This Action Alert has expired.
The vital work of three Los Angeles City Commissions – Commission on Women, Youth and Children and Commission on the Status of Women, and Human Relations – is being eliminated! These commissions are often the only way for ‘minority’ voices to be heard at the city council level so please take a moment and write to the Mayor or your City council member!
Let’s not forget that as the economy gets worse, tensions rise and prevention is all the more important. The work of these commissions proactively addresses tensions before they erupt, mitigating factors that cause poverty and disenfranchisement, and helping to empower youth. THE CITY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO WITHOUT THE WATTS GANG TASK FORCE, KIDS WATCH, LGBT TASK FORCE, MIDEAST TASK FORCE AND OTHERS! These task forces advise the commissions and Commission staff, doing important work like programs in schools teaching youth the benefits of non-violent conflict resolution, risk prevention and life skills.
Take a moment and let the City Council know how important you think this is!
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Councilmember:
THIS IS A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY!
Please do not make cuts to the Human Services Department. I understand that there is a budget shortfall. However, the Human Services Department ultimately saves the City a great deal of money in the long run by proactively addressing tensions before they erupt, mitigating factors that cause poverty and disenfranchisement, and helping to empower youth. The Human Services Department is the only City department that does all this with a $2 million budget, which is 1% of the whole City budget.THE CITY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO WITHOUT THE WATTS GANG TASK FORCE, WILLMINGTON, HARBOR, KIDS WATCH, LGBT TASK FORCE, MIDEAST TASK FORCE AND OTHER SIMILAR PROJECTS/TASK FORCES; THE LEAST ENFRANCHISED ARE BEING GOUGED AGAIN!
As the economy gets worse, tensions rise and violence increases. HSD has dedicated staff that is deployed throughout the City to ensure that communities voice their concerns in productive ways. Through other preventative measures, dedicated staff are in schools teaching youth the benefits of non-violent conflict resolution, risk prevention and life skills. Coupled together, the work that staff does is an investment in public safety that pays dividends on the back end. The aforementioned work is only a portion of the work that the Human Services does for communities throughout Los Angeles.
Please invest in public safety and do not make cuts to the Human Services Department. Two million dollars is a small price to pay to prevent violence, liabilities and increase community empowerment in Los Angeles.
Thank you,
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Address
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