BACK
BACK IN
BACK IN 2016, CHARLOTTE CITY LEADERS FOLLOWED THE LEAD OF MOST OTHER LARGE CITIES AND
PASSED A NONDISCRIMINATION
ORDINANCE.
IT WOULD PROVIDE PROTECTIONS
FOR FOLKS WHO MIGHT NOT
OTHERWISE BE COVERED BY STATE
AND FEDERAL LAWS.
ONE SMALL ASPECT ALLOWED
TRANSGENDER FOLKS TO USE THE
RESTROOM THAT CORRESPONDS WITH
THEIR GENDER IDENTITY.
STATE LAWMAKERS DID NOT LIKE
IT.
THEY STRUCK DOWN FAIR OR NOT.
THEN NORTH CAROLINA GOT LABELED
AS INTOLERANT AND IN NEGATIVE
PRESS COVERAGE THAT THAT
FOLLOWED NATIONWIDE CONCERTS
WERE CANCELED.
SPORTING EVENTS WERE PULLED OUT
OF THE STATE.
BUSINESSES STOPPED RELOCATING
COST THE STATE JUST A TON OF
MONEY.
WELL, THIS PAST WEEK THE STATE
LAW EXPIRED.
THAT MEANS ONCE AGAIN AND HE'S
LIKE CHARLOTTE CAN PASS
NONDESCRIPT ORDINANCES.
BUT GIVEN WHAT WE'VE BEEN
THROUGH, WILL THEY LIKE TO
BEGIN WITH YOU ?
I THINK THE LARGER CITIES IN
THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT
NOW WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO
HAVE THE CONVERSATION AS A CITY
CO CITY
IN THE STATE.
ARE YOU ALL GOING TO TRY TO DO
THIS AGAIN?
THE SHORT ANSWER IS IS I DON'T
KNOW YET.
>> BUT I DO THINK THAT IT'S
IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND
THE LANDSCAPE IN RALEIGH
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO CREATE
ANOTHER HOUSEFULL TWO
SITUATION.
AND I THINK THAT SOME OF THE
CONVERSATIONS THAT WERE
OCCURRING A COUPLE OF MONTHS
AGO IS THIS SUNSET DATE STARTED
TO APPROACH WORK CONSIDERING
THAT THERE WAS A CHANCE THAT
THE GENERAL SIMILARLY COULD
HAVE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP.
IT DOES NOT MEAN HARDSHIP OF
THE REPUBLICANS WAS REELECTED.
BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE
DOWN THERE AND I THINK THAT
ANYTHING CHARLOTTE DOES NEEDS
TO BE VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT AND
IN COORDINATION WITH OTHER
COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE
BECAUSE WHILE WHAT WAS DONE IN
2016 WITH THE NONDISCRIMINATION
ORDINANCE WAS DONE WITH THE
BEST OF INTENTIONS AND
CERTAINLY ALL THE THINGS IN IT
ARE ARE THINGS I SUPPORT PEOPLE
SHOULD NOT BE DISCRIMINATED
AGAINST FOR ANY REASON.
BUT IT ENDED UP DOING MORE HARM
THAN GOOD.
AND I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO
RECREATE THAT SITUATION.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO VERY,
VERY THOUGHTFUL AS WE GO
THROUGH ANY CONSIDERATION OF
REBUILDING THAT ISSUE.
>> TALK IS ONE OF THE
REPUBLICANS ON COUNCIL.
YOU MIGHT BE RELIED ON HEAVILY
TO REACH OUT TO THE FOLKS UP IN
REPUBLICANS ON COUNCIL. YOU MIGHT BE RELIED ON HEAVILY TO REACH OUT TO THE FOLKS UP INA
WORKABLE THING GOING FORWARD?
>> I MEAN I I SAW AS ONE OF THE
LAST REMAINING REPUBLICANS LAST
IN THIS WORLD HERE FOR LARGE
CITIES AT LEAST I TALK A LOT TO
THE LEADERSHIP IN THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY AND FOLKS I HAVE A
FINGER ON THE PULSE THERE AND
I'LL TELL YOU THERE'S IT'S NOT
AS BAD AS IT USED TO BE BUT
THERE'S STILL RELATIONSHIP
CHALLENGES HERE.
WE'VE DONE ALL THAT WE COULD
POSSIBLY DO TO TO HELP REPAIR
THAT IN THE LAST THREE YEARS
AND I THINK WE'VE WE'VE MADE
SOME PROGRESS AS A TEAM HERE
BUT IT'S WE HAVE TO BE WE HAVE
TO BE COGNIZANT OF THE FACT
THAT THIS IS DILLON RULE STATE,
WHICH MEANS THE WE DON'T JUST
GET TO GO AROUND AND AND SAY
WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND SAY
WE'RE GONNA TEACH THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY THIS OR THAT.
THERE ARE REAL CONSEQUENCES AND
IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOUR
POSITION IS ON A SPECIFIC
TOPIC.
AND I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE
THE REALITY KIND OF PRAGMATIC
INSTANCES HOW WE NEED TO THINK
IS ELECTED LEADERS.
IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM AT A
POLITICAL LEVEL THAT WE
SEE WITH THE HOMICIDE RATE
WHICH IS CONFLICT RESOLUTION.
WE ALL WANT DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE HAVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
FROM URBAN TO RURAL.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO GO ABOUT
MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T END
UP MAKING A DESIRE TURN INTO A
DISASTER WITH UNINTENDED
CONSEQUENCES?
SO MY HOPE IS THAT WE CONTINUE
FORWARD WORKING WITH THE
ELECTED BODY IN THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY AS IT'S DEFINED RIGHT
NOW AND AS YOU JUST SAW THERE
AND THAT THAT MEANS RECOGNIZING
THE THINGS THAT ARE POSSIBLE
WITH THEM, THE THINGS THAT ARE
NOT POSSIBLE AND THE THINGS
THAT ARE THAT ARE TRIGGER
WARNINGS AS IT RELATES TO THIS
WILL ESCALATE A PROBLEM
LURKING.
>> YOU KNOW, THERE ARE FOLKS UP
IN THE GENERAL FAMILY WHO WILL
TALK ABOUT THIS BATHROOM BILL
AND PUT OUT REALLY EVIDENCE
THAT THAT DOESN'T EXIST AT
LEAST IN WIDESPREAD NUMBERS
ABOUT MEN DRESSED AS WOMEN
GOING INTO BATHROOMS AND
THREATENING PEOPLE.
AND YOU KNOW T NOT
ACCURATE AND YOU KNOW THAT'S
NOT HAPPENING.
CAN YOU IN GOOD FAITH NEGOTIATE
WITH THESE PEOPLE?
WELL, I THINK TO THE BATHROOM
POINT SPECIFICALLY, I THINK
THERE WAS ACTUALLY A PROVISION
AND I HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK THIS
BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS A
PROVISION IN THE LAW THAT THEY
PASSED THAT OVERTURNED HOUSE
BILL TO.
>> I THINK WE STILL COULD NOT
NECESSARILY GO BACK AND TACKLE
THE BATHROOM ISSUE AGAIN.
BUT I THINK PART OF IT IS AND
YOU SAID IT IN THE EARLIER
PIECE ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC WHEN
YOU KNOW BETTER YOU DO BETTER.
SO PART OF IT IS HAVING THOSE
CONVERSATIONS AND TRYING TO
EDUCATE AND I DON'T SAY THAT IN
A TRYING TO SOUND PATERNAL OR
ANYTHING BUT JUST TRYING TO
HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT
MAYBE SOME OF THE FEARS THAT
THEY HAVE OR SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT THEY'VE HEARD ARE NOT
NECESSARILY FOUNDED IN TRUTH
AND THAT THOSE ARE NOT RISK.
THOSE ARE NOT THINGS THAT THEY
SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S GOT TO IT'S GOT
TO TAKE A GENUINE CONVERSATION
AND IT'S GOT TO TAKE TWO
PARTIES TRYING TO HAVE THAT
CONVERSATION IN GOOD FAITH.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE AS A
CITY ARE COMMITTED IN HAVING
THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN GOOD
FAITH HOPEFULLY A NEW YEAR NEW
NEW ERA, NEW CONVERSATIONS