“How did you get this injury?” I asked, examining the young man’s foot. He was in my clinic complaining it was numb and tingling. Sweeping aside strands of sock lint, I discovered a healing wound that looked a couple weeks old.
“Running from the police,” he told me.
The young man had been having a bipolar mental health crisis when a neighbor had alerted 911, hoping they could help. The young man, from his prior encounters with law enforcement, knew that his safest option would be to run — which is exactly what he was doing when his foot collided with a strip of rebar jutting through a dandelion patch.
As a family doctor in Richmond’s Iron Triangle neighborhood, I can treat the depression and bandage the wounds that come to my exam room. But beyond that door, I worry about the well-being and safety of young people in our community.
Law enforcement — one of the most basic public resources — is seen by youth as something to run from, rather than toward, when they need help. My patient is right to feel this way.
But a new program in Richmond gives me reason for hope. Richmond’s Community Crisis Response Program is an alternative to law enforcement embedded within the city’s existing 911 call system that will deploy boots-on-the-ground teams to respond to non-violent situations. The program has recently been re-branded as “ROCK”, or Reach Out with Compassion and Kindness, based on community input.
Think about how many calls are made for noise complaints, welfare checks, loitering, mental health checks and the like. These are far better suited to teams focused on de-escalation and resource navigation, rather than armed police.
Scientific studies echo my patient’s story and the potential harm of police, despite a mission to serve and protect. One nationwide study found that teenagers who had been stopped by police a lot often showed signs of post-traumatic stress, like feeling their heart pounding when recalling the event. Another found that teens who had been stopped by police were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to peers who had no police contact.
These events have costs not only for the youth directly involved, but also their families and community who must bear witness. Long before the scientific community began to pay attention, Black and immigrant communities have known the risks of even a simple traffic stop.
Although police advocates may be concerned about ongoing public safety and crime, the program actually stands to help police and fire personnel by freeing them up for more appropriate tasks, like violent crimes or life-threatening emergencies.
I hope ROCK can help Richmond teens and young adults, like my patient, find the support they need. But despite decades of calls for community-based alternatives to policing, these programs are still the exception rather than the rule. Other than Richmond, Oakland and San Francisco have made some strides in launching their own non-police emergency response programs, but programs in other Bay Area cities, and beyond, remain rare.
I am committed to caring for the bodies and minds of young people in my community. I only hope more local governments can do the same, through investing in models like Richmond’s ROCK that truly serve and protect.
Marvin So is a family physician at LifeLong Medical Care, William Jenkins Health Center in Richmond.