蜜柚直播

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In late May, Paul Durham, my City Council member for 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Ward 3, made an incipient statement in his weekly newsletter about the killing and lynching of Black men George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. This was before the marches, protests, and subsequent violence at the hands of police departments across the country, occurred.

Durham鈥檚 statement was three sentences: 鈥淚 want to take a moment and acknowledge the hurt and anger that many are feeling right now following the killing of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. I typically do not weigh in on matters that are not directly before Mayor & Council and have not previously spoken about the harms experienced by our African American and Mexican American communities caused by deep-seated racism. I wish to echo and amplify the following statement from my colleague 鈥� 鈥�

He then copied and pasted the words of 蜜柚直播 Mayor Regina Romero, which expressed outrage at the killing of an unarmed Black man and demanded accountability and justice. Given last week鈥檚 news made public the brutal killing of Carlos 鈥淎drian鈥� Ingram Lopez while in custody of the 蜜柚直播 Police Department, these words ring hollow.

I write to demand that Paul Durham, Mayor Romero, and the whole City Council take direct action to address Ingram Lopez鈥檚 murder, a death that the police hid from not only the public, but seemingly from the mayor and council.

蜜柚直播 has been lauded in recent weeks for being one of only two cities in the United States that has adopted the 鈥淓ight Can鈥檛 Wait鈥� measures. The killing of a human being, the hiding or ignoring of a video that showed those events and the protection of the perpetrators of the killing makes TPD鈥檚 adoption of these and other ostensibly progressive measures moot.

They must not whitewash this event by saying it was the result of 鈥渂ad apples,鈥� and instead address police violence at the department level.

I call for the mayor and council to charge and process accountability to the officers involved in Ingram Lopez鈥檚 killing and hiding of the video. I call them to repeal Ordinance 11746, which not only serves to protect the police, but to further endanger the citizens of 蜜柚直播.

I call for the defunding of the police and redirecting funds from TPD to other needs in the city instead of directing one-third of the city鈥檚 budget to state-sanctioned violence trainings, purchase and use of military equipment for intimidation, and over-policing of the Black and brown members of our community.

Council members must listen to their constituents, specifically Black people on the front lines of this struggle, who can better inform and express the needs of over-policed yet under-resourced communities, neighborhoods and businesses. Supporting those communities benefits all people in our city. For example, the recent Supreme Court decision on DACA protecting 鈥渄reamers鈥� was a legal fight led by the NAACP, a Black-led organization.

The win benefits immigrant communities and adds strength to all who are fighting for immigration reform. Furthermore, investing in communities goes beyond financial investments. Council members must invest in fostering relationships, in listening, in learning, and in spending time, not just spending money.

In the words of academic and political activist Angela Davis: 鈥淚n a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.鈥� I call for 蜜柚直播鈥檚 City Council to take action. Stop the posturing and empty words. We want systemic change to the whole garden, not just cutting the 鈥渂ad apples.鈥� Attack this issue at the root. Water it with real action, not good intentions; weed out bad policies and programs; fertilize it with accountability and investments that support our community so that we can all enjoy the fruits of your work. This is why we elected you.