Polls show that “public safety” is a top concern of voters.  Can we think critically about what keeps us safe?  Does it have to be law enforcement, incarceration and institutionalization? Click on the hyperlinks to learn more about a robust definition of safety and what we can do about it.

• ASK YOURSELF BEFORE CALLING THE POLICE…
  • Is this merely an inconvenience? Can I put up with this and be okay?
  • No, I need to respond. Can I handle this on my own? Can I talk it out with the other person?
  • No, I need backup. Is there a friend or neighbor I could call to help me?
  • No, I need more backup. Can we use mediation to talk it through or is there a hotline I can call?
  • No. If I call the police, do I understand someone may be killed, injured, deported, arrested or abused?
  • When calling for resources to “help” someone else, get their consent first.
  • File an online police report instead of dispatching an officer
  • Consider whether you really need to report a car accident or make the insurance claim. Could you work it out informally with the person at fault? Will you benefit after the deductible?
  • Learn to be a more effective bystander rather than calling the police
  • Consider citizen patrols for targeted groups, such as Houston’s Q Patrol

• Deepening our connection to the needs of our immediate community / mutual aid

• Redefining “public safety”; organizing and advocating for budget priorities, policies and practices that actually make the community safe. Examples: 
  • Houston’s grassroots RISE Coalition three demands
  • Alternative response teams Harris County HART program and elsewhere
  • Uplift Harris guaranteed income program and raising the minimum wage
  • Ending cash bail makes communities safer
  • Clean air, water, and soil Air Alliance, T.E.J.A.S., Cleanwater.org
  • Equitable response to disasters West Street Recovery
  • Fair chance at housing
  • Climate change mitigation
  • Strong infrastructure –
    • roads and sidewalks; drinking water, air and soil; power grid, public libraries, emergency health equipment and trained nurses in schools, accessible public transportation; broadband, drainage
  • Language accessibility and justice
  • Maternal health
  • Access to quality medical and mental health care
  • Keeping families together
  • Equity in city and county services
  • Access to affordable housing, food and employment
  • Media literacy
  • Ending gun violence
  • Reproductive health