About two dozen people gathered in a community arts space in West Town on Saturday morning for a workshop titled “Alternatives to Calling Police During Mental Health Crises.” The training was hosted by Make Yourself Useful—a group “committed to actively fortifying POC-led racial justice movements”—and led by abolitionist organizers from disability rights group Nothing About Us Without Us and the People’s Response Team. Armed with statistics about the deadliness of police encounters for people with mental illness and developmental disabilities, and a familiarity with the depth—or lack thereof—of police Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, the organizers introduced attendees to a variety of strategies for helping people experiencing a crisis to cope with it without dialing 911.
Benaitis and cofacilitators Timmy Rose and Miguel Rodriguez had the group brainstorm how communities could create localized crisis-response strategies that didn’t involve the police. Attendees imagined building neighborhood volunteer networks and phone trees or organizing drop-in centers with mental health resources.
Rose made a specific suggestion if we encountered someone suicidal: “If you’re feeling comfortable, try to support them in that moment. We advocate asking them directly if they’re considering killing themselves,” he said. “Ask if they have a tool or a plan, and then ask if they’re comfortable enough sharing that plan or handing you the tools.” He also advised us to ask if the person has already executed their plan—such as ingesting something harmful.
“Try something like, ‘Have you been in this situation before?'” Benaitis added. After that we could ask them what’s helped them feel better before or if there’s someone we could call on their behalf. “That way you’re not barking orders and you’re not being a superhero,” she said. “Let them be the expert.”
Benaitis said it can be helpful to guide the person in crisis to an “incompatible” action. “Just asking if they can do something incompatible with what they’re doing right now—like ‘Give me a high five’ or ‘Walk with me over here.'”
If nothing else the workshop was an exercise in scrutinizing our own communication styles and the degree to which we’ve relegated taking care of friends, neighbors, or strangers in distress to law enforcement authorities. In the end the facilitators shared a list of mental health resources and organizations people could turn to for help and guidance with their own and others’ crises, such as the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, the Illinois disability rights group Equip for Equality, and Sista Afya, a local black women’s mental health advocacy organization. These and other resources as well as information about upcoming workshops can also be found on the their Facebook page. Saturday’s workshop attendees were encouraged to take home a flowchart designed to get them thinking and when and if they really need to call the cops.
