From Office of Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas
I am grateful that City Council unanimously passed legislation to pilot MACRO Community / Civilian Crisis Responders to be administered by Oakland Fire Department on March 16, 2021. This is an important step forward in providing trained civilian responders for mental health & other non-violent crisis calls such as medical needs, wellness checks, and general disturbances, rather than armed law enforcement.
Thank you to my colleagues for supporting my legislation with Councilmember Kalb to ensure rapid implementation and accountability for MACRO, and the community coalitions that have advocated for alternatives like this for years.
With MACRO we're developing a model unique to Oakland that can improve community safety and save lives while allowing OPD to focus on and improve response times to the most urgent calls for services such as homicides and gun violence. Learn more from the East Bay Times.