Introducing Equality for Flatbush (E4F)’s Suggestions & Tactics as an Alternative to Calling 911 Handout -
English version with updated on April
Design by Amanda Corinne Trainor
Created in consultation with Anna Ortega-Williams, Ph.D., LMSW; Luke Peng-Patterson, LMSW; and Imani Henry, MSW, MPA of the Radical Social Work Group.
Spanish and French versions to be released soon.Online English Version:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NIJaVXUlH9Wpm3CmbbkKkvpWmllxzQWWm98Z5gOK7Y4/edit?usp=sharig
The NYPD is required to respond to 911 calls, including those for medical and mental health emergencies. Unfortunately, the murders of Mohamed Bah, Deborah Danner, Dwanye Jeune, and Saheed Vassell along with the near-death shooting of Davonte Pressley, demonstrate how calling 911 can result in the murder or brutalization of a community member or loved one. Police officers are not trained to handle mental health or medical crises, and statistically close to 50% of all police murders in the US involve a person living with a physical disability or mental health condition.
Historically, young people, homeless people, people of color, migrants/immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, and people living with mental health/cognitive conditions or physical disabilities, are all groups who experience high rates of profiling and police violence. This is especially important, given it is a widely-held societal belief that people should call the police if they are involved in a dispute with a neighbor or family member. There are numerous examples in NYC and nationally where a 911 call over an interpersonal dispute has resulted in a police murder or violence.
It is also widely documented about the increase in police presence, harassment and violence in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of color. One alarming aspect of gentrification has been the increase nationally in the number of both 911 and 311 calls made by newer and/or white residents living in historically low-to-middle income communities of color.
For all these reasons, Equality for Flatbush (E4F) wants to provide community members with suggestions and tactics to use if you do NOT feel like calling 911 is a SAFE or APPROPRIATE option for you. Also please feel free to utilize Equality for Flatbush, as a resource. E4F is part of social work, cop watch, and violence-interrupter networks.
www.equalityforflatbush.org
