HomeMy WebLinkAboutSLO BLM Response (2)BSBA
SLACKSMALL OW NFSSASSOCIAT1ON Of CAL (FORMA
June 15, 2020
Mayor Heidi Harmon
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
RE: Black Lives Matter
Dear Mayor Harmon:
The Black Small Business Association of California (BSBA), which represents more than 1,000
independent contractors, sole proprietors, and self-employed, would like to express our concerns with
your social media post, comparing the current racial climate in America, to the environmental issues in
your city. While we understand what you were trying to communicate, we are not sure that you
understand that environmental justice exists because of and as a result of institutional racism.
We have seen protests all around the world condemning police brutality. Although the death of George
Floyd was the tipping point, the eruption that is playing out globally is in response to the consistent
mistreatment of Black people in the United States, dating back to slavery. The current crisis has
exposed the detrimental effect that a number of past and present laws have had on Black economic
independence. The Black community has suffered and continues to hurt deeply from institutional
racism in forms from Jim Crow, to Redlining, to police brutality, that have prevented equal access to
resources and opportunities in the very country we built.
The Clean Energy Choice Program for New Buildings on its face seems like a noble cause to support,
however, when conflating it with the protests and the pandemic, your message gets lost. If you are truly
committed to environmental justice as a component of racial justice, then you must acknowledge the
Black -owned businesses that will be harmed in your quest to for all businesses to go electric amid a
public health crisis. Black small businesses have been most harmed, economically, by the COVID-19
pandemic, and unfortunately, policies like the Clean Energy Choice Program for New Buildings creates
yet another barrier to doing business, for a group of people who are barely surviving.
BSBA believes there must be an intentional focus on helping Black small businesses. We respectfully
ask that you show your commitment to Black -owned businesses by ensuring they are not harmed,
along with the Black residents and the poorer residents who do not have the money to pay for the
changes required by this building ordinance.
Maya Angelou once said, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do
better." The San Luis Obispo Black constituency deserve better than a political play that will ultimately
cause many of them to shut their doors permanently or lose their homes. Understand the Black
community's history, and do what you can to help, not contribute to economic dislocation.
June 15, 2020
Page 2
BSBA is committed to fighting for policies that not only serve Black small business owners, but also
the Black community as a whole. Should you have any questions or want to set up a meeting, please
feel free to contact me at (916) 831-0428.
Sincerely,/
U
Salena Pryor
President
cc: Honorable Aaron Gomez, Vice Mayor
Honorable Carlyn Christianson, Council Member
Honorable Andy Pease, Council Member
Honorable Erica A. Stewart, Council Member
P.O. Box 1671
Sacramento, California 95812
916) 573-0677 www.bsba-ca.org