HomeMy WebLinkAboutImprove Diversity & Equity in SLO - Please Invest in the CommunityDear Mayor Harmon and San Luis Obispo City Council,
My name is Martine Lappé. I am a resident of San Luis Obispo and an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Science, Technology, and Society at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. I am a nationally
recognized expert in health, illness, and inequality, and I am writing to demand that the San Luis Obispo City Council adopt a city budget that prioritizes community well-being and
builds an equitable city. This requires redirecting valuable resources that have been spent on policing toward healthcare, affordable housing, universal childcare, anti-racist education
throughout our K-12 schools, scholarship programs for community and four year colleges in the area, and harm-reduction-based counseling and social work services for our community. These
are the actual needs of San Luis Obispo residents. Investment in these resources, rather than policing, has been proven to lower crime rates, lead to more economic prosperity, increase
the diversity and overall well being of residents.
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 and 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 and investing in the long term wellbeing of our community.
History has shown that police "reform" is not enough. No more money, and most importantly no more lives, must be lost to police. The current system actively harms-our community, and
we have an opportunity to improve it with the choices you make for next year's budget.
I am urging you to come together to reimagine the role of police in our city and revise the budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
Please, invest in people, not the police.
Thank you for your time,
Martine Lappé, PhD
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Science, Technology, and Society Program
Social Sciences Department
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Email: mlapp@calpoly.edu <mailto:mlapp@calpoly.edu>
Phone: 805-756-1761
Fax: 805-756-7019
Pronouns: she, her, hers