the thing about this letter is if you read between the lines of all their pro-cop propaganda, it's them largely validating much of what has been said by those who are pro-defunding the EPS or saying things that uphold why they are, at best, irrelevant. 1/ https://twitter.com/YEGPA/status/1275927028596793344?s=20

for starters, after listening to 12+ hearings worth of people talking about the surveillance, criminalization of poverty, and brutality they've suffered at the hands of EPS only validates the fact that training isn't working to curb these issues. 2/

"bias awareness, community conversation, historical trauma and smudging, LGBTQ2S+ training, police legitimacy, etc. etc."

you can list them all you want, it's only serving to validate the fact that no amount of training can fix systemic racism within the police 3/

then they go on to literally AGREE that police should not "be the agency of first resort for mental health calls or wellness checks," but point out that these jobs have been downloaded onto them because "other agencies are not adequately funded" 4/

NO SHIT. that's what happens when you eat up close to 13% of the entire municipal budget to do work that you are NOT equipped to do.

they go on to say that they have to make mental health diagnoses in "a matter of minutes," after citing 27 weeks TOTAL of training. no thank you.

they point out that less than 1% of calls use any force at all. congratu-fucking-lations, you're still managing to traumatize BIPOC communities without ever pulling out your guns. this isn't a measure of success. period. 6/

"the demand for police service keeps growing, which is why budgets keep expanding," except you've already admitted that a bulk of your work are things being downloaded onto you that haven't asked for and are ill-equipped to handle, NEXT. 7/

"setting arbitrary numbers to cut policing budgets (ie. 10% or 20% across the board) without having a realistic plan to address the service shortfall is a dangerous proposition"

EPS has said 30% of their workload is managing mental health, addictions and other social challenges

these numbers aren't "arbitrary" they're by your admission and hundreds of people have brought forth realistic plans and propositions for how to immediately cut. 9/

okay, now it gets really good.

"police officers did not write the laws they are asked or obligated to enforce."

so you agree.... you're enforcing unjust laws in the first place? 10/

"Police officers did not create the poverty that disproportionately affects certain groups in our community"

no, you just reinforce the system that values white property over human life and over-polices Black and Indigenous people after they've been displaced by gentrification.

"Police officers did not create the residential school's system" 12/ https://twitter.com/emilyjaneriddle/status/1276153009437884421?s=20

now we get to the stuff @rockartsyeg covered in their testimony, which clearly got to them ()

first, @rockartsyeg already debunked why Police Associations don't need to endorse political candidates to have an outsized role on electoral outcomes and political priorities 13/

on oversight investigations:

"we have been asking for over a decade to change the current system. we do not want our members investigating one another"

you are openly admitting that the current review system lacks the credibility it needs to have any sliver of credibility

you supporting over 25+ charitable organizations like the Mayor's Pride Lunch just prove you have way too much money to throw around that would be better spent on preventing the social problems you're responding to in the first place

finally, the point about officers experiencing PTSD just speaks to the fact that upholding a deeply broken and violent system is harmful to all involved, and is why it must be torn down.