HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrewal, G 12.01.201
Jason Seth
From:Gurleen Grewal <gurleengrewal2003@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, December 1, 2020 2:34 PM
To:supportrl@deghtegh.com
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 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
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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.
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