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cities like Eugene, Oregon that have mobile crisis teams that are suitable to handle any mental health crisis firsthand. Instead of calling 911, individuals can text the mobile crisis hotline number and a professional worker will get dispatched within minutes. Some individuals have voiced their decision not to contact the police first when dealing with a crisis situation out of fear of losing their lives (Waters, 2021). Suffering from a mental illness can be unbearable for the individual to handle alone. Many cases have gone unnoticed and/or neglected by government institutions. In fact, over a quarter of people shot dead by the police had an untreated mental illness (McCarthy, 2015). These individuals are scared, confused, and have so much going on mentally. Adding a police officer to the scenario only adds more confusion and chaos. The mentally ill “do not process what is happening like a normal criminal,” Mac Arthur said. “There’s a lot of white noise in their head” (Lowery., et al. 2015). Unfortunately, I’ve had this exact scenario come to fruition with a friend of mine who was African American, homeless, and suffering from a mental health crisis and was shot by the police. During his crisis, my friend had a verbal encounter with the police in broad daylight. Instead of the police trying to de- escalate the situation, the opposite happened: they fired over twenty rounds
Imagine that you are suffering from mental illness and suddenly, out of nowhere, you’re in a crisis situation. Everything around you becomes heightened by the sounds of your heartbeat racing and the constant fear and panic going through your head. Having no one to reach out to leaves you in a desperate state of disarray. Police are known as frontline workers and usually respond when a call comes through; they often handle mental health crisis situations before any other resource institution. Although Rob van den Brink firmly believes that police responsiveness has an influence on individuals reconnecting with mental health services (van den Brink, et al, 2012), it is clear that police are not fully equipped to handle mental health crisis situations, as they lack the proper training, skills, and staff. Studies have shown that, since 2015, 1,430 individuals suffering from a mental illness have been shot and killed by police in the United States (Waters, 2021). Minority individuals, specifically African Americans, are more likely to be shot by a police officer than any other race. Mental health crises should always be handled by professionals who are skillfully trained and properly educated. Having the basic police tactics isn’t going to cut it when dealing with individuals suffering with mental illnesses (Lowery., et. al. 2015). There are
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