John,

Last month Sonya Massey called 911 for help during a health emergency. In response to her request for help, a police officer came and killed her in her home.

Sonya Massey should still be alive. As the Movement for Black Lives wrote: “Calling for emergency services shouldn’t be a death sentence. But time and time again, police mishandle emergency situations, escalate to violence, and execute Black people.”

Clearly, our system of policing doesn’t keep people safe. It disproportionately harms Black people, who often avoid calling the police when they are undergoing some of the most difficult emergencies. Sonya knew this, asking police when they arrived to not hurt her.

No wonder polls show that 88% of Black Americans support hiring mental health professionals as non-police first responders to de-escalate mental health crises.

We urgently need to pass policies like Rep. Cori Bush’s People's Response Act, which would transform our approach to public safety to center care, not criminalization. If passed, this groundbreaking legislation would support local governments and community-based organizations in launching and scaling public health alternatives to policing, including investing in unarmed emergency first responders such as licensed social workers, mental health counselors, substance use counselors, and peer support specialists.

To help build a world where Black and 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.

My sister in service Cori Bush protested in the streets of Ferguson for hundreds of days with other community members who were outraged about the brutal police murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown. They sparked the beginning of the movement for Black Lives, which is still demanding policies to prevent police violence and ensure true public safety.

Like Sonya Massey and others killed by state-sanctioned violence, Michael Brown should still be here today. Instead we recently marked the tenth anniversary of his tragic murder. Cori Bush wrote: “In his name, we will never stop fighting for justice, accountability, and an end to police brutality.”

During the Ferguson Uprising, Cori was also violently brutalized by police while trying to bring a woman to paramedics to help with a medical emergency. She had previously been a nurse serving people with mental health crises, where she witnessed punitive responses that harmed the vulnerable people in her care.

As the first activist from the movement for Black lives to be elected to Congress, Cori Bush has led transformational policies to keep our communities safe from police violence and create true public safety for all of us. She engaged with community groups around the country on the People's Response Act.

Cori won’t serve her next term in Congress, since right-wing billionaires targeted her and bought her seat. That’s all the more reason why we must build support now for her much-needed public safety legislation.

If you agree that we must urgently transform our system of public safety to center care, not criminalization, please sign on to show your support for the People’s Response Act today.

Thank you for continuing to push for a world that truly values people’s safety and well-being. I will keep advocating against ever-growing spending on police and military budgets and instead calling for much-needed investments in marginalized communities.

In solidarity,

Rashida