HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-05-2022_General Comment_Robinson, Lrea_Open Letter - rec'd too late for 9-21-22 meetingThis is an open letter to the city council members of the City of San Bernardino, As a resident of the city I
am afraid. I am afraid because I feel the racial divide in our city is just growing deeper and deeper and
nothing is being done about it. In a council meeting I listened to a member of the public during public
comments say,” The blacks are beating us. “No comment from any council member to address the
statement. Mr. Penman running for Mayor has a representative come and speak every meeting on his
behalf and the stuff she spews is racist and one sided and no one says anything. I understand and as a
mother myself of young black men the pain the mother of Rob Adams feels, however I am a citizen and
want to not rush to judgment either way but some have. When we as members of the city allow the hate
and toxic conversations to continue we invite what is now, a divided city, we are a city in despair. We
have dispensaries and warehouses and citizens who have abdicated their responsibilities to a council that
is functioning now but that was not always the case and be honest the city council does not have a good
reputation for functioning. I am reading the paper and found Bank of America is offering home loans
with no money down and loose credit restrictions but it is offered in Los Angeles, why not San
Bernardino where we have an abundance of employees working for the county of San Bernardino but if
asked would never want to live in the city. I listened as a representative from the Westmorland I believe
it is group showed wonderful pictures of new developments but when asked the starting prices would be
in the 500,000 range. Help me understand how that works in a city where most can’t afford to rent let
alone buy a home. I jumped on my council member Ms. Ibarra for not being seen in the community and
then I started coming to council meetings and she talks about all the places she showed up to meet with
residents however I live at 1441 Sepulveda in her district and we get no notices of upcoming meetings.
You can not only be the council member for some in your ward but not others. Those of us who are not
homeowners are still residents and need to know what is going on. I moved to San Bernardino in 1990
from Los Angeles where the racial divide between Blacks and Hispanics was getting wider and wider
daily. I now see the same thing her however when I speak to some that have lived her awhile longer than
me I am told it has always been a divide. Not just between races but between income classes as well. I
have been told and am seeing all effort is put into the north end but not the Westside, and where I live we
get a police presence only if shots are fired and then it is heavy and uneven. I am just asking as resident
that we dial down some of the rhetoric and deal with real issues. The real issues are being ignored.
Homelessness in our area is a real issue. The fact that there are not enough code enforcement officers to
keep up with complaints is a real problem. I would say policing is a real problem but I want to give our
new police chief a chance but it has been a problem for a long time. I just want to feel safe in the city I
live in and right now that is not possible. I want to know that those who we elected to an office are doing
all they can with all residents in mind not just those with money but all residents.