I ask that the Council, as it considers its budgets, direct its funds away from police and punitive action and instead invest seriously- with a willingness to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and slowdown- in ending the cruelties of poverty and apathy being inflicted on the people of Fresno. This means, among many other policies (from fast, reliable public transit, complete walkability in the city, more well-tended community amenities like libraries, parks, and gardens, fresh food available on every block, etc...) creating high-quality public housing that is at least an option available for any who would need it, managed through tenants' unions or other ways of organizing that avoid profiteering off a basic human need. I live near Fresno State, and the number of people here without housing is a direct failure of city policy. Sweeping them off the sidewalks, out of sight, just hides the failure. And for what? It doesn't cost thousands of dollars a month for a building to exist, why do we allow landlords to charge people money to live in a building or face deprivation on the streets? It would take a radical shift in approach, and would certainly rock the boat, but a better Fresno for the people who are here- yes, even those that are so often demonized, the homeless, "illegals", people with a criminal or drug background- means that stable housing must be a guarantee for all. And that would do far more good than more cops