4

4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS COMMUNITY CARE Nonpolice rapid response On one of the chat apps there is a group called "Non-police Rapid Response.'' The 41 members of the chat are neighbors, community activists and radicals who attempt to respond to community emergencies in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a volunteer fire department. What the NPRR seeks to accomplish is to respond to 911-level crises for the street community. The crises could be violent conflicts, campers who are being evicted by police, or first aid and mental health emergencies. In its infancy, NPRR did not have the capacity to respond to emergencies until recently. Many of the members are involved in homelessness solidarity activism where there is a lot of need for camping assistance, propane, clothing and other basic life needs. These kinds of calls are routine. A call was made to Pastor Anna Taylor-McCants of FedUp Ministries on Saturday May 4 by a local business owner. Someone experiencing homelessness was on her doorstep threatening suicide. Here is the chat app conversation: Anna: Anyone available to rapid respond to a business owner in Ypsi who just called me with a suicidal man in her shop? I'm at least 15 minutes away. Blue*: where's the business? Anna: A2 Vintage, Michigan and Washington. Red: I'm available, feel free to DM. Orange: Same. Anna: How close are y'all? If you can go there, that would be amazing. Will DM. Yellow: I can be there in 15 minutes. Blue: I think I'm too far away at the moment, looking at the map. I'm also about 15 minutes away, and I have to wait here for a second. Orange: I could be there in the next 10. Anna: you're all so amazing! Red, please call for backup, and Orange or I will join you. Green: Wow, this is beautiful. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered. This is exactly what I hoped would happen with this group chat. Sending y'all and the person in question lots of warmth and good vibes. Anna: I'm on my way too. Was waiting for someone to pick up bikes at my house. Thanks for going, and for all y'all who are willing to go. Backstory on this particular business owner. They seem to be good people who care about those in our marginalized street community who they have a relationship with anyway. This was the first time someone from JIM CLARK Groundcover vendor No. 139 the general community reached out to the NPRR chat to call in an emergency. The members represent community organizing groups like FedUp, Growing Hope and Care-Based Safety to name a few. The NPRR hopes to be an alternative for the community’s vulnerable population, calling for compassion and peer-based care instead of calling the police. Anna tells the group, “They [the local business owners] feel pretty abandoned by all the powers that be in the community. Pastorally, I hear that and feel it deeply with all the businesses. The City of Ypsi has failed so many people lately.” She adds that while we are aware that our folks on the street have issues and challenges, we also know that our community is better when everyone is thriving. “We're here to support everyone and reduce harm everywhere.” Here are the last communications on the chat: Anna: The owner just texted me that [Red] got there, and I'm so thankful. There will be so much more of this throughout the summer. So it's nice to know our team will have a place to turn when we need reinforcements. It's going to be a beautiful summer! Yellow: standing by in case another person would help. FYI. Red: Things are definitely under control. Thanks, y'all. Kelly Callison has been the proprietor of a2vintage for over 10 years. Earlier that Saturday a man came into the store and struck up a conversation with Kelly. They talked about music and culture for a few minutes then he said goodbye. A few minutes after he left, it started to rain. The man came back, Kelly assumed because of the rain. He approached her and asked if she knew of any mental health resources. He began tearing up and said he was contemplating suicide. Kelly offered him space to cry, vent, and process. She invited him into her sitting room and gave him water, company and reassurance. “I didn’t know what else to do at that point, so I called Pastor Anna of FedUp. A few minutes later a member of the chat showed up and together we JUNE 14, 2024 Posted on MPD150.com talked, laughed and played games,” said Kelly. “The man somehow came here from another city where all his personal possessions were being held by the police. Anna was able to take him to the places he needed to go to collect his things.” Kelly says she was happy to help. People come into her store all the time to talk and hang out. She stressed how important it is to watch out for each other in the neighborhood. “I am all about community, I do my part. I would like to see the other business owners step up.” Kelly said. A few days later another member of the chat was approached by a woman stranded in Ypsilanti. “Mary” was dropped off at St. Joseph's Hospital from Indiana, where she is from. She never explained how she got there, but her ride abandoned her. She was slightly disoriented and needed a bus ticket to get home. The problem was that she had no cash. The call went out on the NPRR chat at 10 a.m. By 4 p.m., an hour before the bus was due to depart, the members of the chat pooled $125, bought the ticket and sent Mary home. Local activists find that some members of the street community, people who are actively or formerly homelessness, have had negative interactions with the police. Some have been incarcerated or are currently in the legal system. Often people on probation or parole do not want to be around police simply because their presence is triggering. Even though these people are not doing anything wrong, their fear keeps them from calling the police for help. Situations escalate, neighbors or bystanders call the police, people on the street seen as the problem regardless of their involvement or motives. Someone who is defending themself from another individual experiencing a mental illness episode may get arrested for fighting. It is this breakdown in our community safety system the NPRR is trying to patch. The group is still trying to decide how organized they should be and what kinds of emergencies they can respond to. At the core though, they agree the police/carceral system is obsolete. The reality is police and prisons disrupt the synergy of a community by dividing it as opposed to organizing it. It’s time to stop the revolving door. Not just by replacing the door, but by tearing down the building to which it is attached. There are successful models of community-based safety collectives. One example is the MPD150. Don’t let the name fool you, the Minneapolis Police Department 150 is an activist group made up of a cross section of the demographics in Minneapolis. The primary purpose of the group is to push the police-free-communities discussion from reform to systemic change. The name of the group is based on a report titled “Enough is Enough: A 150-Year Performance Review of the Minneapolis Police Department." The group is not affiliated with the police department. Here are some suggestions they make about community-based safety: 1. An easy one: STOP calling the police when it’s clearly unnecessary. 2. Get trained in first aid, crisis de-escalation and restorative justice. 3. Build community all the time, not just in times of trouble. 4. If you DO need police, go to them instead of calling them to you. 5. With mental health crises, remember to center the person in crisis. 6. Make a list of local services/ hotlines you can call instead of the police. 7. Support organizations that really do keep our communities healthy. 8. Zoom in and find solutions where you are. 9. Engage in policy work that can prevent, rather than just punish, crime. 10. Dream bigger: there was a time see RESPONSE next page 

5 Publizr Home