wendywx
commented
4 years ago Hi @defund12ty ! Thanks for your interest in adding Anne Arundel to the site. Could you please provide more detail about the county budget to make a more compelling argument, showing the disparities in numbers?
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Thank you!
jim.rosapepe@senate.state.md.us , ben.barnes@house.state.md.us , mary.lehman@house.state.md.us , joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us , sarah elfreth@senate.state.md.us , shaneka.henson@house.state.md.us , dana.jones@house.state.md.us , seth.howard@house.state.md.us , bryan.simonaire@senate.state.md.us , ned.carey@house.state.md.us , nicholaus.kipke@house.state.md.us , brian.chisholm@house.state.md.us , pamela.beidle@senate.state.md.us , sandy.bartlett@house.state.md.us , mark.chang@house.state.md.us , mike.rogers@house.state.md.us , edward.reilly@senate.state.md.us , heather.bagnall@house.state.md.us , michael.malone@house.state.md.us , sid.saab@house.state.md.us
To whom it may concern,
My name is [NAME] and I am an Anne Arundel County resident. I am one of many Anne Arundel County residents urging politicians to defund the police and for those dollars to be rerouted to create a public national healthcare system. We are asking our elected officials to divest from the AACPD, and invest in social services and education programs, effective at the beginning of FY 2021. We have seen clearly from experience, and from all current research, that armed police do not promote community safety and wellbeing, and in many instances perpetuate violence.
I am reaching out to you today to urge you to support the residents of Anne Arundel County in our efforts. Black communities are living in persistent fear of being killed by state authorities like police, immigration agents, or even white vigilantes who are emboldened by state actors. According to the Urban Institute, in 1977, state and local governments spent $60 billion on police and corrections. In 2017, they spent $194 billion. A 220 percent increase. Despite continued profiling, harassment, terror and killing of Black communities, local and federal decision-makers continue to invest in the police, which leaves Black people vulnerable and our communities no safer.
Join us by taking the pledge to: Vote no on all increases to police budgets Vote yes to decrease police spending and budgets Vote yes to increase spending on Health care, Education, and Community programs that keep us safe.
Thank you,
[NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE NUMBER]
[DATE]