Law & Disorder

ACLU Sues Washington DC on 911 Response to Mental Health Crises; Plus, SFPD Overreacts to Skateboarders

SFPD cracked down on a group of teenage skateboarders last week resulting in 113 arrests and dozens of teenagers placed in zip ties and detained until they could be released to their parents. The actions of the SFPD has resulted in outrage and outcry from SF officials and community members. We are joined to discuss the situation by Joe Rivano Barros, a Senior Editor at Mission Local, along with SF Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents District 5, which includes the Tenderloin, the Haight, the Fillmore, Japantown, Civic Center and the Western Addition.

Check out some of Mission Local’s coverage of the issue: https://missionlocal.org/2023/07/teens-commissioners-blast-sfpd-dolores-hill-bomb/

The ACLU has brought a lawsuit against the District of Colombia related to how they respond to mental health emergencies. The lawsuit states that it is mental health professionals and not law enforcement that should be the primary responders – that there should be parity between how 911 respond to physical health emergencies with medical professionals, and how it responds to mental health emergencies with mental health professionals. Joining us to discuss are Michael Perloff, a staff attorney with the ACLU-DC who is lead counsel on the lawsuit, referred to as Bread for the City v District of Columbia; we’re also joined by Charnal Chaney, a trauma-informed yoga instructor, and founder of Bold Yoga, in Washington, DC, who also works with at-risk and underrepresented groups to offer and promote health and healing. Charnal has lived experience with mental health emergencies.

Read the ACLU’s press release on the lawsuit: https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/lawsuit-challenges-unequal-response-to-mental-health-emergencies-in-washington-dc

Our Resistance in Residence Artist this week is keyboard player, composer, and producer, with a brand new album called Shapes and Shades, Michael Louis Aaberg.

Check out Michael Louis‘ new album: https://michaellouis.bandcamp.com/album/shapes-shades

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