HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-2021 Budget Review (10)Dear City Council,
My name is Karthik Padmanabhan and I am a resident of San Luis Obispo and a student 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 2020-21 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, equity, and inclusion line item.
Given the unfortunately frequent acts of racism throughout the years in the Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo communities, this is an incredible opportunity for SLO to be a leader in this
movement to care for its citizens. Recently, SLO has made national headlines solely for racist behavior with no action taken such as the blackface incident. With the police using tear
gas to disperse a crowd of peaceful protestors yesterday, it is time to recognize that this is not a one-time occurrence and action needs to be taken. The only way to show that the
city does not condone racial injustice and unnecessary use of force by the police (yesterday as well as many other instances) is to reallocate some funding from the police to other
measures and hold the police accountable for their behavior. There are thousands of people of color in this community whose voices are being drowned out. It is time to stand with EVERYONE
in the community, not just some.
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.
Thank you for all you do for the City of San Luis Obispo and for your consideration.
All the best,
Karthik Padmanabhan