In the U.S., 911 is called 240 million times a year. Of course, it's the police who answer our calls – and we know what danger that poses to Black people. But statistics show that not only do they frequently respond with violence, the majority of 911 calls actually “have nothing to do with crime or violence.”
A study analyzing nine major cities found that less than 3% of 911 calls involved violence. 62.6% involved no “crime” at all, and were instead about abandoned cars or runaway pets – things that unarmed first responders could easily handle instead!
But even for calls that are “criminal,” are police really the safest response?
19% of calls are about behavioral health. 25% of people killed by police have a known mental illness, so sending police is a major problem!
Other “criminal” calls include things like unhoused people living in public, substance use, and poverty-related theft.
These are all issues that could be solved at the root with proper healthcare, housing, and anti-poverty measures. But police escalate these problems – and fuel mass incarceration instead.
Society tells us we need police to "solve" ALL of these varying issues in our communities. But if they're not needed in most situations, and make other situations worse, aren't there better and safer solutions we can decide to advocate for?