JULY 10, 2019 LISTENING SESSION MINUTES Rio
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VIRGINL4 BEACH CITY COUNCIL
Virginia Beach, Virginia
July 10, 2019
David L.Hansen, City Manager opened the EMPLOYEE LISTENING SESSION in Building 19, Training
Room A &B, 2416 Courthouse Drive, at 6:00 P.M.
Council Members Present:
Michael F. Berlucchi, Mayor Robert M. Dyer, Barbara M. Henley,
Rosemary Wilson and Sabrina D. Wooten
Council Members Absent:
Jessica P.Abbott
Louis R. Jones
John D. Moss
Aaron R. Rouse
Guy K. Tower
Vice Mayor James L. Wood
2
Attached are the Notes taken by City Staff along with an overview of each of fifteen (15)speakers
comments.
•
July 10, 2019
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The Employee Listening Session concluded at 6:51 P.M.
1
Amanda Barnes, M
City Clerk
July 10, 2019
City Council Listening Session
July 10, 2019
Bldg. 19, Training Room A & B
1. Thomas M. Colson, Public Utilities — Business:
Comments:
➢ Worked in building 2
➢ Barricaded, (was)fearing for his life, (has)emotional scars,
PTSD
➢ No regards for the survivors
➢ Employees are in tight quarters (currently)with no privacy,
must eat/talk at a picnic area and deal with issues like
inclement weather
➢ Received no additional time off after the Tragedy
➢ (Military) veterans prepare for this sort of event but there
has been no preparation for civilians
➢ Funds from the United Way are going to the victims and
injured — not the other survivors
2. Daryll Johnson, Public Utilities:
Comments:
➢ Bldg. 2 survivor
➢ "Reaction was not based on people who went through the
tragedy"
➢ Need support — "Now we need you to think about us, the
existing staff who continue to go to work"
➢ What we heard is not what we saw
➢ Needed more time before coming back to work
➢ Gets sick every morning (before coming to work)
3. Rasheda Gregory, Public Utilities:
Comments:
➢ Was in building 2 at time of shooting
➢ This is what life is like every day — a molested child being
moved across the street but having to look at the house
where molestation happened
➢ Stomach hurts, gets little sleep, could not watch fireworks
with family, which happens each year, because it takes me
back to May 31
➢ Wakes up several times during the evening to make sure the
doors are locked
➢ All the memorial services are not allowing us to heal
➢ I did not sign up for this when I filled out the application
➢ Citizens calling every day — not caring about us being shot at
➢ WE ARE NOT O.K.
4. Robin Stamper, ECCS:
Comments:
➢ Thank you, opposed to guns/weapons in the work place
➢ IT will (make) the environment unstable
➢ VB is greatest City in the world
➢ Provide stellar service from Mgr/Supervisors/Dept. Directors
➢ Satisfactory work is current
➢ Bldg. 2 — Employees do not return but believes bldg. should
be renovated
➢ Serve our citizens is our business
5. Vincent Smith, Public Works — Engineering:
Comments:
➢ Thankful for people with badges
➢ Allowing concealed weapons may have stopped evil
➢ It's a good building, support renovating and naming "531"
➢ Evil exists not possible to stop all evil
➢ Millions stripped of their rights to satisfy the few
➢ Underlying mental health issues need to be addressed —
multiple levels
➢ Citizens have rights to safety — employees must surrender
their rights to safety when they come to work
➢ Completed hours of research on study of municipalities who
allow weapons in work space
➢ (Representatives)Richmond underway to strip rights
➢ This is what progressive organizations do
➢ Stagnant leadership
6. Esther Dornin, Pubic Works — Engineering Storm Water:
Comments:
➢ Collaboration with staff
➢ Thank you
➢ Don't feel safe
➢ Outside surveillance metal detectors, First Aid kits were
lacking
➢ Active Shooter training during orientation
➢ Different notification of active shooter such as: "emergency
button", lights up on phone, 911 reverse system,
➢ Barriers solid core door/locked door —office layout "maze",
easy access to get out
➢ Taking advantage of mental health service
7. Charles J. Loveless, VBPD:
Comments:
➢ Responded to bldg. 2
➢ Began to search, render aid and look for other victims
➢ Police are humans and suffer from PTSD
➢ Biggest issue (mass shooting) some officers will face in their
life
➢ Many officers are unable to speak (out about shooting)
➢ (The City is) asking officers to re-enter the building
➢ Memories of cell phones ringing and visions of victims
➢ Can still remember exactly what happened that day
➢ Honor victims — survivors are victims too
➢ Tear down the building
➢ Still see building and remember what happened
➢ Stairwells are what we had to go up and down
➢ Please do not name it "531"
8. Norbert Kuhn, Public Works — Engineering:
Comments:
➢ Not in building at time of shooting
➢ Need an Emergency Mass Communication System
➢ "Adhoc"
➢ Bypass 911 operators
➢ No question if emergency is real
➢ Employees saw bodies and the shooter
➢ Employee called 3 times, 911 operator questioned "is that a
body, where is the building"; employee hung up on operator
• Fire alarm — "seconds matter"
9. Brent Werlein, Public Utilities — Engineering:
Comments:
➢ Bldg 2 employee
➢ Not in office at the time of event
➢ Disappointed how this event has been handled
➢ Does not appreciate asking people to stand up and give their
name in front of the media and strangers
➢ "You know what the internet does to people"
➢ You should visit the employees at their workspaces, funerals
etc.
➢ Thank you if you did attend and if you did what I'm asking
➢ Find a way for employees to get help without using personal
leave, new employees have to use PTO leave
➢ Move PD into bldg. 2
10. Christine Smith, Public Utilities-Business Division:
Comments:
➢ Receptionist
➢ "Mourning" trying to adapt and trying to heal
➢ Having to "use personal time for appointments
➢ "We are broken"
➢ "We need help healing"
➢ Worked with the shooter
➢ "Stairwells are hard"
➢ Co-workers were family
➢ Tear down building 2
➢ Can't go by building anymore!
11. Todd Grissom, IT:
Comments:
➢ Bldg. 2 employee, ex-wife in Bldg. 2
➢ A fixed VBAlert system a priority
➢ "Stop the Bleed" training for everyone as well as any
additional training
➢ "I love building 2 and am happy to return to work"
➢ Next of kin notification "sucked"; having to wait to tell kids
12. Tiana L. Randolph, Commission of the Revenue:
Comments:
➢ Security: knives/mace/weapons prevent attacks
➢ Bldg. 2 should be renovated into a gym, interactive activities
(allow for networking) — if not bldg. 2 another building
should serve that purpose
➢ Mentally ill people kill people, guns don't kill people
13. Tara MaGee, Public Utilities:
Comments:
➢ Counselors only there 2 days a week
➢ Pray for Public Utilities
➢ Was in bldg. 2 — trapped
➢ Mental health important, training that needs to be done,
unable to return to work
➢ I have been changed, pray the change is for the better later
down the line
➢ Mandatory supervisor training, work place violence
➢ I would never feel safe
➢ Employees disrespected, culture in Public Utilities is what we
witnessed
➢ No regard for survivors, heard the shot
➢ City responding horribly
➢ I was there at 4:14; that was the shot that took his (Keith
Cox) life
➢ City demanded (they) return 14 days later
14. Matt Berg, ECCS-911:
Comments:
➢ Supervisor in his department
➢ Agree to have weapons
➢ You never know when someone will make the decision to
hurt someone.
15. Tionna Thomas, Public Utilities:
Comments:
➢ Employee in bldg. 2
➢ Virginia Beach is a business
➢ No matter what have to remember all victims
➢ Will always be the building where "Tragedy" happened
➢ Guns not problem or answer
➢ Based on how we are treated in Public Utilities — have not
gotten anywhere
➢ (must) deal with management in department
➢ (must) use personal time for appointment; do not have a
time to get help
➢ Can't give to customers if we don't have it to give
➢ We are the reason why Virginia Beach is thriving