Protecting our community – our seniors, our families and our children – is my most
sacred duty as Mayor of our great City. Everyone has a right to be safe on our
streets, in our neighborhoods and in their home. Ensuring safety is at the foundation
of everything else we are trying to achieve. Without it, we can’t create more vibrant
neighborhoods…We can’t more jobs and more locally-owned businesses...And, kids
that aren’t safe and don’t feel safe, can’t learn.
Yes, we need a police department that protects and serves, and reflects the
diversity, in our community. And, ever since I joined City government, I have worked
to ensure that we’ve made true progress towards these goals and there is always
more work to be done.
In fact, we have already achieve much of what those protesting are asking for. And,
done so years ago. We have banned chokeholds, require the use of all alternatives
before using force, demand officer intervention when a colleague is in the wrong,
require comprehensive reporting and take action, enforce discipline, including
termination, when our policies aren’t followed. We instituted and operate a body
worn camera program that is robust, and forward thinking, and this Council has
implemented a Police Accountability Board that if upheld will be the strongest in the
nation.
We also remain dedicated to community and neighborhood policing, and creating
connections between our officers and the residents we all serve. Both the Chief and
I were born and raised in this community, educated in its schools and returned to be
of service. And, in case you haven’t noticed we are both Black.
We are keenly aware of the challenges we face as a race and have faced in this
country. We are not immune to the systematic and institutional racism, or the
barriers that people of color have faced and continue to face. We are both
committed to ensuring that changes to this system come through a process that will
not just treat symptoms, but actually cure the disease.
I shared the anger and frustration at the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor,
and the countless others that have been murdered. But, I also share with you that
our City, Rochester, is an example of how government can and must respond. Not
through screaming or platitudes, but through, as the great Shirley Chisholm said,
implementing ideas that create real change. We remain at the forefront of
implementing reform so our police can protect and serve our community, while
respecting the dignity of all our residents – whether Black, White or Brown. I know
that some of our officers have stepped outside of the lines. But, when they do this
Chief has held them accountable, which has included discipline and termination of
employment. Further, when they have not done wrong, he has stood by them to
encourage them to always do the right thing.
I agree that more must continue to be done. And, that we need to do more than
simply police our community. I have been shouting from the rooftops that we must
improve our schools, and provide our children a fighting chance at life by fixing a
broken system. And, I am hopeful that Dr. Myers-Small will be given the tools and
power she needs in order to ensure that every child can reach their fullest potential.

 We must also expand healthcare, especially mental health care, because the trauma
that is being experienced across the board must be dealt with. We must provide
addiction services, more job training, more access to capital for businesses of color,
more quality day care and other services to truly lift up our black, brown and poor
residents.
All of these things are also fundamental to a safer City. Let me be clear, these are
not services and solutions the City can provide its residents alone. It will take our all
of us including our County, State, Not-for-Profit agencies and Businesses to truly
deliver change.
In this time, we should all be asking ourselves what we can do to solve the
systematic racism and other barriers that have plagued us for 400 years – before
the very inception of this country.
We all must change. Our community has a history of trying to do so, but we need to
look at these problems from a new perspective.
In our community, the not-for-profit sector is a billion dollar industry. If you have an
issue in Rochester, we have a program that will allegedly fix it. Part of the reason
we are talking about systems redesign in the not-for-profit sphere is because this
billion dollar industry is failing our community. These organizations need to reflect
our community and their leadership needs to be as diverse as those they serve. This
is a change we need.
One thing our City doesn’t need is any member of this council failing to speak the
truth. Particularly, anyone stating that the City funds the police more than anything
else. Simply put, that is false. And, if you didn’t know that was false when you said
it. That ignorance should be disqualifying. And, if knew it was false when you said it,
then you need to admit it and apologize.
The truth is the police department budget of $95.8 million dollars accounts for
approximately 18% of our total budget. Our contribution to our schools, along with
our funding for recreation, youth services and our libraries totals $143.9 million
dollars, or over 50% more than we spend on our police.
Whether through ignorance or malice, instead of bringing concrete solutions to the
table, those spreading falsehoods chose to incite. And, it reminds me of what my
community has been facing for generations.
People who promote themselves, and the existing broken system, rather than
empowering black and brown people to truly change the system. Rather than
support a total reset for our schools, as advocated for by the distinguished
educator, a Brown man, they support the status quo.
Rather than allow us a level playing field where we can excel, they want to dictate
the rules to meet their needs.
Their broken approach will always do, as it has always done: Keep black and brown
people stuck in your system for another generation.

 As Mayor, I will not allow this to occur. We are empowering our residents through
programs like the Financial Empowerment Centers, the Office of Community Wealth
Building and Kiva Rochester. We will increase Black and Brown home and business
ownership. We will ensure Black and Brown people can lift themselves out of
poverty. We’re turning the corner. We are done with tired ideas that constantly keep
us asking for a handout, instead of truly giving us a hand up.
So let me be clear with you. What I will not do is support lies and exploitation of our
community. I live being black in America every day, my grandparents live it, my
husband lives it, my daughter lives it.
Black and brown people don’t need a savior. We are capable of saving ourselves.
The strongest of us survived the middle passage, slavery, Jim Crow, and now once
and for all, we will deal with Racism in America. And, we welcome all who will join us
in good faith to this monumental task.
An equitable playing field and opportunity for a better life – for ourselves and those
we love. That’s what we all want.
A life, and chance, by which we all can strive to reach our fullest potential and our
dreams.
I’ve spent my life and career fighting for just that. For my daughter and for all the
children of our city. Unfortunately, so far in Rochester 14 people this year have been
forever denied this chance, their lives were taken too soon:
Rashad Snowden
Norris Jay
Pedro Santiago
Trez Sloan
Cathy Heinrich
Gerrard Jones
Lorenzo Wade
Justin McMillan
Chernet Tiruneh
Nathan Bernard
Todd Hamilton
Dakota Podlaski
Jorge Bonilla
Their loss should not be forgotten. I will say their names, I will work hard to ensure
that their lives were not lost in vain, I will honor them by working hard every day to

 dismantle the institutions and systematic barriers that placed them and their lives
in harm’s way. And, we all suffer due to those barriers.
I will keep working to implement ideas so that we all can be safe and we can lift up
every life. There are no easy fixes here. It takes hard work, sensible minds and true
hearts to end the systemic racism we see in our community. I’m committed to
doing that in policing, in housing, in healthcare and beyond, I hope that this Council
is prepared to do so as well. Thank you and God Bless our City and its people.