[00:00:03]
[Call to Order]
I'LL CALL THIS, UH, THIS SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE AUSTIN MUSIC COMMISSION TO ORDER DAY IS JULY SIX AND WE ARE MEETING REMOTELY AND WE'LL START OFF[Additional Item]
WITH SOME CITIZENS COMMUNICATION.UM, DO WE HAVE FELIX PACHECO, FELIX PACHECO? NO, FELIX, GO ON TO, EXCUSE ME, IF I MISPRONOUNCES AMEET MOTWANI I'LL CALL HIM RIGHT HERE.
I MEAN, IT'S FUNNY TO HEAR, I'M JUST HAVING, I'M HEARING AN ECHO FROM, UH, I DUNNO, IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M HEARING YOU CALL THE MEETING AGAIN, BUT I'M HAPPY TO BEGIN SPEAKING AT YOUR BEST.
MY NAME IS
I'M NOT CALLING IN AS A MEMBER OF THOSE BOARDS, BUT RATHER A CONCERNED CITIZEN AND RESIDENT.
I'M CALLING IN FAVOR OF ITEM TWO C ESTABLISHING THE BLACK LIVES MUSIC FUND AT THE HIGHEST AMOUNT POSSIBLE.
NAMELY, THE AMOUNTS THAT WERE, UH, THAT WERE MENTIONED, UH, BY, UH, CHAKA MAHOEN AND THE LAST MUSIC COMMISSION MEETING, UH, ONE OF THE INDISPUTABLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OR CARDINAL SINS OF MANIFEST DESTINY HAS BEEN OUR ROBBERY AND EXPLOITATION OF THE BLACK CULTURE, A SYSTEMIC CULTURAL ASSIMILATION COMMONIZATION RESULTING FROM OVER 400 YEARS OF BRUTAL AND PLACEMENT AND RACE IN OUR NATION, OR MOSTLY ITS COLONIAL STAKE HOLDERS HAVE DERIVED IN CALCULABLE BENEFIT, INFINITELY PROFITING FROM PRE LABOR ASSIMILATING CULTURAL ELEMENTS THAT WE FIND COMFORTABLY BENEFICIAL TO OUR COLONIAL SENSIBILITIES WHILE CONVENIENTLY REDLINING OTHER INCONVENIENT REMINDERS OF OUR THINS OUT OF SIGHT.
IN MIND, THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY, WE'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO ASSIMILATE VIRTUALLY ANY ELEMENT OF BLACK CARD GAMES WHILE AVOIDING EXPLICITLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE VAIL EFFORTS OF PEOPLE FROM WHOM WE OFTEN STOLE THE ELEMENT BEFORE WITH PLANTATIONS PUBLIC WORKS, INVENTION MUSIC AND THOUGH LESS CONSPICUOUSLY AND CERTAINLY LESS INTENTIONALLY WE CONTINUE.
NOW IT IS IN OUR NATIONAL PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR TO DO SO.
AND THAT'S WHY WE MUST ESTABLISH THE BLACK LIVES MUSIC FUND AT THE HIGHEST AMOUNT POSSIBLE.
UH, YOU KNOW, AT MINIMUM $750,000, HISTORICALLY, WE WERE ABLE TO WITH OUR BACKROOM VOICES AND LEGISLATIVE RED PEN DRAW LINES AND THROUGH ORDINANCE ORDAINED THE DEMARCATIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF OPPORTUNITY.
AND WE MUST TODAY WITH OUR LIFTED VOICES AND LEGISLATIVE BLACK PEN DRAW OUR OWN BRIGHT LINE ONE THAT WENT DRAWN AND CROSS SET THE STANDARD CORE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AN INCALCULABLY AND NEARLY INCONCEIVABLY DISPROPORTIONATE STRUGGLE FOR SUCCESS THAT BLACK RESIDENT, AND THEN OVERLAYING THAT OVER THE MUSICIAN CHALLENGE BLACK MUSICIANS HAVE FACED IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
OUR MOVEMENTS MAY HAVE INFLOW, WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITIES MAY WIDEN AND SHUTTER, BUT A LINE LIKE THIS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AVOID TWO PESTS, THAT WE AVOID A TWO STEPS FORWARD, 1.9 STEP BACK PHENOMENON.
IT'S A LINE THAT ENSURES ESTABLISHMENT AND SUBSTANTIAL PROVISIONING OF A PROBLEM THAT IS LEGITIMIZED IN ITS EXISTENCE BY ITS AURA PERPETUITY IN AURA.
NOT ONLY THAT WE MUST MAKE AMENDS, BUT THAT WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE, BUT THAT WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER HERE IN THE SOUTH OF THE U S AND THE HEART OF TEXAS.
IT MAKES SENSE THAT WE'D BE BEAMING REALLY PROUD OF OUR HERITAGE.
AND IT ALSO MAKES SENSE THAT WE CARRY EQUAL PARTS OF SHAME AND REMORSE.
IT'S NECESSARY TO BALANCE OUR PERSPECTIVE AND ESTABLISHING CORRECTIVE SOLUTIONS.
AND IT IS WITH THAT BALANCED PERSPECTIVE THAT WE SHOULD BE DRAWING OUR BRIGHT LINE UNAPOLOGETICALLY AND SURELY WITHOUT FEAR THAT WE MIGHT ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION FOR BLACK LINE ESTABLISHED THE FUND THAT THE MINIMUM AMOUNT AMOUNT AT 750 K IF NECESSARY, TAKE THAT 750 K FROM THE EXISTING FUND AND KEEP IT IN ESCROW UNTIL NEW FUNDING SOURCES ARE ESTABLISHED.
BUT THAT SHOULD BE THE GOOD PACE DEMONSTRATION, UH, THAT THIS FUND IS BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, TO COMMISSIONER MAHOEN FOR, UH, UH, PROPOSAL OF THIS IDEA, UH, AND I SUPPORT IT FULLY AND WHOLE HEARTEDLY IT'S NECESSARY TO BALANCE AND TO GET
THIS IS JOSEPH HERE AT CITY HALL.
ARTS KEEPS UNMUTING AND CAUSING THE FEEDBACK.
IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TERMINATE THAT PERSON.
THAT'S HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND WE DID NOT WANT TO COMPROMISE THE RECORDING.
SO NEXT WE HAVE THE AUSTIN JUSTICE COALITION,
[00:05:09]
AUSTIN JUSTICE COALITION.OKAY, WE'LL MOVE ON TO BOOK JUMP.
THIS IS PAT GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN MUSICIANS, NONPROFITS, UH, WITH AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM OUR BOARD.
OFTEN MUSIC ECONOMY WAS BUILT ON THE BACKS OF MUSICIANS, INCLUDING MANY BLIND MUSICIANS WHO WERE EXCLUDED FROM OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS.
UH, AS ADVOCATES, ROCK MUSICIANS, YACHTS MUSICIANS, BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE LISTENING TO WHAT OUR MUSIC COMMUNITY WANTS AND BRINGING THAT VOICE TO THE TABLE.
THEY STAND IN SUPPORT OF OUR BLACK MUSICIAN.
UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATION FROM THE EQUITY CONSULTANT TODAY, WHEN YOU URGE PERMISSION OF RESEARCH, WHERE FUNDS MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR A BLACK LIVE MUSIC FUND AND TO OFFER A DETAILED PLAN ON HOW TO BEST NEW FORWARD WITH A PROGRAM THAT DISTRIBUTES FUNDS FAIRLY AND EQUITABLY TO OUR BLACK MUSIC COMMUNITY.
ADDITIONALLY, I'D LIKE TO TAKE ONE MOMENT TO REFLECT ON THE FEEDBACK WE'VE RECEIVED FROM OUR MUSIC COMMUNITY, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE AUSTIN MUSIC DISASTER RELIEF FUND, UH, AND NOW OFFER THESE QUESTIONS, UH, FOR MUSIC COMMISSIONERS TO SEEK ANSWERS FROM EDD STAFF, UH, REAL QUICK, NUMBER ONE, HOW MANY MUSICIANS RECEIVED THE GRANT FROM THE FIRST ROUND BEFORE THEY ENDED THE DEADLINE? NUMBER TWO, HOW MANY TOTAL APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED? NUMBER THREE, HOW MANY TROUBLE TOTAL APPLICATIONS WERE APPROVED AND HOW MANY WERE REJECTED? NUMBER FOUR, IF THERE IS MONEY LEFT OVER, UH, A WILL THERE BE ANOTHER CALL FOR APPLICATIONS AND B WILL EDD MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE CRITERIA? THE MORE MUSICIANS ARE ABLE TO APPLY NUMBER FIVE, HOW MUCH MONEY WAS SPENT ON MARKETING THIS GRANT AND WHERE WAS THAT MONEY? YEAH, WE THANK THE ATX MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THEY HAD DONE IN BRINGING HR MUSIC COMMUNITY VARIOUS UNPRECEDENTED TIME.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL TO FOOD PROCESSES GOING FORWARD SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BETTER SERVE OUR MUSIC COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU ALL FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TODAY.
UM, I'M CALLING IN AS A BLACK MUSICIAN HERE IN AUSTIN TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE CREATION OF A BLACKBAUD MUSIC FUND.
UH, I'M SPEAKING CLEARLY ON BEHALF OF MYSELF, BUT ALSO I WANT TO REPRESENT THE DOZENS OF MUSICIANS WHO I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH ABOUT THIS ISSUE BY IN THE WEEKS, SINCE IT WAS FORECLOSED.
UM, EVERYONE I'VE TALKED TO HAS AS VOICE ALL WROTE IN SUPPORT FOR THE IDEA AND USE IT AS A NECESSARY LONG OVERDUE STEP FORWARD.
UM, MENDING WHAT'S REALLY A FUNDAMENTALLY INEQUITABLE SYSTEM HERE IN AUSTIN, THE MUSIC SCENE, UM, FURTHER, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, TO KINDA VOICE CLEARLY THAT I THINK WHILE THINK FAIRNESS AND EQUITY INEQUALITY ARE, ARE DEFINITELY THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE STRIVING FOR.
IF, IF THE PEOPLE ON THIS COMMISSION HAS, I BELIEVE YOU DO TAKE SERIOUSLY THE CHALLENGE OF BRINGING, BRINGING ABOUT RACIAL JUSTICE HERE IN AUSTIN AND WITHIN THE MUSIC SCENE IN PARTICULAR, THEN IT'S GOING TO BE INCUMBENT ON ALL OF US TO, TO LOOK, TO TAKE A REALLY HARD LOOK AT WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS.
UM, RACISM IS FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT POWER AND COMM COMBATING RACISM.
THEN FUNDAMENTALLY MUST BE ABOUT REDISTRIBUTING POWER FROM THE PLACES THAT CURRENTLY EXIST.
THE PLACES THAT IT CURRENTLY IS CONSOLIDATED AND OUT TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE LESS OF IT THAN THEY SHOULD.
AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, I THINK IT'S GREAT TO TALK ABOUT FAIRNESS.
IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE QUALITY, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO USE IT AS A REFERENCE REPAIRATIVE PROJECT.
[00:10:02]
THAT MEANS THAT THE NATURE OF THE PROJECT IS GOING TO NEED TO BE RADICAL.IT'S GOING TO NEED TO BE DRASTIC.
AUSTIN HAS THE UNIQUE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE ONLY FAST GROWING CITY IN THE COUNTRY WITH A SHRINKING BLACK POPULATION.
AND IT TAKES, IT TAKES AN ALLIANCE OF A LOT OF SYSTEMS WITH POWER TO ACCOMPLISH THAT PIECE.
AND IF, IF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE POWER TO EFFECT SOME CHANGE ARE TAKING IT SERIOUSLY, THEN I THINK, UH, THIS IS A, THE BLACK LIVES MUSIC FUND IS A GREAT SMALL FIRST STEP TOWARD BRINGING ABOUT A MORE JUST CITY.
WE HAVE SEA VIRGIN RAYJEAN MALIBU BRAND.
SORRY IF I MISPRONOUNCED THAT.
FOR GENE MALIBU BRAND PRIMARY AMOUNT, STAR SIX, IF YOU MIGHT BE NEEDED.
UM, HE DIDN'T, HE DIDN'T WANT TO SPEAK.
AND I BELIEVE YOU JUST HAVE THE NEXT THREE SPEAKERS AND THOSE ARE THE LAST ONES THAT CALLED IN.
A LOT OF PEOPLE I'VE BEEN HIT UP BY PEOPLE THAT SAID THAT THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO GET IN AND WAITING.
AND THEN I GAVE IT TO GET IN A FEW PEOPLE JUST REACHED OUT TO ME.
THEY MUST'VE CALLED AFTER THE WINDOW WAS OPEN.
SO WE OPENED THE WINDOW FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING AND WE LEFT IT OPEN FOR A LITTLE BIT.
WAIT, THEY'RE ACTUALLY WAITING FOR WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
AND THEN THEY GOT DROPPED OFF.
THERE'S SOME SOMEBODY SAYING THAT, THAT, THAT THE MEAT, SOME, SOME MESSAGE ABOUT THE MEETING BEING CANCELED.
SO EVERYBODY WAS STILL ON WHEN, UH, AS I WAS SIGNING THEM IN.
IF ANYTHING, DIDN'T CALL IN ENOUGH TIME TO GET IN WITHIN THE WINDOW.
I CALLED IN, SORRY, JUST IN CASE, THIS IS HELPFUL.
I CALLED THEM VERY EARLY AND WAITED FOR OVER 20 MINUTES AND THE SYSTEM HUNG UP ON ME AND I HAD TO CALL BACK AND YEAH, SO IT'S DEFINITELY NOT WORKING.
I JUST DO PAMELA VINCENT OWENS.
I CALLED IN 22 MINUTES AT A TIME AND WAS DROPPED IN THE SYSTEM AS WELL.
SO IT BE USER ERROR, BUT THERE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM.
JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT, UM, MY NAME IS PAMELA VINCENT OWENS.
I AM THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SIX SQUARE WHERE OUR MISSION IS SERVE AND CELEBRATE THE CULTURAL LEGACY OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY THAT WANTS THRIVE IN EAST AUSTIN.
AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I AM IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE BLACK LIVES MUSIC FUND.
AND IT'S ABOUT TIME FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THIS, NOT FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF SHAME AND BLAME, BUT WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO COCREATE A NEW NARRATIVE THAT REALLY SAYS, WITHOUT A DOUBT AT THIS CITY THAT WE LIVE IN HAS NOT NEW OR BREATHE OR OPERATE OR WORK WITHOUT BLACK CREATIVITY THAT WE HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE TALENT AND THE SKILLS AND THE AMAZING, BRILLIANT OF OUR BLACK ARTISTS AND CREATIVE.
AND WE HAVE MAYBE FALLING SHORT ON WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO REALLY SUPPORT THEM.
SO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A FAIR AND EQUITABLE SYSTEM FOR THE FIRST FUND TO SUPPORT THE VERY NAMES THAT I HAD JUST REFERENCE IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE'VE BEEN DEDICATED AT SIX SQUARE FOR SOME TIME AS IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN RESIDENTS.
BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT MORE THAN THAT.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US BEING CONSCIOUSLY AWARE AND INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW WE DISTRIBUTE FUNDS AND HOW WE NAME AND HOLD SPACE FOR THE ARTISTS AND THE MEETING.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IN POCKETS AND THE VISUALLY, WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB OF RECOGNIZING IT, BUT AS A COMMUNITY COLLECTIVELY, WE SENT OUT A WHOLE LOT OF TIME ON GROWTH AND INNOVATION AND SPRAWL AND NOT ENOUGH TIME ON HOW WE ACTUALLY SUPPORT EVERYBODY TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
SO THE IDEA OF A BLACK LIVES NEEDED FIND, AND
[00:15:01]
IT'S CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING THAT HASN'T BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME, THAT THERE'S SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY NOW FOR US TO FORMALIZE IT AND SUPPORT IT AND TRULY BE RIGHT AND FAIR AND EQUITABLE BY THE BLACK PART IS CREATED IN THIS CITY.I'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME AND I AM COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY EXHAUSTED BY THIS CONVERSATION, BUT I DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO GIVE UP.
SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO REST A MINUTE, BUT WE CAN NOT QUIT.
AND I THINK IT'S TIME THAT THERE ISN'T A KNOWLEDGEMENT AND RADICAL BEFORE OF BLACK ARTISTS WILL SAY THAT.
NEXT UP, WE HAVE ZACH TRIGGER EVERYBODY.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT.
I'M CALLING IN FAVOR OF A BLACK LAB, MUSIC FUN.
ALMOST EVERY THING I LOVE ABOUT MUSIC IS BECAUSE OF BLACK PEOPLE.
I'M NOT ALONE IN THIS THOUGHT BEFORE THIS MEETING, I CHECKED IN 70% OF THE HOT 100 ARE BLACK ARTISTS WITHIN THE TOP 10 AND THE ONLY ONE OR THE BEAD SITTING IN R AND D SONG, DECENT CLAY THOUGH, JACK CARLO DOING TRAP MUSIC.
LET'S PAIR THAT IDEA WITH AWESOME IS WITH ONE OF THE ONLY MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITIES IN THE U S THAT HAVE A DECLINING BLACK POPULATION.
WE HAD LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD AND THAT WASN'T CONTINUING TO PRODUCE WEALTH AND REPUTATION.
HOW DO WE HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO WHAT OUR CITY FISCALLY AND ETHICALLY OWNS BLACK CULTURE WHILE ALSO TAKING CARE OF OTHER UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES SHOULD MORE LATINEX MUSIC BE FUNDED.
AND HAS THAT COMMUNITY BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDER RESOURCED? ABSOLUTELY.
AND MY BABY WILL START ON UNDER RESOURCE.
OF COURSE, SHOULD ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR AND MARGINALIZED OR UNDER-RESEARCHED GROUPS BE FUNDED AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAN THEIR WHITE SISTER ABLE-BODIED COUNTERPARTS? YES.
WEIGHTED EQUITY CAN WORK INSIDE THE SYSTEM.
EQUITY PRACTICE TEACHES US THAT WE MUST FIRST ADDRESS THE INTERSECTION OF CAPITALISM AND BLACK CULTURE.
AND THAT OPTUM MUSIC HAS DISPROPORTIONATELY BENEFITED FINANCIALLY POPULATE FROM BLACK COMMUNITIES IN BOTH THE PRESENT MOMENT.
AND HISTORICALLY, THEREFORE EQUITABLE PRACTICE, MUCH STRIVE TO DROP THE BLACK COMMUNITY.
THAT PRACTICE WILL HELP TEACH US HOW TO BEST SERVE OTHER CREATORS.
PART OF UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTING EQUITABLE PRACTICES IS UNPACKING A SCARCITY MINDSET.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES RELATIVE TO WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CITIES IN THE U S FOR 10 WE'VE BEEN RUNNING OFTEN HAS WELL FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK THAT ISN'T HOW IT WORKS.
I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY HOW THIS WORKS.
OUR POLICIES AND PUBLIC FUNDS HAVE PRODUCED GROWTH AND ALMOST EVERY OTHER SECTOR, WHAT YOU PAY ATTENTION TO GROSS.
IN FACT, ON THIS PERSPECTIVE OF SCARCITY OF RESOURCES, FOR EXAMPLE,
THAT TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND IS LESS THAN WHAT APD SPENDS ON PAGES, BODY ARMOR, JET SKIS, AND GUNS IN ONE YEAR ALONE.
50% OF THAT FARM IS ROUGHLY EQUAL TO NEW BODY ARMOR PURCHASES, NEW BODY ARMOR PURCHASES ONE YEAR.
WHAT IF WE REACHED OUT TO PUBLIC INVESTMENTS IMPERATIVES? WHAT IF WE READ THAT? ARE YOU DANGEROUS PURCHASES? BASICALLY I SUPPORTED BLACK LIVES, MUSIC FUN BECAUSE BLACK LIVES MUSIC RULES.
AND IT'S A FOUNDATION OF MUCH OF THE LIVE MUSIC AS A WHOLE.
I'VE BENEFITED FROM AT A GREATER LEVEL THAN BLACK PEOPLE.
TO ME TO INVEST IN BLACK LIVES.
MUSIC IS TO INVEST IN A CITY I WANT TO WITH IT, AND THAT INVESTMENT WILL BENEFIT US ALL.
HI, MY NAME IS LARAMIE POUNCEY.
I'M A SINGER SONGWRITER HERE IN AUSTIN, UH, BY THE NAME OF AMERICAN SOUL.
I WANT TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEM TWO C TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBLE ACTIONS ON A BLACK LIVE MUSIC FUND TO REPAIR AND ADDRESS HISTORIC NEGLECT WITHIN THE AUSTIN MUSIC INDUSTRY TOWARDS THE BLACK COMMUNITY.
I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE FROM MY LAST STATEMENT TO ADDRESS AND REPAIR HISTORIC NEGLECT.
THE BLACK COMMUNITY HAS A SEAT.
IT MUST FIRST BE ADDRESSED AND NOT BY SOME BY ALL, BUT ADDRESSING IT IS NOT ENOUGH.
PAINTING MURALS ON THE STREET IS NOT ENOUGH THAT DOES NOT ACTUALLY REPAIR THE ISSUE.
IT'S LIKE A TEMPORARY BANDAID AS A BLACK MUSICIAN HERE IN AUSTIN, I HAVE EXPERIENCED AND WITNESSED FIRSTHAND THE NEGLECT AND DISMISSIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS US AS ARTISTS AND OUR WORK.
[00:20:01]
I HAVE NOTICED HOW SOUNDS SO TREAT US LIKE BURDEN.WE'RE ASKING NOTHING MORE THAN WHAT ANY OTHER ARTISTS WOULD ASK.
HOW INGENIOUS HERE I'VE NOTICED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THIS SOUND PERSON WALKING AWAY FROM THE SOUNDBOARD DURING THE PERFORMANCE AS A BLACK ARTIST, AND NO ONE BEING THERE TO CONFIGURE TECH DIFFICULTIES, PERHAPS EVEN BEING THE CAUSE OF THOSE TYPES OF DIFFICULTIES DUE TO THEIR ABSENCE.
YOU HAD ONE JOB I'VE BEEN IN COUNTLESS VENUES WHERE I FELT LIKE THE ONLY REASON IT WAS OKAY FOR ME TO BE THERE WAS BECAUSE I WAS PERFORMING AND HAD I BEEN THERE ON ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE.
I WOULD FEEL JUST HOW UNWELCOME AND UNWANTED MY PRESENCE REALLY WAS NOT SPACE.
FIRST PLACE I PERFORMED IN AUSTIN WAS AT THE VICTORY GRILL WAS STORY.
THEY KNEW THAT I WAS HONORED TO PERFORM THAT WHEN I LEARNED OF ITS HISTORY, IT REINFORCED WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY.
I CONTAIN A TURNER, JAMES BROWN EDIT JAMES BILLY HOLIDAY, CHUCK BERRY AND JANIS JOPLIN, WHERE SOME OF THE ARTISTS WHO GRACED THE STAGE AND IF ANY WAS NOW, RESTAURANT WAS A PART OF THE CHITLIN CIRCUIT.
AND WHY DOES THE CHITLIN CIRCUIT EXIST? BECAUSE NOT ALL CLUBS AND VENUES WELCOME BLACK PATRONS AND MUSICIAN, JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT AS OBVIOUS DOES NOT MEAN THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPAIRED.
PEOPLE GET BETTER AT BEING LESS BLATANT ABOUT IT.
BLACK CULTURE AND BLACK MUSIC HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE LIVE MUSIC SCENE.
I SHOULD NOT BE SILENT STAR OR DISMISS AS A BLACK MUSICIAN AT TIMES, IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE ALL COMPETING FOR THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HERE TREATS US, LIKE THEY CAN ONLY BE SO MANY OF US ON A BILL AT A TIME OR SO MANY OF US IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT A TIME.
IT COULD ACT AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR WHAT I'VE WATCHED PEOPLE COMING TO MY SHOWS, BUT MUST HAVE BEEN LOW EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE THEY THEN SEEM SO BLOWN AWAY BY WHAT THEY'VE JUST WITNESSED.
BUT WHY DID YOU ASSUME ANY LESS OF ME? I'VE WATCHED HOW I GET TREATED AFTER PERFORMING VERSUS JUST EXISTING IN PUBLIC SPACES AS A BLACK WOMAN.
ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE CREATE IS NOTABLE IS HISTORY IS OUR LEGACY.
WE SEE HOW THESE OPPORTUNITIES BRING MUSICIANS.
WE'LL HAVE SEVERAL WHITE BANDS AND A SINGLE BLACK ARTIST COMPETING FOR SOME KIND OF OPPORTUNITY, EXPOSURE OR EXPERIENCE, BUT HOW MANY BLACK MUSICIANS WE'RE COMPETING FOR THAT ONE SPACE AT ALL MAKE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY THAT ALL DESERVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW INTO PROSPER.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED A BLACK LIFE MUSIC SIGN, BECAUSE THE ONLY TIME THERE IS SPACE FOR ALL OF US IS WHEN WE CREATE IT.
NO ONE ELSE HAS TRULY LOOKED OUT FOR US, BUT US HAVE SIMPLY ALLOWED US TO EXIST IN THESE SPACES AND NUMBERS THAT ARE COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO MAKE US BE REPRESENTED.
THERE IS ROOM FOR ALL OF US AND THE ILLUSION THAT THERE ISN'T, IT WAS NOT CREATED BY US AND WE WON'T ACCEPT IT ANYMORE.
WE NEED MORE BLACK OWNED VENUES, MORE BLACK OWNED STUDIOS, MORE BLACK SOUND CREW MEMBERS WANT BLACK LIGHTING CREWS.
WE DESERVE A BLACK LIFE MUSIC FUND.
JIMMY HAVE JAYLIN HOWARD JAYLIN HOWARD, RHONDA CHARLES BIRD.
CHARLES BIRD HAD SAID THAT HE HAD JUST EMAILED THAT HE WAS DROPPED.
HE HAD BEEN WAITING THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND WAS DROPPED.
AND WASN'T SURE IF HE SHOULD CALL BACK IN, I'M GETTING MESSAGES LIKE THIS TOO, FROM PEOPLE SUCH AS RAINIE COLLINS, CHAZ MOORE FROM AJC AND OTHERS.
RADIO IS NOT ACTUALLY EVEN ON THE LIST THAT JUST SIGN UP.
CAN SET A TIME FOR LATER IN THE MEETING WHERE WE READ OPEN COMMUNICATION AND SEE IF WE CAN GET THESE FOLKS BACK ON.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, UH, THIS, UH, THIS IS PARTICULARLY A COMMUNITY BASED ISSUE AND IT FOLKS LIKE AUSTIN JUSTICE COALITION ARE NOT BEING WILLING TO TALK ON THIS.
IT'S IT'S, UH, IT'S PARTICULARLY INAPPROPRIATE, NO AGREED, YOU KNOW, A FEW MINUTES, THE END FOR THOSE FOLKS COMPLETELY AND THINK FOR THAT.
SO IS THERE, UH, WHOEVER IS THE PERSON FROM CITY STAFF THAT'S DEALING WITH THE CALLS, MAYBE YOU CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT.
TELL US WHAT TO TELL PEOPLE, LIKE, COME ON OUT, CALLING IN 20 NUNES, WHEN SHOULD THEY CALL HOME? HOW SHOULD THIS WORK? SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS THAT GOT DROPPED ACTUALLY DO GET HURT.
UH, YOU CAN HAVE THEM CALL BACK IN, UH, THAT'S GOING TO BE YOU AS A COMMISSION TO DECIDE AT WHAT TIME AT, TOWARDS THE END OF THE MEETING, YOU WANT TO TAKE THOSE CALLERS.
I WILL SAY THAT WHEN WE DID START THE MEETING, EVEN WITH THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, UM, I KNOW WE DIDN'T RECEIVE A CALL FROM
[00:25:01]
AUSTIN JUSTICE COALITION.I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE OTHER NAMES THAT WERE MENTIONED, BUT THIS COALITION WAS CALLED.
I BELIEVE THAT HE SAID THAT HE TRIED TO CALL AND WAIT FOR 20 MINUTES AND WASN'T ABLE TO GET IN.
EVERYONE ELSE WAS IN THE, IN THE WAITING ROOM.
DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS TO THE, TO THE SPEAKER HERE? CAN Y'ALL HEAR THIS? HEY, CAN, CAN PEOPLE HEAR ME? YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
I WAS, I WAS IN THE WEIGHT ROOM FOR LIKE MAYBE 20 MINUTES TOTAL AND IT JUST, IT HUNG UP TWICE.
UM, BUT I KNOW THAT'S NOT, YOU ALL TALK, BUT I HOPE YOU ALL CAN ADVOCATE FOR A BETTER SYSTEM SO PEOPLE CAN BE INVOLVED.
UM, BUT WITHOUT THAT BEING SAID, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, SPEAK TO YOU OFF THE, I THINK THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING TO THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I SUPPORT, UM, THE, THE BLACK LIVE MUSIC FUND, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, UM, AROUND ALL THE RACIAL DISPARITIES AND RACIAL INEQUITIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK AGAIN IN AUSTIN WE HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, WRITE SOME OF OUR OWN.
I THINK WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY, UM, LEAD THE WAY IN HOW WE APPROACH MOVING FORWARD, UM, DURING THESE CRAZY TIMES THAT WE'RE IN.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I HOPE YOU ALL ARE WILLING TO, TO DO THAT AND COMMIT TO THAT.
NOT ONLY, UM, IN A SMALL WAY, BUT I THINK IN A VERY RADICAL WAY.
I THINK HISTORICALLY, UM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT AUSTIN BEING THE LOBBIES, THE CAPITOL OF THE WORLD, AND WE THINK ABOUT HOW AUSTIN, UM, HAS PROGRESSED, UM, CRAZILY, UM, IN A, IN AN UPWARD FASHION IN THE MUSIC SCENE, NOT SOMETHING OUT OF 10 IT'S, IT'S NOT THAT MANY, LIKE, YES, WE HAVE THE JACKIE, YOU KNOW, THE JACKIE VINCENT, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, UM, GARY JR, BUT WE'RE NOT SAYING LIKE THAT SUPPORT REALLY IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF LOCAL BLACK ARTISTS AND REALLY GET FROM THEM, UM, ELEVATE THEIR PLATFORM SO THEY CAN BE ON THOSE SAME LEVELS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO BORE YOU OUT TOO MUCH.
I'M SURE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS, BUT, UM, I REALLY HOPE YOU ALL SUPPORT THAT IN A, IN A VERY RADICAL WAY, IN A VERY SERIOUS WAY.
UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS MOVING FORWARD AND MAKE SURE THAT, UM, AS WE SAY, BLACK LIVES MATTER, UM, THAT WE, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE, UM, IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY, IN OUR OWN BACKYARD.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, UM, IN AUSTIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE TO, UM, ENSURE THAT WE ARE NOT FORGETTING ABOUT OUR BLAB ABOUT OUR BLACK LIVE MUSIC ARTISTS.
SO, UM, YEAH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
UM, IS THERE ANY, IS ALSO THE LAST PERSON ON THE LIST I HAVE IS TANYA LYLES, TANYA LYLES.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT IS STILL WAITING ON HOLD THEN? OKAY.
WOULD THAT, BUT IF, IF PEOPLE CAN CALL IN, UH, WE WOULD DEFINITELY MAKE A ROOM FOR THEM TIME PERMITTING IF WE CAN.
UM, SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S CLEAR ON THAT AS WELL, SO THAT WE CAN MOVE
[Item 1]
TO APPROVAL OF THE LAST MEETINGS MINUTES.YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO READ THOSE OVER IN THE SENSE OF TRYING TO SAVE SOME TIME FOR PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSION.
CAN WE JUST GO AHEAD AND SEE IF WE CAN GET AN, UH, UH, SOMEONE TO A MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES? WE HAVE A MOTION.
YOU HAVE A SECOND ALL IN FAVOR.
SO THAT CARRIES SO WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR NEW BUSINESS.
[Item 2A]
SO WE'LL START WITH DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON CREATING A WORKING GROUP TO RECOMMEND ACTIONS ACTION, TO TAKE REGARDING SYSTEMATIC RACISM, FOLLOWING PRESENTATION BY HAROLD MCMILLAN, DIRECTOR OF DIVERSE ARTS CULTURAL WORKS.SO I'D LIKE TO WELCOME HAROLD MCMILLAN.
UM, I AM WITH YOU TODAY TO, UH, DISCUSS A GOOD AMOUNT OF TEXTS THAT I FORWARDED YOUR WAY EARLIER.
[00:30:02]
SO I WILL TRY NOT TO GO ON AND ON.UM, IN MY COMMENTS, A LOT OF MY WORK HERE IN AUSTIN HAS, UM, CENTERED ON MUSIC, UH, BUT MORE ABOUT, UH, AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE WRIT LARGE.
UH, AND FOR THE LAST MANY YEARS, I'VE SPECIFICALLY, UH, BEEN WORKING IN CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT.
AND, UH, WITH THE VENUE THAT I OPERATE, BASICALLY TRYING TO HANG ON, UH, TO SOMETHING ON EAST 11TH STREET, UH, THAT STILL PAYS ATTENTION TO, UH, THAT WHOLE SENSE OF PLACE THING WHERE WE ARE, UM, THE, THE VENUE IS CALLED KENNY DURHAM'S BACKYARD, AND WE'D BEEN THERE 12 OR 15 YEARS.
AND THE SAD IRONY OF THAT IS THAT WHAT WE OPERATE AS A VACANT LOT, THAT THE CITY OWNS THE VACANT LOT ON EAST 11TH STREET.
AND ACTUALLY WE ARE THE LONGEST LIVE AFRICAN AMERICAN RUN BUSINESS AND SECTION OF THE STREET RIGHT NOW.
SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE VICTORY GORILLAS OPEN AGAIN.
UM, MY, MY, UH, LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, ASKED OF YOU TODAY HAVE LARGELY TO DO WITH, UM, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT, UH, WHICH IS A SECTION OF CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN THAT WAS DESIGNATED BY THE CITY, UH, IN 2007.
AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY INSTRUCTIVE TO SAY IT WAS DESIGNATED BY THE CITY IN 2007, BECAUSE IT WAS ANOTHER OF THOSE TIMES THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN FELT COMPELLED, UH, TO ACTUALLY ADDRESS ISSUES OF BLACK FOLKS.
AND ALSO, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF FOLKS REMEMBER THE, THE BURNING OF MIDTOWN LIVE, UH, THE CLUB UP ON CAMERON ROADS, UH, ALLSTON COPS WERE OVERHEARD SAYING SOME REALLY NASTY STUFF THAT GOT RECORDED TO THE MEDIA AND BACK TO COUNCIL AND THAT SPURRED, UM, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE INITIATIVE, WHICH WAS, UM, A NUMBER OF WORKING GROUPS THAT CAME BACK TO COUNCIL WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS, UH, DISPARITIES AND EQUITIES, UH, IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, ONE OF THINGS THAT SHOOK OUT OF THAT WAS, UH, THIS CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT AS A NATION.
I AM COMMUNICATING WITH YOU RIGHT NOW AND WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER FOLKS RIGHT NOW, I'M ON THE HILLS OF SENDING YOU INFORMATION, I GUESS ABOUT A MONTH AGO AFTER THE RED RIVER DISTRICT, UH, WAS DESIGNATED BY THE CITY, UH, BECAUSE I THINK NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO ADDRESS, UM, SOME INEQUITY AND IN THAT DESIGNATION AND, AND, AND THE SYSTEM, UM, I SENT TO YOU A COPY, WHICH YOU WEREN'T REALLY AWARE, I'M RELATIVELY SURE OF THE RED RIVER DISTRICT PROPOSAL, THE RESOLUTION FROM THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY COUNCIL, UH, SPONSORED THAT BY ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I THINK IT WAS UNANIMOUS AND THEY BASICALLY TOLD THE CITY MANAGER GO AND GET THIS DONE AND SPEND MONEY AND FIND PROPERTY.
AND IF YOU ALSO READ THE 2007 RESOLUTION FOR THE DESIGNATION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE CENTER, UH, CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT, YOU WILL SEE THAT IT'S JUST A PIECE OF PAPER THAT SAYS, OKAY, YOU BLACK FOLKS HAVE A DISTRICT NOW.
SO I AM THINKING THAT NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME SINCE WE'RE DEALING WITH HISTORIC AND SYSTEMATIC RACISM BASICALLY, AND HOW THE CITY FUNCTIONS I AM THINKING NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO ADDRESS THAT.
SO PART OF WHAT I SENT YOU IS A MOCK UP OF WHAT THAT RESOLUTION COULD LOOK LIKE USING THE RED RIVER DISTRICT AS A TEMPLATE, AND BASICALLY ASKING FOR THE THINGS THAT WE CONCEIVED WHEN WE CAME UP WITH THE NOTION OF INSTITUTING THIS SPECIAL HERITAGE, UM, I'LL NOT DIG INTO THE HISTORY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEEPLY, BUT CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN HAS BEEN PROMISED THAT IT'S GOING TO BE REBUILT REVITALIZED.
RE-ENERGIZED ALL OF THIS STUFF SINCE THE LATE 1950S.
[00:35:01]
INSTEAD, WHAT WE'VE GOTTEN IS A LOT OF PEOPLE DISPLACED A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT DON'T EXIST ANYMORE.THOSE BUSINESSES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ICONIC, HISTORIC BUSINESSES ARE BUILDINGS SCRAPED TO THE GROUND LARGELY BY THE CITY, SO THAT THE GINGERY MOVED IN AND THE PLACE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT.
SO WHAT MYSELF AND SOME OTHER FOLKS THAT WE'RE UP TO IS TRYING TO GET YOUR ENDORSEMENT, TRYING TO GET YOUR SUPPORT AND RECTIFYING THAT, UM, IT'S FAIRLY LOGICAL ACTUALLY, IT'S THE ACTION THAT WAS TAKEN FOR THE RED RIVER DISTRICT IS THE WAY THAT THE CURRENT COUNCIL WAS HANDLED, WOULD HANDLE SUCH A THING.
UM, SO I'M HOPING THAT YOU WOULD BE DOWN FOR THAT.
UM, IN TIME WITHIN THAT DOCUMENT, THERE IS A SECTION THAT DEALS WITH RIGHTLY SO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BLACK MUSIC FUND.
BECAUSE WHAT, ON TOP OF THE HISTORY, THE CITY NEEDS TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN ARE THINGS THAT WILL KEEP BLACK CREATIVES LIVING IN AUSTIN.
I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT I'VE DEALT WITH OVER THE YEARS, BRIGHT YOUNG PEOPLE THAT CAME HERE FOR FIVE YEARS AND KEPT MOVING BECAUSE THAT SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE WASN'T THERE.
SO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SUPPORT THAT NOTION AS WELL.
UM, PROBABLY THE BIG THING IN THE PROPOSAL THAT I PUT IN FRONT OF YOU, UM, IS ASKING YOUR SUPPORT TO EXPLORE TAKING WHAT THE CITY CALLS BLOCK 18, WHERE CAN THEY DO ARMS BACK YARD IS WHERE THE VICTORY GRILL IS WHERE THE AISLE CLUB USED TO BE ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHERE CHARLIE'S PLAY HOUSE USED TO BE TAKING THAT AND MAKING THAT A MUSIC HUB, TAKING THAT AND INSTITUTING BUILDING A FACILITY AND INSTITUTION THAT WOULD LAST A HUNDRED YEARS, THAT THAT PAYS TRIBUTE TO WHERE IT IS.
WE'RE JUST SWEAR BLUES AND JAZZ WAS BORN IN AUSTIN, JUST OWN THAT STRIP RIGHT THERE.
UM, ALTHOUGH, ALTHOUGH I CONCEIVED IT AND WROTE IT UP, LIKE IN 2003, THE SKELETAL, UM, PROGRAM, IF YOU GO BACK WITH THE HISTORY OF AUSTIN, URBAN RENEWAL, THERE WAS A PROPOSAL FOR A CULTURAL CENTER IN 1968 ON THAT STRIP AS WELL.
AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER ONE FOR OUR CULTURAL CENTER, UM, NEXT TO THE VICTORY GRILL IN 1980.
AND THAT ONE DIDN'T COME THROUGH, AND THESE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES IN THE MEANWHILE, THE CITY DID TAKE, UH, URBAN RENEWAL MONEY AND BUILD SYMPHONY SQUARE TO BENEFIT EAST AUSTIN AND GAVE IT TO THE SYMPHONY.
SO AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE FOR THESE CONVERSATIONS TO BE ABOUT CULTURE, ART AND CULTURE, THE ONLY REASON WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW AT THE POINT OF THE WAY THAT WE ARE, IS BECAUSE OF HISTORIC AND SYSTEMATIC INSTITUTIONAL RACISM IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND I'M ASKING FOR YOU TO COME ON BOARD, THE, OUR ALLY, BE OUR PARTNER AND LET'S MOVE THIS STUFF FORWARD.
SO THAT THE NEXT TIME A COP, SOMEBODY, WE DON'T HAVE TO GET ALL BENT OUT OF SHAPE AGAIN AND COME BACK AND DO THIS AGAIN.
I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE GENERATIONAL CHANGE.
AND I THINK THAT YOU ARE WELL POSITIONED IN YOUR CHAIRS THERE.
UM, SO BE A HERO, YOU KNOW, TO BE A PARTNER IN DOING THIS AND I HAVE SOMETHING YOU CAN BE PROUD OF.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING YOU FOR.
I'M HAPPY TO DEAL WITH QUESTIONS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY, CAN YOU CLARIFY THE SIX SQUARE VERSUS THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT? UH, YES I CAN.
UM, I, I ACTUALLY AM THE PERSON THAT CONCEIVED A NAME, THE DISTRICT, UM, BEFORE THE DISTRICT EXISTED AND WAS A FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT ORGANIZATION.
AFTER WE HAD, UM, BEEN AN EXISTENCE AWHILE, THE DIRECTOR OF THAT ORGANIZATION AT THAT TIME, UH, WANTED TO CHANGE THE NAME.
UM, SO THE GENESIS OF THAT ORGANIZATION WAS WITH THE DESIGNATION OF THE DISTRICT, AND THEN THEY CHANGED THE NAME TO SIX SQUARE.
AND MY POSITION AS WELL AS A EARLY
[00:40:01]
BROADLY HELD POSITION IS THAT SIX SQUARE IS AN NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION IN THE DISTRICT.BUT I THINK THE CITY NEEDS TO CLARIFY FOR ITSELF THAT SIX SQUARE IS NOT THE DISTRICT.
THE COUNCIL RESOLUTION IS TO CREATE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE AND, UH, THE PERSON OR THE ORGANIZATION THAT DRIVES A GOOD DEAL OF THE PROPOSALS THAT I'VE MADE MIGHT WELL BE SIX SQUARE, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DELINEATED AND CLEARED UP, UM, IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY GOING FORWARD.
MY OTHER QUESTION IS, UH, I'M LOOKING AT OUR AGENDA ITEM.
IT SAYS DISCUSSION POSSIBLE ACTION, CREATING A WORKING GROUP TO DISCUSS YOUR PROPOSALS.
I W I WAS HOPING WE COULD ENDORSE CERTAIN PARTS OF THEM TODAY WITHOUT WAITING FOR WORKING GROUP.
UM, BUT IT, UH, SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED TO CREATE A WORKING GROUP FOR AGREEING TO MOVE THESE FORWARD AS A COLLECTIVELY.
ALL MY, UH, MY QUESTION IS WHICH ONES ARE SORT OF READY TO GO LIKE, UH, YOUR HIGHLIGHTED TRAMP RESOLUTION LOOKS GREAT TO ME AS IS.
UH, SO I'M WONDERING IF CERTAIN YOUR THINGS YOU THINK NEED TO GO THROUGH A PROCESS OF A WORKING GROUP IN ORDER TO BE READY.
WE FORWARD IT TO THE, TO THE FULL GROUP HERE OR, AND WHICH ONES, SO WHICH ONES NEED WORK, WHICH ONES ARE READY TO GO.
UM, I AM HAVING CONVERSATION WITH YOU OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION TODAY.
UH, I WILL BE MAKING SIMILAR PRESENTATION TO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION AT THEIR NEXT MEETING.
UH, I AM TRYING TO GET ON THE AGENDA FOR THE NEXT ART COMMISSION MEETING, AS WELL AS THE NEXT URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY MEETING.
UM, SO, UH, THE MUSIC COMMISSION IS, IS NOT THE ONLY PIECE OF SUPPORT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR BROAD, UM, VERY BROAD, UH, SUPPORT.
IF WE WERE TO PULL ITEMS OUT OF THAT LAUNDRY LIST, THAT WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE TO HAVE AS A WORKING GROUP FOR THE, UH, MUSIC COMMISSION.
I WOULD THINK THOSE WOULD BE THE ISSUES THAT DEAL DIRECTLY WITH PROFESSIONAL MUSIC.
I GUESS A LOT OF IT DEALS WITH HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND, UM, PLACEMAKING AND ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
WHAT I'M HOPING FOR IS TO MOVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FORWARD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAYERS THAT WE ADD TO IT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I DO HAVE ADDITIONAL RESPONSE TO THAT IDEALLY IN THE WORLD OF THE WORKING GROUP THAT I'VE GOT, UM, WOULD BE GETTING THIS PUSHED UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS A, AS A DRAFT, AND THEN HAVE POINTED CONVERSATION WITH CULTURAL ARTS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, ABOUT THE LANGUAGE AND THE FORMAT THAT IS CONTAINED IN MY DRAFT.
BUT I DON'T REALLY SPEAK CITY RESOLUTION IS, YOU KNOW, YEAH, NEITHER DO I, UM, UH, DO YOU, UH, ARE YOU PICTURING A CROSS COMMISSION WORKING GROUP OR, OR, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, WITHIN MUSIC WORKING GROUP? I AM THINKING THAT IT WOULD BE, WHAT I FEEL WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE WOULD BE TO MOVE THE DRAFT UP AS IT IS, GET AUDIENCE WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND EQUITABLE ARTS TO FLESH OUT WHAT IS THERE IS THERE, AND THEN HAVE THEM ACTUALLY AS AN OFFICIAL DIRECTIVES FROM THE CITY OFFER DIRECTIVES TO THE APPROPRIATE COMMISSIONS FOR THEIR PIECES OF THE WORK.
UH, WOULD YOU WANT TO BE ON THIS WORKING GROUP? ABSOLUTELY.
SO, UH, I'D LIKE TO MOTION THAT WE'VE FORMED THIS WORKING GROUP NOW,
[00:45:01]
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THINGS TO VOTE ON AND OUR NEXT MEETING NEXT FOR ME, THIS IS FOR SOME, IF SOMEONE ELSE WANTS TO SECOND, I'D LIKE TO MAKE THIS, LIKE, GIVE ME A SECOND WAS FIRST, THE GAL GOT HIS HAND UP FIRST, ALL IN FAVOR, ALL OPPOSED PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.UH, SO WE WILL CREATE THAT WORKING GROUP, I THINK, IN THE INTEREST OF TRYING TO GET THROUGH OTHER RELEVANT THINGS TODAY THAT WE COULD MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM, UM, AND PUSH FURTHER CONVERSATION ON THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT MEETING AS WELL.
UM, AND I THINK ALSO WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO ADVOCATE TO HAVE, UH, ADDITIONAL MEETINGS PUT ON THE SCHEDULE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
CAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH TO DO, UM, EVEN TO MEETING EVERY TWO WEEKS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, UM, FOR THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, BECAUSE THESE ARE HISTORIC MEASURES AND HISTORIC TIMES, I THINK WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACT KIND OF IN REAL TIME.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD
[Item 2B]
AND MOVE ON TO NEW BUSINESS TO BE THAT IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.FOLLOWING THE PRESENTATION TO SET EXPECTATION AND GOALS, TO FIND EQUITY AND DRAFT RACHEL EQUITY FOCUSED DISTRIBUTION PLANS FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, MY MARGIE REESE AND JR PARTNERS.
SO I'D LIKE TO WELCOME MARGIE RATES TO THE MEETING.
I'VE LEARNED A LOT, JUST SITTING BACK AND LISTENING.
SOMETIMES THAT'S THE BEST STANCE TO TAKE ON MARGIE REESE.
I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, LOOKING AT THEIR GRANT MAKING PROGRAMS AGAIN THROUGH THE LENS OF EQUITY, BUT ALSO IDENTIFYING EFFICIENCIES AND REDUNDANCIES THAT HAVE EXISTED THROUGH THEIR GRANT MAKING PROCESS AND ALSO DOING SOME STAFF TRAINING TO HELP THE STAFF BE A LITTLE BIT MORE BROAD REACHING.
SO I HAVE A, A LITTLE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE AUSTIN CULTURAL COMMUNITY.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TO, UH, NOW, UH, ACCEPT FOR WORKING WITH YOUR COMMISSION TO DO SOME OF THAT SAME WORK, BUT ALSO AS I'M LEARNING MORE AND MORE TO HELP DESIGN A DISTRIBUTION PROCESS THAT MIGHT RESPOND TO YOUR INTEREST IN THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AND OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT MUSICIANS ACROSS THE BOARD, PARTICULARLY AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICIAN.
UM, AND SO I DON'T HAVE A MAGIC WAND TO SAY, HERE ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD GO AWAY AND DO TODAY, BUT I NEED TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT, AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF MY INTEREST IN RICK'S QUESTION ABOUT SOME SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATIONS TO CREATING A WORKING GROUP THAT ADVISES THE COMMISSION IS IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE MORE VOICES AT THE TABLE, BUT MY INTEREST IS IN THE COMMISSION'S WORK TO DETERMINE, AND TO DECIDE THE WAY FORWARD GIVEN INPUT FROM ALL THE CITIZENS YOU'RE HEARING FROM TODAY, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL AND OTHERS, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IT WILL BE THE COMMISSION'S RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND TO ADVOCATE FOR NEW DIRECTIONS.
UM, AUSTIN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE AT A, YOU'RE AT A WONDERFUL CROSSROADS HERE RIGHT NOW, WHERE YOU CAN STOP AND TAKE SOME ACTION.
AGAIN, LISTENING TO THE, JUST THE MOST RECENT SPEAKER, TALK ABOUT INEQUITIES OVER TIME, ESTABLISHING A FUND IS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO RESOLVE AND ERASE ALL THOSE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST, BUT PERHAPS GOING FORWARD, YOU CAN ADVANCE THROUGH AGAIN THROUGH THE LENS OF EQUITY, NOT EQUALITY, BUT THROUGH THE LENS OF EQUITY, YOU CAN ADVANCE SOME INVESTMENTS, UH, IN THE, IN THE GROUP OF MUSICIANS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO WORK FOR.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT THERE IS ANY, UM, OR I HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH DISSENSION ABOUT SUCH A FUND, BUT MY GOAL IS TO HELP YOU WALK THROUGH WHAT THAT CAN LOOK LIKE.
YOU'RE STILL DEALING WITH CITY, GOVERNMENT AND CITY BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES.
YOU'RE STILL WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS EASY ACCESS TO FUNDS AND SUPPORT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IS SET THIS GROUP UP FOR FAILURE SO THAT THERE IS ONE OR TWO QUICK ACTIONS THAT ARE TAKEN
[00:50:01]
TO PUT A SOUND ON A WOUND.AND THEN A YEAR FROM NOW THE FINANCIAL PICTURE CHANGES OR THE COUNCIL FOCUS SHIFTS, OR SOME OTHER DISTRACTION OCCURS.
AND YOU HAVEN'T CREATED A SYSTEM BUILDING SUPPORT.
YOU'VE CREATED A QUICK RESPONSE.
AND SO UNFORTUNATELY I'M A BUREAUCRAT.
UM, BUT I'M GONNA TRY TO USE MY BUREAUCRATIC KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO HELP US NAVIGATE THROUGH ESTABLISHING A SYSTEM AND A PROCESS THAT CAN WITHSTAND A CHANGE.
UM, I'VE BEEN HEARING AND TRYING TO TAKE NOTES, UH, WORDS LIKE RADICAL CHANGE, DRASTIC CHANGE, ESTABLISHING, UM, A NEW NARRATIVE AND MULTI MULTI DEPENDENCY SYSTEM.
ALL THOSE THINGS ARE ABSOLUTELY WHAT YOU WANT AT THE END, BUT AGAIN, IT WILL TAKE YOUR ADVOCACY.
IT WILL TAKE AN UNDERSTANDING AT A, AT A LAYING OUT OF THE HOW SO, HOW WOULD THE FUND WORK WHO ESTABLISHES IT? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHO MANAGES IT, WHO STAFFS IT, GIVING AWAY MONEY IS NOT AS EASY AS IT APPEARS.
UH, GIVING AWAY MONEY IS ONE THING.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO DO.
ONLY YOU'RE LOOKING TO INVEST IN AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICIANS, INVEST IN MUSICIANS ACROSS THE BOARD, INVESTED THEIR LONGTERM CARE AND GROWTH.
UM, AND SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE ADVOCACY.
WHAT'S THE LANGUAGE YOU WANT TO USE, WHO IS THE VOICE AND THE FACE FOR THIS INITIATIVE IN CITY HALL? WHAT DO THOSE PROCESSES NEED TO LOOK LIKE? HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY MUSICIANS? I CAN TELL YOU, AND EVERYONE SAID EVERYONE ON THIS CALL AND TELL YOU THAT THERE IS NO WAY YOU'RE GOING TO CAPTURE THE, EVERY MAN SOMEONE'S GOING TO BE LEFT OUT OF THE PROCESS NO MATTER WHAT AND HOW HARD YOU WORK TO BE AS INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE.
AND IT WILL BE THOSE VOICES THAT COULD DERAIL ALL YOUR EFFORTS.
SO TAKING A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME.
I DIDN'T MEAN SIX MONTHS, NO 30 DAYS TAKING A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME SO THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO AS MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN AS MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AS POSSIBLE.
JUST LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE THAT WERE NOT ON THIS CALL, THERE WAS A SUB LEVEL, TEXT OR FRUSTRATION ALREADY IN A SIMPLE THING, LIKE A TECHNICAL GLITCH.
SO THE WORK TO BE DONE IS MORE THAN JUST SAYING, WE WANT TO ESTABLISH A FUND AND LET'S MOVE THAT FORWARD.
THIS COMMISSION HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO ARTICULATE AND DRAFT THE HOUSE.
AND IF THE COMMISSION THINKS THAT IT NEEDS ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER MUSICIANS, FROM OTHER FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, THEN YES, THE WORKING GROUP IS APPROPRIATE.
AS LONG AS WE'RE NOT WORKING IN TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS HERE, AS LONG AS THE COMMISSION AND THE WORKING GROUP AT SOME POINT BECOME ONE, AGREE TO DISAGREE ON A CERTAIN NUMBER OF THINGS, AGREE ON TIMELINES, AGREE ON THE BIG GOALS AND IDEAS.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE PIECE THAT I NEED TO GET CLARITY ON WITH YOU, NOT FROM YOU, BUT WITH YOU, BUT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE? MMM.
WHAT OTHER FIRST STEPS IS THIS A GEOGRAPHIC? IS THIS A TIMING? UM, HOW ARE WE, HOW DO WE ACTUALLY MANAGE OUR PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN BUILD THE FUND TO INCREASE IT RATHER THAN BUILD A SYSTEM FOR BUREAUCRATIC EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY THAT IS GOING TO BE FLAWED AT THE END RESULT, THEY GIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS GOOD REASON TO SAY WE GAVE THEM A CHANCE AND THEY DIDN'T PARTICIPATE AS FULLY AS THEY SAID, WHOEVER THE THEY IS.
UM, SO I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A, A NEW SYSTEM OPERATIVE WORD HERE IS SYSTEM THAT SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS OF CITY MANAGEMENT AND CITY STAFF, AS WELL AS RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC OUTCRY FOR AN EQUITABLE REDISTRIBUTION OR REALLOCATION OF RESOURCE.
IT WON'T MATTER WHETHER THE FUND IS A MILLION DOLLARS OR $10 MILLION.
IF THE SYSTEM THAT YOU'RE BUILDING AND DESIGNING CANNOT WITHSTAND A PUBLIC
[00:55:01]
REVIEW.IT CAN'T, IT DOESN'T ENCOURAGE GROWTH FOR THE MUSICIANS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, FACILITIES MIGHT BE AN ISSUE.
I DON'T KNOW, COMMISSIONING MIGHT BE AN ISSUE, I DON'T KNOW, BUT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS BEFORE YOU CAN, UM, RESPOND FULLY TO WHAT YOU'VE HEARD TODAY.
AND THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT MORE, SO WHAT I'M HEARING, IS THERE ANY SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGN OF A REDISTRIBUTION ASSISTANT JURY REDISTRICT, REDISTRIBUTE RESOURCES, BUT I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE IS THAT THERE IS A SYSTEM FOR ADVOCACY BUILT IN HERE.
UM, AND THERE IS A SYSTEM FOR GROWING MUSICIANS OPPORTUNITIES TO BE SELF EVALUATING.
UM, AND SO I DON'T, ALL I WANTED TO DO TODAY WAS INTRODUCE MYSELF TO YOU, UM, ASK, UH, THE CHAIRS AND THE COMMISSION, UM, AS A WHOLE, IF YOU'D BE WILLING TO TAKE TWO OR THREE SESSIONS WITH ME SO WE CAN DEFINE WHAT THIS IS BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE HEARING ALREADY.
I KNOW THAT YOU'RE READY TO MAKE A MOVE BECAUSE EVERYONE HERE SEEMS TO BE EMPATHETIC TO THE CAUSES THAT YOU'RE HEARING ABOUT TODAY OF THE PUBLIC IS DEPENDING ON YOU GUYS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TO DESIGN THE HOUSE WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES THAT ARE STAFF AND OTHER EXPERTS WITHIN THE CITY, THAT'LL HELP IN THIS DESIGN PROCESS.
UM, SO FOR MY, MY QUESTION TODAY, UH, TO RICK, INTO THE GROUP AS WELL, IS CAN WE, UM, ASK YOU TO DESIGN A SERIES OF TIMES THAT WE CAN, AS MANY OF YOU CAN BE ON THE PHONE, LET'S WORKSHOP THIS TOGETHER, YOU CAN'T PUSH IT OFF ON ANYBODY ELSE.
UM, THAT WOULD HELP US TO RESPOND AND IN AN, IN AN INTELLIGENT SORT OF WAY.
UM, I'M ALSO THE KIND OF PERSON THAT I DON'T DO PASSION REALLY WELL.
I THINK WE NEED A PLAN NOW, PASSION WILL COME.
AND I USED TO HAVE SOME OF THAT.
UM, BUT MY PASSION IS FOR PROCESSED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BUILDING A TIGHT ENOUGH SYSTEM, THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO WHAT THE PUBLIC IS SAYING.
I'M ASKING YOU TO, TO AGREE, OR TO TALK BACK TO ME NOW ABOUT YOUR WILLINGNESS TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN, UM, TOGETHER, UH, CREATE A, A MUCH BETTER RESPONSE.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST, I'VE ALSO HEARD THINGS IN THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT CULTURAL DISTRICTS, UM, AND MAYBE EVEN SOME ASPECTS OF, UM, INFRINGEMENT THAT DO EXIST IN AUSTIN.
BUT I WANT TO NARROW TO UNDERSTAND THAT MY SCOPE WITH YOU IS ABOUT YOUR MUSIC FUND AND YOUR INTEREST IN RESPONDING TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS, AS WELL AS ALL THE MUSICIANS IN THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE RESOURCES ARE DISTRIBUTED IN A, IN A SUBS, IN A, IN A DIFFERENT WAY, BUT IN A WAY THAT CAN RESPOND TO WHAT YOU'RE HEARING.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES GOING ON.
UM, GENTRIFICATION IS A BIG ONE, UH, PRICING PEOPLE OUT OF THE MARKET, BUT OUR CONVERSATION MAY NOT INCLUDE THOSE THINGS.
IT MAY SIMPLY FOCUS ON THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE, WHICH IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
UM, AND SO SOME OF THOSE THINGS CAN BE INFORMED BY WHAT WE DO.
UM, SO, UH, TO THE CHAIR AND TO ALL OF YOU, I'M OPENING MYSELF UP NOW TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT HOW WE MOVE TOGETHER TOWARD THE DESIGN OF THE HOW, AND IN THE PROCESS, WE SHOULD WORK WITH THE CITY STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT BUILDING TWO RAMS, A POINT YOU WANT TO BUILD IN A WHOLE LOT OF BUREAUCRATIC RHETORIC, BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO SKIRT THAT FACT, THAT CITY ATTORNEYS, UM, RISK MANAGEMENT, INSURANCE, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE FOLKS ARE GOING TO HAVE A STAKE IN THIS PROCESS AT THE END OF THE DAY.
SO WE WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE THINGS AS WE'RE BUILDING THE HOUSE TWO OR THREE SESSIONS, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME YOU CAN STAND ON ZOOM THESE DAYS.
UM, MAYBE SOME READING AND SOME HOMEWORK IN BETWEEN, BUT WHATEVER SYSTEM OF REGULARITY YOU GUYS AGREE TO I'M OPEN AND WILL GUIDE US THROUGH THAT CONVERSATION.
SO I'M TURNING IT BACK TO YOU, MR. CHAIR, UM, TO, OR ERICA, HOWEVER YOU GUYS WANT TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, I THINK WE'RE DEFINITELY WANTING TO PURSUE THAT FOR SURE.
UH, WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THE TEXAS MEETING, OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
SO IF WE HAVE MORE, IF WE HAVE SIX OR MORE,
[01:00:01]
IT BECOMES AN OPEN MEETING CAUSE WE HAVE, UM, MAJORITY.SO I I'M WONDERING IF WE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A QUESTION FOR THE CITY CLERK, WHETHER THEY'LL ALLOW US TO JUST SCHEDULE BIWEEKLY SPECIAL CALLED MEETINGS AND HAVE THIS BE PART OF THE MEETING, UM, OR WHETHER IT WOULD BE BETTER AS A SEPARATE EXERCISE.
THIS IS ERICA SHAMLEY, I'M THE DIVISION MANAGER FOR MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT.
SO I DID SEND YOU GUYS A DRAFT TIMELINE THAT WAS KIND OF DRAWN UP LAST WEEK WITH THE CHAIRS AND THE CONSULTANT KIND OF OUTLINING WHAT THE TIMELINE LOOK LIKE WITH THE COMMISSION MEETING BIWEEKLY.
SO I HEARD BACK FROM THE CORKS OFFICE, THANK YOU, STEPHANIE, LISTENING OUT IN THE ETHER AND THEY'LL DO THEIR BEST TO SCHEDULE THE WEEKS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A BULLETED LIST OF FOUR DIFFERENT WEEKS, UM, WHICH WOULD BE TWO WEEKS FROM NOW EVERY TWO WEEKS, IF, IF POSSIBLE.
SO WE WILL JUST WORK AROUND, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU GUYS WANT TO DO.
LIKE MARGIE SAID, IT COULD BE THESE FOUR WITH THESE IDEAS OF, UH, AGENDAS, OR IT COULD BE A COUPLE OR THREE.
UM, WE COULD JUST HEAR BACK FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE TO FIND OUT WHAT'S AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, BASED ON WHAT WE HAD PROVIDED TO ASK, AND THEN COME BACK TO YOU AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS HOW MANY WE WERE ABLE TO SCHEDULE BECAUSE OUR GOAL WILL BE TO GET SOME RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL BY THE FALL.
SO WE HAVE AN AMOUNT OF TIME SINCE WE KEEP RUNNING OUT OF TIME AT EVERY SINGLE MEETING, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME YOU'VE BEEN CONTRACTED FOR, UH, UH, BUT TO DO SMALLER GROUPS THAT DON'T REACH QUORUM.
UH, SO WE CAME CANVAS CONVERSATION ONGOINGS, BUT WHEN WE ARE HERE IN A FULL GROUP, WE ALL COME SORT OF FULLY INFORMED.
ALSO IT ALLOWS MORE VOICES TO BE HEARD.
I KNOW I TALK A LOT THESE MEETINGS, BUT NONETHELESS IT ALLOWS MORE VOICES BE HEARD AND EVERYBODY TO ASK QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, ANYWAY, I WILL, I WOULD LOVE TO DO IN SMALLER GROUPS SO WE CAN DO IT AS OFTEN.
I WOULD TAKE AS MUCH TIME WITH YOU AS YOU, YOU FIT THE CITY CAN AFFORD YOU BEING WITH US.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE USUALLY HELPFUL.
AND THE BANK DOES SUSTAINABLE IS SO IMPORTANT.
SO WE DON'T LOOK ON THIS AS A GESTURE IN THE FUTURE THAT WE LOOK ON THIS AS SOMETHING WE ACTUALLY ACHIEVED.
UM, IT'S, IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS AS A COMMISSION.
UM, I CAN WORK WITH ERICA OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
MAYBE PULL OUT SOME BUBBLES AND HAVE SOME COMMISSION GROUPS AND TWO OR THREE TALKING ABOUT MODEL PROGRAMS. IN OTHER CITIES, WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT AUSTIN MUSICIANS HAVE SAID AND JUST GO THROUGH THOSE THINGS.
WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THERE COULD BE ALIGNMENT WITH OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISIONS SO THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING DUPLICATING SYSTEMS, BUT WE'RE ALSO IDENTIFYING AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLE.
WELL, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE, IS THREE DIFFERENT GROUPS TO WRANGLE AROUND THE SAME ISSUES, BUT MAYBE ERICA, YOU AND I COULD WORK WITH, UM, THE COMMISSION CHAIRS TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME BIG BULLETS AND HAVE SOME DISCUSSION GROUPS AMONG THE COMMISSION MEMBERS.
I CAN JUST CHECK WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE TO SEE CAUSE RICK, YOU HAD MENTIONED BIWEEKLY MEETINGS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE.
UM, BUT ANYTHING THAT HAS FOR COUNCIL DIRECTION OR ORDINANCE LANGUAGE BEHIND IT, OF COURSE WE'LL GET PRETTY, UM, CONSIDERING HOW STRAPPED WE ARE, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE VIRTUAL SYSTEM.
SO, UM, JUST I'LL SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE FOR THIS.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL JUST SEE HOW IT ALL SHAKES OUT HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
AND WE CAN, UM, SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH THE CHAIRS TO KIND OF HASH IT OUT.
AND I DUNNO THE GROUP AT LARGE, I WOULD THINK, I DON'T KNOW HOW THE CONTRACT WORKS AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE UNLIMITED TIME, BUT OUR EMAIL QUESTIONS, BIBLE, CAUSE MY QUESTIONS ARE MANY AND WE'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT GOING TO GET TO MOST OF THEM HERE, BUT LIKE W WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO MOVE THIS FORWARD IN A WAY THAT FEELS COMPLETE WITHOUT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR TIME.
UM, WE CAN DO TOGETHER, UM, W WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO KNOW AND RESPOND TO, AND VICE VERSA.
IF I HAVE A COUPLE OF SERIES OF QUESTIONS THAT I NEED TO SEND TO YOU, WE WOULD BOTH SEND OUR COMMUNICATION TO AND THROUGH ERICA SO THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF EVERY CONVERSATION THAT'S BEING HAD, AND YOU COULD KEEP UP WITH IT THAT WAY.
AND THEN THERE MIGHT BE ONE OR TWO,
[01:05:01]
UM, PRESENTATIONS THAT I COULD SEND TO YOU GUYS AS, AS A GROUP VIA EMAIL.AGAIN, I, I WOULD COUNT ON THE CITY STAFF TO KEEP US FROM GETTING IN TROUBLE WITH, UM, COMMUNICATING OUTSIDE OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE, BUT WE, UM, WE HAVE A BLOCK OF TIME.
I THINK IT'S THROUGH THE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL TO DO OUR WORK.
UM, YEAH, WE CAN CUT THAT UP IN WAYS THAT WORK FOR THE COMMISSION AND FOR YOUR WORKING GROUPS AND FOR THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE I WOULD IMAGINE THAT AT YOUR REGULAR COMMISSION MEETINGS, YOU WANT TO KEEP THE PUBLIC INFORMED ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, WHAT YOU'RE DOING, BUT ALSO BRINGING IN OTHER VOICES, AS YOU'RE SAYING, TO HELP US RESPOND TO SOME, SOME IDEAS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE.
SO, UM, IF YOU AGREE, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ERICA, AND MAYBE THE CHAIRS AND I TO TALK AGAIN THIS WEEK, UM, I WANT TO HEAR FROM OTHERS TO SEE IF THERE'S, IF THIS IS INTEREST IS MAKING SENSE TO YOU.
UM, BUT WE DO WANT TO GET DOWN AND DO SOME OF THIS WORK, UH, OVER THE NEXT SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.
YEAH, IT'S A BREATH OF FRESH AIR MARGIE.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.
A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT STOOD OUT TO ME THAT WAS SAID, ONE THING THAT GRAHAM SAID, UH, IT'S NOT A GESTURE, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE WORK TO ACHIEVE, I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT STATEMENT.
UM, SOME THINGS THAT YOU SAID MY DO THAT STOOD OUT TO ME IS THAT YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR THE PROCESS.
SO I WANT US ALL TO HAVE A PASSION FOR THIS PROCESS MMM.
AND DESIGNING THE, HOW I THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU SHARED.
I THINK THESE ARE THESE, THE KEYS.
WE ARE, UM, VEHICLES FOR THIS CHANGE.
AND, UH, AS EMOJI WAS SAYING RADICAL, HISTORIC DYNAMIC, ALL THESE WORDS ARE PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
AND SO AS LEADERS OF THIS MUSIC COMMUNITY, I HOPE THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PASSION FOR THIS PROCESS.
AND WE ALL GOT OUR HEARTS THAT WE OPEN OUR MINDS.
SO JUST CHANGE THAT'S AT OUR DOORSTEP.
DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THE GOOD PATRICE, UH, THANKS MARGIE SO MUCH.
UM, IT WAS REALLY HELPFUL TO HEAR, UM, HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH US ABOUT, UM, ADMITTING YOUR BUREAUCRAT AND ALSO THAT YOU ARE AT YOUR DESCRIPTION ABOUT PASSION PAST PASSION, BUT PROCESSES.
THIS IS A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
I'VE ONLY BEEN ON THE COMMISSION FOR SINCE NOVEMBER, UM, IN TERMS OF, OF EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE HEARD AND CLEANING HAROLD'S PRESENTATION TODAY.