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City Council Meeting Minutes September 17, 2019 <br />several members of this community. "Their vitriol included suggesting my <br />hands be cut off and I leave the state. I am disappointed and saddened by their <br />comments but understand that this a typical reaction amongst certain <br />individuals who have not experienced incarceration. In this county, we treat <br />our pets better than we treat our people. We give our pets free rein, taking <br />them into stores and restaurants. We give them homes, when they need them, <br />and cute names. We give them yards and parks and fight for their lives. But <br />when it comes to people of color, especially black people, we do not give them <br />such options. When officers use their discretion and still choose to arrest <br />low-level offenders instead of citing and releasing them, they are CHOOSING <br />to lock a human into a cage we wouldn't even put our dogs in. Recently, the <br />New York Times debuted a thorough and telling issue entitled 1919, in which <br />scholars from across the country detailed the beginnings of slavery in this <br />country and its longstanding effects on the criminal justice system. The release <br />of the statistics provided by the County in regards to the 72 black people with <br />Cite and release eligible offenses who were not offered citation but instead <br />imprisoned is revealing of our local biases. I stand before you as a sixteen -year <br />resident of San Marcos and a Texas State graduate who has volunteered in the <br />food bank, the homeless shelter, the women's shelter. I volunteered without a <br />mandate. I volunteered because I care. AND now I stand before you as a <br />person who has spent time in the Hays County Jail that so many are proud of. <br />have been told that I would end up in the jail again by one of your staff <br />members. I have been called a liar by one of the jail's medical staff. I have <br />been asked if I needed help with my broken-down car—then arrested by one of <br />your officers. The fear I have in the presence of officers is a direct reflection of <br />my very first interaction with them. I am telling you that there is a bias <br />amongst the officers and that their discretion has been unfairly doled out to <br />people who are not of color. Out of 322 people, only 20 were offered the <br />option. This is a problem we can all acknowledge. I am asking the new police <br />Chief to talk directly to community members about how to employ Cite and <br />Release fairly. I am asking the new police Chief to make the L.E.A.D. Program <br />a priority for his unit. I am asking for compassion and fairness—which is <br />evidently not currently in existence. This is my honest request— treat all <br />people with the same respect and compassion you would treat your loved ones. <br />Or yourself. I believe in San Marcos. I want to trust my leaders to make the <br />best decisions for their residents. All of them." <br />Sharri Boyett, spoke on behalf of the voiceless animals. "We the residents of <br />Hays County support the No -Kill initiative and humane best practices in the <br />management of regional Animal Services. This includes proven solutions for <br />community cat management such as Trap Neuter Return (TNR). Our taxpayer <br />City of San Marcos Page 8 <br />