The nation is at an historic moment where the recognition and understanding of the American people for the injustices that occur every day in black and brown communities is at an all-time high, said Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Md ., One of the speakers at the American Counseling Association's Legislative Briefing on Racism, Police Reform, and Mental Health, held via Zoom on Wednesday, October 14th. He urged lawmakers, policymakers, and advocates to use this awareness to make truly transformative changes to police departments.
The briefing was organized by the Department of Government Affairs and Public Order of the ACA and consisted of a non-partisan body of national and local legislators.
ACA CEO Richard Yep opened the session with a statement that the association denounced all forms of racism, police brutality, systemic violence and white supremacy. The briefing was offered to the ACA membership, legislative staff, and attorneys currently working ahead of 116th Congress on bills specifically focused on racism, police reform, and mental health.
MSNBC commentator Aisha C. Mills, a longtime political strategist and social impact advisor, moderated the briefing. Before passing the discussion on to the first panelist, Brown, she took a moment to acknowledge the pain experienced in communities across the country as a result of interacting with law enforcement agencies.
"It's full – there's a lot of tension," said Mills. “One of the conversations that too often get lost is that law enforcement reacts and reacts in a way that is about security, about the duty to protect communities, and not always flexible and sensitive to the needs of People who are struggling with mental health problems can respond.
“We hope that through this conversation we will learn a variety of solutions that policymakers are thinking about – laws that can be postponed and … that the advisory community will be able to connect with opportunities that They can all be in better partnership with law enforcement and lawmakers as we all look for solutions together, ”she concluded.
The Role of Mental Health in Reshaping the Community Police
Psychiatrists play an important role in the overall public health of our communities, noted Brown. Your expertise must be a key trait in combating racism – especially in police departments.
"The police murder of black Americans is an epidemic in this country – one that has been going on for decades and has remained largely untouched," he continued. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other black men and women highlighted the need to transform policing in this country.
"I think we should first change the policing culture by moving the officers, who protect us from a warrior police mentality, to their ultimate goal as community guards," stressed Brown. "We also need to recognize and acknowledge that officials are often charged with responding to certain situations where they may not be properly trained."
Police officers are often unable to properly understand the citizens and communities they face or deal with, and thus cannot properly de-escalate or manage a situation, he said.
"As of 2016, nearly a quarter of the people killed by police officers have known mental illness," Brown said.
He believes that engaging the expertise of mental health professionals is an essential part of preventing such tragedies.
"I believe we can save lives by acting with compassion and understanding rather than violence," he said. “We can save lives and livelihoods by stopping criminalizing mental illness and addiction by instead providing resources and assistance to those who need them. We must also carry out structural reforms in the police forces. "
This was the intention of H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, passed by the US House of Representatives in June.
The George Floyd Act seeks to transform police departments by reducing their militarization by preventing the transfer of military equipment from the US Department of Defense to local police departments, removing bad officers, and banning harmful practices such as choke holds and no-knock warrants . Training for police departments on diversity and cultural sensitivity, including how to end racial, religious and discriminatory profiling, was also proposed.
"We know that this legislation alone is not enough," he said. To create a more equitable country, we need to invest in long-neglected strategies and programs that address the social needs of communities and address the structural differences that harm black and brown families, Brown said.
That month the House passed the 2020 Strengthening Diversity Act (H.R.2639) to eradicate the persistent racial disparities in the educational system. Brown penned an amendment to the law that would provide funding for the recruitment, hiring, and training of additional school counselors.
"School counselors play a critical role in student success," he said.
Across the aisle – and on the other side of Congress – Jake Hinch, Legislative Assistant to Senator James Inhofe, R-Okla., Said the Senator was interested in the intersection of mental health and policing because Statistics show that roughly one in ten police calls and one in four shootings involves someone with a mental illness.
Inhofe believes that one of the ways to resolve these issues is with p. 1464, the Mental Health Crisis Reaction Act of 2019, with state, local, and tribal federal grants for the response on behavioral crises receive training. Inhofe believes the training would provide knowledge that would help police officers answer calls that include people suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. may be suicidal or have a mental illness.
A call to consultants to contribute their expertise
Charlyn Stanberry, Chief of Staff to Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., Began her part of the panel by stating that October 14, the date of the event, would have been George Floyd's 47th birthday.
We are in a reckoning phase when it comes to systemic racism, police reform and mental illness, she said.
Rep. Clarke is the vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee responsible for health care – including mental health, Stanberry said. As part of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), specifically tasked with drafting the George Floyd Policing Act by House Spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi, Clarke addressed the public health aspects of the law, including discussions on how public safety is is in all communities could ultimately be reinterpreted so that it is just and just. In practice, such an effort would require bringing all stakeholders such as law enforcement, mental health professionals and constituents to the table. One of the ways the CBC wanted to ensure this was to add a provision in the bill to provide public safety innovation grants for community-level programs, Stanberry said. The grants would be used to create task forces that would study how policing fits into the community and contributes fairly to public safety.
"That's a big part of what we have to think about as individuals and advisors," she said. "How can you play a role in bringing these grants into the communities and talking about what this new police, community police, or public safety of the 21st century is like?"
Hinch said discussions like the ACA briefing are essential for him and other staff to keep abreast of important issues. Legislative teams cover many different subject areas and rely on experts to train them.
"It is important that advisors come to their representatives in Congress to explain what the problems are and what they can do better," he said, adding that Senator Inhofe would like to hear from everyone if they are Democrats , Republicans or Republicans are Independent.
"It is important for the Senator that we continue to hold such talks," said Hinch.
Stanberry added that despite attending a session with lame ducks, the 117th Congress will be held in January. There will be many mental health related hearings and she is formally calling for advice and expertise from counselors.
The final speaker was Bill Cowsert, Georgia Senate Majority Leader, Republican Party Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Law Enforcement Reform Committee, which deals with police practices and procedures. The committee wants to find out if the police officers are trained enough to prepare for potentially confrontational situations like crowd control or arrest warrants or incidents that could cause mental health problems, Cowsert said. They only had one meeting, but the committee found that law enforcement agencies across the country were apparently receiving a lot of de-escalation training. Cowsert said he and the committee believe the training could be improved. They intend to hold a hearing with members of the local mental health community for insights into improving education.
When the briefing ended, Stanberry and Hinch put their contact information in the comment boxes and invited the audience to contact them for ideas, comments, and expertise.
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Laurie Meyers is a senior writer for Counseling Today. Contact them at [email protected].
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