Working towards a new view on public safety.
Expansion of SA CORE
ACT 4 SA celebrates the expansion of the SA CORE program– literally doubling the amount of teams that had originally been proposed. With a total of 6 teams we will be able to answer more calls, and expand coverage to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The deaths of Damian Daniels, Melissa Perez, John Pena Montez, and many others who have been harmed during mental health crisis calls are more likely to be avoided now- and eventually will never happen again with further expansion and evolution of this program into a total non-police alternative responder unit. We send our deepest gratitude to all community members who made their voices heard on this important matter- we could NOT have done this without you!
Reproductive Justice Fund
ACT 4 SA also applauds the allocation of $500,000 for a Reproductive Justice Fund to help people gain more access to reproductive healthcare. This is a step in the right direction, and we can only advocate for the further expansion of this fund in future years. Study after study has shown that better access to healthcare absolutely contributes to better public safety for all.
Funding for Community Orgs
We are also excited to see funding for the Food Policy Council and pilot sites to increase food sustainability in our community. These types of community initiatives to fight food insecurity are proven to increase community safety and sustainability. Many other community organizations such as Morgan’s Wonderland and Big Brothers Big Sisters received increased funding as well, contributing to further access to community services that make for a safer San Antonio.
STILL WORK TO BE DONE
This being said, we are disappointed at the passing of a serious increase to the number of SAPD officers and addition of the $1.1 million SAPD fitness facility.
More officers does little to address crime prevention, and only increases the likelihood of dangerous and deadly police interactions. It also increases racial profiling and over policing of communities of color. ACT 4 SA will continue to fight against further increases to the size of SAPD officers on our streets, and instead advocate for true public safety solutions that don’t increase our contribution to police violence and mass incarceration.
We invite all community members who believe in TRUE public safety solutions that address root causes of crime to join us over this next year as we speak to city legislators.
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