Chamber EncourageD "Yes" Vote

The following letter was presented by the Chamber as testimony prior to voting at the June 30 City Council meeting.

On behalf the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, we are encouraging a Yes vote on the three following resolutions on the City of Tacoma City Council Agenda for June 30, 2020.
 
Resolution No. 40620: Wear Face Masks: Passed - See Resolution
To date, progress has been made in our fight again the transmission of Covid-19, and the increasing number of people gathering with the nicer weather we must remain vigilant.  We do not want to lose ground and are actively working with community partners like the TPCHD, PC ED, and others to both reinforce current expectations and show examples of businesses doing the right thing.  People need confidence as we reopen our local economy, and the only way to do this is to reinforce everyone, including businesses, are taking public health seriously.  Face masks are one critical component of this.  We support the measure and look forward to partnering with the City on this important communication effort.
 
Resolution No. 40621: Communications Protocol for Deaths in Police Custody: Passed - See Resolution
The people of Tacoma and of the state have overwhelmingly said they want more transparency when it comes to the use of police power, especially when the power kills.  The overwhelming passage of Initiative 940 in 2018 shows how important transparency is to the people.  The City of Tacoma should prioritize compliance with this law and establish clearer lines of communication when a death occurs while under the care of City government.  Furthermore, by sharing the details of a death more quickly will increase faith in the process and the City’s leadership.  We support this measure and look forward to helping hold our community accountable for the care of all citizens.
 
Resolution No. 40622: Ending Racism: Passed - See Resolution
We as a Chamber are focused on the need to end systemic racism and support the efforts to stop racism and transform Tacoma.  This effort, however, will take work from everyone in our community including our business leaders, and we are focused on moving this issue forward and finding ways to resolve the problem.  
 
As a Chamber, we remain focused on making the South Sound the best place to do business in Washington State. We can only accomplish the goal with the entire community squarely focused on ending systemic racism.

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