Community advocates hosted a virtual webinar to address the challenges of obtaining funds made possible by the Seabrooks-Washington Community-Led Crisis Response Act.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
The New Jersey Violence Intervention and Prevention Coalition member Hudson Partnership CMO CEO Robyn Gorman hosted the Zoom call.
“Can you speak a little about the programs now active on the ground?” she asked.
Salvation and Social Justice Director of Policy Racquel Romans-Henry explained there are programs like the Newark Community Street Team, the Paterson Healing Collective, and the Trenton Street Team.
“We see with the Seabrooks Washington bill is that it’s a continuum of the works that’s already being done,” she said.
Romans-Henry explained the bill establishes alternatives to policies for nonviolent calls.
“Our teams are embedded in the communities that they serve,” she noted.
She continued that they work holistically with young people in schools and re-entry services, for example.
She said The Trenton Street Team led by Salvation and Social Justice has reduced homicide by 40 percent in Trenton. Similar results were achieved in Newark and Paterson.
“They touch people in a way that someone who is not part of the community is unable to do,” she noted.
Gorman said those with mental health issues are 16 times more likely to be killed by police.
“Talk about how these programs are right now currently funded,” she asked.
“A significant amount of the funding comes from the state. Many of our teams have had to go through a grant process,” Romans-Henry said.
“We’re talking about eight or more months before these organizations are receiving payment for the work. When we see money is held up … sometimes programs have to be canceled. Sometimes staff needs to be laid off.”
She said grant disbursement reporting is difficult as well.
“There is a sense… that while these programs are being funded, they are being set up to fail. These organizations are left to fight for funds every budget season,” she declared, also indicating this structure is not sustainable.
NJ Spotlight News Multimedia social justice reporter Taylor Jung said the death of Seabrooks first catalyzed the legislation.
“Paint of a picture of who Drew was and how active the family has been in the community-based effort to advocate for change,” Gorman noted.
“Drew used to drive the light rail. He was one of the first engineers to operate those trains,” Doris Toni Ervin, the aunt of Andrew Washington, noted.
“He also studied technology and left that job and started working on the machines that gave out the tickets.”
She also recalled that he was diagnosed as bi-polar shortly after college.
“The whole neighborhood knew him. He lived in the neighborhood for his almost 50 years of life,” Ervin said, noting that in 2012, he was shot in the arm by the police during a mental health episode.
“He served time in the county jail.They kept him in that situation. Drew was afraid of the police ever since then.”
Ervin added his wound didn’t heal well and he had been distrusting of law enforcement ever since.
“This last time in August, when he was going through things, we were just calling for mental health help. This time, it was fatal,” she noted.
Ervin said he had been recently hospitalized, too.
“We were just trying to get him the help he needed. We called the hospital, and somehow … the police came… looking for a criminal,” she explained.
“This was such an unjust and unfair thing to happen,” Ervin said about his murder, noting that her family has been working on the ARRIVE Together and de-escalation efforts.
“We haven’t seen any real progress with that,” she remarked.
“I think you’re true heroes for that, quite honestly,” Gorman said about the family’s activism.
Romans-Henry said humanizing Washington helped make progress in the legislature.
“It allocates $12 million to the establishment of community-led response teams throughout the State. It is a pilot program,” she noted about the bill, which was rolled out in six counties, including Hudson.
“It also establishes an advisory board to basically offer technical support … We haven’t seen the convening of the advisory council. That’s concerning,” Romans-Henry added.
She explained it was supposed to be convened 45 days after the bill was signed in January.
“If the state is not moving with the convening of this body … There is the collective fear… this is but an omen as to how they approach the legislation as a whole,” Romans-Henry said.
“Have you heard about any efforts of coordination?” Gorman asked Jung about the different efforts.
“It’s been actually difficult to get a straight answer,” Jung replied.
She said it was not clear if the different state departments are effectively coordinating before Gorman asked Romans-Henry about crisis interventionists and police.
“A lot of our street teams basically have their own phone number where the community can reach them in a time of crisis,” Romans-Henry explained.
“A lot of communities don’t know what’s available to them … ARRIVE Together is a co-responding model, police will show up.”
She said police arriving are mentally triggering for some.
“There’s a certain level of deference given to the police,” Romans-Henry noted regarding social workers.
“A lot of these social workers…. historically have operated as an arm of the police. So, there’s a level of distrust.”
Romans-Henry argued that’s what makes a community-led response the best.
“What kind of training do police need?” Gorman asked.
“There needs to be a commitment on the part of police to the program,” Romans-Henry replied.
She said they need to defer to community-led teams like EMTs.
Romans-Henry wanted teams to be reimbursed by Medicaid as part of a larger pattern of support.
“We know that crime is down in the state. We need to see a building out of structures to support mental health,” she said.
Romans-Henry urged people to advocate for their support.
“We need to see an increase in federal support as well. Contact your leaders,” she said.
