swallan
commented
4 years ago To: steve.adler@austintexas.gov, Natasha.Madison@austintexas.gov, Delia.Garza@austintexas.gov, Sabino.Renteria@austintexas.gov, Greg.Casar@austintexas.gov, Ann.Kitchen@austintexas.gov, jimmy.flannigan@austintexas.gov, Leslie.Pool@austintexas.gov, Paige.Ellis@austintexas.gov, Kathie.Tovo@austintexas.gov, Alison.Alter@austintexas.gov
Subject: We cannot be "safer together" until you defund the police
Message: Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of [NEIGHBORHOOD/BOROUGH/CITY]. I am writing to express my dismay at finding that the city council passed Item 7, which granted the Austin Police Department over $400,000. Hitherto the passing of Item 7, the Austin Police Department accounted for over one-third of the city's budget. My disappointment will follow me and many others into the upcoming election unless progressive action is taken.
Above I-35, the interstate that effectively segregated Austin in 1962, hangs a monumental banner that reads, “One Austin Safer Together.” Yet, your officers wreaked violence on the city's tax-paying constituents who were practicing their first amendment right to protest.
-
APD shot Saraneka “Nemo” Martin, a pregnant woman, in the abdomen and back with a non-lethal round.
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APD shot Anthony Evans in the face with a rubber bullet, fracturing his jaw.
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APD shot Justin Howell, a student at Texas State University, with a rubber bullet, consequently putting him in critical condition with skull and brain injuries.
-
APD shot Brad Levi Ayala, a 16-year-old boy in the head with a rubber bullet, hospitalizing him. He was standing quietly on a hill when a rubber bullet hit him in the head.
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APD shot Bomani Ray Barton, a 23-year-old musical artist and sound engineer, with rubber bullets. Also hospitalized, Bomani had to get his jaw wired shut after a section of his mouth was ripped off, multiple teeth were knocked out, and his jaw was fractured.
Finally, we cannot, and should never, forget Michael Ramos, who was shot and killed by APD while unarmed in his car. It would be remiss not to note that the names mentioned all belong to people of color and are primarily Black.
Considering the actions of APD are antithetical to their ad campaign, this leads me to believe that the banner is treacherous and erroneous propaganda. Who is safer with the APD? Also, how much did that colossal blemish on the city cost to erect? Do you think the city could have, instead, spent that money on something that would benefit the community?
The funding provided by the passing of Item 7 could have been diverted into taking care of our community, such as providing funds for housing, education, healthcare, parks and recreation, or any other department that does not shoot its citizens. After hearing the pleas and the experiences that plague Austin’s Black community, you still chose to vote in favor of a system that is systematically racist. As recommended by the Austin Justice Coalition, please consider cutting the following programs that overtly perpetuates racial profiling and a culture of violence:
- Funding for new officers and the new cadet class,
- Weapons used against protesters,
- The Fusion Center,
- Surveillance,
- Driver License readers, and the AISD police force. Lastly, please reconsider "8 Can't Wait" before you vote on June 11. Under "8 Can't Wait," the reforms would increase the funding, tools, and technologies for the police. Moreover, the reforms proposed by "8 Can't Wait" are futile due to the lack of police accountability. If you do more research on the campaign, you will find that many cities already have these reforms in place, including Austin, and yet police brutality is still a rampant human rights issue. For example, most of these reforms were already in place in Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd was murdered by police. Reform is not enough. "8 Can't Wait" lacks foresight and is a band-aid solution. The police department needs to be abolished.
A better world is possible. A better Austin is possible. Will you help us get there?
[YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS] [YOUR EMAIL] [YOUR PHONE NUMBER]
emilyhuntsman
To: steve.adler@austintexas.gov, Natasha.Madison@austintexas.gov, Delia.Garza@austintexas.gov, Sabino.Renteria@austintexas.gov, Greg.Casar@austintexas.gov, Ann.Kitchen@austintexas.gov, jimmy.flannigan@austintexas.gov, Leslie.Pool@austintexas.gov, Paige.Ellis@austintexas.gov, Kathie.Tovo@austintexas.gov, Alison.Alter@austintexas.gov
Subject: We cannot be "safer together" until you defund the police
Message: Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of [NEIGHBORHOOD/BOROUGH/CITY]. I am writing to express my dismay at finding that the city council passed Item 7, which granted the Austin Police Department over $400,000. Hitherto the passing of Item 7, the Austin Police Department accounted for over one-third of the city's budget. My disappointment will follow me and many others into the upcoming election unless progressive action is taken.
Above I-35, the interstate that effectively segregated Austin in 1962, hangs a monumental banner that reads, “One Austin Safer Together.” Yet, your officers wreaked violence on the city's tax-paying constituents who were practicing their first amendment right to protest.
APD shot Saraneka “Nemo” Martin, a pregnant woman, in the abdomen and back with a non-lethal round.
APD shot Anthony Evans in the face with a rubber bullet, fracturing his jaw.
APD shot Justin Howell, a student at Texas State University, with a rubber bullet, consequently putting him in critical condition with skull and brain injuries.
APD shot Brad Levi Ayala, a 16-year-old boy in the head with a rubber bullet, hospitalizing him. He was standing quietly on a hill when a rubber bullet hit him in the head.
APD shot Bomani Ray Barton, a 23-year-old musical artist and sound engineer, with rubber bullets. Also hospitalized, Bomani had to get his jaw wired shut after a section of his mouth was ripped off, multiple teeth were knocked out, and his jaw was fractured.
Finally, we cannot, and should never, forget Michael Ramos, who was shot and killed by APD while unarmed in his car. It would be remiss not to note that the names mentioned all belong to people of color and are primarily Black.
Considering the actions of APD are antithetical to their ad campaign, this leads me to believe that the banner is treacherous and erroneous propaganda. Who is safer with the APD? Also, how much did that colossal blemish on the city cost to erect? Do you think the city could have, instead, spent that money on something that would benefit the community?
The funding provided by the passing of Item 7 could have been diverted into taking care of our community, such as providing funds for housing, education, healthcare, parks and recreation, or any other department that does not shoot its citizens. After hearing the pleas and the experiences that plague Austin’s Black community, you still chose to vote in favor of a system that is systematically racist. As recommended by the Austin Justice Coalition, please consider cutting the following programs that overtly perpetuates racial profiling and a culture of violence:
Lastly, please reconsider "8 Can't Wait" before you vote on June 11. Under "8 Can't Wait," the reforms would increase the funding, tools, and technologies for the police. Moreover, the reforms proposed by "8 Can't Wait" are futile due to the lack of police accountability. If you do more research on the campaign, you will find that many cities already have these reforms in place, including Austin, and yet police brutality is still a rampant human rights issue. For example, most of these reforms were already in place in Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd was murdered by police. Reform is not enough. "8 Can't Wait" lacks foresight and is a band-aid solution. The police department needs to be abolished. Please visit 8toabolition.com to learn more about why reform is not enough and what actions should be taken instead.
A better world is possible. A better Austin is possible. Will you help us get there?
[YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS] [YOUR EMAIL] [YOUR PHONE NUMBER]