Gainesville Activists Want Shift In City Budget Priorities, But Will Likely Have To Wait A Year – WUFT
Activists have spent the past three weeks trying to urgently sway Gainesville city budget decisions.
They have a group of city commissioners receptive to their demands. They have a nationwide moment of civil reflection on spending priorities. They seek immediate change at a time when thats seemingly more possible than ever.
What they dont have is time.
Some of their demands may have been met had they organized months ago. But with only two weeks to go before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, city commissioners have their hands tied.
The citys budget process starts every January, when initial plans are drawn up. In the weeks that follow, budget items undergo revisions by city budget staff and commissioners, who provide feedback for modifications. By July, the city manager releases a finalized budget draft to the City Commission for additional revisions and tweaks before its finalized in September.
With September halfway over, the citys 2020-21 budget is nearly final, with room for only minor changes following the last budget hearing of the month.
Frankly, its irresponsible to make major changes to the budget so late in the process, but I think this is a blueprint going forward, City Commissioner David Arreola said in a phone interview.
Roughly a dozen callers during Thursday nights commission meeting criticized an increase to Gainesville Police Departments budget, demanding a reallocation of funds. The citys increase in funding for police body cameras, disagreement over who pays for school resource officers and Gainesvilles Basketball Cop drew ire in some callers public comments.
To those complaints, Mayor Lauren Poe emphasized the citys additional spending toward art programs, teachers and mental health specialists and no additional spending on sworn police officers.
The drastic influx of public comments at recent commission meetings hints at a trend toward more civic engagement than previously seen. One frequent caller was taken aback at being denied the chance to comment before a vote on fire assessment rates because the phone lines are being jammed up by a bunch of people protesting to defund the police department.
Callers echoed the concerns raised at a first-of-its-kind forum held earlier this month that drew input from residents who otherwise wouldnt attend commission meetings.
The Goddsville Dream Defenders, a Gainesville chapter of the statewide abolitionist organization, hosted the event, which highlighted testimonials from community members who say they are affected by racist policing and immigration laws. Dozens tuned in on Zoom and Facebook Live to discuss what they deemed worthy of more funding.
Among the chief concerns were safety, food security and inequitable housing.
Arreola, the only city commissioner to attend the inaugural forum, suggested that starting these discussions earlier in the process say, February may have had a bigger impact on the upcoming budget. He added this is the first time he has seen an activist organization gather people together to strategically envision the budget on a broad level.
If they continue this energy, if they continue this cultivation of the people to think about their citys government at a much higher level than individual line items, this could be a great segue into the next budget discussion, Arreola said.
The nonprofit Dream Defenders organization, which has other chapters known as SquaDDs in Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Broward County and Hillsbourough County, was created in 2012 following the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy shot by self-appointed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. Since the police murder of George Floyd in May and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Dream Defenders have rallied citizens to voice their opinions at protests and city government meetings.
Although commission meetings and budget hearings are open to the public, the Goddsville Dream Defenders note that the residents most affected by the budget including parts of the Black, Latino and homeless communities are often the least likely to attend, said Dmitry Podobreev, a Dream Defender and 22-year-old University of Florida student.
Usually what we have is the ability to just go to the (commission) meeting, said Jason von Meding, 38, in a phone interview. The(forum) is about giving community and citizens power and decision-making responsibility and agency in how the budget is allocated, rather than just allowing them to come into the room and hear their grievances.
Sara Tito, a Peru native and active member of Madres Sin Fronteras (Mothers without Borders), a grassroots human rights organization in Gainesville dedicated to protecting immigrant children, said she hopes children in schools have access to food and that utility bills will not be so high for those who can least afford the expenses.
Theres not enough (money) to help everyone, and even for the people who have received help, it hasnt been enough, Tito said during the forum, as translated by Liz Ibarrola.
She added that her Gainesville Regional Utilities bill has previously exceeded $800.
Parts of the advocates agenda are moving forward. City commissioners earlier this month approved a new ordinance for rental regulations, meant to force landlords to better regulate rentals for safety hazards and to increase energy efficiency.
Advocates say the rental ordinance should help reduce utility costs for low-income residents whose power bills are sometimes higher than their rent, said Sheila Payne, an Alachua County Labor Coalition board delegate for Veterans for Peace and Dream Defenders fiscal advisor.
People, especially low-income people, are not going to call, Payne, 63, said in a phone interview. They dont want to be evicted. The landlord would know they have called. So they (rentals) all will be inspected and will have to be brought up to code.
Her words echoed those of Poe at a City Commission meeting earlier this month.
The groundskeeper who works at the university, or the custodian that makes sure the professors office and classroom are clean (they) deserve to live in high-opportunity neighborhoods, and they deserve to be a part of this conversation, he said.
Payne emphasized the need for affordable housing when luxury student apartments can have a certain amount of vacancy due to their high rates, leaving Gainesvilles poor feeling helpless.
Its a classic sign of too much poverty in Gainesville and no one caring, she said.
Forum attendees and callers Thursday night expressed a desire for the city to fund more youth programs rather than policing efforts like school resource officers, who the Dream Defenders say play a decisive role in the school-to-prison pipeline. Discussions about transferring the costs of officers to the Alachua County School Board have been underway since June among commissioners.
Payne added that she disagrees with the methods used by the Reichert House a youth program near and dear to Chief Tony Jones for at-risk children from poor neighborhoods or single-parent households. The program, Payne said, too often guides young Black men and boys by militarizing their experience.
The Reichert House, which is partially funded through the Gainesville Police Department, has spent more than $828,000 in the 2020 fiscal year, which city records show is nearly $200,000 over budget.
Goddsville Dream Defender and co-host of the forum Kiara Laurent said in a phone interview that their efforts to put pressure on commissioners was inspired by change, like defunding police departments, occurring in other parts of the country.
Even if the budget is not finalized in our favor, she said, we know that when the next budget comes, were really going to push for participatory budgeting.
Read the original here:
Gainesville Activists Want Shift In City Budget Priorities, But Will Likely Have To Wait A Year - WUFT
- George Zimmerman Obituary (2024) - Orangeburg, SC - The Times and Democrat - Legacy.com - November 24th, 2024 [November 24th, 2024]
- George Zimmerman's Brother Compares Trayvon Martin to Alleged Baby Killer - Essence - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- George Zimmerman Is to Auction the Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin, Reports Say - Yahoo Movies Canada - June 12th, 2024 [June 12th, 2024]
- Trayvon Martin Shooter George Zimmerman Charged With Murder - imdb - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- City where Trayvon Martin was killed hopes to fix racial tension with storytelling, respect - Yahoo News - February 25th, 2024 [February 25th, 2024]
- Celebrating Trayvon Martin: How His Legacy Continues To Thrive - NewsOne - February 12th, 2024 [February 12th, 2024]
- Mary L. Bowman | News, Sports, Jobs - The Express - Lock Haven Express - November 3rd, 2023 [November 3rd, 2023]
- The 'useful idiots' who cannot understand total evil - The Suburban Newspaper - November 3rd, 2023 [November 3rd, 2023]
- Weaponizing death _- Commentary | Government/Opinion - City-sentinel - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Giffords: Cleveland, other shootings show the gun industry's ... - Houston Chronicle - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Today's Savannah Guthrie's multi-million net worth compared to Hoda Kotb, Dylan Dreyer, Al Roker, and more who's on top? - HELLO! - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- I met Harry Belafonte a decade ago at a protest. Im still moved by that moment. - Andscape - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- How two decades of gun culture helped shape America's 'Stand Your Ground' laws - ABC News - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Texas Governor Seeks To Pardon Convicted Killer Of Anti-police Brutality Protester - Barron's - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Why businesses should double down on EDI to weather economic ... - People Management Magazine - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Rep. Justin Jones: 5 Things About The HBCU Grad Reinstated To ... - BET - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Jackie Robinson breaks baseball barrier: Today in history - Calgary Herald - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Adidas Drops Trademark Dispute With Black Lives Matter - The New York Times - April 4th, 2023 [April 4th, 2023]
- From Homewood to Bronx, Grammy-winning saxophonist ... - Chicago Tribune - April 4th, 2023 [April 4th, 2023]
- Social Media Sympathizes With Tekashi 6ix9ine After Brutal Gym Beatdown - MadameNoire - March 28th, 2023 [March 28th, 2023]
- Tekashi 6ix9ine Receives Support Online After Gym Beatdown - MadameNoire - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- Was Tekashi Beat Up By His Own Security Force? - AllHipHop - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- The Republicans war on woke has turned the party into a group of hysterical Chicken Littles - TheGrio - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- A Timeline of George Zimmerman's Post-Trayvon Life - March 6th, 2023 [March 6th, 2023]
- Timeline of the George Zimmerman Murder Trial - ABC News - February 26th, 2023 [February 26th, 2023]
- Why George Zimmerman was acquitted - MSNBC.com - February 26th, 2023 [February 26th, 2023]
- Where is George Zimmerman now in 2022? He remains ... - TheNetline - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- Fast Facts: The Zimmerman Case - CBS Miami - CBS News - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- Eric Holder Praises Reverend Al Sharpton; Reports Say Zimmerman to be ... - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- George Zimmerman's Bizarre Life Since Trayvon Martin's ... - Newsweek - August 28th, 2022 [August 28th, 2022]
- Black Man Charged With Murder of White Teen Says He Was Standing His Ground - VICE - August 28th, 2022 [August 28th, 2022]
- Re-Directing Clinical Passion: Benefits and Pitfalls - Psychotherapy.net - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- A List Of All The Ways Fans Heckle Accused Cheater Patrick Reed - Defector - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- Letter: What is a 'stand-your-ground' law? - INFORUM - August 7th, 2022 [August 7th, 2022]
- Justice remains elusive in Till's murder | | dailyitem.com - Sunbury Daily Item - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- White Man In Connecticut Arrested After Pushing 11-Year-Old Black Boy Off Bike - The Root - July 4th, 2022 [July 4th, 2022]
- We Need a Congressional Investigation Into the 2020 Riots - Heritage.org - June 26th, 2022 [June 26th, 2022]
- Religious fanatics are now running the country - Daily Kos - June 26th, 2022 [June 26th, 2022]
- George Zimmerman: A Complete Story of a Murder and Life After - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- We Need a Congressional Investigation Into the 2020 Riots | Opinion - Newsweek - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- War Profiteering Benefits a Few But Hurts Most of Us - LA Progressive - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Opinion | Embracing the Complexity of Peace | Robert C. Koehler - Common Dreams - June 19th, 2022 [June 19th, 2022]
- Two White Men Arrested For Threatening Black Teen, Throwing a Rock In His Car In Same Town Trayvon Martin Was - Black Enterprise - June 17th, 2022 [June 17th, 2022]
- A dark money-fueled conservative group rebranded its effort to infiltrate local politics and local media outlets are falling for it - Media Matters... - June 17th, 2022 [June 17th, 2022]
- #WordinBlack: Texas native son talks Juneteenth: better late than never - Afro American - June 17th, 2022 [June 17th, 2022]
- A Country Armed to the Teeth - CounterPunch.org - CounterPunch - June 17th, 2022 [June 17th, 2022]
- Review: Netflixs Civil follows a momentous year in the life of Americas Black attorney general - SF Chronicle Datebook - June 13th, 2022 [June 13th, 2022]
- Kyle Rittenhouse is Lying About Going to College - The Root - June 10th, 2022 [June 10th, 2022]
- Buffalo associate superintendent named to Time's 'Innovative Teachers of the Year' list - WBFO - June 10th, 2022 [June 10th, 2022]
- Notre Dame says it is 'appalled' the Buffalo shooting suspect cited an article by one of its professors - Chicago Tribune - May 29th, 2022 [May 29th, 2022]
- The NRA Exists to Keep Weapons Profits Booming and Guns in the Hands of the State and Right Wing - Left Voice - May 29th, 2022 [May 29th, 2022]
- His Name is George Floyd by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa review the murder that shamed the US - The Guardian - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- Be careful with testing waivers | News, Sports, Jobs - The Daily Times - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Attorney Ben Crump hired to represent family of Buffalo mass shooting victim - Orlando Sentinel - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- The New Black Panther Party: The Journal of Steffanie Rivers | WATCHinterview - eurweb.com - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- JAY-Z Has Dissed More People Than Any Other MC - Ambrosia For Heads - April 17th, 2022 [April 17th, 2022]
- Today in History: Today is Saturday, April 9, the 99th day of 2022. - wausaupilotandreview.com - April 14th, 2022 [April 14th, 2022]
- Woke Exclusive: The Cast and Creatives Reveal When They Got Woke at WonderCon 2022 - The Illuminerdi - April 14th, 2022 [April 14th, 2022]
- Parkland mass shooter finally faces judgment. Jury selection to begin on Monday - Norman Transcript - April 2nd, 2022 [April 2nd, 2022]
- Letter to the editor | Welcome all refugees into our country - TribDem.com - April 2nd, 2022 [April 2nd, 2022]
- Today in History: Today is Saturday, March 19, the 78th day of 2022. - wausaupilotandreview.com - March 20th, 2022 [March 20th, 2022]
- CT version of Stand your ground faces opposition in key committee - CT Insider - March 20th, 2022 [March 20th, 2022]
- Kyle Rittenhouse Gas Meme of Him Crying at the Pump Viewed Over 1M Times - Newsweek - March 18th, 2022 [March 18th, 2022]
- Letters to the Editor: Feb. 26, 2022 - TCPalm - March 4th, 2022 [March 4th, 2022]
- 'This is what makes America what it is': educators taught to include Black history through the year - North Country Public Radio - March 4th, 2022 [March 4th, 2022]
- Trayvon Martin, 10 years later: Teen's death changes ... - February 24th, 2022 [February 24th, 2022]
- Trayvon Martin 10th anniversary: A look at the players - ABC News - February 24th, 2022 [February 24th, 2022]
- Who Is George Hofstetter, Who Created The 'CopStop' App As A Teenager? - Oxygen - January 20th, 2022 [January 20th, 2022]
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Seattle and was not welcomed - NBC Right Now - January 20th, 2022 [January 20th, 2022]
- Who Is George Hofstetter, Who Created The 'CopStop' App As A Teenager? - Yahoo Entertainment - January 17th, 2022 [January 17th, 2022]
- Family of Emmett Till and more reflect on his funeral, killers' trial - ABC News - January 17th, 2022 [January 17th, 2022]
- Black Lives Matters Co-Founder Alicia Garza Never Expected The Movement To Get So Big - Oxygen - January 17th, 2022 [January 17th, 2022]
- The Re-Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. - City Watch - January 17th, 2022 [January 17th, 2022]
- Opinion: With COVID-19 and firearms, are Americans fighting another civil war? - Iowa City Press-Citizen - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Ahmaud Arbery verdict reached 9 years after the deaths of Jordan Davis and Trayvon Martin - 11Alive.com WXIA - November 26th, 2021 [November 26th, 2021]
- Two Days Before Rittenhouse Verdict, a Native Woman Was Imprisoned for Killing Her Alleged Rapist Mother Jones - Mother Jones - November 26th, 2021 [November 26th, 2021]
- Rob Reiner Stirs Online Controversy With Take on Kyle Rittenhouse - We Got This Covered - November 26th, 2021 [November 26th, 2021]
- Losing Confidence in the Pillars of Our Civilization - RealClearPolitics - November 26th, 2021 [November 26th, 2021]
- The Rittenhouse syndrome: Has America crossed the Rubicon? - Salon - November 26th, 2021 [November 26th, 2021]
- Redrawing the Map: Grassroots organization trains Black college students and young professionals on the importance of redistricting - Southern Poverty... - September 30th, 2021 [September 30th, 2021]