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Jason Seth
From:harleen chauhan <harleenchauhan19@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:51 AM
Subject:Reject AB-2766
Councilmembers,
I am writing in opposition to the proposed legislation
AB-2766. This proposed legislation specifically targets a
minority small business owner who is simply helping out
King County and the most vulnerable homeless
population. Mr. Bath has been discriminated against
and made to feel like the enemy by local community
leaders and business leaders.
Mr. Bath is a leader in Renton’s local Sikh community
and mentors young people and other entrepreneurs.
Mr. Bath’s faith instructs him to constantly give to
others in need, regardless of their financial or other
circumstance. This is the reason he has organized
weekly food drives in local Sikh temples during this
COVID-19 crisis. See
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-
area-sikh-community-leans-on-core-values-to-help-
those-in-need-during-coronavirus-pandemic/
Mr. Bath’s faith, duty, and commitment to his
community drove him to agree to help the homeless
during this unprecedented time. The hotel had empty
rooms; King County needed those rooms; and, he could
work with the County and his new guests to create a
safe environment for them to survive the COVID-19
crisis.
As a result of providing service to his community
according to his faith, he has faced unbelievable
discrimination and harassment. Mr. Bath has been
made to feel like he did not belong in the Renton
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community, even though he has been a member of this
community for nearly thirty years.
Local government agencies have made Mr. Bath and
his employees feel like we are the other, and
“enemies,” simply because he agreed to help his
community as a tenet of his own faith. Recently, there
was a fire at the hotel which requires intervention from
the Renton Police Department. One of the Renton
Police Officers audibly stated that he wished the hotel
would burn down to the ground or flood so that Mr.
bath and his partners would no longer assist the
homeless population.
The Renton City Council is now trying to severely impact
Mr. Bath’s business by singling out the hotel and
restricting its use. It is apparent that the City of Renton
is targeting Mr. Bath and is intent on dramatically
diminishing the value of his property (while, in the
process, putting perhaps hundreds of ill men and
women on the street).
Mr. Bath is being punished for simply doing what his
faith and his character instruct him to do. And the
bottom line is: Where will the 100+ homeless people
go if the City passes this ordinance and forces them
from Red Lion Inn in Renton? They will venture into
the local community and risk increasing the spread of
COVID-19 – at a time when the rates of transmission are
at an all-time high. The City’s action will result in certain
death of the most vulnerable people under its charge
Thank you for your consideration and I hope you will
not pass AB-2766.
_____________________
Regards,
Harleen Chauhan
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