The city needs to allocate the funds from SJPD to resources for the community. Instead of providing more police in the streets of San Jose, terrorizing citizens and bystanders, the city needs more parks, recreational centers, public libraries, housing for the homeless, mental health programs, and other programs that benefit the community. I strongly oppose the outrageous amount for SJPD. We need more programs for the community not more police.
As the Secretary of the Friends of the Alum Rock Library I have seen the help that the library gives to those community members who do not have access to computers, connections to the digital world. Crime prevention starts at the library....it gives these community members access to resources for education and jobs. Please do not severely cut the library budget.
I urge the council to reconsider the amount of funding going toward the SJPD. More police funding is addressing the symptom of crime and violence, not alleviating the root issue: poverty & wealth disparity. People resort to crime & violence because they lack the support from upbringing and opportunities to get out of those situations. Funds should be re-routed to support our underserved communities in the form of improving public education, accessible health services, and housing support.
I have been raised in SJ my entire life - having lived in both East & Southeast parts of the city & now working in North SJ. It is disgustingly apparent that there are great disparities between these neighborhoods in regards to education, economic stance, health care, and public safety, just to name a few. It is imperative to reallocate a portion of the proposed police funds to supporting our at-risk neighborhoods by focusing on public education and health. Please reconsider the proposed budget.
The city needs to allocate the funds from SJPD to resources for the community. Instead of providing more police in the streets of San Jose, terrorizing citizens and bystanders, the city needs more parks, recreational centers, public libraries, housing for the homeless, mental health programs, and other programs that benefit the community. I strongly oppose the outrageous amount for SJPD. We need more programs for the community not more police.
As the Secretary of the Friends of the Alum Rock Library I have seen the help that the library gives to those community members who do not have access to computers, connections to the digital world. Crime prevention starts at the library....it gives these community members access to resources for education and jobs. Please do not severely cut the library budget.
I urge the council to reconsider the amount of funding going toward the SJPD. More police funding is addressing the symptom of crime and violence, not alleviating the root issue: poverty & wealth disparity. People resort to crime & violence because they lack the support from upbringing and opportunities to get out of those situations. Funds should be re-routed to support our underserved communities in the form of improving public education, accessible health services, and housing support.
I have been raised in SJ my entire life - having lived in both East & Southeast parts of the city & now working in North SJ. It is disgustingly apparent that there are great disparities between these neighborhoods in regards to education, economic stance, health care, and public safety, just to name a few. It is imperative to reallocate a portion of the proposed police funds to supporting our at-risk neighborhoods by focusing on public education and health. Please reconsider the proposed budget.
As a lifelong San José resident, educator in public higher education, & health equity advocate, & I strongly favor reallocating part of purposed policing funds to invest in our most vulnerable communities: to uplift our public schools, support our most at-risk sheltered & unsheltered residents in an unprecedented time of crisis & increase community care services. We are San José; We have a duty & an opportunity as a global powerhouse to set an example & be the change we want to see in the world