Correspondence - Non Agenda (3) - Laserfiche WebLink

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I began recording live on my phone. An officer approached my vehicle, questioned me, and instructed me to leave. He warned me to stop using my phone or he would issue a ticket. I complied by mounting the phone but remained deeply shaken. As I drove down Flower, nearly every cross street was lined with police in riot gear. I was finally able to exit the area near Seventeenth Street and made it home around 10:40 p.m. I share this not only as an elected official but as a resident who believes in the principles of public safety, community care, and the right to peacefully assemble and voice dissent. What I witnessed—and what many in our community experienced—did not feel like protection. If the City's intent is not to intimidate, control, or silence its residents, then I respectfully urge this Council to: 1. 2. 3. Publicly release the City's and Police Department's policies on protest response, crowd 4. control, and mutual aid agreements with other law enforcement agencies—along with an explanation of whether mutual aid was requested during recent events and why. 5. 6. 7. 8. Conduct a transparent and independent investigation into law enforcement actions and 9. directives issued over the past two weeks, including a full public accounting of decision-making processes, the protocols followed, and the rationale for the scale and nature of the police response. 10. 11. 12. 13. Commission an independent audit and analysis of the impact that the heightened law enforcement 14. presence has had on residents' daily lives, freedom of movement, civil liberties and overall well being. 15. 16. 17. 18. Reaffirm the City's commitment to the civil liberties of Santa Ana residents—especially 19. the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and protection from intimidation or retaliation. 20. 21. 22. 23. Reaffirm the City's standing as a sanctuary city and its commitment to not collude with 24. or support ICE enforcement activity in any way—including through mutual aid or coordination with federal immigration authorities or other agencies colluding with ICE. 25. 1 also appeal to you, our Mayor and City Council, to stand with our immigrant community and our students by ensuring that city resources are never used to suppress or intimidate residents for peacefully exercising their right to protest. In the face of what has been a deeply traumatic experience for many, I urge you to lead with compassion and solidarity—not with escalation or retaliation. I want to sincerely thank Mayor Pro Tern Benjamin Vazquez, Councilmember Jessie Lopez, Councilmember Johnathan Hernandez, and Councilmember Thai Viet Phan for standing with the community over the past week and a half—joining peaceful protests to speak out against the attacks on our immigrant students and families. 2