Dear Reno City Leadership,
I am a resident of Reno. I am writing to demand that Mayor Hillary Schieve and City Council to do everything in their power to adopt a budget that prioritizes our community well-being and redirects funding away from the police in the next budget evaluation period.
We have seen mounting evidence that police departments are racist and ineffective institutions that put citizens at risk of injury and death, yet the police budget accounts for 36% of our general fund.
I am asking that chief of police Jason Soto IMMEDIATELY BE REMOVED AS ACTING CITY MANAGER. He CAN NOT be allowed to manage our city’s budget when he directly benefits from appropriating as much funding as he can to the police department. This is a conflict of interest that reflects negatively on all members of city council as he was elected unanimously.
I ask that you redirect a significant portion of the $41.9M allotted for policing towards community programs that provide citizens with basic human needs like affordable healthcare and housing. With over 20% of our residents currently unemployed, we need funding to address the needs of people hurting from the effects of COVID 19, people experiencing homelessness, and the marginalized communities in our city.
Our community is in pain along with the nation. We desperately need a reevaluation of our city's priorities.
Thank you for your time,
[YOUR NAME][YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL][YOUR PHONE NUMBER]