Ben Bartlett Berkeley Councilmember Introduces “Safety For All: George Floyd Community Safety Act”
ONN – Ben Bartlett Berkeley Councilmember Introduces “Safety For All: George Floyd Community Safety Act”
“Safety for All: George Floyd Community Safety Act”
UPDATE: Councilmember Bartlett’s message on Domestic Violence Month 2020.
Berkeley On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 2:30 pm & 6:00 pm PST, Councilmember Ben Bartlett formally introduced four unique pieces of legislation as part of the “Safety for All: George Floyd Community Safety Act, and which will work towards the following overarching goals:
· REDUCE: reduce the footprint of the Police Department and reassign non-criminal matters to Specialized Care Units (SCU) of unarmed professionals to respond to people in crises.
· IMPROVE: Update Police Department standards to better hold officers accountable, and create new progressive training models
· RE-INVEST: invest the savings from the reduced footprint into new modes of community safety.
In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, Councilmember proposes the following legislative items:
1. DATA: Perform a deep analysis of Police Call and Response Data to identify areas of change
2. RE-ALLOCATION: Give Non-Criminal Police Duties to Unarmed Health Professionals with expertise in homelessness, addiction, and mental health.
3. PROGRESSIVE TRAINING: Development of a Progressive Police Academy to promote de-escalation and human connection.
4. ACCOUNTABILITY: City Attorney and Manager to study the law to find barriers to accountability.
The City of Berkeley takes pride in being home to the nation’s first citizen oversight board over the Police Department. The City should once more lead the way in reimagining public safety and modeling best practices for other jurisdictions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought economic growth to a sudden and dramatic halt, the effects of which are reaching magnitudes that have not been felt since the Great Depression.
Councilmember Bartlett calls this “Smart Budgeting,” and he says “Families with tight budgets have to make every dollar count, and that means letting the police do what they do best — solving crimes.”
The City of Berkeley is facing a projected $25 million budget shortfall amidst predictions of a drastic increase in homelessness, higher trauma rates, and a deepening mental health crisis.
We are at a crucial moment. The City has a duty to serve the people of Berkeley, and it must continue to do so despite the fiscal limitations. It is thus imperative that the City pursues smarter budgeting practices to ensure that every dollar spent generates the maximum return for Berkeley residents.
The status quo has resulted in out of control spending, increased domestic militarization, disintegrating social safety nets, and over-policing of black communities. “Here’s the thing—all people have the right to be secure in their persons. Public safety must mean safety for all. Not, just for the privileged few.”
Black Lives Matter. Justice and Safety For All.
When: Today, Tuesday, June 16, 2020 @ 2:30pm & 6:00pm
Where: Berkeley City Council Meeting: https://ift.tt/2N1jXFJ
This transmission network use sponsored by Tacklett Bartlett
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