A group of 30 local clergy have signed on to a letter saying the Chattanooga City Council failed to represent those who elected them and that members of the council are choosing to be “complicit with a system that has historically sought to diminish Black lives.”
The outrage from faith leaders comes after the council voted 8-1 last week to approve the city’s budget despite the calls of protesters to delay the vote for more discussion about how money was allocated. During the same meeting, public comment was cut off after one hour when around 30 of the more than 200 people signed up had spoken.
“As faith leaders, we encourage our young people to be involved, to be a part of the civic process and to make their voices heard,” the clergy wrote. “In its last meeting, the City Council chose to communicate the opposite – that their voices are not valuable to you. That message was heard loud and clear.”
The budget requires a second council vote for final approval, which is scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting.
The budget includes some changes, including Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke’s new Office of Community Resilience, which will include the Family Justice Center and some social work previously housed in the police department. The new office is budgeted to use about $1 million. The funding for the office represents less than 0.5% of the city’s budget in 2020.