The murder of Daniel Prude by RPD in response to a mental health crisis call could have been prevented. It could have been prevented if we had a comprehensive, public mental health system in which trained mental health professionals respond to such calls, rather than inherently violent and racist law enforcement.

At the same time that Daniel Prude's murder has been a deeply disturbing and tragic example of the inadequacies of our mental health system, COVID-19 has also highlighted the deep inequities in our healthcare system overall. Black and Brown workers have disproportionately filled essential jobs like bus drivers, grocery store workers, health care providers and more, while most work-from-home jobs have been filled by middle-income white people. This of course occurs while Black and Brown community members are disproportionately uninsured and white health insurance CEOs rake in huge profits. These problems are secondary to the larger societal problem: our politicians continue to prioritize maintaining the status quo instead of fighting for equity for Rochester's Black and Brown people. We say no more. It is time to defund the police and fund healthcare for all. 

Join us at 2 PM on Saturday, October 10^th at Genesee Valley Park to kick off our huge statewide push to force the New York Legislature to finally pass the New York Health Act: “Medicare for All New York” legislation that provides universal, comprehensive health coverage (including dental, eye, and mental health) paid for based on income; no premiums, no co-pays, no deductibles. We'll hear from leaders of color in worker unions and community organizations about the various ways in which Black & Brown people have been disproportionately impacted by the consequences of COVID-19 and lack of access to healthcare. We'll hear from our own volunteers at Rochester for NY Health about what the NY Health Act is, how it can make healthcare a human right for everyone, and the connections between defunding the police and funding healthcare. Then we will have a couple workshops that will help us to be better organizers, share a plan to win, and end with a few immediate calls to action! 

Under New York Health, the obscene profits, hidden promotional costs and multi-million dollar salaries now going to insurance executives will be plowed back into actual health care, so that no one will be shut off from needed care and no one will have to choose between healthcare, rent, or food on the table. Universal healthcare could also create the comprehensive mental health system we need to respond to mental crises without law enforcement. 

We can do this! But we need to create a huge wave of public interest now, and be ready to act when the legislature goes back into session in January. Put October 10^th on your calendar now, and commit to bringing essential health care to essential workers, and all New Yorkers. Black Lives Matter. Health Care Matters. RSVP below! Let’s get this done.