For the past three months, community members have repeatedly called on Asheville City Council to defund the Asheville Police Department by at least 50% and invest in Asheville’s Black communities, many times taking to the streets in protest of current approaches to policing. Starting next week, the city will officially begin facilitating community participation regarding the future of public safety.
A recommendation based on community conversations will go before Council on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Members are expected to hear public comment and vote on a budget amendment to distribute funds to city departments at the same meeting.
Press release from the city of Asheville:
In September, the City of Asheville will launch an extensive series of listening sessions with the community to help us reimagine the way public safety services are delivered.Following a clear call from our community, City Council voted to remove or repurpose the Vance Monument, passed a resolution supporting community reparations, and passed a budget that only funded departments for three months so that City staff could work with the community to reimagine public safety.The City then contracted with community facilitators Shemekka Ebony and Amplify Community Consulting to hear your ideas for how public safety in Asheville could be improved before any future budgetary decisions are made.We encourage everyone to give their input over the next few weeks as we consider how our public safety services can better promote racial equity and economic inclusion. See below for virtual community meeting dates, in-person drop-in sessions, and a link to the online survey (coming Sept. 3).All community members are invited to the following meetings.
Listening Session #1TIME/DATE: 12:30-2 p.m. Sept. 8
LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online
Click to here register for this session.
Listening Session #2
TIME/DATE: 12:30-2 p.m. Sept. 9
LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online
Click here to register for this session.
Listening Session #3 plus Civics 101
In addition to the listening session, participants will also learn about City operations, who’s responsible for what, and how you can get more involved in the community.
TIME/DATE: 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 9
LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online
Click here to register for this session.
Listening Session #4
TIME/DATE: 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 10
LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online
Click here to register for this session.
Listening Session #5
TIME/DATE: 11 a.m.-noon Sept. 11
LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online
Click to here register for this session.
Listening Session #6 — In-person drop-in event
This event will be conducted in 30-minute intervals to provide adequate safety for all attendees. Use the registration link to let us know what time you plan to attend! We will provide interactive experiences to learn about current public safety measures and imagine what our future public safety could look like. All attendees are asked to wear a mask. If you do not have one, we will have masks and other protective equipment available.
DATE: Sept. 11
TIMES:
2 – 2:30 p.m.
2:40 – 3:10 p.m.
3:20 – 3:50 p.m.
4 – 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: In-person location to be determined
Click to here register for this session.
Online engagement too!
Connecting with communityIntentional efforts will be made to connect with people who are most impacted. Being out in the community with paper copies and survey links will be an important part of gathering input. We are always learning. If you see we have missed a group, please email us at ReimaginingPublicSafety@PublicInput.com with the subject line, “Missing in the discussion.”
Please know that we realize this is only the beginning. We are committed to the ongoing work that will be needed by all of us in the coming months and years to reimagine public safety in Asheville.
Defund the restaurants too. Foodie towns are boring: all people do is eat.