Alternatives to Policing Alternatives to Policing
Recent News
First Six Months of Mental Health Responses Led to Zero Arrests
Denver recently released the STAR (Support Team Assisted Response) program 6 months ago. The program was designed to address non-violent incidents with mental health professionals
Portland’s new public safety program
A new public safety program has been launched in Portland as an alternative to sending police to mental health calls and homelessness. The program, Portland
New St. Louis Program Redirects Mental Health Calls From 911
Calls involving people with mental health issues, or in a mental crisis, may be diverted to specially trained behavioral health professionals in St. Louis. Tiffany
New Program Expanding Detroit’s Crisis Intervention Responses
The city of Detroit announced a partnership with the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network in hopes of fixing a “broken system” by adding behavioral health support to police,
Minneapolis City Council attempting to create a mental health response team
A proposal regarding police reform is being circulated through the Minneapolis City Council. The proposal would create a 24/7 mental health mobile emergency response team.
New York City Implementing Police Alternative for Mental Health Calls
A new pilot program in New York City will allow mental health and crisis workers to respond to mental health emergencies instead of law enforcement.

Police alternatives being examined for Sonoma County police departments
The Santa Rose Police Department is pursuing a program that operates 24/7 and would provide unarmed professionals trained in nonviolent interventions for specific responses. Some
Grassroots organization in Minneapolis pushing for police response alternatives
In Minneapolis, police are involved with every 911 call including calls regarding mental health crises. Taren Vang called 911 expecting mental health professionals to arrive
@CrIPJUSTICE TWITTER
https://cripjustice.org/lapd-being-sued-for-killing-man-struggling-with-mental-health/
Victor Valencia was a 31 year-old Latino man mistaken for an armed Black man. Police were called and fatally shot Victor who was actually carrying a bicycle part. The son and parents of Victor Valencia are currently suing the LAPD.
The videos, powerpoints and other material from our abolitionist rapid response mental health training are now available at this link. Feel free to share, use and adapt for your community needs. http://bit.ly/cat911rapidresponse
Here are some of the links I found helpful:
@fireweedHJ's Crisis Toolkit: https://fireweedcollective.org/crisis-toolkit/
WRAP's Crisis Plan
https://mentalhealthrecovery.com/info-center/crisis-plan/
Crip Justice (@cripjustice)
https://cripjustice.org/
Abolition and Disability Justice @AbolitionDJ
https://abolitionanddisabilityjustice.com/
I was just interviewing @SunjaySmith from @cripjustice for a video about the child welfare system that is a project with @AbolitionDJ and he said something brilliant along the lines of "Instead of the Child Welfare System, we should call it the Child Punishment System."
Announcing the HEARD Spring 2021 Community Education Series!
Join HEARD advocates on February 20th to learn about the Legal, Medical, & Prison Systems' Impacts on Disabled/Deaf People.
Register: http://bit.ly/heard2021ed
Donate: http://bit.ly/HEARD10years
#HEARD10years