People in the midst of mental health emergencies are frequently confronted by police officers, not medical or mental health professionals. This approach escalates crises, exacerbates fears around seeking assistance, and causes the injury and death of innocent people. In this podcast, Fountain House members share harrowing stories of experiences with law enforcement. Because of the stigma and potential personal consequences of sharing such stories, they have elected to remain anonymous. You will hear accounts ranging from a young man’s traumatizing first encounter with the police when he was thirteen years old to Deborah Danner’s final, fatal one when she was sixty-six. These stories make it clear that we must change how we respond to mental health emergencies, and that we must do so now. An Individual experiencing a mental health emergency is not a criminal, and should never be treated as one. 

This project was a model of rehabilitative Social Practice: it was inspired, created, and produced by Fountain House members, who were engaged and guided through every step by Social Practitioner Tristan Chirico and the Advocacy Committee. 

Cover Art: “Harm Undone” by Ray Lopez