Thread! STAR is such an amazing program--it saves lives, helps people with their real needs, and costs so much less than the endless cycle of awful cops.
It also means that you can actually think about things that serve a purpose, but should not be performed by cops, like sending a wellness check, because wellness checks are not being performed by anyone with a gun or a propensity to murder.
One of our council members in Seattle tried to push for a program like STAR and was blocked at every turn by our entrenched police union. He was voted out last election… and replaced with a former cop. It’s so disheartening.
I so wish we had a program like this in my area. I've done my best to speak up for it to my city, but no progress as of yet (at least not that I know of).
Of course all the responses and interventions in the world are useless if there are no resources to accept folks from responders. And take responsibility for continuing care and treatment, ensuring safety, housing and basic needs are met.
The program in Eugene, Oregon that dates back to the 1970s hippie era still works extremely well in dealing with mental health crises that are answered by police in other places. These are models proven to work over time and cost effective.
We have something similar here in PEI. They're tremendously helpful and IMHO vital in these rapidly changing times, when simply existing becomes challenging.
Can we please get this in the midwest? I know some people with severe schizophrenia that need help and I was crying on 911 one day and told them to NOT send police, those pigs are crazy. But he was brandishing a hatchet and I'm like, "Man there ain't a good solution to this..."
What's the point of even having cops if they can't shoot people in altered mental states without consequences?
I’d been wondering how they were doing after early terrific reports— you reminded me to look it up. I expect you’ve seen this, may be responding to it? www.denver7.com/news/front-r...
As Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration prepares for a new Office of Neighborhood Safety, Denver’s STAR Community Advisory Committee is concerned about the impact on the STAR Program.
This is an awesome idea!