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It states in part, \"The COVID-19 deaths and the deaths caused by police terror are connected and consequential to each other. The United States does not have a national healthcare system. Instead, we have the largest military budget in the world, and some of the most well-funded and militarized police departments in the world, too.\"

\"Policing and militarization overwhelmingly dominate the bulk of national and local budgets,\" the letter continues. \"In fact, police and military funding has increased every single year since 1973, and at the same time, funding for public health decreased every year, crystallized most recently when the Trump administration eliminated the U.S. Pandemic Response Team in 2018, citing 'costs.'\"

The open letter, which includes a five-day plan of action, concludes by urging others to take the pledge: \"Vote no on all increases to police budgets; Vote yes to decrease police spending and budgets; and Vote yes to increase spending on Health care, Education, and Community programs that keep us safe.\"

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