SUBSTANCE USE & VIOLENCE
Everyday I will passionately highlight that violence in our community is a public health issue rooted in decades of negligent public policy. My own mother got clean from crack cocaine one year before she became pregnant with me. I have family sitting in prison cells right now due to gun violence. Substance use and violence in our community are real life issues for me and I will fight to increase funding to anti-violence and substance use treatment community based organizations. Today, we are asking police to clean-up the streets when they can only sweep issues under the rug at best. At the same time, we’re underfunding other public safety/health approaches that have delivered strong returns with the meager support that they have received. I will support the following steps:
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Reallocate a greater portion of public safety dollars to community based organizations (CBOs) that focus on violence prevention
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Strengthen prevention program funding
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Increase funding for substance abuse programs
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Divert those suffering from addiction away from the criminal justice system and into treatment programs
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Advocate for addiction treatments in all health insurance plans
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Equitably spread treatment facilities across the City
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Identify street level dealers and put them into opportunity programs
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Fund youth opportunity program to create attractive alternatives to illegal drug trafficking
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Champion aggressive administration of community outreach programs to intervene in drug markets
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Fund community-based anti-violence programs
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Champion awareness of domestic violence with survivors at the center