- 22 hours ago
ESSENCE talks with U.S. Congresswoman Val Demings and National Director at Black Voters Matter Tami Sawyer about voting and the current political climate.
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00:00Good morning and welcome. My name is Tanya Christian. I'm the news and politics editor
00:05at Essence Magazine. Today we have an amazing town hall in store for you. Right now what we
00:13want to talk about is everything that's going on in the nation. The protesting, the combating
00:21police brutality, voting, how that's going to work in November. And we have some special guests.
00:28First off, we have Commissioner Tammy Sawyer, and she is the National Field Director for Black
00:35Voters Matter. And so we're going to bring her in now. Hi, Commissioner. How are you?
00:40I'm great, Tanya. Thank you for having me this morning.
00:43Yes. Thank you for being here. You know, so much is going on right now. And we have an election
00:49that's, what, five months away. So I wanted to have you here to just talk about the work that
00:57you're doing to make sure that voting and everything coming up in November does not get
01:04lost. So can you tell me as National Field Director, what it is that you're doing? What's the mission
01:10right now? Absolutely. So as you know, like you just said, we have five months from November,
01:16but right now in the midst of all the chaos, people are actually still having primaries
01:22and down ballot elections. So there's been voting taking place all this week, last week. And for the
01:29next three weeks, people will still be voting all the way actually through August, I think the last
01:35set of primaries and state elections. And so what Black Voters Matter has been doing is we're having
01:41weekly town halls in each of the 11 states that we serve. We serve the traditional South plus Michigan
01:47and Pennsylvania. And so we're getting out information about how people can vote safely
01:52considering COVID-19. So that means how do you do absentee voting or mail-in voting, or if you have
02:00to go to the poll, how you can get information on if your location is open or closed and how you can
02:04vote safely. Additionally, we have resources for COVID-19 relief, especially that's connected to
02:12ensuring that voters are able to do so safely. Great. Now, are you hearing from people that there
02:18is a huge concern around voting right now and having to stand in line? We saw what happened in Wisconsin
02:25where those numbers saw an uptick after people waited in line to vote. So are there concerns? Are you
02:33hearing that? Oh, absolutely. It's a huge concern for us and one that we've definitely been organizing
02:39around. Our co-founder, Cliff Albright, when the numbers came out said, we cannot responsibly send
02:45Black people to the polls without protection. So that's why we're trying to ensure that people on
02:49the ground in each of these states get the resources to provide masks, to provide gloves. And there's so
02:55many organizations that are doing this mutual aid work so that we can reduce the infection numbers
03:00and still take up the duty to vote. I think that one thing is just, you know, trying to combat
03:08disinformation and make sure that people have the correct information about how COVID-19 is spread.
03:14Most importantly, wearing those cloth masks. You can make them from a sock, you know, but just wearing
03:19something to get out to vote. The problem is, as you said, the lines. DC voted this week, and I think
03:27they voted all the way till almost midnight or one in the morning. And that can be a deterrent to folks.
03:32But what we're finding is that we are in such chaos right now. And that Black people are saying,
03:38you know, this is one way I know that I can fight. And they're committed to staying in those lines.
03:42Yeah. And I'm so glad you brought up that point. Because like I said, this week has been insane.
03:48You know, we're dealing with two pandemics at this time. Black America is, at least. And we're seeing
03:56that a lot of times when these things happen, people are motivated to vote. Because, you know,
04:02you often hear the vote, vote, vote. You know, if you don't like what's going on, vote. And there's
04:07also been talk about nothing changes unless the legislation changes. Well, the only way the
04:13legislation changes is if we make sure we vote in people who are willing to change the legislation.
04:19So, again, from what you're hearing, are people more motivated to vote because of what's going on?
04:27Absolutely. I mean, in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, I know right now that there is a
04:32graphic circulating of everyone who's elected that represents Memphis. A young Black woman,
04:37Kirsten Cheers, made that and is getting that information out about when people can vote, how they vote,
04:42when these terms expire. People are wanting that information. We have so many elections across the
04:49country. You have your local elections. Then the next year you have state elections. Then the next
04:52year is a presidential election. And I think people forget who they're voting for and what those roles
04:57do. So now I'm seeing local people in each of these states really start to get the information out
05:03and say, wait, don't just be mad at the police director. A mayor appoints the police director and
05:09the mayor election is in X, Y, Z. And so people are really starting to hold people accountable to what
05:15their seats can do. As a commissioner, I feel that. And I think, you know, I'm in an organization of
05:22young elected Black leaders, and we are all sharing legislation that we can do in each of our roles,
05:28whether we are in local state or federal positions, everything from cutting, you know, the budget of
05:35our police departments to putting in the eight can't wait recommendations across our states.
05:41Great. I know also when it comes to the elections, there are the general elections that we have in
05:50November, but then there's also these local elections, like you've mentioned a couple of times
05:54on social media. I saw it was vote quadrant and it was pretty much talking about how the judges and the
06:03district attorneys and all of that are things that we need to be paying attention to. So I want to talk
06:10about the district attorney races specifically, because I feel like during this time, a lot of
06:18that conversation is coming up because as we know, district attorneys are the ones who are tasked with
06:24making sure that these police officers are held to are accountable. So can you speak on that just a
06:33little bit? Absolutely. You know, Tanya, the district attorney races are going to be the most important
06:38races in the next five years for all of us. And I say five years because I don't know when everyone's
06:43DA's race is, right? But first, let me just say happy birthday to Breonna Taylor, because there's still
06:50no charges for the people who burst into her home and killed her violently. If you have a district attorney
06:58who sees black lives as valuable, who recognizes that you can hold police accountable while also,
07:05you know, you can be, you can uphold the police and respect the police and thank them for putting
07:12their bodies on the line while also holding them accountable when heinous acts like this are
07:16committed. Breonna Taylor doesn't deserve for there's still not to be charges in her case when we all know
07:23what happened video or not. You know what I mean? George Floyd, the country didn't have to burn for
07:30nine days for them to finally upgrade the charges. But if we put our power in our district attorney and
07:35our prosecutorial elections, those reactions will happen much quicker. I'm going to be short because
07:42I'm a long winded person. I have to shout out Marilyn Mosby because, you know, she got so much
07:51black for standing up for black people in Baltimore. If you don't know Marilyn Mosby, you know, she is
07:59a bad A district attorney. And, you know, she made sure those Freddie Gray charges went out and she
08:08told the world, this is how we're going to respond to the death and abuse of black lives. And a lot of
08:14people didn't have her back. And I consider her a pioneer. And that's the type of person we should be
08:18elected. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm glad you brought her up because I actually saw a story about her last
08:25week because obviously in Minneapolis, you know, they wanted to bring up the Freddie Gray case. They
08:32said, well, you know, that was a rush to charge those officers. And we wanted to make sure that we
08:37had all the information before we charged them because we didn't want another Baltimore Freddie Gray,
08:44which is insulting to the work that she did, because as you said, she was one of the first to
08:52even say, listen, this happened to a young black man, his life mattered, and the police officers who
08:59are responsible should be held accountable. And it's interesting because in the Freddie Gray case,
09:06obviously there was the surveillance was not there, right? So it's easy for Minneapolis,
09:11or I should say, it's easier for Minneapolis to come to that decision because they had the video
09:18evidence right there. But as a black woman, she took it upon herself with the criticism and all that
09:24to still prosecute these people. And, you know, I think sometimes that does get lost. And that's why
09:32I'm so glad that we're talking about these district attorneys races because they are important.
09:37Um, what would you say are the, I mean, all, all the races are important, but what should people
09:43really be looking out for, um, when it comes to, you know, elections, uh, on the local level? What are
09:51you, what do you think are some elections that we as a community are just missing and we're not showing
09:56up enough? Yeah, I would say definitely in addition to the district attorney's race, um, make sure that
10:03you understand the power that your mayors have, uh, they appoint a lot of people. And if the mayors
10:10aren't aligned with, uh, the mission for what black lives need and, you know, the 20 twins or moving
10:17forward, then, you know, they're going to appoint people who are going to continue the systemic
10:22oppression of black lives. Um, so making sure that you are getting real platforms, you know, we've been
10:29used to, I'm here for education. I'm here for, you know, tell me how you're here for education,
10:35right? Tell me how you care, how much of your budget is going to go to education. Um, in my County,
10:4250% of our budget goes to policing and we say we don't have money for education, right? So how do you
10:50change that? And I, and so I think what we have to be doing when we're looking at elections is saying,
10:55no, talk to me about the budget. You can talk to me about the issues, but what are you going to do
10:59with the budget? Um, another thing that we don't pay enough attention to our clerks positions,
11:04they set fines and fees. Um, so in Memphis, a few months ago, we had a young man who, um,
11:11you know, was in jail and couldn't get out for a hundred dollar bail. And the next day he was found,
11:16you know, deceased in his cell. And those are the type of things that just, it just doesn't make sense
11:22for this to be happening, Tanya. And if we ensure that our clerks are set up, um, that we're putting
11:28the right people in who will lower these types of fees, who will lower your bail ratings. You know,
11:33I also have to shout out, um, the, uh, DA, then the prosecutor in St. Louis County, he came in right
11:41away and, uh, Dr. West, he came in right away and he said, I am no longer going to, uh, put out,
11:48you know, any charges for low level offenses, such as, um, child support and marijuana.
11:56And the majority of the people who are in our jails, um, are people who can't pay bonds,
12:01but you have DAs who will say they're thugs, murderers, rapists, all of these things using
12:06coded language when really it's a lot of people who are poor and can't afford, uh, to pay a hundred or
12:12two hundred and fifty when they're caught with weed or, um, when they're behind on their child
12:16support. And so what is your DA? What are your prosecutors? What are your mayors? And what are
12:22your clerks who set these fees, uh, saying they're going to do? Let's get away from where are you on
12:28the issues, ask how they're going to redistribute the wealth to ensure that we're not funding,
12:33um, militarized police, but we are funding education. We are funding youth services and we're
12:39getting the money into our community instead of against it. I like that. Thank you for that. Um,
12:44and then lastly, um, I just want to know as far as people who feel like their voice is not being
12:51heard, you know, you see a lot, well, I'm not going to vote because voting doesn't matter. So what
12:57message would you send to them today? Um, Tanya, I ran for mayor last year of Memphis and 10% of the
13:05people in our city came out to vote. Um, and if 50% had come out, the trends would have been
13:11different. If a hundred percent had come out, my headline might say mayor Tammy Sawyer, uh, you know,
13:17and I don't have a crystal ball, but I do know that in any city, it's egregious that 10% of the
13:24community is voting. And so what I will say to everyone is I don't believe in shaming us because
13:30I get why you're not voting. I get why a young black person is saying this process is not for me
13:35because why do we trust any process in this country, seeing as how that comes for us.
13:40But I am a acolyte of Fannie Lou Hamer and she walked 17 miles to register to vote. And when she
13:49got there, they beat her so badly that she almost lost her life. And then they threw her in jail for
13:55a week. Y'all, that was only 60 years ago. That was the beginning of our parents' lifetime.
14:01So we are still, we are only the first generation that can walk into a voting booth and press a
14:07button. And they're still trying to keep us from doing that. In each of our states, there is
14:11legislation that is funded to limit our rights to vote, to take polls away from, you know, our parts
14:17of the city, to, um, take away absentee ballots, to keep us from doing mail-in in the time of COVID
14:24because they know that if we get mail-in, more of us will vote. So ask yourself, if they're fighting
14:29so hard for us not to vote, then there must be power in our vote. So you are powerful. And I think
14:35one of the reasons that people don't vote is because they don't feel powerful. And I just want
14:39to remind y'all that we have all the power and it's not just in voting. There's so much more we have to
14:44do. It's one tool to dismantle the systemic oppression of black people, but let's take that power back
14:49because if all of us voted, we'd run this country. Thank you.
14:54Thank you so much. I love it. I love it. Tim, thank you so much for joining us today. Um,
15:03I really appreciate your, your gems on voting and, and you, you know, you're in it, you're in the
15:10weed, you're doing that work. So, you know, it's always good to hear from someone like you.
15:14Thanks for the opportunity. Y'all have a great day. All right. You too.
15:19So next up we have Congresswoman Val Demings. Um, she's going to be speaking to us about everything
15:27that's going on. In addition to the fact that she is a potential VP pick for Joe Biden.
15:33So without further ado, let's welcome Congresswoman Val Demings.
15:37Good morning. And it's great to be with you.
15:40Thank you so much for being here. I know that things are really crazy in DC and we were speaking
15:47before you said you just got back to Florida. So I, I, you know, we appreciate you making the time
15:52for us. Um, it's great to be with you. And let me say this. I could have listened to commissioner
15:59Sawyer all day long. I just love her fire. I love her plan. I love her vision for the future.
16:05And it's that kind of excitement, Tonya, with all of the challenges that we have is that kind of
16:11excitement and ingenuity that is going to take us to the place where we are destined to be. So, um,
16:17great guests. Absolutely. Um, and you know, something that, uh, the commissioner mentioned
16:25when she was speaking to me, um, is about budgets and, um, and education is something that she harped
16:32on. And I know, uh, earlier this week, you were speaking on a late night show, you were speaking
16:36to James Corden and you mentioned, you know, yes, the issues that we're fighting for, it is police
16:43brutality. We are upset about that, but there's also things within corporate America and within our
16:50education system that just aren't right. So can you elaborate on that a little bit more?
16:56Yeah. You know, I talk quite a bit about America's promise. Um, and I think, you know,
17:02I grew up in the South. I grew up in Florida. I'm the daughter of a maid and a janitor, but America
17:08made a promise based on his constitution, that this would be the land of opportunity that we would
17:15be treated equally and have a fighting chance in a country that we say is the greatest country in the
17:21world. And certainly the issue before us right now is police brutality. It's not new. It's something
17:28that we have been dealing with for a long time, but I reviewed a few years ago, uh, the Johnson
17:35commission report that was completed in 1965. They were looking at crime and policing in America. So
17:42we're talking about 55 years ago. And of course they said, we got to hire the best people to be
17:48policemen at that time. We've got to give them the best training and we've got to give them the best
17:54equipment to do the job. And then there was a big, but we've got to look at poverty. We've got to look
18:02at economic development. We've got to look at education. If a child is going to have any chance
18:08of succeeding in this country, especially black and brown children, we got to give them a good
18:14quality education. We have to look at housing jobs and wages. And so as we hold America to its promise,
18:22as it pertains to, we want the brightest and the best to police our neighborhoods. We have to hold
18:28America to its promise and all of the other social injustices that occur as well, because that is the
18:37only way that we can get to the place where we need to be. Absolutely. And you're a former police
18:45chief, uh, who has now, you know, moved into, um, politics. So at this moment in time, how does it
18:53feel to, you know, have been on that side? I know you, I know you wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post
18:59and you're like, what's going on? What, what's, you know, what is really happening? How do you feel in
19:05this moment? You know, before I became a law enforcement officer, I was a social worker
19:10and I was a social worker working with broken children and broken families. Yeah. And so I took
19:16that experience to the job of being a law enforcement officer, realizing that we cannot arrest our way
19:22out of the issues that we face. Many of them I just talked to you about earlier. We were talking
19:27about the social ills. We have to address the social ills that cause crime in communities in the first
19:33place that caused communities to be left behind in the first place. And so as a police chief,
19:39we did a lot of things to address education, to address housing, to build relationships and trust
19:45within the community. Many times we sat down with the community to talk about some of the toughest
19:51challenges that we faced and how we needed to move on. It has been painful, um, as it has been painful
19:57for everybody that has been watching what is going on. I'll start with Mr. Floyd's family.
20:04I cannot imagine the grief that they must be going through for someone who is charged with,
20:13or has taken an oath to protect and serve, to die in the hands of that person.
20:19Yeah. Um, that's grief and that's pain. But then every person that is taken to the street of all
20:25ages to make their voices heard to say enough is enough. So when I wrote my op ed, Tanya, I was
20:34talking to the family. I wore the uniform for 27 years. So I was trying to remind the brothers and
20:43sisters in blue who I consider my family, brothers and sisters in blue. What in the hell are you doing?
20:51Because you are supposed to represent everything that is good about this country. And I know the
20:58overwhelming majority of them are good, decent people, but it only takes one or two bad apples
21:04to ruin the whole bunch. So we have to stop and call out the misconduct when we see it.
21:11But number two, as you mentioned, how do I feel being in this space, being an African-American
21:15female who grew up in the South, I'm also talking to and reaching out and feeling for my family.
21:25And that's the Floyd family and other families that have been treated unjustly and inappropriately.
21:33And their loved ones have died at the hands of police officers or other people who just couldn't
21:39get over the fact that a Black man was in their community, for example. And so, because we know
21:46every bad incident has not been the police, but there is, I think, this overriding issue that we have
21:54to deal with, and that's racism in America. So I look through the lenses of a social worker.
22:01I look through the lenses of a law enforcement officer. And I look through the lenses as an
22:09African-American female with three handsome African-American sons. And so, you know, if you're
22:18Tony, you're either part of the problem or you're part of the solution, just like the people who have
22:25been demonstrating and leading movements, not just now what we see, but people like John Lewis,
22:31who I have the honor of serving with every day in Congress. We're either going to be part of the
22:38problem or part of the solution. And we have to do what we've always done in this country when we face
22:44tough, unbelievable times. We've come together and demanded that our voices were heard and we've been
22:52able to affect change. What I've just realized, and I think a lot of people do, is we can never give
22:58up. We can never rest. Right. It's a never-ending process. Racism 400 years ago, racism today.
23:07Absolutely. Now that you're on the political side, you have the opportunity to bring forth legislation,
23:13and that has come up quite a bit. You know, we have to focus on the legislation. So what are some of
23:20the laws that need to be changed in order to make sure that the people who are committing these
23:28heinous crimes against Black bodies are held accountable? You know, I had the honor of serving
23:34as an impeachment manager just a few months ago. It seems like it was 10 years ago, but it's just
23:39like now. And a lot has happened since then. But I said just about every day that no one is above the
23:52law. And I meant that. And I was talking at the moment about the president of the United States
24:01needing to be held accountable. That the president of the United States is not above the law.
24:09So surely, I'm not above the law. And surely, law enforcement shouldn't be above the law.
24:17And surely, any other person in any other profession or any other place or any other role
24:22should not be above the law. People want to see accountability. Yeah. I mean, that's the bottom
24:29line. We want to see accountability and accountability in all things. And so, you know, I'm so proud to be a
24:37member of the Congressional Black Caucus because this is an issue that the Congressional Black Caucus
24:42has been dealing with long before I became a member of Congress. But I'm so glad to join them
24:47in their work. And they have several pieces of legislation that they will be moving forward
24:51that deals with police misconduct, training, policies and procedures, dissent decrees, some other things
25:01that as well. Also, next week, we will be having a hearing. I'm a member of the Judiciary Committee,
25:09and we'll have a hearing on racial discrimination and law enforcement. And so that is the beginning
25:15process this round, this go round to have the hearings and then do what we call markups on the
25:24legislation. We'll look at the different pieces of legislation because there are so many. And we'll
25:30look at trying to craft the best, most effective, the most immediate pieces of legislation moving
25:36forward. Like I believe we need a strong and serious office of standards, law enforcement
25:45standards and training comes out of the Department of Justice that can help police departments regardless
25:52of their size, because you have 10 persons agencies and you have 36,000 person agencies. So regardless of
25:59your size, let's look at some standards as it pertains to hiring, as it pertains to diversity, as it pertains
26:05to training, particularly use of force training, as it pertains to de-escalation training, which is so
26:11very important, which may prevent an officer from ever having to go hands-on in the first place,
26:17to look at community-oriented policing training and how to establish better relationships and trust in
26:23the community, which is also something, quite frankly, that the police have to work on every day. You can't
26:29wait till you're in the middle of an issue or a crisis to start working on that relationship.
26:35Also the Office of Civil Rights in terms of an additional investigated arm that can look at
26:44police misconduct along with our state and local authorities to make sure that there are checks and
26:51balances in place to make sure that we hold them accountable, but also make sure that they have the
26:57training and the skills that they need to be able to do a good job. So it's holding them accountable,
27:04but also helping them be able to succeed. Right. Yeah. You have to equip them with the tools.
27:12Definitely. You know, as I was introducing you, I did mention that you are being considered as a
27:19potential VP pick for Joe Biden, who is now the presumptive Democratic nominee. And so I wanted to know from
27:28you how that feels one, but also what are some of the, what are some of the issues that you think are
27:35important for our next president to be considering?
27:41Tanya, let me say for me, and I've already mentioned to you that I grew up the daughter of a maid and a
27:47janitor. I watched my parents work extremely hard. My dad used to go to work seven days a week to make
27:54ends meet for a family, not to buy luxurious things, but to keep a roof over our head and food on the
28:01table. And so, you know, when I think about the opportunities that I have had because of their hard
28:07work and their commitment and their prayers, I feel a direct obligation to make sure that I am creating
28:14those same kinds of opportunities for every boy and girl, every man and woman who should have the
28:23opportunity to live the American dream. I'm committed to doing that regardless of what seat I'm in. So
28:30when I look at my background and my life, and now my name is, is, you know, I'm being considered to serve
28:36as the vice president of the United States. That's what America is supposed to look like.
28:42As we think about issues, criminal justice reform. It was one of my top issues. It has been one of my
28:50top issues because I've been a part. I've seen it from the inside out. I've seen it from the outside
28:57in criminal justice reform, but also we've got to deal with other social injustices. We've got to look at
29:06jobs and wages. People who go to work every day. We have persons who go to work every day. They're
29:14working more than one job and they're still not making enough money to pay their rent because they
29:20have to pay over 50% of their income in rent. We've got to look at education. If our children
29:27are going to have any chance to succeed, they've got to be able to get a quality education regardless of
29:33their zip code or the color of their skin. And then what do we need to work on? What about having
29:40a president or a team who understands that they represent all people in America? Now, that was
29:48something I thought I would not have to say. You know, I thought we look at, oh, how much experience
29:55do you have? Have you ever been in public office before? And, you know, what schools, what ivory
30:02league school did you attend? Well, our first question now needs to be, have you ever done anything
30:09for anybody else other than yourself? Do you realize that you represent everybody in this country and that
30:19you have a direct obligation to make sure that people have the resources that they need to have
30:27a fighting chance? And so as we look at all of the issues in America right now, we've got to, as we talk
30:36about giving police, hiring the brightest and the best and giving them the tools that they need to do a
30:42better job. How about holding America to its promise to the many families who are struggling every day?
30:51So we've got to do a better job in those areas as well. Absolutely. And so my last question,
30:57same as with the commissioner, you know, there's been a lot of talk about this general election that's
31:02coming up in November. It's just a few short months away. I think oftentimes the conversation now is
31:09Joe Biden or Trump. And for many in black America, it's also an option of staying home.
31:18And for people who vote, that's always, well, that's a vote for Trump. But at the same time,
31:23people are not motivated to vote if they feel as though there's not a candidate out there that really
31:30speaks to them. So what message would you send to those people who are considering staying home
31:36in November? Well, the message for me would be to explain to them how much we need them.
31:47We will not win this fight without them. If we look historically in our country, whether it was the
31:54women's rights movement or the civil rights movement of voting rights movement, there were young people
32:02people who led those movements. Dr. King was 26 years old when he first started or first got involved in
32:12the civil rights movement. John Lewis was 17 years old. We will not win without them. We need their talent.
32:21We need their time. We need their wisdom. We need their energy. We need their passion. And we need their strength.
32:29And I would just ask them to think about those who came before us and whose blood, sweat and tears
32:39were in the struggle. Some of them died along the way, and then they passed the torch to the next
32:45generation. And here we are again, fighting the same struggles that they were fighting 50, 60 years ago.
32:56But the torch has been passed, and we need the young people to understand that we will not get to that
33:04place in this country where everybody has a fighting chance without them helping us carry the torch along
33:13the way. And I understand why they are discouraged. I can understand why they would feel it doesn't matter.
33:24I can only imagine that Dr. King and Rosa Parks and Ralph Abernathy and Andrew Young and others,
33:32Jesse Jackson, felt that way, felt weary and tired and disgusted along the way. They were able to see
33:40past the obstacles that were directly in front of them, which were ugly and brutal, to a better America.
33:47And we are a better America today because of the work that they did. We will be a better America in the
33:54future because of the young people who will join us in this effort and flood the polls and vote for the
34:02people who have their agenda in mind. I heard Commissioner Sawyer talk about hold people accountable,
34:10whether it's the President of the United States, members of Congress, state and local levels,
34:17that we have to hold everybody accountable. And we need their vote in order to do that.
34:24And so while I understand being weary and tired and discouraged, it is in those times,
34:32the darkest hour is just before dawn. We need a change in November and they can help us make change happen.
34:42Yeah. Thank you for that message. Absolutely. Congresswoman, again, I thank you for being here.
34:48I know you have a lot going on and you are fighting for our community. So I appreciate you taking the time.
34:54For everyone who joined us today, thank you for being here and thank you for listening to this
34:59important message. Until next time, take care. Thank you.
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