John,

After Sonya Massey reached out for help last month, a police officer shot and murdered her in her own home. She should still be alive today.

Many Black and marginalized Americans avoid calling the police when they’re undergoing difficult emergencies, because they fear police violence.

Sonya Massey knew this, which is why after she called 911 during a mental health crisis, she asked police to not hurt her once they arrived. Her mother also previously told 911 dispatchers that Sonya was not dangerous, asking them not to send any police officers to Sonya’s home and saying "I'm scared of the police."

To save lives, we need alternative crisis responses that center care and safety -- not armed police who regularly kill Black Americans.

Instead of punitive and violent responses to crises, appropriately trained and unarmed health experts should be sent to support people experiencing health emergencies. That’s part of how we address the urgent crisis of racist police violence.

I’m a co-sponsor of Rep. Cori Bush’s a, which re-envisions public safety and invests in public health alternatives to policing. Will you join me by signing on in support of this legislation?

In Congress, Cori Bush and I have advocated against ever-growing spending on police and military budgets, instead calling for much-needed investments in marginalized communities. We understand that spending more on police budgets doesn’t keep our communities safe. In fact, it keeps Black and brown communities in fear of regular harassment and violence.

That’s why we need policies like the People's Response Act, which would:

• Create a Division on Community Safety within the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate non-carceral, non-punitive, health-centered investments in public safety.

• Launch a federal first responders unit to support states and local governments with emergency health crises.

• Provide $11 billion in grant funding for community-based organizations and state and local governments to fund public safety and improve crisis response.

• Establish a $2.5 billion First Responder Hiring Grant to create thousands of jobs and provide funding for governments and organizations to hire emergency first responders such as licensed social workers, mental health counselors, substance use counselors, and peer support specialists.

My sister in service Congresswoman Cori Bush has been calling to end the harms of our racist criminal legal system since she was on the streets of the Ferguson Uprising as an activist and a nurse. Cori herself was violently brutalized by police while trying to help a woman with a medical emergency at a protest.

Her lived experience, and the experiences of Black people across the country, shows why we must move funds away from state-sanctioned violence and instead invest in real public safety.

Please add your name in support of the People's Response Act to help keep our communities safe from police violence and create true public safety for all of us.

Together, we’ll keep fighting back against systemic racism and dehumanization. Together, we can build a more just criminal legal system and a world that truly values people’s safety and well-being.

In solidarity,

Rashida