HomeMy WebLinkAboutSabado2 11.30.201
Jason Seth
From:Roselle S <rosellesabado@yahoo.com>
Sent:Monday, November 30, 2020 6:14 PM
To:supportrl@deghtegh.com
Subject:Reject AB-2766
Council members,
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.
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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 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
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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.
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