Categories: New York City
05.16.2023
On May 15th the Network joined members of the Correct Crisis Intervention Today-NYC (CCIT-NYC) coalition for a #PeersNotPolice Budget Rally outside City Hall in advance of a joint executive budget hearing held by the Health, Finance and Mental Health, Disabilities and Addictions committees to urge City Council to fund a non-police mental health crisis response.
In the Mayor’s FY’24 executive budget, he proposed funding to expand the City’s current crisis response pilot program B-HEARD, but as this program currently operates, law enforcement continues to handle more than 80 percent of responses. Therefore, CCIT-NYC strongly advocates that B-HEARD only receive additional funding if the following changes are implemented:
- Use 988 rather than 911 to ensure responses are peer-led and do not involve the police except where there is a substantial likelihood of imminent harm.
- Ensure the number is fully staffed with independent emergency medical technicians and peers (individuals with lived mental health experience), operates 24/7 citywide, and the response time is at least as fast as the City’s response time for other emergencies.
- Require that B-HEARD be community-led and culturally responsive.
Jordyn Rosenthal, Advocacy Coordinator at Community Access, emceed the rally and said, “We need 988 to be a dispatch system. 911 will always divert back to a police response.”
“Over the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing what happens when people aren’t educated properly when we encounter folks experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Deputy Public Advocate Solomon Acevedo. “We need peers with lived experience to be recruited as dispatchers to be the first point of contact.”
“There is a history of Black men being killed because they are considered a threat and that must end,” said Evelyn Graham-Nyaasi, Advocacy Specialist, Community Access.
“We need the City budget to build out B-HEARD with peers and be 24/7. We are hopeful the City will hear our call and hold an oversight hearing so we can get actual data on B-HEARD,” said Nadia Chait Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy at CASES.
“We need a mental health crisis response with peers, not police. We need people who know firsthand and who sees someone in crisis and see a person, said Kimberly Blair, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, NAMI-NYC
Learn more about CCIT-NYC and get involved here.