John,

During the Ferguson Uprising, Cori Bush was violently brutalized by police while trying to bring a woman to paramedics to help with a medical emergency. Even while protesting police violence herself, Cori was traumatized by the harassment and violence she experienced from police.

As a nurse serving people with mental health crises, She also witnessed punitive responses that harmed the vulnerable people in her care. Cori knows we deserve a world where marginalized people can call for help and not risk being murdered by police.

Cori came to Congress to save lives, including by addressing the rise of police violence.

She just reintroduced the People's Response Act, which transforms our approach to public safety to center care, not criminalization. This groundbreaking legislation supports cities, states and community-based organizations in launching and scaling public health alternatives to policing -- including appropriately trained and unarmed first responders.

We must urgently transform our system of public safety to center care, not criminalization. If you agree, please sign on as a grassroots cosponsor of the People’s Response Act today.

Thank you. Please feel free to read more in yesterday’s email about this important work.

In solidarity,

Team Cori

--- Original Message ---

John,

St. Louis has led the country in police killings per capita. In St. Louis County, Ferguson police have targeted Black residents, who have endured near-constant police surveillance and harassment. Police violence is so pervasive, many Black and marginalized people avoid calling the police when they are undergoing some of the most difficult emergencies.

This is Congresswoman Cori Bush’s district.

Cori knows that our systems of public safety have failed to keep us safe. She came to Congress to save lives, after having served as a registered nurse and an activist with the Ferguson Uprising.

Recently, Cori re-introduced the People’s Response Act, which re-envisions public safety by treating our communities’ moments of crisis not as opportunities for law enforcement to further police and criminalize -- but as public health emergencies to be treated with compassion and care.

Please sign on today to support the People’s Response Act, groundbreaking legislation that Cori Bush just reintroduced to transform our approach to public safety by investing in the health and well-being of our communities.

In Cori’s home state of Missouri, Black people are almost 5 times more likely to be killed by police compared to white people. But we must be clear: This isn’t just a problem in Missouri. Our nation is failing to keep our communities safe, particularly Black and brown communities.

Police violence is a leading cause of premature death for young Black boys in this country, and it is fully preventable. Clearly, our country’s system of policing is not keeping us safe.

During the Ferguson Uprising, Cori Bush was violently brutalized by police while trying to bring a woman to paramedics to help with a medical emergency. Cori herself was traumatized by the harassment and violence she experienced from police while protesting police violence.

As a nurse serving people with mental health crises, Cori also witnessed punitive responses that harmed the vulnerable people in her care. Today, armed law enforcement agents (who lack expertise in health crises) are the first to respond to a variety of health emergencies. This has deadly and traumatic consequences.

When there is a health emergency, an appropriately trained and unarmed health expert should be sent to support those in need. We deserve a world where marginalized people can call for help and not risk being murdered by police. Please add your name in support of the People's Response Act now.

The People's Response Act transforms our approach to public safety to center care, not criminalization. The legislation supports cities, states and community-based organizations in launching and scaling public health alternatives to policing.

It’s not just a bill -- it's a movement in action. Cori Bush is lifting up the demands of the movement for Black lives, and she has engaged with local community groups all over the country about this legislation.

If passed, the People’s Response Act would:

• Institute a new public safety division within the Department of Health and Human Services focused on non-carceral and health-centered approaches to public safety;

• Develop a federal first responders unit to support [states and local governments] with emergency health crises;

• Promote alternative approaches to public safety, including coordination of research and policies across HHS and other agencies to center health-based and non-carceral responses throughout the federal government;

• Provide $11 billion in grant funding to community-based organizations, as well as state and local governments, to fund public safety and improve crisis response;

• Set up a $2.5 billion First Responder Hiring Grant, which would create thousands of jobs for emergency first responders (including licensed social workers, mental health counselors, substance use counselors, and peer support specialists) to improve our crisis response efforts focused on non-carceral, health-based approaches to public safety.

We must urgently transform our system of public safety to center care, not criminalization. If you agree, please sign on as a grassroots cosponsor of the People’s Response Act today.

We are building an America that works for all of us, and which treats every person with respect. We must dismantle anti-Black, white supremacist systems of violence in America and build a future of care. As Cori reminds us, another world is possible and within reach -- if we build it together.

In solidarity,

- Team Cori