It shouldn’t be a crime to be poor, and we shouldn’t view incarceration as a one-size-fits-all solution. Doing so is a waste of taxpayer money that fails to produce favorable outcomes and rehabilitate lives. It’s a lazy approach to law enforcement, and we deserve better. Here’s how I’m going to fix public safety in District 8:
Enact cite and release policies for non-violent offenses. Detaining and jailing citizens for crimes without victims, such as simple possession, criminal trespassing, driving without a license, public intoxication, and more, is a waste of taxpayer money. Cite and release policies ensure offenders are not detained, and the funds allotted for their detainment can be used for real community needs such as housing, health care, mental health services, and more. Cite and release policies are sensible, economical, and would give District 8 powerful tools to combat criminalization, incarceration, and recidivism.
Introduce a robust mental health response program. Too often, emergency personnel responds to mental health crises with force and violence, and Chattanooga is no exception. Lazy, inhumane shows of force kill people that need help. Look at the CAHOOTS (crisis assistance helping out on the streets) program in Eugene, Or. – medics, crisis specialists, and mental health experts are dispatched from a non-emergency number. CAHOOTS has reduced the workload of the Eugene Police Department, but they’ve also saved taxpayers millions.
Build harm reduction teams. The Opioid Crisis did not spare Tennessee. For years, our state has suffered. Harm reduction policies accept that drugs are in our communities and work to remove stigmas and educate citizens on how to use them safely if that is their choice. A city-wide team would inform users of drug effects, hygiene kits, wound care kits, and reproductive health kits while building relationships in the community.
Repeating the same processes and hoping for a different outcome is the definition of insanity. It’s time to retire the ineffective policies we cling to and replace them with strategies that recognize and honor our humanity.
I’m proposing solutions that are proven to work at scale, restore respect and dignity to community members, and begin to heal wounds in Black and Brown communities that have been harmed repeatedly. The policies I’m putting forward focus on healing and rehabilitation, not simple punishment. That is restorative justice, not punitive responses that ruin lives.
Suppose we dare to evaluate our policies honestly. In that case, we will see that we aren’t maximizing our potential to help and support our citizens, save taxpayer money, and end practices that disproportionately affect minority communities.
With your support, we can make it happen. Vote for Marie Mott for city council on Aug. 4.
Marie Mott