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From: Ann Myers To: Council -Diane Howard Subject: Protect people in Redwood City and CA Date: Friday, October 23, 2020 6:23:14 PM To Diane Howard, I'm writing to you today as your constituent and a human rights supporter to demand that you do everything in your power to protect the right to peacefully protest -- and that you take special measures to keep your constituents and communities safe from violence and armed intimidation, including around the elections. Everyone has the right to peacefully dissent. Free speech, peaceful assembly, and an independent press are vital freedoms. They are rights -- not privileges. But these rights are under attack. And as our elected leaders, you must pull out all the stops to defend them. I call on my mayor and governor to respect, protect, and fulfill these human rights by doing the following: 1. Protect and facilitate the right to peacefully protest: - Instruct your police departments to follow Amnesty International's best practices on the policing of demonstrations, and immediately send them (and city council members) this guidance: https:Hlinkprotect. cudasvc. com/url?a=https%3 a%2f%2f%2f%2fwww. anmestyusa. org%2fgood-practice-for-law- enforcement-officials-policing- demonstrations&c=E,1,ksE5unyKLzCrj fCJ3_EW SLxzxELJNiGsPkyDgEofz 1 EXbbOIMGL- 8S4KdwcsEu37GaLneISGLM 1 jLxOePTZW8cPOGXU8g_6xxbjm-w-mfBrH1Y_zWg„&typo=l - Demilitarize your police departments. Do not equip them in a manner more appropriate for a battlefield. - Do not use excessive force military -grade weapons. Chemical agents like tear gas can result in serious injury or even death. They should only be used as a last resort, with advanced oral warning, sufficient time to disperse, and all precautions taken to protect those at high risk and avoid harm. - Do not deploy the National Guard for the policing of protests, unless trained on these protocols. 2. Denounce racism, discrimination, and hate -- and take special measures to protect individuals and communities from armed groups: - Publicly denounce racist, xenophobic rhetoric and incitement to violence, and condemn armed private groups using hateful rhetoric and threatening intimidation and harm. Make it clear that such armed private groups are NOT authorized to protect the public, and that they pose a risk to the human rights and public safety of others. - If you haven't already, institute an immediate ban on firearms at and around polling locations, to ensure the safety of voters and poll workers and ensure no voter intimidation occurs. - Temporarily prohibit the open and concealed carry of firearms in public, including parks, recreational areas, and other gathering spaces. I urge you to hold your police departments accountable especially in the coming days and weeks -- excessive force must NOT be used, and police MUST allow protests to proceed peacefully as required by both U.S. and international law. I, along with thousands of other concerned people, am calling on you to step up and ensure that individuals are safe in their communities ALL of the time. Your constituents are watching. The world is watching.