Laserfiche WebLink
Villegas still states in 2020, "we all make mistakes". Pulido still believes that "if it isn't broken, don't fix it". After hearing, <br />many residents call in the previous council meeting about the abuse, harassment, and negligence demonstrated by <br />SAPD, we still has Solorio, Pulido, and Villegas vocally state that SAPD either needs more funding or is doing a great job. <br />The residents of Santa Ana have spoken, we want to defund the police and allocate those funds to youth programs, <br />homelessness, education, college prep, mental health programs, affordable housing, helping those who are <br />undocumented, and drug addiction programs. The programs we, as residents, want to see are those that are not <br />associated with criminalizing our youth, rather providing them with better paying jobs, better teachers, better curriculum, <br />summer programs, mentors, and therapists. If ones worry is the crime in Santa Ana, then one should not look for the <br />solution in the police department, but rather look at the causes. Unemployment, racial discrimination, lack of resources <br />and programs, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, and racist policies. To fund the police, to increase their <br />salaries, is to criminalize people who are most affected by unemployment, racial discrimination, lack of resources and <br />programs, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, lack of insurance, and racist policies. The problem is not those who <br />are being criminalized or are perceived as criminals, it's the racist policies put in place, that subjugates low-income POC <br />to act in a manner that is perceived criminal, to those who have the means to survive or thrive in a capitalistic country. <br /> <br />Census: <br />- 23%= educational attainment of a high school degree <br />- 17.7%= poverty rate <br />- $29,970= the female median yearly wage in Santa Ana <br />- $32,489= the male median yearly wage in Santa Ana <br /> <br /> <br />Personal experience: <br />- there are hardly any apartments that are decent that cost less than $2,000 a month. <br />- Minimum wage jobs hardly give benefits or wages to support oneself financially. <br />- Many are discouraged to go to college by teachers and councilors. <br />- Lack of resources or programs at all SAUSD schools to prepare students for college. <br />- Many of my friends who work full-time had to drop out of college. <br />- Many people I know have mental health issues. <br /> <br />2 <br />