Community advocates push to bring HEART program to Raleigh
BEGINNING AT 4.30.
>> AND ON FOX 50 STARTING AT
07:00AM.
>> TONIGHT, WHO SHOULD CALM
WHEN YOU CALL 9-1-1. SOME
COMMUNITY ADVOCATES IN RALEIGH
WANT TO SEE A TEAM OF SOCIAL
WORKERS AND COUNSELORS RESPOND
TO NONVIOLENT CALLS AND THEY
POINT TO A PROGRAM THAT
LAUNCHED IN DURHAM LAST YEAR
CALLED HEART THAT THEY SAY HAS
WORKED WRAL'S. JULIAN GRACE
JOINS US LIVE TONIGHT IN
RALEIGH AT CITY HALL WITH THE
REQUEST. JULIAN.
>> WE DO HAVE THAT REQUEST
RIGHT HERE ON MY CELL PHONE AND
WAS GIVEN TO CITY LEADERS HERE
BACK IN FEBRUARY. AND THOSE
WITH EMANCIPATE NC. WE BELIEVE
THAT THE HEART PROGRAM CAN MAKE
A DIFFERENCE RIGHT HERE IN
RALEIGH.
>> WE'VE ALL SEEN CASES WHERE
POLICE WERE CALLED TO DEAL WITH
THE MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY.
IN THE CASE OF KYRON HINTON,
THE FALL. RAUL RODRIGUEZ, NUNEZ
AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVIST
KERWIN PITTMAN COULD NAME A
FEW KNOW WHAT'S IN THE CASE
OF RULE. RODRIGUEZ NUNEZ, AS
AN EXAMPLE, RALEIGH POLICE
OFFICERS FIRED 30 ROUNDS AT
RODRIGUEZ NUNEZ AFTER HE
ATTACKED OFFICERS WITH MOLOTOV
COCKTAILS IN THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT. SOUTHEAST DISTRICT
PARKING LOT. RODRIGUEZ NUNEZ
DIED FROM HIS INJURIES. HIS
FAMILY CLAIMS THE OFFICERS
FAILED TO HANDLE THE SITUATION
AS A MENTAL HEALTH BELIEVE THAT
IF THE TRAINED PROFESSIONALS ON
THE SCENE.
>> TO HELP THESE INDIVIDUALS
AND TALK THEM DOWN THE LADDER
LIKE THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THAT
ALLOWS WILL STILL BE HERE.
THIS IS DURHAM'S HART PROGRAM
COULD HAVE MADE A DISPATCHES
COUNSELORS AND CLINICIANS TO
NONVIOLENT 9-1-1. CALLS.
MANY OF THOSE IN DERBY MENTAL
HEALTH RELATED. WE DESERVE CARE
AND SUPPORT FROM QUALIFIED
MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
THE PLEA WAS MADE TO RALEIGH
CITY COUNSELORS AT LAST
TUESDAY'S MEETING TO ADOPT PART
OF THE CITY OF RALEIGH ALREADY
HAS A PROGRAM OF HIS OWN CALLED
ACORNS.
>> THE UNIT SINCE OFFICERS TO
HANDLE MANY CALLS WITH ISSUES
LIKE HOMELESSNESS AND MENTAL
ILLNESS. PITTMAN DOESN'T THINK
IT FOR ACORN'S. ALL RESPOND AT
CRISIS HAS AND WE KNOW THAT
JORDAN THOMAS TO LATE TONIGHT
AS MAYOR MARY-ANN BALDWIN ON
HER DOGS OF MAKING THE SWITCH
TO THE HEART PROGRAM.
>> AND THIS WAS HER RESPONSE,
QUOTE, I ADVOCATED FOR THE
CREATION OF THE ACORN UNIT,
WHICH IS COMPRISED OF POLICE IS
SOCIAL WORKERS HAS A NEW WAY OF
ASSISTING OUR MOST VULNERABLE
RESIDENTS. THE CITY MANAGER IS
WORKING ON A PLAN THAT WILL
BUILD ON AND EXPAND THAT
EFFORT, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY
COUNCIL.
LET'S TALK MORE ABOUT THIS CITY
MANAGER PLAN. WE'RE TOLD THAT
THE CITY MANAGER IS WORKING
ON FINDING OUT THE FEASIBILITY
OF ADDING A RESPONSE TEAM THAT
WILL BE ALSO BILLIONS. NOW,
THIS IS JUST
>> A MORE IN-DEPTH LOOK, WE'RE
TOLD THOSE FINDINGS COULD BE
PRESENTED TO COUNCIL IN