Black Lives Matter. 

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Rayshard Brooks. Chinedu Okobi.

We say their names with broken hearts. Their lives mattered, and we are horrified by their senseless murders at the hands of those sworn to protect them. The legacy of violence against Black people in America dates back more than 400 years, and that of police brutality to the slave patrols. This is not a new or recent problem, and it is not one that can be solved through mild or superficial reforms. We need real change, real justice.

Sunnyvale holds a special place in our hearts. And there is much that makes our city unique. But our city is not a bubble. It is not exempt from America’s racist history. Only 2% of our city’s population is Black. That is not an accident, but the result of deliberate decisions made at all levels of government—with broad community support. 

We recognize that anti-Black violence is inextricably tied to our nation’s broader history of racism, a history in which our city inevitably shares. Our city was built on Ohlone land by immigrants’ hands. Many of those immigrants have since been forced from the city they helped build by rising rents. Others hang on by a thread. And we know that our Asian and Latinx neighbors have faced renewed racist harassment for years, incited from the highest levels of government.

Livable Sunnyvale is committed to a Sunnyvale that is diverse, inclusive, and safe for all residents. We view each of our three pillars of housing, transportation, and environmental equity through a lens of racial justice. Police brutality cannot be separated from the deliberate segregation of our cities through racial covenants, red-lining, and exclusionary zoning; nor from the disinvestment in safe streets and public transit in Black and brown communities; nor from the environmental violence that has historically been perpetuated against these communities. Nor can we speak about a “livable” Sunnyvale, without first acknowledging the right to life itself.

Livable Sunnyvale is committed to centering the need for racial justice in our advocacy. In the near term, our focus will be on learning how we can be better allies in the fight against racism and anti-Blackness. To that end, we will be holding a series of public discussions on how racism has shaped our city, and how racial justice intersects with our mission.

But learning is not enough. We need action. We need change. We need justice. We rededicate ourselves now to undoing the legacy of structural racism in our city. We may not complete the work, but we know that we are not free to desist from it.

Let’s get to it.

Please join us for  
Livable Sunnyvale’s July General Meeting 
When: Wednesday, July 1, 2020,  6:30 PM to 9 PM
Where: Click here to register for the Meeting link
Register in advance or register right before joining the meeting. 
After registering, Zoom will email you the link to join the meeting.

This meeting is half hour longer than usual as we have a packed agenda:

1. Marc Berman (State Assembly member representing 24th District) and Josh Becker (candidate to represent 12th State Senate District) will speak about their legislative priorities and take some questions.
2. Active Transportation Plan – the latest from Richard Mehlinger
   What are the Bike/Ped improvements and what are the two dozen or so modifications BPAC suggested.  What do we need to do now?
3. Racial Justice and Livable Sunnyvale’s Mission
   Galen will speak briefly about high level intersections between our mission and racial justice. Then we’ll break into groups to brainstorm about future actions and discussions for Sunnyvale on three more specific topics. 

Best healthy regards,
Richard Mehlinger, Chair
Tara Martin-Milius , Vice-Chair
Justin Wang, Vice Chair
Galen Davis, Tech Director
Julia Liu Treasurer, Membership
Gail Rubino, Secretary
Mike Serrone, Communications Director
Sue Serrone, Chair Emerita

More Details on using Zoom: 
If your device has never been used for a Zoom meeting, after you click on the meeting link, your browser will prompt you to download and install the app. It is free and very quick.  After install, you may have to come back and click on the Meeting Link again. 
On Mac/iPhone/iPad, you can download the Zoom app before you click on the meeting link.  Go to the App Store and search for “Zoom Cloud Meetings”. 

Questions and comments will be taken via the Chat function on Zoom.  Please type them in anytime during the presentation and our meeting moderator will ask them or answer them after the presentation.  (The Chat button is somewhere along the periphery of your Zoom screen – usually between the ‘Share Screen’ and ‘Record’ buttons.)  

Livable Sunnyvale members please “Sign-in”: If your Zoom username is not the same as your First name/Last name, or there are more than 1 member sharing the same device, please send your name(s) via Chat to Julia Liu (membership) so your attendance can be logged (to satisfy future voting eligibility).