Defund the Police in KCMO
I am writing to you to ask for your support and action in divesting Kansas City funds from the police — greatly reducing or eliminating the 273 million in funds currently allocated in the city budget for the police — and reinvesting those funds into community health initiatives, social services, tenant protections, and community-based anti-violence programs. Additionally, I am asking for your support and action in regaining local control of the police back from the state, so that these changes can be put into action.
Research has been done on a variety of police reform tactics, and the data shows what Black communities have long known to be true: police reform is but a band-aid on a systematic problem.
Additionally, I am calling on you to immediately release all protestors in custody, and place a moratorium on arrests and an end to police attacks on protestors. To that end, please immediately adopt Councilman Brandon Ellington’s proposed ordinance #200415, which dismisses the charges of non-violent protestors.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
I included a link to “The answer to police violence is not ‘reform’. It’s defunding. Here’s why” by Alex S Vitale, the coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College, in my message. You can also send this message to our city council members and Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
After you’ve sent your message, make a donation to support bail funds and mutual aid here in KC. KC Community Bail Fund is collecting money to bail out arrested protestors. One Struggle KC provides aid and works to free imprisoned Black people in Kansas City.
Looking for more ways to take action? Sign the petitions presented in this link tree to show your support for causes in the Kansas City area. The Movement for Black Lives created the “Week of Action” featuring ideas for ways you can support the cause. KC Tenants is doing important work to ensure that folks in our area have safe, stable housing. They got Jackson County to pass a moratorium on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are currently working to extend that moratorium. You can copy the following message, add your own note of support, and send it to Mary A. Marquez, the Jackson County Court Administrator:
The economic depression spurred by mass layoffs in response to the pandemic has made it impossible for many families to make their rent or mortgage payment. Although Gov. Parson has moved to “reopen” our state, the un- and under- employment numbers are still staggering and people are still struggling. Please extend the eviction moratorium in Jackson County by another 6 months. You can make a positive, life-saving impact in the lives of the residents of Jackson County; please take this step!
Thank you for your time and consideration.
More resources, including links to reading lists, safety advice for protestors, links to legal counsel, and more are available in this National Resource List compiled by @botanicaldyke.
Take care, and keep fighting! A better world is possible!
