i don’t support replacing cops w social workers because the role (and in fact legal mandate) of social workers as “mental health first responders” is still to incarcerate ppl against their will, just in a psych institution instead of a jail
I am much more interested in peer/community based de-escalation teams that have interest in keeping a person in their community rather than a legal mandate to disappear that person to a black box unit in a hospital. psychiatric diagnoses and “treatments” are already racialized, black and brown bodies face far higher rates of abuse in psychiatric institutions. don’t advocate for defunding of police just to have mental health works continue that violent work






















