"We repeat what we don't REPAIR"... the City of Fayetteville, NC is failing to address critical gaps in public safety infrastructure and structural change is needed to avoid further loss of life: 

• In an ABC-11 analysis of nearly 100 officer involved shootings across central NC law enforcement agencies found at least 39% of incidents involved mental health crisis or a person with a history of mental illness
• the Fayetteville Police Department is more lethal/deadly than 83% of forces in small cities NATIONWIDE (deadly force per arrest)
• allegations of excessive use of force and misconduct following the deaths of Jada Johnson​, Jason Walker​, Nizja Hagans​,  Joshua Oxendine​, Treva Smutherman​ , Justin Livesay​, Lawrence Graham and  Shaqur McNair  have been buried and/or ignored. As have serious allegations made by Jalana Dunlap-Banks​, Reshod Everett and Gerard Atkinson.  Independent oversight is absolutely needed ---THE POLICE CANNOT POLICE THEMSELVES

An OCS is a community-based approach to public safety and crime reduction that would be housed under the City of Fayetteville. OCS and other similar models can come in many different forms and are tailored to the needs of the community it serves. Many cities across the US have turned to these models in response to recent crime patterns, police brutality, lack of affordable housing and the rising rates of mental illness. These models help reduce excessive reliance on police officers which allows them to focus on violent crimes. It also saves the city money and resources while providing necessary systemic change and oversight within our public safety infrastructure. A fully funded OCS would establish:

• Mental health professional response to mental health crises (similar to the successful Durham HEARTS model)
• Oversight practitioners- trained and credentialed by National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) to provide oversight of the Fayetteville Police Department and to steward development of oversight bodies like the Citizen's Review Board
• Civilian Liaisons for hundreds of unhoused people in the city
• Centralized infrastructure to support community-led violence interrupter programs  

The Office of Community Safety (OCS) must be approved, resourced and fully funded by Mayor Colvin, City Manager Doug Hewett and the City Council. We must act NOW to get OCS funding allocated in next year's municipal budget. This important policy change needs YOUR support to become a reality. 

Community members are mobilizing to bring systemic change to our municipal approach to Community Safety. On Monday March 20th at 6pm all residents, City staff and elected officials are invited to a Town Hall event featuring the Director of the OCS in Greensboro. The event will be held @ Smith Recreation Center- 1520 Slater Ave, Fayetteville, NC.

Inaction now will result in continued and needless loss of life. Will you join in this local movement toward systemic change?  Please sign and share this petition. Help us convince our "Can Do" elected officials - Mayor Colvin and the entire City Council to Say YES to the OCS!!