00:00I'm honored to join all of you in Washington at the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 94th Winter Meeting.
00:07I'd like to begin by thanking my close friend and your conference president, Mayor David Holt,
00:14not only for inviting me to say a few words, but for modeling in Oklahoma City,
00:21the kind of cooperation that gets real results and changes life in positive ways.
00:27You come together for this meeting at a time when your leadership has never been more important.
00:38In communities all across America, in ways large and small, and most searingly in Minneapolis,
00:48where Mayor Jacob Frey carried a heavy load and will, we have seen unprecedented actions by ICE.
00:57People, including children, have been seized from their homes, workplaces, and the street by masked agents.
01:05Peaceful protesters and citizens exercising their constitutional right to observe and document law enforcement
01:12have been arrested, beaten, tear-gassed, and, in the cases of Renee Good and Alex Breddy, shot and killed.
01:21Local authorities have been frozen out of investigations into wrongdoing.
01:28It's made all our communities less safe for residents and local law enforcement alike
01:33and eroded the essential trust that must exist between the people and their government.
01:41And none of it's been necessary.
01:43All of it was avoidable.
01:47What you said as a conference a few days ago is right.
01:51This is not a Republican, Democratic, or independent issue.
01:55It affects all of us as Americans, regardless of party,
02:00who believe in our fundamental freedoms and the enduring strength of our communities.
02:05As leaders on the front lines of these challenging times,
02:11your experiences, and more important, your leadership, carry tremendous weight.
02:19Just as you try to get America on a path of constructive affordability for ordinary citizens,
02:29as our new mayor Mondami has done in New York City,
02:33we are all being tested about who we are as a nation and what we really stand for.
02:43Over the course of a lifetime, we face a few moments, and only a few,
02:49where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come.
02:57I believe this is one of them.
02:59If we give our freedoms away after 250 years, we might not ever get them back.
03:08So it's up to all of us who believe in the promise of American democracy
03:12to stand up, speak out, and show that our nation still belongs to we the people.
03:19So I hope you'll use your time in Washington and home and beyond to make your voices heard,
03:27that the current course is unacceptable,
03:30that immediate de-escalation is necessary,
03:33and that we are better than this.
03:38I hope you have a great meeting.
03:40I'm truly sorry I can't be there, but I am so grateful for all you do as mayors all across the country,
03:48in states and cities red and blue,
03:51to make our cities laboratories of democracy and growth and innovation.
03:59We need you now more than ever.
Comments