FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2020
Media Contacts:
Patty Mitchell for FOSATH pm@pattymitchell.com
Robert Bacci for Kurtis Reese rbacc1@gmail.com
FRIENDS OF SCOTT, ALEXIS and TAUN HALL (FOSATH) ENDORSE KURTIS REESE FOR WALNUT CREEK CITY COUNCIL
WALNUT CREEK, CA – Friends of Scott, Alexis and Taun Hall (FOSATH) issued the following statement announcing their endorsement of Kurtis Reese, a Democrat, running for one of three open seats on the Walnut Creek City Council. In November’s election, voters of Walnut Creek have the opportunity to change THREE city council seats.
“We are proud to endorse Kurtis Reese in his campaign to represent the people of Walnut Creek. One of the early leaders of FOSATH, Kurtis and his family are 18-year residents of Walnut Creek. Kurtis Reese is a staunch supporter of advocating for all members of our community, especially for the most vulnerable.”
“Kurtis Reese will bring strong leadership and business skills, a fresh perspective, effective communication, intellect, sophistication, integrity, and a new vision to the Walnut Creek City Council. He is a candidate who will represent all of Walnut Creek and can inspire a diverse coalition of voters from all parts of the community to come together to deliver a message of change.”
“Kurtis Reese is committed to the vision and goals that FOSATH hopes to achieve for Walnut Creek, for Contra Costa County, and for our country: equality, justice, compassion, and inclusion. He supports FOSATH’s objectives of:
24/7 non-police, non-violent response to mental health crisis calls
Adoption of a restrictive use of force policy for the Walnut Creek Police Department
Evidence-based anti-bias diversity and de-escalation training for the Walnut Creek PD
Reese said his other council priorities include helping local small businesses, fighting homelessness and traffic congestion and, perhaps most importantly, helping get the city's budget shored up.
In November’s election, the voters of Walnut Creek have an opportunity to change THREE of the five city council seats.
“Frustrated with the pace of actions and lack of responsiveness to our reasonable requests directed to the current city council, FOSATH encourages Walnut Creek voters to select Kurtis Reese as their first choice to serve on the next city council.”
FOSATH asks that voters use their other two votes for the three open city council seats to select two candidates whose values are aligned toward action and enacting the changes Walnut Creek needs to be a city where all residents and visitors are not only welcome, but safe and thriving.
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ABOUT FOSATH:
On the afternoon of June 2nd, 2019, on a quiet tree-lined residential street in Walnut Creek, 23-year-old Miles Hall lost his life to police gunfire. Miles was in the throes of a schizoaffective episode that day, and both Miles’ mother Taun Hall and his grandmother had reached out to police officers for assistance navigating it. The responding Walnut Creek Police Department officers grossly violated their trust. Four police officers arrived at the scene. Officers repeatedly yelled “stop” at Miles. Miles was in distress and as he attempted to run past the police, two of the officers fired their guns at him, killing him.
Shortly after Miles' death, a grassroots community group called Friends of Scott, Alexis and Taun Hall (FOSATH) formed to help the Hall family seek justice for Miles.
Miles Hall’s status as a young man suffering from mental illness resulted in a groundswell of community members asking why he was shot while in a state of mental despair and why police with guns are the ones put in the position of addressing mental health emergencies. At the same time, his status as a young black man killed by police fire, in a suburban northern California city where there had been no officer-involved shootings in 7 years, raised community concerns about deep racial biases and inequities.
Today FOSATH volunteers continue to advocate an end to police use of excessive and lethal force for calls involving persons with mental illness, and to champion an end to the issues of racial disparities BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community members face when interacting with law enforcement.
FOSATH and the Hall Family are endorsing Kurtis Reese for Walnut Creek City Council.
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For more information about Justice for Miles Hall go to www.justiceformileshall.org
To learn about Kurtis Reese and his campaign for Walnut Creek City Council visit www.kurtisreese.com
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