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From: marinajrose camail.com <br />To: PublicComment; GRP -City Council; Council -Diane Howard; Council -Shelly Masur; Council -Alicia Aguirre; Council - <br />Ian Bain; Council -Janet Borgens; Council-Giselle Hale; Council -Diana Reddy <br />Cc: Paul Nauert <br />Subject: Item 9.A: Redwood City Resident for Defunding the RCPD <br />Date: Monday, June 22, 2020 5:29:11 PM <br />Dear City Council, <br />My name is Marina Rose, and I am a resident of Redwood City. <br />Please do not pass the proposed budget that allocates $49M toward an outdated and <br />punitive policing system that makes many residents feel unsafe. <br />• Redwood City has increased its funds for police by 79% since 2010 (source). <br />. Redwood City allocates a higher portion of its general fund to police than Mountain <br />View, Milpitas, Santa Clara, South San Francisco, and Palo Alto (source). <br />Having a larger police force with more weapons does not make my neighbors feel safer. <br />Instead, in the name of public safety use our resources to: <br />• De -militarize the police force <br />• End qualified immunity <br />• Create a public oversight commission that is not appointed by the police <br />• Create non -police response teams based on the CAHOOTS model in Eugene, Oregon (or <br />similar program in San Leandro (sources here and here). <br />• Develop a system of transparency of police records - what are the actual calls they <br />are going out on? How many of them are related to mental health, drug addiction or <br />homelessness? <br />Three years ago my friend, a 50 -something year old research librarian at a local <br />biotech company, left my house in Redwood Village and walked downtown. She was on <br />Middlefield Avenue when she was "pulled over." She was not greeted with a respectful <br />"How are you? Is everything ok?" She was yelled at to stop and put her hands up. Then <br />asked for ID. Then brusquely told not to move. At this point her heart is racing and tears are <br />streaming down her face. She was scared. She was not allowed to reach into her own <br />pocket to get her ID. The police office searched her pockets for it. She was asked if that <br />was really her ID. She was made to sit on the curb, with her hands behind her head while <br />the police officer took 30 minutes in his car. <br />When she told me this story I was angry and indignant. As a white person the first thing I <br />