Advocacy groups gather in Pittsburgh to call for divestment in policing, reinvestment in community needs

Jun. 17—Advocacy groups met in Downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday to call on lawmakers and leaders to divest in police resources and invest in community concerns they say are the root cause of violent crime.

"The safest communities are not the communities with the most police," said Jasiri X, co-founder of the Black artist/activist collective 1 Hood Media. "The safest communities are the communities with the most resources."

The collective, alongside the Alliance for Police Accountability and representatives from other advocacy groups make up the Coalition to Reimagine Public Safety, which released a new report this week calling for public safety centered on community needs.

Other coalition members include representatives with Prevention Point Pittsburgh, the Abolitionist Law Center and Take Action Mon Valley. The report came from a number of brainstorming and visioning sessions and several public forums, leaders said.

Reading from the report, Jarsiri X said the problem starts with how violence is defined.

"Violence is far more than just crime," he said. "Rather, violence is an experience that limits or diminishes people's capacity to survive."

That means, he said, issues like homelessness, substance use disorder, food insecurity and mental illness are forms of violence. He said violent crime is often a response to those issues.

The goal should be to minimize harm, not cause it, said Brandi Fisher, executive director of the Alliance for Police Accountability.

"When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, they should not be incarcerated — they should not be met with handcuffs and imprisoned," she said. "When someone is needing a home to stay in, that is not a reason to house them in prison. When someone is having issues with drug use and drug abuse, they don't need to be locked away — they need to be met with assistance, support and help."

That, Fisher said, is the gist of the report.

"Many times, visions come out, reports come out, and that is just the end of it," she said. "This group of people up there today are here because we're committed to make sure our plan is implemented."

Pittsburgh officials took steps toward redirecting resources when certain types of calls come in with the creation of the Office of Community Health and Safety. The goal is to provide social service experts to respond to calls involving homelessness, suicide and mental illness.

Mayor Bill Peduto's office announced the initiative in June 2020, saying it would "redirect city resources" to meet community needs.

"Our public safety personnel are available 24/7 but often go into situations that are beyond the scope of their training," Peduto said at the time. "The individuals and communities they encounter need help beyond law enforcement or emergency medical attention. This office will allow public safety to step back and determine what kind of support an individual or family needs and get them that help through social workers or other agencies so that we're seeing people holistically and connecting them with more sustainable resources and assistance."

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@triblive.com or via Twitter .