Housing, Arts and Civil Rights Committee 4/8/2026

8, 22026 OF THE HOUSING, ARTS,
AND CIVIL RIGHTS COMMITTEE WILL
COME TO ORDER. IT IS 2:04 PM. I
AM CHAIR OF THE HOUSING, ARTS
AND CIVIL RIGHTS COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU. WILL COMMITTEE CLERK
PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. PRESIDENT
HOLLINGSWORTH.
PRESENT.
COUNCILMEMBER JUAREZ: COUNCILMEMBER JUAREZ.
COUNCILMEMBER RINCK.
PRESENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER FOSTER: COUNCIL MEMBER FOSTER.
HERE: HERE.
THERE ARE THREE MEMBERS: THERE ARE THREE MEMBERS
PRESENT AN EXCUSE FOR
COUNCILMEMBER LIN.
I KNOW COUNCILMEMBER JUAREZ: I KNOW COUNCILMEMBER JUAREZ
WILL JOIN US SHORTLY. IF THERE
IS NO OBJECTION THE AGENDA WILL
BE ADOPTED. HEARING NO OBJECTION
THE AGENDA IS ADOPTED. WE WILL
NOW OPEN THE HYBRID PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD. PUBLIC COMMENTS
SHOULD RELATE TO ITEMS ON
TODAY'S AGENDA WITHIN THE
PURVIEW OF THIS COMMITTEE. HOW
MANY SPEAKERS ARE SIGNED UP?
FOUR IN PERSON SPEAKERS AND: FOUR IN PERSON SPEAKERS AND
NO REMOTE SPEAKERS.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO: EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO
MINUTES AND WE WILL START WITH
OUR IN PERSON SPEAKER. PLEASE
READ THE PUBLIC COMMENT
INSTRUCTIONS.
OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
IS UP TO 60 MINUTES. SPEAKERS
WILL BEGIN, TO BE CALLED IN THE
ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE
REGISTERED AND WE WILL BEGIN
WITH IN PERSON SPEAKERS.
SPEAKERS WILL HEAR A TIME WHEN
10 SECONDS ARE LEFT. MICROPHONES
WILL BE MUTED IF THEY DO NOT AND
THERE COMMENTS TO ALLOW US TO
CALL THE NEXT SPEAKER. PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW OPEN. WE
WILL BEGIN WITH THE FIRST
SPEAKER ON THE LIST.
THE FIRST PERSON IS MALCOLM: THE FIRST PERSON IS MALCOLM
AND THE SECOND IS HUMAN.
ANY MICROPHONE, WHICHEVER
WORKS FOR YOU. THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE.
ON BEHALF OF THESPIAN: ON BEHALF OF THESPIAN
PERFORMING ARTS PERSON, I'M
HERE TO ADVOCATE AND ALSO TO THE
NEW DIRECTOR OF ARTS AND
CULTURE, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU
KNOW THAT THIS CITY, BLEATS A
NEW DAY A GASHES ATTITUDES
WOUNDS. THE WOUNDS ARE A LACK OF
SPACE FOR PERFORMANCE ARTISTS
SUCH AS FILM, THEATER,
PERFORMANCE ARTISTS. THEY DON'T
HAVE ENOUGH REHEARSAL SPACE.
EVEN AS AN ACTOR THERE IS NO
PLACE FOR ME TO REHEARSE THE
SAME WAY PEOPLE PLAY BASKETBALL
AT GREEN LAKE IN THE GYM. THE
EQUIVALENCY TO THAT IF YOU GET
THAT METAPHOR. IF YOU CHAMPION
FOR THE MARGINALIZED, FOR THE
PEOPLE THAT FIGHT FOR
ANTIESTABLISHMENT AND FIGHT FOR
JUSTICE THROUGH THE ARTS,
SEATTLE IS NUMBER ONE IN SPORTS,
THEY CAN ALSO BE NUMBER ONE IN
ARTS AND FILM AND PERFORMANCE
ARTS IF THEY HAVE THE SPACE TO
HOME THAT CRAFT. SO, I DID THE
RESEARCH AT SEATTLE LIBRARY, THE
ONLY HAVE REHEARSAL SPACES , I
HAVE BEEN REHEARSING ON
BASKETBALL COURTS BECAUSE THAT
IS THE ONLY PLACE I REHEARSE MY
MONOLOGUES BECAUSE AS A MEMBER
OF THEATER OF PUGET SOUND IT
COSTS TOO MUCH TO RENT A ROOM
THERE AND SPACE. THEY HAVE OPEN
SPACES JUST LIKE THEIR OPEN GEMS
FOR PEOPLE TO PLAY SPORTS HERE,
AND THERE'S A LOT OF
INTELLECTUAL PEOPLE HERE THAT
ARE VERY CREATIVE AND WE HAVE A
LOT OF CREATIVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE
COME FROM THIS PLACE, BUT THE
LAST TIME I CHECKED MY FRIEND
TOLD ME THAT SEATTLE WAS LIKE
26th IN THE ACTUAL ARTS IN
AMERICAN CITIES COMPARED TO NEW
YORK OR L.A. AND ALLOWED PEOPLE
COME THERE AND ARE TENDERED BY
THE FACT, LETTING LEADERS KNOW
THAT WE DON'T HAVE A SPACE TO
GO TO , WHETHER IT BE MORE
VISUAL ARTIST, PERFORMANCE
ARTISTS. BEING ABLE TO ADVOCATE
FOR FILM HERE, THE MOVIE THAT
CAME OUT WAS SHOT HERE. JUST
WANTED TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
[ APPLAUSE ]
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KING: OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KING
HIGGINS FOLLOWED BY TIMOTHY.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU
FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I
AM THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF
COMMUNITY IMPACTED PROGRAMS OF
FRIENDS A WATERFRONT PARK. I'M
HERE AS COCHAIR ALONG WITH
COCHAIR MEGAN FOR THE ARTS
COMMISSION . SO, ON BEHALF OF
THE ARTS COMMISSION WE ARE
PLEASED TO EXPRESS OUR STRONG
SUPPORT FOR THE CONFIRMATION OF
AMY AS A DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE
OF ARTS AND CULTURE. ARE
LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIPS
ACROSS OUR ARTS AND CULTURAL
COMMITTEES ALONG WITH DEEP
EXPERIENCE WORKING WITHIN CITY
GOVERNMENT MAKE HER
EXCEPTIONALLY PREPARED FOR THIS
ROLE. JUST AS IMPORTANTLY HER
VALUES ARE FIRMLY ALIGNED AND
ARE BUILDING ON THE PRIORITIES
OF THE OFFICE OF ARTS AND
CULTURE AND OUR BROADER
COMMUNITY OF ORGANIZED AROUND.
WE ALSO WANT TO AFFIRM THAT ARTS
AND CULTURE, OUR CORE SPECIFIC
INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY ARE THE
SYSTEMS THROUGH WHICH WE BUILD
IDENTITY, STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY
AND SHAPE THE FUTURE AS WE WANT
TO LIVE IN. STRONG LEADERSHIP IN
THIS DEPARTMENT ENSURES THAT
THIS ESSENTIAL PUBLIC GOOD
REMAINS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE
IN OUR CITY. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU: THANK YOU.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TIMOTHY,
FOLLOWED BY CHRISTINA.
HELLO, MY NAME IS TIMOTHY,
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMON
AREA, A LOCAL ARTS NONPROFIT. I
AM HERE TO SUPPORT AMY'S
DIRECTORSHIP AND WANTED TO
EXPRESS MY DEEP APPRECIATION FOR
THE WORK IN SEATTLE ,
HISTORICALLY AND THE ADVOCACY
FOR ARTS AND CULTURE. I HAVE
SEEN FIRSTHAND AND CONTINUE TO
SEE IT OVER THE DAYS AND WEEKS
IS THIS POSITION HAS UNFOLDED.
AND THROUGHOUT MY COMMUNITY,
THERE IS STRONG RESO

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