As white Houstonians, we thank you for listening to the countless Houston residents who called on Tuesday June 2 and Wednesday June 3 to support a reallocation of funding away from the Houston Police Department. We urge you to continue hearing those voices and decreasing funding for the 2021 HPD Budget. This money could and should be used for other public resources like health and housing, which have become critical needs for many during the COVID-19 crisis.

We ask for your support in discontinuing the taxpayer funded Houston police officer liability insurance. As many people explained at both council meetings, in any other job people are expected to fund their own liability insurance and we expect the police to do so as well. We also believe that instances of police brutality and murders of unarmed people by the police will decrease if the police have to pay for liability insurance out of their own pockets.

We also continue to ask for accountability in the form of transparent investigations and body camera footage of the murders by police of Adrian Medearis, Nicholas Chavez, Christopher Aguirre, Randy Lewis, Rayshard Scales, and Joshua Johnson.
Please consider supporting your colleague, Councilmember Leticia Plummers, as she advances budget amendments that speak to some of these concerns and that provide further guidance on holding police accountable by banning chokeholds, funding an independent police oversight board, and providing training in de-escalation.

We ask that you consider all of these factors on June 10 before voting for an almost $1 billion budget for HPD—An amount comprising nearly one-fifth of our entire city budget. Our communities deserve to feel safe and protected, and we believe these goals can be accomplished through funding for things like health and human services, public housing, and mental health care rather than increased funding for HPD. As a growing body of white Houstonians who care deeply about racial justice, we know that many communities—especially black and brown communities—feel unsafe calling the police in a time of emergency. This money could be put to use in a way that uplifts these communities, and we have confidence that you will know best where else it should be redistributed.

We urge you to adopt the example that the city of Los Angeles (a city twice as large as Houston) has set by reducing their police funding. Reallocating money to other areas may not feel feasible in a city the size of Houston, but LA’s example shows that it is possible if you are willing and have the courage to act. When you do, know that we stand behind you.