Meeting Time: June 17, 2020 at 2:30pm MST
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Agenda Item

24 Adoption of the Final 2020-21 Operating Funds Budget (Ordinance S-46715) ***ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SEE MEMO)***

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    Kharli Mandeville over 4 years ago

    I oppose the City budget in its current form. Please redirect funds from Phoenix PD into community services that promote health, housing, and education instead.

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    Cass Engel over 4 years ago

    It’s kind of appalling that Phoenix PD is recognized as the deadliest force in the country and it may be met with a raise. My name is Cassidy Engel, I’m a resident of Phoenix and I oppose this budget which grants 40% of funding to the police. Arizona is now considered one of the largest hotspots of Covid-19 in the world and Arizona public schools are ranked last in the nation. I want funding to be reallocated to support Phoenix communities not criminalize them.

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    Megan ODonnell over 4 years ago

    We need reform! More money needs to be allocated towards mental health, human services and education funding to work in conjunction with the PHX PD! A more holistic approach is needed to sustain positive systemic change for our communities!

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    Tom Tardy over 4 years ago

    I do not support defunding Phoenix PD at all! If anything they need more money to enact the changes everyone wants. Many of the comments on here mention social workers, sorry you can not social work your way out of everything. Many times social workers call PD because the social workers are not capable of handling everything.

    What is the plan to protect the citizens of this city if the PD is cut even more?
    Do not cut public safety budget.

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    Timothea Haider over 4 years ago

    Any increase to the police budget in the middle of a health an economic crisis is irresponsible at best. I don't understand how anyone could justify putting so much money into a notoriously deadly police department while community and health services continue to go underfunded. Why do are our cops wearing full riot gear when our doctors make do with trash bags? How can we say we can't afford to house those dying in homeless camps when we dedicate a majority of the budget to police?

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    Heather Klima over 4 years ago

    Vote no. The police funding needs to be restructured. Phoenix police breed fear and anger in our community. They are paid by our tax dollars to protect and serve. They are failing. Please please please vote no. Support the community. The community is crying out for help. Please listen!

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    Ashley Marie over 4 years ago

    Without proper funding and support, Phoenix Police can not adequately hire, train and maintain officers, detectives, etc. to meet the needs of the community.

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    Justice Gasiorowski over 4 years ago

    I oppose this budget and insist that the City of Phoenix divest from the police department and invest in its community. There is such a desperate need of funding in education, mental health care, rehabilitation, public health and community services. The safest neighborhoods aren’t the neighborhoods with the most police, they’re the neighborhoods with the most resources. Invest in building new and better resources for the Phoenix community. It’s times to DO BETTER!

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    Kalie Anonymous over 4 years ago

    I support the allocation of the budget to Phoenix Pd to provide additional training and resources to the department. The department is severely understaffed and reduction of the budget puts the community at risk.

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    Anni Mudick over 4 years ago

    I oppose this budget increase to the Phoenix PD. We need to reallocate those funds to the community - better mental health services, more affordable housing, and other underfunded aspects of society!

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    Margaret Tucker over 4 years ago

    My name is Margaret Tucker, I am a Phoenix resident represented by Council member Garcia in District 8. I urge the Council to vote no on the increase to the 2020-2021 police budget. I urge these funds to be used for mental health services, poverty alleviation programs, and community development programs that actually reduce crime and protect communities.

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    Marcus Reid over 4 years ago

    I strongly oppose allocating $744 million dollars to the Phoenix PD. Over the past weeks, PLEA flanked by the Phoenix Police has not addressed any kind of real or relevant reform. Phoenix Police are not qualified to address the nature of the calls that are presented to them. They only seek to escalate situations. They have also pointed to the few bad apple theory, yet no bad apples have been prosecuted in a legitimate way. Therefore, the blue line of silence cannot be broken, only not financed.

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    Natalie Maddon over 4 years ago

    I oppose additional funding to the violence happening in Phoenix. Please invest in social work, education, and other areas to actually uplift our communities.

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    India Loiselle over 4 years ago

    I strongly oppose increasing the budget for the Phoenix police department, the deadliest police force in the country. Please invest money into residents and community!

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    Garrett Benson over 4 years ago

    I strongly oppose. Please reallocate these funds to areas that are in a much greater need, like education, drug rehabilitation, housing, and counseling. The police are absurdly overfunded and this needs to change.

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    Alex Stark over 4 years ago

    Please reduce the police budget! The current issue facing our community is not a lack of police or the police not having the right equipment to do their job, the issue is that police are being asked to handle situations that they shouldn't be handling. We need to approach this issue as human beings and practice empathy, and the best people to do that are mental health professionals and counselors. Reduce the responsibilities of the police and reduce their budget!

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    Alexis Kaufman over 4 years ago

    I strongly oppose the MASSIVE wasteful increase to the policing budget. These funds need to be better allocated through the community to build a stronger, healthy, balanced city.

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    Nadira Khan over 4 years ago

    I strongly oppose the increased funding for Phoenix PD. They have little accountability for any harmful actions they have in the community, and their actions disproportionately hurt Black people and POC. More funding should be allocated towards addressing homelessness in Phoenix instead.

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    Brenna Lawler over 4 years ago

    Please, vote no on this 2020-21 budget. Research supports prevention as a more fiscally responsible management of issues. For example, health prevention costs greatly decrease the costs that would be used for secondary care. In this way, I propose Phoenix uses our budget for services such as youth programs, after-school care, and mental health services. This absurd amount of money is irresponsibly used for police and should be used in a more effective way for our community.

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    Abriana Meza over 4 years ago

    I, Abriana Meza, oppose any police budget increase whatsoever. I am sick of the government slipping through loopholes to avoid the truth. We've become a militant country I do not feel safe or proud in. Listen to us. Defund the police. Reallocate funds to health services, education, rehab, sustainability. We're surviving a pandemic for crying out loud. Stop sending the police to kill living evidence of our failed systems. Fix the systems. We know our government is capable, but will you listen?