AgdaPkt 2020-08-10 Special Joint SA PFA

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CLK-Pamela Aguilar From: Ray Fowler <rfowler242@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, August 9, 2020 5:33 PM To: Council-Giselle Hale Cc: GRP -City Council; Forward of Internet E -Mail Subject: Resolution Giselle I did not initially check your Facebook posting referenced by a Daily Post reporter on July 30. That was my error. I did check it this weekend. It reads, "I just submitted a referral asking Council to adopt a resolution in support of Black Lives Matters and to commission a mural or monument that visually affirms our support." That sounds a lot like you are proposing a new Black Lives Matter mural. I emailed you on August 3 about the mural comments attributed to you by the Post, and you responded to me on August 4, saying, "To clarify, in the post I made covered by the press you read I did not call for a Black Lives Matters mural... " Your August 4 response does not square with the Post's article about your Facebook posting. So, I followed up with another email on August 4 suggesting that you contact the Daily Post to clear up any misunderstanding about the Facebook posting. No response. It's curious that a Council agenda item was publicly posted 2-3 days after I suggested contacting the Post. That agenda item says, "Redwood City Council... Black Lives Matter: The council will consider passing a resolution in support of Black Lives Matter and commissioning a mural or monument in support of racial equity." Tomorrow night's agenda item seems to validate the Post's July 30 claim that "Hale seeks new mural." I am not on the Council and I do not have a vote on the agenda item noted above, but I stand by my comments made to you in my initial email on this subject. It read, in part, "I feel there is an opportunity here to show real leadership with respect to expressing support for justice everywhere, and our community can seize that opportunity in a positive way. As a result, I would propose an alternative public display. Something longer lasting than a mural. Perhaps a monument or sculpture placed downtown or in one of our many parks that captures the essence of the continuing struggle for justice." I feel such a public display should focus on a powerful message and not a movement. I consider myself very fortunate to have met Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the Little Rock Nine, and a few years later, Leon "Woodie" Spears, a Tuskegee airman. When speaking with them, what struck me was their incredible courage in confronting racism. Even though both men were humble and gracious, the message that we must insist on racial equity could not have been more clear. With that being said, how about renaming the Courthouse Square? Maybe call it the "John Lewis Freedom Plaza." Conceptually, perhaps a series of statutes or plaques or both representing the struggle for justice. Call it the "John Lewis Freedom Walk." In my opinion, the display should capture the struggle for justice by all marginalized and disenfranchised peoples. Here are some possibilities for a Freedom Walk Sojourner Truth: Ardent abolitionist and equal rights advocate; first black woman to successfully sue a white man in court Frederick Douglass: Tireless opponent of racial injustice and great supporter of women's rights; reconciled with the man who once owned him; said "Without a struggle, there can be no progress" Chief Joseph: Nez Perce peacemaker; resisted relocation and eventually led his tribe back to the Pacific Northwest; said, "Treat all men alike. Give them the same law. Give them an even chance to live and grow"