Building Bridges in the City
Rotterdammers look out for each other. We help our neighbours, we know our districts. We know who can count on our support, but also who supports us. Rotterdammers are together (like the name of our party, "BIJ1"). This gives the city strength. Yet we also see people are more divided now than four years ago. Politics has contributed to this. It's urgently necessary to build bridges.
We will build those bridges together. In the neighbourhood where we live, for example. BIJ1 wants to give citizens more opportunities to decide what happens to their neighbourhood. Currently, the distance to political power is too great. Our city is governed top-down, and not by the people themselves. This is why radical change is necessary.
BIJ1 believes in the power of people who organise change themselves. This is what we are aiming for! Fully confident that we are all doing our utmost to live together as best we can. Everyone of us is different, but we’re all connected. These are our plans:
- District committees give citizens more influence on local developments, e.g.: care, outdoor spaces or public safety.
- Abolish area bans, as well as the assembly ban.
- Residents should be involved in each other's well-being and safety.
- Further expand pilots with neighbourhood courts. These do not focus on punishing offenders, but rather on living together in the district.
- Ensure equal opportunities in every neighbourhood. Each neighbourhood gets what it needs: local shops, libraries, community centres, youth clubs and sports facilities.
- A stop to municipal sales of properties with a social function.
- District councils should be given more support in carrying out their work,and the city council should not ignore their advice.
- Make district councils part of the district committees.
- Bring back the Youth Council.
- Start a municipal department that thinks about new forms of governance. This will look at the city from an intersectional point of view.
- Quotas for municipal employees: All Rotterdammers must be able to identify with their municipality.
- Offer more municipal internships for young people of colour and disabled people.
- Use of gender-neutral language in the municipality's communication to its citizens.
- Stop ethnic profiling, in every way, shape or form, and in all government services.
- Firing racist and sexist police-officers. No slaps on the wrist, but terminations!
- Protect whistle-blowers (in the police). They must be given every opportunity to raise problems.
- Stricter rules for the police during demonstrations.
- An independent agency that monitors the police, such as Controle Alt Delete.
- Combating racism and discrimination in the digital domain.
- A supervisor who monitors the municipality on the collection and use of personal data. This supervisor also gives binding advice.
- More focus in schools on living together and gender-based violence.
- Tackling gender-based violence with the collaboration of local organisations. More attention should be paid to the role of men.
- More money for shelters and help for women affected by violence.