On March 12, 2012, Shauna Francis was hoping to save the life of her 30-year-old sister, Shereese. Shereese needed medication for her schizophrenia, so Shauna called 311, hoping for an ambulance to bring her safely to a hospital. But that’s not what happened.
Shauna did the right thing. 311 is supposed to provide support, not police. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, “people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a law enforcement encounter.”
But instead of an ambulance, four NYPD officers showed up at Shereese’s door!
Frightened, Shereese begged for them to leave. They tried to handcuff her, so she ran to the basement. There, all four officers tackled her, pressing her face down into a mattress. Within 20 minutes, Shereese had a heart attack and died!
For weeks, evidence about her death was withheld until an anonymous source leaked it to a newspaper. “The bottom line is, they come there and kill her,” said her father.
Today, Black women are statistically facing a mental health crisis. But police are STILL dispatched to crises when they pose a danger to US, not the other way around.
Communities are coming up with alternatives outside of policing for those in crisis – to prevent deaths like Shereese Francis’. So far, it’s looking promising! We deserve to be fully cared for, without the dangers of police.