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Salas, Diana From: Bob Quinn <Bob@PlaygroundDTSA.com> Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2020 3:49 PIA To: eComment Subject: Thank You, and a comment about fair policing I'm Bob Quinn, one of the owners of Playground Restaurant on 4th Street. I would like to extend my thanks to the city and its police force for its exemplary handling of the recent downtown protests against police brutality. Both protests with which I am familiar caused large numbers of protestors to congregate very near our restaurant, above which my son and his young family have lived for years. Having seen the looting in Long Beach and Santa Monica on the television, I feared that my son's family might not be safe and that everything we had worked for might be demolished in a few minutes of mayhem if things got out of control. My fear was not realized. The crowds were very peaceful, and we suffered no vandalism or looting. Thank you for protecting us. Thank you too for your professionalism and restraint in keeping the protestors safe. The First Amendment rights of free speach and assembly are, in my mind, two of the things that have made America the great country that it is. Three generations of my family exercised our First Amendment rights when we marched in the LBGTQ protest last week. The police kept the order and even when some of the protestors screamed slurs in the face of multiple officers, they maintained their professionalism and restraint. As I said, the behavior of the peace officers was exemplary. Like most Americans, I am horrified by the videos I have seen of the worst examples of treatment of predominantly black and brown citizens at the hands of police. I want to encourage you - our community leaders - to continue to pursue the appropriate balance between law and order and the respect for the civil rights of all individuals in our city. Let me put my hope as succinctly as I know how: I hit the lottery being born a white male American. The system was designed by people like me for people like me. We need to adjust that system, so it works for everyone. For example, I have occasional interactions with the police. Often it is to meet the officers who patrol our area of downtown and to introduce myself. Occasionally my interaction begins with lights in my rearview mirror directing me to pull over. When that happens, I do as my father taught me and place my hands high on the wheel and wait for the officer to approach. I am always cordial and respectful, as has been the officer in every case I can remember. Generally, I continue on my way with a traffic citation in my pocket, but I can't think of a time I hadn't earned it. The point is when I interact with the police I expect to be treated with respect. But I fear my experience sounds unfamiliar or even unbelievable to many people of color in this country. I would like to suggest that your work will be done on this issue when everyone who interacts with our peace officers has the same expectation I do about how they will be treated. Thanks for everything you do. We are very happy to be a part of the Santa Ana community. t