HomeMy WebLinkAboutOn Defunding The Police & Investing In Community In San Luis Obispo (2)Carlyn,
Thanks for the speedy response. However, I find that statement to be awfully dismissive, which surprises me for a member of our community with such a title as yours.
If it isn’t made clear by the near daily protests, our community is hurting, crying out for a solution to the problem of police brutality in our city and our country as a whole. The
history of the police in the United States have an incredibly problematic history that is tied to the prison-industrial complex and is beyond the point of reformation. Labeling the
desire for a new system as “insane” is simply too apathetic from a Council Member. Do you not see the problem of our current police system?
The proposition is to create civil servants who will actually protect and serve our community — teachers, mental health professionals, crisis intervention specialists — rather than funding
police, who actively threaten our peace with riot shields, guns, gas masks, and tear gas.
Please reconsider your response and evaluate the issues at hand.
Respectfully,
Jakob McQuade
On Monday, June 8, 2020, Christianson, Carlyn <cchristi@slocity.org <mailto:cchristi@slocity.org> > wrote:
This is an insane idea.
Carlyn Christianson
Council Member
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Office of the City Council
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E cchristianson@slocity.org <mailto:cchristianson@slocity.org>
T 805.781.7122
C 805.550.9320
slocity.org <http://www.slocity.org>
________________________________
From: Jakob McQuade <jakobmcq@gmail.com <mailto:jakobmcq@gmail.com> >
Sent: Monday, June 8, 2020 12:33 PM
To: E-mail Council Website <emailcouncil@slocity.org <mailto:emailcouncil@slocity.org> >; Harmon, Heidi <hharmon@slocity.org <mailto:hharmon@slocity.org> >; Gomez, Aaron <agomez@slocity.org
<mailto:agomez@slocity.org> >; Christianson, Carlyn <cchristi@slocity.org <mailto:cchristi@slocity.org> >; Pease, Andy <apease@slocity.org <mailto:apease@slocity.org> >; Stewart, Erica
A <estewart@slocity.org <mailto:estewart@slocity.org> >
Subject: On Defunding The Police & Investing In Community In San Luis Obispo
Dear Mayor Harmon and San Luis Obispo City Council,
My name is Jakob McQuade and I am a resident of San Luis Obispo. 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. 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.
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.
Thank you for your time,
Jakob McQuade
1641 Garden Street
714 472 6501