Another Stolen Post: Thanks Nino Rodriguez!
ATTN Mental Health advocates:
On Thursday, Feb 4, the City of Madison committee reviewing Madison Police policy will be hearing from several organizations about how police interact with people with mental illness.
This is also an opportunity to voice your own concerns and have your thoughts heard by the committee members as well as the mental health organizations in attendance. You can register to speak for 3 minutes, and there may be opportunity for dialogue with other attendees as well.
The meeting is at the Urban League, 2222 S Park. It starts at 5:30, and will likely go until 7:30.
If you are unable to come at 5:30, due to the WISDOM/DOC event that ends at 6pm, please consider coming later. Even if you arrive late, it is likely they will allow latecomers to register to speak. The committee will also meet on Feb 18 and later dates, so there are other opportunities to have your concerns heard.
The organizations scheduled to speak are:
– NAMI Dane County, Inc.
– Journey Mental Health
– Sankofa Behavioral Services
– Access Community Health
– Freedom, Inc.
– Operation Welcome Home
Agenda is here:
https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=459337&GUID=52C3A4AB-B350-41F0-8EAC-A989508B1E55
If you are unable to attend in person, you can also email the committee to let them know your concerns about MPD policy in relation to people with mental illness. Email addresses for most of the committee members can be found here:
https://madison.legistar.com/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=32364&GUID=1FB685AB-30FB-4054-86BC-B891D8A53DD4
The Madison Police Department Policy and Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee was formed to do a top to bottom review of MPD policy in the aftermath of recent police killings. The committee mostly consists of community members representing various stakeholders and organizations. For reference, here is who is on the committee:
JACQUELYN HUNT is a therapist with Journey Mental Health. She is a volunteer with Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development and is involved in the Justified Anger Initiative.
JERRY B. VANG is an attorney/program coordinator with the State Bar of Wisconsin. He currently serves as the President of the Wisconsin Asian Bar Association.
MARIO GARCIA SIERRA is a community services manager with Madison Gas & Electric. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Centro Hispano.
CHRISTIAN A. ALBOURAS is a business development specialist with Summit Credit Union. He is a member of the Latino Professional Association of Greater Madison, Communities of Color Advisory Board – Madison College and the Latino Consortium of Greater Madison, among others.
SEAN A. SAIZ is a retention advisor for Madison College. He serves on the board of the Wisconsin Indian Education Association and is a member of the City’s Equal Opportunities Commission.
SUE K. PETKOVSEK is the president of the National Alliance of Mental Illness Dane County.
LUIS R. YUDICE is the safety and security coordinator for the Madison Metropolitan School District. He is a former member of the Madison Police Department and currently serves on the United Way of Dane County’s Task Force on Use of Police Force.
MATTHEW W. BRAUNGINN is the interim middle school and prep coordinator for the UW-Madison PEOPLE Program. He is a co-founder of YGB and he currently serves on two United Way Community Solutions Teams.
KIM M. JORGENSEN is an addiction counselor and clinic manager for NewStart – Meriter Hospital.
LINDA J. KETCHAM is the executive director of Madison-area Urban Ministry. She currently serves on the City’s Affirmative Action Commission.
STEPHEN G. MARSH is a pastor at Lake Edge Lutheran Church and currently serves as the board president of the Madison-area Urban Ministry. He is also a member of the NAACP of Dane County.
VERONICA LAZO is the Executive Director of UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence.
ANTHONY COOPER is the Director of Reentry Services for the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development.
KEITH FINDLEY is an Assistant Professor of Law at UW, and a faculty director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project.
