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�n t OiUt7jl-1 ?U 1,C Cow l�- Good Evening, My name is Angela Byrne, and I live at 1894 Chatsworth Street North. My husband and I have been Roseville residents for six years. We purchased a home and plan to raise our 2.5 year old son here. I served on the Finance Commission in 2015, withdrawing before my term was over to become primary caregiver for my cancer-stricken mother. I have missed participating in City affairs, so I wish I could say that I am delighted to be sitting in front of you again tonight. Instead, I cleared my calendar and missed my son's bedtime to come speak to you about the racist behavior of a local business owner in my neighborhood. I am speaking of an incident of racial profiling against Maryam, who is here instead of at home with her family. The treatment that she received on July 1 st at the MGM Wine &Spirits was dubiously acceptable, at best. But the response Maryam received by the owner, Stacey Kuhlman, when she brought the matter to Stacey's attention, was appalling. Quote, "I assume you're black and we've had a lot of theft by Black people here lately." End quote. Unacceptable. Owning a store comes with an inherent risk of pilferage. And store owners have a right to have posted policies stating that customers can be searched at any time. However, it is clear that the search policy at Ms. Kuhlman's store is being applied in a racially-biased manner. Ms. Kuhlman has stated publicly that the store policy is to search bags based on size. I've shopped at this store many times since the Kuhlmans took ownership in 2015, and my purse is larger than the purse Maryam was carrying on July 1 st. (Hold up my bag) Do you want to guess how many times my bag has been searched? I did not personally witness the interactions between Maryam and Ms. Kuhlman. However, I have known Maryam for years, and I know that she would not make up this story. She receives no benefit by doing so. She is spending time and energy on this, rather than with her family or on other pursuits. She is putting herself and her family in a vulnerable position by publicly addressing the situation. But this is her reality, along with so many other people of color that live and shop in our community. More and more attention has focused on the fact that Minnesota is a wonderful place to live (look at the Council)...if you are White. The underlying racism and the racial disparities that result must be actively confronted, not merely swept under the rug. First, I ask that you issue a statement that we do not support this type of discriminatory behavior in our city. And then to support your statement, I ask that an investigation be conducted into whether the behavior discussed here tonight violates any City ordinances or Minnesota Law, including the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Thank you for your time tonight, and I look forward to seeing your response to the matter.