2026-11-06 - City Council - Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Immigrant Advancement Committee (Dockets 1340 and 1341)

00:37MY NAME IS VINYARD CULPEPPER,

00:40DISTRICT SEVEN CITY

00:42COUNCILOR AND I AM THE CHAIR

00:44OF THE BOSTON CITY

00:45COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON CIVIL

00:47RIGHTS, RACIAL EQUITY AND

00:50IMMIGRANT ADVANCEMENT.

00:52TODAY IS NOVEMBER 6TH, 2026 AND

00:56THE EXACT TIME IS 1028.

01:00TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET

01:02NUMBER 1340.

01:04ORDER FOR A HEARING TO EXAMINE

01:05THE CIVIL RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS

01:07OF RAPID TRANSIT INEQUITIES IN

01:10THE CITY OF BOSTON AND DOCKET

01:12NUMBER 1341 1341 RESOLUTION IN

01:17SUPPORT OF EVALUATING AN ORANGE

01:19LINE EXTENSION ALONG LOUISVILLE

01:22AVENUE.

01:22THESE MATTERS WERE SPONSORED BY

01:24CAL PEPPERS COUNCIL AS MANY ARE

01:27CULPEPER AND BRIAN WERE WELL

01:30AND WERE REFERRED TO THE

01:31COMMITTEE ON JULY 8TH 2026.

01:35GOOD MORNING.

01:37GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.

01:39I WANT TO THANK MY

01:40COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WHO SHOWED

01:41UP TODAY.

01:43TODAY WE ARE NOT DOING OPENING

01:45STATEMENTS OR PUBLIC TESTIMONY.

01:47THIS IS FOCUS ON PROCEEDINGS

01:50WHEN FEELING IS IN THE ROOM AND

01:52WE WILL NOT CONTINUE

01:54PROCEEDINGS UNTIL FILL IN IS IN

01:56THE ROOM.

01:57I WANT TO BEGIN BY ADDRESSING

01:58WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE AN

02:01EXTRAORDINARY FAILURE OF PUBLIC

02:03ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE RECORD

02:05AND A SECOND FOR THE SECOND

02:08TIME IN A ROW, MBTA GENERAL

02:11MANAGER AND MASSDOT INTERIM

02:13SECRETARY PHILIP ENG HAS FAILED

02:16TO APPEAR BEFORE THIS

02:18COUNCIL ON CIVIL RIGHTS, RACIAL

02:21EQUITY AND IMMIGRANT

02:23ADVANCEMENT.

02:24TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS

02:25PROJECT, TODAY, HIS ABSENCE IS

02:29PARTICULARLY EGREGIOUS BECAUSE

02:31HE WAS FORMALLY SUBPOENAED TO

02:33APPEAR BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE

02:35PURSUANT TO AN ORDER AUTHORIZED

02:37BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

02:38THE COUNCIL TOOK THE FORMAL

02:40STEP OF ISSUING A SUBPOENA ON

02:43UNDER MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL

02:45LAWS CHAPTER 233 SECTION EIGHT

02:48REQUIREMENTS TO APPEAR TODAY

02:50AND PROVIDE TESTIMONY.

02:52DESPITE THAT HE HAS FAILED TO

02:54SHOW UP.

02:56THIS WAS NOT A REQUEST FOR A

02:58GENERAL UPDATE.

02:59THE SUBPOENAS SPECIFICALLY ASK

03:02QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FEASIBILITY

03:06OF THE ORANGE RAIL EXTENSION

03:09FUNDING, PLANNING OF AN ORANGE

03:12LINE AND OTHER RAPID TRANSIT

03:14ALTERNATIVES SERVING ROXBURY,

03:16DORCHESTER AND MATTAPAN.

03:18THE COMMONWEALTH'S EFFORT TO

03:21ADDRESS LONGSTANDING

03:22TRANSPORTATION EQUITY'S

03:24INEQUITIES AND THE POTENTIAL

03:26DISPARATE IMPACTS

03:28OF TRANSPORTATION DECISION ON

03:30HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED

03:32MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.

03:34IT ALSO CALLED FOR AND I'M

03:36TALKING ABOUT THE SUBPOENA NOW.

03:38IT ALSO CALLED FOR OFFICIAL

03:41CRASH DATA FROM 2022 THROUGH

03:442026, INCLUDING FATALITIES AND

03:48SERIOUS INJURIES ALONG BLUE

03:49HILL AVENUE AND COMPARABLE

03:51CORRIDORS SUCH AS COLUMBUS

03:53AVENUE.

03:54THESE ARE SUBSTANTIVE QUESTIONS

03:56THAT DESERVE SUBSTANTIVE

03:59ANSWERS.

03:59MRS. KING'S FAILURE TO APPEAR

04:02HAS LEFT THIS COMMITTEE WITHOUT

04:04THE INFORMATION AND

04:06ACCOUNTABILITY.

04:07THIS COMMITTEE AND THE

04:08COMMUNITY IS SOLID.

04:10WHAT MAKES THIS EVEN MORE

04:11SIGNIFICANT IS THAT MR NG, ON

04:14MORE THAN ONE OCCASION

04:16COMMUNICATED TO ME THAT HE

04:17WOULD BE WILLING TO MEET BEHIND

04:19CLOSED DOORS RATHER THAN COMMIT

04:21TO APPEARING AT A PUBLIC

04:22COMMITTEE HEARING.

04:23APPARENTLY HE IS WILLING TO

04:25HAVE CONVERSATIONS WHEN HE

04:27CAN'T CONTROL THE SETTING.

04:29CONTROL THE PARTICIPANTS AND

04:31THE QUESTIONS BEING ASKED BUT

04:33NOT WHEN HE IS EXPECTED

04:35PUBLICLY TO APPEAR UNDER OATH

04:38TO ELECTED OFFICIALS.

04:39ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

04:41COMMUNITY AFFECTED BY HIS

04:44AGENCY'S DECISIONS.

04:46THAT IS HOW PUBLIC

04:48ACCOUNTABILITY WORKS.

04:49I AM NOT INTERESTED IN PRIVATE

04:51MEETINGS WITH MR NG AND THE

04:54MBTA WHERE THEY GET TO CONTROL

04:56WHAT QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED,

04:58WHAT QUESTIONS ARE ASKED AND

05:01AVOID DEFENDING ITS DECISIONS

05:02IN A PUBLIC FORUM.

05:04AND I'M CERTAINLY NOT

05:06INTERESTED IN ANOTHER MBTA

05:09HOSTED COMMUNITY MEETING AS A

05:11SUBSTITUTE FOR APPEARING BEFORE

05:13THIS COMMITTEE.

05:14MR NG NEEDS TO COME BEFORE THIS

05:17COMMITTEE UNDER OATH AND ANSWER

05:19FOR THE AGENCY'S DECISIONS.

05:22HE DOES NOT GET TO DICTATE THE

05:24TERMS OF ACCOUNTABILITY.

05:26THE PUBLIC DESERVES TO HEAR

05:28DIRECTLY FROM THE MTA.

05:30THEY DESERVE TO UNDERSTAND THE

05:32AGENCY'S POSITION ON CIVIL

05:34RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS

05:36OF ADVANCING THIS PROJECT, WHY

05:38THE COMMUNITY CONCERNS HAVE NOT

05:40BEEN ADEQUATELY ADDRESSED AND

05:42WHY REPEATED PLEAS TO SERIOUSLY

05:46EVALUATE RAIL ALTERNATIVES

05:47ALONG BLUE AVENUE HAVE NOT

05:50RECEIVED THE CONSIDERATION THEY

05:52DESERVE.

05:54IF MR AND THE MBTA ARE

05:56CONFIDENT IN THEIR APPROACH,

05:58THEY SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM

06:00DEFENDING IT PUBLICLY.

06:02INSTEAD, WE HAVE NOW HAD TO

06:04CONTEND TWO CONSECUTIVE

06:06HEARINGS WITHOUT HIS APPEARANCE

06:08INCLUDING TODAY HEARINGS FOR

06:10WHICH HE WAS FORMALLY

06:11SUBPOENAED.

06:12WE KNOW THAT FEDERAL FUNDING

06:13FOR THIS PROJECT HAS NOT YET

06:16BEEN OBLIGATED.

06:17LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN.

06:19WE KNOW THAT FEDERAL FUNDING

06:21FOR THIS PROJECT THE BLUE HILL

06:23AVENUE CENTER LANE HAS NOT BEEN

06:26OBLIGATED.

06:27WE ALSO KNOW FOLLOWING THE

06:29RECENT UPDATE REGARDING

06:31COLUMBUS AVENUE, THE CENTER

06:33RUNNING BUS LANE APPROACH ON

06:35COLUMBUS AVENUE IS NOT BEING

06:37CONTINUED.

06:38THAT RAISES IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

06:40ABOUT THE RATIONALE FOR

06:43PURSUING A SIMILAR DESIGN ON

06:45BLUE HILL AVENUE.

06:47PARTICULARLY WHEN THE COMMITTEE

06:48HAS SPECIFICALLY SOUGHT

06:50COMPARABLE TRASH DATA CRASH

06:53DATA TO EVALUATE FACE VITALITY

06:56SERIES INJURIES AND OTHER

06:58SAFETY IMPACTS ALONG BOTH

07:01CORRIDORS.

07:03MIND YOU IN THE MOU THAT THEY

07:05SUBMITTED TO THE FTA, THEY

07:08ASSERTED IN THAT MEMO THAT THE

07:10BLUE HILL AVENUE DESIGN IS

07:12SIMILAR TO DESIGN ON COLUMBUS

07:14AVENUE AND THEY LAUDED AND

07:17LIFTED UP HOW SUCCESSFUL THAT

07:19COLUMBUS AVENUE CENTER RUNNING

07:21BUS LANE IS AND THEN

07:24SUBSEQUENTLY SUBSEQUENTLY

07:28SUBSEQUENTLY PULLING DOWN PART

07:31TWO OF THE EXTENSION ON BLUE

07:33HILL AVENUE.

07:35THE RESIDENTS OF ROXBURY,

07:37DORCHESTER, MATTAPAN DESERVE

07:39MORE THAN TO BE INFORMED ABOUT

07:41DECISIONS AFTER THEY HAVE

07:43EFFECTIVELY BEEN MADE.

07:44THEY DESERVE A MEANINGFUL VOICE

07:46IN SHAPING THE FUTURE

07:48TRANSPORTATION IN THEIR

07:50COMMUNITIES, IN OUR COMMUNITIES

07:53AND THEY DESERVE PUBLIC

07:54OFFICIALS WHO ARE WILLING TO

07:56SHOW UP, ANSWER DIFFICULT

07:59QUESTIONS AND BE HELD

08:00ACCOUNTABLE.

08:01THE MBTA CANNOT EXPECT TO MAKE

08:04DECISIONS WITH SUCH SIGNIFICANT

08:07CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR

08:09COMMUNITIES AND THEN REFUSE TO

08:11ANSWER THEM IN A PUBLIC FORUM.

08:14WHEN PREDOMINANT WHEN

08:16PREDOMINANTLY BLACK COMMUNITIES

08:18ARE CONSISTENTLY DENIED THE

08:20SAME CONSIDERATION FOR TRASH

08:23TRANSFER, TRANSFORMATIONAL

08:26TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS ARE

08:28AFFORDED TO OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS

08:31LIKE THE FEASIBILITY STUDY.

08:33>> THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE.

08:34FOR ORANGE LINE RAIL TO COME

08:38FROM ROSLINDALE.

08:40THEN WE NEED TO HAVE THE NBA

08:43COME BEFORE THIS COUNCIL AND

08:47ANSWER WHY?

08:48I WANT TO BE CLEAR MR NG, I'M

08:52NOT INTERESTED IN HAVING

08:54ADDITIONAL MEETINGS BEHIND

08:56CLOSED DOORS WITH THE MBTA AND

08:59THEN BE EXPECTED TO COMMUNICATE

09:02THE.

09:02AGENCY'S POSITION TO THE

09:04PUBLIC.

09:05THE PUBLIC.

09:06DESERVES TRANSPARENCY.

09:07THEY DESERVE TO HEAR DIRECTLY

09:09FROM YOU.

09:11MR ING WHY BELIEVES THIS

09:12PROJECT IS APPROPRIATE.

09:14HOW IT HAS CONSIDERED THE CIVIL

09:16RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS AND WHY IT

09:18HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN GREATER

09:21CONSIDERATION.

09:22TO THE COMMUNITY'S.

09:23REQUEST FOR RAIL ALTERNATIVES

09:26ALONG BLUE HILL AVENUE.

09:28I WANT TO END BY THANKING

09:30WORKING FAMILIES, COMMUNITY

09:32RESIDENTS ALONG BLUE LAB WHO

09:35CONTINUE TO SHOW UP.

09:36ADVOCATE FOR THEIR.

09:38COMMUNITIES AND WORK WITH THEIR

09:39ELECTED OFFICIALS.

09:40THEIR CONCERNS DESERVE.

09:42TO BE TAKEN.

09:44SERIOUSLY AND AS A RESULT

09:45OF MR. INGS FAILURE.

09:47TO APPEAR TODAY.

09:48WE CAN WE WILL CONTINUE WORKING

09:51WITH THE COUNCIL'S LEGAL

09:54COUNCILOR TO IDENTIFY THE NEXT

09:55STEPS TO ENFORCE A SUBPOENA

09:58OFFERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

10:00THIS HEARING ON DOCKET 1340 AND

10:061341 IS ADJOURNED.

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