Last weekend there was a lively conversation in Davis Square at Seven Hills Park. Some residents are frustrated by the lack of progress in making the square safer. Actually, it’s safe to say everyone would like the square to be safer and it’s frustrating to us all.
My strong belief is that all the people in our community deserve safety, protection, and dignity. I hear the frustration and worry. I assume the majority of us want what is best for everyone as well.
After the meeting, I spoke with some of the people who were the topic of the meeting. One woman shared that she left home to escape an abusive alcoholic parent. She said she doesn’t feel safe sleeping outside, but with nowhere to go, she uses drugs to stay awake. My wife is an addiction medicine doctor, and she has shared how common stories like these are.
When we talk about accountability, I often reflect on how we as a community must also be accountable for people who are suffering. Yes, the people we are talking about do want help. Yes, they are suffering. And yes, we do deeply traumatize people by using language and actions that assert they are lesser.
We tried the easiest answers:
Arrests for simple possession. Arrests only cause harm[1]. Overdoses after release are especially high[2]. People in jail are disenfranchised from voting. A criminal record also makes it near impossible to find reliable work and housing. These are just a few examples.
Police and prisons don’t address the issues that lead to addiction. They often add new trauma while cycling people through the system. We also have to recognize that the carceral system disproportionately punishes black, brown, and low-income people, which makes relying on arrests for drug use both ineffective and unjust.
Drug courts. In our own state these courts have been sued and lost on multiple fronts. Drug courts have dictated not only where treatment may happen, but also what medications can be used[3]. In general, it’s objectionable to put medical decisions in the hands of non-medical people. This is what drug courts do. Even with the best intentions, these are workers who do not understanding how to best support people in recovery or interpret medical data (including drug screens). Many people with substance abuse disorder also have complex physical and mental health issues and bad decisions can literally kill people.
Sectioning people. Evidence shows this also does not work and instead leads to more harm in the form of trauma and death[4][5][6][7]. In fact, I am not aware of any reliable studies that have evidence suggesting sectioning is likely beneficial.
So what to we do? We need to attack the problem with many tools. Evidence based approaches are a good start:
Deploy trained unarmed community responders, paired with police when appropriate. Somerville will be piloting such a program soon. These programs have been shown to help too—as nearby as in Cambridge.
Engage more deeply with our partners CHA isn’t living up to their mandate, Behavioral Health Network is newly in Davis and are held in very high regard by their peers. The Somerville Homeless Coalition has been doing good work in Davis.
Provide city gap funding for outreach and treatment programs, so people aren’t left without support. Most of the federal grants are being sent out now. It may not come as a surprise, but the latest fed HHS policies are overly restrictive not evidence based. It’s a big problem.
Visible safety when and where appropriate. Our community also needs to feel safe in the moment. That might mean better lighting and a light police presence in squares like Davis.
Lasting change will come from treatment and housing, not punishment. That’s the direction I will keep pushing for: solutions that protect everyone’s right to safety.
If you want to help me find empathetic and evidence based solutions to our problems, here are some ways you can be part of it:
Talk to your neighbors
