HomeMy WebLinkAboutDefunding the Police (3)Dear Mayor Harmon and San Luis Obispo City Council,
My name is Nicole Raithel and I am a resident of San Luis Obispo; I grew up in Paso Robles and am currently attending Cal Poly.. 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. Next year, the city estimates that there will be a $8.6 million deficit as a result of the
pandemic. I plan on becoming a high school teacher; reallocating money towards education would mean so much to me The city may recoup these funds by decreasing the police budget.
I demand 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. 30% of SLOs population is latinx, and the rest are mainly students, young families, and the elderly. SLO has always been regarded
as a safe place full of peaceful citizens— there’s no need for police brutality to take place.
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. I understand this is a huge undertaking, but the difficult
work you do will be worth the reward.
Thank you for your time,
Nicole Raithel
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Nak Raithel
they, them, theirs
Cal Poly, SLO