AgdaPkt 2020-10-05 Special Study Session

Metadata

Thumbnails

Annotations

From: Ian A. Walker To: GRP -City Council Subject: Public Comment for 10/5/2020 Meeting: Item 4A Date: Monday, October 5, 2020 5:09:10 PM Dear members of the City of Redwood City city council, I'm deeply concerned that the staff report misrepresents the findings from the PCRC listening sessions. According to the Stanford report, the NUMBER ONE request was for defunding and descoping the police. However, the staff report significantly downplays this and doesn't even list it as one of the feedback categories. I know the council is reluctant to make major changes, and that you would prefer much smaller and less disruptive actions like additional training or new use -of -force guidances. However, study after study has shown that these minor tweaks have no effect. The problem of policing is not "a few rotten apples." It's the whole system. Even setting up a citizens oversight committee --a step the council has not yet embraced --does not work, because these committees do not have the tools necessary to force change, like subpoena power and the ability to discipline and fire officers. The ACLU is on record saying that the measures Redwood City is discussing, such as trainings and new use -of -force policies, do not have any meaningful impact on reducing police violence and abuse. The only way to make things better for our communities is to move the focus AWAY from policing and focus on non -police, life -affirming public services instead. This is what the community is overwhelmingly asking you for, in meeting after meeting, email after email, phone call after phone call. Please listen to what the experts and the members of your community are all telling you. Take this opportunity to start reducing the police force. Spend that money on other services instead. We are in crisis, and our city should be helping its people, not policing and punishing them. Thank you, -Ian Walker