HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-11-20 Public Comment - J. Herzog - PD BudgetFrom:Jamie Herzog
To:Agenda
Subject:Concern
Date:Thursday, June 11, 2020 7:12:44 AM
To the Bozeman City Commission,
My name is Jamie Herzog and I am a resident of Bozeman. I am writing to demand that the
City Commission adopts a budget that prioritizes community well-being and redirects fundingaway from the police.
Many Montanans may be tempted to think the unique nature of such a vast, yet sparsely-
populated state minimizes the likelihood of police brutality in our small city communities.However, as reported by the Billings Gazette last year, Montana ranked ninth in killings by
police per capita. In 2017, the Great Falls Tribune reported Montana police killings reached atotal higher than the previous six years. These figures are alarming, but don’t tell the full story.
Under Montana Code § 2-6-102 and Article II, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution, policedisciplinary records are exempt from disclosure if there is an “individual privacy interest that
clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure.” Montana police forces operate within aculture of impunity, and as the members of the communities they are supposed to be
protecting, we can’t even begin to grasp the scope of their violence.
We are in the midst of widespread upheaval over the systemic violence of policing. Emptygestures and suggestions of “reform” are inadequate and unacceptable. I am demanding that
real change be made to the way this city allocates its resources.
Support for communities in need is necessary now, more than ever. I am demanding that theCity Commission meaningfully defund the Bozeman Police Department. I join the calls of
those across the country to defund the police. I am demanding a budget that adequately andeffectively meets the needs of at-risk Bozeman residents during this trying and uncertain time.
I am demanding a budget that supports community wellbeing, rather than empowering thepolice forces that tear them apart.
As the City Commission, 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 fiscalyear, and to fund the social programs proven to be more effective than policing at promoting
community safety and equity. Have the courage to be a leader of the change this city, state,and country desperately needs.
Thank you for your time,
Jamie Herzog
695 Doane Rd.Bozeman, MT 59718
Jamielherzog@gmail.com