PUBLIC COMMENT

Transcript (~8 min @ 38:45)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 38:33 Leila Migliorelli: At this time, I will, will motion by unanimous consent, um, and to approve without reading the meeting minutes from the city council meeting on October 6th, 2025. Seeing no objections. Um, these minutes are now approved. Moving on to public comments. I will motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment. Seeing no objections, we are now open for public comment per Rule 33 A of the Melrose City Council rules. This is the portion of the meeting where the public may speak on any item on tonight's agenda. Comments expressing any viewpoint on other matters are also welcome. Just a reminder, the public comment period is an opportunity for the public to share comments. Counselors will not respond. The public has up to five minutes for comments. So anyone willing to speak wishing to speak in tonight's meeting?

▶ 39:24 Speaker 6: Yes, please

▶ 39:32 Speaker 6: Trigger warning Sexual assault. And I'm gonna talk really quickly For you all. Um, good evening, city Council. My name is Annemarie Habin. I was born and raised in Melrose, but currently live in Stanford, Connecticut. You may remember me from when I spoke back in April. In support of the resolution put forth and affirmed by the city council supporting the goals and ideals of sexual assault awareness month, all counselors in attendance that night voted in support of the resolution. But in the months since it's become clear that more needs to be said. What I've, what I'm here again tonight to further, um, to offer further context, share a little bit of my personal experience and, um, continue the important conversation that that resolution called for. When I attended the next meeting on April 27th, I spoke to clearly outline the actions this council and everyone must take to support survivors and combat the pervasive societal problem of sexual violence. Sexual violence is an umbrella term for all sexual assault and abuse. You can't say you support survivors and or vote to affirm the resolution, supporting the goals and ideals of sexual assault awareness month, and then at the same time, continue to harm our victim survivor. Spread untrue rumors about her and try to discredit her, attempt to silence her, threaten the victim and or their supporters with defamation. Tell them they're just smearing the perpetrator. And watch idly as your friends try to eviscerate the survivor online, or maybe even participate in these heinous attacks yourself. To build upon my statement on how to support people who speak out about the harm inflicted on them. I would like to briefly talk about a common and favorite manipulation tactic used by abusers known as davo. DAVO was an acronym for deny attack, reverse victim and offender. This is a tactic that is being used by the perpetrator and his friends in the situation with me. When people are educated under darbo and can recognize it and when it's being used, they're less likely to fall for it when using dvo, the abuser first denies wrongdoing responsibility and the victim's account of what happened next, they attacked the victim, uh, which is the most insidious and aggressive piece of Davo. The perpetrator then positions himself as the victim and claims that the person who is actually the victim is the one causing trouble, the aggressor and a liar. This intentional reversal to be to being the victim by the perpetrator works out well for him among his friends and family as he recruits and grooms them to viciously attack the victim. As I have been subjected to by these people in Melrose, some people will pull away, not get involved because they're afraid of being subjected to the wrath of the perpetrator and his enablers. If anyone has been paying attention to the current events lately, DVO is a tactic that is that Prince Andrew used against Virginia Giuffre. We always see this, regardless of whether the perpetrator is famous, a lower level public figure, or even just a private citizen, anyone who has faced off against their abuser is familiar with this. With every attack launched against me, these people in Melrose further prove that I'm telling the truth. These are not impulsive teenagers with brains that aren't fully formed. Writing these horrific victim blaming rape culture perpetuating things to me. They're full grown adults in their forties, fifties, and older. I have gotten reliable information that the perpetrator of my assault is now going around spreading the rumor that my roommates from the trip, um, where he assaulted me, don't even believe me. This came from a friend of the perpetrator, although that friend is now unclear on whether this narrative originated from the perpetrator himself, or it is the narrative being circulated by the perpetrator in all of his friends. I don't feel that matters where it origin originated. It matters only that this is just another lie that is being spread to harm me. This is all quite interesting to me because this situation is not even a matter of my roommates believing me or not. They believe themselves and they know, and they have always known what he did as they were right there in the aftermath minutes after he did this. They are informed and intelligent grownups who know what sexual assault is and that a person who is so intoxicated cannot consent. I texted with one of my roommates from the trip last week when I learned what was being said and she texted me back and wrote For him to say that your roommates don't believe you is ridiculous. It's exactly as you said. It's amazing that he hasn't actually spoken to any of us. I can't recall ever having a conversation with him, like ever ignore his noise. I communicated her with her again last night, and I am sharing this publicly with her permission. I have screenshots available from the other roommate on the trip who I started having conversations with the this about this in via private messenger in 2017. I will not put my roommates in harm's way by asking them to make a statement on social media, which would likely subject them to the same vicious attacks that I have had to endure over the last few years. One of them has already been retaliated against by the perpetrator for supporting me and knowing what he did. Apparently I am also now being accused of accusing another Melrose City counselor of child sexual abuse information, which came from another reliable source. This complete fabrication is happening because I showed the damaging rape culture perpetuating things she was writing in a very public online form to the Melrose's High principle. This was the responsible and necessary action to show the principle what she had written and to explain why her public statements were so harmful in the fight against sexual violence and how her comments, especially as an elected community leader and coach at the high school, were undermining efforts to hold perpetrators accountable, support victims who come forward and prevent attacks on those who speak out. This was in no way, shape or form accusing her of child sexual abuse. This is more dvo by someone and or her friends who caused harm trying to turn it around and make themselves herself out to be a victim and the person who reported as the problem. What does this all mean for Melrose, the Melrose's community? Why is this so damaging, not just for me, but for all survivors? For people currently being abused and future victims? It's this is sending a loud and clear message to the entire Millers community that if you're thinking about coming forward about your assault or abuse, don't bother. These people attacking me are teaching victims to suffer in silence. They're showing everyone what happens to someone who speaks out. Victim survivors will be attacked, smeared, called a liar, painted as unstable and blamed for the harm done to them. The abuser will be shielded and defended in you as the victim will be made out to be the villain for being vocal when you did nothing wrong. These community leaders and their friends are telling victim survivors that their pain is inconvenient, their truth is unwelcome, and their courage will be punished. What is happening in this situation is not just personal retaliate, retaliation by the perpetrator. It's public intimidation. It reinforces the exact conditions that keep victims silent. Fear of not being believed, fear of backlash, fear of being threatened, fear of being socially ostracized and or re-traumatized. These things all sadly ca came true for me. This isn't just ex extremely cruel to me, but it weakens the moral fabric of Melrose and puts more people at risk. When survivors are asked, are attacked and silenced. Abusers are empowered, and when abuse is allowed to thrive in the shadows, the damage and the danger only grows. For more information about all of this and my experience, please go to my website, amplified voice healing.com. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else wishing to speak in public comment tonight?

▶ 46:20 Speaker 2: Is there anyone online? There's no one online. Okay.

▶ 46:21 Leila Migliorelli: This time I will motion by Nana's consent to close public comments. Public comment is now closed. Just for the um, record, we have a public hearing at eight o'clock, so I'm gonna try to read through these few words quickly. Um, new business under new business filings by the Honorable Mayor Appropriations