“Reimagining the police”
“Alternatives to public safety are gaining momentum, but activists worry many of these ‘alternatives’ still involve police and don’t address root causes.“ This piece by the Boston Globe tells the story of the author’s encounter with the police during and five of them arrested a young black man outside of her home. “I thought something’s […]
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.
Police Handcuffed 10-year old with Autism and Fractured his Arm
(Worcester, MA) JT. is a 10-year old with autism, and was getting upset after he stopped taking his medication. JT’s mom, Beshai Torres, called 911 to ask for medical assistance. While an ambulance was on there way, two police officers arrived first. After Beshai told the officers her son was autistic, the officers approached JT […]