Again, I see an infuriating example of why defunding the police makes so much sense to me–or at least partially defunding. So many calls to 911 are for people causing a nuisance–in the wrong place (black man at a tennis court?), homeless, mentally ill, intoxicated in some way or just plain poor… And let’s be honest, someone is scared of something when they call 911 but these are people AND they are most likely suffering from a mental health issue, a substance use disorder, a severe medical condition, or ALL THREE. As a result, they may be lunging around “acting crazy” & not following commands. You know what happens when you don’t follow a police officer’s commands, right? Especially if you’re black, brown and/or a man? Well, quite simply, the chances that you’ll get arrested, thrown in jail or end up in the hospital (or worse, the morgue) go up astronomically.
“Law enforcement comes in and exerts a threatening posture,” Kimball says. “For most people, that causes them to be subdued. But if you’re experiencing a mental illness, that only escalates the situation.”
Angela Kimball, policy director of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to Brett Sholtis, for NPR (link to article at end)
Police work and are trained mainly from a combat perspective. When you think about it, if they are fighting CRIME, they will most likely have to protect themselves. But here’s the kicker. Police are not always or even usually really fighting crime, per se. They’re fighting HOMELESSNESS, DRUG ABUSE, ALCOHOL ABUSE, POVERTY, DOMESTIC ABUSE. Do you think they need combat techniques to fight these things? Hell no. They need non-violent de-escalation training, communication training, training on substance use disorders, medical triage & first aid, mental health triage, psychology, racism, economics, etc etc etc. So basically, they need psychologists & social workers, homeless resources & outreach, domestic violence outreach & resources, food/shelter/medical treatment/basic human dignity.
We should take money from the police if we have to in order to fund these alternative programs, especially considering that developing these alternative services would lead to less need for police in general–and would also provide for less opportunities for fatal “accidents.”
During A Mental Health Crisis, A Family’s Call To 911 Turns Tragic
You know what I’d rather have than police on the streets? Nurses! Shit, we’d get so much shit done. We’re already really good at hassling “the man” until we get what we need for our patients. We’re organized, clean, know what the resources are already. We probably even get paid less too. I see a plan coming together.