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From: Amelia H <br />To: PublicComment <br />Subject: Public Comment on Board, Commission and Committee vacancies - 6.15.20 <br />Date: Monday, June 15, 2020 3:45:38 PM <br />Hello, <br />I've been a Redwood City resident for about 2 1/2 years. My comment relates to the <br />board, commissions and committees interviews. <br />First, for the Housing and Human Concerns Committee. As many of our residents <br />know, access to safe, affordable, and accessible housing is a pressing issue. <br />Committee members should be willing to advocate for policies that will improve <br />material conditions for all residents who are impacted by the current gentrification and <br />rent crisis. <br />As a result, I encourage the Council appoint Stasha Powell, Angela Piazza and <br />Katie Goetz. <br />Regarding the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission, there appear <br />to be many fine candidates. However, I recommend the council not reappoint Jim <br />Dudley. Jim Dudley has pushed for more law enforcement in public spaces and <br />supports divisive public figures on social media. <br />For example, Jim has advocated for keeping SROs in schools, despite discomfort <br />expressed by local students and teachers. In addition, he supports broken windows <br />policing measures, which have been historically used to promote racial profiling and <br />encourage gentrification. Both of which harm our communities of color. <br />In addition, Jim contributed material for a book by Heather Mac Donald, an <br />controversial political commentator who supports destructive policing/surveillance <br />practices, including: stop -and -frisk tactics, the Patriot Act and government -mandated <br />torture. For example, Heather once told Rush Limbaugh that former President Barack <br />Obama is "attacking the very foundation of civilization' by giving credibility to Black <br />Lives Matter." And she argued that Donald Trump is not racially divisive because he <br />"rarely uses racial categories in his speech or his tweets." <br />Jim frequently supports Heather's inaccurate positions on social media. <br />Given his long history of advocacy for increased policing and his questionable social <br />media presence, I believe Jim is not the right fit to help guide our parks, which are <br />open public spaces utilized by families and many members of our community. <br />By appointing Stasha, Angela and Katie, and not reappointing Jim, the City Council <br />has a chance to prove that they care about all the communities that make up our fine <br />city. <br />Thank you, <br />Amelia Rose <br />