It’s Time to Pass the People’s Response Act!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION
Moms, caregivers, and community champions!
The Trump administration has doubled down on fear, misrepresenting crime
and violence to justify a terrifying military presence, which is wasting
millions of taxpayer dollars every day and diverting the National Guard
away from their home states, where they may be needed to respond to
disaster emergencies at home¹.
From ramping up military presence to scapegoating immigrant and Black
communities, these tactics are designed to divide and distract. But on the
ground, families and local leaders are expanding the conversation on
safety, and proving that care-centered solutions work. Across the country,
communities are reducing crime and violence by investing in mental health,
youth opportunity, housing, and healing. These solutions aren’t theories;
they’re saving lives right now².
[ [link removed] ]Tell Congress to stop wasting our taxpayer dollars on military
deployments that only harm our communities and instead, support the
People’s Response Act, a bill that funds these life-saving community
safety solutions nationwide that actually work to prevent violence. *When
you click, you’ll automatically sign onto our petition if we already have
your information.
In addition to the incredible efforts to expand the tools available in
communities to address crime and violence, in the last weeks, something
powerful happened on Capitol Hill! MomsRising joined advocates, frontline
workers, and members of Congress for the launch of the first-ever
Congressional Community Safety Caucus, a significant step toward
reimagining what real safety looks like for our families³.
[ [link removed] ]The launch of the Congressional Community Safety Caucus was a historic
step; now Congress must act!*When you click you’ll automatically sign onto
our petition if we already have your information.
This incredible effort, supported by parents, advocates, frontline
practitioners, and led by U.S. Representatives Summer Lee, Delia Ramirez,
Gabe Amo, Hank Johnson, Morgan McGarvey, and LaMonica McIver, created the
first-ever Congressional Community Safety Caucus to uplift evidence-based,
community-rooted solutions that are working across the country. These
programs are effective and are working in communities to address trauma,
prevent violence, and invest in mental health, youth, housing, education,
and care.
[ [link removed] ]It's time for Congress to keep the momentum going by passing the
People’s Response Act and funding real, community-driven safety
solutions.*When you click you’ll automatically sign onto our petition if
we already have your information.
At the launch event for the Community Safety Caucus, we witnessed it
firsthand: Powerful voices leading real change, including practitioners
working on the front lines. Leaders like…
Benny Ivey, a credible messenger in Mississippi, whose work helps youth
break the cycle of incarceration and violence. Freedom Jones, a
trauma-informed strategist, is saving lives with community violence
intervention. Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill, who helped drive a 60% drop in
crime in Newark by investing in people.
[ [link removed] ]Now it's time for Congress to step up. Tell Congress to support the
People’s Response Act. *When you click you’ll automatically sign onto our
petition if we already have your information.
For too long, the U.S. has neglected the root causes of harm, poverty,
mental health, housing insecurity, and systemic racism. The data is clear,
more police does not equal more safety. But care and community investment
do⁴.
[ [link removed] ]The truth is, safety shouldn’t start with sirens. Tell Congress to Pass
the People NOW!*When you click, you’ll automatically sign onto our
petition if we already have your information.
From Denver’s STAR program to Newark’s Office of Violence Prevention,
communities across the country are proving that we don’t need more
punishment, we need more prevention. Our kids deserve counselors, not more
cops in schools. Our communities deserve healing, not handcuffs. And we
all deserve to feel safe, no matter our zip code.
The launch of the Congressional Community Safety Caucus is a milestone,
but the movement doesn’t stop there. Congress must pass the People’s
Response Act and fund the programs that truly keep us safe.
[ [link removed] ]Let’s build REAL safety together, and tell Congress to act now. SIGN
THE PETITION. *When you click, you’ll automatically sign onto our petition
if we already have your information:
Dear Members of Congress:
The current approach to public safety is not working for children,
families, and particularly for communities that have been devastated by
mental health crises, substance use health crises, and criminalization. We
must reimagine our public safety system’s instinct to criminalize and
replace it with an instinct to be thoughtful, strategic, and rooted in
providing appropriate care and response.
We have an important opportunity to do that with the introduction of The
People’s Response Act. This important piece of legislation emphasizes an
inclusive, holistic, and health-centered approach to public safety by
creating a public safety division within the Department of Health and
Human Services.
Communities and experts agree that public safety is a matter of public
health. When we adopt new evidence-based approaches to public safety that
are equitable, health-centered, and preventative in efforts to stop
violence and harm before it occurs, we subsequently ensure that responses
to crises in the community are appropriate and that every community has
what it needs to flourish.
The People’s Response Act takes work to achieve this by:
* Creating a new public safety division within the Department of Health
and Human Services to fund and coordinate research, technical
assistance, and grant programs related to non-carceral,
health-centered investments in public safety;
* Launching a federal first responders unit that will support states and
local governments with emergency health crises;
* Research alternative approaches to public safety, including
coordination of research and policies that are being implemented
across HHS and other agencies to center health-based and non-carceral
responses throughout the federal government;
* Providing $11 billion in grant funding to state and local governments,
as well as community-based organizations, to fully fund public safety
and improve crisis response;
* Establishing a $2.5 billion First Responder Hiring Grant to create
thousands of jobs and provide funding to state, local, and tribal
government, as well as community organizations, to hire emergency
first responders such as licensed social workers, mental health
counselors, substance use counselors, and peer support specialists, in
an effort to improve crisis response and increase non-carceral,
health-based approaches to public safety.
Now, more than ever, it is crucial for Congress to step up and support new
inclusive, holistic, and health-centered approaches to dealing with crises
that will reduce harm and truly keep our communities safe. State, local,
and tribal governments across the country are already implementing
innovative strategies to prevent violence, reduce harm, and improve the
well-being of every community, especially Black and brown communities.
The People’s Response Act provides the resources and assistance to scale
up these efforts and truly transform public safety in the United States.
It would reframe how we think about and respond to crisis situations in
this country with an approach that meets the demands and needs of our
communities at this moment.
Thank you,
Beatriz, Kelsey, Monifa, Donna, Kristin, and the entire MomsRising.org &
MamásConPoder Team
References:
[1] [ [link removed] ]Trump announces he’s sending federal law enforcement to Memphis and
that Chicago is next | CNN
[2] [ [link removed] ]A new community safety blueprint: How the federal government can
address violence and harm through a public health approach | Brookings
[3]
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
[4] [ [link removed] ]What Actually Works to Fight Crime | Brennan Center for Justice
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