Cori Bush — Cori Bush Highlights People’s Response Act, Urgent Need for Health Based-Approaches to Public Safety

St

Speaker 1: Louis, and I thank you, Chairwoman Jackson Lee, for convening this important hearing. What too many of my colleagues do not want us to talk about, what they don't want us talking about is that as they trip over each other, rushing to spew lies and right-wing talking points about police funding, they are saying nothing about the rise of violence by the police, even after millions of people marched in our streets demanding an end to police brutality. There were only 15, one five, 15 days in 2021 in which police officers didn't kill someone. Last year broke the record for police killings in this country. 1,055 deaths by law enforcement, and that is likely an undercount. In Missouri, Black people are almost five times more likely to be killed by police compared to white people. And year after year, despite increases in police budgets, St. Louis has led the country in police killings per capita. Police violence is so pervasive, many Black and marginalized people avoid calling the police when they are undergoing some of the most difficult emergencies

I

Speaker 1: came to Congress to save lives. I will not back down from that, no matter what some of my colleagues on this committee say. So let's get the truth of what health informed and evidence-based public safety needs to look

like. In

Speaker 1: St. Louis, our community has taken meaningful steps to transform public safety as a public health issue. Last year, we started a 9-1-1 diversion program that has diverted mental health, domestic violence, drug overdose, and trespassing calls to licensed and trained practitioners. Before it started, there were few options for people in crisis, a trip to the emergency room, spending a night in jail, or receiving no help at all

IN THE

Speaker 1: ALMOST ONE YEAR SINCE IMPLEMENTATION, OUR 9-1-1 DIVERSION PROGRAM ANSWERED NEARLY 700 CALLS, WITH 75% NOT RESULTING IN A RESPONSE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE PROGRAM SAVED, SAVED, 2,000 HOURS OF POLICE AND EMS TIME, AT THE SAME TIME, DESPITE NO INCREASES IN THE LOCAL POLICE BUDGET, HOMICIDES AND GUN ASSAULTS ALSO FELL BY DOWN

by

Speaker 1: more than 25 percent. These are the kinds of programs that have saved lives in St. Louis, in Denver, in Eugene, Oregon, and in communities across our country. So when some of my colleagues try to tell you that transforming public safety, you know, that that will mean when you call 9-1-1, no first responder will answer. That is a lie

When

Speaker 1: there's an emergency and you need help, no one will show up. That's what they tell you, but that is a lie. When they tell you that the police need military grade weapons and equipment like MRAFs to keep us safe, that is a lie. I want us to build a future where communities don't fear for our lives when we call for help. I want trained professionals to come and help when you are undergoing a mental health crisis without fear of death. And that is what I will continue to champion

It

Speaker 1: is for this reason that I introduced H.R. 4914, the People's Response Act, to ensure that the federal government is supporting our cities, supporting states, and community-based organizations in launching and scaling up our public health alternatives to policing. Let's make sure this is the truth that we're talking about today. So, Mr. F., can you provide examples of non-carceral, community-based intervention

Speaker 2: programs that have been successful in curbing community violence? violence

Speaker 3: Absolutely. Cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, can teach high-risk individuals to manage emotions, address conflicts, and think ahead in order to avoid criminal or violent behavior. In Chicago, one CBT program reduced arrests for violent crimes among youth by half, while another reduced shooting and homicide arrests among high-risk individuals by 80%. uh we've talked a lot about the community violence strategies known as uh cure violence or street outreach

Speaker 4: uh by my count there's been approximately four or five evaluations that are positive in uh in and uh showing positive effects of that intervention while there's one or two that are showing uh negative effects and so the balance of the evidence i think is in favor of those programs we also talked about placement uh based crime prevention

We

Speaker 4: haven't talked about hospital-based violence prevention, which is another promising strategy. Again, I think we have to stop having this either-or conversation. The police need to be at the table, the community needs to be at the table, service providers need to be at the table, and we all need to work together

Thank

Speaker 5: you, Mr. App. I agree that in order to achieve community safety, we need

Speaker 2: to prioritize fully funding programs and services that are proven to work. I employ my colleagues on this committee to support the People's Response Act, which would do just

Speaker 6: that. Thank you