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Jason Seth
From:Svetlana Muna <lanamuna01@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, December 1, 2020 9:32 AM
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 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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