The Weekly Update 07-13-20

Thank you for joining us for the Weekly Update on JMpro! It’s Monday, July 13th, 2020 Asheville City Council meets Tuesday at 5pm via their virtual meeting portal. Included in the agenda is the City Manager report, which does not have an attached presentation, but does suggest the (quote) “30-60-90” (end quote) plan for the Asheville Police Department. In unfinished business, Council will review more than $615-thousand dollars of CARES Act funding to address homelessness and rental eviction protection during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are two items under New Business: 1) A resolution to hire Hillard Heintze at a cost of $82,550 to (quote) “conduct an evaluation of the Asheville Police Department response to the recent protests including a report to be provided to City Council.” (end quote) Hilliard Heintze is the same firm that is reviewing the Louisville Metro Police Department following the killing of Breonna Taylor during a raid of her home this year. 2) The second item under new business is a resolution to Supporting Community Reparations for Black Asheville. The Racial Justice Coalition has put out a call to action to support the resolution: (quote) “This resolution is a crucial first step in a long overdue process. Our city government must take responsibility for the pivotal role it has played in hundreds of years of oppression of Black people in this region, from slavery to urban renewal. The city must commit to concrete plans for assuring that those harms don’t continue and for remedying the damage that’s been done.” Emails can be submitted to Council by 5pm Monday, while calls can be made live during the meeting. More information on how to participate in the call to action is at rjcavl.org Thank you for joining us for the Weekly Update on JMpro!