City Council discussed creating a mental health facility to provide immediate emergency care to community members Monday. The program, “Living Room,” will provide an alternative solution to police action and emergency room visits for those experiencing mental health crises. It will be led by mental health crisis community organizations. What context should I know here? .
About 30 Evanston youth painted banners demanding police abolition at a Sunday “Reclaim The Block Party” hosted by Evanston Fight for Black Lives.
Attendees also painted “Abolish EPD” in white capital letters on Elmwood Avenue in front of Evanston Police Department.
“This building being the police department this is the symbol of their presence in our community, their power in our community,” EFBL organizer Mollie Hartenstein said. “It’s a symbol of not just policing but of how misaligned our community’s priorities are when we have an entire building dedicated to policing.”
Hartenstein said the group organized the event to make a political statement and build community. She also said EFBL wanted to bring the community together in the wake of the Chicago police killings of 13-year-old Adam Toledo and 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez.