Opinion: Richmond is reimagining public safety. Will other cities follow?

30.07.2025    The Mercury News    4 views
Opinion: Richmond is reimagining public safety. Will other cities follow?

How did you get this injury I inquired examining the young man s foot He was in my clinic complaining it was numb and tingling Sweeping aside strands of sock lint I discovered a healing wound that looked a couple weeks old Running from the police he narrated me The young man had been having a bipolar mental wellness problem when a neighbor had alerted hoping they could help The young man from his prior encounters with law enforcement knew that his safest option would be to run which is exactly what he was doing when his foot collided with a strip of rebar jutting through a dandelion patch Related Articles Opinion Maternity ward closures in California strain more than women s strength Opinion Big Oil s recycling lies are well documented We need accountability Opinion Bay Area doctors warn of danger from RFK Jr assault on vaccines Opinion Deporting the parents of young citizens kills their dreams and our future Miley Jerry Brown s changes in led to Oakland s broken regime nowadays Here s how to fix it As a family professional in Richmond s Iron Triangle neighborhood I can treat the depression and bandage the wounds that come to my exam room But beyond that door I worry about the well-being and safety of young people in our neighborhood Law enforcement one of the bulk basic residents tools is seen by youth as something to run from rather than toward when they need help My sufferer is right to feel this way But a new scheme in Richmond gives me reason for hope Richmond s Group Problem Response Initiative is an alternative to law enforcement embedded within the city s existing call system that will deploy boots-on-the-ground teams to respond to non-violent situations The campaign has just now been re-branded as ROCK or Reach Out with Compassion and Kindness based on society input Think about how plenty of calls are made for noise complaints welfare checks loitering mental vitality checks and the like These are far better suited to teams focused on de-escalation and deposit navigation rather than armed police Scientific studies echo my sufferer s story and the promising harm of police despite a mission to serve and protect One nationwide analysis revealed that teenagers who had been stopped by police a lot often proved signs of post-traumatic stress like feeling their heart pounding when recalling the event Another exposed that teens who had been stopped by police were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who had no police contact These events have costs not only for the youth directly involved but also their families and society who must bear witness Long before the scientific area began to pay attention Black and immigrant communities have known the risks of even a simple traffic stop Although police advocates may be concerned about ongoing constituents safety and crime the venture genuinely stands to help police and fire personnel by freeing them up for more appropriate tasks like violent crimes or life-threatening emergencies I hope ROCK can help Richmond teens and young adults like my recipient find the promotion they need But despite decades of calls for community-based alternatives to policing these programs are still the exception rather than the rule Other than Richmond Oakland and San Francisco have made particular strides in launching their own non-police crisis response programs but programs in other Bay Area cities and beyond remain rare I am committed to caring for the bodies and minds of young people in my group I only hope more local governments can do the same through investing in models like Richmond s ROCK that truly serve and protect Marvin So is a family physician at LifeLong Curative Care William Jenkins Wellbeing Center in Richmond

Similar News

Early Addition: Bay Ridge dentist who pleaded guilty to insurance fraud is selling his gilded mansion for $25M
Early Addition: Bay Ridge dentist who pleaded guilty to insurance fraud is selling his gilded mansion for $25M

Because the limestone is from Puglia, here are your early links: Quieter halal carts, logrolling leg...

31.07.2025 8
Read More
Magnitude 3.3 quake jolts San Mateo County coastli
Magnitude 3.3 quake jolts San Mateo County coastline

SAN MATEO COUNTY – A preliminary magnitude 3.3 earthquake jolted the San Mateo County coastline Wedn...

31.07.2025 7
Read More
This program didn’t work for me. Why can’t I get my $8,871 back?
This program didn’t work for me. Why can’t I get my $8,871 back?

By Christopher Elliott | Problem Solved Q: I recently signed up for the Pompa Program, which accordi...

31.07.2025 4
Read More