August 22, 2023

Santa Ono
Office of the President at the University of Michigan
1109 Geddes Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079

Re: Unarmed, Non-Police Response Program

Dear President Santa Ono,

Thank you for your agreement to issue a statement on unarmed, non-police response at
the University of Michigan, in light of the City of Ann Arbor’s Request for Proposals to
create “an Unarmed Response Program in a manner that intentionally lacks a direct or
indirect linkage to the Ann Arbor Police Department.” We, the undersigned, affirm the
need for an unarmed response program at the University of Michigan with no linkage to
the University’s Division of Public Safety and Security. Community members who live,
work, learn, and play on campus deserve access to an option for calling for support in times
of conflict, crisis, and concern for wellbeing without involving armed officers who are trained
for law enforcement rather than providing care. In a country where people of color, mentally
ill and mad people, transgender people, and poor people are disproportionately met with
prejudice and force, an alternative option is especially important. Many people on campus
who are experiencing a crisis must weigh the benefits of calling for help with the risk of
discrimination, violence, punishment, or being coerced into “treatment.” These conditions
lead many members of our community to avoid asking for help because the risks outweigh
the benefits of the response they will currently receive. We find this unacceptable and
unjust.

We hope you will take into consideration that to truly be an unarmed, non-police response
program that meets community members’ needs, the following criteria should inform its
implementation1:

1
These criteria were developed from the 2021-2022 research of Coalition for Re-Envisioning Our
Safety (CROS) and 18 community listening sessions held in 2023 by Care-Based Safety (CBS) with
people directly impacted and targeted by law enforcement in Washtenaw County.
 1. The program is independent,
a. Not operated by or housed within law-making or law-enforcing bodies such
as government councils, commissions, boards of regents, or police
departments;
b. Accessible without dialing 911 or a law enforcement dispatch office;
c. Has no law enforcement personnel on staff;
d. Law enforcement do not co-respond with staff;
e. If staff are mandated reporters, they are not mandated to report to law
enforcement, but instead to report to non-law-enforcing bodies (such as
mental health programs) who can provide care and connection that prevent
violence.
2. The program has a decision-making body made up of directly impacted
community members,
a. To co-create and oversee its operations, with majority membership of those
who are most impacted by the program’s operation such as Black, Indigenous,
undocumented, mentally ill/mad, transgender and nonbinary, and poor
people;
b. To hire and extensively train staff who are in relationship with, or are
themselves, those who access its services.
3. The program is fully and sustainably funded2
a. By allocations for “public safety” that do not take away from funding for
resources that create real safety: such as food, housing, and mental
healthcare;
b. To take a public health approach that collaborates with other organizations
and programs to address systemic violence, such as racism, poverty, ableism,
and oppression which cause chronic stress and exacerbate crises.
4. The program is based on foundational values of consent and self-determination
and does not require or coerce those who access it to engage in treatments,
programs, or services that do not meet their unique needs (such as residential
hospitalizations or substance use programs).

2
Research by the Coalition for Re-Envisioning Our Safety showed that an annual budget of $3
million would be sufficient for such a program for the city of Ann Arbor.
We urge University leaders to begin a public, community-involved process to implement an
unarmed, non-police response program that fits this criteria. We urge the University to no
longer prioritize funding for force and punishment as a response to suffering, and instead
invest in access to safety in the form of self-determination, access to life-affirming resources,
and care and connection in times of crisis.

Sincerely,

Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice

www.icpj.org

Care-Based Safety
www.carebasedsafety.org

Carceral State Project

sites.lsa.umich.edu/dcc-project

Coalition for Re-Envisioning Our Safety

www.reenvisionoursafety.org

Jewel Heart Ann Arbor Jewel Heart Ann Arbor

www.jewelheart.org/chapters/ann-arbor/
A Brighter Way
www.abrighterway.org

Survivors Speak
www.survivorsspeak.info

First United Methodist Church of Ann

Arbor
www.fumc-a2.org/