Proclamation
Issued By The Mayor
A Day Recognizing Steven Taylor and the Sanctity of Every Human Life WHEREAS, on April 18, 2020, Steven Taylor was fatally shot by a former employee of the San Leandro Police Department at the Hesperian Boulevard Walmart in San Leandro; and WHEREAS, Steven Taylor was an African American Male, 33 years of age, graduate of San Leandro High School, who was a son, grandson and father, and who was unhoused at the time he was fatally shot; and WHEREAS, according to contacts Steven Taylor had with the San Leandro Police Department, Steven Taylor had a history of suffering mental health crises in San Leandro before his death; and WHEREAS, people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than other civilians approached or stopped by law enforcement, according to a study released by the Treatment Advocacy Center; and
WHEREAS, according to national studies, African Americans are more likely to experience fatal encounters with the police than any other ethnic population; and WHEREAS, the City of San Leandro recognizes the sanctity of every human life and supports policies for de-escalation tactics and verbal persuasion to save the lives of all persons; and WHEREAS, the City of San Leandro continues to be deeply saddened by the loss of Steven Taylor on April 18, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Steven Taylor Sanctity of Life Park will be a public space intended to bolster community understanding, healing, reconciliation, and awareness of belonging among San Leandro visitors and residents.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Pauline Russo Cutter, Mayor of the City of San Leandro, do hereby proclaim April 18, 2022, as "A Day Recognizing Steven Taylor and the Sanctity of Every Human Life" in the City of San Leandro as a day to honor Steven Taylor's life and other lives lost to violence, including people of color.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my
hand and caused the Seal of the City of San Leandro
to be affixed this 18 day of April 2022.
Mayor
City of San Leandro, California