Imagine that your loved one is experiencing a crisis. They are agitated and nothing you say is helping them calm down. You call 911 to request a professional to help treat their symptoms. Instead of treatment, the police arrive. The officers shout commands while you plead with them that your loved one has mental health issues. But within minutes, police shoot them dead. This. This is what happened to him in West Philadelphia in October 2020.
This is what many mental health emergencies in Philadelphia look like, with law enforcement as the default for mental health crisis care. When there is a fire or a health emergency, people don’t expect armed police officers to show up. But when it comes to mental health crises, trained professionals aren’t available 24/7, so when someone calls 911, it’s often police who respond. When we ask police to serve as social workers and mental health professionals, we create dangerous situations, especially for our Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. Estimates suggest thatinvolve a person who is experiencing mental illness.
“Up to half of all fatal encounters with law enforcement nationwide involve a person who is experiencing mental illness.”