Dear Mayor Tubbs and City Council Members,
I am a resident of [YOUR DISTRICT]. I am writing to demand that the City Council adopts a budget for the people that prioritizes community well-being and redirects funding away from the police, including the proposed police funding increase of $3,311,169 in the upcoming year.
We are in the midst of widespread upheaval over the systemic violence of policing. Empty gestures and suggestions of “reform” are at this point unacceptable. I am demanding that our voices be heard now, and that real change be made to the way this city allocates its resources.
Support for communities in need is necessary now, more than ever. We demand that the City Council defund the SPD. I join the calls of those across the country to meaningfully reduce funding to the police department. I demand a budget that adequately and effectively meets the needs of impacted Stockton residents during this trying and uncertain time, when livelihoods are on the line. I demand a budget that supports community wellbeing, rather than empowering the police forces that tear us apart.
As the City Council, the budget proposal is in your hands. It is your duty to represent your constituents. I am urging you to completely revise the budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, and to fund people, not police. We must take immediate action on this issue.
Thank you for your time,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL]
[YOUR PHONE NUMBER]