HomeMy WebLinkAboutSLO City Budget
Christian, Kevin
From:Sophie Mason <sophie_lucille@hotmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, June 2, 2020 3:10 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:SLO City Budget
Dear City Council,
My name is Sophie Mason and I am a resident of San Luis Obispo and a student at Cal Poly.
As you know, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and so many unnamed others have been
killed because of our country’s systematically racist criminal justice system.
The SLO community has not been immune to these issues. Last November, Cal Poly University Police was alleged to have
racially profiled a Cal Poly faculty member at a traffic stop. Earlier in 2019, a faculty member was pulled over by campus
police and handcuffed.
In light of these events, we ask that in today’s review of the 2020-2021 budget, you reallocate some of the funds
currently directed toward the police department to other programs and alternative forms of policing, such as
community policing, community development, or even a specific diversity, equity, and inclusion line item.
There are many other forms of restorative justice out there, such as police social work and community policing, that
have been proven to be effective in nonviolent situations. A link to this information can be found
here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311886.2016.1212636. Currently, police officers are not just
working on violent crimes, they also instigate traffic stops or arrest petty drug users, which leave too much room for
racial profiling and create high distrust in the community. Many duties of a police officer could be better handled by a
culturally competent social worker.
We believe this is a small request to begin to address the massive inequities systems of oppression that have been
perpetuated by governmental inaction. Though this will not fix the problem, it will move out city in a positive direction
and demonstrate a tangible commitment to addressing systematic racism.
Thank you for all you do for the City of San Luis Obispo and for your consideration.
Best,
Sophie Mason
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