DC Safety Squad wants to end police brutality

WASHINGTON – A coalition of D.C. advocacy teams, volunteers, and activists are working to finish police brutality. Their intention is to answer emergencies within the District they are saying police solely escalate.

Nee Nee Taylor is the founding father of the DC Security Squad and in addition has ties to the group Harriet’s Wildest Goals. 

“We’re responding to group emergencies and group wants in a holistic and caring means,” Taylor defined to FOX 5. 

She began forming the group, which now has round 120 members within the fall. She says their intent is to not examine crime or become involved in actively violent conditions. 

“We can’t put ourselves right into a harmful state of affairs the place somebody has a gun,” she mentioned.

“It’s not our job to attempt to de-escalate a state of affairs that would trigger additional hurt to one among my group members who’re responding,” Taylor continued. 

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However the security squad will go to a psychological well being disaster, medical emergency, or fireplace. Taylor says these are all incidents the place the police may escalate the state of affairs.  

“They mainly do what they’re skilled to do which is they’re violent,” she mentioned. “It’s a violent group, they usually have been constructed as a violent group. The police group was constructed to guard property and never folks.” 

DC Security Squad members will likely be licensed and skilled in no matter they’re responding to, together with overdose reversal, psychological well being crises, and normal security and safety. 

“Studying how one can wrap a gunshot wound, studying how one can do CPR, the various things that may save a life there till assist comes,” Taylor defined. 

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Some members are present process a nine-month safety coaching program for his or her certification.

“[We’re] not folks going on the market not figuring out what they’re doing however truly having the ability set of having the ability to assist somebody,” Taylor mentioned. 

Whereas security squad members received’t intervene in crime scenes or investigations, they do have a so-called Copwatch staff, which might go to crime scenes to verify the civil rights of anybody interacting with police aren’t violated.

FOX 5 requested folks in D.C. what they considered such a gaggle.

Tyon Jones lives in D.C. and mentioned he’s conflicted concerning the thought however believes it needs to be a part of the dialogue on policing and security.

“It’s price folks to actually sit down and have a severe dialog about the advantages of getting a squad after which additionally take note of how folks will proceed to really feel secure,” Jones mentioned.   

One man who lately moved to the District mentioned he in all probability wouldn’t help the group. 

“In the event that they get there earlier than the police arrive then the state of affairs may get even messier,” mentioned William Johnson.

Nevertheless, others like Tre‘mon Mills, a Howard College graduate, mentioned the DC Security Squad could be a welcome addition to the group.

“If in case you have a gaggle that may mitigate or litigate the kind of circumstances that you recognize aren’t essentially a criminal offense coping with psychological well being, drug abuse, presumably it’s an effective way to start out attempting to alleviate and do away with the police brutality that occurs round us,” Mills mentioned. 

DC Security Squad is at the moment responding solely by phrase of mouth, however the plan is to be formally working by early summer season. They’re working to have a dispatch system and an app folks can use to contact them. 

As of now, there are about 120 members. They need to have 250 folks skilled and able to go by the point they launch. 

FOX 5 reached out to D.C. police for remark however has not but heard again.