HomeMy WebLinkAboutResident Concern
Christian, Kevin
From:Emily Mariko Taketa <etaketa@calpoly.edu>
Sent:Tuesday, June 2, 2020 12:33 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Resident Concern
Dear City Council,
My name is Emily Taketa and I am a resident of San Luis Obipso and a junior at Cal Poly.
As you know, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and so many unnamed 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 2020-2021 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, equity, and inclusion line
item.
We believe this is a small request to begin to address the massive inequities and systems of oppression that
have been perpetuated by governmental 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.
I understand you may be receiving a lot of these kinds of emails right now, and I understand that you all are
under a lot of pressure to keep our community safe. I don't believe you all or the police are the enemy, I
want the community and our local government to be able to work together. What you do isn't easy, and I
sincerely appreciate what you do to make San Luis Obispo a good place to live. I love it here, and I hope that
it continues to improve for all people. I understand there are limits on how you can act, and that you cannot
please everyone, but please consider these requests. In the least, it could help in calming tensions of the
community of college students towards the local government. I hope you are all staying safe and taking care
during this time.
Thank you for all that you do.
Best,
Emily Taketa
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Class of 2022
History
Pronouns: she/her/hers
etaketa@calpoly.edu
(916) 765-9349
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