Dear Hilliard Council Members,
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of Hilliard, Ohio. I’m sure you’ve seen the widespread protests across our country, attempting to combat police brutality and state funded violence that disproportionately effects minority communities. Too often, this violence takes the lives of members of our community--physically in the form of death, or otherwise making people scared to participate in their own lives, on their own terms. It is horrifying to me that we have allowed this culture of fear to persist for so long. Police in Ohio’s capital, Columbus, have recently killed a woman who was protesting peacefully, when she inhaled the copious amount of pepper spray they discharged upon protesters, and died. I’m sure you’ve also heard of other protesters losing eyes to rubber bullets, or being maimed by gas canisters or stun grenades.
Policing is far from the only way to promote safety in the community. In fact, it is irresponsible to put so much responsibility on someone who has likely only had a few months of training. Most problems do not call for an armed response; they need someone to help with the complicated roots of the issues that often land people in frightening situations. After all, if the only tool you have is a hammer, every obstacle will look like a nail. This is why I’m calling for you to defund the police. We need to shift our focus away from policing, and put more money and more effort into services that will help the community without using violence, especially paying attention to preventative measures to keep our community safe. We need to put more into resources that support education, health care, therapy, child care, helping the unemployed, housing, and other needs that are integral to live a full and happy life. Our community will be supported by these programs in a way that policing fundamentally cannot address.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME][YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL][YOUR PHONE NUMBER]