HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-11-20 Public Comment - T. Jones - A Demand to Defund the PoliceFrom:Taylor Jones
To:Agenda
Subject:A Demand to Defund the Police
Date:Thursday, June 11, 2020 8:34:05 PM
To the Bozeman City Commission,
My name is Taylor Jones and I am a resident of Gallatin County. I am writing to demand that the City Commission
adopts a budget that prioritizes community well-being and redirects funding away 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 a total 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, police disciplinary
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 a culture 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. Empty gestures 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 the City 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 and effectively 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 the police 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 fiscal year, 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,
Taylor Jones