Public Safety

Historically, communities across the country use police and punitive approaches as the primary tools to address health and social issues. This results in the funneling of millions of people, especially black and brown communities, into jails and prisons. Nationwide protests over police accountability and racial justice have reenergized longstanding efforts to fundamentally change how police departments respond to social issues that include mental illness, substance use, homelessness, community violence, and poverty. There have been increased calls and efforts…

Last week’s Budget Conversation investigated the way we fund public safety in our community. After this discussion with our six panelists, I was reminded that public safety comes in many forms, and from many different sources. That being said, each panelist had their own perspective on how we should be allocating our resources and where public safety measures should originate. However, one thing rang true for all our guests: Nashville needs a better mechanism through…