Mental Health Services and the Police - we need better

I support the DefundThePolice movement and groundswell as the violence of the police has become more visible to many people. My story below illustrates an example locally; I think we can also safely say that Abdirahman Abdi would still be alive today if it weren't for the actions of the police, and that there are many many instances we don't hear about.


My story, I have been thinking of lately due to the killing of Ejaz Choudry in Mississauga.

His family called for mental health support (not the police) for him, and when he decided he didn't want to talk to them anymore, instead of helping him, they killed him by shooting him multiple times from outside his apartment on the balcony.

My mom was on the phone with one of the nurses at 'On Track' First Episode Psychosis Clinic run by the Ottawa Hospital. The nurse requested to speak to me, but I didn't want to speak to her. So the nurse dispatched police to our home. Had I been alone at home, or not been as obedient with them as I was, who knows what would have happened - but the result was being put into handcuffs, and forcibly taken to the hospital and held there against my will (this was a result of the nurse's "diagnosis" which was mainly based on my non-compliance of speaking with her - with her recommendation and the police action, the hospital weren't going to simply discharge me immediately).

With that 'arrest' (though it wasn't called that, because it isn't criminal under the law) I have something on my police record that will come up at the US border if I attempt to travel there. Many of us who have had this happen, are refused entry simply based on such a 'police record.'

The police didn't need to be involved, and made the situation worse - and could have been a lot worse, as they came lethally armed to our home. Obviously in this case the medical health care system is also a problem, and this needs to be noted when Defunding The Police - giving money to psychiatrists and nurses who arbitrarily lock up people with non-typical emotional and mental states, or to social workers who take away people's children, or who take away other rights or opportunities people have, simply because of poverty or personal power trips, are also a problem.

We need to look to community solutions for many of these problems, not to officials and overpaid experts, and we need to *start with* the police who are the source of violence and human rights deprivations for many people, who take so much money out of the city's budget that could otherwise go to better things - but not to end there, not to put the money to other services that also practice racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, that serve the ruling class system ... but instead to look for and invest in better approaches.

What will councilors do in terms of empowering solutions to come from the community?

I don't think they should be taking a position against Defunding The Police before they've even investigated the alternatives, but unfortunately some including the mayor are already demonstrating their bias and inability to work with grassroots and community-led solutions. There needs to be a mandate for community-driven processes to find things that work, not top-down impositions against the wishes and best interests of residents here.

(This story and recommendation could be more detailed and thought out, but that would require both more energy to invest here, and a corresponding faith that the decision-makers will fully value the community inputs in this process).

sincerely,
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