Search · Utica Common Council Records

Sort

Common Council Meeting with Committee of the Whole Meeting June 17th, 2026

6 matches

3:41:37

[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] So I'll read it. City of Utica proclamation honoring Juneteenth. Whereas Juneteenth commemorates June 19th, 1865, the day of the Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce enforced the freedom of enslaved African Americans more than 2 years after the issuance of Emancipation Proclamation. Whereas Juneteenth stands as a celebration of freedom and resiliency, while reminding us of the fulfillment of justice often requires continued action long after promises are made. Whereas the City of Utica holds a proud place in the history of the abolitionist movement and the struggle for human freedom, freedom. Whereas, in 1835, Utica hosted the founding convention of the New York State Anti-Slavery Society, bringing together advocates who sought to end the institution of slavery and advance the cause of human rights. Whereas, Utica's Black residents, abolitionist allies, play an important role in assisting freedom seekers and supporting the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of individuals individuals on the journey toward liberty. Whereas the leaders of the abolitionist movement, including Frederick Douglass and others, found support in audiences in Utica as they advanced the cause of freedom and equality throughout the nation. Whereas Juneteenth provides an opportunity for all residents to reflect upon our shared history, celebrate the contributions of Black Americans, and recommit ourselves to the principles of liberty, justice, and equal opportunity for all. Now therefore be it proclaimed that the Utica Common Council hereby recognizes and celebrates June 19, 2026 as Juneteenth and encourages all residents to participate in educational, cultural, and community activities that honor this important day and its enduring significance. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] that further proclaim? Yeah, what do you want?

1:04:22

So if there are— we have that— we'll talk about this, the Juneteenth proclamation at the 6 o'clock meeting, but it's a proclamation honoring Juneteenth based off of Utica significance. There is somebody who did submit a request to fly a flag over it. They did not request the council to do it. They requested the mayor. That application exists, I have no problems about it.

1:30:35

This is just a proclamation honoring Juneteenth and Utica's significance in it. There are people who requested to raise a Juneteenth flag. They requested the mayor to do it. It wasn't a Common Council requests. I don't know what— where the application stands with that, but anything we pass though could end up being a flag raising at some point for not just proclamations. If they wanted to.

1:31:00

Yeah, anything we pass, anything we pass is city expression, and that's— so we're not approving a flag. Anything we vote on is city expression. People have the right to do a flag application based off city expression. This isn't— this is just honoring— this is just honoring Juneteenth.

1:28:58

So thank you. Next one is City of Utica proclamation honoring Juneteenth event. Anybody have an issue on this?

57:46

I've got a point of order because I've got a serious question that actually relates to the Common Council in regards to legislation tonight. So Miss Aiello sent us a proclamation in regards to Juneteenth. Okay, no problem with that because usually you do proclamations all the time, no problem. She said, hi everyone, attached is a proclamation honoring Utica's role and significance in Juneteenth to be introduced and voted on tonight. Please let me know who would like to have their names added as a sponsor, as a sponsor, and we'll get this ready for tonight's meeting. So I responded to her, I said, dear Councilmembers, I have a genuine question. I promise it is not intended to be sarcastically. Do proclamations simply serve to recognize a month or cause, or does supporting a proclamation also imply support for a related flag raising? I ask because in the past the Pride Month proclamation and flag raising seemed to coincide. And I'm not— and I'm trying to better understand the distinction. If a councilmember supports proclamation recognizing a particular month or group, does that necessarily mean that they also support raising the associated flag, or are those considered separate actions? Thank you for clarifying this for me. And Miss Aiello responded, any and all ordinances, resolutions, or proclamations are deemed city expressions. People and organizations can fill out an application for a flag-raising ceremony for any number of city expressions. Now here's the thing, I mean, you're also now tying this to the flag because again, in that ordinance, it states that you have to have a resolution that supports that in order to have that raised.