HomeMy WebLinkAboutReallocating the budget AWAY from police
Christian, Kevin
From:Chloe Comstock <chloecomstock04@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, June 2, 2020 2:03 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Reallocating the budget AWAY from police
Dear city council,
My name is Chloe Comstock and I am a resident of San Luis Obispo and a student studying Political Science and Religious
Studies at Cal Poly.
As you know, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, adn so many unarmed others have been
killed because of our country's systematically racist criminal justice system.
In light of these events, we ask that in today's review of the 2020-21 budget, you reallocate some of the funds currently
directed toward the police department to other programs and alternative forms of policing, such as community policing,
community development, or even a specific diversity, equality, and inclusion line item.
We believe this is a small request to beging to address the massive inequities and systems of oppression that have been
perpetrated by government inaction. Though this will not fix the problem, it will move our city in a positive direction and
demonstrate a tangible commitment to addressing systematic racism,
Now, I'm going to get personal with you. I am white. I will never fully understand how blacks are treated in our society. I
have heard a lot of talk about completely aboloshing police. My initial thought was "well then who is going to keep me
safe?" That is white priviledge. So many people do not see police as a means of safety. They see police as a violent
institution that is able to take their life away for no reason and get away with it. Policing started in America as men who
would capture and return runaway slaves. Ever since the first African was taken on a ship so America to be used for his
labor, racism has been sewn into the fabric of the policeforce, and of our nation. I believe that our main job now is to do
anything to listen to people's color, and for the first time in American history actually start meeting their demands.
While I do not see us abolishing police anytime soon, we can take steps in the right direction to make sure all of our
community is heard. Please, I beg of you, reallocate some of our funds away from the police. You could put it towards
providing more testing for COVID, community development, homelessness, or even improving diversity through more
resources and education.
Do not take the easy way out. Do not sit in your white priveledge. It is time to get uncomfortable. It is time to take
action. And I promise that if you do, you will get some resistance. You will get resistance from the same people who feel
comfortable in their white lives and don't want anything to change. But I also promise you that if you make this change,
a whole bunch of us will be waiting with open arms to say thank you. Thank you for doing what is right. Thank you for
caring about our people of color.
So it comes down to one question: Are you willing to get uncomfortable in order to be on the right side of history? I
certainly am, and I hope you are too.
Feel free to share this email with whomever you like.
And please, give this a chance.
Best,
Chloe Comstock
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