HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-17-20 Public Comment - G. Phillips - Concern about 2021 Budget PDFrom:Grace Phillips
To:Agenda
Subject:Concern about 2021 Budget
Date:Wednesday, June 17, 2020 11:14:30 AM
Bozeman City Commission Bozeman City Commission,
Hello City Commission,
I am concerned that the proposed municipal budget for 2021 allots far too much money for
policing and far too little for funds that actually strengthen our community. As you are probably
aware, there has been a tidal wave of calls to “Defund the Police” all across this country in
response to the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of the police, and
the acts of police brutality inflicted upon peaceful protestors in the aftermath. These calls are
not, and should not be, confined to large urban areas.
Many people claim that massive police budgets are necessary to protect our communities from
crime. This is simply not true. The majority of people arrested every year in the United States
are arrested on drug charges, and the majority of drug arrests are for marijuana, a drug that is
less dangerous than either alcohol or tobacco. Additionally, police solve a small percentage of
violent crimes. The most recent data tells us that the Bozeman PD solves less than 30% of
violent crimes in our community. What keeps communities safe from crime is not their
investments in police, but their investments in programs that attack the underlying causes of
crime; homelessness, addiction, discrimination, and lack of opportunity. Access to low-income
housing, quality education, stable employment, and adequate mental-health services are what
keep a community safe. I would very much like to see the Bozeman PD’s budget, which takes
up a full ⅓ of the city’s proposal, cut, so that this city can more properly invest in other
necessary services.
Grace Phillips
gms.phillips@gmail.com
Bozeman, Montana 59715