JJIC, now I have

15:14the mother who has this baby. I'm

15:17worried about this baby. And so um she

15:20she said that the baby was with the aunt

15:23who she didn't feel comfortable um with

15:27the baby being by because of how they

15:30were treated when the dad would go to

15:32work. The aunt didn't really want them

15:35there and so she had some concerns.

15:38Well, I made contact with her father. Um

15:41I spoke with him and he was saying he's

15:45doing the best he can. is really hard

15:47raising a young girl. Her mother is

15:50deceased and he the mother, it was

15:53actually the mother's sister that he

15:55asked to support this situation. But

15:58nevertheless, they really wasn't

16:01interested or engaged. They just was

16:03checking the box, doing the bare

16:05minimum.

16:07The story got a little bit more

16:11complicated because this young lady was

16:14not only incarcerated and the father was

16:17incarcerated but while at JGIC

16:20um the young lady started having some

16:23vision is issues and um was losing her

16:28slight her sight daily like literally

16:32going blind. JJIC

16:36medical team assessed her and realized

16:38that she needed to go out immediately to

16:41the hospital. Um,

16:45not

16:47in the nicest way possible not to

16:49violate HIPPA. This young lady had

16:52experienced

16:54vision loss because of some untreated

16:57uh medical issues that she had that was

17:01untreated for years.

17:04because no one really was um seeing

17:07about her or caring about her um other

17:10than what she said was this young man

17:13that was incarcerated at JJIC

17:16and his mother when his mother was not

17:20under the influence of other things. So

17:23that is one story that really um touched

17:27my heart and I was glad for the sake of

17:31her vision, for the sake of uh medical

17:34services um for her um that um she ended

17:39up at JJIC because this the outcome for

17:42that could have been different. The

17:45second uh situation

17:49um involved a young man who was

17:52homeless. He lived under the on the

17:54streets. He lived under the bridge. DCFS

17:56got involved several times. There was

17:58some issues in regard um to his mother.

18:02He never knew his father. He um would

18:06allegedly go out and and commit

18:11uh I'mma say some lowhanging fruit

18:14crimes just enough to be arrested. Not

18:17so much so crimes against people um

18:22in a extremely violent way, but he would

18:27do just enough to land him at JJIC. And

18:30so when it was time for his release,

18:32often he would get released to DCFS.

18:36And so he would come back to JJIC

18:40once he's released to DCFS,

18:43not at the back door by by way of court

18:47order arrest. He would come to the front

18:49door and knock on the door and ask could

18:52he just stay for the night? And I'm

18:54like, I'm sorry you can't just stay for

18:57the night. you only could come here by

19:01way of arrest or court order. And so he

19:04would say, I'm hungry. I'm like, you why

19:07are you running? Why are you running

19:09from DCFS? Miss Williams, you don't

19:12understand. You'll never understand.

19:14You're not in my shoes. The we they

19:16bring us to places where people act like

19:18they care about kids and they don't.

19:20They act like they want the best for us.

19:22And the minute the DCF s worker pull

19:26off, some of us are in living in pure

19:29hell. And so I was like, "No, I don't

19:32understand." I said, "But I can't enable

19:35you like that. You have to be able to

19:37communicate this stuff um when you go to

19:40court in front of judges. I can't just

19:42take you in based on what you're telling

19:45me. But what I will do is give you

19:47something to eat and I'll call DCFS and

19:49let them know that you're here." And so

19:53um several times this individual

19:57um will repeat this cycle. He'll get

19:59released to DCFS and then show up at the

20:02front door. And then so finally he

20:04realized that coming [clears throat]

20:06keep coming back this way. Miss Williams

20:09and and JJC staff, they not going to

20:11just let me in. And so he would actually

20:13go out and commit small crimes. And not

20:18that a crime is a crime. So, I'm not

20:20trying to uh minimize um the victims

20:23that are out there, but he would go out

20:25and and commit just enough crimes so he

20:28could have a place to stay. He said that

20:31being at JJIC

20:33is better than any situation that he's

20:35ever been in for as as a child and he

20:39felt comfortable here. He was able to

20:41take a shower. He was able to um eat. um

20:45he had a a decent place to to lay his

20:48head at night and he didn't have to

20:50worry um about things that were going to

20:53happen um to him. And so um just those

20:58two situations, those two encounters for

21:02me often

21:05have me talking to young people that

21:08come into JJIC. So to get an

21:12understanding of their lived

21:14experiences,

21:15I I do know that children don't just

21:17wake up and say, "I'm going to allegedly

21:21be a carjacker today. I'm allegedly um

21:26commit a crime today." Sometimes there

21:29are uh underlining issues um that drives

21:34their actions. And so what I would ask

21:37um from the council is for you all to

21:40just um listen to the to the voices

21:44behind the walls. Listen um without

21:46judgment,

21:48listen with an open heart and um and and

21:53hear hear what the young people have to

21:56say. And if you have questions, I think

21:58Council Member King um will set the

22:01stage um for that.

22:04Hey, I want to ask, is that staff over

22:06your left shoulder?

22:08I want to make sure.

22:09>> I'm sorry.

22:10>> If that's a staff member over your left

22:12shoulder.

22:15>> Oh,

22:15>> we want to make sure.

22:16>> Oh, that's a mirror.

22:18>> No, they had someone right.

22:19>> We have No.

22:20>> And they uh

22:21>> Oh, that's my [clears throat] staff. She

22:22>> Okay. We just want to make sure.

22:24>> Yeah, that's my Yeah, that's the the

22:26kids are in front of me. That's the

22:28staff. Um just making sure the audio and

22:31everything is

22:32>> All right. Cool.

22:34It wasn't one of the kids.

22:36>> All right. And so, um, the first, um,

22:41the first voice behind the wall will be

22:44voice number one. And so, um, I'll let

22:47her start.

22:51>> First, I want to see what I'm going to

22:53say isn't a shame anywhere. Anyway, it's

22:55simply a

22:57>> talk a little louder. I said,

23:02"What I'm going to say isn't a shame

23:04anyone in any way. It's simply a summary

23:07of my life. And if I don't speak up, I

23:09will never be heard." To begin, most

23:11people look at us young black kids.

23:13Actually, I don't discriminate. So,

23:15young kids who are in situations similar

23:17to mine. People look at us as threats

23:19and bad for society, but no one ever

23:21said and thought what could have been

23:22done better for young kids to help them

23:24more physically and mentally. If y'all

23:27know the living situations we've been

23:28in, you'll understand why we do what we

23:30do. And know it's not your fault,

23:32anyone's fault, because we definitely

23:34should have had self-control and

23:35self-discipline. But sometime along the

23:37way, young kids like myself was failed.

23:40I grew up in a household with a single

23:42mother with five other siblings along

23:43with myself. And it was hard. And I

23:46don't want no charity kids. Just listen.

23:48It was time. We [snorts] didn't eat

23:50nothing but an empty fridge, nothing on

23:52top, but some inspired cereal. So really

23:54nothing. Mind you, I'm not gonna sit

23:56here sit here and say my mom didn't do

23:59her best, but what about her and what

24:00she was going through. So, I would never

24:02blame my mother for action she did.

24:05>> Hold on.

24:05>> Is it possible to have uh the youth

24:07speak more into a microphone? Is we can

24:10hear, but it's still a little a little

24:12faint.

24:14>> All right, let me let me cut the camera

24:16off and I'mma All right, come to this.

24:19>> We can't see you, so they can speak.

24:21>> I'm sorry.

24:22Yeah. I'm sorry for the technical

24:24difficulty. It's

24:25>> all right. Start over.

24:29>> Y'all like me to start over.

24:31>> Whatever's best for you.

24:34>> All right. I'm going just start over.

24:36>> That's much better.

24:36>> All right. What I'm going to say isn't a

24:40shame anyone in any way. It's simply a

24:42summary of my life. And if I don't speak

24:44up, I will never be heard. To begin,

24:47most people look at us young black kids.

24:49Actually, I don't discriminate. So,

24:51young kids who are in situations similar

24:52to mine. People look at us as threats

24:55and bad for society, but no one ever

24:57said and thought what could have been

24:58done better for young kids to help them

25:00more physically and mentally. If y'all

25:02knew the living situations we've been

25:03in, you'll understand why we do what we

25:05do and and know it's not our fault or

25:07anyone's fault because we definitely

25:09should have had self-control and

25:10self-discipline. But sometime along the

25:13way, young kids like myself was failed.

25:15I grew up in a household with a single

25:17mother with five other siblings along

25:19with myself. And it was hard and I don't

25:21want no charity case. Just listen. It

25:23was time. We didn't have nothing but

25:25empty fridge, nothing on top of some

25:27expired cereals or really nothing.

25:29[snorts] Mind you, I'm not going to sit

25:30here and say my mom didn't do her best,

25:32but what about her and what she was

25:33going through? So, I would never blame

25:35my mother for her actions or things she

25:37did to hide her pain. Cuz she was alone

25:39and we made it work. It wasn't all good,

25:41but it wasn't all bad.

25:43>> Yeah. I feel myself also by giving up on

25:45what I was giving up on me and not doing

25:48what I was passionate about which was

25:49school. But put yourself in my shoes

25:52going to school seeing all these kids

25:54having these nice things saying their

25:55moms come to events and you looking for

25:57your mom but you forget she got to work

25:58a 9 to 10 job and come back to six kids.

26:03But some of you may think well kid

26:05that's not my problem. And you're right

26:07things could have been done differently

26:09citywise and statewise but nobody want

26:11to talk about that. And that goes back

26:12to kids like myself getting seen as

26:14threats. But do you know why we do we

26:17do? Do you know why we do this to get

26:19this or get this attention? Because when

26:21you don't get the tools you need at home

26:23or not very taken care of, you go out to

26:26do it yourself. Now you in now you to

26:28blame. But when things like mothers

26:30going missing or like kids like myself

26:32going missing or dying, nobody pays

26:34attention. And that bring me to my mom

26:36and how she's not getting all the help

26:38and support she need prior to her being

26:40missing. No one ever thought, "Oh, these

26:43kids just acting out because they're

26:44missing their mom, the one who got

26:46kidnapped." No one ever. We were missing

26:49something. And still to this day, we

26:50don't got no closure about her. And you

26:53wonder why I'm in my situation. But no,

26:55I won't use that as an excuse. Just know

26:57I'm doing better than I ever would. And

27:00I will be who my mom wanted me to be.

27:02And although I might not have her with

27:03me, we will not give up finding her. And

27:05not to not think about what we don't

27:08think about her. And I will make her

27:09proud no matter what. I will never blame

27:12her cuz I love her. And I want to say

27:14that even though I'm in this facility,

27:18it's a good place. All these staff like

27:22it's better than what situations I was

27:23in. Like I get three times a day. I

27:26barely ate when I was at home. So

27:28really,

27:30so really and also by my mom like

27:34she not really getting all the you know

27:37support she need prior to her being

27:39missing like it's been months and to say

27:42I was the last person to see I just

27:43blame feel the blame and that's why I'm

27:45in like the situations I'm in but like

27:48and also school like I never liked going

27:50to school when I was like you know

27:52outside in the world like skipping days

27:55like skipping days staying home doing

27:58dumb things. But now now in this

28:01facility, I love going to school. Like I

28:04be going to go every day. I wish like

28:05even though it's a day, I wish I go

28:07every day. Like

28:10yeah, that's all I wanted to say.

28:11>> You have anything to say?

28:13>> She basically said everything else.

28:15>> Okay.

28:16>> Yeah, that was my brother. All right. So

28:18that was the first voice behind the

28:20wall.

28:22Um I'll be bringing the second voice

28:24behind the wall.

28:27Come on up.

28:34>> Good morning. How y'all doing, D?

28:37>> Good morning.

28:38>> Good morning.

28:41>> Y'all can hear Y'all can hear the second

28:43voice.

28:43>> Yes.

28:45>> Okay. Go ahead.

28:46>> I said good morning. My name is Voice

28:50Behind the Wall. Voice behind the wall,

28:52too. I grew up in a neglected and

28:55corrupt community called Uptown in New

28:57Orleans, Louisiana.

28:58My mama had four kids, including me. I

29:02had a big brother, but my big brother

29:04passed away. I've been through things a

29:06young person should never been exposed

29:08to or been through. My mama met my baby

29:11father. My mama met my baby father in

29:152022.

29:17So, when she first married?

29:20>> Yeah.

29:21No, her baby father. My bad. I

29:23apologize. Her baby's father, she met

29:26him in 2022. She see he was real good to

29:29her. So she see then like

29:33later in the future, he start to abuse

29:36my mama and try to put his hands on me.

29:38Like every situation when I experience

29:41him putting his hands on my mama, I

29:43always go help my mom cuz I ain't about

29:44to let no man put his hands on my mama.

29:47So that when he called like he the man

29:50was on drugs, using drugs, see him using

29:52drugs. I seen a lot of things and he'll

29:54go crazy and try to take it on my mom.

29:56Mom had bruise and stuff. Then he'll put

29:58his hands on me and stuff. Me and my big

30:00brother would jump him sometimes.

30:03Sometime brother don't do nothing. And

30:05that caused me to like lash out, start

30:08doing things I was done. Start sneaking

30:10out the house, hanging around the wrong

30:11crowd and stuff doing things I had no

30:13business doing. Then my mama, she ain't

30:17do nothing to help me. She like every

30:19time the situation happen, I got a baby

30:22brother and a little sister. When when

30:24he put his hands on my mama, I learn to

30:26ignore it and I grab my little sister

30:28and my baby brother and I take him

30:30outside to the park or something. That's

30:32the best I can do cuz I can't do

30:33nothing. Like I always leave the house

30:35and I go try to make some money to

30:37provide for me and my uh brothers and

30:39them to make shooty street cuz sometimes

30:42my mommy had no job. children a we ain't

30:44doing food stamp stuff and sometime we

30:46were hungry my little brother wanted a

30:48McDonald's my sister want McDonald's so

30:50I go outside and go make some money so I

30:52can make sure they got what they need

30:54make sure we got draws make sure we got

30:56socks and all that people don't look at

30:58that like that people look at me people

31:02look at me as a young man with no

31:04discipline that always come back to JC

31:07people don't know what I go through when

31:09I left JG when I left JJC on June June

31:133rd, 2026.

31:15June 3rd, 2026, Miss Williams told me in

31:18the front dude, don't do anything to get

31:21yourself care and listen to me. And I

31:24did the same thing. Like, I see I wasn't

31:26going to do nothing, but I went home. I

31:28let the situation get the best of me.

31:31And I left and I did the same thing. And

31:33I came right back to JJ. I knew

31:36everybody disappointed me for what I was

31:38doing. I see what I didn't do. going to

31:40look at me. But now I'm trying to

31:42change. I'm trying to do better.

31:44>> So, just for the record, how old are

31:46you?

31:47>> 16.

31:48>> You just made 16?

31:49>> Yes, ma'am.

31:50>> Okay.

31:54>> All right. You done?

31:56>> Yes, ma'am.

31:56>> All right. Voice number three.

32:10>> Good morning.

32:15>> I'm voice number three. Um,

32:19okay.

32:24>> Take your time.

32:27I um

32:29I grew up in a night war. I live with my

32:32mom my whole life. My dad, he wasn't in

32:35in my life much. He was in and out of me

32:37and me and my my life. It was just me

32:40and my brother in the house. My mom, my

32:42mom did everything that she could to to

32:45provide for us. We live from check for

32:48check every time. So my mama she had to

32:51get I see my mama work hard every day. I

32:55seen my mama get up. Even though she

32:59she even if she hurt herself and she was

33:01too tired to work, she still did what

33:02she needed to do to provide for us. My

33:04mom was in a brutal marriage.

33:07My mom was in a brutal marriage and I

33:09have seen my mom go through a lot. So is

33:11we and my brother. My mom I seen my mom

33:14get beaten. So is me and my brother

33:17have. Me and my brother had to like

33:20after school we will

33:22try to find somewhere to go so we don't

33:25have to go back to the house to be with

33:26the man because my mama had to work

33:28overnight and like basically the whole

33:30day. So at the time when my mom was at

33:33work, she'll leave us in the supervision

33:35of him and we'll he'll

33:39like put his like beat us if we do

33:41anything wrong. Like if they have a

33:44piece of paper on the floor and we just

33:46like don't see it and we walk past it,

33:49he'll beat us for that. He'll like just

33:52fine.

33:55Yeah. He'll beat us with like the a belt

33:58buckle. anything he had in his hand,

34:00like even a broomstick. He'll throw like

34:03cups at us. He choked my brother. He

34:06kicked my brother head into the uh stove

34:07multiple times. I remember him choking

34:10me uh putting like just [clears throat]

34:12throwing stuff at me, hitting me. He

34:14used to punch on my mom. We really had

34:17to

34:18He broke my mom leg. He my mom had to

34:21get full surgery on her leg since then.

34:24He pushed my mama into my bicycle that

34:26was on the ground and then it went into

34:27her leg and broke like messed up her

34:29knee. So my mom, even though her mom my

34:32mom leg was bad, she still had she still

34:35went to work every day. Like when she

34:37would be able to, she still went to work

34:39and worked so hard. I had seen my mama

34:42like really barely could walk and she

34:44still went to work. I came home

34:47and still went through what we we was

34:50going through. We didn't really have we

34:52didn't really grow up with much.

34:57Um, man,

35:01>> I ain't grow up much of

35:04a father figure. My uncle, he played a

35:07role as my father figure in my life. My

35:10dad, he was off doing what he was doing.

35:13I I don't really know. But my uncle

35:15played much of a father figure. He tried

35:17to show me much as he can. He had his

35:19own kids and I was just someone that was

35:24hard-headed and misled in life. I um

35:30my uncle played a big role in my life.

35:32He showed me a lot. He showed me what it

35:34is to be a young man. He showed me how

35:37to maneuver and he showed me how to

35:39think and use my head which I wasn't

35:42using at the age of

35:45from like

35:479 to 11.

35:51From the age of 9 to 11, I was always in

35:53trouble. I was a troubled child. I had a

35:56I had a like a very well put together

35:58family. My family wasn't in no type of

36:01violence, no no street no street

36:03activity or none of that. And I was the

36:06only one that was always in trouble. I

36:07wasn't in no bad trouble. I was always

36:10in like school trouble.

36:13Yeah. I was acting out. Like I say, I

36:16wanted to get um I wanted to get

36:18attention from my family, but at the

36:20same time, that wasn't really

36:22being a good thing I was doing. I was

36:25always just putting my family through

36:26more and more stuff. I put my mom

36:28through a lot. And I wish I haven't done

36:30that. I wish I could take everything

36:32back I have done to to my family, but at

36:34the same time, I'm glad that I had got

36:36in the situation because it helped me

36:39sit down and really think of all the

36:41things I have been through and it helped

36:43like I had a lot of talks to a lot of

36:45people and it actually helped me in a

36:47mental state, physical state and just

36:50all around. I wish to be a better person

36:53in the future, which I know I'm be. And

36:55I started like I'm working to be a

36:59better person in general, not only for

37:01me, for my family. I want to do the best

37:05for my family I can. I want to retire my

37:07mom when I have a chance to cuz my mom

37:10deserves the world.

37:13So, you done? All right. All right.

37:19Voice number four.

37:29>> How y'all doing?

37:32You can hear me on voice number four.

37:37Um, I just want to talk about a little

37:40bit more my details of my life story

37:42that I've been going through. So, we

37:44were staying on the West Bank on

37:46Lordell.

37:48My mom was abusive, alcoholic, was

37:51always going out. Some things we ain't

37:54always have the updated item.

37:56>> Kids, tell them how many kids your mom

37:57have.

37:58>> Mom have nine. Nine kids,

38:02four brothers and five sisters.

38:05And um it was real rough growing up. I

38:09was always the um bad child cuz the

38:12things that I had seen and the things

38:13that I have been through that have made

38:15me so frustrated and angry with the

38:16world and felt like I was nothing. And

38:19also we didn't always have the things in

38:21the house

38:23like food, food and supplies like that.

38:25So I had to always figure out a way to

38:28um help me and my little brother cuz my

38:30other siblings was on their own path.

38:33And also the thing that I was going

38:35through, my mom being so abusive, I used

38:37to always get beat with different items

38:39and stuff. So I used to always be angry

38:41and fight my little brother. And I've

38:43realized that that's not something

38:45that's going to help me as a person.

38:47So,

38:49um I used to always go out and try to um

38:52steal from stores and stuff like that to

38:54give me and my little brother

38:56to give me and my brother um the

39:00supplies to eat and have some have

39:02something to feed us. And I was always

39:05then I started hustling to give me and

39:07my little brother some clothes to put on

39:09our back cuz my mom went always have she

39:12was always a person to um rely on the um

39:16government government wealth. She was

39:19not not the person work cuz her

39:21background and stuff like that. My

39:23father was also passed away as a young

39:25age. Then I had um end up meeting my

39:29brother on my dad's side

39:31that was also not in the right state of

39:33mind that could teach me right from

39:35wrong.

39:36So,

39:40>> do you just um do you feel comfortable

39:44like sharing with the the city council

39:48the things you share with me in regards

39:50to um your attempts to get a job or why

39:54you couldn't get a job?

39:56>> Another thing I was also also trying to

39:58work on me getting a job cuz I felt like

40:00the streets wasn't always for me. But my

40:03mama my mama also had a problem with me

40:06um getting her cuz the income that she

40:07was getting from me. So it was also hard

40:10for me to find a job.

40:12But um me and her actually had tried to

40:14have a conversation about the situation

40:16but she put a big wall in front of us.

40:20So it was like that.

40:29>> That's how you have.

40:30>> Yes, ma'am. All right.

40:33All right. And we have one last um voice

40:37which will be voice number five.

40:50>> Good morning.

40:51>> Good morning. Morning.

40:54>> All right. So, um

40:56me I grew up in the east. I had a great

41:00family, but like my mama, her boyfriend,

41:03he want to abuse her physically, but

41:04like he mentally be beating her down and

41:07stuff. And so that had her stressing out

41:10all that other crazy stuff. Then um

41:14couple years later that just continued.

41:16Then she finally broke up with him

41:17around like 2020,

41:20like 2020.

41:22And our whole life, my older brother was

41:24saying it. So that was affecting them

41:26too. was freaking me like my sisters and

41:28all that like 20 20. My older brother he

41:31was like 20. That boy started doing

41:34things he had no business doing. So one

41:37day he got in a police chase

41:42and u that led to him getting in a fatal

41:44car accident. The car he was in flip off

41:47the bridge and exploed made out. My

41:50brother had died. Dude, after that I was

41:53just lost really. We moved to Texas. I

41:56was going through it. My behavior

41:58started to decline.

42:00Came back out here. Couple of months

42:02later, my mom asked me to go with my

42:04daddy. But me and him started getting

42:06into I was getting in trouble at school,

42:09but he understand what I was really

42:10going through.

42:12So that caused us to start bumping his

42:15went back by my mama and she was let me

42:17stay with her cuz you see like I kept on

42:19getting to my dad. She really liked

42:21that. So after that, I kept on getting

42:24in trouble over there, doing things I

42:25ain't no business doing, hanging out. So

42:27my mom wanted to send me back with my

42:29daddy, but I ain't going to go with her.

42:31So I had ran away from over there. Was

42:33on the news for a couple days, whatever.

42:35I came back. She had to send me by my

42:37daddy. Me and kept on getting into it.

42:40Just kept on getting to it.

42:43After that, just got kept on getting

42:44worse and worse. Like I couldn't even

42:45live with him. I lost all I had for him.

42:48I didn't want to be around him at all.

42:50So I went back with my mama. My mom, I

42:53started skipping school, doing other

42:55things I ain't no business doing,

42:57tripping out and being bad. Then that

42:59caused us me and my mother to start

43:00getting into it. So I moved out from

43:03ours,

43:04started living on my own. So I had to do

43:06things to take care of myself, make sure

43:08I had clothes and all that. And then

43:12after that, I was doing what I was

43:14doing. My other brother, my mama had

43:16came diamond. She like about to go my G

43:18right quick. I got my G my other brother

43:24uh he was he was dead and I got over

43:26there with just boo boo state troopers

43:27and police off and all that crazy stuff

43:29from my grandma was and I'm asking what

43:31happened like my cousin killed my

43:32brother while he was sleep had cut him

43:34with my grandma saw and sisters and beat

43:36him with a dumbbell. She was having a

43:38schizophrenic episode or something like

43:40that. Then after that I just started

43:42tripping more. I was losing. So you had

43:46never

43:47dealt with the first death of the first

43:50brother?

43:51>> No.

43:53Then

43:55after that my mom was trying to get me

43:57to come home and stuff but I ain't want

43:59to be around

44:02tripping to him. Started doing things I

44:05know business done

44:07and uh came to jail a couple of times.

44:13kept on going home. Eventually went to

44:15OG, met a counselor named Miss Johnson.

44:18She helped me realize like I was a

44:20leader, how smart I was. She was tapping

44:22into me, helping me put to myself. So

44:25when I came home, she convinced me to go

44:26live with my daddy. Want to go live with

44:28my daddy

44:30was doing good. Then me started getting

44:32into it again. So I came back out here.

44:36When I came back to New Orleans,

44:38just started doing things I had no

44:40business doing again. After that, I'm

44:42just here.

44:49>> Still here.

44:50>> His mouth.

44:50>> All right.

44:53>> Yeah. I We have one more voice. Um that

44:57would be voice number two. He he he

45:00wants to say one last thing.

45:05>> Uh good morning again. This voice number

45:07two. I feel like I was holding back a

45:10couple detail about my story cuz I feel

45:12like I would be antagonizing my mom

45:14about this. But I feel like I get this

45:16off my chest. My mama,

45:19she she not the worst person, but she

45:22not the best person. And I can tell that

45:24she be trying, but my mama like

45:27influence like like the she like to run

45:30the streets, go out and stuff, go to

45:32different ballrooms and stuff. My mama,

45:35she would like always come home drunk

45:37and stuff like then be my sister

45:40sometimes. My mama picked a man that was

45:43abusing her with her own kids. I was

45:47live with my grandma and stuff and never

45:49told nobody about the situation I was

45:51going through. I always fought by myself

45:54trying to act like I'm a man, but deep

45:56inside I was hurting like through my

45:59mama when I went when I got

46:01incarcerated. My mom used to always tell

46:04me on the phone how when I come home

46:07everything about to be different.

46:08Everything about to change. I came home

46:11everything was still the same. Mama was

46:13still abusing alcohol and dude was still

46:17beating on my mama and I couldn't take

46:20it no more. Like I feel like I was at

46:22the lowest point in my life. I ain't

46:24never thought about harming myself cuz I

46:27feel like I got a future ahead of me and

46:29I could be I could do a lot of things. I

46:31have a lot of talent and stuff. And when

46:35I move I moved in with my auntie in

46:38Texas. I was doing good out there and

46:40stuff and like but I was homesick in New

46:43Orleans. I was just begging them begging

46:45them begging them let me go back to New

46:46Orleans. came back in New Orleans and

46:48[snorts] I was just still doing the

46:49crazy and stupid things that I was doing

46:52before I went to Texas.

46:54>> But but I think it's important you let

46:57the council know when you was released

46:59and I came out to the parking lot. Um

47:02you didn't have a home to go to.

47:04>> Mhm. Yeah. Like when I was released, I

47:07didn't have a home to go to. Like I was

47:10living with my family members and stuff

47:11cuz my mama lost the house. She was on

47:14second year and stuff. she was doing

47:16like she kept we kept getting violation

47:18and stuff and we finally lost our house

47:21and we move in with our family members

47:23and stuff. I feel that was hard and like

47:25I was on house arrest and I was still

47:29outside and stuff going by my P and

47:31stuff cuz I ain't like the situation I

47:33was in. I feel like I can be better than

47:35that. So I was trying to do things to

47:38make sure that I was strange stuff. I

47:41feel like now I'm back here. I feel

47:43selfish cuz I I supposed to do this for

47:47my family, my brothers and stuff. And I

47:49was still doing the same thing I was

47:51doing. I ain't changed. So I feel

47:54I feel like a bad person. I feel feel

47:57like that I'm selfish, but I don't feel

48:00like I'm a narcissist and I I'm just

48:03hurting the side and stuff cuz I went

48:06through a lot at a young age.

48:12That's all I got to see. Thank y'all for

48:14listening to us.

48:18>> Thank you.

48:22>> All right, Miss Williams. That's That's

48:24all.

48:25>> Got to make it quick.

48:27>> Yeah. Make it quick.

48:32>> All right.

48:33Like when I first was talking, I was

48:36holding back on some stuff cuz I didn't

48:37want to make my mama look bad prior to

48:39her being missing. But my mom, like she

48:45she she was I don't know how to explain.

48:48She she she met a man. She was just too

48:51in love. She started, you know, putting

48:53him before her kids like like spending

48:58all her money on him, stuff like that.

49:00him. Me and my older brother getting

49:03into fights with him and my mom. My

49:05older [snorts] brother, I didn't see

49:06him. My older brother had fist fight

49:07with him. All type of stuff. He he

49:10telling me that I'm not going to be

49:11nothing cuz I don't go to school. My mom

49:14like taking up for him, stuff like that.

49:17So, I don't make my mom look bad even

49:19though she missing, but like she wasn't

49:21the best person, but she was she did her

49:23best. And yeah, that made me have

49:26thoughts like why not want to be here

49:28back in life, like times I had to go to

49:31the mental hospital and stuff like that

49:34cuz you know I was giving up on life.

49:37But I finally realized that my in my

49:41situation I ain't ain't going to be like

49:42that forever. like cuz I can still be

49:44something even though like I always say

49:47I'm not going to be like my mama but

49:49like she was she did her best but like

49:51I'm going to be better than her and I I

49:52know she want me to be better than her.

49:54So that's all I wanted to say.

49:57>> All right. Thank y'all.

49:59All right. So that that concludes the

50:02voices behind the walls at JJIC and we

50:05are open um to any questions that any

50:08council members may have. Council member

50:10King. Well, I'm going hold any comments

50:14or questions. I'm going to turn the mic

50:15over to any of my colleagues who may

50:17have comments or questions for the for

50:19the youth. You just speaking to the mic.

50:23This is Councilman Eugene Green and I

50:25just want to express to those who are on

50:27the line. My appreciation for your

50:30courage and telling your story. I know

50:32that it can be a very difficult story to

50:35tell. I've had many opportunities to

50:37visit the the um juvenile justice

50:41intervention center and I want to tell

50:43you that I'm impressed when I hear from

50:46you all um about some of your concerns

50:49and thank you for extending the

50:50invitation often especially Miss

50:53Williams for me to visit. I do also work

50:56with victims of crime and I will tell

50:58you that I know our system fails on both

51:01ends um many times. I want to let you

51:04know that I see young people such as

51:06yourselves who are also suffering but

51:08many times suffering in silence because

51:10they've lost brothers and sisters and

51:12they lost their mothers to violence. So

51:15we all certainly know that it is never a

51:17good idea. It's never productive. It's

51:19never acceptable to take out wrath on

51:22others because of the circum the

51:23circumstances in which you find

51:25yourselves. But I do want you to know

51:26that there are people who are who want

51:29to assist you here in city hall for

51:32example. youth and family planning is

51:34part of what we do in um city hall. I

51:37want you to let I want to let you know

51:38that even within the the system of our

51:41New Orleans Police Department, there are

51:43social workers at every district station

51:46who are trained to work with

51:48individuals. Please reach out with your

51:51concerns recognizing that we all regret

51:54that we can't change what is what you've

51:56experienced in your life, but we can

51:59help you to move forward with some of

52:00the resources and assets that are out

52:02there. I want to thank Miss Williams

52:04publicly because your sincerity is so

52:07important in terms of the way it

52:09motivates those young people who are

52:11within that system to move on to better

52:13things in life. And I want to encourage

52:15them to recognize that we need you here

52:17at the city of New Orleans to be

52:18productive in this city because we have

52:21a lot to do and we want your help.

52:23Recognize how important you are to us

52:25and do everything that you can in the

52:27future to reach out to us so that we can

52:29assist you. Thank you very much.

52:32>> Anyone else?

52:34>> Yeah, I'll speak briefly. I want to

52:36thank I know due to confidentiality

52:39issues, Miss Williams, we can't know uh

52:42the names of these young people and I

52:44it's kind of uh impersonal to call them

52:47voices 1 through 4, but I want to thank

52:50you for sharing your stories, sharing um

52:54your experiences and what shaped you as

52:57a young person. And I want to really say

53:03that I am impressed by your ability to

53:06take accountability for what you've done

53:10while at the same time understanding

53:12that as a child it is very important to

53:14acknowledge that in many instances your

53:18family and the system failed you. I

53:20mean, I think that I've been an elected

53:23official for a very long time, and it

53:25never ceases to amaze me how many times

53:29in instances with young people, if the

53:32right person intervened at the right

53:34time, something could have been

53:37different. And it is

53:39it is nurture, not nature, that really

53:43crafts and creates scenarios in which

53:46you are where you are today. I think

53:48that it's very mature of all of you to

53:52realize that um your time in JJIC has

53:56presented an opportunity to kind of

53:58confront the things that have got you to

54:00where you are and that you're taking

54:02this opportunity to try and better

54:03yourself. But I also want to encourage

54:06you to understand and hear from us as

54:10adults, as elected officials, that it's

54:13also our responsibility to make sure

54:15that you have opportunities when you

54:16leave JJIC. So, I know that um Miss

54:20Williams is doing her best to make sure

54:22that your time at JJIC is fruitful and

54:26that you have the tools necessary to be

54:28successful when you leave. But we as

54:32adults, we as elected officials also

54:34know to accept our responsibility to

54:37make sure that there are opportunities

54:40when you leave there and that we are

54:41there to help provide those for you.

54:43Thank you.

54:47>> Just very quickly, uh, thank you,

54:48Council Member King. Uh, thank you, Miss

54:51Williams, for uplifting these five young

54:54people who spoke to us today. Um, as

54:57Council Member Morurell said, it sounds

54:59like the adults failed you. Um, as well

55:03as the system. So, just know that there

55:06are good adults out there. Miss Williams

55:08is one of them and the staff at JJIC who

55:11can help you through this part in your

55:14life and know that this is just a

55:15temporary part of your life. that

55:17there's so much that you have to look

55:19forward in the future um with the help

55:22of adults who will be responsible and

55:25caring and help you uh move forward with

55:28your lives. So, thank you for sharing

55:29your stories and again, thank you

55:31Council Member King and Miss Williams

55:33for uplifting these voices.

55:36>> Well, I I'll finish before we um start

55:38with our couple comment cards. I want to

55:42I want to first say it's disappointing

55:43to see Can you Is this better?

55:47I'm going to first say it is

55:49disappointing to look in the audience

55:51and see only a handful of people here.

55:54Um it

55:57I don't know what else to do to get

55:58people attention on the youth of our

55:59children. Um I think it was something

56:03else that wasn't as important to have a

56:05room full of people expressing their

56:07concerns. But you're talking about

56:11poor abused black kids in our county

56:12outside the administration

56:15maybe maybe 10 people max.

56:18So that's very disappointing to see. Uh

56:21Miss Williams, thank you for your

56:23leadership. I know you when you first

56:24came in JJIC was a mess. You had kids

56:27getting in fights with one another with

56:28the staff escaping. Um but you've done a

56:33a great job of turning that around. And

56:34it's not because of the salary you're

56:37getting paid. is because of the love you

56:38have for the children there, not just

56:41you, the staff. So, I want to personally

56:43send a heartfelt thank you to you and

56:45every member of JJIC and the Travis Hill

56:48School, because it's not an easy job

56:49that you all do, uh, but you do it with

56:52with class and with grace and with

56:53dignity. So, thank you to the to the

56:56youth who are incarcerated there, the

56:58ones who spoke, the ones who who didn't

57:00get a chance to speak. I'm I'm sorry for

57:03what you went through, um, what you

57:05continue to go through. I I don't think

57:07there's an adult that I I know of um who

57:11can put themselves in your shoes and be

57:13successful. And I think it's a bit

57:16it's unrealistic if an adult can't be

57:19successful in your shoes to ask for a

57:22child who has not had life experience,

57:24who doesn't have resources, who doesn't

57:26have the mental capacity uh to be

57:28successful. One of the common things

57:30themes I've heard not just today but

57:34every time I visit JJIC is the lack of a

57:36father in the household. Um the lack of

57:39a positive male role model and that is

57:42nothing different from what we heard

57:44today. It's a bit alarming to hear how

57:46many cowardly men we have out there who

57:48feel the need to put their hands not

57:49only on a woman but on a child who is

57:52defenseless. Um and again I'm I'm sorry

57:55that you all had to go through that. I I

57:57couldn't imagine if I had to see my mom

57:59get beat. And I know y'all stories are

58:01kind of watered down. Not watered down,

58:03but you don't want to give all the

58:04details. Um, but if I had to see my mom

58:07get beat and abused mentally, sexually,

58:10and physically,

58:12how would that have affected me and and

58:15decisions I made in life? And thank God

58:17I wasn't put in those positions. I

58:19really mean that. I want to ask number

58:21four.

58:22He said something. I just want to make

58:25sure I heard him correctly.

58:27He said that he wanted to get a job, but

58:29he was prevented because his mom was

58:33getting money from him not getting a

58:35job. Is is is that correct?

58:39>> Yes. So, I you kind of muffle, but it it

58:43it I think I heard you wanted to ask

58:46number four in regards to him attempting

58:48to get a job and his his mom was

58:52reluctant to give him the documents he

58:55needed um to apply for a job because she

58:58was receiving a subsidy either from the

59:01state or or the government. [snorts]

59:05Um

59:06what was your question, Council Member

59:08King?

59:08>> That's it. I just wanted to make sure I

59:09heard I heard it correctly that his mom

59:12didn't want him to get a job because

59:13that would prevent her from that would

59:16she would receive less money from his

59:19employment than she was receiving

59:21through other

59:23programs.

59:24>> Yes, sir.

59:25>> Okay. Just want to make sure I heard

59:26that.

59:26>> Yes, that's me.

59:27>> Okay. Thank you. I just I just

59:28>> Yeah, that's correct.

59:30>> Thank you. Thank you. Um,

59:33again, I can't say I I'm sorry enough

59:36for what you all are going through. And

59:39it it it hurts me that

59:42um

59:44unfortunately other kids are going to go

59:46through it. But hopefully you all can

59:48break the cycle in your family,

59:51in your community so we can prevent some

59:54children from going through it. And you

59:55heard heard kids from Alers, we heard

59:57kids from Uptown. Wasn't just one part

59:59of the city. is all over the city and

1:00:02and and

1:00:04this city council, I can tell you, is is

1:00:06doing what we everything we can do to

1:00:08make your lives better. We have uh the

1:00:10health department in here listening with

1:00:12with a ten of ears to make sure that

1:00:14they are they are also doing whatever

1:00:17they can and everything they can to uh

1:00:19make your lives better and the children

1:00:23in our city lives better. Um so with

1:00:25that, I'm going to have uh Mr. Larry

1:00:29Morgan come up followed by Mr. Beld and

1:00:31Batiz to give comments and then we'll

1:00:33vote on a uh then we'll move on to the

1:00:35next agenda item. So Mr. Larry Morgan

1:00:49and while Mr. Morgan is coming up. I

1:00:51said it was disappointing to see that

1:00:53there is no no not too many people in

1:00:56the audience, but it's also

1:00:57disappointing to see there's not much

1:00:58media in the audience. I see channel 4,

1:01:01I saw no reporter, but again, if it was

1:01:04something a bit more juicy,

1:01:07a bit more uh gossipy, that's the

1:01:10correct word, we'll have a packed house

1:01:11of media and everybody. So, I just want

1:01:13to call out those who uh who have the

1:01:16power to help.

1:01:20My name is Larry Morgan.

1:01:23Good morning to everybody in the house.

1:01:26>> I'm going to make a show.

1:01:27>> Good morning, Mr. Morgan.

1:01:31>> Excuse me.

1:01:32>> She say good morning. Just say good

1:01:33morning.

1:01:34>> What she say?

1:01:35>> Someone say good morning to you. That's

1:01:37>> Oh, okay.

1:01:39I'm going to make it short, but a lot of

1:01:42what I just heard address it from the

1:01:45screen. A lot of that is reality.

1:01:49I see it every day. And the saddest part

1:01:53about body, it look like there's no

1:01:56hope. Nobody cares.

1:01:59So what I did, I went beyond the borders

1:02:03of the city and the state

1:02:06and I wrote

1:02:08trunk body hoping that I could touch his

1:02:12heart

1:02:13and that he will give some kind of help

1:02:16to these children because they are our

1:02:19future.

1:02:21If we don't do nothing for them,

1:02:25then there's no future for them.

1:02:29Please,

1:02:33we got to help those children.

1:02:36That's all I can say.

1:02:40>> Thank you, Mr. Morgan. Mr. Batist.

1:02:47>> Good morning, council. How y'all doing?

1:02:50Um, I want to shout out Miss Williams

1:02:52because she invited me to come to the

1:02:55JGIC and I was very impressed with the

1:02:58way she was dealing with the children

1:03:00incarcerated and I was impressed with

1:03:02the kids, you know, cuz a lot of them

1:03:04are incarcerated for the crimes or

1:03:07whatever they didn't. But they are the

1:03:09future, you know. I watched the

1:03:11basketball game. I watched the halftime

1:03:13show and what I'm telling y'all, it was

1:03:15phenomenal. So, whatever we can do to

1:03:17help Miss Williams to keep doing what

1:03:19she doing. Um, let's support her. Also,

1:03:23I want to shout out Dr. Vetnau who's

1:03:25doing a A1 job, I think, with the health

1:03:28department. And I just want to know I

1:03:30appreciate that. And also, I got my

1:03:33other partner who helps me a lot in the

1:03:36community. He's sitting there, Kevin

1:03:37Kimbro. I want to shout him out because

1:03:40he's doing a lot with the kids. And a

1:03:42lot of kids I deal with, I call Kevin

1:03:44and his family and they assist me with

1:03:47these kids. They assist me with the

1:03:49families. So, I want to shout him out. I

1:03:52want to shout the New Orleans Youth

1:03:53Coalition out. And council members, I

1:03:55also want y'all to know that I'm

1:03:58official now. I didn't started a group

1:04:00called No Whom Bow in memory of Jerome

1:04:03Smith and it mean we don't bow down. So,

1:04:05I'll be coming to y'all seeing if y'all

1:04:07can assist us because when I look at the

1:04:10children, we look at the roots of crime

1:04:13and it's poverty, you know, it's

1:04:15education, it's poor housing, it's

1:04:17what's going on. And a lot of times we

1:04:20deal with the kids, but we don't deal

1:04:21with the structure of the family. So,

1:04:23that's all I want to say. Thank y'all.

1:04:26And I know this council, I got hope in

1:04:28this council, I got hope in all y'all.

1:04:31[snorts] And I know y'all going to help

1:04:32those kids. So, thank y'all so much. I

1:04:35appreciate y'all.

1:04:36>> Thank you. Uh, one last question before

1:04:39we move on. This is for Miss Williams.

1:04:40Miss Williams, can you hear me?

1:04:43>> I can hear you.

1:04:44>> Can you give us how many kids do you

1:04:46have right now in JJIC?

1:04:50>> 45

1:04:5241.

1:04:53>> I'm I'm sorry. 51.

1:04:55>> 51.

1:04:57>> The capacity.

1:04:58>> And what's what's the capacity?

1:05:01>> 76.

1:05:03>> Okay. And so we are trending down.

1:05:06>> Good.

1:05:06>> The lower the numbers, the happier we

1:05:08are. That mean something is improving

1:05:12somewhere.

1:05:13>> Yes, ma'am. Can you give us the the

1:05:15demographics of the youth at JJIC?

1:05:21>> So we have approximately three girls and

1:05:27the rest are boys. Um, every youth

1:05:30inside of JJIC as of today's date is

1:05:34Africanamean.

1:05:39>> Um, this is for the youth. So, let me

1:05:42let me ask you all a question. I want

1:05:44you to be very honest. It's important to

1:05:47have these honest, uncomfortable

1:05:48questions asked and answered. How do you

1:05:51feel growing up

1:05:54in the conditions you are? And I'm sure

1:05:56that you all you all see poor

1:06:00black kids around you all day and you go

1:06:02to jail and you don't and you you only

1:06:05see other poor black kids. Do you how

1:06:07does that make you feel? Do you do you

1:06:09ever see any white kids in JGIC?

1:06:14>> So the question is uh you were slightly

1:06:17muffled. question is, how do you all

1:06:20feel um looking around this facility and

1:06:24seeing predominantly

1:06:26um African-Amean kids as opposed to

1:06:28other races?

1:06:29>> Why do they Why do they think of

1:06:31>> Why do they think that it's

1:06:32predominantly African-American? I don't

1:06:34want to sing out any other race. So, let

1:06:35me

1:06:36>> Oh, all right. Why do y'all think it's

1:06:39Why do y'all think it's predominantly

1:06:42black or Africanameans?

1:06:47This is voice number two. I feel like

1:06:50it's ma mainly Africanameans

1:06:53because the white folks

1:06:56>> No, no, no, no. We don't do it like

1:06:57that.

1:06:58>> Other races, if you [clears throat] if

1:07:00you're going to express yourself, be

1:07:01respectful. Okay.

1:07:03>> Other rac

1:07:04>> other races have better resources than

1:07:07some of us that's in different

1:07:10communities.

1:07:12I listen to voice number three. I feel

1:07:14like that it's mostly African-American

1:07:17children that's being incarcerated

1:07:19because

1:07:21I feel like it is mostly

1:07:24African-American children that's being

1:07:26incarcerated because they're mostly

1:07:28misled in life and don't have the

1:07:31appropriate

1:07:33information to guide them through life

1:07:35and

1:07:38uh like a stable household they can get

1:07:41through.

1:07:42>> All right, come on. this side so they

1:07:44could hear you

1:07:46and speak into the mic. All right, this

1:07:49voice number one and I said I think

1:07:53mostly uh you know African, black,

1:07:55Africanamean people like you know get

1:07:57incarcerated because of their living

1:07:59experiences, their environments they

1:08:01living like now you not you don't see

1:08:03many you know different races like I I'm

1:08:08not trying to like in the hood and stuff

1:08:09like you know in bad environments like

1:08:12so just like the way we live reflect on

1:08:15us and who we uh we do and stuff.

1:08:18Yeah.

1:08:20>> But how many in here for the sake of I

1:08:22have two, four, six youth in here. How

1:08:25many of y'all have know your father or

1:08:28your father is present in your life?

1:08:33>> My father.

1:08:36>> I knew my father but like he too busy

1:08:39all the thing like drugs and stuff. So I

1:08:41just stay away from

1:08:43>> I don't know my father. My father just

1:08:45started company my life. My father

1:08:47passed.

1:08:48>> All right.

1:08:51So, you have a father, but that

1:08:54relationship y'all have to work on.

1:08:57But he was trying to be in your life and

1:08:59be present, but it was the discipline.

1:09:03>> All your unresolved trauma from your

1:09:05brothers.

1:09:07Oh, okay.

1:09:11>> Councilman, can may I say one thing?

1:09:13>> Yes. Councilman, I just want to um that

1:09:15issue reminds me of something that I

1:09:17just like to share as often as possible.

1:09:19There are mentoring organizations and I

1:09:21want to encourage Miss Williams to

1:09:23either reach out through me or through

1:09:25others because there are organizations

1:09:27such as the Silverback Society, Reaching

1:09:30for the Stars, um Big Brothers, Big

1:09:33Sisters, and also um Son of a Saint um

1:09:37that will potentially work with some of

1:09:39the young people as they um are in a

1:09:43position outside of the system when they

1:09:45need assistance. And I just want to tell

1:09:48you that those organizations such as the

1:09:50Silverback Society put together men who

1:09:53are interested in working with young

1:09:56people, men and girls. Actually, it's

1:09:58there's a group for girls. It's called

1:10:00the I forget the exact name, but the

1:10:02bottom line is that there are people in

1:10:04place who want to help the um young

1:10:07people. Feel free to reach out to me if

1:10:10there's someone who wants to participate

1:10:11in those programs.

1:10:14Well, I I so just so you know, um,

1:10:17Council Member Green, um, I have been

1:10:20trying to, uh,

1:10:23to establish a partnership with, um, Son

1:10:27of a Saints, and I know we spoke at a

1:10:30meeting, you and I, we were at a meeting

1:10:33together where we talked about, um, the

1:10:36Silverbacks. What I the the the the

1:10:39issue or the understanding that I had

1:10:42from Son of a Saints was that um they

1:10:46service a a different population but a

1:10:50lot of these a most of the kids in the

1:10:53community but a lot of these kids are

1:10:56from the community and I have so many in

1:11:00this agency that is fatherless meaning

1:11:03either they don't know their father or

1:11:05their father is dead or for this absent.

1:11:08And if I could just get a group of men

1:11:10who want to temporarily adopt a a a

1:11:15child up inside JJIC, meaning

1:11:17established, be their oneon-one mentor

1:11:21and and and just teach them things that

1:11:24a man is supposed to uh their fathers

1:11:28are supposed to teach um them. That

1:11:30would be great. It doesn't necessarily,

1:11:32and I'm not calling out some of Saints.

1:11:35I think it's a excellent um

1:11:37organization.

1:11:38I if I could just get some men who just

1:11:41want to come in and mentor one onone

1:11:44with some of these young boys cuz I have

1:11:46so many that are fatherless up in here.

1:11:49I think I have in all honesty

1:11:52just based on today's population only

1:11:55three active fathers um that show up

1:11:59that come for visits that come to events

1:12:02that just ring the phone and just say

1:12:04hey I didn't hear from my son is

1:12:06everything okay I don't everybody else

1:12:10I'm getting the mothers or the

1:12:11grandmothers and and more grandmothers

1:12:13than mothers

1:12:15>> I know that the silverback society is

1:12:17focused on going into schools And I know

1:12:19that you've had conversation with them,

1:12:21but remember those organizations such as

1:12:23the Silverback Society are 50 to 60 men

1:12:27who could be encouraged to work

1:12:29one-on-one. I know that you have some

1:12:31concerns with them coming in as a group,

1:12:33but at the end of the day, the option is

1:12:35there and I'll talk to you about it.

1:12:37Feel free to call me

1:12:39or I'll call you.

1:12:43[clears throat]

1:12:43U Miss Williams, last thing I want to

1:12:45ask before we move on. anyone listening,

1:12:47what can they do to assist? Maybe how

1:12:49can they donate toiletries? How can they

1:12:51donate clothing for when they when the

1:12:53youth have to go to court? Uh maybe

1:12:56donate their time. I know one of the big

1:12:57items. I maybe I don't know the the

1:13:00name, but like iced honey buns. Is that

1:13:03icing? Uh honey buns with icing on it.

1:13:05So how can uh those who listening donate

1:13:08time, efforts, and

1:13:10>> wait, why are you crying, son?

1:13:14You okay? Can you take him and see about

1:13:17him? Um, I'm sorry. Um, they can um

1:13:221100A Milton Street Monday through

1:13:25Friday 8:30 a.m. um till I leave, which

1:13:32I don't have a set time, but I'm usually

1:13:34here late um at night. And so, anybody

1:13:37that wants to donate, not just Honey

1:13:40Buns, I I we we need court clothes, we

1:13:43need shoes. Um, if anybody's interested

1:13:47um in donating haircuts to the facility,

1:13:50um

1:13:52um if any hair stylist is interested in

1:13:55coming in and working with the girls, um

1:13:58they can reach uh me at dl

1:14:01Williamsola.gov

1:14:04or Miss Lori.gov

1:14:08or Miss Erica.nola.gov.

1:14:12And the phone number is area code

1:14:145046583400.

1:14:18Um we don't turn anything um we don't

1:14:22turn nothing down but our collar. We are

1:14:24working extremely hard [snorts] to

1:14:26enhance the quality of life for these

1:14:28young people. I know it's a short period

1:14:30of time. We not miracle workers but we

1:14:33are working over here and we are

1:14:35investing in these children. And so if

1:14:37anybody uh wants to donate um please uh

1:14:42send an email, stop by the facility and

1:14:45we can talk about um the needs um for

1:14:49the young people in this space. But I I

1:14:52mainly uh want them to to have decent

1:14:55court clothes, um shoes. Uh some of the

1:14:59families can't afford to buy decent

1:15:02court clothes and so if I could just uh

1:15:05get that I I think I could handle the

1:15:08icy whites. My my my budget hurting but

1:15:10not that bad.

1:15:12>> I know the icy whites a hot item back

1:15:14there. So I want to make sure you have

1:15:15more than enough.

1:15:16>> All right. Uh well thank you all. Thank

1:15:18you [clears throat] Miss Williams. We

1:15:19going to um turn off the camera and move

1:15:22on to um well maybe do the road not roll

1:15:26call but

1:15:27>> minutes a minute. the minutes. The

1:15:28minutes is in item number four.

1:15:30>> Thank you, Miss Williams.

1:15:36>> You want to um

1:15:37>> Yeah, I'll make a motion to accept the

1:15:39uh minutes from last meeting by Council

1:15:41Harris. All in favor?

1:15:42>> I four yays, no nays. The meetings the

1:15:45minutes from the last meeting are

1:15:47accepted and all approved. And we'll

1:15:50we'll go back up to our normal seats

1:15:51while we have uh the administration come

1:15:54up and discuss item number four.

1:15:57This is

1:15:59I think

1:16:03this is the point I'm sure.

1:16:17Your next item on the agenda is contract

1:16:21uh amendment number two to the

1:16:22professional services agreement between

1:16:25Vuntu Village Nola and the city of New

1:16:27Orleans to extend the term to December

1:16:302027 and increase the amount of

1:16:32compensation.

1:16:41Anyone from administration? Dr. the just

1:16:43just give us uh couple highlights about

1:16:46it.

1:16:49>> Good morning, council members. Thanks

1:16:51for having me. Um I think this is

1:16:52especially important to talk about after

1:16:55the presentation y'all just had from the

1:16:56JJIC. Um where Ubuntu is actually doing

1:16:59some really good work there with the

1:17:00youth. Um as you guys know, for the past

1:17:03few years, they have been a critical

1:17:04part of our violence prevention

1:17:06ecosystem. They fill the role of the

1:17:08community violence intervention and

1:17:10prevention team. What that does is that

1:17:12means they are in the streets all the

1:17:14time. They are um both proactive and

1:17:17reactive. Proactive and that they are

1:17:19looking for high-risk individuals like

1:17:21some of the youth that we heard from or

1:17:23others to uh work with them and to

1:17:26prevent violence. They mediate

1:17:28conflicts. They've got their ears to the

1:17:30ground so they know who's beefing with

1:17:32who, what's about to turn violent, and

1:17:34they mediate them before they turn into

1:17:37a shooting. They also respond very

1:17:39quickly when there is a shooting in that

1:17:41neighborhood with the family. They have

1:17:44supported families with bereavement and

1:17:46buying clothes for kids and backpacks

1:17:48and any basic needs that the family

1:17:50needs. They also are integrated with our

1:17:52hospital team so that when someone comes

1:17:54to the hospital and they're seen by the

1:17:56hospital team, when they or their family

1:17:58need help on on the outside, Ubuntu is

1:18:01there. And then most recently, they've

1:18:03pioneered the 4x6 approach. So going

1:18:06into neighborhoods, uh, Councilman, um,

1:18:10King and Harris, yours were the first

1:18:11two, walking a block that we know has

1:18:14been a hot spot, documenting

1:18:16environmental causes of crime, and then

1:18:19that has been prioritized by the

1:18:21administration for rapid resolution.

1:18:24That's something that's worked so well

1:18:25that um the my understanding is that DPW

1:18:29is going to do it going forward just in

1:18:30their work is looking at areas that have

1:18:33been historically neglected going and

1:18:35doing a blitz and then moving on to the

1:18:37next. Um what this particular agreement

1:18:40does is add it does not add any money in

1:18:43the 2026 budget. I want to be clear. We

1:18:46just have to extend the contract

1:18:48maximum. We have full funding for Ubuntu

1:18:50this year but we hit the contract

1:18:52maximum. So, we just need to make sure

1:18:54that they can bill their invoices

1:18:56against the the amount that we have set.

1:18:59Again, not add anything this year so

1:19:01that we didn't have to do a contract now

1:19:03and a contract again next year. We have

1:19:05extended the term through 2027.

1:19:08Understanding the city's budget crisis,

1:19:10um the Ubuntu's contract is not on the

1:19:13list of cuts that was submitted to y'all

1:19:15um by the mayor. Uh I'm not sure what

1:19:19the budget official budget ordinance

1:19:20says, but I know that it has not been

1:19:22targeted for a cut. So we will make sure

1:19:24that that you know all of that is is

1:19:26buttoned up. Again, understanding that

1:19:28you all have very difficult decisions

1:19:30and so maybe that will change. There is

1:19:32an out clause as there is in every

1:19:34contract, but it's um our priority that

1:19:37Ubuntu will be fully funded in 2027 to

1:19:39continue to do the work. Um happy to

1:19:42answer any questions. Um, hearing seeing

1:19:44none, I'll make a motion to accept uh to

1:19:47approve. Oh, I'm sorry, Council Green.

1:19:49No, I just I had pressed my button. I

1:19:51just wanted to say thank you, Dr. Vegno.

1:19:53And the Abundant Abundantu program makes

1:19:56a big difference in our city. There's a

1:19:58lot of focus on the funding of the law

1:20:00enforcement community, which has to

1:20:02happen because that's an important

1:20:03component of keeping people in our in

1:20:06our city safe and enhancing the quality

1:20:07of life. But it's important to recognize

1:20:10that the city does much more through the

1:20:12health department and through other

1:20:13means and it's making a difference.

1:20:16Going into communities after there's

1:20:18been a an instance of violence makes a

1:20:21big difference to the people around. I

1:20:23work with victims of crime and they

1:20:24appreciate the fact that government does

1:20:26anything that it can to work and reach

1:20:29out to the community before and after

1:20:31events take place. It's making a big

1:20:34difference. We're on our way to having

1:20:35one of the lowest violent crime rates in

1:20:37our city since 1957.

1:20:41That's an incredible accomplishment.

1:20:43Thank you for your work.

1:20:44>> Thanks. And I'll say that they are a big

1:20:45reason why we earned that top 10 status

1:20:47of being one of the top 10 cities that

1:20:50invests in violence prevention. And if

1:20:52you talk to Chief Kurpatre or any of the

1:20:54other NOPD leadership, they will say

1:20:57that it is because the of the work of

1:20:59our violence prevention teams like

1:21:01Ubuntu that they are able to make the

1:21:03gains they are. So, and I appreciate

1:21:05that from them. So, to your point, it is

1:21:07law enforcement, but it's all the stuff

1:21:09that happens to prevent, which I think

1:21:11has gotten us where we are.

1:21:13>> Thank you. Uh, so I made a motion to

1:21:16accept the contract, second by council

1:21:18Harris, officially by Council Member

1:21:20Eugene Green. Uh, all in favor?

1:21:24>> I Okay, this will go on the consent

1:21:26agenda. Is that correct?

1:21:28>> I didn't hear you. It'll be before the

1:21:30full council at the next meeting. I just

1:21:32want to thank Ambutu. I want to thank uh

1:21:34those who don't get the as much

1:21:35recognition like Mr. Batis used to go

1:21:37into the communities and do the hard

1:21:39work. also want to just share um

1:21:43something that was shared to me about JJ

1:21:46how there are sometimes beefs that start

1:21:49outside in the streets. Not how you

1:21:52think because it it would it's it's

1:21:55beefs but the moms dating similar men

1:21:58and those beefs drag into the streets

1:22:02into from the streets drag into the

1:22:05jail. So the pressure that these young

1:22:07men are and young women have on them, we

1:22:10have no idea what they're going through.

1:22:11So just help them when you can. Thank

1:22:13you Dr. Vegno. Thank you Ambu. Thank you

1:22:15Mr. Batist. Everyone in the audience

1:22:16make a motion to adjourn by council

1:22:19morale. All in favor means adjourn.

1:22:22Thank you.