PRESENT: Neal, Vince (facilitator), Lisa, Alan (note taker).
We really did not have a formal agenda at this time, as there wasn’t much business.
We discussed the public comment testimony in front of the city council regarding proposed land use permits needed to set up a temporary tent city for homeless people. John Harrington of the city planning department gave a presentation, and then members of the public spoke. Neal and Alan spoke in favor, and Pastor Bruce and Valentine Smith (a member of a neighborhood council) spoke against it. Mr. Smith said he based his comments on informal discussion with members of his neighborhood council, as well as other people who live near him.
Alan posted an edited video of the public comment on YouTube, our Facebook page, and our web page. He said he made an unofficial transcript of the public comments, which he will prepare for distribution as a PDF file.
Alan said he felt Mr. Smith did us a bit of a favor by articulating the main points our opponents have. He did this quite clearly. We can use this testimony to create FAQ sheets, as we felt much of what Mr. Smith said consisted of common misconceptions.
Neal and Alan also talked with Mr. Smith outside of the the meeting. Mr. Smith seemed open to having Neal give a presentation explaining our point of view at his neighborhood council meeting. Alan said he felt Mr. Smith was open and sincere. Alan will contact Mr. Smith via email.
There will be another meeting of the Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness (TPCCEH) on Thursday. Neal said he would explore options on attending this meeting.
We also discussed obtaining an ORCA ePurse card for TCT members to use. A TCT member can use this card to ride on Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro Transit, Kitsap Transit, Sound Transit, Washington State Ferries, and Pierce Transit for business related to TCT. We can designate one of us to travel, using the card, and keep a record. Alan will look into obtaining such a card, as he had done that for Occupy Tacoma.
Neal did a presentation on March 23 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church (BLC) on March 23. Alan, Patricia, and Lisa also came. Church members and church trustees were able to ask lots of good questions about the details of hosting a tent city. Neal did another, more informal presentation at BLC on March 30 and reports that this presentation went well.
NEXT MEETING: Our next meeting will be at the same place on April 20. Please see the calendar for more details.
Thanks to Neal and Lisa for proofreading these minutes and checking them for accuracy —Editor
Respectfully submitted: Alan OldStudent