June 8, 2020
Dear Friend,
The unprecedented, triple combination of pandemic, economic downturn, and wrenching social upheaval compels me to comment on the present situation in our country and our community.
Illness, layoffs, school closings and shelter-in-place orders have complicated life for many of us. It is well documented that Black and Latino Americans have been disproportionately affected. Now, George Floyd’s murder by a police officer has brought starkly into the public consciousness the undeniable fact that Black Americans, Latino Americans, and other people of color regularly experience discriminatory treatment and brutality from our law enforcement officers and our justice system.
Sometimes the brutality is overt and captured in video images. Often, the discrimination or profiling is more subtle -- promulgated not only occasionally by bad actors, but systemically by institutions. Unfortunately, racism persists and shockingly it is even stoked by some of our “leaders” for what they perceive to be political gain.
Those in the majority need to listen carefully to the voices reminding us of past injustices which have for generations dispossessed, and even oppressed, many of our fellow Americans. We need to ascertain the truth about the conditions in our community today, and work together both at the broad, social and political levels as well as the intimate, private and interpersonal levels, to seek genuine understanding and equality amongst all Americans regardless of race, religion, immigration status or economic position.
California’s Community Colleges, and the San Mateo Community College District, can play a role in the solution. The entire premise of California’s Community Colleges is to facilitate affordable, convenient access to higher education and improved job skills both of which directly correlate to improved earning potential. Economic advancement is critical to a lasting solution to structural racial inequity.
I commit to lead SMCCCD to do better at recruiting students from our own disadvantaged communities and first-generation college families who live in San Mateo County. I plan to automatically enroll every high school senior in one of our community colleges. I will open our athletic, music, and academic facilities to the community and invite our high schoolers up to campus so they can know the way and feel welcomed.
I commit to find ways to reduce barriers to community college enrollment such as expanded scholarships or cheaper transportation and parking. I pledge to better support our students through the transfer process with more Transfer Agreements and a new peer counseling concept. I will work to provide higher quality vocational training by involving our largest employers in providing useful curriculum and connections to entry level positions. I will make sure we use our campuses to build community by allowing low-cost access.
80% of California’s law enforcement officers are trained at community colleges. I will push SMCCCD to improve the professionalization and effectiveness of our policing forces. Our training will include better screening to cull intolerant and biased people from pursuing careers in policing. We will teach non-violent tactics, de-escalation methods and moral responsibility to inculcate these principles at the beginning of a law enforcement career.
I want SMCCCD to lead the way in creating curricula and certification standards for a new type of “community service officer” trained for the many non-criminal situations currently managed by police. This unarmed officer can specialize in dealing with non-violent situations with homeless people, vandalism, financial crimes, traffic enforcement or youthful offenders where non-confrontational interactions are likely to create more successful outcomes.
Some of these ideas will take time, but perhaps George Floyd’s murder and the many before him, will motivate our society and our government to address systemic racism in America. Meanwhile, let us also recognize and support those police officers who do honorably defend us, our families and our businesses every day. We know the vast majority of police do their jobs without bias and at great risk to their own personal safety.
NOW is the time to come together in common cause to end racism. To get beyond platitudes requires time, resources and emotion to enable real economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities. Providing access to higher education, better vocational training and re-envisioning how we screen and train police officers is a start down the long path to genuine equality. I pledge to do all I can in my community activities, through my businesses, and with my family to accelerate our trip down that path. I hope to have the opportunity to push SMCCCD to do the same.
Regards,
John Pimentel
