Staffing
Who will be the first responders? What communities do we want first responders to be from? What characteristics do we want them to have? (2 answers is good!)
● community members, not clinicians (more on this later!)
● BIPOC people;
● multi-lingual folks
● people with different abilities;
● people with a strong racial, gender, economic, queer and disability justice and systemic analysis, and commitment to learning
● people with roots and connections in communities they're responding in
What did police forces start off as in the 1800s?
How many hours a day will the BPR be running?
24/7
Explain to the person you're pitching, in your own words -- Why do we want a model that does not respond with police?
- true harm reduction
- anti-Black racism and racism
-
Why are we proposing that the model be held in the city and not in a non-profit? (get 1 reason, and you're good)
1) a public setting guarantees well-paying positions for response team members
2) response infrastructure is established in the city
3) there is not a local non-profit that has the infrastructure and values alignment to hold the program
4) the program is more likely to be sustainable as a public program.
Why are responders NOT clinicians / social workers?
So there is no mandatory reporting or forced hospitalizations. So it is non-carceral.
Name 2 campaign events (actions, outreach, workshops) that have helped push organizing for the BPR.
May 2025 Action at City Hall
Testimonies Fall 2024
Testimony Action Spring 2023
Tabling (Youth Pride, Better Budget Alliance, many)
Outreach (BTU, Coffee Hours, many)
Workshops (BAGLY, many)
Name 3 concerns / crises the BPR could respond to!
- Harm reduction, including naxolone, or safety concerns related to substance overuse
- Conflict deescalation for community members with each other or with police
- Medical / psychological first aid, response to mental health crisis (i.e. suicide prevention)
- Safe transport to the hospital
- Resource information & referrals
- Noise concerns
- Gender-related or intimate partner violence
- Support for caretakers handling someone's mental health crisis.
- Cop watch!
Explain to the person you're pitching, in your own words -- What does "non-carceral" mean? (2 answers)
- no forced hospitalizations / psych holds
- no police or prison / jail involvement
If clinicians won't be direct responders, how will they be supporting the staff and model?
They will supervise first responders and coach them through supporting, and be a part of the organizing to fight for the response!
Give 1 example of another group that is also creating a non-police mental health crisis response in the US!
Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS) in Eugene, Oregon
Community Action Teams-911 (CAT-911) in Southern California
Mental Health First (M.H. First) in Sacramento and Oakland, California
Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) in Denver, Colorado
Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) in New York City
Cambridge Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team (HEART) in Cambridge MA
What is the difference between a "co-response" and a "community response" for emergency crisis response?
"co-response" is responses that come with the police and a mental health professional
community response comes with a community member and is non-carceral
Do a full BPR pitch!
!!!
What will the staff be trained in (get 3, you're good!)
Trauma informed care
EMT training, first aid, street medic & CPR training
De-escalation, conflict resolution and mediation
Domestic and gender-violence response and survivor support training
Racial, economic, gender, queer and disability justice training
Psychological first aid
Harm reduction training including using naloxone training
Training on major mental health challenges, including supporting individuals with auditory and visual hallucinations, such as Hearing Voices, and Alternatives to Suicide Training
Certified Peer Specialist Training
What was Mayor Wu's response in April 2023 at the mayor meeting to supporting our pilot of the model? What was 1 reason she gave?
Her response was she would not support it and veto. 1) She didn't like the concept of a model that as only available in 2 neighborhoods, 2) She was worried about responder safety / not having police, 3) She did not want to defund the police, and instead raised their budget that year.
How can you get in contact with the BPR? (name 3 ways)
- Independent 3-digit call number accessible through an app and by text
- Diversion of appropriate calls from 911 and 988
- Direct messages through social media platforms
- Dispatch teams in neighborhood hubs accessible to all communities (ie. deaf and blind people, people with intellectual challenges, and reachable in multiple languages)
What is the BPR demand? (3 main demands, you can do more if you remember!)
Who will be holding the program and government accountable to the original plan for the model?
The Community Oversight and Accountability Board will be a decision-making body that guides the direction and implementation of the program inclusive of decisions related to staffing, operations and dispatch. The board would have hiring authority over program leadership and key staff positions. The board will be responsible for contracting an independent evaluation team and will meet at least quarterly to review program data.
What was the "research" process to create the BPR model? What was the group called who created the early design of the model?
The Community Led Design Group -- 13 members facilitated by the steering committee
The BPR is fighting for a pilot of this model -- how is the pilot a scaled down version of the original model? (only 1 way!)
- the pilot would run in 2 neighborhoods first before expanding!
Pitch the BPR's response to a former cop, or someone who believes in the police.
- Less overtime for cops
- Cops don't have to handle calls that they're not trained for
- Cops get less on their plate (they're so overworked....)