For the past couple of years, Brownsville, Brooklyn, has implemented Brownsville In Violence Out with the Brownsville Safety Alliance, which uses a community responder model to reduce officers responding to calls.
This means that community members handle conflict and safety concerns instead of cops.
And though many fear rates of violence increasing when police power decreases, homicides decreased by 50% and shootings by 25% halfway into 2023 through the community responder model.
So far, they’ve had many successes, from breaking up fights and convincing people to turn in guns to helping people in crisis access shelter and necessary services. This experiment could help lay the groundwork for our future.
Still, it can be challenging to imagine this future with cops still in the picture. Even this program isn’t cop-free. Brownsville workers are still shadowed by police officers. Many of them have authority and credibility in their neighborhoods without the “legitimacy” of a badge.
But with more funding, open-mindedness, and participation, what if groups like these were given the space to stand on their own without being tied to policing at all?
Policing may be our current blueprint of safety to compare other actions to because that’s the institution we’re used to. But it’s exciting to imagine new future possibilities without it. And as more organizations sprout across the country, we can support them so that they reach their full potential, and redefine safety in our communities.