Dear Glendale Mayor and City Council,
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of [YOUR DISTRICT/NEIGHBORHOOD]. I am writing to demand that the City Council adopt a budget that prioritizes community wellbeing and redirects funding away from the police.
Not only are we experiencing the trauma of global pandemic, we are also in the midst of widespread upheaval over the systemic violence embodied by American police departments’ well-documented history of murdering Black people. Empty gestures and suggestions of “reform” are unacceptable. I am demanding that the City Council of Glendale stand with the People. I am demanding that you root out systemic and institutional racism by defunding the police and prioritizing and reallocating much-needed funds to education, housing, and community and social services.
I also entreat you to stand in solidarity with the movement by demanding change from the police department. As neighbors, we are duty-bound to hold each other accountable. I join the calls of those across the country to meaningfully defund the police. The people are demanding a budget that supports community wellbeing, rather than empowering the police forces that tear them apart.
You need to adopt a budget that prioritizes the social programs proven to promote safety and equity much more effectively than policing. You need to pressure your peers on the Glendale City Council to do the same. Public opinion is with me.
Thank you for your time,
[YOUR NAME][YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL][YOUR PHONE NUMBER]