THANK YOU!
BECAUSE OF ALL YOUR CALLS, SOCIAL MEDIA BLASTS AND YOUR POWERFUL PRESENCE IN THE STREETS ACROSS CALIFORNIA TO DEMAND AN END TO POLICE VIOLENCE,AB 2054 PASSEDOUT OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND IS NOW ON THE GOVERNOR’S DESK!!!
NOW, WE NEED TO GET GOVERNOR NEWSOM’S SIGNATURE!!!
PLEASE TAKE THESE ACTIONS TO GET AB 2054 SIGNED:
1. COPY THE SAMPLE LETTER BELOW ONTO YOUR LETTERHEAD and e-mail the letter to Governor Newsom’s office as soon as possible – leg.unit@gov.ca.gov.
2. POST ONE OR MORE OF THE IMAGES ABOVE AND/OR A SHORT VIDEO that you create (see #3 below) and age Governor Newsom – @CAgovernor @GavinNewsomthat you create
3. RECORD A SHORT VIDEO WITH YOUR PHONE OR CAMERA letting Governor Newsom know why it’s so important for him to sign the CRISES Act, and post your video on Twitter and Instagram, tagging the Governor (@GavinNewsom).
Here are some ideas for your short video on #CRISESAct—don’t forget to tag @GavinNewsom in the post.
Start with your request: “Governor Newsom, please sign the CRISES Act, AB 2054. California needs community-based alternatives to police that are NOT controlled by law enforcement.”
Explain why the CRISES Act is needed:
“We need the CRISES Act because…”
- Types of crises: mental health crises, unhoused people in crisis, intimate partner or community violence, substance use disorder, natural / climate disaster, pandemic.
Why do we need police-free responses to crises? Is there an example from your own life?
- Describe impact CRISES Act could have: “By investing in community-based responses to local crises….”
How would having community-based responses to crises impact your life or community?
HOW TO SEND A SUPPORT LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR FOR AB 2054:
Add your organization’s letterhead to the letter below, and e-mail it to:
- Governor Newsom: leg.unit@gov.ca.gov
Alina Evans, Communications Director for Assemblymember Kamlager: alina.evans@asm.ca.gov and
Kalyn Dean, Associate, Alliance for Boys and Men of Color: kalyn@policylink.org
[Organizational Letterhead or Logo]
September X, 2020
Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
ATTN: Legislative Unit
Re: Assembly Bill 2054 (Kamlager): CRISES Act – REQUEST FOR SIGNATURE
Dear Governor Newsom,
On behalf of [ORGANIZATION], I respectfully ask for your signature on Assembly Bill 2054, which will establish the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems (C.R.I.S.E.S. Act), a pilot program to scale up community-based organizations as first responders.
[Optional, but encouraged: Insert a paragraph describing why this is important to you or your organization.]
The bill received bipartisan support in both houses of the legislature, and a wide range of organizations, cities and government officials support the CRISES Act. The bill has received no opposition.
Interactions with police can induce terror in many people – people with concerns about immigration status, people with mental illness, members of the LGBTQ community, people who are Black and other people who historically have been traumatized by law enforcement. Too often, these interactions are deadly. Police kill people with untreated mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, 16 times more often than people without mental health issues. Police violence also is a leading cause of death for young Black men.
In communities across the state, community organizations successfully respond to situations involving unhoused people, people with mental health challenges, people exposed to violence, people experiencing substance abuse and other issues. Community organizations provide humane and germane crisis response with pathways for long-term healing rather than incarcerating and then releasing the person in crisis without resources and long-term help, thus creating a never-ending cycle.
Despite the positive impact and cost savings of community-oriented responses to emergencies, California has done little to support and scale these efforts. Instead, law enforcement officers respond to a host of social ills more suited to peer support experts, mental health providers or crisis counselors trained to deescalate and resolve tense situations. Law enforcement officials have expressed frustration and a desire to focus on public safety emergencies and a preference for trained health professionals to respond to the type of crises targeted by this legislation.
On June 9, in an interview with Politico’s Carla Marinucci, you characterized the opportunity to alter police responsibilities as “long overdue.” You said, “Why are we burdening law enforcement in the first place with these responsibilities?”
AB 2054 marshals an array of experienced community organizations equipped to step in as first responders.
Expanding the role of community partners does not mean eliminating law enforcement. Expanding the role of community partners empowers groups that have demonstrated an ability to protect their communities, while freeing the police to focus on issues more suited to law enforcement training.
Other state and federal legislators regard this legislation as a model. We have an opportunity to move away from the tired status quo that results in the shooting of unarmed Black men and women and drove hundreds of thousands of people into the streets to protest during a pandemic. For these reasons, [Organization Name] supports AB 2054 and respectfully requests that you take this concrete opportunity to move towards equitability.
Thank you for your support of this momentous legislation.
Sincerely,
Signature
[Name]
[Title/Role]