DAI Leads Effort to Expand Access to Mental Health Services
[Excerpt]
Mary Immaculate hosted a Dallas Area Interfaith meeting in late October where school, police and mental health officials committed to working with one another to better residents’ access to resources by placing a community health worker with the church and communicating better.
“We will not bury our loved ones anymore because of lack of access to mental health services,”
parishioner Natalia Valenzuela said at the meeting. “By getting the services we need and building unity, we will overcome.”
[Photo Credit: Shelby Tauber, Dallas Morning News]
This North Texas Church Lost Six Members to Suicide. Here’s What It’s Doing to Get Families Help, Dallas Morning News [pdf]
COPA's Restorative Justice Initiative Advances with Support from City of Watsonville & Police
After engaging over 350 Watsonville residents in conversation about public safety and the quality of interactions with police, COPA leaders presented their findings to the Watsonville City Council. Their findings, rooted in the experiences of hundreds of people from diverse walks of life and ages, were quickly integrated into an official report by an ad hoc committee on Policing and Social Equity.
COPA pointed out that policing and safety are not necessarily equivalent terms, and that systemic investments in mental health, youth and family programming, and budget alignments in city and police spending would go a long way towards making Watsonville safer -- particularly for youth of color.
Prior to the pandemic, over 100 COPA-IAF leaders had convened with the Watsonville Police Department Chief and Santa Cruz County Supervisor to address identified concerns about engagements between police and community. Soon after, the City responded with an invitation to participate in an ad-hoc committee on Policing and Social Equity. But COPA leaders first wanted to include more residents in the discussion, and with the support of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), COPA engaged hundreds more residents in substantive conversations about direct experiences with Watsonville police and what restorative justice can look like.
COPA's reported findings have so far been met with a positive reception by Watsonville elected officials. Leaders plan to persist in their efforts as the City identifies a new Chief for the Watsonville Police Department.
[Photo Credits: (top) Tarmo Hannula, Good Times; (middle) courtesy of COPA]
Watsonville's Policing Committee Releases Report, Readies Recommendations, The Pajaronian
South County Residents' Mixed Response to Watsonville Police Department, Good Times
Watsonville Committee Calls for more Police Accountability, Santa Cruz Local
City of Watsonville Report, Watsonville Ad Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity
Report on Police Reforms Filed by Watsonville City Council, Santa Cruz Sentinel [pdf]
Wrapping Up My Term as Mayor, The Pajaronian [12/2020]
A Deep Look into the Watsonville Police Department, The Pajaronian [08/2020]
Watsonville Police Oversight Committee in the Works, The Pajaronian [07/2020]
Watsonville, Santa Cruz to Start Police Reform Committees, Santa Cruz Local [07/2020]
New Committees Address police Reform in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Local [02/2021]
400 DAI Leaders Leverage Commitments from Dallas Police Chief
Hundreds of leaders of Dallas Area Interfaith assembled at Temple of Faith CME to address issues of neighborhood safety: police protocol on traffic stops, wage theft, thousands of feral dogs, and hot spots for drugs and prostitution. Confronted with hundreds from the community, Interim Police Chief David Pughes committed to developing a bilingual video on proper protocol that can be shown in congregations and to fundamentally changing how police handle wage theft -- recognizing theft of service as a criminal matter and not a civil one. Leader after leader told personal stories about unfairly being treated as criminals during traffic stops and when reporting crimes.
At one point, addressing immigrants in the packed room, Pughes said "we don't want to be immigration police." The chief additionally committed to working with leaders to address three areas in the city that see high level of drugs and prostitution, as well as developing a plan for the 8,000 feral dogs roaming neighborhood streets.
Read moreTogether Baton Rouge: Community Policing Is...
Together Baton Rouge says there are "two versions of 'community policing.' One of them is a powerful tool for change. The other is an exercise in public relations. Over the next few months, we'll have to draw some hard distinctions to bring about the real thing, and not the PR version."
A piece by the Christian Science Monitor digs into the question and includes a quote by Rev. Lee Wesley: "Policemen are going to have to get out of their cars, walk the street, and have a conversation with the black guy on the corner – the black guy who has his pants hanging down – and get to know him as an individual, not as a stereotype. Until we get those types of relationships going, we're never going to get our community moving forward."
Border Interfaith Engages Sheriff in Community Safety Effort
Over 150 leaders of Border Interfaith participated in three meetings with El Paso Sheriff Richard Wiles (including Lieutenants and Deputies) over the course of two months to build relationships of trust and to address community concerns.
Read moreTogether Baton Rouge Refuses to be Divided by Shootings
In a press conference covered by the New York Times, National Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal, Together Baton Rouge leaders repudiated recent violence and called for careful and intentional dialogue about community divisions and policing. "We condemn violence of any kind..." said Lee Wesley, the pastor of Community Bible Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. During the press conference, leaders stood behind the lectern wearing "Together Baton Rouge" buttons and hoisting signs saying "We refuse to be divided."
TBR will soon hold meetings about community policing to address "how we employ people in our law enforcement agencies, how we vet them" and more. Together Baton Rouge also plans to address this issue with all mayoral candidates running this fall.
TBR Leaders Call for Unity In Wake of Police Shootings
In the wake of the fatal shooting of 3 police officers in Baton Rouge, leaders of Together Baton Rouge continued their call for law enforcement and economic reforms, in addition to calling for unity. Said Retired Lt. General Russel L. Honoré during an interview with MSNBC, "We need to focus on what unites us not divides us." The former Commander of the Joint Task Force Katrina reminded viewers that Baton Rouge police officers earn less than a living wage ($31 thousand per year) stating, "We need to take care of our police." Honoré also pointed out that community policing efforts must not be abandoned.
On the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Together Baton Rouge's community gathering was described as giving "a sense of hope and openness" as leaders listened to each other (regardless of race and age) in a mutually professed desire to move the city forward.
DAI Clergy Say, "We Have to Humanize Each Other"
In the midst of pushing for expanded community policing and pay increases for officers, Dallas Area Interfaith wants to get all sides listening to each other.
"We have to humanize each other," said Rev. Jon Morrison of Cedar Crest Church of Christ.
Read more300 Leaders of TBR Call for Changes in Police Practices & More
Over 300 leaders of Together Baton Rouge called for both law enforcement and economic reforms at a luncheon meeting held at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. The call to action occurred after breakout sessions in which leaders substantively listened to each other. Said Rev. Lee Wesley, "It is not our goal to return to where we were before Alton Sterling was shot. It is not our goal to get back to business as usual. It is our goal to move forward."
Read moreDAI Calls on Police, Community to Build Trust for Better Policing
At a community meeting organized by Dallas Area Interfaith, there were no easy platitudes in reference to the Thursday night shooting of police officers and protesters that left five officers dead. "There is a repentance that has to happen in this nation," preached Pastor Carl Sherman to the crowd gathered at Southern Hill Church of Christ. More than a dozen officers, from six law enforcement agencies across the Metroplex, sat in the pews alongside civilians to hear their public service praised and critiqued.