HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-01-21 Public Comment - D. Friesen - Defund the PoliceFrom:Meghan person
To:Agenda
Subject:Defund and Reform the Police
Date:Thursday, April 1, 2021 3:22:46 PM
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To the Bozeman City Commission,
My name is Dana Friesen 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 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,
Dana Friesen
dana.elizabeth.friesen@gmail.com