HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/12/2021 Item 08, Golash
From:Assata Golash <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Re: SLO City 2021-23 Financial Plan
Dear San Luis Obispo City Council,
My name is Assata Golash and I am a second-year Forestry and Natural Resources Major at Cal Poly. Over the
past year and a half living in San Luis Obispo, I have grown to love living here and call it my second home. At school, I
have made lots of friends with diverse backgrounds and identities coming from a variety of locations. The City of San Luis
Obispo is supposed to be the happiest city in the United States, but how will my peers be happy and prosper in a
reduced harm city while the city continues to put money in terrorizing the community? How will my low-income
community members stay safe? How will my unhoused neighbors be happy? How will my LGBTQ+ community members
be happy? How will my Latinx community members be happy? How will my indigenous community members be happy?
How will my black community members be happy? I and many others demand that you divert the $50 million you plan
to spend on a new police department to building community resources and harm-reduction strategies. Investing in
the police terrorizes poor and BIPOC communities, it doesn’t actually reduce crime, and it wastes money that could go
towards community building.
Casey Goodson (26). Rodney Eubanks (25). Sincere Pierce (18). Angelo Crooms (16). Devon Tillman Gregory
(18). Stavian Rodriguez (15). Fred Williams III (25). Marcellis Stinnette (19). Karon Hylton-Brown (20). Kevin Peterson Jr.
st
(21). To name some of the BIPOC youth killed by the police since October 1, 2020. Who will be next? This is only to
mention those who are murdered. Many many more are beaten, harassed, and terrorized by the police on a regular
basis. What are you waiting for? Do not make excuses for your police department or your city. Police nationwide have
the same mentality and produce the same results. Don’t wait for one of our community members, one of my friends, to
be murdered to take action. Defund the police now, but at the very least do not spend this extra money on a new
police department.
Many scholars have done studies which prove that crime rates are not correlated with more police. Crime is
associated to a much greater extent with poverty. Logically speaking, why would you invest in something you know is
not working? When you could instead invest in programs to mitigate poverty. Funding the police not only gaslights the
experiences of many BIPOC communities, but it is straight up illogical. Do the research and make decisions for your
community members. I challenge you to read work by Michelle Alexander, Angela Davis, and Ruth Wilson Gilmore and
then decide where the money should go. It is really heart breaking that representatives I worked to elect make such
illogical decisions.
There are so many things this $50 million could go towards. Mental health services, trauma care services,
trauma response teams, tiny houses, food banks, and community gardens to name a few. Spending this money is really
a waste of resources and puts a bad name on the San Luis Obispo city.
I and many others demand that you divert the $50 million you plan to spend on a new police department to
building community resources and harm-reduction strategies. Investing in the police terrorizes poor and BIPOC
communities, it doesn’t actually reduce crime, and it wastes money that could go towards community building. Put your
money where your mouth is. If you believe in community, investing in a new police department is not the action to
take.
Thank you,
Assata Golash
1
She/her/hers
Green Campus Team Member
Intended Forestry and Natural Resources Major
2