Someone important said the title line, Orwell? It seems that some elected officials are so used to Blacks being short-changed, that they see it as normal, and behave accordingly.
The below was sent to the Center For Policing Equity, and many others.
I pine for your study of the operations of the San Diego
Police Department, now long overdue. The people here, those who should know of
its whereabouts, claim ignorance. I hate studies, but would rather read that
than Opinion Pieces like, The
Budget Should Fund Public Safety Beyond Just Policing, from a
decorum-observing member of the San Diego City Council; one who actively
promotes an alternate, earlier, outdated and watered-down study of the
SDPD.
When not cavorting and conversing with advocates for the abolition
of the police (not merely defunding them; which expression, that when
unexplained, is devastatingly damaging because of its unambiguous meaning), our
opinion writer claims/feigns ignorance, and may indeed be truly ignorant, about
the main sources of oppression of the constituents whose interests she
claims to champion. I say so because the displayed level of incuriosity, on
many matters, seems impossible for a reasonably sentient being, and so must be
deemed deliberate. An example: The opinion writer belongs to a group of
stewards, of this City’s business, who allowed around 80% of “Smart
Streetlights” to be placed in neighbourhoods where the population is
predominantly “the racial and ethnic groups.” And, when it was
discovered that videos from the surveillance devices were being used in
prosecutions, predominantly of “the racial and ethnic groups”, the
opinion writer and/or the other stewards claimed that they were not told of the
surveillance capabilities/uses of the devices. The PD claimed that they had
not asked! And to top it all, they “Smart Streetlights were funded
with Federal Funds, intended for neighbourhood improvements.
Now, we have this person, this member of the San Diego City
Council, who claims to wish to see her neighbourhood improved, and wants
to go after $11million in scraps from the SDPD overtime table: Auden’s “prevent
the dog from barking with a juicy bone”. I suppose the Federal Funds, as were
intended for this purpose, have been exhausted; gone to smart streetlights.
This is the second go around regarding desired (half-hearted and destined to
fail) reductions to police funding. Last year, instead of holding to a
principled opposition to the police budget, there was acquiescence to its amount
and contents, because there were not enough votes to override the mayor’s
promised veto.
They oil the streets, fix the potholes, and they remove
brush and weeds where I live. And, my neigbour has received at least two
off-schedule garbage pickups, having failed to separate the garbage bin from
that used for recycling, sufficiently. I therefore salute the opinion writer
for those bits of accuracy while shouting why?
Finally; The placement of Smart Streetlights was deliberate
and well-thought-out. I have the database of the locations and have determined
that I cannot leave my neighbourhood, without coming within the range of one or more of
the infernal things.
From: Richard Hylton <rhylton@san.rr.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2021 8:13 PM
To: 'CouncilMember Chris Cate' <chrisCate@sandiego.gov>;
'jennifercampbell@sandiego.gov' <jennifercampbell@sandiego.gov>;
'vivianMoreno@SanDiego.gov' <vivianMoreno@SanDiego.gov>;
'RaulCampillo@sandiego.gov' <RaulCampillo@sandiego.gov>
Cc: 'Alliance San Diego' <info@alliancesd.org>;
'ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties' <info@aclusandiego.org>
Subject: FW: The aim and content of VOSD opinion piece, today, is
somewhat similar to a conversation between two parsons (brothers) and the
Police Chief of Oakland, from April. They, too, wanted a slice of the cake.
From: Richard Hylton <rhylton@san.rr.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2021 7:35 PM
To: 'Sara Libby' <sara.libby@voiceofsandiego.org>;
'scottceo@voiceofsandiego.org' <scottceo@voiceofsandiego.org>;
'monicamontgomery@sandiego.gov' <monicamontgomery@sandiego.gov>;
'mayortoddgloria@sandiego.gov' <mayortoddgloria@sandiego.gov>
Cc: 'joelacava@sandiego.gov' <joelacava@sandiego.gov>;
'jenniferg@cityofwestsacramento.org' <jenniferg@cityofwestsacramento.org>;
'CouncilMember Marni von Wilpert' <MarnivonWilpert@sandiego.gov>
Subject: The aim and content of VOSD opinion piece, today, is somewhat
similar to a conversation between two parsons (brothers) and the Police Chief
of Oakland, from April. They, too, wanted a slice of the cake.
In Late April, 2021, CNN aired W. Kamau Bell’s United Shades of
America. I vaguely recall that there were a few “defund the police” remarks,
spattered here or there. I try to ignore them because I am generally repulsed
by the expression, for it is as foolish as black lives matter is obviously
sensible and noble. The key discussions, for me, from Bell’s
program, was not about defunding the police, but was about what should be done
with the reallocated funds. One pastor said, that is why we are here, we are
here for a piece of the cake: words to that effect.
Now we have this, taken from
an opinion piece published by VOSD, a news outlet with thinly veiled
contempt for Black people, and with even more for parsons.
“We should reallocate police funding to nonprofits that address
homelessness and run youth success programs; fix and install more streetlights
and sidewalks; update our libraries and increase our parks and green spaces;
remove graffiti and prioritize code enforcement; invest in the arts and culture
and the small businesses that give a community character, pride and employment;
trim the trees and weeds to decrease fire risk and remove hiding spots for
potential criminals; and start the long-term work of creating local clean
energy to create the jobs that will prevent communities from falling into the
cycle of poverty and crime.
Let me be clear: This is not a cut in public safety, it's an
investment in crime prevention.”
I am not certain that I can make the connection of the first
paragraph, with the emphatic statement of the last. In fact, I reject it. I say
so because the same normal budgetary processes that manages to clean sidewalks,
fix and install sidewalks, update libraries and increase parks and green spaces
in North San Diego, should be applied South of Highway 8 too. That they are not
is the real scandal- similar to the differential policing that occurs between
both places- the responsibility for which that should be lain at the feet
of City Council members, and those of City’s Mayor. One should not rail
against inequities, without specifics, the product of “inglorious incuriosity”,
neither should one do so with transparent writings that suggest that certain
groups have more criminogenic tendencies; that greater relative poverty produces
greater relative crime rates: San Diego PD’s highly suspect data used
to say otherwise, and not long ago.
As for the care and feeding of the parsons, “let them eat cake”,
purchased with their parishioner/congregation funds.
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