this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2024
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Theres just no reason for a cop to show up when 911 is called for a medical emergency.
Yep, basically the whole argument to the "defund the police" movement. Take some of that fucking cop money to hire social workers. Better for society, but the fascists don't like things that are good for society.
Local jails are just holding facilities for the mentally ill. We need free and easy access to mental healthcare. We need to educate people on when and how to get it. We need early childhood interventions and we need to educate parents so that they aren't afraid of the stigma of mental illnesses. We need to train regular doctors on how to recognize different illnesses and how to guide patients instead of prescribing anti-depresents for everything or saying someone is too young to have a mental illness.
I think most people would agree with that. Like so many issues though, the will of the people just doesn't seem to have an impact.
I don't think people are aware of the extent of the issue. Even the police, courts, jail guards, and even the people in jail aren't really aware of the underlying problems. People who take illegal drugs are often self medicating. They do things like steal to pay for them. People with violent tendencies often have underlying conditions. People with mental illness often have difficulty with education and obtaining good jobs and lack economic opportunities.
Thats what I really don't get. In other countries if you call an ambulance, police has nothing to do with it.
In my country (Germany) the central emergency hotline 112, the equivalent to 911, isn't even run by police. Fire departments are coordinating emergencies.
Ours aren't run by police either anymore. It's a company with regional phone centers that alerts local police/ambulance/fire.
Is there a way to call for an ambulance without 911? Like to ensure one ONLY gets EMS. I know you can call the local police station without 911, you should be able to get medical help without meeting armed sociopaths.