“Over these last several decades, the U.S. has made significant progress on public safety, said Thea Sebastian, founder & executive director of the Futures Institute. “But today, thanks to recent funding cuts and administrative reorganizations, we’re jeopardizing this progress — and, in so doing, putting families everywhere at risk.
The ongoing tax and budget negotiations on Capitol Hill and the “one big, beautiful bill” that knits together Republican spending priorities are exposing deep rifts within the GOP, including a sharp divide over how much to cut Medicaid and food assistance.
Working in partnership with our fellow Community Safety Working Group members EJUSA, March For Our Lives, Drug Policy Alliance, Pretrial Justice Institute, and Community Justice, we hosted a dynamic panel discussion on public health approaches to community safety.
Jurisdictions nationwide are struggling to confront rising homelessness, particularly unsheltered homelessness in the public realm. Between 2022 and 2023, the U.S. saw a 12 percent increase in homelessness, including a 15 percent increase in major cities.
Hotter temperatures can increase aggressive behaviors, making violence more likely during the accelerating climate crisis.
On a Wednesday afternoon last March, 19-year-old Win Rozario called 911 for help. Win was inside his family home in Queens with his mother and younger brother, Utsho. Two New York City Police officers arrived within two minutes.
Over 60 civil and human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, released a Community Safety agenda for the United States federal government yesterday that champions evidence-based policies and investments aimed at addressing structural causes of violence and inequality.
Amid a debate about how we can best achieve community safety, and reacting to concerns surrounding both public safety and police killings that have disproportionately devastated Black communities, many are alleging a tension between efforts that would tackle racial injustice and efforts that would potentially reduce violence.
In recent months, fears of violence have captured local and national headlines alike. While it is incorrect to say we are experiencing a “crime wave,” the desire to feel safe—and to actually be safe—when walking in your neighborhood, caring for your children, or driving to work each day is an issue that deserves our full focus and evidence-based policymaking.
Over these last few months, some lawmakers have been clamoring to pass new “public safety” bills that would pour more resources into police departments nationwide. These lawmakers point to crime rates and fears that violence is increasing.
