Coraggio Consulting Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Business Meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025 Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025 Place: Board Room, First Floor, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, Virginia Length: 3h 25m (video) Official meeting video (county, Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7952 Meeting page: https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7952 Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting. Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-11. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [00:00:38] Order of the May 20th, 2025 Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Business Meeting. We have a very thin agenda this evening, so what we're going to do is we're going to recess now. We will reconvene at 5 o'clock for, we'll do some housekeeping, and then at 5.30 we'll start the proclamations, and at 6 o'clock we'll start public comments, so the meeting is hereby recessed. Thank you. [00:36:47] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Good evening, Loudoun. Good evening, staff. [01:00:42] And we are at this time going to reconvene the May 20th, 2025 Board of Supervisors business meeting. This room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, switch your hearing aids to the telecoil mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. [01:00:59] I have the words of inspiration tonight. And I was in an event for the Tree of Life earlier last week. And I recalled one line out of President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. At the moment, and I remember in a prior presentation I'd done many years ago that the actual last several paragraphs of that address are pretty inspiring. [01:01:22] And I reread them, and I thought it was uncanny that the words he spoke in 1960, I feel, have direct application here in 2025. So this is just a portion of the speech. In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. [01:01:42] Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. Now the Trumpin summons us again, not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need, not as a call to battle, though embattled we are, but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, a struggle against the common enemies of man, tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. [01:02:15] In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility. I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country on all who serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. [01:02:41] And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. [01:03:02] With a good conscience, our only sure reward. With history, the final judge of our deeds. Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth, God's work must truly be our own. Please join me in the pledge. Thank you, everyone. [01:03:37] We have a very, very thin agenda tonight, and so we are going to move through it briskly. Let's see now. Are there any requests for additions or deletions to the agenda? [01:03:55] seeing none i'm going to read the proposed consent agenda it's fairly lengthy and and then we will vote on the consent agenda on the consent agenda this evening item r1 proclamation to recognize may 2025 as jewish american heritage month in loudon county item r2 proclamation to recognize may 18th to 24th as national emergency medical services week item r3 resolution of commendation for the academies of loudon chess team item r4 resolution to recognize loudon county's foster parents of the year approval i'm sorry item r5 resolution to recognize uh 36 years of public [01:04:32] service and the retirement of iana fernandez immediate past director of family services item r6 resolution to recognize 30 years of salvation army service to loudon citizens item r7 resolution to recognize the 150th anniversary of providence baptist church item r8 proclamation to recognize june 2025 as pride month in loudon county item r9 resolution to recognize principal pamela croft item r10 resolution to honor dr mamie a parker for groundbreaking contributions to conservation public service and youth stem engagement item 1a [01:05:10] senior smart trip initiative in loudon county item 1b contract renewal information technology consulting and technical services item 1e contract renewal public safety radio system maintenance and support services item 1d contract renewal inmate medical and psych psychiatry services item 1e contract award construction of route 9 and route 287 roundabout item 1f contract award and fy 2025 cip amendment slash road construction of waxpool intersection improvements pacific boulevard and broderick drive item 1g loudon county animal advisory committee annual report item 1h loudon [01:05:50] county community policy and management team 2024 annual report item 1i loudon county community criminal justice board annual report item 1j amendment to chapter 868 of the codified ordinances of loudon county exemption for certified solar energy equipment item 1k fy 2026 human services non-profit grant funding recommendation item 11 proposed human sources policy handbook revisions to accompany recent chapter 2 updates item 1 m employee child care program item 3 administrative [01:06:27] items report item 4 proposed traffic calming measures in the westbury glenn community and item 5 proposed traffic calming measures in the countryside community in algonkian district Is there a motion to move adoption of the proposed consent agenda? Moved by Finance Chair Briskman, Supervisor Briskman, and seconded by, I think that was Supervisor Glass, right? [01:06:51] Any comments, any discussion on the motion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Supervisor Briskman. Thank you. So on some of the consent agenda items, really proud to be, no pun intended, proud to be co-sponsoring the Pride Month resolution this year. [01:07:17] Unfortunately, the Pride, well, we are doing a Pride event in Leesburg. Unfortunately, I won't be here, so I thank my colleagues for presenting that at the Pride Month at Ida Lee Park, the Pride Month celebration. Also on the Human Services nonprofit grant funding, in this time of uncertainty, it is really imperative that we make sure our local organizations are staffed and resourced to respond to what we believe is a not too distant wave of need that we know is coming down because of the indiscriminate and sometimes unlawful actions by this administration. That is why I [01:07:53] made the motion in Finance Committee to allocate an additional $895,000 from fund balance so that we can fund all of the groups that applied to the competitive process and met the 75 percent criteria. And the difference between some that were above the line and some that were below that line was really small. Like I think a staff said it was like one percent. Excuse me. So not only do we know, you know, hard times are on the way, we also had two organizations apply and receive funding for immigrant and migrant legal services, which will sorely be needed because we know that [01:08:29] DHS is trying to and has deported U.S. citizens, separated families, and removed some of our neighbors who may well have TPS status, work permits, and green cards. So those two organizations, I don't believe, have been funded previously in our nonprofit grant process. And so they are new. [01:08:50] And, again, another reason for us to be expanding the organizations that we fund this year. And that's all I have. Thank you. Thank you very much, Supervisor Brestman. Any other comments on the consent agenda? I have one. Laura, I'm sorry. [01:09:07] I just want to say I'm happy to support the funding for the 49 nonprofit organizations, 45 awards for the standard grant and four awards for the mini grant. I had one of the nonprofits call me over the weekend and I said, you know, I love what you do as a farmless ordinary and I'm happy to support all of those that made it through the process. You guys do such good work for the county and thank you very much for what you provide to the citizens of Loudoun County. [01:09:38] I also want to give a shout out that people who have solar panels on their rooftop, that the proposed ordinance changes will affect the amount of exemption for residential solar projects by providing a full exemption versus a partial one. [01:09:55] So that's really big. I hope to get solar panels on my rooftop one day. And for calendar year 2025, the residential solar exemption saved the average property owner $308 in annual real estate taxes. So I'm glad we'll be giving everybody the full exemption. Thank you. [01:10:15] Thank you, Supervisor Crony. Any other comments on the consent agenda? Seeing none. Motion was made by Supervisor Briskman, seconded by Supervisor Glass. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 504 with four members off of the dais. And with that, organizational updates. I have no regional meeting updates. Does anyone have a regional meeting update? We will do that later. Okay. [01:10:49] And there will be no voice for a cause this evening. Mr. Hemstreet, do you have any comments for this evening? I do, Mr. Chair. I have four comments for this evening. The first is that nominations are now open for the full Accessibility and Inclusion Moving Toward Equity or Fame Award. [01:11:05] The Disability Services Board's annual awards program recognizes Loudon employers who are committed to creating accessible and inclusive workplaces. Nominations will be accepted through June 27th. The nomination form is online at loudon.gov slash fame awards. [01:11:22] Second, Loudoun County continues to offer free professional development opportunities for nonprofits serving county residents with a new training series scheduled for June, July, and August. The six-week cohort will focus on increasing the capacity of nonprofits to strengthen their funding strategy. The training will highlight available resources and best practices and provide hands-on technical assistance to participants. [01:11:43] Details, including a link to register, can be found at loudon.gov slash grant training. Third, a pilot bicycle exchange program is underway at the Loudoun County Landfill. The county is providing a place for residents to drop off used bicycles in good working condition and a place for people to pick up a used bicycle at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. [01:12:04] Only pedal-powered bicycles in good working condition are being accepted. Details about the program are online at loudon.gov slash bicycle exchange. Fourth, what do teenagers want when it comes to teen center activities and programming? That's what our Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services is seeking to find out through the no-filter feedback survey. [01:12:25] Middle and high school students in Loudoun are encouraged to take the survey by June 2nd to indicate what their preferred programs and activities would be. The survey is online at loudoun.gov slash PRCS. Those are my formal comments this evening, Mr. Chair. [01:12:42] The only other thing I'll add is the board just received an email from Megan Burke reporting the results of our bond sale today, which we had favorable rates based off of our bond ratings and the presentation that you and Supervisor Brisbane did earlier this month in New York. [01:13:00] That's it for this evening, sir. That is great news. Thank you very much, Mr. Hamstreet. That's good news indeed. There are no information items on tonight's agenda, so we will now address the remaining action items. uh the first um chair randall would like to withdraw her nomination of an at-large representative to the housing advisory board and therefore i move that the board of supervisors confirm the appointments with terms expiring as outlined in the may 2025 board of supervisors business meeting action item with the exception of chair randall's nomination of an at-large [01:13:31] represented to the housing advisory board is there a second yeah that's on here this isn't it We'll get to that. It's on the agenda and we'll cover it. It's just not here. That's a motion made by myself, Vice Chair Turner, and seconded by Supervisor Glass. [01:13:52] Any discussion? Chair Randall spoke about this in the pre-meeting and there's, I think it's an availability issue more than anything else is what we're concerned about here. So other than that, it's not controversial. [01:14:10] Any other comments on the motion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 504. On appointments and nominations, the second item we have, Item 2B, Supervisor Bristman, do you have a nomination to withdraw? [01:14:30] I do. I withdraw my nomination of Heather Gottlieb to the at-large position on the Housing Advisory Board. Turns out she applied for a different board, so I nominated her for the wrong one. Thank you. Okay, and I would like to nominate to the Art Advisory Board Barbara Osborne-Harris to the Art Advisory Board to fill an at-large representative seat. [01:14:51] Supervisor Glass? Yes, thank you, Vice Chair Turner. I nominate Mr. Phil Gross to serve as the Family Services Advisory Board representative to the Housing Advisory Board. All right. Any other nominations? Yeah, Supervisor Epstein. [01:15:07] uh thank you mr chair i nominate um danini wright to the at-large uh seat on the family services advisory board and puja kana uh to the at-large seat on the heritage commission any other nominations and for some reason i cannot remember we don't vote on nominations right that's what i thought those will come back at the next meeting as part of confirmations okay uh next item on the agenda we have um uh three resolutions tonight for a presentation um and i'm going to call out all [01:15:45] three resident resolution we can go in order if everyone that is here for that uh proclamation is in fact here we're a little early uh 5 30 is normally when we start these am i constrained by uh rules of order to start early as long as everyone's here as long as everyone's here there's no problem great um the first item r1 is a proclamation to recognize may 2025 as jewish American Heritage Month in Loudoun County. Rabbi Amy Sapoeth, Judith Fogel, and Gary Katz. If they're in the room, do we have all three in the room? They are not all here. Okay. Is everyone okay? [01:16:24] Great. Please come on down. And do I have that one? Who's got the proclamations? Say hi to you [01:17:11] first. Oh, do not pet. I can read. Welcome. How are you? Good to see you. Thank you very much. I think this started with a week of recognition under President Carter, and it has expanded to a month-long recognition of Jewish Heritage Month, which I'm very proud to present here. [01:17:38] The Jewish culture has been a mainstay of American culture for as far back as America existed, and I think it's very nice that we take a month out of every year to recognize this as Jewish Heritage Month. And with that, I would like to turn it over to any of the people here that would like to speak or say a few words. [01:17:58] i'm here representing the moms and the dads and the aunts and the uncles and the grandparents and the teens and the children of our loud and jewish community we thank you for your recognition your celebration and your steadfast support of our community 371 years in this country and counting through both calm and rough waters confronting racism and anti-semitism envisioning building and maintaining a community that is safe for everyone defending freedoms and with opportunities [01:18:34] for success for everyone i would echo all of those comments and and say i want to appreciate and thank the board for this proclamation and for the recognition thereof i'd also like to call it a special recognition of supervisor umstad as well for her support of our community in what are indeed very trying times and looking forward to continuing our support of the community as well the Jewish community, as well as the Loudoun community as well. Thank you. [01:19:07] Thank you so much. I would like to thank our Jewish American community for being strong, always in the face of adversity and being a shining light to so many of us who are looking for heroes in this world. And you certainly have made us believe in you as heroic. Thank you. [01:19:32] I'm Judith Fogel, and I do not live in Loudoun County. I'm sorry about that. I came all the way from Alexandria, Virginia. I was not asked to prepare any formal remarks, but I am here on behalf of the, take a deep breath, it's a long name, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington that includes Loudoun County. [01:19:58] I was not born in this country. I came to this great nation as a political refugee. I was three and three-quarter years old. My parents are Holocaust survivors. Both of them survived Nazi death camps. I was born in Hungary. I was raised to be a proud and grateful American that this great nation took us in. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't appreciate the freedom of religion, the freedom for me to be able to walk the streets and not have to wear a yellow star. [01:20:30] This is a great country. This is a lovely county. I do come here a great deal. And with the rise of anti-Semitism that we're seeing around the country, and North of Virginia is not immune, I thank public officials for keeping an eye on it, for taking it seriously, and especially for recognizing the contributions that Jewish Americans have made to this county, this nation, and to the world. [01:20:57] Thank you for recognizing us. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Just a little personal experience. I was born in 1951. Don't do the math. It's ugly. And television was relatively new back then. I had a little black and white TV set. And I think in the late 50s, maybe early 60s, my mom was dating a Jewish guy at the time. She was a very unusual commodity in 1951, 52. She was a single mom. And so I grew up with mom. And the first guy that she dated was Mel Corey. And he was a great guy. He was like, [01:21:32] I wanted her to marry him so bad, and she ultimately did not, and I'm convinced it's because he was only a real estate agent, and she wanted a doctor or a lawyer, but anyway, I thought he was great. But at the time, a movie came out called A Gentleman's Agreement with Gregory Peck, and it was the first time I had ever seen and understood what anti-Semitism was and the insidious and subtle hatred that can be imparted with that kind of anti-Semitism. [01:22:02] And the movie very clearly depicted what was going on in our society at the time. There were restricted hotels, which would not allow Jews to stay at the hotel all over the country. And so I'm sure for Jewish Americans it has been a long and arduous journey, as it has been globally over the decades. [01:22:22] And I'm very, very happy to read this proclamation tonight. Whereas, after a resolution was unanimously passed by both houses of the United States Congress, President George W. Bush recognized May 2006 as the inaugural Jewish American Heritage Month, and whereas the Jewish American community has significantly contributed to all aspects of American life, from the fine arts, science, and education to government, business, and civil rights, embodying the beliefs of life, liberty, and human dignity that the United States is founded upon. [01:22:54] And whereas Jewish American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the vibrancy and importance of Loudoun County's Jewish American citizens, whose accomplishments and contributions strengthen and enrich culture, the economy, and all aspects of community life in the county. [01:23:09] And whereas during Jewish American Heritage Month, Loudoun County residents and agencies are encouraged to commemorate and celebrate the essential contributions, sacrifices, and accomplishments that Jewish Americans have made and continue to make in the nation, the Commonwealth, and the county. [01:23:25] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby recognize May 2025 as Jewish American Heritage Month to celebrate the history, culture, and impact of the Jewish American community and recognize their contributions to Loudoun County and the nation. [01:23:42] Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ben, for coming. You've been. Thanks, guys, for coming. Oh, picture time. [01:23:58] Next up, we have emergency medical services recognition. [01:25:24] Do we have everybody here? [01:25:50] Absolutely. Thank you. Good to see you. I'm going to turn it over to the chief, I think, right off the bat. [01:26:16] Awesome. Thank you, Supervisor Turner. Thank you for having us here to celebrate emergency medical services week. I am so proud of what our system provides, EMS, day in and day out, of the nearly 40,000 calls we run, 75% are EMS in nature. [01:26:35] I'm very proud to be joined by Dr. Morgan and Al Pacifigo, our medical direction team. Kevin Kelly from our EMS operations group, and I'm gonna ask him and Dr. Morgan to speak in a second. We have two of our frontline EMS supervisors, as well as obviously Chief Pro and Chief Nally, but Deputy Chief Cooper from EMS, and Lindsey Jacobs, the captain in our QAQI office. [01:27:00] I wanted the opportunity to thank the board and recognize these fine folks for what they do. And then I always put this plug in. The single regret I have in my career is not pursuing ALS. So should anyone in our system be dialing in and looking for mentorship advice, please don't make the same mistake I did of not pursuing advanced life support training opportunities. [01:27:24] With that, if I can pass it to Dr. Morgan and then Chief Kelly to speak on behalf of the hundreds of volunteer providers. that we have. Thank you, Chief. Thank you, Chief Williams, Supervisor Turner, and members of the board. The theme for EMS Week this year, 2025, is we care, period, for everyone. And it's a really powerful statement. It's a simple statement, but it's ultimately what we do in EMS is we take care of our patients no matter where they come from, what language they speak, their backgrounds, etc. But everyone is a very inclusive statement, and I think the most important thing to recognize is that it's about our providers as well. [01:28:03] So it's a really tough job. They need support. Sometimes they see things or they deal with situations that are very difficult and traumatic. So we care for everyone means we also need to take care of ourselves. So I put a plug in for, you know, the community support for the hard work that all first responders, but this week especially EMS does. [01:28:22] And thank you very much for the opportunity. Thank you. I'll hand it over to Kevin Kelly. On behalf of the volunteer side, thank you for this proclamation. It is a combined system. When a citizen of Loudoun County calls 911, they expect top-notch service. And thanks to the support that our system has, whether it is volunteer, career, walking through the door, it is one team that is delivering top-notch EMS care to literally every person who calls 911. And I think that's something that we can all recognize and be proud of this week. Well, thank you all very much for being here. We could just play this [01:29:01] record over and over again of how proud we are of the combined system and all its participants and we truly truly are i mean we can't say it enough and we say it all the time um we see each other a lot in this county at functions that are really good functions of valor awards and memorial services for people who have given their all in the service of the county and the service of their community so this is a this is a very very special moment as they all are and we really appreciate your your contribution to our community and the safety of our citizens so i will read the proclamation whereas emergency medical services are a vital public service with providers delivering [01:29:40] life-saving care to those suffering sudden illness or injury and whereas to qualify emergency care dramatic access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who require emergency medical services and whereas the emergency medical service system consists of first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, public safety telecommunicators, firefighters, law enforcement officers, educators, administrators, nurses, physicians, and trained members of the public. And whereas the members of emergency medical services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of [01:30:19] specialized training and continuing education to enhance their life-saving skills. And whereas as the Loudoun County community is truly fortunate to be served by our talented and dedicated emergency medical service providers, now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim May 18th to 24th, 2025 as Emergency Medical Services Week in Loudoun County in honor and recognition of our emergency services personnel and the vital contributions they make to the safety and well-being of our community. We encourage the community to observe [01:30:54] this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities. I was in the [01:32:46] chess club when I was in school many many years ago. I was never a team caliber chess player but I remember I learned it in sixth grade. I love the game. I still love the game. I love recognizing the youth of Loudoun County and this is this This is a real skill set. [01:33:07] Chess is a masterful game. And to be at this stage of your chess career and to be honored like this is a real big deal. And we're really, really proud to be able to honor you guys. Would anyone like to say a few words? So as current Academy Salon and Chess Club president, I would like to give thanks to Ms. Juleau, the current Chess Club sponsor, principal dr murphy and the rest of the acl administration as well as the board of supervisors for making this possible so chess is super long journey we've all been playing some of us since [01:33:46] elementary school or even before that so i'd like to give thanks to all the parents because without them this wouldn't be possible and so once again uh thank you for the recognition so hi i am chess club sponsor and this started quite a while ago because we had absolutely nothing going on and then there were a couple of seniors who decided they wanted to play so okay we'll play on an A day no problem and then Brian found out about it and decided he wanted to join in for the B day the seniors graduated and then that left a hole and there was not gonna be any kind of chess [01:34:25] club whatsoever except Brian stepped up and he took on chess club presidency and then he recruited Ronan and then next thing I know here's Pranav and then Ananya and then there's a group of kids who come in every week on Tuesday and Wednesday to play honestly I just provide the space and the encouragement they do everything it's their parents that take the time to take them wherever they need to go to participate in competitions they keep them engaged they keep them going so I thank you for giving them the courage and encouragement in order to continue to do so because we're at a STEM school where there's a lot going on but just having that little bit of space in order to just kind of of spread out, make friends and actually do something that they enjoy throughout the course [01:35:05] of the day. I think that's really valuable. So thank you again. And thank you, Board of Supervisors. Thank you very much. I have one question to ask. Is Queen's Gambit realistic? The series, did you see it? Did anybody see it? No, you got to watch it. It's about chess. It's like five serial issues about chess. I thought it was great. Anyway, I digress as usual. [01:35:29] So I will read the proclamation. Whereas the Virginia Scholastic Chess Championship was a chess tournament hosted by the Virginia Chess Federation on March 8th and 9th in Charlottesville where students from 20 high schools from across the Commonwealth participated and whereas chess is one of the oldest games in the world and promotes critical thinking patience creativity reasoning and healthy competition and whereas the academies of Loudoun chess team is comprised of Pranav Swaminathan sorry if I butchered that Ronan Wilson Daniel Chow who also attend Briarwoods [01:36:03] High School and Anya Ananth and Brian, not brain, could be brain, Brian Tay, who also attended Freedom High School. And whereas with the support of their parents and this Toby Jillo, club sponsor and computer science teacher at the Academies of Loudoun, these talented young chess players brought home seven trophies in total, including a second place finish in the K-12 Blitz Championship and the k-12 championship now therefore be it resolved that the loudon county board of [01:36:37] supervisors does hereby commend anya ananth pranav swaminathan brian tay ronan wilson and daniel chow for their exceptional performance at the 2025 virginia scholastic chess championship [01:36:52] congratulations everyone all right we are way ahead of schedule so we will move on to at this [01:38:57] point board comments and disclosures um supervisor glass would you like to go first this really is fun catching supervisors off guard here thank you mr chair i have a few disclosures on wednesday may 7th and tuesday may 13th i met with representatives from dla piper to discuss our color grove data center application on monday may 12th my staff participated in two pre-meetings for the 20576 Ashburn Road and Broadlands Boulevard Residential. [01:39:37] On Thursday, May 15th, I met with representatives from Tritec to discuss the Concora site plan. My staff went to a few regional meetings, the Family Services Advisory Board, the Disability Services Board, and the NACO IED Task Force Data Center Development Meeting that was held. [01:40:00] i also want to give a shout out to my sister nina who has a birthday today so happy birthday nina thank you supervisor glass i have a note uh mr hemstreet on my script here not to do uh disclosures uh and board comments before public comment is there rules constrained on that or are we okay doing this the board sometimes does that if they want to react to any of the public comments that you will hear okay but it's but it's my call right yeah okay great very good um disclosure [01:40:38] supervisor i'm stuck uh yes thank you mr chair so i have three disclosures um i spoke with charles yudd on may 12th and may 14th about the cross mill center application spoke with chuck coon on may 14th and randy minchu on may 14th about the cross mill center application and then i just wanted to remind everybody that the town of leesburg will host its annual memorial day ceremony monday the [01:41:17] 26th of may starting at 10 a.m generally on the courthouse grounds thank you thank you supervisor and we can do board comments while we're doing disclosures so if if you have any feel free you have some surprise glass okay uh supervisor to crani thank you uh chair turner so on may 12th i met about the arcola grove application with elizabeth nicholson brian winter halter tj [01:41:54] Seaver and Hawa Edo. That's right. Regarding my board comments, I had the pleasure of visiting a farm in Upperville that is past the village of Upperville in the Little River District, Ashire Farm. So it's way out there. It's an 800-acre farm that does certified humane and organic farming. My girls and I got to pet the Glouchester Shire Old Spot pigs. We had a great [01:42:27] time. Those pigs are amazing, and I recommend all school groups or Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts go out and visit this farm. They have Scottish Highland cattle and giraffe horses that are beautiful, And then we stop by the Hunter's Head Tavern afterwards for a farm-to-table meal that is related to the farm as far as their pasture-raised meats. [01:42:57] I want to remind people about the Energy and Environmental Forum at the Academies of Loudoun in Leesburg on Thursday, May 22nd from 5.30 to 8 p.m., which is hosted by our wonderful Environmental Commission, and members of the community are encouraged to come and learn and engage about our efforts to increase environment and energy sustainability. [01:43:22] There's a great keynote speaker from 6:05 to 6:25, and he's gonna be speaking about Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality, so I think that should be really interesting. There'll be breakout sessions, and there's also vendors that you can interact with. [01:43:40] So it's a great opportunity to come and learn more about the county's efforts on the environment and energy. And lastly, Middleburg Day picnic is Friday, May 30th at 5:00, and that's an event that celebrates the Middleburg community with great food, games, and spirit. [01:44:02] RSVP is required because food will be provided by the town. so that's all i have thank you thank you supervisor uh saints um but we do comments after public comment or we have the option to do them now and we're we can't do anything else until six o'clock so we're doing board comments we can come back if you'd like to do it later i'll do disclosures now no man here is the closures and like yeah i'd like to wait to public comment to do public comment if possible that's fine if you allow that's fine okay thank you um do you have disclosures do you [01:44:35] you want to do those now okay no disclosures okay great supervisor briskman thank you um i have one disclosure on may 8th i met with milestone representatives on the claiborne parkway cell tower application as far as board comments i have a mom brag my daughter is graduating cum laude from delaware university on thursday day after tomorrow and she is uh going to attend in the fall the graduate school of education at university of pennsylvania seeking her master's in counseling [01:45:12] along those lines she also has been accepted into the ra program at upenn so she will be an ra much to many of our family members relief um and i i guess i'll hold my board comments even though i kind of just started but i'll that's fine i'll hold the rest he's gonna be going to end up recessing for 15 minutes anyway so we'll be fine so remind me don't let me adjourn before we come back around for board comments after the public public comments um i have just uh three disclosures uh on tuesday may 13th 2025 my staff and i met with aaron frank from cooley [01:45:51] and matthew penning from milestone towers to discuss the application for milestone at belmont friday may 16th i spoke with conan gillis from curata to discuss the application for west belmont and on friday may 16th i spoke with chuck kuhn from jk holdings to discuss the application for hiddenwood assemblage and crossmill my only board comment tonight i just started reading the new york times bestseller abundance by ezra klein and dennis and i can't remember his last name it's a fascinating book extremely well written and basically it's the theme as i'm starting to discern just getting into the book is that if we want to do it we can do it if if name [01:46:31] the goal that we're trying to achieve if we put our minds to it we have the resources to achieve it and and what is holding us back and what has held us back since the 70s is regulatory hurdles that we have to overcome and the example they're using right now is a high-speed train in California it was a great dream when Jerry Brown ran for governor in the 70s and it still hasn't even been started and it has nothing to do with a lack of capacity to build that high-speed rail what is striking me about the book is that it is basically [01:47:07] saying if we continue to do things the way we have always done them we will we will be overcome by problems that are burgeoning up now fairly significantly climate change probably being the number one we cannot continue to do business as usual I have folded in that theme into some comments that I will make at the next board meeting that i've been working on i was going to deliver them tonight but i only got halfway through and i was at three minutes so i got to do some major editing but it has to do with exactly that theme we have to change the way we are doing business in many areas and loudon county [01:47:46] is really kind of at the nexus of a lot of major changes that we have to make we have a fairly empty room so i think what i'd like to do is take a 15 minute recess and reconvene at six o'clock and we will start the public speaking that will give us a chance to grab a bite to eat so [01:48:07] we are hereby recessed until six o'clock thank you all we'll now reconvene the may 20th 2025 [02:04:51] board of supervisors meeting we'll begin with the public input portion of the meeting speakers will be called in the order in which they registered to speak if you are in the boardroom or the lobby please come to the podium closest to you and state your name for the record the timer on the podium will indicate your remaining time when your time is expired please yield the floor to the next speaker chair randall is pretty tight on that i will be as well pursuant to section uh i forgot my room and numeral 17 a3 of the board's rules of order at the business meetings all speakers unless otherwise noted will have a minimum of two and a half minutes but no more than three minutes [02:05:29] except as otherwise noted to address the board whether speaking as an individual or as a representative of any group or organization. And I will ask you, if you are speaking on behalf of an organization, please identify that at the start of your remarks. When you're speaking, please address the board, not the audience. Those addressing the board are asked to maintain your quorum while speaking and while listening to others' public comments. If you are speaking remotely, I will call on the moderator, Andy. First, to ensure you are ready to speak, please note that there is a slight delay between the broadcast and the boardroom. With that, I will [02:06:04] call up our first speaker, Mr. James Russell, followed by Sam Zee, followed by Joel Cornell. Good evening. Today, as we walk around and greet each other, shake hands and smile and laugh as we enjoy this beautiful spring weather, as we speak here tonight, the civilian population of Gaza is [02:06:35] subjected to a total liquidation. The United Nations reported earlier today, they anticipate a window of about 48 hours. This was about eight hours ago before child fatalities from this synthetic famine will number in the thousands. Even our stubborn legislators at the federal level are starting to alter their language. It's too little. It's too late. [02:07:12] This moment of political strife, the only bipartisan agreement in our government is that the people of Gaza should be exterminated in whole. A year ago when I first brought these concerns to this board I was told this is not Loudoun County business. Loudoun County business is the Loudoun [02:07:47] County Sheriff's Office signing an agreement pledging to cooperate with ICE. Loudoun County business are property management companies scamming legal immigrants into homelessness with impunity and as i have said in my previous comments and i will maintain this position [02:08:18] you were correct your strategic assessment was correct these people will be exterminated abroad and they will be exterminated at home and every convention you have ever subscribed to will reward you for your silence for your inaction but i am positive that history will hate you for it Thank you. Sam Z, followed by Joel Cornell, followed by Letitia M. [02:09:01] Good evening. Good evening. My remarks tonight are specifically to Supervisor Kristen C. Amstead. At the April 1st board meeting, ironically marked by Arab American Heritage Month proclamation to kick off the Arab American Heritage Month, you, Supervisor Amstead, entered a correction into the record about public comments from an Arab American civilian speaker who shared the final words of Hassam Shabbat. [02:09:29] you said and i quote he was a journalist but he was also a hamas sniper that is pretty definitive language with no mention of allegations or sources i'd like to pause and give some credit to our lcps middle schoolers who with a pretty quick search would find this allegation to be shared by one biased source a source that produced no verifiable evidence and would be discredited for its lack of accuracy and objectivity what our 11 year old neighbor might then discover is a list of what we consider reputable sources, like UNESCO or Reporters Without Borders, that condemned this killing and highlights a pattern of IOF targeting journalists, a decade-long [02:10:09] pattern of impunity with a very clear, well-documented case you can reference from 2022 with the sniping of U.S. citizen Shirin Abu Akal. Shabbat is one of 221 journalists killed in the past 19 months. Now, why do you think free press is targeted at an average rate of 12 per month in Palestine compared to other war zones where 10 is an annual figure, I suspect because in order for propaganda or Hasbara to continue to influence, truth must be silenced. [02:10:39] For over a year, this body has mostly taken a passive role on the genocide in Palestine, and best-case scenario has been silent. Now, however, the comments made on public record validating baseless allegations and accusations made against a citizen speaker corroborated by Chair Randall, in my opinion, is very explicit discrimination. [02:10:59] towards the Arab American community, and more specifically, the diverse community advocating for Palestinian liberation here in Loudoun County. While I'm sure you've accepted this reality since the Palestine exception is not new, this pattern of complicity is dangerous. In the face of a 287G agreement, you remain silent. You graciously accepted the rose-colored glasses Sheriff Chapman offered last meeting, and you've added them to your already thick blinders. Our neighbors are being racially profiled in our streets and the record continues to document your legacy of [02:11:31] systemic oppression and submission to racist policy. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Joel Cornell and I believe he is remote. Andy do we have Joel on the line? We do. Mr. Cornell you're up and followed by Letitia M followed by Sarah Hussain Bazar. Can you hear us Mr. Cornell? I sure can. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. You bet. My name is Joel Cornell. I'm a dad from Sterling. I am president of the Friends of Sterling Library. I'm an aide at Hunter Woods Preschool. I'm a barista here. In all of these roles, I've seen firsthand how ICE [02:12:10] and our sheriff have been unjustly targeting vulnerable people in our community. They both fail to keep people safe and instead prey on our community through fear, intimidation, and unaccountable violence. So many wonderful humans in our community are consumed by anxiety as we watch new laws criminalize our beloved neighbors, turning valued community members into victims of state violence. [02:12:37] I'm Jewish. That means I was raised to be vigilant when it comes to signs of fascism and how it targets vulnerable minorities. We know that the Nazis got their ideas from America's Manifest Destiny, from America's Jim Crow. That legacy continues to this very day as we watch Sheriff Chapman and his fellow fascists lie about immigrants, and sow distrust in our community. [02:13:00] Why would anyone call a sheriff's deputy for help when they're statistically more likely to target us with violence, imprisonment, and deportation? For as long as any of us have been alive, immigrants have always had lower rates of crime than natural-born citizens. Sheriff Chapman is holding our economy hostage, as many fear traveling to Loudoun County because our racist sheriff's office clearly targets black and brown people for traffic stops and illegitimate searches. 55% of those searched by LCSO are Latino, even though Latinos are only 14% of our county's population. The number of baseless traffic stops [02:13:37] has increased by an astounding 65% this year. Let's not forget that if you are white, you are an immigrant here too. Countless treaties were broken by this country, meaning all of us white folks are illegal immigrants too. We're living on stolen land. But none of the immigrants we see targeted by ICE or our sheriff are European immigrants. Why? Because Sheriff Chapman and his forces are white supremacists full stop. If you work for him or with him, yes, that means you too. It is your duty as leaders in our community to do everything you can to end any and all [02:14:14] collaboration with these violent fascists. If you won't put everything on the line to defend our neighbors. It is your duty to step aside for those who will. We need to end 287G. We need to abolish ICE. We need to end the prison industrial complex. Our borders are imaginary, but the harm we do to people with them is not. Sir, your time is up. Thank you very much. Letitia M, followed by Sarah Hossein-Bazar, followed by Sarah Pace. Good evening. The ex-president of Uruguay, Pepe [02:14:51] Mojica passed away last week and he is an inspiration for me and many of us so I like to honor his memory with these few words. So Pepe Mojica became a beloved world leader due to his austere lifestyle and the way he simplified politics. His interviews and speeches while being president felt like a breath of fresh air in the midst of all the codified language that politicians tend to hide behind. He said, if you love money, go into commerce or an industry, do whatever you want, but stay away from politics, because that is for serving the people. And he lived [02:15:30] by this standard. He donated 90% of his salary as president, because he didn't need more than that to live like the rest of the people. He reminded us that politicians should serve others, not themselves. In his youth, Pepe joined a national liberation resistance called Los Tupamaros. He spent 13 years in prison and was tortured by the government of the same country who later voted him to be its president. He will be remembered as a Latin American example of ethics and honesty, but he is just one of many others that embody [02:16:07] this spirit, spread it all across the global south. This is the same spirit that many immigrants bring to the U.S. I invite the members of this board to remember this spirit every time you are exposed to the propaganda coming from the White House who seek to portray immigrants as criminals. [02:16:26] We bring life and community to this country. Coherently with his conviction for justice and Love for Humanity, Mujica recognized Palestine as a free and sovereign state in 2011. Fourteen years later, Israel continues the genocidal campaign that started this month 17 years ago, all made possible by our tax dollars. [02:16:51] Lastly, Mujica said, the world will always need revolution, but that doesn't mean shooting and violence. A revolution is when you change the way you think. And that is how Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank, the diaspora, and their allies are leading this revolution, by changing the way we think about Israel's illegal occupation and the U.S. complicity. [02:17:12] Divest local funds from Israel companies complicit in genocide and stop loud on collaboration with federal immigration enforcement. Thank you. Next up, Sarah Hossein Bazar, followed by Sarah Pace, followed by Mary Bathory Vidaver. [02:17:29] Good evening, board members. bad evening to the Zionists, being part of a richly diverse community like Loudoun County has taught me to be an intentional observer, especially in these times when we witness growing injustice against our black and brown communities, both here and abroad. We witness injustice embedded in our public and private sectors, our tax dollars are criminalizing black and brown lives, filling private prisons where they are exploited for cheap labor by corporations. [02:18:02] Immigrants are deported to foreign prisons, treated as disposable. Meanwhile, internationally, those same tax dollars are funding the kidnapping of Palestinians, including children, by the Israeli occupation forces. And here in the U.S., we see a stark double standard. Pro-Palestinian protesters face police brutality and ICE raids, while white January 6 rioters who attack officers and all democracy were pardoned and excused. [02:18:28] We're investing in data centers that harm our environment and steal electricity from our communities. Just ask Henrico residents, facing a 14% increase in their bills. And these same data centers are powering surveillance tech like Where's Daddy and Lavender, tools to use to oppress Palestinians. [02:18:48] We deny refuge to people from countries devastated by U.S. bombs, coups, and exploitation. Yet we welcome with open arms white families from colonial legacies, including those complicit in apartheid era South Africa. Our pro-humanity group Standing for Justice is being smeared by this board as aggressors, simply for speaking truth. [02:19:10] Meanwhile, this board stays silent as we watch a genocide unfold in Gaza. Not one word of empathy for Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim residents in Loudoun. Instead, Ms. Umstad repeats unverified claims that a slain journalist, Hossam Shabbat, was a Hamas sniper. [02:19:26] How many Palestinian journalists were killed? Were they all snipers, too? Were the 15 paramedics who were tortured, executed, buried in their ambulances also Hamas snipers? And Ms. Randall, if you claim to be a seeker of truth, why align yourself with falsehoods and defamation? [02:19:46] Leadership requires courage, honesty, and impartiality. Until this board shows that you are not leading, you are protecting power, and we will not be silent. Free Palestine, divest from Zionist Nazi companies. [02:20:04] Free Palestine, free Palestine. Thank you. Next up, Sarah Pace, followed by Mary Bathory Vidaver, followed by Matthew Noonan. Good evening. [02:20:22] My name is Sarah Pace, and I'm a resident of Sterling. I'm speaking today to share my concerns about the Loudoun County Sheriff Department's collaboration with ICE. When law enforcement collaborates with ICE through 287G agreements, it harms public trust in law enforcement and threatens public safety. [02:20:39] Data shows that crime is lower in places where officials do not divert time and resources for a hostile immigration agenda. Here in Loudoun County, traffic stops have increased almost 30% just since the beginning of this year. Even though white and Hispanic residents are getting ticketed at traffic stops at about the same rate, Hispanic residents are eight times more likely to have their vehicles searched than white residents. [02:21:01] This is clear racial profiling. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is using pretextual traffic stops to target the immigrant community and funnel them into the deportation pipeline. I and many others in the community do not agree with these discriminatory policing practices. I hope that the board can also oppose these practices and leverage the budget in ways that actually keep our community safe, rather than using local resources to enforce an anti-immigrant agenda. [02:21:25] Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Mary Bathory-Vitiver. If I mispronounce that, I apologize. Please pronounce her name. Happens all the time. How do you pronounce it? Bathory-Vitiver. Bathory-Vitiver. Good, thank you. Yes, good evening, board members. [02:21:41] I'm Mary Bathory-Vitiver. A few of you may remember me as Blue Ridge District Supervisors as board aide for nine years. So it's been a long time before those nine years that I've been standing here. I'm not going to talk about ICE or Gaza. [02:22:00] I do, but I'm going to say one thing, which is during that period, I remember sitting up there coming in to speak about slow growth and three former veterans sitting around that up there who spoke out against the U.S. invasion of Iraq at political cost at that time in Loudoun County. [02:22:21] But they sat there, they had served their country, they had served their country well, and they made a statement about our invasion of Iraq. On that, why am I here? Well, on Friday, I received an envelope. [02:22:42] It had a letter dated April 28th from Loudoun County, and it had a booklet dated May 9th from a group called Empower, telling me that the county was transferring my 437 or 457B from Mission Square to Empower and informing me that there would be a blackout period of my being able to do anything with my retirement account for 15 days, starting May 15th. [02:23:09] 15th. I got it May 16th. Standard practice in the industry, along with a rise of regulations that cover private sector pension and benefit law, say it is best to give at least 30 business days. That's what's required, and no more than 60 days. So based on the dates here, I got somewhere between five to nine days that I was not going to be able to access my account, make any change [02:23:42] before that switch, not 30 days, four days. I got negative days, but the maximum I could have gotten if we go with the April 28th date was 13. So here I am. I happen to be going to be here in Virginia. I also discovered, well, I was trying after a long conversation with Insure and no message back from the county's HR staff. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do and what went wrong. Thank you very much. If you'd like, reach out to my office, [02:24:19] mike.turner at loudin.gov, and I'll root it to whoever we can root it to and try and sort it out. Thank you. Thank you. Matthew Noonan, followed by Banna Malka, followed by Charlotte Vandiver. Good evening. This is from a Loudon resident who is an immigrant who wishes to remain anonymous, so here's the statement. Today I want to share my testimony with mixed feelings. I came to this country with the hope that one day my family, especially my children, would have a better future than my husband and I had in our country. We traveled with a suitcase full of dreams to a [02:24:56] foreign country and welcomed us with open arms with the security that our country lacked. Recently, with the new immigration policies, we are suffering from many insecurities and fears. Our children are the most affected. They have been suffering from failing grades in school and are affected by the insecurity of their families for fear of being separated. Mixed status families fear that one of their members could lose their job. Recently, my daughter, due to her sadness and fear of the county sheriff and ICE, fell into a very deep depression, fearing that her family would be separated. She engaged in self-harm and had cut herself. The school health clinic saw [02:25:35] evidence of the cutting and called me. She's now being treated by mental health professionals for anxiety and stress. She's only 12 years old. My other son is in college. He doesn't want to finish anymore. He wants to come back home because he says that if something happens to us how will he pay off all the loans my husband and I are taking out to pay for his studies. He has scholarships but they don't fully cover his financial expenses. The expenses at a university are very high. It doesn't come for free. We've only achieved that with the work my husband and I have done. I know [02:26:12] that there are many families like us who fear being separated. We are living through a very sad an ugly time in a country that used to be a land of opportunity and free expression but not today in a county that at any moment could lose more than half of its essential workers and plunge the county into a major labor shortage. Because of all this our immigrants are suffering. We want you to support us so that you know that we are not a bad community. We are a hard-working community [02:26:44] full of dreams and goals just like you. Thank you. Thank you. Banya Malka followed by Charlotte vandifer followed by judith garlic good evening i'm here to express dismay at this board's failure to safeguard our communities here in loudon for the utter disregard for human life exhibited by some members forsaking the values that you all espouse during the campaign to earn our votes ranging from family values and proven safety and basic standards of living to progressive values [02:27:22] that protect immigrants and communities of color my anecdotal story for today is that i was helping my elementary school child prepare for a Virginia studies test. And when it came to elected officials of the mid-20th century, she had to remember who's who and who stood for what. Her study skills intrigued me. There were three elected officials in that study guide. She had notes right next to their names. There was a bad, a decent, and a first African American. The bad was in elected officials who stood for school segregation. And while there was a list of other accomplishments this official had made, including bringing prosperity to Virginia via various economic policies, what stuck in my [02:28:02] child's head was the way he failed our community. How you stand for your local communities is what cements your legacy. The legacy of this board will perhaps include economic prosperity to the county budget, but at what expense? Money from data centers and defense contractors and tech companies that are not only complicit in war crimes in Gaza, Palestine, but also complicit in the use of AI and technology in the repressive and racist policing of our communities, starting in small measures such as the Blue Ribbon Committee recommendations to LCPS, to community-wide repressive measures such as the 287G agreement the Sheriff's Office used to formalize its [02:28:39] collaboration with ICE. A few months ago, I criticized your silence about the genocide that Israel is carrying out in Gaza, and the complicity of our county, our taxes, and our voices in enabling this atrocity. It is your prerogative to remain silent or indifferent for nearly 20 months, but for members of this board to use this position on the dais to spread sheer misinformation and disinformation, then follow through with unsubstantiated accusations against constituents of our community, not only violates these espoused values of yours, but show utter disregard to the position of responsibility you hold. Don't be known as that [02:29:17] official that Virginia Studies lessons years from now will show you objected to speaking up against the terrorist state the politician who wouldn't stand against slaughter of children in the most live stream genocide in human history and top of it all did not make good on your promises to loudon county thank you thank you next up is charlotte vandifer followed by judith garlick followed by victoria ellis good evening my name is charlotte van duser i grew up in the town of percival where my father was an episcopalian minister and my mother was a loudon county preschool teacher. I attended public school, raised my two children, and operated a consulting [02:29:57] business here for 25 years. I've seen a lot of changes. We are seeing the federal government deporting immigrants without due process, even including U.S. citizens, and we worry about the same thing happening here. I was encouraged to hear that Loudoun County police say they are not participating in the so-called ICE raids and are following the jail enforcement model, and I hope that that practice is true and continues. It's challenging to have trust in our law enforcement when we see all the corruption happening at the top of our government and we see Mike Chapman in the Wild West photo op from the Oval Office as the president signs immigration executive orders [02:30:36] or when we see the DHS is actually considering the reprehensible idea of a reality show where immigrants compete for citizenship. When did Jesus implore, when Jesus implored us to love our neighbor, he didn't mean just the ones that look like us. I was also happy to hear that crime rates continue to be low here in the county and hope that it will continue in the future. As the consequences of all the government cuts start to be felt, scarcity and desperation could become more of an issue. It is often our immigrants who do the jobs that no one else wants to do. [02:31:13] Many of them are productive members of our communities just trying to get by. They clean our house, our homes, they provide child care for our children, they work out in the hot sun building houses all day. They are not going out on murderous rampages. Do I think we need to reform our immigration system? [02:31:32] Heck yeah, but the cruel and heartless way our current government is going about it is just not acceptable. I was also very concerned to hear that Loudoun County is absorbing policing expenses related to Trump's frequent golf outings at the Trump National Golf Club, with no reimbursement from the federal government. [02:31:51] I'm looking forward to seeing the report of these costs that was requested at the last meeting. As a citizen of Loudoun County, I do not support this practice going forward. I'd also like to know what role our local police force will have in the June 14th military-slash-birthday parade in Washington, D.C. [02:32:10] something I do also not support with my tax dollars going to, for the record. Frankly, spending upwards of $45 million just to stroke our president's precious ego is obscene. Ma'am, I'm sorry, your time is up. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Next up, Judith Garlick, followed by Victoria Ellis, followed by Yvonne Santala. [02:32:29] Hi, my name is Judy Garlick, and I have lived and voted in Loudoun County since 2016. I come before you today representing a group of women named the White Roses formed in the aftermath of January 20th. [02:32:49] We stand by many in Loudoun County who condemn the decision of Sheriff Mike Chapman to sign a memorandum of agreement with ICE. We have learned that rather than signing an agreement with ICE, Arlington County has cut ties. But here in Loudoun, LCSO is using the jail enforcement model, holding immigrants for up to 48 hours. [02:33:12] It is not the job of LCSO to detain immigrants for ICE, and not the job of Loudoun County taxpayers to pay for it. ICE recently announced 214 arrests in Northern Virginia during what they called an enhanced targeted enforcement operation. [02:33:32] We know very little about what has become of these individuals. LCSO's lack of transparency raises serious concerns that individuals are being wrongly labeled as gang members and deported without due process, tearing families apart and violating fundamental civil liberties. [02:33:52] What is happening to our Constitution? As a result of these actions by ICE and LSO, many innocent people have been forced into hiding live in fear of illegal deportation hard-working tax-paying people who came to America for its promise of freedom and opportunity or afraid to go to their jobs drive a car or go anywhere without documentation they carry burner phones and emergency numbers for legal help is that really how we want to live in the land of free it's a question the White Roses are asking in the interest of [02:34:31] transparency i've provided every member of the sports of supervisors with a handout explaining who we are the values we believe in and why we are called the white roses thank you for your time thank you ma'am next up is victoria ellis followed by yvonne centala followed by margie lang garnhart good evening my name is victoria ellis and i'm here to comment on the 287 agreement with ICE and what I see is Loudoun County Board of Supervisors duties on this issue [02:35:05] as elected representatives in the county. I would like to make two quick points. First in the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors strategic work plan adopted in late 2024 the work plan prioritizes ensuring that Loudoun County remains a welcoming place for all. Law enforcement that works with and on behalf of all residents is critical to achieving this goal. Fair and non-discriminatory practices will also support robust minority participation in the county's economic growth, another key aspect of the strategic work plan, as residents who feel targeted are less likely [02:35:41] to engage in optional activities that support economic growth and revenue. I would like to see the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors use their public platform to advocate for fair and equal law enforcement practices, including leveraging the new Human Rights Commission envisioned in the same work plan in support of this purpose. Second, there has been a significant year-over-year increase in the disproportionate searches of Latinos during traffic stops, suggesting that the ICE agreement is incentivizing profiling to increase detentions. My tax dollars and your [02:36:15] oversight support operationalizing these policies with deputy salaries, equipment, and detention costs. During the upcoming budget process, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors should ask hard questions about the traffic stop and detention data and place conditions on approving increased budget requests for these items. The board can also press for training of deputies on non-discriminatory practices. Recently the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has demonstrated openness to new thinking on similar topics, implementing the blue envelope program to foster safer and more [02:36:51] supportive interactions with those between officers and those with disabilities. This kind of innovative thinking on that front is appreciated, and I look forward to hearing your public encouragement of relevant initiatives for our immigrant community in this budget process. Thank you for your time and leadership. Thank you. Next up, Yvonne Centella, followed by Margie Lang-Garnhardt, followed by Stephen Rosen. Good evening, board members. [02:37:22] I am Yvonne Centella, a member of the New Virginia Majority. We are opposed to discrimination because of race or ethnicity at traffic stops, places of work, and home. Actually, I would appreciate a finer discrimination. [02:37:42] Go ahead and retrain those people with criminal records, records, but not those hard-working people who brought their children here for a better life, as did your great forebears. I'm old enough to remember we welcomed Latin Americans when our men went off to war. During World War II, we called them braceros. From the 1950s through last summer, we called them migrant workers. Some of their children were in elementary school with [02:38:15] me while their parents picked apples and cherries in Michigan and they left school in the middle of the semester because their parents went back to Mexico for the winter months. Dirt farmers from California to Maine lose crops because they cannot find enough Americans to pick their fruits and vegetables. If you are just a little bit younger than I am, you remember that Cesar Chavez and [02:38:49] Dolores Huerta worked for years to get enough pay for those migrants to have enough to eat. We cannot throw away every Tomas, Ricardo, and Enrique across the border. The population of the United States is dwindling. We need them as much as they need us. In searching for any immigrant without documents, we splash fear across the neighborhoods. In detaining these hard workers [02:39:23] in jails, we disrupt their family lives. Let us show compassion for these undocumented immigrants who work and walk in the footsteps of the Braceros and the migrant workers and our ancestors, all of whom work to build these United States. Thank you. [02:39:47] Thank you. Next up is Margie Lang Garnhart, followed by Stephen Rose, followed by Steve Birnbaum. Good evening, and thanks for the opportunity to speak. I'm Margie Lang Garnhart. [02:40:02] I've lived in Loudoun County for 27, 28 years, and I am a social worker. have my own business here as well. I wanted to speak to the Loudoun County's voluntary decision to enter into an agreement with the current Trump, under the current Trump administration 287G. [02:40:23] I'm alarmed by the disproportionate and increasing numbers of Latinx folks subjected to traffic stops and searches. I'm alarmed that immigrants can be held up to 48 hours past their schedule's release, essentially coordinating and setting them up to walk into ICE's custody. [02:40:42] I'm alarmed that all of these things indicate a profiling of immigrants and evidence of bias, of racism, of ignorance. As you know, there are many legal, as some of my fellow citizens here have said. There are legal, logical, economic, and constitutional reasons why these practices are not okay. [02:41:02] I'd like to appeal to you today about the cost to our humanity, about our collective integrity, to the fabric of the trust that we need to build a healthy community. As you likely know, there are parents who are now afraid to let their children play. Their children play outside because they are fearful of being snatched away or coming home to places where their parents won't be. [02:41:27] There are youth who have asked, is it safe for me to go to school? There are adults who are afraid to go to work. There are parents who are concerned that their children will be left without someone to greet them at the door or that they won't be able to raise them as they ought. There are kids who've had to hear the backup plan. [02:41:46] If for some reason I am unjustly taken into some kind of a raid, here's who will take care of you. Even if these situations are not likely or were not likely, the very fact that they are afraid is real and reasonable. [02:42:02] And that response to these tactics, the rhetoric, the practices, and the policies, that's expectable. We are doing this to our neighbors. We are doing this to these families and many who have already suffered. These people have already suffered unimaginable threats that drove them here. [02:42:20] These human beings are our neighbors, our classmates, friends, and helpers. As a person of faith, I would add that when we continue to ignore them, we ignore the face of God in these people, our neighbors. Thank you. Thank you. [02:42:36] Next up, Stephen Rose, followed by Steve Birnbaum, followed by Donna Wodowski. Hello. Thank you. Yeah, I'm here speaking as a citizen, as a farmer at Potomac Vegetable Farms, as a member of the Farm Bureau, the Board of the Farm Bureau, and the Rural Economic Development Committee. [02:43:01] And I am here to express my profound concern at the implications of the cooperation between the Loudoun Sheriff's Department and ICE. I think it has the potential to have a devastating impact both on the economy of Loudoun County, the rural economy specifically, and as many speakers before me have mentioned, it has the potential to destroy communities. We know very well that this is not a [02:43:36] policy that will only impact criminals or violent offenders. This is something that affects families, hardworking individuals, people who are trying to make a living. I know many citizens who are afraid that they will be targeted just because of their heritage and their background. And I know people who have arrived here legally under temporary protected statuses [02:44:07] And I've had that status revoked and have no possibility of returning home, but are now living in a state of terror. And this is not what the sheriff's department is meant to serve. [02:44:24] It should be here to protect people. It should be here to support people in creating a sense of safety. What we are now seeing is people are afraid to leave their houses, they're afraid to go out, they're afraid to go to work, and they are absolutely afraid to engage law enforcement. [02:44:45] It is a devastating impact. It's something that impacts the farm economy, particularly. Labor is a constant struggle in Loudoun County because of issues around accessibility and housing. [02:45:06] If we do not make concerted efforts to support this vulnerable population, it will have a devastating impact on all of Loudoun County and the rural economy. Thank you. Thank you. Next up, Steve Birnbaum, followed by Donna Wodowski, followed by Michelle Chan. [02:45:33] Good evening. I'm here as a proud Jew, immigrant to this country, and a veteran of an IDF Special Forces counterterrorism unit. Jewish Heritage Month honors the contributions of the largest Jewish community outside of Israel. [02:45:50] Yet this recognition comes at a time when we are witnessing the largest, most virulent and violent eruption of anti-Semitism in our country's history. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the board for tonight's resolution, to the security personnel in this building who have helped keep us safe in the face of threats of violence simply for exercising our rights to speak in this room. [02:46:08] I also want to commend Governor Youngkin on his issuing of the executive order today on anti-Semitism. It's a moral imperative to unite as a community and to stand up against those who spew anti-Semitic hate, vitriol, and blood libels. It's imperative that we refute attempts to deny the horrific atrocities committed against men, women, and innocent children on October 7th, as this is nothing more than modern-day Holocaust denial. [02:46:29] Zionism is an American value. Martin Luther King was a Zionist. In a speech in 1968 at Temple Israel in California, he said, We must continue to stand with Israel and its right to exist and defend itself. My friend's grandfather introduced Dr. King at a meeting of the rabbinical assembly of the conservative movement of Judaism where they discussed the close relationship between our communities and the path forward just 10 days before his assassination. [02:46:54] At that gathering, the assembled rabbis sang, we shall overcome in Hebrew. In his speech to the assembled rabbis, Dr. King said, the Jews are the most persecuted people in the world. The Jews have faced tremendous oppression throughout history, and it is right that they now have the opportunity to return to their homeland. [02:47:10] Zionism, in essence, is the movement of the Jewish people to reclaim their land. My friend's father, also a rabbi and staunch Zionist, worked closely with Martin Luther King and Andy Young and two of the three Selma marches and the march in Washington. And as we recognized this evening, the contribution of Jewish Americans is incomplete to simply state that Martin Luther King was a Zionist. [02:47:33] Zionism and the civil rights movement were intimately and inseparably linked. To be a Zionist is to believe the most fundamental American ideals, freedom from persecution and the right of the Jewish people, an indigenous people, to self-determination in our ancestral homeland. I'm deeply grateful to live in a country where we can freely and proudly practice our religion, stand in support of Zionism, and advocate for the rights of Jewish people to self-determination. [02:47:57] We continue to pray for the release of our hostages from Hamas terror dungeons, for the defeat of Hamas, knowing that true peace can only be achieved when terrorism is eradicated and the innocent are no longer held captive by hatred. Am Yisrael Chai, the people of Israel live. Thank you. Thank you. Donald Wodowski, followed by Michelle Chan, followed by Ha, I believe it's Caney. [02:48:21] Good afternoon. Supervisor Umstead, hang in there. You're always correct. It is a losing political proposition to go after Sheriff Chapman and his deputies when they have made Loudoun County the safest jurisdiction in the metropolitan area. [02:48:40] Sheriff Chapman's goal is to keep criminals off the streets. It's plain and simple. The deputies are not using Gestapo-like tactics, as the pro-Palestinians suggest, to check a person's immigration status. Deputies don't have federal authority to do so. [02:49:01] Sheriff Chapman won across the board in a county that has 436,000 residents. Supervisor Briskman, who I have heard on running for chairman in 2027, opposes Sheriff Chapman. [02:49:18] Not very smart of her. She won her district, and only they have 50,000 residents. The article in Loud and Now titled Boarding Questions Chapman Over ICE Agreement, under the comment section, the author writes, Randall is concerned about the militarization of law enforcement. [02:49:39] How much did she protest when the Biden administration declared the parents at school board meetings domestic terrorists and sent FBI agents to school board meetings? The comments under this article overwhelmingly support Sheriff Chapman. [02:49:57] The board should ask themselves, how much did they advocate for the victims of illegal immigrant crime to include murder, rape, sexual assault, vehicular homicides, and drunk driving? I believe they don't want to offend their left-leaning cohorts, and that is a shame. [02:50:18] The sheriff has said, I quote, I believe it is irresponsible to release serious criminals who are in the U.S. illegally back into our community when they are wanted to buy ICE on other charges and pose a threat to our citizens. [02:50:37] You can allow criminals back onto our streets. It's your choice to make. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Michelle Chan of the, I want to say it's the Hamakai Center. Yeah, I'll let you say it. [02:50:54] Then Ha, I believe it's Taney, Terry possibly, and then followed by Tammy Cornejo. All right. Hi there. My name is Mitch Chan. I am the organizing manager at Hamke Center. Hamke Center organizes Asian Americans in Virginia for social, racial, and economic justice. [02:51:12] Some of our community members are particularly vulnerable. we work with all asian americans including undocumented asian americans these are community members who work here live here and came here just like many of us to build a life for themselves and their families i'm here to speak on loudon county's cooperation with ice enforcement in may this is what the sheriff said and i quote our agreement has nothing to do with field enforcement operations it applies only to our adult detention center and persons arrested on criminal charges unrelated to their immigration status. Loudoun County Services does not engage [02:51:49] in 287G task force model of enforcement. We do not go out and arrest people for immigration violations. But this is what we heard from one of our Asian non-English speaking community members who happens to be undocumented. Sometime a few months ago prior to the signing of 287G this happened. A law enforcement authority came into a Loudoun County store and asked for everyone's IDs and everyone shared their IDs. These community members did not know if this law enforcement authority was with the police or ICE. The law enforcement authority was dressed in plain clothes [02:52:27] so the community members could not confirm their exact affiliation. They did not have any warrant. When everyone was asked to share their ID, these community members felt a lot of pressure to comply. everyone shared their ID. Before this law enforcement authority left, they provided two business cards, one from Loudoun County and one from DHS. After this incident, this community member contacted our organization. These community members did not commit any crime. These community members were merely going about their day and fulfilling the duties of their job. And the person [02:53:02] who shared this experience with us just happens to be undocumented. First, no one should be intimidated into showing their IDs to anyone without reasonable suspicion. In the state of Virginia, law enforcement does not have the power to check IDs unless a person is suspected of violating any county ordinance or state law, which they must articulate. [02:53:23] Second, it is clear that this law enforcement authority was acting in collaboration with ICE. They left two business cards with the community members. The first business card was from the Loudoun County Sheriff Department, and the second business card was from the Department of Homeland Security. was no reason to intimidate our community members thank you your time is up okay if you'd like to leave that document with us you can do that okay thank you next up is uh ha and i don't quite know the last name it's tanny terry i'm sorry how do you pronounce your name how do you pronounce your [02:53:57] name hot tang i am the organizer and um at humke center and also a loudon county resident continuing off of what mitch says these two business cards with the community members the first business was from the Clowden County Sheriff Department. [02:54:13] The second business card was from the Department of Homeland Security. There was no reason to intimidate our community members into sharing their IDs when they do not have to share their IDs. This is especially intimidating for our community members whose first language is not English. While the sheriff has claimed that his job is to keep our citizens safe, he has not done so. [02:54:32] Instead, he has created an environment of fear among people from all communities of color, Asian, Latino, and Black. Resources have been allocated to create an environment of fear. People of color have already seen community members who hold many different statuses. Citizens, visa holders, and green card holders. [02:54:50] Undocumented, be detained for no reasons. These are people who contribute to Loudoun County. These are our neighbors and our friends. Humke Center urges Loudoun County to an all-voluntary collaboration with ICE. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Tammy Cornejo, followed by Sarah Stinger, followed by Monica Sarmiento. [02:55:15] Hi. I've lived in Loudoun County my whole life. I've seen our sheriff's office work to build trust from programs with elementary students to the new Blue Envelope Initiative for people with disabilities. That's the kind of community-first work that builds real safety. [02:55:31] But the sheriff's partnership with ICE undermines all of it. This isn't about public safety. It's about quotas. Homeland Security has directed ICE to arrest 1,200 to 1,500 people per day nationwide, prioritizing numbers over justice. [02:55:49] That's hundreds of people every day, or I'm sorry, every week in Virginia. Here in Loudoun, we've already seen traffic stops double. Latino residents are only 14% of the population, but they make up nearly half of all searches. Black and brown communities are being targeted, and that's not a coincidence. [02:56:06] That's profiling, and that's fear. These are our neighbors, co-workers, my children's best friends, and our loved ones. And we're already seeing nationwide how ICE is playing out. ICE conducts raids and creates chaos. [02:56:21] They deport visa holders, green card holders, even U.S. citizens and veterans. Families are torn apart, communities destabilized, and trust and local law enforcement is destroyed. We're told this makes loud and safer, but the truth is it does the opposite. [02:56:36] When people fear law enforcement, they stop reporting crimes and cooperating with the police. That breakdown in trust makes our entire community less safe. Trust is a force multiplier. Without it, public safety falls apart. [02:56:53] ICE operates without warrants or visible IDs, denies due process and fair trials, deports without court review, targets vulnerable people, prioritizes quotas over justice, undermines civil rights and our constitution. That is the very definition of the Gestapo, and the Loudoun County should not be living like it's 1930s Germany. End 287G and all ICE collaboration. We all deserve liberty and justice. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Sarah Stinger, [02:57:27] followed by Monica Sarmiento, followed by Zahra Usria. Hello, my name is Sarah Stinger. I've lived the Catoctin District for 30 years. I also am here to speak about the sheriff's priorities. [02:57:43] I share the previous speaker's concerns about public trust and safety with the sheriff's new agreement with ICE. One aspect in particular is the reported special ICE training for 20 deputies which suggests these deputies are effectively taking on some ICE duties. Don't they have enough work to do already? Were federal funds issued to the county for this training? I searched the sheriff's office newly released 2025 strategic plan today and noted this agreement and immigration enforcement are rightly not included so why are county resources being used for that effort another issue not mentioned in the sheriff's office new strategic plan is community training [02:58:21] i searched their website facebook and instagram pages today and was happy to see safety camps for kids offered this summer and motorcycle safety awareness event held last month after digging deeper i finally discovered the sheriff's office has really started back with women's self-defense inexplicably stopped for many years that his predecessors understood that was important but he stopped doing it well before covid for many years there were 41 workshops through 2016 and he didn't do it for many years so he looks like he's starting to do that again i think that's [02:58:58] great. It's a little late, but therefore I'll close with saying this. Instead of using county resources for federal enforcement of immigration, I encourage the sheriff to focus more on community training. In fact, expand opportunities for training various Loudoun communities to members to build public trust and safety and increase the public situational awareness to help them avoid becoming victims of actual criminals who are very unlikely to be our immigrant friends and neighbors who often serve critical yet very underappreciated roles in our communities. [02:59:35] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker is Monica Sarmiento, followed by Zahra Husreya, followed by Gary Katz. Good evening, members of the Board of Supervisors. My name is Monica Sarmiento, and I'm the Executive Director for the Virginia Coalition for Migrant Rights, a collaborative of 53 organizations, many who have had community members speak today, like Homkase Center and New Virginia Majority. [02:59:59] I've had the privilege of serving this position for over a decade and seen a lot of things, including a 287G agreement in the neighboring county of Prince William, signed in 2009, that devastated Prince William economically, closed small businesses, had residents moved out because of the fear of the 287G agreement and ultimately came to their knees in 2020 and overturned that agreement. We don't want to see that happen here in Loudoun County. [03:00:30] What we're seeing is this trend of this anti-immigrant sentiment that we know that this county is better than. In 2022, the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, published a study that says that 287G agreements inevitably lead to racial profiling. [03:00:48] And so many of the speakers that have already spoken today have started showing you statistics that that's already happening here and will only be exacerbated if this agreement continues. One of the biggest pride points of my life is seeing so many Loudoun County Dreamers come to Richmond and testify before the General Assembly on their need for education and state tuition. [03:01:13] And now, when we've seen so much progress for our state, for our brightest minds, these dreamers are now too scared to come here and testify before you because of the anti-immigrant rhetoric that we have seen exacerbated. [03:01:29] We need you to act and stand up to the sheriff and say no. We don't want to see our communities torn apart, as we've recently seen a young dreamer in georgia who was stopped incorrectly over a traffic infraction and is now facing deportation we don't want to see that for our communities i think our beliefs and values show that we want unity opportunity and the ability to feel safe in homes and businesses and in the county that so many immigrants love thank you thank you next speaker is zabra who's who's who's ray uh and [03:02:08] And then our final speaker will be Gary Katz. Hello, my name is Zahra Hasria. I'm here to address the matter of Sherrick Mike Chackman entering into the 287G agreement at the directive of Governor Glenn Youngkin. These agreements with ICE are in the midst of abuses of power unprecedented in their brazenness, in their cruelty, and in their reckless disregard for the rights codified not only in the Constitution, but in the nature of our existence as human beings. [03:02:35] There is absolutely no reason why anyone, citizen, undocumented or otherwise, with a criminal record or none, should be treated the way that Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez was, the way Rumeza Ozturk was, the way Kilmar Arbrego Garcia was. Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez is an American citizen by birth and never should have been detained by ICE, not for 48 hours, not even for a minute. [03:02:59] Rumeza Ozturk was exercising her rights to free speech. She never should have been yanked off the streets by mass ICE officers and sent to prison without a trial and without her basic medical needs being attended to. And if Kilmar had the record of gang involvement the Trump administration now claims he does, Pam Bondi never would have uttered the words administrative error. [03:03:18] She would have led with this information from the get-go. An ICE detention facility that was illegally set up in a halfway house in Newark led to Mayor Rath Baraka being arrested when he attempted to fulfill his legal duty of congressional oversight of the facility after they refused to certify that the facility was up to basic safety codes. [03:03:38] ICE agents have demonstrated a gross disregard for the laws of the land they claim to serve, and Sheriff Chapman's collaboration with ICE in a moment where our president claims to be unsure whether we have a right to due process and openly plots with autocratic foreign leaders to send American citizens to some of the most heinous presidents in modern day will not make Loudoun County safer, but in fact a more dangerous place for all of its residents. [03:04:03] Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Zahra Hosreya, followed by Gary Katz. Oh, I'm sorry, was that you? Okay, thank you very much. Next up is Gary Katz, and then we had two additional speakers, which I missed. Maya Bizarre, followed by Carolyn. [03:04:24] Good evening. Good evening. So first, I want to thank the board for the earlier proclamation that took place this evening. That was very nice and greatly appreciated. These remarks are extemporaneous. [03:04:42] I actually didn't plan to be here, which appears to be a recurring pattern as I think about it. As I was in the parking garage walking back one of the earlier folks who were here from the proclamation, we saw folks coming in, and there was concern on safety. [03:05:02] Like, oh no, do I put my ribbon away? Do I put my hostage pin away? I've heard a lot of conversations here tonight, but also over the past year or so, that lead to very good reasons for that concern. [03:05:22] Zionist thug, Zionist pig, Nazi having someone having to be escorted to their car by four guards to make sure that they got back safely. And then how dare that get questioned, by the way, that, oh, did that really happen? [03:05:39] Who really started it? What happened with all of that? What we're seeing take place here is nothing more than a modern-day rhetorical lynching of Jewish America. And it stands in stark contrast to the proclamation that took place earlier this evening. [03:05:55] It's a stain on the county. And tonight's target is Supervisor Umstad, because how dare Supervisor Umstad put facts on the record? And if you want to see the facts, by the way, I'll send them to you, camera.org, on who Hossam Shabbat was and the evidence that Israel released that shows the documentation. [03:06:15] But that can't stand. You can't have that said on behalf of the Jewish constituents. You can't put the truth on the record. And that is why we're seeing a doubling down take place tonight. I can't help but think that it has something to do also with the fact that this is Jewish American Heritage Month and that the proclamation just occurred. [03:06:35] It's a stain on the county. It's a bullying attempt. Nothing more. And we've got to call it out for exactly what it is. And for those who may not be familiar, I know my facts very well. [03:06:51] I'm happy to discuss them with you at any time. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Maya Bazar, followed by our final speaker, Carolyn. Good evening board members, bad evening to the Zionists. [03:07:16] I just want to say, I hope to be media trained like that one day. Let me start by saying, former Israeli Knesset member Moshe Figlin, sorry for mispronouncing if I do, said every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy. [03:07:36] The enemy is not Hamas. We need to conquer Gaza and colonize it and not leave a single Gazan child here. There is not, there is no other victory. Gaza isn't too far away from the West Bank, land separated within Palestine, occupied Palestine. [03:07:58] So my thinking is, if they want to do this to Gaza, what leaves out the rest of the West Bank? I mean, my grandfather died on that land. His grandfather died on that land. His ancestors before that died on that land. [03:08:15] What excludes those villages? Personally, I've been to Palestine a couple of times. It used to take 20 minutes to travel from my grandma's house to my other grandma's house. Now it takes anywhere between two hours to two and a half hours. [03:08:34] Gates upon gates. Enter South Riding, there's a gate. Enter North Riding, there's a gate. Enter Sterling, there's a gate. I'm just trying to paint a picture. Roots have changed. People can't see their family. [03:08:51] I guess they're trying to erase history because they're trying to cut ties. Jewish Voice for Peace takes a pro-Palestinian stance, advocating for the rights and liberations of Palestinians. They're not combating their heritage. [03:09:08] They're standing on the right side of history. They're proud Jews. I love Jews. I love Muslims, and I love Christians. On the subject of safety, 287G passed, making many of us here feel unsafe to drive due to unprecedented traffic stops. [03:09:32] Could Zionists say the same when they're white-passing? Thank you. Free Palestine. Thank you. Next up is Caroline, and followed by one additional speaker, Zaina Hutchinson. [03:09:50] Good evening. You won't denounce genocide or protect our children from power lines. Oh, how I wish I was a data center. Then I would know your support is true. But sadly, I'm just a constituent who has always voted blue. [03:10:07] Born black and woman, I was created to resist, to fight for my humanity and my right to exist, to challenge those in power to remain true to all of those promises intended to make us red, white, and blue. I was so inspired tonight to hear our beautiful, diverse population standing on one accord, fighting in support of community safety, condemning 287G, and pleading with all of you to stand on the right side of history. [03:10:39] Similar to the way politicians who oppose voting rights, equity, equality, body autonomy, and safety post Dr. King to celebrate his birthday and whitewash his memory, tonight we are again being accused of anti-Semitism by calling it like we see it and denouncing genocide and apartheid. [03:10:58] Zionism and Judaism are not the same thing. Your individual choice to align and celebrate the murder of women, children, journalists, and indigenous people has nothing to do with the way you worship. So please refrain from tying actual heroes to your foolishness. [03:11:19] Free Palestine, Fight 287G. Thank you and good night. Thank you. Next up, and our final speaker, I believe, is Zaina Hutchinson. Good evening. Thank you for allowing me to speak. [03:11:43] I want to get this out of the way because I never get my words in in time, so reject 287G, divest from Israel and the genocide, and free Palestine. Maybe we need a refresher here on how not distant Palestine is from this chamber and from these people and from every single one of you. [03:12:05] Let's just see how entrenched Israel and Zionism is in Virginia, so that we're not talking distant. How about the Virginia-Israel Advisory Board? 150,000 of our tax dollars goes to Viab, which is a state agency within our legislature that has access to our legislators and legislation, to Virginia budget and economics, has an exception to the rule, and has no supervision or oversight. How about how much Virginia's share is from the [03:12:43] 3 billion we give the genocide state of Israel? Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, already. How about our elected officials who take hundreds of thousands? Republicans definitely, and they are beholden as well, but Democrats as well. [03:13:02] Hundreds of thousands from AIPAC and the Israeli Zionist lobby, elected officials take. And if they don't or refuse or stand up for justice, they are bullied, they are harassed, they are antagonized, including some of you here. Let's talk about the Israeli companies that are complicit in genocide and ethnic cleansing and occupation. [03:13:28] of Palestine that are here in Virginia. How about the Israel Aerospace Industries is here. Elbit Systems is here. Zim is here. 25 defense and cybersecurity companies are here. I wonder where those are based or what influence they have on data centers or not. That's something to look into. Again, my time is almost over. Your positions aren't just as elected officials. [03:14:02] You are citizens, you are residents, you vote in Virginia. Understand that this affects you, your children, and your families directly, not just my people in Palestine. Now and always, free Palestine and end the genocide. You are responsible as well. Thank you, ma'am. [03:14:31] I'm sorry. Thank you all for coming tonight. We appreciate your comments and the time you took to come here. And I'd like the last item on the meeting is to open it up to board comments. If you haven't given board comments or if you have thought of board comments you'd like to share please turn your light off all right thank you chair thank you uh vice chair turner as always thank you to those who decided to come out and speak as i always say during this time you could have chose to be anywhere and you chose to be here with us this evening to say your peace [03:15:05] and i appreciate that um a lot to unpack from the the comments i'll just touch on a few things one dr king was not a zionist dr king voiced strong opposition to anti-semitism but was not a Zionist. In regards to some of the comments you mentioned about Arlington and Prince William County, they are different than Loudoun County. The difference is they have a [03:15:41] police department. We do not have a police department. They can control what their police department does and how they patrol the streets. We do not because we have a sheriff that's duly elected by you, the citizens, as we are duly elected by you and he reports to the citizens. [03:16:03] So I encourage you, as you're doing, you've emailed us with your comments regarding the actions. I encourage you to do the same and email him. Ask for a sit-down meeting with him to understand why he's signed up for this program and share your concerns and your thoughts. [03:16:22] Because I'll just share, we do not control the sheriff, and he reports to you. In regards to the stats, it's well documented. and Chair Randall has been saying this for I don't know how long when the Sheriff's Department comes and does their status report where you rotate between the Sheriff's Department and the Fire Department, but Chair Randall has been saying this for many years now. [03:16:52] When you look at it, go back to the record, persons of color are, as you mentioned earlier, have been targeted, and the numbers are skewed or higher than persons who are not color. And she's been saying that for a long time. [03:17:09] Check the record. So this is nothing new. Nothing new. In regards to the data centers, just like any business, we do not control how they do their business, who their clients are, and again, I've heard divestment and et cetera tonight as well. [03:17:34] So if you feel there's a company that you feel that Loudoun County is investing in that we are somehow giving money to, please bring that information forward to me. Quran.Sains at Loudoun.gov. We have talked about doing, you know, you've asked us to do a resolution that's federal. [03:17:52] I can say yes, Free Palestine, and we'd like to do a resolution. and we've seen hostages freed in the ceasefire. I'd love to see that continue. The time is up, but thank you for coming to speak today. Thank you, Supervisor Brissman. Thank you. I will just address the issues that have been brought up about the Sheriff's Department. [03:18:17] We had about 25 speakers. We've had about 14 emails. The Board of Supervisors has no operational authority over Sheriff Chapman and the decisions that he makes. he is an elected constitutional officer and thus makes all decisions on personnel agreements with other agencies policies on traffic stops and searches and management of the adult detention center the sheriff reports to you the sheriff does not report to us we can no no we cannot defund the [03:18:54] entire sheriff's department just like we cannot defund the entire school system they have their own bodies that govern them. They have one body that governs them. His name is Sheriff Michael Chapman. I appreciate everyone coming here today and putting your concerns on record. [03:19:13] Now, this needs to be a press conference in front of the sheriff's office if you want to have any influence over the decisions that he makes. The emails should not be coming to the Board of Supervisors. They should be going to Sheriff Chapman, not us. I empathize. I am concerned. [03:19:36] You know I am concerned. I was at the protest in front of the Sheriff's Department when the ICE agreement was first signed. You are preaching to the choir up here for the most part. To the choir. I have been trying to pull information from Sheriff Chapman's office for weeks now. Weeks. [03:20:00] To find out what is the process. What is the process that county funds are going to to hold people in our detention center, which by the way you pay for. It should be public record. Anyone who is arrested and charged in our county with anything should be public record. [03:20:21] They claim they don't have to produce public records that go back farther than two weeks. Two weeks. The sheriff is the one that signed the agreement, not the board of supervisors. [03:20:40] Some information I did recently get from the sheriff's department was they did not have anyone picked up by ICE for the years 2019 through 2023. In 2024, they had 233 detainers and 97 people were picked up. [03:20:59] So far this year, 120 detainers, 67 have been picked up since going back up to May 15th. We are trying our hardest up here, but the protest needs to be at the Sheriff's Department. [03:21:16] Thank you, Vice Chair. Thank you very much. I'm going to make a couple of comments here, just for clarity. The one piece of data that I pulled off of a significant insert report last time, actually my legislative, they pulled it out. [03:21:39] The year-over-year increase of traffic stops that resulted in searches year-over-year, the increase was 30% of that for African Americans, 50% for white Americans, and 400% for Hispanic Americans. [03:21:57] That was the data point that I asked about at the meeting. The answer I got was that had to do with the increased number of stops countywide across all demographic sectors. And I thought about it after the meeting, and I thought, I think that's an insufficient answer. [03:22:16] And so I'm going to go back to the sheriff's office as soon as I can and ask for clarification of that number, a 400 percent increase in searches as a result of stops within the Hispanic population, and see what answer I get. i i think one of my colleagues mentioned the fact well supervisor brisson mentioned you're preaching to the choir up here um this is i worked at the pentagon in 1997 and i i met with king hussein of jordan right before the peace treaty was signed with israel and i met with then [03:22:51] crown prince now king abdullah in that same process um so i have some knowledge of the region i still consider myself a layman but i have some knowledge of the region and some knowledge of the the complexities of the issues involved um there is plenty of anger and outrage uh to go around for what is essentially a terrorist organization to go into a peaceful gathering of civilians men [03:23:23] women and children and butcher them gleefully is beyond human comprehension um at the time Hamas in Gaza was, I just looked it up on the internet, was supported by 53 percent of the population. I don't necessarily equate those two. I don't necessarily say that the people of Gaza supported the butchery that went on, and I think the butchery deserves the strongest possible [03:23:55] international response. At the same time, I was a fighter pilot for 20 years. It is a war crime. It is a violation of international humanitarian law to bomb a hospital for any reason. [03:24:12] There is no reason that is legal. It is an international war crime to bomb civilians in the open for any reason. That is a fact. If that is controversial, it's a fact. So when I say I have very, very strong feelings about what is going on in the region, And I would dearly like to be in a position to be able to influence some outcome. [03:24:37] I'm not. That's not our job here. Believe me, I understand and I appreciate your outrage. I understand, I can't possibly understand, but I appreciate the dramatic rise in anti-Semitism in this country as a result of what's going on in the Middle East right now. [03:24:57] And I have very strong feelings about both sides. but to express those feelings from this dais as a member of the board of supervisors doesn't do my job it doesn't it doesn't serve the constituents in any meaningful way it simply throws gasoline on the fire when i am completely powerless to do anything about it so i have refrained from saying anything up to now but please do not think that we those of us up here are agnostic on these issues We are not. We are just very, very focused on our professional conduct to do the job and accomplish the mission that we were elected to serve this county. [03:25:38] With that, I think we are finished, and the meeting is, unless there's something else, we are adjourned. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Coraggio Consulting ยท aguyonx.com