pages: CityCouncil/2020-06-29.pdf, 11
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CityCouncil | 2020-06-29 | 11 | budget-wise, the program could be scaled to the size which would work in Alameda; 2) the power of dealing with systemic racism occurs when it is married with Police Department accountability and oversight; if a Police commission or advisory board is pursued, Council must be upfront in stating one of the reasons for the creation is to deal with long-standing issues of racism that have been a part of Alameda's Police force; one particular task to come out of a Police commission could be strengthening the manual or policies with regard to training and racial profiling; 3) reviewing Police Department policies and practices, including dealing with crowd control issues; he would like to move forward on the three issues concretely; Councilmembers have to try their best to speak the truth as they see it and sometimes that might not coincide with how the world is seen; his responsibility to the people is to articulate what is on his mind and what he sees are the best policies for the City of Alameda going forward; growing up in Alameda has put him in a unique position to see the Police through a different lens; he respects the perspective of others affected by the events that have been happening nationally; he hopes the community can move forward around concrete issues he has put forward and come out better for it. Councilmember Vella discussed a better method for centering Black and Brown voices during public comment; stated the robotic voice is really hard to follow; the inflections are sometimes disconcerting; expressed concerned about the order of the public comment being read; stated some came through via email and some through anonymous text, which seems to be a way to get around the time limits; the process needs to be figured out; suggested going back to having someone read comments; stated that she is glad to hear some members of the community talk about how safe and secure they feel in Alameda; it is her goal, and the goal of her fellow Councilmembers, to make sure that is the experience of everybody in Alameda and not at the expense of others who do not feel the same; Council needs to acknowledge the members of the public who say they do not feel safe and secure or comfortable moving around in the community; Council needs to take heed, listen and find ways to respond; Alameda can move towards being a community that provides safety and security for all; safety and security for all are loaded words; however, part of how community services are structured is about redefining what those words mean and making sure there is space for everybody in the community to feel those things, regardless of race, gender, creed, and ethnicity; every City department serves residents and are not independent, autonomous wings of government; the City and Council are all accountable; she likes to think that she has over 80,000 bosses; all Councilmembers do; Council represents the entire community, not just segments or districts; she is concerned when there are people in the community who feel like they are not being served; she would like to find ways to improve that, which is a value and virtue shared by her colleagues; the trauma from a bad response is life-changing; shared an anecdote reflective of a bigger picture; stated that she is a woman of color, member of Council and was heavily pregnant when Police banged on her door trying to do a mental health call, which was made by a criminal stalker misusing Police authority; the anecdote is a commentary in the discussion for anti-racism beyond the four walls of the Police Department; it should inherently be part of the review of policies within the Police Department and also a part of the larger conversation throughout the City, the hiring process, through policies and Special Meeting Alameda City Council 11 June 29, 2020 | CityCouncil/2020-06-29.pdf |