In November 2020, worried neighbors at a Utah apartment complex called 911 after hearing a drunken argument between 39-year-old Ryan Outlaw and his girlfriend Fernanda Tobar, 22. Eventually, Outlaw was bleeding out in an elevator - Tobar had stabbed him, also dialing 911 herself.
But when police arrived, they didn't even administer first aid - they ordered Outlaw to crawl out himself! "You're not doing anything about it!" Tobar yelled, begging them to help. One officer retorted, "What do you want me to do?"
Hours later, after paramedics transported Outlaw to a hospital, that same officer watched TikToks and played games on his phone - when he was supposed to be investigating Outlaw’s death!
Statistically, police don't prevent violence. But when cops arrive after violence has happened, they don't necessarily help either.
What if we could correctly address both?
What if, there was someone better to call who could de-escalate arguments before they turn fatal? If we lived in stable communities where neighbors have the ability and skills to intervene when things get bad?
If we had social infrastructures that actually addressed the root causes of domestic violence?
It may seem out of reach. But when this country's police system is designed to discard our health and well-being, we deserve to ask, imagine, and demand better.