Moore, Tania
From: Fikes, Cathy
Sent: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 11:13 AM
To: Agenda Alerts
Subiect: FW: Written Supplemental Communication
Attachments: Youth Board Written Supplemental Communication.pdf From: Kenady Osborne (Student MHS) <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 9:27 AM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: Written Supplemental Communication
City Council,
Hello, my name is Kenady Osborne and I am the current chairperson of the Huntington Beach Youth Board. On behalf of my board, we are submitting a written supplemental communication involving the agenda-related item Ordinance 4283. I have attached a PDF of our letter to this email. Please email me with any questions or concerns.
Best regards
Kenady Osborne
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date: 3/7/2023
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Agenda Item No.: 12(23.192)
1 Mayor Strickland and Councilmembers,
On behalf of the youth of Huntington Beach, we are voicing our concerns on Ordinance 4283. We believe that this ordinance is harmful to our community because it enables discrimination, is inherently flawed, causes economic harm, enables hate, and reverses the progress we have made.
Ordinance 4283 limits flags flown on government property. Under this ordinance Huntington Beach will only fly the American flag, the POW/MIA flags, the California flag, the Huntington Beach City flag, and military flags. This means revoking the pride flag. Cities are in charge of setting an example for their citizens. By flying this flag that represents unity and love, Huntington Beach can set an example of inclusion. It is important to recognize that taking down this flag does enable discrimination, regardless of the council's intent. Citizens recognize this action as revoking support from the LGBTQ+ community. This is extremely harmful because it inherently says Huntington Beach is setting an non inclusive example for its citizens, thus enabling discrimination.
We would also like to bring attention to the fact that Ordinance 4283 is inherently flawed.
One of the main points that the city council members made for passing this ordinance was that they did not want to support any interest groups and wanted to make sure that the city was entirely neutral. The city considers the pride flag to be representative of an interest group promoting an agenda. This special treatment was a driving factor in the council's decision.
However this is not in congruence with also flying POW/MIA flags. The POW/MIA (Prisoner of War/Missing in Action) flag represents thousands of American service members who have been prisoners of war or have gone missing in action during military conflicts. While the flag may be seen as a symbol of patriotism and remembrance, it is important to recognize that it serves as an interest group. An interest group is a group of people who work together to influence public policy in their favor. Interest groups can be formed around a variety of issues, including social, economic, and political concerns. The POW/MIA interest group has been successful in achieving their goals by working together to influence public policy. One of the ways the POW/MIA interest group has been successful is through their advocacy for the flag. The flag has been flown at government buildings, military institutions, and other public places to bring awareness to the fight of POW/MIA service members. By making the flag a highly visible symbol, the group has been able to keep the issue of POW/MIA service members at the forefront of public discourse.
However, the use of the POW/MIA flag as an interest group symbol also raises concerns about inclusivity. The flag is intended to represent American service members who have been prisoners of war or are missing in action, but it does not include all service members. We are in no way saying that we are against POW/MIA flags, in fact we support them being flown along with other special interest groups.
Banning the pride flag from flying can cause economic harm to the city of Huntington Beach. It sends a message of intolerance and exclusion to the LGBTQ+ community, which can discourage LGBTQ+ individuals from visiting, living in, or doing business in the city. This can result in lost revenue for local businesses and a less diverse and dynamic workforce. One example of this is Blue Shield's response to Ordinance 4283. Blue Shield is a major company that has decided to no longer hold retreats in Huntington Beach because of this ordinance and will no doubt lead the way for other companies to do the same. Flying the LGBTQ+ flag promotes economic growth, opportunities, and inclusivity, while banning it can cause economic harm to our city. By embracing diversity and inclusion, the city can create a more vibrant and prosperous community that benefits everyone.
One point council member Pat Burns and others have claimed is that Huntington Beach is already a place of so much acceptance. We disagree. We are aware that no council members currently identify themselves as members of the LGBTQ+ community, thus they lack the ability to see through the perspectives of those members. Huntington Beach has had multiple hate crimes in the previous years and potentially many more unreported ones. In 2022, Tremaine Jatari Sowell was arrested for committing a hate crime against a woman due to her sexual orientation. According to the Huntington Beach police department, there were also two other anti gay hate crimes reported in 2022. All three of these crimes were committed in June of 2022. This is not a coincidence. Hate is still alive in Huntington Beach and small microaggressions, such as the removal of the flag enables it to thrive.
Deciding to fly the pride flag on government property in 2021 marked a progressive step towards complete inclusivity and equity, thus, we understand that this ordinance was not directly targeted at the pride flag, but we feel it is important to notice that removing the flag reverses progress. In recent years the LGBT+ community has slowly been gaining equal rights, but the community is still far from being completely embraced and accepted. Huntington Beach is well known for its lack of support to progressive ideals and as the future generation, we believe it is time to change that.
Sincerely,
ACACIA BARTEL
LUKE BLANKENBAKER
FAITH NGUYEN
COLIN PARROTT
OLIVIA PHAM
KENEDY OSBORNE
SARAH RIZVI
ADAM VO
KAI WONG