Dear Billy T and Somerville/Medford News Weekly,

Presently, The City of Somerville is besieged by highly-organized groups, large in numbers, who are extremely opinionated, send out hundreds of e-mails, in unison, to the city council, many other officials and also unify to appear in person to drown out and bully others who hold different points of view.

These aggressive citizens are 100% Anti-Police. I, and many other thoughtful, knowledgeable citizens of all ages, lifestyles and diversities implore all city council members to see comprehensive funding of all departments within the police force though the safety lense of the eyes of our citizens, young and old alike.
We urge the City Council to be on the common- sense, objective side of police protection and support to engage in proper, common sense police reform and initiatives to bolster community understanding and harmony.
1. We believe in appropriate police reform and improvements, training within the police department…just as any forward-thinking organization strives for excellence, we wish to give 100% support to our police department in these endeavors.
2. We believe we need to fill all empty positions which were eliminated.
3. We believe the current number of 88 Members of The Police Department is grossly inadequate for our densely populated city.
4. We believe Police should always, without exception, be the first responders to incidents of domestic violence or any situation of active violence or potential violence.
Social workers, psychologists can present, as an adjunct potential calming presence with appropriate suggestions and solutions, if applicable.
We do not want our social workers, psychologists put in the forefront of harms way! Dangerous police workPolice! number one responsibility of trained police, not social workers, etc.
5.We believe we need Police Byclists to keep an eye on the city streets while simultaneously building goodwill among themselves interacting with citizens, especially impressionable children.
6. We believe we need two foot patrol officers per ward.
7. We believe we need the police as daily monitors in all our schools, without exception.
8. We believe regular invitations to all schools, libraries, etc.to invite police as guest speakers would build comradarie and get rid of the stigma that several or more policing incidents gone horribly wrong have beset the police force. This stigma, enhanced by the rhetoric of of extremist voices, negates the hundreds of good deeds and life- saving heroic acts of kindness selflessly performed daily by our Somerville Police Officers!
We will no longer tolerate our voices of reason being drowned out by large overzealous groups of…bluntly…police haters.
We will shed all fear of these bullies and strive to make our voices of reason equal to that sort of unreasonable opposition.
God Bless The City of Somerville, MA

Sincerely,
Karen Glover
30-Year Resident
Clarendon Hill Towers