Redwood City series with focus on racial equity wrapped up
By Sierra Lopez Daily Journal staff
Sep 8, 2020
Completing the final dialogue session of Redwood City’s six-part series on racial equity, the last round of participants echoed concerns shared during previous meetings, criticizing large police budgets, a lack of affordable housing and what feels like a segregated community.
The virtual meeting, held Wednesday, was facilitated by the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, a communication and dispute resolution nonprofit based in San Mateo. City officials silently observing the meeting included City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz, who attended all six sessions, and councilwomen Alicia Aguirre and Janet Borgens.
Student participants, speaking as eighth-grade leaders of Garfield Elementary School, shared a strong appreciation for the city’s downtown, including restaurants and activities. The city was also praised for having an inclusive small-town feel with plenty of green spaces and murals but students and others said they also felt racially and economically segregated.
Like previous sessions, some implored the city to welcome affordable housing development with the East Fair Oaks neighborhood, a predominantly Latino part of town, and noted a need for affordable housing exists across the city. Some recognized the city has taken steps toward housing the homeless, such as a recently approved safe parking RV program, but felt city officials could be doing more to bring in affordable units.
Due to the segregation of neighborhoods, some said schools have been segregated as well, noting campuses in more affluent areas receive stronger funding from parent organizations. A participant in a breakout group noted school funding is not within the city’s control and is determined by school district officials.
Concerns around representation within school faculty were also raised with one group calling Spanish speaking teachers “absolutely necessary” for effectively communicating with parents.
When discussing policing, some agreed police conduct should be reviewed and portions of department funding redistributed to education and mental health programs. Some also said they’d like to see a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the city in creating a “community approach” to policing.
Not all participants felt comfortable with the term “defund the police,” a sentiment which grew in popularity following the police killing of a Black Minneapolis man, George Floyd, and numerous additional Black people throughout the country. Others expressed fear of police officers, including school resource officers who are often contracted through the Sheriff’s Office and stationed at schools countywide.
Conflicting views of street safety and access to amenities were also shared. Some called the city a safe place to walk around while others said a lack of sidewalks made commuting on foot difficult. Some appreciated the various stores and businesses within the city while others raised concerns around access to supermarkets and quality food.
And some took issue with the structure of the meetings altogether, noting dialogue sessions haven’t reached “all types of people” in the city or prove to be difficult to participate in for those with traumatic experiences with the police.
Now that the sessions have concluded, PCRC will take recordings of the conversations, both from the small breakout groups and the larger group summaries, along with facilitator notes, to create a final report. In either late September or early October, the report will be presented to the City Council to potentially influence budget discussions and the document’s final form.
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