Dear Denver City Council,
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of [NEIGHBORHOOD/BOROUGH/CITY].
I am writing to demand a reallocation of funding from the Denver Police Department to social and public programming for our communities. With record unemployment and a seemingly intractable pattern of abuse and unequal treatment by police, our city needs a budget that adequately and effectively meets the needs of at-risk Denver residents.
For FY2020, over $405,000,000 was allocated for policing (29% of the general fund budget) while less than $217m was allocated for health, housing stability, economic development, and parks and recreation combined. In a June 6th interview, Mayor Hancock said that there is no plan to address this inequality. This is unacceptable, and I demand that the city council remedy this gross display of priorities. You must support a budget that supports social equity in our community, rather than empowering the police forces that tear us apart.
It is your duty to represent your constituents. I am urging you to advocate for revision of the Denver city budget for the upcoming fiscal year to reflect the decades of research showing that education and social programs better promote the safety of a city than policing.
Thank you for your time,
[YOUR NAME][YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL][YOUR PHONE NUMBER]