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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREALLOCATE FUNDS (2) Christian, Kevin From:Georgina Bowman <gbowman626@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, June 2, 2020 2:04 PM To:E-mail Council Website Subject:REALLOCATE FUNDS Dear city council, My name is Georgina, I am a citizen of SLO and a student at Cal Poly. You are aware of the anti-racist climate that’s forming in SLO and across the country, an issue of this countries systemic oppression and internalized white supremacy. I ask you to reallocate police funding into other programs for youth and education that would particularly support the black and minority community. As a student of 5 years at Cal Poly and a member of this city, I, along with my peers, feel it’s crucial to stop supporting structures that further propagate racism, oppression, and imbalance of powers. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and SO many more have proven that this country desperately needs to wake up and be proactive in countering systemic oppression. I’d like to share an idea that could include the black and minority voices in how our city takes care of each other. The police, by and large, go unchecked in deploying force, and the underprivileged are the first to carry the burden. Please consider implementing a position or committee of trained, minority identity individuals to act as a body for the police to listen and take orders from. This is not hiring more minority police officers but instead professionals with a social working background, trained not in tactical force but community ethics and solidarity. This gap needs to be bridged. As a citizen of SLO, I want to offer my concern and suggestions, and of course help in anyway I can, which I’ll continue to seek opportunities to do and appreciate any resources you have Thank you very much for your time in reading this. I hope you consider this before you evaluate your 2020-2021 budget. We appreciate all that you do. All the best Georgina Bowman 1