HomeMy WebLinkAboutYou know what this is about_Mayor Harmon and San Luis Obispo City Council:
My name is William Johnson. I am a politically active resident of San Luis Obispo and 5-th year student at Cal Poly SLO. I am writing to demand that the San Luis Obispo City Council
adopt a city budget that prioritizes community well-being, and redirects funding away from the police.
In 2019, the City of San Luis Obispo allocated 36.3 million dollars to our police system, an inordinate 27.5% of our total budget. This is compared to just 7.3% of the budget, $9.7 million,
allocated towards community development, with only $1.4 million towards housing development. Yikes. Next year, the city estimates that there will be a $8.6 million deficit as a result
of the pandemic. More yikes. The city may recoup these funds by decreasing the police budget.
I demand and implore that the City Council begin meaningfully defunding the San Luis Obispo Police Department and re-allocate those funds to programs proven to more effectively promote
a safe and equitable community. We need funding for community-based mental health services, substance abuse treatment services, affordable housing programs, not police. I demand a budget
that reflects the actual needs of San Luis Obispo residents.
History has shown that police "reform" is not enough. No more money, and more importantly, no more lives must be lost to police. We must take a hard look at the way the current system
in place fails to serve-and in fact actively harms-our community, and come together to reimagine the role of police in our city.
I am urging you to completely revise the budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, and to invest in the people, not the police. It doesn't take a historian to realize that our collective
actions today will fill the textbooks and museums of tomorrow. Moreover, if history is to repeat itself (it will!), then our posterity will look favorably on those of us who took stands
(both responsive and proactive) to end brutality and centuries-old inequities. Our special city, our pained world, and our fragile future are all watching with bated breath.
Thank you for your time.
Will Johnson
1293 Fernwood Dr. 93401
wjohns06@calpoly.edu <mailto:wjohns06@calpoly.edu>
(858) - 735 - 4560