Citizens demand Chattanooga City Council's response to 'People's State of the City'

Staff photo by John Rawlston Chattanooga City Council Chairman Moses Freeman
Staff photo by John Rawlston Chattanooga City Council Chairman Moses Freeman

A group of Chattanooga community members on Tuesday demanded a response from City Council members regarding a call to spend less money on surveillance and more on providing opportunities for the economically disadvantaged.

On May 3, Kevin Muhammad of the Nation of Islam delivered a message that he called "The People's State of the City" to a packed City Council assembly room on behalf of a coalition of community welfare groups.

In that speech, Muhammad criticized Mayor Andy Berke's proposal to spend $1 million on public safety cameras over a two-year period as another tool to combat gang violence.

On Tuesday, Phillissia Hambright, who described herself as a "concerned citizen," addressed the council.

"We still have yet to receive any public response or feedback from you, the City Council, on the address," Hambright said. "And your silence is deafening."

A number of council members said they appreciated the presentation and the opportunity to hear from the community as a body.

"We're not static," Councilman Yusuf Hakeem said. "We did hear what was being said and we are hoping to make some things happen."

Hakeem also voiced frustration with citizens who he said had approached the council in an aggressive manner so as to bully members into doing what they wanted.

Councilman Chris Anderson said that a formal response from the council as a whole cannot happen.

"[There's] no one up here who can speak for all nine of us," Anderson said. "No one who can give the council's response to anything."

Chairman Moses Freeman said the council truly wants to make things better for the disadvantaged.

"We agonize over what to do to solve problems all our lives, all of us who work in public service," Freeman said. "There's always a debate among us here, and among others, on how best to spend that money."

It is an ongoing struggle, he said.

"I can certainly understand the frustrations of people when things don't happen the way they see fit," Freeman said. "But they have to understand that we all have this complex where we think our ideas and our opinions are best."

For his part, Muhammad said after the meeting he had no comment on the council's response.

Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.

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