2021-06-15 20:01:22 -0400
To: Amherst Town Council
DEFUND AMHERST POLICE
Based on the ongoing participation in various budget meetings and other town council meetings throughout the past year, and the ongoing work of the Community Safety Working Group, Defund413Amherst has put together the following demands:
Fully fund CRESS with money taken from the Amherst Police Department
Keep newly opened police officer position frozen along with the two others and earmark to fund CSWG programs
Don’t fill any vacancies; transfer to CRESS
Cut number of police officers by 50% over 2 years
Cut apd budget by 44% for fy22
Proposed fy22 apd budget: $6,127,371
Police $5,179,369
Facility $207,332
Dispatch “communications center” $740,670
CSWG requested funds: $2,441,504
CRESS: $1,692,689
DEI office: $227,647
Cultural Center/Programs: $521,168
Schools budget: $325,000
ARPS: $250,000 (what’s cut if you correct for lower enrollment and the one time healthcare savings)
Elementary: $75,000
Total cut: $2,766,504
Cut 45% of the APD/Facility/Dispatch budget to fully fund the CSWG’s recommendations at $2,441,504 and giving $325k back to the Schools
APD/Facility/Dispatch would still have more than $3.3 million ($3,360,867)
Fully fund CRESS with money taken from the Amherst Police Department
Keep newly opened police officer position frozen along with the two others and earmark to fund CSWG programs
Don’t fill any vacancies; transfer to CRESS
Cut number of police officers by 50% over 2 years
Cut apd budget by 44% for fy22
Proposed fy22 apd budget: $6,127,371
Police $5,179,369
Facility $207,332
Dispatch “communications center” $740,670
CSWG requested funds: $2,441,504
CRESS: $1,692,689
DEI office: $227,647
Cultural Center/Programs: $521,168
Schools budget: $325,000
ARPS: $250,000 (what’s cut if you correct for lower enrollment and the one time healthcare savings)
Elementary: $75,000
Total cut: $2,766,504
Cut 45% of the APD/Facility/Dispatch budget to fully fund the CSWG’s recommendations at $2,441,504 and giving $325k back to the Schools
APD/Facility/Dispatch would still have more than $3.3 million ($3,360,867)
Why is this important?
The proposed FY22 budget for the Town of Amherst does not go far enough to promote racial equity and social justice. The cry that arose last summer after the murder of George Floyd continues, as on average three people a day have been killed by police, and as the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin was announced, Ma’Khia Bryant, a teenager, was murdereed by police.
The calls to defund the police did not stem from an isolated incident, but are based in the understanding that the safest communities have the most resources, not the most police.
In his budget presentation to the Town Council on May 3, 2021, Town Manager Paul Bockelman revealed he had allocated only $130,000 to the CRESS program and only $30,000 to combine with existing funds to create an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion coordinator. The $130,000 comes from the two frozen police positions, and does not include any additional funding. Funding the CRESS program at only 6% of the proposed budget,and neglecting to address the additional proposals for a youth empowerment center and multi-cultural center, along with a BIPOC-led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, sends a strong message that the town does not prioritize racial equity and the safety of BIPOC residents. Reallocating only two police positions and no additional funding is disrespectful to the countless hours the CSWG spent engaging the community with public forums, researching alternative programs, and coordinating with the 7GenMC to provide a thorough proposal to the town manager. Providing only $130,000 to design and implement an innovative, anti-racist alternative responder program ensures the program will not fully thrive, and that the town will likely default to the white supremecist institution of policing to address non-violent, non-criminal matters. $130,000 is inadequate.
At a meeting with the finance committee May 27, the funding allocated was increased to $475,000 for CrESS and $90,000 for a director of diversity, equity and inclusion. This increase still falls short.
The calls to defund the police did not stem from an isolated incident, but are based in the understanding that the safest communities have the most resources, not the most police.
In his budget presentation to the Town Council on May 3, 2021, Town Manager Paul Bockelman revealed he had allocated only $130,000 to the CRESS program and only $30,000 to combine with existing funds to create an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion coordinator. The $130,000 comes from the two frozen police positions, and does not include any additional funding. Funding the CRESS program at only 6% of the proposed budget,and neglecting to address the additional proposals for a youth empowerment center and multi-cultural center, along with a BIPOC-led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, sends a strong message that the town does not prioritize racial equity and the safety of BIPOC residents. Reallocating only two police positions and no additional funding is disrespectful to the countless hours the CSWG spent engaging the community with public forums, researching alternative programs, and coordinating with the 7GenMC to provide a thorough proposal to the town manager. Providing only $130,000 to design and implement an innovative, anti-racist alternative responder program ensures the program will not fully thrive, and that the town will likely default to the white supremecist institution of policing to address non-violent, non-criminal matters. $130,000 is inadequate.
At a meeting with the finance committee May 27, the funding allocated was increased to $475,000 for CrESS and $90,000 for a director of diversity, equity and inclusion. This increase still falls short.