Recent police killings in NJ highlight the need to invest in Community-Led solutions

By Racquel Romans-Henry, SandSJ Policy Director

Police violence and misconduct are not merely isolated incidents, rather they are systemic problems that reflect the racism, bias and impunity that pervade our criminal legal system. While today we are talking about the tragic killing of Victoria Lee in Fort Lee and Sonya Massey in Springfield, Illinois, we know that police violence is not only manifested in fatal shootings. We see it in other forms of abuse and harassment such as racial profiling, stop and frisk, no knock raids, chokeholds, and tasers which have positioned police throughout the country as more of an occupying force than an ally dedicated to the safety and wellness of the communities they have been tasked to protect and serve.

The solution to this problem does not rest in police trainings or increased investments in body camera equipment, which too often occur against the backdrop of a police culture that responds to societal ills such as houselessness, poverty and mental illness with violence and contempt.

The best solution to this problem rests in community-led alternatives free from police involvement or interference. We need to see increased investments in building out and supporting these highly trained, professionals that have proven to be an incredibly effective tool in violence interruption as well as limiting unnecessary and harmful interactions between police and communities of color.

It's been 10 years since the killing of Mike Brown, and what was true then is true still…. the safest communities are not those that are more heavily policed, but those that are more adequately resourced. We can and we must do better.