Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani
Email address for Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani:
rkesarwani@cityofberkeley.info
Remember to make some changes & put this in your own voice! Also be sure to add your name at the end before sending.
Subject: Following up on your call for common-sense solutions to reduce crime in Berkeley
Dear Councilmember Kesarwani,
I am writing to you as a concerned parent of a UC Berkeley student. As I'm sure you are aware, there have been several recent violent crimes that have happened to students in Berkeley. It is deeply concerning to us parents that our children are not safe on the streets of the city we sent them to for their education.
I recently saw your April 15 tweet in which you described visiting Cedar Market after the brazen theft that happened there, and of your stated commitment to working on common-sense safety solutions. We appreciate your commitment to making Berkeley safer, and have some ideas of some common-sense solutions you can start working on right away.
A great place to start would be for you to support the Berkeley police department’s request for more technology to help the police keep Berkeley safe— like intersection cameras, drones, and license plate scanners. A lot of the crime happening in Berkeley is committed by criminals traveling here from other surrounding communities. Technologies like those I listed can help send a message that Berkeley is no longer going to sit by and be victimized by outsiders.
Students at UC Berkeley are a vital part of the Berkeley community, and the City Council must do more to keep them safe. We are disappointed that too often, our concerns about crime are met with lip-service instead of action.
I want to emphasize that members of the Berkeley community will continue to raise their voices until our concerns are addressed. Hundreds of Cal parents have created a new advocacy group called SafeBears whose mission is to make Berkeley safe for students. You can find more information about SafeBears on their website.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We hope that you will take our concerns seriously and take concrete steps to make Berkeley a safer place for everyone.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]