111. Reimagining Policing with the Columbus Safety Collective
What would a world with less policing look like? On Episode 111, Dan talks with Stephen David and Alwiyah Shariff with the Columbus Safety Collective about their efforts to realize that world in Columbus through a health-centered, anti-racist alternative response that prioritizes public safety.
The Columbus Safety Collective (CSC) is a group made up of community members, those directly impacted, social workers, disability rights advocates, housing activists, and faith leaders. They came together in the summer of 2020 from the uprisings after George Floyd’s murder when it became apparent that policing and the current ways we invest in public safety don’t prioritize health. The collective is working to develop an alternative, anti-racist, health-centered response for certain emergencies instead of calling the police in those instances.
According to Columbus Dispatch data, the top three things police get called for are burglaries that have already happened, general complaints, and traffic enforcement — none of which require an armed law enforcement response.
In 2020, the city of Columbus launched the Reimagining Public Safety initiative. After interviewing more than 4,000 residents, the report found that the majority of people strongly agree an alternative public safety response should be considered for certain calls, and a lot of people are actually comfortable with and desire a non-police response. And yet, as Dan mentioned, a Gallup study (not Pew as Dan wrongly thought!) found that police were still one of most most trusted institutions in the U.S.
The CSC is just one of almost 200 different initiatives dedicated to creating an alternative response across the country, according to Transform 911. Steve mentions that 1 of every 3 dollars in Columbus’ operating budgets goes to law enforcement interventions, making police funding the largest share of the city’s expense budget.
The city has begun introducing co-responder programs, but the collective is working with ADAMH to call for transparency in its analysis and data of how the programs are working. Even with other programs such as RREACT and the Right Response Unit, the collective urges city officials to intentionally invest in these alternative responses to uplift the community expertise that’s already there.
GET INVOLVED & SUPPORT
Personal stories are so important to this work, so the collective is inviting you to come out to their community forums this fall. They will be launching a series of community conversations to follow up on their recent People’s Safety Forum to gather stories of why the community needs an alternative police response. The collective is an open table for people who want to be part of the conversation. You can follow the CSC on Instagram: @cbussafetycollective
NAME CHECKS
Steve mentioned Jaron Thomas’s death from Columbus police during a mental health crisis. He also mentioned the People’s Budget Columbus Instagram account, which posted about how tax dollars were being allocated to police in the city budget.
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PRODUCTION
Hosted and produced by Dan Skinner. Production support by Angela Lin. Music by Kyle Rosenberger. Prognosis Ohio is a member of the WCBE Podcast Experience and the Health Podcast Network. Prognosis Ohio is a production of Prognosis Ohio, LLC.