This intervention puts the federal government, which handles prosecutions in Washington, D.C., in the midst of a long-term local and national effort to more effectively respond to psychiatric emergencies, especially as the homeless population grows. You will be killed.
“The Department of Justice is concerned nationally about serious violations of the rights of people with disabilities by the failure of local governments to ensure mental health responses to mental health crises.” said Michael Perloff, an attorney with the American Civil Center. The Washington DC Freedom Coalition, along with Bread for the City, sued the city in July. “Exactly those issues are happening in the District of Columbia.”
Bread for the City, a local agency that provides food, medical care, clothing, and other necessities to people in need, says that calling 911 is “ineffective and harmful,” and that the psychological He said dealing with the global crisis is draining resources. The city has mental health clinicians and certified peer support specialists, but “failed to provide adequate funding, training, and coordination to adequately staff and support these teams,” according to the complaint. ”. Washington, D.C.’s homeless population is growing, and so is the demand for mental health crisis assistance.
In 2021, D.C. launched a pilot program to divert some mental health calls from police to unarmed behavioral health professionals. But less than 1 percent of 911 calls for mental health emergencies in Washington, D.C., resulted in a clinical response, according to a lawsuit filed last year. Instead, people in mental distress are routinely encountered by armed police officers, who are said to be “unnecessarily handcuffing, using excessive force, etc.” “frequently exacerbates the trauma experienced by individuals in crisis,” the complaint states.
In response to questions from the D.C. Council last year, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s office said “this represents only a small portion of those who are potentially eligible.” [911] “Reports” are forwarded from police to behavioral health staff, with 327 out of 1.2 million reported in 2022, a “promising start.” The D.C. Police Department says all officers undergo either mental health first aid or crisis intervention training, but the plaintiffs argue that these programs are not intended for career professionals or those with lived experience. It claims that it is not a substitute for peer counselors.
Justice Department lawyers said in a court filing that the lawsuit “seeks to eliminate harmful barriers in the existing system so that people with disabilities have equal opportunities to participate and benefit.” That’s what I’m aiming for.” “this is, [Americans With Disabilities Act] requirements. “
Ministry of Justice In their court filing, the lawyers emphasized that the federal government is “not taking a position” on the case overall, and like the Washington city attorney, people with mental health conditions are not discriminated against. By arguing that, Washington, D.C., is simply arguing that it cannot have the lawsuit dismissed. People with disabilities have access to emergency physical care just like everyone else. The city said expanding mental health emergency response is a request for “new services” and that it is “a policy discussion, not a legal argument.”
The Justice Department responded that such a limited view is “inconsistent with the interconnected nature” of government services and “serves to obscure otherwise obvious discrimination.” In a news release announcing that it was considering the lawsuit, the Justice Department noted that federal investigations in Minneapolis and Louisville concluded that police responses to mental health crises were unlawful and discriminatory.
The D.C. Attorney General’s Office and the D.C. Police Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. The police union did not respond to requests for comment.
The city responded in a court filing that it has “already made significant progress” to improve its response to mental health emergencies, but that failure to do so does not amount to actionable discrimination. . The Washington, D.C., police union also opposed the lawsuit, saying “police response is always necessary due to the inherent threat to the health and safety of the individual, those around him, and the officers surrounding him.”
Between 2019 and 2021, at least 178 people were killed by police who were called to help in a mental health crisis, according to a national investigation by The Washington Post. In the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020 and nationwide protests against police excessive use of force, many large cities began experimenting with ways to reduce police involvement in mental health crises. . Denver and Eugene, Oregon, are often cited as models for unarmed intervention.
The judge overseeing the case, Ana C. Reyes, a Biden appointee, ruled that Washington, D.C. provides mental health treatment, including emergency crisis assistance, to children of low-income parents as required by law. He is also dealing with long-running lawsuits alleging that he is not helping them and is further deteriorating their mental health. They are more likely to be sent to a mental hospital or prison. The city is also fighting the lawsuit.
