Kyle Vass/ WVPB Johanna Miesner and other Charleston residents spoke out in favor of more mental health response resources during a city council meeting.
Activists continue to push the City of Charleston to implement policing alternatives after an incident where police officers shot a man last month.
At the Charleston City Council meeting on Monday, local activist Hunter Starks asked that police not be dispatched on every 911 call. Starks said there are other ways to approach vulnerable citizens in the throes of a mental breakdown.
“When someone is in crisis, an authority figure with a gun will always feel like a threat for so many reasons,” Starks said.