I’ve been thinking about what hasn’t already been said about voting #YesOn2 and all I can do is speak from my personal experiences
As someone who worked in social services for 10 years I had to interact with MPD a lot and I can honestly say 90% of the time they escalated a situation without improving the safety of those involved
The majority of these issues happened when someone was experiencing mental or chemical health distress. I would help folks get to a calm place and cops would come in aggressively and erase any progress made
I quit CPS because no matter what I said, the majority of the time cops and county attorneys would enforce removing kids from their homes, even if I advised against it. The cops, courts and racial disparities in the criminal justice system creates acute and generational trauma
A know a cop in the MPD. As a Black man he’s isolated in his identity and values. He says 75% of the calls he responds to are mental or chemical health crises and that he didn’t become a cop to do this. For many reasons he’s helpless to speak up about things he’d like to change
Ultimately I never call the cops and I don’t feel any more safe knowing resources are going into an ineffective system when the same tax dollars could fund basic human needs
As a mixed race, cis het, Chinese man I have never been profiled by the police. I have seen how the MPD has traumatized Black, Native and other communities of color for over 150 years. I’ve seen how a fully funded MPD does not prevent crime or make us safer
A fully funded MPD appeases white fear and gives the illusion of protection of property. The city burned in righteous anger over the murder of George Floyd and so many others and we have a chance to make history and actually change this broken system. I’m voting #YesOn2
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