Safety Policies: Making Public Comments

What do I Say When I Attend A Public Meeting?

This can be really intimidating, even if you are used to public speaking. Here are some suggestions.

Be prepared with your name and address - most municipalities require you to be a resident, business or property owner.

Write down/print out what you want to say

Practice - often public comment is limited to 2 or 3 minutes so prepare to be succinct. Keep talking once you start, stick to your script and stop as soon as the timer goes to 0.

Ideas to help you get started

Prompts for Policies

You can use these as written or customize as you become more comfortable with speaking out. Just remember: stick to facts, personal experiences, etc.

Select any of the policies below that you want to address, starter statements are in bold below. Customize or personalize with facts, data, personal experience (your own, not others unless you have permission).

Good evening, my name is _______________________ and I (live/work/own property/etc.) at _______________________________ in ______________________________.

I am here to comment on making my community a safer place for all of us. Specifically I would like to request that we implement the following policy (policies) to improve safety.

Policy #1: Restrict Police from Federal Immigration Enforcement

Please establish a policy that prevents local police from participating with federal actions. It is important that our officers focus on our local community with actions to keep us safe and offer aid. Operating as an additional arm of ICE, for instance, is not an effective use of our tax dollars and makes us less safe.

Policy #2: Protect Privacy During Interactions

Police should not ask “immigration status” when interacting with the public. It is important that this be written into policy (this should be a prohibited question). When immigrants are afraid of law enforcement, they are less likely to report crimes (~30% less likely). This makes us all less safe.

Policy #3: Keep Local Law Enforcement Independent from Federal Agencies

Ban 287(g) agreements, this will provide local officers with the direction they need to decline requests from ICE to be deputized and enforce immigration policy. Local law enforcement needs to focus on local community safety only.

Policies #4 and 5: Safeguarding Local Facilities

Create policies that prevent (your municipality) from entering into contracts to hold immigrants in detention as well as preventing detention centers from being established in here.

Policy #6: Protecting Privacy from Federal Agencies

Law enforcement should be prohibited from sharing FLOCK camera images/video or any other information gathered by local staff with ICE or any other law enforcement agency. Keep our law enforcement focused on community safety.

Remember that your voice matters.

Take a friend or other trusted person. If you have an important message that is more than 2-3 minutes, consider splitting the statement with a friend and go to the meeting together. Stand in line for comment in the order you would like to present your message.

You can read more about these polices and why they should be implemented in our post Policies That Keep Us All Safe