Phuong Nguyen 
Nguồn ảnh：https://www.kalw.org/show/bay-made/2024-04-08/kalw-town-hall-prop-e-in-sf
The city of San Francisco is currently in the midst of a heated debate over Proposition E, which aims to overhaul the way that the city handles mental health crises. The proposition, which will appear on the November ballot, would create a new emergency response team that would be dispatched to mental health calls instead of police officers.
The proposal comes after years of advocacy from mental health advocates who argue that police officers are not equipped to handle mental health crises and often escalate situations rather than de-escalate them. The new team would consist of trained professionals, such as paramedics and mental health clinicians, who would respond to calls involving individuals in psychiatric distress.
Supporters of Proposition E believe that it is a necessary step towards reimagining public safety and providing better care for those experiencing mental health crises. They argue that the current system is broken and leads to unnecessary violence and trauma for individuals in crisis.
However, opponents of the proposition worry that removing police officers from the equation could put both the new emergency response team and the public in danger. They argue that police officers are trained to handle a variety of situations and that taking them out of the equation could lead to delays in getting help to those who need it most.
As the debate continues to unfold, residents of San Francisco will have the opportunity to vote on Proposition E in November and decide the future of how the city responds to mental health crises.
