NYLPI - New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Inc.

03/28/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/28/2024 15:57

CCIT-NYC Responds to Queens Shooting, Demands the City Act NOW to Ensure a Non-Police Mental Health Crisis Response

CCIT-NYC Responds to Queens Shooting, Demands the City Act NOW to Ensure a Non-Police Mental Health Crisis Response

March 28, 2024

Baerga v. City of New York, CCIT-NYC, Community Justice, Disability Justice, Health Justice, Immigrant Justice, Media Coverage, News, Pro Bono Clearinghouse, Transforming Mental Health Crisis Response

(NEW YORK) - Correct Crisis Intervention Today - New York City (CCIT-NYC) released the following statement after news reports about the death of Win Rozario, 19, who was fatally shot on March 27 in Queens by NYPD officers while experiencing a mental health crisis for which Mr. Rozario himself had called 911 for help.

"How many tragic fatal outcomes of mental health crises responded to by law enforcement must occur before we finally say, 'Enough!', and change the paradigm to adopt a more humane, peer-led, and person centric approach?

We send our deepest condolences to Mr. Rozario's family and friends, who apparently were trying desperately to get him the help he needed. But we also know their pain and loss could have been avoided.

CCIT-NYC members continue to call on the City to immediately implement our proposal for a non police, public-health response to mental health crises. This model - which is based on successful models across the country - will ensure that New Yorkers in crises are met with a compassionate, rights-based response that is grounded in the expertise of peers - those with lived mental health experience.

We urge the City to act now and adopt the best practices and features of the CCIT-NYC model by focusing on placing trained peers on the current pilot program, B-HEARD, response teams as well as restore prior B-HEARD PEG cuts. We have waited too long and do not want to see another lifesenselessly lost due to the ongoing delay."

###

ABOUT CORRECT CRISIS INTERVENTION TODAY - NEW YORK CITY (CCIT-NYC):CCIT-NYC is a coalition of more than 80 mental health advocacy and other community organizations, representing hundreds of community stakeholders, working to transform how New York responds to mental health crises. CCIT NYC has proposed a mental health crisis response system that replaces police with teams of trained peers (those with lived mental health experience) and independent emergency medical technicians, based on input from two 100-plus-member community focus groups, a city-wide survey, and a review of relevant research. For more information about CCIT-NYC and its proposal, visit http://www.ccitnyc.org/who-we-are/our-proposal.

Download the statement here.