PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sakeena Trice, Senior Staff Attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) on the B-HEARD Program
4:49:31
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108 sec
Sakeena Trice, a senior staff attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), provided testimony on the city's B-HEARD program. She expressed deep concern about the city's practices in responding to mental health emergencies and urged significant changes to the program.
- Trice highlighted the case of Raul de la Cruz, a 19-year-old fatally shot by NYPD officers during a mental health emergency.
- She emphasized that B-HEARD is a flawed pilot program that continues the tradition of criminalizing people with mental disabilities.
- Trice advocated for a true non-police response, including teams of peers with lived experiences and EMTs who are not city employees, operating 24/7 and routed through 988.
Sakeena Trice
4:49:31
Wow.
4:49:31
I'm extremely moved right now.
4:49:33
Thank you.
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My name is Sekina Trice.
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I am a senior staff attorney.
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I work for the New York lawyers for the public interest.
4:49:41
I work in our disability justice program.
4:49:44
In NLP?
4:49:45
Well, thank you first of all for the opportunity to present testimony on behalf of NLP regarding the city's BEHURT program.
4:49:53
This grant NYPD officers and queens fatally shot 1 with Zario a nineteen year old while he was experiencing a mental health emergency for which he called for help.
4:50:03
Again, when called for help and was shot by NYPD officers.
4:50:06
How many more individuals must die at the hands of police before we finally adopt a more humane, a person centric approach to mental health crisis, one that is free of discrimination.
4:50:18
This is an important issue because people are being abused, people are dying, particularly people of color, people that look like me.
4:50:26
NLP is deeply concerned about the city's practices related to responding to mental health emergency.
4:50:32
We urge city council to mandate significant changes to be heard as it is a deeply flawed pilot program which merely purports to be a non police response to people experiencing mental health emergencies.
4:50:44
But in a fit, it is in part, excuse me, a fit.
4:50:47
It is part of the long tradition of policing, criminalizing, and under and misserving people with mental disabilities.
4:50:54
Funding be her and his current guys diverts money from what we truly need, which is a true non police response.
4:51:00
One that dispatches a team of peers, bodes with lived experiences, and emergency medical technicians who are not city employers We need 247 operating hours.
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All calls needs to be routed through 9:8.
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And above all, we need a system that prioritizes the self determination of those with mental disabilities.
4:51:18
Thank you.
