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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sakeena Trice, Senior Staff Attorney of the Disability Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI)
3:06:45
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102 sec
Sakeena Trice from NYLPI expressed deep concerns about the city's practices regarding involuntary removal of individuals perceived to have mental illness for psychiatric evaluation. She urged for significant changes to the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) program, criticizing it as a flawed pilot that continues the tradition of policing and criminalizing people with mental disabilities.
- Trice called for a true non-police crisis response system that dispatches a team of peers.
- She emphasized the need for voluntary, community-based, and culturally competent mental health services.
- NYLPI argued that there's no hard evidence showing involuntary commitment is more effective than voluntary treatment.
Sakeena Trice
3:06:45
Good afternoon, my name is Sakina Trice, I am a senior staff attorney with the disability justice program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
3:06:53
Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony today on behalf of NOPI.
3:06:57
NOPI is deeply concerned about the city's practices relearning, relating excuse me, to the involuntary removal of individuals perceived to have mental illness diagnosis for psychiatric evaluation.
3:07:09
Additionally NOPI urges the city council to mandate significant changes into the behavioral health emergency assistance response division program as it is a deeply flawed pilot which merely purports to be a non police response to people experiencing mental health crisis, but in fact it is a part of the long tradition of policing, criminalizing, and under and mis serving people with mental disabilities.
3:07:31
Funding Be Heard and its current guidance diverts money from what we need, a true non police crisis response system that dispatches a team of peers.
3:07:39
There must be changes to be heard and those changes include using emergency medical technicians who are not city employees, 20 operating hours, calls routed through 988 and above all be heard must prioritize the self determination of people with mental disabilities.
3:07:55
People in crisis are calling for help and being met by police and EMTs who send them to the hospital without asking questions or providing on-site treatment and they send them to the hospital against their will.
3:08:06
New York City must create and invest in a mental health care system that offers truly voluntary services that are community based and evidence based and culturally competent.
3:08:18
There's no hard evidence that shows that involuntary commitment is more effective than voluntary treatment, so we must invest in voluntary services to save lives.
3:08:27
Thank you.