Vancouver City Council just voted unanimously in favour of Decriminalizing Poverty and Supporting Community-led Safety Initiatives, led by COPE’S [The Coalition of Progressive Electors] motion!
This means it’s the City’s position that police shouldn’t be used for matters of mental health, substance use, sex work, homelessness, and poverty, and that instead funds should be used to invest in community-led supports to deal with the root causes of poverty and marginalization.
COPE is a democratic municipal party in Vancouver. Anybody who lives, works, or studies in Vancouver can become a member.
COPE has three explicit purposes:
• to unite individuals and groups behind a program of progressive civic reform
• to involve Vancouver residents and community organizations in public action in furtherance of their interests and the collective interests of Vancouver
• to nominate and endorse candidates for election to civic office in order to promote these purposes, and to provide direction and guidance to such candidates, both before and after they have been elected.
Every four years, Vancouverites vote for new representatives at City Council, the School Board, and the Park Board. This is the opportunity for change, to bring up important issues, and propose solutions.
July 3rd, COPE Newsletter by email:
We are bringing a motion to council that, if passed, makes clear the amount of money the Vancouver Police Department spends policing issues such as mental health, substance abuse, sex work, homelessness, and poverty.
By examining this spending we can take the first step in an evidence-based approach to redistributing these much-needed funds to appropriate community-led services, and defunding the over-policing of poor and racialized communities in Vancouver.
The VPD budget has grown by more than $100 million in the last 10 years, for a total of $340 million in 2020, while real tangible solutions to poverty and homelessness have languished on the drawing board for a lack of funds.
A link to the complete motion can be found here.
Above is a Distribution of the City’s Operating Budget from the 2020 Budget Document. The growth of the policing budget has greatly outpaced population growth in our city. Our goal must be to carve out some of that budget and treat the cause, not the symptoms, of poverty.
What You Can Do:
Write to the Mayor and Council and let them know you care about the issue.
Sign Up to Speak:
Due to COVID this is done by conference call, although you can go to City Hall in person if you prefer.
Speaking in favour of the motion puts immense pressure on council to defy overwhelming numbers of voices urging them to do the right thing.
Our Motion is B4: Decriminalizing Poverty and Supporting Community-led Safety Initiatives, be sure to check this motion. you will be asked whether you support or oppose the motion. Typically speakers are heard the day AFTER the motion is introduced so that would be Wednesday.
Tell Your Friends:
Tell everyone you know that feels the same way to let City Hall know how important this issue is and how much we want it solved as soon as possible.
COPE
http://www.copevancouver.ca/
July 28th, COPE Newsletter by email:
Vancouver City Council just voted unanimously in favour of our motion Decriminalizing Poverty and Supporting Community-led Safety Initiatives!
This means it’s the City’s position that police shouldn’t be used for matters of mental health, substance use, sex work, homelessness, and poverty, and that instead funds should be used to invest in community-led supports to deal with the root causes of poverty and marginalization.
This incredible result was only possible because nearly 400 courageous, justice-loving people signed up to speak and thousands more of you wrote letters.
I think it was transformational for everyone who listened to your the amazing speeches.
This is just the beginning of the process. The next step is to put pressure on the Police Board to quickly implement these priorities of City Council, and then to influence the final recommendations in the fall. Let’s keep up the pressure!
Thank you to all,
Jean Swanson, the People’s Councillor
http://www.copevancouver.ca/
Coalition of Progressive Electors · PO Box 4395, Vancouver, BC V6B 3Z8, Canada