Fully funding public safety means funding services that generate neighborhood stability and establish a comprehensive and non-policing emergency and crisis response apparatus. It is time to divert some resources and power away from the Cleveland Police Department, an institution with a history of brutal and discriminatory practices. Rather than spending 230 million dollars on policing and incarceration each year, we should be creating citywide, neighborhood-level, community-led safety initiatives that are evidenced based and will actually enhance public safety. This direction will allow a smaller police force to be more effective because police officers’ time will be freed up to focus on serious crimes.
