Key Thinkers and Organizations

Organizations

Communities Against Police Brutality: Led by Michelle Gross, this volunteer organization began in December of 2000 after the death of Charles Sanders at the hands of Minneapolis police. Gross has spoken in support of the DOJ report. Source

CSG Justice Center: Non-profit non-partisan organization operating nationally with the goal of helping policy makers to "develop strategies that increase public safety and strengthen communities.”  Source

International Crisis Response Association (ICRA): International network connecting individuals and communities that are building crisis response programs. Source

Minneapolis for Community Control of Police: This is a coalition of organizations that are trying to get the Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC) on the ballot. Source

National Crisis Continuum Conference: Organizing body for a conference that unites crisis providers, advocates, and partners. Source

Policing Project NYU School of Law: Policing Project runs the Reimagining Public Safety project that works to create framework for creating crisis response teams from research and community outreach. Source 1. Source 2.

ACademics

Amos Irwin: Co-author of "The Community Responder Model" report and "Dispatching Community Responders to 911 Calls" from the Center for American Progress. Currently serves as Program Director for Community Responders at the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP). Source

Amy C. Watson: Social work professor and past president of CIT international - extensive publications focusing on CIT Model. Source

Betsy Pearl: Author of "Financing Community Responder Programs" from Justice Center Council for State Governments. Associate Director for Criminal Justice Reform at the Center for American Progress, at which time she co-authored "The Community Responder Model" report. Currently serves as policy consultant at the Council on Criminal Justice. Source 1. Source 2.

Marilyn Sinkewicz: Contributing author to University of Chicago Health Lab study on transforming 911 and the Vera Institute of Justice Multicity 911 Analysis. Current Research Investigator at University of Michigan. Source

Randolph DuPont: Co-creator of CIT Model at University of Memphis. Source

journalists

Christie Thompson: Reporter on The Fifth Branch, staff writer for The Marshall Project with a specific interest in the prison system as well as the interactions between mental health and the justice system. Source

Matt Ferner: Contributes to Safer Cities. His work is focused on police policy and criminal justice. Source

Rob Waters: Founding editor of MindSite News, a nonprofit news publication dedicated to exploring the shortcomings of American mental health resources and policy. Source 1. Source 2.

Ryan Levi: Lead reporter on The Fifth Branch, a podcast series by Tradeoffs and The Marshall Project that examined crisis response models. Source 1. Source 2. Source 3.

advocates

Hallie Fader-Towe: CSG Justice Center Director of Justice and Health Initiatives. Source

Rachel Bromberg: Executive Director of ICRA, Co-Founder of the Reach Out Response Network that advocates for mental health responders in Toronto. Source

Ruth Lowenkron: Director of Disability Justice at New York Lawyers for Public Interest. Source

politicians

Jo Ann Hardesty: Hardesty is a former commissioner from Portland assigned to the Fire and Rescue Department who endorsed Street Roots' idea for an unarmed response team from its early stages. She was a vocal advocate of the program throughout her term in office. Hardesty gave a Ted Talk about the proposal and developed a working group to advance PSR. Source 1. Source 2.

Jumaane Williams: Williams serves as NYC Public Advocate and issued a report in 2022 as an update to a report he published in 2019. In the report, he criticized the lack of response for the B-HEARD program. He has continued to be outspoken about the NYC program and prison/police reform policies. Source 1. Source 2.

Lindsay Sabadosa (D-MA): Sabadosa sponsored a bill that would have established the Alternative for Community Emergency Services (A.C.E.S) Grant Programs to provide grants in order for cities to make partnerships allowing them to establish crisis response alternatives. The bill was killed in December of 2022. Source 1. Source 2.