[00:00:03]
[Proclamation – Honoring Betty Swint – To be presented by Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison and to be accepted by Betty Swint, Retired Austin Fire Department Fire Specialist.]
SO IF Y'ALL WANNA HEAR A FUNNY STORY, ME AND THIS LADY WE NEVER MET BEFORE UNTIL JUST NOW IN THE PARKING GARAGE.SHE WAS COMING INTO THE EXECUTIVE AND I WAS COMING OUT OF IT, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT WE SHOULD BUMP INTO EACH OTHER THIS MORNING? SO I THINK IT WAS SERENDIPITY, AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO START THE MORNING.
I'M NATASHA HARPER MADISON, AND I'M FULLY PREPARED TO DELIVER THIS PROCLAMATION, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS ON NOVEMBER 18TH, 1979, THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYED UNDER CIVIL SERVICE LAW.
IT'S FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE FIREFIGHTER IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND WHEREAS FIRE SPECIALIST BETTY J SW BECAME PART OF TEXAS HISTORY BY BEING ONLY THE THIRD AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE FIREFIGHTER IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND WHEREAS BETTY SW LOYALLY SERVED THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN FOR 27 YEARS WITH COURAGE, HONOR, INTEGRITY, AND RESILIENCY.
AND WHEREAS BETTY SWEAT HAD A CAN-DO ATTITUDE THAT EARNED RESPECT FROM HER MALE COWORKERS, EXCUSE ME, BY PROVING THAT SHE COULD HOLD HER OWN WHEN IT CAME TO FIREFIGHTING.
AND WHEREAS YOU GUYS WILL HAVE TO, EXCUSE ME, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR THAT FIRE SPECIALIST BETTY WENT FAITHFULLY SERVED THE BULK OF HER CAREER IN EAST AUSTIN, ASSIGNED TO FIRE STATION 26 ON THE B SHIFT.
AND WHEREAS BETTY'S FIREFIGHTING CAREER CAN BE SUMMED UP AS THE HALLMARK OF ETHICAL AND MORAL CHARACTER AND AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE SHOULD ALL MEET OUR CHALLENGES, AND WHEREAS HER SERVICE AND DEDICATION TO DUTY HAVE BECOME AN INSPIRATION FOR OTHER WOMEN WHO WANNA PURSUE A CAREER IN FIREFIGHTING.
AND WHEREAS ON MARCH 25TH, 2006, FIRE SPECIALIST BETTYS WENT, RETIRED FROM THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH NUMEROUS ACCOLADES AND FAITHFUL YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, NATASHA HARPER MADISON, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT ONE, ALONG WITH THE MAYOR OF AUSTIN AND THE REST OF THE CITY COUNCIL DO HEREBY PROCLAIM FEBRUARY 23RD, 2023 AS BETTY J ENTENTE.
AND IF YOU'RE OPEN TO IT, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO SAY A FEW WORDS.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO? GOOD MORNING.
I'M JUST SO PROUD THAT MY CREW IS HERE.
ALL OF US CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE ARE HERE.
IT'S JUST A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
AND IT WAS A PLEASURE TO SERVE IN THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK Y'ALL FOR GIVING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE CAREER FOR ME AND I THANK Y'ALL SO VERY MUCH THE ENTIRE CITY.
OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S JUST A PLEASURE TO SEE EVERYBODY, I GUESS IF Y'ALL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, ANYTHING, I'LL TRY TO DO THE BEST I CAN.
SO GENERALLY WHAT WE DO NOW, YOU GUYS, ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH, YOU GUYS COME ON UP AND WE'LL PILE AROUND IN FRONT OF THE FLAGS HERE.
OH, I'M SUPPOSED TO DO THIS IF YOU WANNA GRAB ONE OF THOSE.
[00:06:51]
YOU WANT US TO PART YOUR WAY OR NO? YOU CAN JUST HANG OUT AS LONG AS YOU'RE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON TV RIGHT NOW, SO, OH, OKAY.[Proclamation 2]
MORNING EVERYONE.THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
I'M MACKENZIE KELLY AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT SIX, WHICH IS FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN.
THIS MORNING I HAVE THE IMMENSE PRIVILEGE TO HONOR TWO INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE NOT ONLY DISTRICT SIX HEROES, BUT HEROES OF THE COMMUNITY.
ON NOVEMBER 26TH, 2022, AT APPROXIMATELY 1137 IN THE MORNING, A MAN ENTERED ANDERSON MILL PUB IN DISTRICT SIX AND PULLED A GUN ENDANGERING THE BAR'S STAFF AND CUSTOMERS.
THERE WAS ARMANDO ZAMORA AND STEVEN JOVE NASO, SORRY.
IT'S REALLY, IT'S A UNIQUE LAST NAME.
WHO TOOK ACTION AND TACKLED DEMAND OF THE GROUND UNTIL POLICE COULD ARRIVE.
ACTS LIKE THIS DON'T COME AS AN EASY DECISION IN A STRESSFUL AND DANGEROUS SITUATION.
IT TAKES COURAGE, LOVE FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND SPLIT SECOND THINKING FOR SOMEONE TO DO WHAT THEY DID THAT DAY.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, TODAY, I COULDN'T BE PROUDER TO BE THEIR REPRESENTATIVE OR TO HAVE THEM AS CONSTITUENTS.
THEREFORE, IT'S MY GREAT HONOR TODAY AND PRIVILEGE TO PRESENT THE, THE GENTLEMAN WITH A DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD, BOTH FOR THEIR HEROICS ACTS, HEROIC ACTS IN DISTRICT SIX.
WITH A ROUND OF APPLAUSE HERE.
AND NOW, NOW I'M GONNA TURN THE MICROPHONE OVER TO AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT TO SAY A FEW WORDS.
MY NAME IS SCOTT PERRY AND I'M AN ASSISTANT CHIEF WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY EXPLAINED, UM, THE STORY AND THE SITUATION THAT OCCURRED.
I JUST WANNA REITERATE A COUPLE THINGS THAT SHE SAID.
FIRST OF ALL, THEIR ACTIONS OF BOTH OF THESE GENTLEMEN WERE INCREDIBLY HEROIC.
WE KNOW THAT HAD THEY NOT TAKEN THE ACTION AND TOOK THE STEPS THAT THEY DID, THEN WE WOULD'VE BEEN INVESTIGATING A MURDER.
UM, THEY, THEY STEPPED UP WHEN, UH, OTHER PEOPLE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE STEPPED UP.
THAT TAKES SOMETHING THAT IS, IS INSIDE OF A PERSON TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND WE ARE SO VERY THANKFUL, AND I KNOW THE VICTIM AND HER FAMILY ARE VERY THANKFUL THAT THESE TWO GENTLEMEN WERE INSIDE THAT BAR THAT DAY.
AND THEY TOOK THE ACTION THAT THEY TOOK.
THEY, THEY TRULY SAVED HER LIFE.
UM, I'LL OFFER IT UP TO CORPORAL NODAL, WHO IS ONE OF THE OFFICERS WHO ARRIVED ON SCENE.
THE FIRST OFFICER WHO ARRIVED ON SCENE.
HE'S THE ONE WHO WROTE THEM UP FOR AN AWARD THAT HE'S GONNA RECEIVE FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TODAY.
UH, JUST WANTED TO SAY A COUPLE QUICK WORDS.
UH, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS JOB NOW FOR EIGHT YEARS, AND THIS IS THE FIRST, OR THIS IS THE MOST HEROIC ACT I'VE SEEN A CIVILIAN DO FOR ANOTHER CIVILIAN IN MY TIME AS AN AUSTIN POLICE OFFICER.
SO I JUST WANTED TO EXTEND TO MR. GSO AND, UH, MR. ZORA, WHO C COULDN'T, COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY, THAT, UM, THERE ACTS WERE TRULY HEROIC BY THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD.
AND I JUST WANTED TO CONGRATULATE HIM.
[00:10:01]
IT WAS AN HONOR TO PUT HIM IN FOR THIS AWARD, AND HE DESERVES EVERY BIT OF IT.WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS AND THEN I'LL, I'LL LET YOU SPEAK AND THEN I'LL READ THE AWARD TO YOU.
UH, ADMITTINGLY ALL THIS ATTENTION IS, UH, INCREDIBLY UNCOMFORTABLE
THEY MADE A VERY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE, A LOT LESS PAIN, PAINFUL, UH, ESPECIALLY THE CORPORAL.
YEAH, I HAD NO IDEA I WAS GONNA CALL YOU OFF, SO I DON'T WANNA OFFEND YOU OR WHATEVER, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO I WILL READ THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD OUT LOUD NOW, AND, UM, I JUST HAVE TO FIND THE CORRECT ONE.
IT SAYS, FOR HIS HEROIC ACTIONS AND COMMITMENT TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN DURING THE NOVEMBER 26TH, 2022, SHOOTING IN DISTRICT SIX, STEVEN VESO IS DESERVING OF PUBLIC ACCLAIM AND RECOGNITION FOR HIS DEDICATION TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
HE IS THE TRUE NATURE OF A PUBLIC HERO AND IS HEREBY RECOGNIZED FOR THIS ON THIS DAY.
AND IT IS SIGNED BY THE MAYOR AND OUR COUNSEL.
I GIVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CITATION, PRESENTED TO STEVEN GIOVAN, ALSO FOR PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE TO THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT UNDER EMERGENCY OR HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS, WHILE DISPLAYING UNCOMMON COURAGE AND GOOD JUDGMENT DATED THIS 23RD DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2023.