HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/16/2020 Item Public Comment, Patterson
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From:Joy Patterson <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:June 16 City Council Meeting Public Comment
June 16, 2020
To: Mayor and City Council of San Luis Obispo
Public Comment Relating to the San Luis Obispo City Council Meeting Agenda
I have been greatly concerned by the San Luis Obispo Police Department's use of tear gas to disperse peaceful
protest on June 1. SLOPD must respect the First Amendment rights of the public to peaceably assemble and
petition for the redress of grievances. Deploying crowd dispersal measures against a peaceful protest does
not respect these rights, and such actions expose the City to liability for violation of constitutional and civil
rights. Furthermore, such actions are not respectful of the public, both the protesters and any bystanders
who may be exposed to such crowd dispersal measures. In addition to these concerns, I am concerned by the
use of tear gas and pepper spray, both of which irritate the respiratory system, in the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic, as COVID-19 is known to attack the respiratory system and outcomes tend to be worse for patients
with underlying respiratory issues. To this end, deploying tear gas against protesters strikes me as incredibly
irresponsible on the part of the Police Department. I urge the city of San Luis Obispo to consider banning the
use of tear gas in policing, or at least suspend its use during this pandemic. The toll it takes on public health,
both on the targets and on bystanders as a result of drift, must be duly accounted for when considering its
use. Similarly, flash bang grenades, rubber bullets, and pepper spray can have deleterious effects upon those
subjected to them, including loss of sight and hearing, and the resulting burden on public health and social
programs caused by such injuries should be taken into account. For these reasons, I urge the city to consider
banning the use of such devices.
In order to prevent police violence, the City of San Luis Obispo should ban choke holds and strangleholds,
require de-escalation, require that all alternatives be exhausted before shooting, ban shooting at moving
vehicles, establish a use of force continuum, and require all use of force by police be reported. Pursuing these
polices in addition to further and continued engagement with the community will help prevent further violent
incidents and will improve the general welfare of our city. I look forward to the Council and Chief Cantrell's
presentation on these matters during the June 16 meeting.
Joy Patterson
Resident, San Luis Obispo
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