Successful First Year for Orlando’s Community Response Team
(Orlando, Florida) It’s been over a year since the Community Response Team pilot launched in Orlando. Last year, the Orlando Police Department partnered with Aspire Health to create Community Response Teams, which have trained mental health professionals who respond to non-violent calls that require mental health support. In the first year of the program, the […]
Western Massachusetts Focusing on Police Alternatives
(Amherst, MA). Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service (CRESS) has a new director. The department has joined several initiatives to offer alternatives to police when a call involves a mental health crisis. CRESS will send responders, trained to deal with mental health, to these calls instead of police. More on this story here.
The Hiding of Sexual Assault Against Females with Disabilities
(Ghana, Africa) Maame Asaabea (not her real name) is a 28-year-old physically disabled mother of twins, who was once sexually abused at her hometown. She recounts how men in her circles assumed that because she is disabled, she may not be attractive enough to be proposed to. “Some of the men think I need sex, […]
Nigeria Government Struggling with Discrimination Against Persons Living with Disabilities
(Nigeria, Africa) The CBM Global Disability Inclusion has tasked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to quicken steps to end all forms of violence and discrimination against Persons Living With Disabilities PLWDs in the country. The government is also a signatory to some of the goals and commitment aimed towards the promotion of the rights […]
Police Reform Protests in New Jersey
Widespread support from the New Jersey community appeared at Bridgewater. Many have demanded police reform over the past year, especially since America’s racial reckoning heated up in 2020, yet very little has changed. The incident that sparked this protest started with two boys at the Bridgewater Commons Mall. Z’Kye, a 14-year-old boy who was Black, […]
You Can’t Police Your Way to Public Health
You Can’t Police Your Way to Public Health – The Nation
Clifford’s Owensby Interaction with Police
Clifford Owensby was driving in Dayton when police confronted his vehicle. The police officers suspected that Owensby was engaging in drug trafficking. As a result, they asked Owensby to leave his car. However, Owensby is paraplegic and couldn’t immediately get out. Therefore, the police officers grabbed Owensby by the hair and threw him into the […]
Lawrence County Creating More Efficient Mental Health Response Models
(Lawrence County, Pennsylvania) Many municipalities are adopting a mental health alternative to 911 calls. For example, multiple counties in Pennsylvania pairs a mental health responder to a designated officer. However, Lawrence County has identified some issues with that model and have pivoted to a more efficient method. According to the district attorney, “This model is based […]
The Police Killing of Jerrim Toms
Jerrim Toms was a 29-year-old working as a mechanic apprentice. Toms was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had a history of mental unwellness. Joan, Toms’ mother, had called police asking for a welfare check on her 29-year-old son, after he kicked her out of the house. “He’s kicked me out of the house. He’s threatening […]
Co-Response Teams the Future for Police Responses?
There has been a gradual shift in police response from the aggressive “you’re under arrest, don’t resist” to a less confrontational “We want to hear you out and connect you to community resources.” Amber McDonald, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado, serves as a clinical supervisor for Longmont’s […]