Here in Denver, you're now seeing STARs vans everywhere - "Support Team Assisted Response."
It's a medic and a social worker, both trained in mental health and addiction support, showing up instead of police. They offer support to homeless folks, people in crisis, and folks in altered states.
"U.S. police departments have gotten smaller—and the violent crime rate is still plummeting. So what is going on?"
What's ALWAYS gone on.
Cops do not stop crime. They never have.
Real "tough on crime" measures are well-funded schools, free daycare, and mental health services. Always have been.
They've handled almost 8000 calls since they started four years ago.
Half of those have resulted in referrals to services so folks can get the help they need and deserve. A third have straight up given free rides to places like shelters and food banks. 12% have gotten people medical assistance.
AND THEY NEVER PARK IN THE FUCKING BIKE LANES TO STOP FOR COFFEE, MAKING ME PEDDAL MY FAT ASS IN TRAFFIC, SO I THAT'S ALSO A THING THEY'VE GOT GOING FOR THEM OVER THE COPS.
I swear to God, the police are such a weird mix of monstrosity and incredibly petty shittiness.
Like, sure, they're the armed enforcers of white capital, they'll be full of domestic abusers, every one is either abusive or enables that abuse,
But also, they park in bike lanes and expect discounts.
"I have no idea if the Aurora cop in front of me at the coffee shop is one of the cops who killed Elijah McClain, or just one of the ones who's been repeatedly found passed out drunk in his squad car, or just someone who defends them, but boy is he mad that the cashier is charging him full price."
Denver is a city that makes solid arguments for incrementalism.
Sure, fight the big fights. But also, have some people working very hard for a long time on small improvements that won't be sexy news stories...
...and people's lives are just better.
I really hope it gets wide adoption.
When I worked in Longmont, we found a man passed out and non-responsive by our back door an hour before we closed. It was the middle of winter, so we called 911 for medical assistance because we were afraid we'd find a frozen body the next morning. 1/2
I hope the statistics proving this success will be broadcast as loudly as possible. Crisis teams have proven their worth since the mid 80's that I know of.
I charged a cop full price for coffee once & he could not handle the idea of not getting a discount.
It was a cafe that existed to fund homeless outreach. I was not going to take $1 out of that to make a cop feel good.
Actually think this is maybe the most normal combination. Petty Tyrants, who participate in monstrosities as a payment for the right to commit whatever petty shittiness they want.
I thought the discounts thing couldn't be real. But then I heard the gym staff complaining about a cop asking for discounts. It's totally absurd! Proactively soliciting discounts as a cop, gfy
