HomeMy WebLinkAboutMartinez 12.01.201
Jason Seth
From:Gisel Martinez204 <gm843010@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:52 AM
To:CityClerk
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
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.
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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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