Tell Asheville City Officials: Divest from police and invest in community
In early June, Asheville’s Black community came together to make an important demand of the City: Divest from the police by at least 50%, and invest that money into the Black community. City officials at the time insisted that they needed time to develop a new budget. They promised to engage the community in a transparent process. They promised that big structural changes to the Asheville Police Department were coming.
Now, almost two months later, City Manager Debra Campbell and many members of City Council have not offered a clear response to the divest/invest demand. Are they prepared to commit to divesting at least 50% from the police department in order to invest more deeply in the Black community? We’re joining with our friends at BeLoved Asheville to ask the Council to take a clear stand. Will you join us in reaching out out to the Council Members?
Another key ingredient for meaningful change in our city is transparency. So far, no detailed draft budget has been released, so the community has had no opportunity to weigh in on how the city is planning to spend our money. Once again, we are proud to stand with BeLoved and ask: Where is the detailed budget we were promised?
As City Council prepares to meet on Tuesday, July 28th, we need to demand that they commit to a fully transparent budget that divests from the police and invests in the community.
How to contact city officials:
- Email all of City Council at AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov
- Email City Manager Debra Campbell at dcampbell@ashevillenc.gov
- Call Mayor Esther Mannheimer – 828-259-5604
- Call Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler – 828-333-1767
- Call Councilman Brian Haynes – 828-619-1776
- Call Councilman Vijay Kapoor – 828-424-7773
- Call Councilwoman Julie Mayfield – 828-271-4544
- Call Councilwoman Sheneika Smith – 704-401-9104
- Call Councilman Keith Young – 828-407-1181
- Call City Manager Debra Campbell 828-259-5604