Joseph criticizes repeated hearings and lack of progress
Council Member Rita Joseph says this is the fourth hearing on these facilities and that numbers, conditions, and outcomes remain the same. She says a plan must be executed, cites the eight-hour riot, and urges the administration to move the system.
Okay, so we will circle back so you can answer some of those questions as to who would, that's careless behavior to even authorize that.
I'm just going to say something before I even start with my questioning.
The level of frustration is because this is the fourth hearing we've had about this.
These two institutions when it comes to young people.
I did it when I was the chair of education, when no schools were happening for these young people.
I had a joint hearing with Councilmember Stevens on the conditions inside.
We did it on the MDRs.
We did it on the IEPs.
We've done and done and done.
The numbers remain the same.
The conditions remain the same.
And the outcomes are not as great as we would expect them to be.
If you put out a plan, you have to execute the plan.
We cannot let the plan just sit there and say, we have a plan.
But why isn't the plan working?
So I think tonight, as a team, you probably have to go and sit around the table and figure this out for you.
young people.
This is the level of frustration for us.
Every time I go there, it's the same thing.
We're reading the same thing.
You have a riot for eight hours that you cannot control?
These are young people.
This is unacceptable on every level for us as moms, legislators, and folks who drive policy in this place.
And these are young people that look like my four boys.
So I hope you guys get it right.
Commission, I know you weren't here, but we hope you can put on some roller skates and start putting some work into this and really move this system.
Absolutely committed to both looking into the concerns that were just raised by Chair Stevens, but also this is a priority and has been my focus, frankly, since I've been here.
And working with our partners again across the administration, our community partners, and in partnership with you at the council, absolutely
look forward to being able to come back and share the improvements and the successes and the advances.
Thank you.