Opinion: Fund CSWG Proposals, Not Cops

By Defund413Amherst

Defund413 Amherst has been calling for the reallocation of funds from the Amherst Police Department budget to community services that promote health, well-being, and safety.  In order to dismantle the system of white supremacy inherent in policing, the voices of BIPOC community members and other marginalized groups most impacted by policing must be at the forefront in reimagining community safety.  The Community Safety Working Group formed to lead this effort in Amherst.  The group put together a thoughtful proposal, with the assistance of 7 Generations Movement Collective’s participatory action research process engaging the community.  Among their recommendations are an alternative response program, a Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a BIPOC-led youth empowerment center and a multicultural center.

Defund413 Amherst supports the CSWG’s recommendation that Amherst create a “Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service” (CRESS) program as a civilian, unarmed alternative response to non-violent, non-criminal situations. Operating independently from the Amherst Police Department, the CRESS program will decrease the violence of the response in situations involving mental health, substance use, trespassing, truancy, wellness checks, noise complaints, traffic stops, houselessness, and other non-violent situations.  

The proposed cost for this program would be between $1.6 and $2.2 million, and would redirect funding from the Police Department. These recommendations are in line with Defund413Amherst’s FY21 demands that:

∙ The town implement a 52% cut to the APD budget ($2,677,892)

∙ The town not give any of the $80k set aside in the budget for combatting structural racism to the police department, instead spend it in a community-directed way guided by Black led organizations and community members

However, in his budget presentation to the Town Council on May 3, 2021, Town Manager Paul Bockelman revealed he had allocated only $130,000 to the CRESS program.  This money comes from the two frozen police positions, and does not include any additional funding. 

Funding the CRESS program at only 6% of the proposed budget sends a strong message that the town does not prioritize racial equity and the safety of BIPOC residents.  Reallocating only two police positions and no additional funding is disrespectful to the countless hours the CSWG spent engaging the community with public forums, researching alternative programs, and coordinating with the 7GenMC to provide a thorough proposal to the town manager.  Providing only $130,000 to design and implement an innovative, anti-racist alternative responder program ensures the program will not fully thrive, and that the town will likely default to the white supremacist institution of policing to address non-violent, non-criminal matters.  $130,000 is inadequate.

We demand that the FY22 budget include full funding for the program to be operational in 2021–2022, including:

∙       Staffing, including benefits, supervision and support

∙       Training both CRESS staff and 911 dispatchers

∙       At least 1 dedicated EV with high-quality communications and safety equipment

∙       A building of operation

∙       Anything else the program needs to be successful

CRESS staffing should incorporate responders with expertise in clinical mental health, social work, de-escalation, and medicine. Additionally, Defund413 Amherst would support peer specialists as responders.
Defund413 Amherst supports the identified mission of CRESS as “contributing to dismantling systemic racism through racially aware safety services to persons of all races with a consciously anti-racism focus.”

Additionally, Defund413 Amherst  supports the CSWG’s recommendations, and demands the FY22 budget fully fund initiatives to create a safer and more inclusive community including:

∙       An Amherst youth empowerment center

∙       Transitional housing for people who are houseless

∙       Rental assistance

∙       An Amherst cultural/multi-cultural center

∙       An office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the town with qualified BIPOC leadership and program funding.

The proposed cost for these programs is $633,000.  However, in the budget presentation, Mr. Bockelman allocated $30,000 to combine with existing funds to create an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion coordinator.  Again, this budgeted amount is insulting to the hard work of CSWG, 7GenMC, all the community members who shared their experiences and ultimately will not create meaningful change.

“I hope that the responses from these [interviews], actually, like, create a change, and that they learned from this experience. They just didn’t just become a report, you know.”

 — Interview with (7GenMC) community participant, April 2021

Keeping the town manager’s budgeted levels for CRESS and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives would not honor this participant’s request.  Amherst must do better.

Defund 413 Amherst  is an Amherst-based organization working to defund the Amherst Police Department.