One year after the deaths of George Floyd and Dion Johnson, many Americans and Arizonans are reflecting on the past year and the calls for police reform.
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The Community Assistance Program, a civilian-only program that responds to mental health and behavioral calls, is set for a $15 million expansion following the approval of Phoenix s 2021-22 fiscal budget last week.
The program, run under the fire department, has sparked criticism from community members who are calling for CAP to be removed and a different independent crisis response unit to be implemented instead.
CAP has been active for decades, and according to the city of Phoenix website, is committed to providing the highest level of on-scene crisis intervention and victim assistance for our community.
The program has stayed relatively small throughout the years, and Mayor Kate Gallego said that with the increase in behavioral health calls to 911, there was a consensus to modernize behavioral health responses.
With the dawn of a new year and administration, local civil advocacy groups say they plan on kickstarting 2021 with pressure on lawmakers to address racial inequality, increase police oversight and enact other measures that would protect underserved communities.
Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, Poder In Action and the W.E. Rising Project hosted many of the largest protests against police last year. The Arizona Republic interviewed leaders from each who outlined their respective goals and priorities for the new year many of which were intertwined.
Reallocate money from police budget to social programs
Chants to “defund the police” echoed across the streets of American cities after the police
A handful of people gathered in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza near the Arizona Capitol in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday to call for police reform in the wake of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin being convicted of murdering George Floyd last year.
Janelle Wood, a local organizer and founder of Black Mothers Forum, said that she s glad Chauvin was convicted on all charges, but that is not enough. What we had was a piece of justice, but it s not fully justice, it s accountability, Wood said. But who was it that held him accountable? It was the community, the jurors, the citizens.
Phoenix community leaders talk about police reform, protesting bill
Phoenix leaders say said the Derek Chauvin verdict Tuesday was about accountability, and that s something they want to see more of in Arizona when it comes to policing.
and last updated 2021-04-21 20:28:19-04
PHOENIX â A group of activists gathered at the Capitol Wednesday calling for police reform.
Phoenix leaders from the Black Mothers Forum, NOCAP Coalition and Unity Collective said the Derek Chauvin verdict Tuesday was about accountability, and that s something they want to see more of in Arizona when it comes to policing. It took an entire year of protests; it took an entire year of making the subject matter household knowledge to bring about this one verdict. So much needs to be done, said Jacob Raiford from the NOCAP Coalition.